[Video/Action | Open] Book leaves

[treesus]

[Video] Help Wanted

[The video feed shows a portion of a warmly lit room, a full bookcase and a stack of more books behind Trahearne.]

Hello! [He pushes a curious grey paw out of the frame before continuing.]

I find myself in need of help lately. I’ve recently taken over at Tomes and Thaumaturgy, in Genessia City, and have increasingly limited time to search for stock for the store. I’m looking for some to fill the book hunter position or, at least, a clerk, so that I might do that myself. Those familiar enough with magical arts to tell the authenticity of texts are prefered.

Please let me know if you’re interested!

[Again he had to push a paw out of the way and leaned back to scold the offending cat.]

-----

[Action] Tomes and Thaumaturgy - Genessia City

The small used bookstore on Willow and 11th is under new management and has a few changes to go with. The selection of magical tomes and books on magical studies have increased, leaving a smaller reference section. The upstairs has been finished, stairs in the far corner of the store leading to a small reading area upstairs with comfy chairs and a small bookcase full of worn used books of various genres. A sign on the bookcase says “Take a Book, Leave a Book.” There’s also a table holding a coffee machine, some cups, and packets of sugar and powdered creamer.

The owner is easy enough to find, Trahearne is usually sorting books on the shelves, behind the desk working on paperwork or fiddling with various magical reagents, or upstairs in his office. There’s a bell on the counter if he’s not around. His “assistants” are always available but avoid coming too close to customers. They appear to be animated stuffed animals of some undetermined species. A sign taped to the counter suggests you ask them to retrieve books from high shelves, but the little creatures won’t linger long after handing the book over.

Two cats lounge around the shop, happy to harass customers for attention. One is a large silver tabby and the other is a small, fat tortoiseshell. Their collars read Brian and Cookie, respectively.

There are three signs taped to the window by the door:
Help Wanted:
Books Hunters & Clerk

Don’t Mind the Tiger

No Gunfire in the Store, Thank You

[The “assistants” are reanimated skeletons of various creatures with a friendly, stuffed animal shell. They have small runes sewn into their collars to help disguise the nature of the magic that controls them, but it’s not completely hidden.]

-----

[Action] Various bookstores in Genessia, Attleton, and Fayren

Despite claims to not have much time, Trahearne is still hunting down various books on magical subjects that catch his interest. As possibly the only walking, talking plant around, he’s hard to miss, especially when he has one of his cats with him. It’s too cold for actually walking the large silver cat, but he’s happy enough in a sweater, riding on his owner’s shoulders.

Occasionally he gets bored enough to hop down and mess with those in leash range.

Comments

video;

[strawberrypenguin]

I won't ask for a position, but I do have some books I could give for your store if you'd like?

[treesus]

Of course! I'd be willing to compensate you for the books. What are their subjects?

[Action] Tomes and Thaumaturgy

[innocent_royal]

[Something she has been putting off for too long. She always wanted to visit this particular store. The first thing she noticed upon arrival is the sign saying "Don't mind the tiger."

Whatever that means.

She knew the original owners, so being here gave her nostalgic and upsetting feelings as she set foot inside the store. While she knows why she came to the store, she doesn't know what to look for.

Maybe she can find the new owner?]

[Video]

[shy_mage]

I... I wish I could help.

D-Do any of those books t-teach the kind of magic you were talking about?

[treesus]

[Thankfully, the tiger the sign warns about is not here at the moment. Two, much smaller cats watch her from the top of bookcases instead. One of the assistants scrabble by the silver tabby, who growls at the creature.

As for the new owner, he emerged from the upstairs just a few seconds after she entered, a small stack of books in his arms. He looked very dusty, his leaves a bit greyer than usual and a smudge across one cheek. Trahearne looked over after he set the books down on the counter and offered a warm smile.]

Hello! Can I help you with anything? [He hadn't expected someone so young to show up, at least unattended, but he wasn't bothered.]

[treesus]

Don't worry yourself Bracken, I'm managing fine. The store would run smoother with help, that's all.

As for elemental healing... [He leaned back to look at the top book on a stack beside him.]

I was looking through one yesterday that might be of interest to you. I found a few on general magical healing, which you could also find useful, if you could adapt that information to your existing spells.

I set a few aside for you.

[strawberrypenguin]

Subjects? Well some are basic swimming guides if that helps any? I brought them thinking it would help those who wanted to try and learn, but having books near water is not a good idea.

