da Vigo thumbed the copy of Celestial Diaries in his arms while returning the woman's hidden gaze thoughtfully. The price was considerable but not out of line for a very good copy of a historical document. Of course to anybody aware of its theurgic value it would be priceless. Still it was a considerable drain on his estate's fortunes to the point that he couldn't easily field the amount. Nor was it particularly wise of Alessandro as the head of the estate to risk so much for personal gains.

But than again he wasn't just the noble head of a dying house anymore, was he? What good were these powers if they didn't turn things around? Time to quit overthinking and worrying and use them.

"A steep price for what is essentially just a copy of an original, though admittedly a good one. Perhaps in place of coin we could work a trade of equal worth? I am not unskilled with high sorcery myself."

The Proprietress' head tilted downward as if she intended to look down the length of her hidden nose at Alessandro. The gesture almost comical for the difference in their heights but still it bore a hint of... gravitas to it that could not be ignored. Some hint of her past in that moment made all the more clear and reinforcing that subtle instinct that this strange book keeper was not one to be taken lightly. It was, naturally, a marked shift from understated pride and timid mannerisms of one confident but burdened by social stigma.

It was a tense moment of silence as she continued to studio Alessandro before relaxing and allowing her gaze to drift else where. A hand rising to tap a finger against the right side of her jaw with lips pursed in thoughtful consideration revealing little lines once more of an otherwise smooth complexion.

"If we're to have this conversation, I'd like to do so somewhere more comfortable than standing between the shelves." the Proprietress concluded with another extending of a delicate arm towards the back of the store. The slender stair case curving along the wall visible from where they stood. Her manners no less or more than they had been before when he had first stepped into the store.

His face remains amiable while he feels elated that such an offer might be accepted. Nervous too for the woman seemed to be completely unintimidated by the mention of high sorcery. It was a good night to be cautious as ne nods and follows the Proprietress to her back rooms.

Despite the impression of being sighted behind the veil of silver and silk, she still took great care in the ascent to a small suite of rooms that forms a recessed back floor of the Old Memory. It struck as much office as living place with the scents of coffee, tea, and various spices lingering in the air to form a pleasant but oddly alien ambiance despite the predominantly Vissian architecture and sensibilities. She gestured quietly towards a set of couches positioned opposite each other with a single table between them piled with various books. Far lighter subjects than theurgic mechanics or the treaties of academia... They still spoke to a mind that prefers activity to idleness.

Once Alessandro takes his seat, she settled herself opposite him and took a moment to smooth what wrinkles might have made their way into the black fabric of her gown.

"Like I said early, I'm not without my means but some things remain... beyond me in a way. Old Memories make for present curses." the Proprietress concluded with an airy gesture towards her masked features. "I've two tasks in mind... One is simpler than the other." she began now with hands folded neatly in her lap and legs crossed politely at the ankles like a proper gentlewoman despite her monstrous lineage and cultural reputation.

"A man with a good sword arm is as useful as a good author. Or so I'm told, anyway. One of my contacts has been pestering for a bit of extra help to secure something he believes can be found among the... unstable ruins  that you can find among the plains of the Howlers. The locals aren't exactly keen to cooperate with his efforts but then they're rarely keen to cooperate with anyone if history's been any sort of proper teacher." she quipped while raising a hand to forestall Alessandro from even beginning to question with a pleasant and warm twist of a smile. Her manners still every bit professional and business like speaking to some proper mercantile instinct.

"The other... is bit more grim. Like I said earlier, I prefer to leave the Past with the Dead but some things can't be escaped. I'm... blighted in a sense. The lingering wrath of a loved one. So from time to time I'm unfortunately faced with the task of... replacing my eyes." she paused and once more her head tilted forward as if she were gazing down the length of her nose at Alessandro. "Don't look at me like that! I'm not asking for yours or anyone's. I've arrangements with a local physician at one of the mortuaries. I would simply need you to pay him a visit." the Proprietress finished with a hint of pique at the assumptions made of her before settling back into her own seat with hands coming to rest in her lap again. One gesturing briefly towards Alessandro and ceding the proverbial floor to him.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:35, Sat 09 Dec 2017.

Alessandro suffers a pang of irritation at the implication he should act as a courier. It wasn't the greatest insult considering what his current jobs entailed it still required swallowing his pride. Well...if it kept her happy and pliable that was worth some wounded pride. Brief amusement flashed through the back of his mind as the thought of necromantic arts barely entered into the equation.

