nexus_sages | Trixie's lucky day? (Aka +1 unicorn XD)

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Trixie's lucky day? (Aka +1 unicorn XD)

That right there sure would be a unicorn with a bright azure blue coat and cornflower blue mane, trotting right out of nowhere into the forum. The thing that she's pulling, looks like a combination of a cart, storefront and small house behind her... It's not a huge wagon by any means, but one gets the feeling that there is more to it than a first glance would have you believe...

Trixie decreased her speed from a canter, to a trot, and finally a full stop as she looked around the area with a puzzled, but also surprised, look on her face. "Hmmm... Well, this is new..." It didn't take her long to spot what she thought had to be the ugliest sign she'd ever seen, and shortly there after, the 'Welcome to the Nexus' brochure. "Nexus?"

Floating the pamphlet over using magic, she started to read it, and looked quite intrigued by the information. "Interesting... I wonder..."

Clearing her throat, she looked around and asked "Could anyone please tell me what the local currency here is?" She paused and considered things a moment. "Also, do I need a permit to sell items here?"

Well, why not? It's not like she had any urgent business anywhere, any chance to for her to gain knowledge, new items and perhaps sell some of her wares, it would be stupidity of the highest order to let an opportunity like this pass her by.

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(( :D Oh, before I forget... Would Verity's truth ability be an internal or external magic? ie attached to her internally and low key, or does it... flow off of her to give her feedback like sonar? I'm trying to figure out if Trixie could sense it or not... If it's the latter and you don't want her to be able to sense it, it's easy enough to explain away why Trixie can't sense/identify it.))

"It's not the prices I worry about, more the quality and that what I'm trading for is what they say it is. I don't want to buy what is supposed to be a berry cake, only to find the inside is made of wood..."

It was nice of her to offer, but with the amount of inventory she had, it was just easier for Trixie to do it herself... Though she might ask her to give opinions on what heights to set things at later. "I probably will get used to this fairly quickly, though I don't believe that I'll be setting up a permanent shop. I enjoy wandering and discovering new magics too much."

She pauses to consider things a moment. "Is there a dirt lot or park that needs some greenery, landscaping and care? It would make me feel better if I could 'pay' something for use of the space..." Natural spaces made her feel better, plus she could 'ground' her magic and grow herbs without worrying about wrecking someone's land or such... Plus paying it 'forward' by leaving the space better than it was, it made her feel good.

((Well, it's from a magic ring she swallowed as a baby that absorbed into her, so... honestly? Not a fucking clue. :P She's free to sense it if you'd like, but it's probably not super strong.))

"Ah, that's fair. Some of the forgeries around here are really quite good. People who sell false goods in the marketplaces get ratted out by the other merchants pretty quick, so unless you're one of the first couple customers, it shouldn't be a problem. We're sort of a self-policing community sometimes." Ver's had a hard time articulating what's wrong with some of the fakes she's seen, and that's after knowing for absolute fact that there's something wrong with them.

But a forgery that good is a kind of art in and of itself, in her opinion.

"Yeah, exploring is a lot of fun. And with your setup here it should be pretty easy for you."

She hums thoughtfully at the question and takes a moment to think about it. "There's a few vacant lots I can think of, yeah. You're a gardener? I love gardens, but I grew up in a city so mine have always been in pots."

((Hmmm... then Trixie is likely to equate her to an 'earth pony'. Internal, localized magic, that's not uncommon in Equestria... Not that her thought is really correct, but from the knowledge she has at the moment, it's what seems likely. :P ))

"I may have to try and continue my work on a small truth ward, or something of that ilk. My normal anti theft ward is good, but not suited for purposeful deception. It just keeps my items from being taken without payment..."

At the mention of gardening, Trixie shakes her head a little. "No, well, not really. I study magic, enchanting and potions... It's one of many skills I've picked up so that I can keep my ingredient stocks up and to avoid getting ripped off. Plus an impure sample of a herb in a potion could have not only unwanted, but dangerous and even deadly side affects... If the impurity doesn't spoil the potion or makes it explode first... I do not want to be responsible for a disaster."

