Closed Familiar Faces (Fallon)

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna smirked at Fallon’s inquires, amused by the limited degree in which Fallon thought regarding the nature of magic itself and of the universe. The tall sorceress had bridged dimensions to each other, had created Portals to the Void itself and achieved a great deal of comfort over it. However she had also gained access to the magical discipline of Summoning, the ability to literally open gateways to other worlds. Judging by Fallon’s questions she had never encountered such a thing, which likely meant this would be a nice little surprise for the other woman. Anna did so enjoy showing people how little they actually knew of the universe.

“It’s not that easy you say? Heh, well, you might very well be surprised.” Anna replied, standing from her seat and heading towards the open floor nearby.

With this Anna would give no more words, no more answers or explanations and would simply let Fallon wait in suspense as the tall woman worked her craft. She took up the chalk and started moving it out along the floor, carefully drawing out a circle that was designed to be symmetrical. This was simply just made to be a large circle, nothing special about it other than the fact Anna was very careful to make it possess symmetry. This took some time to accomplish, however once it was finished it would be the first of the array of circles.

Next Anna would start upon a circle right below the outermost circle; however this circle would be rather special all things considered. Within the circle were included sixteen circular slots, the places that would hold the numeric astral coordinates that made the act of summoning possible. By this point Anna appeared to be blocking out all things around her, the dark haired woman simply allowing herself to be consumed by her craft and from bringing her art upon the world itself.

From this circle the sorceress would then start upon a small inner circle in the very middle of the whole array, nothing special in and of itself however it held some use as the initial birthing point for the Portal Anna intended to give birth to. Once this circle was finished Anna drew two lines that had a point of intersection in the center of the innermost circle and touched the middle circle in specific slots. The whole thing possessed a strange geometry about it, an odd array of shapes that seemed to possess some hidden meaning just out of sight.

Now that the array was done Anna set about adding Glyphs to the array to provide more stability, Focus, and protection. This was when she exploded into motion, the chalk tapping and sketching out along the floor with incredible speed. A Focus Glyph was born at the point of intersection of the two lines within the smallest circle, from there a series of smaller geometric shapes were wound around the lines to grant stability to the whole design. This was finished up with a ring of Glyphs that surrounded the outermost circle, the Barrier Glyph that would grant containment.

This task completed Anna then added the numeric Glyphs to each of the open slots in the middle circle, smirking as she did so and mouthing them out aloud. The coordinates were to a world she had yet to explore, though she had great interest in doing so after hearing that Familiars came from there. 6701984710485453 were entered into the middle circle slots, the order being in a counter clockwise fashion as was required in Summoning. Other than Glyphing, Summoning was really the strongest world magic she possessed access to and its uses were practically endless.

This finished Anna placed the chalk aside and walked back to the workstation and took up a needle, jabbing it into her index finger and wincing slightly as a drop of blood formed from the wounded digit. The tall woman then placed the finger on the outer most circle, the results being immediate and dramatic to behold. Summoning was a rare magic even among wizards and just witnessing it was impressive in and of itself. Anna had yet to even explore the coordinates she had available really, which she would explore one today.

A bright flash of purple light shined out and that was followed by the sound of water crashing upon water, a swirling rushing noise being heard soon after. The air around the circle would gain a strange oily smell and when Fallon would look inside the array of circles she would find a purple watery vortex, a rather barren terrain slightly visible beyond. Anna looked down into the Portal with a wide grin, suckling on her injured finger and standing once again as she raised an eyebrow to Fallon. Nothing was likely to come through for at least a little bit, such was the nature of Summoning.

“Fallon, my dear, I give you Fyrden.” Anna said, gesturing to the other woman.

[Fallon]

"I might be or will be?" Fallon blinked, and then stared. For a moment she rocked upon her stool, eyes pricking as she focused. For a moment she was silent, her lips pursing, her hand sliding over to her note book. Fingers wriggled at the ink and vial - anticipating some form of learning. And it was such things that she craved. Knowledge, information on anything at all. So when the woman stood, did Fallon let her eyes follow after her and a blank page spread be located. The quill nib dipped into the ink, her head cocking to one side as she watched and then begun to mimic - if not in a very messy replicated scrawl.

