An Enchanting Little Shop

It is a nice afternoon. You know the kind. Where there are clouds in the sky but it isn't cloudy. Its warm outside but it isn't hot. Not arid. Not muggy. There is a cool breeze. Shopping weather. It puts a lot of Adventurer and Lander traffic down the market streets. Since Shibuya was reclaimed there was a new storefront near Pela's Cafe. It is a notably obsidian building, reflective like tinted glass from a skyscrapper. A decidedly different design from the construction materials otherwise. Minimalistic except for an upside down U style door and a circular o window with an x frame across it. There isn't even a sign on the front. It /is/ the sign. The Atelier Nox. People have been wandering in and out of it since the soft open, the grand open not even announced yet, and Haru has chimmed over some friendos to the workshop to talk trade.

Inside is a well stocked set of shelves now. There is even a young lander girl manning the counter, inspecting as Yumi. It looks more like an alchemical and jewelery store with a wholesale section by the counter. Glassworks.

Haru is just walking out from the door to the back of the storefront, the Atelier's Workshop (yes, redundant) as he is holding up what must be the tenth ring he crafted today. Appraisal. Disappointment. "I can see why Mia went through so many of these and still came up wanting," he says, the item still gorgeous and would fetch a fine price even outside of Bonded Hearts marketing campaigns. "I need a distraction." Aka: He just jinxed himself.

    "Haru!" A woman's voice calls out. Soon as he dares to look, he will see /her/. The imp with the flipped Omega shaped horns, hoofed feet, slightly dark complexion, and glowing eyes. Her outfit cut low on the top, and the only thing keeping her decent, was the hanging fabric in the front and the rear.

Her gaze was locked onto him, she was strutting her way right for him, and before he could even get a word out edge wise, she squished him into a hug. "It is so good to see you again!"

Yeowang has stopped by Haru's place today becausee she needs something. Because she always needs something. She keeps a lot of plans going all at once through some miracle of management, but it needs the personal input from time to time to keep all the plates spinning. She steps up to the counter and asks Yumi, "Is Mister Nox in? If you could tell him it's Yeowang, I would appreciate it." But she has come in and Katherine seems to have called out before she can get her message delivered. She can wait, though. She's patient.

Someone who tends to respect others and their property generally don't try to enter shops that technically haven't opened yet. After all, if there hasn't been a Grand Opening yet for the latest shop in Shibuya, then they're still getting ready to set up shop, right? But as Curtana watches yet another customer exiting the Atelier Nox, he's starting to get the feeling that he must have missed it while he has been out and about exploring Yamato. It wouldn't be the first time he missed something important while caught up in adventuring.

Walking inside the front entryway, the Pooka knight raises a hand in greetings towards Haru. "Hello Haru, how ha-..." Trailing off as he sees Haru currently being hugged by someone with some quite airy clothing, Curtana gains a slight blush to his cheeks and he turns his head aside so not be accused of staring. "...um...I hope i'm not intruding..."

"Oh wow, it's already busy here today," Shiruba's voice can be heard saying as she slips through the door not long after Yeowang and Curtana. But her focus falls towards Kathrine going into agressive hugging. ".. Very busy." Quickly gives a dismissive wave of a hand, not nearly as flustered as other people here. She deals with Gwen's mom on a regular basis after all. "I was just coming to check on things before heading back to Seeker's Landing."

Haru's first mistake was jinxing himself with calling out to the Goddesses for a distraction. His second mistake was having his head in the clouds and not being present, as the aloof Artificer is tend to do. "Kat," he starts by coming out of his brainy brainhaze, "good to see y--erk." Hugged. Hands straight down like he had been captured by the imp. "Physical connection. My one weakness," he says, noodly arms noodling.

Yumi is bright and dutiful, giving Yeowang a bow as the store owner is assaulted at the other end of the counter. "Mister Nox is in, but is in a meeting," she claps her hands together with a little sweatdrop and a tilt to the side of her head as the chaos ensures nearby, "I will relay the message when there is a free moment." Her eyes wander over as Gwen does what Gwen does when Gwen does it. "It could... be a while."

"Curt," gasps out Haru as he looks his way with the one good blue eye, "avenge me, my friend." Then the X over his one eye and an audible, "Bleh." There is a pause as he goes full noodle mode. "Also let Shiruba know I am heading to the Palace Lands shortly for the Phoenix Expedition. And yourself and Gwen, if you are still inclined to babysit an Enchanter through perilous wartorn lands in search of a Divine Beast that has high probability of burning us to ash, bringing us back from said ashes, and burning us again to remind us that Adventurers go silly, fatalistic things all too often."