The other request required negotiation considering the absurd amount of effort and danger he would have to go through for her friend.

"My mother was a Howler woman. She told me stories of what the tribes would do to interlopers who violated the ancient ruins. Nothing terrifies them so much as those stories of what comes out of them. I find it hard to believe that the tribesmen just let your friend dig through them unmolested."

The Proprietress offered a slight agreeing nod of her head at the counter point but did not otherwise acknowledge the faint impression of irritation he gave at the other favour he might perform for her. Whether understood or not, there had been an extended trust there regarding an intimate matter and payment well and above what the errand was truly worth from a financial perspective. Regardless, she remained pleasant and understanding.

"As a matter of fact, they rarely do. He, however, can be persuasive in his own right and reports have indicated that in a few of these ruins old academies, archives, and libraries still endure. Perhaps not all of their contents... but it's both his and my hope that something remains. I wouldn't be... disinclined to share in some of the fruits of that labour once I'm able to sort and translate everything." the Proprietress conceded with a slight tilt of head and rise of shoulders. It was clear enough she was feeling out the waters now as the negotiation was truly joined. Her manners as natural as ever but a certain comfort in the mercantile interaction evident.

The offer is tempting but it could be better.

"As a counter-offer give me full access to whatever you find but you can keep the originals of any books or other archival material we uncover."

In essence da Vigo was relying on the woman's adherence to a honorable bargain by giving her the keys, so to speak. But if the proprietess kept to her word it could work out quite well for both of them.

"So long as there are no unwarranted replications that start to make the rounds, I can certainly agree to those terms." the Proprietress agreed with a nod of head, a hand rising to carefully still the veils of silver and silk that obscured her eyes. The memory of her comments as to the blight she was afflicted with leading the mind to wonder as to just what might be transpiring behind. Her tone otherwise as pleasant as it had always been and her handling of the language of Vissio still striking as peculiarly ponderous yet powerful as a result of her accent.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:03, Sat 09 Dec 2017.

"Only what is necessary for my own studies of course." replies Alessandro agreeably.

"Which reminds me...we are business partners now so formal introductions are in order. I am Alessandro da Vigo of Chieri."

"Most have taken to calling me Oriana. A reference to my hair." the Proprietress, Oriana, replied in kind with a slight seated bow in introduction. The mannerism foreign to the etiquette and seemingly just as alien to the documented mannerisms of her homeland. Still, it proved a rather becoming gesture for the hint of natural grace and good nature that it seemed to convey. Even if she was still a creature deeply marked by her upbringing and social values.

"Would you like some coffee or tea? There's still a fair bit to discuss as to what'll need to be arranged and I'll have to prepare a letter of introduction for my contact to introduce you properly." Oriana continued as she rose comfortably from her seat to make her way towards a small kitchenette that lingered at the edge of the small sitting room. The view as pleasant as before with her back turned to Alessnadro but tinged now with that impression of dangerous individual and also the pressing requirement for propriety given the deal that had been struck.

"Coffee, thank you", answers Alessandro as he takes in her foreign mannerisms. 'Foreign' being a stretch in a trade city where all manner of odd customs manifested themselves.

"I do have a question. Vissio is famous for its clockwork maestros. Why not engage one of them for a set of new eyes?"

"I'm less inclined to trust the vision of something I've not made for myself when those same Maestros are also famous for their duplicity and the murderous work their artifice is put to. I'm also inclined to believe that the same blight I'm afflicted with would ultimately rust away the mechanisms." Oriana replied as she set quietly about the task of preparing coffee. The familiar strikes of imported matches catching Alessandro's ear for a moment over the more ordinary strikes of flint and steel. Eventually, a small fire was merrily burning as she set about the task of grinding the beans with the same ease that implied frequent practice in the act. Contrasted against her appearance and the almost confirmed suspicion of her sorcerous aptitude, it struck as almost bizarrely mundane.

It was a fair enough answer. "Alright, Oriana", the name rolled off the tongue,"Who exactly am I to acquire your package from?"

