PM to join [Star's Shadow] Syna's Reach at the Shadow

[Lu Gavima]

Did all Ethaefal talk so much? Perhaps it was a side effect of being so close to one's Goddess and living a fairly carefree life. Lu did plenty of nodding, feeling it was better to wait until he had things of more import to say. His tea was handed to him and he sipped it slowly, smiling to the bartender. He waited a moment to see if the server would charge him. Rightly so, he had a sip and put his cup down, offering what answers he could to her.

"I apologize for making a social blunder by bringing up your origins. It may be difficult to understand, from a perspective not of your kind, that there are clearly two schools of thought in Lhavit. Most people are aware of the Day of Discord, when Talora and Aysel returned to ... regain control of the City from the Anchorite." That was the stock and accepted answer. Lu dared to think the word usurp, but of course, it was the Moon Lord and Sun Lady who brought the original Lhavitians to the mountains.

"I grew up and trained mostly during their absence, so while I do not have the long term perspective, I know what I know." While some of Lu's rhetoric may have been slightly inflammatory, he kept a pleasant smile on. there was nothing to be cross about, really. "As far as Shinya being Wizards, I see your point. However, what we are trained to do and possess in the realms of knowledge are for purpose, not profit." Lu enjoyed his dula tea, looking forward to the sickeningly sweet first bite of Summer. Any stiffness that came from his Projection exercise was worked away by the hint of taka moss therein.

Smacking his lips slightly, he wanted to steer the conversation toward something of his own benefit. Answering her question would surely be an excellent start. "Projection's danger is that of damaging the body. I could as easily rip my astral limbs free, rather than the slow progression you witnessed, but doing so would cause pain and numbness. Too much of it and one risks losing the use of the body. Not something we can afford as protectors."

"Do you think you would be interested in showing me some Glyphing? I'd enjoy also seeing some of your Magecrafting talents. Worth your time?"

[Alses]

Alses waved away his apology. “You weren't to know; you needn't apologise. It's been nearly seven years, it shouldn't hurt, but...” she shook herself and continued, determinedly bright. “If you do it in future, that's a different matter, but in this case, ignorance is a perfectly valid excuse. There are so few of my kind, even in Lhavit, after all.” She paused, considering. “Which is a good thing, in the main.”

A wry smile at his discourse on the two faces, the two sides, of Lhavit. It seemed that mentally, as well as physically and culturally, there was a split. “I have caught...glimpses, I suppose would be the best word for it...of what occurred here before Talora and Aysel returned in fury - as someone put it to me.” Alses shuddered slightly, remembering the auras of the Ethereal Opera, poisoned with fear and fire and stunning cruelty, so vicious that the accumulated pain of hundreds of slaves had burned itself even into the skyglass.

“Then, too, the Director of the Ethereal Opera was kind enough recently to tell me some of the excesses that were supported in their absence. We find the contrast between then – what little we know of it - and now chilling, to tell the truth. I daresay if we'd happened upon Lhavit before the Day of Discord, we'd have got straight back on the galleon and fled as far away as we could.” She paused, looking away into the forest of bottles. “What was it like, living under the Anchorite and the Towers? For that matter, what were the Shinya like then?”

In many ways, it was reassuring simply to watch the austere Shinya doing something as normal as sipping tea. A quick flicker of auristic power, just enough to let her use it as a proxy for taste, told her the stuff was tooth-achingly sweet – just as she liked it – with an odd bitter aftertaste that had to be the taka moss.

His next words took her by surprise, although they really shouldn't have. “You want to learn?” She shook her head quickly at her own stupidity, before he could reply. “Of course you do, or you wouldn't have asked. Idiotic question.” She leaned back from him somewhat, looking at him for long moments, eyes roving over his features and form.

“Magecraft I can't show you,” she replied at last. “It needs a laboratory, as we mentioned, and quite besides that my commissions are often asked to be confidential, for one reason or another.” She cast a glance at the more impressive spires rearing their heads out of the forest of towers that made up Lhavit's skyline. “Mostly no-one wants anyone else to know how much power they're hoarding, or to what end.” A brief smile, a change of subject.

