As the wizard approached, Kimberly noticed he was carrying a small but ornate chest. It appeared to be made of finely carved and polished wood, and was banded together by polished golden metal. There were also quite a few ornate runes and patterns carved onto the sides and top of the box. Curiously, on the lid of the box just above the latch were two buttons made of some type of polished stone. The left button was square and red and glittered like a ruby, while the right was round and green like an emerald.
Paldinoss went back behind the counter and then set it down in front of Kimberly. "This," he said in his most mystic voice, "is Pandora's Box!"
Kimberly gasped and eyed the container warily, "THE Pandora's Box!? How come it was just on a shelf? Why isn't that locked away somewhere!?"
The wizard merely smiled and laughed heartily, "No child, this does not contain all the world's evils. We in the arcane community like to be a little dramatic when we name our artifacts."
"Oh" she replied in relief, "Thank goodness, so what does it do then?" The girl peered a little more closely at the box, her previous fear forgotten.
"This little beauty" Paldinoss said with pride, "Will summon a random transformative item for whoever presses this button." He pointed at the square ruby above the latch. "There's no telling what it might be. A jewel encrusted ring? A pair of glasses? A dress? The options are endless, as are the effects. If the box is charitable it might come with a note that gives some insight into the item, or you could just have to figure it out yourself. Perhaps a feather duster that slowly turns you or one of your friends into a maid the more you use it in order to keep your accommodations clean? Or a nose ring that when worn has some rather bovine results. Only one item per person at a time however, also I wouldn't try and put an item you summon onto one of your friends who is already using another, things might get weird."
He now pointed at the round emerald button. "This button is for when you are done with your current change and would like to return to normal. Press it once and you should begin to revert to your normal state. Once you are yourself fully, remove or stop using the item and press the button again. The chest should open and you can place the item back inside. Once you close the chest you should be able to press the red button and start the process all over again if you'd like."
"That's incredible!" said Kimberly, looking at the box with newfound awe, "How long does each change last? How long does it take to turn back?"
"Again" replied the wizard, "that is up to the box, if you're lucky a note might give you some details. A change into something might take days, with a change back taking the same amount of time or not." He smirked "That's the fun part! I think this might be just what you're looking for...unless..." he said, a hopeful look appeared on his face. His eyes flitted towards the aisle she first came down, and rested upon the jeweled sword she had passed before, "You're sure you don't want to go dragon hunting?"
Kimberly pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow at Paldinoss.
"Alright alright" he said, throwing his hands up in mock-defeat, "I swear I'll get someone to go one day." He turned his attention back to the chest, "But what do you think of the box?"
"I love it!" she replied, "I think it should be perfect for what we'll need, thank you so much for this!"
"It is my pleasure" he said with another of his trademark smiles, "Now, before you go tumbling down the rabbit hole with this box's magics on your trip, I think a small taste of transformation is in order. Just so you have an idea of what to expect." He reached beneath the counter and pulled out what appeared to be an ordinary headband. It was black with a black bow on top. "Here you go, something small to get you started. he said, handing it to her. "It should take a few hours for the full changes to take effect, but don't fret about your friends showing up and finding some stranger, when you wake up tomorrow you should be back to normal. No worries about returning it either, it should transport itself back here in the morning as well."
Kimberly looked appreciatively at both magical items that she had been given. Beaming, she turned to Paldinoss and thanked him again, before taking the headband and placing it on her head.
The wizard laughed. "Again, it's my pleasure, and when you return from your trip, please do come and tell me how it went. You'll find that you can always see the store now. If you like it well enough there are other things here you could purchase or if you'd like..." he said with new inspiration, "I could see about teaching you some of the magical arts, in return for some work of course."
"I'll return! I promise mister Paldinoss, thank you, thank you, thank you!" said Kimberly and with that she picked up the surprisingly light chest and turned to leave the store. She paused in surprise, her mouth dropping as she noticed the store's exit was now right by the counter. Yet she hadn't been anywhere near the counter when she entered. With a smile of her own she regained her composure and walked out of the store saying to herself "Magic is awesome!"
Paldinoss grinned as he watched her leave, noting that already some of the roots of hair around her new headband had already begun to lighten towards a blonde hue. The girl seemed a good kid, she should definitely enjoy the contents of that box and, if he was lucky, he might just have a new apprentice within the year. He frowned, murmuring to himself, "I hope her friends a smart enough not to cause trouble with those items."
"Just like you to forget all about the character of her companions" said a holier-than-thou voice from behind the wizard. Paldinoss rounded on what had previously been a painting of a simple, empty background to find that the image of an old English butler had taken up the frame. "I can't imagine things will end well for her or her friends."
"I have faith that she'll come out fine, she's smart and has the potential become a great witch if she so desires." He pointed a finger accusingly towards the butler, "and it's just like YOU, Bertram, to be off snoozing in some frame in the corner when our first non-magical customer in ages comes through the store. She had no one to guide her and was nearly taken by that Illithid's Orb. If she didn't have a strong aura for me to sense I may have arrived too late."
"A thousand pardons milord" said the butler sarcastically, "It shan't happen again under my watch." he said before yawning and wandering off again.
"Useless idiot, never rent out a magical space with its own wall decorations." He muttered to himself. "What I wouldn't give for a good assistant. If Kimberly doesn't pan out maybe I can see about poaching one from one of the other stores..."