RP:A Gentlemanly Client

Summary: Rachelle sometimes works as an enchantress out of the restaurant off of Kelay Way. Today, she gets a mysterious but gentlemanly client.

Kelay Restaurant

Rachelle could be found at this restaurant most afternoons and well into the evening, either dealing with a client or else sipping tea and writing in her journal. Today’s work had kept her particularly late, thanks to an unruly client who had spent hours trying to tell her how to do -her- job. He thought he could just look up a few enchantments in some dusty tome and be an expert, just like that?! Of course not. She couldn’t command so high a price if that were the case. But at long last, her customer was finally satisfied with her work, and rose from the booth they’d both been seated at. “I’ll be back if this enchantment does not hold up to my standards,” the man sniffed at her, “and I shall expect any fine-tuning to be done at no additional charge.” He pivoted sharply on a heel and stalked out of the restaurant, leaving Rachelle to glare at his backside and brood over the rim of her teacup. The nerve! The outrage! Were she any pettier a person, she might have ensured his spell to backfire upon him at some far-off date when she could no longer reasonably be blamed. Hmph. Rynvalians.

Lycidas had searched and searched for an enchanter since acquiring his new blade, a weapon of which was crafted by the smithy of Cenril’s apprentice. It was a beautiful weapon, provided with spots to place multiple gems, six it looked like, a pair of prong like pieces to parry other bladed weapons, and made to fit the 6’8 vampire’s size. When finally he had heard of a woman who might be able to enchant that worked out of the Kelay Restaurant, though they didn’t provide a name just assured him her work was of the finest caliber.. And, as he watched the man leave, yelling obscenities at the woman who had just worked for him, Lycidas knew instantly which patron of the restaurant it might be. The knight approached, graciously, a polite nod of his head, “My name is Lycidas Nazek and I heard you might be someone capable of bringing forth magic into otherwise inept objects? Like this blade I wear?” He was patient as he awaited his answer, cordial in his questioning and approach.

Rachelle peered sidelong at the newcomer. She was -really- not in the mood to don the chipper veneer she usually put on for her customers. The gaze held in silence for a moment -- she was judging his demeanor, weighing if she wanted one more commission before the day was out. And then with a sigh she relented, nodding and waving a hand at the seat across from her. “Come, sit. You’ve heard correctly.” Her teacup was returned to its place; Rachelle folded her hands primly and rested them on the table before her. “Rachelle Fournier. This is normally the part where I’d say it is a pleasure to meet someone new, but…” She cast a glance for the exit. “You may have noticed it isn’t, always.” Rachelle gifted him a tight-lipped smile and readjusted her posture. “Though, you seem polite enough. What, precisely, can I do for you?”

Lycidas confirmed her suspicions about his manners with a single question, “May I sit, Lady Fournier?” His hand to gesture to a chair at her table. Giving her a moment to answer, he’d stand or sit pending upon her response only to follow up with his next question, “I’m looking for someone to enchant this weapon, personally I need two different things done with it. The first, is I’d like it imbued with the ability to store magic within the gems that I might be able to use at any moment. The second, is I’d like to be able to summon it from mid air with little to no effort.” He reached into his pouch, pulling forth a thousand gold coins, “And how much might it cost for such efforts?”

It was a talent, perhaps, to be able to identify roughly the amount of currency a person held by the jingling and clinking alone. “More than that,” Rachelle replied tersely, before those coins had even become fully visible to her. Her mood was still soured by the previous client and she was behaving like an amateur in letting it peek through so much. Fiddlesticks. The woman closed her eyes, exhaled slowly, and tried again. “Ahem. Apologies. What I mean to say is that high-quality work demands an equally high price. If you’ve brought the materials yourself, that will lessen its cost by quite a bit, but there remains the matter of compensating for my knowledge and time. The matter of the gems is relatively simple. A thousand five hundred coins without… a thousand if you have the gems with you that can be placed within. Two thousand flat for the summoning.” A beat, as Rachelle considered her numbers. “I can write up a contract for a payment plan if it’s needed.”

Lycidas shook his head at the other, “You don’t need to apologize based upon the customers you have to keep. We all answer to someone, no one likes to answer to anyone.” He offered an understanding face, smiling at the other, “As for the price, whatever you deem necessary to satisfy the cost of your efforts, as long as it can do what I am requesting, we will have no issues.” He began to count the funds in his head, “I can provide exactly what you’re looking for however, it will take a trip back to the bank.” He raised a brow at the woman, curiosity lining his face, “What kind of enchants can you do? Anything interesting aside from what I ask?”

