Closed A Meeting With The Elements!

[Rayne Deroux]

37th day of Spring, 514

Rayne found himself by the ocean once more; he was merely standing there staring out into the giant expanse of the ocean. He had pushed himself too far the previous time he was here, and was hesitating on what he originally came here to do. How could he help others out when he cannot even bring himself to use one of the arts that could help them out? Rayne sighed, and slumped a little before flinching. His body still felt a little bit sore, the cold was helping out with that, not too much with his aching ears.

Well he had one motivation at the moment, it was that he cannot lose allow the tips of his ears to simply fall off and become nothing. Maybe he could play around with the fire this time? Rayne shook his head; it was too soon for anything flashy, it still hurt a lot. He sighed and cleared his head of any hesitation, the longer he stood here; the closer he’d get to freeze his nose off. He felt within, and pulled at his djed, soon Res began to seep out from his hands; he lifted them up at chest level, and held them out.

Once he had collected a good amount, about the size of a cabbage of yellow liquid res, he transmuted the outer layers of it into flames. The sudden heat hitting his face made him flinch, and nearly caused him to lose control. But he moved the flames away in time that could have gotten a little too ugly. Rayne moved the flame around in circles, and around himself to heat him up a little. If he was going to be honest it was certainly relaxing. Although keeping control was a little hard. Every few turns he’d nearly drop the ball of flames or it’d either grow or shrink suddenly. He kept a close eye on the rather dangerous flame; once he felt warm again he decided to change it into a ball of water. He didn’t even pay any attention to his surroundings. He spun the ball of water a little; there was something he needed to work on a little.

Rayne moved the ball of water a little over the ocean, and willed the inner bit of res to attract it toward the ball of water. It was becoming really hard to control, it was almost 4 meters away, it was extremely difficult to control at this range. The water from the ocean began to spin as it met the spinning ball of water, it looked like a little water spout, just better controlled. Rayne was satisfied with his job. He dropped the ball, and relaxed. That wasn’t easy at all, but it was a job well done, maybe he could rest for a little while?

[Lorelle]

What was the young icemaiden doing out here exactly? Lorelle hasn’t the faintest idea. She doesn’t know about much she is doing these days. All she wants to do is leave. Leave Avanthal and seek out new places. It was all looking up last season, plans were made. She was suppose to be preparing to leave with Meville. But he is gone. Her blonde haired, blue eyed, not really a friend but more than acquaintance seems to have just disappeared into thin frost. It is quite annoying and Lorelle doesn’t know what to think about it. Should she prepare? Is it idiotic to prepare? Maybe she should just leave alone. She doesn’t want to do that. While Meville isn’t much and truthfully, he isn’t in her mind. He is better than nothing. Better than being alone.

Lorelle sighs, staring out at the ocean as questions buzz in her head. Where does it lead? What coasts does it touch? Warm places, cold places, places unreached, places so full of people no one gets a moments peace? The possibilities are endless and yet, the girl feels trapped. Locked in this icy prison she has called home for twenty years. Lorelle groans, kicking some of the ice under her feet. She isn’t even sure if they were going to leave by water or if land would have been their chosen path. It depended where they decided to go. Now though, it seems like they won’t be going anywhere. She has to find Meville first. Why he would be out here she has no idea, but it was somewhere to go that would give her a long walk to clear her head. Maybe decide what she is going to do should he decide to never show up again.

Staring at the ground, Lorelle walks the beach deep in thought. Waiting for some great revelation to come to her about what she should do when something catches her eye. A ball of light that is not the sun. The Vantha’s eyes snap up, watching the dancing flame. She has only seen such a presentation once before, at the smoldering embrace. A sort of magic that’s name escapes her. Magic. A practically forbidden topic of conversation among the Vantha but also something rumored to be practiced among even the Icewatch. Protectors of the city.

Lorelle crouches down for fear of being see. Thinking that if she is lower she is less likely to be seen. She watches the magic the man preforms, not paying much attention to the man himself. Just the elements he plays with. Her eyes grow wide like that of a small child witnessing something excited for the first time when he switches the ball of fire into a ball of water. How did he do that? Where does one learn such trickery?

