Rystil Arden
First Post
"Okay, but I'm going to have you watched, just in case."
(OOC: There are literally hundreds of those lights filled with memories--I'll just post a bunch of interesting ones)
[SBLOCK]Rinaldo's breath comes in and out rapidly, her chest rising and falling but her lips pursed to cause the sound to be as quiet as possible, her face held in a neutral position of calm by careful practise and diligent concentration--well, at least she thinks she's still looking calm. Can't be sure without a mirror, but she can see her face in her mind's eye, and if it looks anything like that, she's doing fine. She isn't a little girl, and looking scared like a little girl at a time like this would be absolutely unacceptable.
'Ice,' she tells herself, 'My eyes must be cool and keen, solid like ice, not all melty like water. This is important--focus! Breathe in...and out...'
Rinaldo's breath slows, and she tries to maintain complete control. She focuses her gaze on the painting on the far wall, as the stern visage of Anoura Valanise gazes down as if in disapproval. Now that is just a flight of fancy. She closes her eyes on focuses on the arcane formulae and energies. She could use Magic Missile, but he would expect that--he'd have a Shield up. Scorching Ray might work, if she could get off a shot...at least for an opening move. Her own defenses should last while she determined his strategy. Jaedyn was a worthy foe, but Rinaldo was better, and she had been meticulous. She wouldn't lose--she would prove that she had every right to be here.
At the sound of the start, Rinaldo spins rapidly in one smooth motion, her lithe hands dextrously weaving through the spell's formula. There he is over there--my does he look handsome! But now he is her opponent, at least for the moment. Once she impressed him, well...who knows.
The Scorching Ray blasts off perfectly...too perfectly. It flies straight into him and burns...badly, a critical blow. He wasn't protected against it at all?! What was he thinking!? Rinaldo...[/SBLOCK]
[SBLOCK]Rinaldo gazes down into the diaphraxian crystalline temporal field, artificially constructed and yet still stable! She holds her breath as she watches the strange spatial distortions and colourful residue images that flash through her vision, a side effect of bending the fourth dimension, even in such a small area. But now, for the test! She reaches down with a soft slender hand and picks up Rayne. Rinaldo holds the old cat gently and cuddles her up against her ample chest in perhaps a final hug, as Rayne lets forth a feeble but contented purr. Rinaldo remembered when she had first found Rayne as a kitten. She hadn't needed a familiar, but she instantly fell in love with the friendly and curious calico kitten. She knew Rayne would understand. Sparing a hopeful smile for Jaecyn, her assistant, she quickly casts a spell with the hand not holding the old cat, calling forth a minor telekinesis to lift the cat and fly her towards the unstable field.
'Sorry girl, this isn't big enough to use one of the monsters from the dungeons, and besides, your time was coming soon anyway...and then again, there is the off chance--'
Rinaldo gently lowers Rayne into the roiling temporal muddle, which whirls and gyrates oddly. Rinaldo gasps as the field resolves itself and collapses, leaving behind only a beautiful calico kitten, which purrs as it leaps into Rinaldo's arms, full of energy.
"I can't believe...No, I can believe. I knew you could do it. You're a genius! The greatest wizard that ever lived! I am not worthy to love, worship, and adore you, to bask in your genius and share in this world-changing discovery!" Jaecyn exclaims--Was his name definitely Jaecyn? Maybe it was Jaemie? Rinaldo wasn't sure.
