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Post by Puck on Aug 9, 2015 4:56:38 GMT
May 4th, 7:17 A.M.Sunlight hit the frosty background of the mountains. There was a small clearing inside the perilous compound of the I.A.C.S.B. One where there was a solitary wooden bench. No one knew why it was there or perhaps they've forgotten why it existed in the first place. But, even if it were the latter, there was always that solitary old man sitting on the seat all on his own with a cane resting against the side of his knee. Birds were his loyal visitors as they hopped around on the concrete ground for the bread crumbs and bits he sprinkled in front of him. No one ever bothered him at all. It was some old dude all on his own, probably stewing in his own senility. Again, today, such an old bearded coot was lounging around on the same spot. Yet, he was out of bread to give. Certainly old age was taking a toll on his memory as he noticed to his own aggravation. But this wouldn't do to just simply leave again. Maybe, perhaps... "Hello, young miss?" he called out towards a young woman who had clear elvish features, "Would you be a dear and get me some bread, please?"Surely, this young girl would be kind enough to at least get a loaf from the cafeteria or somewhere. Yet, the common youth does have a common disregard of the old as this aged fellow knew. But, hopefully, this wouldn't be the case for this one regardless of how busy she is.
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Post by Restkastel on Aug 9, 2015 23:38:27 GMT
Today's weather was quite nice, so I ended up getting up a bit earlier than usual, around four thirty instead of the normal five o'clock that I normally woke up at, and I put the bread dough that I had yesterday in the oven before I went through my morning routine. After all, it was the best way to wake up, making some snacks for later for the people at the office, especially Lili and Edwin, among others and then going through my daily cleansing rituals. The bathrooms here were very well stocked, with very nice towels and modern tech, however I quite missed the rustic feel of the ones at home, with all their beautiful Victorian craftsmanship. However, for sure, these had their own charm in simplicity and effectiveness, as they had far more precise temperature control than the ones at home did for sure.
After taking my daily bath, I brushed my teeth, did my hair, and applied the small amount of makeup I wore, nothing much but I had acquired a taste for small amounts of it for accentuation purposes, nothing noticeable normally but it was something I liked to wear. Since today was Sunday, I did not have to go into the office, so instead of wearing the drab, poorly made suit I was forced to wear at the office, I put on my usual clothes, which were far more breathable and comfortable for me.
After that was done, I decided to take a walk through the grounds and hang out at a small clearing that I had found. It was a welcome find for sure, as it was a welcome refuge of nature in this otherwise highly civilized area. When I had time, I would lounge there and enjoy the sights, and I had been known to eat lunch out there with Lili sometimes, as it was a far more comfortable place for me than the cafeteria. With that decided, I grabbed a few snacks to munch on and put some tea in a thermos to bring with me. It would be a shame to enjoy such a beautiful day without tea and cookies, after all!
As I arrived, someone I had seen here before but never had a chance to talk to due to either being with Lili or on my way to work was there. He was an older gentleman with grey hair and a full beard, and he often would sit on the bench in the clearing and feed the birds with a loaf of bread. However, it seemed today he had either ran out of bread or forgot to bring it for some reason. As I approached him, intending to call out to him myself and ask about it, he himself called out to me instead, and confirmed that he indeed had probably forgotten his break, as he had asked me to get him some.
After brief consideration of how to respond, I decided to do more than that. After all, this man reliably came out here and fed the bird, ensuring survival for the wildlife of the area, which was important given the way that man had changed the area, and that was definitely laudable in my opinion. "Of course I would, however I believe I have a better idea. How about you come back to my apartment? I think the bread I put in this morning should almost be done, and before we head back we can have breakfast and talk a little bit, if that would be fine with you?" I asked, giving the old man a bright smile and putting off an aura of absolute delight. However, I quickly realized that I had not properly introduced myself, and immediately decided to rectify that.
"Ah, where are my manners. My name is Arwen Drake, Heir to the Drake family of mages. What would your name be, sir?" I asked, introducing myself and inquiring as to his name as my father had taught me to do when he taught me about how to interact with human society at large. I had to make sure I kept my manners intact, after all no matter how friendly I might be, it would not always be welcome if I accidentally stepped over boundaries that I shouldn't.
