Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » A Mage Among Mages (Open)

Miriela stayed silent. It seemed the best to her. Silence was her choice method of dealing with almost everything. Mourning, irritation, contentment... and so on. Her expression was largely blank, her eyes distant. Death wasn't new to her. She'd seen it, often. And the deaths she'd seen were never pretty. She dismissed the memories that tried to bog her down.

Her eyes flicked to Pluvio when he spoke to her. "Hm?" It took her a moment to process what he said. After a moment, her mind came back to earth and she responded. "Ah... Yeah... most inns are small." With that said, she fell back into silence.

What was there to say? When people died in her village as a child, it was customary to mourn in silence. No tears, no crying, just silence. It was a way of showing respect and reverence for the dead. Those who cried were weak... and disrespectful.

Sleep was sounding better and better to her. She just wanted to sleep. To forget today and move into tomorrow. It was how she always did things with life and unpleasant things. Forget. It was easier to forget. The mind was good at that, forgetting. Within a few days, she could have all of this behind her and get back on the road, the way she liked things. Just her, the wind and the sky. Nothing else.

The Wizard smiled and patted Pluvio's shoulder as he walked into the building, "Thank you, friend." He stated and looked around with his Emerald-Hazel eyes, he smiled a bit more and walked in to see it was mainly empty. Few people sitting around and talking, a few people looked at the man as he entered. He had seen many looks in his life, some of fear, depression, anger, rage, lust and some of grief, or a hatred. But the looks given to him were just looks signifying the man will not be talked to by anyone else but the group.

He walked to the bar and put his left hand into his pocket, pulling out a good lump some coin and weighing it as he did previous, the coin making the cling and jingle that all grubs love hearing.

This, of course interested the man behind the counter and made him turn his head with a wide grin. As the two talked for a moment they mumbled about a room. As asked of the room, Sasuki had pointed to the group entering with his right thumb, seeing the left hand was occupied. The man's face was more excited, the more people, the more momey. He nodded and gave a price.

The Wizard clenched his fist at the sound if the price, the jingling stopped. He asked to reapeat and the man did so.

"Four people for two hundred pounds?!" He exclaimed with frustration. The man nodded hesitantly as he stepted back from the bar.

The wizard growled and slammed the coins onto the wood top of the bar, the coincs jumping a bit as he released them. He shuffled through his pocket for a moment and started to pull out another handful, the clerk's eyes were wide. Sasuki leaned in and mumbled something, which assumed was not good, due to the man behind the bar looking worried and frightened. He nodded with a shakey head.

The Wizard reached over the desk, his left leg lifting up as he leaned forward and his right foot was on its toes as he took a ring with small metal Keys on it. He walked away with an angered look to the merchant and marched to the group.

"Bloody barstard is a cheep little grub. Kataske ottomere, taking my damned money." He growled a bit and looked to them, lifting the keys as they jingled and swayed left and right. He chuckled a bit and threw the keys languidly to Pluvio, "you take first pick." He spoke as he awaited a response.

There were only a few rooms in the quaint inn. It seemed as though the place was empty, apart from the weary band of travelers. Upon watching the exchange between Sasuki and the clerk, Pluvio shook his head. He did not care much for the merchant class. Yet they were a necessary evil. As Sasuki returned and started to speak, Pluvio tossed a few coins to the wizard. They stayed together in the air, probably a result of some aerial manipulation. In return the keys came flying to him.

The storm mage caught the keys and looked at them. He wasn't sure if the keys were for separate rooms or if they were just extra. Upon closer inspection, it looked like they had the same number engraved on them. Inns always gave spare keys.

After walking to a narrow hall and turning down it, he found the corresponding number. The roomed seemed to be the largest one, based on the spacing between doors. The mage inserted a key into its spot and gave it a hearty twist. There was a clank, a pull and the door opened.

Opposite of the door was a small, closed window. There was a faint smell of mildew in the room. The accommodations were spartan to say the least. There were two sets of bunk beds on opposing sides of the room, perpendicular to the door.

Pluvio turned to Kiari and then to Miriela. "Ladies, first", he said figuring he'd let them set the bedding order.

