westfallcorndog | Happy Birthday, Viatorus!

Entry tags:

amelia,
viatorus

Happy Birthday, Viatorus!

Invitations to this party have been written in neatly legible, semi-calligraphic font, hand-crafted with care and talent by Amelia Ronsam. Harrowheart has asked that she create a few more than necessary on the off-chance anyone lost theirs and was liberal in handing them out.

The room mentioned on the card is easy to find with a map of the aquarium: In the Earth wing, past a long series of exhibits, and through a glass hallway over which the water rests and the fish are free to swim. The corridor ends in a dome-shaped room spacious enough for a party of a few dozen.

The meeting space, like the hallway, is composed entirely of glass walls around which a vibrant array of Earth’s tropical fish drift through bright blue waters. Now and then they dart in odd directions, flashing their gem-like scales as their school is disturbed by the passing of a sea turtle or the flowing wings of a manta ray. Far, far in the distance are the silhouettes of whales that, on rare occasion, shadow the dome as they pass between the party and the far-off source of light above the water. Simpler creatures crawl through the coral just on the other side of the glass: crabs and minnows tease at algae, grinning eels poke shyly from their dark crevices, and anemones dance with the motion of the flowing seawater. The only thing to break the immersion of the scene are the mermaid attendants, glimpses of whom can be caught as they feed the fish while trying their best to stay professionally unnoticed.

Outside the glass is the beauty, but inside is the party! There are bubbly balloon letters hung from the ceiling reading HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Green streamers dangle from the ceiling like kelp, and someone's even set up a motorized shark balloon to swim through the air. Set up against one rounded wall are two buffet tables of food laid out. Stacks of cheese-stuffed fried peppers, fried chicken, grilled corn cobs, a kind of savory pork stew, something resembling black crab legs that’s been labeled ‘Duskwood Land Crab,’ a fruit and vegetable platter, a single pizza for the guests to fight over, and for the English Birthday Boy, cucumber sandwiches. Drinks are a bowl of punch and a keg of water. Looks like this aquarium party is a dry one. The sweets are cookies and hard candies laid atop a pile of pink candy floss. Then, of course, there is the cake: One large sheet cake of marbled chocolate and vanilla iced with buttercream frosting. On top there rests a little gingerbread man with black icing hair sleeping soundly atop a little frosted bed, a red smile on his face. Four tall candles make the posts of the bed. An unsteady hand has piped along the side ‘Happy Birthday Viatorus!’

Two people beat the crowd to enjoy this quiet afternoon retreat. Harrowheart, who sits at one of the tables in the middle and watches the passing of the fish, is dressed for the tropics. He’s bought himself a Hawaiian shirt to go over a pink tank with a pair of palm trees on the front, and of course he’s wearing his usual cargo shorts and tan work boots. ~~Any rumors of pajama dress code were greatly exaggerated.~~ With him is Amelia, whose garb for the evening is much more demure than her usual. The first sign is her lack of ~~visible~~ weapons. The second is the combination of dark navy jeans and black blouse. Her hair is tied back in a simple braid and the hair pin she's always been so fond of is nowhere to be seen.

((If you'd like to greet the host and/or hostess or remark on your character's entry, feel free to tag this post. Otherwise, try the Gift-Giving or Free Mingle subsections: Viatorus will accept gifts and well-wishings in the Gift-Giving section, and threadhopping will be with OOC permission. Free Mingle will be a threadhopping-encouraged area for party-goers to interact with each other. Meet new characters, talk about fish, fight about who gets to eat the pizza.))

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The back clapping catches him by surprise, but he doesn't jump nearly so high as usual. Possibly he's starting to get used to Harrowheart and the general comfort with body contact that others seem to have. He's soon smiling. "Jim."

"It's wonderful, isn't it? I never would have thought of this. It's all Harrowheart and Amelia's doing." He scans their surroundings before returning his attention to the men in front of him, his eyes sliding to Felix when he approaches. Hesitantly, he bows back, because mimicry is always a fairly safe bet. "Hello."

