Western Brisshal A Nice Reuinion

[Lucia Mierz]

"Not much further now. The Saintess missed you quite a lot in here, I'm not one to be prying into the Miss's lifestyle, but don't be hiding from her too much. She talks about you folk from time to time, all lonely-like." It had been a summon sent to fetch @Luna Avalbane when Lucia heard she was in the game once more. The drowned pirate was different from the one Luna once knew, wearing the same long coat, same pirate hat, same love for hundreds of bracelets and necklaces, even the same gemstones in the eye sockets of it's chewed up skull it used to look at the world as they spun around in it's head to observe the world. The difference however, was the now smoldering flames down it's back that licked at it's shoulders and coat the flowing hair blew in the wind flickering and sparking harmlessly. Likewise it now had enough flesh on it's skull and face to smoke, though it didn't take out any cigars while ferrying the woman around.

Their mode of transit was a small vessel, though larger then a dingy it was a whaler's ship in size, fit for perhaps 5 or 8 men but the gilded pirate stood at the front unmoved by it's rocking and swerving as it went with haste. It naturally ferried the girl out to the clearing where Lucia made her home, only finally settling down once they'd arrived at the familiar noble tent. Of course the furniture was all gone, instead it was all outside, freshly cut, drying, though it was on the tale end of it's staining cycle. Instead under the overhang of the tent, Lucia lay, relaxed, sleeping in the game as she had since it started back up, where she could feel most at peace. When the ship slowed to a stop, it simply sank into the soil, disappearing as the pirate crumpled slightly, no longer as energetic or spirited as it had been on board. "Ah, she should be sleeping. All peaceful-like... It's time for me too..." The pirate spoke, crumpling down into a heap, clearly unstable, though it lay resting and seemed to be struggling, it wasn't so weak that it couldn't light it's smoke now that it was free from it's job and push it's hat over it's head to slumber.

Luna would be able to see Lucia resting not far from her tent, in a small bed of blankets and pillows. Dressed just as tastefully as ever, refined, enchanting, not at all like her real self. Of course there she wasn't alone either. By her side the grey skinned knight sat, not in armor but in silks to try and be a comforting force. Upon seeing Luna arrive though, Sylvanas knew her job as comfort was finally over. "She's been stressed lately. People have been excited about an event, she's been worried about the risks since she was asked to go." Sylvanas explained to Luna unaware if the girl might know what Lucia had been up to. The Knight wasn't privy to real world information or news. With a soft gesture though the knight beckoned for Luna to wake Lucia up herself.

 

[Luna Avalbane]

It was wild, being back in the game after so long spent away from it. Longer than the others who had been disconnected four years ago. Work had been hell, turned out that getting businesses off of the ground was a pretty hands on experience, which had left her with basically no time to get back onto Terrasphere and relive her glory days. She'd been excited to hop back into her avatar, to become Luna again after so long of being plain old Eva back in the real world, even if she wasn't quite so plain anymore. Not like she'd used to be, at any rate. Time had been kind to her and really filled her out, matured her mentally and physically. She'd have never seen herself leaving New York for school before Terrasphere.

Now though, all that mattered was reuniting with Lucia. It had been a while, but Luna had known that she just had to look for undead. There was such little chance of Lucia changing her modus operandi that the undead would always be a good way to track down the necromancer. It'd be possible to find the woman anywhere that she went. And, case in point, it hadn't been long at all before she'd been tracked down by some kind of pirate zombie...skeleton...thing. She'd never quite understood where Lucia got all the ideas she had for her undead. The woman's brain really worked in mysterious ways.

Her ears flicked and her tail swished through the air. She looked down at her new avatar, not quite believing what had happened. Had being disconnected whilst she was fused with Natiri really caused this kind of drastic change? Most of her items had been confiscated and though she'd been reinbursed for her masteries, many of them had changed to the point that they were hard to recognize.

But more importantly, she'd changed...

This body felt amazing though. Strong, fast, dexterous, tough and filled with magical power, the likes of which reminded her almost of her old avatar, at the height of her power, when every vein had crackled with raw arcane force.

Exploding from that had been less nice.

