Magic the Gathering (Yorick/Yoshio)

[jarahamee]

In a quiet part of the Underground where once a series of bookstores, small shops and knickknack stores had been, cropped up a cheery little shop, seemingly overnight. Where once empty, papered over and cracked glass had been was now gently lit front, its tinted glass lettered in delicate gold on the front "Obscura Oddities and Curio.” The rest of the street stood as still and silent as it had been before, seeming deserted.

From the street looking inward, one could see a wide variety of vintage leather-bound novels, ancient-looking devices, stuffed and mounted heads, a vintage bicycle, a restored typewriter, and an ancient-looking phonograph in great condition. Beyond that, the inside of the shop appeared to be dimly lit, though if one looked through with great concentration, they could make out the outlines of several large shelves, and all manner of objects hanging from the walls and ceiling. Great bookshelves filled with thick and musty tomes, interspersed with golden platters, orbs and glowing baubles. Obvious spellbooks, and a practiced eye could pick out the irregular shapes of obvious magic objects.

When they entered, the air inside had the comfortable mustiness of old books, scented candles, and the faintest smell of perfume. Unlike many shops, the shopkeeper did not appear to lurk about, watching for newcomers. In fact, the entire store seemed completely uninhabited, though clean. On the door the sign read “Open for Business.”

[indeath]

He was overly aware of the creak of the door opening and the ting of the bell. It felt like a crime to enter a store without a clerk in sight, but Margot had reminded Yorick that this was the underground full of magical beings so maybe they were invisible or a ghost. An invisible ghost. Yorick hoped the musty smell wasn’t some hundred year old disease or dust that had evolved to become sentient. Yorick had an uncomfortable thought, imagining black mould hiding in the stores nooks and crannies. He considered holding his breath but then if the store owner was watching it would seem rude. He would have to risk it.

“H..hello? Mam? Sir? Mx? I uh… I hope it’s okay. The door was unlocked and the sign says open… I can come back later though.”

He felt Margot jostle in his backpack poking him in the ribs uncomfortably. She was always telling him to be assertive but it felt more like being rude to him. It did seem like just the kind of store they’d been looking for. At the very least there should be some vintage puppets to add to his collection.

[jarahamee]

As if summoned by Yorick’s voice, a small figure stepped out from behind a shelf at the far end of the store. Androgynous, and of ambiguous age, the person was dressed in a finely tailored vintage suit. Their graying hair was neatly combed to a side part, and they wore a pair of slightly tinted, oval-shaped glasses, which balanced on the bridge of their nose. Their footfalls made no apparent sound, despite the fine patent leather design of his shoes.

“Oh, did you need any assistance?”

Despite the figure’s genderless appearance, their voice was surprisingly deep and masculine. In their free hand they held a book, and Yorick could imagine the other hand was resting on the shelf, obscured by the book case between them.

A vintage set of dolls proverbially peeked at him from around a shop corner. One of the antique porcelain kind that people seemed to consider especially creepy, shaped like a dapper young man. The doll was crowded in next to an assortment of clowns and what seemed to be a bear automaton next to it. The shelves below were filled with antiquated devices. A phonograph, a novelty telephone, what seemed like an old radio and a television. Across from where Yorick stood, a jukebox was settled.

[indeath]

Yorick almost jumped when the small person appeared, the surprise easily read on his face. He smiled uneasily at the shopkeeper, fiddling with the zip on his jacket. One, two, three.

“Uh I… just wanted to make sure there was someone here. I’m… I’m not a… I belong here.”

A soft muffled voice came from his backpack but he gave her an elbow. Things were better when she wasn’t out. He moved towards the antique dolls, studying the dapper boy. Was there any dummies?

He kinda wanted this doll but how posable was he? He moved as if to pick the doll up then changed his mind. What if he dropped it or it flew out if his hand and just broke everything.

“Uh does this guy have a name? Oh! Sorry. I’m Yorick, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

[jarahamee]

“You came here because you are meant to be here.”

