A Lesson from a Master

Savis Maren inquires with Lucis about a conundrum she faces.

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The Diamond of Kalea is located on Kalea's extreme west coast and called as such because its completely made of a crystalline substance called Skyglass. Home of the Alvina of the Stars, cultural mecca of knowledge seekers, and rife with Ethaefal, this remote city shimmers with its own unique light.

A Lesson from a Master

Postby Savis Maren on November 29th, 2018, 9:43 am

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89th of Autumn, 518 AV

For all the things that the season brought for Savis Maren, she continued to struggle immensely with one thing in particular. The nuit committed to deepening her understanding of the arcane, for fostering knowledge of it that stretched farther than the elementary familiarity she'd arrived in Lhavit with. Years of neglect and a desire to disguise her knowledge in hostile environments rendered her a stripling of a mage at best that when the safety of city walls was hers to have, she erupted in fervor. Countless bells were spent between practical application and theoretical musings, with the use of levity meant to preserve her sanity in the midst of it all. Come the end of the season and the undead felt far more comfortable with what she'd come to Lhavit with. And beyond that, she'd gained an elementary familiarity with something new. However, all the arcane knowledge Savis Maren possessed her did nothing to solve her problems as she looked within the chest.

Savis need not open the trunk to know what lay within it. The entirety of her previous shell's skeleton lay within, gathering dust as the days went on. Of course, the nuit didn't dedicate the entirety of her time to finding a use for them, but she'd procrastinated on the matter for long enough. While I'm a more proficient mage than I arrived here as, I'm a stripling of a gadgeteer... I can't figure this out alone, she finally reasoned. Of course, this realisation came with Syna's rise, which brought with it a flurry of light that threw colors and shadow into the world The Nuit spent bells looking over an empty page of her notebook, with the pages of her previous musings on the principles of Gadgeteering marked by her fingertips. Lucis should be opening his shop soon. Assuming the old man isn't in the underground with the golems he's probably in his workshop tinkering on a commission. Certainly, if I came to him now, he'd offer his insights into what I'm trying to do, she mused. Savis Maren knew what she wanted, but the means of making that a reality were far beyond her understanding.

But not his. He's a nice man. I'm sure he'll help if I promise to buy the parts needed there, she thought to herself. Savis Maren rose from her desk chair, brushing her platinum locks to the side before preparing herself for the journey outward. Also, she made sure to awaken 'Wheels', for it'd be her first visit to Lucis and Lucis since she'd created it and surely showing the Gadgeteer more and more of her work might endear her capabilities to him. I know that Elena Lariat creates golems for Lucis' use. But, perhaps, if I prove her better, he'd give me the projects instead. A lofty dream, but certainly not one entirely out of her reach. Savis Maren packed her satchel and notebooks into 'Wheels'' compartment locker, pinning it closed once again before allowing herself to descend the staircase of Infinity Manor.

The nuit made her exit, propelling herself forth as quickly as her legs took her. Her fingers snapped closed the buttons of her coat, and she supported Wheels with both of her hands as she guided it down the staircase. The both of them made it out the front door, and the Manor closed those heavy doors behind her. Wind licked at the nuit's features, the first signs of Autumn chill surrendering to the frigid cold of Winter, but her dead flesh didn't shiver or recoil. She appreciated the sensation of it, feeling the cleanse of the imminent season as she tread the path from Zintia's haunted manor.


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Savis Maren
Only a little bit dead
 
Posts: 295
Words: 399286
Joined roleplay: July 8th, 2018, 11:49 am
Race: Nuit
Character sheet
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Medals: 2
Overlored (1) 2018 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

A Lesson from a Master

Postby Savis Maren on January 9th, 2019, 3:50 am

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Fortunately for Savis Maren, the peak of Tenten wasn't so far away from Zintia that she strained her frail body with the passage. The nuit was dressed plainly, with her coat worn over her brittle bones in an effort to maintain normalcy. Most within Lhavit's walls took to wrapping themselves up, hiding themselves from the world as the chill of the mountains pierced through conventional attire. Savis Maren felt the chill, of course, but she was apart from it. She swept through the city of Lhavit, her shell's long legs carrying her with haste towards the towering triad of buildings that encompassed Lucis and Lucis. The nuit visited the master gadgeteer often, and she quite looked forward to the exchange. Silver eyes combed over the familiar halls of the central building, but the nuit didn't hear the approach of a teller or the quick step of Lucis and his loafers which clicked through the halls of his building with ease.

Savis Maren didn't shout out, for she hardly needed foreign assistance. Instead, she breached into her djed, pulling at the strength of the soul and winding that power along her eardrums and the retinas of her eyes. Savis Maren felt the proxy of the senses and broadened her reach, utilizing aura as she searched out the familiar visage of a man she knew far better than most. Her awareness took her into the adjacent room, down the stairs and to where several advanced, powerfully built automata were trudging along in their warpath. Their step was loud and in number they were led by the careful examining eye of Edward Lucis himself. Of course, the automata were programmed for labour, doing a strong man's work across the lay of time. Where a mortal would need rest and pay for their work rendered, an automata asked for nothing aside from a steep cost for creation. The nuit moved down the stairs, following the direction of her Auristic sight.