Though her journey came to an end, spotting Lucia outside of her tent, on a bed of pillows and blankets, with Sylvanas next to her. It came to a comfort for Luna, recognizing both faces immediately as Sylvanas explained something to her. Luna nodded to the undead. "It's fine. I'm here now. I just hope that she'll be happy to see me." She hesitated for a moment, before giving Sylvanas a gesture to leave, wondering if the undead would even follow her commands.

She didn't worry about that though, instead, dropping until she was sat cross-legged next to the sleeping Lucia, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder and gently jostling her.

"Lucia, it's time to wake up. Sleeping doesn't seem like the best way to greet an old friend~"

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

The undead knight only reached out a hand to pat Luna's shoulder, with two steps the armor gradually replaced silks in the form of black smoke until she was fully protected as she normally was. The head knight standing by, far enough to not be intrusive, but close enough to have eyes peeled. It was rare for Lucia to be completely alone in game even before after all. Though the charming gradually stirred when jostled, a hand coming up to her weary face for a moment, dusting her eyes before flashing a tender smile at Luna. "Ah, you're here?" She asked, she didn't recognize the physical appearance, but through the HUD she could still see the familiar name.

Lucia gradually stretched, taking a relaxed but more attentive posture before choking out a yawn into her palm. "My, it's been a while since we've met here. Though I will say this is a bit different mm?" She spoke, her refined manner of speech as enchanting as usual. A soft hand reaching up to Luna's head to stroke her hair and ears, it wasn't uncommon for her to have spent time petting Luna before, but with the change in avatar, it likely wasn't surprising the action continued. "Well, 'Old' and 'Friend' are debatable." She tried to tease until she was more awake.

Though when she was sitting up, Lucia glanced back to her tent, the furniture still not completely ready made her exhale heavily. She would normally want to offer Luna a cup of something sweet but things were a bit tight since coming back. "I'd offer you some kind of tea or wine but not a lot survived the 4 years but I do have two or three left if you'd like some mm?" Lucia spoke with a sigh, it was something that weighed on her. She'd lost quite a lot in those 4 years, even now though she still thought back to that time as if time hadn't started back up for her until she returned. Her reality always being torturous and difficult, now at least, it seemed she could be at peace again.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Luna could only grin when she saw Lucia waking up, the woman clearly sleepy still as she seemed weary for a few moments, yawning into her palm and rubbing at her face and eyes. The beastfolk nodded. "I made it finally. Got all my important work stuff done so now I finally have some time to log on and get back into the swing of things here. It's good to see that you're still up to your old tricks. I never did think I'd look at a camp full of undead and feel relieved rather than unnerved. Now it's just kind of like running into a bunch of old friends again."

Her grin widened when Lucia referred to her new avatar, her ears flicking when Lucia reached up to pet them. It made her shudder and sigh, like having the worst knot in the world massaged out of her muscles, or having an itch finally be scratched. Was this why cats and dogs enjoyed being pet behind the ears so much? She could definitely see the appeal now.

"It's really different, yeah. I got disconnected whilst I was fused with my tigress and I think it maybe screwed a thing up in the game's code? When I loaded in, my avatar looked like this, so I figured I'd just roll with it." Her tail slapped the pillow she was sitting on, brushing softly against it.

She nodded. "Some wine sounds good. Even if you don't have a lot left after the 4 year break, I think it'd be nice to celebrate today." She leaned back, her hands supporting her body to keep her still sitting mostly upright as she took a look around at the camp, then turned back to Lucia. "So, I suppose you'll be kicking things up again? Creating that undead kingdom that you were working towards years ago?"

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

Lucia chuckled, finally sitting upright and proper among the blankets with a nod. For Lucia it was much the same, she felt most at home surrounded by the undead, though if they were real corpses she might be unnerved but in the game where they talked to her and supported here, where she had a rapport with them. "Mm, I'm familiar with a lot of them, the lower level ones are more like puppets so it's not so bad, the higher level ones though are certainly more alive and friendly." Lucia mused nodding along. She wondered if she ever saw such a ghastly sight in reality if she'd see it the same.

Though hearing the circumstances of the change, Lucia leaned back, tilting her head up in thought. If it were so simple she wondered if she would have ended up as an undead if she'd done the same. She exhaled in thought, perhaps it wasn't the best thing to think about, being a human for now was enough, someday she might change, but for now she was content to be living. "I suppose that's a rough transition then. It's a shame, your tiger was cute, you seemed like you had fun with them." She spoke a bit sour about it, for Lucia the NPCs were friends, perhaps they weren't real, but the artificial intelligence at least was enough for Lucia to feel a kinship with her own creatures. She couldn't imagine the sadness of losing one.