Lips twitched, her eyes looking to the lines to compare, the constant clicking of the nib within the vial. Black marked the white of the page, her head tilting to take a better look at what was going on. Circles, glyphs, numbers - even Fallon was brought into frowning. It was obviously some form of magic - a world class over a personal? Her eyes blinked, her head tilting to one side. The circles reminded her of malediction, or more correctly Vick's form of it. Careful, thought out, designed to draw something out. She gave a chew of the lip and quickly scribbled down her thoughts.

Anna was in a world of her own, focused on what was set before her. She probably would not react even if Fallon asked a question or even simply spoke. And so, she chose to maintain silence whilst the woman worked. What an odd image, no, circle. Specifically designed to do something - at least that was the impression she received with the way she was so set upon doing it. Rising up from the stool she gave a pace over, the angle changing so she could clearly see what was before her.

Her hand continued to write notes - small slots hold sixteen numbers (6701984710485453), lots of geometry, circle to do something. View another world? Is that possible or just magical theory? - her eyes darted down when she looked at the squiggles that surrounded it - Glyphing? Possibly. What does it even mean? Do Glyphs even have meanings? She felt the tip of the feather stroke against her cheek, a bend at the waist as she gave a closer inspection then once more began to write. There was a pause when Anna finished, her eyes turning the workstation and the claiming of the needle. What was it needed for? Was it charged with magic or was it just mundane? Either way she gave a wince when she pierced the top of her finger with the implement. But still, Fallon did not interrupt - it was only the scratching of a quill that filled the silence.

There was a leap back in surprise when the burst of purple flashed out. For a moment she feared something had exploded. A few stray drops of ink splattered onto her hands, and it was only with a quick rub of them onto her trouser leg that she continued her analysis. It reminded her of a mirror, a shine of purple into the world beyond. Another world. But that was not the complete interest of Fallon. There was a stoop, a crouch as she looked upon the glyphs and the chalk circle upon the ground. The theory as to how this occurred.

Lips twitched, nib scratched, barely breathing words escaping as her mind raced, "Fyrden. No. Circle, magic circle. Blood activated. No, more than just blood. Blood with Djed?" her eyes flickered to Anna then back down to the piece. She was too consumed with work it out, "Numbers, another world? Magic to open a path to another world? Possibly. But how? Maybe it is more like a doorway, two halves and just needing the bridge in the middle. I..." she drifted off, her gaze snapping up to Anna with a firm scowl upon her face, "What? Never heard me talking to myself before?" she shook her head, a rock on her heels as she looked once more to the circle as a whole. Her hand gestured to it, "What do I call this? I feel that magical circle vortex of doom is very inappropriate as a name."

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna smirked as she looked upon Fallon’s surprise at the Portal itself; no doubt she had never seen anything quite like it before. Summoning was a rare magic even among mages, few were practiced in its arts but those that were could certainly accomplish things others could not hope to. Anna considered it a passing fancy of a magic, something she experimented in her spare time though it was rather fitting considering her research into the Void. As it was the sorceress chuckled slightly upon viewing Fallon’s expression, simply leaning back a bit against a table as the other woman examined the Portal to Fyrden.

She started speaking to herself; the tall woman caught the majority of it and frowned ever so at some of her theories. Then again, being forced to understand that there were other worlds out there was kind of an overwhelming experience perhaps. Most would probably be frightened and trembling before such power; it spoke volumes about Fallon that she was not. It also showed Anna that her old associate had likely experienced a fair bit more on Sahova and with magic than she was letting on. The tall woman let it pass without comment, knowing it would be a subject for a bit later at the least.

“You get so worked up when you talk to yourself, calm yourself Fallon. Take a few breaths, better yet take a seat. It normally takes a while for something to come through.” The sorceress said, her words rather ambiguous and evasive at first.

“You can call it by its name, Summoning, since its primary purpose is to bridge two different worlds, in this case ours and Fyrden and summon something to our world. Also, blood with Djed is a redundancy if you received any proper instruction on the matter. Blood is Djed, you are Djed, that Portal is triggered by Djed. It’s currently charged with mine, as you can guess.” The sorceress offered, her tone instructional as she pulled up a chair of her own and carelessly put her feet up on the table.

