Working All Night Long (open)

[Cael]

Nightfall, 50th of Spring, 512 AV Cael walked through the streets of Zeltiva, looking for the piles of rubble that had been marked for burning. The sun had just gone down, but Cael could see well enough. The piles of wood and other useless, burnable materials had been stacked in front of every ruined building and marked with an orange piece of paper impaled on a wooden stake next to each pile. For anyone else, this job would have been difficult to do in the dark. Fortunately, Cael wasn't just anyone. The young mage had a small orb or fire glowing a couple feet above his head and slightly in front of him. Though he knew air reimancy well enough, fire had been his first element and it was the one he was most partial to. There was something about the dancing flames that fascinated Cael. Perhaps it was because he grew up in Avanthal where fire was such an important part of life, that he found it so irresistible. Reaching the first pile, Cael summoned some more res from his hands and shot a small fireball into the base of the pile. It caught fire instantly, but took a while to spread throughout the whole pile. Cael watched it for awhile, taking pride in the blaze. It was just a small fire, perhaps the size of a campfire, but it was beautiful. Hesitating, Cael wondered whether he should call on the god of fire. He'd always wanted to pray to him, but he'd also been afraid. The Valterrian was his fault, after all. Until recently, he'd been imprisoned. Now that he was free...Well, Cael felt he owed him. "Ivak," he spoke quietly, his voice barely above a murmur as he watched the flames. "God of fire and flame, I have been remiss in my duties to you. I have learned your art, yet I have not spoken to you once." Pausing, Cael looked away from the fire, trying to gather his thoughts. "No more. I thank you for the gift of fire and promise now and forever to follow you as I follow all of the gods. Forgive me staying silent before now." Bowing his head, Cael closed his eyes and let his quickened pulse calm down. He'd never been so nervous just talking to a god before. Then again, Ivak was more than just a god. Looking back up, Cael walked off to find the next marker. He still had a job to do, after all.

[Cael]

OOCShameless self bump

[Marcus Dymez]

Meanwhile, Marcus was casually strolling through the streets, on his way back from a hesitant visit to his family's abode. He noticed the small fire burning, as well as the the shadowy figure walking away, and could not resist the curiosity that arose within him. He quietly followed the mysterious fellow, before the puzzle pieces finally fit into piece. Marcus remembered the various garbage piles that the city had mandated be cleaned up, and assumed this fellow was a simple layman. He pulled the hood of his leather cloak down as he walked over to the stranger, yelling to him from across the street just as he began to walk away. "Hello there! Need any help?" Marcus approached the man, who by his appearance alone seemed to disregard his prior assumption. He had a polite smile across his face as he introduced himself, his face illuminated softly by the faint glow of flames. "I just saw you taking care of some work around here, and wondered if you'd care for some assistance? Zeltiva needs some help licking her wounds these days." Marcus extended a welcome hand in greeting, and curiously looked over the mysterious fellow. He didn't seem to have any torches on him, and his clothing was peculiar taken by itself, regardless of the darkness surrounding them. Marcus considered using Auristics to aid in this evaluation, but was not nearly confident enough to gain anything of true value. So he investigated the old fashion way, and his voice did it's best to sound casual and non-intrusive. "The name is Marcus Callus. I must say, that is an interesting choice of attire you have, especially in the black of night. I take it you're not an ordinary worker..."

[Cael]

Smiling, Cael shook the man's hand gladly. "I don't need much in the way of help, but if you'd like to walk with me a while, I'm sure the work would go much faster." Cael was feeling good, friendly. The man he spoke to had a nice handshake and seemed genuinely eager to help. This was the kind of man Cael liked to see. Cael laughed when the man pointed out his state of dress. "I suppose I do look a little strange," he admitted. "I'm Vanthan, you see. Your Zeltivan nights are hotter than the warmest summer days in Avanthal," he explained. Though he he wore black, the material was extremely light and trapped no heat. His shirt was heavier, which was why he never wore it. A hint of emerald green crept into his eyes, swirling around the center. "As for the color, well..." He laughed again. "What can I say? All Vanthans have a flair for the dramatic." He continued walking with the man, happy to have his company. When they reached the next pile to be burned, Cael summoned some res and created another fireball, which he carefully sent into the bottom of the rubble. He built the flames up until he was satisfied that the entire pile would burn. Cael was not afraid of showing off his powers to strangers. Though he might have been more cautious in another town, he felt free to use his skills in Zeltiva. It was home to the university, after all, and therefore several wizards. For all he knew, the man next to him could be a fellow djed user.

