The mansion

It was simple looking painting, just a blue butterfly on a branch. Then, however, it began to flap its wings, slowly getting faster and faster. After that, it flew off of the branch. Finally it seemed to head towards Robby, until it actually came out of the painting and began flying around the room.
 
Robby jumped when he saw the painting start to move, but then he relaxed, thinking it was nothing more than just another illusion. Then the butterfly came out of the painting ad began to fly around like it was the real deal! Robby let out a shout of surprise and ducked down. Frantically, he opened his backpack and spilled half the items on the floor before he could reach the spray bottle with the supposed holy water. He squeezed the handle and shot out a couple of streams of water, completely missing the butterfly.
 
"Hey, hey! Calm down!" Imperia exclaimed as water began getting everywhere. Some got on her arm, which she casually wiped away. What was with this kid? Then, she noticed a some of the water about to land on the book housing the phoenix and quickly acted. She held out her hand and the water froze in midair. Then, as she waved her hand down, the water followed and fell to the floor. Sighing in relief, she looked back at the boy.

"If you're scared of bugs, you could've said so," she said.
 
Robby gasped from the floor, shaking as he stared at the water on the floor and then back at the butterfly. "It's real! It's real! How is it real? That doesn't make sense! It can't be real!"
 
Imperia laughed. "Oh, but it is! As you can see, I'm a witch. This mansion, known as Pearlhall, is covered in my magic." Before she could continue, she finally noticed the assortment of items on the floor and picked up the wooden stake.

"Oh dear," she said, worry in her voice. "Is there a vampire problem in this town?" She asked.
 
"What? but you can't be a witch!" Robby quickly scrambled to shove the items back in his pack. "Witches are evil, ugly, deal in deadly stuff, and things like that! You're too, too, too not-evil!" He eyed her suspiciously. "Unless you're just masking it and trying to hide your true self under a guise of good?"
 
"And that is what we call stereotyping," Imperia replied. "Now, in my years as a traveling merchant, I have come across more... unsavory members of my kind, but its not everyone. I exist solely to spread magic to all I come across. That is my purpose." She always found joy in seeing the shock and awe in people's faces as they witnessed her powers at work. Nothing like the fakers do for entertainment. While she didn't mind them, she couldn't help but feel a bit offended when people fall for such simple tricks like sleight of hand.
 
"Stereotyping exists for a reason!" Robby squawked. He dug in his bag. What did he have for witches? Holy water should have worked! If that didn't work, then what would? Stake? Silver cross? Maybe the chain?
 
Sighing, Imperia reached her hand out and let the butterfly perch on her finger. While he was busy, combing through the bag, she led the butterfly back into the painting where it belonged. Then, she watched him pull out an assortment of items. Stakes, water, crosses, everything. He really came prepared for something. Still, she frowned. After a moment, she cleared her throat.

"These would be great in some sort of werewolf or vampire attack, but..." She trailed off and chuckled. "...These are fake." Even if they were real, it'd do nothing against witch.
 
Robby looked at her, bewildered. "How do you have a fake stake?" he demanded, waving the item in question. "It's just a pointy piece of wood. And this is most definitely not fake!" He held up his mother's silver cross necklace. "This is pure silver! And if it isn't, she's owed a pretty big refund."
 
Imperia shook her head. "Not the stake or necklace. I mean the holy water. The chain could be fine, I'll have to test it. What are these for anyway? Certainly not a witch, if that's what you're thinking."
 
"I didn't know you were a witch, so I was trying to cover my bases," Robby huffed. "But now that I know you're a witch..." He grabbed a lighter from one of the pockets of his bag, the kind with a handle and a long nose designed for starting campfires and similar. "Fire!" He pressed the switch, and a tiny flame popped out on the metal end. "Everything's scared of fire!"
 
"Water isn't my only expertise," Imperia said, watching the flame. She then waved a hand back and for and the flame followed. Then, when she closed her hand into a fist, it went out despite his hand still on the switch.
 
Robby stared at the flame for a minute before letting go of the switch. "Hey! How did you do that? That shouldn't happen like that! Aren't you supposed to say an incantation or use your own energy or something?"
 
"I am using my own energy for this," Imperia answered. "This just isn't very taxing. Are you expecting me to pass out from this?" She'd used magic for quite a lot of her life. Something like this that wouldn't mean much to her. She opened her hand and crossed her arms, admittedly looking a bit smug. "Would you like to see another trick?"
 
Robby stared at her through narrowed eyes. He should say no. He should start chucking things at the witch and run away to safety. Witches were bad things. "Okay," his mouth said. "What trick?"
 
Imperia tapped her chin in thought. She mumbled a 'Hm...' as she looked around the room. Then, she spotted a one of the mannequin heads on display wearing a necklace. It was bejeweled with green gems. She held her hand out and, as if beckoned to a call, the necklace slid off the display and glided over to her hand. She then handed it to the boy. "Tap one of the gems here," She said. "It doesn't matter which."
 
"Um," Robby hesitated. The necklace had just floated through the air like a green soap bubble. Was it really safe to touch? He reached out slowly and tapped the nearest gem, jerking his hand back fast.
 
The necklace began to quake and soon glow green. Then, after a flash of green light and making Imperia close her eyes for a second, something began to rain down from the ceiling. It was...petals. And flowers. Roses, camellias, sunflowers, you name it. They all came fluttering down gently around the two. Imperia had a pleasant smile on her face. "Like it?" She asked. "That necklace was given to me by a forest nymph. It can do much more, but I never had much need for its powers."
 
Robby scooted backward to avoid the falling petals, watching them fall with awe mingled with suspicion. "Wow. That is pretty cool, he admitted grudgingly, "but does it have a use?"
 
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