[Deleted]

The cold crisp air of winter had begun to fall away, replaced by the refreshing, warm feel of spring. With changes of the seasons, so too came changes for the shops of Los Eurosia. End of winter sales, a change in the menu, special deals, all of that and more had become increasingly a familiar sight.

Such a sight was also a familiar one at the local small glass making and shop, Glassy Wonders.

A dark haired woman tucked a vinyl banner under her arm, having brushed away all the dust and dirt from its surface from storage. A small sneeze left her in the process, causing Reina to shake her head a few times. She really needed to give the storage in the far back of her store a real cleaning one day. The dust bunnies were starting to collect a little too much for her liking. Just another thing she would have to add to her list as spring cleaning season was fast approaching. Another something she logged to the back of her mind for now.

Emerging from the back and stepping out to the front of the store, Reina blinked a few times to adjust her eyes to the bright morning sunlight. Finally, the morning was warm. Perfect for wearing short sleeves and light fabric pants she wore now. Smiling at the prospect of a decent day, Reina finally turned her full attention to the massive glass window on her store front, moving off to its far end away from the entrance of her store before kneeling to a single knee and untucking the rolled up banner from her arm. Shifting her grip, she laid the banner out before giving it a good shove, unraveling it fully and carefully smoothing out most of the wrinkles save for the slight curl at the ends. There was no fixing that when it had been stored this way since she first got it. Once rolled out to her liking, Reina picked up either top corner of the banner and lifted it up towards the window, pressing it against the glass and making a motion with her fingers to cause parts of the glass to move and flow like water, weaving small strands into small holes along the banner edges. Holding fast now, she held the banner until she was satisfied it would be secure, stepping back to eye her handiwork before nodding decisively. Yes, that would work.

Who needs tape when you can just mend the banner with a available material instead?

Dust off her hands once more, Reina turned back towards the door and stepped back inside. With the banner advertising her start of spring special, thirty percent off glass-making classes, purchases, or party specials, she finished fully opening the store, putting out her displays, ringing up her register, and switching on the “Open” neon sign. “Now to wait.” She told herself, moving towards the back to peer over the projects she would continue or work on that day.

[Deleted]

Samuel tried not to be the stereotypical New Englander, an impulse more easily fought with his steadfast avoidance of small talk than through any greater devotion to fairness, but he found winters in California laughably mild. The worst month of the year was reliably 40-50 degrees warmer than in his hometown, and despite living most of his adulthood in sunnier climates, he retained his hardiness. He no longer wore clothing deemed “winter” in his mind, and his spring wardrobe, too, resembled the summer one back in Maine.

When he entered the cafe that morning for a cup of tea and bagel - his daily routine disturbed due to an early deposition via teleconference on the East Coast, preventing him from taking his breakfast at home as he preferred - he wore a light material black suit, a matching black tie, and no coat whatsoever, not even the windbreaker which counted as his winter coat out west. The hustle and bustle of the rush hour breakfast crowd made the cafe uninviting to eat, even the table in the corner with a view out the window. As soon as his drink was ready, he snatched up the cup and left, while still clutching a brown paper bag which contained his bagel.

The walk back to his car brought him past a row of shops that he had ignored in his single-minded focus of retrieving his morning tea, but with the objective obtained, and in between sips through the plastic lid, Samuel took the opportunity to study his surroundings. Some form of consignment shop for clothing, a stationary store with the full spring palette displayed in the window, and Glassy Wonders.

Well, that was unique.

The banner was large and impossible to ignore now that he had looked. 30% purchases was enticing, particularly when his husband liked these types of colorful baubles. And Samuel had woken him up early this morning because of his client obligations.

He could look. Looking was not equivalent to contracting to purchase.

The attorney took a moment to orient himself, folding the paper bag to fit into the pocket of his suit jacket, forming only a small bulge, before he pushed lightly on the front door and stepped through.

Immediately, he was confronted by the sight of the dark-haired woman, an employee perhaps if not the owner, whom he greeted with a polite nod and his otherwise neutral expression.

[Deleted]

“Guten Morgen!”

The ringing of the door bells above the entrance pulled Reina from scanning over the day’s projects. A customer already this early gave her something to do for a little while. As she greeted the potential customer, she was quick to eye the man with a curious gaze. He wore a rather expensive looking suit and tie, a clothing choice that suggested a business man or perhaps an office individual. It wasn’t often she got such customers, unless it was generally for something special like a gift for a loved one or little goodie bags and baskets for gatherings. So, it went without saying that the woman was a little curious to what this nicely dressed fellow came in for.

“Welcome to Glassy Wonders, sir.” She finished her greeting with traces of an accent in her voice, offering a welcoming smile that still seemed impish even without trying. “Feel free to take a look around. If you need any help or have any questions, I’ll be just back here.” She assured. It was her typical seeking point. The last thing Reina wanted was to seem pushy or harassing a potential client or customer.

Leaving Samuel to his browsing, Reina turned back to what she had been doing initially, settling on restocking her merchandise first above anything. The displays had looked a bit empty in some places as of late…Decision made, Reina pulled back her hair into a messy bun before rolling her shoulders, stepping away from the counter that acted as a smaller display case. Behind it, a small workshop like area was set up, wooden shelves lining the walls in rows of three in a horseshoe display, filled with varying types of glasses of differing colors, some dull, some bright, opaque, and others translucent or iridescent. Beneath the bottom shelf, small wooden bowls were neatly lined against the wall as well as other tools she could use if necessary. But this time, Reina wasn’t too concerned with hiding her true method of making most of her glass creations. What were the chances the man would hold any interest and see her gift?

Dismissing the possibility-throwing caution to the wind as she always did in fact-she went right to work. “Small handful of red, handful of pink, dash of orange…” Pieces of glass could soon be heard clinking around, clacking together as the woman scooped a few pieces from each shelving box, using her free hand to pick up a wooden bowl nearby and placing it on the table followed by dumping the collected pieces inside. Cupping the bowl in her hands, Reina gave the shards a good few shakes, mixing the pieces up so they were randomly assorted before setting the bowl back down. Now for the real fun.

Reina began to move her right hand in a circular motion over the bowl, face contorted into one of concentration as she focused on the glass shards until they bent to her will, gradually becoming almost like a thick liquid. Mixed just enough to arrange the colors in a unique, abstract pattern. Lifting her hand with a swift motion, the mud-like concoction followed as she brought up her left hand, bringing the wet mass between her palms to form an uneven ball shape like kids would with plah-doh. Slowly, she rolled the mass and expanded it, using a mix of her power and technique until it was to a decent hollow glass bubble and drawing away the excess she did not use before carefully placing the bubble on a rack to hold. “That’ll do.” She spoke to herself with pride, having for a moment forgotten the well-dressed stranger still presently in her shop.

@mystic