Rachelle merely nodded at his words of understanding. It wasn’t a subject she particularly desired to get into. “A trip to the bank is not a problem. It’s rather routine, honestly.” Rachelle’s lips twisted in contemplation; a hand toyed with a ring of her hair. “I don’t often have opportunity for anything interesting. The bulk of the money lies mostly in adventurers, bounty hunters and other would-be hero types. Enchant this shield, that axe, this bundle of arrows. Where they find enough jobs to split between the lot of them is beyond me, but…” She waved a hand, digressing. “That part is none of my business. Then there’s your more common types -- poor pay, but steadier work. Tradesmen who want their work clothes enchanted to never show wear or fray at the seams. Housewives looking for fashionable maternity clothes that will grow as they do. Children’s trifles. Simple parlor tricks, for the most part.” The woman reached for her tea and took a long sip before continuing. “To the bank first, then? Or have you enough for part of the work now? We could always complete one enchantment now and another tomorrow.”

Lycidas shook his head, “How long would it take and while you’re making it capable of storing magic, being pulled from thin air and I’d like to never have to sharpen it again.. Or repair it. Is this possible as well? Hold your thought before you answer.” The man wrote some words down upon a note, then stood, “I will return within a moment or two.” He walked towards the door, handed the note to an individual who was there to listen to him.. And then returned back inside to sit before Rachelle. “I have sent off my squire to fetch my funds. He’ll make a quick trip to the bank and back. The note should suffice for the teller.” He placed the large sword upon the table, “Now business. I have the gems, a rose quartz, a lapis lazuli, a garnet, a amethyst, a pearl and a peridot.”

Rachelle’s gaze followed the man to his squire and back. There was an air about him she’d only just now placed. Vampire, perhaps? Since that one in the alley, she had seen so many of them of late that she’d begun to recognize the signs before catching sight of the tell-tale canine teeth. And stranger still, most of them seemed… very unlike the stories she’d read. Even friendly, sometimes. Curious and curiouser the world became, the more she engaged with these adventurer types. Now Lycidas returned, and she sent him her best businesswoman smile. “I can certainly delay the need for maintenance, though even magic has its limits. Depending on how much use your blade sees, I can reinforce it for a few years, and perhaps as long as ten. Once a year or so you’d want to see an enchanter again to appraise the work and ensure every spell is still holding properly -- which is really in your best interest regardless of the enchantment, anyway.” All these explanations were thirsty work. Rachelle drained what was left of her tea and hailed the waiter for a refill. “Anyhow, about those gems. I’ll need to see them to be sure, but from description alone I see no reason why they wouldn’t suffice. What type of magics are you seeking to imbue them with? Certain stones will hold particular brands of magic better over others.”

Lycidas retrieved a bag of stones from the same pouch the gold on the table had come from. The gems seemed quite numerous, far more than an ordinary person might have access too and when opened, there was a vast range of quality. As he picked through the gems, the ones he mentioned were filtered out and pushed towards her. There was a numerous amount of almost any gem someone might search for, as if, someone had taken these from a gem store almost.. Or maybe he was just really rich. “Will these suffice then, Lady Fournier?” He pushed the aforementioned items towards her, “Also, you forgot to mention what other enchantments you are capable of?” He paused, “And I am not sure what other sources of spells I am currently looking to attempt, I simply know these are the gems I desire to emplace for now.”

Rachelle wasted hardly a glance on the waiter who’d just swung by with more tea. Her eyes were on the gems -- just think, all the things she might be able to do with that large a supply! And what’s more, he showed some interest in having her perform something more intricate than her usual commissions. “Those should do just fine, thank you.” From her own bag, she brought forth a magnifying glass, inspecting each stone in turn. “Any kind of magic you yourself are capable of, you could theoretically store in a gem or runed stone. I could simply enchant the stone to be open to receiving and storing magic, and then the kind you pour into it is up to you. Or, it could be attuned to a particular element and act…” She paused, searching for an analogy. “Well, not entirely unlike a prism. You pour your raw magical energy in, and the gem itself warps that to come out as a different spectrum of colors. Any magic stored might convert to an energy that conducts flame, for example.” With each gem inspected and approved, Rachelle began fixing them to the various sockets lining the blade. “As for my more unusual enchantments, well… I’ve listed the common fare already. Adventurers usually want something protective, or something that boosts a particular elemental affinity. But my proudest and most unique work is what I accomplish at home, in my free time.” She looked up, a smile beginning to form -- a genuine one, at that. “I have a piano that plays itself. I could likely make a fortune from the taverns if I wanted to sell such an enchantment to them -- but I have enough as it is and I prefer having a piece that is one-of-a-kind. Also, my yard is enchanted to discourage intruders, one way or another.” She’d spouted that last statement quite nonchalantly, but there was a hint of danger behind the innocent look she was giving him. No one had better come and think of spiriting away her beloved piano.

