Close Calls (Ignotus)

[Samantha Slate]

6th of Fall, 512 A.V. Samantha strolled along the docks at a leisurely pace, enjoying the brisk Fall air. It was late, nearly midnight, and the normally bustling port was empty of all but the occasional passerby. The mage had been overcome with a feeling of nostalgia for her old home town and decided--against her better judgement--to come to one of the places she had always been fond of. She had always loved the sea; loved it more than she should have. She found it comforting to walk along the docks, the rough wood making soft, hollow sounds beneath her feet as she relived some of her fonder memories of her life in the city. The woman stopped by one of the longer docks, hesitating a moment before walking down it to the end. She was a good twenty yards from the main port now, and completely alone aside from a single, small ship that sat tied to its moorings beside her. Samantha stood at the end of the dock with her hand on one of the long, thick supports that kept the dock solidly anchored to the sea floor; it was peaceful listening to the waves lapping quietly against the ship and the dock, and it sounded to Samantha's ears like the sea was whispering to her, telling her to be at ease. Her eyes had coalesced into a dark, deep blue color that mirrored the complete and perfect peace she felt. This was one of the few things the mage had looked forward to about Zeltiva. She never truly felt at ease, not even when meditating or practicing focusing exercises. There was just something about a port that put her heart at ease. The cool darkness, the soft sounds, even the faintly pungent scent of the place calmed her. Samantha closed her eyes and leaned more heavily against the support, resting some of her weight on it as she let her mind wander. There had been so little to be happy about, yet it seemed like none of her thoughts weighed as heavily on her here as they did elsewhere. The woman would give anything to be able to experience a peace like all the time; the darkness made her feel alone, more alone than any human could possibly while still alive. It felt wonderful, like a soothing, silken blanket draped over her in bed. Nothing could compare to this. Some time later, she did not know how long it had been, Samantha opened her eyes with a sigh. She could not stay here all night. If she did, she was sure to regret it in the morning; she had many things to do tomorrow. The mage noted with regret that she was back to her normal, discontented self. The peace she had felt so strongly for what seemed like mere moments was swept away entirely by the impending tasks of the following day. She turned around and, to her alarm, was faced by a hulking silhouette. It made a raspy chuckling sound and reached for her, causing her to take a step back towards the edge of the dock(which was now a mere foot away). "C'mere, kitten..." The slurred, drunken voice came to her through the cold night air. The shadowy figure staggered forward and Samantha hastily took one last step backwards. She could smell the alchohol on the man's breath and did not need to be an aurist to guess what he wanted from her. "Stay back!" She warned in a voice that was shakier than she would have liked. Her eyes had lost all color as they faded into a dull black that was very uncharacteristic. Samantha felt all kinds of emotions, most of them negative, but pure, abject terror was rarely one of them. She had been a fool to come out this late at night to the docks. Everyone knew what kind of rabble-rousers sailors were! The mage looked hastily left and right for something to support a shield, but was met with disappointment as she realized that nothing nearby could allow her to form a proper shield even if she could muster the focus and concentration under the circumstances. This was another reason why Samantha regretted not ever learning Reimancy. If she had focused on that, she would not be backed up against the ocean with a primitive brute advancing on her, "If...If you take another step, I'll scream." She informed him in a breathless voice. "Ain't gunna stop nothin', Sweet'eart." The man replied after a moment's thought as he took another step, this time coming within inches of the woman. Samantha immediately began praying to any gods she thought might actually care about mortals for a way out of this situation. The mage squeezed her eyes shut as she awaited his grasp.

[Ignotus Everto]

Today had been an odd day. Visiting a fortune teller, trying to figure out what to do about a few very special people. As the date of his departure drew closer, it seemed that more and more things piled up to make an argument for staying. It wasn't very often that he completely and utterly at a loss for what to do, but... Well, here he was.