“Glyphing is comparatively easy to demonstrate, however – but whilst it is a supporting skill, it is still a very valuable one, especially if you intend to pursue magic more vigorously. Skilled users can stop oncoming magic dead in its tracks, channel the energy into focuses and glyphs of dissipation, trapping or deflecting a fireball an instant before it hits. It's used a lot in mages' laboratories for just that reason – it can capture and control and channel disorganized djed before it does any damage, if you set things up correctly.” She quirked a perfectly-arched eyebrow at him. “Only careless mages destroy their own homes when an experiment goes wrong, you know.”

Alses steepled her fingers and looked at Lu over them for a moment, before taking a long, long look at her drink, eyes fluttering closed in phantom pleasure. “Worth my time?” she echoed, with a wry look. “Time is something we have in an endless supply, and so it's worth almost nothing to me.” Then, she sighed and continued, mostly talking to herself: “You're driven and dedicated – you must be, otherwise you wouldn't be Shinya, and you already know some magic, at least. And you were of some help with that unpleasantness earlier in the season.” Absently, she drummed her fingers on the bar, a toccata matching the beat of thoughts inside her head.

“However. As you so kindly pointed out, wizards of my sort don't do things for duty, or charity, but for our own profit. We're so very selfish in that regard, aren't we? Fighting over the scraps that survived the Valterrian, scrabbling in the ruins of our mastery.” She shook her head, bringing herself a little more firmly into the present, the here-and-now. “Not that I'll apologise for it, mind. Too much has been lost already. Now, you've asked me to show you a little Glyphing, but decisions are difficult and passing on knowledge could be very tiresome.” She leaned forward, a smile curving up one half of her face. “I have a question. Money is not the answer, and nor is influence; both of those things flow from power, after all. What's my question, and what's your answer?”

She smiled, sunnily, wiping away all traces of her serious mien and holding up her untouched glass in a toast to all and sundry, eyes half-lidded as they gazed at and through the pinkish liquid gleaming in the sun and the shimmers from her skin.

“This really is delicious, you know. You should try some.”

[Lu Gavima]

Like the echo of a drop of water in the Starlit Cave, her words reverberated ceaselessly to Lu.

"There are so few of my kind, even in Lhavit, after all, which is a good thing, in the main.”

So very true and equally meaningless, as Talora and Aysel's domination insured that such a minority were held treasured. The young Shinya did his best to chase away such thoughts, preferring to focus on matters at hand. Disciplined meditative turns had given him the ability to simply allow her words, damning the past in the way that the current leadership enjoyed, without so much as a spilled drop of dula.

"Well, I was a child then. I had recently joined the Order as an Initate, sponsored by my father, Shantsu. You have to realize that for Shinya, the administration and their allowances, whoever and whatever they may be, are simply details. As long as the City remains in order and protected, all is well. While it may sound like apathy, it is not. It is the practiced discipline that protects us all." Lu smiled again, curtly ending any history lessons with another sweet sip and a change of topic.

At this point, she went on about the disciplines of Magic she knew of further. In this case, her ability to expand on a topic was fruitful and welcome. Waiting until she seemed quite finished, the Shinya nodded and listened closely to her words. As one of fewer words, he had to select his weapons carefully.

" I would like to learn Glyphing from you. It would have to be during the day, as I work at night. It is unfortunate about Magecrafting, but perhaps one day I could have something made." Sitting his cup down, Lu stood from his stool, pondering her question. As it could possibly be his only addition to a busy ledger, he was as to the point as his father's great spear. "I will train you in Projection once I am able to do so. If we find any other skills that you may profit in, I am happy to help you. I would prefer, however, that we learn from each other in a more...secluded, area." Handing his cup back to the bartender and waving off a refill, Lu smiled.

"Does this arrangement suit you?"

[Alses]

'Interesting,' Alses thought, listening to the words and drinking in the aura which flashed and flared around him. 'The past is a sore spot. Still, he's not violently insane or otherwise unsuitable, as far as I can tell, anyway...' All the while, the little voice was whispering inside: 'Projection, Alse! Think of the knowledge! And besides, practice makes perfect...'

