PM to join A leisurely walk in the darkness...( L'orlei)

[Ashe]

3rd day of Summer, 515 Ashe was staring into the sky as a bright ball of orange crept into the horizon, she was in a daze, wondering if Sunberth was really a good place to learn magic, and why is it so frowned upon. Most of the residents not seeking trouble already had taken shelter in their wooden shacks for the night and those who weren't were well on their way. The young woman found herself in the Wolf's Den and with the iron staff gifted to her from one of the local blacksmiths many winters ago. "Yeah I should be going home now..." The woman muttered to herself as she slowly backed away from the section of the den and turned around to find light on the main street. "Yeah..." She added walking before turning to jogging and intermittently breathing the warm summer air. By the time she stopped at the main street the young woman waited a moment to look around and catch her breath. Ashe was scared, She was rarely outside at night, and if she was there had to be a good reason. The young woman looked down both sides of the street and could not see a single person to find her looking frantically for a better way to get home. At that moment she took a deep breath before reaching into her pockets to draw a candle from within. Ashe closed her eyes and placed her hand over the candle then concentrated her djed to produce res from the palm of her hand onto the candle before transmuting it into a small flame. Ashe loved being able to cast magic, especially for the purpose of being useful, and with little risk to her own health as much as she used it prior to now. 'Alright here we go' The woman thought to herself again before walking down the street towards the Sunset Quarters.

[L'orlei]

L'orlei tended not to venture out into the dangerous dark of the Sunberth night either, but for some reason she found herself not locked away in her room when Syna's light began to fade. She was not really afraid, though perhaps she should have been. Since her first season in Sunberth she had lain low, and she had been doing a pretty good job of it. The problem was, she was doing too good of a job. Virtually no one even knew she was in the city, save those who rented rooms near her own, and the lady she rented from, of course. The few people she had met early on she had not seen since parting ways with them over a season ago. How was she to heal the city if she stayed in hiding? How would she ever learn to fend for herself of all she ever did was lock herself away in her room and avoid everyone else. She couldn't. It was time to stop hiding, and so, L'orlei found herself walking the street as the sun began to set. The Konti did not really have any particular destination in mind. She just wanted to walk the streets a bit and see what she could see. She had her suvai on her belt, a weapon she had no idea how to actually use effectively, and tried to project an air of confidence. If anybody notice her, she did not notice them doing so, despite the fact that she was trying to pay attention to everything. Her observational skills were, unfortunately, somewhat lacking. Either that or there wasn't much of interest going on yet, and L'orlei did not plan on staying out too late. She wanted to be brave, but she wasn't going to be stupid. Take on the city in small doses. What L'oreli did notice was a woman lighting a candle. That in particular was nothing important, but L'orlei just so happened to be looking at the right moment and from the right angle to observe the method of lighting the candle. There was none. Or at least not to the untrained eye, but L'orlei's eyes were trained, sort of. She knew res when she saw it, and that woman had just produced res from her hand, turned it to flame, and lit the candle. That woman, Ashe Fallwood the name sounded in the back of her mind, was a reimancer! L'orlei hurried over to her, moving to block the light and the view of anyone who might be looking her way. Of course doing exactly that probably would have drawn some looks their way had there been anybody nearby to do the looking, but there wasn't, as far as the Konti could tell. "What are you doing? You can't do that out here, someone will see. I saw!" L'orlei pushed the woman into an alley, glancing around behind and before them to make sure nobody was paying attention. If they were, L'orlei couldn't tell. "Didn't anybody tell you that you can't use magic here? They'll kill you. You're lucky I saw you and not somebody else. I won't hurt you. See?" L'orlei held her hand over the candle, reaching down inside her to that central point that she imagined was the home of her djed. She willed it down her arm and into her hands, forcing it out in the form of a seafoam green cloud of res. With a bit of effort she willed the res into a ball and quickly transmuted it to water. The ball dropped onto the flame and quickly snuffed it out. "See, you can trust me. But you shouldn't do that stuff where anyone can see you."

