Completed Blood is thicker than...Paint?

As the whirlwind that was Mariana entered the store, an older-looking gentleman came from behind a counter, prepared to stop a trouble-making urchin that had ventured into his place of business. Of course, he came to an abrupt stop as he locked eyes with Alistair who slowly made his way into the store.

Many in the surrounding neighborhood knew of House Krixus. While it had been some time since the House was able to throw around any large sums of money, regular citizens did not just forget about some of the closest nobles in the area. Especially when the new head of the house was a Dreadlord.

Alistair offered to man a slight nod apologizing for Mariana before he turned back to face her and her hail. His eyes slowly fell to the supplies with a raised eyebrow.

"You will also need education in reading as you do not seem to know the definition of 'reasonable'."

Mariana
 
"What," she jutted out her chin. "I know how to read." A complete lie. Walking over to the check-out counter, she released her hoard with great care. The elderly man of the shop had on a pair of round spectacles which he adjusted nervously on his nose looking from the young girl and back to the head of the Krixus household.

Staring intently at her pile, she began picking a few things out. Then shuffled the rest off to the side. "What about these things?" It was one pack of brightly colored chalks. One small painting set with brushes. And one pack of canvas.
 
The shopowner looked expectantly to Alistair was was still looking suspiciously at the items Mariana was not beginning to pick from the larger piles. He waited for her, letting her decided when to stop and what would actually be reasonable.

He finally nodded with agreement when she looked to him. Alistair reached out over to the discarded pile and grabbed a large blank sketch book and he added that to Mariana's chosen pile.

"Alright, we will take all of this."

The old man smiled with pleasure as he announced the prize, and Alistair's neatral face dropped over so slightly. Who knew that drawing supplies was so expensive. He sighed, but still handed over the necessary gold.

"Now, let's be off."

Mariana
 
Mariana had to wonder if she should've lifted a few things anyway. That look of stress on her brother's face as he handed over the coin. She didn't miss it. A small frown on her lips even as she slung the supplies into a small satchel that the shopkeep provided. Slinging it over her shoulder, she followed her brother out.

"Thank you," she said. "You're the first person to ever buy me a gift since I was five." An adjustment to the strap on her shoulder as she walked with him through the ever-growing-crowded markets. Her attention shifted to those around them, keeping a careful eye on her new supplies and the pockets of her brother.

This was a prime place for pickpockets - if there were any.

And if anyone tried anything, she'd be ready.
 
"It's no problem. Think of it as a welcome home present. Besides, art is a valuable talent. We might as well cultivate it."

Especially with her magical talents, the better and quicker that she could complete her art might literally be a matter of life and death in the future.

"I'm sorry we could only get that much, but the rest of the coin is needed for your clothes."

The next stop was a store in the area, by the name of Vasachio's. It was a self-styled fine clothing store but tended to handle more menial jobs for ordinary citizens. It one remaining client of repute was House Krixus which was fine by Alistair. The couple that ran the store wanted to say they served nobility, and he needed cheap clothes, but with the styling of the upper echelons of society.

The streets in this part of the city were more packed, and there were a few urchins that did draw near as Alistair and Mariana walked. However, most of them backed off when they caught sight of how vigilant Mariana was being.

Mariana
 
"You don't have to apologize," she said quickly. Keeping alert and clutching her own supplies tightly. Just with his simple act of buying her some of the items she loved most...her eyes were threatening to well up again. She was starting to think this new brother of hers might actually care about her. And not just his family name.

They passed the streets without incident up to the clothing shop. And elderly couple smiled as they entered, all too excited to see Alistair. A curious glance to Mariana.

"Sir Krixus, so good to see you again. What can we do for you?" The elderly man beamed as she saw Alistair. The elderly woman stepped forward and introduced herself to Mariana. Mariana slid behind Alistair's taller frame and peeked out from behind her brother.
 
Alistair greeted the two older shopowners with a smile as he moved out of the way and ushered Mariana back in front of him.

"I need this done as soon as possible Mary. We will need one casual outfit, one business attire, and then one social event outfit. We will come back for more at a later date."

The last part was added intentionally to say that if they did well with this request, then his return would be assured.

He did not need to say much about the price since Vasachio was more than aware of House Krixus's current circumstances.

He leaned down to whisper in his sister's ear, "If you get any paint or anything else on the business or event attire and all of those supplies will be confiscated."

He did not mean it as a threat, or maybe he did a little. He just wanted to make sure she was aware of the consequences.

Mariana
 
Mariana did not trust easily and the discomfort was clearly written across her face as her brother managed to get her back in front of him. She swallowed as she looked between the two shop-owners. Then a light huff as Alistair straightened after his 'threat.'

She still wasn't sure what his magic was.

He kinda drew too. Just a bunch of funny symbols all over the place. She knew he could be really fast. And nothing got past him - at least, not yet. And he had a strange sense of premonition during that big fight with the bandits in the wood.

So what was his magic?

Could he just do everything?

Probably.

"Come dear, let's go get you measured and fitted." Mary motioned her forward. A worried look to her brother before stepping forward and disappearing into the back of the shop with the owner. After about an hour, she came out with three individually wrapped parcels which were clearly too big for her to carry on her own. Head peaked out from behind the giant stack.

