The owner of the Sphinx is a thin, almost skeletal old man, with a small pair of eyeglasses. He seems to be asleep, hands folded in his lap, eyes closed and downcast.
You take a moment to look about. Rope. Scissors. Thread. Buckets. Check.
The interesting things are in the back. You see...about two dozen very odd items, gathered into the back of the shop on shelves. You take note of every one...
1. A small, undecorated oak box, that would fit in the palm of your hand.
2. A tiny glass bottle filled with a clear liquid.
3. A thick, carved stick bent into a 'V' shape. Looks like a club of some sort.
4. A clear glass sphere-tiny darting spheres of light are occasionally observed inside.
6. A long wand is made of willow. It has a small amber gem at the tip, that glows faintly.
7. A pretty silver chain necklace, with an ornate jade beetle emblem.
8. A broken fragment of a very large egg-shell.
9. A pair of iron-shod boots
10. An ordinary leather sack.
11. A pair of gloves with metal knobs on the knuckles.
12. A pot of blue syrupy...stuff.
--Akira slinks back into Risey's shop. She looks around the shop.
"I... I do n-not wish to o-offend miss... b-but you seem t-to b-be l-lacking in... wares..."
She seems to take offense, irregardless.
"Well, it's not easy to take a walk in the woods these days! If it's not Mad Wizards, Trolls, Walking Trees, or Moving Shadows, it's Bandits.
Place I was apt to find my special ingredients, I can't get to. I tried to talk with them, tell them to move on...well, I was lucky to get away with my virtue intact, to put it politely. Had to stick one of them my knife." She says tersely, hands folded across her chest.
--
"Merely admiring the armour for a blink. Fine work. There a tale behind that, metal-shaper?"
You remind yourself that until you agree on a price, it's unlikely the Dwarf will satisfy your curiosity. Nothing is free, after all.