There were four chairs surrounding a round table in the center of the room. A somewhat ornate rug covered most of the floor. All in all, it was a place to sleep and nothing more. Pluvio made his way around the center furniture and went to open the window. It parted with a creak and soon the sounds of the night, as well as fresh, crisp air crept into the room.

"Anyone want to hold the spare key?"

Kiari was disappointed that the inn did not have a bar inside. The events of that evening had left her parched. Sasuki's outburst was justified but she did not completely agree with it. Still, it was a little funny to watch the man behind the counter quake with fear. Akane had retrieved the keys and Pluvio had found their room. All the while Kiari followed with silence keeping her lips frozen. The room was fairly small in comparison to hers back home but that didn't mean much since she slept in the horse stalls.

Kiari could sleep in the house with her brother and mother, but she would have to share a room with her brother and horses didn't snore.

The woman took a seat nearest to the window at table. She was exhausted but she didn't feel completely comfortable in an intimate room with men. Her mother would throw a fit if she knew. Kiari gave a mental shrug and focused on the moon outside the window.

"Two hundreds pounds for this room? Isn't that generous?" she muttered beneath her breath with sarcasm. "Miriela or Sasuki can hold on to it. I would lose my nose if it wasn't attached. "

Miriela held her silence as they went in and Sasuki argued with the innkeeper.

Her mind was elsewhere. She was tired and it was hard to focus anymore. There was a river somewhere nearby. It took everything in her to ignore her instincts. Her expression got more and more agitated, her eyes were a little fogged. At least once, she shook her head hard, trying to shake off whatever was affecting her.

She had to focus. Her head was spinning a little. No, she had to focus. Every step took a conscious battle to be able to keep moving. The river. No. Water. No. She didn't have time for this. Why hadn't she noticed it sooner? But then, how would she explain her desire to avoid to bodies of water.... considering she was a water mage.

Once they were in the room, she just picked a bed and laid down. As soon as she laid down, she was asleep.

Sasuki took the keys gently from the hands of the Drow and smiled, "Merci." He commented with a smirk as he walked into the room, the smell was nothing for him and he was not really interested in taking the aroma of the room. He walked to the table and sat down in one of the chairs.

He saw Miriela and looked slightly worried, but as she settled it killed his worry and made him a bit more eased to be here. He didn't feel at home, but he felt safe... Ish.

He huffed at Kiari's comment and shook his head, "I didn't even pay him that amount, I do not want to waste that much money on a place for me to look out the window for the night." He commented, but smiled a bit as he looked to her, His Emerald-Hazel eyes looked back between the two and his flames were gentle house fires, ready to comfort and care. "But for you guys, despite it being the night only it has that we've known each other, I feel need to be generous. 'V course." He commented as he leaned back in his chair, the wood creaking against his spine and shoulders along with the floor boards itself, "I am always generous, so you guys are not spoiled." He chuckled a bit.

He relaxed a bit and sighed softly, "so anyone got any good stories here?" He asked as he turned his head to the two, not really certain if they were going to stay awake long enough to join him in story telling.

Pluvio leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. One idea came to mind. It was late and he was sleepy, so he probably wouldn't do the story much justice.

"Back in my early days of being a Mage, I lived in a town about two hours South from the drow enclave." His eyes had perked up and his velvety skin turned to slightly more of a brown than black in the moonlight. The dark, sable Mage continued his happy memory. "Once a year, we had the festival of the elements..."

He reached into his shirt, drawing a small flask from a hidden pocket inside of it. He paused to take a sip. The heavy smell wafted through the air. He offered the flask to Kiari and continued.

"It was a three day celebration.. But the best part was the dance of the elements. All of the head mages had their few hours of show time on a grand stage. I mean, the crowds were enormous. Think of the Tavern times twelve."

He withdrew one arm and leaned back in his chair. "I remember my first celebration... So there I was, trying to put on a light display and it was beautiful. My bolts came down from the sky and lit up the night... The thunderous booming drowned out all the crowd and music.."

He started to speak through a smile and his voice crackled a little with restrained laughter.

