Realistic or Modern The Witch and the Demon

[PaddieCake]

N Nerdinabottle


A tall, rather imposing figure, had found himself walking down a quiet street, one hand stuffed into his pocket, the other clutching a chocolate lollipop, half-eaten. He was, unsurprisingly, quite bored. He was thankful that he didn't need to completely disguise himself. Xander always found it rather tiresome, and admittedly he liked the way he looked now, all messy hair and horns protruding from his head. The demon hummed absently to himself as he watched his feet, clad in nice black dress shoes, walking across the cement. He bumped into a few people, not even looking at them as they called after him. One, not human but Xander couldn't place what he was, had actually turned around to start something leaving Xander there to stare at him with mild amusement as the demon shrugged him off. He didn't like getting himself involved in fights, instead preferring to get two other people into a fight. And he wasn't really in the mood for fighting, per se.

Right now Xander was more interested in...watching someone flounder about after something... Not a fight, a prank of some kind. But he didn't know what.

He took a bite out of his chocolate, becoming smaller and smaller, as he scanned the store fronts when one in particular caught his eye. It looked to be a magic shop, and a grin spread across his face. If he got his hands on something interesting in there... He pushed the door open to look around.

 

[Nerdinabottle]

There once was a messily styled brown-haired, brown-eyed, t-shirt, jeans and an open button-up dark red jacket wearing witch boy named Aaron, who was currently reading a rather interesting book about the magical qualities of certain elements in a side room to a small magic store he owned along with his best friend Liam, a fairy.

The brunette perking up nearly immediately once he heard the door open, looking around and putting a small piece of scrap paper into the book as a bookmark, reaching around the corner to greet the guest. He had seen several customers come into the shop in his time working as a shopkeeper. He wasn't really a fan of doing smalltalk or talking in general to people he didn't know that well, so he usually kept his conversations to a minimal. "Hi, welcome to A&L's Magic Shop. What can I help you with?" It was something he felt like he had to say every time a custormer came in through the door, he wouldn't need any sort of flashcard to repeat that one sentence if he ended up losing his memories, it was engraved into his memory and sometimes he wish it wasn't case.

 

[PaddieCake]

Xander turned around lazily in his spot as he heard a voice greet him. A grin spread across his face. "Hello there, I am not looking for any one thing in particular I suppose... Something good for," and he paused, waving his hand as if trying to grasp at the words he was looking for.

"How to put it... I would like to 'pull a prank" himself doing air quotes with slender fingers, talking with an airy, slightly dramatic air. "On a 'friend'." Again, making air quotes. "Or perhaps several friends." He didn't know what, and was hoping to find something to give him an idea. "Something big, noisy, very obnoxious, really rattle some bones if you get my drift." He said, giving the witch a wink.

 

[Nerdinabottle]

The brunette looked at the tall man with a look that could clearly say 'are you kidding me' if looks could speak, tapping his fingers as he thought, turning his eyes away from the demon. "I think I may have something, give me a second."

He looked around at the variety of items the store had, bypassing the plants and the crystals, as they were used for beneficial purposes, in short, not for pranks. He walked over to one of the various stocked shelves the store had, picking up a box, turning around to the man. "This is a 'clockwork bug.' Essentially, this contraption can record all nearby sounds within twenty feet, but I'm sure all background noise can be covered up with an especially loud one. It can record up to one hour but it can be stopped early. However, it can only record one time unless you replace the Quartz that's inside the contraption. It's the closest thing you can get to what you just described."

He walked over to the counter at the front of the store, setting it down. "What do you think?" Having to memorize each quality each thing in the store has was a pain, but at least he didn't have to memorize the qualities and the meanings of the flowers, that part was made specially for his co-worker, Liam, and he did have a few books defining the qualities the crystals in the store had, and more, in detail. He looked over to the customer, wondering if he would buy it or not.

