[Closed] Reading at Twin Blossom Park

[XIII]

Your face appears as undamaged as any other I have seen, so I suspect that someone intervened on your behalf?

Tenebrae's musing was short and rather void of any expression. He shifted his weight as the bulge of the rocks in his pockets continued to slowly diminish.

[NyuBomber]

"Well, no. I helped myself."

Kiew sat back up and reached under her head wrap. Her hand returned with a folded up scrap of paper, which she waved slightly in the night air. "I mentally told Chu's spirit that he could paralyze everyone in the room and have his way with them if he simply read the spell on this sheet. After threatening my life by pushing my head ever closer to the pot, he believed me. I bet correctly that he was partly feeling in control, but still partly panicking. He was a soul in a room full of necromancers, after all."

"So, he made me read it. But, this spell was not what I said it was. Instead of debilitating others, it encases my body in stone, effectively turning me into a statue. It's supposed to be a last ditch armor type of spell, but it fulfilled its role another way."

Kiew placed the paper back under her headwrap. "I was able to be dragged away and secured for an exorcism, and boy was Chu mad. But, he's gone now, and I got two days off."

Kiew went back to sitting with her legs crossed, a very satisfied grin on her face.

[zozee9]

"That's amazing!" exclaimed Alycia. She hadn't really understood half the story, but it seemed like a huge deal. And being possessed was amazing, anyway.

Gently petting the fox, Alycia smiled. "So... does anybody else have a story?" Looking from Sophia to Tenebrae to Adelaide, Alycia tilted her head slightly in curiosity. Of course, she'd prefer it if Adelaide had a story. If only she had a story... something she could show off to him with. Thinking, Alycia looked up at the sky. Sadly, she couldn't think of anything that would interest them. Although she had some adventures after she had been freed, there wasn't anything too exciting.

Looking back down, Alycia noticed that the wind had picked up. She kept having to fix her long hair with her free hand (the other one was petting the adorable fox) since it was blowing into her face. Alycia briefly put her hood on to block the wind, but it backfired as the wind knocked the hood down. Frowning, Alycia didn't know what to do.

[XIII]

It is indeed incredible, miss Kiew. I do not have a tale as riveting as that, I'm afraid. The only thing I can think of worth telling would be my journey from my homeland to here. But it isn't nearly as exciting as yours.[/i]

Tenebrae, his rocks almost digested now, spoke up. He transferred his telepathy across the entire party, realizing that it wasn't fair to keep his conversations private without need.

[Ookakiba]

Adelaide watched in amusement as Kiew's tale began. His right hand would act as a base for his chin to rest, while his left hand rested gently in between his elbow. He hadn't met one who could talk to spirits, let alone be able to summon them. His eyes glanced curiously at the spirit fox, attempting to figure out how exactly he could explain this through alchemical reactions. His mind would drop the subject almost instantly as Kiew continued her story.

"That's quite the interesting tale. Though, sounds like you almost lost your life there, yet you still continue to practice? That takes guts."

Adelaide stated while he glanced around the group. He was also interested in hearing more stories, though he wasn't sure if he had one to tell. "Ah!" He would snap his thumb and middle finger on his right hand, unknowingly releasing a small spark of lightning that would strike upwards. His left hand would reach into his left trouser pocket to retrieve a small piece of paper and a small leaf located within it. He would gently place the paper on the floor while he glanced around, seeming to look for something.

"Does anybody have some water with them?"

His left hand would hover slightly above the paper, the alchemy circle which could be clearly seen began to glow yellow. A faint smile would appear on his face while he waited for a response.

[zozee9]

"Water?" Alycia started. "I'm a mermaid. Of course I have water!"

Watching the circle glow, Alycia was excited to see what would happen. Searching through the pockets of her cape, Alycia finally found a container with water. Handing it over to Adelaide, Alycia used her curiosity as an excuse to lean in towards him so she was even closer.

As much as she'd love to completely focus on Adelaide, Alycia had some manners. Turning towards Tenebrae, she said, "Perhaps after Adelaide is done with this, you can tell us about your journey. I would just love to hear it."

With the wind still in her hair, Alycia finally decided to put it up. She swiftly grabbed a hair binder out of her pocket and put her hair in a ponytail. Satisfied, Alycia just smiled as she waited to see what Adelaide would do.

[NyuBomber]

"A wiseman once said 'If you fear death, do not bow at her doorstep and ask for aid.' There are a number of students who pass on every year due to mishaps such as that. Such is the risk we know we take."

"But, enough about me, what's that?" Kiew pointed to the paper Adelaide had placed out.

[Ookakiba]

(ooc: I apologize for the late post, been busy with school and exams for the past week. -_-)

"Thank you" Adelaide stated towards Alycia while he accepted the container of water. It was a simple alchemic process, that wouldn't take much effort to do. His eyes glanced at the paper and the herb which rested on there, while he tapped his thumb against his middle finger. There was an ingredient missing, something important which he needed. "Ah, that's what it is." He would state out loud to nobody, while he pulled out a small bag of crushed herbs and sprinkled it onto the paper.