The ball soon disappears all together and Lorelle watches as the man who was wielding it seems to relax some. This draws her attention to the male. She studies him closely with her color shifting eyes as she stands up. He is tall. Well, taller than she is. Blonde hair, bundled up in a coat. Pale skin. Lorelle’s eyes grow wide once more before growing a furious deep red color. Why would he be all the way out here? “Meville! Meville Brightshade! What do you think you are doing? Get you pale, human ...” She stops suddenly, much closer to the man now. Maybe a couple feet away, maybe closer. It is quickly obvious that this is not the man she thought it was. “Your not Meville. Who are you?!” she demands, surprised and still very angry.

[Rayne Deroux]

Rayne jumped when he heard a voice, he turned as fast as he could to hear where it was coming from. He saw a woman, a rather furious woman, was she looking at him? He was now sure she was talking to him, if the way she was walking towards him said anything. Now why was she so angry? Could she have seen his use of magic perhaps? That wasn’t good. His breathing started to quicken, he had to calm down. But she was extremely angry with him for some reason. ”Ah, urm...” He sounded like a bumbling fool, how the hell was he supposed to react to this? It was hard getting out the words, he needed to calm down. It didn’t help that the woman was good looking; he was a teenage boy after all.

A few deep breaths later and Rayne finally got himself under some semblance of control, he couldn’t calm down completely not until he was sure she didn’t see any of his magic. ”Urm, ma'am I don't speak Vani, nor do I understand it, do you happen to speak the common language? If you do, well I happen to be Rayne Deroux, and I'm rather new to this city, I don't know what I could have done to have accosted you in anyway, but whatever I might have done I do apologize for." Rayne was almost sure she had seen his display of magic, no-one could come from that close this fast. It was scary, how was he supposed to act, react to her anger. He didn't know what to do in this situation, and he was beginning to panic once more.

His breathing quickened, and his face was beginning to get a little red. He could deal with magic fine, he could deal with big scary wild animals too, but angry people terrified him in so many different ways. "Ma'am, if there's anything I can do to make up for whatever I may have done, please do make sure to tell me." He hoped she understood what he was saying, or at least that his feeling were being conveyed.

[Lorelle]

Great, another common speaking human. How many of these creatures are there in Avanthal? One was too much already, but two? Lorelle doesn’t understand how this has happened. “Little,” she says, her common rough and unpracticed. Something she is suppose to be working on but hasn’t been. “I speak little common.” Her eyes slowly turn from a vengeful red to an angry and slightly annoyed blue as she looks at the man. He reminds her so much of Meville. What he was like three years ago when Lorelle first met him anyway.

“You do not do wrong, but look it,” she says, distain lacing her words, “To pale. To blonde. Eyes to blue. Only thing right, shorter. And whatever that was you do. He does not do. But otherwise, alike. Quite unsettling.” She knows she probably isn’t making much sense to this newcomer, but she doesn’t care. Thoughts of Meville and how much this new man looks like him are all that fill her mind right now. The memories, both good and bad, all seem bad right now. And yet, Lorelle has a strange feeling that she can’t shake. She wishes this man was Meville. Then the world would be right again and their plans to leave could be set in motion for real. Well, after he felt her rage for him first of course.

“It doubtful you know him, but you look... so like,” she mutters the last part. Unable to turn her mind from it. “Nothing you can do. No making it better.” She should just turn and leave, but there is another element to this man. One that has nothing to do with his looks. The performance the Vantha has witnessed, he can do things others can’t. Things Lorelle is finding she wants to know about. “But, there something else,” she points out, grimacing internally at her common. So unlike Vani and its lyrical sound. But it instead it is like the speech of a stumbling newborn just learning to walk. Up and then back down again. Over and over, never fully standing and running.

“The thing you do,” she says as she looks towards the ocean where his ball turned to water disappeared. “I saw. No Vantha do it much. One place I know, that is it.” She turns her gaze back to the human. Her eyes softer now, mixing in colors as her emotions try to figure themselves out. “What was it? I know it magic, but not kind. Not how. Dangerous is all I have heard. Vantha don’t like much. No talk about it. So you, talk. Explain. Please.”

[Rayne Deroux]

Rayne felt small compared to this woman in the most primal sense, this woman whatever she was doing made him feel like a small trapped animal. His timid personality made the situation worse, but there was one thing he made sure to do, and that was listen to what she was telling him. He noticed her eye color change while he did find himself struggling a little to understand her, he got used to it due to speaking with other people in the city.