The talk about Wine though made Lucia sit up a bit further. Calling out for her Steward, the familiar wraith appeared. Unlike Morgana who had gone through a few transformations and evolutions since they last met, the Wraith King remained as he was 4 years ago, as nobly dressed as always, the same porcelain mask and fog like lower body. Though he was now the only high level specter left in Lucia's collective, he remained one of the original members at least. With a few orders, the Wraith began producing a pair of chairs and a small side table. Lucia brushed herself off, taking one seat for herself.

"Just a little then I suppose to celebrate." She mused, letting herself be poured a glass before one was set down for Luna as well. The Wraith King seemed to diligently do more, with handle-less blade in hand, he set to work casually trimming and peeling fruits and cheese wedges as Lucia spoke. "Once the furniture is finished drying, I think we'll have to begin cleaning up the city. Then afterwards, I'd like to set out and see what became of the space I was promised." She offered remembering her duchy with a bitter smile. Of course, she also had a few things to investigate about her stomping grounds in the woods, clearing out those areas was important purely because it was her path of retreat if anything went wrong. "What about you Luna? Do you have any ambitions this time around? I remember we talked about collecting animals long ago, but that may be a touch painful now." She spoke bitterly.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Oh, the upper level undead were definitely more friendly, that was for sure. Sometimes Luna had to remind herself that Sylvanas was dead and not actually alive. Lucia could honestly make more realistic people than some actual people in the real world turned out to be, it was pretty impressive. The beastkin found herself nodding, though when Lucia mentioned her tiger being cute, Luna nodded, a slightly sad expression washing across her face at the reminder of her loss. It would be a little painful not having that particular companion rejoining her.

"Natiri was the best. I'm sad to have lost her, but in a way, I guess I'm taking a bit of her everywhere I go, now. I couldn't take Beast Arts after I learned that Natiri was gone. It would've been too painful trying to replace her with another animal companion." She was the kind of person that formed attachments easily and then couldn't let go of them. She was sure that if she ever got a pet, she would be absolutely crushed when said pet inevitably died, in the real world. She definitely wouldn't be able to replace it unless something came along that really tugged at her heartstrings.

She glanced to the side, watching as the Wraith King appeared and took some orders from Lucia, before sitting herself in the chair that was brought out for her. "Right. It would be a good idea to see what of the old promises can be upheld before you start working on a new empire." She hummed in thought, though blinked when she was asked if she had any ambitions.

Did she? What was it she wanted to do? "I...in all honesty, I had planned to try and track down some old friends, if they're still around. And yes, I don't think I could collect animals anymore. I feel Natiri's loss too keenly for that. I do have to say, this Magitech has me fascinated though." She flicked through her inventory, before equipping the basic prototype she'd been working on. It appeared as little more than a glove, made from scrap iron, with a small glass half-globe filled with a powder that shimmered all the colors of the rainbow. "I quickly tossed this together on my journey here. I'm enjoying tinkering with this kind of stuff. Maybe not robots or mechs, but making gadgets is a pretty rewarding feeling."

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

Lucia nodded along in understanding, she too would also have felt reservations about replacing any of her summons who couldn't be repaired or rebuilt. It would no doubt be easier on the heart to find another who might fill the gap in practice even if they couldn't do so at heart. It made Lucia glance briefly to Sylvanas and her few knights in the area who were a tier lower before nodding. "I understand. It must have been hard. I guess that means that you have other means of things then? It would be bad to rely on beast taming if it's like that. Don't think we should get a dog either..." Lucia mused hoping that Luna had another skill set to replace what she had used formerly.

Though when she talked about what she was promised, Lucia shook her head and sighed, thinking that the chances of her acquiring her territory back or ruling would be slim. "I'm not so sure things will be as they were. It will take a while to reclaim the territory around Astorea where I used to set up camp let alone the wasteland we were planning to build on." She mused glancing around. The site they were at had been cleared, relatively quickly as well, but she lived on the move like a caravan or nomad, so her other sites would need to be cleared out as well.

