[OPEN] People Watching

[Calen]

Day 51 fall 512 AV The seemingly watery ring of the sun was nearly overwhelmed by the canopy of thin, wispy clouds that drifted along their way. Though each cloud barely even qualified for such a title, combined they formed a remarkably potent screen which, though largely unsuccessful in this regard, managed to, at least minutely, blot-out the sun. This, of course, explained why many people seemed eager to be on their way; no one enjoyed simply standing or sitting about when there wasn't an atmosphere to foster such activities. Needless to say, summer come and passed and with it the strange compulsion for interaction with one's fellow man. This, of course, suited Calen just fine. When one possessed as much sheer disdain for the common man as Calen did, it was a battle for one to muster up the sheer force of will necessary to at all justify any trip beyond the confines of one's doorway. Especially a doorway as fine as Calen’s; others might have called it standard, like the administration that ran the building, but Calen didn’t really trust their judgment so it didn’t matter. Thinking of his room, Calen could not help but sigh. The hazel-haired youth truly did hate the idea of spending even a bit of his time outdoors. Unfortunately, never having been one to miss the obvious Calen knew that time spent outside was a sacrifice he was going to have to make if he wanted his dream fulfilled. Suppressing another sigh at the thought of his dream, his ever so far-off dream, Calen turned his attention to the seemingly endless stream of people who made their way along this, one of Zeltiva's more frequently used streets. Calen had chosen a perfect spot for his experiment today; the bench, though not small, was tucked safely out of the way of the street and thus, offered a great view of the people walking by. Also, due to the fact that the street was one of, but not the, most frequented streets many people were going about their business but not so many and not so swiftly that Calen would have trouble following any single individual. All in all, he was rather proud of himself. So, with all of his self-congratulations distributed and accepted, Calen chose to waste no more time and began to focus, drawing upon his experience to sweep away the wispy clouds of his mind and let loose his ability to read and see auras. Instantly, the street was filled with several auras, more due to the sheer combined size of the auras rather than the number and Calen was well at work.

[Valo]

The weather was foul indeed and Valo truly questioned what on earth made him leave the warmth of his own home. With the silk scarf around his neck and a sketch book in his bag, he has just been forced to leave his location where he had spent the morning painting. For the weather was indeed an unforgiving mistress.

Perhaps it was that equally foul mood of his; or maybe just hunger, but something made his stop and settle down on a bench, next to an individual slightly younger than him self. At first, completely ignoring the man's presence, Valo sunk his perfect set of teeth into a sandwich which had been lingering in his bag since the previous afternoon. Might he have not spent so much money on clothes, he would not have to taste old bread. Then again, a small price to pay for looking his part. As an aspiring artist, he had to look presentable... or perhaps he had been paying way too much attention to his looks.

With a deep sigh he closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them again sluggishly. He didn't not yet wish to return home. But painting in this weather would run the risk of destroying the fine paper he recently purchased.

The man next to him was strangely still. His eyes fixated on the crowd. First a quick glance from the corner of Valo's eye, and then he could not help him self. He turned to this man and waving a hand in from of his face Valo spoke with a note of amused bitterness "Are you okey there fella?

[Tallis]

The night had been a cold one and Tallis could feel the chill in his bones and sore muscles. He had been forced to sleep without a fire, having left his pile of firewood empty since his trip to Syliras. Today he would have to restock or face the likelihood of catching some sort of illness. Heaving a tired sigh, the young mage finally pulled himself out of bed. Having slept fully dressed, he was out of the door in a chime. Winding his way down the road, Tallis managed to shrug off his discomfort. With a completely empty pile of wood, he would have to make several trips to ensure that his nights would be warm. It was moments like these that he wished he had the convenience of fire reimancy. Whatever the case, he was used to hardships by now and he would deal with the situation accordingly. As his path joined a larger road, a shiver ran down Tallis’ spine. He had the distinct feeling that someone was watching him. And watching him rather carefully at that. It was the feeling of auristics. He had used it on himself often enough since his last 'adventure' in Zeltiva. Tallis had noticed that his aura had been tainted ever since that day, and it wasn’t something he wanted other mages to know. Turning his own auristic eyes to the crowd, Tallis tried to pinpoint the mage observing him. Since he was a novice at the use of the magic, it took a great deal of focus for Tallis to find the source, but it didn’t take him too long. Shifting between the people in the crowd, it was easy to see that most of these civilians had no magical capabilities whatsoever. His eyes finally fell on a scrawny looking young man sitting on a bench. This was the culprit. Tallis wasn’t looking for a fight, but if it came down to it, he didn’t need anyone else finding out about his leeching abilities. Especially not another mage. Making his way over to the scrawny youth, Tallis gave him a curt nod and took a seat beside him.