"But then I lost control of the storm!" He chuckled. "So it started pouring rain, I mean it was beautiful to me. But I got a lot of dirty looks, especially from the fire mages. One of them came up to me, swearing and accusing me of trying to upstage everyone. Just to annoy him, I told him he was right and that it was my best work ever.... When it was his turn, he tried so hard to upstage me that he accidentally set fire to a barn... Guess who he had to get to put out the flames..."

There was a pause...


"My apprentice." The storm Mage erupted with laughter and slapped both hands on the table, shifting his body weight towards the table again. Ah the Festivals were a good time of year..

After his story, there was a brief pause, signifying he was done.

She smiled at Sasuki. It had been generous of him to pay for them. If she had money, she would like to think she would be the same way. For a moment, she took comfort within his gaze. It was oddly relaxing to watch the twin flames. She recalled many nights of sitting beside a fire as her mother hummed softly in the background. It had been peaceful then, before the truth came out and her life reeled out of control.

Kiari looked away and stared out of the window with an exhaustion that aged the delicacy of her youthful appearance.

Quietly, she listened to Pluvio's story. The deep lull of his voice and the richness of the tone of it welcomed her to close her eyes and invited her to share a memory that was not as dark as the ones that nipped at the back of her mind. The humor in it tugged at the corners of her lips.

At the end of his story, she opened her eyes and watched Pluvio curiously. How many apprentices had he had before? Kiari hoped that she wouldn't be the worst one out of them all.

Her head leaned back against the chair after she tucked her legs under her and crossed her arms. The length of her curls spiraled down her shoulders with one wild strand falling down her cheek that she was too tired to move away. Kiari soon slipped into the hands of her exhaustion and fell asleep where she sat.

Sasuki chuckled a bit and smiled as he heard the story, "quite a tale." He mused as he leaned back, lifting his leg and placing it on the table, then his other as he pushed back and moved his chair to be diagonal while he balanced on it quite well. He smiled a bit as he glanced to Kiari to see her meditating, or something. He looked back to Pluvio and thought, probably a thought shared. How many apprentices did he have? The only one the Wzard had was a woman he wed not to long after.

He didn't dare move down that road, not now at least...

He cleared his mind and took a moment as he smiled again, "I wasn't born into the life of a..." What could he say? King? Ruler? Tyrant? Dictator? Anything but the actual word, it would give away eveything and they would fear and hate him no more than the others of his kind. "Leader." He commented. He chuckled a bit and looked at his lap for a second.

"I was born from a pair of adventures, my older brother, younger sister and I were moved away after birth and sent to another... Place." He commented and swallowed his thoughts, "I traveled for a while until I finally found my birthplace and found that it was not what it used to be. So I killed the man who did this terrible act on such kind people and I became a... Leader."

He held the smile, though the story didn't make much sense in the context and he seemed kind of odd in the fact that he paused, but it was a true thing nonetheless, he was indeed lead into this current state by mistake.

After telling his story, he looked to Kiari and noticed her breathing was different, her breast moved slowly and he thought a second, now realizing, she was sleeping, not meditating. He chuckled a bit and stood.

He walked to her and gently leaned the chair back until she was laying in it, then sliped his arm under her lower waist and picked her up. The chair started to fall but did not make a sound as it got near the floor, his foot was under it and stopped all noise from being made. He carried her slowly and softly to the bottom bunk of the second bed, making sure she was placed nice, easy and undidsturbed. She seemed to be sleeping well and he walked back to the table, fixing the chair and going back to his, sitting down again.

"I may be a bad story teller, I am sorry, but some things are hard to lay out on our group, plus I would like to wait until we are all awake." He commented quietly to Pluvio, a soft smile on his lips as his Emerald-Hazel eyes looked to his forest eyes, "in due time." He smiled more at the sound of his voice, the flames were now a normal pace and flow.

The truth of the matter was that Pluvio had never had an apprentice move to completion. He had tried not to mention other apprentices in the short time they had been talking. There was quite an unlucky streak of things... Happening to them. In the candor of the night, maybe he had said more than he should have. Luckily, it did not seem to pique too much interest. Of course, he was no mind reader.

His eyes slowly began to nod in and out of consciousness as the night began to catch up to him. He was able to keep up with Sasuki's story. He wondered exactly who or what he was.