Hearing her immediate goals, Lucia nodded in thought, if Luna was looking for her friends, she'd let her do her own work if that was the case. She trusted the girl to return to her when needed. "Alright, but don't forget to introduce me. A lot of our old friends aren't here any more at least." She spoke with a sigh thinking of Ezra, then there was Vivian's betrayal. It was unfortunate but there was little that could be done to change it. Instead, she reached out to stroke Luna's head again, teasing her ears as she spoke. "Well, it's a good project. If you want to make something deep and intricate let me know, I might not know machines, but I'm one of the few who's created systems of magic and refinement processes after all." Lucia offered with a nod and a smile. If Luna wanted to work on it alone, she wouldn't interfere, but she was always happy to help anyone let alone her close companions.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Luna nodded. Yeah. It was definitely hard for her to have to say a permanent goodbye to her previous battle partner, but it was also, in a way, kind of symbolic. Back then, the tigress had been a pillar for Luna to rely on when she got too nervous or scared. Now, she wasn't so sure that she needed that kind of support. Now she was the kind of person that could, and would, fight for herself, by her own power, for the people that she cared about. This new body would allow her to do that.

"I have other stuff now to rely on, yeah. Arcanamancy was too different for me to pick it up again." Instead, small flames flickered at her fingers. Then, she stood up and, rather acrobatically, leaned backwards to grab her own heels, before rolling up into a standing kick, her leg kicking basically vertically up into the air. "I picked up pyromancy and Martial Arts, plus Astramancy and Magitech. I have Aura too." She would be tinkering with what she could do with all of those in the future. Using Astramancy to collect stardust to use as a fuel source was a pretty good thing she'd discovered, though.

She wondered if she could turn her defeated foes into stars...?

"Of course. I'd love for you to meet some of my friends. I'm hoping I can run into most of the people that I knew back then." She smiled, shuddering as her ears were teased, gasping. "I wouldn't want to rely on you too much, but I'll definitely turn to you for some advice and stuff. I could definitely use your expertise with stuff like refinement."

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

Lucia still felt bad, seeing the look on her companion's face. It was tough clearly, but being as socially awkward as Lucia was, she struggled to think of better words of comfort, instead opting to continue patting her head in an effort to be reassuring. The structure of magic changing though made her nod in response, it was a burden even she understood. "Mm, Martial Arts is different as well. Unfortunately that was no longer an option for me as well." Lucia offered, though if Luna seemed confused about why, Lucia would flash a bitter smile. "I'd utilized it for defense remember? Now that masteries are more clearly defined, I can't rely on it as I used to. Instead, I'll rely on Fate and the Fate Weave to anticipate danger." Lucia explained, switching to astramancy was a hard choice for her, but it was something that was needed, she simply couldn't allow herself or her friends to be vulnerable beside her.

Luna's explanation made her head turn as she thought of what could be done with those skillsets. It was a nice combination, Lucia wouldn't hesitate to bat a few ideas back and forth with her about creating a style and technique with it. "If you'd like to learn some combat arts, Mortimer's well versed in that sort of thing as well." She offered, glancing to the Wraith who merely nodded back placing an occasional sliced fruit or cheese wedge between them. Naturally Lucia didn't hesitate to take one between talking, even taking a sip of wine in the process but she considered a path for success for Luna, the girl was more independent now certainly but that didn't mean Lucia didn't still intend on stringing her along for some things.

"It's important to develop a system dear, just like I rely on vice and virtue, power has to have some kind of origin point and depth to draw from or else you end up just slinging around whatever you have like mud." Lucia offered with a shrug and a thought. "If I were you, I would start small, like I did, consider a star, try to become a star, keep one inside of yourself, let it be your core strength. As you grow and develop, ad more to it's orbit and grow them like a little galaxy or universe-- Let your star be it's center, and maybe a constellation around that, maybe add more constellations as you grow from friends or opponents." Lucia mused, the energy to accomplish such a thing could come from anywhere, pyromancy, stellar energy, with the help of machines to channel it and martial arts to tie it together, even an aura to produce it, it would be easy to churn out high concept skills with that kind of system she thought.

