[Kasolyna]

It was a day like any other for most people. The weather, a rather sunny day, matched the season. People walked outside, chatting with each other or on cell phones, or simply wandering around by themselves. Birds were chirping, fish were swimming, and Lina was bored out of her mind. Little Lina, her sisters would joke, just because of her height.

It didn't matter that she was the most mature of the bunch, nor that she worked twice as hard as they did when it came to running the store. All that seemed to matter was them teasing or tormenting her in one way or another. It was bad enough that because of her short stature and young appearance, she looked just past the age of sixteen, customers didn't take her seriously. But after all the years she had spent manning the front while her sister's played, she just wanted a little respect. Just taking a look at her though would allow anyone to understand why most people treated her like a girl, and not like the woman she was.

Perhaps about 5'3", she had bright pink hair that fell almost down to her waist in cotton candy colored waves. Her current clothing did not show off her current figure, covered in layers of black. A black beanie with a skull on the side, a long sleeved black shirt covered by a horizontally striped black and white shirt with big, baggy black pants with chains down the side and combat boots on her feet. She looked like a girly-girl trying to act tough and dark, but she just liked black.

Letting out a small sigh she looked around the store, nothing catching her interest because she had seen it all before. It was rare for them to get anything new, mostly because they almost never got any customers. Today was supposed to be the end of her shift, but unless she used the emergency method or a customer walked in she'd probably be stuck there. If only someone would walk through the door and find something they had to have, then she could definitely leave and go on her next adventure for sure. She didn't even care if she had to babysit someone, it was better than being stuck behind a desk for a century.

[Daring Scylla]

A day like any.

Yet unlike any, as well - unlike any for Clancy. The young boy made his way through the city, a slender, short figure among the thronging masses of humanity. A single young man of caramel skin coloring and a unique phenomenon in his eyes, the right was a vibrant red, the left an electric blue. His white, close-cropped bobbed hair, sure to stand out in a smaller town, drew little attention from these busy persons going about their lives in the town.

Clancy melted in with the crowds, allowing the flow to shift him around. He could feel a source of something unusual but was not too bothered by it. He simply strolled, hands in the pockets of his grey trousers, his green pack full of medical supplies bounced at his hip.

"What's this?"

He looked up. A boutique, a little store... it had a charming front, charming by his standards, and it was drawing him in somehow, exciting him - he wanted to go in there.

He hadn't gotten this far among humans by ignoring magical impulses, but he proceeded with caution as he opened the door of the shop. He entered and an eclectic mix of items and novelties met his eyes, and he looked around wonderingly even as he let the door shut behind him.

"Hello?" he called.

[Kasolyna]

She had started to zone out, thinking of all the different worlds she had been to. There was even one world where they thought of her as a goddess. They thought that way about her sisters as well, but she ignored that part and just enjoyed the thought of people actually listening to her and taking her advice. And then she heard the chime and a voice and nearly fell out of her seat in surprise. Hastily getting out of her chair she went over to the entrance with the biggest smile imaginable on her face.

"Hello, and welcome to the Three Witches Boutique. My name is Lina and if you need any help I'm right here. Is there anything in particular you're looking for?" It was something rehearsed many times over, repeated again and again and while she hated the words her excitement for what was going to happen overpowered the boredom of repetition.

There was also the smug part of her that new Rina would be back any second and she'd be able to rub it in her sister's face that she was going to be working the desk for the next shift. After all the times she'd had to put in overtime because of Rina's irresponsibility, she certainly felt joy when it came to making her sister do something. Best part was, it was the powers doing it not her so Rina couldn't yell at her about it without seeming like a fool.

While he couldn't see it, there was a shift as soon as he entered the store. A backroom opened up with a starry image on it, the night sky filled with constellations real and fake. It was completely still, but there was a presence of power that could be felt if someone was highly enough attuned to that sort of thing.

[Daring Scylla]

Clancy blinked. The clerk had almost assaulted him in her efforts to provide service - or maybe he was just shy. As she rattled off the normal speech of the typical sales clerk, he looked around because he felt a shift in the air, definitely something unnatural. Something magical. He felt the back of his neck itching, a sure sign that supernatural happenings were abound in this area.

He blinked, and stopped staring about, in case it was rude, and instead focused on the small girl in front of him. She was shorter than his 167 centimetres, and with bright pink hair and all black clothes she made a dazzling contrast. He blinked a second time at the small girl. She looked very young.

