Day 56: Mountain Antiques (Early Afternoon)

[scintillatingly]

Sora was glad that he had gotten the chance to talk to Wally, since even if he drank coffee with a ton of sugar with it, that didn't stop him from being a nice guy! Not that the two were related, but it had been kind of weird. Sora had been pleasantly surprised that the man was so friendly and optimistic even though he'd also been stuck here for a

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[full_score]

He listened to Rita's response, trying to imagine what her planet was like. It sounded like the town she came from had restricted access, though apparently the capital was much more open. Claude had to wonder why she came from such a closed city. Were other towns like that? His first thought was that maybe it was an unfair rule imposed by the government. If she had a large collection of artifacts herself, though, then that meant she'd been allowed to travel freely herself.

Although it was tempting to ask for more details, something else piqued Claude's interest. Books and blastia? The latter word was unfamiliar to him, yet she'd used it as though he ought to know what it meant. Having been an offworlder himself, that wasn't so unusual. Quite frankly, he was surprised it didn't happen more often in Landel's. Some people might have felt put off by having to give explanations for basic things, but Claude was always interested to learn more about other civilizations. That was why it was hard to keep too many questions to himself.

"What's a blastia?" he asked with a curious expression. Claude realized it was possible she was wanting to make a purchase here, but hopefully she'd feel like answering him while she browsed.

[bodhiandspirit]

Rita continued to examine the magnifying glass as she spoke, turning it around in her fingers. "Basically, they're stones that contain magical energy. By applying formulas to them, we can harness that energy to power devices, set up barriers, or use magic." As the need to explain blastia to people foreign to her planet had come up multiple times over the past week, her explanation of it had grown more and more succinct. At first, it had been difficult to explain something that was supposed to be common knowledge, but she'd gotten used to it.

"I research blastia and magic technology," she went on to explain, glancing over at Claude. "Since we can't manufacture new blastia, most of our technological developments come in the forms of new formulas or devices to use with the existing blastia. That's what I specialize in." A thin layer of dust was preventing her from seeing a clear image when she held the glass over one of the spoons, and she used part of her scarf to wipe it clean before trying again. This time, she was able to clearly see the imprinted image enlarged.

[full_score]

So blastia were stones that needed special formulas to use. They sounded a bit different from heraldic crests, but, according to Rita's explanation, their purposes were about the same. Since they were stones, though, it sounded like they had to be found in nature. That would make them a limited resource, and if a civilization depended on them for long enough there would come a time when they'd deplete the supply, right?

Either way, that was apparently Rita's specialty. Despite her young age, she was an accomplished mage and scientist. In that sense, she was a little bit like Leon, Claude realized.

"Is that why you were interested in learning more about heraldry, then?" he asked. "Because you can't manufacture blastia?"

[bodhiandspirit]

"Partly. It's complicated," Rita began, looking now at the price tag on the magnifying glass. Fifteen dollars... That was more than she had. With a frown, she set it back on the table and began examining the others in hopes that one would be cheaper than that.

As she did, she elaborated on her answer. "It's not just that we can't make more. We recently discovered that blastia are harmful to the environment... and also that we won't be able to use them at all in the near future." An examination of the second magnifying glass revealed that it was twice as expensive as the first. She set it down, and a third was picked up.

"I've already developed an alternative form of magic, but the more options we have, the better." Perhaps she was boasting a little, but it was a discovery Rita took great pride in. If all went well, Rita's formulas could end up not only saving the world, but also defining the following eras. She had every right to be proud.

[full_score]

The story about how blastia would become obsolete soon reminded Claude of Auldrant's fonons. From what he understood, it would someday become impossible to power spells and devices unless someone developed another source of energy. That was why Guy had been interested in looking into heraldry, too, come to think of it. He wondered how many other planets were in a similar situation.

Either way, he couldn't mask his surprise when Rita mentioned that she'd actually found a suitable replacement for blastia.