It was ultimately Luna's decision though, she reached up to pat her head in an effort to be reassuring. "Well, whatever you decide to do, make sure you think on it good and hard okay? None of this push a button or shout a spell to make things work." She teased and joked, it was something she found abhorrent in the game, but Luna didn't seem to be the type to fall into those habits at least.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Ah that was right, Lucia was probably struggling a little bit with the mastery changes too, having had to switch from martial arts to astramancy. Now that martial arts was offensive, Luna had seen it as a decent replacement for her old Arcanamancy as an offensive ability, but for Lucia, martial arts being more offensively oriented was now something of a problem rather than a boon. "Right. I hope it wasn't too hard of a change for you? You had to try and make your old stuff work again, whilst I just kind of upheaved and changed everything, so I feel a little bit like I've taken the easy way out..." She rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed that she had it so easy compared to Lucia, but also that she had no real plans going forward.

She nodded when Lucia offered Mortimer's assistance in learning some combat arts and methods. "That would be nice. Having the strong body that Martial Arts gave me, plus I spawned in with a bunch of weird racial traits that I don't know anything about, all I'm really lacking is actual technique, so it'd help a bunch to have an actual instructor for these kinds of things." Though she did long for the days when Lucia herself would be her teacher.

Though the talk of a system had her chewing her lip. Lucia was so much better at this kind of thing, always had things so much more well thought out, she even already had an idea thought up and developed for Luna. It made Luna blush, rubbing the back of her neck more. "Right. I think I can do that. Maybe. It might be a bit beyond my abilities, though."

It was clear she was nervous about growing stronger, or her ability to actually do so. Still, she chuckled, cupping Lucia's cheek at the woman's teasing. "You already beat the Action Assist and Spell Chanting out of me four years ago. I think I'm fine on that account~"

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

Shaking her head, Lucia tried to calm the girl with another pat. It was a bit difficult to adjust to being completely reliant on magic again, but she had once, she could do so again. "It's alright, at the very least it's not like i'm inexperienced with that kind of style. It'll be a bit of a transition but nothing that I'm unable to handle at least." Lucia offered with a small nod, changing masteries wasn't new to Lucia, she'd done so many times, almost 4 up until now after all. It was always a bit of an adjustment but practice made perfect.

Nodding along with Luna's comment, it wasn't as if Lucia herself couldn't teach fighting, but as a mage now it would be hard to provide example, it was why she would rely on Mortimer for that type of thing. "Don't worry, if it's your weapons and combinations I can help with that much, for the actual martial arts portion though it would be best to learn from Mortimer who would be able to show you." She nodded along, musing but at the same time she considered how best Luna might be able to evolve her skills and the system she used to manifest them. It was something she lectured others on but for Luna she didn't want to just lecture and release the girl into the wilds.

Hearing Luna doubt though she shook her head with a firm breath. Even if it did feel overwhelming for the girl, Lucia wouldn't let someone she cared about endure being somehow less developed. Instead she would find a way to force feed growth to the girl if she had to. "It's good you remember~ Immersing yourself in the game is the easiest way to improve. I don't doubt you're at least better then those idiots out there who just swing swords wildly and throw fire balls." Lucia almost rolled her eyes, it was something that bothered her extensively but at the same time it was something that she couldn't do anything about. Despite her lecturing too many people enjoyed the game for being a game rather then immersion.

"The important part is developing a center first, once you set things up inside we can start working on the other stuff one step at a time." Lucia murmured, thinking that the foundation would be important to start as soon as possible.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Well, at the very least, Lucia didn't seem too put out by the thought of having to change her masteries and make alterations to her style, though Luna did wonder if it was easier to alter the style Lucia had already had than it was for Luna's own situation, which was to be developing an entirely new style, after having dropped basically everything from her previous build? She wanted to say that she had it harder, but she was far from an expert on these things, so maybe it was way harder to make something fit an existing theme than it was to come up with something wholly original.

"That makes sense. I can use you for theorycrafting things whilst Mortimer can teach me actual martial arts, like the forms and moves and everything." Hopefully she wouldn't suck at martial arts, though she had the feeling, based off of her racial traits, that her body was weirdly powerful. She just wished that she could share an image of her UI with Lucia, so she could show the woman her racial traits. Lucia would be able to tell her what it menat. The woman was far smarter than she was, after all. Especially when it came to this kind of game-y stuff.

