Satisfying a Sweet Tooth [Magnus/Sam]

The sky was lovely overall, ashen clouds accenting the sky as much as actual clouds with patches of a brilliant blue breaking them up. Sam would find himself wandering around the city, more than likely seeking for something new and lively. He paused before a store that sold various sugary goods, but it seemed a little more lively than before. Once Sam entered, there were muted fragrances and quite a few goods for display. He was greeted by a taller person who seemingly worked there, with a perfect split in colour in his hair and eyes. "Hello sir, take a look around! If you have any questions, feel free to ask!", he said in a rather cheery voice.

Sam had been wandering because....well he was bored. He had made much progress in his necromancy, nearly perfecting his grandest technique yet. He thought that he deserved a good break so he decided to take a stroll around his village. Little did he know his village had little to nothing in the way of fun for him. The place was dead, and that was coming from a variable zombie. He was inexplicably drawn to the sweets shop however, though why he could not tell. He couldn't smell anything within nor would he be able to taste said sweets. But it looked...alluring, so he entered. He was greeted by a very cheery male and all of a sudden Jashin's unholy fucking tits, he couldn't breathe. This guy was gorgeous! His hair was perfectly split between white and gold and his eyes were gold and silver. He was captivating and Sam found it hard to draw air into his lungs...Though that may be because his lungs didn't work properly, since he was dead. Sam found himself at a loss for words as he just stared at the stranger before him. Soon enough he found the willpower to force himself to speak, his voice soft and awe-struck "H-hello...Um c-could you give me a bit of a um walk through of the s-store? This is my first time here..."

Magnus brushed back a few strands of black hair, the overall style a bit of a mess but it seemed to work out for him anyways. His gaze retained some softness but his eyes showed a sparkle, more than enough of a sign that he was thrilled someone wanted to know so much of the store. "Why certainly, sir! What is your name? I'm Magnus Solstii. I make most of the things you see here. It's quite fun really." He offered his hand to Sam and waited. "You see, I specialize in craft. More specifically, the kind that could be consumed. But I wanted to take things a step further and see what I could do with sweets such as cakes or candies." He paused for a moment and lightly scratched his chin with his other hand. "Hmm... Perhaps I went into sugary things because I have a relatively bad sweet tooth. But it helps for inspiration with certain cravings."

Sam took the male's hand with a flutter in his chest that definitely was not his heart. It would scare the life back into him if it was. He hoped he wasn't particularly cold or clammy. It tended to happen with him being a corpse, so he tried to warm his skin and keep it as smooth as possible. When he was asked his name, the only thing that came to mind was 'yours' and that was definitely not his name. Why was he floundering like this? He was an elite Silver Knight and an aspiring God of Pandora! What could possibly make him act like a love-sick school girl? He looked back up at the male and his knees almost gave out I guess he can... He kicked himself several times mentally in order to get his mouth to form those tricky little things called words "My name is Samael Ibwa. But my friends call me Sam. Y-you have a very nice name. Very....magical." He stopped talking immediately. Magical? MAGICAL?! He was a magical idiot, that's what he was. Sam looked to the sweets around him. Was Magnus (Jashin below, that was a perfect name) staring? He was probably looking at Sam as if he had grown two more heads. He needed to draw attention to something else and fast "You make these yourself? You must be very talented."

A slight smile cracked on his features to Sam's odd compliment. Magnus wouldn't be able to feel Sam's skin anyways since he wore white fabric gloves that would have matched a suit. "It's somewhat a tradition my family holds to. Even if some of us don't agree on certain things." He lead Sam around to the end closest to them, the colours of candies in containers seemingly much more vivid up close. "My name is... Magical, you say?" He let out a soft laugh. "I suppose it is." Magnus' gaze moved onto his work, each carefully crafted and all with unique appearences. He seemed to notice something in one of the containers and opened it to pluck something out. A broken piece of a vibrant purple hard candy. He sighed and turned to Sam. "I don't like selling defects. These tend to become samples or mixed with others into a rainbow assorted type. Since you're new here, would you like to try?" For something this purple, it was expected to taste like grapes. But instead, the candy would almost taste exactly like fresh blueberries.

Sam looked at the candy in what would appear to be pure horror, his eyes going wide and his head shaking slightly "I don't mean to offend you, but I try not to eat too many sweets. Even if it is a little bit they tend to turn my stomach..." That was a good excuse. It definitely wasn't because he was undead and he couldn't taste the candy. Yeah, that definitely was not the reason "It looks exquisite, though. I would definitely be tempted to try more than one if it wouldn't make me ill..." Sam's eyes flicked around a bit to try and find something to change the subject to, before he recalled what Magnus had said not too long ago "You mentioned your family. Do they specialize in different crafts or are they all candy-makers? And what don't they agree on? Whether white chocolate is real chocolate?" He allowed himself a giggle at his rather weak attempt at a joke and hoped he didn't sound dreadfully awkward.

Magnus watched the man's face carefully, taking note of the sheer look of terror on his face. He kept his smile on, though it was more for the sake of personal professionalism. The boy leaned back and placed the candy in what looked like a tray of other mishapen or broken sweets. "Ah, I suppose sweet things aren't for everyone." He lead Sam to a table and pulled a chair for him to sit and then went to sit in a seat across from him. Though, his chair was rotated to the side so that he was leaning with his side to the back. "Ah, no. I'm afraid that I'm the only candy maker in my family so far. My family is descended from a rather large line of alchemists. More specifically, my more personal family are potion makers. We don't always get along with types of potions to be made, but we get along better than the other... branches of the main family.", he said, keeping his gaze on Sam. "Though we never argued over chocolate types, I did have some trouble trying to convince them of trying to make less traditional methods of enchanted edibles." He said, leaning back onto the arm of the chair.

