"No, you may not. Before it was enchanted for me, it was made for me by Anselm, and it is not for sale."
It is actually a very simple silver band (by color, actually it's white gold) set with a single amethyst, the exact shade of Gemma's eyes.
You still love him...
Forget everything else. The pen, the bow, the carpet, all of it. Come back to Andorra with us. Introduce Vulcanus to his child. Raise it together.
As a child, I was always shuffling between dad's place & mom's place, dealing with father and his affairs on one hand, on the other hand dealing with my mother and her gay husband and her affairs. It sucks. A child needs a family, with both parents, its real parents.
Gemma's smile falters. "I assure you that if he wanted me in his life anymore, we would both still be at Fengheld," she flatly states, and gives a hard look at Bernhard. "Now, if you'll follow me? I must stress the importance of not touching anything."
She picks up a ledger from her desk and leads the way into the studio. (Note that only Carmen and Esteban have Aegis tokens, as they're the only ones who introduced themselves as magi.)
The room is full of any number of wondrous looking items. What catches Vibria's eye right away (since I know you'll ask...) is immediately left of the entrance: a tree wrought in gold, adorned with leaves of silver and studded with blue agate fruits. It seems to be a display for jewelry, as a star sapphire necklace and a diamond bracelet both hang from tree limbs, and a pair of opal earrings are fixed on one golden leaf.
To the right is a shoe rack, with a number of pairs of boots and sandals. "You mentioned an interest in transportation items; Caduceus prefers boots for this purpose. Here we have Boots of the Homecoming, Seven-League Striders, and Wizard's Leapers. If you have something more grand in mind..." She gestures to a ship's helmswheel, wrought in gold and studded with opals. "Install this helm on any ship and you'll have yourself a flying vessel that can turn invisible and fly at remarkable speeds. It's a steal at two queens, but on a slightly more restricted budget, we also have this sail," she opens a chest and removes a folded cloth-of-gold, "which will turn the winds to one's advantage and still any inclement weather, made by Caela the Bold." She places the cloth back in the chest with the other items not of Caduceus' making, and closes it. "This that the model statue is wearing is one of our Traveller's Cloaks, which protect the wearer from any and all kind of weather phenomena, and imbue the wearer with knowledge of how to find food and fresh water." The cloak is also wrought in cloth-of-gold and has a beautiful opal brooch. "Does any of this fit your needs?"
Esteban admires the ship's wheel. "A pity Andorra is far from the sea. Do you have anything that can instantly transport several men at once?"
"Of course. The Boots of Homecoming affect a group, and transport both people and animals. The lower level effects are single-target only, and are made in bulk."
Ah, but the Warping involved in such a high level effect. And a flying ship is so conspicuous. I had my hears set on a flying carpet, and I was told you had one. I guess I was wrong. Do you happen to know where I could find one or have one made? And that magical pen is lovely. Where did you say you got it again? I was hoping to find one just like it.
Vibria smiles a little bit as she sees this. Oh, that's nice, she thinks. A ring that can calm your emotions. I could definitely use one of those. Actually, I could use that one.
Vibria's eyes narrow a little, as she looks more intently at the ring. I wonder if he'll make one like that for me.
[color=red]"Pffft."
Vibria doesn't quite trust herself to keep a civil tongue in her mouth when she talks to that...traitorous wench. She's half afraid that if she does say anything, she'll queer the deal for everyone.
Vibria leans in to examine them more closely, raising her hand but not quite touching them, with a soundless "Ooo."
Vibria then stands up straight as she realizes she's not seen the bow yet. She looks around carefully. ((Per 0 + Awareness 3 + die roll of 0 (botch check comes up a 6) = 3.))
"The boots can, of course, be made to order to be specific to the purchaser. A flying ship is not conspicuous once invisible. I don't know how many times I must tell you, but we do not have any flying carpets. That's... not within Caduceus' aesthetic. If you want that... style, may I suggest Marcus Navicularius of Oculus Septentrionalis. And I don't know what pen you're talking about, there aren't any pens in here."
Vibria sees no sign of any bows.
Carmen commands the pen again 
This pen right here. I am looking for one just like it. Where did you get it from?
She shrugs. "No idea. I've been with Caduceus for less than a year. That's not an item for sale" (it's in her office, not the studio) "so it hasn't occurred to me to learn its history. I don't normally take customers through my office, but your grog there" -she gestures toward Vibria- "was busy fiddling with the main door."
What's behind the main door?
[color=red]"Grog?" Vibria sputters. [color=red]Grog?! I'll have you know that Vibria filia Fulminara Flambonis is not a 'grog'!
"And I was 'fiddling with the main door' because we're looking for the bow that you told your ex was here and needed rescuing!"
Gemma seems perplexed. "You mean, you're not the distraction, while he's exploring Caduceus' sanctum looking for Destiny?" She looks like she doesn't know whether to believe you or not. "And I suppose Bernhard is also a magus now, too," she adds dryly.
She looks back to Carmen. "The main doors open into the museum-- Caduceus' collection of mundane artifacts. Quite impressive, in my opinion, though most magi tend not to care for such things. If you're here for Destiny, it's no longer anywhere I can access. It will be somewhere beyond his sanctum entrance. Which could be anywhere."
Carmen rolls her eyes once Vibria's pride causes her to blow her cover.
Look, I don't care about any bow. My main concern right now is to reunite You and your child with the father, Vulcanus. Forsake this other man, this usurper, and come back to Andorra with us. You love him, he loves you. Say what you will about your expectations of his actions. If you know him as well as you say, you know he is stupid in matters of romance and feminine communication. If he asks you "what's wrong", and you say "nothing", he will really think nothing is wrong.
Please Gemma. Forget about everything you think about why we are here. Just come with me to Andorra. This is the last time I am asking, so the choice is yours.
(Carmen winks at Estaban and nods at Vibria)
Gemma pauses for a long moment, then finally nods. "All right."
Carmen gestures for everyone to rally
Okay, we're headed out. Let's go...
Once everyone is out of the studio, Gemma packs up a few things into a sack, and is ready to go.
A very small bat named Ludwig bites Bernhard on the ear, hard, and squeaks loudly.
(Gah! This thread got busy in a hurry.)
All good to know, but keep in mind that a) he could barely follow her story in Latin (especially big words like peregrinator) and b) he assumes Gemma is lying unless proven otherwise. Carmen seems to be implying the pen was stolen from Andorra, which doesn't make much sense to Bernhard, but it fits in with his general distrust of Gemma.
Bernhard tries to stop Carmen without actually touching her (which would be rude or something). Frau Carmen, we must find Destiny. It is...Ehrung...for Vulcanus. Very important. He glances in Gemma's direction The woman is not to be trusted. He's speaking quietly, but doesn't much care if Gemma hears him.
¡Murciélago! ¡Cuidado! hay un murciélago aqí!
(I have been waiting all week to fit "murciélago" (bat) into a sentance. :mrgreen: )