I am absolutely eating up the asks for the au, I would love to hear a little about swindle with fairies👀.
I'm happy to deliver! I feel like Swindle doesn't deal in fairies too much, mainly because they're hard to catch, hard to keep, and hard to find buyers for in this day in age. However, fairies also have a proclivity for finding and enchanting artifacts and weapons, which is something Swindle is always in the market for.
So rather than dealing with the stress of capturing, managing, and eventually finding buyers for multiple fae, Swindle instead focuses his attention on striking a mutually-beneficial deal with a single pixie, offering room, board, and protection in exchange for using their magical attunement to help him track down pricey artifacts. It certainly helps that most fairies don't have the best understanding of equivalent value, as they usually just barter and trade between each other to satisfy their desires.
"Not bad, not bad at all!" He croons, turning the dagger over a couple times in his hands as his fairy stares up at him in anticipation, fluttering their creased and injured wings. It glinted in his hands despite the age, mythril filigree along the handle thrumming with unidentified magic. "Now, what does my sweet pet want in return for a job well done?"
The fairy beams, scampering over to one of the books open on Swindle's work table and pointing frantically at one of the drawings of plants within. Swindle drags the book across the desk to himself, fairy perched eagerly upon the page.
"You want a pomegranate? A whole one, to yourself?"
The fairy nods, even more furiously. A wicked grin creeps its way across Swindle's face.
"You drive a hard bargain, sweetheart! But... I suppose that can be arranged."