Though old habits died hard and she still blushed when Lucia complimented her on remembering to avoid the Action Assist functions, making the tiger girl rub at the back of her neck. "Ah, well I also just really don't like the Action Assist. It feels weird having something else moving my body for me. Even if my martial arts would look and work way better with the computer in the driver's seat as I am right now. I have a bunch of physical might and speed and finesse, but no skills." She shrugged, dropping into the splits, something she just couldn't do in the real world, before standing up again by pushing inwards with her legs.

"When you say developing a center, do you mean like the balance thing that you told me about once? Balance is your center?" It was like that old song, wasn't it? The one where the lyrics said something about being sure to win once you'd found your center? Luna honestly had no clue if she was ready for that. She'd never managed to find her center four years ago, back when she'd been a laser throwing beast tamer.

Would things be different now...?

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

Lucia nodded along, patting the girl's head when she came to the same conclusion, at least reassured that Luna was easy to teach and ready to learn anything. "There you go, perfect then. Whenever you want to get started I suppose we can give that a try, there's no need to rush so much though, instead take your time and get acclimated." Lucia offered, of course if Luna was ready to go she'd naturally help, but it had been a while since Luna played after all.

Though seeing the split and hearing her question about balance, Lucia nodded again. "Something like that, I balance vice and virtue, Envy and Love circulate like black and white, one in my head, one in my heart. When I need to cast a spell or something, they both come together like oxygen and gasoline and when I spark that magic happens." She explained nodding. "or if I need them to be stronger and level up, I let them fight somewhere in the middle, little by little not enough for one to win, but just enough for them to clash so they kind of get experience of their own." she offered. It was how she was able to grow stronger without killing monsters, she effectively farmed her own experience internally.

Though looking back to Luna Lucia shook her head when she seemed to think it was difficult for her. "You don't need the same center as me, or the same methods. Like I said, it's easy to start as a small star inside, bright and warm, it doesn't need a name, or even anything else around it to make it relevant, those parts can come later when you're ready, then build another star for a line, then more until you have a personal constellation you can use. Then we can try and hunt for others." Lucia offered. If Luna wanted her stars to be special, Lucia could certainly hunt for parts for her though. Musing as she craned her neck.

"Should we find special materials for your stars?" She'd pose, wondering what Luna wanted. It might not matter much in the long term, even when it came to Lucia's own abilities all she had was a Necronomicon that made up a bulk of her knowledge base, everything else had been largely home-made.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Being easy to teach was really her big thing. She wasn't the kind of person that really had many natural talents, nothing that she could really leverage, so she had to really work at what she had and get the most out of every single teacher that she could find. It was why she tried so hard to be a sponge for all of Lucia's knowledge, wisdom and experience. "I'm pretty ready to go. I've had a bit of time to acclimate and I'm pretty sure I at least won't hold you back in a fight, even if I probably won't be all that impressive yet either."

At least, she was assuming there might be a fight. In her experience, most adventures usually ended with some kind of big, scary battle, like the one she'd blown herself up in all those years ago. Thankfully she was no longer receiving those weird urges anymore. That would've been hard to explain to Lucia.

Just like the explanation of Lucia's balance thing was hard for her to grasp. It seemed extremely high concept for Luna, but it had to work, since she'd seen the necromancer's power firsthand and it was the real deal. The idea of making these two dual concepts fight internally was just so alien and bizarre to Luna, though. Such a thing was supported by this game? That didn't seem like much of a game-y aspect at all! Was this why Lucia was so insistent on people not treating Terrasphere as a game? When she was, day to day, living it as if she were an actual inhabitant of this virtual world.

....did Lucia want to stay here?

Luna ignored the chill that shot through her and the panic that accompanied it, trying to listen more to Lucia attempting to apply some kind of idea to Luna's new build. It still seemed very complex. Was she even worthy of being Lucia's partner if she couldn't grasp this kind of stuff?

"Uh, yeah. Sure! Finding special materials sounds good to me!" Probably. If Lucia was suggesting it, it could probably only be a benefit to her. "But where would we even get started with something like this?"