Rayne nodded as she spoke, ”Yeah, I really don’t know who he is, but I guess my resemblance to him is really bothering you, urm....Would it be better if I left? Because I’d hate to be bothering you ma’am.” Rayne said as he scratched his head nervously, sweat was running down the side of his face, and the cold was really beginning to bother him once more. What was it with this city and the freezing cold. Just as he was about to get ready to leave she dropped the bomb, so she did see him. Rayne froze up in an instant, his eyes opened up wide like saucers, and he almost began to shake although the odd tremor running up and down his leg could be seen.

Rayne could feel his chest almost tighten up, all thought of the cold had been forgotten, dropped off in the corner of his mind. But this new piece of information made everything worse, would she go and tell everyone? He didn’t know what to do and that scared him. Rayne felt even worse once he found out that magic was something people didn’t like over here, of course they didn’t...Where did people actually like magic? Not anywhere Rayne knew about, nor could he see it being liked in the near future.

He felt his legs become like jelly, how was he expected to explain this? Rayne’s legs nearly went out from under him, would she dislike him for not explaining, was she merely curious? What could he do to salvage this situation? His mind was running at a mile per minute, and it was worrying him even more with every second that he wasted. His breathing was starting to speed up once more, and he couldn’t keep his cool for much longer, his face had already reddened. He closed his eyes to take a few deep breaths but it wasn’t working out.

He had to calm down soon, or this wouldn’t turn out too well, Rayne thought that much, but how? He felt so pitiful at the moment, someone was asking him something and he was stuttering and stumbling over himself like a bumbling fool. He couldn’t get out any words, and it made him feel worse. A few deep breaths, that’s all it would take but they wouldn’t go down deep enough. A blast of wind blew through the area, the cold hit him hard once more, and it was the kick he needed, even if his ears turned red as hell. Rayne took a few deep breaths, and looked at the woman once more, this time he was calmer than he was before.

”Ma’am, can I please ask you not to tell anyone about this? Please...” His voice came out rather weak, and full of fear. He didn’t want to see the backlash of this one; he was born in a place that hated magic to the point that any wizard would get killed. He didn’t want to see what this would account to here. ”Yes, it was a rather dangerous magic that you saw. We call it Reimancy, it’s something that allows the user to use the elements to an extent, I’m still learning so I’m not all that good at the moment...” He trailed off a little at the end and found himself wondering what she must be thinking now. Hopefully this whole event wouldn’t end up with him paying for it.

[Lorelle]

“Reimancy,” Lorelle speaks softly, “I feel like it a name should have heard. Yet not know well.” The Vantha grimaces slightly before she shakes her head. “Wouldn’t dare tell anyone,” she promises in her rough common, “Not something want common knowledge. Though you best be careful, we known for easy spread rumors. Tight knit city, not much to do but gossip.” The Vantha looks at the man, thinking as to how she is going to use this knowledge herself. Learning to bend the elements farther than that of what her Gnosis can do could prove to be useful. Maybe, she isn’t sure. There is fear there in the magics. A deep rooted fear planted long ago. This isn’t something she is certain she wants to have much knowledge of and yet, she craves to know more. To busy her mind and keep it off the disappointment that has been planted and is currently growing because of Meville’s absence in her life.

“Also, while your appearance bother me, I see differences. Voice different, shorter, something about skin different just a bit. Enough I can see you are not him. So no, I do not believe you continue to bother me. Now I’m curious,” Lorelle admits, her eyes shifting in colors between fear and curiosity with some excitement and little caution. He is not Meville, she knows that now. Meville doesn’t practice magic. As far as Lorelle knows anyway. “So Rayne, how do you coming to know of this reimancy?” she asks, not ready to let him leave just yet, “Surely you did not learn here. Did you?” She guesses it could be possible, everyone keeps their secretes. Even here in Avanthal it is possible, just hard. “How do you not hurt yourself? Or do you? Seems not... control. Or maybe easy is the word. I know not.”

Lorelle sighs, wishing this man knew used her native language. Things would be much easier. But by telling of his skin color and how cold he seems to be, he isn’t from around here. She would have seen him before if he was. “You want to go somewhere inside?” she asks, “Warmer. A bit of a walk, but you walked out here and walking warms one up. Not a public place of course. Not with the ... magic thing. Somewhere quiet, safer. No being disturb.” Lorelle thinks, letting her eyes wander. The wind plays with her hair and blows past her ear. A place comes to mind. She looks back to Rayne, wondering he will take her up on her offer or if he just wants to get away from her. She offers a smile, hoping it isn’t the later. “I know just the place. Secluded and we won’t be bothered, no one would dare do so. What do you say? Will you come with me?”