Welcome to Gaia! ::

Quinn checked the address on the GPS one more time before making his way into the store. It was the jewelry store that the woman, Annalise, owned. Her necklace really had caught his eye, it was simple and elegant, something his mom would like, so he wanted to see what else her store had. It also didn’t hurt that he had finally wrangled some time with his RnD people to actually come up with a rough plan for a possible joint venture between her company and one of his branches. There was still an obnoxious amount of work, lawyers and the like, before anything could even be finalized but the first steps had been taken. The next were making sure that the right people were able to get in touch with each other. Making sure Annalise was given the branch’s head and department head’s contact info was the best thing he could do for her. Everything else would be up to them.

He entered the store and started to browse, pleased at the type of wares he saw. There were quite a few things he thought his mom would like, the question was… Which one should he choose?

All in all, she was glad she gave her card to Quinn considering how excited she was to get things going. She had spoken with some of the representatives at the company and was surprised to find they were just as excited as she was for this collaboration. Making sure her display cases were looking nice and clean, Anna made her way around her shop, talking to customers as they browsed. She had three employees working on the floor as well, which meant that she really didn't need to be out there, however she found that interacting with her employees as well as customers in person really drove home the more personal touch that most stores lacked. “So this line has a nice story behind it…Yes, this is an entirely custom jewelry set that my grandmother created. It's our most popular set by far.” She was really proud of this set, with it being the last design her grandmother came up with before she passed years ago.

As far as manufacturing, Annalise is the one to take on making a set should a customer want to purchase, it was something that gave her pride and accomplishment. This was why the pricing for the set was so much. Anna could also input edits and custom sayings should the customer request it. She looked up when the chime for the bell rang, smiling as one of her employees came to greet the customer at the door. Knowing that the new employee would be taken care of, Anna continued her rounds on the floor, ringing out customers while conversing with others. Today was a bit busy, understandable given the holiday season and all.

Quinn moved slowly around the store, chatting with one of the sale’s associates as he went. He asked all kinds of questions such as materials, design, the time it took to create them… so many questions. The man wasn’t overly interested in jewelry per say but if they were going to form a business partnership, or at least one of the branches were, then he wanted to know a little about it. “What about custom pieces?” He asked absently as he drifted closer towards one of the cases that he could see Annalise at. She was talking to other customers so he would not interfere, the papers he had in his leather briefcase could wait until she had free time. In the meantime he was contemplating which piece his mom would like.

“I like this piece here,” He pointed to one of the necklaces on display. “It's very simple and yet elegant. I think she would love it. I’m just not sure,” He hesitated. Honestly the piece was beautiful but it wasn’t quite right, at least not for his mom. Maybe it was the material… would it be better if it was a different metal? Quinn hummed a bit, squinting ever so slightly, trying to imagine what the necklace would look like in his mind’s eye if he could tweak it. His mother would be ecstatic with just about anything he gave her but he wanted to give her something that fit her. Something that was her.

The sales employee smiled, pursing her lips, “For something more custom you would have to talk to the boss lady. I can go and inform her that you would like to potentially have a custom piece made or to at least discuss the possibility. Please wait one moment Mr. …. ?” She waited for him to tell her his name, nodding and making her way towards Anna, “I'm sorry Anna, but I have a Mr. Arthur Quinn here to inquire about a custom made piece with a different metal?” Anna nodded, the other customer smiled and let her know it was okay for her to leave, speaking with the sales employee instead. She spotted a head full of slightly familiar blonde hair, giving him a polite wave.

“Ahhhh, thank you for stopping by Mr. Quinn, I heard you might be interested in a custom piece?”

Quinn completely understood when the employee informed him that she would have to get Annalise. From what he understood of her business she was the one who handled all the custom pieces, besides he needed to talk to her anyway… wanted to as well for more personal reasons. “Happy too Ms. Annalise,” He grinned and tipped an imaginary hat at her. It was a habit he actually acquired because of his random nighttime magical antics. “Yes, I’m curious about this particular necklace here.” The man casually pointed towards one of the pieces in the case. “It's honestly gorgeous as it is, and I’m sure she would love it, but well… I am wondering what metal is currently made out of. The options it comes in like silver, gold, excetera, and if it's possible to order a similar design with possibly a new metal that doesn't come in.”

He absently lifted the briefcase slightly and added, “I’ve also been asked to ferry over some documents for you from the team since I was heading this way, but that can wait. I’m much more curious to see what we can come up with for the perfect present for my mom.”

Her eyes raise with a small amused sound coming from her mouth at the hat gesture, gaze following the direction his finger was pointing. Ooooh! This was a piece she has not done a custom for yet! She was almost excited, thinking about the metals that she could use for this. “Well, that depends. Does your mother have a metal allergy or a particular color she leans towards?” With a sophisticated air of pride, Anna continued, “I can usually have a necklace done in any metal so long as it is suitable for a human to wear it.” While being curious about the paperwork, her inner workaholic demanded that she focus on the more important aspect: The sale, and maybe even learning a bit more about the man before her….But let's not get distracted.

