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There's need for some preparations, and Liezel is finally getting around to them. She's shamelessly sitting right on the ground behind the podium, a set of blueprints laid out in front of her, along with a set of spectacularly shiny Lunargent ritual tools on a sheet of felt. She's been sitting, and singing, for a good thirty minutes nearly, and if the increasing swell of the sound of the celestial accompaniment, and the rising drum of thunder- or perhaps gunfire- percussively punctuating her words, is any indication, the spell is nearing completion as light gleams off the Lunargent mirror in her left hand and the similar knife in her right, and starts to catch in midair, thought becoming form as the Matter Master weaves a complex, multi-layered spell towards completion.(edited)
(For reference - 11 base -10 for indefinite duration, -4 for a triple-combined spell, +2 for singing the requiem she's singing, +2 for using High Speech while she sings to speak the Imago of the spell into being, +1 for using a Path Tool (perfected materials), +1 for using an Order Tool (her knife) for a whopping total of three dice, insured by a steadfast.)
Dicecord-CoD
BOT
@Fe (He/Her) rolled 3 dice and got 1 success. 10(7) 3 2
Diamond appears in the consilium hall wearing a light pink button up shirt alongside a black pencil skirt and little heels that clicks on the floor as she makes it further into the Hall of the consilium, her hands clutching her purse and her attention drawn to the spell being woven, activate her Matter sight when she recognize the particulars of the spell's theme and observe it become reality, curious about the ongoing project. There is magic active around her too, result of her daily rituals of course.
She watches on quietly, studying the impressive display.
As the accompaniments draw to a climax, sweat beading her forehead, Liezel brings her arms dramatically across her front and swings them wide, using her wrist to snap shut the compact holding the fantastical mirror. The instant she does, the shimmering light becomes solid, and the sound of metal clattering to the stage fills the air- that, and the sound of Liezel panting for breath. On the ground in front of her are a trio of weapons- a lever-action shotgun, a revolver, and a bolt-action rifle. They look pristine, freshly made- because, of course, they are.
Liezel seems to come back to herself, and notes Kay nearby, lifting a hand in her automatic greeting, still recovering from the exertion of the spell, opting for the gesture over words- and thus breath.
Kay claps her hand in applause, a little smile as she approaches the other magi. "May I join your side? I'm curious about what I just witnessed." She comments, as she approaches, pointing to the newly appeared weapons next to Liezel, a warm smile touching her lips. "Perfected weapons or creation from out of thin air?"
"Oh. Ah. Creation. I can't- create Perfection out of nothing. These are for the Rat Hunt. I'll have to hold the spell until then, but they'll come in handy, to be sure. I can't afford to have the weapons I really want crafted, so... for now, I'm making do." She leans forward and starts examining the weapons, all of them notably unloaded. She didn't create bullets, after all. "How are you, Kay?" She's still a little breathless, but as friendly as she ever is.
"Impressive!" Kay compliment, genuine and a bright, shining smile touching her lips and light up her eyes. She sits down nearby and observe the newly created items for a moment, then turn to Liezel again. "I'm doing okay, considering various personal projects and approaches to my own path. I'm beginning to understand Life Magic."
"Oho? Are you? Who are you learning from? Is it independent study, or?" Liezel is distinctly curious on that front, even as she sets down the revolver to check the rifle, ratcheting the bolt a couple times, clearly pleased with how smooth the action is.
"I'm learning from Mary for Life and I'm needing to understand it because I'm beginning to see and understand something and..." Kay takes a deep breath. "Well, I think I may be slowly getting an idea on how to form my own Legacy, shape my own soul into something more potent."
"Oh! That's truly exciting. I didn't form my own," Liezel admits. "But if you do, that's- well. A rather potent legacy of its own." She nods firmly, setting the rifle down and taking up the shotgun, spinning it through the lever-action once, testing its balance and again being clearly pleased. "What will yours do?"
"I'm still only feeling the potential, until I'm actually even an initiate of Life, it'll be hard to shape it." She leans forward. "I feel as if I've shaped my whole understanding of death in a certain way and now I see how to complete it in a sort of cycle with life." she smiles. "Not that I've been wrong, but that I might not have seen the whole picture."