She seemed utterly at ease with this whole situation, though the observant individual might notice her eyes flicking between Fallon and the Portal. Anna only knew that familiars came from Fyrden, her limited studies did not outline anything else that might come from the world. Or if the familiars in question were hostile or not, that was a bit of information she opted to keep to herself for the time being. No reason to bore her guest with unnecessary details after all, though perhaps she was standing a bit too close to the circle at the moment.

“I’m curious, where does a literary student learn about Djed and to piece together magic theory, dear Fallon?” The sorceress inquired, picking up a quill and making a show of examining it.

The question was purposely loaded as it was, Anna suspected Fallon would try to avoid the question but in that event she could simply try another angle. Her old friend apparently had learned a bit about magic, likely she had either apprenticed here when she was upon Sahova or taken a few University classes as well. Perhaps she had managed to find a private mentor altogether, whatever the case was Fallon was more than she appeared. Much more and the Chaon was keen on finding out exactly how much so that was. Either way, her mannerisms made it clear that if Fallon wanted more information she would need to ask the right questions first.

[Fallon]

"I'm not getting worked up!" Fallon puffed her cheeks, a sharp inhale as she gave a stomp back over to the table and placed the book down with a definite thud. Hands planted themselves onto the surface, and there was a heavy exhale before she slumped in a form of defeat, "Okay, maybe I am. A little. I digress." Lips pursed into a line, and the quill once more was taken up to create notes upon the page. Lips gave a chew, her lids narrowing down as she considered the words. Summoning - Bridge two different words. Blood equals Djed. Everything as Djed? Portal is charged with makers Djed.

There was a collection of nods as she brought her thoughts round, calming, soothing and finding a level field in which to play across. Her mouth twitched, silent words of thought as she wrote out the words upon the page, the moment of scratching filling the space in between. Of course, there was the occasional glance back to the portal, lids coming down into a narrow as she considered it. So, it was triggered by blood, it made some sense, "So, does that mean it can be activated... would activated be the right word?" she gave a pause, and then continued, "That anyone's blood can be used to make it do that?" Her head inclined to one side at that point, "Or does there have to be a particular... key with it?"

Magic theory was never her forte, she knew that. Understanding practical applications, the use of it in the field - that was something she was able to grasp upon. In one school of it at least. Her time was consumed by other things to prevent any solid learning. For a moment she placed down the quill once more, taking a step away and leaving the book where it was - she did not need it for her inspection and investigation. Taking a step over to it once more she gave a lean, and then clambered onto her hands and knees. If there was anything noticeable about it, it was that it was incredibly flat - she thought once more of the mirror like surface, a looking glass into something else.

"So, you put squiggles on the floor, add some blood and bam, you have summoning," She sniffed as she rested upon her knees, "Got to be more to it than that. You had those numbers, what are they needed for? Wait... a code? Sort of a reference to a particular location?" Fingers drummed upon the floor, "Wait. Summoning. To Summon. What... are you going to uh... bring through?" Fallon gave a pull away at that point, a rather rapid slide away back to the mage and the quill she was inspecting. She was just about to sit herself down however, when the woman produced her question.

Fallon froze. Fingers tensed upon the table top, a sense of rigidness taking over. It seemed not only did Anna recognise her inner workings of thoughts, but she also posed the question now before her. A swallow, her eyes focused upon the page below. Of course, she lead herself into such a trap - one that raised the attention of the woman opposite her. It was steady the gaze raised, brow creasing and the jaw tensing into that of a line. The gaze sharpened, the once soft edges moving behind a stony expression. Other than that she did not move, her throat having sealed itself shut for those flickering moments.

A single blink, her hand lifted and gently teased the quill back and the husky tones fell from her lips as she did, "You tell me Annalisa, where does a literary student, a traveller and explorer learn about Djed and piece together magic theory?" She held it, chin lifting, "From books? From learning and spending time listening? From submerging one in the clutches of mages such as yourself? Or..." She would let the woman fill in the last, blank option. A slide in of the inhale, a low purr upon her lips, "I don't think we need to stay upon this subject much longer, do we? Hook, line and sinker. Well done."

