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Post by Marion Aurea on Jun 12, 2024 0:41:11 GMT -5
"I'd love to visit someday- it sounds quite incredible, and I can't begin to imagine... a place even more towering than here."
Musing aloud, Marion did understand the sentiment of not being able to shut up once he started talking about a certain range of topics- to be honest he doesn't mind a bit, but the elf is also happy to go along the flow.
"The wilderness is loud enough as it is- and being anywhere in these cities are soo much louder! It was like market day but, like, every single day! Not saying it is bad, but sometimes you can't really even hear your own thoughts."
He proceeds to tell the other all about his previous travels- with approximately 0 sense of self preservation, really, but Marion did not seem to realize yet how being so trusting and open could be perilous- but so far he had been fortunate to have always had good people beside him. The young elf excitedly blabbered on about the Marsh Flats and Moonglade, about the people he had met on the way and descended into an impromptu lecture regarding the hypothesis of natural selection's influence on magical flora and more mundane counterparts, bringing up the mana-rich forests of Moonglade as example, and his observations of different groves of Sacred Mangrove between the two areas with different magical environmental conditions.
His take on the matter seemed more scientific than mystical, and proposed that the presence of spirits in trees, while feasible, does not necessarily make them owe divine qualities as common consensus may say, but by the virtue of adapting to their environment alone did they become extraordinary in their own right.
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on Jun 12, 2024 14:20:36 GMT -5
"That might be a little difficult. You know a way to hop between worlds?" C'Leena asks, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. She's long since become content with her life in Charon. Being yanked from Melbourne over to here was jarring and she's still trying to adapt in many ways, but she finds herself happier than she ever was. Fresh air, boundless nature; all of it novel and new to her.
"Compared to what I was used to, these cities are quiet. Plus, I can hardly hear my own thoughts normally so.. I feel no difference." She laughs, seemingly used to such a thing. ADHD has been kicking her ass six ways to Sunday since she doesn't have any form of medication, and it's a miracle she's even able to operate. She's nearly snapped at Nephele a few times when she accidentally interrupted a time of hyper-focus. C'Leena still feels awful about that.
When Marion begins talking about his previous adventures, C'Leena listens happily, fascinated by the stories other people have to share. C'Leena engages with the conversation, inputting with her own little moments in those same areas or asking questions. But her intrigue and interest grows exponentially when the topic of magic flora comes up.
Magic has been absolutely fascinating for C'Leena, and on top of being something that she needs to understand in order for her to return to her original job, it's been such fun testing out hypotheses, researching into the intricacies of how magic interacts with the world around them, and C'Leena shares some of her own discoveries and experiences.
"Magic is incredible. Suffused into everything. I've spent the better part of a year since coming here researching everything I can about the Formulae Arcanum; both with Arcanatek and just how mana and magic interacts with the body. I'm a bit of a special case so, that's made using myself as a research subject unreliable."
C'Leena found herself agreeing with Marion's stance on spirits. Her knowledge on that is lacking, and her history of being Agnostic makes her more.. Resistant to beliefs of the divine. She knows they exist here - hell, Vulcadreas was a deity and he was very real, but she can't ever see herself being devout or particularly preach-y about it.
But the talk on magic and it's role in the natural order has her curious, and since she's not exactly a druid or someone who can be trusted with a potted plant, she asks questions regarding what roles these flora fill, their uses and how they could be used in ways outside of alchemy; like maybe there's a plant that can be ground into a powder and used to better temper iron and steel. Truly, the doctor's curiosity knows no bounds, and with each answer given, two more questions are raised in her mind.
It was this mindset - this attitude to the unknown that saw her be considered a 'gifted' student. She blitzed through her schooling despite coming into it late and got her Ph.D younger than most people. She is an excellent student and an avid learner, always striving to make the unknown, known.
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Post by Marion Aurea on Jun 12, 2024 18:11:40 GMT -5
Marion was having a blast. You can tell he enjoys talking about such things and his thoughts about them- and how he had done a lot of thinking too, in these regards.
"It is in essence an energy- much like the sun, I think, and we and other creatures have adapted to our environment aptly, and you can observe how in much heavier condensed areas of mana the suffusion of magic into local wildlife are also much higher- while we have an overarching theory and way for guiding this magic out, plants tend to have less outlets than fauna, and in turn their own upmake, leaf bark and root- become permanently altered to be able to store more amount of mana in themselves, which leads to their extraordinary qualities in potion-making. That is my theory, anyway."
