You look around at the massive store around you, filled as it is with strange objects, and decide it is better if you stay together. So you leave behind the armor, and move further into the store, trying to find where Brooke went off to.
When you reach the back wall of the store, you notice a passageway veiled with a purple curtain. The sign beside the passage is marked "Adult Items - Must be 18+ to enter". You look around tensely. You could have sworn Brooke came this way, but she's nowhere to be seen. The only logical conclusion was that she went inside the adult section. With a nervous sigh, you plunge yourself beyond the curtain, and find that she is indeed standing on the other side. "There you are," you say. "What are you doing back here?"
"I was just curious," says Brooke. "This place has some really cool stuff. Look at these." She beckons you over to a shelf, where she has found a pair of rings-- seemingly identical, save for one being golden and the other being silver.
"Rings?" you say. "Well, I'll admit they're pretty nice... but I don't see what's so unique about them..."
"I know it sounds wild, but... I think they might actually be magic. Read the inscriptions," Brooke replies, handing them to you. You hold up the gold ring to examine it, and find that there is indeed a message inscribed around the inside. You read it aloud, softly. "This ring of gold, when one takes hold, the silver one is then controlled - until this ring you next unwear, your sex shall be the form they bear." As the meaning of the words sinks in, you gaze back at Brooke askance. "Wait, really?"
"Read the other one," says Brooke, smiling excitedly.
You turn over the silver ring in your hand, reading it the way you read its companion. "This silver band, when on one's hand, the golden one is in command - though touch and hearing you retain, and speech inside the master's brain." You hand both rings back to Brooke, still dubious about the whole thing, adding, "There's no way these are real."
"They look real to me," she says. "And if they really DO work the way they say they do... don't you think they'd be sort of... I dunno... fun to try out?" You think about it for a moment. "Uh... I guess?" To be honest, you're not sure if it sounds very fun or not. But obviously Brooke is a bit more enthusiastic about the idea than you are, and you don't like to make her unhappy. "Okay, how about this?" you ask. "Let's find someone who works here and ask about these. We'll see if there's any way to try them out in-store. If they really work, and they aren't too expensive... then I'll buy them for you."
"Really??" says Brooke, her face lighting up. "You mean it?"
You nod. "Of course, honey." You feel slightly guilty-- after all, there's no way they really work, so you know you're not going to have to actually follow through on your offer. But at least she can see you care. Brooke gives you a big hug, and the two of you go looking for an employee who can give you more information.
Eventually you loop back around the main floor of the store, and you finally find the counter, with what appears to be an old-fshioned register and a small bell. You ring the bell, and a young Asian woman emerges from the back. "Hello there," she says, with a polite smile. "How may I help you?"
"Uh, hi," you say. "My girlfriend and I... um... were just sort of browsing, and... uh... we found these." You show the rings to the woman behind the counter, a bit embarrassed of what they are. "How much are they?"
"Ah, yes," says the woman, with an acknowledging nod. "You have a good eye. These work best when they are used by two people who trust each other very much. For a couple such as yourselves, I think this would be a very fine purchase. For you, I think... $15."
The inexpensiveness of the rings surprises you. "Wow, only fifteen? Well, do they really work? I mean... they do what the inscriptions say they do?"
The woman nods. "I assure you that they do, just as indicated. I stand behind the quality of every item in this store."
Brooke smiles. "So it's really magic?"
"Everything in here is," the woman answers. "But I understand if you are skeptical. Most people who come in here are. If you require an opportunity to test them out before you buy, there is a space back here where you can do so privately." She opens the counter to allow you in, giggling, "I must warn you, though. The first time using these can be a bit... disorienting, to say the least."
You exchange glances with Brooke. The whole thing still makes you a little anxious, but you promised her you'd at least try them. You can't back out now. Obligingly, you follow the shopkeeper and Brooke into the back, to a small private room with a bench and a light overhead. "If you need any assistance," says the woman, "do not hesitate to ask. I will be out here."
Once you and Brooke are together inside with the door closed, you produce the rings. "Okay," you say, "let's do this. Uh... which ring do you want, Brooke?"