"I can understand that," Liezel offers. "It wasn't until I started seeing matter through the veils of Prime and Death that I started to see how materials could be made to be more than they are. Maybe you'll find some sort of deep understanding like that in your journey?"
"Hopefully I can find something interesting in the process." Kay says with a shrug of her shoulder. "I can feel there's something there, but I don't know how deep it goes or how complex it'll be. I'm looking forward to the journey at the very least." she smiles. "How are you settling it with your people?"
"It's going alright. You know me," Liezel offers. "People aren't really my deal. But they like me well enough and we work together well. It's been good. Everything been good with you and yours still, I hope?"
"Yes, we're starting on working on finding other projects among us." Kay explains with a shrug. "We're helping our apprentice and she's helping us." she nods. "The tools you made have been helping her along too.".
"Great! I can't tell you how exciting it is that people are enjoying my tools," Liezel says, sincerity clear in her voice. "I've had a lot of fun making them all, and- well. I WAS getting new customers every day for a bit, but I guess most of the people who want them now, have them. That frees me up to make some for other people, though." She smiles quietly. That seems to make her happy.
"I may need something done for myself eventually, but I'm going to need to have an actual plan and not like..." She shrugs and smile. "Just a vague idea that might turn out to be nonsense when I try it out."
"Well, just let me know once the idea strikes, hm? Better an exploration unsuccessful than unventured."
"Oh, of course. I just need to review exactly what one of my spell can do and understand the specific of an interaction between ephemera and the physical." Kay explains summarily.
"Was there a partticular about that interaction you were curious about? It might be something I've encountered?" Liezel asks hopefully.
"I'm trying to remember if ghost can animate or control object." Kay explains to Liezel, leaning into her bench. (come in!)
Mary slips into the hall on her usual (when she can manage it) bare feet. Dressed in a sky blue dress that stops mid calf, she nears the pair and offers a wide smile, raising a hand to wave and stopping to kiss Kay's cheek in greeting. "Hey you both. You're looking busy. Ah, not interrupting, am I?"
"Oh! Well, certainly. It's a pretty basic thing, if I recall. I haven't studied ghosts in a while but I'm nearly positive that's a pretty common trait- poltergeists, after all," Liezel offers, smiling at Mary and waving.
"You're not interrupting, we were talking a bit of magic stuff." She leans into the cheek kissing and smiles at her. "And yeah, I suppose that would be feasible." she ponders for a moment.
"I do love magic stuff." She smiles keenly, taking a seat. "Even if this sounds like it's not my fieid. How are you both doing today?"
"I am doing well. I accomplished a particularly complicated piece of magic, and we have been discussing ghosts a little. What of you, Mary? Anything new?"
"Yep, I'm starting to map the spells I want to use." She grins and drums her fingers against the back of the bench. She looks toward Mary. "Yeah? Anything new?" a wink.
"Well, I'm teaching you and Maddy a little about Life. Which I'm enjoying." She smiles wryly at Kay. "And I'm hunting for a magical project to sink my teeth into." Settling and getting comfortable she nods at Liezel. "That sounds intriguing, what did you manage?"
Liezel smiles quietly, listening to the others chatter about Life and projects. "Well, I created three different items, with an indefinite time span, all at the same time, using only a single Imago, without risking Paradox. Which I think is pretty impressive."
"It is." Kay gives a bright smile there and smiles for a bit, then she looks at her phone for a little bit. (pose around me, I need to get food.)
"Pretty much." She smiles broadly at Liezel. "I do like the art of creation. Whether it's Life, Matter, Death or another arcana, creative means is a pretty big finger to the Lie."
"It is! Sadly, I haven't really got a good way to keep things around," laments Liezel, "Though that's almost more interesting. 'Here is a thing I have Made. It will be here as long as I want it to be, and not a moment longer."
(back) "Impermanence is an interesting concept when it comes to our most advanced magical abilities." She smiles and shrug her shoulders.
"That's just it, yes." Mary nods. "The Lie wants to press things back to the mundane, it takes a lot to combat that. But not all spells are meant to last for good. I mean, being a bird is fun, but I still need this shape a fair amount."
"And yet, things can be made to stay Perfect," Liezel muses, "With the proper efforts. I like that. It's why I was drawn to it. Something that can put the lie to the Lie."