[treesus]

[He laughs lightly.] No, it's not. I could add them to the reference section, that would be perfect. Are you able to drop them off or would you prefer me come collect them?

[ action | OTA ] No, Actually, /Do/ Mind the Tiger

[black_black_heart]

[If one happens to come in during one of the times Tannusen is oh-so-helpfully lounging around the shop in his natural form, at least one of the signs near the door should make a lot more sense.]

[The huge, white bengal tiger generally picks spots out of the way of the door, and the counter, but he may very well be laying in the way of a particular bookcase, or the stairs up, or the restroom.]

[Or, if a character is particularly unlucky, the tiger may be up and moving, stalking around in the store in his hunt for the perfect napping spot. At nearly four feet tall at the shoulder, and twelve and a half feet long from nose to tail-tip, having him walk up right behind you on eerily-silent paws is enough to make most people jump, at the very least.]

[Good thing Trahearne is generally in earshot when Tannu is around! Smart plant.]

[innocent_royal]

[She is a big girl, with some freedom. Most of it restricted by the splint on her right arm. However, those cats are adorable. She thinks about what it's like to gently pet those cats and listen to them purr. Of course, she knows how skittish kitties are. She can liken herself to cats, right down to her own middle name.

But that's a silly thought.

And then something passes by. She stares in bewilderment. Was that what she thinks it is? She can't go passing judgment yet, not when it looks so strange. She just hopes it's not what she thinks it is.

Then, a voice reaches her ears. It sounded friendly, and she found the source. Because he was covered in dust, she just sees a man covered in dust. She quickly turns shy as she tries to figure out how to answer.]

"Hello... Yes, I am. A book... Maybe reference material? For controlling unstable magic that is not naturally your own?"

[treesus]

[Brian, the silver cat, was not very shy. He leapt onto a small cleared section of a shelf and then to the floor. The cat lingered at the edge of a bookcase, looking up at her.

The strange, animated creatures, thankfully, keep their distance.

Trahearne kept his friendly smile as he dusted himself off, the best he could, and moved to one of the aisles to look over the listed titles.]

Mm, what is the source of this magic? An enchanted object or, say, borrowed from another? [He wondered if her arm was related to this request.

[innocent_royal]

[She wasn't able to resist trying to make friends with this brave little cat. She knelt down and held her hand out to see if Brian will accept her. Meanwhile, she looks up to reply.]

"Borrowed."

[She would rather not say from where, because that would take an immensely long time to explain.]

[sonicosuper]

*Knowing that Trahearne had opened his new book shop, Sonico decided to pay a visit. It's not the kind of place she would usually go - she didn't know magic books actually existed - but why not have a look? She is quietly browsing the shelves, gaping at the types of book on offer when - a tiger?!

Sonico freezes on the spot, dropping the book that she had in her hand, onto her toe. She gasps quickly but bites her lip, afraid to make any noise at all. Surely if she just stands there, all seized up and barely breathing, then this huge cat won't mind her, will he? Sonico recalls that this is Trahearne's friend, but still, despite how beautiful this tiger is, he is also rather terrifying*

[black_black_heart]

The huge tiger rotates an ear forward at the gasp, and lets out a quiet whuff of air of his own. He sits down in place, thick tail curling around his feet, just as prim as any housecat. If, you know, housecats had paws the size of dinnerplates and were, when sitting like this, as tall as many humans.

He seems quite content to have a stare-down, for the moment. He's just, you know, one of those things humans have been terrified of since they huddled in caves in the jungles and plains of the world... chillin'. Passive, for a predator, but not the least bit contrite about being a nuisance.

And he knows quite well he's a nuisance; that any creature with a lick of sense or instinct will react much the same way as Sonico is. But since he is literally the living embodiment of humanity's deepest, darkest nightmares of bengal tigers, made flesh, that fear merely feeds him in a way that meat alone cannot.

[sonicosuper]

If he were perhaps even slightly smaller, Sonico might be able to see past the scariness to how potentially pretty and precious he is. But nope, Sonico is still frozen in place and quite transfixed by his gaze. She isn't so much staring as unable to look away. After a few more moments of holding her breath, Sonico lets it out in a nervous sigh.

So far, Sonico hasn't appeared to have angered the tiger, nor has it made any attack. So she watches a moment longer, trying to control her breathing and remember that it's okay - the sign said so. What can she do now but attempt to be polite? "H-hello...Mr Tiger."

