πππππ πππππππππ (insolence) wrote in worldsapart_ic, @ 2019-02-01 23:13:00 |
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Entry tags: | elijah ridley-jones, xx_noell pascal |
okay, that one was childish
WHO: Noell Pascal & Elijah Ridley-Jones
WHAT: Window shoppers, the worst kind
WHERE: The White Rabbit
WHEN: Friday; 1st. Feb 2019
RATING: PGish
STATUS: Complete
Los Angeles had firmly grown on Noell -she liked the day life almost as much as the night life, which was a feat for her, given her affinity for the dark. LA offered quite the mix of people, all walks of life and all that. It took some getting used to, but she figured a few months in she was getting a good feel for the place, enough that she could confidently check out locations around the city that might meet her needs.
Wandering into a bunch of magically inclined or friendly stores, there could be questions and too many people looking too closely -and she wasn't exactly known for her friendly disposition. She didn't need to piss off a bunch of witches all over the city, least of all when she was still feeling them out for one that might be useful, might be worth trying to get along with.
It was essentially what brought her to the White Rabbit -rumours and online reviews of it being 'worth the visit', whatever that meant. The last time she read a review like that it was for Chinese Massage place that went that little bit extra. She doubted it'd be the case here in White Rabbit, but you never knew.
Stepping inside, Noell had a little nosy at the items on display, browsing the selections to get a grip of just what was one offer.
---
Given that Elijah had been born and raised in Los Angeles he'd never really had the problem of the city growing on him because if anything it was completely and utterly rooted in every aspect of his life and would if he ever tried be pretty damn impossible to escape or forget. Of course he'd had a lot of plans when he was younger especially in regards to what he wanted to do with his life and he'd already mapped out this entire journey from little unknown nobody to a huge star in lights, but that had proven pretty damn impossible when his dad had needed to step away from the shop and it had become abundantly clear that Elijah was going to take over that particular mantle.
Of course there could be worst shops to call your own and God forbid he work for somebody else because as it happened Elijah did not follow other's lead well at all if at all. He was definitely the master of his own fate, good, bad or otherwise. The White Rabbit was a long established magic shop that catered to pretty much everybody and was renowned for being neutral non combative ground though you couldn't always cling to that in the hopes that people would respect that. This was the reason why Elijah had himself a selection of magical bombs and various different dusts with unpleasant side effects stowed away on the other side of the counter, for easy reach and distribution should the need arise.
His father had been living in the dark ages so much so that he had only been taking cash payments and writing up bills and outstanding accounts in large leather bound journals which strangely enough looked as though something had been nibbling on the edges of the paper. Thankfully ever since Elijah had taken over he had given the shop a total makeover, from the displays to the till system, and even in the back where the stock was. Of course he hadn't touched the door behind the counter because that was old magic, ancient magic even, and the family had sworn to never alter it in any way and it only ever reacted to those with the family blood. In their veins that was, not pumping out of them or at the end of a severed limb, the family member needed to be very much alive and very much willing to open the door or it never opened. It was where they kept their more dangerous items.
Today Elijah was alone in the shop as he'd given his assistant the day off as she needed to attend to something... Fae related and he'd learned not to ask questions because she'd get this guilty look on her face which suggested it was something she couldn't talk about but at the same time she felt like she was keeping secrets from Elijah. He was currently perched behind the counter, counting through a number of gemstones he'd had traded in exchange for a flock of feathers, looking very much like regardless of where he sat he would in fact stand out. Hard not to when you were as tall or dramatic as he was in terms of his appearance.
As the small bell above the door chimed he lifted his head and watched his latest customer perusing stock, knowing better than to leap on them the moment they walked through the door. He hated it when people did that to him without him then perpetuating the same poor behaviour.
"Looking for anything in particular?"
---
"Not really." A blatant lie, but it wasn't an item she was looking for. More like an audition for a job, but she wasn't the sort to just slide right into that. Witches, by and large, had proven fairly neutral in her experience, save a bloodline her sire had managed to royally piss off with his over the top sense of self worth, but she could hardly hold that against them or the whole lot of them.
"Call it window shopping? Looking for something to really jump at me." She still had to find something for Leon to have charmed, nothing too gaudy, but nothing he'd love either. She wasn't proposing to the idiot, she was getting him outside so he might, eventually, one day, prove able to do more than mope around like a piece of depressing furniture.
"A gift for a sibling, but it has to feel right." Male witches weren't ideal -not in the long running aspect. But she could get a century out of one and worry about that later if she had to. "After all, what do you get the brother who has everything?" And everything, obviously, was her.
---
Window shopper? His favourite kind of shopper. Not. It wasn't like he needed sales to pay his rent or his employees wages or anything. Nope, not him. Of course Elijah kept said thoughts from entering his facial expression which for the most part remained largely impassive as he regarded the woman through artfully painted lashes and decorative eye makeup.
"Depends on his interests," he returned. "And what sort of gift you're hoping to find. I mean it's not like I don't have enough choice." And to emphasis that point he swept his ringed fingers at the various displays he had. "Of course it might be it's not necessarily a gift you're looking for but perhaps a service of sorts?" The dark pendant around his neck was glowing ever so slightly and warming his skin quite rapidly which indicated to Elijah that he was in the presence of a supernatural but he hadn't quite figured out what kind yet.
He tipped his head as he placed his gemstones to one side, he could count them later.
---
His interests? Noell was already rolling her eyes at that. "His interests tend to extend to his stomach and little else." She understood why Leon was such a damn grump, he was from Berlin for Pete's sake, she'd be morose and depressed if she were from Berlin too. Part of the problem with auditioning witches without letting them know it was an audition was that so many of them were so fucking secretive. Like, Jesus, make things harder why don't they.