[Annalisa Marin]

The sorceress was quite amused by Fallon’s immediate reaction to being told to calm down, her tongue lashing out likely before her mind had time to catch up. When it did she relented to the taller woman’s logic and settled herself down more than she had been before, honestly she seemed to be doing rather well for one that had just had their world turned on its head. Being forced to accept that there were worlds other than the one they were standing upon was likely a little jarring, enough that Fallon did have some right to be a little flustered all things considered.

More questions regarding the nature of the Portals and act of summoning itself, she had part of the equation but the other parts were beyond her grasp at the moment. Fallon was obviously quite good at deducting bits and pieces of the overall whole, but Anna felt she was skirting around the actual causes of the effects. Blood, coordinates, these were mere pieces of the circles themselves and she seemed to be avoiding the big picture. The sorceress was certainly not going to explain every little detail, at least not without prompting. That would cause her to lose that little bit of power she currently held over Fallon’s head in this game.

“Activated would service nicely, and yes, if you pricked your finger it would be the same as if I had done it. Unless perhaps there were Glyphs keying it to one person.” Anna offered simply.

“In an extremely reduced form, yes that is essentially what you do. Of course without the numeric sequence you have no coordinates to focus the Portal upon. As for what might come through, why don’t you sit and find out when it actually happens?” The sorceress suggested, making a show of examining her fingernails and skirting around the issue that she knew nothing of what might emerge.

The sorceress smirked at Fallon’s response as she could easily fill in the blanks herself well enough; it appeared the other woman had likely learned a few new tricks. Anna removed her feet from the desk and stood, clasping her hands behind her back as she paced a wide circle around the other woman. Her grey eyes were focused upon her, though they occasionally glimpsed back to the Summoning portal proper to keep tabs upon it. The sorceress did so love to play games; Fallon was presenting a rather fun game at current.

“Or, you yourself are a wizard. Hardly something to hide around Sahova, dear Fallon, no need to be so uncomfortable of the subject here of all places. Magic surrounds us after all; it is what drives the Citadel tirelessly. Though, I must say, your last trip here taught you little of the nature of Sahova. To so easily tip your hand to another and all it took my dear was some chalk, a little lightshow, and a Portal to Fyrden. Just like that and you reveal your true nature, rather unhealthy here.” The tall woman offered with a chuckle and a shake of her head, as though delivering a lecture to a student.

It was hardly all planned out as she so neatly described, Anna was actually rather surprised by this turn of events herself but it always helped to be thought of as being two steps ahead of everyone. It made others more wary around one, but it also made them much more careful about how they acted around one as well. Besides, she was doing Fallon a favor in her mind, if not her than it would have been another wizard to teach her that little lesson. Anna had learned hers long ago, and it had nearly cost her life in the process.

The circle started shifting and a rough swirling noise could be heard from within the Portal, a silhouette rising from the watery depths. Anna inhaled deeply of the oily smell and sighed, stepping back from the Portal itself and gesturing for Fallon to do the same. They would be receiving a guest it would seem from Fyrden, a creature from there had obviously found her Portal at least somewhat attractive. Now came the task of actually finding out just what the petch it was.

From the vortex rose a silver pyramid shape, its surface seeming to move like a liquid as well as it settled down into this place of existence. It looked like an inanimate object at first, but it moved rather like a liquid and seemed merely attempting to get its bearing straight. The thing then shifted around, ‘facing’ Anna herself who could already feel the summoner’s leash connected to it. It was contained within the Portal, her Barrier Glyph adding further strength to the otherwise weak portal. Such was the skill of a powerful Glypher.

“Who dares summon Felixion? Is it you, fleshling?” The creature spoke aloud, its voice dripping with arrogant disdain that would have made Anna herself proud.

“Indeed it was. I am Wizard Annalisa-.” The woman started.

“Why have you summoned me to this world, soft creature of flesh? Speak quickly, lest my indulgence with you grow thin.” The thing, Felixion demanded.

