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 Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 2:19 pm
"I have a list," Lori said, fumbling around in his leather bag for a moment and pulling out a well-used Steno pad. It had been brand-new before this trip. "Some are better than others. Quartz can lose its charge, amethyst requires a large amount, whereas chevron amethyst, which is somehow both, does not easily lose its charge nor does it require an especially large amount. Alexandrite is a big 'no.' Aquamarine is your birth month but the enchantment may not be as strong, it goes on forever. Everything has positives and negatives." He offered the list to Maia. "My grandmother is nearly 600 years old. Imagine how fun she is to talk to when you catch her on her home turf."
He knuckled an eye. "Um. I can get us some traditional garb for infiltrating the rath but I wasn't sure who was coming and who wasn't, and I still haven't-- hi, sweetheart." Seamus had leaped up on the back of the couch and bonked Lori's head. He reached up to pet him. "...I lost my train of thought."
"You still haven't..."
After a pause, Lori shrugged and let his head fall back.
"So you walk around with a murse and they haven't figured out you're gay?" Toby asked.
"Shaved face and all," Lori said with his first hint of a smile, "Besides, it's not a murse. It's a supply bag."
"Most agents carry a briefcase."
"Most agents don't have to worry about alienating their parents when approaching them to discuss extremely sensitive topics."
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 2:29 pm
Maia took the list and read through it, giving a thoughtful sound. She read, was silent for a long moment, and perched on the arm of the couch nearest to Lori.
She reached over and scratched Seamus' ears, and looked to Lori. "I'll go with," she offered. "We can shop for whatever we need after finding with this woman." If she existed.
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 2:34 pm
"You could go out looking while I... go out looking," Lori offered, opening his eyes to look to Maia. "Besides, Seamus hasn't gotten to see anything yet."
Seamus trilled happily, but Lori held up a finger. "On a harness."
Seamus huffed but stayed where he was and got comfortable.
"So it's possible?" Toby asked.
"I don't know yet. It's still all legend," Lori said with a sigh, then smiled to Dari, "but that's pretty much all I work with on a daily basis, so our chances still look good."
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 3:10 pm
Lori had spent a good portion of the night Skyping with Luca, and Dari had been up doing research. In the morning the group split, Lori one way and the three others the other. It being daylight made Dari's concealment easier. It wouldn't matter by the evening when they went to give the beacons to Breyer, presumably with Seamus still in tow.
Toby had found a series of 'hippie shops,' as he called them, that were likely to have raw crystal. They parked at the first and got out. The woman behind the desk was blue-haired in the most literal sense and had a rather prominent septum piercing. Toby offered her a smile. She offered one back. Only then did he notice the stack of for-sale ouija boards up high, nearly out of reach. Toby arched a brow and huffed. If only Michael were here...
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 3:21 pm
Toby didn't seem particularly impressed with what he called hippie shops--and honestly, Maia didn't think she was, either. She took Toby's hand and looked around awkwardly. "Do you have any Crystal jewelry?" she asked. She still had Lori's list in her pocket.
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 3:26 pm
The woman behind the desk perked and responded in the voice of a college dropout all too ready to share her ideas with a willing participant.
"Yeah! Here, let me show you." Toby remained behind a moment and gestured to the lofty boxes. "Milton Bradley," he said to Dari, "What ever happened to wood-burning and carving words into your own flesh?"
The shop girl gave Toby a horrified look and ten turned back to Maia and smiled.
"Your cat is so cute! Such a big boy," she said then. Seamus gave an appreciative meow and the girl giggled. "Okay, so here's our assortment of crystal jewelry," she said, gesturing to the array of small metal rings with bits of crystal in them. To either side sat enormous chunks of amethyst still in the stone listed for over 300 and 400 dollars respectively.
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 3:31 pm
Maia dropped Toby's hand and stared at him for a long moment. It was clear she was horrified.
"Oh, thank You! His name's Seamus," she said, brightening. She studied each of the rings, paused over the chunks of amethyst, and then looked up. "Thank you," she said, "But these aren't what we're looking for."
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 3:34 pm
Toby and Dari both looked to Maia.
"They're not?" Toby asked first.
"Why not?" Dari asked, scooting up closer.
Toby noted the price of the crystals and shook is head. "Greed probably shouldn't play in this, huh?" he asked.
Dari shook his head solemnly, but it was clear he was put off. He reached out and touched the gems, but he felt nothing.
The shop girl was surprised. "O--oh? Okay, well, um. Is there anything else I can help you with?"
Toby turned to Maia and mumbled something close do 'do you have the list', but it was definitely not that exactly. Something about the list, and it was definitely a question!
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 3:40 pm
"Of course I have the list," Maia whispered back, and offered it to Toby. "Lets go," she took his hand and gave Dari a reassuring smile as they left. "I think these two would be best," She pointed to aventrine and another. "And those are too small. We're looking for something bigger."
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 3:45 pm
Toby's eyes went wide and he shook his head as if to make sense of it all while Maia ushered them out. She certainly was taking charge, wasn't she!
"Thanks anyway!" he said to the shop girl over his shoulder. Seamus meowed a goodbye and then trotted after them.
"We are?" Toby asked, looking over the list, "Aventurine? Aventurine and-- what? Oh. Oh I can't really read that, but it looks good, sure." The fewer downfalls, the better. "Well I'm not really into Parker Brothers Ghost Hunting anyway. That was a 'scene' shop. We don't need that." He tucked the list into his own pocket and followed Maia and Seamus out.
"Alright, well. I can get us to the next shop. I've got four. We can stop in-between when ever, just remember sundown is around seven."
"It's not even noon." Nobody had been able to sleep.
"Right. We're doing fine so far." He smiled and nudged Dari with an elbow, wishing they could just dig the goddamn stuff out of the ground.
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 4:46 pm
"Yeah," Maia said, smiling at Toby. "I looked aventurine up, it's supposed to be lucky. And it says here that it'd be good. Won't lose charge." She looked at Dari. "Want to go shopping with me?" she asked. They could go shopping and find something for Luca! They had time.
"Are there any shops that specialize in crystals?" Maia asked. "Jewelry stores won't have them uncut, would they?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 4:49 pm
Toby nodded. Sure. There were a bunch like it on the list, though, so Maia must have been doing some extra research on her computer the night before.
"These are the ones that should, or claim to," Toby said, looking down at the map on his phone, "and no, they wouldn't. Let's just head toward the next one and where ever you want to stop to shop we can, okay?"
Dari nodded and smiled at Maia's question. Yes, it'd be a welcome distraction to help her buy things.
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 4:55 pm
"Alright," Maia agreed.
They headed off in the direction of the second 'hippie shop, and about half way there, Maia caught sight of a large clothing store. "Lets stop there," she said. "We can browse," she added. "And we're not too far away from the next place."
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 4:59 pm
The store was full of stylish young Irish women and Toby saw it as at least some escape. He smiled and nodded to Maia. "Sure, go on, I'm right after ya."
Dari was as ready as ever to help Maia shop. In the beginning it had been the most fun, of course, because she hadn't had much or a wardrobe at all, but even now new clothes seemed to make her happy.
"What do you want to look for?" the alien asked.
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2016 5:10 pm
Maia thought, opened her mouth, closed it, and shrugged. "Let's just look," she said, taking Dari's hand. She went straight for casual wear. "What do you think Toby would like me to wear?" She asked, puzzling. Did it matter to Toby what she wore? Oh well, at least this would distract Dari, And maybe Toby from whatever was bothering him.
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