Giant Steps [Iliana's Interview]

[Kuvarakh]

30th day of Summer, 512

So many things to consider...Are deliveries arriving?...on time?...collating the orders with the arrivals...Everything accounted for?...How is the permanent facility coming?...Will it be finished on time?...This facility is going to vanish at the end of the season...Have the new recruits obtained accommodations?...The rumors of a whole new building appearing in Alvadas, not just a new location for a preexisting one, but a new, never-before-seen building, with hints of connection to Andres Towers, yet! Well, all but the last could be sorted out with a few posts in the mail. Not only lonely, as the saying goes...it's BUSY at the top.

He stepped outside, making sure the mailbox was where it should be, and had not been replaced by a kiln or something. It appeared Lord Ionu was enjoying a penchant for dance this morning. A lovely young woman was indulging the art quite capably, 'and right in front of our facility!'

It may not necessarily advertise the wonder of Magic, but it couldn't hurt. She was really quite good. 'An illusion, no doubt' he thought as he watched the snow itself join in with a swirling trail of sparkling dust leaving shimmering images of her spinning arms, hair and hems. Her high kicks lifting feathery geysers of spray that caught prisms of color in the wintry sun.

She stopped then and Kuvarakh clapped his hands in appreciation for what he thought was Ionu's inspiration. He walked down to the mailbox and inserted the letter. A voice caught his attention. Had the dancer spoken? Part of her routine?

He turned and found her looking at him, an uncertain smile on her face...her face?...'Haven't I seen that face?' Yes...he remembered now! 'This is no illusion.' He had seen her before, dancing outside the temple! He had been passing by and had watched just a small portion, the end of her show, as he now recalled.

it suddenly dawned on him that he had assumed the choreographed water works had been pumps, but he realized now with wonder and appreciation that she was using reimancy in time with her dance moves. 'This girl has talent! And clearly she is not hindered by some preconceived notion of what reimancers are supposed to do with their skills.'

"Yes, hello. I'm terribly sorry. In all honesty, your dancing was so inspiring I had assumed it to be one of our Patron Lord's illusions. How long have you been enhancing your dance with your...special skills? Are you possibly interested in learning additional applications? We of the order..." he swung his arm back to indicate the sign announcing the guild, "are always on the lookout for people displaying such control and creativity, and I am quite impressed by the degree of both present in your performance."

He laughed and shook his head, "Forgive me. I bombard you with questions and don't give you time to answer. My name is Kuvarakh, and you are...?"

[Iliana]