Flap flap flap.
Bonk.
Bonkbonkbonk.
The soft sound of wings from the hallway, and then the sound of something hitting against one of the doors.
"Jesus Christ," there's a disgruntled curse from a nasally voice just outside the door. "You seem to like being an animal an awful lot, Fox - but." There's a momentary pause - which one can probably assume is filled by Leta giving an I told you so look - and then the door opens. "Flight doesn't mean shit when compared to the power of functional thumbs." She adjusts her messenger bag, stepping inside after letting the owl through.(edited)
(With 5, should we stay in order or switch to 3pr?)
(I'm good with 3pr) Kay laughs at the tirade from Leta and she waves the woman's way and then to the owl suddenly coming into the building "How're you people?" she ask, grinning bright.
"Does Perfect exist?" Mary ponders. "What works sometimes doesn't in others, and there's always room for something to be developed in other ways." She looks up at the flapping, the bonking and the tirade, then beams widely as Leta and Fox making their way in, nodding in delighted fashion. "Tch, flight is freedom. And, hey." She waves at Leta. "I'm Mary, god to be meeting another Fox friend."
Liezel gives Mary a very strange look. "... of course Perfect exists. The Supernal exists, and a Thing which reflects its Supernal truth perfectly is- Perfect. You are thinking of something else. I think what you are thinking of is-" She considers the word a moment. "-Universal Ideal. Like a panacea that would cure all ills, or a key to fit all locks. That is different. That is asking "can a value equal all values?" To which the answer is "not without cheating." But if the question is merely "can a value be itself?" Then the answer becomes "with help."
She looks over as Leta and Fox enter, and Liezel lights up, sharing a smile from ear to ear in that direction. "Hello, Fox. Hello, Abbott."
Flap flap flap. Fox - currently a massive snowy owl, because why not? - flies up and lands on Leta's shoulder. And if her talons grip uncomfortably tight, well, these things do happen. She flutters her wings a bit, and then takes off again, oops, she lightly bapped Leta's head with her wing. Oops. A graceful swoop through the room, skating around Kay and Mary, and then she lands on Liezel's shoulder.
"Flight may be freedom in some places, but I know at least one door that provides proof that those places are elsewhere." The rail-thin Psychonaut clears her throat, unslinging her messenger bag from her shoulder after Fox's talons dig in. She's wearing a black coat (that hopefully wasn't damaged) with golden filigree, and brass buttons over her black jeans and button up this morning - after all, it's 60 degrees outside, and Leta is from Texas where that's considered cold. "Hello Liezel. Mary. Kay." She rubs the back of her head. "And perfect exists... it's just a state of mind. It means what you want it to mean."
Kay remains rather still when the bird flies around her head, not wanting to bump into the snowy bird as it made the rounds there. "Anything I will say about perfection will probably be used against me, so I'll remain quiet for now." she's clearly saying with a tone of jest there, bumping shoulder with Mary. "Doing okay, Leta?" inquiring, likely after their previous interactions.
Warning, mage talk approaching. She ponders Liezel thoughtfully, reaching up as Fox flaps around to let her hand lightly brush against the edge of one of those wings. "There's perfection in the Supernal, but it goes so very deep. What we see of it might be superseded by something even deeper, likely is. To quote a movie that should have been better, 'there's always a bigger fish'." She smiles, looping an arm around Kay's shoulders after the shoulder bump to give a light hug. "Ah, a note on evol.. sorry, I'll stop my rambling." She chuckles. "I like your coat by the way."
The owl stares at Anthelion for a long moment, then alights gracefully from Liezel's shoulder, swooping back up to the auditorium's door, closed once more.
Fun fact: a snowy owl is heavy enough to put enough pressure on an accessible door handle to open it, just by landing on it. And their talons can hold on to the handle while it does.
You know, like the raptors in Jurassic Park.
Fox is demonstrating this right now. While turning her head all the way around so she can still stare at Anthelion.
The door goes click and opens slowly, as Fox sliiiiiides off the end of the door handle and tumbles to the floor, then rights herself, shaking her feathers back into place and stopping by the open door to preen the guide feathers on her left wing.