There are also thoughts sprinkled into how magic levels are part of the ecosystem and how too much and too little can both become harmful to the local habitat and species- and he while his stance on the environment changing is more of letting it take its course, Marion still brought up the importance of preserving species' data as well.
While the two nerds geeked out all over the subject, they are fast approaching their destination- and the sound of distant music and the smell of food and snacks wafted up, to which Marion's stomach unceremoniously grumbled.
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on Jun 12, 2024 19:58:39 GMT -5
C'Leena listens happily, fascinated by Marion's opinions and stances. It's definitely giving the doctor more than a few ideas on experiments to run. The fact that the elf's ideas were also incredibly modern was a pleasant surprise. "Fauna burn energy in dozens of ways, while flora don't have that. I suspect that just like how your body burns energy through the day, it also burns mana, but to a lesser extent. That would explain why more mundane fauna aren't used in magical practices. Simply not enough there to extract."
As they grow closer and closer to their destination, the music grows louder and the voices from below become more prominent. The reason for the massive gridlock is clear: All these people, carriages and horses are trying to filter into the main road, but a gate has been set up to restrict the amount of people going in at a time. Even then, the festival is incredibly crowded. Shouts of anger and frustration emanate from the blockade, and C'Leena lets out a soft laugh.
"Should've had wings." She quips before banking gently, flying past the blockade and just off the side where she can land without running into anybody. With a few powerful flaps, she slows down and lands with a jog, her wings dissipating into motes of light, flickering away like embers. She sets Marion down, keeping a steadying hand on him just in case he needs a second to steady himself.
"There we go! Easy as that. Hey, do you mind if I stick around for a while? I got nothin' but time to burn and you're damn good company-"
Through the crowd, amidst the voices, one stands out. Deep, gruff, mean. "Fucking mages.." The man spits out, giving the duo a death glare. C'Leena immediately freezes up, and that smile on her face that has been present since the moment they met simply vanishes. In it's place is instead a cold, icy stare.
C'Leena turns and meets the mans eyes. Somehow, C'Leena is suddenly radiating pure malice and hate. "Sorry, I didn't quite hear that. Mind speaking up?" She beckons, which only seems to motivate the stranger.
"You are a blight. A disease on this world. Your filth doesn't belong here."
C'Leena nods, idly biting the inside of her cheek. "Ah. Dial Fractum. Yeah, that's about what I thought." Behind her back, her fist tightens, soft taks of metal on metal as her fingers meet her palm. "I'm going to re-arrange your teeth, now."
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Post by Marion Aurea on Jun 13, 2024 19:54:18 GMT -5
Touchdown was also fun, and Marion stepped down into solid ground once more- The elf shook himself down like a cat would, relishing in the feeling.
"It would have taken ages and I'd have been late- so, thank you so much for helping me here! Of course I won't mind the company, but- " He looked up at her, voicing his thoughts aloud. "- Wouldn't you want to spend your time at the festival with your wife? Couples also tend to do that, I have gathered-"
But before the conversation could continue, it was unceremoniously interrupted. Rudley. Marion followed the other's gaze to see the man- to be honest, he wouldn't be able to notice and pick a voice out like this over the din of the crowd at all if not for her- and his ears went flat when he caught the next comment.
Dial Fractum. Marion had only heard this name a couple of times when he travelled into Moonglade, but he had never really worked out what that meant- well, he was not so interested in the dynamic of people, and had the fortune to encounter people that know the region well- such as Cyran- to give him pointers on what places to avoid altogether. He only vaguely knew it is some sort of organization that did not like outsiders, and never bothered further than that.
But, now...
“Let's... just go." He said, and his voice was much quieter than when they was speaking before. Marion did not turn back to meet the man's glare.
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on Jun 13, 2024 22:13:59 GMT -5
C'Leena's hand was clenched, ready to fly out at any moment. She felt only fury in this moment. All the shit these bastards put her and Nephele through, all the fear and pain will be paid for in full. Right here, right now.
But Marion’s quiet, subdued voice snaps the doctor back to reality. She’d been glaring daggers into the man, her stare nearly lethal in their own right. C'Leena sneers, and her hand comes out from behind her back. Yet instead of a balled fist, it's with an open hand. She puts the hand on his chest, and a sudden rippling pulse of light from underneath her skin flows from her to the man[1].
