2023.10.18:Of Picts and Samurai

Of Picts and Samurai
A pair of customers come to Five Points, looking for some unusual items.
IC Date	October 17th, 2023
IC Time	Evening
Players	Mark, Lyra, Ken
Location	Five Points Rare Books

Mark is off to the left side of the store at the moment, making a whole bunch of shuffling noises as he unpacks a box to place some volumes in whatever open spots he can find on the shelves.

Through the doors, a person comes! An extraordinary person by all accounts but, perhaps, not so extraordinary when compared toh er peers in the Prospect Bay Area. Lyra enters the wtore with her arms folded just beneath her chest, peering about in silence to regard the new surroundings... Dressed like a fairytale, she steps right on past the new age material and makes for the shelves of more esoteric material... Oddly, though she's never been before, she seems to be looking for something in particular. Or, perhaps, judging the spines of each book she passes.
Had she noticed Mark..? She certainly made no audible note of it!

Mark looks up at the door chimes, then shoves the box around next to the book shelves and steps out into the middle of the store dusting his hands off. He does pause at the sight of her, but drives on quickly either through practice or just being used to unusual customers in a place like this. "Hello, welcome to Five Points! Let me know if I can help with anything, but I can stay out of the way if you just want to browse."

When Mark makes his presence known, Lyra's silver-eyed attention becomes his. She blinks for a moment, registering his presence, before she speaks!
"...I am SO sorry I hadn't noticed you." She simply starts, "And to be frank with you, I was hoping to ask if you have anything of a more historical variety here. Perhaps, older books or pages written by the people who don't often get a chance to be heard." She steps around the shelf like a wisp, and stands closer with her attention instead affixed down the stacks. "I'm primarily interested in Celtic magickal history. Cultural Anthropology, you see... A bit of an obsession of mine."

Mark nods, glancing towards the Northwest corner of the store. "Oh, yes, I think we can help you out there. Anything Celtic will be back this way, if you'll follow me. Most of what we have on the shelves though does come from commercially printed volumes, so if you're searching for something like a primary source manuscript then I may have to hunt that down for you. Was that more of what you're interested in?"

Lyra nods in understanding. "Oh I'm certain it does. Most stores do. The Witches' Brew is much the same way... Feather of Ma'at as well. Each of them, though, had a tendency towards possessing several hidden treasures." She follows along with mark as he leads the way to the area where the Celtic material was kept, and sets to observing them as she speaks.
"A primary source would be quite lovely. I'm building a collection, you see... I have a variety of students who are interested in the same area of anthropological study, and I strive to have the most authentic materials available for them." She flits her silver eyes towards him...
"If you could arrange that, that would be wonderful. It may be that I could even narrow down the topic, if it would be helpful for your discovery."

Mark glances back with a smile, that of a subject matter aficionado layered underneath that of the simpler customer service one. He sails on past the mention of competitors without taking the bait, skipping straight to the matter at hand. "Hidden treasures we do have, you probably know how bibliophiles do love to find gems on the shelves. And I do have to store them somewhere, don't I? We do have some cases in the center for some of the rarer and harder to get items, but I'm afraid I don't have anything there of early Celtic origin at the moment. But if it's something specific you're looking for, I can check with my contacts and see if I can track it down. And you're a teacher, you said? That sounds exciting!"

"I'm specifically looking for something regarding Pictish sacrificial ritual. Not a thing you often hear about- in fact, not a thing most people even remember. I do happen to know that the Picts in particular loved to put their practices down in some fashion of writing... But it is, as with all Celtic regions, so very muddled with the interpretations of the Christian Monk." Lyra explains, standing up to her full height as she regards him.
"If you could manage to track something of the sort down, that would be lovely! But don't risk your neck for it, of course... I know very well how rabid that bibliophiles, as you said, can be." She cants her head to the right...
"But yes, I am a teacher. I also own and operate a couple businesses down in Chula Vista, but my true passion IS of course my anthropological pursuits... That said, I do not teach at a university. Suppose you could say that amplifies just how exciting that it happens to be." She casts an errant look around the store afterwards...
"Do you own and operate this place on your own, out of curiosity? Quite the commitment if so."

Mark nods thoughtfully, his eyes already shifting side to side as he thinks through his contacts list and starts making plans. "Well, of course it's hard to trust the point of view of those that came after, especially if they had a hand in suppressing things in the first place. So, yes, Pictish rituals... I can't promise anything at this stage of course, but I will look into it for you. And I'll give you one of my cards so you can get in touch, I've got a box on the counter. I don't get down to Chula Vista much myself, I actually just moved down here from La Jolla, so the other direction. And yes, I do run this myself so far. I'm still settling in, but I should be able to hire on some assistance sooner or later. In the meantime though, it's not so bad. When you do something you love, and all of that."