The small person’s smile widened a little as Yorick struggled through his words. His pale, calm face glowed like the face of the moon under the slightly yellow lights that shone down from the ceiling. His black suit gave him a monochrome appearance, like something from an old television.

He spread his hands theatrically, stepping out into the aisle with all the flare of a showman, making his way to Yorick’s side. He craned his head at the doll, then squinted his eyes nearly closed with an even broader smile.

“Oh, this is William. He’s one of the oldest dolls. You can call me Mr. Sano, I run this little place. We have a different selection every week, sometimes twice a week, so you’ll always have a good chance of finding something you might really want. We even have an extensive backstock…”

Mr. Sano shook his head, reaching out to tap the doll lightly with his free hand, and then turned back towards Yorick.

“You can take him out if you’d like. We don’t worry about breaking things here… He’s very posable, and he can speak a fair number of phrases.”

[indeath]

Yorick nodded wringing his hands to get the tension out of his system. He smiled brightly at Mr. Sano, there was something quite charming about the small man. He delicately took the doll off the shelf, delighting in the fine clothes and make. It was old and probably incredibly expensive. He felt around for a button or pull.

“What does he say? I mean I can uh give him a voice… It’s kinda a skill of mine.”

He felt Margot begin to crawl out of his backpack and sighed. A small doll’s head popped out the top and looked around the shop, settling on Mr. Sano.

“Mmm aren’t you a fine one? I do like this William but perhaps something with a more feminine shape?”

Yorick blushed embarrassed, no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t stop being taken back by the way she spoke.

[jarahamee]

Mr. Sano’s smile widened a little, and he seemed amused by Yorick’s offer. Perhaps he wasn’t expecting the man to put on a show for him. In any case, he pressed his hands together in front of him in a position of prayer, and leaned forward towards Yorick.

“He can say whatever you want him to say, but if you want to speak for him, you can do that too.”

He leaned back, appearing unsurprised when Margot joined the conversation. His dark eyes flickered like coals behind his lenses. Yorick and Margot desired, but the desire within the little doll burned like fire.

The demon pressed his hands in his pockets, and wandered up to another shelf, looking up at it purposefully. A jester doll stared down and back at him, alongside a more slender feminine-shaped dancer doll wearing a tutu, proportioned at about one-third scale.

“If you’re looking for other bodies, there’s plenty of feminine dolls, puppets and other humanoid forms here. What exactly is your preference? We might have something special just for you.”

[indeath]

Yorick smiled back keeping his lips together as he worked his magic. He was always eager to show his craft, Margot be damned. He positioned William on his arm, hands down as if using his arm for support.

“*Hello, Mr Sano! You have a tippity top store. This is Yorick’s aunt Margot. She wasn’t always a puppet but isn’t she a doll?*”

The voice was squeaky with a British accent similar to Dick Von Dyke’s attempt in Mary Poppins. Yorick’s mouth remained still though his smile showed he was pretty proud of that performance.
Margot seemed unfazed by it all, she patted Yorick on the head before throwing herself and landing elegantly onto the floor.

“A human body would be preferable… have you got one of those?”

Her painted black lips moved up and down as she spoke. Porcelain white skin and black eyes stared hungrily at Yoshio.

[jarahamee]

Mr. Sano smiled broadly as he watched the puppet show. The boy had some talent, of the normal and practical variety. A ventriloquist, and he supposed, this Margot was his dummy, even if she herself was a magical artifact, and not an ordinary prop.

He clapped merrily at the little performance.

“Ah, very talented, yes. You could find a new dummy in here, if that’s what you’re looking for, or I might be able to offer you something more… exotic? Another doll perhaps?”

The doll in Yorick’s hand turned its head towards him, body still limp, and continued in a conversational tone.

“She’s quite the doll. In fact, she’s a full figure!”

The doll then went back to silence.

The devil looked back down at Margot. She was certainly an interesting little creature, so full of desires. Hungry to have his power. Hungry to be revived again into a complete woman. He adjusted his glasses and slid back over towards Yorick, waggling a finger at Margot.

“Oh, straight to the point. Lets revisit that in a little bit, shall we?”