A Break from Barking

Posted on Sun Jul 5, 2026 @ 1:38am by Civilian Livia Sagan & Civilian Kali Fagan

1,945 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Jubilee
Location: Synne's Sweet Seduction

Livia had not drummed up as many comet tours or sold as many glasses as she had hoped. Had she lost her touch? She certainly did not want to go crawling back to Geral and take up more of his work. She didn't escape the Ferengi to take on another master. No, she would find her own way. The petite woman decided a break was necessary, so she wandered the promenade and found herself inside Synne's Sweet Seduction. Cute name. If I had a shop, I would have likely named it that, too.

A blonde woman about 30 was carefully beading the ends of a shawl. She was dressed in a calf-length skirt that looked like it was made from several colorful scarves. It was topped by an off-white peasant blouse and dark green vest with vines embroidered around the edges. She wore several gold bracelets on one arm and matching hoop earrings.

She paused, looked at Livia, and smiled. "Hi. I'm Kali. How can I help you?"

"I'm not really sure yet," Livia answered, looking curiously at Kali. "I'm just taking a break from selling my comet tours and comet glasses. What do you think I should know about this shop? Cute name, by the way. Synne's Sweet Seduction."

"Thanks. Synne's my middle name. And I like the play on words." Kali looked around. "I sell herbs, aromatics like lotions, perfumes, candles. Bubble bath. Things that can help create a mood. And I have a nature room where you can enjoy a few minutes of the scents and sounds of nature while sitting on grass."

Kali paused for a moment. "How go sales for you?"

"Create a mood..." Livia mused while thinking about the possibilities. "Are any aphrodisiacs?" she wondered. "Sales have not been to my liking, so I am trying to determine what I've been doing wrong. Could be the wrong product, though I would have thought that capitalizing on the comet would be wise."

"Some of my stock can be used for aphrodisiacs, but that's not their primary purpose. "She would neither admit nor deny that she'd used them as such a time or two. "Business is decent. But right now, it's more the soaps and lotions that are selling. Not many are into candles or incense. Or teas and poultices. But I had chased off a few who wanted to camp on my grass."

She looked at Livia for a moment. "Have you tried selling them to the pilots of small craft so they can see the comet better?"

Livia looked at Kali blankly. Why in the world had I not thought of that? I've got to be getting rusty. Craft to craft sales! I'm embarrassed to be a merchant. "Not until you mentioned it," Livia admitted hesitantly. "I'm a one and a half woman show, so from a practical standpoint, that could limit my sales, but it is worth considering."

"I get it. You never know what'll appeal to customers. Not until they actually come into your shop. I thought I'd do better with the aromatherapy, but that hasn't done so well," Kali admitted. "So, I switched it up. I do much better with soaps, lotions, and candles. And the air fresheners. I still have my green space, but I use it more than customers do."

Kali shrugged and changed the subject. "What do you do when you aren't selling glasses to comet fanatics?"

"I try to find a market and buy low and sell high. It is the marketing way, isn't it? Aren't you in business to make a profit?"

"Of course. But I buy the raw ingredients and make many of the items I sell myself. So, I'm basically paying myself for my time as well as my work. And what I do buy, I buy in bulk, so it's cheaper." Kali smiled. "But then, I'm not trying to sell glasses for comet watching."

"You can, if you want," Livia replied with her marketing sense starting to tingle. "Buying in bulk is a sound business strategy and one that I utilize often."

Kali smiled. "It's a good policy to follow. What else do you sell?"

"All sorts of unique things. You can demand a higher price for something that few or no other beings have. Right now, I have some Dreamweaver gowns from Betazed, silk cloaks from Andoria (They'll keep you nice and warm in a cold environment.), holographic suits, and some...." She put a hand to the side of her mouth and whispered, "Romulan ale. It is not always legal where the Federation is concerned, so I have to be careful about that one, even if most look the other way." She raised her voice to its normal level and continued, "I have all kinds of other nicknacks, so you're welcome to come about and take a look."

"Dreamweaver gowns? Those sound interesting. I haven't heard of those. What are they?" Kali had seen the lovely clothes at Sartorial Splendor, and the ones at Lasuma's, but she didn't know where Livia sold her wares. Then again, the promenade was huge and she'd only seen a part of it.

"From what I'm told, Betazoids or other telepathic species that put on the Dreamweaver gowns can astrally project. It is supposed to be a highly mystical and magical experience. Being human, though, I would not know."

Kali hadn't heard anything about astral projection with any species. "You know, there are Betazoids on the station. You might want to check and make sure they work as advertised."