Yeowang looks over as Shiruba enters behind her. "Ah, hey," she calls. "Just checking on potion vials for the Red Chain," she explains, looking up as Katherine seems to have usurpsed Haru for the moment, then looks back to Yumi. "I understand," she says simply. She will step back and cross her arms behind her back, standing by to stand by, as it were. "I'll just wait a bit, shall I?"

"The sad part is that is possibly a very accurate description for this manner of expedition." Poor noodle arms. Not much Shiruba can do about that other than play along. Nods to Yeowang. "Good to keep the stockpiles ready."

    Katherine continues to snug the Haru, swaying side to side, with her tail flicking back and forth as well. Then she at last lets the poor man go, her glowing eyes falling on Curt, who is trying to look away. "Oh! You are a new face! Hello there! I am Lady Magus, Katherine Tanzer. It is a wonderful honor to meet you!" Then she sways over toward him, before looking him over. "And what is your name, hmm?" She says placing a hand on her hip with a slight lean in that direction.

Despite the slight blush on his cheeks, he does laugh at Haru's antics and shakes his head in disbelief. This is far better than how Haru was acting the last time he saw the monocle-wearing Artificer, and a much better change in his mind.

"I have no intention of dying if at all possible. I already told Gwen I would protect you, and i'm not planning on going back on my promise there. Besides, a Divine Beast phoenix? I could never say no to that." Stalwart as Curtana might be when facing monsters and dastardly foes, a beautiful woman giving him her undivided attention does give him a hesitant pause.

But what kind of knight would be he if were to refuse such a wonderful greeting? A poor one, that is for sure. Laying a hand on his gleaming breastplate, he bows at the waist towards Katherine. "The honor is all mine, Lady Magus. I am Curtana Willowbright, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance this day."

Haru is being dramatic. This is Haru code for being in a really good mood. Or a really bad mood. There is no eyeliner on today and his clothes are not as dark as a starless sky, so good bets on a good mood. Once released he stands there frozen in place as if gravity refuses to claim him to his floor. Its a nice floor. Clean and shiny. A gasp to life suddenly!

"The fact that people want to wilingly throw themselves into danger on my behalf is, and will ever remain, an alien experience for me. Li Gan hit the nail on the head recently: Feeling like I owe people doesn't settle well on my shoulders," the Artificer offers insight, "so you'd better /not/ die. Either of you. It'll drive me crazy. I already have all the gray hairs my head is going to produce. After that Im pretty sure they start falling out." He brushes his hair away from his face and monocle bish style.

Upon noticing the formalities, Haru looks to Kat, then Curt. Curt, then Kat. "S-Say, Kat, have you seen the Enchanted Glass I invented recently? Would love to pick your brain about it and also that whole 'Moonlight Enchanter' path knowledge." Distract. Taunt agro the Kat before Curt goes down next.

Haru gets distracted himself, though, with Shiruba and then Yeowang. He raises a hand to both of them, "Yeo, didnt see you sneak in here."

    Katherine smiles sweetly to the proper introduction from Curt, "Thank you, sir Willowbright, now I am most curious to hear how you and our mutual friend have met." She looks to Haru, her tail flicks once more.

"Oh! you have made enchanted glass?" She clasps her hands together and a hoof foot goes up slightly, "I would so love to see it!" She then grabs Curt by the arm and goes to tug him along, "We should all see it, don't you agree, dear sir?" Glancing over to Curt, before sliding closer to him as well. "Also so nice of you, Haru to worry about us, but your friend Sir Willowbright, I am sure can handle... many... troubles, can't you my dear sir?" Their was a tease in her voice.

She then looks over to the two Haru brings up and waves to Shiruba, along with Yeo.

Yeowang arches a brow at Haru, and she says, "You were distracted." This is woman-code for /something/, though exactly what is of course a secret. No woman would ever dream of telling a man what he had done wrong no matter how hard he might beg. She asks Shiruba, "He has some kind of quest going on?" She's always the last to know, it seems. She nods to Katherine as she waves, and will offer a, "How do you do?"

Gwen has come to Haru's shop for business and pleasure she has things to order, an idea based off something from a D&D world she knew that could be amazing for clothing if it worked out. She was also clad in her heavy blade armor as she entered. It was armor but more the armor you'd expect from HEAVY METAL or your standard JRPG she was pretty towering too as she strode in happpily whistling as she went.

