While the rest of the students were enjoying a trip to Hawaii, Katerina Michizaki was busy in an altogether different part of the world, though she was no less close to the sea than any of the others, albeit a different one. In fact, she had arrived from the sea, on board a yacht owned by one of her father's business associates, which had glided peacefully into Monaco's Port Hercule and made land not long ago. The business Heiress had at this point made sure to keep out of the way of the crew as they battened down the ship and transferred passenger belongings and some small cargo to the dock. Feeling bad for the porters, Kat had ensured to put some null gravity charms inside her and her father's luggage to ensure that it didn't weigh as much. Aside from that bit of consideration, however, she knew it would be rude to actually help them as this was their way of making a living and certain upper crust business associates of her father's might think down on her for reducing herself to the level of the manservants. It took some biting her tongue and holding herself back, as the girl had become accustomed to doing most things for herself during her time at safeholme but she had not forgotten her manners or how to act as a cultured well-traveled socialite, despite spending a great amount of effort to convince her friends at school otherwise.
Clutching her wide-brimmed Cloche hat against a breeze that blew the ruffles of her simple (but quite expensive) sundress, Kat took the first few steps down the gangplank now that the crew had finished, a small bag clutched in her other hand. The last time Kat had found herself in Monaco she thought she was a simple, albeit well heeled and well off, mundane person. This trip however, the young lady had a few specific places to visit that she had found by perusing the magical web, she was intending to find some magical gifts for her friends that they could not find any place else. Before all that though, it was time to grab breakfast at the nearby Caffè Milano and unwind from the sea voyage.
Summer in Monaco
Re: Summer in Monaco
Curled up on one of Caffè Milano's couch-like seats with her Aether-Pad, a magical version of a popular electronic smart tablet, Kat slowly munched on her breakfast while sipping at a cappuccino. Million euro cars and billion euro yachts passed by, visible through the wide glass facade that faced the port. As she whiled away at her breakfast, the blonde scrolled through an app on her pad that overlaid magical stores and locations over the maps produced by a major mundie corporation, looking to see if anything nearby fit the bill for what she was trying to find. a tap here, a scroll there, a few descriptions read, and finally she settled on an antiques shop just a few blocks away that reportedly had a good mix of both mundie and magical antiques and devices. Taking a few minutes to commit the route to memory, Kat finished up her breakfast and called for her check, settling the bill quickly and setting off.
In spite of the supposedly short distance and the absolute smallness of the Micronation that was Monaco, the Elementalist quickly found herself a bit lost. Her A-pad did its best to try and lead her, but she quickly found that once one had access to the magical side of Monaco, the country became quite a bit larger and considerably more confusing than the satellite pictures would lead one to believe. A few extra streets and several missed turns got the normally sure and savvy young business heiress quite turned around, and despite her good French, she was stymied by most of the passers-by speaking primarily Ligurian and only being able to give directions for the mundane side of things. Still, she pressed on, knowing that she was heading in roughly the correct direction and breathing a sigh of relief when she arrived on boulevard Princesse Charlotte, where she made a quick right and followed the road toward her chosen destination, arriving at the store after just a few more minutes of walking. Cross referencing the storefront and her A-pad to ensure her correct navigation, she took a breath and opened the door, walking from the sunny streets to the darkened gallery within.
In spite of the supposedly short distance and the absolute smallness of the Micronation that was Monaco, the Elementalist quickly found herself a bit lost. Her A-pad did its best to try and lead her, but she quickly found that once one had access to the magical side of Monaco, the country became quite a bit larger and considerably more confusing than the satellite pictures would lead one to believe. A few extra streets and several missed turns got the normally sure and savvy young business heiress quite turned around, and despite her good French, she was stymied by most of the passers-by speaking primarily Ligurian and only being able to give directions for the mundane side of things. Still, she pressed on, knowing that she was heading in roughly the correct direction and breathing a sigh of relief when she arrived on boulevard Princesse Charlotte, where she made a quick right and followed the road toward her chosen destination, arriving at the store after just a few more minutes of walking. Cross referencing the storefront and her A-pad to ensure her correct navigation, she took a breath and opened the door, walking from the sunny streets to the darkened gallery within.