[Marcus Dymez]

Marcus nodded subtly as the man revealed his upbringing. He knew little of Vantha customs or dress, but he did know the city of Avanthal, and he believed Anywhere is warmer than that place. "I understand the sentiment perfectly," Marcus said casually, as they continued walking through the darkness. He was still curious about the strangers task, or rather, how he was accomplishing it, and ran through the possibilities until only a select few remain. One of which was about to be presented to him, as he watched a process he knew far too well. Marcus laughed for a moment, before letting it die down to a chuckle, as he watched the fellow reimancer light the pile of rubbish. "I had been wondering how you were igniting these piles without flint nor torch. But I see now that you are simply a wizard such as myself." He regretted using the word simply, in all of it's contexts, as things were rarely such, but sometimes it still managed to slip out. Marcus projected a small amount of res out of the palm of his hand, sculpting it into a sphere, before setting it in a tight orbit around his wrist. He carefully transmuted the inner layer into water, leaving a small core for assisting control, and a thin outer layer to hold in the water. He had practiced this trick quite a few times, and while it did not have very nice range, it was indeed a blast to perform. He spoke with a slight smirk across his face, as he held his hand up in front of him, the orb of water spinning slowly around his wrist. "I know your type far too well, my friend, and I welcome it. I have a feeling I will enjoy our talk this night..."

[Cael]

A surprised smile flashed across Cael's face. he was always delighted to meet another reimancer. "Water!" he exclaimed in excitement. "I only do fire and air, myself," he admitted. "When you grow up in the snow, you begin to get tired of all the water." While that wasn't entirely true, Cael didn't know enough Common to express what he really meant. He wasn't tired of water, really. He just wanted to experience something else first. Experience, he thought in Vani. That's a word I should probably learn, he mused to himself. "Oh!" he said suddenly, realizing he hadn't understood something the man had said. "igniting?" he asked in confusion. That was another word he didn't know. I used to think I was so good at this stupid language, he thought to himself happily. Who would have thought such a simple tongue would be s difficult to master? Walking with the man, he felt a sense of camaraderie. He always enjoyed meeting other wizards. Many of his fellow reimancers seemed to be paranoid and secretive, though. He'd had to part with quite a bit of his savings just to learn what he had, after all. Gold was the universal language, he supposed. Unlike his peers, however, Cael had never felt secretive about his knowledge of magic. He was willing to share all that he knew for nothing in exchange. Though he had his moments of paranoia, as every wizard had, he much preferred having company to spending all of his time alone. That's one of the reasons he'd traveled all the way to Zeltiva, after all.

[Marcus Dymez]

"Igniting?" Marcus nodded at the fellow's confusion, before he set to work explaining through the one medium they both understood. He propelled the ball of encased water a foot away from the duo, before dispersing the outer layer into a thin gas, allowing the water to fall harmlessly to the ground. After he did so, the remaining core shot upwards into the sky, sparking into bright flames before it got too strenuous for Marcus to control. The night was momentarily punctuated by the small ball of fire, as it slowly fizzled out high above them. Marcus turned to the mysterious Vanthan and continued his introduction, once again unknowingly using a vocabulary perhaps out of reach for the foreigner. "Fire and Water are my realms. The Harbinger of Death and the Font of Life." Marcus smiled politely with a slight chuckle as he conversed with his new mystical acquaintance, conducting small-talk in the dimly moon-lit night. It was not a common site for foreigners to come to Zeltiva seeking the knowledge of the University, and as such language was always a tricky subject. Such a melting pot often created awkward situations of miscommunication, and through them, strange transformations of the language itself. "But I'm just rambling on by this point. Tell me, how long have you been studying here at Zeltiva. I assume you're here for the University..." Truth is, that assumption, as common as the fact may be, was not necessarily correct. Zeltiva was undergoing some interesting changes as the citizens recovered from the massive Djed storms, and all manner of characters, savory and otherwise, were being drawn in through the gates. He gazed around at the piles of rubble around them and thought to himself for a moment; the half-repaired buildings and streets in plain sight from their position. What power the world has over us... He shook this sensation off relatively quickly, and turned his attention back to this curious foreign magician, who was not ashamed of his art in the least. Briliant.