"Curtana! Shiruba! Haru! Yeowang! Kat! Hello!"

"He's looking for one of the Palace Land's versions of the Divine Beasts," Shiruba replies. "I may be the falconeer but apparently he has a thing for hot chicks." Oh dear goddesses that was terrible. Terrible. Bad Shiba. But no regrets. Then another familiar voice perks lupine ears. "Oh, Gwen! This is perfect, now I don't have to make an extra trip to the shop to find you."

Haru looks to Curt. Curt is tank. Godspeed Curt.

The Artificer looks to Shiruba, "Oh ha ha," and the Gwen, "hi." Ha ha hi. It fits. He continues on to fill in Yeowang with the details, "What the fiesty floof is hinting at is that I have been looking for Elder Tale's version of a Phoenix for the better part of a year now. I heard Palace Lands had one, Feng Huang, but my first trip to the Palace Lands was when Seeker's Landing was attacked." He connects his hand into his other hand's palm and makes an explosion sound. "Timing was not exactly good. Timing now isn't stellar but its at least viable." A pause there. "Its important to me." And he doesn't go into details.

"Speaking of important things, yes, Enchanted Glass, Kat! Greenhouses! Observation Tanks and Windows! Stained Glass Artwork! I have a sample pack for you in the back and, Yeo, was looking for a hand in how to get material samples distributed out to the major artisans to see if it will garner further trade deals within Shibuya." Well, to Haru but he uses his money to further fund his work anyway.

Standing upright from his bow, he nods his head towards Haru with an easygoing smile. "I already been told I can't die from a Lander I tend to buy my materials from. Said it would be bad for business, and I don't want to deprive him of a customer anytime soon."

While Curtana didn't get that Haru was trying to distract Katherine from him, needless to say it wasn't quite effective. Getting tugged along by Katherine, he stumbles along after a moment and his blush only grows a deeper red from the innuendo. Though surely he just misheard...right? "I have been curious myself, even if I can't ever use something like it. And...uh, I do try my best to protect those I travel with."

And then Gwen announces herself and Curtana gladly looks over towards her to distract himself from the current situation. That hope quickly dies as he notices Gwen and her...armor? A suggestion of armor, more like. Regardless, the Pooka's face is completely red now!

...wait, why does he have the Overheated debuff?

Yeowang ahhhs as Shiruba explains the plan. "We saw one, did we not, on top of that mountain? Not a phoenix," she explains to Haru, "but a world-level boss, just the same." she asks Shiruba. "I'm not sure I understand all the fine distinctions that you gamers make," she apologizes. Gwen's arrival draws a skeptical look, but she doesn't mention the cheesecake armor. It doesn't matter what things look like, as far as she can tell, it's the stats that count.

As Haru explains his quest, she nods slowly. "I see."

Gwen smiles at her sister for a moment.

"Oh my ears are burning now like heat sabers! Do tell Shiruba!"

She seems to be in very good spirit and the towering six foor four woman is just about to start bouncing from the mood she seems to be in. She then turns to Haru for a moment.

"So g0oing on a big hunt and the glass is ... wait green houses? We need to talk later for my herb farm..."

More exoitc herbs could be grown in a green house and she knew it.

She looks over to Cur for a moment anx heads over to him grinning then pauses.

"Are you okay you seem to have a debuff on you Curt!"

She'll come closer and lean in looking honestly concerned about his condtion.

"Do you need to sit down Curt? Maybe a drink?"

    Katherine seems very interested in this stain glass. "I wonder if i could bring fragments alive. That could be such a colorful display!" Katherine then waves to Gwen as she makes her appearance and hears the tone in Yeo's voice causing her to arch an eyebrow. She looks to Yeowang, then to Haru, and back. However, that was not for her to worry about, till she did.

"Oh a phoenix you say? Whatever for are you seeking the magical bird?" She seems as curious on this as the glass.

Though she looks to Curt who is overheating and turns to fully face him. Placing both her hands on his armored chest. "You look.. a little hot, maybe even steamy... perhaps you should take some of this... armor off, hmm? You know, get into some... civilian wear."