“I'm a Synaborn, Protector,” Alses said with a smile. “Thus, the day is the only time we'd consent to teach you in any case – our mortal chain isn't the form we're fondest of.” A brief pause, to allow that gross understatement to sink in. “Understandably, I hope.”

As he mentioned Magecraft, she brightened. “We'd be delighted! There's nothing quite like making the unremarkable into a masterpiece, an artifact to be treasured and used down the generations. I warn you now, though: you'll need plenty of kina. There's a reason magecrafted artifacts are the preserve of the wealthy and the successful, after all; it's not just our own perversity. Still,” she continued with a lithe stretch, not noticing or perhaps not caring about the stares her figure attracted “We've no doubt you'll manage it somehow, and I'll look forward to your custom, in the fulless of time. Maybe even consider discounting my services,” she added with a mild grin.

Alses quickly turned more serious, however, and pondered her companion's words for several moments, idly rolling her glass between her fingers, head turned away and towards the sun, unblinkingly staring at its bright gaze and seeming to pay no attention at all to his words.

“That'll do,” she murmured, at length. “Projection – even the promise of it – is a handsome prize. Though if we do find something else you can help me with, I'll mention it, you may be sure.” She sat back, looking steadily at him. 'And Syna help you if you try to run out on your end of the bargain,' she didn't add - he was Shinya, after all, honourable to a fault - though she couldn't stop the silver flash of thought.

“We wouldn't pass on the secrets of the craft here, Protector,” she said, with a deprecating laugh. “Not where we could be so easily overheard, where prying ears and eyes might catch things not meant for them.” A wry smile. “It's drummed into every wizard almost from the time they learn what djed actually is: keep the knowledge close. If this were anywhere other than the celestial city – and, in truth, if you were almost anyone other than a Shinya guard, we'd be having you jump through hoops to learn. As it stands though, we'll teach you. Or try, at any rate,” she added.

An elegant shrug, even as she slid off the stool and quirked an eyebrow at Lu. “We could use the practice in any case. We've never taught before, so I'll be going off my own memory and how I learned.” She flashed him a reassuring smile. “It could be fun, you never know. A learning experience for both of us.”

How hard could it be, after all?

“Did you have anywhere in particular in mind?” she asked, curious. Perhaps there was a secret Shinya hideaway tucked away on the peaks that few knew about, some wondrous grot or secret cell. “Because if not, I've an apartment at the Solar Winds that we don't use; that might serve our purposes quite well.”

Their time at the Star's Shadow, a pleasant bell or so spent delighting in the rain of photons from on high, appeared to be drawing to a close – although Alses couldn't deny that it hadn't been a serendipitous and productive meeting. With a slightly melancholy sigh, she let go of her drink and left it standing gloriously on the bar, having experienced her fill of the potent liquid inside.

“That was delightful, my compliments on your skill,” she murmured to the bartender, a split-second of attention before she returned it to the taciturn – though off-duty – Shinya next to her.

[Lu Gavima]

Day then. Good. Lu listened with continued interest as she spoke more of the condition of her kind. It sounded like a profession in itself. "Of course. it will be my leisure time, so I look forward to an exchange of knowledge." Smiling, he felt the need to assure her about her so lofty of treasured secrets. "Shinya make a good wage, actually. Many waste it eating fine meals or at the Lantern, but I would see that you were properly paid, even if it took a few seasons." It wasn't as if he was going anywhere, though his mind often wandered off to faraway lands and the stories of visitors.

"Anyway, we'll save that for another time." Lu was young. His entire life was one of discipline and focus. Pleasantries were a completely different world to him. He would try, though. " I am sure it will be informative for us both. If entertainment and friendship comes from that, so be it." he smiled again, though a Gavima male tended to smile by slightly upturning the corners of his mouth. Teeth were never shown. Her Wizard's world sounded as if it were similar in a way, at least in the discipline. " As far as secrets go, it would suit me as well not to be known for teaching Shinya ways to a citizen."

Lu's mind traveled out to the Shinya Rest, but with patrols, it didn't make much sense, especially considering his last statement. "You are the teacher, so you may decide the location of the school." That made it easier and Lu thought himself clever for thinking of it. "When do you think it would be a suitable time to start?"