"Oh? And I presume it was the viability of the customer base which brought you here, yes? Prospect does seem to have a strange reputation as a place befitting the weird and the outsiders. I'm not quite sure why that could be- but the reality of it being so is REALLY hard to ignore." Lyra looks down at herself for indication- self consciously aware that she, too, is a part of the weird.
"Well, if you ever have the craving for decent food or a game of cards, do come to the Lady of the Lake, or the Lucky Shamrock. The Lady is my restaurant pub, and the Shamrock is a card room. So, unfortunately, you don't get both at the same locale." She grins just a touch.
"I appreciate your willingness to help. I have to say, it's quite refreshing to have a place like this actively tended again by someone who cares about the information that they carry. And, I can't help but notice... You also stock esoteric supplies on request?" She quizzically asks, turning a glance towards the shrunken head.
"I very well might have a use for a service like that some time in the future, so it 'would' be lovely to know. My last source, you see, they vanished as if by magick."

Mark reaches the back corner and waves his hand at the Celtic collection with a flourish. He grins at her last line, finding the humor in it. "You could say that, I outgrew my last location and needed a larger space. Which made it seem like a good idea to come into the heart of the real city. Many of my best customers were from down here as it was. I don't know that I'll be able to make it down to Chula Vista often, as nice as you make it sound. Part of the appeal of moving here is not needing a car."
"But of course I'm willing to help. This is the part of things that are the most fun, really. Anyone who blows past the self help rack by the door without a glance is already on their way to being one of the interesting customers. And that includes supplies, yes. I try to keep what I can on hand sourced from reliable suppliers. And if I don't have it, I can try to get it."

"Well, if that's ALL it takes to be considered an interesting customer, I suppose I've went and gone beyond the pale." Lyra replies with simple amusement, "Never mind being unable to make it to Chula Vista. I expect that I shall be paying at least semi-regular visits to this place when I have the need for something... Assuming the trial run pans out acceptably." She nods matter of factly...
"If it DOES pan out acceptably, then I very well may have more to discuss with you with regard to future business."

Mark is in the far back corner of the shop at the moment, talking to Lyra about some Celtic books with their voices carrying over the bookshelves to the center of the store with just a bit of muffling. "Above and beyond indeed, you've got an interesting focus for a subject. It may take me a few days or more to have an answer for you, but I'll get started on it this week. I can't promise miracles, but I do hate to disappoint."

Ken comes in and makes the door jingle or ding or what ever the door here does. He looks around and, spotting no one, doesn't really go much farther in. But he hears the voices and begins to proceed inwards. Browsing for the moment.

"Well... Most of my research is on an as needed basis. This, if you can believe it, is very needed indeed. I've got an interesting issue on my hands and I'd like to get some looks at relevant materials to see if there's any equitable practices... Or if I need to get ready to do a bit of field work." Lyra sighs at the mention of field work. Her attention lifts to the top of the shelves as they talk, and she shrugs.
"Miracles are always performed at someone's expense, you know. I'd be concerned if you 'had' promised one. I'll be in touch via the card, you just let me know when you've got the material on hand. And, of course... Do I owe you anything up front? Or would this happen to be an on receipt service?"

Mark looks up at the sound of the door chiming, but pauses to answer Lyra before moving. "Wow, it sounds like you've got a lot going on, huh? Oh, no, no promises means nothing up front. Putting out feelers is part of what I do all the time anyway, and if I can find what you want and bring it in house then everything's happy. You'll get first crack at it, and if you change your mind or vanish then it's just part of the collection for the next round of trades. If you'll excuse me for a moment though, I should greet the new guest."
Mark slips out of the maze in the center of the shop, waving at Ken. "Hello, sir! Welcome to Five Points! Let me know if I can help with anything, but I can stay out of the way if you just want to browse."

Ken turns as he hear someone approach. His head bows slightly. "Good evening," he greets in heavily accented English. "I am just browsing if you wish to conclude," he turns to see if he can spot the other voice. "Do you have non-English texts?"

Lyra snickers at Mark's reply, turning to affix her attention back on the cases of curiosities... It's new, after all. New and eager to be observed! She does not pursue, instead leaving Mark and Ken to their devices while she browses.

Mark nods to Ken, although his expression gets apologetic. "Yes, but the majority of what we have is in English. Latin text is a distant second followed closely by Spanish. But if there's anything specific you're looking for, I can try to locate it for you."

Ken nods once. Disappointed but not surprised. "I do not speak though," he replies with out much emotion. "I am setting up a new home here. I have recently moved. It would be nice to have something," he looks around the room, "with more character. But not just for the sake of show either. Something I actually would enjoy. I do like books."

Mark nods, looking at Ken attentively. "That's understandable. I only moved here recently myself, although not from that far away. Are you looking for literature, or something more historical in nature? A Japanese author, perhaps?"

Ken listens and once more nods. "I see. Many people pass through." He is rather quiet and still. Thinking? "I am in a new place. I should try something new. A new author perhaps. Are you finished with, " he motions to where he heard another person.

Mark glances back towards the back cases where Lyra is browsing. "For now, I think. She wanted to take a look around and browse. So I do have time to work with you, if you'd like."

Ken looks once more then shrugs. His attention returns to you. "If you are sure." He wanders, but not far. "I am unsure where to start." His gaze is intent as he browse but he is careful not to touch the antiques. "I enjoy tails of old. The samurai, as you might expect."

