taxonomites | [Location | Tamper and Trick, Central Taxon] Opening Day

As may have been evidenced by her frequent trips in and around the center of Taxon, Tara has been quite busy recently. And though it’s served the secondary purpose of distracting her from the unwelcome news she received from Kyra, she’s found a great deal of satisfaction in slowly transforming the empty shop into something to be proud of.

The shelves are now full of various hatched items, ingredients and books, including a few items enchanted by Tara and Ethan themselves. Most tend toward healing and protection, though there are no guarantees that one couldn’t find other things as well (especially if one asked Ethan very nicely). There’s a decent book selection, and dried herbs from the window garden Tara’s growing in the back. Behind the counter, there are gift wrapping supplies, along with some of the more powerful items.

Though she’s not much for tooting her own horn, Sam and Buffy at least know what she’s been working on. And Tara feels that they should do something to celebrate opening, even if it’s something quiet. Balloons and cake, perhaps, like it’s the shop’s birthday. Even if no one comes, though, it will do little to dampen her mood; it feels like one of the first things she’s done in Taxon, maybe in her life, that’s really come together.

She has enough things to worry about, but for this afternoon, she’s taking a break.

Also taking a break - from worrying about when this will end, from thinking about the other world that really sounds terrible, from wondering what Anya would think of the new shop - is Ethan, who discreetly added 'marijuana' to the, er, herbs on offer at Tamper and Trick. He's making tea in the backroom, presently, but he even put on a nice silk shirt (dark purple) for the occasion and he is taking it appropriately seriously-

"It's just not as satisfying when you can't play with the money," he says, bringing two cups out to Tara.

(Sort of seriously.)

The shop is open, so drop by. Curious strangers are also fine.

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"You should have seen the Magic Box, back in Sunnydale. It had some really impressive stock." Not that Giles would let most people know about the really good stuff, but nevertheless. "If you have any questions..."

"Yeah, I'll ask." Rose answers. She pokes through the ingredients for a minute, completely immersed. "Doctor doesn't really believe magic is real. Sort of a science instead. Guess I can see his reasoning here. It's like chemistry. You add a bit of that, a bit of this. Things react and boom. Only probably not a literal boom." She's not easily squicked out. Right now she's shaking a bottle of bird beaks.

Of course she doesn't know about the magic that just comes from a person.

"He told me. I don't think he knows I do magic, yet." His certainty that there was no such thing kind of put a damper on that conversation, to be honest. "But... it's more than just action, reaction. I mean, I'm not a scientist, and he's seen a lot more than me but... it's more complicated than just do a certain action, say a certain word."

Tara is also trying to stay between her and Ethan, because while she's not going to hurt the beaks, Tara imagines Ethan will not be thrilled with Rose's enthusiastic approach to the inventory.

Rose is more apt to believe in magic. In fact she thinks it'd be brilliant if it were real. She puts the jar of beaks down and moves onto something else. She tilts her head, trying to determine what it is.

"Hearts?" she asks, gesturing with the jar. Poor Ethan. Rose is very 'hands on'.

"So where does it come from? The magic?"

"Uh, livers, actually," she says, with a little smile. As long as she doesn't break anything, Tara doubts it will cause more than a little grumbling.

"That's... it's complicated. Not everyone agrees, actually, where it comes from. But what I taught - what I believe... it comes from the Earth. Not just the physical planet, but all the creatures and plants and everything on it, working together, working against each other. Everything. Not everyone can feel it, and even fewer people can really use it for anything major without help. Rituals and spells and that kind of thing."

Rose nods and puts the livers back, moving onto something else she can pick up. This happens to be a peacock feather that she runs over her neck as she speaks.

"Guess that makes sense. I mean that the planet and all the things on it would have power. Does it affect all the living things?"

"Yes and no, I suppose. It's nothing you'd usually feel or notice. But there are legends of people getting powerful enough that they can feel individual living things, from miles and miles away, if they concentrate. That would take a ton of control and raw power, though, both." Which means most people, by the time they got to that point, would be pretty scary, regardless of intentions.

From what Buffy's hinted, Willow might get there one day.

She nods, replacing the feather. "Guess there aren't many of those people. Probably for the best." She picks up a small stone, rubbing her fingers over it.

"It's like any kind of power," she says a bit softer. "It takes a lot of willpower to keep it from controlling you."

"I guess it would," Rose admits. She remembers having the time vortex in her and she knows to an extent the time vortex controlled her. It's not the same thing but it's the only experience she has with power. She puts the rock down and picks up a small wooden bowl of some sort. "Are you born with it? Or does someone...I dunno grow into it?"

"A little of both. It's like most talents, really; sometimes it can run in families, sometimes it just turns up out of nowhere. You usually don't have much power before puberty, though, even if you're naturally talented. There's a lot of theories, but no consensus as to why."

It was why she'd done relatively little with her mother, before her mother died; she hadn't been old enough to train much before then.

[Location | Tamper and Trick, Central Taxon] Opening Day

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