But that didn't really matter. It worked! All that time, all that research and it was a success! And as a minor fringe benefit, it was her daughter's birthday today--a new kitty will win Rinaldo the 'Best Mommy Ever!' award for sure, not that an infant is particularly hard to please. Perhaps the unconditional love, the utter innocence of a baby is almost as surpising as the results of...[/SBLOCK]
[SBLOCK]Rinaldo sits quietly in her chair, gazing lovingly at her little girl, her Laynie. My but Laynie is getting big quickly! She's quite a handful, but Rinaldo loves her with all her heart and soul. Rinaldo sighs and takes the moment to reflect on her past, her present, her future. She feels somehow much mellower now. Maybe it was Laynie, but she feels more at peace with the world, more likely to respond to a random stranger with lovie and camaraderie, rather than cold reason...maybe just a hormonal thing, but maybe not. Rinaldo sits and dreams...perhaps there's some hope for the future after all...[/SBLOCK]
[SBLOCK]Rinaldo glances both ways suspiciously. No, that hadn't just been someone. Thank goodness! She breathes a sharp sigh of relief. She flips through the book carefully, occasionally glancing around to see if she can spot anything suspicious--any sign that someone might have found her here. The writing is incredible! These magical theories were way ahead of their time. Even now they would--Wait...what was that noise?![/SBLOCK]
[SBLOCK]Rinaldo rushes down the corridor in stark terror, her usual composure shattered as she screams for her life. Her clothes torn and rent asunder and fallen to the ground or burnt away, her breasts heave with exertion as she pushes her body to its limits--physical exertion had never been her strong point, but neither is she sickly, and so she makes good time in her flight, as beads of sweat begin to drip across her bare flesh, as blood trickles in slow red rivulets from gashes across her lower stomach. She brushes a loose straying mass of locks aside that has crept across her vision as she runs--her hairdo was definitely not chosen intending such a thing--then again, Rinaldo doesn't think anyone would expect something like this when choosing a hairdo, at least not anyone sane. Rinaldo races ahead, eyes on the floor to be sure she keeps her footing, not even daring to glance back--'Goddess don't even think about looking back, girl!'--she shivers reflexively and continues running.
Gasping, crying, sobbing, she streaks down the empty halls--no one is ever in this area. No one to save her, though in some ways, she's glad that she wont...
WHUMP!
She turns the corner and slams into something soft. Looking up, she sees a concerned-looking girl with pale blue hair--how unusual, but she doesn't have time to register or process or think on the implications. She barely has time for a part of her to be resentful, embarrassed, and outraged that anyone had seen her like this--that little part of Rinaldo knew full well that it was the rational part, but compared to the visceral emotional terror, it is buried as nothing, and Rinaldo tries to pick herself up and flee again, but the girl takes Rinaldo in her arms and hugs her, speaking soothingly
"It's okay. Shhhhh. Everything's going to be okay. You're safe now, just quiet down, and tell me what's wrong." the girl strokes Rinaldo's beautiful golden hair gently and soothingly.
The rational part of Rinaldo is too buried to react, but it would have been incredibly insulted by that sort of treatment--this girl is no older than Rinaldo, probably younger, and even the fear sends impulses to flee, but Rinaldo is in a vulnerable state right now, and she the peace of feeling safe and secure feels so good, she just lets herself calm down, slow her breathing, begin to relax...
"There, that's much better!" the girl encourages cheerfully, "Now you just...Great merciful Halina!"
Rinaldo has her head buried against the girl, so she can't see what caused the exclamation or the sudden fast heartbeat she feels against her face from the other girl's chest, but Rinaldo knows what it is without looking.
"Don't worry, you're still safe. I'm first in my class at Evocations. Just get behind me," the other girl instructs.
In her right mind, Rinaldo probably would have realised that the girl's boast was either arrogance, a misplaced attempt to comfort Rinaldo, or even if true, it still doesn't matter, as the girl is surely less competent than Rinaldo herself, but Rinaldo is still in flight-or-fight mode and isn't acting particularly rationally--she clings to the hope that she is safe and stands behind the girl, who draws her nexus and casts two spells in rapid succession--three magic missiles and a lightning bolt...Wait, three magic missiles and lightning bolt? Actually that is impressive, not that Rinaldo specialised in Evocation mind, but...
The creature gives a wicked leer, standing completely unmarked. Rinaldo should have remembered that the creature had a wicked resistance to magical spells. She had selectively blocked that, or maybe foolishly thought this girl could overcome it. She needs to get her thoughts straight, but on the other hand, doing so might distract her from the solid singular necessity of running. The creature's bat-like wings flap as it continues to leer in anticipation, darkness and flames dancing across its body as it reaches forward with talons and slashes through the other girl's robes and underclothes, ripping them apart and drawing blood as the tatters fell to the floor and began to smolder in the creature's flames, just like Rinaldo's before them. Then the creature's eyes glow red and both of the girls are filled with incredible supernatural fear, screaming and running away down the hall together, as the creature cackles wickedly, enjoying the thrill and sights and sounds of the chase as much as anything.