[Cael]

Cael's grin widened as he watched the ball of water burst into flame. Why don't I know any tricks like that? he asked himself. Making a mental note to practice more theatrical uses of his reimancy later, he focused back on Marcus. Though he enjoyed his company, he often used words that Cael didn't quite understand. Well, maybe I can learn some Common from him. The word "realm" was not difficult to figure out based on the context, but "harbinger" and "font" eluded him. He got the gist of the sentence, however, and was pleased at the progress he was making. Though he had a firm grasp of the basics, he had few chances to learn more academic words. "I came here near the start of Spring," he told the man. "I will begin going to the University at the beginning of the next season," he continued. He wished he could start earlier, but he knew it was best to wait for the new semester. He'd only be wasting his money by enrolling in the middle of classes. Besides, the wait gave him time to get used to his job and the city. Setting alight two more piles of rubble in front of a rather large building, Cael began mentally mapping out the city. His route would take him in a spiraling pattern through the streets, beginning at the outer edges and ending at the center of town. At the moment, he was about half way finished. It shouldn't take him more than two Bells to finish. He'd probably get through it quicker if he simply set the fires and moved on, but he felt the need to watch them and make sure they were properly contained. Fire was a dangerous element, and Cael knew better than to be careless with it.

[Marcus Dymez]

Marcus nodded politely to the foreign wizard as their figures were warmed by the small mounds of flame. He was slightly content with his correct assumption, but, perhaps arrogantly, Marcus tended to make assumptions only when he was somewhat certain of their validity. Regardless, it would be nice to have a new acquaintance in the University, as one can never have enough connections; Marcus had learned that fact quite quickly. In fact, this was the first wizard Marcus had met outside the university since his studies began, and upon reflection of this subtle fact, a slight grin crept along his face. Hopefully this Vanthan was as interesting as he seemed. "I'm sure you'll fit in just fine at the University," Marcus said reassuringly, as they began to stroll towards their next point along the way. Leaving smoldering ashes behind them, Marcus extruded a minute amount of res from the faint scar in his left arm, managing it carefully as he walked. He diffused it into a light gas, hovering above the duo, and attempted to precisely ignite pockets of the gas, leaving a floating cloud of glowing cinders. It was not as bright as he had wished, perhaps due to his lack of concentration, but it served to faintly light their immediate surroundings, and it took little capacity to manage due to the gas restraining the smoldering flames. Marcus was content with his work, and set out to strike up some more idle banter between the two wizards. "So, my Vanthan friend, do you study any other arts of magic? Or is Reimancy your sole focus?" Marcus had no bearings on the man's interests other than what had been already established, and so he decided to play it safe this time. He thought to himself about how long he could drone on about magic and it's intricacies (Which he honestly knew very little of), and was curious how far this fellow took the role. Perhaps there would be time for a little magic show at the end of this interesting circumstance... Marcus grinned to himself as he began to draft up some ideas.

[Cael]

OOCSorry it's taken me so long to post. I had a minor surgery last Monday, and the pain meds made my head too fuzzy to post.

"Right now, I only know reimancy, though I have read about other kinds. World magic interests me very much," he smiled slightly as he thought about it. The idea of using magic that came from an almost unlimited source was a little exhilarating. He was only one man, after all, and his abilities would always have limits. World magic, however, was a world of whole new possibilities. Cael wasn't an expert on the subject--in fact, he knew very little about it compared to his knowledge of personal or divine magic--but it captured his interest like no other magic could. As he reached another pile of rubble, the young man noticed a flicker of movement in the distance. Looking closer, he noticed one of his coworkers. Grabbing a stick from the pile, Cael used his body to block the man's view as he lit the piece of wood as quickly as he could. The speed with which he forced the djed to leave his body was painful; he didn't have time to do it properly. As soon as the makeshift torch ignited, Cael placed it into the pile of debris and lit it the old fashioned way. Cael licked his lips nervously as he watched the man from the corner of his eye, holding his breath as he walked by. His anxiety proved to be unnecessary. His coworker didn't even notice him. "Between you and me," Cael said softly, keeping his voice low. "I'm not technically supposed to be using magic to light these fires. I'm not technically supposed to be using magic at all." He remembered his last incident, when he'd met a konti woman. That was the first (and last) time he'd been allowed to use magic, and that was just because his both thought he was an earth reimancer. Now he used strictly manual labor. That is, of course, unless he was alone. That's not entirely true, he realized with a start. I let Marcus see me. Cael worried about this only briefly before dismissing it. Oh well. It's not important right now. If there are consequences, I'll deal with them later. He didn't think about why he let the other man see him. Perhaps it was because he enjoyed showing off. Unlike most people, Cael wasn't shy about his magic use. People always seemed so afraid of it, but it wasn't that different from any other skill. Swords were dangerous too, but no one cared if you walked around with one strapped to your back. Wild animals were dangerous, but people still traveled when they had to. Cael refused to feel bad for using his abilities in public. He'd gone through a lot to learn what he had.