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Post by Puck on Aug 10, 2015 0:07:21 GMT
It was a pleasant surprise that such a young lady would be willing to take even more of her time and resources to procure a meal for him of all people. All he asked for was just some bread for the birds around here and maybe a bit for himself. Yet, she was such a kind Samaritan to offer him more than just a loaf. The elder was about to kindly turn down the breakfast, but his stomach grumbled to his chagrin.
"O-oh dear. This is quite an embarrassment," he stammered sheepishly at her, "Well, if you insist, Miss. I would be more than happy enough to partake in your offer."
With such a winning personality and smile, how could one try to turn down such an offer in the first place? Hopefully her cooking would be palatable given her kind nature. Soon this elf introduced herself as Arwen Drake, a young girl from a family of mages. How peculiar, perhaps she is of a half-blooded descent. One could never really tell through the naked eye with these elf hybrids. Certainly he does not specialize in such a thing.
"Alfred Bernard, dear. Do call me Alfred," Alfred introduced himself as well, "Certainly it is a pleasure to make my acquaintance with you, especially on an empty stomach!"
He chuckled to himself and started to slowly get up onto his feet. His hand grabbed his walking cane and propped himself up. The crowd of birds that have been waiting in front of him had cawed and cooed at his ascent.
"Don't worry, little ones," he assured them all, "I shall return with something for you all."
That seemed to placate them a little as the noise of their concern decreased. With that said, Alfred turned towards Arwen.
"Shall we go, Miss Drake? I am certainly ready."
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Post by Restkastel on Aug 10, 2015 0:40:22 GMT
The old gentleman's name was Alfred, it seemed. He seemed a bit embarrassed to be offered breakfast, and looked conflicted whether to accept my offer before his stomach growled and sheepishly excused himself for it before accepting my offer, which left me rather delighted! I loved to cook for people, and while Lili usually partook of anything I made, she was creature of rather simple tastes, and normally only ate meat or things of that nature, and that was no good! She had to eat a proper diet so she could grow up big and strong, maybe that's why she was so petite? Putting that thought out of my mind, I started to speak, "Oh do not worry about it, all living being get hungry, and your stomach growling is just a natural consequence of this. It is nothing to be embarrassed about," I responded with a natural smile, happy to be able to talk to such a polite old man. He then made a joke about how it was great to make my acquaintance when he was on an empty stomach. Naturally, I responded with a laugh and said, "The same to you, Alfred. It is a pleasure to make the acquaintance with someone in need of a good meal when you are hungry as well, after all, food is so much better when it is shared with good company," I said, responding to his joke.
The birds began to make a little bit of noise when he stood up, probably because he had not fed them yet before he left. In response to this, he soothed them by saying that he would be back soon with food, and to wait for him. I decided to toss my own words in, saying, "Do not worry little ones, I am only borrowing Alfred for a little while. We shall return soon with the best bread you have ever tasted," I said, in a little bit of a sing song tune, giving the birds a smile and crouching down to be closer to them as I said so.
After that, I stood up and replied to Alfred, who had mentioned that he was ready to go, "Well then, let us be off, Alfred. My apartment is this way," I said, beginning to walk towards the dorms, while still looking back waiting for him to follow. After he caught up to me and we began walking side by side, I began to talk to him, intending to make a little idle conversation on our way to my apartment. "How do you like your eggs? I can make them any way you would like. I don't like to brag, but my mother taught me how to cook, and she is probably one of the best cooks I have ever met," I said, puffing out my chest with a little bit of pride in mine and my mother's cooking abilities, "I was planning on having bacon, eggs, and blueberry pancakes for breakfast, is that fine with you, or are you allergic to anything that would be in it?" I asked, seeing if I had to revise my menu at the last minute. I was sure I had everything I needed to make any sort of breakfast he wanted, but it was always good to offer a set meal first, to get them in the mood before seeing if they wanted anything else. After all, showing that you can plan a meal puts confidence in your skills as a chef rather than just throwing together whatever you have around. After all, planning is half the battle when it came to cooking.
