868/Maps and Magic!

Maps and Magic!
Date of Scene:	28 October 2014
Location:	Fall
Synopsis:	Miko is out exploring again. She isn't sure what she is looking for, but she finds something anyway, in the store of Marrik.
Cast of Characters:	541, 589

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Marrik (541) has posed:
The Goblin Market.

To outsiders, especially those used to more orderly rows of shops, or settlements where one or two races are the majority this would be a very odd place. Pixies, humanoid and otherwise, zip through the air in small clusters. Goblins shoulder past humans, who are busy unloading or loading goods to different buildings. For a place that is completely underground there is plenty of light to see by courtesy of glowing crystals that serve as street lights, strings of Christmas lights strung across the street between buildings here and there, and plenty of light from the buildings themselves. There is the occasional drug pusher, or unidentifiable being offering worse to tourists, but as often as not they stay away from the better trafficked areas.

Tourists can find their way around easily enough, thanks to policies that seem to encourage outside trade, and enough locals willing to point out where people might want to go spend their money.

Case in point is Marrik's Clean Sweep Scrolls and Supplies. Locals dismiss it as offering 'nothing really interesting and run by a stick in the mud.' However others say Marrik runs a clean store that offers a good foundation and any number of the basics most locals seem to overlook.

Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
Miko Fujimoto is exploring the Multiverse. She shouldn't be. She knows that. But she is. Because she needs to get away from home for awhile, after all that's been happening. Her exploration thus far has led her to strange places. Some of them have been dangerous. Always, she has trusted she could transform into Princess Paladin if she had to, but that didn't make her fear of danger go away. Even when she transformed, and the wash of power made her brave, if things started to go badly for her, she became frightened and wanted to run away or give up. But she couldn't. Usually because by the time things were going badly for her, if she quit she'd lose her magic and be in a state of such massive physical injury that she would die if she became a mere mortal again.

So, even in a place that is technically mostly safe, a public area with countless witnesses if someone were to do something bad, Miko is still a somewhat skittish schoolgirl. She keeps jumping whenever someone moves suddenly, such as turning around quickly when she is passing by, or going around a corner and finding some sight she was not expecting to see. She has seen a variety of strange things already, but she is still very much a newbie to the Multiverse, and most of her experiences with non-humans before were monsters of some kind in her home town that she easily destroyed. She's not the strongest out here, not all of these inhumans are enemies, and the ones who are happen to be legitimate threats to her most of the time, not some of the weekly cannon fodder of the local dark lord or demon queen or ghost summoner that the other magical girls are fighting.

Eventually, she ducks into Marrik's shop through sheer coincidence just to get off the streets and catch her breath. It's all amazing, of course! And it's not ALL frightening! It's just overwhelming. And now she's in some shop she doesn't know the nature or proprietor of. Oops.

Marrik (541) has posed:
Bellchime.

As Miko ducked into Marrik's shop just as a burly looking fellow with four arms and leathery skin shoved his way past. There were several customers browsing here and there, and a pink haired pixie girl in biker leathers flying between each as needed. Marrik himself sat behind the register near the front of the store looking on at the comings and goings. Didn't seem to matter to him the current customers were a goblin girl-child, an elf in robin-hood esque wear, a fishman, and now a human girl. They all seemed to behave well enough. OK fine the goblin child was making faces at the fishman from behind the book she was reading, but it could be worse, right?

The shop itself was split between a small library's worth of books complete with a pair of reading chairs near the back, and towards the front was a more hardware-store like setup with a variety of mostly mundane gear that in general might not seem out of place in camping.

"Hello there miss." Marrik himself wore a black T-shirt under his brown coat. Said shirt had a skeleton crossing it's arms and glowering at the world while declaring allegiance to a band, or maybe it was just tribal-esque designs that happened to twist into vaguely wordlike shapes. "Everything alright, you seem a mite lost."

Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
Ah-hah, a survival gear shop and bookstor-AAAHHH GIANT GUY-okay he is gone. Miko gets her small heart attack out of the way and slips further into the store when she is addresse, looking around nervously and making sure it's safe in here. The pixie is glanced up at, but she actually seems noticeably less surprised by it (her?) than the others in the room. Hmmmmmmmm. She approaches where Marrik is, near the front, with all the camping equipment, and says, "Yes. Please excuse me. I am new to this place, and did not mean to intrude. I was just looking for somewhere I could... Rest a bit and get my bearings." Still... There are worse places to sit for awhile than a bookstore, and she catches herself glancing back towards the more literature-rich area. "Would you happen to have a map of the Multiverse? I'm embarassed to admit that I find myself disoriented more often than not when I am trying to familiarize myself."

She does not seem to wholly grasp just how incomprehensibly large the Multiverse is. But then she has barely seen even the tiniest fraction of just this one Sector.

Marrik (541) has posed:
At the question of maps Marrik quirked an eyebrow. "Miss, that is a..." He trailed off as his expression grew thoughtful.

The pixie flew over and frowned at him then looked over to Miko. "Uh," she hovered at eye level as she addressed the customer. "Maps, like of around town? What gates connect to here?"

"She wants maps of the multiverse Sparks." Martin's voice was soft. Then he smiled at Miko. "Like my assistant said, we mostly carry local maps, or of how the warpgates connect along the more traveled paths. Considering the Multiverse changes by the hour, and I'm at best a general supply store that is the best I can offer."

Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
"-Oh! I had no idea. Yes, those would work just fine. I will take one of each, please." She looks up at the pixie and bows her head slightly in thanks, and then bows again to Marrik. "Sorry for the confusing nature of my request. My ignorance of the scope and functions of the Multiverse is still considerable. Thank you for helping me to correct that problem." She then straightens up and smiles shyly. She has a pixie of her own, named White Rose. White Rose, however, is more dream than real, unless Miko actually transforms - and even then, her existence is tenuous to most. She is rather comfortable around pixies and faeries as a result. The fish dude makes her eyebrows go up when she sees him upon turning to look around the story and determine if there is anything else she might desire.

