Magic Box, Sunday, 01/04

[not_every_mage]

Well. That had been an enlivening welcome picnic, hadn't it? And just when Anders had been getting used to not feeling persecuted. It was enough to make him want to shake whatever idiot mage had opened the portal that brought Cassandra to the island. Nathan's presence yesterday had helped, bless him, but love could only do so much against Chantry forces.

Anders brooded on his resentment as he began aggressively straightening the store, moving anything that seemed to allude to illegal blood magics to the back room. He doubted the Seeker would find the place anytime soon, but he wanted to be prepared for when she did.

[OOC Open post, open shop!]

Comments

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

It was raining outside but that didn't deter Nathan from making his way down to the Magic Box. His hair was damp and there were rain spots on his shirt but he was there.

"Hello," he greeted once he'd come in and and wiped water out of his eyes.

[not_every_mage]

"Hi," Anders returned, smiling as he emerged from the shelves. "Is it raining now? I hadn't looked."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"It's not a downpour but it's a little wet," he said, shaking out his hair. "Still too warm for nsow."

[not_every_mage]

"Hopefully either it'll stop or I'll find an umbrella somewhere before we have to leave," Anders said, casting a skeptical eye to the window. "Would you like tea, or ... I think there are some towels under the counter."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I'll dry," he said, shaking his head. "It's not too bad. And it's warmer than usual outside so I'm fine. I'll take some tea though."

[not_every_mage]

"I even had some ready," Anders said, and went back to fill two mugs and get the other tea things. "It's been a quiet day so far, and I'm not complaining about that at all."

He nabbed a case wrapped in red and gold too, sliding it across the counter alongside the mug meant for Nathan.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Is this what you got me?" Nathan asked, still a little new to the whole gift receiving thing. "You wrapped it very nicely."

[not_every_mage]

"It's one of my powers," Anders said seriously. "I'm very good at folding paper around things. I'm glad to finally have a chance to show off."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Did I happen to miss that class being taught?" Nathan wondered, smirking. "I could have used something like that too. I'll never be able to wrap paper like this."

[not_every_mage]

"Mmm, daylong seminar," Anders nodded,with a smirk of his own. "It was kind of them to give us so much time. It took me until lunch just to figure out the sticky tape. Maybe they'll offer it again sometime."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"Hopefully or any gift I give is going to be stuffed in one of those bags they give you at the store," Nathan said, thumbing the paper and looking anticipatory. "I can open it?"

[not_every_mage]

"Unless you wanted to admire the paper longer," Anders said, with barely concealed eagerness. "It is very shiny."

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"It is." He ran his fingers along the paper. "Maybe I'll just leave it."

That resolution lasted all of ten seconds.

"No, I'm going to open it."

[furnaceface]

Jono felt a little odd walking into a magic shop, even if that magic shop happened to belong to one of his best friends and his co-teacher this semester. Jonothon himself didn't have a scrap of magic talent in his body and couldn't make a rabbit disappear into a hat if he had a bushel of carrots and the poor thing was half-starved. But he'd had the distinct pleasure of making Cassandra's acquaintance yesterday, and Hannibal had said something about radio reporting that Anders had done the same, and he couldn't not check up on the lad.

And so, two steps through the door, and he was already relieved to note that Anders seemed to still have all of his body parts attached.

//Afternoon, mate.//

[not_every_mage]

"Hello there," Anders said, sounding relatively calm and definitely doing much better on the body parts front than Jono was. It wasn't that he wasn't worried about Cassandra, precisely, but he stubbornly intended not to give her a scrap more concern than she deserved.

"Did you need something for your class this term? I signed up for it."

[furnaceface]

//Ah, you are one of mine this semester, are you?// Jono sounded pleased about that, actually, stepping up and leaning against the counter, casually. //Nah, I figure Rinoa's got the magical side of things covered. Knowing me, I'd make a mess of it. Pick up salt instead of quartz, or something of the sort. They're all crystals in the end, right?//

Go on, just picture the many wonderful ways Jono could make a spell go horribly, terrifyingly wrong, Anders.