Sam listened to the other boy intently after he sat down. The part about alchemists and potion makers seemed to be familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on why. He went into deep thought for a bit, biting his lip, before it dawned on him "You must be a Tenshi, then?" He asked inquisitively "An Artificer, yes? I have a friend that is of the clan, though she is an Alchemist. Karliah Tenshi. I can understand just how taxing it can be to belong to a divided clan. At least your own family is on relatively good terms, ne?" He sat up straight in his chair, his hands folded in his lap. He had perfect posture most of the time, as his mother had taught him when he was younger. Thoughts of her often cam unbidden to his mind, but he never let it show. That pain was in the past "I am from the Ibwa clan, myself. We are often separated between those who worship Jashin and those who worship our Empress. I dedicate myself more to the Shinigami than the other two...But religion is such boring talk. I am very interested in how you make your candy. Can you imbue them with special effects like most Artificers do to potions?"

Magnus nodded simply to Sam's guess. It wasn't really clear how he really felt about his clan. He preferred to keep it that way. The boy listened in on what Sam was telling, appearing to take interest until Sam had switched the topics. "I've been experimenting with that, yes. Making things akin to potions and poisons that are easier to conceal, and much easier to pack without worrying over breaking bottles or leakages should they open. I do have a small problem of not having someone to help me with some of the more... ah... volatile ones." His voice was very hushed when talking about the modified sweets. "It makes sense, I suppose. I share as much self preservation as most others would. Tampering with the more aggressive blends could be quite fatal."

Sam's ears perked at that. The other male needed help? He would be happy to offer something "I must admit that I am no Artificer, but being a Puppeteer and a member of the ICNO Order has enabled me to gain quite a bit of knowledge about poisons and imbibed consumables. I could help you with your candies?" He was sure he would be blushing if his blood still flowed, as he thought about the time they would share if the other said yes. He was positive he would come back to life "In fact, I am in dire need of an Apprentice of my own, being a Silver Knight. I could instruct you and help you hone your skills with your creations. I may even be able to give you tips on some things to make. I am also rather...durable, so you don't have to worry about harming me if something volatile should explode...If you will have me that is."

The boy's brow raised slightly. "My good sir.. I do believe you told me that sweets make your stomach turn. I wouldn't want to have you do something to your discomfort for my sake.", he told Sam. "The things I intend to test involve a reaction with... ah... I would say water is a good substitute to activate them but... I need something more fleshy to see the effects." Magnus turned to sit in the chair properly and leaned over the table, his dual coloured eyes staring straight into Sam's, a glint of curiosity sparking in them. "I wouldn't mind taking apprenticeship, but I do wonder as to why you'd offer to test something after denying trying a much more harmless variant of what I make?"

Sam gave a small smile to the other male "I wasn't offering to consume them myself per say, but I am sure there are some individuals who might be willing to act as test subjects. And if I were to test some of your creations on myself, I know of various ways to calm my stomach. I am a medic after all." He leaned across the table a bit, like the other had, with a similar sparkle in his eye "I am extremely interested in what you are able to achieve with your creations and your skills. I have seen the abilities of many an Alchemist in play, but never that of an Artificer. It would be an amazing thing to study, truly. Plus I could help you develop your craft and grow as an inventor of devilishly deadly sweets. What more could you ask for?"

Sam gave Magnus an offer he really couldn't refuse. He saw many potential goods coming out of this; a reputation which could be good or bad, connections, potentially a way to get his hands on some more rare material to play with to name a few. What bad things could come to mind, Magnus found was the norm for joining any position and going from there, so he paid those thoughts no mind. Magnus' grin turned into one of a more devious nature as he leaned back in the seat. "There are many things I could ask for.", he mused. "As much as I enjoy the simple life of selling sweets to children, it doesn't give me the chances I would like to try some more of the dangerous things my lineage is known for. I accept your offer." It was always good to have some excitement in one's life, especially while they were young and fit.

Sam was so very excited to have Magnus as an apprentice. He only needed one more in order to call himself a true mentor Cass is joining the Knights. She could fill the...other...spot... As he finished the thought, his eyes widened and he let out a mental curse. He was supposed to be spending time with her today! And he had forgotten. Again. He stood to rise and gave Magnus an apologetic look "I am so sorry to give you the offer and leave, but I just remembered that I have to meet with my sister. I have to go as quickly as possible and try to salvage what is left of our 'Sibling Day'. I hope you don't mind." He bit his lip and looked absolutely mortified. He couldn't believe he had been so enamored with the other, only to leave him so suddenly because his memory had become absolute shit over the past few years.

Magnus raised a brow in question but a few more second of seeing Sam's face made him think the expression was genuine. He too stood up and reached over to shake hands with Sam briefly. "Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Sam. I do hope to see you again soon.", he said. The boy would walk Sam to the door, holding it open for him as he left before going back to tend to the shop.

Sam nodded and before walked out of the door, he turned to Magnus "We can meet up soon. I'll come back here and get you and then we can head to Minrai Castle. There we can talk about the items you need as well as whatever Curse Mark you were thinking about taking. I'll see you soon!" He moved out of the shop and waited until he was sure the other wasn't looking before breaking into a full on run. Cass was going to kill him!

[Exit]