The Velvet Hollow Mug

You know, I’ve been working retail for fifteen years, and this place… well, it’s certainly kept things interesting. When I first got the job, I thought it was just another gift shop - you know, trinkets and souvenirs. But after a few weeks, I started noticing things.

He glances around with a mix of fondness and bewilderment

Like how we never seem to run out of certain items, even though I swear I haven’t seen a delivery truck in months. Or how customers always seem to find exactly what they’re looking for, even when they didn’t know they were looking for anything at all. Management calls it “excellent customer intuition,” but I’ve seen people walk straight to items that weren’t there an hour earlier.

He picks up a journal with a Seeker symbol, that almost seems to glow with a strange light

The owner - if there even is one, I’ve never actually met them - has this thing about “mystifying our world” or something. Everything here is supposedly inspired by real discoveries and things that we often miss in our lives. The clothing line, the replica artifacts... The Divisions say they’re based on “extensive research into the threads of our world”

He lowers his voice slightly as he continues

Just between you and me though, some of the pieces in our premium collection… I’ve worked in museums, and I’ve never seen craftsmanship quite like this. It's otherworldly... The way certain fabrics seem to catch light that isn’t there? Either our suppliers are absolute masters of their craft, or…

He trails off then shrugs slightly

The regulars are what really get me. We have this whole community of people who’ve been shopping here for years, some traveling from other states just to browse. Then there's the Seekers. Hooded characters passing through into the back sections.... They just seem like hired actors to me, though some think otherwise.

The funny thing is, everyone seems to have a story. That teenager who bought the powder blue hoodie last week? She kept staring at the printed symbols like she was trying to solve a puzzle. When I asked if she needed help with sizing, she just said the pattern looked “familiar.” The Design Division really outdid themselves with those - they’re apparently based on some obscure historical textile patterns.

What I love about this job is seeing how much joy people get from these pieces. Sure, it’s all just high-quality reproductions and themed merchandise, but there’s something about the atmosphere here that makes people feel… I don’t know, connected to something larger? Like they’re part of some grand adventure.

He smiles warmly as he returns to business

Anyway, that’s probably more than you wanted to know about retail life. Are you looking for anything specific today, or would you like to browse? Fair warning - people tend to lose track of time in here. Something about the lighting, I think.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​