He needed to relax. That need was what brought him to the docks. There was always a drunk or three to amuse himself with. In what was becoming increasingly an increasingly common occurrence, he was going "fishing." The wizard was ambling along with his hands behind his back, whistling a well worn nursery rhyme. A light touch of Djed behind the tune pulled people and animals alike towards the source with a faint sense of curiosity. It would be beyond easy to ignore or outright crush the feeling, but most didn't. There were no seagulls awake to draw towards the sound, but there were other noises that caught the Nuit's attention.

"Ain't gunna stop nothin', Sweet'eart."
Rapacious drunks this time? His fortunes really were turning up. Casting his eyes over the water's edge, he located the sailor and his unwilling paramour after a half chime's searching. It was on days like these that Ignotus thanked himself for learning Reimancy. In another half chime, the glowing green substance was leaking out of the pores in the palm of his hand and pulling itself into a gelatinous ball, his footsteps echoing loudly off the wet wood. With a lazy bend of the elbow, turn of the wrist, and splaying of the fingers, he brought the ball a foot in front of and four inches to the side of his face.

It hovered there without support, and a tick after the wizard had gotten within a yard of the sailor, flared alight with an audible roar. "Now do we really want to do that, my friend?" the undead said silkily. One would think when getting involved in a situation that could turn violent, one would want to diffuse anger. Ignotus, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than for the fool to take a swing at him. The gentle influence behind his words belied that. It was too simple to imply that his tone was insulting, to stir the considerable aggression that already roiled inside the man. Ignotus smirked. He was going to enjoy this night.

[Samantha Slate]

As the sailor reached once more for her, Samantha had little choice but to allow him to grasp her arm. It was either that or take a leap off into the harbor, and she could not swim. Now that she thought about it, there were a great many things that she should have taken the time to learn. Unfortunately, this resolution came far too late to be of any help to her now. Just as the man was pulling her closer to him, a Whoosh! sound startled them both as the sailor relinquished his hold on her arm and whirled around to face the sound. "Now do we really want to do that, my friend?" Though Samantha could not see around the large sailor's bulk, she was aware that there was now a light not unlike torchlight casting an aura of light around them and projecting the sailor's shadow over Samantha. Still shaking from the fright, the mage forced herself to gather what little focus she could so that she could see into the newcomer's aura to get some inkling of what was going on. The drunken sailor froze for a few long seconds as he took in the improbable. A much smaller man stood in front of him with a calm arrogance about him. This alone would not have bothered the salior, but for the orb of fire that was floating directly beside the man's head. That took a moment to sink in; how was it possible? In his drunken stupor, he was unable to even consider something like magic. He assumed it was just a torch or something just so it would make more sense to him. Normally, he would have shooed the man off with a brusque warning so he could get back to his fun. In this case however, he found himself infuriated by the man's words. That uppity little vagik would get what was coming to him! He immediately launched himself into a tackling move at the intruder without a word of warning, eagerly anticipating smashing the arrogant man's face in for insulting him. While all this was happening, Samantha was staring slack-jawed at her rescuer. The man was an enigma to her. First was his own aura, which felt out of place somehow; as if it did not belong there. It had a foreboding sense of cold about it, sending chills down her spine. She had been about to investigate further when she noticed something even more unusual. To the man's side was a smaller aura floating in midair. She switched her focus to the anomaly and found it to be surprising. It was a ball of fire! Not only that, but the core was some strange substance that she did not quite recognize. It looked familiar to her in some ways, yet so different in others. She assumed it had to be whatever gave a Reimancer his power, as that as surely what this man was. She knew it was similar to the source of power she drew upon for her own practices, at least. Before she could investigate further, the sailor dove towards the man who was apparently trying to save her life. This move stunned her out of her inspection and allowed her to see with her own eyes the ball of fire that her mind had vaguely felt. She stared between the ball and the man, uncertain which was more unusual. Even the sailor's violent actions could not distract her from it.

[Ignotus Everto]

Ignotus stepped lazily to the side, snorting a little as the drunk sailor barreled past him. Drunks weren't known for their great coordination and ability to react to things on the fly. With a gesture not unlike a slap, Ignotus sent the fireball whipping towards the man's back. The flames flared slightly the instant before the bolt struck, as the Res that made up its core was transmuted.

