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
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Apr 29, 2019 4:49:13 GMT
The velveteen ander thought on her questions for a few long moments. Favorite painting was the tougher of the two questions he decided, but it wasn't an impossible one at that. He walked around her in the small room to gesture to a specific painting, one that showed an example of nature, the blue sky open above with living creatures and plants below. It was always a sight he longed for, and one he didn't get so often here in the city. "This one," he began, directing her attention towards it. "It reminds me of warm days sitting in the sun, taking a rest from journeying. That's one of the things I miss most from the adventures of my youth." There was a part of him that wanted to go back out into the world an experience it anew. But that wasn't quite the life he wanted now that he knew what to expect. Still, that sense of longing for exploration was still there, buried deep in his mind. It didn't have much of a ground to argue with when he was enclosed in his library after all.
"As for some new magic," he pondered for a moment longer, his eyes blinking closed for a moment. After a second, magic gathered up in his core as he executed the spell. An identical copy of himself stepped away from his person and walked to another corner of the room. And then a second one stepped away, soon followed by a third, and then a fourth. Once the final copy stopped walking to stand by the door, the original Lasair blinked a few times and turned to Elaine.
In unison, the five Lasair's spoke, "Is this something amazing? Or shall we try to do better?"
Post by Elaine Anncroft on Apr 29, 2019 23:00:00 GMT
Elaine watched him look through her collection once more and point out the one she had done of a pleasant meadow with some local fauna. She smiled as the decision fit him about as perfect as it could possibly fit. "I can paint the magic scenes in the same style, it's just small strokes and light blending. Like it's just slightly in focus but it doesn't require a lot of time or detail to make the image come to life." The feline grinned a little and pushed off the shelf to fully stand, "It suits you." Her mind crowding with memories of walking in the field to get a good glimpse of the trees for that particular slice of the time she made.
However, her next comment making its way up her throat was cut off as Lasair spoke of new magic. She beamed and clasped her hands together in front of her chest to watch him begin to multiply. Not really something new per se, as she'd seen it before from Edelweiss, but thrilling all the same. Having five Lasair's was just as much fun as the one though Elaine preferred the original by far. A sly smile curled at her lips as she tilted her head to look fleetingly at each one in turn. She needed to learn this, perhaps it would make sparring a much easier endeavor. "It's absolutely fascinating but... I've seen it before." She chuckled dropping her hands to her hips instead teasingly continuing, "My mother says the more the merrier but if there's five of you I'd have to share. I don't know if I want to share you Lassy." Elaine didn't want him to stress himself really with finding something so she didn't say anything about 'doing better'. She did have some questions about the magic though with it being a stronger variant of what she already knew. "How would you use that to your advantage? Could you have done all your shopping from home?"
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on May 11, 2019 3:18:44 GMT
She had seen it before? The statement made Lasair a little sad with himself, but it only served for him to want to surprise her in the future. After a rest and recharge of his magic, of course. "Advantages?" one of the copies parroted a moment later. "Confusion is always a plus. The magic of deceit requires looking into my eyes. And the more eyes I have—" That clone stopped speaking only for another one to finish the phrase without skipping a breath. "The chances I have to gain that." Again, a different Lasair continued the conversation. "The more we get spread apart, the harder it is to focus and manage the behaviors." "Grouped up, you can have each one perform specific and stealthy tricks." "But as they spread apart, it's honestly easier to throw them on autopilot and hope for the best."
"May favorite part of the trick, however." The original Lasair spoke up slightly louder than the others, still in the spot he hadn't moved from. "Is the disappearance." And with that, that Lasair faded from existence. Leaving four others in the room, each looking identical to the others.
Post by Elaine Anncroft on May 12, 2019 0:40:41 GMT
Elaine seemed a fair bit impressed with his analysis of using such magic to his advantage in a fight or another testy situation. Her eyes chasing his words as they bounced from copy to copy. The action could make her dizzy she felt if she had to continue switching back and forth for too long. He was teaching her things she didn't know, which she loved, despite her having seen the magic before. "I must voice that I have my doubts that any version of you on autopilot is a good thing...." She taunted with a grin before her eyes widened as he vanished. It was an uncomfortable feeling not knowing where he was, or well, not knowing where the real him was. "Oh?" This was just as disorienting as it had been finding eleven Edelweisses all in the same place. Elaine took a deep breath and puffed out a cheek. She realized not having anything that could really separate her Lasair from copies was a little disappointing since she felt like she knew him well as her friend.
Hugging her arms around herself she chuckled softly, "That's incredibly resourceful, especially in times of need for quick escapes. Color me impressed!" The woman did want the original back of course so she approached one copy cautiously and peered up at it narrowing her eyes with suspicion before poking it in the chest. Regardless of whether it was him for not she found the solidity of the forms fascinating.