Lycidas found the piano to be quite amusing, in fact if he ever opened up an establishment he might in fact come back to speak with her again. “I think this would work quite well. How long would it take for you to finalize everything and get it to work? As for the gems themselves, if you can simply make them receptive to magic so that I might finalize them later, that would be ideal. I can get that step done myself..” He wasn’t sure how he’d do it, it may take some research, but the gems would eventually be unlocked and he didn’t want anyone knowing what they did. “Can the self playing piano be applied to other instruments? Say I brought you an entire orchestra, would that be plausible? I would even cut you in on the profits it makes.”

Rachelle shrugged, her eyes on her work now. She had pulled a large parchment, quill, and ink out of her bag, slid the paper under the sword, and begun inscribing runes parallel to each gem socket. “It shouldn’t take long, especially since you’re not customizing each gem individually as of yet. In layman’s terms, that means I can duplicate the same spell over each stone and cast it all simultaneously.” Her work was quick, but meticulously crafted. One wrong pen stroke and she’d need an entirely new piece of parchment. Each rune was laid out in a shimmering cerulean that slowly transformed into a deeper, midnight blue as the ink settled into the page. Brunette curls drifted forward as Rachelle bowed over her work. “As for the orchestra… I suppose it would be technically possible. But plausible?” The pen paused as she gave the matter some thought. “Not really. I crafted that enchantment myself, from scratch, with much trial and error. At one point I wrote a rune without its accompanying orientation marker by mistake, and the whole piano grew a mouth with its keys as teeth and nearly bit my head off.” She seemed oddly calm in her telling of that story, given that she’d almost died. “Took me three days of locking it away and letting it gnaw on the sofa before I could figure out what I’d done wrong, and another week to subdue the darn thing long enough to fix my mistake. I had to buy a new couch afterwards, as well.” Rachelle clicked her tongue and resumed with her rune-writing. “It was worth it in the end, but I don’t think there’s any amount you could pay me to risk that again for a whole orchestra worth of instruments.”

Lycidas watched the woman work but understood none of the writing or incantations? Runes? They were something with magical intent that he had limited knowledge of.. All of his magic was done through religious means and none even knew he could do it other than himself. “What if we worked on it together? I stay there to subdue anything that comes to life and you build the incantation? Or, you build the incantation, rune, words of magic, and I get someone else to place them on there. Once done and we have the orchestra finalized to play several hours worth of music, it would be quite the feat and worth a small fortune to the correct kingdom!” The man already had a spot picked out to heist an entire orchestra of instruments to…

Rachelle pursed her lips but did not otherwise respond, not at first. Rising from her seat, she moved the quill and ink to the side and then placed her hands, with fingers splayed, in two circles of runes drawn at the parchment’s edge. One by one, every rune ignited, each one more quickly than the last until the whole page appeared wreathed in blue flame. The fire held for a time, neither burning her arms nor changing the temperature of the room, and then abruptly it was gone and the runes had faded to black. Rachelle released the breath she’d been holding throughout and settled back into the booth. “There. The gems will hold whatever magic you put into them now. As for the orchestra…” She canted her head, fixing him with an emerald stare. “...I will consider it, but I don’t make any promises. No pianos, for certain. Perhaps you could bring by a few of the smaller instruments, and I will try my hand at those, to start. And, you’d need someone around who was capable of playing each instrument. There are many I don’t know the proper technique for, and that knowledge is a necessary component.”

Lycidas may have to reconsider this, would the expense truly outweigh the funding it might provide? No it certainly would and considering he could utilize it to avoid paying for an orchestra in his own establishment one day.. The man was certainly pleased by this idea. "And, are you able to make it summonable at will? To where I say a phrase or make an action and my blade comes to me?" The one thing he wanted outside of the gems being ready was the ability to call the weapon at will. "Is that plausible?"