"Wow!" Claude said, clearly impressed. "That's amazing." Not many people could do that on their own, but it sounded like Rita had. Still, trying to find other options didn't sound like a bad idea, either. Part of Claude knew that it was probably his responsibility to try to discourage people from taking foreign technology home with them. But when he considered Earth's own history with heraldry, and the fact that it'd be pretty impractical of him to try to censor hundreds of people, Claude figured it couldn't be helped.

"I guess this heraldry stuff must be a piece of cake for you, then," he remarked. "How's that coming along, by the way? You mentioned on the board that you'd made some progress."

[bodhiandspirit]

"You could say that," Rita replied with a self-assured grin. There was no point in acting humble and trying to deflect the compliments - Rita knew how amazing she was.

"I only had a chance to try it once. I was able to conjure an ice spell, but it failed after materializing. My guess at the moment is that a crease on the page distorted the crest just enough to cause the spell to fail. I'll get it right next time." If it was magic, then Rita was sure to succeed. It was actually sort of embarrassing that she endured any setback at all, especially over such a small detail, but she was confident that she'd be able to perfect the spell before long.

Unfortunately, Rita was now facing a new disappointment: after checking the prices on the remaining magnifying glasses, she found that none were less expensive than the first. On Terca Lumireis, a magic lens would cost less than a piece of fruit. Was this a difference between worlds, or were they simply gouging because the items were a little old? "Hmph. They sure set their prices high," she griped as she set the last one back on the table.

[full_score]

As incredible as Rita was, she had no modesty to speak of, Claude realized with an inward sigh. In that sense, she and Leon were definitely alike. Of course, even though Leon could have kind of a bratty attitude, he knew the boy well enough to understand there was more to him than that. He suspected it was the same for Rita, too.

"Yeah, sometimes those crests can be kind of tricky," Claude said. It was understandable that she wouldn't get it completely perfect on the first go, especially considering the circumstances. "But I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon."

When Rita expressed disappointment over the pricing, Claude took a closer look at one of the magnifying glasses. "Well, it is an antique store," he said after a moment. "I can't imagine them selling reading glasses for any cheaper than this, so it's probably to be expected." He gave a small frown. "It'd sure be nice if they had something you could use in battle here, though."

The shops on Expel and Energy Nede were much better equipped than the ones on Earth, but that wasn't so surprising, either.

[bodhiandspirit]

Tricky? Perhaps. The one that Rita tried was probably one of the simpler ones, too. It was possible that advanced spells would prove more challenging. It was difficult to say whether her diminished power would even allow her to cast them in the first place, though.

Claude's comments caused Rita to sigh, an irritated look crossing her face. "Things like this are usually dirt cheap where I'm from," she grumbled, looking them over once more. She spotted a curious object next to the magnifying glasses, which she soon identified as a magnifying lens without a frame. It was wide and rectangular, and a bit unwieldy, but it appeared to work. "I might have to settle for this." Careful not to get any fingerprints on it, she slipped it back into the small, clear plastic bag it came in, one with an affordable price sticker slapped onto it.

"I doubt they'd sell us any useful equipment, even if we could afford it. Research tools are about the only things I can find that are worth buying." Taking the lens in hand, she finally stepped away from the table to look at something else. "I heard that someone in the institute managed to get their hands on a stone with magical properties. I'm going to investigate it tonight." Which was precisely why a magnifying glass would be useful.

[full_score]

Claude wondered how magnifying glasses could exactly be dirt cheap, although he guessed the magical lenses on Expel and Nede were pretty inexpensive, come to think of it. There was no use in comparing wares on Earth to places like that, though. They were like apples and oranges, since Earth's needs were pretty different from planets like that.

He was pretty interested to know someone got their hands on something with magical properties, though. "A stone, huh," Claude said. "I wonder if they managed to find it back when people got flung to their home worlds for awhile." That was ultimately how he'd found a phase gun, after all. Of course, it was impossible to think of that without remembering the horrible circumstances involving his "sleep study" and Dad, though, and he promptly shoved that aside.

"Good luck in investigating it," he offered instead.