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on May 21, 2019 6:05:09 GMT
The four Lasair's all looked in Elaine's direction, the each of them smiling or grinning in turn. He found himself rather fond of the way she tried so hard to reason out his location, but in truth when the clones were so close together, stepping into their mindset was easy. "Autopilot more or less means that—" "We act as one individual Lasair would in that exact moment." "More independent." "But together we can plan and craft accordingly, synergize as a team." The clone she walked up to winked at her before vanishing under her touch, disappearing in a small wisp of magic colored to Lasair's aura.
"But enough confusion," the one closest to the door spoke. The remaining clones also faded until he was the only one left. "I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed my analysis of the magic. Illusionary arts are useless to the un-creative. To the crafty, you can get into their mind and change their point of view. It's one of my favored topics to ponder on between my work." His mind drifted back to all the books that he had bought, the blank pages waiting to be filled with the words. The magic needed to be documented somehow, after all. "Any questions?" he asked at the end, an excited smile on his face still.
Post by Elaine Anncroft on May 21, 2019 19:09:57 GMT
Elaine grinned as the clone winked and vanished leaving a small ghost of the magic behind. The colors of different people's magic was always an interesting thing to see though sadly she never got to see enough of it. As the rest faded she followed the trail of magic, of a sort, right back to the original. At least she knew if anyone ever tried to impersonate him she felt confident nobody would ever master his affection and obsession with magic. "If there is ever a school of magic you should be the headmaster for certain." She chuckled as she reached out to pick up his hand and bring it about shoulder height with herself as she pressed her thumbs against the back of his hand gently for a moment. "I am not as proficient in projection yet, by any means. I'm certainly not creative with it." It was honestly just a getaway strategy for her. She then turned his hand sideways and folded his fingers against his palm but had him keep one straight like he was pointing out to his right. "You will be the first person I find once I learn more."
"However, I have a different illusion skill you might have some knowledge about? If you're willing to part with any of it," She teased making sure he'd hold his arm steady. "I've been fascinated with shape-shifting lately, as you've seen before," She knew a lot of ways to use it and she liked to see the world from new perspectives. Elaine called on her own magic and was soon perching on his finger as a sweet parakeet. Whistling at him and fanning her wings. She shifted her little feet and started climbing his arm, using his sleeve as a crutch every few steps by biting it to pull herself up further. She was just as good of a climber as she always was and made it to his shoulder swiftly. Chirping a few times as she walked back and forth on his shoulder proudly. Perhaps he knew something about shape-shifting that she didn't yet. She'd never tried a fantastical creature, she'd only stuck with that which she could easily mimic by sight. Elaine nibbled at his ear playfully and shook out which caused her to puff up like a green and white powder ball.
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on May 23, 2019 22:00:43 GMT
Elaine's smile certainly made his own grow. "Thank you for that. I like to think I've become a sort of expert in the topic. I do spend more of my free time than I should in it." He watched her with a curious eye as she pulled his arm out, manipulating his hard around to take a very specific sort of stance. The curiosity only grew as he listened to her, until the moment she transformed and found a perch on his person. He chuckled at the little bird form Elaine took and thought for a moment on her request.
"I'd say your most valuable asset in shapeshifting would be the ability to become a creature no one pays attention to. A bird is a good example, but if you really wanted to blend in I would recommend a messenger pigeon; there's always a surplus of them flying overhead, who would notice one more? Or on the other side, if you needed to draw attention away in a pinch, to help someone sneak around or to do some crowd control, becoming something exotic would certainly get their attention. Do you know how many people love tigers, yet never see them because they're a rumored exotic from a faraway land? Or an antlered deer, or even one of those swinging monkeys. People love those things. But keep in mind that a lot of people would probably try to capture you to sell off, so be wary." He felt himself to be rambling, but the bird Elaine was still listening, so he took a breath and continued.
"It really comes down to if you want to blend in or stand out. Need to swipe something from a person's pocket? Why not be a young squirrel and play nice with them, only to grab it and run a moment later? Need to see if someone has something hidden in their home? Mice come and go freely, as long as they don’t have a cat. Traveling a long distance at night? Bats are pretty good at that. Whatever goal you have, if you don’t like the traditional route to solve it, a more animalistic one might be beneficial."
Post by Elaine Anncroft on May 24, 2019 2:21:52 GMT
Elaine settled in on his shoulder to listen, bobbing her head encouragingly when he paused. What he said was valuable and true. Shape-shifting was magic that offered limitless possibilities to which one could blend in or stick out in a crowd. It seemed like a large scale sleight-of-hand where she could use this magic to remove or place any number of things among people. A magicians trick of course but it was a useful one. The bird nodded once more once he'd finished and jumped up to stand on his head to survey the room from there. It was quite the view for a small birdie. She whistled merrily as she thought about what he'd said.
