[Video/Action]

[notquitedracula]

Video
[The feed comes on showing the interior of a rather bookish shop, and there's little doubt of the sort of wares on offer. The visible shelves hold potions, trinkets, ritual objects, and all other manner of arcane paraphernalia.]

I appear to have inherited a shop. Cassian Lynch is no longer in Genessia, and his shop - along with all its contents - stands where his subarch was. I can no longer contact any of the other employees, either - which brings us to the purpose of this post.

Cloak and Dagger is closing for renovations, and I find myself in need of employees. I'll still be making potions, but I need someone else who can make other useful artifacts.

If you're interested, contact me over the network here or come by the shop. In the meantime, I've got a lot of inventory to go through...

Action
[Anyone who happens to drop by the shop will find the front door propped open, and a number of boxes and bags covering pretty much every available surface. Some of their contents are ordinary looking enough - bits of wood, herbs, copies of some rather useful novice-level books, and a few weapons that might be ritual tools, or might be meant for self defense.]

[Then there's the area behind the counter. On racks there are some more interesting items - glowing crystals, potion bottles that are a great deal more ornate than those normally stocked, and... what appears to be a whip in the process of being braided, surrounded by a number of alchemic tools and esoteric materials.]

[The man behind the counter has his back to the door, at present - and he seems to be singing quietly to himself as he flips through a large, handwritten book. If you get close enough to read it, it appears to be perfectly mundane inventory information.]

Rex tremendae majestatis, Qui salvandos salvas Gratis. Salve me, Fons Pietatis. Salve me, Fons Pietatis...

Comments

[Video]

[fairysoul]

[Mavis almost skips a beat when Soma says "Cassian", until she realizes it's not this Cassian he's talking about.

When she speaks up, she looks as smiling as usual.]

Hi, Soma. It's been a while. How have you been?

[She pauses.] You make potions?

action

[priceofmagic]

[and then BAM! Door opens wide and an energetic little witch comes in. She has a gift basket, for some reason.]

Mr Somaaa~! Happy shop inheritance daaay!

[Video]

[notquitedracula]

Hullo, Mavis. I've been coping, I guess is the best way to put it. Keeping it together from one day to the next as best I can, with a little help from my friends.

[In response to her other question, he reaches up to the behind-the-counter rack and takes down a bottle.] Several types, but healing seems to be our biggest seller. Though we did have someone come in and buy a bulk lot of antivenom last month... Anyway, yes, I make potions, among other things. I've got a fair amount of skill at alchemy.

action

[notquitedracula]

Not much happy about it, I fear. Welcome, Satou. Is that for me, or do you have a sick aunt in the local hospital I don't know about? [He's smiling to make it plain that he's teasing her about that last bit.] What brings you to my humble little shop today?

[priceofmagic]

Nope! It's for you! [She holds up the basket proudly. While it looks quite floral and fancy, most of the contents are candies and easy snack foods.] Since you're working on a renovation, I wanted to be sure you had snacks.

[singinghuntress]

Sorry to say, making magical zhings is not my forte. I just tend to kill things.

[Though, there was something just humorous about Soma inheriting a shop.]

Vat kind of shop is it anyvay?

[notquitedracula]

Every little bit helps. At least you didn't try to bring me something from that vampire restaurant with the haunted house. [He clears a spot on the counter, just barely big enough to set the basket down.]

Renovation might have been a bit of an ambitious declaration. Mostly I'm just rearranging some stuff, pulling things out of the main stock and putting other stuff out in their places. I can't identify some stuff, and I'd prefer not to accidentally sell someone a wand of fireballs when they just want something to repel ghouls.

[As he turns to face her again, he stops frowning.] Actually... I do have something I'd like to show you.

[notquitedracula]

It's your basic magic shop, really. Magic books, rings, potions, wands, daggers, that kind of thing. I'm thinking of expanding the inventory a bit, though - I can make weapons that are effective against the kind of threat people tend to run into here in Everglade.

[He sighs.] I never thought I'd utter these words, but... I kind of wish Hammer was here. He actually knew how to run one of these.

[singinghuntress]

Ah, so stuff I really haf no use for.

[Just an obvious statement. Rip wasn't trying to be rude about it. However... now she was curious.]

Vho vas Hammer? Und if running a magic shop iz anything like running a leather shop or managing Jolly Eddy's, it's not that difficult.

[priceofmagic]

Is that food really any good for vampires? It's so interesting that it even exists as a concept.

[She sets that basket down, continuing on like a nerd,] I don't know how much help I'd be. I can sense magical energy and souls in objects, if that helps... [Only to, at his comment, look a touch excite.] Really? Show me what?

[notquitedracula]

For normal vampires, I think it is. They have a pretty good catering staff, for what they're doing. It just doesn't work for the type of vampire I am. Their menu would have to be a whole lot more esoteric for that.

[He moves aside to show her the whip, or what's been completed of it, anyway. It looks like it's about halfway complete - and even now, the power radiating from it is palpable. But... it's missing something. There's power, yes, but no soul.]

This is a weapon created by an alchemist from my world, named Rinaldo Gandolfi. He called it the Whip of Alchemy.