"Hm? You mean my eyes or the contents of the various ruins?" Oriana questioned in response as she glanced up from her busy work of minding the coffee and adjusting the fire with small words to the flames beneath the coffee pot. The scent of it filling the air and overpowering the spice in the moment as the water began to happily bubble and sing. Such done and well minded, she turned to drawing out milk and sugar from a small ice chest. Cool mist rising up from it as she levered open the lid and drew out what she needed before closing it once more with care to ensure a proper seal. Ice, gathered conventionally, was something of a commodity in it's own right.

"I only really expected you to want to undertake one or the other. If you'd like to pay a visit to the Doctor... I wouldn't argue. I've lost much of my vision by this point. I've found a few work arounds but it's... not comfortable to be without sight." the Proprietress concluded with a slight gesture of hand towards her eyes behind the veil of silver and silk. Her tone almost preposterously casual about the matter save for the hints of pain and discomfort in the undertone of being so frank about an infirmity. A crack in the facade of confidence and impressions of power.

"Your...optics. I'm at loose ends for a few hours so it cost me nothing to retrieve your package from the Doctor for you. Consider it a sign of good will toward a business partner", says Alessandro with a smile. "Its the other task that will require I settle a few things here in the city before trotting off into the Howler wastes for who knows how long."

A hint of sympathy crosses his face, polite without being overbearing, "An unfortunate circumstance regarding your vision but one I'm sure will have a solution in time. It is, if I may be blunt, an interesting problem."

Oriana continued the preparation of the coffee and laid out the pot, the delicate china cups, milk, and sugar with small tongs of silver atop a tray with a faint hint of compulsion towards proper spacing and arrangement. With equal care she gently lifted the tray and brought it to the table, unerringly laying it among the literature that had piled up atop the small coffee table.

"That's very kind of you." the Proprietress replied with a certain gratitude evident in her tone as she began pouring out the coffee and depositing two cubes of sugar into her own cup before gesturing for Alessandro to make his preference known to her. She moved with that same impression of studied surety that went at odds with her comments that most of her vision had rotted away.

"The physician is one Doctor Francesco Ricci. He's the Mortician in attendance at Fiachi's House of Rest towards the River. He's a surprisingly happy man, all things considered. It's infectious." Oriana said with a reflective and introspective note to her voice. A small smile touching her features for an instant before she returned to the topic of the curses of her past.

"It's a matter of time is my view on it as well. It is fascinating theurgic construct especially for it's persistence. I've come to an understanding of most of it's components but a way to defeat it once and for all is still a little beyond me at this point. My dear tormentor was rather, admittedly expectedly, clever in that regard." the Woman concluded before blowing gently upon the coffee. It's aroma strong and tinged by a few spices that identified it as a tropical blend. She took a sip then and relaxed back into the plush cushion of the couch.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:13, Sun 10 Dec 2017.

Alessandro made an appreciative 'hmm' as the coffee passed over his tongue. An equal thrill passed through Alessandro's chest as he engaged in a deep discussion of theurgic causes and effects about Oriana's curse. He hadn't had much time to engage in such discussions since his days at Grand Cervello Academy, with fellow students and teachers in rowdy back and forths. He missed those days before his parents had passed on. This unassuming bookshop owner was proving a valuable find in more than one way.

"I know of Fiachi's. You can see the roof from the bluff overlooking the river valley where my house sits. I know nothing more of it. Study of the body and its humors was always a bit beyond me", Alessandro replied with chuckle. At least it had been. More and more things were becoming clearer. "I should have no problem finding it."

He gazes at the veiled woman for a long moment before adding,"Its often the case in fact and myth that a curse can be lifted by killing the one responsible."

"Most people I've met are simply happy to know their bodies work rather than understanding the underlying principles of why or how. My circumstances have made it a bit of a need to understand how my mind interacts with my eyes and what I can do to make things... bearable. The nerves aren't usually the first things to go, oddly." Oriana replied and revealed something of her depth and breadth of reading in the comment. Perhaps she was driven by necessity in this regard but it spoke well enough to a curiosity when combined with her present trade and existence... All of which seemed a convenient vehicle towards the goal of ridding herself of her affliction.

She fell silent for a perceptible moment at the mention of killing the one that had cursed her. Pale hands turning the delicate china of the coffee with practiced care.

"It's a thought I haven't overlooked... but I'm reluctant. Killing and bloodshed haven't done me much good recently." The Proprietress offered with a small laugh that showed an appreciation of the irony in the statement coming from one with her lineage and cultural touch stones of raiding and pillaging at great expense to every neighboring nation.