"Hello," he said, in a slight Irish brogue. "I'm not looking for much in particular, I just came in for looks- "

He looked about quickly. "What exactly do you sell here?" he asked. The place seemed to have all sorts of knick-knacks available for perusing, and maybe some had magical or medical properties...or both. And if there were such items in the store, he'd like to have them as they would be perfect for a doctor-in-training. Even a pixie doctor.

He shook his head self-consciously and remembered that his pale hair covered his pointed ears. Three Witches Boutique...maybe I'm not the only nonhuman in the city. The idea could well be true if the sensations he felt from this store were anything to go by.

[Kasolyna]

Definitely a curious sort. She knew enough from her experiences to be able to tell what he was hiding, but she'd let it go. There was no way for him to know what exactly he had stepped into, at least not yet. But there was definitely promising circumstances if he was already attuned to magic in general. Less freaking out when they started their journey.

"Well, we sell... I suppose whatever we have. We don't exactly have a genre to our inventory," her tone was a little less excitable, more informative and knowledgeable, and definitely less rehearsed, "We're somewhat like a pawn shop in the fact that we sell what people bring to us. But we are different in that we do not accept normal currency."

If he was a human or some other species that did not pay attention or appreciate magic she would have waited until they found an item, as they always did, that they just had to have. But she could be a little more open when someone already knew that science and logic could not explain everything. Still, she wouldn't explain everything. That took away some of the fun. And she wanted as much fun as she could before her sister showed up. That would be any moment now and she was and was not looking forward to it at the same time.

[Daring Scylla]

He listened as Lina's speech became more professional and less mechanic. If they had an assortment of items it was certainly worth looking around, and he noted her use of the word "we" as opposed to "I" which meant that she worked for or with other persons in running this store.

He considered. If she was or worked for a witch, the "other currency" could be almost anything. It could be service, items or supplies, power or energy...he'd find out what they meant, first. Then he could shop. The magical energy was apparent in the shop, the more he looked for it, but he avoided probing too far with his senses to avoid offending anyone or anything.

"How exactly do you mean, other currency?" he asked after she was finished talking. "And, as for what I could be looking for...I'm a doctor. Well, one in training," he amended. "I'm also interested in antiques... particularly old clocks and sundials. I know that's kind of an odd set of requests," he added with a sheepish smile.

[Kasolyna]

"Well, very simply, we don't accept it. This is a trade shop. You choose something you like and, depending on what that item is, you bring it to us. It's a little quirk to make sure we always have the same number of items worth at least the same value," she wasn't going to explain how he was going to get what she wanted though. That was for check out, otherwise she might scare him away and that would be no good whatsoever.

"We do have some interesting books on old style remedies, though depending on where you are they could be completely irrelevant. Very interesting reading about them and the different diseases though. As for clocks and sundials, we have a very nice collection near the south wall," she pointed towards it, "And some tell different types of time. And everyone is allowed to have more than one interest, I like a great many things myself that have nothing to do with each other. In fa-"

"Powers damn it!" came a voice from the very back, the curtains flipping back as Rina entered the store, "I can't believe it. I was in the middle of a simply fabulous party when I felt that annoying little tug and it forced me to come here."

She stomped her way to the front room where the voice could be matched to a face. The only thing Rina had in common with her sister was that her hair color was not one generally seen among humans naturally. It was a dark blue, cut in a straight bob except for a thin tail that trailed down her back. And completely unlike her sister, her choice of dress was almost completely white. In a Greek toga with gold colored rope tying things in place, as well as sandals that tied their way up to her knees, she certainly looked the part of an amazon with a thin, toned frame and a bit more heft to her chest than her sister. She was easily taller than the two other people in the room and enjoyed that fact.

"Rina, we have a customer so please go to your station," Lina wasn't going to talk about how things worked in front of a first timer, though Rina might ruin things.

"...A customer? You have a customer? Powers damn it why do you always get them?" Rina huffed.

"Maybe because you always stick me here during your shift. Now please, I'll show him around and help him find something. You know what'll happen if you don't."

"At least tell me there's something to drink under the desk," Rina let out an overly dramatic sigh.

"There is, but no drinking until we're done."