The container of water would be opened and several drops would be placed onto the small sheet of paper. The herbs instantly soaked up the liquid, seeming to turn bright green in color. The alchemist left hand would hover above the paper once more while the yellow glow appeared, instantly followed by the sound of crackling lightning. The sound would rapidly increase, transforming into a small white light. The light would fade instantly as it appeared, and a small gel-like product would remain in the paper where the herbs once stood. Without hesitation, Adelaide would remove his pocket knife and cut the substance into several slices, and then would hand the paper to Alycia.

"Take a slice and pass it down, don't worry they're tasty." He would say towards the mermaid, before turning to Kiew to answer her question. "The herb you just saw is used in some cultures to help heal small cuts and bruises. The sap within the leaves provides energy for the body, and combining that with a different herb, water, and a bit of alchemy and you have the tasty substance before you.  The paper is just so it has a place to sit, seeing as I don't have a bowl on me. So, what do you think?"

[zozee9]

After being mesmerized by the alchemy, Alycia did what Adelaide said to and grabbed a slice before passing the rest to Kiew. Uncertain at first whether or not the gooey substance would taste good, Alycia tried a little bit before exclaiming, "It's amazing!" Finishing it off, she continued, "Where did you learn to make this? It's... it's heavenly!"

With a wide grin on her face, Alycia asked, "How did you do this? I mean, how do you perform alchemy?"

If Adelaide would teach me and it can end up like this, perhaps it would be worth the time to learn alchemy. Although reading comes first. But still, alchemy would be a nice thing to know, thought Alycia. I'll ask him later.

[NyuBomber]

Kiew examined the gel closely, its transparent green containing visible particles of leaves, before grabbing a piece off. She apprehensively stuffed it in her mouth, where an explosion of minty flavor and energy followed.

"It's good! Very good, even." She handed the substance to Tenebrae. "Most alchemy I've seen focuses on foul-tasting clarity concoctions that get one more in touch with the spirits."

[XIII]

Intriguing. So, I must ask, what exactly is alchemy? It seems to be some form of magic. I am not well versed in the magical arts.

Tenebrae held the piece and was somewhat repulsed by its appearance. The gel reminded him far too much of his own physiology. Still, he pushed the piece given to him past his fake beard and into the portion of his body that served as his "head." The substance began to dissolve almost immediately, leaving a slight tingling sensation as it did.

Extraordinary. This treat is delightful, Adelaide.

[Ookakiba]

(ooc: Apologies for once again posting late. School took up a lot of my time, but thankfully summer semester is over and it's back to posting daily ^_^ or so. Also...somehow this site managed to get rid of a post I was working on...so had to redo it >_>).

"Thanks, glad you're all enjoying it. It's an old recipe a healer taught me a while back, though it taste a lot better than what the healer made." Adelaide would give a slight chuckle while placed the knife back into it's sheath. "I'm just glad that my skills haven't declined and I can still make that. It's a great treat to use as snacks and during battle. Though, I think it just makes a delicious snack." Adelaide stated proudly.

"Well, I wouldn't call alchemy 'magic arts', that is just my opinion. When my father taught me alchemy, he called it a science using alchemicals. It's difficult to explain, since there are many things we still haven't been able to explain...yet. The way I view alchemy is like a type of skill that can be considered a catalyst of sorts, kind of like an enhancer. After studying various ingredients and different types of recipes, you take a few, mix them together, and using alchemy you can create new things or just improve old products. For me, I can use alchemy to make better products for patients and to heal people better than most healers with just magic abilities." Adelaide would scratch his head as he finished speaking, pondering if he had explained it well. It was tough for him to explain things and alchemy was one of them, especially since other alchemist had different views. "I should add that not all alchemist would agree with my statement, but everybody does have their own opinion."

He would shrug in response to his own statement, before turning towards Alycia. "So, you say you're a mermaid correct? I'm curious since I thought mermaids could only exist in the water, but here you are on land. How exactly are you able to do that? Or...are you stuck like that?"

[zozee9]

Not understanding what Adelaide explained at all, Alycia just used the fact he was talking to look at him. But as he questioned her... heritage, she laughed and scratched the back of her head.

"I'm not stuck like this. I've always been able to transform my tail into legs... as long as I can remember, at least. I don't know why. That's yet another reason I want to find my family." One of many. "There are also various... variations of mermaids, so everyone in my family might have this ability. I have no idea."

[NyuBomber]

"Variations? Like what?"

Kiew had visions of mermaids based on various fish and squids and eels and sharks and crabs.

Crab people. Horrifying.

[Ookakiba]

(ooc: Not sure if we all forgot about this or something...)

"Kiew has a point, what kind of variations are there in your kind? Do you have any clue where your family might be?" Adelaide asked, somewhat curious about the information Alycia had. It would be interesting to know more about her kind and perhaps, they might have medicine that could improve his own profession. Though, if she didn't have a family, the first thing to do would be to aid her in her quest.

[zozee9]

(ooc: idk if anybody in here even threads any more but I figured I'd respond...)

Alycia looked at the two questioners with wide eyes. She didn't really know how to answer their questions. "I... I don't know. I just heard it somewhere. I don't even know if it's true."

After glancing away, feeling guilty, Alycia decided she should probably finish her thought.

"I think there are different... traits... or something that run through different mermaid families. I've heard that some of them can read minds of certain animals. And some can't even breathe air. But, truthfully, I've never heard of mermaids that can walk... So I don't know. I'm sorry." Once again feeling guilty for not answering their questions very well, Alycia pulled the hood of her cape back up and looked away from them.