"Take a breath. Go enjoy your day, yeah? Picking a fight isn't the way to go." C'Leena says, that anger not quite having left her voice just yet. The man looks stunned for a moment, then he seems to relax a bit and step away.
"Fine." He spits, stepping back into the crowd and vanishing within the sea of people. C'Leena runs a hand through her short hair, sighing loudly; her irritation so dense it might just fog the air.
"Fuck." She mumbles before turning back to Marion. "Sorry about that. I don't have the greatest history with them. Are you okay?" She looks concerned, her fury slowly dissipating, making room for her worries and concerns, akin to a parent fussing over their child.
She lost her temper. Generally not an unusual thing for C'Leena, but still. It doesn't feel great, even when she has a valid reason to have. It definitely put a damper on everything, that's for sure.
"Ahem. Right, before we were interrupted. I hope uh.. That doesn't change your willingness to keep me around a bit longer?" She chuckles, her hand rubbing the back of her neck. "Oh, and Nephele and I have already been a few times now. It started a little bit ago so we got in pretty quick. Crowds aren't exactly her thing, anyway. People tend to not trust Fey too much, or the people who associate with them as closely as I do."
She shrugs. "Anyway, shut me up if this is something insensitive or anything, but I wanted to know how long you've been wandering for. Elves have a longer lifespan, right? I've been trying to find out as much as I can about the other races like Fellbloods, Elves n whatnot. Everything is still so unbelievably new to me."
1. Calm Emotions
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Post by Marion Aurea on Jun 13, 2024 23:10:31 GMT -5
"... I'm ok. You seemed upset, though, I think I should ask you the same." Marion managed a smile. It was a relief, to have everything resolved with no... rearranging of teeth involved. He was quite worried that it would happen, and his newfound friend would get into more trouble than warranted.
"It's quite alright- I do have another friend that is going to meet up with me here, though I've arrived much earlier by your graces now. We can explore together! And get some food- I can smell popcorn all the way up in the air already!"
While he isn't harmed- or alarmed, per say, with what just happened with the man- Marion was quick to go with how the subject changed and not let it dwell on his mind. You could tell that he was still somewhat dejected from that with how his ears remained flattened, but he seemed to be making a conscious effort to not think back about it too much.
"Oh, I have only just recently started travelling- I've been the slower sort growing up, or at least that's what mama says. I didn't know alot of other elves, and we are always on the move to tend to different pastures and woods in the valley, so I can only speak for myself."
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on Jun 13, 2024 23:43:01 GMT -5
C'Leena puts on a smile despite not entirely feeling it. "That is a long story. I'm alright, just.. Nasty bunch of people." She says, trying to shake the intrusive memories out from her mind. The madness in Nephele's eyes, the blood-soaked hall. All done for C'Leena and her safety.
C'Leena's smile became a little more genuine when Marion seemed happy to keep her around. "Oh shit, I noticed that stand last time but I didn't check it out. Come! I know where that is!" C'Leena says excitedly, instinctively reaching for his hand but stopping herself fairly quickly. "Nope, not Nephele. C'mon!" She says, stepping into the crowd while trying to remain close to Marion. She weaves through the people with ease; like it's second nature, akin to how an animal can weave through foliage with ease.
"Really? I was always told the opposite when I was growing up. Was always called a 'gifted' kid. Blitzed through school, got through uhh.. 12 years of school in about nine? Plus medical school which was another four." She says casually, as if that much school was.. Standard. For her it absolutely is, but in Charon, the vast majority of people don't get any kind of formal education. Sixteen years of schooling is kind of absurd.
"Even if you didn't know any other elves, what can you tell me about you's? I'm trying to figure out if my idea of elves matches up at all. Fantasy from my old home compared to here." Granted, Fantasy wasn't exactly something C'Leena was into. She was much more the Sci-Fi type. "And have you always been nature-aligned or was that something you leaned into as you grew up?"
C'Leena manages to continue the conversation easily as she weaves through people, pacing her own speed to Marion's so she can remain close.
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Post by Marion Aurea on Jun 14, 2024 0:02:41 GMT -5
Marion, being significantly shorter, had to jog abit- but he didn't seem to mind, and kept up the pace even when the other slowed down for him. Maybe he is just very eager to be here after all.