"They do," Livia replied certainly. "I've had some very reputable Betazoids test them. They're extremely rare." She looked at Kali with a small bit of wonder. She was an innocent, caring thing. It could be useful to keep her that way rather than taking advantage of her. After all, a source that would vouch for her was worth millions of latinum bars.

"Do you have a specific location you sell, or do you move around with a cart?"

"I move around and I also bring people to my ship to sample my wares. It is easier that way. They can look at all the merchandise," including myself, which usually helps them buy a lot more than they would normally do so.

"That's a good idea. You'd have to walk around a lot to drive traffic to your ship." Kali raised an eyebrow. "Have you considered renting a space on the promenade?"

"I have, but that would tie me down to the station or force me to get a permanent employee," Livia answered. "Not quite certain that I'm ready for that, but it is a logical step to making more income. After all, you have to spend latinum to make latinum."

"Yes, you do," Kali admitted. "I guess it depends on what you want and how hard you're willing to work for it. Me, I spend time learning to make my own soaps, poultices, and herbal remedies. And I learned homeopathic remedies. Not for anything serious. For that they need to go to sickbay. But for minor complaints, I can help. And then, I saved up for all this."

"What were you doing to sell your wares before setting this shop up?" Livia inquired, silently evaluating the worth of doing something like Kali, as well as trying to determine if any of Kali's products were worth selling to her normal buyers.

"I worked in my aunt's shop. She taught me most of what I do. Part of it is that I'm Romani, and this is in our blood."

Things started clicking together in Livia's head. Romani.... Gypsies, tramps, and thieves.... No wonder they got along so far. "What happened to your aunt's shop?"

"She's still there. I left for fresh pastures.' Kali said. "And to see the universe. I don't get to do that here, but I can honestly say the world comes here--especially with the comet."

"So, if you were not here, then what would you be doing? Something like me by going port to port to sell wares?"

"I'd probably still be growing herbs and flowers, making potions and creams for my family to sell." Kali shrugged. "Or maybe I'd be doing this on a colony somewhere. I don't know. But I like roots. I like growing things. I can't do that if I'm moving around a lot."

"So, staying here, you get to meet both of your needs: setting down roots and seeing the universe." Livia nodded. "I have to say that I get it. Though, it does make it difficult for distribution, no?"

"If that's what you're after, it does. But, as long as I make enough for my needs, I'm good. I'm not looking to expand." At least not at the moment. But Kali wasn't going to turn down an opportunity if it dropped in her lap.

"You know...." Livia's merchant brain started working its magic. "Maybe you could familiarize me with your products and when I'm off station, I could sell them for you. In exchange, perhaps you could sell some of my comet glasses? Maybe even let me leave some brochures here for my comet tours?"

"I'll take your brochures, but let me think about the rest," Kali replied. "Or better yet, write up a proposal so I know exactly what you can offer. And I'll do the same."

"Comet is not going to be here long, so the proposal will have to be quick and dirty," Livia answered. It was going to be hard to sneak in favorable clauses with time being of the essence.

"Or we don't bother with it for now because, as you said, the comet won't be here long and there's no way to tell if anything is going to work," Kali said. "To be honest, I don't know if people looking for something that smells and feels good will be looking for comet glasses--and vice versa."

Livia shrugged. "You know your customers better than I." Livia considered the topic for a moment and said, "How about this? We figure out a value exchange and then when the comet is gone, we even things out on our profits on the others' goods?"

Kali wasn't so sure. There was such a short window while the extra traffic would be here, and it sounded like Livia was having trouble selling her glasses. Would she actually be able to sell Kali's lotions when she didn't know anything about them? What they were made from and the health benefits was important. Yes, Kali could write up lists, but it wasn't the same as actually knowing the product. "I still think we should talk after everyone leaves and things get back to normal. As I said, I'm happy to put flyers up for your glasses and where they can be found, but the rest would take time and we might not have anything concrete until it's too late to take advantage of the crowds."

Livia gave Kali a small bow. "If that is what you wish, I accede to your wisdom." She's not wrong but there was no harm in trying.

"It is." Kali wasn't going to prevaricate. "I hope you do well with your glasses. And your dresses."

"Thank you!" Livia answered happily. "I will be back with some flyers. I hope that your business continues to bring you all that you desire, as well."

"Thanks!" Kali would have to look into those Andorian cloaks at some point. They sounded interesting. And if they were pretty, she might buy one.

TAG/END

Livia Sagan
Purveyor of Miscellaneous Goods
Deep Space 5ish

&

Kali Fagan
Synne's Sweet Seduction
Deep Space 5

 

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