 

[PaddieCake]

Xander watched him bag, shrugging at him as if to say 'What?'. As he took another bite of his chocolate lollipop,the last one, Xander tilted his head slightly. He stood there listening to the other speak as he showed him a bug, clockwork and quartz. He stroked his chin, chewing on the stick still in his mouth. "So it's a recording device... Is that all?" He asked frowning. "It's useful, definitely. But I was hoping there'd be something else..." He said disappointment in his voice.

He leaned on the counter, looking around at the plants and crystals that surrounded them. "None of these are poisonous, right?" Xander asked, as if that was a completely normal question. "I don't want to kill anyone, promise, but I don't know his recording something is going to cut it.... Do you have explosives? Or I can get firecrackers at the dollar store right... How many of these do you have?" He asked, leaning in close to look at the witch's face properly. His eyes were narrowed, but not in malice, just amusement and intrigue.

 

[Nerdinabottle]

Aaron tapped his fingers softly on the counter, looking right at the taller man, wondering when his shift was over. Please let it be over soon. I want to get back to my book.

The brunette put his thoughts in order, waving his hand in circles as he spoke, to have at least some form of motion while he spoke. "None of these plants or crystals are poisonous, I can assure you, they are entirely for beneficial purposes, after all. I do not have anything similar to firecrackers, and honestly, I'm not entirely sure if the dollar store does sell firecrackers, but you are free to check. We have about..." He paused for a second. "Nine of these bugs in store at the moment."

 

[PaddieCake]

Xander frowned slightly, letting out a hefty sigh. "Well maybe those little snaps you throw on the ground. Enough of those should be loud enough... " Xander was disappointed in the lack of more interesting items. "Ah well, I suppose I'll take one." He said grinning.

"I do quite like the little set up you have here. It's lovely." He said, hands moving in a conversational manner. He rested one of his hands under his chin, watching the man closely. "So can you tell me what some of these things can do... I mean between you and me I'm sure I can have fun with them." The demon said, still chewing on his lollipop stick. "But I'm still curious."

 

[Nerdinabottle]

Aaron started packing up the small big in an equally small box, looking up at the man, donning a small smile onto his face.

"Thank you, I'm quite a fan of the way this shop is set up, myself. And it depends on what you're curious about, if you're curious about the plants' qualities then you're gonna have to talk to my coworker, Liam, he's the plant guy. I'm your man when it comes to the crystals. I can call him over if you want some," he paused for a second, letting out a small joke, "some magical plant knowledge or how to plant some magical seeds and such." It was funny to Aaron, since plants did not actually have magical qualities, they just had qualities that helped enhance the user's magical qualities, as well as qualities that worked as medicine of sorts for any type of user.

 

[PaddieCake]

"One should always have pride in their worlplace." He agreed, watching as he boxed up the little mechanical bug.

Xander could hear the amusement in the other man's voice as he spoke. The offering to get his coworker came off as both sincere, and as a joke at his expense. A joke Xander didn't get, and quite frankly he didn't like that one bit.

"Clearly I've done something to amuse you, care to explain what it might have been?" He asked, his tone dramatic, face in an act of being overdramatic.

 

[Nerdinabottle]

The witch looked up, waving his hand as if to wave away the words, cracking a small smile as he finished boxing up the small contraction, careful to not damage it in any way. "Oh, no, it's nothing really. It's just that I think its funny that some people do think that certain plants are magical, when infact, they only enhance other magical qualities."

He tapped his fingers in thought as he tried thinking up of an example. "Like the aloe plant. It can help cure burns and frostbites, among other things, but that's because of the plant's qualities, not because of magic. I don't know, it's just silly to me, in all honesty."

The only reason why the brunette was able to remember some of the qualities of this specific plant was because he used it sometimes to help cure some burns that happened due to mishaps in the kitchen or if he was out on a hot day for too much time. It was pretty much the only plant he knew, along with a few others.His knowledge on vegetation weren't exactly varied.

 

[PaddieCake]

Xander pondered what he said for a moment, tilting his head slightly as he thought. After a moment he let out a soft chuckle. It looks like he was rather foolish.

