[OPEN] Have a Fiery Birthday

[idolater]

Who: faithfulflame & all her friends!
When: IC Apr 17 / OOC Dec 05, afternoon
Where: CERES Gardens
What: it's Rei's birthday! naturally, Ami and Minako have planned a party for her, outside in the Gardens. if you're Rei's friend, you're welcome to attend! party-crashers may be escorted out!
Rating/Warning: none for now, but who knows what will happen!



[Minako takes a step back, hands on her hips, to look at the display before her. a safe section of the CERES Gardens has been sanctioned off for Rei's birthday party. and with the weather always being the same in Cerealia, it's a sunny and warm April day. she grins to herself, checking out the various corners, each decorated with a bundle of red and white balloons so that people can easily find the area.

Ami and Rei would be here soon, as would the guests, so that gives Minako the chance to do one more glance over each of the stations; there's a long buffet table, with most of the food supplied by Archer, while other smaller goodies have been provided by Ami and Minako. the cake is hidden away, for now, out of the sun. Minako's also arranged for there to be a mini stage for dancing, or karaoke. she couldn't pass up the opportunity to perform, after all. and there's so much technology in this world that she had to make use of it! hopefully Rei would enjoy that, even if it isn't her scene.

lastly, there's a gift-table, specifically for dropping off presents. if Minako is right, she's certain that Rei will be getting a lot of them. Rei had made so many friends in Cerealia. so many people seemed to love her and wanted to give back to her. just thinking about how many lives Rei had touched in her short stay here makes Minako's grin widen. she was really lucky to have a wonderful girlfriend. she hoped she could convey her feelings properly, by helping plan this party.

...all right, that's enough feeling sappy! it's time to get this party started! Minako turns on the music (it's classical, lightly playing in the background), and then stands by to welcome guests]

Comments

[faithfulflame]

[Rei is certainly quick, being the daughter of the leading politician in her country had required that. Just so she could stay out of sight. Her schooling and education had been geared towards proper society as well, and she had thousands of years of memories of court-life in the Silver Millennium. But more than that? She was observant.

Accepting and opening the box, she blinked at the small bangle, but after a moment her face lit up. She slipped it around her wrist and studied it further, curiosity and gratitude made plain on her face.]

This is...a fine gift. [Running a finger along it, she returned her attention to his, meeting his eyes directly] An enchantment on it? I can feel the energy there.

[She's made no secret of her ability to onmyoudo talents, so she's supposing someone told him about that.]

Thank you, Prince. I've never been given a gift quite like this.

[virdeant]

There is. [ He offers her a small smile; he would have been disappointed if she hadn't sensed the enchantment, truthfully. Moreover, he took pride in his magic, even if it was something incredibly basic.] It is a basic spirit enchant.

You are welcome. Are enchantments uncommon in your world?

[faithfulflame]

Spirit. [She eyes the bangle again trying to see what exactly he'd done. There was no malice in him, she could sense that much, and that sense of pride in his words? Well that was as much a gift. She didn't seek praise from others ever, but this was a surprising turn.]

They are. Magic in general is uncommon, if not outright rare. We rely more on technology, though spiritual practices aren't devoid of their own kinds of magic. At least, if the stars align right.

I was born lucky, in that regard. I suppose you sensed that?

[virdeant]

Indeed. Magic is important to me, as it is to my people. [ The years of training certainly helped too.]

The priests in Azeroth also practice spells, but they refer to it as the Light. Are your powers similar? [ From what little he had gathered, they bared some resemblance; he had felt a tug at his mind that day in Vivid, which reminded him of Shadow Priest.

In the end, it was simply information for information. For as much as Kael was wary of humans, his curiosity and love of magic superseded all things, to a fault.]

[faithfulflame]

Light? [Rei frowns a little, debating.] I’m not sure if I’d call my abilities related to Light. They’re more…I see things before they happen, and I can sense things other people can’t. Auras, emotions, patterns in people, and sometimes I can just…nudge them with my mind, to calm them down mostly. And I can bind and command spirits, but that’s something anyone can do if they know the right words to say and have a strong will. I suppose the easiest way to describe it is that I’m psychic.

[And because it’s also common knowledge, and it’s obvious he’s a mage himself and it won’t set him against her…]

I can create and shape fire. [For proof, she holds up a finger and wills a candleflame to life a few inches above it.] It’s more difficult, but I’m getting better at creating bigger flames. And even more with your gift. That was already easier than it was when I realized I could do it.

