First Day on the Job (Nira'lia)

[Cael]

"How soon will you be leaving?" he asked curiously. "You could always take a class at the university while you're here." Getting a better idea, he told her "There are a lot of mages here in the city, right? About the town healers have to deal with overgiving all the time. Have you talked to any of them?" Looking around to survey his work, Cael realized he was almost done. The work had gone a lot faster with someone to talk to. Just a few more blocks and he'd be done! "If you want, I could answer any questions about magic you have," he told her as he resumed his work. "I'm not an expert or anything, but I definitely know more about magic than I do about healing." He actually thought healing was incredibly boring, not that he'd ever tell that to Nira'lia. The thought of having to wrap bandages and splint bones all day was enough to put him to sleep. besides that fact, he didn't really like people very much. Sure, he was friendly enough, but he didn't really care about any of them.

[Nira'lia]

"I'm leaving in about two weeks," she answered. "I do think there are more mages in Zeltiva compared to other cities, but the University teaches them how to balance their magic... and I don't really have that much mage friends I can ask. The University even has an asylum to scare the students into being more careful. Though... you're right, I'm sure the city healers have had a fair deal of them. I should talk to them before I leave." Nira'lia nodded to him as she spoke. She saw that he was just about done with the pile of stones he had been working on. The Konti wondered if he'd be taking his leave right after he was done. She wiped off some sweat from her forehead. The Konti frowned and finally gave up trying to battle the heat. She took a drink from the waterskin, taking a hefty amount of gulps and feeling refreshed again. When she was done, she returned her attention to Cael once more. "Did you want another drink?" she asked with concern. "Anyway, all I really just want to know if how someone like me can help mages. I'm sorry if I'm being vague... you've already given me helpful information though, and I completely understand if you can't tell me more!"

[Cael]

Cael took the waterskin from her gratefully and took a few more drinks. I should really learn water reimancy, he thought to himself. He'd planned on doing it last, since he was so used to ice and wanted to broaden his horizons before going back to a similar element. With all this work, though, he could see why making water would be useful. Wait, can I drink water made from res? he pondered. Try as he might, Cael couldn't remember ever reading anything about that in his books. Oh well, no need to worry about that now. Listening to Nira'lia speak, he mentally went through all the safety tips he'd read about and heard from traveling reimancers who'd been willing to teach him. "I'm sorry," he told her. "I don't really know what healers can do for mages suffering from overgiving. I really only know how to prevent it from happening." The last of the boulders were easier to lift. Thinking ahead, Cael had lifted all the largest blocks first, interspersing smaller and medium ones among them so he wouldn't tire himself out too quickly. The rest of the blocks were of average size, and not too hard to lift. When he was finally finished, he lay down in the dirt on his back and groaned. It had been a hard day's work, but he'd finally finished all the lots he'd had to do. "Praise Morwen!" he cheered, laughing happily. Whenever he had no specific god to thank, he prayed to his patron goddess. He believed it was always okay to thank her, even if he didn't have a specific reason. After all, she'd given his people life. He'd even been marked by her. Turning his head to look at the woman who'd given him water, he explained his good cheer. "I'm done for the day." He couldn't stop grinning. He was rather proud of himself for working so hard. Sure, he'd done his fair share back home, but Avanthal had always been nice and cool. Most of his jobs were less difficult and didn't involve reimancy or other strenuous tasks. He was a message boy, a cook's assistant, even a baby sitter once or twice, but he'd never had to work this hard to complete a task. Go ahead, a voice seemed to whisper to him. If you work on more lots, you can practice even more. Doesn't the magic feel good? Cael smiled at the voice. Yeah, it does, he told it. Cael had never heard a sweet whisper before, and in his euphoria, he didn't recognize it now. Ironically, Cael didn't notice he was beginning to suffer from overgiving despite talking about all the symptoms.