Iliana giggled as she spun before the crowd, ducking her head and flipping her water soaked hair so that the light caught on the droplets with each turn. Her hands moved outwards, summoning forth the rise and fall of water droplets from the surrounding puddles laden with her res, attracted to the magical substance by her very will. A cheer rose and Illiana felt her heart soar, filling her limbs with renewed vigor as she sidestepped and turned, throwing out her hands and leaning close to a puddle to collect a stream of water which moved with her. Laughing with the pure joy of her craft the girl called out with her mind to the heavens above, Makutsi... do you see me? The water flowed, following the tips of the girls fingers and she leaned back, stretching her hands over her head and smiling brightly at the crowd. Twisting her body so that she now bent forward at the wast, Illy clapped her hands together and spread them wide once more, scattering thousands of tiny drops. Her breaths came in great gulps, her limbs shook from the exertion of dancing and from the res control. Her limits were nearing, and yet... Iliana smiled. The droplets hung in the air for a moment longer, shimmering in the light around the girl who stood at their center. Spinning with her arms out each tiny point of liquid flew in a circle, focusing at a point just over her blue hair. Illy's mind swirled to focus on what was to be done now, and she felt the strain of res control beginning to cloud the edges of her vision. Still spinning, Iliana pulled her arms in, turning on one toe as she focused on the res above her. Then in a sudden burst, Iliana stopped, throwing back her head and clapping her hands above her. The water within her control responded, shimmering as water and air reimancy fused to form her final act. Each droplet froze, falling around the girl in a shimmering snowfall that coated the ground around her white. A round of applause followed, and Iliana opened her eyes, not having realized she had closed them, to see several nodding heads and smiles of approval. Giggling happily the girl bowed, waving a hand and hopping on her toes in excitement. As the crowd dispersed Iliana moved to collect her cup, a replacement for the old beaten up hat she had used before. The jingle of coins within it made that bright smile grow ever the more. Iliana looked up at the sky, searching for some sign that her performance had been seen. Sighing softly she shook her head, giggling softly to herself, "Maybe she will see me another time..." Absently Iliana noticed someone close by, beside a mail box with letter in hand. Tugging a strand of blue hair the girl could not help but look over him, curious as to what he was doing at such a time, but she stared a moment too long and she was noticed. A slight blush rose to her cheeks and she gave him a small smile as an apology. Turning she made to leave, looking into the small cup and wondering if she had enough for dinner that evening, when suddenly she was stopped. Blinking in surprise she found the man from before closer now, speaking quickly and in such a rush that she almost could not understand what he was saying. With a smile she laughed, touching a finger to her lips and looking at Kuvarakh with her sapphire eyes, "I-I am glad that you enjoyed the show. I am really not the best, but I do all that I can for my Goddess." When he spoke of her reimancy her eyes visibly sparkled, and the surprise that coated her tongue could not be ignored, "Y-you noticed that? Um... I, that is..." She tugged harder on a lock of hair, the red in her cheeks darkening further as she fought the rising embarrassment, "That is... I-I have been dancing for only 8 seasons, so my abilities are still very small... I only recently began adding the water to my dance, just when I came to Alvadas last fall." The girl smiled softly at Kuvarakh, "I am called Iliana. It is a pleasure to meet you."

[Kuvarakh]

Kuvarakh smiled broadly, "Control, creativity AND courtesy. I, too, do what I can to make my presence pleasant, but standing like a stork, gaping at your performance hardly compares to that graceful display...Iliana? you say?"

He invited her to sit on a nearby bench as he went on. "You do this for the glory of your Goddess." it was much a statement as a question. "That, too is a refreshing motivation for a practitioner of your art. I imagine...she?...isn't it...Ma-kussi...Makushi? I'm terribly sorry, I am less familiar with deities other than Ionu and Akajia, and, by extension, Wysar. Anyway, I imagine she would not object to you developing your skills further."

He looked down, "I suppose I come off as a sort of salesman, and I can not honestly deny that aspect, for though I am probably less devoted to gods than you, I am utterly devoted to this order. I can tell you this though, I will give your devotion to your goddess the respect it deserves, for it is through similar reverence that I do find myself here.

"I was possessed of an obsession of Akajia. An obsession which drove me all across the land. And when It was suddenly lifted from me, I found myself here, given a new drive, a new token of patronage from Lord Ionu and a new group of like-minded individuals, with whom this order was founded. I feel that I have been directed by these deities to be here now, and I embrace their guidance.

"We seek to regain lost expanses of understanding where magic is concerned, with our focus on benevolence and bringing clarity to the prejudices that make people distrust djed-wielders in general. Tell me, I could not help but notice your hesitancy to acknowledge your...use of your skill. Have you ever had people display hostility to you once they perceived this use? I know I have. This is a a large part of our mission, to reverse this trend."

His eyes suddenly widened and he leaned back, laughing. "Look at me, accounting for myself to you, instead of asking you questions! Then again, that is as it should be. If I would ask if you would like to join our order, then there's no reason you should not be given all the answers you would seek regarding us, as I would ask of you."

"I guess it is the lack of an application that makes this different. My previous interviews were with people who had sought us out. So it was assumed they wanted membership. With you, I find myself hoping to persuade you to join, so in fact, it is more your interview of me! He grinned, "Well, did you have any questions?"

[Fallacy]

XP Award! Name:Kuvarakh XP Award: Leadership- 1 Interrogation- 1 Lore: Introducing the Order Notes: Short. Too bad Illiana retired. Any questions or concerns about the rewards gained please send a PM