[Calen]

So many people, expelling so many auras, filled with so many colors, filled with so many shades; instantly, Calen regretted his choice in using auristics in such a populated area. He had yet to be truly overwhelmed, but he was most definitely out of his depth in this case. So with a slight sigh, Calen shut off the conscious effort he was putting forth in utilizing auristics and allowed it to become more of a back of the mind affair. Blinking rapidly, Calen did his best to ignore the slight irritation that had developed with his reduced blinking and turned his attention, at least partially to the individual who had taken a seat next to him. Though the young man continued to stare dead-ahead, preparing himself to delve a bit more into the investigation of others auras, he was, through his peripheral vision, paying close attention to the person. Instantly, he did away with the wispy clouds that acted as his auristics barrier and allowed himself to delve into the world of aura's once more. However, this time, Calen focused almost exclusively upon the aura of the man beside him, he now knew it was indeed a man through his aura. At first, he had been confused as to the figure's gender, but now he was certain. Smiling ever so slightly, Calen prepared to shut off the conscious effort of his auristics but found himself suddenly enthralled by one of the people passing by on the street. His eyes suddenly launching towards the figure, Calen paid little attention to their physical features, instead he focused almost exclusively upon their aura. It was.....not right. As anyone who utilized auristics on a regular basis could tell anyone else, auras were typically perceived in a strange sort of synesthesia that was near unavoidable. On some levels, an aura could seem strange to one sense but perfectly logical to another, but on every conceivable level that he could perceive the aura, this man's aura seemed, different. His smile long gone, Calen stared blankly at it, attempting to understand just what it was that made it so different form any other aura he had seen. He was so transfixed he didn't even notice that the aura had moved closer to him. It wasn't until the gaudily dressed red-haired man beside him waved his hand in front of his face did Calen shut off his auristics. Shaking his head to do away with the mental cob-webs Calen ignored the red-haired man on his other side and turned to face the one with the strange aura. "Just what are you?" he asked suspiciously.

[Valo]

At that moment Valo pulled back his hand. In fact his entire body retaliated, as suddenly he wished he'd just ignored the man's strange behaviour. Keeping a low profiles indeed seemed like a better option. but his inner curiosity kept him in his place, watching the two men with apprehension.

[Tallis]

Tallis was completely sure that his little secret had been discovered; that was something he couldn't change. If the stranger wasn't willing to keep his mouth shut, Tallis would have to make sure he never spoke again. It wasn't something he wanted to do, but paranoia told him that his secret would be leaked. That was something he simply could not risk. The Aurist really didn’t seem like much of a threat, but you could never tell with a mage. Looks were usually quite deceiving. Tallis couldn’t tell what tricks his newfound ‘rival’ had up his sleeve, but he was confident that he could handle whatever was thrown at him. He would simply have to approach the situation with caution. With his all-out offensive type magic, Tallis knew he was at a disadvantage. If he relied on his repertoire of skills, it would definitely cause a scene. If he wasn’t going to be hunted for his Leeching, he would be hunted for being a human –weapon. Tallis wondered what abilities his opponent had. It was a well-known fact that mages didn’t need to rely on fancy attacks to take down opponents. The use of Auristics was a perfect example. Certain mages were so good at using the Magic of Aura Reading that many people were under the impression that mages could read minds. It was these subtle abilities that resulted in the widely held disdain for mages. A careful mage could attack without leaving a single trace behind. In an effort to avoid confrontation, Tallis forced himself to act benignly towards the Aurist. Shooting him a bemused grin, Tallis replied, “I’m not so different from you.” oocSorry Valo! Stick with us crazy mages for a bit, and I'm sure that your turn for a bit of action will come around.

[Calen]

As he waited for the man to reply, Calen did a bit of mental inventory, taking note of what he believed he was currently capable of and what he was not. Almost immediately, the mulatto-skinned young man came to the conclusion that should this divulge into a scuffle or anything of the sort, the odds were not in his favor. As much as he was inclined to believe he could take down this strangely aura-ed man if need be, he knew it was not really a possibility; he was simply too tired from his use of Auristics and truth be told, he was quite certain the guy was more physically fit than he was. All in all, within the lapse of conversation that took place Calen made the decision to be a little less abrasive to the man who he did not understand and was quite certain could leave him with at least one bruise; it didn't help that Calen bruised like a peach and he knew that he did. As he came to the conclusion that not aggravating this stranger was a much better idea than most of his other ones, Calen found his question answered in an aggravatingly vague fashion. Calen had always found it hilarious when people went out of their way to lie even when they were well aware that they had been caught, Calen found himself just barely stifling laughter. "Alright then" he whispered shakily, his voice barely remaining steady, despite his best efforts through his suppressed fit of chuckles "Look, I think we both know that there's something queer about you" he began, his voice shaking, though with much less intensity, with the strain he was putting forth in not laughing dead in the man's face; he figured a large part of not aggravating this mysterious fellow was not bursting into laughter dead in his face. "Obviously, you are aware of it, but don't want to share. Fine. Let's make this interesting" jumping to his feet Calen turned to face the pair on the bench, a grin that would send shivers down the back of the worst child-molester plastered on his face. "The two of us are going to meet at dawn, at the beach. I want to...discuss all of this a little further" he hesitated between to and discuss as he had yet to decide on what word he was going to use. Nodding to the red-haired man, a homage that he had been aware of his existence and appreciated his quiet despite their proximity. Satisfied that he had made his point and demands, Calen began to shuffle away; he had been sporting a kink his thigh since this morning and it didn't show any signs of getting any better.

ooc- Normally, I would have liked for this thread to go on a bit longer, but I think it'd be best if we just got it out of the way before things started getting too slow for muse to develop and instead, it started to sap enthusiasm to RP

[Valo]

Valo was hesitant. The two obviously spoke in a tongue which differed from his own world of mathematics and well spoken common. This was the language of magic. He had been very quiet till now and it was only his curiosity which prevented him from getting up and leaving. But suddenly all his curiosity had left him. He desired for nothing more than to go home. And with a polite "Goodbye" to both men he gathered his things and proceeded home. Or at least he would have gone home if the idea of a quick drink in the tavern was not such a compelling idea.