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Post by Puck on Aug 10, 2015 3:41:27 GMT
He hobbled with each step as the cane led him on. It was a slow speed as age has made him feel ever feeble and uneven these days, but after a moment, Alfred was able to adopt a more "brisk" gait in movement. At least enough to walk side by side with the elf hybrid. Whether she actually was slowing herself down for him or he was actually at an acceptable speed, nothing was mentioned. At the least nothing that could put a dent on his pride of his own vitality.
Clearly Arwen was a lady of much care and concern as she asked questions on his preferences for his morning meal, something that the old man appreciates. Too little of her generation give such concern and basic respect for their elders nowadays and even in the past. It did bring a small sardonic grin at the thought at the irony that even he, Alfred, didn't have that much respect to the elderly in his youth.
"Oh, I'm very sure. Mothers tend to be the most devoted cooks for the family," he genuinely smiled at her while replying, "You may do whatever you wish for the meal. I have no preference or requirements, so long as they are good."
She sure does quite a bit for a single meal, or at least in his perspective she does. And Alfred, admittedly, was feeling bad about it. Just as he slightly maneuvered his way around a small hole where his cane would get stuck into the ground, the old man asked her, "What form of magic does your family specialize in, Miss Drake? I'm curious."
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Post by Restkastel on Aug 10, 2015 4:38:53 GMT
As we walked, I made a bit of idle conversation with Alfred about various things. Apparently he was fine with whatever, as long as it was good. That was an easy mark to live up to, after all, I had been trained by the best every day for as long as I could hold a spatula, to which I responded, "Well then, I believe you are in for a treat, I will make sure to do my best to make this the best breakfast you have had in a very long time, Alfred. After all, I have to show you that I did truly learn from the best, anything else would be a shame on my mother's teaching," I said half-jokingly, though I could not back down from that boast now, as my father had taught me. When you made a statement like that, you had to put your money where your mouth was, or else you would be viewed as nothing but a pair of bellows blowing hot air. He taught me to be like a furnace, blow plenty of hot air but always live up to it, to use the hot air to bolster my own resolve.
Alfred then asked me a question of his own, asking me what kind of magic my family practices, which I ran with gladly. "My family, as our name Drake implies, are fire mages. Specifically, we seek to recreate the original fire said to have been given to man by Prometheus, so we study all aspects of fire in order to create a perfect replica of the 'original flame'," I said, taking obvious pride in my family and its work, "As you can probably tell from that, I am a hybrid, my mother is an elf, and my father was the heir to the house, their story is a rather romantic one, as my mother was exiled from her tribe for not going through with an arranged marriage, and it was my father who sheltered and hid her from pursuers," I said, my maidenly heart ablaze with passion for such a pure love story. "However, we can talk about that more over breakfast, as we have arrived," I said, opening the door to my apartment that was in front of me, letting him into my apartment, which was a rather simply furnished place, with green couch, coffee table, a fully stocked kitchenette, and a table with chairs for eating in the main room. "Feel free to make yourself at home Alfred. Would you like some tea or coffee while you wait for breakfast?" I asked, as I began to get ready to cook.
I got out the various ingredients for the batter, some eggs that I would cook over easy, and the bacon that I would get crisp but not burnt. I then proceeded to start some tea for myself, as I had finished the thermos I had brought with me already before I had came across Alfred. I decided I would have some Earl Grey for now, as I had my breakfast tea already this morning, and it would go well with the berry pancakes, especially if I put powdered sugar on them instead of syrup. "Feel free to browse the various newspapers and books on the table while you wait, Alfred. I don't have a television so i do apologize for the lack of something to do while I cook, after all, it isn't terribly interesting to watch someone cook," I said, preparing to boil the water for my tea and the french press if he were to ask for coffee.
