"He can make his illusions act just as they did as though they were living, and it was sweet to see those three. Apparently Yugi had signals for what he wanted when he was a baby. Like holding his arms out with his hands open meant he wanted to be picked up and carried. But if his hands were closed into the cutest little fists it meant he just wanted a comfort hug!" Anzu continued, a virtually melted puddle of happy recollection Anzu.
Bakura quietly walked along listening to Anzu while silently guiding them towards the magic shop. Keeping his expression neutral despite listening, even as his spirit mother and company showed up around him. Anzu's stories constantly re-enforced that Kaiba and Mahaado appeared to be about Bakura's age and Yugi had been about Mokuba's. That sharp age contrast that reminded Bakura that he attacked a 'child'. That he literally dumped the blame of a massacre on a child, and not even the 'right' one.
But he also heard things that Anzu wouldn't have known to pick up on. Like her descriptions of what they wore through out the seasons. How Mahaado never wore summer attire, or how Set never let the prince crawl on Mahaado's back. Egypt, even back then, was hot in the summer. There was no seeming way for Mahaado to be able to function in such an environment with his full apprentice robes. The hints that Anzu casually missed whispered of a type of abuse that Mahaado must have faced. Thus his behavior wasn't pure loyalty to Yugi, his neurotic inability to just be 'friends' with anyone was borne from what was on his back.
Yet Mahaado had been given the Sennen Ring and Bakura later obtained the cursed Ring. He knew how it could twist things and he was struck curious on that. The Items didn't seem to twist the original Priests that served Pharaoh Aknamkanon at a glance. Yet, Mahaado obtained the Ring through 'his' teacher.. So if Mahaado was the 'most powerful' magician ever, it would have meant that he surpassed his own teacher. Why did that never show and did the High Magician use the Ring to booster his own power?
Now that Bakura thought about it, the Ring was the only Item in the hands of someone with actual magical potential 'without' aid. Could that have allowed the corruption that Bakura 'knew' existed within the Sennen Items to spread faster? After all, prior to Yugis' death, there 'was' no Divine force trying to hold back the inherit evil of the Items. The Sennen Items in such a case would have come across more as poisoned bladed daggers corrupting those they inflicted pain upon. Yet the Ring, and the Tauk to lesser capacity, were like a poison hilted dagger. Wounding the spirit of both the enemy, but also the one who wielded it.
It was a thought he would have to come back to once he got any time to do so. IF he got any time to come back to this thought process. Bakura would have been lying if he didn't admit that his mind was beginning to feel like it was overly stuffed with things he 'needed to remember'. Between school and finding a murderous organization bent on restoring a demonic force bent for global destruction.
Well, Bakura was sure that people would expect him to put more weight on the organization than on his education. However; Bakura wanted to believe that things would turn out for the good in the end and that meant studying for school. After all it wasn't a matter of being held back a 'grade' it was a matter of not graduating from High School at all. Not to mention the mere fact that it was going to look very peculiar that it was a select group of people that all failed. There just wasn't anything good that came from that type of group associations.
"This must be it!" Anzu's excited tone broke into Bakura's quiet thought process bringing him back to his surroundings.
Before them stood large windows with images of magician costumes on display, along with fading colored pictures of performances. A large red curtain fell behind the costumes hiding what laid within, on either side with a door way that was bracketed by a black board. On it were words that were lost on the group with its overly extensive, cursive style making it difficult for even Anzu to translate. But she didn't have time to puzzle her way through the large loops and swirls as Bakura walked to the door.
"Show time!" Malik quipped lightly in his native Egyptian as he followed Bakura, letting his eyes widen in false interest in the surroundings. Anzu followed up behind him, as Bakura held the door open for her and the pair of guys found that, by the sound of Anzu's voice, she genuinely was interested in what she saw.
For which the experience was an interesting blend with Anzu's pure naivety, Malik's honest surprise and curiosity while Bakura did a quick surveillance.
Anzu did one large sweep of the room, her eyes falling upon the costumes. Dramatic dark suits for the magicians hung on off white plastic mannequins with the sweeping brightly colored assistant outfits attracted her instantly. Though it was possible the attraction was due to the dancer in her blood. There were colored pictures near by the show what these particular costumes looked like on models like a magazine for Halloween costumes. The price tags were startling large, yet that was the cost of high quality workmanship.
These particular costumes were positioned on either side of a door that appeared to lead into decently sized room with more costumes hanging on racks. While above the door was a remarkably thoughtful sign.