[Arcane]

Rewards and Treasure! Calen : Experience Points +1 Observation Lores Valo's Aura: Gender Mystery Tallis' Aura: The Unsettling Mage Planned Rendez-vous with Tallis Miscellaneous Auristics Overgiving: Overwhelming InformationFor the next 20 days, any attempt at Auristics will bring in more information the mind can handle, possibly locking the user in a trance and overwhelming him into a self-induced coma. If that happens, the use of Auristics will continue to drain djed and devolve into more severe overgiving symptoms. A thrice-marked Healer is required to bring the comatose patient out of his coma. Auristics Overgiving: Crimson VisionUse of Auristics for the next 10 days will result in severe, debilitating flashes of pain at the eyes, resulting in a vision where everything is red in color. For every second of use, the duration of Crimson Vision extends by a day. A once-marked Healer can remove the symptoms of Crimson Vision, but not the effect itself. Auristics Overgiving: Aura BlockFor the next 35 days, the mage will find his use of Auristics not working half the time. Over the course of the above duration, his abilities will gradually and incrementally return in terms of reliability. Also, the more auras he tries to study the less reliable and functional the use of Auristics will be. Comments At competent level of Auristics, you can't BOOM and see the whole street without overgiving. Moreover, even for a single target you will need time to activate Auristics, and more so to delve and study the aura. You just take less time than Novice, which requires a huge deal of time. Furthermore, Auristics is NOT your "I know everything" button. You have to focus on an area of focus of Auristics. How did you find out Valo's gender? Which area of Auristics did you invoke? We want details, and honestly I find it hard to justify giving XP. Use of "Auristics - boom - I Know Stuff" will not warrant points. Valo : Experience Points - Lores Strange Conversation between Calen and Tallis Comments Nothing much to award considering your PC's limited participation. I find it hard to justify giving any Observation or Intelligence unless you, well, observe or gather intelligence. It's more than just being silent and staring; you have to describe and understand what your PC is seeing, in the form of descriptions of what he notices and the details of what he notices. Tallis : Experience Points +1 Observation Lores Calen's Aura: The Curious Mage Planned Rendez-vous with Calen Miscellaneous Auristics Overgiving: Overwhelming InformationFor the next 25 days, any attempt at Auristics will bring in more information the mind can handle, possibly locking the user in a trance and overwhelming him into a self-induced coma. If that happens, the use of Auristics will continue to drain djed and devolve into more severe overgiving symptoms. A thrice-marked Healer is required to bring the comatose patient out of his coma. Auristics Overgiving: Crimson VisionUse of Auristics for the next 15 days will result in severe, debilitating flashes of pain at the eyes, resulting in a vision where everything is red in color. For every second of use, the duration of Crimson Vision extends by a day. A once-marked Healer can remove the symptoms of Crimson Vision, but not the effect itself. Magical Overgiving: Focus BaneFor the next 40 days, the mage will find his use of personal magic not working most of the time, suffering from a difficulty to focus and channel djed. Over the course of the above duration, his abilities will gradually and incrementally return in terms of reliability. Comments This is a serious case of playing over your skill level. Whatever you described is impossible for Tallis to do so, especially at 5 points. Before he even began to settle on the second person's aura his eyes would have begun to bleed. Sentences like "It took a great deal of focus for Tallis to find the source, but it didn’t take him too long" and "it was easy to see" just doesn't cut it, I expected more honestly. At novices, especially at 5 points, you will need a great deal of time to even activate your Auristics, and even more time to extract just the most basic of information in the simplest area of Auristics. Furthermore, the 'innate sense' of all wizards does NOT work that way. You may feel something strange in the djed in the air if someone is working magic nearby, but only if you have been focusing. You CANNOT pinpoint it as Auristics or even be sure that it is magic for sure, it's just a mild gut feeling. This gut feeling will increase if you have higher levels of magic in general, but you will never pin-point it unless you have much, much, much higher levels of Auristics for the increased "passive sense" of Aurists. In Conclusion It could have been worse, trust me. I'm taking into account that you guys are newbies and softening the impact (ie, all temporary effects and no permanent effects at the moment). Please please please, read the lore carefully especially about magic before you use it so carelessly like that. I do not question PC use of it, since it's an IC matter, but overplaying your ability and granting yourself abilities that you don't have is an OOC violation already. PM me if further clarification is required. *Take note that the effects are simultaneous and stackable.