Most of it. An egg yolk's worth remained, oozing down his shirt with the consistency of honey. The cherry red flames followed the gel, quickly spreading across his back. Once Ignotus was sure the man would be very busy trying to stop himself from burning to death, he turned to Samantha, making a glib "Tsk tsk" sound and wagging his finger at her. "Don't you know better than to wander the docks at night?" he said in an amused deadpan tone. A more virtuous man might have tried a bit harder to calm Samantha's nerves, but Ignotus was having too much fun watching her shake. After a few ticks, however, he knew well enough to work towards the future.

"You're lucky I stumbled across you." he said lazily, a small pulse of calm emanating from him. "That could have gone a lot worse than it did."
A simple subliminal thread connected the sense of relaxation to him. First impressions were always important, after all. He was just fortunate enough to have a way to control them. The Nuit raised an eyebrow at Samantha, "Are you hurt?"

[Samantha Slate]

Samantha shook herself out of her stupor just in time to see her would-be companion for the night burst into flames. The mage suppressed a startled gasp as the man screamed and threw himself into the cold waters of the harbor for relief from the horrible pain. She had no desire to look even more like a maiden in distress than she already did. A shiver coursed down her spine as she turned her eyes back to her savior. Samantha noted with distaste that she was still frightened, but now moreso of the new man. He had thrown a ball of fire at him! She nearly took a step backward before realizing that to do so would be to plunge herself into the harbor. Thankfully, she had the presence of mind to hold her ground while she new man spoke to her. He made a 'tsk tsk' noise at her while wagging his finger in her face as if she were a child, "You're lucky I stumbled across you," He admonished in a lazy tone, "That could have gone a lot worse than it did." For a moment, Samantha had to struggle not to snap back at him. She wasn't a mere child, to be reprimanded like that! Oddly however, she managed to regain control of herself with less effort than usual. This man did not deserve her ire; he had saved her, after all. "I..yes, you're right." She admitted in a much more controlled voice as she calmed down. Her eyes, which had been swirling with colors of fear and anger, were now a solid blue of peace. The mage felt almost as calm as she had when she was alone on the docks. It was a nice change from her usual mood around people. "Are you hurt?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Knowing that nothing bad was likely to happen to her, she took a few steps closer to the man and nodded, "I am fine," She affirmed, "Thank you for your help... I don't know what would have happened had you not come along." The woman smiled at him and extended her hand for him to shake, "I am Samantha, and you are?" She felt oddly at peace, and the man's strange aura was, for the moment, forgotten.

[Ignotus Everto]

Ignotus waved his hand dismissively at Sam's thanks, insisting "It was nothing, really."

When the woman extended her hand, his brow furrowed slightly. Not to shake it was to seem rude. Shaking him would bring a lot of awkward questions. Of course, it was possible that the fire had warmed his hand up enough to pass off as a living one. And maybe scallops would fly out of his pants.

Slapping a smile on his face, Ignotus shook the girl's hand, trying his best not to think about what the iciness of his grip might cause. "Ignotus." he said, letting go of her hand as soon as he could without looking rude. Gloves were most certainly in order. A shame he couldn't use them now.

"Do you have somewhere to stay, Samantha?" he asked. It would probably be helpful to draw her focus somewhere else. It would mean less time to think about what cold hands meant. That, and a chance to get out of the salt air. It couldn't be good for his skin.

[Samantha Slate]