"Yes, I suppose that is funny." he agreed. He knew very little of this sort of magic. "Alas I have let you see my ignorance." He let out a dramatic sigh. "I suppose these crystals are more or less the same, enhancing abilities, rather than with any actual innate ones?" He asked, motioning towards a few of the crystals in the shop absently.

 

[Nerdinabottle]

The brunette smiled, shaking his head. "No, actually. Some stones are used for spells and actually do have magical qualities that affect the owner." The witch looked around the quaint store, walking towards one of the few shelves and picking up an amethyst, facing the customer. Or, well, right now, the bystander.

"Using the amethyst for example. Some people have it as a bracelet, a necklace, a keychain, et cetera, et cetera. The amethyst is mostly known for its calming effect, being able to help calm nervousness, helps users get better sleep, and is the go-to crystal most of the time when meditating or when you're praying." He put the purple and white crystal back on its shelf.

"Most crystals work better or worse depending on what your astrological sign is. The amethyst works well with all users, but works significantly better with users that are born as Pisces." He wandered around near the shelves filled with crystals absentmindedly as he went on, clearly being interested in the subject, keeping his eyes on the precious gems, then back to the customer. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your sign, sir?"

 

[PaddieCake]

Xander raised an eyebrow as the other man started walking around. He was pleased to hear that the stones did actually contain magical properties though, it meant they could be a bit more useful than the plants. The demon followed as the witch moved to pick up a purple crystal.

He nearly laughed, the idea of a calming stone seemed to be in direct contrast with everything Xander stood for. "So I can't find much use in that, I'm sure... I'm not known to want calm... Most of the time at least." he admitted, chuckling. The demon hadn't been expecting any sort of lesson in the use of magical crystals, but he supposed it was interesting nonetheless. He was always willing to learn something new, or at least try.

He seemed so interested in his shiny little rocks. But Xander supposed that was normal, he did seem to really appreciate this sort of thing. Xander was taken aback by the question of his sign (and he did, admittedly, find it amusing to be called 'sir'). "That is an excellent question." He said, rubbing his chin absently. "I mean I have to think back... it's been a very ,very long time since I thought about when I was born..." He admitted. "However, if memory serves me correctly I'd say... Aries." It was almost a question, as if the other man would have any idea when Xander was born.

 

[Nerdinabottle]

The brunette raised an eyebrow at the customer's statement, curious. He decided not to press further, seeing as people have their situations and such. "Doesn't sound like you're confident about that, but if you say so." He began to scan the shelves, going to a few various other crystals, eyeing two, a red crystal and a crystal that was a mix of white, black and blue. "I doubt you have much guilt or fear, seeing as you asked about firecrackers for a prank earlier, so here's another stone that works better with Aries, and one that you might find use for." He picked up a ruby.

"The ruby is used for good luck and durability, and witches and mages of the Middle Ages believed these stones to be formed from the blood of dragons, giving the wearer immense power and making them irresistible to others. I doubt you have any trouble with the latter, honestly, but it's still good to work as a good luck charm of sorts."

 

[PaddieCake]

Xander furrowed his brow as the other man looked at him oddly. "Well you try remembering your birthday after so long." he muttered, waving his hand nonchalantly. For a moment his mind wandered where the nearest candy store might be. But the shop keeper's voice brought him back to the present.

His eyes scanned the various stones, so many shapes, and sizes, and colors. He stopped a bit short, not realizing the shop keeper had done so, nearly bumping into the man. He had picked up two different crystals.

"Well I wasn't actually planning on hurting anyone with the fire crackers..." Of course that didn't mean someone wouldn't have gotten hurt... And Xander was certain he wouldn't have felt too terribly about it. "But you're not wrong." he agreed with a slight shrug.

He looked at the red crystal, the light bouncing off it, though any interest in its description came to a halt. A wide grin spread across his face, leaning down and resting his chin on the other man's shoulder. "Irresistible, huh? Is it the hair? Eyes? My charismatic personality?" he asked. He plucked the stone from the man's hand to get a better look at it "I think you've successfully convinced me to take this, as well." He said.