"You can't-"

"I can, and I am if you don't go there right now. Remember the rules."

Rina glared at her sister, "Fine, Little Lina, I'll go to my spot."

With Rina gone Lina could turn her attention back to her customer, "Sorry about that, my sister isn't always fond of working here."

[Daring Scylla]

Clancy blinked. Other currency...That sounded like it could be dangerous.

On the other hand he could get some interesting books, and the city didn't interest very much. He nodded. "That sounds fair, I s'pose," he finally replied. "The books sound interesting, I'll take a look at them."

His eyes widened and he blinked as the second woman entered the room, ranting. She was much taller than him, and fairly attractive, though not of interest to him. Most of all, she was intimidating, and he took a small step back. When Lina apologized for her, he realized they must be sisters despite the difference in appearance. That was interesting. Three witches.

"It's fine," he said in a hasty way - as long as he did not have to interact with the scary Rina, he didn't mind what she did. "Can you show me to the books? I am interested in seeing those."

He would have to be careful. Very careful. He didn't want to make any promises until he knew what he was signing away. But something told him this girl would not just tell him anything. So he decided to start casual.

"How long have you worked here?" he asked.

[Kasolyna]

"Oh, longer then I can remember," she chuckled, "Follow me."

She started walking towards the books. This was definitely a clever one, no doubts about that. That would make this all the more fun. As she walked through different aisles, some never seeming to end, she saw a few items that made her smile.

There was the small skulls of the Crinuan people, a sword that could only be handled by someone with four arms, powders and perfumes of all different scents and, of course, her favorite. It was an incomplete suit of armor, missing the chest plate. There was no explanation, reason, or why as to the missing piece, but she liked it and her smile grew as they walked by it.

"The books are very interesting, I also have some translation guides. Some are written in very interesting languages, but you can still tell what they're about from the descriptive images that show up very often."

[Daring Scylla]

He fell in line behind the woman. She was not an average girl, that was for sure, maybe not a girl at all. Longer than she can remember...There was much more to the eye in this little shop. Of that he was certain.

Clancy glanced about as they passed various shelves filled with all manner of antiquities and items. Some of the items were mundane enough, or seemed so. Others clearly reeked of magical or mystical properties, which was intriguing. That humans could walk among such things with little to no knowledge was astounding.

He stared as they passed an incomplete suit of armor. He continued looking down aisles that they passed, noticing some more esoteric items in the darker shelves...

"Where do you get your merchandise? Some of it seems so unique." He asked because he was uncomfortable with the silence. Nervously, he fidgeted with his bag of medical supplies. Some of the vials inside clinked, and his eyes widened. Some of the vials contained very valuable items, he reached inside to ensure that they had not broken. A tiny sigh of relief escape his lips as he felt the cool, smooth glass, unharmed.

[Kasolyna]

"Well, that is the point I suppose," she chuckled softly, "Our merchandise doesn't come from any one supplier like normal stores do. We're a trade shop, so if you want something you have to give us something in return. Sometimes we have specific things we want, other times we just want something of similar value. It means that when you find something you want, you better take it because chances are it's the only one we have."

One of the things she disliked about the store was that she could not actually use any of the items in it, neither could her sisters. Sure, she could pick up a book and read it if she stood close enough to the shelf, but if she tried bringing it over to the counter for a sit down it would completely reject the idea and pull back to the shelf. She had to get her things on adventures, or from her sisters. She much preferred the latter because whenever she asked Rina for a change of clothes or a good book she came back with things that looked like dental floss and cheap romance novels.

Finally, she stopped at their book collection, "Here we go. I'm not sure how many of these you'll be able to read on your own so I can stay here if you want and help translate a bit if there's something you would like to look at."

[Daring Scylla]

Clancy nodded, in reply. He closed his eyes momentarily. He knew how his own magic worked at least.

Opening his heterochromic eyes again, he reached for the first book he happened to focus on - an old tome of Celtic origins, specializing in arcane remedies and Druid magics. He smiled. Of course he would have picked the book closest to his own origins.

He wondered what a witch was doing working in a store. He'd never had much contact with witches, honestly. But being in a store run by at least two was more than he could have expected. It intrigued him - what did they have to gain? Of course, his "payment" would answer that question should he decide to buy the book.