The storm mage had a few guesses. For the time being, he knew he was a dark wizard. But what of race? Then again, as a drow, race was something he was not overly concerned with. He himself drew negative, hostile looks all over town. He expected that everyone would hate him, just because of who he was.

When the story was done and Sasuki stood, Pluvio stood with him. It looked like the ladies had left them the two top bunks. He clamored up into one, noisily and clumsily making his way up above Miriela. The room was still bright through his elven eyes, even though the torch had been left unlit. He made his way under the covers and shielded his eyes from the bright rays of moonlight, shining like a beacon onto his face.

As he finally rolled to the left and got comfortable, he heard the dark wizard's voice again. "You're not a bad storyteller, just... Mysterious."

One day Pluvio would figure out this enigma of a person. A little mystery was good anyway. As the last thoughts of the night crept into his mind, Pluvio realized he barely knew any of the group. He brushed up on what he remembered about each of them as he slowly began to fall asleep.

Hours began to pass. Sleep was like stolen time, thieved by a bandit in the waning hours of the daily cycle. The moon rose higher in the night until it was replaced by the light of the early morning sun. It sat on the horizon, illuminating the inn and the forest around it. The river noisily roared, almost drowning out the sounds of the morning birds, which chirped and danced in the trees above the forest floor.

After only a few hours, a delicate smell floated into the room. Breakfast! Almost as fast as he was asleep, Pluvio's eyes opened. He was still tired, but sleep was not one of favorite pastimes.. He was an early riser.

He stirred in his bed and begun to make his way down the bunk, this time with a little more elven grace. Yawning as he reached he floor, he made his way to the door without saying a word or checking to see if anyone was awake.

The mage made his way into the hallway, following the scent with his nose. It smelled a lot better here than it did last night. After a short walk, he found the spread. A bearded dwarf was piling food onto a relatively large plate. He must have been another guest.

There were eggs cooked in various styles. Pluvio grabbed one plate and covered half of it with eggs for the group. He wasn't much into eggs, but some people might be. Next, there was bacon and sausage. For the money that was charged, the drow decided it would be compensated mainly through food. He mentally dared a worker to come and complain.

He stacked the breakfast pork high on the other side of the plate, making sure there was enough for four voracious appetites. It might not be exactly enough, but they could always come out and get more.

He set down the first plate so he could dish up a second one. He moved onto the pastries. There were various, sweet kinds. Some filled with fruit, others coated with sugar. On the other half of the plate, Pluvio covered it with assorted fruit... Berries, grapes.. It was quite the spread.

There was still more, but Pluvio only had two hands. He carried the plates and headed back towards the room. When he got to the door, he balanced the plate on his right hand with his thumb and forefinger, while he barely was able to open the door with his palm and other fingers. He sighed in relief as he set the plates down on the table.

"Breakfast", he called out in a hushed tone. He stepped back out the open door, quietly closing it behind him. He'd have to go back for empty plates, utensils, MAYBE napkins, and a big tasty pitcher of fruit juice.

Sasuki hadn't slept last night, he was sitting down in the chair he was in last night. He watched Pluvio walk out and wondered what for as he was doing this, but figured he would get the notion of what happened in a minute. He just relaxed until the Drow showed up again.

He took in the thought of being mysterious, which he could say at this time he was, the enigma of this man that they've met was something to ponder on, or worry. Sasuki wasn't labeled as a bad person in his mind, but feared that everyone else would condemn him for even existing. He looked to the two, who seemed to be asleep, and was uncertain if either would do the same, Kiari and him seem to be getting to be better acquaintances, and Miriela and him are somewhat friends, but he was still uncertain of the whole thing.

As Pluvio returned with the food and placed it on the table, he announced it was time to feast and leaned forwards as he took a piece of meat. "Ah, wonderful, now I may enjoy a good feast after such a long night." He spoke as he took a bite of the meat, his fangs stabbing it and tearing it apart before the rest of his incisor teeth could even make a mark. He chewed on it and enjoyed the taste of it, pork it seemed. He smiled a bit with content and leaned back in his chair, the chair screaming in pain as he did so.