"I wouldn't have thought of something like this either, but it's damn impressive. They do good work." Jim whistles appreciatively at the choice of venues. He turns halfway to give Felix a teasing raised eyebrow when the conjurer comes back, before gesturing between him and Viatorus.

"Viatorus this is Felix Caelus of Tamriel. Harrow encouraged me to bring someone, so I thought a fellow magic user might make for interesting conversation. Felix, this is Viatorus...Durant, yes?" He knows the name of every crew member on his ship, you'd better believe he knows those of his acquaintances and friends in the Nexus.

"Happy Birthday, by the way. You deserve to have some fun once in a while, yeah?"

He gives Jim a slightly sheepish shrug. There was this enormous fish creature, you really had to be there. Maybe he'll get to point it out to the captain later.

Felix gives Viatorus a cheerful, friendly smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard a little of your family, but truthfully I was more intrigued to hear that you specialize in dreams. It's such a rare field of study in my world, I don't think I've ever met a true scholar of the matter."

All of which is true, although it is the more flattering and less awkward version of the truth.

"Yes, Durant," Viatorus confirms quietly. Now more raised eyebrows and curious looks than uncertain ones. Felix's name is as Latin as his own and Tamriel doesn't sound familiar at all. It's all kinds of intriguing.

Jim gets a warm smile and a 'thank you' for the birthday wishes and then Felix starts talking and he's left blinking. Someone has heard of his family, but is more interested in him and dreams? A little red comes to his cheeks. "Oh. Thank you. I-It's a pleasure to meet you too. I... In my world very few people study it. It... It's not always an easy thing to study."

Jim's happy to see that Felix and Viatorus are going to get along just fine. Mages doing their mage thing. He excuses himself to go get the three of them some drinks (punch or whatever is being served will do nicely). Everyone gets a cup when he comes back and Jim's content to hang back and just listen for now.

This is a topic he is woefully inexperienced in, but fascinating nonetheless.

Felix doesn't plan to leave Jim out of the conversation, just to help lure the younger mage out of his shell a bit. He wants to make a good impression - he always does, of course, but all the more because Jim's there. He wants to be a good party companion.

And maybe he has to make up for the thing with Harrowheart. Not that he thinks he acted badly at all, but... it wasn't an ideal situation.

Since Jim takes a moment to fetch drinks, he keeps Viatorus talking. "Perhaps you would explain a little about your work? I've read stories about dream magic - mages creating dream-worlds one could travel into and so on - but I'm really not sure how much of that is truly possible..."

He murmurs his thanks to Jim, returning with the punch. The captain gets a sidelong smile and the brush of a hand on his arm as Felix accepts his cup. It occurs to him that this may not prove the most comfortable topic for Jim, so he makes a note to keep the conversation light. If he plays this right, he'll have plenty of chances to grill Viatorus on the dirtier details later.

If it weren't for the ever-constant fear of boring other people, 'a little' about dreams might be an impossible task for the young scholar. He glances off after Jim, but quickly returns to the question at hand. "I've... I've only really scratched the surface. I can travel into other people's dreams, shape my own and... some of other people's."

The captain gets a word of thanks when he hands Viatorus a drink. Here the dreamwalker pauses to gather his thoughts better. "Dream magic is... tricky. Slippy. Hard to grasp. Like water, or sand. You can't force it, you can't push it. I feel like there are limitless possibilities, but they will surely take time to discover."

One wouldn't know that the prospect of discussing dream walking would be upsetting at all to Jim by the smile he's got on his face. One that reaches his eyes even when Felix brushes his arm. Jim has already apologized to Viatorus for how he first reacted to the subject, and does not intend to be a bother about it today.

"I dunno. You unraveled that mess I was having with Naugus pretty succinctly. I'd say if anyone's an expert on the subject, you oughta be." Jim gestures to Viatorus with the hand that is holding his drink.

"I think I'd have lost my mind dealing with Naugus's sleep problems if Viatorus here hadn't helped." He explains to Felix, mindful to not drop any harmful details. He's here to be polite, not to gossip.

