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 Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:01 pm
Do Gaian bookstores have puzzles, too? Kouyo would not mind a puzzle or model to work on, to make the times when he is alone in Setsushi's home a bit easier to deal with. He could also use more paper for calligraphy practice, as well, since he seemed to have gone through the pages in the notebook from Tsubei surprisingly quickly. ... Probably because he had done so much of his writing practice blindfolded.
Now where is the used bookstore again? Kouyo remembers it from earlier, but they have walked past so many buildings and turned so many corners today.
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:08 pm
Setsushi gestures with his head in the correct direction and begins leading Kouyo there.
Setsushi isn't sure what they have at that particular store, but if Kouyo would like, Setsushi can get him some supplies. Puzzles, paper for calligraphy... perhaps various different kinds of paper, the heavier for building, the pretty for folding? He's sure that he saw those kinds of things at the general merchant the other day.
Oh, and the daily graypaper has word and number games, too. Would Kouyo like Setsushi to save that for him? He's been destroying it during cooking... sweatdrop
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:18 pm
He would like that very much. Maybe... if Setsushi wants to go out again another day, Kouyo can accompany him again? Maybe even someday, if the store is not too far away, Kouyo could go himself.
And sure, he can give the daily graypaper games a try, too.
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:19 pm
Kouyo can go himself, but Setsushi thinks it would be better for them to go out together for a while first, at least until Kouyo knows how to navigate all the various Gaian rituals of greeting, asking for assistance, and payment. That way, he can be relaxed when he's on his own.
... Is this the place? Setsushi peers into a window. ... Is it even open today?
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:27 pm
Whitestone Used Books has a fairly small actual storefront, but it is bigger than it looks inside. The single window beside the door is framed with bookshelves on both sides, and a low bookshelf under the window is decorated with ever-so-slightly dusty figurines of various characters, with a few other odds and ends mixed in. The sign on the door is flipped to "Open".
Kumoru is seated at the counter just inside the store, with a very old-looking book open in front of him written in a language that does not look anything like either Gaian or Porcelain; he is copying part of the text out onto another sheet of paper. The necromancer is dressed for work today, meaning in relatively casual clothes instead of his robes, and as he is doing close work at the moment, his narrow silver reading glasses are perched on his nose. There have not been many people by so far today, but he still keeps half an ear open for the sound of the small bell on the front door.
Right, Kouyo would not want to get lost in Gaia. The thought clearly makes him nervous.
... And yes, looks like it. The priest points out the "Open" sign, and half-retreats behind Setsushi so he can go first.
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:30 pm
Right. Setsushi shifts one hand's shopping bags to the crook of his arm and pushes the door open, glancing up at the ringing bell and then over to the one tending the counter--
Oh, "Master Kumoru?" Errr, not Master, just-Kumoru, Setsushi apologizes, bowing his head a little. Is this Kumoru's shop?
He awkwardly holds the door open for Kouyo while looking around the dusty shelves. This place really looks and smells like a house of wisdom...
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:38 pm
The mage glances up as the bell jingles, and smiles and bows slightly where he sits as he sees it is Setsushi.
"Hello, there," he says, setting his pen down. "I work here, but I don't own the place. The owner... is hardly ever in, actually, but that means I can take up more hours for myself." Kumoru laughs a little. "Are you looking for anything in particular?"
Kouyo edges into the place after Setsushi, and offers Kumoru a shy greeting before privately asking his friend how he knows this human.
The books do look interesting, though; it seems that the place is filled with about as many bookshelves as the fire marshal could allow, with everything more or less sorted by topic, but the topics in no order the priest can discern.
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:42 pm
Setsushi is showing his friend "Kouyo" around Gaia today, he explains to Kumoru. Kouyo was hoping to find some books on "Gaian plants and flowers," as they're planning to convert at least part of the noodle store's yard to a garden.
He explains privately to Kouyo that this is Master Kumoru, a mage, who raised the one named Jilan and is also caring for the one who has been renamed Xiao Huo. The latter seemed to think that Kumoru was a Chaos Sorcerer as he had an, ummm... Setsushi blushes. ...a sort of spirit under his control, but Setsushi believes that Kumoru practices some sort of non-Name, non-Chaos human magic.
... Also privately, he asks if Kouyo would like to speak with him, or if he would like Setsushi to take care of things?
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:57 pm
Kumoru stands and bows more fully to Kouyo. "Ah, nice to meet you, Kouyo. I'm Kumoru. I live halfway across town, but I work here now fairly often."
"All of the gardening books should be about halfway down the left-hand wall, near the bottom of the shelf," he told them, stepping away from the counter to show them the place.
What sort of magic? Kouyo wonders with some anxiety. Has Setsushi ever seen him use it? ... He really does not look much like a mage, does he? Is the spirit with him now?