Shiruba takes a moment to withdraw the winter coat Gwen previously made for her from her inventory. "It's also still winter in the Palace Lands and my jacket needs a little work." She grips it by the collar with one hand and uses the other to hold out the left sleeve. Several cuts become visible in the fabric. "Maybe you could reinforce the sleeves a bit? Windburn's talons keep catching the fabric and the winter padding makes the sleeves too thick to wear the strap the falconeer harness over."

As shiruba explains what she come for, Yeowang looks to Gwen. "A tailor is what you need, is it not?" she asks Shiruba. She takes another look at Haru, surrounded, and says, "I will return later." And so saying, she departs.

When Curtana had wandered into the Atelier Nox, he had hoped to greet Haru and spend some just browsing the wares. Instead, he finds himself being the center of two beautiful women, one he just met only a few moments prior. You could easily see his brain rebooting after being mentally overwhelmed, and after standing still for a few moments he coughs into a closed fist out of embarrasment. He closes his eyes to steady himself. "I-I will be fine, I assure you! Just...don't let me hold you back, it's clear you two ladies came in here with business for Haru."

Why does Haru seek a magical fire birb? He does have a Fire Elemental in the form of one. That would be enough to satisfy an aesthetic. "You could say I am a bit of a dreamer, Kat, and there is a particular tale of the Phoenix that was popular where I grew up. I'd like to see it first hand," he says with the smile on his face he is used to wearing when he is /hiding/ things. /Important/ things. Relationship level 10 cutscene locked things! A shift, "I'll be better equipped for the counter if you could regale me with the whole 'Those that came before' adventure you went through for Enchanting. Wisteria had this training bauble. I wonder if its the same for everyone or not."

Then over to Gwen and a sharp nod of the head, "Greenhouses started the idea with Pela's work and the food requirements of the war. Syx would probably benefit from it as well as many of the farms. Then Kita and Wake came to mind with Stained Glass. Schneider with windshields, Jazu with submerged building and Uta with monster enclosures for observation." A look to Kat, "It is very versatile. And when paired with things like spell and mana batteries, it feels more like I invented paint and artists can go ham with it. I am quite proud of it. Right up there with the whole Crown Breaking with Tian." A quick stop on that note. Kinda dampened. He perks back up. "You okay there, Curt? If this overheats you then I have deep concerns with a fire birb. Maybe I should have Rachel spar with you a while to prepare?" Rachel being the name of his Fire Sprite birb.

    The door to the shop opens, and through it emerges a feminine figure in a red dragon face mask, a long and wild brown ponytail sticking out behind her head. She's clad in a few tactical pieces of armour on wrists and chest, a pair of baggy black cloth trousers hanging from her hips. If the mask weren't indicative enough of her aesthetic identity, the tabi on her feet almost certainly peg her as a ninja - or ninja wannabe.

    Of course, some would say that a real ninja wouldn't be walking in the front door looking like a ninja, but this is an online fantasy world.

    Visible through the mask, green eyes inspect the interior of the store before scanning those present - and she seems to hesitate for a moment when she realises that there's a decent-sized clientele in the unmarked store. After a moment, though, she pushes the mask to one side of her face, obscuring one eye but revealing the rest of her features; a pretty face, though a scar on her exposed cheek adds a touch of badass.

    "Hey, is this place open, or are you guys just... playing in here?" she asks with a lackadaisical tone.

    She stops herself short of calling it 'roleplaying' out of politeness. Most roleplayers she's met on Elder Tale hate being asked if they're roleplaying when they're roleplaying.

     Katherine pats Curt on the chest, before her clawed nails gently run along the armor, before she slips away. "I can understand ambitions and dreams, Haru." She walks around him, before taking hold of his arm. "So, what were you wanting to know about enchanting? After all, I just know a name of a man, and I am still seeking his first enchanted moonlight creation."

Carefully pulling away from Katherine's grasp and Gwen's attention, he looks over to Haru and opens his eyes again. Did the knight honestly just used the old saying about 'out of sight' to practice that entire time? It seemed to have worked, in any case. "Ordinary magical fire is easily something I can handle, but a sparring match might be nice sometime. I...just get a little embarrased when I draw attention to myself that I don't mean to, that's all."

Embarrasment enough to give him actual physical damage through a debuff, though? That's quite something.

The sound of a new arrival annoucning themselves at the doorway draws Curtana's attention. Glad to not be the center of attention so much, he waves a gauntlet-covered hand towards the ninja. "I believe it's open, we are just quite a lively bunch, it seems."