Keeping up the polite restraint, Felix doesn’t try to pry into the details of Naugus’ sleep troubles (no matter how much he may want to). He just looks all the more appreciative for the aid rendered to Jim. And his sorcerous friend, of course.

“In a place like this, it’s good to know who we can turn to in such matters,” he remarks, sipping his punch. “Who knows how many of us will need to seek your aid sooner or later? But I have to ask – what is it like to step into another person’s dream? Do you enter it physically? And surely it’s dangerous…”

Jim's gratitude gets Viatorus to smile and duck his head. "Thank you. Really, though, compared to some of my relatives and other schools of magic... I have an awful lot to discover."

"Currently I project." His hands twist around his cup, looking between the two of them for any hint of discomfort. "I project my consciousness into dreams. It's much like being in my own dream, but with less control than the dreamer. It's... still far less dangerous than some other areas of magic." Perking up a little he adds, "I hope some day soon to figure out how to physically walk into the dreamlands. That would be wonderful. I'd be so curious about how it affects the body, and how I would interact with the dream."

"I wonder if that would be dangerous." Jim remarks, eyebrows raised and a neutral expression on his face. "If you physically traveled into dreams, would you be noticed? If you're not now. What if it was a nightmare? You'd be at risk of being hurt."

Because let's face it, when it comes to Jim's dreams, they're almost always nightmares, and always excruciatingly painful for him.

"That'd be pretty messed up. I'd think." No details. All purely hypothetical yep. Nothing to see here move along.

"True. And- I know of course that things may be different in another realm, but... you never know who you might meet in there. But if you're well-prepared, that's only more reason to go." Felix grins. He'd do it, given the chance.

One shoulder lifts in a half shrug. "I'm very good at being quiet. Unnoticed. It's important. The first thing I learned. I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to create a failsafe."

He's grateful for Felix's smile and mimics it, nodding slightly. "It might be a way to meet new spirits. Or a better way to resolve nightmares. A channel to the gods. Or maybe a way to travel between places, realms, even. It's impossible to know!"

"There are spirits in dreams?"

It's the low hanging fruit but Jim finds it the safest avenue to pursue in conversation given the options. Talking about gods, about nightmares, seems like a much more daunting subject.

"It blows my mind that this is even a thing. Everything I know about sleep and dreaming is purely scientific." A pause, and then Jim gives a sheepish smile and looks down into his drink. "Actually everything I know about everything is purely scientific. The whole magic idea is still pretty new to me, even though I've experienced it firsthand."

His smile widens at Viatorus's enthusiasm... and some of the specific ideas he mentions. Traveling between places? Speaking with the gods? Vaermina and her followers are no topic for this party, but he foresees some productive conversations in the future.

Jim's picked a good line of inquiry, and one that draws Felix's grin his way. Viatorus can answer on the matter of spirits. "Saying that only makes me wonder what you know that we don't."

He has to do his best not to look too bewildered by Jim's question, lest he come across as condescending. He aims to be chipper instead. "Of course there are. There are spirits everywhere. Not many in dreams, though, and they're hard to spot. Most of them are just passing by. Visitors. Explorers. Some... aren't so nice, but they're very rare. It's like any place, really."

"Science is the same as magic, isn't it? A way to understand the world around us." Felix's thought makes him smile gently. "If only we could help each other understand what we both already know. I don't know much about science at all, really."

"Okay I guess I already know that's true, because of--" Wait he's not supposed ot talk about that. Jim cuts himself off by taking a sip of his drink. "The uh, that thing you helped me with. Nevermind."

This turn in conversation finally has Jim feeling like he can actually contribute to the conversation.

"Well, as I understand it, dreams are simply a chemical reaction happening the brain. A cache dump of images from the long term memory center of the mind as it stores away memories. They aren't processed all in one piece, after all. They're cut up into bits and pieces and each tidbit is stored individually, and often in different areas of the brain."

Bones would be the huge expert on this sort of thing, but Jim didn't exactly sleep through his academy lessons.

"Really?" Felix is giving Jim a curious look - but apparently it's just about the science. Whew. "I suppose that's why dreams are so jumbled? We know they're linked to memory, but I didn't realize it could work that way."