"Dada said he had been apprenticed for about about two decades before he dropped out and left the Capitol, something about not being able to get along with the aristocrats. I've never went to school myself, though, but mama and dada taught me themselves." Thinking back, Marion put a hand to his cheek as he searched his memory.
"I mean... its just pretty normal? But I guess everything you grow up with feels normal to yourself anyway... uh, oh! We are sort of special though, now that you mentioned it. Dad said we have relatives here in Sol city, but our forefathers didn't really agree with something and came to the valley instead, and got the name- Aurea- from the gold of bountiful harvest. It's been something that we had always done, and even if dada studied medicine too to tend to people more, we still walk beside wilderness more, and we listen and sing to the land. Between the earth and the sun and the rain have we been given so much, and we need to take care of it too."
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on Jun 14, 2024 13:09:54 GMT -5
C'Leena nodded. "Yeah, I was homeschooled briefly as well. Couldn't enroll into a school because of financial reasons. Just me n' my sister sat around a table being taught mathematics."
She was also fascinated by the family history of Marion. It's always been a point of interest for C'Leena to learn about the origins of surnames. "That is really interesting. What sort of medicine does your dad practice? Is it just general treatment or does he focus on something particular?"
The comment about taking care of nature puts a sad smile on her face. "Absolutely. My old home never did that, and our world suffered for it greatly. Pollution, industrialization, deforestation.. We pretty much killed our planet." She shakes her head solemnly. She'd never really thought about it prior to Charon, but being faced with what nature is supposed to be like, it's hard to look back at Earth without pity.
Reaching the food stands doesn't take too long, and just like the rest of the park, it's stuffed full of people waiting in queues, sat at benches and tables or simply wandering by. They pass a few stands selling candies, various meats and a million other types of food before they catch sight of the popcorn, and C'Leena points it out.
"There's the stand. Still happy with popcorn?" She asks with a smile, her eyes scanning the crowd mostly out of instinct. It's been long enough that C'Leena still knows how to navigate them, but the doctor has begun to adopt Nephele's dislike of them. Marion's company is actually balancing it out for her; helping make the crowds a bit more tolerable.
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Post by Marion Aurea on Jun 14, 2024 17:50:34 GMT -5
"He can do everything! But he didn't use magic to get his eye back. I suppose he couldn't do that... but other things didn't seem to be an issue, like usual colds and lost limbs and recently dead people- he can't do anything about dying from old age, bringing them back to more suffering before their organs fail again- but more for when it was something more like, being murdered, or dying to a sudden heart attack or stroke. Given that we reached them within 24 hours."
Marion motioned with his hands, as he spoke.
"Right! It's so important to keep mind of what you are doing to nature and- it's not so hard. Burning forest to make more fields, or letting livestock over-graze... it's so easy to destroy something, but these would take a long time to recover on their own. We do what we can between magic and mundane, informing and trying to solve disputes- mama would go and try to know why are they doing things like this and she'd help solve their problems alongside too. It's just sad when people are so used to taking without consideration- and they don't take just from what cannot speak, but from other people too."
Brows furrowed with the melancholy thought, though, the young elf perked up again immediately when food is brought up.
"Popcorn! Oh, excuse me- " You proceed to watch him shuffle through the half-existent line to the stall owner, and dug around his satchel for change to pay- eventually returning triumphant with a box of honey glazed popcorn in his arms. The box was quite large, and he held it up to you eagerly, waiting for you to take one first.
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on Jun 14, 2024 18:14:53 GMT -5
C'Leena finds it heartwarming just how happily Marion talks about his parents, and she has a warm smile as he talks, nodding where necessary. "The effects that magic has on medicine and healing is fascinating to me. Like, the only reason I'm alive is because of magic. If I was incompatible with magic for some reason, I'd be very very dead." She shrugs. "It's made healing people so much easier compared to what I learnt. Closing up wounds only takes a push of will and boom, it's like it never happened."
C'Leena nods. "It's the curse of modernization. The more you make, the more space you need, and that means having to clear out forests and entire eco-systems for that space. Sending many species into extinction." She shakes her head. "Nasty stuff." The melancholic feeling is something that C'Leena shares for a moment, but the immediate perk-up from Marion when food is mentioned is amusing, and C'Leena waited patiently for him to return.
Yet she's caught slightly off guard when Marion offers her the first try. "Oh! Uh, okay," She says hesitantly, taking one and popping it into her mouth. After a second, her eyes widen slightly. "Oh shit that's good!" She snaps her fingers, gesturing to the food.