[Ashe]

The flame was comforting to Ashe, bringing light to what can become a warzone that could bring her death on a silver platter at any moment. If the scene can be described like so by someone not familiar with Sunberth's residents and how likely the hostile streets can often become one's resting place. Ashe looked up from her little flame to find a bleached blonde woman storming up to her with a strange object strapped to her belt and a shiver jumped across Ashe's back. The blonde woman had light green scales on her face, had there been more scales Ashe would easily discover that the woman was Konti, not just a sickly woman with a frail build about her but instead her thoughts worked on the woman's appearance to eventually figure out that she was indeed a Konti woman, and she heard her say. 'What are you doing? You can't do that out here, someone will see. I saw!' Before Ashe could protest, The Konti pushed her into the closest dark alley, and took a few moments to glance around possibly looking for witnesses. Ashe would have jabbed at the Konti with the shaft of her staff but the woman now seemed to be doing this Ashe's benefit. 'Didn't anybody tell you that you can't use magic here? They'll kill you. You're lucky I saw you and not somebody else. I won't hurt you. See?' "Huh?" Ashe answered looking down at her candle to find the Konti's hand over the candle and much to her surprise. Ashe could see a light green cloud of res emerging from the Konti's hand and watched it form into a ball before it was transmuted into water, snuffing out the light from the candle to make the alley dark once again. For a moment Ashe frowned at the soaked candle with the wick becoming more difficult to light without the use of Reimancy but the frown disappeared with thought of joy and a smile. By dumb luck she found another magic user and Ashe contemplated asking the newly found Reimancer for new pointers or tricks she happened across while she was perhaps training in secret. See, you can trust me. But you shouldn't do that stuff where anyone can see you. "Yeah I shouldn't have but it's dangerous here even this early at night and to be alone near the wolf's den is even more so. I am glad I got to see someone who knows, My name is Ashe by the way" the Reimancer said as she slid the wet candle back into her pocket and leaned on the iron staff she brought from her home before reaching over to shake the konti's hand.

[L'orlei]

"My name is L'orlei. Next time you should probably just light your candle on one of the lanterns inside the building you came from." L'orlei eyed the outstretched hand for a moment, hesitating. She hated hand shakes. In fact, she hated all unnecessary contact. Her gift allowed her to know a person's name on sight, their full and true name. On touch.. The names and faces of every person the person she was touching had ever met flashed through her mind. It was not particularly pleasant, and she had never been able to control or dampen the effect. Not wanting to appear rude, however, L'orlei accepted the hand and shook it, trying not to wince as her mind was flooded with names and faces that meant nothing to her. Perhaps if she could control it, slow it down, she might find some use for it. Maybe this woman knew someone L'orlei also knew.. But she couldn't tell. The names were over by the time the handshake was over. The good news was, it only happened once.. Well, until Ashe met some new people. Then if L'orlei touched her again she would see the new faces. "Are you new to Sunberth? Did you need help getting somewhere. I admit I'm kind of new myself. The city can be a confusing place, but I could probably get you where you're going on a fairly safe route. It's less likely someone will jump you if there are two of us." L'orlei left out the part that she didn't know how to fight if they did get attacked. But if she could safely get this magic user from point A to point B in one piece she would consider it a small victory. Healing the city was beyond her at that moment, but she would help where she could.