Pausing for a moment, he realized Leon hadn't really come up in their conversation yet. He was sure that if Rita had been borrowing the boy's notes, then they were staying in contact with one another. "By the way," he added, "have you spoken with Leon recently? He didn't answer my note to him yesterday."

[bodhiandspirit]

People flung back to their home worlds...? Rita's gaze sharpened at those words, and she turned her attention back to Claude. She'd heard similar rumors on the bulletin board, but this was the first time someone had mentioned it to her directly. Could it really be true, or was it all just an illusion...?

The topic quickly shifted to Leon, however, and Rita left her questions for later as she answered Claude's inquiry about the boy. There wasn't much to be said, though. "Not since the last time I talked to you. I left him a note too, but he didn't answer." Rita hadn't had much time to think about the implications of that, but she supposed it could mean that he had been released... or worse.

The possible loss of a friend was something Rita could sympathize with, as she was facing the possibility that all of hers would be dead before she could even return to Terca Lumireis, but unfortunately she wasn't any good at offering words of comfort. Instead, after an uncomfortable pause, she crossed her arms and added, "I still have his heraldry notes. If you want them, they're yours." Leon had said as much to her when she borrowed them, so it was only right to offer them to Claude.

[full_score]

That answer wasn't what he was hoping to hear. He could get Leon accidentally overlooking his note, but it wasn't like him to ignore something related to heraldry, especially considering how much pride he took in his expertise. Claude's heart sank, but he tried not to let it show too much. He barely knew Rita, so it wasn't right to dump his problems onto her.

But still...Leon. Was he all right? The thought of not knowing made Claude ache in the worst possible way.

Rita's question brought him back to the conversation at hand, though, and he swallowed hard. "O-oh, right, his notes..." Claude scratched the side of his head as he considered what to do. "Well, if you're not using them anymore, I wouldn't mind holding onto them."

Not that he distrusted Rita or anything, but he liked keeping things safe for his friends.

[bodhiandspirit]

Rita was thankful that Claude didn't break down or get dramatic over the bad news, though he had good reason to be a little upset. It made sense that he'd want the notebook for himself. Rita was essentially a stranger, and if something had happened to Leon, those notes would serve as a memento of the boy. Besides, if something happened to Rita (not that she found it terribly likely, but it wasn't impossible), they would be lost, perhaps even forever.

And so, she simply responded with a nod. "Fine by me. My room's F36. I'll be there early tonight to examine that stone I mentioned. You can come by then, or you can let me know when you're ready and I'll leave them out for you another night." She didn't know what kind of nighttime plans Claude might have, but that was a flexible enough offer that he should have an easy time getting his hands on the notebook.

[full_score]

He had to admit he was privately relieved that she was willing to hand the notes over. Not that he would have begrudged her if she wanted to keep them a little longer, but it was nice to know she'd gotten full use from them.

"Thanks," he quietly said after a brief pause. "I'll have to talk to my companions before stopping by your room, but I'll try to make it tonight if I can."

It felt strange to go collecting Leon's things when he was uncertain of the boy's whereabouts, but not wasn't the place to let himself get upset over it. Rita didn't know him or Leon that well at all, so it wouldn't have been right to let her see something like that.

[bodhiandspirit]

When Claude thanked her, Rita sharply turned her head towards the shopkeeper's counter, looking away from him. "I'm just doing what I told Leon I would," she hastily explained. "He said to leave it with a friend if I couldn't reach him right away. That's all."

She walked to the counter, and set the lens down with her allowance card. There wasn't much else in the store that caught her eye (not much that she could afford, anyway), so she figured she might as well pay now.

"I'll be leaving once I finish examining the stone. If you're late, I won't wait for you," she added bluntly. "If that happens, I'll leave the notebook on my desk. Don't touch anything else in the room." It wasn't that Rita had anything to hide, but she really, really hated other people touching and messing up her belongings. Claude didn't exactly seem like the sort to snoop, but she decided to make it clear anyway.