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Post by Puck on Aug 10, 2015 5:57:09 GMT
Alfred Bernard "Oh, it sounds like your family is truly striving for an ambitious goal," Bernard remarked as he stroked his beard thoughtfully. The Original Fire, a flame where all fires on this world originated from. A gift from the Titan, Prometheus, who has been punished for the crime of granting humanity a means to harness flames whether it be magic or mundane. Or at least that is the known legend. But that didn't stop Magicians, famed or unnamed from trying to recreate or replicate it. Yet, all have seemed to have failed. Nevertheless, many continue to drag themselves further in their research for it. Then Arwen explained more about her parents, it seemed that their union is of some mushy romance nature. Not that Bernard minded though nor was he surprised. This young halfling was definitely a result of their close relationship. He nodded at her suggestion of talking during breakfast now that they've arrived at her home. Simple, yet it had the necessities. It seemed to match her nature, yet old Bernard had suspected it would've been even more furnished with girlie things. As he reclined onto the comfy couch, he replied back to her for, "I'm in the mood for coffee. Keep it black, please."And upon her suggestion to peruse her collection of books and magazines, he simply sat there and closed his eyes with his cane resting near him and hands folded on top of his abdomen as if he were praying. Though, it seems more like he were to be laid in a calm sleep. That is, until he blinked his eyes open again. "So what brings you here, Miss Drake? I would've thought a Magician that seeks the Original Flame would be most likely to be in one of the Guild's universities for research. Did you come here to shield yourself from their petty political squabbles too?"For a kind young lady like Arwen, it seems unthinkable to Bernard that she would actually work here in the I.A.C.S.B. An organization where she could possibly risk her life fighting all forms of supernaturals, even the abominable Horrors. She didn't even seem to be of the fighting type either. So why is she here and not the Guilds?
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Post by Restkastel on Aug 10, 2015 10:07:41 GMT
It seemed Alfred was a coffee drinker, as per his response, so I got out the coffee beans I kept around, since not everyone was a tea drinker like myself, and began grinding them. They were apparently high grade beans from the research I did, and had cost me a decent amount of money, but all good drinks were like that, and I routinely spent more on teas, so it was no big deal. I preferred to hand grind the beans, as it tended to give a bit more of an even flavoring. Since I doubted he would drink the entire french press, I only ground enough for half of it, as it was bad to let it sit in the press for long periods of time. I then put the ground beans in and filled it with just the right amount of hot water, and began to brew the coffee. After a few minutes, I brought out a large mug and filled it, leaving the coffee without cream or sugar, as Alfred seemed to like his coffee black. I then proceeded to bring the coffee out to him, and carefully sat it down in front of him, and said "Please enjoy the coffee, I do not drink it often but my father was a major coffee drinker, so he taught me how to properly brew it with a french press, I hope it is to your liking, Alfred, If you will excuse me, I shall start breakfast now,, as for my reasons for being here instead of the guild, they are a bit complex, and I would rather explain after I finish preparing breakfast," I said, telling him that I would answer his question shortly.
I then made my way back to the kitchen and began work on breakfast, getting out three pans, one for the eggs and bacon, and one for the pancake for each of us. I was attentive enough to do it like this, and lacking a stove-top griddle, it was the easiest way to cook for multiple people at once. I brought out my mixing bowl, putting in one egg, 3/4ths a cup of milk, two tablespoons of vegetable oil and beating them until they were homogeneous, as it was easier to mix the liquids together first before adding the powdery ingredients. After doing so, I added half a teaspoon of salt, three teaspoons of baking powder, and a tablespoon of sugar into it before mixing it again to get it all together before finally adding in a cup of bleached flour and stirring again before putting in the blueberries, and making sure to stir it again so they would be as even as possible through the mix, and pop so that they would not interrupt the pancake itself as much. I then poured enough for one pancake into both pans, making sure to make a beautiful circle with the batter so that it would cook through well, of course having greased the pans beforehand with a bit of butter so that they would not stick. I then cracked a few eggs, one for me and one for the old man, and put the bacon in the last pan, making sure not to break the yolk as I did so, so that they would come out perfectly. I kept an eye on the pancakes, flipping them when bubbles started showing through to the other side, and cooking them for another couple minutes, all the while keeping and eye on the bacon and eggs. After a few minutes, everything was done, and I loaded three pieces of bacon, an egg, and the pancake, which was a thick and fluffy one, much unlike the thin flapjacks that were served at most restaurants. onto large breakfast platters and brought them to the table, putting one down on each end of the small table so that we could sit across from each other before going back to grab the butter, syrup, and powdered sugar from the kitchen and putting them down at the table, along with the necessary silverware to ear it with.