As Kumoru moves away from the desk to direct them to the gardening books, Kouyo edges away from him, and tries to steal a glance at the page he had been working on copying.
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 9:02 pm
Setsushi smiles nervously at Kumoru while answering Kouyo; well, no, he doesn't know exactly. And he doesn't look much like a mage right now, but then, Kouyo doesn't either.
Kouyo would be able to tell if the spirit were here by watching Setsushi's face turn red, followed by the Dragon Knight tripping all over himself. sweatdrop Setsushi blushes a little bit again, recalling.
...Would Kouyo like Setsushi to ask, he wonders, as he follows Kumoru over to pretend to investigate the gardening books.
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 9:14 pm
Kouyo gives off a distinct feeling of confusion. Why would the mage's spirit make his friend blush and trip all over himself? ... Had the human somehow snared his friend's maidenly heart with his spells? This last question is filled with venom for Kumoru.
And yes, he would like Setsushi to ask.
... The pair is being very quiet, so Kumoru figures the Porcelain are talking privately in that strange way of theirs. It is none of his business, though, really, so he lets them alone as he looks for the exact spot in the shelves where the gardening books start.
He crouches by the shelf, scanning the book spines for a moment, then frowns as he locates the slightly faded marker labeled "Home and Garden". He tugs it out from its current location, and sticks it between two different books on the shelf above where it was.
"They start here and it looks like they continue to the top of the next shelf," he tells them, standing again and brushing his hands over his hips a little as though smoothing the folds out of robes. "We might have a few science books about plants, too, if you think those will help?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 9:19 pm
No, no, no. Kumoru certainly hasn't ensnared Setsushi; he's human, and a man! gonk It's just the spirit... well, Kouyo being a mage surely knows that spirits sometimes take a Porcelain-like form? Whenever Setsushi has seen them, they have appeared clothed; but this one was practically naked.
All Kumoru is guilty of is failing to teach his spirit proper modesty... Setsushi shudders a little, as if the memory is more unpleasant than pleasant.
"Ah, yes? Er, no," Setsushi stammers to Kumoru, not having really followed his words while speaking to Kouyo; "This is fine." Kouyo, he instructs his friend privately, look at them while Setsushi questions the mage?
Setsushi steps to the side to let Kouyo in before... scratching the back of his leg with a foot nervously, shifting his shopping bags about, and then asking quietly, "Kumoru is a mage; where did he study...?" Though unsure if he and Kouyo will be able to deduce anything from the answer, it seems a lot more polite a question to ask than 'What are you?'
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 9:40 pm
Good, because that would be terribly awkward and improper and... unfortunate. A naked spirit does sound disturbing, though. But after some of the clothing Kouyo has seen on Gaians today just walking around, perhaps their idea of modesty is a bit... looser? confused
Kouyo settles down carefully on the carpet beside the indicated shelf, and starts looking over the book titles. The previous section before "Home and Garden" is apparently "Cookbooks", and some of those still seem to be mixed in with the first bunch of gardening books, even after Kumoru moves the section divider. After a moment, he selects one of the gardening books and flips it open, but seems to pay more attention to Setsushi and the human mage than to the words on the page.
"Where?" Kumoru sighs a little and glances upwards, crossing his arms. He is always suspicious of people asking questions like that, however he suspects that the Porcelain do not know much of the political and magical workings of his own homeland, which also lies outside of Gaia.
"I mostly study on my own now, but I was originally trained at a place in my home city called the Tower of Wings," he tells them. "That place houses and instructs all of the kingdom's wind mages."
"Why do you ask?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 9:44 pm
Kouyo can't imagine how disturbing it was.
"Is Kumoru a 'Wind Mage,' then?" Setsushi asks. ... He explains that some of Setsushi's friends and... acquaintance who have arrived recently from their homeland are also mages, and perhaps Kumoru would be able to point out vendors, teachers, or other resources in Gaia that could help them?
(Setsushi hopes that the reason he gives is convincing.)
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Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 9:49 pm
Kouyo is suddenly very engrossed in the gardening book. Nope, no idea how disturbing it was.
The necromancer shrugs slightly. "I study on my own now, as I said before, so I have my own personal library, but I don't like lending my own books out." He briefly considers directing them to find Ren, but then realizes that would mean he would have to get in touch with her himself beforehand, and Kumoru is not sure he quite feels like speaking to his old ex-girlfriend for any reason.
"I may have some of my old study texts from the Tower, still," he adds, wondering where in his house they might have ended up. "But it's really something that would require the presence of a teacher to learn, at least at first."
Kumoru fiddles with his ponytail a little. "Is Porcelain magic similar to mine, then?" He gestures back towards the front counter. "Can you read any of my magic texts?"
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