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“It’s a bit of an informal agreement,” said Sue, easily, having asked that very same question when she came here before, “it makes the area look a lot cleaner, gives ease of movement, clearly marks it as separate… and everyone who shops at the board game arena, yes that’s what they called it, arena not area, all agree never to shop if people set up in the ‘buffer zone’ between it and the rest of the Endless Market.

“Apparently a few people have tried to bypass that… and it’s against the rules to properly harass or chase off other customers… but people who shop int the board game arena held to it. They barely acknowledged the existence of those stands and would occasionally give their best dismissive glares at anyone who did bother to shop in those spaces. Eventually people stopped coming, and then the sellers stopped selling… well… all except one…

“There’s a bit of a legend, he’s called ‘Crazy Joe’ and his stall sells food. It’s all grilled stuff and he’s apparently he’s got great marinade to really sell the flavour… but keeps it all boxed up in his stall with an enchantment. If you believe what some people say, they suggest he’s been there since the start of the Endless Market and never once moved. Other people say that he’s a descendant of the original Crazy Joe keeping the legacy alive…

“What I do know is two things. The first, is that my parents apparently knew about him. I asked just sort of off-hand and they’d heard of him… and he’s at least as old as they are but suspected to be much older. Additionally… well… he’s not really in that buffer zone anymore either.

“See, the story is nice, but the Board Game Arena expanded to surround him and now he’s considered part of the BGA instead of a weird guy on the edge of it. Though Mum and Dad did confirm that he’s older then the BGA setup. He really was here before them. Apparently when Mum and Dad new him, they knew of him as ‘Crazy Joe, Soap Avoider’ because a couple ladies wanted to form a big soap making area here and he refused to move… or bathe… while they tried.

“It fell through apparently because there just wasn’t enough sales interest and if they were looking for big ticket customers… the market here just isn’t the place for it. It has history yes, and plenty of people with money come here… but they don’t come here looking to SPEND that money. If that makes sense…”

Kat nodded, “Is his food good?”

Sue shrugged, “I have no idea. It’s always super busy at his stall, even has a space expansion charm in it to allow for the lines not to spill out everywhere else. He’s here every day, making food every day, and I never wanted to go through the line, however long it actually is. I’ve heard plenty of figures but it just wasn’t worth double checking any of them. Most outrageous I’ve heard was ‘I sat in that shop and waited for a full week’ but they didn’t say they were waiting for food, or that they were in the line either… so…”

.....

“Did you parents try?” asked ‘Lily’

“Huh…” mumbled Sue as she paused mid-step, almost causing Kat and Lily to run into her. Sue kept walking right after of course, but it was still noticeable. “You know… I didn’t ask. How did it not occur to me to ask about that?”

“Well does it seem like something they’d do?” asked Kat.

“Not really…” said Sue carefully, “but you’ve also got to realise that after you live a certain amount of time… your sense of ‘too long waiting’ gets really skewed. Or that’s what Mum and Dad have always said to me. What was that in response too… hmm… I think it was after I asked them what’s the longest they’d ever been in a line after I spent the day at the theme park. I was complaining about one of the rides we decided to avoid because it had a full 24 hour wait time…

“I think they said a month… or was it longer? No I can’t really remember but it was a huge amount of time for younger me. I couldn’t believe it at the time, but obviously it’s true considering they could say it. I think ‘a long time’ has to be different once it’s really sunk in you have forever. Well, if you get to that Rank,”

“Oh right… did I mention I got to Rank 3?” asked Kat.

“Some demons get all the like,” grumbled Sue, “No you didn’t mention it. I suspect it was part of the fight with Ozen you skipped?”

“Yup…” admitted Kat.

Sue shook her head… and the rest of her body for good measure, letting everything shake and wobble, “You’ll have to tell me about it some time. I guess you don’t want to be having this conversation in a place so crowded. It was clearly pretty deadly, and maybe packed with a few secrets. Though… did you get a cool ability at Rank 3?”

“I haven’t tried to figure it out yet…” admitted Kat.

“Of course you haven’t…” sighed Sue.

Sue would complain more but someone popped up in front of them. They looked to be a cross between a beholder and… something else? Perhaps a Succubus? Perhaps a medusa? They had a tight suit on that didn’t reveal any of their feminine curves. It was all sharp lines to just barely avoid showing exactly where everything was. They had a heart tipped tail but no wings and their head…

Well it was just one you’d find on a beholder eye stalks and all. Though they had glasses on, every eyestalk had their own pair. It was really adorable but a little weird. Each stalk only had one eye after all so the fact they had glasses instead of a monocle was strange. The main eye wasn’t typical either. They had glasses, and two pupils swimming around… but it was just one giant interconnected eye despite the two pupils. They seemed to be able to move independently without care for each other.

“Welcome to the Board Game Arena. I noticed you were wondering around but not really looking at anything. Can I help you? My name is Ludus,” said the demon now identified as Ludus.

Sue took a quick step back and pushed Kat forward into her place. “Um… sure… though… do you work here?” asked Kat as she tried to think of the best way to describe what she wanted.

“Technically speaking I am a volunteer and I give my time freely. Practically, I receive a small donation from the Board Game Arena for my time. Not enough to count as a proper job, but I do enjoy the work and I set my own hours. I do this mostly for fun and to share my love of games! I’ve been helping out seen it opened!” said Ludas cheerfully.

*Wait… that’s… holy shit how old is Ludas?!* A bit of a rude thing to ask though so Kat started to explain, “We’re,” Kat indicated herself and Lily, with a hand, “looking for a good present for out little sister. She’s adopted, like myself, and human. She quite enjoys chess and is exceptionally intelligent despite just being six, nearly seven. I’m not sure if this saying will translate, but she’s approaching University level intellect despite her age and reads quite frequently to put it to good use,”

Ludas nodded and gestured for Kat to continue, “Right well… we need it unenchanted because we have some hopes she’ll make friends… but despite not being arrogant she sees others her age as… somewhat pitiful idiots. Well… idiots might be harsh, she’s smart enough to understand she’s abnormal but well… I think she does still pity them a bit.

“So… we’re hoping for something that can keep her engaged but also be shared with friends? Or maybe two separate games? One for her to play at a high level with Callisto, one of our adopted parents who is similarly intelligent but much older with the other one a good game for everyone? Oh, if we do go for both the hardcore game can be enchanted even if we’d prefer it wasn’t, just in case it doesn’t work back home,”

Ludas nodded, “I can accommodate that,”