"Ignotus," The man said with a friendly smile as their hands met. Samantha sucked in a quiet breath as the man's icy hand wrapped around her own. After an agonizingly long moment he pulled his hand away and asked, "Do you have somewhere to stay, Samantha?" Before she replied, Samantha shook her hand a little to chase the chilly sensation his grip had left away. It felt almost like she were shaking hands with a corpse. "Yes," She answered with a friendly smile, though she was paying more attention to Ignotus' aura than to him, "I'm staying at the University." It never occurred to her that she was telling him more than she ought. He had saved her life, so he couldn't mean her much harm. For some reason she could not quite put her finger on, his aura seemed...wrong. Like it wasn't supposed to be there. It was almost as if it had been tacked onto the body and left to flutter about with nary a thought. In confusion, the mage delved deeper into the man's physical body and was stunned by what she found. Ignotus was dead! Or...he should have been. His heart did not beat and the blood in his veins was something entirely unlike anything she had seen in a human body. She was tempted to search the man deeper to understand what exactly was wrong with him, but knew that it would look strange for her to continue to stare at him; it had been too long already. She brought her attention away from his aura and shivered as a particularly cold gust of wind whipped her hair into her face. The mage tucked the wayward locks back behind her shoulder to get them out of her way as she considered the new information. Samantha had no idea how the man was dead, but a corpse he was. Though slightly wary, she did not worry nearly as much as she probably should have. Her reasoning was that the man would not have saved her only to set her on fire with one of those fireballs of his. The woman forced her smile to remain in place as she asked, "Why do you ask?" Her expression was friendly for the most part, but her eyes were a swirling mass of color that indicated her confusion.

[Ignotus Everto]

"The University?" Ignotus said, blinking once, "I happen to live there myself!" A strange sensation soon took him after Samantha's answer. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something felt... Off. As if there was a disturbance in the air.

The girl's eyes were going haywire, and after a tick to make sure he was certain that her eyes were changing color, Ignotus avoided them at all costs. He couldn't be certain, but he suspected what was happening; she was casting some sort of magic. Not being an Aurist, the most Ignotus could do was notice Djed being altered, and that left quite a bit of room for interpretation. Naturally, his first thought was that he'd encountered another Hypnotist due to the odd eyes and staring. Fortunately, this one didn't seem to be able to crush him like a grape.

Examining himself a little more, he didn't feel any different, nor was he persuaded to take any other sort of action. She wasn't trying to re-establish eye contact or touch him, so... What was it? Ignotus was growing increasingly uncomfortable under her scrutiny, and he almost welcomed the distraction, "Why do you ask?"

Ignotus chuckled, still keeping his gaze on her forehead and not her eyes, "Well, it would be irresponsible of me not to see you back to your house, now wouldn't it? Can't have another sailor snatching you on my watch." he said with a wink. With a light tilt of his head, he motioned for her to start walking.

[Samantha Slate]

"The University?" Ignotus said, blinking once, "I happen to live there myself!" He seemed friendly enough, but for some reason he avoided her eyes. After a moment of confusion Samantha understood why he was avoiding them. Many people found her eyes unsettling and though they were one of the only features she inherited from her mother, the woman still despised them. They revealed her innermost thoughts and feelings to the whole world, and it made her feel vulnerable. She hated that feeling with a passion. She was on some level thankful that Ignotus refused eye contact with her; it kept him from noticing the obvious hurt that they reflected. She really did like him, and it stung that he was uncomfortable with something that she had absolutely no control over. "Well, it would be irresponsible of me not to see you back to your house, now wouldn't it? Can't have another sailor snatching you on my watch." The man told her with a wink. Still not meeting her eyes, he nodded in the direction the main body of the docks stood. Samantha thought that this might have meant that he did not think less of her for her eyes, but she didn't get her hopes up. Instead, she just nodded and started walking. As much to start conversation as to get her mind off of her eyes, the mage commented, "That was impressive, Ignotus... I haven't seen Reimancy in a long while."

[Ignotus Everto]

Ignotus grinned. It felt good to have his genius recognized by someone else. It also added weight to his suspicion that Samantha was a wizard. Not that Reimancy was unheard of outside of magical circles; it wasn't. Identifying it quickly and knowing the proper name for it certainly hinted that, if nothing else, she had learned what the term meant.

"Thank you," he said with a smile, another wave of peace emanating from him. It wouldn't do to frighten her, after all. There was also no way he would continue to not know what she was capable of. Djed began to flow to the palm of his hand in case she decided to turn violent. "You're a wizard too?"

The question seemed devoid of hostility, but Ignotus was ready to destroy the girl at his side in an instant if she should prove herself a threat. Still, she didn't know that, and what was the danger of mentioning anything? It wasn't like he would judge her for magic if he could vomit flames, right?

Ignotus loved implications.