Shaking her head a bit to clear the bad thoughts from her mind, she can't help but ask. "Would you mind showing me around to a few of these lots? I'd like to find somewhere to set up camp so I don't have to haul my wagon around everywhere." She could easily keep hauling her wagon without pain or discomfort, but it was annoying when you wanted to look at things.

((Sounds fair. She's very grounded.))

"It's a terrible thing to see too much truth," she warns, and something in her tone... she knows it too well. She takes a breath before giving her head a little shake and focusing on Trixie again. "An anti-theft ward would be popular. Real estate isn't exactly expensive, but it can be hard to defend your claim sometimes."

She knows all too well that magic is real, so the list of abilities and potential problems is taken as a matter of course. But magic is rare where she's from, rare enough that it still impresses her. "Magic? Neat. I've learned a little bit, just fragments really, while I've been here. Maybe we can trade tips sometime."

The request gets a nod. "Sure. How big an area are you thinking? Like... the size of that building, or bigger, like the size of this plaza?" It would help to know where to start.

She nods a little as she recalls a few of her old classmates that had run ins with some overpowered truth spells when she was in school. There was indeed such a thing as 'too much truth'. Returning her thoughts to the present, she focuses back on task.

"I'm unsure if I could create a viable ward for anyone but myself here, but I will look into it. It takes a lot to set one up, both in power and materials... It should be possible, but a good lock is probably better for the average home owner."

Not a totally true statement, but not false either. The ward would be better, but what good is the ward if you have to sell off almost everything to afford said ward? Not that Trixie would price gouge, but in many cases spell and warding components were expensive...

"I'd be interested in learning more about your type of magic." Trixie smiles "It would be a pleasure to trade tips..." She gives Verity a slightly cautious look as she asks "Would you be willing to let me do a study of your magic sometime?" Internal magic can be a very personal thing, and she's not intending to offend. Trixie is just curious as to how Verity's magic is different from what she knows.

When it comes to a question of 'how big' Trixie has to consider things a moment. "I was originally thinking of a space just big enough to park my cart and set up my shopfront... but if you know of larger spaces that could use some improvement, I wouldn't mind. Granted, it shouldn't be so out of the way that others have trouble finding me..."

"Oh, that would be a problem," she agrees. Still, it's an idea to keep in the back of her head for the museum. Other styles of magic might offer less expensive options, or maybe they'll decide it's worth the price. "But always good to check the options, especially in a place like this."

Subjective truths are tricky for Ver, but she tries not to call people out on that kind of thing. Everyone's entitled to an opinion, and if it's not running counter to fact, well. Not her business if they think oranges are better than apples, right?

"Study my magic? Sure. I don't know much, but I'd be happy to show you what I know." She's not thinking of the curse; most people never notice it until she's told them about it. They can work out the details of what they're comfortable with later.

"Hmm. There's a spot on one of the roads between here and the commercial district. Maybe... half again as long as your cart, and twice as wide? That'd be room to move around and have people browsing, and there'll be plenty of foot traffic passing by."

"If nothing else, it will give me a challenge to work on. Warding can be very complex as well as expensive. It took me years to figure out how to ward my wagon, but then again that was having to create an entirely new ward system from scratch..." She's really downplaying just how hard it was to do. Warding a mobile space was hard, warding a magically expanded, mobile, temperature controlled space, had been previously thought all but impossible to ward with any kind of true stability.

Trixie is quite excited by her agreement, but keeps it in check. "Thank you. It will be interesting to see the differences between our magics." She was going to have enough research to keep her busy for years after coming here.

"Perhaps... It sounds to be of a good size..." She mutters "I just have to remember to take my wards into account... but I won't know how they'll hold here until I set up..." before looking embarrassed at getting sidetracked. "Would you be kind enough to show me the spot you're thinking of? Or give me directions if you have somewhere you need to be?"

"It sounds complicated." Not knowing much about magic, there's not a whole lot Ver can say about it one way or another. "Creating something entirely new is usually more expensive than recreating it, because of the costs of research. And some people are willing to spend a lot of money to feel safe." Case in point: the woman who watched her world burn.

