Prepare for the #LodanRespawn2024 Existing characters may choose to be displace from/have memories of different timelines, thereby allowing returning members the option to retcon their whole character. These changes are the result of the "Unnatural Fog" plot device that is running between now and the Respawn. The plot is simple: no matter where your character is, that place is shrouded in a thick fog that suspends time, but not thoughts or memories, so even if they're repeating the same day over and over again, they continue to remember, so each time feels like a new day. For those retconning OCs; this is where new versions of themselves have the opportunity to replace the old versions. Official lore and tree updates will be announced asap
Today started out like most others. Lasair went out and made his way to the city to complete various goals. Some days he went out trying to entice new people to join. He got a couple people interested. Some days he simply tried to enjoy the city and reconnect with his old friends. There were mixed results. Today on the other hand, he was going out trying to barter for supplies and materials. He had already found a large pot of ink as a decent price and was hoping to find some blank books. He had more ideas to write out and was running out of journals to use, so he figured that upgrading to actual books might be a good idea. The problem was that he didn't know how to make books, but did know where to find books to buy. Which meant the new problem was money. While he tried to judge exactly how much he could spend without going totally broke, he sat down on a nearby bench, being careful to take the ink pot off his back without jostling it too much. He took out a small handbook out of his jacket and started making small notes on it, doing math in his head and making marks as he went. His was the sole accountant of the guild now and had to keep everything sorted out right, which was easier some times and harder others. Still, he was determined to make it all work. He didn't pay much mind to the people around him as they passed, instead trying to work everything out in his head as best as he could.
Post by Elaine Anncroft on Feb 18, 2019 23:03:40 GMT
Elaine pushed out of the curio shop door and walked on out, looking back over her shoulder to tell Cas to stay and wait for her to come back that afternoon. She clutched a short shopping list of her own in her hand, listing things like food for Cas and some miscellaneous art supplies. She had the full intention to go shopping until she got to the bottom of the steps, where she paused to look at her list before crumpling it in her hands to shove it in her pocket for later. Taking a few steps she busied herself with buttoning the long, rather used coat she wore. Taking off down the street with her hands finding a space in her pockets and her eyes set forwards on the road. There would be plenty of time for her to go buy those items after she took a refreshing break from her daily troubles. In the midst of things the feline honestly would've missed Lasair if it hadn't been for that head of hair. The worlds most noticeable homing beacon. He had seated himself across the street and appeared to be tallying something in that little book he held, or potentially writing. She could see him being an excellent poet if he had the inclination to do so. She slowed down thinking she could go say hello, though she hesitated with the thought that he could be busy. Though, there would be no harm in walking by and seeing how he was. She cared about his health and happiness.
Elaine slid through the few pedestrians with a few quiet "excuse me's" and "pardon's" and dashed across the open street between a horse and a loud paperboy attempting to get people to buy the latest article. Walking up to the man and stopping just in front of his feet. Catching a glimpse of numbers on his little notebook. "I hope you aren't trading magic for math now." Elaine teased, smiling at him when he looked up. "Hello."
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Feb 18, 2019 23:16:52 GMT
Lasair blinked, the numbers he had been focusing on suddenly lost from his mind as the focus became, instead, to identify the person standing before him. He smiled when he looked up at her, happy to see the old friend once again. "Why hello there miss Anncroft. No, math is simply a requirement in understanding the limits of one's wallet." He chuckled to himself as he glanced back down at the paper, suddenly unsure as to what he was exactly trying to ration out when she appeared. He did succeed in determining his budget already, the small number circled in the corner, but there was something else he was trying to budget for and no its purpose had been lost. He'd have to sit back down with the figures later.
Tucking the small notebook away, he stood up and grabbed the ink jug, fastening it around his back. "May I ask where you are heading? And that perhaps I may accompany you?" He offered his arm to her, his signature smile lighting up his face as he poured on the charm. She never seemed to mind when he used the flirtatious tone of voice, in fact she even seemed to be amused whenever he went out of his way to treat her. So, he never saw a reason to stop indulging her and instead enjoyed getting lost in the fun until the charm wore off.
Post by Elaine Anncroft on Feb 19, 2019 0:06:22 GMT
She made a face of enlightened "...ah" as he explained his mathematical intentions and took a half step back as he stood to give him some extra space. She laughed softly at his gesture and took his arm. The "going out of his way" with charming little phrases and gestures when she was around was what Elaine liked to call sentimental pampering. It was in good fun of course and never caused any turmoil between them. She extended her hand out to gesture off down the road though it didn't appear to be very directed. "I was just taking a quick walk, getting a break in from the day for a while. Then I've got to get a few items on my shopping list. If you'd like I can walk you to wherever you need to go next if you have plans of course?" She looked up at him patiently for his answer, greatly anticipating the hope that she would get to spend some time with her friend who could absolutely melt her worries.