Allowing the sight to fade from her gaze and ears, she noticed that the door to that lower floor was unlocked, and Savis allowed herself entry, closing it behind her. The tumblers clicked closed, and Savis Maren imagined that the elderly Lucis simply neglected to shut it fully behind him as she made her descent. She was impressed by the construction of the automata, the formation of impeccable forms led forth. They carried piping and other tools in teams, a fact that seemed to draw surprise from Savis.

Can they not carry these themselves? Surely someone as talented as the great Elena Lariat has the capacity to make powerful automata? she mused. Rather than dwell too long on the automata themselves, she approached Lucis, brushing her fingertips along the elderly man's shoulder. He turned with a start, his eyes wide with the surprise of seeing anyone, let alone a Nuit in his basement. Savis Maren took a step back, her gaze shifting towards the trio of automata who stopped in their path, noticing that their master had ceased giving them orders.

"Uh... carry on, carry on," he said to those stalled automata, his brow furrowed as he looked to the nuit with no short measure of surprise. "How'd you get in here, Savis?" he asked, his arms crossed over his chest as the friendly countenance of the master gadgeteer turned to a frown.

"You left the door unlocked. Are you... busy?" she asked, quite awkward in her tone. She hadn't expected Lucis to be doing this, and was caught in a dilemma of purpose and losing her nerve. Purpose won out, as it always did, but she felt quite the pest for pulling Lucis away from his work.


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Savis Maren
Only a little bit dead
 
Posts: 295
Words: 399286
Joined roleplay: July 8th, 2018, 11:49 am
Race: Nuit
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes
Medals: 2
Overlored (1) 2018 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

A Lesson from a Master

Postby Savis Maren on January 9th, 2019, 4:09 am

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Edward Lucis looked over the blonde-haired undead with no shortage of exasperation. Since their last encounter, Savis Maren had changed in form yet again. The Gadgeteer pursed his lips, studying her countenance with a measure of curiosity interlaced with grief. Savis watched the shift of expression, from discontent at the interruption to a flicker of sadness that seemed to wilt the entire construction of Lucis' expression. Savis Maren hummed in thought, watching as he studied face, then looked directly in the Nuit's eyes.

"Is... everything okay, sir?" she asked, having never seen the Gadgeteer so... down.

"Ah, yes. A familiar face," he mused, narrowing his eyes before he looked away from the undead altogether. Savis Maren felt a rare insurgence of sympathy, looking between Edward Lucis and the piping of Lhavit's irrigation systems as the awkward situation she didn't quite dread arose. He knows this shell's former inhabitant. I know nothing of this old woman, but it seems that Lucis might.

"My condolences, sir... Shall I leave? I can bother you some other time," she added, an attempt to show that she truly did care about the gadgeteer's discomfort. Edward Lucis was a rare breed in Mizahar, one of the four souls in the entirety of the world that had caught Savis' attention and her respect. Seeing him so flustered was rather... awkward.

"No need, Savis," he said, offering the nuit the briefest glimpse of a smile as he led her back up the stairs. He offered a sort of explanation as they traveled,

"Your current form is the body of a woman I dated several seasons ago," he said, keeping quiet as if the whole of the facility was an enemy to his words. Didn't Lucis have sons? This wasn't his wife, by his wordings. Savis Maren felt a childish naivete overcome her, quite surprised to hear of the gadgeteer's infidelities but not quite willing to care about it enough to chide him. After all, he seemed to be suffering enough, and Savis Maren didn't care to tell the gadgeteer that this woman had died of some vicious disease that spread tumors in her neck and inside of her entrails.

"I'm sorry to hear that, sir," she said, before being waved off by the gadgeteer, shaking his head.

"It's quite alright. In any case, you're here for a reason, aren't you? What do you need, Savis?" he asked, offering the nuit a bare, ghastly visage of a smile that very clearly expressed his lacking ability to rein in his grief. Savis allowed him a moment, raising a hand to pinch the bridge of her nostrils, an action that these mortals seemed to use to convey thought. Of course, Savis knew exactly what she needed and how to express it, but she provided Lucis with a moment to conceal his grief and get himself together. Once he did so, his features straightening with his gaze decidedly cast down, Savis Maren raised her hood and shifted until she was facing his worktable, looking over a design that lingered there.

"I've encountered a bit of an issue, sir. You see, I've reasoned out how to create joints to some extent. I'm no great Gadgeteer, but I've starting delving in the basics and I've encountered a hiccup. I'm trying to figure out how to," she began, shifting towards Wheels, who'd stayed behind when she descended into the basement. She opened the golem, retrieving her notebook and a set of charcoal pencils. Lucis, following her movements and seemingly far more chipper now that she concealed her face, called out in surprise.

"Is this the result of your previous visit? You came to me with such a design. It's excellent to see it in practice," he interrupted, his tone clearly quite pleased. Savis might've felt pride if she wasn't so disappointed in seeing Lucis' earlier reactions and being interrupted. Sympathy only lasted for so long before the failings of mortals took a darker turn in her thoughts.

