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Post by Ayen on Jan 1, 2013 5:05:15 GMT -6
"Do you think there may be a magic school near here?"
“I don't know. It's possible. If there are things here similar to muggles then there are bound to be things similar to the wizarding world back home. Let me see...”
Zora looked around the books and she found it all. In addition to The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection there were The Standard Book of Spells Grade 1 and 2, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, A History of Magic, Magical Drafts and Potions and A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. She didn't care about A History of Magic because she found that to be a boring subject and most of the required textbooks for DADA in what would have been her second year were all stupid books by that Gilderoy Lockhart.
“It's all here. All of the books I need to advance.”
Zora grabbed each book and stacked them on top of each other before looking back at Gabrielle, nodding her head over to the potions.
“I'll need those potion ingredients too. And some gloves.” |
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Post by Gabrielle on Jan 1, 2013 5:33:09 GMT -6
"Easy. We only have so many coins."
Gabrielle looked over the prices of the books and then the potion ingredients before looking at their own money. Seeing that they had enough the Traveling Bard helped Zora gather everything and bring it up to be the front to be purchase.
"Excuse me," she said to the store owner, "we'd like to purchase these items, please." |
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Post by Ayen on Jan 1, 2013 22:57:14 GMT -6
"Easy. We only have so many coins."
“I'll just conjure up some more.”
Granted, she couldn't do that. But Gabrielle didn't have to know about that small detail. Collecting her stuff, Zora followed Gabrielle over to the front and looked over to the short old man with long gray hair, a beard and blue eyes that turned around to greet the two.
"Excuse me, we'd like to purchase these items, please."
“Yes, of course!”
“Pardon me, sir. If you have a moment can you tell us if there's a magic school nearby?”
“Oh yes, several. There's the elf schools – which you aren't going to get any where with these books – and then a couple of others who moved here from Jherra.”
“And those are the ones that teach the subjects covered in these books?”
“Yes.”
Zora's eyes lit up in excitement as she looked over to Gabrielle.
“I-I know you want to find Xena – and we will – but please, Gabrielle. This can finally be my chance to reunited with my own kind we have to go.” |
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Post by Gabrielle on Jan 2, 2013 5:53:26 GMT -6
"You expect me to believe you can conjure up more money?" asked Gabrielle amused.
If Zora had that kind of power on her side she would have done it a long time ago. After they made it to the front and learned that there were magic schools nearby Gabrielle looked down to see the desperate look on the child's face. Finding it hard to say no, and while she did want to find Xena as soon as possible it wouldn't have been right to deny Zora a chance to meet up with her own kind. It was ultimately what she herself came here to Elim for in the first place.
"Where can we find this school?" |
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Post by Ayen on Jan 2, 2013 18:00:34 GMT -6
"You expect me to believe you can conjure up more money?"
“I'm telling you I can.”
"Where can we find this school?"
“Thank you, Gabrielle! Thank you!”
“Just leave this shop and turn left, once you find the East exit of the city just keep going straight and you can't miss it.” |
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Post by Gabrielle on Jan 2, 2013 18:23:59 GMT -6
"Zora, if you can conjure up more money why haven't you ever done it before?"
Gabrielle looked over to the entrance of the shop, her eyes scanning over to the window outside to see where the man was talking about before looking back at him.
"You also mentioned something about elf schools. Do you know where we can find Essancee?" |
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Post by Ayen on Jan 2, 2013 19:23:09 GMT -6
"Zora, if you can conjure up more money why haven't you ever done it before?"
“You never asked me to.”
"You also mentioned something about elf schools. Do you know where we can find Essancee?"
“I do. But you won't find much there I'm afraid.”
“What do you mean?”
“Haven't you heard? The entire city has been wiped out. Nothing but a burning wasteland, not unlike its neighbor Ignis.” |
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Post by Gabrielle on Jan 2, 2013 19:34:33 GMT -6
Gabrielle raised an eyebrow at Zora.
"Sure."
Gabrielle listened to the shop owner as he explained Essancee's fate. Her heart sank at the thought of Xena being present during such an event but she reassured herself by remembering that the two of them has been through much worse than a raided village. Much worse.
"Ignis?"
Gabrielle recognized that word, it meant "fire" in Latin in her own world. From the description not much was different here. A city on fire? How could anyone live there?
"How was Essancee wiped out? Who attacked it?" |
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Post by Ayen on Jan 2, 2013 20:04:41 GMT -6
"Sure."
“I'm telling you I can.”
"Ignis?"
“Ignis is a city in the volcanic regions ran by a vicious cult who performs sacrifices to the Fire Goddess. Not something to discuss in front of a child.”
“I'm not a child!”
"How was Essancee wiped out? Who attacked it?"
“No one knows. Called themselves The Dark Empire. Vanished as quickly as they appeared.” |
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Post by Gabrielle on Jan 2, 2013 20:50:47 GMT -6
Gabrielle put a quick hand on Zora's shoulder to get her to calm down before looking back at the shop owner. A cult offering human sacrifices to gods sounded way too familiar and brought back some rather unhappy memories for Gabrielle. But she kept her focus on the reason she came here. If fate led her on the path to Ignis to help there she'd do so. Until then...
"We're looking for an old friend of mine. Tall, black hair, has the look of a warrior in her eye. Name's Xena. She was last seen in Essancee. Have you seen or heard anything?" |
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Post by Ayen on Jan 2, 2013 21:01:03 GMT -6
Zora calmed herself when Gabrielle grabbed her shoulder and remained quiet as she continued her conversation with the shop owner.
"We're looking for an old friend of mine. Tall, black hair, has the look of a warrior in her eye. Name's Xena. She was last seen in Essancee. Have you seen or heard anything?"
“No. But I do know that the survivors of the attack were taken to Xanarnis north of here. If your friend is still alive then that would be the place to start looking.” |
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Post by Gabrielle on Jan 2, 2013 21:29:53 GMT -6
"Thank you."
Gabrielle placed the stack of books in Zora's hands and then put the potion ingredients in the bag the shop owner provided for them. Finally they were getting somewhere on the trail to Xena and they had just avoided a dead end to the elf village. Something Ares already knew when he told her or something that happened in-between. Either way that didn't matter now.
"Come on," began Gabrielle as they left the shop, "I saw a horse ranch on my way back from the bank." |
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Post by Ayen on Jan 2, 2013 21:46:39 GMT -6
"Come on, I saw a horse ranch on my way back from the bank."
“Horses?”
Zora winkled her nose at the thought of such disgusting beasts.
“Why on earth would you want to get a horse?” |
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Post by Gabrielle on Jan 3, 2013 5:23:13 GMT -6
"You don't want to carry all of this the whole trip, do you?"
Gabrielle led Zora into the horse's ranch. Looking around at the various horses up for sell, being careful to check their money to make sure they'd still have some left over. While searching, Gabrielle stopped in front of a small pony and smiled. Stroking the back of its mane before looking over to Zora.
"This would be perfect for you, don't you think?" |
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Post by Ayen on Jan 3, 2013 7:15:37 GMT -6
"You don't want to carry all of this the whole trip, do you?"
“I thought you were going to carry it.”
"This would be perfect for you, don't you think?"
At the sight of the pony, Zora dropped her books and pointed at Gabrielle as she spoke, waving her hands by the end of her sentence, “Oh no. I am NOT riding that thing! Do you hear me!? No way! No how!” |
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