The sun shone brightly as Ri made his way through Magnolia's streets. In his left hand, he held a sheet of paper, on which the details of his next mission were written. Apparently, an old man just needed someone to watch over his shop for a few hours. That didn't sound so bad. Just stay in one place, and do nothing, and then get paid. Then again, he might become bored quite easily- But! He came prepared. In his other hand, he held a hard-cover book. Something about fairies. He didn't know the details himself, he had just bought the book a few days ago.

He walked with a slight skip in his steps. The day had been going so well for him. First, he woke up at twelve in the afternoon. There was no sun to wake him up in the morning, and his alarm hadn't rang. Then, when he went to get breakfast- Or rather, lunch- he found an open restaurant which had both good and cheap food. And then, he stumbled upon the quest paper, which he happily took. To his joy, the old man needed it done today, so that meant that he didn't need to wait around for tomorrow. He -was- wondering why no one took it by now. After all, this is the city of wizards, what with Fairy Tail being in the center of it.

Of course, it didn't take long for Ri to find the shop. Mostly because he learned to follow to signs. The old man's shop soon began appearing before the mage, and Ri couldn't help but smile. While the idea of doing absolutely nothing for a few hours seemed like hell for someone like him, he somehow found this mission quite nice. Maybe because he wasn't in the mood for anything. He -did- have a book, so he couldn't become bored. Either way, he entered the shop, hearing the small bell ring as he opened the door. Khalash would be under the counter, seemingly searching for something. The old man would be humming to himself, before his little song was interrupted by Ri's arrival. He stood, and greeted the boy with a hearty laugh, "Greetings, greetings! What may I help you with?"

Ri merely showed him the paper, a small smile forming on his face, "I heard you were looking for someone to watch over the shop. I'll gladly help you." His smile only grew as he placed the paper on the table and listened as the old man explained what he has to do. Well, it seemed quite easy. All he had to -not- do was to leave the shop unattended, or break any of the rare potions from the shelves. Something did pique his interest. He was told to not go into the backroom. Now, he didn't want to lose a good sum of money by doing the opposite of what the old man told him, but he couldn't help but wonder: What could be back there? Gold? Monsters? Perhaps, an unburied treasure. But, he'd have to wait. What if the room was boob-trapped, and magical seals knew when he came inside? He couldn't risk it.

It didn't take long afterwards for the man to leave, with Ri staying behind to watch over the shop. At first, he sat down on the clerk's chair, feet propped up on the counter, and book in hand, silently reading from it. Now that didn't last long. In about ten minutes, Ri had put the book down and stood, looking around. The shop was, what one might expect. A shop. There was a shelf specifically made for potions and potions only, and one made for ingredients. The mage began walking around the room, and looking at the various things for sale. His eyes set firstly, on the potions shelf. With a soft, low hum, he took hold of one of the bottles, and read its ingredients. "Elixir of Do Well." He muttered, "Contains...Fish Scales...Feline hair...Demon Blood...Spider- Wait," His attention went back to the earlier ingredients, before his eyes widened. With an innocent whistle, he -gently- placed the bottle back, and re-took his place at the counter.

He sighed, eyeing his book. Decisions, decisions, to read, to not read? It was the question of the universe. As he gave a sigh, and leaned forwards, to reach for his book, the shop's door opened, the bell announcing the presence of a newcomer. Ri stood, and looked at the pack of three teens, who entered. On one side, he was glad to not have been given a 'Good day, sir,'. It showed that he at least still looked young. On the other, it would've been nice to at least be given a greeting. The boys began looking through the shelves, picking up a vial, and placing it back, maybe even taking hold of an ingredient. But, they always placed them back.

Ri cleared his throat, "May I help you?" He asked, his gaze shifting between the three. Two of them stopped, and looked at the mage, while the other one continued to look through the flasks. "Where's the old man?" The shorter one asked. "He's not here." He simply responded. "Instead, I'm here to help. Something you're looking for?" He raised an eyebrow, as a small smile formed on his face.

"Uh, yeah. Show us the back room." The last one, the one looking through the vials, finally spoke up, as he rested the elixir back on the shelf. He didn't look like Ri did when he was his age. He reminded the mage of the delinquents he was harassed by when young, though, and he knew that they meant trouble. "Nope" He spoke, "Sorry, but even I'm not allowed there."

He wasn't expecting them to back down. He wouldn't have if he were in their place. Instead, he raised an eyebrow as their "Leader" approached and rested his hands on the table. Ri, as he was, wouldn't be intimidated. Instead, he mimicked the teen's action, leaning in towards him. "Are you looking for a fight?" He asked, with a clear frown forming on his face. "Maybe I am. What's it to you?"

At that moment, Ri raised his hand, and just flicked his index towards the boy's forehead. A small shock of electricity would flow from his hand, to the boy's forehead, and, well, shock him. Not enough to wound him, of course, but enough to give him a scare.

"You have five seconds to leave before I call the authorities." He spoke, as he looked at the three. Their leader was on the ground, but he quickly gathered himself and took his lackeys, walking with their tail between their legs, out of the shop. With a huff, Ri sat back down and leaned back in the chair, placing his hands behind his head, and closing his eyes.

He woke up to another ring of door's bell, but to his surprise, and delight, it was only the old man, who had come back from his supposed adventure. After telling the man of today's happenings, Ri was paid, and with a smile and wave, he was off to his inn room. When he exited the shop, he found out just how much he had slept. It was dark, and the moon was high in the air.

Word Count: 1264/1000