"It will be," she agrees with a smile. She's pretty sure she'll be doing most of the learning. Hopefully, Trixie won't mind.

"I'd be happy to, I'm headed that way anyway. It's just down here." The path in question heads out of the forum between a row of old-fashioned phone booths and what appears to be a Viking mead hall. Verity steps out of the way and waits for Trixie to get herself and her cart sorted out before starting down the road. It's of well-maintained cobblestone, and hopefully, not too uncomfortable for Trixie.

It's not a long walk to the lot in question; usually, five minutes, maybe closer to ten accounting for the way traffic slows up to funnel to one side getting around Trixie's cart. There's some snow on the ground, but the warmth in the air suggests spring is coming soon.

Trixie nods "That I fear is what will be the issue here. If the magic of this world is much different from my own, I may need to design wards from scratch again... If such is the case it likely wouldn't be worth my time." While she hates to tell others no if they really need something, sometimes she still had to. She couldn't afford to give away her services for free most of the time, as she needed components in their creation, and her time was valuable too.

"Thank you. I appreciate it." It takes her very little time to get herself reoriented in that direction, making it clear that she's very used to traveling with her cart. "I'm going to have to go exploring later... there is so much to see here!"

The phone booths might seem old fashioned to Verity, but to Trixie they were something entirely new. Needless to say there would be a fair bit of gawking done by Trixie along the way. Even if she tried her best to keep her inner 'tourist' in check, she's got a good dose of wide eyed wonder going on.

The snow on the ground proves to be no issue for her and her cart glides smoothly over the stone, smoother than should be possible. Enchanting the wheels for stability when she made them was clearly a good idea... However Verity may have to remind her to keep moving now and then if she sees something that catches her attention too long.

"That's fair." Verity certainly doesn't think people should 'give away' their time and efforts more than they want to. She may have grown up in a strangely altruistic society, but she understands the need to defend the self.

"There is so much to see," she agrees with a laugh. "It's nice to see someone so eager to explore." It's nice to see someone arrive who isn't in the midst of a crisis, or bleeding, or extremely confused after falling out of the sky. This has been so refreshingly normal.

Verity doesn't mind Trixie wanting to stop and gawk at things. She did too when she first arrived. She still does sometimes. There are so many things to see, magical and mystical, natural and technological. It would take lifetimes to explore everything. But from time to time she'll issue a gentle reminder, murmuring, "Perhaps it would be easier to explore when you've put your cart up safely?"

Oops, Trixie looks a bit embarrassed at needing Verity to remind her to move. "Sorry. There are just so many things I've never seen here before. I'll try to avoid stalling again." She chuckles a bit at her own foolishness. She had plenty of time to explore later.

"Perhaps if there is an easy enough way for me to travel between here and Equestria, I will set up a more permanent location for myself..." Something occurs to her suddenly and she mutters to herself half under her breath "Note to self, remember to find a way to ward whatever passageway I find against Discord... He's crazy enough without additional ideas."

"We all do it," she offers by way of reassurance. "Just not quite so literally stalling." It's a bad joke, she knows, and she won't be offended if Trixie doesn't laugh. "Seeing all the new things around here is one of the best parts of being here."

She wonders who this 'Discord' is. It's not a friendly-sounding name. "There are ways of traveling besides using whatever portal got you here in the first place. They can be a little tricky, and we'd have to find one you can use without human-sized fingers, but I'm sure someone here can set you up with something if that's what you'd like."

Trixie snorts a little, amused, but not so amused that it warrants a laugh.

Discord was a... unique problem. She couldn't honestly call him a villain any more, since he honestly seemed to be attempting to reform himself... But he was still mostly chaos energy so... The quote 'with friends like you, who needs enemies' seemed appropriate.

"That sounds like an appealing solution, since I'm half concerned my arrival here was caused by a misfired prank and there may not be a portal..." She didn't remember walking through one at least. "What is it about them that requires fingers? I may be able to manipulate it with my magic like I do other tasks... Though I suppose I will have to remember to make sure whatever it is won't disrupt the enchantments on my cart..."