Noell didn't care to be broadcasting her business, but part of that had to be done in order to conduct her business. Double edged ice pick in the ears and all that.
"The last time I pimped him out he got very upset, so thank you, but services are not what he's looking for." And yes, Noell did know that it wasn't those services being offered, but it was an easy lay out and she couldn't pass these things up. "Okay, that one was childish, sorry," of course remembering she was looking for someone to do something for her meant backtracking in ways she hated to do. "What kind of services do you offer?" And it probably sounded like it pained her to say it.
---
Elijah barely suppressed the sudden overwhelming desire to roll his eyes and actively reminded himself that sassing his customers was no good for business although admittedly he did appreciate her childish dirty joke but he was keeping that one close to his chest.
"Well I charm items, make particularly fine potions, know my way around a poltice or two, can help you find something you've lost, know a thing or two about protection magic and I have a knack for enchantments." He wasn't really a witch that specialised in one thing or another because he'd never been taught a particular brand of magic and everything he had learned was picked up from a lot of different sources.
---
One of the first things Noell learned when her activities turned less refined was how to maintain a blank face, enough so that her expression didn't changed when charmed objects were mentioned, he was capable, maybe, but she still needed to be sure he could pull it off.
And not fuck it up, she had to know that the witch who charmed anything for Leon was damn good and not some knock off.
"Oh, a potion? Can you make him more ambitious? Even just enough that he'll clean the kitchen?" Honestly, Leon and ambition, they were utterly foreign concepts.
---
"I think not even my potions will be able to change a person and their inclination towards cleaning," Elijah admitted with a few clicks of his tongue. "But if you were looking for something to give him more energy or motivation then that can be arranged."
He didn't think that was what she was looking for really but it just happened to come up in conversation.
"But I don't think that's what you had in mind when you mentioned a gift."
---
"Eh, motivation for him would be a kicker, really it would. I think it might take lighting a fire under his ass." Of course, only Noell was ever allowed to say these things about Leon, anyone else and she'd likely skin them. "But does anyone actually like cleaning? I suppose only really weird boring people who have nothing interesting in their lives." And she didn't care if she was offensive right then.
Noell just arched an eyebrow at him, sussing the witch out for any kind of indication that this was some kind of shake down -truth spells and all that shit happened, the blow back was probably shitty, but she had heard of them. She didn't need some witch trying that nonsense with her.
"I'm aiming for something that'll at least keep his interest for a while, but it's hard to do. His lack of interest being the problem after all." She'd heard enough about the White Rabbit to know it was reputable, but she needed to know more than just that to trust something charmed for Leon.
---
"You definitely have a point about cleaning," Elijah agreed. He hated cleaning, despised it even, but he did it because otherwise he'd be living in a pig sty.
Said witch was not trying anything of any sort with Noell, he didn't tend to play those sorts of games. Elijah was fairly direct and to the point, he'd spent enough time around witches who weren't so he veered away from that.
"I think we should probably get to the point." Elijah leaned forward and steepled his fingers together. "What is it you need or rather want?"
---
The thing about this was, and it was important to note, that Noell wasnβt in a hurry. Yes, she wanted to ensure her brotherβs safety, she wanted to make sure that he had a defence against the sickening effect of sunlight, if they had to leave for whatever reason, she didnβt want their sireβs manipulative nature to endanger them.
But it had been a few years now already, and Noellβs temper had evened out to the point where she wasnβt causing trouble on a monthly basis -she even avoided the dogs around their time of the month to ensure there wasnβt some battle royale she couldnβt get out of. So she could hide her time, wait it out.
Because she was not about to entrust Leon to just anyone.
They had to be right, had to prove themselves, and she could interview thousands of witches before she found one she liked enough for working their magic for her brother.
βWhat makes you think I want, or need, anything? Maybe I have everything my little heart desires?β This one, maybe, time would tell. But she wasnβt there yet.
---
Vampire. Had to be a vampire. They were after all the only race after Fae that enjoyed playing games and talking in riddles.
"Well, let's start with the evidence suggesting that you are in want or need of something. Maybe not for yourself but for your brother most definitely. You're in my shop, looking for a gift, but whatever this gift is you've said it has to feel right and I'm guessing you're serious about it needing to keep his attention so.." He trailed off and arched his eyebrow.
Elijah was very much a straight talker, he'd always been that way and he didn't think that would ever change.
---
It was true, Noell needed something, and she wanted things -a great many things if she were being honest- but that didn't mean she was going to find either wants or needs here. "And what makes you think that I'll find that here? Maybe one look around and I already know, without prying too deep, that I'm in the wrong place."
Leon had already made it two plus decades without the sunlight for long, they'd made do moving from place to place, and while Los Angeles wasn't the dull smog covered cities they could've found, it wasn't like he was in a rush to be outside and productive on sunny days.
"I have a lifetime to get what I need, it might even take that long to find it."
---
If looks could kill or at the very least wilt then Elijah's facial expression was one of those. "Well, good luck to you then. I unlike you don't have a lifetime so right now it seems to me that all we're doing is wasting one another's time."
He honestly did not have the greatest patience around and he really had no interest in partaking in whatever this was any longer especially when he had better things to be doing.
Elijah had more than enough business without worrying about losing a potential client.
---
"You have fun, with your... stones." Noell just smirked, and even if she tried another time, assessed the situation, she wasn't sure she'd really get a kick out of this particular witch.
No patience, no sense of fun, so dull. She needed something fun to get her teeth into -figuratively speaking. She wasn't really one to eat the help after all.
"You have a good day." At least there were a few witches in Los Angeles to go. Noell just gave a wiggle of her fingers as she left the shop. She'd just need to update her phone on the list of places she'd been.