William, Mary's husband, stepped forward and took the packages from Mariana, chuckling briefly, "We'll have these delivered to the house. I'm assuming...the one in the city and not the country estate?" Mariana's arms fell to her sides. She was SO TIRED.

And hungry.

She'd been measured, poked at, and had to try on so many different fabrics and sets of clothing in her entire life. She never wanted to go shopping for clothes again. At least she'd convinced Mary not to give her the dress.
 
Alistair smiled as he watched Mariana get waved away into the back room. He took a seat and grabbed one of the books on the waiting table. A cup of tea was also provided as he leaned back and got comfortable.

When Mariana returned, he quickly stood up and shot a glance at the parcels. There was no point in asking to see the outfits. Alistair had confidence in the couple's abilities, and Mariana seemed satisfied enough.

Clothing was an important step for anyone, but especially nobles, it was a shame more people did not realize that. Clothing was the first judgment that people made of someone. It was how the world around you saw you, and by extension, how you began to see yourself.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hursh will be there to accept them when you arrive. Once again, thank you for the quick work Gareth."

He moved and held open the door for Mariana to walk out. They still had a few more stops to make before they got back.

Mariana
 
Mariana pulled a crisp piece of bacon out of her pocket and began munching on it as they left the shop. She was surprised when they didn't head back in the direction where they came from. "Where are we going to next?" A curious bob of her head around the bustling streets. Eyeing the shop signs as they passed.

But then she froze as she saw two Anirian guards patrolling down the cobblestones.

Out of habit, she ducked behind an apple cart, then slid into the shadows of an alleyway, pressing her back to the stone wall and making herself as small as possible as she kept inching further and further back in the natural shadows between the two buildings where the trash and mice gathered. In her panic, she'd forgotten about her brother and the clothes she was wearing. That she actually looked like she belonged.

She was in pure flight mode and using her smaller size to her advantage.
 
Alistair was already moving down the street and explaining their next few tasks. He walked with a confidence and gait that led others to move out of his way.

"We need to pick up some of my supplies entering the city, and then one or two more things to pick up before tomorrow, and-"

He never got the chance to finish as he whipped around to watch her dip into a side alley. His first instinct was worry that she was running as he had not yet realized what she was afraid of. He moved quickly, following after her, before eventually finding her hidden in the shadows.

He stood there for a long moment before asking, "What are you doing? Is there a problem?"

Mariana
 
Wide-nervous eyes looked to her brother's face. Lunging forward, she would grasp him around the wrist and urge him into the shadows with her. A quick glance to the sunlit-filled streets behind him before she pressed her back, back against the alleyway wall.

She'd learned very quickly to avoid guards and authority after she'd fled the orphanage.

Not only because she pickpocketed. And because she knew they were looking for a girl who could do magic. But because she'd learned very quickly that not all guards were 'good.' There were some in certain towns that she'd run into that took advantage of meeting a young girl with no family on the streets.

"Guards coming," she finally whispered up to her brother. She gripped a piece of bright orange chalk in her one hand, ready to use it. "What if they try to take me away?"

In reality, they weren't looking for her. At all. But she didn't know that.
 
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Alistair allowed himself to be pulled in, genuinely curious about what his new sister seemed to be worried about, so much so that his hand rested on the dagger at his belt.

"Yes, and?"

Realization dawned on his face as he looked out the alley and then at her, and then he sighed as he rested his hand on her shoulder. He lightly began to push her back out into the alley, while the push was light he would not let her run from this.

"There is nothing to be afraid of. You are of House Krixus. I handled the paperwork last night. You are not an urchin to be chased by guards. You are nobility now, remember that...The most important thing to remember is never to run away from what you are afraid of. Look it in the eyes and logically handle the problem."

He did not push her to walk past the guards, instead letting them continue their past down the street. As they neared, they barely glanced at Mariana but did take the time to nod to Alistair who nodded back in turn.

"See? Nothing to worry about."

Mariana
 
"Whatareyoudoin-," she tried to wriggle out of his grasp. "Stop-don't," mouth clamped closed as he managed to steer her back into the bustling streets. Back into the open.

Panic rose in her chest. Eyes darted from the nearing guards to anywhere else. Everywhere else. She thought about kicking her brother in the shins to get him to let her go.

He didn't understand.

Even as his words didn't register. She remained rigid and alert until the guards passed. She spun to face him. "You did...I'm...what?" Did he just say she was nobility now?! She looked over her shoulder, eyeing the retreating backs of the city guard.

"But what if they're guards that don't care what you are?" A quiet question.
 
Alistair smiled as he watched the guards pass and then he turned that smile onto his sister, patting her on the shoulder before lowing himself down to speak on her level.

"Oh, they better. I am things much scarier than a noble." He answered without dropping the smile.

Of course, that was just here. His title or profession did not have the same pull in other cities, but Mariana would come to understand that during her education.

It was also the reason he wanted her to eventually got to the Academy. They taught you things at that school that would make anyone hesitate to mess with her, even when he was not around.