[Ashe]

Ashe listened to the L'orlei's name but her attention quickly faded away as the konti woman continued to lecture her on the dangers of casting magic in public. The woman reminded Ashe of her mother, constantly reminding her to keep her knowledge of magic a secret, reminding her to practice only under the cover of night, if best, with her mother in the common living room, and out of sight of bystanders. Of course this was years before the djed storm poured even more death and destruction on Sunberth. The thought of the storm made Ashe tense for a second before falling back into the conversation '...probably just light your candle on one of the lanterns inside the building you came from.' "You're right I should, I would have but the thought didn't occur to me that I would be out after sunset" Said Ashe as she noticed L'orlei shaking her hand and when the konti let go of the hand she asked. 'Are you new to Sunberth? Did you need help getting somewhere. I admit I'm kind of new myself. The city can be a confusing place, but I could probably get you where you're going on a fairly safe route. It's less likely someone will jump you if there are two of us.' "Actually, I have been here since birth and it's still more dangerous now than during the day even if it's the two of us. Though if we stay on this road over here we should get back to my home in the Sunset Quarter just fine granted that we aren't caught between a fight between the daggercocks and the Sun's Birth or any of the other gangs who may take an interest in us." Ashe said pointing along the road in front of them with her fingertip and stopped leaning on her staff made of iron.

[L'orlei]

If L'orlei noticed that Ashe was getting annoyed with her lecturing, she didn't show it. For a woman who could tell a person's name just by looking at them, she didn't have the best social skills in the world. Not that she didn't like people, it was just that people.. there was always touching, and that was an issue. Most of her interpersonal relationships had been as merchant and customer, or healer and patient. "Oh, you've been here a long time then." L'orlie thought to herself that someone who grew up in Sunberth probably should have known better, but perhaps living in the city made one less careful than a newcomer who had to learn the hard way. "Well.. hopefully there won't be any fighting." L'orlei glanced around, not seeing anybody save for a few random people going in and out of the tavern. This native to Sunberth probably didn't need any help getting anywhere, but Ashe was also the first magic user L'orlei had met since she'd left the safety of her island home. Well, the first magic user that she knew of. It was very possible that she had met others that had been keeping it a secret.. like she was. Except.. she had just revealed her secret, to a stranger. No, she couldn't think that way. They shared a common secret, and they could, no they should, talk about it. L'orlei could not let the opportunity pass her by. "I live in the Sunset Quarters. Um.. perhaps we could walk there together." Once her initial confidence ran its course, L'orlei's awkwardness started to fill in the gaps. How did she get this person talking about her magic? ..maybe, if she told her own story first, it would get the other person talking. "Where I come from, magic is practiced openly. Not like here. We don't have to keep it a secret. I was taught by my mother and grandmother, and I learned reimancy from a master from, I think he said Ravok."

[Ashe]

Ashe heard the Konti acknowledge her comment, being born in Sunberth, and she couldn't help but scratch the back of her head. Of course she knew the dangers of magic and even more about Reimancy, She also watched mobs rush through the streets after suspected people who could have been practicing it, but her fear of being in the dark in the streets of the anarchic city made it feel reasonable. 'It wasn't like anyone else was watching, right? Ashe thought to herself, trying to reassure herself that she made the right decision, and that there was no one interested in murdering her in her sleep. She would have gotten lost in her thoughts until L'orlei said "I live in the Sunset Quarters. Um... perhaps we could walk there together" and the both of them started to walk closer to the general area Ashe's home stood standing. "Yeah" Ashe said to the konti and for a while she could feel the awkwardness oozing from the introduction of the moment of the both of them meeting at night. The awkward feeling was curbed a little when L'orlei said "Where I come from, magic is practiced openly. Not like here. We don't have to keep it a secret. I was taught by my mother and grandmother. and I learned reimancy from a master from, I think he said Ravok." 'Ravok? Where's that? Could it be somewhere to the north?' Ashe asked herself, The only places she knew were within Sunberth and a few hundred feet off the docks towards the land of death or could it be even more misery. She couldn't tell, but thinking of the place the konti came from made her think of a much happier, and safer place than the anarchy of Sunberth. "Where's that?" Ashe asked of L'orlei Ashe was interested in sharing the story of how she learned Reimancy but the insidious thought of what was said could be a lie kept her mouth shut about how she learned it.

