Closed Such Nice Things

[Jelle van Zijl]

Jelle had found himself surprisingly content running the store. He never expected that stationary life would suit him but it seemed he liked having a foothold in a particular community. But his old life called to him on occasions and what were the shop boys good for if not taking over the shop for an afternoon here and there. He had just come back form a brief trip to Bulgaria and had returned with a very odd box, locked up tight, and a clock that seemed to tick backwards. Jelle prided himself on knowing his stuff but he had to admit he was stumped. But one of the good things about staying in one place was making connections and he knew just who to ask for guidance. Carine Vale had become a regular at his shop and he liked a woman who knew more than him. He had written to her right away and was invited over to the Vale home just as quickly. The sun was shining but there was a slight chill to the air as he arrived, and he straightened himself up after the quick apparition jump over. With bag of items in tow he found his way to the barn on the property that was less barn and more laboratory which was just as well. He had no need for a barn.

 

[Carine Vale]

Carine answered Jelle's owl as quickly as it arrived, chicken-scratching down her barely inked quill on the first remnant of parchment she could find and no sooner flicking it away to her own owl in response. After all there was no better nor urgent news to her ears and eyes than news of newly discovered curiosities; of mysteries to unravel and promises of potential curses to break and theoretically piece back together, of histories to learn first hand, and origins to muse over in their varying complexities. Carine kept figures such as Jelle van Zijl in her registrar for this very purpose of discovering previously undiscovered, if not entirely odd items and it would be a detriment to not only her pursuit of knowledge but also her prized collection not to accept his visit when he had acquired something new.

Caught in the midst of her regularly scheduled experimentation inside her barn, Carine was outside of her regularly put together demeanor but regardless in a state of appearance that was entirely still herself, her apron stained in multi-color and singed gloves covering her well worn work robes being the outfit she was in as she greeted her purposeful acquaintance. Sliding her leather safety goggles to the top of her head, Carine nodded to Jelle as he arrived. "Merci for your prompt arrival, Jelle." She greeted, moving to take off her gloves, haphazardly throwing them on a nearby crate as she inspected the man's bag from a short distance. "How much space do you need? Is this table acceptable?" Carine asked, waving to one of the nearby tables that was less cluttered with various rolls of parchment and discarded potion ingredients. ​

 

[Jelle van Zijl]

Jelle kept his back close to his side as he walked farther into the barn. Unsure which of Carine's project might have a bit more bite. "Hellooo, Carine dear." he replied letting his vowels float a little as he spoke. He took in the lady of the house's appearance and grinned. She looked like a different woman than then one that frequented his shop. Not that he minded in the slightest. She was a professional after all. "A table should suffice." he said simply and joined her at the one she had gestured to. He set his bag down and it made quite a solid thud that betrayed that the contents inside were larger than the bag's size would imply. "So as my letter explained I was doing some reconnecting with some old...associates and they had some wares they were more than willing to part with." he explained. "Their lack of bargaining was some slight cause for concern but I knew I could count on you." Jelle said grinning before reaching into the bag. The first thing he pulled out was a sphere that looked like it had a key hole in the side. The surface looked like a woven patch work of metal and sized somewhere between a bludger and a quaffle. "And I'm sure you assumed, but alohomora did not work."

 

[Carine Vale]

Carine's hands found their place on her hips, her eyes widening with intrigue at the unexpected although entirely welcomed thud of Jelle's bag on the table, the resonance of it echoing through the barn momentarily. The louder the thud the heavier the contents of the bag, Carine understood, and she was therefore entirely enthralled, half listening to Jelle's introductory explanation as he reached into his bag to pull out a metal ball. It wasn't much smaller than a quaffle, it's crafted detail and evident lock causing her brow to furrow. Curiouser and curiouser, she thought, feeling like she was Alice in wonderland, a similar sentiment to her usual discoveries of unusual magical items that was one of the many reasons the hobby of collecting them called her back time and time again.

"That would be too easy, wouldn't it?" Carine added in jest to Jelle's comment about alohamora, as items such as that one were often far more complicated for a simple charm to unravel them. She instinctively reached out to hold the object herself, noting the weight of it in her mind as she did so she tried to identify the craftsmanship of it, and whether this could indicate a rough estimate of an age or date, or even a location of origin. At times magical items rarely fit a mold or distinctive enough style to fit into accurate carbon dating or a predetermined time period, unlike muggle artifacts and fossils, but she thought given the item's mystery it couldn't hurt to attempt to group it in a time or place, whether it be to understand it further enough to open it or rule out attempts to understand it that would ultimately fail. "Your associates, did they mention where they found it?" She asked as almost an afterthought as she attempted to get a closer look of the lock. ​