Re: Summer in Monaco
A pungent aroma of incense played in the air, the sound of a brass bell rang above, and a small bird at the edge of the dimly entrance raised its head. It was a European Roller, perched on a small brass hook suspended from the ceiling, and it eyed Katerina intelligently. It turned its head and let out a short call, before turning back to watch Kat as she browsed. Unlike some other stores that had to make the most of the space available with stratified organization, this location laid out its inventory on arcing shelves with daises arrayed in even intervals throughout in a circular gallery. No shelf rose higher than the waist, giving a feeling of spaciousness, while also making it easy to see the majority of the inventory. More common items were arranged on the lower shelves, where the finest were under small glass boxes on the top.
Everything orbited around a small pedestal at the center which supported a low brass container with a large stick of incense standing out of it. Katerina found that the closer she came to the center, the brighter the store became, and the greater the more luxurious items stood out. There was a quill that glowed with an aethereal etching on the barb, a crown with encrusted with gemstones, a glittering sword presented on a wooden rack, an ornate staff with delicate golden inlay and even a pair of boots with polished toes that reflected the shine in her eyes.
Towards the exterior there appeared to be more mundane items, books, fabrics and materials. Small leather-bound tomes with blank spines sat layered under the top shelf presenting the collection of books. The selection was wide and varied, being on the outer circumference, and consuming one half of the circular exterior. The other half was sheafs, rolls, bags and stacks of infused materials for mystic artisans, glittering and buzzing with energy and potential.
From the end opposite the entrance, a tall, slender man stepped out, dressed in delicate, flowing clothing. His long, pointed ears gave him away, but they were clearly marked to hide their form from the more mundane.
"Welcome to Le joyau caché," he greeted her in French, taking her for a tourist, "Can I help you find something?"
Everything orbited around a small pedestal at the center which supported a low brass container with a large stick of incense standing out of it. Katerina found that the closer she came to the center, the brighter the store became, and the greater the more luxurious items stood out. There was a quill that glowed with an aethereal etching on the barb, a crown with encrusted with gemstones, a glittering sword presented on a wooden rack, an ornate staff with delicate golden inlay and even a pair of boots with polished toes that reflected the shine in her eyes.
Towards the exterior there appeared to be more mundane items, books, fabrics and materials. Small leather-bound tomes with blank spines sat layered under the top shelf presenting the collection of books. The selection was wide and varied, being on the outer circumference, and consuming one half of the circular exterior. The other half was sheafs, rolls, bags and stacks of infused materials for mystic artisans, glittering and buzzing with energy and potential.
From the end opposite the entrance, a tall, slender man stepped out, dressed in delicate, flowing clothing. His long, pointed ears gave him away, but they were clearly marked to hide their form from the more mundane.
"Welcome to Le joyau caché," he greeted her in French, taking her for a tourist, "Can I help you find something?"
Re: Summer in Monaco
"Bonjour Monsieur", Kat greeted the shopkeep in return, exhibiting a practiced French accent that pegged her as fluent, but certainly not a native speaker. "Ah yes, actually. I have... Well, I have several friends whom I wanted to find gifts for, however, I didn't want to get just the typical knick knacks one usually gets on a vacation," she began, taking a closer look at what was available as she made her way closer to the central part of the shop. Her eyes were on the case, with her mind running through the sorts of things she might want to get for her friends. Spellbooks, artefacts, weapons, ingredients and other supplies, thoughtful gifts that she knew each of her friends either needed or could at least use. her eyes were, for the most part, drawn to the books along the shelves, skimming to see if any of them might be useful for her friends.
Re: Summer in Monaco
"Many of our items make excellent gifts for good friends," the elf soundlessly glided over to Kat's side as she browsed the book selection, "If you are looking for tomes, we have many blank spell-books made from high-quality materials, such as dragon's leather and fae-pine paper. Our collection of written material is eccentric, but could, perhaps, be much more useful than currently circulated material."
The shopkeep extended an arm, glowing strands extended from his fingertips to draw out a book titled the Book of Life. He paid special mind to not directly touching the cover, allowing it to float freely as the walk.