 

[Nerdinabottle]

Aaron looked over at the man skeptically, wondering why he was getting so close to the shopkeeper. The witch was unaccustomed to close contact, often keeping to himself most of the time outside of work, tensing up slightly at the fact that he was able to feel the proximity of the two, a general sense that is. He turned his head to take a quick look at the customer, averting his gaze back to the crystal in the other's hand within a few seconds. "In my opinion, your face in general, but then again I could be wrong, maybe its something else."

The brunette cleared his throat, feeling a bit flustered in all honesty, plucking the crystal out of the customer's hand almost the exact way he did it, shrugging the man's head off of his shoulder to get back to business, walking over to the counter to begin boxing the semi-fragile crystal. "Is there something else you'd be curious about, sir? Any other item or such or is that all?"

 

[PaddieCake]

Xander could feel the other tense up under his touch. His grin only broadened as he watched the shopkeeper from the corner of his eye. He loved it when people showed such discomfort, there was always something so amusing about it.
"Is that so?" He murmured "Well maybe you'll figure out what else it might be." His voice taking on a husky tone.

Xander let out a sigh of mild disappointment as the brunette pulled the gem stone out of his hand. He let out an almost pathetic sound as he was pushed off the other man. "And I was so comfortable too."

Xander followed him back to the counter, "Well if you had any chocolate, that would be great. But other than that... I don't think so." He said, rubbing his chin absently in thought. "I mean, unless you have any other suggestions." He said, raising an eyebrow.

 

[Nerdinabottle]

Aaron gave the man a look that silently said 'Are you serious,' practically the same one he had given the man at the beginning once hearing the demon's comment on the topic of his looks. "Don't hurt your throat there." He couldn't help but make a bit of a snarky retort when the man had used a sort of husky tone on the brunette, mildly affected, mostly due to just wanting this to be over at this point as well as the fact that he didn't even know this customer's name, so what was the point. What a pain. One other thing he also couldn't help was that he had given out a light and quick chuckle at the customer's disappointment when he had moved away from the man. "You shouldn't have gotten comfortable then. And we don't have chocolate. Pretty sure the dollar store sells chocolate though, if that's of any use." He paused, trying to think up of any other items. "I can't really come up with any other suggestions or items so, that's about it." He paused for few seconds, adding up the costs of the two items in his mind. "That will be 75 pieces of silver."

 

[PaddieCake]

Xander quirked an eyebrow, as if to question what he meant. "Well, I've had people say they like when I talk like that, but alas..."

Xander pouted slightly, leaning against the counter. It's not his fault he was comfortable. "Maybe you should have just let me stay there." He said shrugging, as if that were the obvious answer. He did seem genuinely upset at the denial of chocolate though. "Yeah, but I'm sure I won't like that shopkeeper nearly as much." He pointed out, letting out a dramatic sigh.

Xander grabbed his new items, carefully so as not to break them. As the man told him the price of the items, he looked down at the boxes in his hand. "75...silver." He stood there a moment, a bit annoyed he hadn't managed to make the man forget to charge him, and at this point he would almost feel bad about just leaving...

He rummaged through his pockets, pulling out a handful of a random assortment of coins, and placed them on the counter, mostly copper pieces, a couple of silver pieces, and one gold piece. "Thank you for your services." He said, nodding politely.

 

[Nerdinabottle]

Aaron shrugged, "Maybe you could've just not do that in the first place. And if you're that sad about not having chocolate, I could try to see if Liam is okay with beginning to sell chocolate here, and you're able to come back." He wasn't sure if that could actually manage to convince the man to come back again, but hey, it was worth a shot.

He looked down at the assortment of values, thinking. Eh, I'll take it. The witch took the pieces and put them in a drawer, looking up at the demon with a small smile. "Thanks for coming."

 

[PaddieCake]

"But that's no fun!" Though the demon' s eyes lit up, simultaneously excited at the prospect of having another place to get chocolate, and the fact that it was specifically for him "Oh well thats very kind of you!" He said, not even trying to keep the excitement from his voice. Though Xander had found it quite easy to find the delicious and varied flavors of chocolate, he did hate running into situations where he couldn't get any at all. "It's really a sound business practice if you ask me." He said, as if knew anything about business.