Mariana
 
She swallowed and gave a small nod. Yeah, definitely glad he was on her side. If only he'd been there seven years ago...

As he squatted down in front of her, she stepped forward and rested her hands on his shoulders. Shoulder she could never reach otherwise. Bright blue eyes searched his own. A study of his face for a long-quiet moment, as she caught their similarities. Similarities their father left behind in features.

Dark brows scrunched together in wonder.

"Wait, does that mean you adopted me?"
 
"I guess technically you could look at it that way," Alistair explained as he stood back up to his full height.

"It's less that I adopted you, and more the family recognizes your legitimacy, so you can use the name. With that, I'm not a father or anything, just your older brother like I already told you about."

Glad to see that the topic was turning, he pressed her into the back once more to continue down the road. Their next stop would be at an arcane repository. At least, that was what he used it for, but others just called it Gilly's. It was a strange general shop full of curiosities, but it was also a good spot to find cheap materials for Alistair's experiments.

Mariana
 
She squeezed in a quick hug before he stood, wrapping her smaller arms around the back of his neck and released him just as quickly. Yeah he made her officially part of the family that was cool I guess whatever (it was amazing) but yeah, it was fine. Had to play it off cool like it was no big deal.

"Wow," she breathed and looked around the very eclectic shop. She wandered away from her brother's side and began looking at a shelf by one of the shop's windows. Fingers plucked up a jar full of eyeballs.

Ew.

"What are you getting here?" There was another jar next to it full of petrified spiders.

Bleck.
 
"Just some supplies."

He removed a long list from his pocket and placed it down on the desk before turning back to look for Mariana. She found her down one of the isles and shook his head slowly.

"I would not mess with too much, the shop owner can be pretty protective of this stuff."

Without waiting for his response, he left the isle to move back to the front desk and await his supplies.

"He is right though. Happy can get pretty mad about people touching things if they aren't buying."

A voice said very close to her, as a young boy, roughly her age stepped out from the shadows.

He had dark tan skin with wild alabaster white hair that hung in front of his face. His clothes were simple and common for a shopkeeper's apprentice, although they did seem to be a bit too big for him.

"You are with Lord Krixus."

Mariana
 
  • Nervous
Reactions: Mariana
She turned around quickly, nearly dropping a jar of very poisonous looking and alive insects. Hastily, she put it back on the shelf. If only Alistair was closer to step behind.

“Do you often lurk in the shadows to startle customers?” She asked the boy. Not confirming or denying his statement. But she was not bashful about her curious and cautious gaze. And she definitely took a half step back.
 
It was hard to get a good look at the boy's face with his hair in the way, but he did lower his head slightly and offered a feeble attempt at a bow.

"Ah, sorry. It is more a habit that an actual intention...Can I help you find something? My name is Phineus."

Realizing that he was still halfway in the shadows, he stepped out so as to make the rest of him more easily seen so as not to scare her even further.

With every bit of movement, his white hair would shift, momentarily revealing strange eyes that looked like a caleidoscope of purples, yellows, and greens without any pupils.

Mariana
 
"That's a fun name. Kind of like Happy." Mariana said. One of her hands remained in her pocket, wrapped tightly around a piece of her colored chalk. A quick glance to her brother. He seemed to be busy at the front of the shop, waiting on his list to be filled.

And his eyes were so weird. But kind of in a good way. She kinda wanted to draw them and wondered if she even could with how much they seemed to be changing colors.

"Do you have anything that can make you invisible?"
 
"Invisible? Um, no. We do not do magic here."

At least, not that type of magic. They were an alchemy shop, but if they had things like Mariana was speaking of then their store would be in a much nicer part of town.

His master was good enough that he could probably make something given time, but Phineus was nowhere near that level.

"Um, I can get you Ilyxian spider venom...or maybe some candleen eagle fangs." Phineus offered nervously. It was difficult to tell where exactly he was looking, almost like he was looking right through her.

Mariana
 
Nose wrinkled. She stepped around the boy and began wandering deeper into the shop, not waiting to see if he followed or not. But still being very aware if he did follow. She didn't trust people easily. Right now, Alistair was the only rare exception. And part of that was because he'd showed her with actions that he wasn't going to harm her. That he actually was trying to take care of her.

That he might possibly actually care for her like a brother would his sister.

"Ilyxian spider venom? Ew. What do you even do with that or those eagle fangs? Plus I'm probably not allowed to get anything that isn't on my brother's list." She clutched her bag of art supplies a little more tightly. He'd already gotten her a lot today. And he tried to hide it, but she saw the way he grimaced when handing over coin.
 
Phinues followed after her silently, mostly worried that if she broke anything while looking around that it would be he that would be in trouble, not her. He moved silently, almost with a floating grace, making him come across as somewhat ethereal in nature.

While his eyes did not dart about, the star-like sparks in his eyes moved about and seemed to follow Mariana's hands anytime they got a little too close to a jar or any other items.

"They all have a variety of use depending on how you prepare them. Ilyxian venom can be used as a blood thinner or coagulant, while eagle fangs when grounded up tend to have a beneficial effect on one's eyesight for a short time."

He explained like he was repeating something he had read in a book.

Mariana
 
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