Ver will take what she can get.

Oh, Discord is Trixie's Loki. Something else for them to bond over.

"Mm, portals can be hard to see. And yeah, not everyone comes through one. But there are other ways to get back to try before worrying you're stuck." Ver gives her an encouraging smile. Worrying about being stuck is so common, and she gets why, but no reason to worry in advance.

To answer the other question, she gets out her smartphone and shows it to Trixie. "Well, mine is part of this. The screen reacts to the touch of my finger, like so..." She pauses here, pulling the sleeve of her sweater down over her hand. "But it doesn't work when my finger is covered. So I don't know if magic would work to activate it. There are models with more physical buttons, those would probably work. How small of a thing do you have fine motor-type control over with magic?"

((I'm going to assume they're now at the lot if that's good with you?))

Trixie wasn't worried about being stuck, at least not yet. She had a number of things she could try herself to get home, as well as ideas to try... and as much as she would miss home and her friends if she were stuck, she'd live. Nodding at Verity's words Trixie agrees with her "I'm not too worried about being stuck, even if I am, it seems pleasant enough here." Looking on the bright side? Yes.

Since they were now somewhere Trixie could park her cart, she maneuvered it to the middle of the lot and used a flare of her magic to slip herself out of the harness. Walking over, she takes a good look at the device.

"Hmmm... I can see how that would be a problem. I could maybe use my horn, but that might scratch the screen, if it works at all." The buttons sounded like a much better idea. "I've got decent enough control I suppose..."

Decent control? She has superb control, better than amazing, she just really downplays how good she is. Trixie has spent most of her life honing her control so that she can enchant, which requires very fine detail and control... She thinks it's bragging, but she did work hard for it. Sitting for hours and hours at a desk with a quill and ink, practicing her control... Anyone would think that she's earned the right to brag.

((Perfectly fine, yeah. :) It's a collaborative game so I never mind someone helping move things along.))

It's a refreshingly positive attitude. Verity wasn't nearly so positive when she first got stuck. Or, more accurately, lost. "It can be very pleasant, yeah. Always plenty to do and see."

Ver keeps herself out of the way while Trixie parks. Not that the unicorn isn't good at it, but Ver's used to Manhattan traffic and thus knows the value of not being obstructed or distracted at times like these.

The phone is mostly technology, but there's definitely so magic involved too. Oh, the apps you can download around here. "Like I said, there's options and people who can make all kinds of customizations. You just need to figure out what works for you."

Since Trixie's offering an opinion, Verity can't tell she's being modest. Subjective truths and all that. But even then, she's impressed. Telekinetics, where she's from, often had a hard time learning to control their powers and use them safely. If Ver knew the extent of Trixie's abilities, she'd bring around a typewriter for the unicorn. There's a very satisfying sound to clacking keys.

"So, this spot works for you?"

((I still like to check. :3 I like to confirm that I'm on the same page as the person I'm playing with.))

The phone is amazing to Trixie, and she thinks about getting one sometime... just to pull apart and see how it works. She can tell there's some magic in it, and she's curious. "Honestly? I think the simpler, the better... For this at least. The less there is in it, the less there is to try and fix should something happen while I'm away from here..." and the less complex it is to try and incorporate into her cart.

She might be able to still pick up some of Trixie's lie about her skills, mostly because she knows she's good, and is much better than she'll admit to. Unicorns learned to use their magic in such ways from birth, but not all gained such fine control. If Verity did bring around a typewriter, Trixie would be highly amused and would likely enchant it to create pamphlets or something. Mostly because nearly all her notes had diagrams and drawings on them.

"This should do for a while at least..." A half truth. It would do for a time, but she'd want something better quite quickly. For checking her enchantments and small sales, it would be good, but for more than a week or two she'd need better. "I'll have to move to a new spot after a bit, but for the time it will work."

Trixie wanted a chance to look around, also to find something to eat... that would be easier if she didn't need to haul everything with her.