Mark nods to Ken, then turns to the right and points into the stacks. "In that case I can help you, as long as you don't mind English translations. Follow me and I'll show you what we have. We specialize in older books and esoterica, but we do have a lot of printings of other historical works as well."

Ken turns and slowly follow. "Books and what? Sorry. My English." He does seem slightly embarrassed. So far his English sounds very school house. Like he has little practice with native speakers.

Mark leads Ken into the section containing the majority of works from Eastern culture and history. "Sorry, I meant books on the unusual, the mystical, the magical and the occult. It's a bit of a theme here, and one that extends year round instead of only in October. But I think that this shelf may have more of what might interest you. Let's see, we have some translations of the Book of Five Rings, some on historical samurai, some on fictional samurai... Oh, and a set of the Lone Wolf and Cub Manga as well. That's a bit more recent than most of our collection, but there are certainly those that consider it a modern classic."

Ken becomes more interested. More animate. A little bit anyway. At least at the first things you list off. The manga doesn't seem to spark emotion either way. "These are translated to English? I know these. This could help me learn." He reaches for one of the older books but pauses to glance your way.

Mark takes a step back, giving a nodding smile to Ken. "By all means, peruse to your heart's content. If it wasn't meant to be touched, it would be put out where it could be."

Ken can not help but laugh just a little. Very little. He does get down an English translation of a book he already knows. "You said you too have just moved here?"

Mark stands back a few feet, clasping his hands behind his back. "That's right, just a few weeks ago. My old store was just a bit north of here in La Jolla."

It's about then that Lyra finally emerges from the back. Just the same as when she had entered, she moves like a wisp through the space and to the front... She drifts up to the front desk, plucking a card out of the box before looking back to the pair. "Good luck finding what you're looking for, dear. And good luck to you as well... Store keeper. My name is Lyra Grey, for your reference, so you may avoid the confusion when I contact you. Have a lovely night!" And then, with the chime of the bell, she's gone.

Ken gives a little shrug. He clearly doesn't know where that is. "Oh?" He looks around. "You are back in business quickly. This must have taken some effort to move."

Mark looks around the room, letting out a deep sigh. "Indeed. I thought it would be a lot, and I underestimated it greatly. It has paid off already though. Really, it's been an amazing couple of weeks."

Ken looks up from the book. "Oh? A move paid off so quickly? How unusual. what good fortune. How did that happen?"

Mark unclasps his hands to shrug, then clasps them again in front of himself with a bit of a smile creeping onto his face. "Oh, not so much as in paying off business loans or the like. But... I've found it rewarding, intellectually and... personally, you could say?"

Ken listens and waits. "Ah. That would make more sense. I see. Still. Good for you. You have met people you like here you mean?"

Mark nods, a pleasant smile spreading across his face as he considers the past few weeks. "Yes, that would be a good way to put it. Of course I do hope to make things work out financially sooner rather than later, but I have made good connections while here already."

Ken looks to the door that the lady just left through. "Such as her? You seemed most deep in conversation when I arrived. I hope I did not intrude."

Mark glances at the door as well, following his gaze. "Oh, I suppose? I actually only met her a few minutes before you walked in, but she did have quite an interesting set of interests. Pre Celtic history, specifically. She actually put in a custom request I'm going to try to track down for her."

Ken repeats pre Celtic and takes a moment to place it. "Ah. You do research as well? At least as far as tracking down written works?" Now he sounds more interested.

Mark nods, coming out of his reverie. "Yes sir, we do. As a bibliophile myself, I aim to please my compatriots. And I have a fair amount of contacts in the community."

Ken has to puzzle out bibliophile. "Ah. A good habbit to have in my opinion. Might I ask you why you chose to move?"

Mark looks around, he eyes going towards the windows to the street. "The old store was too small for the inventory, and I thought I could reach more people here. A lot of my customers were already from Prospect. So this was the place to be."

Ken looks around the store when you mention the size. His attention returns to you. "A logical move then. And it seems you are growing more." A hint of a smile shows. "Two more customers. How much do you want for this volume?"

Mark smiles back at Ken, then looks at the book in question. "As I recall, that one would come to sixteen dollars. And I'm glad we had something in stock that could make you happy today."

Ken looks surprised but pleasantly so. "That is all? Then I must have it then." He nods and bows your way. "I am Yasuda Ken'ichi. I am glad to have stumbled on this place."

Mark bows back politely, copying the form well for a Westerner. "It is nice to meet you, Yasuda Ken'ichi. I am Mark Rogers. And I am glad to have had you stumble into my store. If you'll follow me, we can get you checked out at the counter. I also have some business cards there."

Ken moves with you. He too has a card. His name and number as well as information for a charity that probably is not well known in this country. "Here. Please take one of mine as well."

Mark grabs one of his own cards from a dispenser on the counter and holds it out to exchange with Ken. Then he checks him out at the register for the selected book. "Thank you. And if you are looking for anything in the future, please let me know."

Ken looks at the card ten pockets it. If you take contactless pay he uses his phone. "A pleasure." He briefly bows before turning to go.