'Costumes have a purpose as important as props. All of it is to help you put on the best show you can. But the show is nothing without 'You' never forget the most important part of the Magician's life is in how you treat yourself and your team. John Mysterio'
Malik never really had a great expectation of what he was going to see in the shop, the idea of 'fake magicians' put a sizable disinterest in him. After all, what was so special about illusions when compared to Mahaado or the Sennen Items or even Kaiba's Duel Disk System? But he supposed there was a certain amount of it was due to Pandoras' state of mind when they 'met'. The inability to face reality when balanced with a career designed to trick the senses through misdirection was, well...
But he reminded himself of how Catherine saw it, and had to confess there 'was' something about what was in the shop. The props, the color, the contrast between bright silver polished metals and dark fabrics. But Pandora had always been about 'escape' type illusions and this place showed a good deal more than what he was prepared for. Even with his limited knowledge of a few of Mahaado's spells, for example the Mystic Box of Death, seeing the non magical one was...
"May I help you?"
"AHHHH!"
Malik never even noticed when he was approached as he stood tip toe over a box listed as something he couldn't read. The sudden start sent him pinwheeling backwards and jumping into the arms of who ever stood behind him.
Malik's panicked eyes fell on Bakura's unimpressed, unamused brown ones before the Thief dropped Malik unceremoniously to the ground.
"Guys?!" Anzu called out and there was the sound of shoes quick movement and the sight of her auburn hair amid the racks and shelves as she made her way from the costumes to them.
Bakura shook his head before giving the poor teenager who spoke in the first place an apologetic expression. Before in his most polite, British, accent said, "my apologies... Malik doesn't speak English..."
Meanwhile; Malik quickly got to his feet in sheer annoyance rubbing his lower back given how he fell. Glaring at Bakura to distract himself that he had allowed himself to be startled and to react like Jounouchi. The mere thought that he was taking Jounouchi's timid in the face of ghosts stance was... well pride wounding.
"Is everything ok?" Anzu asked in a concerned rush as she finally got to the guys, stepping around the parts of a guillotine that stood between herself and the trio.
"Yeah," Malik grumbled as he gave Bakura a quick mock punch in the forearm.
While the employee, a teenager about their age with thick curly dark hair, heavy dark rimmed glasses and willow thin stood there rather helplessly. Bakura was then left mentally scrambling how to explain the trio, because this guy looked to be old enough to be in their school. How could they say they came from a local high school if there was already someone local working here? Anzu 'might' have been able to avoid his detection, but Bakura?
"Reece? Is everything all right out there?"
An older voice called out, and beyond there was a slight shake of a vibrant red curtain as someone stepped out.
'Reece' turned and called out to the voice "Yes, Mr. Santiago! Just accidentally startled a visitor!"
Bakuras' mind cross referenced the man's features with those of the young magicians that Catherines' picture had shown. Which meant 'Mysterio' was a stage name and this was Johns' brother or they were brother-in-laws. Assured by the explanation the older man stepped back behind the curtain to the back office.
"We're sorry if Malik startled you," Anzu apologized with a polite bow. Drawing attention onto herself as she put on a bright smile. "We were visiting the area and thought we would come in, do you run tours here?"
"Oh its fine, you get used to it with the place. People get startled all, just comes with the territory," Reece waved away the explanation with a faint shrug. "As for tours, actually Mr. Santiago gives free tours for groups let me go see if he's free at the moment."
"That sounds great!" Bakura brightened under the suggestion, and as Reece excused himself and slipped away, "this place is protected."
"Wait, what?" Malik asked surprised, though he used his birth language instead of Japanese. But even his question was shared by Anzu who echoed it in Japanese as though she didn't understand that she asked the same as Malik.
Showing her awareness that for this ruse to work, Malik couldn't speak in Japanese for the duration, and allow Bakura to serve as the group translator. Though in hindsight he couldn't recall telling her to do it, so she apparently picked up on the cue by herself.
"The spirits aren't here with me, they're literally stuck outside the building, so something is shielding this building from spirits." Bakura explained under his breath as he presented himself as just a tourist being distracted by all the props that stood around them. It was a strange sort of liberation not to see spirits of long ago Egypt intermixing with the modern age people and items.
"So we know we got the right place," Anzu chirped up, pointing out a bright side to their situation as she took lead. Though the way her head kept turning towards the costumes, it wasn't hard to believe that she was probably distracted by the glitz of that area.
Ahead of them, the man that Bakura saw before stepped out of the back and gave patient expression to his employee. They weren't close enough to hear it clearly what was being said, but as Bakura approached he started reading the 'target' as it were.
