Neptune

Neptune pauses, one claw gripping a fancy looking teacup and the other a purple cloth that glittered in the dim firelight. The wooden wagon behind him is piled high with items of all sorts, and the table beside him lined with even more. “You know, this here tablecloth,” He waves it carefully, letting it sparkle more clearly, “Looks beautiful in light or dark! I have only one in stock, got it from a buyer all the way across the sea. Interested?”

The hatchling shakes their head.

“Okay,” Neptune sets down the tablecloth carefully on a free spot on the table, placing the teacup on top, “What about this?” His tail flicks forward, revealing that it holds a small black plushie. It’s crudely made but cute nonetheless, a little black cat with golden buttons for eyes and a little gold bell around its neck.

The hatchling’s eyes widen, and they turn urgently to the left, searching for their guardian’s approval.

Neptune laughs. “Tell you what! How ‘bout a trade? No treasure nor gems needed.”

The hatchling nods, bouncing up and down in excitement.

“You see,” Neptune starts, “I have this mirror.” He motions to the tall oval mirror beside him – wait when did that get there?

The hatchling moves closer, gazing up at the mirror. Its gold frame glints in the dim light, but the effect is a tad ruined by the dirt smeared across its glass.

“This mirror loves meeting new dragons, but I haven’t had time to introduce anyone to it recently. Would you like to say hello?” Something seems to flash in the mirror’s depths, just for a second. Eyes?

The hatchling nods. “Hello!”

“Tell it your name.”

“L –”

“That’s enough.” A plum snapper with cotton candy runes emerges from the onlooking crowd, his red eyes flashing dangerously. “If you want to sell your wares here, no enacting deals without the consent of all parties involved.” The snapper huffs, turning to the hatching. “This mirror is magic. Once you’ve told it your name, you grant it the ability to see through your eyes.” He glares in Neptune’s direction, the cyan fae grinning in amusement, not at all bothered at his trick’s failure. “It gathers information. Statistics, if you will. How many dragons like lilies versus lilacs versus roses, how many dragons eat their meat raw versus cooked versus burnt.”

“Harmless, really.” Neptune trills, his eyes sparkling oddly. “It’s good to check supply and demand, after all.”

“You can check with the guilds.”

“They’re usually a bit slow on updates. This is much more accurate!”

“And you’ve told it your name?”

“Of course!”

This makes the snapper pause. “Really?”

“Yes! The safety of my customers is important, I would never do anything I felt would endanger them…” Neptune tilts his head. “Unless they paid for it.” He turns to the hatchling, who now hides behind the plum snapper. “Well, you wanted to hear about the Eyes in the dark, right?”

The snapper steps forward, blocking the hatchling from view. “Hearing and experiencing are different things.”

“I disagree. I find hands-on experience to be the best teacher.”

“You’re a horrible teacher.”

“At least I don’t coddle, unlike you do, Raz.”

“Do not call me that.”

As they bicker, the mirror’s depths seem to shift, and a pair of gold eyes can be seen under all the dirt. Watching.