I really did enjoy cooking, especially cooking for other people, it was one of the most fun times in my childhood to help my mother cook for my family, and it would be extra fun when my grandparents showed up, as that just meant more people to impress with my skills. Of course, as a child I was wholly unaware of the tensions that existed between my parents and grandparents, so to me, it was a perfectly normal family meal and it was so much fun that I looked forward to it every time, and to this day I still got warm fuzzy feelings when people ate and enjoyed the food I made for them, very few things brought me the same kind of joy as seeing people appreciate my handiwork, especially when it came to cooking.
Settling down to eat, I put my hands together in a little bit of a prayer to the goddess of my mom's tribe. I was not particularly religious, however this was something that my mother had taught me to do do before every meal, and even though I was no longer at home and was an adult, I would continue to do this, and likely teach my own children to do it. After all, it is only right to give thanks for the food you have at your table, right? Especially when there are other people who are far more unfortunate in the world who do not even have the means to put food on their table.
After that was done, I decided to take a few bites of my food, enjoying the pancakes and a bit of the bacon before deciding it was appropriate to answer Alfred's question, "As I said before, my circumstances as to why I am here are complicated. My family is a line of powerful and wealthy mages, however we have been secluded for so long, not associating with the guilds that we have next to no influence with them, and given our relative obscurity, my family decided to build our reputation here at the IACSB instead. So they sent me, their heir, here to establish good relations and rise up in the ranks and bring honor and recognition to our family name, hence why I always introduce myself as the heir to the Drake family, even though it does not mean anything now, if I become influential here and always make sure to let everyone know about my family, then I will naturally bring recognition to the name, and my family's elders will be happy, and will not feel the need to spread the name other ways, like with my younger siblings," I said, divulging a little more than I had intended, but the old man was so nice that I didn't exactly mind, and responded with a question of my own. "What about you, Alfred. You mentioned something earlier about asking me if I was taking refuge from the politics of the guilds here as well, are you perchance a magus and here for the same reason?" I asked, curious about my house-guest's past, just as he was interested in my own. Attachments:
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Post by Puck on Aug 10, 2015 17:52:16 GMT
Alfred Bernard "By all means, Miss Drake. And thanks for the coffee." Alfred smiled as he obtained the hot mug from Arwen. He let it rest between his hands and blew on it to make it cooler. When it seemed to feel cool enough, his lips met against the mug and started drinking it with careful sips. The elderly man sighed in delight at the bitter taste of his hot beverage. The halfling was certainly living up to her claims. He continued to drink more as he waited and listened to her preparing breakfast. It felt like an old memory to the old Alfred. He quietly chuckled to himself at his reminiscing as the movement in the kitchen drowned him out. So breakfast was finally laid out before him just after he had hobbled towards the dining table. The cane, faithfully near him, was now leaning against the edge of the table. It was plentiful. The bacon was divine and the pancakes fluffy. It was the first decent breakfast he ever had in such a long time and he couldn't tell how long ago that was. It has always been a daily monotone diet of microwavable meals, some raw fruits, bread, and some other leftovers. Bernard hummed in satisfaction of her skill. "My. You lived up to your claims. This is very good. Very good."He was more than pleased by this as he continued to try more of the pancakes and drank more of the coffee. Though it seemed that Arwen took this time to finally answer his earlier question. It was about the family name, the honor and glory. Bernard's expression slackened into a sad smile. Many deeds have been done for such things and many suffered the consequences for their ambition. Yet, she didn't seem to have such ambitions herself. "I see. Well, with your winning personality, I'm sure you'll be quite popular around here," he remarked as he sipped more of his coffee, "Preferably, if your family wishes to attain the Original Flame, they would do well to establish connections in the Guild first. But I suppose the I.A.C.S.B. is at least a good first step if you wish to avoid the Guild's squabbles at first."Then, of course, she asked about himself after all his questions about her. Alfred answered honestly, "I am. I've seen a teaching position here, so I've been employed to teach some basic magic theory for some of our agents here. It is at least better than teaching in the Guilds, even if they do have better resources for the Craft."His face grew slightly sour upon speaking the last sentence. The memory he was remembering was no doubt unpleasant, but the old magician said nothing about it. "I do feel quite bad about having you make me such a grand breakfast. How about if I give you a small tutoring session in your Craft after this meal?" Alfred offered to the young hybrid, "We can start off seeing where you are at the moment. What do you say?"
