“Vigrael, was it?” a voice called out as the half-basilisk was closing up her performance corner for the day. Most of her patrons were children and visitors, so coins were few and far between outside of the market’s popular hours. “I was wa- eh, listening to your stories and music last moon before making my delivery to the Glassbeards. Didn’t have any gold to give, but I asked a favor, and… Well…”

There was a shuffling of pockets, and a large hand with something cool inside it reached somewhat clumsily to Vigrael’s front-most hand. It took a moment for her to find the item with her blindfold on, but after sheathing the viol’s bow, she was able to get a good grasp on it. “It’s… A mask?” she asks, trying to muster a smile to save some face, “I appreciate the offer, but the wrap I’m wearing is kind of sentimental. It was the last gift my mother gave me...”

“Oh gods, I didn’t- I’m sorry- you just-” the somewhat feminine voice cut itself off so many times in the space of a few moments, interrupting the demihuman’s explanation to the point of embarrassment, “Thought you’d like to see the kids’ faces…” The larger fingers managed to place the goggles into the scaled ones with some difficulty before continuing with a slight stutter- if one could hear a blush, it would be from her patron. “I’m only in for a few nights on a delivery, but my name is Shel, and I was hoping I might be able to see yo- eh, the oasis I mean.”

Vigrael couldn’t help but give a little laugh at the awkwardness. “Really, I do appreciate it, but-”

“I spent my savings on it, please… Just try it on? You don’t need to, but it would mean a lot to me,” the interruptions continued, “I’ll draw a cloth up for you if you want to be safe.”

Another laugh from Vigrael cut the tension as much as she could, but she sighed in resignation. “Fine, I’ll try them on. But you need to be the one to peek in and prove they work,” she laughed again. It was intended more as a threat to dissuade the attempt than anything else, but the gasp of excitement told her it didn’t have that effect. Before she knew it, a shade passed over her limited vision and blacked her sight out entirely. The cloth wrap was effective enough to prevent a clear vision, but usually allowed some outlines to come through so she wouldn’t bump into every passer-by or wall in the way.

Her clawed fingers made quick work of the knot tying the wrapping behind her head, but in the sheer blackness it took a few more to get the leather strap fixed in its place and then pulled over her eyes. “Alright, I think it’s on right. Take a peek if you’re up for it.” A nearly blinding light pierced the darkness directly above her, but as her vision adapted back to the light, she saw the blushing, green face of an orc peaking between a spread dome of brambles.

“You look cute- with them on, I mean,” Shel grinned broadly, accentuating the tusks pointing out from her lips, “Can you see alright? The dwarves said it might be a little off, but…”

“You’re… Fine?” Vigrael interrupted her- the last time she’d relived this, the face had turned grey and petrified before she could take a breath. “Not feeling numb or anything?”

Shel’s smile widened further as the magical barrier disappeared back into the packed sand below their feet. Vigrael reflexively closed her eyes and turned away, careful to not enact the effects of her heritage on any of the passers-by. “I’m alright. It’s master-crafted! They said it would block any magical inflictions from passing the lenses, and it worked!” The serpentine woman’s gaze slowly looked up. And up further still. Shel was tall. Her skin a matte green tone and clothed in loose furs and leathers, with a visitor’s reed hat to protect her from the sun, and noticeably missing her left arm.

Her gaze swept over the rest of the market, even meeting eyes with some of the shopkeepers that she had often spoken to and dealt with, but never truly seen. Some of them were shocked and averted their eyes, but even that would have been enough previously. It all had a slight reddish tint to it, but it was more than she’d ever seen outside of her oasis.

The orc stood up and placed her good right arm on her hip, smiling widely as Vigrael stood back up completely with the new goggles on, and the silk wrap in hand. “This is amazing! I can’t… The Glassbeard clan… They said it would cost a fortune!” her new goggles were starting to fog as the new perspective brought tears to her eyes, but she steadied her breath as she reached out to clasp the orc’s larger one in both hands, “Please, I can’t accept this as a gift, it’s more than I would make in a lifetime… Even my mother didn’t have that much gold saved.”

“It’s enough to see your eyes, but maybe you’d like to have a drink at the tavern?” Shel smiled eagerly, blushing even deeper -and looking more of a purple than green- as her hand closes around both of Vigrael’s. “I mean, you don’t need to, but it would mean a lot to me…”

“Of course! It’s the least I can do after this. The barkeep might not be so keen on me being there, though… I haven’t gone there since I played a bad drinking game with another patron, some years ago,” she stuck her tongue out a bit in as sheepish a motion as she was used to, still looking from the orc to the rest of the town. It was truly amazing. All this time existing on the goodwill of the townsfolk and the visitors who came through for trade, in exchange for her meager offerings and trade with the naiads, and she was finally able to truly see its denizens.

Pulling the viol into position behind her back, she reached up to squeeze Shel on the side and gesture with a nod to the tavern. The orc barely had anything on her person other than a small wooden buckler and a pouch at her hip, but if she could afford this kind of enchantment from the local craftspeople, she could surely afford a few drinks to boot.