A Reading for a Raevan - Magic & Mushrooms

◈ WHO: Delia, Adrian & Reuben (Ebony Shade & Skyeforge)
◈ WHEN: Midday on February 24, 2017
◈ WHERE: The Mystic Herb
◈ WEATHER: Clear skies, albeit a bit windy.

The wind pushed against the side of the shop as Reuben set out an herbal display on a table. Howling. It had been fairly slow this day; he blamed the weather. Not a lot of people liked to come out during winds, rains, and the like. But Reuben found peace within the confines of his home and shop.

The tarotist looked out the window and watched the wind push some fallen leaves across the ground quickly. The trees were flowing. The tall grass outside looked like green waves of the sea as the light cascaded down upon the moving blades.

What he'd do to get a customer. With a heavy sigh, he went back into his office and sat at his desk, pulling out a checkbook and some recent bills he was sent. Keeping track of the books was a chore, but one he didn't mind whatsoever; being honest with himself, he quite liked it. He took a moment every few minutes to look out the window and see the wind causing the plants in his garden to sway.

The front door to the shop would open up suddenly with a gust of wind and the crazy chiming of a bell while a black clad Raevan struggled with it. A slightly aged, yet strong hand would shoot out of nowhere and grab the door handle before it could slip out of Cordelia's grasp and slam into the adjoining wall. Gently sliding the snake out of the way, Adrian managed to get both of them inside and shut the door before any real damage could be done.

"Careful Dove, we wouldn't want to accidentally buy anything right off the bat." The Brit said with a light chuckle.

Frustrated and having trouble fixing her wind tussled hair, Cordelia let loose the ponytail and allowed the strands to melt into smoke before having them reform into their normal state, albeit more tamed than they had been previously. Huffing, "It's not my fault the weather's like this. You're the one that absolutely had to come out here today of all days." Silver orbs finally taking in her current surroundings, Delia's nose wrinkled at the unfamiliar items in the shop. "What exactly is this place anyway? And what are we doing here?"

Adrian couldn't help frowning disapprovingly at his granddaughter when she'd made a blatant display of her smoke abilities. Though she was immensely better than when she first awoke from stone, the elder man still worried whenever she tried her hand at experimenting with her new powers whether it was wise to do so. In his mind, she still had a lot of recovering to do.

The man sighed, "I was speaking with Zeke earlier and he'd made mention of this shop. He said it's possible that the owner could help in regards to Ebony's whereabouts." He continued despite Cordelia's unconvinced eye roll then. "Besides, he said we'd be helping out since the owner is soon to be with Raevan. Zeke wanted him to feel welcomed and get to know plenty of guardians and Raevans beforehand."

As the door to his shop swung open, making a thud, Reuben quickly popped his head into the main area of the shop, ensuring everything was okay. Upon seeing the girl, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped. It was a raevan!

Before he could let the two know of his presence in the room, he heard the man speak of Zeke. So he had gotten the package, and things were on their way. A bright smile grew on his face and he fully entered the room with a new sense of relief, knowing that Zeke was getting the word out about him. He had no doubt that other guardians were alerted when new guardians arose, but he was happy to hear that, by what this stranger had said, that he was a guardian himself and that Reuben would be as well. So, his fears of ruining his capture were all for naught.

"Hello there! Welcome to the Mystic Herb. I can't help but notice that you're a raevan, dear. And you must be a guardian? I'm Reuben Rothmore," the man stated as he approached the two guests with open arms. As he said his name, he held out his hand to the older gentleman. "It's fantastic to meet you both."

With eyes fluttering from the man to the frei, he couldn't help but keep that same plastered smile on his face. He had been worried for months that he'd never hear from the lab again, but luckily, that wouldn't be the case, according to this man anyway.

"I couldn't help but overhear the name Ebony? As in Ebony Shade?" he questioned. The name was very unique and, when given the list of guardians upon being accepted into the "lab family", he had memorized everyone's name. "She's...missing?" Reuben began, but figuring as he was getting a little ahead of himself, he retracted. "Ah, sorry, umm...what exactly can I help you two with today?" His voice cracking midsentence as he felt his nerves creep up.

