Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ianna was absent from the desk that day - in fact, she would be absent for a while. Thus, Coailiann had been commanded to watch the front desk and the shop until the four guardians made their way into the shop to pick up their wands. She still had no idea what any of the wands were supposed to be but she had a feeling that at least one of them was a dragon of some kind.

After all, the ice dragon wrapped around a pole seemed to give it away. Xtol would be happy - maybe, depending on if it was shiny.

But right now? Right now she was very, very bored and pondering playing pickup sticks with the wands.

"Achoo!"

Ashoka rubbed his nose, closing the door behind him. He took a good look around, digging through his coat pockets for a tissue with his free hand. Even as he was fiddling through his pocket, he had to wonder how he had ended up in this little shop anyways. He was headed to his mother's place, just like usual, and had taken a detour. He thought it was a detour, anyways.

Charming enough place, he sniffed and sneezed into his tissue, looking at the shelves, but you can practically taste the dust in here, it makes my nose itch. He paused to contemplate this. Or maybe it's just the season, damn hay fever.

A second glance around the shop, and he noticed several other people there; his demeanor visibly shifted. Shoulders straightened, a smile quirked at his lips, and he stuffed his crumpled tissue into his pocket. "Hello?"

Callix huffed at Ashoka and Lu, both of the interupting his valuable time with Kay. He frowned at the two adults and looked at the wands. "Why did you mother leave you here? That's not very nice, making you take care of a whole shop while they go out and play."

"Kay's mom is taking care of her sister. Kay's being a very good daughter by taking care of her mother's shop, you know." Ruffing up his hair while standing behind him, Lu smiled. "What do you have there? Hey, these are neat-looking! You selling them?"

Batting his Guardian away, Callix ignored the other adult in favor of watching Kay and looking around boredly. "Ghosts?" he asked, eyebrow raising. He didn't much care for ghosts, at least, not the ones on the television. The ones that haunt you and things. But he didn't see any ghosts around here. Odd.

"UH! Uh...Not really, not those. You gotta....uh...." Think, Kay. Think think think. How do get them to look at the book? She couldn't very well say 'you need to look at this book because you have babies on the way!' could she?

Then she remembered the thing that her mommy always bought things out of. A catalogue? Right!

"You gotta look at the book and choose what you want."

Her little hand pointed toward the large leather bound book. It didn't generally look like a catalogue but then again....This didn't look like a normal shop to begin with.

Kay's attention was brought back to Callix and she beamed, "Yeah, I'm a Ghost. Sorta....I told you 'bout what we are?" she leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Your momma's 'bout to get one of us."

Then louder to Ashoka, "You too! Please?"

At the mention of a book Ashoka's eyebrows raised into his hairline. Oh, he liked books. And even if it was just a book of wands, it was a book. The paper, the binding, the ink. Mmhmm. It was a trait he supposed he picked up from his mother. Although his mother much more appreciated the process of putting that ink on the paper. He prefered the finished product himself.

He fiddled with his jacket sleeve, coming up beside Lu, almost looking over her shoulder at the book. Oh, someone hasn't been taking very good care of this book at all. He fidgeted slightly, looking over it with a frown. Strange condition to keep a catalogue of your stock, though. He fidgeted again and shifted alongside the woman to get a better look. Of course, his gentlemanly...ish manner took over and he nodded to Lu. "You go first."

Callix gaped. "I already have a sibling and she's a smelly, nasty thing. Maman, can't we take Kay home instead? She doesn't smell bad and she's nice!" he whined, hoping that pouting would allow him to get his way. When it didn't, he rolled his eyes. Another sibling? Gods. But at least it was a Ghost, like Kay, and that was one more thing for them to bond over.

Lu squealed with glee. "Really? Umm... well, thank you, Matilda, wherever you are. I'll try my best, I promise! Manticore..." Tapping her finger against her chin, she frowned. Research must be necessary, and would take top priority when they got home. Picking up the wand, she closely examined it. It looked priceless, if a bit damaged from the claw marks, but it was so interesting. She would find a nice, safe place for it.

The incubus child started to talk to the book, as if it would give him a direct link to Matilda. "Don't let her keep it, Matilda. She'll kill it, I swear!"

"I haven't killed you."

"Yet." he huffed.

The wand glowed briefly the moment Lu touched it, acknowledging it's new guardian. All was well and the spirit inside was satisfied.

Kay couldn't help but laugh at Callix's protest and shook her head a little bit. It'd be nice to go live with Callix - but she had a feeling neither parent would go for it.

The same thing that happened when Lu touched the book happened with Ashoka did. This time, on the page lay a detailed sketch of a smooth wand with bones hanging from it and an orb filled with an unknown substance sitting atop it.

It read:

"Zora. Wand ID 00035. A Soul has been trapped within the confines of the wand. Congratulations, you have become the next guardian to take on the task of raising it from infancy to greatness. We, Ianna and I, have the upmost faith in you to complete your task dutifully. Best of luck,

Matilda."

"There! My job's done!" She closed the book and handed Ashoka his wand. The same thing happened when his fingers came in contact with the smooth surface.

"Congratulations!"

“Zora?”

Huh. Ashoka looked down at the smooth red wand in his hands quizzically. Yeah, sure, he’d seen just the same thing happen to that nice young lady there just now, but that was still not the same thing as it just being shoved into his hands just like that. But he supposed he should have seen it coming. Really.

So if the lady’s wand was... well the book said it was a manticore, did that make his a Zo-what’s-it? It probably would help if he knew what one was in the first place. The wand itself did say much about the soul within, but truth be told the bones that hung from around it didn’t make him feel any better about it all.

He opened his mouth, not quite sure what to say, and ended up with the typical canned formality, "T-thank you?" I suppose.

Oh, it seemed he would have a great deal more to talk to his mother about today than the tea or loans.

Yeah, like grandchildren. He was not looking forward to that conversation.