Xander smiled as the other man took the coins, glad to see that it was the correct amount, or at least there was no arguing involved this time. " I'll be seeing you around, then." He said matter of factly.

 

[Nerdinabottle]

Aaron nodded in agreement to the man's comment on business practice, "yeah, it would definitely help if we get customers with kids." He chuckled lightly at the fact that the man wasn't even trying to hide his happiness when he had mentioned the chocolate.

Aaron handed the customer his newly-bought items, waving goodbye. "Then I guess this will be a see you later, then. Have a nic- er- good day!" He quickly corrected himself, assuming that the man would not do many nice things if he were planning on doing a prank on a 'friend.'

 

[PaddieCake]

Xander supposed he couldn't just buy all the chocolate that might be sold there. He shrugged a bit "Yes, I guess children would like chocolate too." he agreed.

Xander carefully tucked the packages under his arm, not wanting to drop or break them. He gave the other man a small salute with his free hand. "You as well." He said, a mischievous glint in his eyes, and a smirk on his face as he left the store. He had a decent idea of what he wanted to do with the mechanical bug he had purchased. If he had initially planned to record something relatively explosive to scare friends, or perhaps strangers... But that also involved finding any.


It was about a week (at least Xander assumed so), since he had last been into the quaint shop full of plants and crystals. He had been chewing on Tootsie Rolls as he made his way to the shop. This time he came upon it with a sense of gratitude, a broad grin plastered on his face, looking quite pleased with himself.

He didn't hesitate to stroll up to the counter, not even looking at the couple of people who were clearly there to purchase items. "I want you to know, that I've successfully recreated a tropical thunderstorm inside someone's home." He said hopping up on to the counter, barely looking at the person he was intending to talk to as his eyes met those of a young woman, looking at something in his direction with mild disgust etched on her face.

Xander dared to turn around, trying to figure out what she might have been staring at, but nothing but more shelves, and a door. "What?"
((I'm so sorry this is terrible x.x))

 

[Nerdinabottle]

It had been about a week or so since the... peculiar customer had come to the shop. It had been peaceful and quiet, quite like every other day except for a few exceptions. That was until the customer had come again to visit the quaint little magic store. So when the man had returned once again, it took the unfortunate witch, who was on shift once again, a few moments to recollect his thoughts on who this was, remembering his as 'the One that likes pranks and compliments.' It was mildly amusing, he'll admit. He has thought up of more creative and funnier ones, yes, but this was the best he could do for the moment.

He couldn't help but be amused at the thought of an actual tropical storm in someone's house, already interested on how the eccentric man had managed to pull that off, seeing as there were no such storms nearby, but then again, the technology exists. "First of all, please get off the counter. And second of all, welcome back, sir." He paid no mind to the other customer's expression, already used to seeing that sort of expression, or versions of it that is, due to certain aspects of the boy, more specifically, the type of people he was attracted to, but that didn't matter at the moment.

Anyways, back to the task at hand. "I'll admit, you got me curious." The brunette had paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts to say the correct words. "How exactly did you manage to 'successfully recreate a tropical storm in someone's home'? Last time I checked, the clockwork bug didn't create rainfall."

 

[PaddieCake]

Xander was still trying to figure out what the one customer was staring at when his new friend spoke. Unfortunately the words weren't more akin to 'you're back, I've missed you so much', which only caused the demon to pout slightly. He did as asked, however, "Only because the counter is incredibly uncomfortable, mind. I'd hate to be sore." He said, settling for leaning against the counter, its sharp edge digging into his back as he crossed his arms and legs. The woman still glared at him, but seemed to have gone back to whatever it was she had been doing, though still clearly offended by Xander.

"Well the rain was easy once I managed to secure the sprinklers to the ceiling without them falling or the hoses coming undone, the real problem was waiting to record any thunder, I was worried I wouldn't manage to record any! The best part is he's stuck without about fifteen potted plants now he can't get rid of." Xander said, grinning broadly.