When a new voice joined the room, the two Shades stopped their conversation and looked towards the newcomer. Cordelia sized the man up with her steel colored eyes, unimpressed. This man, Reuben was it, with his unkempt hair and style of clothing that seemed to scream hipster to her was suppose to help them find Ebony somehow? She had to hold back a snort of indignation as he stated the obvious of her being a Raevan. If the cops couldn't find her, how was this guy suppose to? She decided to allow her grandfather to handle the introductions and whatnot since he was the one that wanted to come here so badly. Back to the two men, Cordelia quickly took out her phone and was texting someone furiously. Most likely Seth's younger brother Evan who was the only one out of the band that didn't mind a bit of gossip here or there.

A little taken aback by Reuben's somewhat disjointed introduction, Adrian shook the younger man's outstretched hand a little less firmly than he normally would. "Uh yes! Well, that is acting guardian currently. Apologizes." Trying to recover as quickly as possible, Adrian continued. Gesturing towards the Basilisk, "That would be my granddaughter Cordelia. I'm Adrian Shade. Ebony is my daughter and Cordelia's actual guardian. And yes, she is indeed missing. She has been for sometime now and the police have no leads. Zeke said you may be able to help?" It was obvious to anyone looking into those slightly wrinkled sapphire eyes, that at this point Adrian was willing to grasp onto whatever hope he could, no matter the source.

Reuben kept his glance consistent between the two customers. This raevan seemed so different from Vesna. Both of which were basically the exact opposites. Vesna was the extremely girly teenager who loved to take photos of her food. Whereas this Cordelia character seemed like the grungy, anti-social type of teenager that wanted nothing to do with anyone.

The tarotist's smile fell into slight disarray after hearing of Ebony's disappearance. "Well, sadly, locator magic is somewhat hard to perfect and rather rare to find. All I can do, if you'd like, is give you a tarot reading, at least see if she's okay...if things will get better, potentially? If you believe in the tarot, it's a grand tool that people have used for centuries for fortune telling. It's actually scarily accurate. I could also probably point you in the right direction of where to find a locator spell, but aside from that and a tarot reading, I can't offer much more," he said dimly. Reuben felt sorry that he couldn't do more, especially for a fellow guardian. But he wished to offer all he could to help.

"I'm sorry...you came here looking for answers and all I have is some mundane magic. Would you like me to do a tarot reading for your guardian? Have you ever heard of tarot before?" Reuben turned the question to Cordelia. Maybe he could get her to open up a bit; give her some hope of sorts. He looked the frei over a bit, her ribbon differing from Vesna's. He wondered what she was crafted from; but kept that point in the back of his head. If he could get her to even talk a bit, he'd be happy.

It was sometimes hard to ignore the striking resemblance Cordelia held to her guardian, but it was even more obvious whenever the girl gave one of those looks that was so Ebony it was frightening. Right now she was facing Reuben with the most cold, yet irritable look she could muster. Forcefully pressing the send button with her thumb, Cordelia somewhat hissed at the man. "I know what a tarot deck is. I wasn't born yesterday."

"Cordelia! Manners!" Adrian almost never had to raise his voice, but when he did it was always booming and commanding. He was completely appalled by the behavior of his granddaughter then. She knew better than to be disrespectful, especially to someone they'd just met. Especially when they were guests.

Her current guardian's reaction made her shrink some and feel immediately embarrassed and apologetic. Honestly, she didn't know what it was that came over her whenever Ebony was mentioned these days. Sometimes it was sadness, loneliness, and sometimes, it was anger, pure undiluted anger. Cordelia closed her eyes for a moment before taking a breath and opening them once again. The smoke Raevan bowed her head at the man. "My apologizes for my rude behavior. I'm just skeptical of whether this can help or not since the police can't find anything." Straightening before Reuben, Cordelia avoided eye contact and mumbled, "Besides, you hear so much about fortune telling fakes these days."

Adrian could be seen pinching the bridge of his nose. He understood the girl was under some stress in regards to Ebony, but it was no reason to bite people's heads off. He was however pleased when she seemed to realize her mistake and took responsibility by apologizing to the man without having to be told to do so. With a great sigh and an apologetic smile, Adrian said, "Please, any help you can give would be most appreciated Mr. Rothmore."

Reuben looked downright distraught at the initial reaction he got from Cordelia. When Adrian had scolded her, however, and things turned around with the apology, his face brightened up. "I know what you're saying. I can't even imagine what you must be feeling right now. However, I'm sure that she's alright. I know there is a lot of skepticism in tarot readings and fortune telling; but you'll see. Come with me."