[black_black_heart]

Even if he wasn't a teleporting bastard of a Faerie, Tannusen could be at her throat in a heartbeat at this range. Actually, he could do that from pretty much anywhere in the shop, with a standing leap distance of over six meters.

Trahearne has likely only not banned the Fae from his shop because he knows it wouldn't work.

That... and Tannusen has promised not to eat anyone on the premises. Out of politeness, mostly. He's such a gentleman. But he hasn't promised not to scare the crap out of people once in a while and feed off the Glamour such strong emotions creates.

The tip of the tiger's tail flicks, up and down, up and down, and his other ear flicks forward to join the other. But he doesn't break the stare-off. Cats are all dicks, and Tannusen? Tannusen is a very big cat...

Thankfully, Trahearne is undoubtedly nearby and about to spoil his fun, or this could go on for a while.

[sonicosuper]

The ear flicking is really rather off-putting. She wonders if she's doing something to annoy him, but at least he isn't hissing, or poised to pounce. Sonico knew she could probably make some attempt to tip toe away, but wouldn't that be rude? After all, this is Trahearne's roommate, isn't it? The one who looks out for him.

Figuring that he must, therefore, be at least a little friendly, Sonico makes the - brave? Stupid? - decision to attempt to introduce herself. "My name is Sonico. It's nice to meet you. I have heard good things about you." He might not know what she's saying, she can't tell, but she uses a soft voice reserved for talking to angry cats. Rather limply, Sonico vaguely holds a hand out - not for him to shake, but to sniff if he needs to. As a domestic cat might.

[black_black_heart]

The tiger's gaze drops briefly to her hand, but then goes back to staring eerily at her face. Doing it on purpose? Definitely.

He lets out another whuff of warm air at the mention of hearing good things about him. Amusement? Leave it to Trahearne to leave glowing reviews of his couch-surfing lunatic roommate! What a silly tree.

[treesus]

[Brian hoped forward to sniff her hand and butt his head against it after his quick inspection. Not shy at all! Cookie watched from above, pretending she wasn't jealous.]

Do you know the specific school of magic it's from...? [He flipped through a narrow book with a plain brown cover as he spoke.]

Is there some kind of interference or damage done to the source of this magic?

[treesus]

"Tannusen!" Trahearne appeared from around a bookcase, giving the tiger a stern look. It wasn't the scariest thing he'd been face to face with, especially as he knew this was just his roommate being a dick.

"Leave her be, I asked you to not bother customers." He waved a hand at Tannu. Shoo!

[sonicosuper]

Sonico's relief, when Trahearne appeared, was palpable. She even wobbled slightly and had to catch her balance. Then she was suddenly aware of the book she'd dropped on her foot; Sonico swooped to pick it up, then hugged it to herself for comfort.

"Oh - it's okay - he was just...saying hi?" Yeah, not so convincing.

[black_black_heart]

Tannusen purred, the sound loud enough to rumble through the whole building. Definitely a laugh.

See? He was just inspecting the clientele -- er, saying hi. Yes. Totally. Trahearne wouldn't buy that for a second, which was what made it so funny.

'Shoo', though, he flat-out ignored. As per cat policy 74351297-c.

[treesus]

Trahearne sighed. Of course he was ignored. This was Tannusen, why would he expect any different. He moved closer anyway, within ear flicking range if Tannu decided to continue being an ass. Trahearne would likely pay for flicking a giant tiger's ear but maybe it'd take his attention off Sonico for a bit.

"I apologize for him Sonico," he said, calmly switching from annoyed to polite. "He finds this entertaining. I believe it's some sort of compulsion."

[innocent_royal]

[Such a nice, soft kitty. Brian's affectionate nature helped Anastasia open up a little and offer a little more detail. Though, she knows better than to reveal everything to a stranger.]

"Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Ice, Thunder, Light, and Darkness. Collectively called Elemental or Destruction."

[How can she actually answer the second question, though?]

"You'll laugh if I told you. I don't know if I can explain yet to a man I just met."

[sonicosuper]

"That's okay... You don't have to apologise." She felt much better - his calmly tone did much to soothe her frayed nerves. "I just - I'm not especially used to being around tigers." Of course Sonico would shift everything that it was all on her - her fault that somehow she had been intimidated by a massive predator.