Gwen looks over to Yeowang for a moment tilting her head for a moment. She does catch the look but says nothing and give her a wave as she leaves.

"Oh i see but this is something we should get in on. Oh we could do some training to help you toughen up against the heat!"

She seems earnest in her concern over Curtana's condtion and she hovers close looking concerned. "Are you all right?" She bends now more to look Curt in the face.

The comes Raiza, Gwen looks her over for a moment as she starts think for a moment as ideas come to her.

"Why hello there!"

Haru welcomes a distraction, raising a hand in greeting to the ninja. "Welcome to Atelier Nox, an accessory store. Grand opening isn't for a few days yet, but we have indeed soft opened so take your time and if you have any questions feel free to ask," he says with a friendly gesture of the hand. "Also welcome to socialize, as," he slowly scans around, "is want to occur."

"Tell me about the first Enchanting Quest you did for Moonlight Enchanting. The one where there is the 'find those that came before you!'. Well, you definately came before m..." he looks to Gwen. No, he is already deep into the joke, might as well finish, "me. What did you do or learn to get past that milestone? For Accessory Forging I had help from Mia to find a workshop and the awe that came from making the 'perfect' ring." And before that gets Sauron looks in an era where the Crown of Control is a thing, "of Matrimony. A wedding ring. Not to rule them all. Just a pair of people." A deep breath. Exhale. "Yeah you and me both, Curt." On the topics of being a little too easy to be teased.

Shiruba glances over her shoulder at the new voice, and seeing an unfamiliar face steps aside a bit so there's room. "Like he said, feel free to browse."

    "I thought I noticed something burning," Raiza muses, stepping further in. She seems to be taking a moment here and there to inspect various objects before turning to Curtana as he addresses her. She sizes him up as well before finally smiling sweetly. "Cool o/~ I heard something about a new accessory shop around here, so I thought I'd check it out."

    The kunoichi's visible eye turn to Gwen - then sweep up and down the Sylph's armour, settling on the window in the front for a moment - maybe because it happens to be about eye level for her.

    "Hi, there. Niiice armour. How are the stats on that set? It's probably heavy, right? Did you craft it or did you get it from a drop?"

    There's probably a hint of envy in the ninja girl's tone. She's still a bit distracted as she takes in Haru's welcome. "Cool - nice look, making the whole shop out of obsidian. That must have taken a lot of time to grind out."

    Katherine moves around in front of Haru and taps his nose gently. "No, now, my dear sir. You have to show me yours before I show you mine." She gives him a wink. "Show me this magical glass of yours and ill tell you all my secrets."

She then looks over to the new commer and gives them a friendly wave. "What ever do you mean by playing, m'lady? We are simply having conversations!" She then looks to Shiruba, back to Raiza. "And yes, Haru here is an amazing keeper of trinkets and wares."

Gwen says "Oh for me I found a work shop of a Moon light tailor in the wilds of the Empire!" She beams Shiruba should recall this and just how nuts Gwen went obver that find. She grins widly at the memory. She looks over to Raiza.

"Indeed it was worrying to be sure.

"Preey good, and it was a drop from a dungeon that seems to drop gear from SAO and Fragment! It's still up if you are ever interested to run there! I'd be happy to lead another run there some time!"

If Gwen senses the envy she doesn't show it anbd seems intent to let them a hand if they want to seek such gear.

"I make clothes, light armor, food and accessories these days sadly not heavy armor like this."

Blinking and taking a step back as Gwen gets into his face, the shorter Pooka starts to gain his deepening blush but nods. "I'm fine, really! If there was an issue, I would have brought it up. Thank you very much for showing your concern though, Gwen." And Haru knows his pain well, but he seems quite able to handle it easily. Maybe because the Artificer plays it up himself.

Materalizing a small bag from his inventory, he would offer it towards Yumi. If she were to look into the contents of the bag, she'll see a number of materials that would be nice to have when it comes to making rings, such as raw gemstones and scraps of metal that could easily be reforged into rings. "And before I forget, my main reason for stopping it. Just some materials I figure Haru wouldn't mind having, so I wanted to drop these off."

It's not hard for one conversation to get derailed into many when you get a number of Adventurers together. "I'll make sure the supplies and such are ready for you at Seeker's Landing, Haru. It will be quite a trek to get to where you're trying to go." She briefly pulls out a list, makes a few checks on it, and puts it away. Gives a short bow. "Take care everyone." And with a flick of the floofy tail turns to leave. She's got a few other checkins to make before she gets on the next voyage to the other region herself.