Reuben locked the front door and took the two into his back room, his work station of sorts, and out the back door. He did this with all his clients who were receiving readings, because he wanted to make sure the reading was done in a very nice, peaceful place. In his back yard, he walked around the back of his home to a large gazebo with, what could only be described as, a large treasure chest sitting in one corner.

The man opened the chest and pulled out a few satin pouches and a few comfortable pillows, then walked to the center of the gazebo. Normally these things were scheduled and he was more prepared, however with such short notice, and the fact that it was a raevan needing help, he'd obviously make exceptions.

Reuben set the pillows down and sat on the ebony colored pillow. The green pillows were used for his clients, should they wish to sit. He took a seat on his pillow and waved the two to join him. "Alright, go ahead and float on down to me, and take a seat. You can lay here if you'd like," he said with a smile, grabbing the decks and pulling them from the satin pouches, placing them one by one in front of his clients.

"Choose a deck. The one that speaks to you most. Then quiet your mind and try to meditate a bit. Take deep breaths and keep your eyes closed for a time. Don't think about anything. Don't let your mind wander. Keep it still. Then we will begin the reading."

He was sure she was all right? Cordelia had to hold her tongue this time and bite back her growing anger as they followed the blonde man. Unfortunately for Reuben, he was not really making a great impression upon the Basilisk just yet as his words felt flippant and careless in regards to the Shades' current situation. From what Adrian had said, Ebony had been far from "all right" for a very, very long time. She'd quit her job, stopped eating, stopped talking, she'd given up her entire life, becoming more of a recluse than she already had been. Who knows what had become of her once she'd left home in that kind of condition? For all they knew, they were wasting their time trying to locate her. 'Maybe she was...' It was a thought Cordelia didn't want to entertain, but also one she couldn't rule out after all this time.

She couldn't hide her new look of exasperation at what she considered a bit of a gaudy gazebo. Trying to help Adrian down onto one of the pillows, she was immediately shooed away as the man felt he wasn't quite at that point in his life that he needed to be helped like that. Obviously he was not an invalid of any sort, in fact Adrian was probably a lot healthier and more fit than most his age. Resigning with a sigh, Delia floated down with a bit of a flop onto the pillow next to her grandfather. Still ever the skeptic, the smoke Raevan rolled her grey eyes a little, but did point towards the far left deck. Both her and Adrian closed their eyes and tried to do as Reuben had instructed.

As the two quieted their minds, the wind had died down quite a bit, a soft chiming from the many wind chimes that were hung around the gazebo dinged and swayed, allowing their soft sounds to envelop the air. Reuben picked up the deck that the raevan had chosen and smiled. The Shadowscapes deck. Wonderful. He then picked up the other decks and placed them back into their pouches before setting them aside.

With a deep breath, Reuben began to do the same meditation he always did, clearing his mind and allowing any sort of disruptive energy fly away with the breeze. After a good minute of complete stillness, he finally opened his eyes and picked up the deck. He shuffled it a bit and then placed the deck in front of Cordelia.

"Okay, when you feel your mind is quiet and still, please open your eyes. Take the deck and shuffle it a few times, all the while, be sure to think of the question you want answered. Be as open ended with the question as possible. And then, when you're finished, set the deck down and I'll take over."

Reuben meditated alongside the two shades, asking the universe to guide the cards into the place where they'd make the most sense. As he did that, he felt the stillness dissipate as the cards were being shuffled. The soft sound of the chimes seemed distant as he focused his whole attention on the noise of the cards.Cordelia sighed. Being in complete silence was never one of her strong suits. The idea of it was never really relaxing and only ever brought her a bit of anxiety. Nowadays she filled the silence more with music and activities that warranted some sort of background noise rather than her incessant chatter. She opened a stray eye to take a peek towards her grandfather. It was disheartening to say the least. Adrian had trained Ebony in martial arts and whatnot, so it was no surprise that he was the model of perfection when it came to meditation. Sighing again in frustration, the Basilisk shut her eye once more.

'Okay, concentrate. Er, or not? I'm suppose to let my mind just go blank right? Ugh, that's so hard! I have a ton of things going on in my head, especially now!' The dark Frei shook her head and tried again. Maybe she should just think about some tune she really liked? A lot of times is was so much easier for her to zone out when there was some sort of music. Ugh, what she wouldn't give to just turn her phone's music player on right now.