[Alses]

“Well, if we ever establish ourselves sufficiently in Lhavit to offer our services, you've only to ask.” She shrugged lightly. It was a certainty that she would eventually manage it; the only consideration was when it would happen – her skills perhaps wouldn't have so much use to an octogenarian, for instance.

“Always happy to help the Shinya defend this place; we don't much fancy travelling again any time soon. Maybe in a few decades we'll think about taking a trip and seeing what the rest of the world's become, but not right now. I think I'd like to put down roots – that's the expression, is it not? And I can hardly do that if Lhavit succumbs to the manifold dangers of the Unforgiving, her defenders having proved inadequate.”

Internally, Alses exulted as a tiny part of the Shinya façade cracked, revealing a proper Lhavitian human underneath it; the corners of his mouth turned up and a slightly more human side to him began to emerge. Formality had ruled during their previous acquaintance, earlier in the season; perhaps this time she'd find out more about the person under the stern Protector Gavima armour.

People were puzzles, complex ones that she often had difficulty in figuring out; the more experience she had, the better for the future. Besides, he seemed earnest and calm and steady as a rock, all traits Alses wished she herself possessed. Perhaps there was some special Shinya training that could take a body and turn it into someone like Lu. Then again, perhaps not; maybe it was inbuilt and the Shinya simply made it flower.

“Well, it seems as though we both have something to lose from being found out, so to speak,” she replied with a smile. “We shouldn't like to be badgered by all and sundry wanting to know the secrets of the universe, especially those who've been turned away by the Towers – there's generally a very good reason they've not been accepted on the path to magic and mastery, after all.” She spread her hands helplessly for a moment.

“So, I'll keep your secret if you'll hold mine, and we should get along swimmingly.” Alses clapped her hands together briskly, changing the subject slightly. “Now, as to where to teach...you make a fair point; it'll be easier for me to concentrate at my apartment. No unfamiliar auras to complicate matters or distract me from watching you.” Another pause, as Alses consulted her internal timetable, thinking about what could be moved when and which commitments couldn't be rescheduled.

“Better make it in three days, at the Solar Winds. That will give me some time to collect my thoughts and plan what we want to do with you a little more thoroughly, and to sort something out with Mr. Secretary...Tenth bell of the morning suit, Protector?” She quirked an eyebrow in askance at him, but then another thought struck and she continued quickly:

“Oh, it'd be helpful if you brought some paper, and a blank book would be a good idea for you as a notebook, too. And whilst I remember, do you have some address we can reach you at? Our instructor at the Tower has a habit of scheduling our lessons at short notice and odd bells, and that's one commitment we really can't reschedule or cancel.”

[Lu Gavima]

Everything seemed in order, just as the Shinya preferred it. Listening to the superfluous deluge of the daughter of Syna, only a few minor details remained. "Three days at the Solar Winds. Very good. I look forward to a healthy exchange of information. Perhaps even pleasantries. Either way, I shall come prepared to learn. I hope you will be as well,"

Going on seemed a waste of energy. The beam of Syna's attention winked out behind the clouds, an overcast light returning to Shinyama. Lu bowed gracefully to his burgeoning acquaintance. Perhaps a friendship would develop. It would be as suitable either way to Lu, but one could never tell how things would turn out. " I look forward to it." Without waiting for a long stream of verbal sunshine, he moved on toward the Pavilion and the next meditations.

[Elysium]

Lu Gavima

XP:
Projection +3
Observation +1
Negotiation +2
Meditation +2

Lore:
Meditation: Becoming "Light"
Recipe: Dula Tea with Taka Moss
Auristics, Basic
The Eloquent Ethaefal

★

Alses

XP:
Auristics +2
Observation +3
Rhetoric +4
Negotiation +1

Lore:
Projection, Basic
Recipe: Alses' Divine Cocktail
The Taciturn Protector
Shinya and the Day of Discord

Notes: Jeez! Lu is such a stiff. Good work you two! For a two page thread, this was good and hearty. I may or may not have begun reading along your next encounter. If you have any issues, you know what to do!

and so, the journey continues...