Liezel folds when Mary pushes the point. She lowers her head towards the stage where she's sitting and puts her hands to work collecting the brilliant, gleaming Lunargent tools she was working her magic with, and the firearm diagrams beneath them. The way her brow furrows says pretty clearly she disagrees, but either isn't willing or able to explain further why she thinks that Mary is wrong- and just as clearly states that it's frustrating her. With the diagrams and tools packed, she busies herself looking over the immaculate specimens of firearm technology sitting on the stage itself- a high-caliber revolver, a lever-action shotgun, and a bolt-action rifle that looks like it could take down an elephant.
Unfortunately... this also means Liezel's little tantrum causes her to miss Fox's delightful counterdemonstration. Which is sad. She'd have liked it.
Kay looks over to Liezel, mildly confused for a moment as she tries to understand what happened there in particular, tilting her head to the side, eyes narrowed at the woman. Before turning to catch the tail end of what Fox is doing, enough so she gets the idea of what's happening, making her laugh and snort at the sight. Sending a thumbs up toward the feathered Fox.
"Yeah, well." The Mastigos purses her lips, and there's a hint of something on her face for a half-second before it disappears. She shrugs, snarking that Fox-Owl right back. "I didn't have to tumble to the floor in order to open it, so I think we're just going to have to consider this a draw, then." Beat. "... and thank you for your concern, Kay. I'm doing just fine - I was doing fine before I even fell asleep last night. The experience was enlightening and I already have plans to do it again "
Mary blinks and bites her lip at Liezel's reaction, falling silent herself and rubbing arms lightly. Fox gets a slight smile at their antics and demonstration, but it's devoid of the cheer she usually displays. "She's pretty inventive." She notes to Leta with a nod.
There isn't a rush of Nimbus or magic when the owl flows forward from snowy white to flame orange - Legacies are like that - but there is a rush of little soft feet going pap pap pap down the stairs because Liezel missed her showing off and she comes running down to circle the Obrimos' feet and then sit on said feet and HUFF LOUDLY.
HOW DARE, HONESTLY.
SUDDENLY Foxes! Or, well. One Fox. Liezel is appropriately startled! She relaxes once things start to make sense, though, and sets aside the rifle to reach out to hug herself against Fox-on-her-feet. "You seem frustrated. Is everything okay, Fox?" Nothing like care for another to defuse personal internal anguish.
"Well I would fucking hope so," Leta adopts a haughty tone, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face. One that was probably knocked out of place when SOMEONE smacked her head with their wings. "She's not actually an Owl - and opening doors doesn't exactly require inventive." She turns on her heel, fetches her bag from the ground, and stalks off over to find a seat near an outlet - which she drops into with a light fumpf.(edited)
Kay smiles and kiss Mary's cheek and squeeze her shoulder with a gentle arm and smile her way, obviously trying to comfort Mary a little bit and she smiles. Then looks to Leta with a raised eyebrow before shrugging it off and then turning her attention to Fox and Liezel. "Fox did something funny and you missed it and she's making big feathery eyes at you for it, I think." She explains
"There'll be other chances." Mary notes, smiling more earnestly and settling against Kay with a nod. "I am fighting the urge to do some shapeshifting myself." She admits. "But I'd never be as cute or funny at it."
"Oh."
Liezel's face falls a little. "I am sorry I missed your funny something. I am sure it was very amusing. Do you want to show me, Fox? I will watch if you do." She does seem to recover while she speaks to Fox.
Who wouldn't?
Huff! Fox huffs a bit at Liezel, and leans into the hug she's given, starting to chatter in that specific way that foxes have. Gekkering, that verb that everyone knows now. I can't do it again without risking paradox again, and I've already been careless today, it would make Vasha cross. I'll show you another time. Not that anyone can understand that right now. She huffs at Mary, and Leta, too! Huff!
Tragically, Leta misses the huff. The antisocial little Mastigremlin has already leaned back in her chair, crossed one leg over the opposite knee, and put in a pair of white earbuds - which are currently producing staticky music as she fiddles with the screen of her phone.(edited)
"Oh come on, you just haven't tried to do the bunny yet." She grins brightly at Mary and bump shoulder with her again, grinning. "Speaking of which, that's going to be super fun." Kay move a strand of her hair back behind her ear.