Mr. Santiago didn't seem to be a very happy man, his posture was of patience and age, but mostly he carried himself with an air of loneliness. He appeared emotionally closed off from Reece, what with his arms crossed and given the nature of the interruption it seemed off that he wasn't fully engaged. There was a distraction in his life that was just on the surface, if Bakura ever saw such a situation.
Yet as they got closer to the front desk the glint of gold caught his eye and he found something surprising presented before them. The front counter doubled as a large jewelry case that revealed a large assortment of gold and silver jewelry. They all had the small imperfections that spoke to Bakura of handcrafted, which meant someone was a precious metal smith. But even more than that, they were 'all' Egyptian. Eyes of Horus and Ra, were one thing, but he saw cat and falcon headed pieces that spoke that whoever made them knew more than the surface stuff.
Because sure why not?
"Reece says that you were looking to take a tour?" Mr. Santiago inquired, his voice moderately louder than expected. More of a performance voice if Bakura was one to gauge yet even with that voice it was pinned down by some weight. Something that told Bakura that the death of John affected this man, which was understandable. But his last name didn't match, so was Johns' name a stage name or a given one?
"Ah yes sir! Only, Ryou's friend Malik doesn't speak English 'or' Japanese. So please forgive us if it seems we're interrupting at times!" Anzu took point, her cheery disposition coupled with her 'embarrassment' at having to confess that there would be distractions working to their favor. Allowing Bakura to share the rueful shrug allowing his head to tilt in a 'what can I say' manner. It was a growing pleasure at how much Anzu filled in potential issues before they got a chance to trip up anything. More over using his given name and how easy it was to get wrong. Well that just made tracing things back to Bakura a 'little' more difficult.
"Oh, well hello Malik," Mr. Santiago answered with a bit of genuine warmth in his voice, nonplussed at how the trio reacted in surprise. "Ha, well my wife's family comes from Egypt, and she taught me a little bit. Though I normally get it mispronounced," he confessed with his own 'what can I say' shrug.
Malik blinked in complete surprise, his back stiffened in disbelief as he heard and understood the sentence. But it was enunciated 'correctly' which was something that blew his mind. For while he and his tribes knew and spoke the modern Egyptian, they spoke the OLD language regularly underground and Santiago was using that very same language. So he answered in kind using the Egyptian that was used in those ancient times. "No... No as far as my tribe goes you say it perfectly!"
"Ryou?" Anzu asked, genuinely curious about what was just said.
Giving Bakura a moment to redirect his attention back to her and shake himself loose of the surprise he got from what he just heard. For Santiago's expression, while retaining its warmth, showed the inquisitive nature of someone who didn't understand. Showing the limits of his learning of the language.
"He spoke the greeting in the mother tongue," Bakura explained, wording it in a way that was deeper hidden in Japanese. Not wanting to tip off either Mr. Santiago or Reece about the unusual nature of what was just said. Trusting all the while that Anzu put together what exactly made it so surprising, given the added context clues of the jewelry in the case.
She nodded, giving a cheerful smile of the perky friend, "oh, that's neat! So that explains all the Egyptian themed embroidery and stuff!"
"Ha! Yes, I see you got an eye for glamour!" Mr. Santiago warmed up further to Anzu's sunny disposition. "My wife made used to hand make jewelry and did a lot of the work you've seen!"
Giving Bakura the much needed cover to think about the information that was being given to them on a platter. Though he wouldn't be able to cross check it with Malik yet as he had originally hoped, but he translated everything for Malik. Though the comment that the wife 'used' to make it and the fact that Anzu apparently had caught sight of Egyptian themed embroidery was also picked up on by Malik.
As far as Malik was aware he was the 'only' one to actively leave the Underground Tribes, everyone else would only go as far as trades of the barest of essentials. So how could this man be married to a woman of the Tribes? It couldn't just been by chance, there greetings of modern Egyptians was decidedly different than what Malik or Bakura would use. Above and beyond just a matter of just an enunciation difficulty. No, he 'had' to have been taught the original tongue, and the modern Egyptians just assumed it was incorrect.
"Well come along lady and gents, and I'll give you the grand tour of the 'Black Box of Mystery!"
And for the first time since they started speaking to the man, Mr. Santiago's voice boomed like a master magician. Loud and captivating, he threw his arms out in a grand welcome with a life he had not shown until that moment. It was a shift that showed a type of life that had been missing, the whole time, a life that only partially roused itself from its melancholy.
Even Reece seemed content, he stayed behind the counter, but his eyes were wide. He appeared excited at the change, as though something lost had been found once more. Or was it relief? Did he take this job because of admiration and was getting a chance to see the spirit that brought him here once more rekindled?