A night flight as an owl would be fantastic for trailing someone. A wander around the city as a stray cat to listen for gossip. She felt pleased with the ideas he'd presented to her and launched forwards to glide out over the floor and drop back into her original form. Standing from her slight crouch from the slight impact she dusted a stray feather off her shirt. "I think I've got a good idea for two of those paintings now, you're a wonderful connoisseur of magic and ideas." She motioned around, "Is there anything else you'd like to ask me about the things I know a bit about? Or would you like to return to the kitchen and chat there?" Her bright green eyes radiated delight with what had transpired, and they cast minute reflections with her back turned to the window.
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on May 24, 2019 3:21:55 GMT
Seeing the transformation magic set in was always a treat for Lasair. Elaine was suddenly there in front of him again, the bird bits of her gone and instead she was her smiling self again. He was still trying to work out the logistics to how mass was converted during shapeshifting spells, because the idea of it being gone was just too outlandish for him, but where exactly it went still remained to be seen. He had his own theories to work out however. "Thank you, again," he answered with a smile. "I'm not sure if there's anything I need to ask you, but I do appreciate the offer. We can chat where ever you like really." He thought over what else they could possibly do at her residence, his mind only finding options that felt realistically like dead ends. "How has the city been treating you as of late? Despite sitting and catching up, I do feel like I've missed some updates, at least in your personal life." His eyes drifted to the necklace she wore for a moment, wondering if something had happened, but feeling like it wasn't his place to just outright ask.
Post by Elaine Anncroft on May 24, 2019 4:20:37 GMT
"Come on then, the sofa in the drawing room is calling for me." She smiled and opened the door believing that Lasair was not often entertained at someone's house. She reasoned that she'd feel just as slightly out of place if it wasn't her own home. His questions made her hesitate with a slight intake of breath as she led him back down the hall to the open door frame which entered the little cozy sitting space. "Sit anywhere you like."
The room was comfortable and despite being small it felt open and breathable. Bookshelves lined the wall on the far end of the room, mostly filled with novels though there was still plenty of room for Elaine to place more when she bought them. An antique sofa rested against the wall under a window that Elaine had drawn back the curtains for, she enjoyed the sunlight more than the lamps and candles she kept. She gestured to it and the chairs that matched giving him the option of either as she sat herself down on the sofa and leaned over on the arm of it. A short table spanned the length of the sofa, making a perfect spot for Castiel who trotted in and squeezed up under it to lay down. His head on Elaine's feet with his ears perked between the two of them to listen. Elaine looked over Lasair for a brief moment wondering how much she was willing to tell him about the recent events that did nothing more than eat at her consciousness all the time. In short, her mind promptly and forcibly stuck everything in a trunk and shoved it to the forefront of her mind to be spilled.
She spoke openly with him, "Assuming you have no knowledge of directly after you left I'll start there, the city has been just as it always has. Nothing too rough for myself or my friends. Archie is getting many new customers now that the entire shop is actually clean and orderly. It's been amazing to see him go from grumbling over my sweeping to marveling at it. All my skills are getting put to good use as you can see. I've spent a lot of time with Edelweiss as of late as well, we've gone out to some interesting places." The diving trip came to mind and Elaine smiled slightly to herself before her smile vanished like smoke into an expression of deep, momentary sadness. She wouldn't bother hiding much of it from Lasair, it wouldn't do her any favors. "She's the only person I've seen as of late. Zona and Keefe have disappeared, though I don't believe it's anything bad," She explained quickly. "His shop is still there and it remains untouched and nobody has tried to claim it. Zona often goes off on her own little trips but usually, someone knows and I would hope out of all the people in Lodan I would have been the one that did. But it seems like they've both bolted off on a trip without saying a word to me..." Her fingers twirled the ring around the chain on her neck before sliding it back and forth against the links. "You were gone too but now you're back, that's certainly something to smile about." She offered with a short smile and a clear look of gratitude that at least someone came back before her attention went to Cas who woofed softly from his spot.
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on May 25, 2019 16:50:52 GMT
Lasair nodded to her suggestion, following her through the house and then to the welcoming little room. He took a seat on the sofa, leaving a bit of space between to the two of them so that he could turn and look at her as they talked to one another. His eyes stayed focused on her as she spoke at length, he caught the little mood shifts, how she seemed to be hiding a great deal of sadness under the surface. At least she was allowed herself some of that expression now; better late than not at all you know? Lasair did sincerely hope that he could continue to help her heal and grow as a person now that he was actually around to actively do so.
