Kishara
Fatcat
On the corner of 5th and Vine sits a quaint little shop, aptly named "The Shop on the Corner of 5th and Vine". Normally, it would go overlooked if it did not stand out quite so much. Surrounded by the glass giants of the business world, it sticks out as much as a child in a frilly pink dress would among a myriad of men in black suits and blank faces.
Normally, you wouldn't dream of entering the shop. With it's pink and white awnings, lace curtains behind frosted windows, and cheerily embroidered "Welcome" sign hanging from a peg on the inside of the door, it looks like the kind of place that would sell sewing supplies, candy, or (heaven forbid) Hello Kitty mercantile. But then again, it is very hot and perhaps they sell ice cream.
You immediately regret your decision as you open the door to a delightful little jingling bell, which is apparently on the opposite knob. Despite the wash of cool air over your skin, you start to turn, horrified by the pink walls and pink and white tiles, until someone behind the counter spots you, cutting off your chances of a clean escape. Raising guilty eyes, you see a girl with long black hair in two twin braids wearing quite possibly the most ridiculously frilly pink outfit you've ever seen in your life.
"Hello!" she calls cheerily and you tentatively offer your own greeting. "Welcome to The Shop on the Corner of 5th and Vine! How may I help you today?"
With an embarrassed look, you ask if this is an ice cream shop, to which the girl responds with a laugh, shaking her head as if you've just said the funniest thing. Which, of course, is not very encouraging at all.
"Oh, no! This isn't an ice cream shop! Though I suppose we'd get more customers if it were, no?" she says with a giggle and a wink. "No this, is a shop of fantasy! A shop of pleasure!" Immediately, you begin to blush as you wonder if you've wandered into a deranged sex shop. "This," the girl continues, beaming as she leans forward like it's some kind of secret, "is a shop of jelly!"
You blink. Exactly what kind of jelly is fantastical and pleasurable? After all, you've had Smuckers before, and it wasn't a life-changing experience to say the least. The girl laughs at your lost expression, covering her mouth with her hands.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh so much, but you look so cute when you're confused!" she giggles some more while you blush and then calms. "It's not just any ordinary jelly we sell. Here, let me show you!" Cheerily, she pushes a big silver button on the pink counter in front of her, one you think you should have noticed before.
Immediately, what sounds suspiciously like a Sailor Moon transformation theme starts playing loudly as the pink walls open like cupboards, revealing shelf upon shelf of jelly jars. Only it's not ordinary jelly. Some is wildly colored, some is bubbling, and some even appears to have fur! There's an endless selection of them, each different from the last! You step forward, mouth falling open slightly in amazement as you take in them all.
You're almost too stunned to notice a soft squishing sound behind you, but before you can turn, something wraps around your waist and lifts you into the air! You shout in surprise and squirm before freezing in utter shock as you're molested in several places! There's a battle cry from your left and you look over to see that the girl behind the counter has charged forward, brandishing a large pink pole, which she uses to repeatedly beat at whatever is holding you. With an unhappy trill from the thing, you find yourself set back on your feet.
Immediately you get to your feet and spin around but there's nothing there. Exactly what kind of shop is this?!
The girl appears beside you and immediately bows about fifty times. "I'm so very sorry! I forgot to warn you that the jellies attract tentacle beasts!"
...tentacle beasts?