The price for such a thing is definitely.. High, but that's to be expected of festival food stands. Mainly out of guilt and not wanting to be a freeloader, that finger snap summoned in a Replicant[1] just behind Marion, who subtly slips enough Solars into his pocket to cover the cost, plus a bit extra.[2]
After the 'payment', the replicant vanishes again as if it were never there. "Alright, what's next on the schedule?" C'Leena asks with a smile, crossing her arms.
1. Replicant 2. Stealth [Exalted]
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Post by Marion Aurea on Jun 14, 2024 18:31:55 GMT -5
Marion, oblivious, did not notice at all when someone sneakily shoved money into his satchel- which means he is probably as equal as likely to be pickpocketed like this. Sometimes it makes you wonder how on Charon was he not robbed out of everything he owned yet, but perhaps fate smiles down at him kinder, or that he is simply so nice to everyone that he'd been able to avoid many unpleasant experiences from how quick he makes connection with people- well, take the traffic from today as an example.
”Do you mean... like being reanimated? I knew a few skeletal friends- I suppose they would not really exist like they are now, if not for magic."
It was simply out of curiosity, and Marion noting how the other didn't seem too averse to talking about this subject.
"You said you came from another world, right- if you didn't have a lot of magic there, then... " Trailing off, Marion shook his head. "Mn, it's just good that you are alright now!"
While the bucket is large, it wasn't of absurd portion, but Marion was shoving fistfuls of that into his mouth, cheeks puffing up like a hamster's. He eats with a vigor and enjoyment that expresses itself through the little noises he makes as well as his mannerisms, how his large elf ears flap a little- it was as if the food was so good, you'd want to try some for yourself as well.
"I want to try out the other food stalls as well!" He announced. "I've heard about corndogs. Are the sausage made out of corn, or have corn in them? It had always sounded very good to me like that- "
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Post by C'Leena Thomas on Jun 14, 2024 18:45:19 GMT -5
C'Leena chuckles softly. "No, I mean dead dead. Six feet under type of dead. Thankfully, very much alive. Heart may not be real but it pumps blood all the same."
She nods, confirming Marion's observations. "I am. Magic-less in it's entirety. Or at least magic-less in the spellcasting sense. There was a dude who said that sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. And I suppose that sufficiently researched magic is indistinguishable from science." C'Leena muses before shaking her head, returning to the subject at hand. "I'm also glad I'm fine. I'm.. A lot happier, here. I mean, I'm married, I'm learning new, incredible things and just.. It's had it's lows, but the highs have made everything worth it."
"If you have questions, I'd be happy to answer them. Can't guarantee they'll make sense, but I'll answer what I can." She laughs softly, covering her mouth with a hand.
C'Leena chuckles as Marion becomes a chipmunk, shoveling popcorn into his mouth. It reminds C'Leena of her sister, almost. She maintains that amused look when he asks about corndogs.
"Neither, unfortunately. As I know them, they're sausages inside a sort of cornbread. Good stuff. And li- holy shit wait your ears flap?" She asks, only now just noticing such a mannerism. "Holy shit that's incredible. Nephele does something similar! She has ears kinda like a goat and like, you can always tell how she feels by looking at them. It's the cutest shit I'd ever seen." C'Leena giggles, almost childlike in nature.
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Post by Marion Aurea on Jun 14, 2024 20:17:04 GMT -5
The motion being pointed out made him stop doing that- it was more like pointing out to someone about them breathing for them to become aware of it, and then it stopped happening... naturally. Marion puzzledly wiggled his ears abit with a look of focus in his face, and it looked different from how the ear flaps from before.
"Awe... that's a shame. What are sausages with corn in them called though? I think something like that would taste really nice. Wait, you are saying you have an artificial heart?"
This spared him from his attention on his ears, and they perked up again at points of interest- Marion tilted his head at the other, rather interested.
"How does it work? I don't think I've- well, I haven't seen something like that before. Is it shaped the same way as a real one? Or designed otherwise- is it purely energy-formed construct, or is it grown from flesh, or from other material- are there any maintenance needs for it? "
You can begin to see how the elf was used to popping these sorts of questions that comes immediately to his mind- it was probably the way he had always been homeschooled which integrated into the way he thinks, always curious about subjects that may not even be of use to him in the imminent future, but still have a keen desire to learn about it all none the less.
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