Seeing or rather more like feeling the girl's frustration and inability to be still and silent, Adrian finally reached a hand over and gently squeezed Cordelia's. Without even opening his eyes, the Brit softly spoke. "You're trying too hard. Don't try not to think. Merely allow the thought to occur naturally, acknowledge it and then let it go. Eventually you will exhaust all that you have and your mind will finally settle along with your body." Surprised by her grandfather's voice and sudden touch, Delia couldn't help jumping a little. She blinked dumbfounded for a moment before nodding in understanding and tried again. It would be a few long moments before the two Shade's breathing would sync, indicating that they had finally achieved a proper meditative state together.

Letting out a slow breathe, the Basilisk opened her eyes once more and took the deck into her hands. As she shuffled, 'Just one question? But I have a million! Where is Ebony? Is she okay? When will she come back? Does she even want to come back? Do I want her to?' Once she was done, Cordelia set the deck back down from the spot it had previously been and along with Adrian, waited anxiously for whatever it said.

When they stopped, he opened his eyes, picked up the deck, cut it, and began to draw the cards, placing them in front of him on a small mat. The first card drawn was the Queen of Swords, the second, Ten of Swords, and the third was The Star. Reuben looked it over, and, at first, things seemed quite bleak, but as the final card was placed down, he knew it would be all over soon.

"So, we have the Queen of Swords, which typically represents a woman in the querent's life. I believe this is supposed to represent Ebony, a woman who is alone. The Ten of Swords, being the second card, is," he paused a moment to find the right way to state this.

"...not ideal. Currently, she could be in some sort of dangerous situation. I'm going to be honest with you, it could mean she's confronting her mortality at this point. But, with that, there's hope. Next, we have the Star. This is the epitome of hope and optimism. Through this reading, it speaks about hope and is stating that there will be light at the end of this tunnel."

Reuben looked into the snake raevan's eyes and smiled. "I know that this isn't necessarily what you wanted to hear; but remember, things will get better. Do you guys have any other questions about this reading?"

Once Reuben finished, the two Shade's merely looked between one another. The color had run out of Adrian's face while he also seemed a bit confused. Cordelia was confused, but her look crossed several thresholds before it settled upon upset. Slamming her hands down in front of the cards, "What? That's it?! She's in danger, but it's okay cause there's a light of hope?! Seriously, what the fuck dude?!"

"Cordelia, language!"

"No, no!" she held a hand up to him as she looked back and forth between the two men. "I'm sorry Granddad, but this is just utter bullshit! We can't help her if we don't know where she is! I just...I just...UGH!" With that the Basilisk quickly floated away before she totally lost control of herself and said or did something she would truly regret later on.

Adrian was back to closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose in irritation of his granddaughter's continual outbursts. Given, it wasn't exactly the answers he was looking for either, but it was something. He wasn't sure what danger the cards spoke of, but from what he could gather it meant Ebony was still alive and that somehow things would resolve themselves, hopefully for the better. With a tremendous sigh, "I am terribly sorry about Cordelia. She's had a fairly hard time with things of late, most especially when it comes to Ebony."

When he opened his cobalt eyes, the British man gave a weak smile. "Is there really nothing else it, the cards I mean, can give in the form of something more concrete? A date? A location? Something, anything that might give Cordelia better comfort?"

Reuben was somewhat used to reactions like this. He stayed calm and just kept his eyes on the little smoke raevan as she floated away. His heart went out to her and Adrian. He understood how ominous this sounded, and wished he could be of more use.

As Adrian spoke, Reuben listened. "I completely understand. She's just looking for answers. Don't worry about that," he stated, slowly picking up the cards. Looking into each one of the cards, Reuben gave a concerned look and shook his head.

"The cards themselves don't necessarily offer locations or time frames. The universe works on it's own schedule. However, some believe, when asking for location or time, the visuals of the cards can give way to that. The Star is in a river under a night sky, for example. So, maybe hope will be found nearby a river during the night. The Queen of Swords sits atop a mountain in early morning; so that possibility exists as well. Location and time are always much trickier situations. Aside from that, I can only give you a name of a wizard I know. It's one of my best friend's colleagues. I've met him briefly, he'd likely be able to be of some assistance in a locator spell; but it'd likely cost a pretty penny," Reuben said, standing up and offering a hand to the man to help him up.

Placing the cards back into their pouch and picking up the different pillows and mats to be put away, Reuben began to walk back towards the shop, the wind picking up as he did. "The cards, though bleak right now, are positive in the end, Adrian. Don't lose heart. Ebony will be okay; that much I am sure of. Let me get you that information."

