The mansion

"That won't do," Imperia said. "Hm...I could probably put an item on display in front of the store. Something that'll get people's attention once they see what it can do. Would that work?"
 
"That's a good start," Robby agreed. "Preferably something that can't be stolen, at least not easily. And a sign. Something to indicate that this is a shop because it looks just like a house." He checked his watch. "I should get home."
 
"Robby," he told her. "At least, that's what people call me. What was your name - uh, your names - again? I missed them." He awkwardly tried to include the fairy.
 
"I'm Lenora," the fairy said, then pointed to Imperia. "And that's Imperia Le Blanc. Just call her Imperia." She glanced out the window, and noticed the sun going down. "Oh, it really is getting late," she said as she stood on Imperia's shoulder. "I should head back home too."

The fairy began to glow and suddenly transform into a blue butterfly. It then flew towards the painting of a branch, going inside of it.
 
Okay, that was cool, but he wasn't going to say that. "Right... well, bye. I guess I'll see you around. Good luck with, you know, stuff." Robby headed out of the house, glancing back as he headed for home. This was a weird place. He still wasn't sure he believed or trusted all this stuff, but he guessed he was going to find out eventually. If they stuck around.
 
The mansion was indeed still there the next morning. There, Imperia could be seen outside. There was a stand next to her, and she was setting a variety of books on it. These were the tomes she told Robby about yesterday. The tomes had instructions on preforming many forms of simple magic. From fire, to water, to earth, to air. Lenora sat on her shoulder as always.
 
Robby walked up slowly, keeping his distance as he eyed the tomes, his bag still over his shoulder. It was no longer filled with things to potentially attack or protect, but school books. He frowned and nodded a little as he looked over the books. "Magic books?" he asked Imperia. "Nice. But how are you going to keep people from stealing them if you're inside?"
 
Lenora waved at Robby as he approached. "Oh, I'll be out here," Imperia answered. She didn't face him and was still sorting the books. "Besides, they look like normal old books don't they?" Lenora spoke up next. "I'm sure it'll be fine."
 
Robby shrugged. "Well, it's a good start, that's for sure. Do you have anything flashy to catch people's eye? You're not exactly on the beaten path, so you might need to work to get their attention. Like... a fire bird on a perch or something. Far away from the books, of course."
 
Now having finished sorting the books, Imperia faced Robby with a friendly smile. "I suppose the phoenix could help," She said. "I have other grimores with spirits in them as well. And don't worry about the books. They're enchanted and won't be affected by the phoenix."
 
"That's good news." Robby checked his watch. "I need to head to school. I'll stop by after school to see how things are going. Just remember, most of the people - not all of them, but most - who really, really want to believe or do believe in magic are a bit weird. Be careful of those ones. Everyone else is just going to think it's really cool tricks. Good luck." He turned and started away.
 
Imperia and Lenora waved him off and went back to business. The rest of the day went by without much happening. In fact, people seemed to avoid coming near the mansion. Just as they were about to pack things up, they were soon approached by the same family from before.
 
Robby scuffed his feet as he headed back toward the mansion. It was not exactly on the way, but it was close enough that he didn't mind angling that way on his way home. He noticed the people talking to Imperia and Lenora and hung way back watching. Perhaps he should just head home and not interrupt them.
 
Once again, the little girl was trying to catch Lenora, who seemed more than a bit annoyed. Imperia on the other hand was talking to the parents, who were quite skeptical about her claims of magic despite Lenora's existence. After a moment, she pulled out the grimore from yesterday and summoned the phoenix again. The little girl watched in awe while the parents...were in shock to say the least.
 
Robby hung back and watched, not wanting to interfere in a sale. If Imperia managed to pull it off. The phoenix was even more impressive from a distance. The red feathers tinged with gold fire outshone any picture or interpretation he'd ever seen. He couldn't help but wonder if people like Imperia had come here before. Where else would his world have gotten some of these ideas?
 
It seemed to be going well. Imperia was a bit prideful of her abilities though. After a moment, Imperia reached into her pocket and produced a blue ring. The parents seemed to study it for a while and then nodded. They handed her some money, took the ring, and the family left.
 
Robby waited until the family left to come forward. "So, how did it go? How many sales have you managed to make?"
 
Lenora shrugged. "Not great," Lenora said. "They were the only ones to buy something." "But they did say they were will to come back sometime," Imperia said almost excitedly. "That has to mean something right?"
 
"Nice. One sale is better than none," Robby said with a shrug. He glanced around. "Have you thought about my suggestion for a sign?"
 
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