The smell of food and the sound of talking, stirred Miriela from her slumber. Her head came up of the pillow and she looked around with a groggy expression. With a quiet groan, her head flopped back onto the bed. Sleep had cleared her mind, and that meant that the effect of having a river nearby was lessened greatly. After a moment of slowly steeling herself, the water mage sat up.

Quietly, she rubbed her eyes and sighed. Then, she did her best to neaten her hair so it wouldn't end up in her face. With that done, she got up and looked at Sasuki who was eating. For a second, she watched him, before she stretched a little. Turning her back to him, she took a moment to stretch out her arms and back, working out any stiff muscles or joints.

The smell of morning air from the window was both nice and yet sparked anxiety. On the air, there was a hint of the smell of the river. Without a word of explanation, she walked across the room and shut the window to prevent the air from coming in.

Satisfied with the temporary solution, she walked over towards the food and paused, studying her options. Then, she remembered manners and glanced at Sasuki, "Morning." Her voice was a little hoarse, but calm.

He watched her wake and smiled a bit to see someone new to talk to was now present. He was curious what she was ready to say and do. He anticipated anything, from attack him to tackling him with lust. Both were obviously out of the qeustion but all of the things in between were open to use.

The Wizards's Emerald-Hazel eyes watched her run over and shut the window. He was a bit curious to her actions and smiled a bit, wondering what it was that caused this but had less and less worry as he eased into his chair, eating the morning snack.

He heard Miriela talk after looking to him for so long, "good morning, luv." He smiled a but, "how was your sleep?" He asked as his fangs tore another chunk, munching on it quietly as the flames flowed calmly in her direction.

Sunlight pooled into the room, making its bright way to her closed lids. Kiari rolled over on her side in attempt to dodge the dawn and steal five more minutes of sleep but the lack of hay poking her nose startled her. Usually, by now the mare would start to walk around in impatience for its morning meal but Kiari couldn't hear anything but voices. Sitting up, almost violently, her head collided with the upper bunk. A curse exposed itself beneath her breath as she rubbed her head and glanced around the room. The people within it brought back the night before and she remembered that she was not at home.

What she didn't know was how she had gotten into the bed. Perhaps, she had been too tired to recall making the trip from the table to the bed.

Kiari tamed the mass of curls on her head that had favored the side she slept on and stubbornly remained there. Going over to the table, she smiled.

"Good morning!" she exclaimed, sizing up the yummy food with her ravenous gaze.

Usually, she was not permitted to indulge in simple pleasures as pastries due to the unwanted carbs. Her mother was strict on the foods she ate in hopes to preserve the youthful beauty and attraction of Kiari's subtle curves. It reminded Kiari of the way farmers stuffed their lifestock before slaughter day. The slaughter day for her would be the day she went through with the arranged marriage and spoke a vow under discipline instead of unrivaled love. The reminder of it, left a sour taste in her mouth and ruined her appetite.

The woman mumbled something about needing to bathe before excusing herself to take a cool morning swim.

Walking back towards the room, he noticed a familiar outline approaching. It was Kiari. The mage's hands were full with a stack of tin cups, a jug of juice and everything else they needed to eat properly. There had already been silverware at the table, he noticed earlier.

He nodded to her, "Leaving already?"

It became apparent by her response that she was heading out for a swim. The freedom of the river and the gravity defying pressure it could provide started to sound better than the feast.

"Do you mind if I join you? Unless of course, you're going to get indecent." Pluvio's dark skin barely blushed as he said this, not knowing how she would take his request.

"Okay, well I'm just going to eat a little something and we'll see what's happening by then." He nodded and continued back towards the room.

The door had been cracked open, so all the drow had to do was barge in using his shoulders. "Juice", he said excitedly as he placed the items on the table and arranged them. Whatever they didn't finish could be taken on the road later, except for the eggs of course.

The storm mage focused on the fruit... Of course. He went straight for the dark, rich cherries and started eating them right away. It appeared the other two were in mid conversation. He didn't want to interrupt. There was one question, or rather an invitation, he had for them. He reached for a pastry and begun to eat it quickly.

They still had a decent walk ahead. Carbs for the road would be a good thing.