Haru does not insta-red like Curt, but he does stop in his tracks. His purple lens monocle scrolls text on one side that makes it look like a Blue Screen of Death. 0xEE Error in Artificer Brain. Rebooting.

"Good eye," the silver haired human offers to Raiza to hit two birds with one stone, "The material is actually Noxglass, a variant of the Enchanted Glass used for construction. Obsidian, too, is a very early form of glassworks so they look extremely similar. Had I had to get all the Obsidian myself." His one visible blue eye goes up, "With no Mining. Or Mercantile. It would be a long, long time." Obsidian still goes for a pretty penny. He thinks. A glance to Yeowang for that. She has the best read on the market here.

Yumi takes the bag from Curt and has stars in her eyes. She thinks she has just been given a fortune. She blushes. "F-For me?" Doki doki. "Yumi, can you get Kat's package from the back?" Doki ruined. The Lander girl skitters away in a fwoosh. She doesnt even hear the 'These are just materials I wanted to drop off'.

"Fair trade, Kat," Haru coughs into his hand and pushes up his glas... monocle. He fixes his monocle. Its half of a pair of glasses at least. "I prepared the vanilla variant that is able to hold enchantments and sample enchanted applications. The materials are locally sourced from Yamato and much easier to process with an Enchanting method using magical Fire and Earth to get the necessary temperature and purity of silica, lime, and soda. The end result is a material that already has much of the alchemical catalyst already prepared within the material itself. A common Dark application is," he motions to the Atelier, "you saw it outside. Light goes well with Stained glass backlighting and color. Earth, Fire, and Water circuits for Greenhouse glass, depending." By now the box is carried over, handed to Haru and then over to Kat before she further seduces the poor guy, "The thing is that its more a development kit than an application, if that makes any sense. Enchanters can apply things /onto/ it for various effects and the costs of production is low. Distribution is easier as the durability is like that of plexiglass instead of 'the worlds most fragile substance outside of rice paper'."

He raises a hand to Shiruba, "Thank you. Take care." When the hand lowers he looks to Curt, "You sure you don't want me converting some of those materials into equipment upgrades? The hardest part of accessory forging is getting a steady line of supplies." Thats not entirely true but its not entirely false, either. It is a precision craft.

    Raiza seems to be continuing to consider Gwen's attire as Katherine calls over. She gives an awkward smile back in the direction of Katherine, Shiruba and Haru. "Oh, playing - you know. Having a good time." There's something slightly stunted, not quite stuttering, about the way that she makes the remark.

    Her attentions turn back to the two armoured knights closer to her.

    "I'd definitely be up for running it if it's got legacy loot - especially if I could get something like that set, but in light armour. How big of a party would we need? I can do damage - and handle traps. I... 'found' a new item the other day that helps find secret stuff."

    An unusual object appears from her inventory to her hand - inert, for the moment, and remaining that way for the time being, as it disappears back into her collection a moment later.

    Haru's explanation draws her attention back in his direction. "That sounds pretty sweet..." There's a few seconds of processing time as the kunoichi considers the applications of the fresh knowledge, assimilating it and comparing it with her existing knowledge before formulating a pertinent question. "...can you make stabby weapons with it?"

     Katherine listens and she listens closely. "I see," She releases Haru's arm and taps her chin in thought. "You know, if you knew an armor maker, you could maybe even make the glass stronger and possibly create an armor out if it. Magical glass armor... wouldn't that be a thing "

The exotic imp then lowers her arms, "Though being a Magus, i rather keep to my cloth really. Better for movement and my figure." She says with a wink. "As for what i know... it depends if you are seeking the same place i was... and thus the same man." She shifts her weight a little. "After all, my searching brought me to the very place this man worked at once... including learning he was the father of werefangs and cait sith alike."

Gwen says "Wait Shiruba we can catch up later I'll be in town for a while I'll even treat you to something to eat!" She grins even wider at this waving her sisteroff while she looks back to Raiza for a moment and tilts he head for a moment.

"Oh we likely can but it might take a few runs but i'm all up for it. Also it's got old enemies too from both."

She seems quite curious and she looks over Raiza for a moment humming.

"So I run the Chain Mail Bikini +1 and I have some ideas for outfits for you already."

