Mari can't find her purse, and "Harry" suggests a compromise.

Marigold continued to pat herself down under the store owner's watchful gaze. She could have sworn that she had put her wallet in a cosplay-friendly little pouch under her skirt that had been serving as her purse all day, but it was nowhere to be found. No matter how many times she flattened her glowing yellow skirt trying to figure out where it had gone, she came up empty every time, and every time she couldn't find it she got a little bit redder in the face.

"Um," she squeaked again, even more embarrassed than she had been the first time. "I think I've lost my wallet, I'll come back later..." She could barely get the words out of her mouth before starting to trail off, getting quieter with every word.

To her horror, she saw Harry shaking his head. "Nuh uh, missy," he said. She had expected him to be angry or disappointed, but instead he had a smile on his greasy mug. "I took these out of the collection. That means they're damaged goods, now. You have to pay for them, here and now."

Heat was crawling up Marigold's ears when she heard what Harry was saying. What was she supposed to do? She really didn't know where her wallet had gone, and without it, she didn't have a dime on her. She couldn't exactly call Joy over and ask her to pay for them. For one, Mari had been buying the toys intending to use them on her just moments ago! But for another, she would never recover from the shame of having Joy and her fellow cosplayers discover her illicit purchases, no matter what reason she had intended them for.

"I don't know what to say," Marigold said, holding back tears. Dammit, why was she like this? Grown-ups didn't cry over nothing like this! She was a grown up! Mari **** herself to stand up straight, holding tight to the Caduceus staff that Joy had made for security. She was a grown woman, and she would face this problem like a grown woman. "I don't have any money, sir. I don't know what to tell you."

The shopkeeper looked her up and down with a hunger in his eyes. "I'll tell you what," he said. "I'll give you the toys for free. If you and I hop off for a moment to one of the private rooms and have a little showing of our own."

Marigold's jaw popped open.