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Feb 19, 2019 0:16:13 GMT
The grin never leaving his face, he nodded to her as he spoke. "I was going to buy some blank books, seeing as I already have enough ink to fill them now. I could also accompany you to where ever you are headed, although I must admit that doing so while carrying a large amount of ink in addition to a heavy set of books might be... less than favorable. Where we begin is up to you, however. I certainly am not in a hurry to leave the company of a beautiful lass such as yourself." He hoped that it didn't sound like he was rambling, but maybe it did a little bit. He didn't mind. Truth be told, he was willing to carry around a large amount of weight while traveling with her, seeing as it meant being able to spend more time with her, but it wasn't exactly ideal. He mentally shrugged, willing to ho along with whatever she preferred of him. Perhaps she wanted to go about her day without him around, or perhaps she would do her shopping first. Either way, it was more fun to go about the day with company rather than without. That much was easy to be certain of.
Post by Elaine Anncroft on Feb 19, 2019 0:56:16 GMT
"Let's walk a bit first, neither one of us appear to be in a rush." She smiled as she started walking slowly until they fell into stride. She thought back to her list, "I don't have to get much, a few art supplies that can easily be bagged away. Then perhaps we can get your books and I can help you carry them." She led the walk at first, going down the district at a comfortable, leisurely pace. The day wasn't hot and also wasn't quite freezing, a pleasant coolness settling in. She liked it as long as she was in her coat. Glancing up at Lasair a few times as they walked to look over his face and the happy tilt to his lips. "You look well, been settling back in easily?" He'd been gone for a while and she had met him when he came back and certainly was happy to have him in the city again.
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Feb 19, 2019 1:18:02 GMT
She was always so sweet to him; it gave him another rush of pleasure to his brain. Taking her arm comfortably in his own-- how often had they walked together like this?-- he joined her stride and took a moment to enjoy the nostalgic feeling of walking together. "I would say so. Staying optimistic is difficult at times, but well, it beats looking for joy at the bottom of a bottle." His speech paused, his mind realizing the weight of what that phrase meant. He hadn't intended to sound so dramatic. "I mean, fresh air is good for me ya know? And while I love staying inside, a nose buried in my books, it's been proving worth it to venture out from time to time. Besides, I can't make many notes without ink, now can I?" He chuckled, hoping to have successfully relieved the tension his speech might have caused. Time with Elaine shouldn't be spent being sad anyhow; it's not like he got to see her as often as he used to. The time together was something he really valued.
Post by Elaine Anncroft on Feb 19, 2019 2:30:04 GMT
She nodded along almost knowingly to his words with a very subtle smile. "The bottom isn't as pretty as you'd imagine it to be." She murmured, more of a statement phrased as a simple passing thought but she moved on rather quickly, keeping in stride with his tone. "Where did you even find that much ink? Are you trying to write your own books now?" It was a fitting task for him to take up. She'd definitely read any book he came up with, she'd even love to just help edit them but on top of her other tasks that might prove too much. Elaine would have to settle for reading whatever he chose to share with her, if anything.
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Feb 19, 2019 3:43:09 GMT
He shot her a look when she replied to his drinking comment, silently agreeing to let that bit remain in the past. Perhaps she had to fight some mental demons once upon a time too. "I placed an order with one of the people that creates the ink. He usually just makes small jars at a time, but I was looking for more of a stockpile, as you can see. Today was when he told me it was finished being crafted. As for my books, well, they're not stories to get lost in an adventure too. I don't think you'd find them quite interesting for that reason, but yes I have been doing more writing as of late." In truth, his books were mostly logs. Summaries of guild business and history, documentation of the experiments he had performed with magic, literature detailing all the little nitty gritty details about shadow beasts that he had accumulated. Things that he felt needed to be written down and preserved for future guildmates to pull off the shelves and distill information from. And to do that, he needed ink. And books. And the time to put the two together.
Post by Elaine Anncroft on Feb 19, 2019 4:13:49 GMT
"Aw, no stories?" She said pouting playfully before giggling. "I do like to read more than that though, for the record. I am not strictly bound by fiction." She slowed down to look before crossing the street with him, eyeing a shop that held lots of crafting supplies inside it's brightly lit windows. "If you don't mind, I can pick up most of my stuff here. I need some brushes badly. Mine are starting to fray. Maybe you can find some good fountain pens to write with?" She led them to the front door and let go of his arm to go inside, "You can stay here if you prefer, I won't be but just a moment..."
As she opened the door the scents of paints and canvas wafted past. The leftmost side of the shop floor was lined with wrapped canvas and unstretched rolls of it for personal use. Frames also available for one to buy. She ignored those and wandered off to the right to a set of three tall shelves. Colorful paint lined the edges in glass jars. Hues lined up in a vibrant wall of color. She began to wager on what colors she needed and maybe a few that she wanted. Pulling some jars down to stack them in her arms. Underneath the shelves were baskets of brushes sorted by size sat along a long bench under the paints, all perfectly pointed or tapered. Among some of the utensils scattered around in jars and containers were charcoals and fountain pens in different colors. The scents of this shop were not unfamiliar to her.