After a moment inside the shop, Reuben scribbled down some information on a notepad and tore it off, handing it to Adrian. "If you're interested, here's the information. He lives in San Francisco, and he's pretty eccentric, but he'd likely be the one person to call that may know more on locator spells and where to find the ingredients for one."

Adrian nodded in understanding as he stood as well, again refusing the offer of help. Honestly, everyone needed to stop doing that or it was seriously going to bruise his already fragile ego. Sure he had some greying hair and a few wrinkles here and there, but he was a perfectly healthy fifty-four year old man. Hell physically he was probably better off than most his age! He still had the same daily work out routine he'd always had, though he did miss the added sparring matches he would have had with Ebony somedays. If Cordelia had held the interest, he could train her, but...there was only so much you could learn with only being a torso. But luck would have it that at this point in her life, the snake just wasn't interested in that sort of thing. Maybe someday. Maybe after Ebony came home.

Taking the piece of paper from Reuben, Adrian read it before carefully folding it and placing it into his pocket for safe keeping. He gave a grateful bow of his head, "I thank you. For now, I will believe in the answers the cards have given us today and hope that the police somehow find a lead soon. Though if things continue on for too long as they are, I will most definitely give your friend a call." More often than not, money was no object to the Shades. Thus Adrian would, if he must, part with every last piece of gold he had to find his daughter home safe and sound.

With the idea of payment in mind, Adrian gave a soft smile, "Now I hear you are expecting your own Raevan soon and as such, is there any sort of information I could give to you? Given I wasn't around for part of Cordelia's earlier years, but I'm sure I could impart some bit of wisdom, if even a little."

Reuben nodded and gave a half smile as the man placed the paper into his pocket. He understood their fears and their concerns. He just hoped that the Shades could understand and trust in the cards.

As he spoke of the help, it brought a thousand and one questions to his mind. He wanted to stay somewhat professional, but this became a bit more personal upon entering the discussion of Lab 305 and the land of the raevans.

"Actually, I have had a few questions in mind ever since I was given the package. First of all, do they all act like teenagers? I mean, I've only met Cordelia and one by the name of Vesna. Both of which seem vastly different. Vesna is a very girly teen, and Cordelia seems like she's going through teenage angst, though that is very understandable with your current situation."

A few moments after stating that, Reuben realized what he asked was rather rude. "I didn't mean that the way it came out. It's just that I do have a growing list of questions each day. Vesna couldn't eat ice cream, and from what I gathered, she couldn't eat regular food whatsoever. What do raevan eat? I have been doing as much research on the species as I can and it's so random and all over the place on the internet. Having someone who is a guardian would be great to actually talk to," Reuben stated, rubbing the back of his head before leaning in to listen to the man's response.

He laughed, a big undeniably genuine laugh. Reuben thought he was being rude, but all he was doing was stating the obvious truth. Wiping a tear from the corner of his eye, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh. It's just nice to hear it put so bluntly. My daughter would often say things in a similar manner."

Giving it some thought before he spoke, "From all the ones I've met and from everything I've heard from many Lab staff and guardians, I would say yes and no. At least when we are talking newborns. I believe age, as well as circumstances, has a lot to do with it as well. My granddaughter is actually one of the older Freis, she's seven years old now, so much older than Vesna. Cordelia's actually good friends with Vesna now and often makes mention of how much the other Raevan reminds her of herself when she was younger. Believe it or not, Cordelia didn't always use to be this way. She use to be so sweet and innocent. Easy to please and easy to be pleased. I hope she begins to find her way back to some of that girl someday."

Adrian rubbed his chin at the food question as he quirked a brow, "Actually, I'm rather surprised Zeke nor anyone else at the Lab had made mention to you on this subject. Perhaps they wished to speak of it once you actually received your Raevan?" The British man shrugged and continued, "From what I understand, Freis can't eat most human food due to their lack of a stomach. I gather simple foods are the best, but I suppose it could differ depending on whom we are speaking. For whatever reasons, Cordelia doesn't pay much mind to human food and prefers her natural feeding source of smoke. Every Raevan is different in that aspect as every Raevan is made of completely different and unique components. Typically they feed off of things related to their essence. Cordelia's is smoke, thus that's what she eats."