"Indeed. This is Wheels, and he's not quite my most recent creation, but he's the most useful one," she answered.


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Savis Maren
Only a little bit dead
 
Posts: 295
Words: 399286
Joined roleplay: July 8th, 2018, 11:49 am
Race: Nuit
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes
Medals: 2
Overlored (1) 2018 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

A Lesson from a Master

Postby Savis Maren on January 28th, 2019, 2:25 am

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"And he just follows your around unprompted?" Lucis asked, leaning forward to allow his gaze to traverse the mechanical body. Wheels was a stoic golem by nature, but at the proximity, it grew restless. Its strings vibrated, forming a melodic hiss as it propelled itself sideways and off to the other side of the Nuit. Amusement set squarely upon the undead's features, but with her hood raised and covering her face, the gadgeteer wouldn't see the smirk that carved onto her expression. Grayish fingers traveled along the golem's metal base, a tender caress clearly laden with affectionate intonations. The gadgeteer seemed to notice, looking between the golem and its mistress before he noted,

"You seem to have loosened up a bit, Savis. Is Lhavit treating you well?" he asked. The undead was caught off guard by the questioning, and shrugged her shoulders noncomittally. A reflex, and one that she rebuked verbally when she answered his inquiry,

"It's simple to love a golem, Mr. Lucis. Animation allows you to create perfect harmony. Subservience without resentment. Loyalty is born and allowed to thrive without fear or coercion. Without argument, without struggle," she answered. Savis Maren did not address his question directly, but instead attacked the source of it. The Nuit did not care for trivial small talk, and moving past the 'treatment of Lhavit' and loosening up, it was apparent to the nuit that Lucis had never seen her treat anything with much of any emotion at all.

"The city itself treats me the same. There are few who can claim otherwise, including yourself, sir. But in the end, what you see is my design and not the workings of environment."

Lucis straightened up at that, his gaze narrowed for a moment before a jovial chuckle escaped his lips. The Nuit had grown in his time apart from Lucis and Lucis and surely, the gadgeteer had never heard her express herself with any sort of conviction. Liberated from the shackles of silence and the plague that was yesterday, Savis Maren was learning to probe deeper, past the superficial and into the heart of a topic. Perhaps she did so too quickly, but she did so nonetheless. Whoever finds that disagreeable is not worth conversing with, she reasoned, finding these shifts in her nerve and her habits deserving of what she wished for herself.

"I see. Is this what brought you here, then? Checking in with an old man? Or is there something on your mind?"

At the gadgeteer's question, the Nuit pursed her lips in thought. The truth was such a subjective thing. If there was one thing that Savis Maren learned from Madeira Craven in their short time together... it was that. Lies were a visor with which to rationalize one's position with grace and compassion. It was truly the cruel thing to express an unlikeable truth to those who needed not know it. So, when Lucis posed his question, the Nuit nodded,

"Checking in, but certainly, there's always a purpose to my visits, sir. You see, I've run into a bit of a problem," she began, measuring her words as she breached into the reserve of djed. It poured through her soul and manifested within her gaze. She trained her unblinking silver eyes on the gadgeteer.

She felt the wax and wane of an aura past the limelight of life. Compared to much younger souls, this aura was in wisps, thin near the core of the man's being, but so lush in that central part of him. This was a man with experience, time both thinning his presence and filling him. He was a ewer much wider at the base than at the mouth, and surely he held so many secrets within him that it'd take ages of studying his aura before she was done learning.

"I'm trying to create a form comprised mainly of wood, and figuring out how to install a joint to form a proper arm has been a major dilemma."

The Nuit reasoned that her problem with bone would lie in the thickness of it, not wanting to compromise integrity for the sake of function. Wood served as a similar platform as wood. Stronger, but equally prone to ruination if handled improperly.

"Have you tried a hand drill?" he suggested, a hum escaping his lips before he moved to the drawing table and motioned for Savis to follow him.

The gadgeteer drew a rectangle, then drew two discs, each with a hole in the middle and a screw to go along with it, bisecting both to form something the Nuit could consider to be a joint. But certainly not one she'd ever consider making.

"You drill through the piece of wood where you want the joint to be. Then, using the screw and two 'washers' as we call them, you can hinge two pieces and create a bend that's similar to an elbow or a knee."

Savis Maren arched her eyebrows. The solution was elegant, but so simple. The nuit understood exactly what he was describing, and the drawing served to visualize exactly what he was talking about. Elated by the answer the Gadgeteer gave, but also resentful of his demeanor and the revelations at hand, the Nuit offered Lucis a bow of respect before she said,

"You dinner's on me tonight, Mr. Lucis. Maybe take a date, too," she added, a false chuckle emerging high and proud from her lips as she placed five kina on the drawing table for him. She quickly excused herself, musing on his suggestion while trying to ignore the fuse that threatened to set off within her.


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Savis Maren
Only a little bit dead
 
Posts: 295
Words: 399286
Joined roleplay: July 8th, 2018, 11:49 am
Race: Nuit
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes
Medals: 2
Overlored (1) 2018 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)


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