tabularasa_rp | (open) a wizard and a fox spirit walk into a void

[he smiles, though the expression is without mirth. that's everyone's first question, isn't it? or, well, most people's anyway. this place has proved him wrong that everyone will ask about the leg, first, but not by much]

[on the plus side, he's gotten a lot less resentful of the question. maybe because, with luck, he won't be permanently crippled for long. if nothing else, at least he's not getting actively worse here]

[but at any rate, after another mouthful of coffee, he answers:] A group of men were waiting for me, one night, when I got home from work. They broke both my legs, then beat me unconscious. I was in a coma for about a week.

(well, technically, his first question was about the rabbit on the moon. took him a while to inquire about the leg, perhaps build some rapport before he touched it.

he listened to the story, attentive as only a store owner such as him would, his mind doing calculations and hanging on what-ifs. he won't, however, ask damien what did he do for such brutality. he is a man of solutions, after all.)

I'm sorry to hear. (and a beat later, he taps on the cup with a finger, as punctuation.) I haven't told you what I do, have I?

[he tips his head to one side, wonder what what Kimihiro does for a living has to do with the price of tea in China] No. [a beat] I imagine it's somehow relevant, though?

[maybe he has some kind of healing power, like Yoshizawa?]

I'm the owner of a wish-granting store. (there's another suck on the pipe, the smoke leaving through his nose.) I could technically fix it for you, if I were functional.

Good luck.

[it's been months, now, since they've been here -- it has been months, hasn't it? maybe it's been longer. it's so damn hard to tell -- and no one has their powers back, yet. still, though, it can't hurt to have someone else willing to help, in his back pocket, just in case. for all he knows, this avenue will be the one that pans out, if and when the others don't]

[that in mind and after a beat, he continues:] You said 'store,' though. I imagine you still wouldn't take money, as payment? [for as little as money means here]

Edited 2020-12-05 15:59 (UTC)

(well. kimihiro is not completely powerless - he apparently can bless people with good luck, not that he has realized that the world considers him to be a spirit.

kimihiro shakes his head, because to a mage and to the universe, what little importance does money have? it's not like he pays rent.)

No. Usually, it's... (he wants to say 'soul', but it's not in the same meaning as damien might put it. recalculating...) It's required something of equal value, otherwise, I'd get hurt. Take too much or too little, the universe requires compensation. Money doesn't buy that.

[not saying 'soul' is probably for the best. for all that Damien considers himself a dyed in the wool atheist, there's still that faint, irrational fear. but what if?]

[as it he, he hums, looking thoughtful] What would be considered fair?

I don't know. I don't have my powers to know.

(it's a shrug, one that kind of pains him.)

Something big, since it's a big wish after all.

[another hum, another moment of thinking, then:] Would it have to be something of mine? [or could he beg, borrow or steal an appropriate payment from someone else?]

Why wouldn't it be? (it makes sense, doesn't it? why should another person pay the price for a wish they had nothing to do with?) You're the one getting the wish granted.

My age and my lack of memories were payment, for instance. It's not always something physical.

Edited 2020-12-06 16:04 (UTC)

[look, he's a bad guy, and when someone starts throwing around words like 'price' and 'payment', you can bet he's going to try and get out of it, himself. he is, however, not stupid enough to point that out, and so he just shrugs, before, wryly:] I'd almost rather it be something physical.

[he's absolutely not trading anything mental, just to get his physicality back. his mind is much more important to him]

And sometimes it is. Something as simple as sake can be used, if I am doing something simple in return.

(kimihiro sucks in more smoke, allowing it to escape his nose. there's no point in negotiating a thing when he's still powerless, though.)

We can revisit this if I ever receive my power back, or if you'd like to know more even so, I have plenty of client stories to illustrate.

[he shrugs, the gesture almost theatrical]

Color me curious.

[tell him the story of an interesting wish you granted, Kimihiro]

When I was young, a lady came to the shop with a photograph that could not be destroyed, as much as she'd tried. We managed to reveal what was in the photograph, which was her murdering the lady in it.

(he states it matter-of-factly. it's been a long time since this happened, and now, he can completely comprehend yuuko's decision and the payment for the wish. it was a big one.)

The price for it was that she would not be able to have her own image captured in any media - phones, security cameras, television you name it, or else her picture would return into existence and would run on media instead. She'd have to be secluded for the rest of her life.

(a beat, only for him to suck in the smoke.)

That was the previous store owner's decision, and while I could not innitially understand why she would grant such wish, I understand it now. It's a big wish that requires a payment as such.

[Damien arches his eyebrows at that. in a modern world, in Chicago, where Big Brother is always watching, not showing up on any media would be fucking hard. if she wanted to beat a murder wrap, and couldn't get rid of the evidence, though ... ]

[but -- ] Why couldn't she destroy the photo? [ -- that seems odd]

Cursed.

(simple like that. at this point, damien might have noticed that a lot of kimihiro's stories are like that. a magical being here, a curse there, a wish to be granted... nothing is ever normal.)

... how common is magic, in your world? [because yeah, he's getting that Kimihiro's world is full of curses and magical beings and so on, but] Could, say, someone like me stumble on your shop?

[someone mundane? are they even aware of the fact that magic exists?]

It's just something that exists. Some people, albeit not many, can see it.

(there's a beat there before he proceeds.)

Only if you have a wish to be granted. You can only see the store and enter if so, otherwise it just looks like an empty field. The shop is special, after all.

[he takes a moment to digest that, taking a thoughtful sip of his reheated coffee as he does so] That something that can be taught? 'Seeing' magic? [using magic?] Or is that a -- a genetic lottery sort of thing?

Some things can be taught. Divination, for instance, at least to some degree. It's interpretation of omens, after all.

Like reading tea leaves? Tarot cards? That kind of thing?

[he'd dismiss that as being ridiculous, but -- well, magic is real, where Kimihiro's from. those omens actually means something where he's from]

Those are all valid methods. I use dowsing, more often than not myself.

(they do, and kimihiro would happily teach if asked.)

That's the one with the rods, isn't it? [a beat] I thought that was for finding water. [or gravesites or whatever. he's actually not sure how they're used in regards to the supernatural]

They help you find what you need. If I ever find mine, I'll show you.

(it's with a smile.)

I also like pendulums.

Do you need your tools, specifically? Or could you make a dowsing rod -- or a pendulum?

[look, he has no idea how this shit works]

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