Nia has a little notebook and writes out in very small letters her shopping list. She wants a binder, and pencils, or pens failing that, and three-hole-punched paper and folders and she also wants masking tape for labeling things.

Lily nods seriously. "I can do that."

"...let's focus on school supplies first so we can get more paper to make lists," Tomonori says authoritatively, as though he's the one making decisions around here.

Angie would also quite like paper, more pencils, sketchbooks if those are in evidence, and she expects Alex will want notebooks if there are any to be found. She also has a list of jewelry making supplies, some of which she has, all of which she'd still love to find. 

"I'm Angie, by the way, Montréal enclave, artificing," she tells the newcomers. "This is my brother Alexei, he's in creative writing track, and our clavemates are Zed, languages, and Sara, who is a junior. That's not a bad idea," she adds to Tomonori.

"Lily, Canada, Artificer. Affinity's for bracelets, which are incidentally for sale - I've got shielding, blasting, endurance and storage ones on offer."

"Ooh, that sounds very good."

"Storage? How does that work?" 

"What would you sell the shielding ones for?" Alex interjects, pulling away from his mal watching. 

Tomonori squints at the bracelets so they will reveal their magical secrets!

She pulls out one of each type to show. All of them are made of woven wire and beaded with semiprecious stones, except the storage bracelet which has a single pinky-sized diamond inset in the band.

To Tomonori's sight there's a weave of magic overlaid, pooling in the semiprecious stones and being drawn through the wire to form a circle of taut energy. It looks like very solid work, especially for a freshman. 

"Shielding enhances wards and shields cast while wearing it, Blasting does the same for hexes, Endurance helps you resist fatigue, poison and wounds, Storage stores months of mana almost losslessly. It works by reinforcing a conventional mana gem with a ring of semiprecious stones that circulate dissipating mana back into the diamond."

She looks over at Alex. "I'd trade for enchanted items, high-quality artificing materials like gemstones or precious wire, or enough straight mana. And I trade in all kinds of things, so if you have something you'd like to move I might be interested."

"Interesting!" And it sounds like something she could work out how to do, too. "Alex, we're fine for shielding," she reminds him, exasperated. 

"There's nothing wrong with adding a little more on top," he returns. But he does go back to watching the ceiling and tables nearby. 

Well, he's not entirely wrong, "Would you trade for enchanted earrings?" Angie asks. "We have an extra pair which improves the senses, it takes a little getting used to but when I say a little I mean 'typically an hour or so of extra jumpiness'." 

Even if they're not well-behaved, she could really use a sensory item. "I would trade for enchanted earrings."

Nia will have to accumulate stuff to trade for things. Even if she reaaaally wants an endurance bracelet. Though - "Does endurance make building mana more hard?"

She glances at Alex, "A shielding bracelet for a pair of earrings then," she agrees, and Alex digs them out to trade. 

"...I'll take a storage bracelet when I can trade you enough mana. How often can you make them?"

She hands over the shielding bracelet, and tucks the earrings away into her pack. 

"The endurance bracelets are specifically built not to make building mana harder. They stretch the zone where it sucks but you can keep moving and doing things."

She looks at Matsumoto. "I've got five Storage left to trade, after that you're looking at a much pricier commission cost. I would estimate I'll be able to manage maybe one a week here, between building the mana and putting in the work hours. Assuming my materials don't walk off."

"I want an endurance. I don't have things set aside for trade yet besides mundane medical objects and some storage sapphires I can replace before I need all of them for storing. I am a good shop assistant though, my mum artifices."

Angie takes the bracelet and passes it to Alex, who hangs onto it for now.

"What do you have in the way of drugs, and how many storage sapphires can you spare?"

"Ritalin, tramadol, vitamins with iron and D and C, ibuprofen."

"How about... a dozen sapphires, and thirty pills each of Ritalin, Tramadol and Ibuprofen."

Tomonori will just need to keep his eyes peeled when they go for artificing supplies, then; he does have his glasses, and those should help.

"Okay. Thank you."

He reviews the list of school supplies in his head again.

"The sapphires are big," she says, pulling one out; it's a substantial rock. "You still need a dozen?"

Zed and Sara wander back over from the map.

"I found a route. Is this everyone?"

"Hi!"

She looks at the sapphire, calculating in her head. "Six. And the pills."