Rachelle was buried in her tea again, her eyes closed. “A moment, dear.” Her words echoed into the cup. Four slow, heavy gulps passed her lips before she set it down again and addressed the man. “Aye. Apologies, the enchanting process can be… draining. But, aye, more or less. Though I must warn you: the greater distance you want to summon it from, the greater the risk of malfunction. I recommend your blade be in your line of sight and no more than fifty paces away when summoned; the spell’s best and most common use is for recalling it to your hand when you’ve been disarmed in combat. If you stray too far from it and try to call it, it may hack through homes or people on its way to you, or it may get stuck along the way and not respond at all. Now, I’ve heard tales of using portals to increase the distance a piece can travel, but…” Rachelle frowned and shook her head. “Portals are a matter beyond my expertise, I’m afraid. Too dangerous. If you’re insistent on the sword traveling great distances, I could always place the enchantment on it anyhow, but I really must impress upon you these precautions.”

Lycidas had thought of another way entirely that the enchantment would work, materializing, appearing into his hands and yet! She had a logical approach, one that made sense.. And this, this was a beautiful thing he might be able to use. “You have a great word of advice that I shall take great effort to follow and agree to.” He nodded his head rather pleased, reaching back into his pocket and pulled forth the remaining portion of the gold he had. “You’ve done an excellent job, how much exactly will this cost all together? Three thousand?” He only had two thousand on him, though, his squire should be back shortly. “You’re quite proficient at this, how did you learn your trade?”

Rachelle took what gold he offered, tucking it away into an ornate coin purse. “Aye, three thousand.” From her bag came forth another piece of parchment. This one replaced the old one, which was rolled up and set aside to be carefully disposed of later. Her work began anew, this time with two inkwells and a second quill. Her runes were written all the way up and down both sides of the blade in tones of green and purple, spiraling outward in a complex pattern. “My father travels as a merchant, selling enchanted goods and collaborating with others to export them to other regions. He tried to teach my brothers the trade first, but I was the only one who took to it. They have… other matters that are of higher priority to them.” Her lip curled faintly. “He taught me the fundamentals, and the rest I learned from books. There’s not a thing you can’t learn if you can find the right book to teach it to you. I daresay I surpassed him an age ago, but then most of my time is dedicated to enchanting and most of his is wrapped up in the more mundane aspects of his business. Record-keeping and negotiating trade agreements and the like.” Rachelle waved her free hand dismissively. “I prefer the freelance approach. I’ve not the head for working on that grand a scale.”

Lycidas had learned what he’d needed from the woman, a nod of thanks given to her. “Do you by chance have a manual or book, something you have written so that I might learn myself someday? I’d pay you quite extensively for such a product and you’d have my word it’d go to no others but myself.” The man was impressed with her work, a definitive sense of amazement at her work ethic. He looked to the door, spotting his squire entering once more, “Hold onto that thought.” He moved towards his squire, grasping the coin pouch and instructing the lad to wait outside. Returning to the table, he sat back down, placed the remaining payment down upon the table. “And, there is a little extra, payment for your food, your delightful conversation, and future reservation as my enchanter when needed.”

Rachelle’s second enchantment concluded similarly to the first, with hands placed upon parchment and each rune lighting up individually before extinguishing in unison. Only once it was done did Rachelle take the extra payment left to her. “You know, if I’d written such a book I’d be glad to sell it to you -- but I’m afraid I haven’t. No one else has expressed interest before, believe it or not. And there’s a thousand books on the subject already.” Rachelle was counting the last of the coins before stowing them away in her purse. “If I write one, however, you’ll be the first to know, hmm?” With her enchantments completed, Rachelle pushed the sword over to Lycidas and began packing up her things for the trip home.

Lycidas nodded at the woman, hefting the sword from the table and throwing it at the door. As it flew across the tavern, he thought to pull it back to him.. And just as it was about to collide with the hefty wooden frame, it traveled back to his extended hand. As he grasped the hilt once more, not expecting of the force it flew, it collided with him, into his head, and sent him falling flat on his back. "That was.. Not expected." The man stood once more, sheathing the blade, "You're good at your craft. Is there anything further we must discuss before we take our leave?"

Rachelle had ducked behind the booth the moment the knight’s blade had gone boomeranging back to him. Better safe than sorry -- this dress was new, and had -not- come cheap. And she liked her face intact, thank you very much. Upon finding the blade settled, however, she removed herself from her hiding place. “It’s sensitive, but you’ll get the feel of how much pull to ask of the blade before long. It’s like riding a horse -- you only have to learn it once and it’s intuitive, after that.” She was smiling, but her weariness was beginning to leak through her professional mask again. “Nothing further to discuss, no. I don’t believe so. If you have any additional concerns -- or additional business -- I am easy enough to reach by raven or tracked down in person. I have my preferred haunts and rarely venture away from them for long.” And then, after the briefest of curtsies, she was out the door.