Diomella du F-... Diona was sitting behind the register, the counter also doubled as a display for some decently enchanted jewelry... The actual jewels were mostly cheap quartz, but unlike diamonds or other "valuable gems" quartz could hold magic pretty easily. Most of the dragon crap in the shop was to get random nerds to buy random bits of shaped wood, metal, and rock. Each one was merely shaped mundane materials, but they were based on real legends of the magical realms. The mundane things held two purposes to show those who were of the magical realms they could find some enchanted stuff inside and-
"I'd like to get this statue and these little miniatures." Christian spoke. Diona rang up the statue of Teragorn the Annihilator and the two mini's of Aluard of Material and Mauvia the Ephemeral. "Don't those two little one's look like they could make a good couple?"
Diona sighed and said "Sure, I guess their scales look kinda similar." The two never met, and their beliefs and abilities were at extreme odds with one another. However trying to explain the lore of them would get this fucking nerd too riled up and asking too many questions. "You want one of those necklaces Shelly. I'll get one for you they don't seem too expensive." The price tag was merely $30 not cheap but not that expensive either. Diona glanced to Shelly and saw her swaying a bit as she swayed from quartz to quartz but... Her eyes seemed to stick to some a lot easier than others.
"Are you a lady of the sea?" Diona asked
"Wha?" Shelly asked
"You seem to be favoring the necklaces that promote things like sure footing on unstable land, a little more air in your breath, or to need less water. One's that are tinted in favor of the sea." Diona said
Shelly looked skeptical while Christian looked entranced as he asked "Oh, what does this one do?" as he pointed to one quartz that was splotched with red and orange.
"That let's you rub two sticks together and actually make a spark." Diona lied dismissively. She also lied a bit to Shelly, but she didn't need to know that.
Shelly pointed to one that was also charged with sea magic and said "I'd like that one."
Diona said "Of course." and then went to grab an identical looking crystal from the back that was charged with a minor enchantment of water sweat, but as Diona brought it over Shelly looked disappointed. "Is something wrong miss?"
Shelly asked "...They look very alike but... I'm not sure how to say it but... Could I have the display one instead... It feels..." Diona gave Shelly an appraising look. A human mortal with some amount of magic sense was rare, but not particularly useful... A human mortal who could sense quantities of magic was significantly rarer and held some potentials...
"Most don't ask but... I don't see why not." Diona also known as Diomella du... Diomella the princess dragon of mortals... took out the heavily enchanted pendant usually reserved for those who actually knew what they were doing and chanted a quick spell on the pendant and scanned the price of the pendant... What would usually take favors or the treasures of a kingdom was sold for $30.
"What was-" Shelly was about to ask
Diona yawned and said "Just a little random good luck blessing my manager tells me to do. Usually end up not doing it most of the time but... Rarely get asked for the display model." Christian coughed and Diona glanced over seeing the guy was still there and just heard her admission of not doing something for him that she was supposed to do. Diona gave a chant and decided to put some magic as well since the two seemed connected. The mortals left with Shelly putting on her necklace that was recently coated with a tracking spell. Christian also had a tracking spell on him, but a different one.
Night came and in bed Shelly stared at the quartz and... it felt like a magnet of sorts drawing her in... The others felt repulsive or had a lesser tug, but... That had to be some placebo right? "Invitation to the Dragon's Castle" was whispered to her spirit's ear and Shelly accepted like it felt wrong not to. In her pajamas she found herself sitting next to the head of the table. Who was at the head of the table why the shop clerk who was dressed in a floofy princess gown. Shelly was wondering when she'd fallen asleep...