Open Enrollment Part 2
1125 Words
"And how, exactly, are we supposed to fix that?" She stops abruptly in front of a shop labeled 'Mason Davidson.' The sign in the window describes it as 'Your one-stop shop for one-stop shopping.' "Let's get inside and see if they have what we're looking for." Inside, every square inch of the shop is packed with clothes, knick-knacks, and all manner of glowing, spinning, and rattling mystical objects. "How are we even supposed to find anything in here? ""That's where I come in! Oh, um, just a second, please," the mysterious voice said. A rustling from the pile of lamps on your left makes you jump. A mountain of rusted candelabras avalanches off of a high shelf, heading straight toward you!!"!" You duck, bracing for impact! But it never comes. "Sorry about that! I was organizing some of the floghart's droppings we store under the armoire." You take a hesitant peek up and see that the candelabras have been stopped in midair and are hovering just over your head! The girl in front of you flicks a vine-wrapped hand and the candelabras re-stack themselves on the shelf. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you." You stare at her, wide-eyed, and she gives you a knowing smile. "First time meeting a wood nymph? I'm Hope. I run this shop." She holds out her hand, and when you shake it, you're shocked at how her skin feels both like polished wood and flesh all at once. "I'm Parker. I like your shop." "Thanks! It's my father's, actually. Well, my grandfather's. I guess it was his father's before that. What does ownership really mean, anyway? If I feel strongly about something, does it become mine? "She pauses thoughtfully, looking off into the distance as her eyes grow dark and clouded. After a while, it seemed obvious that she'd checked out completely. "Intereting." Her eyes went back to normal after a while. "Oh! It's you again! I was hoping you'd be back." "I'd assume so. I spent a minor fortune the last time I was here. Listen, love, do you have any marbles? My friend here is worried about the first day of classes and wants a boost."" . Anything would help." Hope looks at you, her eyes shining brightly. "So you're an Arcane Academy student too? You both are so lucky! "She skips off toward the counter and disappears behind it. "I've been begging Papa to let me go, but he's still bitter about all that wand business." Hope pops out from behind the counter and lifts an ornate box. You give Alice a look before gingerly lifting the edge of the box, revealing four multicolored orbs within. "Wow, cool! What are they? "Alice plucks a clear orb from the box. Opaque, white smoke begins to curl inside the glass. "Huh." "One of Hall Inc.'s bestsellers. Each of these orbs contains enough magic to perform one spell per element. They may be small, but they pack quite a punch. Like one very beautiful, very down-to-earth heiress we all know and love." With a smile, she places the white orb into your palm, folding your fingers over it. "And this little guy is all yours." "But... Why would magic people need something like this? ""You can use it instantly instead of taking the time to build a spell, and it won't use up any of your own magick, so you can cast again immediately! ""They're the best on the market! Of course, they'll only work for the elements with which they correspond." You look a little closer at the contents of the box and see a variety of colors in the tendrils of smoke: blue, green, red... "How do you even use them? " "Ah. Hope, do you have any singles? "Hope rummages through a drawer before handing Alice a dusty blue orb. "It'll cost you, and I must insist that you go outside to--" Alice rolls the marble between her thumb and forefinger, raising it toward the ceiling. And a raincloud appears overhead as the blue smoke dissipates from the marble. It begins to pour! "See? Easy." "You idiots never listen! "The leaves in Hope's hair rustle as she glowers at Alice. He flicks a finger, and a strong blast of wind blows the cloud and the rain away, leaving you completely dry. "Oh, don't be such a tenacious toad, Hope. What do you think, Parker? These will surely come in handy." "In that case, I'll take the whole set, and that'll at least help me fly under the radar until I can figure out what to do next! "You handed Hope a few bills from your wallet. She peers at them curiously. "I hope that's enough. ""Absolutely not. This money is worthless. Lucky for you, I can fetch a high price for it on the collector's market! "After saying goodbye to Hope, you and Alice head back through the portal to your dorm. "So, now that you've got a bit of magick to take into battle, do you think you're ready to ace tomorrow? ""Honestly, I don't see how it'll matter after this Adept's placement thing. Seriously, Alice, what am I going to do? "She puts a tentative hand on your shoulder. "You're going to get through this because I'm going to help you. And I'm just too fabulous to fail." You're unable to hold your laugh in, and soon, Alice's laughing too. Over her shoulder, something catches your eye. In the mirror across the room, you see a smudge. Or maybe a shadow. "Alice, do you see that? " "Hm? "You look around, trying to find the source of the reflection as you step closer to the mirror. The shadow pulses, grows, and you tilt your head even closer... "Wait, that's..." It's only then you realize the shadow is on your side of the glass! "..." "Parker! " "Chhhhhhssss! "The shadowy creature turns a violent shade of red! An opening appears below its two hollow eyes as it lets out an angry hiss. It launches itself at you, sending you reeling!" !" You trip over your own feet, falling backward as the shadow springs!" !" You roll out of the way, throwing up a hand to keep it off of you! "AHHHH!!!! "And a bright beam, golden as the sun, shoots from your palm, blasting right through the middle of the creature!" !" Even though the light has faded, your palm still glows warmly. The shadow creature has been reduced to nothing. You can feel the energy humming inside of you, and instantly you know it's been there all along. Somewhere under the surface. Somewhere secret. "What the hell was that?! ""I don't know... But it looks like there may be hope for you yet."
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