[notquitedracula]

He's a friend of mine, from back home. Former soldier turned shopkeeper, actually. He collected useful gear inside the castle to sell on to me... kind of an ass, really, since I was fighting to keep us all alive. But he knew his gear, and he knew how to drive a deal.

[He leans back against a counter, having set the phone and its camera on a nearby clear spot.] We carry specialty ammunition, too. Or we used to. I'll have to look into how Lynch made his bullets - I think I remember him casting them himself.

Running the shop won't be too difficult, once I get things set up. It's getting to that point that I'm having trouble with.

video;

[innocent_royal]

[Anastasia tried to make a surprise visit, but considering where the shop is? She was easily prevented. So she's restrained to just video for now.]

Hi, Soma. Can I be of any help somehow?

[She's probably just a little bit bored.]

[singinghuntress]

Let me guess, inventory.

[Sadly, she's all to familiar with that pain.]

Vell, if I had a musket again, I'd be tempted to zee vhat you haf. But, short of looking over any firearms und seeing vat you haf in ammunition, I'm not sure if I could be any help.

video;

[notquitedracula]

I don't suppose you know how to read Gaelic? [He closes the inventory book with a grunt of frustration.] Sorry. Not your fault my boss was Irish.

Actually... I could use an extra set of hands, if Satsuki doesn't mind letting you come over. I can meet you at the teleport gate with Nightmare, you'll have an escort both ways.

[notquitedracula]

Actually, now you mention it...

[He goes off camera for a minute, and comes back carrying something in a velvet bag. It's too long to be a sword.]

I was going to give you this for your birthday, but it occurs to me that I have no idea when that is. Come on by the shop and you can unwrap it.

video;

[innocent_royal]

I'm sure she won't mind. I will be with you, after all.

[Ana, are you going to wander off without a word again? Teenage rebellion!]

I'll bring along some of my Pokemon, too. I think they can help. I'll see you soon.

[Considering who she has in mind to bring along, Anastasia will be just a little bit late to the redenvouz point. Just a little.]

[singinghuntress]

[Now he really had her attention as she sits up and studies the velvet bag curiously. Even she can see the shape's too long for a sword... not that she knew how to use one of those. But..]

May 26th. You missed it by a few months.

[To be fair, she barely celebrates it considering she uses the day more for counting the years she's managed to live past her death.]

I can be down zhere shortly.

[Aaaand Rip might already be on the move.]

[notquitedracula]

I'll be waiting.

[He'll have a counter cleared off to set it out on by the time she gets there.]

I knew you were on the lookout for a musket, but getting one made fit for use by someone with your strength took some doing. I had to outsource the barrel to a smith in Fayren, and I did the trigger mechanism and stock myself. I hope you like it.

[The musket inside the bag is a beautiful example of its kind.]

video;

[notquitedracula]

Ana no, you're going to get him skewered! He's too young to be impaled... again!]

[It's Nidoking, isn't it. Regardless, he's waiting at the rendezvous as he promised, and Nightmare's right there beside him, saddled as usual.]

I hope you don't mind working around cobwebs and dust. I'm pretty sure some of the stuff in the back has been there since before anyone arrived in this place, and I don't even know how that's possible.

[singinghuntress]

[When she arrived, she made her way quickly to the counter, glancing from Soma to the velvet bag before gently unwrapping the beautiful musket inside. Her hands gently run over the barrel and stock almost reverently and it's not hard to see she's absolutely delighted to see such a beautiful firearm.]

It's gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous! Haf you tried firing it? Vat iz zhe recoil like?

[Already she was gently picking up the gun, testing how it felt in her hands.. the weight, the balance, everything. Rip hadn't had a musket since Cere's so.. to have one again was a relief!]

I love it~! Zhe crafsmanship iz amazing. I hafn't seen a gun zhis beautiful since... Ruby City.

Re: video;

[innocent_royal]

[It's Nidoking. And Ribombee and Mismagius. They're all balled, of course. Anastasia came dressed, bright and pretty. Not really suited for a trip to Everglade.]

Sorry I'm late. Phantasma was being a brat like usual. And long time no see, Nightmare.

[She reaches out to attempt to gently pat that faeric horsey snoot.]

I'm okay around cobwebs, as long as they don't get in my face or hair. It's the spiders that frighten me.

[notquitedracula]

I wouldn't give someone a weapon if I wasn't sure it works. It's too heavy to kick much, but that largely depends on the powder charge - and the type of powder you use. The barrel's stronger than steel, some kinda rare metal they normally use for making enchanted weapons in Fayren. The smith told me you could probably pack the barrel with anything short of antimatter and it'd hold up fine. I've tried it with a standard hunting load and I could barely tell it'd fired, aside from the smoke.

[He sets a powder horn and pouch of shot on the counter alongside it.] I've been working on this since May. I hope it suits your needs, Rip.

[notquitedracula]

I'm pretty sure the books he has back there eat spiders. I haven't seen the first one the entire time I've been working on this, just their webs.

[Nightmare deigns to allow herself to be petted, and even nuzzles at Ana's hand. Does the human child happen to have a sugar cube? An apple? A side of beef, perhaps? She's not picky.]

[priceofmagic]

Really? That's so sad... but I guess it is naive to wish everyone could use a substitute, huh?

[She hops over, noting the power from the whip.]

Alchemist? You have alchemy back home too? How is it an alchemy whip?