The little merchant shop right on the edge of Eldren Forest was almost the peak of isolation, and that was just how Aldryn liked it. The shop carried a few things from the nearest town, the byproduct of a bi-monthly visit that the shop-keep abhorred, but most of its stock was made up of the herbs and plants that could be found in the forest, and the objects traded in for cash from the wandering travelers and adventurers that made up the store's normal patrons. It was not the sort of business that made someone rich, but it allowed its business owner the introverted life he preferred while still existing on modest means, and that was good enough for him.
It had been a normal day in the shop, which meant that a sum total of zero people had passed through the doors, and Aldryn had gone through his normal routine of counting money, double checking already centupelly checked stock, and cleaning the already spotless shop. By the time he was done with the normal pointless formalities of maintaining the isolated little store, the sun was slowly but surely starting to set, which is why in spite of himself he felt a small hint of surprise when he heard the soft chime of the set of bells attached to the entrance door. Not that people coming in late was so out of the ordinary - he'd been woken up at well past midnight multiple times by some persistent adventurers who needed this or that - but it was becoming late autumn, and most sensible people normally would have been looking for some places nearer to civilization to stay in case of the odd snowstorm, or even just for safety from the biting cold. However, he'd met enough of those who chose a lifestyle on the road to figure those who preferred wandering the wilderness or strange lands for months at a time, risking life and limb for treasure or just 'the heck of it', weren't particularly the most sensible bunch. It was easy enough to figure the potential patron was of similar nature.
"Good day sir!" An exuberant greeting mixed with an all too recognizable accent made Aldryn's heart sink.
"Good evening." Aldryn responded, barely holding back an exasperated sigh as he took his eyes off his log books to see exactly what he'd expected: a young goblin maiden, fluttering her eyelashes at him and clearly trying to portray a picture of perfect innocence as she practically skipped over to his counter.
Of all the people in the world to come bother him right before closing, of course it would have to be a goblin. Aldryn had been blessed in his life to come across very few passing through his store doors, but he'd heard plenty enough from travelers to get a less than high opinion of them. Silly, frivolous, coquettish creatures, he'd heard and found often enough that they were typically mindless and annoying little people. A few adventurers had often warned him they could have some wit to them and be troublesome in large numbers, but in all honesty Aldryn doubted it. Never had he met a goblin who wasn't quick to talk his ear off over all sorts of useless nonsense, not-so-subtly sneaking in bad flirting attempts while trying to see if they could manage to get something free out of wriggling their hips and bouncing their breasts, all of which never worked; they annoyed Aldryn more than they amused him.
This goblin already seemed cut from the same cloth. The short green maiden had come into his store dressed in the most tight-fitting of barmaid dresses, worn so tight around her large, rounded hips that he was surprised the fabric didn't tear with every step she took, and the top so low that it seemed as if it was made to just barely cover her nipples, the top of her large breasts exposed and pressed taut together to emphasize her cleavage. While Aldryn had to admit the display was candy for the eyes, he also assured himself that he of all people was not one to be easily manipulated by a pretty girl clearly looking to make a fool of him, nevertheless a goblin girl of all people. However, he did find himself slightly impressed when the maiden, whose upper chest barely made it above the height of his desk, managed to set her entire rack upon the counter as she made herself comfortable, practically resting her head on her own pillow-y breasts.
"So, how are you today sir?" The goblin maiden prodded, the energy never leaving her voice despite Aldryn's less than enthusiastic response to her entrance.
"I'm doing well this evening, how are you?" Aldryn replied back, not even bothering to feign interest in her answer as he temporarily returned his attention to his log books. The last thing he wanted to do was give this goblin the satisfaction of thinking he was eyeing her.
"Ah, well that's good sir, I'm glad to hear it." She replied, not-very-discreetly rearranging herself to better show off her breasts, making them jiggle slightly as she did so. "Sad to say I'm not doing probably half as good as you are sir. I recently lost my job, and I've been looking for new employment ever since. However, I'm really excited, because I think I've finally found some place that could offer me a great new employment opportunity!"
"Oh really? Well that's wonderful for you." Aldryn said, just as uninterested as before, if not more so out of the fear that any display of intrigue might draw him further into a conversation with the clearly very talkative goblin right in front of him.
"Yep! I'm really excited. Which reminds me sir, where do I put in my job application?"
It took Aldryn a second to fully register what the goblin maiden in front of him had just said, but the moment it hit him his gaze snapped up, only to meet the innocent, eager smile of someone who was clearly either not getting the tacit hint, or was completely unfazed.
"E-excuse me? Your what?"
"My job application. To apply to work here."
Aldryn balked. "N-no, you must not understand. I'm not looking to hire anyone, I don't-"
"Aw, what do you mean? You're a one man show around here from the looks of it, you don't have one other person helping you out at all! You obviously need another pair of hands around this place, and I'm just the gal who can fit that bill. Oh by the way, my name's Cali, and my future employer's name would be?"