Marrik (541) has posed:
As Marrik headed for the back of the store the little pixie bowed in mid air. "New here? Lunkhead back there's still pretty new himself, but he's nice enough so don't feel too bad." She glanced at the other customers and nodded in satisfaction at their behavior. "I'm Sparks, big guy fishing around back is Marrik. Anything else we can get you other than maps?" She sounded cheerful as her wings blurred about to keep her hovering still.

Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
"Ah! Yes, I only joined the Multiverse about a month ago, and was not travelling freely for much of that time. How it all works is still somewhat confusing. I am also still getting used to the..." She looks to the goblin child. "...Variety." She takes in a breath and lets it out to relax herself before turning her gaze back on Sparks. "I'm Fujimoto Miko. Nice to meet you, Miss Sparks. Hmm... I am not sure. Do you have anything about magic relics? Specifically ones having to do with magic of 'law' or 'order'? It does not need to be a magic book. Just reference material would be appreciated. If not, I am happy to have some maps to navigate with."

Marrik (541) has posed:
Sparks frowned as she considered what was in stock. As she hovered there Marrik appeared with several long cardboard tubes in hand, each one color coded. "The red ones are city maps as of last week. Blue marks the physical cave system that leads here, or at least as much as the touristy bits offer." He sounded almost apologetic, as if he was cheating his customer out of something. "Green are the general ways gates connect. Those are mostly the well traveled ways, and while distance and scale tend to be impossible the most heavily trafficked paths tend to hold fairly steady. I could try hunting down actual cartographers that try mapping how the gates go, or if you have a specific region in mind I could see what I could see. Those, unfortunately, would be special orders."

Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
"Ah, no, that should be more than adequate. Thank you very much!" Miko says as she bows to Marrik again, with her hands folded together in her lap. "This is, as you mentioned, a general store, not a library. The only other item I requested is probably best sought out at a specialty store or a library. Thank you for all your assistance." She is already fishing her wallet out of her book bag.

Marrik (541) has posed:
Marrik gave a probably smaller than expected number on what the maps cost. For him they were dirt cheap thanks to being able to scan and print. If she had asked for places he didn't have a map for the price would have gone up. "Maybe, maybe not. What are you looking for miss? Even if I don't have what you want I might be able to find people to point you towards."

Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
Miko gets out her credit card, and happily pays for the maps. When asked what she is looking for, she becomes somewhat more cautious about what she says, though she tries to act normal outwardly. "Oh, a friend has had contact with a magical relic of some kind recently, and it seems to have very strict rules regarding how it works, and how those rules apply to its owner. I was hoping I might be able to find out more about how these kinds of things tend to function, if there is any way to circumvent the rules, maybe their history, and... Um... Stuff like that."

Marrik (541) has posed:
Marrik runs a modern enough shop that he actually has a card reader. Sparks frowned as she heard Miko describe this artifact and flew off to see to other customers. Marrik shared the pixie's frown. "I tend to deal in wards and the basic foundations everything else builds off of." Also apparently comic books, if the Danger Tanuki comic in the goblin's hands is anything to go by. "What you're describing is difficult if not outright impossible to my knowledge." Then he added, almost as if trying to soften the blow. "However I don't know everything, and the multiverse proves there are always exceptions to rules. For now though." He drew in breath, "Is this artifact trying to compel your friend to do harm? Go against their core nature and morals?" There was a seriousness to his voice as he asked these questions. "Unless it is some cursed artifact making them do things against their will I suggest you take this slow and careful. Make sure your friend doesn't do something stupid. If it is. Bring them here and I will do all I can to sever the connection."

Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
Miko shakes her head urgently. "No, no! Nothing like that. It just... The one who uses it decides what to use it for, and it gives powers to accomplish that task. But once you start the task, you can not stop until either it is completed or you are dead. Of course, it maks my friend really strong, fast, tough, and able to fight very well, and she can heal herself or others completely even if she or they do get hurt. But if something about the situation changes... If there is new information, or my friend might want to stop without losing her magic in a dangerous situation... Some sort of loophole or back-up plan just seems like a good idea to have. But what the thing she is using it for actually IS, she decides. So she could... You know." She mutters and looks down at her shoes embarassedly. "Rescue a puppy or fix an orphanage or defeat a bad guy."

Still, the news is about what she expected, even if disheartening. A vessel of law and order like that, whose very function is entirely based upon a strict set of rules, and the essence of holiness and belief... It would not work if Miko did not believe in the task she takes up when she becomes Princess Paladin. Her conviction is what powers it and what makes it work - what sets the goal and the rules she must follow to get there. She could easily stop her quest by just reneging on her convictions. But she is afraid to lose that power, more than anything. And that problem lies with her, not the Scepter.

Marrik (541) has posed:
Marrik pondered the implications of this. "I see. This is beyond my means, but if you would extend an invitation for your friend to visit I would be interested in hearing about this from them." He knew next to nothing of artifact magic, so he would have to ask around." The 'rescue puppies' bit had Marrik laugh softly. "It isn't a bad thing to use magic for little things like this. It isn't all firestorms, or glamour. That your friend is trying to make the world better is good. Be happy for them."

Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
"Okay, I will. Thank you Mister Marrik." She also turns to look for Sparks so she can thank her too, but if she does not see her, she just settles for bowing to Marrik again, taking her maps and saying, "You have been very helpful. Thank you for assistance and the maps." The customer thanking the proprietor for letting her shop at his store? That's Japan for you.