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

As she spoke, she kept a watch on Luna's gaze, almost as if her eyes were swimming, the poor girl seemed distressed. Lucia couldn't quite discern if it was because her explanation was bad or if the girl just didn't follow the reasoning behind the actions. Hesitating on whether to explain further, in the end she nodded along. "I suppose we should start with something simple for a lesson then?" Lucia murmured, glancing towards the Wraith who had been trimming an apple with his knife. Naturally Mortimer also nodded along, glancing towards Luna briefly as he spoke. "If I may then young miss, would you prefer a closed fist, or an open hand? Are you partial to kicks, or upper body?" The Wraith questioned at first, to try and discern what might be most useful for Luna to learn.

When Luna asked where they might find something as special as a focal point though, Lucia shrugged her shoulders, it wasn't particularly difficult to find one, but quality tended to guide and determine one's future after all, so whatever it was it had to be good as a raw material at least. "Mm, we could either buy one or explore and see what we could find. I'm sure there are some things out there that suit you well, but if you'd like to wait we can. Perhaps you might be able to form a star without an object to saturate." Lucia offered with a mellow smile, if it was Luna she probably could, though the poor girl might be lost in an explanation it didn't mean she didn't have good instincts for what to do.

Though musing on Luna's struggle, Lucia smiled thinking the girl might be struggling with the concept. "Basically the goal is to build a new organ, something that lets magic move easier and faster inside of you. If we do well in making it, it might even increase the quality of the energy you use. Think of it as one of those magical sources you read about in anime or kung fu movies inside. Think of it like inventing a passive skill." She tried to clarify hoping that might be a good explanation for Luna.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

And now it was all happening so fast. They were going on to lessons already? She'd only just got here! Wasn't she going to get to spend more time with Lucia first? Still, it would be rude to just ignore Mortimer's question, even if she was hoping that it was just a question that he was asking to help him decide on what to teach her in the future. "Ah, well I don't really know? A closed fist would probably be better, since I had been thinking of augmenting my punches with pistons? Kicks would also work kind of well, I think."

Though she was, ultimately, unsure, so she'd probably just learn whatever the undead tried to teach her without any complaints. She'd have to try something before she knew if it was her thing, after all. Lucia's suggestion to find something was interesting, though Luna couldn't help but remain lost even though the woman explained it. There was absolutely no way that she'd be able to do something so advanced without anything to help her. "Ah, I don't think I could do it without help. I'm not a genius or talented like you are with this stuff, Lucia." She smiled at the woman, before settling in to listen to Lucia's explanation.

It made a bit more sense put like this. An organ dedicated to managing magic, she wasn't sure that she was capable of making such a thing. The thought had her swallowing, but she still nodded. "I'll follow your lead on this one. I don't know if I'll succeed or not, but I'll try my best not to disappoint you or fail too badly."

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

Hearing her answer, the Wraith rubbed his blackened chin in thought nodding along. "Mm, I see... I suppose we can put something together over it. Developing good form is important, but it's not a foundation we need to set up today." Mortimer offered getting a sense of the girl's style. Though it wasn't Mortimer's favorite, he would be able to teach lessons on the topic and help Luna develop a style.

Glad that her summon seemed to have a good idea though, Lucia nodded along, taking a slice of cheese into her mouth before reaching out towards Luna reassuringly. Even now the girl seemed so insecure but she was glad she was braver outside at least. "I don't know if I am either. It's like a black hole, if you feel something strongly enough it tends to happen on it's own. Even if it's just determination or passion, something as simple as that could coalesce into a core." Lucia tried to explain, though if Luna didn't understand at this point it might just be better to let her feel it later.

Hearing that Luna would go along with her opinion though, Lucia nodded, though it might be better if Luna had some input or wishes on the subject, she didn't doubt it was more because she just wasn't sure about the next move. "Well, we don't have to rush I suppose. We can wait a while, your growth isn't running from us." She spoke, placing a small slice of cheese into her mouth, taking her time to relax with a charming smile. "How have things outside been? Are you going to come back home from now on? Or still studying?" Lucia asked between bites.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Well hopefully Mortimer would be able to come up with something good for her, though he seemed to be not quite as excited. Well, maybe excitement wasn't the emotion she was supposed to be looking for. She'd actually never seen Mortimer fight, so Luna had no clue what style he used and whether or not it would bare any similarities to whatever would become her own style. If he used no kicks and all open hand strikes, that'd make training quite a lot more awkward.