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Post by Restkastel on Aug 11, 2015 4:07:24 GMT
It seemed that I had prepared the coffee to perfection, which was a relief. I rarely made coffee nowadays, ever since I had come here I have been living alone, and coffee was not my type of beverage, it was a bit too bitter for my tastes. So I was quite glad to hear from Alfred that it was good, as he seemed the type to drink a lot of coffee, as it was uncommon for a relatively inexperienced coffee drinker to take theirs completely black with no sugar or creamer. It seemed that he was also quite delighted with the meal I made for him, saying that I had definitely lived up to my claims that it would be the best breakfast he would have had in a long time. To that, I felt a surge of pride in my chest, and responded, "Of course, after all, as I said, I learned from the best. Although I am but a child compared to her cooking skills, if you were to taste her cooking you would realize that I am but a novice in comparison to her," I said, calming the pride in my chest a little, and complimenting my mother who had taught me to cook so many years ago, and with whom I still regularly swapped recipes with to this day, sending them in the mail in the regular letters that we sent back and forth to each other. It was such a common thing that it was odd if we didn't have 2-3 recipes of varying types in each envelope, and we both looked forward to trying hte new recipes we sent each other.
Alfred then commented on my situation, tossing an offhanded compliment about my personality which brought a little bit of a blush to my face before he continued to say that because of it I would probably rise through the ranks rather quickly. However, he did say that it was strange that we came here instead of the guild since they had better resources. To this I simply explained a little bit further, "Yes, my father is the one doing the outreach with the guild. Given that they value tradition and the like far more than a younger establishment like the IACSB, they felt that sending the young heir who was a hybrid would be far less effective than to send an established magus like my father, and instead opted to send me here where they felt my status would be less of a hindrance, and perhaps even a boon," I finished, hopefully clearing up the misunderstanding.
Apparently Alfred was a magic professor here, teaching the basics of magic to the agents here, and apparently he liked teaching here more than the guild, despite it having less resources. Alfred seemed to cringe a little bit, having unpleasant memories of his time with the guilds. However, it was not my place to pry any further into his past, and instead I just hoped he would tell me of his own accord without my asking, after all it would be rude to pry into someone's past when you just barely have met them. To this I simply responded, "Yes, I have noticed that they have those kinds of classes here, I myself have never attended them, as my magic is a tiny bit unique, and I wouldn't want to be a burden on the class. After all, my magic is sort of a hybrid between human and elven magic in how it is performed, so I have had to spend a lot of time adapting my family's magic for my own personal use, and I didn't want to drag down the class with my own problems," I said, explaining why I abstained from them. I thought it would be enjoyable to meet other students of magic here, however I did not want to be a burden, so I refrained.
Alfred then offered to give me a private lesson in repayment for the breakfast, which was delightful. I did not expect or require anything for my cooking, after all the satisfied face he made when he enjoyed my cooking was enough, but I had learned enough about human society to know when to humbly accept a reward for services even when you never intended it to be something that required repayment. So I responded, "Why thank you, Alfred. That would be wonderful, I have been curious about other people's magic crafts, however as I said before, my family is rather reclusive and I avoided classes here as I did not want to drag them down. If you do not mind dealing with my rather unique magical system, I would be glad to have you instruct me," I said with a bright smile before getting up to grab my grimoire and personal edits that I had made over the years so that the magic would better suit my nature, which was starting to be worthy of being called a grimoire of my own, saying "Well then, I will be right back after I get my materials, would you like another cup of coffee while I am up?" I finished, waiting a little bit for a response before going to get my materials.
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Post by Puck on Aug 11, 2015 23:26:36 GMT
Alfred Bernard "...I see. I suppose it does make sense," Alfred was still a little hesitant to agree. He only hoped that she didn't have to risk her life to face the dangers that many S.I.D. members do. Though usually most users of magic tend to end up being sent to that division or other divisions where their talents can be used for the I.A.C.S.B.'s goals. It would be a real shame if this brightness that Arwen is emanating is snuffed out by further involvement in the dangers of this faction's missions. But she seemed to make up her mind. "That's certainly an interesting combination," the old magus remarked after taking another bite of pancake. Magic styles can be somewhat limited by race as well. Though for it to be mixed like this? This is unheard of. Most would just choose to practice one style than a mixed one. Bernard stroked his beard in contemplation. This was getting a little bit intriguing. And so it was agreed upon that there is going to be a little lesson. Though at least after breakfast was dealt with and what's left are slightly messier empty plates. "No, I've had my fill of coffee for one day. I shall be waiting for you back at the same place we met. But do bring the bread with you as well. Bread is promised, if you recall."With that said and done, he hobbled off away with cane in hand to head on over to the area.
