Magic Box, Monday.

[harpy-daughter.livejournal.com]

Surreal had seen other stores around town with signs, so she figured she'd do it too.

In the window by the front door was now a poster, in her neatest printing:
New?
10% Off Your Purchase If You Prove You Know What You're Doing.

We retain the right to refuse service to idiots and utter novices.

The Magic Box was open, and Surreal made sure to keep the deadlier stuff out of easy reach.

Comments

[nottheshoes.livejournal.com]

George had taken a day yesterday to acclimatize himself to this place as best he could. He'd arranged his room, double and triple-checked his class schedule, and tried to straighten out in his mind some of the ways this world differed from the ones he knew.

Then today was set aside for exploration, and any shop claiming to be magical was worthy of a closer look.

He offered a bright smile to the girl he found inside, and a "Greetings," that would've made Jack roll his eyes.

[harpy-daughter.livejournal.com]

"Mmmm." Surreal managed, looking him over. "You sure you're old enough to be poking at things without a tutor, boyo?"

[nottheshoes.livejournal.com]

"I've yet to poke anything that's blown up in my face, m'lady." In most cases, fifteen probably was young to be toying with magical doo-dads, but George was... let's say an 'old' fifteen. "Nor do I intend to." Not least of all because he liked his face.

"But I think many of my tutors would consider that a learning experience."

[harpy-daughter.livejournal.com]

Lady? Surreal managed not to laugh aloud.

"Aye, especially if you're trying to figure out how to make the biggest explosion," she replied agreeably. "Looking for something in particular?"

[nottheshoes.livejournal.com]

George shook his head. "Not in particular," he replied easily, twisting a smile. "I thought it perhaps best if I didn't go searching for ways to blow things up on my second full day here." His sister and Declan had enough trouble with Jack, without adding another rebellious teenager to their troubles.

"I was simply curious, I wasn't even sure there would be magic here before I arrived."

[harpy-daughter.livejournal.com]

"There's more than a few with a talent for Craft about," Surreal informed him, letting a little ball of witchlight blossom in her hand before curling her fingers over it to extinguish the light. "We call it different things, and not all spells work the same for everyone, but it's here."

[nottheshoes.livejournal.com]

Now that was truly familiar. George grinned, letting a sheen of white bleed over his eyes and from his fingers into a shield that flowed over his hand like a pale glove. "My fake sibling mentioned other worlds... other magical worlds, not to be so strange around here."

"I'd worried I might have to make up a whole other life not to appear completely insane."

[harpy-daughter.livejournal.com]

"Oh, you could still appear completely insane," Surreal assured him, "--just not for that reason."

"Nice shield, too. Your eyes always do that bit?"

[nottheshoes.livejournal.com]

George blinked, letting his shield slip away again and flexing his fingers. "I believe so." Though he was rarely in a position to look. "If anything were to make me look especially strange, I suppose that might be it." It was a little creepy, if nothing else.