The bag is swiftly collected from Curtana's hands, though it's only after he finishes talking that he realizes he's been speaking to thin air. He hadn't noticed the effect he had on Yumi, but it's likely better for him that's the case. Then again, there's one samurai he can't hold a candle to. "Oh. She's quite dedicated to her job! I'll need to apologize to Yumi when I get a chance..."

Raiza draws his attention away, and he quickly nods his head in agreement. "A party of four or five tends to be perfect, and i'm ideal for keeping enemy attention away from my allies. I already promised a friend i'll help him out, but after I get back, i'll be happy to help you find some new gear." Gwen is already quick to show off her own expertise, and Curtana backs her up, despite the light blush on his cheeks. "I tend to focus on heavier armor, so Gwen here is the best person to help you out."

Curtana looks over at Haru and shakes his head in the negative. "Hey, they're yours now, and I couldn't really use them myself. If you want to make some upgrades, go ahead, but I figure you could use some extra materials for the shop. Even if it hasn't offically opened yet, you been pretty busy!"

"The Goddesses do not provide any kind of context to what qualifies on the moonlight quests," Haru lets Kat know, "So its an open slate. I might be searching for the same person, I might not. Not being coy about it," he grins at that since Kat might even enjoy someone being coy with her, "it is more that the criteria is very broad so I'll be doing tons of trial and error before figuring out what sticks and what falls short. Replicated Wisteria's trick but to no avail. Who is the man and the place? Also, is it that Enchanting was at the crux of Werefang and Cait Sith?" He considers that a moment. Biological enchantment? It makes sense. "Please don't tell me the person you are looking for is Li Gan." Somehow he can see Li Gan doing that stuff. In his lab. With a kweehehehe laugh.

The idea of making the enchanted glass into arms and armor gets a side thought from Haru. "I had not considered it being applied to arms and armor, but I suppose it very well could with a good crafter. It is lightweight and it is sharp," he closes the one blue eye in thoughtfulness. Combat isnt the first thing that comes to his mind as an Enchanter. He is more an artisan than a raider. The one blue eye opens, "Yes. Im certain you could. In fact thrown weapons would look practically invisible and you could go as far as hide alchemical effects in them like acid or explosions." Must hide the glass from Cyrus before all of Shibuya burns up in the process.

Haru looks for Yumi who is still coming down off the blushed face and helping ring up customers. "She is a lucky find," he tells Curt, "and it is good to create jobs for the Landers. Talking to Li Gan reminded me of how exploitative Adventurers can be. We demand and we take. A lot. We don't spend the same effort cultivating and enriching to the point where doing so seems almost taboo." A finger taps the side of his pants, "Either way, yes, the shop is pretty busy even for a soft open. I think I'll need everyone's help for the Grand Open."

    "Glass armour, huh...? Doesn't sound like it would work..." Raiza has a dubious expression as she tries to picture it in her head. Would glass armour give any defense? Would it be comfortable? More importantly, would it look cute?

    Her attention comes back to Gwen.

    "Definitely - feel free to add me if you want. I love legacy content - and -" The ninja girl's eyelashes flutter for a moment. "Oh, /you/ run the Chain Mail Bikini? Cool! Wait - you have ideas for outfits for /me?/ What did you have in mind? I'm always up for finding new looks..."

    She smiles at Curtana. "Oh, thanks for offering. You can add me, too." Her visible eye narrows a little. "You know, I didn't realise Pooka came in that shade of pink..."

    The idea of invisible glass throwing weapons piques Raiza's interest almost as much as the prospect of acquiring sexy legacy armour, and she rubs her chin thoughtfully as a glance shifts Haru's way...

Haru looks Raiza's way too. A thoughtful glance. However it is different thoughts. Getting excited about Gwen's outfit hobby can only end one way. He says a small, silent prayer for the fellow Human. The purple lens on his monocle shows a brief skull and crossbones in white 8-bit fashion to emphasize it. "Be sure to ask about the Ship Board at Gwen's. Its a maritime tradition." It really isnt.

Fancy glass /armor/? "Im no armorsmith, but the thing about the glass is that it is enchanted. You could probably build a displacer cloak with it to haze/refract the light around you by weaving it into cloth/light style armor." Haru winks, or blinks since he only has one visible eye, "I have an defensive Arte that does something similar. Plus, it looks majestic." Cute though? He isn't sure how it could be made cute. Fifty percent more hearts maybe?