In reply to The Proprietress (msg # 32):

"I see", said Alessandro though it was debatable that he really did. It was one thing to forgive a transgression but this curse was an act of spiteful malice renewed periodically. It reminded him of the shuddering housewives who flinched when their spouses noticed them but fiercely defended them from all accusations of abuse. Well...it wasn't Alessandro's place to be Oriana's white knight and he might be reading it wrong anyway. Besides it had nothing to do with their business.

The continued discussion of the anatomical and theurgical problems and solutions to her decaying eyes is a fascinating one that Alessandro loses himself in. Its only the ringing of the chapel bells that pulls his attention to how late it was getting.

"I'm afraid if you want your package today I'll have to take my leave now. Its been a very strange, lucrative, and pleasant discussion. May we indulge in such again, Oriana."

 

It seemed, for a moment, that Oriana had not even heard Alessandro as she drifted upon the waves of her inner thoughts. The depth of them still hidden by the veils of silk and silver but if all were as she said... He doubted there would be much to gleam in meaning or thought from the rotted wreckage of her present eyes. The thought wasn't a pleasant one despite the otherwise pleasing cast of her features.

"It has and the wards won't bother you on your way in or out for the time being. So feel free to visit and browse. Also... keep the diaries safe this time. There's some interesting reading to be had in the latter chapters about the manipulation of Natural Law. I've used the formulae here to help preserve my stock." the Proprietress offered in a marked shift away from her more somber thoughts to cheerful ones and the pleasant demeanor she had greeted him with. The timidness gone for the instant as she was allowed to leave behind at least one mask in their business dealings.

Good byes and polite formalities seen to, Alessandro stepped out of the bookshop once more. Slivers of proper sunlight cutting down between the towering structures of modern business to either side of Oriana's business. The bustle of people and city life suddenly thunder in his ears when contrasted against the pleasant and cozy silence of her establishment. There were other small blessings to be counted as the steady fall of light rain had finally passed into memory and the warmth of the season had once more begun to assert itself.

Of course, he had a visit to a rather grim place to pay before the business of the evening and unpleasant company was to be savored and enjoyed.

The heavy package of the book, covered in protective oilskins and wrapped in a leather strap for ease of carrying was slung over one shoulder as the young nobleman visits his horse at the Luogo di Ubriachi stables. Marengo lowers his ears at having been abandoned by his master but a apple soon recovers his loyalty. Having reacquainted himself with the beast and left his package among his other possessions in an innocuous saddlebag Alessandro continues his walk under the pleasant afternoon sunlight.

Life-long Familiarity with the city grants an ease of transit though the city and across the bridge among other strollers to the the morbid sanctuary of modern medicine and anatomy known as Fiachi's House of Rest.

The building was hardly out of place in the city of Chieri. It showed every hint of the people's love of aesthetics in the Patrian fashion with the vivid colours of Vissio to inform it's every aspect. It's marble facades, however, still struck as somber and reflective despite the accents of red, orange, and every hue of the setting Sun. Few people lingered upon it's steps and the neighborhood in general was one of composed silence despite clear evidence of business being done in the windowed facades of a dozen other small and related establishments.

A fitting place to find one's end and an equally fitting place for those seeking to acquire certain... things that were not always looked upon kindly by the people of Vissio. Academics, however, required cadavers and there was no better source than a Mortuary such as Fiachi's House of Rest.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:07, Wed 13 Dec 2017.

Alessandro stopped in the passing crowd to appreciate the subtle hues of the Etowah and Sienna marbles that made up the building. Engineering and sculpting had both been hobbies he had followed when time permitted and Fiachi's House of Rest was an excellent example of the mason's art.

Stepping into the building he looked about for an attendant to talk too.

"I am looking for a Doctor Francesco Ricci."

The Attendant was no more than a young boy if one were to be honest. His clothes colourful but subdued in respect for what the House of Rest meant for so many. A neat white apron adorning his front as he pauses in his labours, arms laden with a small crate.

"I think he's in his office on the second floor? That's where I last heard him anyway." he replied with a bit of confusion and a slight rise of his chin towards a side door where the silhouette of stairs could be glimpsed just beyond. He lingered for a moment to see if there was anything Alessandro needed before continuing on his way with his burden of the box.

Da Vigo nods his thanks to the attendant before ascending to the Doctor's office. Reaching the door he politely knocks and waits.