There's a little pawn shop nestled somewhere inside a blind alley deep within a major city. Nobody's quite sure where that is, whether New York or Paris or London or Berlin or Los Angeles or anywhere else. Perhaps it's in all those places. What we do know is that, when you're looking for it, you will find it. It's small and modest-looking, with a sign saying "TF PAWN SHOP". That's all. The window is small but gives a glimpse into the cluttered world inside.
Once inside you start to realize that this isn't a normal pawn shop. The inside of the TFPS is bigger than the outside, and the rows of shelves and display cases are as small or large as they are needed. There are stacks of books, clothes racks and wardrobes full of every type of clothing imaginable, furniture from wall to wall, electronics, ovens, fridges, carpets, dolls, and even a locked room marked "NO CHILDREN ALLOWED".
Then you're greeted by the receptionist. Every person meets a different receptionist. Are they all working for the TFPS? Or, as someone suggested, are they all the same person in different shapes and guises? Either way, the receptionist is always perfect for the client. Sometimes they are a handsome young man or an attractive young woman, but other times they can be fatherly or motherly, reassuring and gentle and loving. Their job is to handle your pawn request. But there is something different about this pawn shop.
You are the goods.
If you've found the TFPS, then you won't need to be told how it works, but the receptionist will give you a brief overview anyway, perhaps show you the merchandise. Each item in the TFPS was once human, transformed for a fee and retained in the TFPS for a settled amount of time. The client will have to provide a contact to send the money to. Eventually, that contact can return and claim the client, who is then transformed back and sent on their way. But not everyone leaves the TFPS, and when loans aren't fulfilled within a certain time, the client may find themselves being sold off to the first comer. Not that that bothers some people - it's also common for clients to volunteer for object transformation, remaining there for the rest of their existence, or perhaps returning home to their loved ones to remain with them as an object.
Today, our story begins with a new customer...