Absit Omen RPG
Role-Play Boards => London => Muggle London => Topic started by: Arcturus Hollingbury on October 31, 2019, 11:03:59 AM
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A Friday the 13th[1] and here he was wandering the streets of London at 11pm. A healer like him, out here on a night like this! What would Elixa think.
He stopped to correct himself, as the red lanterns swayed in the breeze over his head. It wasn’t just the streets of London, really - he was in Chinatown, of all places, and he hadn’t felt tired enough to sleep. The after-work buzz flitted around his head, searching for… something.
To find the answers he needed, he’d come here.
Normally businesses in Chinatown closed early, but the street’s residents were preparing for Chinese New Year. The streets were still brightly lit, with tens upon hundreds of red and gold lanterns being hung overhead. The colours of Gryffindor, he thought, but he knew that the colours had their respective symbolism in Chinese culture.
He also knew well that his hair would not have been welcome. White, he had learned in his reading, was associated with death in some instances, often worn at funerals. Chinese New Year forbade the colours of white, black and dark blue at the very least - anything dark was a huge no-no. For a short while he was glad his hair was dyed, as he stood to watch the men shouting in Chinese while the final red lanterns were being hoisted up.
Without an answer to gain from here, he slipped into a Chinese-owned bookstore, wondering if he could find something here that would keep his mind occupied. He did so enjoy learning about magic from other cultures since he’d started his studies on fluid manipulation. He wished they had done the same in Hogwarts when he had been there - at least he would have enjoyed it as an option.
The old Chinese man at the counter looked up as he entered. Arcturus gave him a respectful incline of the head. He always felt out of place in an Eastern setting, even if it was in London. The Chinese here had carved out a niche here that he felt was sacred and stepping into it made him feel like crossing some unseen boundary. He was always sure to try and be respectful as much as he could.
The healer wandered the narrow shelves for a little while, breathing the musky, smoky scents of sandalwood incense. The books on the shelves were packed like sardines in a tin, though their spines ranged from slender to thick. The sorting order was a complete mystery, as was wont with tiny bookshops like these.
He picked out a few that seemed interesting and flipped them open. To a lack of surprise, they were all in Chinese, written in vertical format from right to left. Arcturus slotted them back in where they had been and sighed.
“May I help you?” Surprised, he turned around to see the old Chinese shopkeeper next to him. The man couldn’t be more than shy of five and a half feet, meaning that even the healer felt he was a bit too tall for this space.
“Uh…” The man had spoken to him in perfect English, despite the obvious Chinese accent. It couldn’t hurt to try. “I’m looking for books on healing. Less conventional methods, not scientific medicine.”
“Ah yes, pseudoscience.” The old man turned around and shuffled gently over to another shelf. Arcturus grimaced, not wanting to call it pseudoscience. He watched as the shopkeeper ran his wrinkled fingers over the spines. “In English, I presume? And on acupuncture, pressure points, the like?”
“I very much prefer English, yes.” He followed the old man. “I’m not quite sure what I’m looking for, honestly. I’ve read about acupuncture and pressure points, but they’re not exactly what I need.”
The old man looked up at him, and Arcturus felt like he was being looked through quite thoroughly even with the man’s amiable smile. “Then what do you need? There are many fields of healing in China that most Westerners consider out of their scope. Are you looking to complete a thesis or dissertation of sorts as required by your professors?”
Merlin, he thought he was a university student. For a moment Arcturus was in a dilemma. “I, uh… let’s just say I am a healer of unconventional methods myself,” he said lamely. “I’m more into things like… energy, being more in tune with the, uh, world…” How did one explain magic in a simple sense? He’d lived with it all his life.
The old man laughed, much to his surprise. “Son, in China, there is often no distinction between magic and non-magic. Those who are of wizardkind are just as welcome as Muggles, as you call them. Whoever seeks knowledge has the right to it. You can just tell me that you are a wizard.”
Arcturus stared at him in stunned silence. With twinkling eyes, the old man beckoned to him. “I know what you’re looking for.” He deftly slipped a book out from its space and handed it to the healer. “A classic book in most circles. The Twelve Meridians: A Guide to Qi Pathways. Perhaps a little more insight with Pressure Points in Healing? Both co-written by Western authors, so very much in your language.” He handed the other book over. “Do you seek to use pressure or guide to manipulating energy?”
Should he just come out with the truth? Arcturus took a deep breath. “I’m looking to see if it’s possible to encourage healing in the body using water as a catalyst to guide energy to afflicted areas,” he said. “Though I deal more with poisons, which… might not be applicable.”
The old man chuckled. “We have masters in China who are proficient in manipulating plants through the use of water. It only takes a creative mind to find solutions to problems. Water in and of itself is flexible, and that makes it easy to learn and hard to master. Whatever task you have taken on, I don’t envy you. It takes many years to cultivate skill in the element of water.” He hummed as his fingers brushed against a few more spines. “Ah yes, the uses of water in cultivation. General reading, but good for a Western healer to know more.”
Arcturus looked down at the books in his hands. “This is all wandless magic, right?”
“Yes! China does not need for wands. Even the one thing that could possibly be mistaken for a wand,” he pointed to a strangely S-curved long object[2] on the desk next to the register, “is not really a wand. I think that would be enough to start you off, hm?” He shuffled off, leaving Arcturus to ponder exactly what he’d been missing out since last year.
“Pounds for the Muggle, galleons for the wizard,” the old man said, winking at him. Arcturus took the hint and did some quick mental conversion before paying. “Thank you,” he said, nodding at him. “I’m sure these will help.”
“You are welcome! Just tell your friends to drop by here as well.” The wizard had to suppress an amused smile. Friends… well, there were very few he’d trust, and even fewer he’d trust with this location. They were bound to ask him the reasons he had to be in Chinatown.
“I’ll try.” He slipped the books into his bag and turned to leave. “Thank you, again.”
End