"This material is a modern translation of works of Life Magic, a form of proto-necromancy that separates the study of soul and healing energies from the existing theories that such magic was strictly the field of the Divine," he spoke softly, so as not to distract Kat from whatever else had consumed her attention at that very a moment. Despite that, he had already brought up another book, "Esther's Mysticlopedia has fallen out of favor as a comprehensive source in this age, but remains one of the most detailed accounts of lesser studied or known fields of magic. This second printing is in English, and is a direct translation of the original, Latin book."
The shopkeep extended an arm, glowing strands extended from his fingertips to draw out a book titled the Book of Life. He paid special mind to not directly touching the cover, allowing it to float freely as the walk.
"This material is a modern translation of works of Life Magic, a form of proto-necromancy that separates the study of soul and healing energies from the existing theories that such magic was strictly the field of the Divine," he spoke softly, so as not to distract Kat from whatever else had consumed her attention at that very a moment. Despite that, he had already brought up another book, "Esther's Mysticlopedia has fallen out of favor as a comprehensive source in this age, but remains one of the most detailed accounts of lesser studied or known fields of magic. This second printing is in English, and is a direct translation of the original, Latin book."
Re: Summer in Monaco
Kat's eyes graced upon the books as the shopkeeper spoke, wondering how he seemed so keenly aware of the direction she had been thinking for one of her gifts as he floated it toward her. The student's Aether-pad device was pulled out, and she did a quick search to see if that would indeed match what she was thinking about, as well as glance over the rest of her list of ideas as she did so, the magical electronic glowing a bit as it accessed the magical information network that she had put her father onto setting up around the world. while he didn't understand it, the magical researchers she'd helped him hire certainly did, and his thanks for the new line of income was part of his reasoning for bringing her to Monaco.
That aside, and her check completed, she nodded to the shopkeep and responded. "I think that first book may serve well, although I would be thrilled if you also had its counterpart, likewise translated," she asked, eying once again the books with no markings on their spines, ones which looked quite new and had a certain sheen about the leather that was quite different from most skins used to cover tomes of that type. "Those ones up there, are they the blank tomes you spoke of?" While the young Elementalist had yet to gain much control over her powers, the school had managed to teach her some of the more fundamental arts of magery, including her innate ability to sense magic and magical presences.
In the back of the shop, past the employee door, was a much larger, living presence that seemed to match the presence of those tomes on the shelf. She decided, however, to not say anything about it yet, as she had business to attend to first.
That aside, and her check completed, she nodded to the shopkeep and responded. "I think that first book may serve well, although I would be thrilled if you also had its counterpart, likewise translated," she asked, eying once again the books with no markings on their spines, ones which looked quite new and had a certain sheen about the leather that was quite different from most skins used to cover tomes of that type. "Those ones up there, are they the blank tomes you spoke of?" While the young Elementalist had yet to gain much control over her powers, the school had managed to teach her some of the more fundamental arts of magery, including her innate ability to sense magic and magical presences.
In the back of the shop, past the employee door, was a much larger, living presence that seemed to match the presence of those tomes on the shelf. She decided, however, to not say anything about it yet, as she had business to attend to first.
Re: Summer in Monaco
"They are," the shopkeeper set aside the Book of Life and another book that appeared to share the inverse of its coloring. His magic seemed to focus centrally on the movement and telepathic manipulation of objects. The lights and lines were clearly for show, an illusion to establish some sense of comfort that the elf wasn't moving anything else around, "Dragon's hide. A rare commodity in this age. Our Dante-line spellbooks are all made from the bindings of dragon's hide and the paper is pressed from ironwood trees. As you may know, ironwood presents particular resistance to the elements, and lends itself to a long-lasting structure. However, if you are more interested adding extra throughput in your spells, the Vergil spellbooks are stacked with fae-pine, which enhances incanted evocation."
To add to the showing, he pulled down two, somewhat similar books. One had a paper edge that appeared golden, while the other paper edge was more of a metallic sheen.
"If you are interested in the Vergil line, there are complimentary ink-sets that go together beautifully with the color and grain of the paper," With almost too much convenience, the elf gestured to one of the inner rungs that revealed a silvered set of ink and quills, "The ink-wells are self-replenishing, and each use is good to up to six hours of consistent scribing. Including breaks and lunch, that is and entire work-day of ink."