[Nira'lia]

Cael was done with his work, and Nira'lia felt the need to commend him for it. "Good job!" said the Konti brightly as she took the waterskin from him. It was considerably lighter than it was from minutes before, and she contemplated filling it up again before heading home. Nira'lia peered at him with a puzzled expression. He seemed to be lost in his own little world, one that she was not part of. Cael was smiling, but it didn't seem like he was smiling at her. "Are you okay?" the Konti asked, staring at him. She gave a slight wave of the hand to catch his attention. She was only asking because she knew he was probably exhausted, and this couldn't be rid of with just a drink of water. "Perhaps you should take a rest?" There weren't any real hints that something was wrong, and Nira'lia couldn't read minds, and thus she had no idea what was happening. In the end, she came to the conclusion that his smile, directed at nobody, was simply him being happy for a job well done.

[Cael]

Cael waved away her concern and stood up again. "Actually, I feel pretty good," he told her. "I was a little tired before, but I feel fine now." Realizing what he just said, he winced. Hearing himself say it out loud made him reassess his limits. "Actually...maybe you're right." To test his theory, he summoned a bit of fire in his hand. He instantly felt a wave of euphoria that made him want to cast even more. The djed flowing through his body felt better than anything he'd ever felt before. Closing his eyes, he made the flame disappear. "I have good news," he told her, eyes still closed. "I think you might get to see the effects of overgiving up close." His voice was slightly strained, with a hint of dry humor. It had been years since he'd suffered these effects. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times. The color of his eyes hadn't changed, but the blue tints were swirling faster than they had been. He felt excited and antsy. This is the only way she'll ever love you, the voice whispered in the back of his mind. So far above you...how can you win a goddess's heart? Cael pushed the voice away, but couldn't deny the truth it spoke. Morwen, the goddess of ice and snow, was never far from his mind. She was the reason he'd learned reimancy to begin with, after all.

[Nira'lia]

"That isn't good news!" said Nira'lia in a worried, high-pitched voice. It came as a surprise to her, as she thought he was only acting strangely because of the exhaustion. The Konti peered at his eyes and saw the odd way the hues were spinning, as if they couldn't settle. Even if Nira'lia had met people of the Vantha race before, she still didn't know how to judge them by the colors of their eyes. However, at this particular moment, she was concerned at the instability that he was showing. Hesitating, Nira'lia put a gentle hand on his arm. Nira'lia knew what would happen if she touched him, that her Konti gift would act on its own. She braced herself mentally for the visions that were to come. Momentarily, her eyes turned into a daze – images of a younger Cael appeared before her. It was the moment he was touched by Morwen, the moment he received his gnosis mark. Nira'lia thought to herself that the goddess was clearly very important to this man. As soon as the visions resided, she shook her head and focused on the present. She gripped his arm, as if attempting to pacify him – she had a hunch that his eyes were signalling that he was somewhat in turmoil, although she didn't understand what it really meant. "Let's go get you seated, okay...?" she said softly as she gestured him towards nowhere in particular. Nira'lia remembered what he said about wanting to practice more reimancy when overgiving, and she hoped he wouldn't choose that option. She didn't know how to deal with overgiving, and would probably be stupefied if this continued.

[Cael]

Cael followed the Konti obediently, feeling a little light headed. "Don't worry," he told her positively. "It's not that bad yet." She seemed like a nice girl and he didn't want her to worry. He sat against the wall of the building and relaxed. "I'll be fine," he told her. A wave of dizziness overcame him. Looking up, he saw snow falling from the sky. But it's spring... he thought in confusion. And I'm in Zeltiva... Closing his eyes, he leaned back and enjoyed the snow. Though he couldn't feel the cold, he knew it was there. When he opened his eyes, they had settled into a pleasant blue-green color, though they still swirled madly with his heartbeat. When he turned to look at Nira'lia, he was pleasantly surprised to discover his beloved goddess Morwen instead. Her skin was white as snow, her eyes the deepest blue. Her shimmering white-blonde hair fell in cascades around her shoulders. She was dressed simply, in a white gown, but she was truly the most beautiful creature in all of creation. "My goddess," Cael whispered in awe. Leaning closer, he kissed the hallucination gently, tenderly. What am I doing? Cael asked himself faintly. This is blasphemy of the highest nature. Please forgive me. Please...