[L'orlei]

"Ravok? Or where I'm from? Ravok is.. um.. somewhere in the Sylira region. I haven't been there. The master I mentioned was visiting Mura looking for some rare wood to make a magic staff. Mura is where I'm from. It's an island to the north of here." L'orlei's thoughts drifted back over the seasons to when she'd first met Clyde. As usual, it was her gift that introduced them. But she's discovered he knew of magic and traded her services as a guide in exchange for initiation and basic lesson. Clyde had seemed like a good man, but the Konti had heard dark things about his place of origin. Was Clyde evil? Had she done the world any favors by giving him the means to create his magic staff? She didn't know. Couldn't until she met the man again, and she did believe that would one day happen. Living in Sunberth was teaching her to take life more seriously. She would need to be more than just a healer if she truly wanted to heal the world. But... she wasn't more. Not yet. Her goals were large, but she could start small. This woman, this Ashe, was a Reimancer like L'orlei. Perhaps there was something she could do to help. L'orlei did not get a chance to voice her thoughts, however, as she was distracted from a sound behind. Instantly her heart started beating faster and her pace quickened just a bit. She had not been mugged, so far, but she knew such things were common in the city. L'orlei chanced a glance over her shoulder but saw nothing. Maybe it was just my imagination, she thought, and looked at Ashe trying to tell if she had noticed the sound too.

[Ashe]

"Ravok? Or where I'm from? Ravok is.. um.. somewhere in the Sylira region. I haven't been there. The master I mentioned was visiting Mura looking for some rare wood to make a magic staff. Mura is where I'm from. It's an island to the north of here." The Konti answered, giving the young woman even more questions to ask, 'What is the Sylira region? Can I walk there? How far is this Mura island from Sahova?and I probably need a place on a ship to get there...' Ashe thought to herself. Her thoughts stopped at the sound behind the travelling pair, it sounded like one of the many gangs were starting to fight over territory, and Ashe quickly followed L'orlei's quick change of pace. "We should be safer if we stay near the main road" She whispered to the konti and quietly shifted her staff to her other hand before pointing it to the ground. A few moments of walking the young woman began to think it was safe to speak of how she learned reimancy in a city where all magic was considered evil and some even were sent to the gallows on suspicion that they were wizards. "I learned Reimancy from my parents and it was their friends who gave me the initiation in exchange for some chores that needed to be done. Also one of them taught me how to use fire as an element to transmute, So that my parents could teach me water, at least, until they passed away a few summers ago." Ashe whispered to L'orlei with the assumption that the coast was clear.

[L'orlei]

L'orlei's fears had been for naught, whatever sounds she had heard, they had not been after the pair of women. After a while, Ashe seemed to decide that it was safe to speak again. L'orlei's heart was still beating rapidly, both from the fear, and from the brisk pace. I need to work out more, she thought to herself, resisting the temptation to send a wave of healing energy across her body to heal the ache of running. Doing so, she knew, would not make her stronger. To grow stronger she needed to recover from things naturally. Healing was for emergencies, when conventional or natural methods would not suffice. At least for her own body. L'orlei would not hesitate to heal another, but for herself, giving in to the temptation to heal every minor scrape or hurt would not help her in the long run. It seemed that there were more mages in Sunberth then L'orlei had known. No where near the amount on Mura, of course, but it did seem like there was a bit of a magic underground, at least between Ashe's family, and those who trained her. L'orlei would like to meet them one day, but there was no need to rush, assuming the people were even still around. Getting to know Ashe was more important. "My own mother was Called away when I was young, and I never knew my father. That's not that unusual on Mura though. We are all usually raised by our mothers." L'orlei often thought about her mother. Not her father. He was just some human her mother had slept with only because she'd had a vision that it would lead to a child, which it did, hence L'orlei's existence. Her mother had often been plagued with horrible visions. She had the power to see, given to her by the goddess, and more often than not she saw bad over good. She was a loyal servant of Avalis, however, and loved the goddess with all her heart. When the Call came she went without hesitation, and L'orlei had not seen her since. "I can only use water," the Konti continued meekly, pushing thoughts of her mother aside. "And I am not very good with it."