Anna could feel a vein throbbing in her skull, annoyance at this creature already beginning to rise mere moments after beginning and exchange with it. She sent a glance to Fallon, her annoyance at the thing shining through silently but not being communicated verbally. Instead she merely forced her trademark arrogant smirk upon her face, when she spoke her voice held the quality of smooth honey. She was not going to let a bit of arrogance from a petching silver shape get in the way of her quest for knowledge.

“I summoned you seeking information in regards to your world. I was hoping to perhaps-.” The woman started again.

“You mean to tell me a second rate wizard with no knowledge of the world she opened a portal to dares to question a Pascid? Felixion no less? Why should I answer the questions of one so clearly inept?” The thing mocked.

It took every ounce of willpower in her body to keep up her expression and not start blasting away at the so called pascid. At least she knew what its… species was called now, so she supposed that arrogance was working in her favor. Suddenly a light went off in her head and she looked to Fallon, hoping to see her realize a similar thing about the creature. It was arrogant beyond compare most certainly, and perhaps that was its weakness. They could get information out of it; it would just take the right kind of questions. She gave an imperceptible incline of her head towards Fallon, praying to the gods she understood and would play along.

[Fallon]

”Is that your way of saying, I don’t have a petching clue?” There was a scratch of the quill upon the book surface, a quick scribble down of notes and the cocked brow of amusement, ”Sorry, but I’ve become a bit of a sceptic of late.” As the woman stood however in response, the luring round the back in that wide circle. She let her thoughts flow, the inclining on to what was the answer could have been

And with that Fallon broke down into laughter. Hands met the surface of the table, eyes screwing up as she sucked in the air. It was amusement really to the calculations of Annalisa and just how quickly she was capable of jumping towards that belief. A nudge, a placing of thought and there it was. With a grin, she simply looked up to the woman from beneath her brow, a low chuckle as she tried to keep a straight face and enforce some composure, ”And you are quick to bring about conclusions based upon ones words and no hard facts.” She shook her head, simmering down to that of a few small sniggers, ”And I would have thought better of the mighty Wizard Marin. A shame.”

The tongue gave only a playful dart out, her eyes turning back to the page and the small string of notes that she had left there. Amusement still hung onto her face, and whilst the words of Annalisa were true she was sure as anything going to distance herself from. Her fingers drummed upon the surface, a look of thought as she considered what had been presented before her. Another form of magic, it was a new one discovered within moments. Summoning, supplemented by another magic, glyphing. She gave only a frown as she tried to consider how such pair managed to work in unison. Fingers wriggled silently in the air, ”So, you use the glyphing as a… stabilis-“

Something was not right. For a moment she paused, her head snapping round to the portal. A hum, a murmur? There was a release of the quill, a distinct scent of something sharp upon the air. There was a flinch back however when something begun to stretch its way free. Animated instantly, Fallon’s more cowardly instincts kicked in. With a large sidestep behind the woman, and the green-blue orbs staring with the mixed emotions of fascination and the urge to simply flee. Lips parted, a flurry of blinks as she took the creature. There was a pull back and then a lean round to view the creature from Annalisa’s other side. What an odd creature it was, her eyes snapping upwards to the woman. And then promptly it spoke.

There was a whisper in quick tones, ”Oh gods it can talk.” And the somewhat trembling that found itself within her legs – anticipation however more than fear. Eyes grew wide, brightening as she took the creature in and Annalisa tried her best to introduce herself. Pompous was the first thought that came to mind as her eyes flickered to and fro between her and the thing. Eyes blinked at the way the surface rippled, mirror like and strange to look upon. Lips twitched, her hand reaching out to fumble for the book to make some quick notes.

Silver creature. Ripples. Metallic in colouring. Very blunt, arrogant? Appears to have personality traits that match that of a sentient. Refers itself as a Pascid, with Felixion as the name. Her eyes watched the nodded suggestion of the woman, thought what exactly was being brought to mind. Think, focus, read and analyse the situation. It thought – detectable in the tones that came from seemingly nowhere – that it was above them. Superior in intellect and understanding. Of course, that would only be in the case for its world. So, by that logic it would require clever wording from one of a silver tongued nature. Fallon’s lips curled. Snapping the book shut she stood tall. A confident step out, the grasping of the book spine behind her back. It was time to do what she did best, talk.

