Private Eastern Brisshal Bright Smiles for Dark Affairs

[Caelia Etterni]

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Caelia had wandered today. She tried not to stray far from civilization, but Eastern Brishaal was supposed to be a good place for newbies to learn and grow, right? She made sure to keep track of where she was on the map, eventually coming upon a large river. The waters were crisp and clear, and if she watched long enough, she was pretty sure she could see fish dancing beneath the rippling surface. She checked her map again, the name Blue Rapid appearing over the river as it loaded in.

Huh. Neat.

She speaks to no one, assuming that she is alone in this place. And, assuming that she is alone, she figures why not do a little practicing? She held her hands up in front of her face, focusing on the things she, well, disliked in life.

It was the only way she'd found to get this to work. She thought of being overlooked in school. Being picked last for games. Of struggling to make friends and being overwhelmed when anyone did try to talk to her.

The more she thought about it, the more upset Caelia got. Tears started to sting the corners of her eyes. At first, nothing happened, despite all her focus. She started to get upset with herself, gritting her teeth and fighting back tears. As she pushed and pushed and pushed, something started to gather between her hands. A dark mist, swirling and flickering like smoke from a fire.

Yes... Yes! It's working...

A twig snapped nearby. Caelia jumped, startled by the noise, and in that moment the smoke was gone. She let out a frustrated groan, wiping her face with the back of her hand as she looked around for who had just ruined her concentration.

@Frey Elzeiros

 

[Frey Elzeiros]

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Frey had taken to wandering as a countermeasure to the shortcomings attached to his new player status, hellbent on not paying for the exorbitant prices of some of the wares most games gave their players. Maps being the most prominent example, among other things.

A self-imposed quest, but one he fulfilled dutifully, was the one of marking his advances throughout the world of Arcia, creating a collection of maps marked by him that suited him well enough. One person would be slow to complete them, much slower than a whole party of adventurers dedicated to the task, but at least it allowed him to see the sights.

In search of refreshment near the waters of the famed Blue Rapid, he came across a familiar figure, although to say their visage clicked immediately with the name in his head would be a lie. Smoke poured at their front, though he couldn't tell exactly from where or what, as when he tried to advance, a branch snapped underfoot and the one in question turned to look at him.

"...Shit."

Much more than the sharper features, which he does take note of, it is the overwhelming emotion on Caelia's face what catches his attention. A response to danger, perhaps?

He inhales sharply at the sight of red, puffy eyes that he knows too well, rolling up his sleeves despite his lack of martial aptitude. Halfway through, he realizes that though he might be well-intentioned, perhaps he'd only breed more confusion into whatever stressful situation had occurred moments prior to his arrival.

"Alastair's friend, right? Uh..." The hesitation is all but genuine, placed there for the sake of eliciting a comedic reaction, or one of outrage. Whichever might serve best. "Caelia? The one with the super senses."

Half a breath later: "You okay?"

 

[Caelia Etterni]

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The slightly smaller Faerin just sort of stared at Frey for a moment. Her eyes still glistened with unshed tears. After a few awkward seconds of silence, she seemed to snap out of whatever reverie she was in. Caelia wiped at her face with the back of her hand, sniffling quietly to try and clear any trace of her emotion from her visage.

Her eyes were still red, and there were clear lines on her cheeks from tears, but she pretended he totally couldn't see that.

When she looked at him, her eyes were slightly strange. Her irises had grown smaller, almost pinprick, but they seemed brighter. The blue hue shone out clearly even in the daylight, with just the faintest hint of red from the pupil caught in there as well.

Oh, um, I'm... I'm fine. (sniffling) I was just... My magic, it... It's hard to explain, uh, I don't usually do it like this around other people...

She stumbled over her words, not the bubbling personality she'd been when they had met the other day and fought the wolves. It was obvious she was off her game.

How, um, how much of that did you...see?

She was more worried about the Landers seeing her practice, but outside of Kaede, no one else had seen her use dark magic before. What if he thought she was crazy?

@Frey Elzeiros

 

[Frey Elzeiros]

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The undercurrent of magic tugs at his being just from proximity to the caster herself, something he tries his best to hide with the dismissive wave of a hand and a nervous chuckle, deeply unsure how to follow the line of conversation that was already a sour topic with most he encountered.

"Enough to know that something was up," he looks away as if the mention of it might be more embarrassing for him than it would be for them. After all, in the short amount of time he'd known Caelia, he would be surprised if they had come to consider him more than an acquaintance to quest with. "Honestly, your, uh..."

Frey lifts a hand to his face, now hesitant as his eyes return to the other faerin's. He touches his fingers to his cheek, and by the time he's drawn himself into her proximity, he's pulled his UI menu out, looking for something to stand in for a handkerchief at his very evident lack of one.

"Well, I understand being a bit nervous about trying something out for the first time. Honestly? Casting was, still is, a bit of a complicated thing for me to do." So familiar is the feeling of it, the weave faintly observed around their eyes, the way their coloration had changed to reflect something darker lurking within...

Something most would know better than to bring to the light.

"I won't tell if you won't, is what I'm trying to say. You can go ahead and practice with me, if you want."

 

[Caelia Etterni]

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Caelia continued to wipe at her face to try and dry her tears, sniffling despite her best efforts not to. She looks a bit uncertain as Frey approaches and gets closer to her space, but it's more out of concern for his well being than her own. She was still learning to control this strange magic, and what if she hurt someone with it? She wasn't afraid of what she could do, per se, she was just...wary of it.