He looked down at the old, bound tome. Carefully he opened it. The pages were stiff, probably parchment or something similar. He caught sights of words in Gaelic - he smiled. Clancy liked this book already. He turned to a page and began reading, and his eyes widened slightly - it was a book that taught the treatment of magical maladies and curses, not just herbal remedies and fancy nonsense designed to gull credibly humans!

"This is...this is fantastic..." he said aloud, checking the index. These were remedies, spells, and tricks that were forbidden to one of his level...He gave a gleeful little shudder. The idea was intoxicating...

But he couldn't violate the rules of his people, especially if he wanted to be a doctor. A doctor working in the human world. And besides, this "other currency" stuck in the back of his mind...

Just for fun, he thought. "What would you want in return for this?" he asked aloud.
Just for fun.

[Kasolyna]

It was interesting watching him. For some reason it was very rare for someone to choose a book that they couldn't read themselves, so it did not surprise her when he was clearly able to understand the material he was reading. She was curious, however, as to what made it so fascinating. From what she could tell it was just a normal book on medicine and treatments, but the way his eyes lit up made her wonder if there was possibly more to it than that. He could, however, just be extremely interested in the topic. That was more likely the case.

She was brought out of her thought though by his question. Without word, she expertly took the book from his hands and looked at it. It was in very good condition, with a sturdy cover and binding. Opening it she took a quick look inside to see how badly the pages were worn. Most everything was legible, though a few images were a bit faded with time and all the pages were there. It was a very fine book indeed, especially if he wanted it.

It was strange that customers found what they wanted on the first go. Sometimes she had had to wait hours, not that the customer was aware of time in the shop, to pass before an item had been made. The fact that he had chosen it on his first go meant that it suited him very well and would suit his purposes as well. It could also be guessed, at least, that he was decently sure of himself, or at least thought of himself in that light. Whatever the reason was, it caused Lina to smile very widely at the idea of an adventure or two with him. It would certainly be an interesting thing.

Closing the book, but not handing it back to him, she looked up with an excited grin on her face, borderlining a smirk, "I can certainly say that whatever you'll get for us will be at least somewhat difficult. All the most interesting things are afterall. Don't worry though, I'll be there to help you find it. I'll just put this behind the counter," she was already heading there without giving him a chance to say otherwise, "Gather a few things and we'll be on our way."

[Daring Scylla]

Clancy blinked as the witch took the book from him and moved toward the counter. Gather a few things? He tugged at his bag of medical supplies. That was all he needed. But just the same, he replied, "I will, yeah," and moved a little slowly to follow her. He wasn't sure what this meant, where they were going, but it wasn't as if he had any ties down in this town.

Somewhat difficult?

He didn't want to be making any promises that he couldn't keep and he knew that witches could be very terrible indeed in retribution to those who had wronged them. If he failed to pay for the book.

"How exactly are you going to have me pay for this?" he asked aloud. Suddenly he felt a little concerned.

[Kasolyna]

Lina didn't hear him, a little too caught up in her own world. As she handed the book to Lina she went into a corner room and started gathering a few things. She grabbed her bag from a shelf and started shoving things into it. Some changes of clothes, food, medicine, a spell or two, and a few special things that would greatly help them in case of an emergency. And she wasn't thinking about a normal emergency.

Meanwhile, Rina was grumbling behind the desk but laughed under her breath when she saw his concern, "Oh little boy, are you scared of a little adventure?" she cooed in a mocking tone. "You will follow my dear, sister, and when you find something she likes then you can come back and return for the book. Your cost if you fail? Well, try for the doors, they will not open." There was a large smirk on Rina's face.

It was true though, once he had decided on an object for purchase there was only one way out of the shop and it most certainly was not the front. If he paid careful attention he might hear the wind rustling from the back, but only if he paid a good deal of attention.

[Daring Scylla]

Clancy looked at the other witch, his eyes were large in his narrow, girlish face. Maybe it had been a mistake in coming here. Maybe he should have ignored the magic emanating from this little shop. He looked back at the doors, and though he could see the people walking by and the small estate cars driving the door was firmly shut.

He had enough sense not to run and try to open the door.

He turned to face Lina and Rina again. Adventure?

"Where will we be going?" he asked in a calm voice even though he was very concerned. He placed his hand on his bag of medical and magic supplies for comfort. He felt the beginnings of a flutter at his back, but didn't want his wings to show just yet.