“Of course~ What kind of taste does your mom lean towards?”

“No allergies but she does bounce around on colors depending on the situation.” He hummed slightly as he thought before shrugging, “She typically wears gold but I know some of her more precious pieces are silver. But it tarnishes so damn quickly. So I was thinking maybe Platinum or something like that, a more hard wearing metal,” He paused for a second before tossing out there, “Is it even possible to do something like damascus? Youtube has been showing me all these videos for mixed material rings and one that really caught my eye was a polished damascus ring, granted this necklace might not be the best choice for something like that.” Quinn shrugged before acknowledging that he was likely overthinking it all. “I honestly am not sure what's best for her. I just know that mom is a simple woman who once happily spent the day painting a room and then went to a black tie affair that night, with paint still under her nails. I want to get her something elegant but not ostentatious. Easy to care for but an everyday wear. Sadly jewelry isn’t my forte.” For a moment his mind flicked back to the last time he spent extra care on a piece of shiny… and just how badly that relationship had ended.

With a mental shake Quinn focused on the here and now, including the beautiful woman who was currently assisting him. “Anyway, I think you might be a better judge on the best idea for the piece.”

Damasus hmm? Anna tapped her lips while she took a moment to think. There would have to be some research done to see if it was possible, but then again she did make a nice custom piece from tungsten and that was previously thought impossible before. “I think I can do a custom piece with this design in damascus. It would take a couple weeks since I've never worked with damascus before.” She looked to the piece mentioned, “Did you want an exact replica or did you want to add a little jewel? Nothing too extravagant, but just something to subtly stand out. Not a diamond…” She frowned, ideas already swirling in her head, “A birthstone? When is your mother’s birthday?” she could even see if there was some sort of custom jewel she could get her hands on. This would be a fun little project for her to work on.

Also may or may not be another excuse to get to know the blonde before her but once again, that was a different issue altogether. Maybe it was time to get back on the dating scene? That really caused her frown to deepen… No….Not for a long time.

Quinn nodded along with her thought process before adding his own ideas, “Maybe just the pendant in damascus, the chain itself could just be in the silver like material, something to hold up against everyday wear. It would simplify things since I don't even think anyone has done chainwork in damascus.” He honestly figured it wouldn’t be worth the time to do something so intricate as a necklace chain in such a labor-inducing metallurgical moment. He wasn’t even sure if it would be worth it for the pendant! But it would be pretty neat to see the patterns on the cut metal… However, would it be a bigger headache than the payoff? “I’ll bow to your expertise in this case. If it becomes a larger pain in the a** though we can just go with a more normal metal mix. Mom really isn’t all that picky.” Quinn shrugged and smiled sheepishly.

“Maybe a moss green stone, like my eyes, rather than a birthstone. It's a color that runs in the family so it's more special that way.” He tapped his cheek before making a ‘no clue’ face as he added, “As for the stone itself… Once again I throw myself at your feet in supplication. Your knowledge base far exceeds mine in this realm, now if you want to talk spreadsheets and numbers over coffee I would be happy to debate the faults and follies of Excel with you, but gems and jewelry...” He trailed off, not needing to finish that sentence. He was pretty clueless when it came to this stuff.

“Alright, I can get started on some ideas and draw them up for you. The number on the card you gave me, is that the best way to reach you personally?” She wasn't trying to get his number for anything other than the order, that's what she kept telling herself. That and the fact that she was going to see about having bubbly and ice cream when she got home, maybe looking at tinder….It wasn't often she felt like a damned shy teenager anymore, even though the thought of going back on the dating scene unnerved her a little bit, she was a grown woman with needs she supposed. Either way, she shook her head gently to clear it, waiting patiently.

“During working hours, yes. It’s my assistant’s desk number but they always know how to get a hold of me. After hours it's best to give me a call on my cell.” Quinn admitted that the number he gave her the first time wasn’t his direct number. Not that it mattered all that much, it was actually more than he typically did for large scale events like that one had been. “If you have a piece of paper I can write my cell number down for you, or if you would rather I can just text you right now. I just don’t normally answer my phone when I’m working.” Hell, he didn’t always have it on him on a typical work day.

“Oh sure~ Here/” She pulled out her cellphone to record his number and sent him a text to let him know who it was. “I should have an update within a week or so.” She looked at the briefcase he had in his hand, “You mentioned something about paperwork?”

He quickly texted her and saved her number when she replied. “Ok, I’ll look forward to it.” Quinn nodded and placed the leather briefcase on the glass counter gently. “Yes Ma’am, the team wanted to make sure you got this,” He pulled out a manila envelope and passed it to her. “They are really excited to work on this project with you.”