Reuben couldn't help but nervously smile. He was glad not to offend the man, and was very thankful for his feedback. With a nod of his head, he spoke, "Well, I haven't really talked to anyone. Zeke and I haven't spoken since I was given my essence and bottle. So, for a while there I was under the impression that my raevan wasn't being created after all. Mainly because I had really messed up the capture. But I'm passed that now. Especially after hearing that Zeke was telling you guys about my shop."

"So, Cordelia was made of smoke. Hmm..." All the raevan were so interesting to him. Cordelia, crafted from smoke. Vesna, a false reflection. And his was to be that of a visible imagination. So many different things, but all formed in a similar way.

"Well, I certainly hope that whenever my raevan is born, that he or she is just a happy child, teen, whatever the case may be. And I'm sure Cordelia will make her way back to herself over time. It'll just take time. You are a wonderful caretaker, I can see that. Thank you so much for answering my rather strange, probably dumb, questions."

"I see. I don't think Zeke or anyone at the Lab would be so callous as not to let you know what was happening with your Raevan. They probably have so much to do that they sometimes forget to check in with new guardians. You should give them a call. They are all very caring and helpful people." Adrian knew this from first hand experience. If ever there was a question he needed answered, Zeke was more than happy to oblige.

Adrian was just about to open his mouth to thank the younger man for his kind words when Cordelia slowly floated into the room, back from where she'd gone off to cool down. Her air of anger and hostility had been replaced with that of meekness and uncertainty. Not looking directly at either one of them, Cordelia played with the strands of her black hair. "I'm...sorry about blowing up earlier. I know it's not your fault Mr. Rothmore. I know you're just trying to help..."

All Adrian could do was give a soft and amused smile towards his granddaughter. Maybe the sweet girl they all knew was still in there somewhere, just all wrapped up in her ever swirling mess of emotions. He gestured with an open arm for her to come join him. She swayed a bit in indecision before finding comfort in his embrace as he wrapped that arm tight around her shoulders, hugging her close to him. It was obvious to anyone watching that no matter how angry or how much the Basilisk acted out, Adrian would always be there with open arms to welcome her back and remind her she wasn't alone in all this.

Reuben sighed with a nod, crossing his arms. "You're probably right. I will give them a call, I think. That seems like the best idea. I just don't want to be a bother."

As he was speaking, Cordelia floated up and apologized. Reuben looked back at Adrian with a growing smile, and then back at Cordelia. He nodded as he spoke, "It's not a problem, Cordelia. I understand what you're going through is hard. Just try to keep as positive a spirit as you can."

Reuben tried his best to give the two Shades a caring, concerned smile. "Thank you guys so much for stopping by. I appreciate it. And when my raevan is born, you should come back and meet them. Thank you for all of your help, Adrian. I truly appreciate you answering my more...mundane, drab questions. I have hope that everything will work out for you."

'Keep positive. Right...' She held back an urge to roll her eyes then. After all, Cordelia had just apologized to the man and she felt she had already been rude enough to him today. It wasn't his fault Ebony left home. It wasn't his fault Cordelia's mood swung from one extreme to the other when thinking about it. No, he was an innocent human that had nothing to do with this, but still wanted to try and help them in whatever way he could. Sighing, the snake softely replied, "I'll try."

"No, thank you! I feel your reading has helped some, if not more." Reaching for his wallet, Adrian added, "And though I'm glad my information about Raevans was helpful to you, I cannot allow you to take that as simple payment. You are, after all, running a business and will most definitely need it for taking care of your own Frei. So please, if you would, ring me up for the session." The man handed over his credit card for Reuben to charge. It was obvious in his stern and steadfast expression that he wasn't taking no for answer.

Reuben looked at Cordelia with concern. A small half-smile crept upon his face as she spoke. "I'm glad. And if you ever need to talk, feel free to call me. Even if you just need to vent and let out frustration, alright?"

Reuben would be a punching bag if it made someone feel a bit better, especially a raevan. He truly wanted to integrate himself into this community further, and the best way to do that was to get to know more of the people in it. Lending an ear or services was his way of doing so.

As the man held out his credit card, Reuben couldn't help but chuckle. His determined face to pay was all Reuben needed to go ahead with the transaction. "Thank you, sir," he said with a smile as he walked around his desk to swipe the card. "Next time, however, the service will be free," he concluded, handing the card out for the man to take.

Reuben walked the Shades out of the shop and waved them off. "Take care. Please come by again," he said with a smile as he closed the shop door against the wind was it began to pick up. Today was productive to say the least.