[virdeant]

[ Even if Rei's powers weren't strictly related to the Light, they seem similar enough. Mind, aura and emotions were all the domain of priests, yet divination was an oft neglected branch of arcane. It was all rather curious, particulary her mention of divination, something he would have to inquire more about at a later point.

But as soon as she mentions fire, his eyes light up. He watches her display with his head tilted, thoughtful.] 

Mastery of fire requires a strong will.  [He holds his palm up,  as a flame flickers into being. The fire twists and grows into a shape of a small phoenix, before it extinguishes.]

[faithfulflame]

[Her eyes spark to light at that sight, whole face seeming to radiate interest. That's...certainly something one might expect from a mage, but still, it was something else entirely to see it rather than expect it.]

I...can understand that. [She let out a weak huff, quite impressed. Short of...well...herself and her Nemesisian counterpart she'd never seen anyone do anything so casually expressive with fire.]

The deity I primarily serve is one of magic and flame. I learned a few lessons about fire early, like how to read it, and see things in it. But conjuring it is something I won't master for a long while yet. It's a rare enough craft at home that I have to figure it out myself mostly.

[virdeant]

[ Kael recognizes her interest, it similar to his own at magic displays. Of course he had been more showy than he needed to, but it wasn't often in this place that he felt like he had the upper hand in knowledge.

Her reply makes him even more piqued about her powers though: the more he learned about them, the more he was convinced it was a mix of arcane and the Light. He could see the merits and disadvantages to such a thing, but maybe her God was less fickle than the ones he knew.]

I spent many years studying the arcane, but it is less about the texts, and more about applying them. [ He had seen many apprentice fall prey to thinking that flame could be tamed with logic.]

Then with what do you do battle with here if not fire?

[faithfulflame]

[At that, Rei has to smile in kind, a little slyly at that. She understands the nature of fire, but her own fighting abilities? Well, without transformations she's a bit more limited, though she's proud of her human skills as well.]

I can use fire if I don't have to make it myself, it's easier to control if it's not from me, but that's not practical most of the time. I'm actually fairly well versed in martial arts, and I'm a good archer and passable with the other weapons of my order. But mostly, I use Onmyoudo.

[Her finger slips into her pocket and she pulls out a strip of paper covered in elaborate and obviously magical writing. It has a quiet hum about it, the solid power of faith.]

A kind of spiritual art, with these strips of paper as the focus. It can paralyze evil beings, and be used to bind and control spirits. Which is primarily what I have to deal with, when it comes to fighting.

[virdeant]

[ In contrast, Kael's own skills would be limited, as he relied on magic for pretty much everything. His skill with a sword was passable, but he viewed blades as a means to enhance magic, much like everything else.]

I have not run into many priests who take so willingly to physical weapons. You have many talents it seems, Rei. [ Most priests in his world shunned the more physical weapons, 'eaving such a thing to the domain of paladins.]

Is that the type of enemy Ceres utilizes?

[faithfulflame]

[Magic is pretty versatile though!]

It's tradition and practicality, there's no reason to eschew things that could be useful. But thank you.

[It does feel nice, having an accomplishment recognized. No matter who's doing it, so long as there was no expectation, and it doesn't seem like that from him at all.]

And...yes, at times. They have captured beasts made of living shadow, and ghosts as well. Primarily their agents are machines, but Onmyoudo can also affect humanoids, if applied correctly. Attacking pressure points or chakras. It's...largely useless against robots though.

[virdeant]

[That's pretty much what he thinks of it, but Kael isn't exactly known for sticking to tradition.]

I am fortunate then, that fire is not selective. [ A machine couldn't feel it's skin burning, but an explosion would take out artifacts just as it did to living flesh. He's not sure how ghosts would react to fire, though.]

[faithfulflame]

You are. [That much was true, and would attest to all of that.]

Perhaps one day I'll have more chances to really practice the arcane arts. I am only nineteen, I've got a little life left in me for learning. It's just much more peaceful at home, now.

[virdeant]

From my experience, humans learn quite fast. Cerealia may afford you that opportunity, yet. [ Kael was no stranger to what humans were capable of when determined, whether the outcome be good or bad.]