It was everything Edlyn could have hoped for. Tilted and irregular, shops leaned over the cobblestone street, roofs sloping just above colorful signs and store-front windows advertising a variety of magical and fantastical wares. Noise bounced off of every surface, the chatter of wizards young and old alike, the hoots and hollers of toads and tomcats, the repetitive click, click, click of hard-soled shoes against the street littering the air. Edlyn could see herself getting swept up in the crowd, pushed and pulled one way or the other, like a helpless body in a twisting rapid – or, rather, assimilating with it. Becoming another wizard going about her fantastically wizard-ly day, being no stranger to a wizard-filled, completely wizard-filled, world. That thought made her smile as she head forward through the crowd.

The first shop to catch her eye was green. That was its most remarkable quality, for there was nothing as eye-catching as a sleek broom or exotic animal sitting at the window, but rather just one bright, monochrome facade sitting amongst less magnetic storefronts. Flourish and Blotts – the name was a hint in itself, but after leaning to the side, peering through the window, and seeing the bookshelves lining the walls, she knew this must be where she should get her books.

Slipping through the doorway, Edlyn held her messenger bag close, startled by the activity in a building supposed to house a bookstore. What she could only assume to be other wizarding students packed the store full, bustling from shelf to shelf, collecting tomes for the coming school year. Stepping out of the way of the door, Edlyn reached into her bag for her letter – which was kept loose in the front pocket and crumpled to oblivion at this point – and inspected the print. Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger, the first item, a suitable place to start.

Straightening her back, holding just about everything close to herself, she slithered through the crowds, eyes darting towards each piece of signage, across each wooden shelf. Brushing up against her fellow students, she found a shelf with an appropriate label: Nonfiction - Potions, Brewing, and Other Magical Substances. Smirking at the fact that magic was considered nonfiction, in much contrast to the libraries and bookstores she was used to, she crossed her arms and got to looking. Furrowing her brow, eyes scanning over the titles, head tilting back and forth to look at the writing scrawled on the spines, her eyes just couldn’t seem to land on the title she was looking for. Taking a step back, bumping into the person behind her and murmuring a reflexive sorry, she surveyed the entire shelf once again.

“Where is this thing?” she said quietly.

tags: @Nicholas Lazarus
wc: 457

Nick was used to silence, so a place like this, so full of life, so full of noise, it was all so... Overwhelmingly good!

Of course, his absolute delight of this new overstimulating treat was quickly, and without mercy, shackled by his father the moment he was dragged into Flourish and Blotts. Oh but the boy groaned so loudly as he was dragged by the wrist, one could only thing he was cursed with it.

It wasn't even the books that he hated, it was the experience of shopping for books with his father that truly set this into a course of disaster. Richard Lazarus was many things, quiet, stoic, cold, but first and foremost a bookworm. And he would stay in that damned place for as long as he could which meant Nick was stuck.

They had arrived very early in the morning, and it was already the start of afternoon and Nick was still there!

"Dad can I go get a icecream?" He begged for the fifth time since they arrived.

"Do you have all the books you need?" - "Yes!"
"Every single one of them?" - "Yees!"

And that continued on for a few more minutes untile Nick was finally free from his torment, his father sighed heavily, disappointed on his son's lack of enthusiasm for the many knowledge filled books around them and grumbled a quick. "Leave." That was all that Nick needed to hear before he rushed past his dad.

Of course, it wouldn't be Nick if he didn't make a fool of himself the moment he had a ounce of freedom to his name, he made a quick turn on a bookshelf and body slammed a poor girl that had absolutely nothing to do with his desperate need for fresh air.
It was all far too fast, one second he was celebrating quietly that he could leave, the second one he was 1cm away from the face of another kid with way too much momentum to stop himself.

He slammed against her then stumbled back on a pile of books on the floor and fell backwards on his butt with a grunt.

"Ow..." He mumbled, covering his face with both hands.

@Edlyn Ward