THE MOMENT
Nash assumed she was in the wrong place as soon as the young woman walked in. She had a lean build and wore a black leather duster, which hinted to him she wasn't any sort of swordsman in training. And, her purple fauxhawk and tattoos made it easier to dismiss her further; no serious warrior would want to attract that kind of attention on a battlefield. But, he was still a businessman, and she took her time pretending to study the various weapons on display as she eventually made her way to the counter.
"Hi, I'm looking for a sword," she said with a smile.
"And, you decided to check a weapons shop? How clever of you," Nash chuckled. He'd already decided he didn't need her business even before she sounded like an idiot. She was even too stupid to spot his mocking. Swordplay was a serious discipline and not a weekend hobby one could pick up at their leisure.
"Yeah," she shrugged with a smile. "It's the best lead I've got right now. I guess to be more clear, I'm looking for a specific sword. But..., I don't really know what it looks like. Do you know if you have any magic swords?"
"Is this some sort of prank?" Nash asked. The young woman shook her head.
"No... why do you ask? I mean, what part sounded like a prank? Magic is real, right?" she asked. She looked around the shop interior as if she was suddenly unsure about something. He realized essentially any exchange with her would be a waste of time, and he decided to answer her questions in the hopes of getting her out of there quicker.
"Yes, magic is quite real," Nash sighed. "I merely meant, it's rather ridiculous to be searching for something when you don't know what it looks like."
"Eh, a little bit," she giggled with a smirk. "It's not impossible though, and I do have reason to believe it's here somewhere; but, I could be wrong on that. So.. magic swords?"
"I do have a small collection," Nash nodded. He was a lot of things; but, he considered himself an honest businessman and had no need to lie about it. He doubted she could afford to even look at it.
"Unfortunately, due to the nature and power of those weapons, I require a hefty sum in advance of browsing my private stock. It is a fee, not to be returned, nor will it be put toward any purchase you decide to make."
"Oh, nice! I'll take a look. What kind of fee are we talking about?" she asked as she reached into the pocket of her leather coat. Nash decided that he could fudge the numbers and still be the honest salesman he tried to be. She couldn't afford the real price anyway, so there was no harm in scaring her into her place.
"Standard fee is 500 gold, however, in your case, I can lower it to -," he was interrupted by a heavy, jingling thunk on the counter.
"Let's see them," she said. The small velvet sack was bulging, and he was curious enough to heft it. It was as heavy as 500 gold, and he peeked inside to see hundreds of gold coins.
"I'll be right back," he rushed away through a curtain to try and recover from the unexpected development. Not only was she dumb, but she was also wealthy. His opinion of her only worsened, but he spotted a new opportunity and decided to make what he could from her. He gathered four glass cases onto a wooden cart, then rolled it out back through the curtain to the main counter, and laid them out.
"Here we go...," he said. Each case held a different sword, and all four of them seemed to glow with different shades of magical light.
"Well, you did say it was a small collection," the woman giggled as she let her eyes wander over each case. "I just assumed a 'collection' would have more than four items." She examined them one by one while Nash defended himself.
"How common do you think magic swords are?" Nash asked. He was starting to wonder how she functioned at all.
"I dunno," she shrugged. "You've got four in one place, they can't be that rare.
"Is that Excalibur?" she asked once she reached the fourth sword. It was a golden blade glowing with golden light. Nash was annoyed by this point.
"No, it is just a golden sword....," he said it with obvious sarcasm. It was his most valuable offering, and almost anyone should've been able to identify it on sight. "Of course it is Excalibur! What else would it be?!" he asked.
"There are three other magical swords here. Golden swords are commonly used for ceremony, it could literally be any other sword," she replied.
"Are you going to buy something?" he asked.
"Yeah, I found it while you were in the back," she nodded. "I just wanted to see what your collection looked like since I paid for it," she added as she placed a rusty shortsword on top of Excalibur's case. Now, he was beyond annoyed and a touch befuddled. He ran a respectable shop that never would have even put out a blade in that condition. But, he was even more insulted that he showed her his magical collection. She claimed to be searching for an enchanted blade and instead chose a novice's training weapon. "How much?"
"That's not from my inventory," he shook his head. It occurred to him that it could've been some sort of setup. She might have been trying to trick him into charging her for something she brought in. And, whether that was true or not, his shop had a reputation to maintain. Above all else, he tried to be fair in business. It would damage his reputation if he sold such a poor item.
"I got it from that barrel," she gestured at the bargain section of chipped, but good weapons. The imperfections were limited to cosmetic damage, and he ensured each blade was solid and trustworthy. He never examined the one she had now.
"I won't call you a liar...," he said it very pointedly while meeting her eyes. "... but, perhaps some poor soul simply wanted to rid themselves of it. It's not part of my inventory, you're free to take it if you like. No charge, of course."
"Really?" she asked with a broad smile. He nodded. "Thanks! I'm taking you up on that, this is mine now, right?" she wanted to be sure.
"Yes. Now, you're more than welcome to leave," Nash said.
"Wait, I gotta check it first," she said. She grabbed the steel point he used for etching and braced the old sword on top of the cases. She leaned over and scratched the blade as Nash turned anxious. Part of him hoped she broke the glass cases; he knew she had the money to pay for it.
"57?" he asked when she stopped. Except, the answer came from the blade and not her. It immediately began to glow with a brilliant white light, brighter than any of the magical items beneath it. The weapon rejuvenated itself before his eyes. The rust blade became polished steel and the scraps of cloth around the hilt tightened and turned into what looked like vivid, luxurious red silk.
"What is that....?" he asked in awe. But, she sighed and shook her head.
"Not the one I'm looking for, this is just a replica," she shrugged. "Ah well," her voice came with sincere disappointment.
"Replica of what?" he asked as he moved closer. He wanted her to invite him to examine it.
"Eh, too much to explain," she shrugged. "I'm after a really powerful sword, this replica is only a fraction of it," she said. She turned and faced the armored training dummy Nash had out for kids to swing their swords at. She made a light-handed, informal swing with the weapon, and the top half of the dummy fell forward, wearing the top half of armor.
"It's neat, but not what I'm looking for," she shrugged. "Thanks anyway," she waved and turned to leave. But, paused. "Hey wait, you wanna buy it off me?" she asked. "It's a fake, so it'll be a pain to sell."
"Yes!" It was an easy decision.
"Three thous-," she started, then shook her head. "Thirty-five hundred gold," she grinned.