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Post by Restkastel on Aug 12, 2015 4:55:09 GMT
It seemed that Alfred was going to teach me in the park, which made sense and made me feel a bit more at ease, I much rather preferred to practice my magic out in nature, as it was far more comfortable to me than the stale atmosphere of an atelier. It let me draw upon the world's mana far more easily, and it put my elven essence at ease to be surrounded by nature. He also commented to bring the bread, which I had nearly forgot about, luckily it had not been overdone, as the ovens here had an auto turnoff function attached, which I very much liked to use as it was very convenient to put a tray of cookies or something in while I either went to bed or went out to do something else. I proceeded to take the take the loaf of bread out of the oven, cut it up for easier handling, and put it in a portable bread box I had. I then grabbed my box case, which carried my arma maga and quiver, and slipped my grimoire and notes into it, and slung it over my shoulder via the strap that was attached, and carried the bread in one hand, and a thermos containing the rest of the tea I had prepared in the other. After all, it was always important to have good drinks on hand, and it was not possible to brew it fresh outside unless I had a bit more equipment than I was willing to bring with me at this time.
After that, I made to catch up with Alfred, as he had left before me, and given my superior speed, I caught up with him in a relatively short amount of time, and walked side by side with him on the way back to the park, "What kind of magic do you yourself practice, Alfred? As you are aware, I am a fire mage, but I am curious as to your own discipline. I have always found different magical system fascinating," I said with an inquisitive glitter in my eye, hoping to learn a little more about Alfred. I continued, asking him "I have been looking for a teacher for a specific skill, actually. I would like to learn to create and improve arma maga. My family gave me an excellent one, but I would be like to add onto it as I become better at magic," I said, explaining why I was looking for someone who could teach me that. After all, having the right equipment was essential, especially since I would be sent into combat because of my position here in the IACSB, so I wanted to be properly prepared so I could not only defend myself, but whatever innocent bystanders were around and my own team mates.
After I asked about that, I simply listened to his response, and made small talk on a variety of subjects on the way there, be it about american politics, the news, or the weather, I enjoyed talking to Alfred, he was a good conversation partner, and he reminded me a bit of some of the family members on my estate back in England, the ones who took their time to talk to me about a variety of things, even though I was simply a child. This small talk lasted until we reached our location, at which point I simply waited for him to begin the lesson or ask for the loaf of bread, so that he could feed the birds while instructing me.
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Dec 27, 2016 22:15:37 GMT
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Post by Puck on Aug 12, 2015 7:00:55 GMT
Alfred Bernard Alfred had a little twinkle of expectation at this incoming lesson. A combination of an elven and human magic style would be a nice treat to look at. It seemed that she caught up with him pretty soon. Which is great since the company is nice. Now she asked what forms of magic this old mage practices. He adopted a gentle smile as he helped up a finger while continuing to hobble onwards. A very small flame danced on his fingertip. Every lick on his skin and fingernail didn't cause them to burn at all. Then it was snuffed out as the connection of mana was cut off voluntarily. "Pyromancy is where I specialize. Though you've got some luck, I'm reasonably fair when it comes to constructing Arma Magas." Alfred explained to her. So it seemed that she wished to improve upon her own Arma Maga. It was another object of intrigue for Bernard. Was this also constructed by this combination of human and elf style of magecraft? He would have to find out soon, not that he was in any rush anyway. The walk back towards the clearing would be short, yet idle talk passed between the both of them. And now they were back. Alfred walked further away from Arwen and then turned around to begin saying, "I would like to start by checking your Arma Maga. It would give me an idea where we should start our lesson on the creation of an Arma Maga." With that said, he held out his hand for her to give the bow to him.