Still, Luna took a sip from her wine, listening as Lucia mentioned something about a black hole. Did she feel anything strongly enough for it to become some kind of core for her? Lucia had mentioned that she used love and envy, but would those work for Luna? She shook her head at the thought of using envy. She just wasn't a very jealous person. There was a lot of love in her heart, though, so maybe she could use that?

Though, thinking about it, more than anything else, she'd always been driven and determined. Even back when she'd been a timid little slip of a girl, she'd always been taking steps to try and rectify that, even if she was terrified of every step that she took. The fight against Titanus. Bloody Rhondo. Even meeting Lucia. It had all been so scary but she'd done it anyway.

At that thought, for a fraction of a fraction of a second, there was a tiny spark in her heart. Too sudden and instant for Luna to even detect, though maybe the more experienced Lucia would notice it.

On the subject of not rushing, though, Luna shook her head. "Well, I'd like to make a start soon, but it's really nice seeing you again." She watched Lucia eating a slice of cheese. "Things are going well outside. My studies and business are going good. I'm thinking of trying to turn your cafe into a chain, if you'd be willing?"

@Lucia Mierz

 

[Lucia Mierz]

Lucia hesitated when Luna said she wanted to start soon, a little shocked that she'd want to dive right in immediately. Getting an idea and making plans was one thing, but actually getting up and going right now made her crane her neck in thought. "Hm, I suppose we can go now. I thought you might've wanted a break or some time to relax but I guess there's time to play later." She spoke, leaning forward, resting her chin on a hand as she watched Luna. Trying to make a plan in her head, it wasn't as if Lucia had no idea where one might find such an item, it was just that Luna was still a bit fresh in the world.

Talk about her cafe turning into a chain though, Lucia's smile widened, she tried not to think about reality most of the time after all, Luna and her employees were a rare exception to that usual rule. Though franchising seemed a bit scary, if it let her play more and made everyone involved happier she wouldn't hesitate. "If you think it'll be popular, if it's successful then maybe we can grow it properly and make something of it." She mused, glad Luna was thinking of such things. She had capital for such a venture but wasn't exactly a business woman, she hardly considered herself a competent boss after all.

Though if Luna was ready, Lucia would get up, taking the platter in hand, grabbing a slice of fruit, offering Luna some as well while holding onto it. "If we're going to get started then, perhaps combat lessons-- Mortimer?" She'd ask causing the Wraith to pause, briefly smoothing his coat down before returning his knife to his coat. "Perhaps Hung Gar or Northern Shaolin? Which would you prefer?" Mortimer inquired, thinking both would suit the girl, though if she didn't understand the nature of them, Mortimer would patiently explain them. After all it was important to at least understand the importance of one's movements before heading out into an encounter. Once Luna felt more comfortable in a style of movement though, they could get started.

@Luna Avalbane

 

[Luna Avalbane]

Oh! Had Lucia wanted to relax and spend some time together? Luna suddenly blanched, rubbing at one of her arms awkwardly, shuffling her feet. "I mean...if you wanted to just relax and spend some time together we can do that, yeah. I really just kind of got ahead of myself there and wanted to improve." She looked down at her feet, ber boots scuffing the floor as she kicked them. "I was pretty weak four years ago, so I wanted to try and change that this time around. Now that I don't have Natiri to hide behind, I have to be a lot stronger than I was back then."

The image of her old avatar, crackling and overflowing with arcane energy until it had built up high enough to explode, filled her mind. The first time she'd experienced death. It had been horrifying and it had taken a while for the aftershocks of that particular incident to leave her. She was determined to not go through something like that again.

Though moving on to happier conversation topics, Luna nodded at Lucia's musings about the cafe franchising. "I'm working towards that, yeah. I do really think that it'll be something popular. It's like the next step in evolution for those board game cafes that got super popular." She gave the woman a smile. There was definitely a business to be made there and she would help Lucia get there as much as she could. Though it was, in a way, for selfish reasons. Anything she could do to give the woman some investment in reality, she would do it.

And then they were apparently starting with combat training? Mortimer brought up two styles, neither of which Luna had heard from. Her only experience with martial arts was attending a karate class years and years ago, before she'd even hit eleven. She paused, uncertain about them. "I uh, I don't know what either of those are. Could you please explain them to me?"

@Lucia Mierz