Happy Birthday, Viatorus!

[westfallcorndog]

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.))

Comments

[rogueinladysclothing]

She blinks at the question and hesitates before answering. How does one describe something that they just do? "I guess it's... kind of like dancing in the water," she manages after a moment. "And a bit like handling a blade as well. The movements are simple, but there's a grace and power required to do it. It can be a symbiotic relationship or it can be a tumultuous one - it all depends on the tides and whether you're willing to listen to them."

[heirtothearcane]

"But..." He gestures unhelpfully, waving his hand about before bringing it to his face. "Air. What do you do for air? And for speed?"

[rogueinladysclothing]

"...you breathe what's above the water." It seems like an obvious answer to her. "And if you need to stay under water, you hold your breath as long as you can. As for speed, you swim a lot to build strength and then you can swim longer and faster."

She raises an eyebrow at him. "How do you swim?" Because now she's curios.

[heirtothearcane]

"That all sounds very strenuous," he comments absently, letting the thoughts settle. "Not very calm or peaceful at all."

"I can bring air down with me in bubbles. So I don't run out. A bit of magic in the right way helps me move quicker, or a lot can push me through the water." A giddy smile peeks through his expression. "You can go really fast with that. Like a fish."

[rogueinladysclothing]

"It's an effort, that's for certain, but there's nothing so satisfying as knowing you made it so far on your own strength. But if you're swimming with the tides, it's not that hard and it's very peaceful once you find your rhythm." She smiles lightly. She never intended for it to sound so bad to him, but she's unsure what else she could have said without changing the truth.

"That sounds too easy," she says with a small laugh. Seems the misunderstanding goes both ways. "If you use magic, do you need to go through the motions of swimming at all? Or is it purely for aesthetics?" So much curiosity about this. Viatorus is very good at drawing Amelia from sad thoughts by presenting topics for her to question.

[heirtothearcane]

He listens to the description and then nods to himself. "It's like spellcasting. Satisfying when you do something difficult and strenuous on your own, but you can use the natural powers around you to make it more pleasant."

The laughter gets a bright grin from him. It's extremely encouraging to see her so cheerful again. "Oh I do the motions, but I don't have to. It helps, though, to have more control like that. Physical and magical at the same time."

[rogueinladysclothing]

"Yes, exactly like that." Finally, a metaphor that worked!

"That's cheating," she teases, winking to reinforce the point. "But now I'm curious to see how it works. You'll have to let me try when we go swimming." Wait, did she just ask for him to use magic on her? Apparently her research on magic has been going very well - or she's very comfortable with him.

[heirtothearcane]

Communication successes are always a wonderful thing, so he beams at her.

Viatorus isn't sure. He blinks at Amelia, wide eyed and almost certain that he can't be interpreting this correctly. It would be rude of him to assume, too, so he's cautious when he speaks. "Let you try it. You mean... help you swim... by using magic?"

[rogueinladysclothing]

She nods, trying not to laugh at his confusion. It's quite understandable, after all. "Yes." Beat. "If you can do that, anyway. I guess I don't know how that kind of magic would work exactly. I'm assuming you manipulate the water around you?"

...so much for her reading about magic being a small research project. But it's not like she's been trying to do anything else as of late. Going out still seems like a bad idea most days so she's been reading to fill her time instead.

[heirtothearcane]

It looks like his surprise isn't going away any time soon. He takes a bit longer to speak this time. "Uh... yes... um... Some of it. Mostly. I... I can enchant myself a little too. I... Are... Are you sure?"

His expression has a hint of scepticism in it. He's not certain she entirely knows what she's asking for.

[rogueinladysclothing]

She frowns. Partly because he doesn't believe her and partly because of her desire to throw a fit. Had she really been so petulant just a few months ago as to do something like that in public?

What a sad, pathetic thing she must be for that to be true.