"Oh. Well. Maybe later." Liezel has no idea what Fox said, but he didn't move, so she's just going to assume that means they aren't interested in a repeat performance just now. She goes back to what she was doing- looking over her firearms unnecessarily, as if the mystically created, beyond-idealized items are going to be less than stellar. "Can you hear how smooth the actions are better like this, Fox?" She slides the bolt back and ratchets it back into place, watching Fox for a reaction. She's still a bit off center, and trying to use what she knows to ground again.
Mary goes a little red, but nudges Kay back. "I'm not doing that now." She laughs quietly. "Fox might eat me." She winks at the other Thyrsus. "I'd love to stay, but I've gotta get myself back home. I'll see you there later on?"
The little Thyrsus bares her teeth playfully at Mary, makes a little sound that's a bit like laughter, and then nods her head at Mary. And then she turns her head towards Liezel and suddenly her head cocks to the side curiously, ears twitching and swiveling.
"Bye Mary, I'll see you back home." She waves at her, return a cheek kiss and makes a heart-shape with her hand as her Cadremate left, then made her way a little closer to the conversation between the Fox and Liezel, her attention only shifting back toward Leta for a moment, wondering if there was some magic at work there. (oh yeah, fyi, Matter sight active from the start of the scene, in case it matters)
The whisper of the bolt is tremendously gentle. It's like listening to a door hiss open on the Enterprise, hardly audible at all. Actually, Kay probably doesn't hear the bolt move, just click at the end of each movement. "It's fascinating. It's- like the... shoot. What's the term. Platonic ideal of a rifle. Magic is incredible. I took the idea of the rifle off the page and just- made it. No machining, no mistakes, no metal spurs to rasp about... just clean, clever design." She speaks softly. She's- truth told, not fully aware that their company has reduced. She's fixated.
There is Fox and firearms and- well, until someone does something to intrude, that seems to be all she's paying attention to.
There's a slight interruption in Leta's music as a notification triggers the auto-pause function. The room can hear a very audible brrrink! play through the earbuds - easily recognizable as the discovery sound effect from Metal Gear Solid - and Leta nearly leaps out of her chair from the volume of the thing. She peers at the phone for a half-second, then her bag is slung back over her shoulder, and she hurries out the door without saying goodbye.
Whatever it was she received in that text message must've been important - or perhaps she just didn't want to interrupt anybody's interesting conversation. Who knows?(edited)
Kay waves as Leta leaves and then moves a little closer to examine and listen to Liezel speak about her guns and the form of magic that function there. "Hmm, sometimes I wonder what it would've taken for me to focus more on Matter rather than Death." she marvels and wonders seeing the tools before them.
Little Fox creeps forward, stretching her head toward the firearms, ears twitching, head cocked curiously to one side. There's a sudden little burst of sound. She's probably saying something. What is it? A MYSTERY. No one here speaks fox but Fox.
Liezel pauses, and supposes it just means again. She ratchets the bolt open, shut again, watching Fox's reactions, glancing up as Kay speaks. "Oh. I- don't know. But I wonder if I would know you half so well if you had."
"Unfortunately, I'm still unable to speak with beast yet." She looks to Liezel. "Do you understand what she's saying, Liezel?" And she chuckles "Yeah I'm not complaining about knowing you or what I did, I was just musing on the conditionals."
Yep! That seems to have been a correct guess on the part of Liezel, as Fox bounces on their forepaws. Bounce bounce! Their tail twitches, and they repeat that little sound, ears trained in on the firearm, eyes flicking between it and Liezel. Hop! Hop!
Liezel beams to realize she guessed the sound properly, and shows off a little, shifting her hand to grasp the knob very lightly, rolling the bolt forward and back several times, glancing to Kay and smiling faintly. "That's fair. I like wondering things. Sometimes it leads to curious places."
"Would you need special ammunition for the guns or would regular ones work?" she points to the guns as Liezel pulled on the bold and seems amused at Fox's bouncing reaction.
She scurries around in something like a little dance, and then tries to clamber up on Liezel to get closer to the firearm and sniff at it. Fox may or may not be listening to the conversation at all - she seems totally fixated on the firearm now.
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