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Sept 11, 2016 5:31:39 GMT
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Post by Restkastel on Aug 13, 2015 10:15:57 GMT
As we walked, Alfred answered that he was a pyromancer and lit a small flame on his finger, and mentioned that he also knew a thing or two about making Arma Maga. How Excellent! Not only was he a fellow fire mage who I could go to for advice on that, but he also knew how to crate arma maga. This was most fortunate, it was certainly true that good things came to those who were good to their fellow man, as my mother had taught me. If I had not been so kind to offer Alfred breakfast, I would have never gotten to know him and his charming personality and I would have had to study how to improve my magic and my arma maga on my own. "How excellent, I was wondering why you knew about the Original Flame, and the like and this explains it. It is always nice to meet a fellow mage, especially a fellow fire mage," I said, giving him a smile and continuing to engage in small talk with him on the way there. When we arrived, I put the bread and thermos down on the bench that he had taken a seat at before, and opened up my case, removing my bow and attaching my quiver behind my hips with the strap on it. He then said that he would like to see my bow, as it would be the first step in how we should proceed in teaching me about arma maga. "Gladly, jits quite sturdy so as long as you don't try to use it as a club it should be fine, so do not worry about breaking it," I said, handing him the bow, which was a longbow of obviously elven design, but with a few strange details. It had a harp on the end and it was covered in runes to facilitate its function as a mystic code, and it was the type that would produce a certain effect when mana was poured into it, in this case creating a fire arrow when drawn back and mana poured into it. "IF you pour mana into it while pulling the string, it will create a fire arrow for you to fire. It was made so when I ran out of arrows I could continue to fire for a bit in case of a drawn out fight," I said as I placed it in his hands. After that, I waited for his response, eagerly waiting to start our lesson, after all learning magic was one of my favorite things to do.
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Post by Puck on Aug 13, 2015 16:34:37 GMT
Alfred Bernard Alfred nodded as she explained some of the specifics of the Arma Maga's physical vessel. He could see the runes and nodded again as if he uncovered something about the bow. Despite being of such old age, he actually had some amazing strength as he held up the bow with one hand. A critical eye scanned through each bit of detail of the magic weapon. Clearly, the Runes were giving structure to its magical functions. But was that all? As Bernard held the bow, he spoke, "Begin analysis. Divulging the records. Accessing the proceedings." As he said this, circuit-like growths started to spread all around the surface of the bow. He peered into the bow's everything and saw there really wasn't much of anything else. The abilities she explained were there, yes. But nothing else. That said, he disengaged the connection and the circuits disappeared. Skill Used: Name: Arma Maga Creation Description: The skill concerning on how to create Mystic Codes. Every magi may have their own unique manner of making their own Mystic Codes with their own unique powers. As it allows an object to have a spell-like characteristic, the creation of a Mystic Code will depend on the skill rank of Thaumaturgical Knowledge. The extend of creating Arma Maga is restricted as to what kind of Magic Systems the Magician in question knows and specializes in. Rank: B
Spell Used: Name: Structural Analysis Description: The common spell of Arma Maga Creation. It allows one to understand an Arma Maga's purpose, history, structure, construction, and composition. By doing so, they would be spreading out circuit-like light "growths" all around the Arma Maga in order to perform the analysis. This is one of the only spells that will always stay at the same cost as an E rank spell as this is simply an analysis. The effectiveness of this spell is dependent on one's Arma Maga Creation skill. Rank: B
"I see. So this was made with the Understanding part of magic," Bernard commented as held out the bow back to Arwen to take, "Runes are one of the traditional methods of creating Arma Maga. It seems your family's magic does have some "Understanding" basis." He cleared his throat to pause and then started to speak again. "In the creation of an Arma Maga, it goes without saying that you must grab hold of any physical vessel that is appropriate for the function you wish to install. In your case, it was a bow. Here, let's continue the lesson with my cane." This time his cane was held up before her. "Upon acquiring a physical vessel to possess the function you wish to install, you must "understand" your vessel. This boils down to its purpose, history, structure, construction, and composition. By understanding them, you should then be able to begin crafting. However, the method installment is divided between doing it by the way of "understanding" like the manner of the runes that you have on your bow or you do it by the more "logical" way." Then he stopped to pause. This was probably a lot to take in, so it's probably best to let her digest it a little bit. "Am I making sense, Miss Drake?"
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