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Feb 19, 2019 22:58:43 GMT
Lasair's eyes drifted upwards to the windows of the shop, his mind spinning to process what he could possibly need from within this store. He didn't specifically need any new pens, but perhaps looking at them wouldn't hurt. So he nodded and followed inside behind her. The artistic smell of the shop was refreshing to him and he took a slight moment to enjoy it as his eyes scanned around him. Squinting slightly, he figured out where the pens were and walked over to get a better look at them. Elaine's arms quickly become overloaded with supplies, causing him to grin in amusement. She was picking out lovely colors though, so he couldn't blame her for enjoying the shopping so. Taking a moment to count numbers in his head, he figured that he probably had the spare funds to get one or two new pens. It would be good to replace the pen that dripped ink sometimes. He selected two that rested comfortably in his hands and went up to pay for them, careful not to bump into Elaine along the way. Once they were gently placed in his pockets, he returned to her and took a couple of the jars out of her hands, lightening the load somewhat. "What kind of creation are you planning next?" he inquired, his eyes lingering on a jar of silvery grey paint that seemed to almost shine in the light. He would never quite understand how they got them to look like that.
Post by Elaine Anncroft on Feb 19, 2019 23:54:14 GMT
Elaine had quite the armful when Lasair came back to assist and chuckled at his question. The array of colors she had shone at him from the bottles as she shifted in the light to look at more. Pausing to think about his question before trading a crimson shade for a much darker mauve. "I'm not exactly sure yet..." She admitted stopping to look at the pain in her arms. "A lot comes to mind though but perhaps a better question is what would you like to see painted? As a potential viewer?" She shifted the paints over to free up a hand and walked down the line of brushes picking up certain ones like she had done it a thousand times. They were fine-bristle brushes and meant for detail. Counting the ones she had in her hand and then heading for the counter to pay with Lasair hopefully in tow. He was holding a few bottles of green and blue that she very much liked after all.
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Feb 20, 2019 0:10:56 GMT
A reply didn't come to him immediately, so he simply followed behind her in silence as she paid for the supplies and then they exited the shop together. Once outside, he finally came up with an answer, the soft smile covering his face a moment before he spoke. "Do you take commissions? And can you work with a larger medium? Say… a large canvas?" He paused a moment to see her initial reaction before he continued. "I've been thinking about doing some decorating. And if you could create, say, some images showcasing the beauty in...magic," his voice dipped a little at that word, "then I think they would be very fitting to be hung up in the room I have in mind."
While she couldn't possibly know it, there was a room within the halls of the MI base that Lasair was trying to repurpose. He wanted to make it a classroom of sorts; a place for new members to sit down and listen to teachings on the basics of magic. In fact, once he bought the books today, at least a couple of them would go towards rewriting and outlining the basic understandings of magic. He planned to include all sorts of information he had gathered as well as different ways to explain it. Lasair didn't much fancy leaving the walls in this room blank, but also hadn't been sure what to hang on them until the idea occurred to him. Different examples of magic would be a perfect fit there. And he happened to have just found an artist that might be able to help with that.
Post by Elaine Anncroft on Feb 20, 2019 0:47:06 GMT
She adjusted the back in her hand so she could hold it by the bottom between both her arms as they walked out and back into the street, the paper bag crinkling in her hands. "I do take commissions and I can paint on just about everything except water." He was requesting displays of magic immortalized on canvas. She could certainly do that however it just depended on how exactly he wanted it depicted. "How do you want it shown? In action with a subject or just generalized? If you want it to be someone performing an action with then you or someone else will have to be the model and demonstrate for me, just with any that I don't know." She explained shifting the bag a little higher. "It would be even better if we could enchant them to move but that's just wishful thinking." Elaine laughed reaching up to brush hair out of her face.
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Feb 20, 2019 4:49:35 GMT
He thought to himself for a little bit, pondering the different possibilities and answers. "I feel like there doesn't need to be a subject. Like fire is always really simple, you could do a stylized fireball or a conjured flame. High levels of the spell bring about walls of flame and other various ideas. I suppose you could draw the hands conjuring the flame if you feel like it's worth it or is fitting. But it's honestly up to you for each spell." Lasair also quickly realized that some spells just couldn't be drawn out in any simple way. Like kinetics; one simply couldn't draw speed. The same went with deceit and a few others in mind. But drawing something like somebody's gate—that would be amazing. His mind quickly became filled with the different joys of what kind of images could be created, but he would leave most of the creativity up to her. He wouldn't be the one holding the brush, after all.
"I would be happy to demonstrate," he continued. "Provided that your work space is private, of course." He laced those words with his flirtatious quip, knowing full well that she would catch the second meaning he hinted at. He couldn't help but grin.
"All you need is love." -John Lennon
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