You pick up one of the dolls from the cluttered box, examining its surprisingly detailed features. Its limbs seem segmented, hinting it might even be some sort of robot, although at the very least it would make a cool figurine. You approach the counter, where the mysterious shop clerk watches you with curious eyes.
"Excuse me," you say, setting the doll down gently, "there wasn't a price on this. How much?"
The clerk leans forward, adjusting her thin glasses with one hand, carefully inspecting your find.
"Ah, special one you pick," she murmurs in softly accented, slightly broken English. "This one... I sell cheap. Faulty, not always working correctly, yes?"
"Faulty?" you ask, intrigued but not overly worried. "Well, what exactly does it do?"
The woman smiles softly and shrugs. "Doll is doll. Sometimes robot, sometimes doll—maybe two? Maybe neither. Magic strange, unreliable on this one. But look good on shelf, yes?"
Considering you originally thought to use it as decoration anyway, you nod. "Sure, sounds fine enough by me. How much?"
She pauses, eyeing both you and the doll one last time, before naming a price that's surprisingly low—very reasonable for something that looks like an intricate collectible.
"Really? That's all?" you ask.
"Yes," she replies quietly, ringing up your purchase. "Better with you than sitting in dusty box. You be careful, though. Faulty magic, unusual outcome."
You hand over your money, amused at the woman's vague warning, and soon leave the cramped shop behind. With the peculiar doll safely tucked away, you head home wondering what "faulty magic" really meant.