"It's Del Bosque actually, Zoraida Del Bosque, my grandfather Rafael is the head of the clan," she explained to the young shopkeeper.
Ithai
His eyebrows flew up. "Del Bosque? That's an old family. Old in magic, I mean," Ithai mused. "Rafael Del Bosque sounds like a familiar name. I think I've heard that name around family dinners a few times, when we really brought all the distant relatives in. You might have even seen some of my family members at some point if you're part of the clan I think you are. They're either Laughingwoods or Ishikawa, those are the biggest names in the bunch."
His eyebrows flew up. "Del Bosque? That's an old family. Old in magic, I mean," Ithai mused. "Rafael Del Bosque sounds like a familiar name. I think I've heard that name around family dinners a few times, when we really brought all the distant relatives in. You might have even seen some of my family members at some point if you're part of the clan I think you are. They're either Laughingwoods or Ishikawa, those are the biggest names in the bunch."
Zoraida looked at the young man in surprise, and just nodded. He did know her family, amazing. "Yes, I do know who they are and yes, I believe that I have at one or another come across them... the Laughingwoods? Are they still in... Surrey?" she asked with interest, not sure if it were Surrey, or some other part of England.
Ithai
He relaxed a bit; Ithai hadn't even noticed himself tense up. "Oh, yes, half of them are still in Surrey. Those are the old Brits who can't be bothered to leave. The other half is settled in Boston now. One of the daughters is teaching at the Academy, even." He considered the woman thoughtfully. Before releasing his hold on his magic.
Immediately, the sound of multiple things falling against each other rang out across the shop. Wincing at every noise, Ithai could only watch helplessly as stacks of books fell, taken down by a single tome hurtling through the air towards them. Holding his hand out, the summoned book sprang into it surprisingly gently, opening to a particular page.
"That's the chapter on the Del Bosques," he told Zoraida. "It's a little short but, well, they had to make room for everybody else in the book, too. It should tell you more or less what you need to know, though."
He relaxed a bit; Ithai hadn't even noticed himself tense up. "Oh, yes, half of them are still in Surrey. Those are the old Brits who can't be bothered to leave. The other half is settled in Boston now. One of the daughters is teaching at the Academy, even." He considered the woman thoughtfully. Before releasing his hold on his magic.
Immediately, the sound of multiple things falling against each other rang out across the shop. Wincing at every noise, Ithai could only watch helplessly as stacks of books fell, taken down by a single tome hurtling through the air towards them. Holding his hand out, the summoned book sprang into it surprisingly gently, opening to a particular page.
"That's the chapter on the Del Bosques," he told Zoraida. "It's a little short but, well, they had to make room for everybody else in the book, too. It should tell you more or less what you need to know, though."
"Really? My aunt, Celeste also teaches at the Academy. Maybe they know each other? She's Rafael´s daughter. She goes by Forestier, but she's a Del Bosque too," Zora explained rather excited to see that two strangers seemed to have quite a few things in common.
When stacks of books fell around her with a loud boom and crash, Zora jumped and whirled around, heart racing at the suddenness of it all, immediately on guard, wary. She hadn't realised until then how much she was still affected by the attack of her business weeks ago, and felt embarrassed and flustered by her reaction.
Taking the book almost hesitantly, Zora opened it to where he told her, and scanned the section, raising an eyebrow at the information there. Some things she knew, other had guessed at - and saw she had been right in her assumptions - and a few were totally new and surprising to her.
Glancing at the young man, slightly awed that they knew as much as they did about her family, "How did your family get this information?" she asked curiously, more surprised than anything by what was written about them.
When stacks of books fell around her with a loud boom and crash, Zora jumped and whirled around, heart racing at the suddenness of it all, immediately on guard, wary. She hadn't realised until then how much she was still affected by the attack of her business weeks ago, and felt embarrassed and flustered by her reaction.
Taking the book almost hesitantly, Zora opened it to where he told her, and scanned the section, raising an eyebrow at the information there. Some things she knew, other had guessed at - and saw she had been right in her assumptions - and a few were totally new and surprising to her.
Glancing at the young man, slightly awed that they knew as much as they did about her family, "How did your family get this information?" she asked curiously, more surprised than anything by what was written about them.
Ithai
Ithai shrugged. "It's just a side effect of having connections in the magical world," he answered breezily. "I actually am just on the fringe of the family so I don't get much of the really good information but they still at least give me their leavings every so often. Whenever they find something old and don't want it, it trickles down to us distant relations. I just so happen to have a sob story and therefore dibs on the books whenever they're available."
Ithai shrugged. "It's just a side effect of having connections in the magical world," he answered breezily. "I actually am just on the fringe of the family so I don't get much of the really good information but they still at least give me their leavings every so often. Whenever they find something old and don't want it, it trickles down to us distant relations. I just so happen to have a sob story and therefore dibs on the books whenever they're available."
"Still.." Zora said visibly impressed by what she had read already and could not imagine the rest of the history they might have on her family. "This little bit is still an impressive amount," she admitted.
"Has your family always tracked others? And why do they do it? Is it a power thing?" she asked.
"Has your family always tracked others? And why do they do it? Is it a power thing?" she asked.
Ithai
"It's more of a eugenics thing honestly," Ithai admitted. "The old families tend to like intermarrying into each other to keep their bloodlines and magic strong. You know how older folks are, always trying to cling onto familiar things. Magic tends to get more diluted with each generation as new blood comes into families so the elders are afraid that one day, they'll simply be none of us left. Granted, that's probably a good thing seeing as the Eastern half is legitimately cursed."
"It's more of a eugenics thing honestly," Ithai admitted. "The old families tend to like intermarrying into each other to keep their bloodlines and magic strong. You know how older folks are, always trying to cling onto familiar things. Magic tends to get more diluted with each generation as new blood comes into families so the elders are afraid that one day, they'll simply be none of us left. Granted, that's probably a good thing seeing as the Eastern half is legitimately cursed."
Zora nodded, that she understood. The Del Bosques were big on marrying magical, and any non-magical marriages or bastards got Forestier slapped on them as a label to distinguish the bloodlines. "I completely understand. Though I often have wondered if mixing magic with magic doesn't have the opposite effect at times," she told the man before her.
"Cursed? That´s not good, not at all," Zora said shaking her head, "Luckily we Del Bosques can't be cursed, though that doesn't mean much either... there are so few of us left..." she admitted sadly.
"Cursed? That´s not good, not at all," Zora said shaking her head, "Luckily we Del Bosques can't be cursed, though that doesn't mean much either... there are so few of us left..." she admitted sadly.
Ithai
"That's the problem with the families, yeah," Ithai mused. "They keep dying out, either from the inbreeding or just because nobody has magic anymore. It's a bit sad but I guess that's just the nature of the world. " He regarded her for a moment. "But that's enough of that. Anything else I can do for you?"
"That's the problem with the families, yeah," Ithai mused. "They keep dying out, either from the inbreeding or just because nobody has magic anymore. It's a bit sad but I guess that's just the nature of the world. " He regarded her for a moment. "But that's enough of that. Anything else I can do for you?"