To add to the showing, he pulled down two, somewhat similar books. One had a paper edge that appeared golden, while the other paper edge was more of a metallic sheen.
"If you are interested in the Vergil line, there are complimentary ink-sets that go together beautifully with the color and grain of the paper," With almost too much convenience, the elf gestured to one of the inner rungs that revealed a silvered set of ink and quills, "The ink-wells are self-replenishing, and each use is good to up to six hours of consistent scribing. Including breaks and lunch, that is and entire work-day of ink."
Re: Summer in Monaco
Kat looked over both books, noting the differences internally, and realizing that each would be good for a different friend, and each of those friends faces flashed through her mind, making her smile at the thought that she had finally found not just two but more than half a dozen good friends that she felt she had something in common with. "I'll take both, and I do have a question- Would there be any adverse effects to mixing the Dante spellbook with the Vergil inks and quills?"
As she asked the questions, the Blonde Japanese girl tried to focus her senses on that other presence in the building, trying to figure out what it was. She could tell it was magical, and not human, definitely even less human than the shopkeep that was currently serving her. Though she tried to hide it, after the shopkeep responded, curiosity got the best of her, and she had to ask, "Is there someone else in the back?" realizing it was quite rude of her, she closed her mouth but did not avert her eyes, knowing at this point she had already committed to the question, whether she meant to ask it or not.
As she asked the questions, the Blonde Japanese girl tried to focus her senses on that other presence in the building, trying to figure out what it was. She could tell it was magical, and not human, definitely even less human than the shopkeep that was currently serving her. Though she tried to hide it, after the shopkeep responded, curiosity got the best of her, and she had to ask, "Is there someone else in the back?" realizing it was quite rude of her, she closed her mouth but did not avert her eyes, knowing at this point she had already committed to the question, whether she meant to ask it or not.
Re: Summer in Monaco
"I would only recommend the Infernal ink set if you are going with the Dante spellbook," recommended the store owner, a small bit of glee creeping into the careful features of his face. While he would not let it show, it was clear he was pleased in having such a generous customer. Moreso, his eyes still seemed to hold reservation, despite the seriousness of Kat's requests and her the confidence in her demeanor. She was, after all, still a teenager. "The inkwell is made for the patters on the leather, to show a more complete set. Other than that, they are mostly the same."
He turned to array more items on a far table for their eventual purchase, and seemed to be considering what next to float into the eyes of this affluent fifteen-year-old.
When she asked her question, it took him for than a few passing seconds to consider how to answer it.
"Ah, that is our local craftswoman, she has, in fact, hand-made most of the raw items here in the store," explained the elf, giving her a soft smile, "among other things. She is quite handy, but not very aware of... eh heh... modern trends. So she works in my humble store."
He turned to array more items on a far table for their eventual purchase, and seemed to be considering what next to float into the eyes of this affluent fifteen-year-old.
When she asked her question, it took him for than a few passing seconds to consider how to answer it.
"Ah, that is our local craftswoman, she has, in fact, hand-made most of the raw items here in the store," explained the elf, giving her a soft smile, "among other things. She is quite handy, but not very aware of... eh heh... modern trends. So she works in my humble store."
Re: Summer in Monaco
Something about the way the shopkeeper spoke didn't quite sit well with Kat, but she decided to bury her doubts for the moment, as business was at hand. "I see..." was all she commented, before looking at the spellbooks and inksets and marking something down on her magitechnical device. "I suppose I'll have to take both sets of ink and quill as well." Her mind went through the list that she had just double-checked, and moved onto the next person, realizing she may have to get Drysi something else to make sure she did not feel like she had gotten shortchanged.
"My next friend is a Hexer, and his weapon was destroyed recently. do you have anything suitable for such a calling?" her eyes wandered toward the center of the shop, with the display in its prominence. "It needs to have silver but I'd like to get something quite durable."
"My next friend is a Hexer, and his weapon was destroyed recently. do you have anything suitable for such a calling?" her eyes wandered toward the center of the shop, with the display in its prominence. "It needs to have silver but I'd like to get something quite durable."