"I slept well." She said, offering no further details. With that said, she picked up some grapes and one of the pastries and settled herself in a chair. Her attention turned completely to the food and she nearly forgot that Sasuki was there.

Pluvio came in with drinks and then left. She poured herself some of the juice and drank it. Clearly, she was not in a mood for conversation.

Eventually, she satisfied her hunger and got up. "What now?"

Sasuki laughed gently as she continued to eat everything she had. He wasn't the least bit bothered with the lack of conversation, he's been through the worst of things and having a bit of silence was not something he was bothered by.

He finished up all of the food he needed and drank what he wanted before standing up and stretching a bit as he walked over to the door, "Well," he commented as he turned his head to Miriela, "I have to meet with Mary, I can only go so long without her." He joked as he opened the door, a chuckle gently running through his voice.

He noticed the two talking in the halls and assumed it was either idle chat or something important. He didn't want to be the one to break the conversation so he created shadow limbs and pressed them to the wall as he crawled over them and made his way over to the bar, intent on getting what he needed.

Kiari halted in the hall as Pluvio approached and began speaking to her. With an abrupt shake of her head, she answered his inquiry of her leaving. Deep down she knew her mother would be irate that she had yet to return but she could not bring herself to feel anything but indifference towards the fact. His blush and comment made her laugh.

"I'm not that bad looking am I?" she joked, lightly. "I won't be long but you're more than welcome to if you want. "

Pluvio rushed off soon after her words were said and she migrated down the hall. Before she could make it to the door, she spotted Sasuki at the bar. It seemed a bit early for a drink but to each his own. Kiari contemplated about going over to him but she was not sure if he was in the mood for conversation, so instead she continued on her way outside.

The grass was soft under her feet and the sun was warm against the back of her neck. It was a nice day for a swim, maybe just a bit cold with the breeze. Under the shade of a few trees next to the lake, she sat down on the shore and dipped her feet into the icy water. Kiari sighed, dismissing the chance of swimming. Her feet kicked beneath the water as she placed her elbows on her knees and held up her chin with the palm of her hand while she relaxed beneath the sun.

The storm mage had talked to Miriela before he left while eating some berries. "I'm about to go freshen up in the river. There is something I want to ask of the group once we are all next together. It would be a big undertaking, but it would be worth it."

Before she could reply, the storm mage stood up, smiled warmly and turned... Exiting the room.

It was a quick walk back through the halls. Soon he noticed Sasuki at a bar that had been closed the night prior. It looked like a place that might have a few drinks made well.

Pluvio approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey Sasuki", he said warmly. "There is something I must ask of you. I need your help. I'll be outside for a few minutes, washing my face. Once you and Miri are done with breakfast, you should meet us out there."

He waited for the dark wizard's reply, nodded, smiled and headed out the door towards the river.

His eyes focused on Kiari in the distance, sitting with her feet in the water. He crouched low and approached her in a stealthy manner. A sinister thought of pushing her in playfully crossed his mind, but that might be a little too much. Instead he sped up so that she would hear him approaching at the last minute and he playfully roared as he got near her.

His gaze made sure she was not falling towards the water as he was close enough to snag her if necessary. Yes, he was a little too old for this sort of behavior, but one who works with lightning and rain all day must have some sort of imaginative, childlike spirit. He stopped short and moved to her side, sitting next to her.

He still wore his gloves as he reached down to untie his boots. One by one, he lowered his bare feet into the water. The water seemed to vibrate around his bare feet, as if it were being stirred. He feet stayed motionless however. His eyes glanced over towards Kiari.

"Still nervous about your meeting with the drow? I have an idea that just might make things a little easier."

Miriela observed the coming and going of the others. Once alone, she settled to think. For a time, she could try to fight the influence of the nearby river. She stood and went to her bag and opened it and pulled out her spell book and flipped through it rapidly, seeking what she wanted.

As she found the page she needed, she looked around to be sure she was still alone in the room, then she put a hand to her head and muttered incoherently to herself, casting some kind of spell. When she was done, she took a deep breath, relieved to feel the tug of the river fade as the spell worked. Then, she put her book back in her bag and pulled her bag on and headed downstairs.

The mage was undecided if she desired to stay with the other three... or move out to be on her own.