Knowing about that counts as science? Viatorus goes a little red as he realises that he does know a little science, despite his previous statement. It's not enough to rival a spaceman, though.

"Then that must be the scientific way of explaining it. Dreams are often the brain taking memories or concerns that don't have satisfactory resolutions and trying to find ones for them. It's an exercise in problem solving. Which is why people have so many dreams about troublesome things in their lives." Rubbing his arm a little, he continues, "But it's also a good way for the psyche to try and communicate with you on another level. Which is one of the many reasons that dreams can be a sign of a person's mental and psychic health."

And now he'll take a sip of his drink in an awkward pause to shut himself up.

"I'm not an expert on neuroscience, and the subconscious brain still isn't fully understood, but yeah. That sort of makes sense." Jim nods in Viatorus's direction.

"I don't know anything about psychic anything. But mental health manifests in brain chemicals as well, so it makes sense that dreams would be affected by a change in them if mental health is also affected."

There's a moment where Jim licks at his lower lip, expression shifting to something vaguely concerned before it disappears again.

"I try really hard not to think about my own dreams, personally."

As much sense as it makes, most of what they're saying is new to Felix, so he's content to listen and look between them with interest for a minute.

"I'm not sure mine get very far in solving my problems. Or maybe I'm not very good at listening." Felix leans closer to nudge Jim jokingly. Trying to help deflect attention. Not that he wants to disparage Viatorus' studies. The younger mage gets another curious smile.

"But then - all right, here's another question for you. Is it true that dreams carry omens of the future? I've met people who believe that, but true seers are so rare it seems peculiar."

Jim's information is accepted with a slow, continuous head bob as Viatorus agrees with this. Chemicals he isn't certain of the specifics on, but it works out with what he knows.

The small, concerned comment is addressed in tandem with Felix's comment. With a gentle smile. "Problems only get resolved when he seek to resolve them."

"Very, very rarely," he says with a deep breath and no hesitation. "When prophecy is received through dreams it's most commonly with people of great talent who work on their skills. Some others may have an untrained talent that they tap into. Or certain beings may seek to communicate future events through dreams. Most often it's a sign of pattern detection as people consider current events."

A reflection of mental health. Can only be solved if he chooses to resolve them.

For a moment Viatorus's voice is too loud. Everything else seems to get drowned out and Jim inhales sharply before pasting on a smile and snapping out of it. The nudge has Jim scrambling for the convenient out of this line of thought.

"I've never been too good at doing what I'm told, either." Jim replies back with a snort and a laugh that's only a little forced. He's fine. Best not to worry anyone unnecessarily. It's suddenly too hot in here, but Jim does his best to remain nonchalant as the subject sways to prophesies.

If his sleeping mind is trying to predict the future, it must hate him.

"How long have you been practicing it?" Jim finally manages to ease the choked feeling in his throat. "Dream Walking, I mean."

Edited 2016-03-18 22:27 (UTC)

There's rarely a point when Felix isn't paying attention to Jim, and the subtle edge in his laugh is enough to draw a quick glance, just a moment to check his expression. He's learning by now that Jim is a a master at not showing when something bothers him, so even with that mask up, Felix makes a concerned note to let him steer the conversation a bit.

"Ah, that's rather what I suspected," he comments in regard to Viatorus's professional judgment. He shifts closer to Jim so he can slip an arm around the captain's back without being incredibly obvious. Just a light offer of tactile comfort if he wants it. "But it's good to hear a more informed opinion."

Jim's discomfort is subtle. Subtle enough to make Viatorus question whether or not he's imagining it. Whatever it might be, it certainly isn't party conversation, or anything to pry into. Curious a person as he is, Viatorus is well versed in letting particular topics go.

That Felix takes his answer and opinion with some value gets a smile from Viatorus. It's nice to be treated more like the other scholars in his family. With no hint of condescension to be found. A little scepticism, perhaps, but more curiosity.

"Since as far back as I can remember." A sip before he continues, "I don't remember a time when I wasn't able to. For the longest time I thought everyone could do it."

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