Mostly because she didn't know what all she could accomplish quiet yet.

When he offers to let her practice, though, she blinks in confusion for a moment. I won't tell if you won't, he said. Did that mean...? She couldn't assume it did.

You're not...afraid of it?

She spoke in a small voice, her mood still dampened by whatever state she'd had to put herself in to call forth the magic she was trying to wield.

I mean, I guess most Travelers aren't really... It's the Landers I have to be careful about. That's what I've been told, anyways. Don't practice near the Landers, they'll just freak out... Sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I? Um. I'm sorry you had to see me all... (gestures up and down at self) Like this. I'm trying to figure out a better way to do this, it's just not easy.

@Frey Elzeiros

 

[Frey Elzeiros]

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"You kidding? Why would I?" The words come out faster than intended, unable to put any thought into them before it's too late.

Frey picks up on the physical cues of Caelia's discomfort, planting himself a respectable distance away from the Faerin so as not to increase their distress.

"I may not look like much, but I'm built to last. I could take it if you wanted to practice on me, it'd even help me. But if that isn't what you want to do..."

He drops to his knees, fingers swiping through the air as he opens the palm menu and starts pulling a set of items from within his inventory, each materializing after the other in his lap. A rolled-up stack of papers, map-making tools, everything he had acquired over the course of his own travels - supplies that he would now use to make Caelia a brand new map of her own.

"Here," he makes a marking on the map, on the area surrounding a settlement situated in Western Brisshal. "Not a lot of Landers pass through here because bandits and other..." He pauses for a moment, waving his hand around the ear as if to pull a word, but when it doesn't come, he simply lets it drop to his side, returning to his task. "Things, but the area is also... Heightened, if you could call it that. A leyline is continuously leaking into the flora and fauna, so if you are careful, and can guarantee you won't get eaten by something out there, then it's as good a place as any to practice without being seen."

 

[Caelia Etterni]

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The speed of Frey's answer was a little bit surprising, but Caelia didn't comment on it other than to blink once slowly. She relaxes a little as he steps back, not necessarily minding the proximity but appreciating the distance he's given her respectfully. The idea of practicing with him was certainly a little intriguing... She sighed quietly, kneeling down with him to watch what he was doing curiously. She looked down at the map he was marking on, tilting her head slightly.

I... see. And no one really goes out there?

She spoke quietly, but there was an element of curiosity to her voice that gave away her true feelings about the possibility of exploring a new area and also getting to practice without being spotted.

And, if you wanted to, I wouldn't say no to some sparring... I just don't want to hurt you or anything if we do. My magic is a bit, ah, rough sometimes, so to speak.

You just mean I am rough sometimes.

I didn't ask your opinion, she thinks to that drawling voice in her head. It still hadn't introduced itself...

@Frey Elzeiros

 

[Frey Elzeiros]

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The positive response Caelia displays at his proposed training area spur him to mark other similar places in which she may train away from the public eye. Places he had used himself, or others he'd heard the Starcalled talk about. "Truth be told, it always changes. I think people don't go out there simply because it'd be a hassle to find the spot again, even if you were following the same path."

Where Caelia is quiet, thoughtful of her tone and the manner in which she speaks, Frey is the overabundance of energy collected within one body, bouncing between each movement rather than just moving.

"Better me, I know how to take a mean punch, and I won't send the guards running after you because you look..." He sets his sight away from the handmade map, his eyes trailing instead to Caelia's shifted image, extending the newly made item out to them.

Albeit initially startled by the stark contrast between the distorted vision and the person they had originally met on the outskirts of town, he limits himself to moving the map up and down, gesturing to the entirety of them. "Like that."

 

[Caelia Etterni]

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Caelia feels warmth come to her cheeks when Frey mentions not calling the guards on her because she looked "like that," as he put it. She glanced down at herself, at the black upon her skin that still hadn't fully faded away. She took a few deep breaths, closing her eyes momentarily. Slowly, the darkness faded from her skin and hair. When her eyes opened again, they were more normal, not that pinprick of almost glowing blue energy with red centers.

Sorry about that... It just happens, and it, uh, actually gets worse sometimes... It doesn't hurt or anything, though. It just makes me look...scary, haha.

She reached out to take the map from Frey gently, looking it over with a curious light in her eyes. She settled it on her lap after a moment, looking back over to him with a gentle smile.

So, do you really want to spar, or were you just being nice to a sad girl? I wouldn't say no to trying out some new things I've been working on, as long as you think you can take it...

@Frey Elzeiros

 

[Frey Elzeiros]

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3 / 3

The mage chooses not to dismiss nor accept her apology. In fact, the reaction to the warning she offers, explaining that such might happen again, tears a sigh from him. "Well, magic does that to you around these parts, especially if left unchecked... It takes what it wills, but it does come with its fair share of rewards, wouldn't you agree?"

He let it hang in the air. Words spoken from experience.

"What? Me? Trying to be nice? The insult..." In one fluid motion, he lifts himself off of the ground, a hand tossing what items he'd previously gathered back into the void of his inventory, while the other, he presses to his chest to feign an injury to his pride. "I think I might've let that one slide had you not implied I couldn't take it."

He retreats a step, another, and finally flashes Caelia a teasing smile which, in truth, is but an invitation in and of itself. Frey walks away from the faerin and with his foot, draws a line over the dirt, choosing to stand behind it. "How will you answer for your crimes?"

@Caelia Etterni

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