[Nira'lia]

Nira'lia kept her eyes on him. She kept calm, but inside, she was starting to panic. He didn't look good, and while he was looking right at her, it was evident that he was someplace else. When he took a seat on the ground, she kneeled down and observed him, putting the waterskin aside in order to free her hands. "Sorry?" asked Nira'lia. Did he just call her a Goddess? She remembered the vision she had seen. Nira'lia knew that Morwen was important to him, but was he actually hallucinating about the Goddess of Winter? Before she could know any better, he leaned forward and kissed her. It was a tender kiss, but Nira'lia was taken aback just as well. The Konti's eyes widened with surprise. Stunned, Nira'lia froze, and it took her a second before she could react and fully comprehend what was going on. "What are you doing!?" the Konti squeaked, pushing him away with both hands. Her cheeks flared up. In a rare moment, she felt anger, although it was overshadowed with embarrassment. Nira'lia had to remind herself that this man was currently suffering from overgiving, and was not in his right mind. Nira'lia calmed herself down. She attempted to shake off the anger and the embarrassment. The Konti was pretty good at masking negative feelings, though her cheeks remained red as she forced a smile at him. "Cael, it's Nira'lia," she said simply, seeing if words could get to him. "Remember? We just met, and you were just working... I'm not the Goddess Morwen. Okay? Please snap out of it."

[Cael]

Cael blinked several times. He looked at Nira'lia in confusion. "Nira'lia?" he said, his words slurring slightly. "Where did Morwen go?" He spoke in Vani, falling into his native tongue in his confusion. Shaking his head, he tried to clear the visions. He felt a little better, but he couldn't really remember what had happened. He felt odd, as if he wasn't all there. Breathe in, breathe out. He pushed away the dizziness, the giddiness, the urge to cast more. "Sorry," he said in Common, trying to regain his composure. "I must have blacked out for a little bit." He smiled groggily at her, his eyes slowing down and returning to their normal icy blue. Fortunately for him, he couldn't remember his hallucination in the slightest. Noticing her blush, he frowned. "What wrong?" he asked. "I'm sorry if I worried you. I feel much better now." He'd misinterpreted her expression to be one of worry or panic. After all, how could he have guessed at his behavior? "Perhaps I should have carried those last few blocks by hand, eh?" he joked.

[Nira'lia]

Nira'lia couldn't understand the first words that he uttered. They were foreign words to her, and she assumed that he was speaking in Vani. A slight frown graced her lips as she continued to stare at him cautiously, as if ready to scurry away if he did anything rash. She waited as patiently as she could as he recomposed himself. "You blacked out?" she repeated, her tone slow but meaningful. Nira'lia didn't know what to say. Her face was still crimson, and she attempted to hide her embarrassment behind a frown – she failed in the process. Nira'lia knew what it was like to be sent into a daze, to experience visions that only she could see. She was a marked seer of Avalis, and her Konti gift happened involuntarily. It was not uncommon for her to actually feel like she was in the visions she could see. Perhaps hallucinating had the same effect? The Konti felt sorry for him, and a part of her could relate with him. The Konti hesitated. Should she tell him what had happened? She was too embarrassed to do so, but he should know the repercussions of overgiving. What if he had violent hallucinations, would he act on them as well? Somebody could actually get hurt in the process. Yes, he should know what had happened. With much hesitation, she opened her mouth to explain. "Y-you kissed me, that's what's wrong," she squeaked. "You called me by your Goddess's name." The last sentence made her chuckle. Cael had indeed called her Morwen. It was starting to make sense now – the vision that she had before, and what he hallucinated about. 'He's infatuated with a Goddess!' In retrospect, she had already heard of tales of a mortal being in love with a God or Goddess. Avalis was a mortal when Laviku fell in love with her. However, that didn't mean she understood Cael's feelings – she didn't know about Morwen, she didn't know if it was a bad idea to be infatuated with her, and in the end she thought it seemed like a risky obsession. "You silly man..." she chuckled. "You're a mortal, Cael... Morwen is a Goddess. You do know that, right?"