”The Mighty Felixion?” She rose her voice in exclamation, the slightest bow of the shoulders in ‘respect’ to the creature, ”Hark, my dear Wizard Annalisa, you should have told me we were going to involving such an important guest! T’is far from the proper decorum in which we should treat such a wise and powerful being as a Pascid, more so if it is who it claims to be.” She began in a tone, rolling suggesting, stepping around the understanding of what was before them. In order to get a reading on their stance, the reluctance of sharing of information. Annalisa looked for knowledge, but it was picking out what was necessary. Things were needed to let slip, snippets picked up here and there were possible. Of course, it was picking the right thing to follow first. Inhaling she let a smile remain where it was upon her lips, and gestured her hand to the creature.

”Forgive us wise Felixion, we are indeed young and ignorant in our understandings of such a world you hail from. But the tales of you, we have heard through other wizards, and thus we could not help but sate our curiosity and see if you are as great as they say you are. Please, most intelligent Felixion the Pascid, who shines no doubt brighter than all other Pascids, forgive myself and my associate in our lacking, we mean not to insult you so,” with a big, sweeping bow, Fallon once more spoke, ”I offer you our humblest of apologies.”

[Annalisa Marin]

Good Fallon had caught the same thing Annalisa herself had caught and that most certainly would make this whole affair that much more easy, now the sorceress merely would need to play the apologetic party. The tall woman inclined her head respectfully, her grey eyes averted from the Pascid in difference as she barely hid a tiny smirk. Perhaps she had been a little too harsh on Fallon and a little too quick to judge her abilities. Wizard or no wizard she certainly conducted herself well enough to earn the Sorceress’ respect to some degree, a competent assistant if nothing else.

“Of course, I intended no disrespect great Pascid. A thousand apologies if my mannerisms came off as offensive to your personage. I fear I am indeed ignorant to your world; my mistress here will no doubt reprimand me for my foolishness and impertinence later. I beg your forgiveness.” The sorceress offered, her tone bearing the right mixture of respect and fawning and falsely indicating to Fallon as being her superior.

The creature seemed to consider the pair before it, its ‘gaze’ turned upon Fallon and then to Anna and finally back to Fallon. The sorceress could feel her connection to the thing, the cord extending from it and towards the portal to Fyrden. The control she possessed over this leash was tenuous at best and weak at worst to border upon inadequate. Still she felt confident that her Glyphs were more than enough to keep even the strongest of creatures bound inside of those circles.

“I may perhaps see fit to forgive your gross insult, fleshling if for no reason other than my generosity. Hard to believe one so foolish as you could manage to input the coordinates to my world, let along wield magic at even a subpar level.” The Pascid stated, its tone sounding vaguely pleased at the opportunity to berate Anna.

The tall woman was at the moment pondering opening a Portal to the Void and banishing the creature that dared to speak to her in such a way, curbing her indignation just barely. This being had a mouth upon it and of that there could be no doubt, despite not actually having a visible mouth upon it. Anna was most irritated by the fact that it had a lack of facial expressions, which meant that its mood was only discernable to her via its tone. At the moment all she could tell was that it took a great deal of pleasure in berating her.

“You should teach your apprentice wizard to show respect to her betters, fleshling. Reflects rather… poorly upon you.” The thing said, addressing Fallon now and disregarding Anna.

“In any event your apologies are adequate in soothing the insults upon my person, fleshling, so I may very well grant you forgiveness in that respect. I would not expect your kind, in its limited understanding of the universe at large, to properly grasp understanding. As for my homeworld, you mean that molten spit of rock that’s only redeeming factor is to have gifted the universe the glorious Pascid? What might I do to alleviate your ignorance? More importantly, why should I share my wisdom with creatures such as you?” The silver creature spoke at length, clearly enjoying the sound of its own voice.

The tall sorceress glanced at Fallon again, nodding slightly in a sign for her to take the lead in this little negotiation. She was less on the thing’s bad side at the moment; Anna had already committed a social faux pas with the creature. Anna was more than willing to serve as the other woman’s back up at this point, serving as the shoring up or extra bit to the woman’s act.

