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."

[not_every_mage]

Anders laughed. "Good, because I was going to hit you over the head with it if you waited much longer."

He didn't mean it. Or, probably not.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

Nathan finally started tearing the paper in earnest. When he uncovered what was beneath it, his eyes went wide.

"Oh," he breathed, sighing. "Wow."

[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]

"Is it all right?" Anders asked earnestly. "The woman at the shop said it was a good basic kit, but if it doesn't have something you need, or it's crap quality, or whatever, my feelings won't be hurt. I've never bought art supplies before."

He could see Nathan looked happy, but he was still nervous.

[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.

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"No, no, it's outstanding," Nathan told him, not even bothering to hide his happiness and gratitude. "I've never had anything this nice before. Never."

[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."

[not_every_mage]

"Now you do,"Anders told him, positively beaming now. "And I can't wait to see what you do with it."

[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?//

[halfbad.livejournal.com]

"I'll probably just stare at it for a few days," he joked, sliding a hand over the top of the box. "And then decide what the first thing I'd like to use it for will be."

[not_every_mage]

"You say that like it's a joke, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's what you end up doing," Anders observed. "You're good at patience."