"I have no reason to tell you anything but the truth," she says after a moment. "When I said I would be honest with you about everything, I meant it." A soft sigh escapes her. "If it makes you uncomfortable, then I'll withdraw my request. But know that I really do want to try." Her hands fold together slowly in front of her to give her something to do with them. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, she adds, "Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

[heirtothearcane]

"No, you didn't, I..." He hesitates, trying to decide on how to put this delicately. He's not much good at communicating on the best of days. Settling on something, he looks her in the eye so that she can see he's being earnest and means well. "I just want to make sure you know what you're asking. It's a fun request, but... I don't want that to be ruined by a... by a misunderstanding. You... You never really liked magic all that much. Now... Now you're asking me if I could use magic on you. Affect you with it."

I love new V icons! <3

[rogueinladysclothing]

"But I want to learn to be better about it." Her eyes shift to the water next to them, though they don't settle on anything in particular. "I thought this might be a good way to start. Something interesting, fun, and less dangerous than other options." Mostly because other options mean jumping head first into duels and spars with magic users as she learns to defend herself. Even in the safety of the Nexus that could be bad.

Couldja help me thank Falx for the next 75 perchance? @_@

[heirtothearcane]

"Maybe even before that you could... just... see some," he suggests carefully. Trying to gauge her reaction. "I'm happy to help you swim with magic, but... familiarity helps. Small steps, like you're thinking."

I most certainly will the next time she's online! :D

[rogueinladysclothing]

It's hard not to get frustrated when you're making a leap of faith and the person on the other side is worried you won't make it. Amelia sighs heavily and grips one hand with the other very tightly. "I've seen small things by your own hands, Viatorus - experienced them, too. I can't hold back now or I'll never do this. I don't want to miss this chance before I tell myself I can't anymore." She can't back down, not now. If she does, she may abandon the whole thing and be worse off than before. It's a risk, to be certain, but isn't it better to take it with someone she trusts?

^^

[heirtothearcane]

"But... don't you want to take things easy? Keep it controlled? See and experience exactly as little or as much as you like? On land. Where you can walk away easily if it gets..." A pause to pick his words. "Stressful."

Quietly he offers, "Isidor doesn't like being in water when she's stressed. So. I know not everyone likes it. That's all. I want you to be happy."

[rogueinladysclothing]

I'm never happy to begin with.

"If I don't try, I won't know if it makes me happy." It's a better way to phrase that thought. "Please, let me try. If it's too much, I'll tell you." She finally turns and gives him a tiny smile. "Besides, it'll be some time before the weather is warm enough for swimming. I have time to work up to something like that."

[heirtothearcane]

Still unsure, he hesitates a long moment, but then smiles meekly in return. "Alright. I just... I want you to be safe and happy. I don't want to scare you." His smile becomes more cemented then. "But I'm glad to hear you want to learn about it. It's very brave of you."

Gods, I *adore* this icon of V

[rogueinladysclothing]

Her pinks turn a slight shade of pink. "I'm not brave," she says, shaking her head. Selfish is a better word for it. "But I trust you. I know you won't do anything to hurt me. If something bad does happen, I won't blame you for it. I promise."

:D Happy icons!

[heirtothearcane]

"It is brave," he insists gently. "I remember when you first talked to me about magic. This is brave of you. Exploring the unknown. A world you once knew nothing about. It's incredibly brave. I don't think I'd be able to do what you do. It would be like me learning how not to use magic. I don't think I could do that the same way you're learning about magic."

Oh gods that typo. Can't believe I missed that one. >>;

[rogueinladysclothing]

Her cheeks turn and even deeper shade of pink. "You give me too much credit, I think." Not that she can stop him, of course. "I said such terrible things about you and your magic then, was so afraid of you just for being you." She gives him a small, sheepish smile. "I'm so glad I've gotten to know you better. And I'm glad that you're... my friend." That bit is still hard for her to say, but she does mean it. Her smile doesn't falter at all. If nothing else, she is grateful to know him.

It happens ^^

[heirtothearcane]

Viatorus is in no position to comment on bright cheeks, but he will smile brightly. "So am I. Glad that you're my friend. It's so nice to have someone to share all of this with. I hope I'm always this lucky."

[rogueinladysclothing]

Her smile quickly matches his. His brightness is always infectious with her. "You'll always be that lucky with me, I promise."