((And now we know. :D))

A surprisingly popular idea, pulling things apart to see how they work. Ver may have done that once or twice herself. "That makes sense, sometimes things stop working quite the same after the traveling."

It's a small lie, but if Trixie's not as good as she says, it makes no real difference to Ver. It's not putting Verity in danger or anything. If she's better than she says, than calling her out for being modest isn't likely to help. Either way, not worth bringing up right now--but worth remembering.

"I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for when you've had a chance to look around." Permanent solutions aren't often found in the Nexus. People always seem to be shuffling themselves around, even people like Ver who live there permanently.

(( :3 ))

"Yes, which is why I'm afraid that something may have happened to my cart... It will take me days to get this checked out..." A tired sigh. "As much as I love magic, it can be a real pain sometimes."

She gives Verity a smile. "Of that, I have little doubt." She pauses and considers her options for the next few days and tries not to wince at the idea of not being able to access most of her supplies.

"Are metals or gems considered valuable here?" Her coins and such might not be useable as their face value here, but perhaps the metals would be worth something. She would need a few things until she had access to her cart again and she didn't want to promise favors or the like if she could avoid it.

"Oh, I hope you can sort it out. I don't know anything about enchanting, but I know where to find all kinds of things around here, so if you need help finding supplies I can probably point you in the right direction." Verity's mind is highly organized and she's observant; it's a useful set of traits sometimes.

"Yeah, definitely. And lots of merchants will let you work off a debt. If you need something expensive, it might take a few days, but you'll get what you need eventually." The economy of a place with so many lost and ill-prepared people has to be flexible about these things.

"If nothing big failed, it shouldn't take long to get up and running..." She's not going to panic and think everything failed, she was trying to be positive here. "It's more safety than anything." Truth. She could just toss open the door on her wagon without checking, but the chance of a 'boom'...

Her ears perk in interest. "Will they take gold?" It had been a long time since she'd had breakfast after all, and even though gold wasn't overly valuable in Equestria, she was hoping that it was worth at least a little here.

She does nod to the rest of the explanation, not too worried about the rest. As long as she could manage to get a few supplies to hold her over until she could get into her cart, she'd be fine.

"It's good to be careful about these things," she agrees. She wouldn't enjoy it much as a bystander if things started exploding, antiviolence field or no.

"Gold? Yeah. Most people around here take gold. It's reasonably valuable, too, so you should get a good exchange for it." She'll have no problem spending gems and gold coins. She might prove very popular, in fact, with the moneychangers.

"You need anything else? Or should I let you get on with checking things?"

Trixie looks much relieved when she hears that at least her coins are usable, even if not for their face value. Gems and gold were quite common on Equestria, so she hoped she could make her funds stretch for a few weeks if needed.

"I think I'll be fine... but..." That was a lie, but she's not going to admit to being nervous about being on her own in this strange new place. Besides, Verity had been so helpful and Trixie felt kind of bad for taking up so much of her time. "... Could I buy you lunch?..." She pauses and looks up at the sky, making an odd face "... or whatever is appropriate for this time of day..."

Her eyes narrow a touch at the lie, but she won't call Trixie out for it. It's one Verity tells too often to not understand. The offer following it is a pleasant surprise and gets a smile. "That'd be nice. But how about you let me treat you this time since you've got so much to deal with before you're set up safely? You can get next time."

But that does bring up a potentially embarrassing question. "So... what do you eat? I know where to find a decent vegan place if that's an issue."

"I... If you're sure?" Well, that wasn't what she'd expected when she made the offer. "I'll get the next two." Because why not? She was enjoying talking to Verity and she'd been really nice.

The question of food makes her blink, then nod in understanding. She'd been in the Gryphon lands before, so she wasn't a stranger to non vegan diets. "As long as there's a vegan option available for me, I'm fine with where ever you'd like to go." That's the full truth. "I've traveled enough that I'm used to others with diets different from my own. I won't partake, but it doesn't particularly bother me."

The last was a partial truth. Creatures and people with meat diets did bother her somewhat, but she did her best to just pretend they were eating something else. As long as they didn't try to get her to eat it, she could deal with sitting near them for a meal.

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