[Fallon]

There was an internal sigh of relief when the pascid allowed their grovelling show and gave ‘forgiveness’ – not that there was anything to really forgive. It was the other that looked for control and superiority over them, to be in the right of the situation and be unwavering in its existence. She wondered for a moment on what would need to be done in order to rectify that thought, but decided against it, its attention once more was upon her and the ability to attempt some negotiation. If it could even be called that. It felt more like some strange version of arse kissing – strange as the creature in question actually seemed to expect it.

Neck clicked, her eyes looking up to Annalisa for a moment and looking for a hint in which direction to take things. She was going to be playing the ‘Mistress’ after all – in what context was still beyond her at present – and that required her to maintain as much of the upper hand as possible. She gave the politest of smiles, her attention returning and remaining fixed upon the creature before her. Proper decorum was needed, though it was still the issue of picking out the right ones. There was a long inhale, followed by a step to the side and round.

”And generous you are great Felixion, and I shall take your advice to teach her the better etiquettes for beings such as yourself,” she gave a respectful nod, ”I would be very distressed to have my mentee to make such a mistake again.” Butter and smother, pretend to be the idiot. Her lips gave only the slightest of curls and her eyes lowered before the creature. She simply gave the continuous nod of encouragement as it spoke, a luring in that it was the superior of the two. There was only the occasional flickering once more of the glance to the woman, judging and attempting to get a reading on her thoughts to the situation. A hard task by any account.

”Glorious you are indeed,” her hands came clasping together eyes bright and full of lustre, ”It is a rare opportunity to bask within the presence of one such as yourself, so please, I am sorry if I appear overwhelmed by your presence,” She inhaled, and took herself down to a knee, whilst the hands rested upon the raised one of the two, ”To alleviate our ignorance? You are too kind to us. But as to the why to share your wisdom?”

Fallon fell silent for a long chime, the form still as she thought. To make a straight up demand would solve nothing or if anything take the situation back several steps. Counterproductive was a risk with this negotiation, and a hard one with the entity that was before her. It was not human, so she could not use the base needs of the species to appeal to it. It deemed itself wise and in a position of knowledge above them, a tactic of pleading could help or perhaps the offering in exchange. She had a heavy gut feeling however she did not want to simply bend to its whims – that idea made her skin prickle. How to appeal to it? How to get into its head whilst leaving it believing in control?

Lips were licked, her gaze raising and holding. It was with an unwavering tone she spoke, ”Is it not the duty of the wise to not only just look out not just for themselves, but for all towards those who seek guidance? For it is wisdom, teaching and sharing of it that helps to build towards a future, correct?” Reason with it, find a level playing field and understand what it wanted. After all, nothing appeared without reason, ”Or will you be correcting us lesser creatures?”

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna suppressed a smirk and instead looked as ashamed as she possibly could manage, her lips turning down into a frown and her gaze tilting downward towards the floor ever so. The sorceress was rather used to having to appear subservient in order to gain something, how often had she honored Amaryllis when instead she would have like nothing better than to grind her body to a gooey smear on the floor? It was different now only in what she needed to show her subservience towards. Fallon seemed to be conducting herself rather well enough, allowing Anna to offer tiny tidbits of her own behind the lead negotiator here.

“Indeed, it is a rare opportunity. Rare enough to where I was unprepared to deal with such a powerful creature.” The sorceress murmured, her gaze flicking up towards the portal briefly before falling again.

The Pascid’s form seemed to swell ever so slightly; no doubt pleased with being given the proper respect it felt that it was due from lesser creatures. There was the temptation to blast the petching thing into oblivion or freeze it, however the tall woman resisted the urge and instead simply watched the shimmering quicksilver body. It was so very… alien to see something like this, a creature that possessed a form that was more liquid than it was solid. Perhaps it was fitting that it hailed from a different world, though what this world was still eluded both women.

Fallon made her attempt to sway the Pascid by playing at its ability to be magnanimous; however Anna doubted that alone would be enough. It did grow silent and seem to ponder the words of the other woman carefully, its arrogance great but obviously it was at least slightly intelligent. The sorceress went over the Pascid’s words in her head, seeking for something they could use for her advantage. It had hinted upon its world being a rather undesirable place, perhaps that was a nerve to touch. Threatening to send it back would be unwise, perhaps offering to summon it again?