    "The man goes back to the scrap princess days." Katherine admits as she carefully crouches down to lay down the box and open it. She then rises back to her feet. "I even met one of the heroes their in his old workshop, though at the time, i did not realize it was a hero." Katherine extends out her hand and with dark flame swirling around her finger tips she takes hold of an ivory stuff, with gold coils going around it and a red, blood sphere stone at the head of the staff. "Also Haru," She looks over to him. "You are charming when you are coy."

Katherine then spins around her staff, before slamming the butt of it on the ground. Slowly the glass starts to rise taking shape of a humanoid figure made of each pane. "I seeked this information because of this power and my future goals. Though the book warns to not make them machines of war... I plan to ignore that warning... because i can learn from their mistakes and do it better." She says with a devilish smile.

Katherine then tilts her head, the glass construct does the same, both looking at Haru. "As for the name... well... let me see if i can remember it."

Haru gives Kat a wink, that could be a blink, given the whole single-eye dealio with the monocle. The monocle lens is so thick that it is difficul to see his eye behind it. The evil eye of great Chuuni power. Or, y'know, it could just be an eye behind a monocle. "You flatter me," he grins, "don't stop." Feed me compliments. Moar.

The Artificer takes stock of the changes. The humanoid form sculpted from panes of the enchanted glass. "Thats right, golemancy was something you were hot in pursuit on last we talked. I still share similar goals, albiet not for war, but even a Synthetic Angel can be commanded to violence." In a past life Haru was rather involved in Angelic Layer. He looks the same and has the same name as a well known Duelist in the regional circuit. It is how Wist and Haru reconnected after all those years. The idea of having similar here in Yamato is of interest. Though really the more interesting point for Kat would be, "And I was planning on showcasing it off in this years tournament, but there is a very war-machine style Wave Arte I finished up. Cheer for me and I might even conjure it just for you."

Curtana rubs his chin for a few moments as Haru talks about how Adventurers, for the most part, don't do much for the cities and villages they live in. Sure, they're more than happy to take care of monsters that threaten the Landers, but it's the Landers who have to make sure everything keeps running when the dust is settled. "Might have to see what we can do to help out, at least a little bit more..."

Glass armor might have its uses, but Curtana will stick with his perfectly fine metallic armor here. Leave it to those who want to experiment and have the agility to dodge as well. Regardless, he's pretty happy just dropping everything off that he wanted to. "If you do need any help with the Grand Opening, just say a word! I'll be over to help as soon as I can. As it is, I already got one trip we need to get ready for, so i'm going to get a few more things here. Take care, okay Haru?" Waving one last time to Haru, Curtana takes his leave from the store. He's already done plenty of shopping already, but a few more items wouldn't hurt, right?

    "The Ship Board...?" Oblivious to the warning sign flashing in Haru's monocle, Raiza remains intrigued by the shop owner's recommendation. She nods her head at the suggestion of a displacer cloak. "Sounds like a good idea, except... cloaks always hide so much." This seems to draw a faint sigh from the ninja.

    As the Pooka knight starts to depart, she sends a ninja-salute after him. "See you later!"

    With the shop starting to seem a little more empty, and others in conversation or otherwise preoccupied, she starts meandering along the shelves, looking at the various wares, and inspecting an item every now and then - particularly interested in the smaller accessories, such as rings.

    "Leave so soon, Sir Willowbright? Shame, because it was /very/ nice meeting you." Then her focus goes back to Haru, she goes to walk around the man, and the stained glass figure goes the other direction. Mirroring her movements. If one was to do an inspection, they see her mana was very slowly trickling down. "Anything made for peace, can be turned for war." She states before coming to stand in front of Haru once more. "After all, my desire to create an army, is not for personal, but to protect the people. If I had the strength I was hoping for, I could have kept the war from happening, or at least, make it end sooner. No lives lost. No crownings. Just those of the Palace Lands fighting armies of metal."

Katherine then motions to Raiza. "And while we have dashing rogues to aid us on information, the people still suffer." She looks back to Haru. "I tire of seeing the people suffer "

     Katherine then moves her staff and the glass deforms floating back into the box before it closes. With a hand motion it drifts off the ground and floats into her hand. "Though I do hope such games you are planning brings smiles. We do so need them."

Then Katherine steps up closer to Haru, then closer, before she leans forward. "As for the man whom you might seek the past of," She leans and whispers softly in his ear. "Krentel Gerolf." Before she gives him a kiss on the cheek. "And I look forward to seeing you... summon any companion you can conjure from your... pocket." Then she goes to head toward the door.