[not_every_mage]

Anders snorted. "Right, and elfroot and deep mushroom are both plants," he informed Jono. "No offense, but I think I'll trust Rinoa on the magic front."

Then he worried he sounded rude and added, "But I'm sure you'll have plenty to tell us, too. Even if you aren't a mage."

[furnaceface]

Jono, for his part, mostly just looked amused.

//There's the hope, at least. Mages aren't the only ones with power, after all. Or identity issues. Or, say, people who think they're above them, appearing out of the woodwork to cause problems once you've finally started to settle in somewhere?//

[not_every_mage]

Anders groaned, reading between those lines rather easily. "Did Seeker Cassandra come bother you about me? She said she was going to check on my story. Though why she thinks I would have wanted to bring a Chantry soldier here, I can't tell you."

Seriously. He would have had to be the dumbest mage ever to intentionally blow his chance at freedom this way.

[furnaceface]

Jono's eyeroll said that he was thinking something along those same lines. Honestly, who in the world would opt to bring their oppressors closer?

//Actually, I was the lucky bloke driving the bus yesterday. She met me before she even knew you were on the island.// A beat. //Please tell me she'd put the sword away by the time she found you, mate? All I've heard is what radio said... that the two of you were from the same world. But she didn't seem to have any love in her heart of hearts for anybody she could even vaguely suspect to be a mage.//

[not_every_mage]

"I can just imagine how well she handled the way you talk," Anders said,with a little quirk of his mouth that suggested he might find it amusing if it didn't hold such potential for terror. "And no, she didn't point the sword at me. She implied she'd kill me if I didn't follow orders, but with that crowd that's practically a kiss on the cheek."

He squinted, assessing the situation. "I don't remember what I've said in front of you. How much do you know about mages and Chantry law? It might help explain what's going on."

[furnaceface]

//Not a hell of a lot, I'm afraid,// Jono replied, spreading his hands a little. //I caught a bit of the gist of it from her, but really only the parts that she went on about. Apostate mages and something about her uncovering the lair of one. Mostly smacks of people afraid of what people with powers can do, to me. But I might be bringing my own bias in, there.//

He did have a fair bit of it, after all.

[not_every_mage]

"No, that's exactly what it is," Anders said, relieved Jono at least seemed to be of a sympathetic cast of mind. "The Chantry -- that's our church -- teaches magic is meant to serve man, not to rule over us. And somehow between that and and fear of demon possession and fireballs and such, that got translated into 'mages should spend their entire lives in prisons.' Very nice prisons, mind you, with plenty of books and statues and everything, but a prison is still all the Circle is. An apostate is anyone who leaves the Circle, and Templars will hunt them down like dogs."

He drummed his fingers thoughtfully against his chin. "I don't know much about the Seekers of Truth -- I think they're like a specialized Templar order."

[furnaceface]

//She seemed to think she was above everything,// Jono replied, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. //Told her in no uncertain terms that I wouldn't stand for her waving that sword around at my students the way she did at me before we loaded her onto the bus. I suppose we'll see how long that lasts.//

He drummed his fingers just once on the countertop, looking back toward Anders.

//Humanity doesn't tend to care much for those who they don't understand. Particularly those who can do things that most aren't capable of. For what it's worth... I'm sorry that seems to be a trait that's universal no matter what reality you come from. The island is meant to be a safe place, away from that. If she gives you too much trouble, Anders, let me know? Think my name very loudly if need be to get my attention. I refuse to let it happen here.//

[not_every_mage]

Anders looked up, meeting Jono's eyes. "Thank you," he said, suddenly very sincere. "I'd gotten used to this being a safe place, and I won't let her ruin that for me. Or for anybody else she might decide is a mage."

Celia, for one. Raven with her shapeshifting. Probably Nathan. Rinoa. He could have gone on, but even that list was more than long enough.