“Of course, the words of the wise are often valued on more than one occasion. Often those learning cannot learn all in one sitting.” The tall woman offered quietly.

It was a subtle insinuation, but the Pascid seemed to understand the subtext of the statements well enough and turned its form ever so towards Anna before regarding Fallon once again. She had apparently struck a nerve though the question was if it was the correct one or not. The tall dark haired woman had learned from her time upon Sahova that everything wanted something. Whether it was political power, magical knowledge, or something more base than those even. Anna knew what she wanted as well.

“Hmm… a fair enough point. Perhaps it might very well be wise for the more enlightened to educate those that are not. Though, there is much to tell. Too much I suspect for one mere sitting.” The Pascid stated, rising to the bait Anna had laid.

“I come from Fyrden, a rather unpleasant and overcrowded world. We Pascid rule as the kings of the world, or at least the side in which the sun shines upon. Other, more lesser lifeforms you might encounter upon the lightside are known as the Avavali and Sarawanki. Those upon the darkside are unworthy of being spoken of.” The Pascid offered.

Anna noted immediately that the Pascid had offered information of two distinct sides, a lightside and a darkside. The way in which the Pascid so dismissed the darkside as it had called it was rather telling, obviously whatever was on this side possessed no love lost with the Pascid. It had also mentioned two other beings upon its side; she had to wonder exactly what those were. Were they similar to the Pascid or far more diverse? Was Fyrden like their own world, which possessed a plethora of different races?

[Fallon]

If there was any advantage, it was the way in which Annalisa was presently conducting herself. Both women had the same line of thought, both women filled the gaps of the other as they tried to outwit a single opponent. Fallon's jaw clicked, her gaze flickering back and forth. Firstly onto the faceless creature before her, then to the wizard and then back again. She needed to keep an eye on where everyone was, to allow an understanding of what was at her disposal should things begin to turn sour. Inhaling deeply she looked back to the Pascid, her mind ticking over as to how to deal with it. Something was missing, she knew that in the way that it seemed to shimmer and flit it's 'sight' between the two.

And then Annalisa once more spoke. For a moment, Fallon did not quite understand what was being suggested. Her head turned completely away from the line of sight of Felixion, a look of perplexity smothering her features as she tried to work out what the woman had meant. Her brow cocked, the expression stayed fixed for a moment as if stuck in comprehending what she was trying to do, before the inner cogs begun to turn. Exchange, a trade off, one piece of information for another. It made sense now. The expression returned down to a more neutral face with the subtle curling of lips. Turning her attention back round to the Pascid, she gave only a confirming nod to the offer of her associate, and left only the tracings of an offer there, "Quite, perhaps there will numerous sittings than this mere one."

Fallon tucked her hand behind her back, and promptly crossed her fingers. Yes, let it believe that. She gave a smile, a further nod as it promptly grasped upon the bait that the wizard had left for it. Finding her solid footing once more upon the floor, she stood attentively, her eyes fixed upon the creature as it spoke and stated its knowledge - if not done in a more prejudice slant. Small slithers of information, barely a peak into the world that they hailed from. She understood the principle of two sides - much like a coin. But a world that was split in half by night and day forever? It was something difficult to grasp upon with ease.

Her head tilted at that, eyes narrowing as she considered the next possible lot of questions. There was a glance to Annalisa, an attempt to gain a grasping for what it was she was looking for - she was the true leader in this experiment, Fallon was just the negotiator. Rubbing her throat, she cleared it with only a brief narrowing of eyes. Once more she returned to the smile, and brought her hands clasping together, "So, you mean to say that the darkside are below you? With the Avavali and Sarawanki as your..." She paused for a moment, as if choosing the right word, "I suppose, if it your kind who rules as the Kings of the Lightside, then would it be presumptuous to say they are your subjects?"

She was not quite sure whether that fitted or not, so with a scratch upon the back of her head she looked to the wizard once more. For a moment she was stumped, a firm wince as she failed to bring anything forth - and so she looked to Annalisa for some guidance in the matter, "Or are they simply just a lesser race that so happens to dwell upon your side?"