[Action] - Bad Booking

[innocent_royal]

[Ever since the nightmares came to life in Everglade and Fayren, Anastasia made it a point to keep her nation's artifact, the Tyrinolim, with her more often for added protection on top of keeping Mismagius with her.

After 4 years, she is used to the weird things happening, but sometimes they remain annoying, unexpected and sometimes downright frightful. Take tonight for example; While at her place as cashier of The Cloak & Dagger, the store for monster hunters and other kinds of hunters, things seem normal until she hears a flutter. It came from behind, so she turns and...

A book with TEETH?!

It flew at her, she ducks and it misses. More books began to come to life, fluttering, snapping, flying around, crashing into each other and dive-bombing Anastasia and whoever else is unfortunate enough to be on the sales floor. Good thing they are somewhat slow enough to dodge. Another one dive-bombs on Anastasia, but she was quick enough to take her own book, Tyrinolim, and smack the menacing book out of the air.]

Um, Soma? Anyone? The books are attacking! Please, help!

Comments

[notquitedracula]

[Soma comes out of the stock room carrying a crate of charms - they look to be standard good luck charms, tiny paper spells in little bags made to be hung on a necklace. They seem to be pretty popular, no matter whether they actually work or not - what they actually contain is a small amount of 'positive' energy, just enough to brighten someone's outlook. Just a little.

When he sees the books flying around, snapping at each other and everything else that moves, he drops the box immediately. Anya's plight galvanizes him, and he's just about ready to start throwing fireballs when reason taps him on the shoulder and reminds him that fire - or lightning, for that matter - would be an exceedingly bad idea, if he wants to continue running this business. He darts across the room, ducking to avoid the more adventurous tomes, and joins her behind the counter.]

How in the world did this happen?!

[innocent_royal]

[She habitually grips his hand as soon as he joins her behind the counter.]

I don't know! They just started coming to life... I suspected Phantasma, but she's been in her ball all day.

[Here comes another book to drop on Anastasia's head, missing a snap as it landed wrong and fall into her lap. She shrieks and quickly takes and throws it back over the counter.]

Enchantments, probably?

[notquitedracula]

[As he watches the pattern of flapping books, he doesn't notice at first that she's taken his hand. It's become normal enough that it's... expected, almost. A familiar gesture that's appreciated, but not commented on anymore. Progress!]

They seem to be attacking each other, more than anything... And other books. [He peers over the counter, and points at one having a go at the new Necromancy section.] They mostly seem to be concentrating there. I have a feeling this is some form of protest...

[And then he has to duck, as a particularly zippy little volume nearly gives him a new buzz cut.] Damn! We can't use fire, the whole place will go up like a tinderbox. Lightning's out too, and I don't want to try swinging a sword around in here. We need to get them outside!

[innocent_royal]

[It's perfectly normal to hold hands! Especially since she masks it as guiding him to something of interest while out on dates. But they have a problem: The multi-page, one-spine flying purple people-eating books.]

How? Lure them out? Or Wind magic to blow them out?

[Well, she's not readying the Tyrinolim again, so she's probably leaning towards "lure them out."]

[notquitedracula]

Either or both, as long as it gets them out of the shop without breaking anything important. [He gives her hand a squeeze - maybe he did notice, after all? - and then lets go of it.]

When I give the signal, make for the door. Hold it open from the outside, and don't stand in front of it. Ready?

[innocent_royal]

[She held on for just a moment longer before relenting after he gave a plan. She nods and scoots over to take a new position, ready to make a dash for the door.]

Okay, I'm ready.

[notquitedracula]

Go! [And as she makes for the door, he'll slow the situation down by... well, slowing down time. Not stopping it - he doesn't want to trap Anya between himself and the door, with the plan he has in mind. But as soon as she has it open, he's going to start grabbing and throwing books out of the air, as hard as he can. Quite a few of them will hit the wall of the building across the street, thankfully not hard enough to damage it.]