There was a brief moment where his mind tried to drift to his own recent past, the thick smell of dirt being recalled so strongly that he had to huff slightly to dispel it. This was Elaine's time, best to focus on her rather than himself. "I'm sorry that they've left you. I had been hoping to see at least see Zona now that I've returned, but well." He paused, trying to pick out the right words. "Maybe she'll return too one day." As she mentioned the bit about Keefe though, he frowned slightly. Had the lover boy really left without saying a word to her? That certainly wasn't something Lasair expected of him. It was, well, more like something that Lasair would do to be honest. "I'm glad I can be here for you. You've always been a wonderful friend to me." He offered her a warm smile, hoping it would help in someway, although he wasn't sure what other comfort to provide. He was among the deserters in her life after all.
Post by Elaine Anncroft on May 31, 2019 21:37:58 GMT
Elaine dropped her ring and leaned down to meet Castiel's head with some gentle scratches, Lasair's light huff not going unnoticed but more so unheeded. When he began to speak again she looked up and left Cas to his own as the dog laid back across her feet. His nose twitching as he sniffed the air constantly. The woman sat in thought about his words long enough to lean forwards and retrieve a rose pillow from behind her which she then settled in her lap so she could comfortably wrap her arms around it. Her fingers leaving soft indents in the plush surface. "I hope they at least send a letter soon...something. It's agonizing not knowing what's become of them or what adventures they've been on." Elaine took a gentle breath in and out almost to compose herself. She didn't quite feel grief over the absence of her fiancé and her good friend, at least not yet. It was more concern and a sense of desertion. However, with Lasair back and plenty of time spent with him, she didn't count him as a deserter. Call it blissful ignorance in the delight from his return. A smile lighting up her face, she was very glad he was back as well. "I hope to stay that same wonderful friend for as long as I live." She assured him before waving a hand absently and chuckled, "But enough heart-wrenching. You'll kill mine over if you keep talking so sweetly."
Sweetness aside now Elaine folded her fingers under her chin and rested on the heel of her hand, "Have the men from the ship you were working on called on you to come back again, the strong and brilliant sailor? You went from traveling to writing books and I'm intrigued about the dramatic shift in interests there." Her curiosity peaked as she remembered some things he'd asked about on their time spent together prior. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the secretive job offer of sorts you gave me last time we had a drink, would it?" Her tone was light though it was clear her curiosity was beginning to get the better of her. She may be secretive of her own works but the desire to know about the tempting words he'd said to her was starting to show though. She lifted her chin from her hand and returned to hugging the pillow close.
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Aug 6, 2019 20:41:36 GMT
He nodded along, mentally agreeing that she deserved a letter at the very least. But it was out of his hands. He couldn't magically summon them to return to the city, despite wishing there was a way he could. The agreement continued and he went to voice it, to continue the conversation with her, but she wanted to move on to something else. Understandable.
Upon bringing up the boat he had worked on, Lasair chuckled. "Not quite. It was a one time gig for me. I've ran into a couple of them and they've welcomed me back with open arms. But it's not something I wanna run off and do again. At least not yet." It took him a moment to realize what she meant by writing books, because his mind placed them out of order. He had been writing books since before he left, but she didn't know that now did she? She was referring to all the blank books he had purchased today. Right. She had already began to connect the dots about it too; she was always a clever one. "Perhaps they are related," he said with a grin. "I'm not a creative writer by any means, but I do occasionally feel like information needs to be organized, documented, and shared. And a book is simply the best way to do that." He gave a nonchalant shrug at that and then waited to see what question she would come up with next.
Post by Elaine Anncroft on Aug 15, 2019 3:28:33 GMT
Elaine grinned as he riddled her an answer to her curiosity. "Getting information out of you is like trying to squeeze a ship out of a bottle, it'll only come out in pieces. You are the predictable enigma of mystery." The woman straightened her back and squeezed the pillow in a slight stretch before relaxing, her eyes unusually bright as she considered him momentarily. Her gaze as soft and friendly as it always was with hardly concealed interest. "You run the guild that taught our youngest actors magic." She used the terms actors loosely, they had all been children who were informants as far as she knew. It was the best word she had to describe them passively. "I am interested." Elaine began though she did scrunch her nose briefly at a passing thought, "A change of scenery and forgetting some things would be quite a blessing." There were plenty of things that many people wished to forget but only a few got the option to make it a reality, Elaine was hoping to be one.
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Aug 17, 2019 0:45:31 GMT
'A predictable enigma of mystery' was not something Lasair had been called before. The title amused him, and he couldn’t help but smile a bit wider in response. However he became slightly more professional as Elaine continued; it wasn't often that he was addressed as a leader—in fact, he had almost forgotten that she knew about that. It had been so long ago, but well, information has a knack for sticking around when it's something with that much weight behind it. He knew she was (and probably still in) the second in command for the entertainer's guild, but he never got a full confirmation as to whether or not she worked within their inner circle. He had his suspicions, but could never be certain.
"I can't guarantee that you'll forget anything," he answered first, sitting forward in his chair. "But I am curious enough to ask; how interested are you?"
"All you need is love." -John Lennon
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