But the creature wouldn't win today, Rinaldo promises herself--even in her utter terror, there is a method in her flight. She and the unknown girl--Evoker Girl is her new interim name--she and Evoker Girl continued fleeing down passageways with the creature right behind and Rinaldo in the lead, having been further down the hall to start since Evoker Girl had been trying to make a stand. Rinaldo seems to be taking a fairly haphazard path, but as they turn the corner, she grabs Evoker Girl and pulls her into a cranny that she happens to know leads to a tiny extradimensional space. It was only really big enough for one, but it would probably fit two if they squeezed, and after Evoker Girl stuck her neck out for Rinaldo, it was the least Rinaldo could do. Besides, as the two squeeze into the tiny space and huddle against each other, shivering with terror incarnate still possessing their bodies and souls to the very core, Rinaldo has to admit that she feels safer having someone else there with her, she feels better not being alone. Now all that they needed to do was pray to all the gods that the creature would pass by without noticing the secret hidden entrance to the extradimensional space--and even if it did, there wasn't enough room for it to fit, unless it had more tricks up its sleeve. They would need to hide out inside for as long as they possibly could, and they try their best, continuing to shiver uncontrollably against each other and squirming a bit to try to find a more comfortable position. What a mess!
Slowly, Rinaldo's heartbeat drops, as does Evoker Girl's and her thoughts begin to become more normal, the unnaturally powerful emotions receding. Rinaldo is reminded of her hatred for Enchantment magic, any magic that can make a person feel like that--she always wants to be in control of herself, since that's the only thing one can be sure she controls in this mixed-up world. Sound doesn't carry out of the extradimensional space, so if they're going to be stuck here, Rinaldo decides that she might as well not call the other girl Evoker Girl--
"Hey, thanks for your help back there," Rinaldo says once she is sure she can speak with her full mature equanimity while still expressing her gratitude, "Obviously I'm not normally like that, but I was under the spell of that thing's eyes and overwhelmed with terror. That was some impressive spell-slinging back there--you're definitely one of the most talented people I've met recently.
"Tell me, what's your name?" Rinaldo queries--the girl may have acted condescendingly, the memory of which still nettles a bit, but Evoker Girl should no more be blamed for that than Rinaldo should for her fright-induced flight.
The girl begins to move about, and Rinaldo realises that they had shifted into a position where Evoker Girl's face was facing away and was a bit contorted so she couldn't talk easily with Rinaldo. With only a modicum of shifting about in the cramped space, they manage to shift so that Evoker Girl can talk more easily, but while they did that, Rinaldo's shoulder moving past the side of Evoker Girl's head brushed against---!
"Oh, I'm sorry. My name's Rayne. And thank you for the compliment, though fat lot of good I did us--you really saved the day with this little place. I swear I've seen you around before, but I don't think I recognised you in the midst of all the action, and it's too dark in here to see--I'm sorry, what's your name."
A pointy ear--Rinaldo had spoken too soon! Well, sort of pointy. Not really sharp like an elf's and that explains why Rinaldo had missed it earlier, though forgetting the light-blue hair thing was inexcusable, really. But this Rayne isn't even human at all! Still, Rayne had tried her best to help Rinaldo...and yet...
"Oh, it's not your fault. I'm sure most people aren't used to meeting me in such a fashion. I..."[/SBLOCK]
(OOC: There are literally hundreds of those lights filled with memories--I'll just post a bunch of interesting ones)
[SBLOCK]Rinaldo's breath comes in and out rapidly, her chest rising and falling but her lips pursed to cause the sound to be as quiet as possible, her face held in a neutral position of calm by careful practise and diligent concentration--well, at least she thinks she's still looking calm. Can't be sure without a mirror, but she can see her face in her mind's eye, and if it looks anything like that, she's doing fine. She isn't a little girl, and looking scared like a little girl at a time like this would be absolutely unacceptable.
'Ice,' she tells herself, 'My eyes must be cool and keen, solid like ice, not all melty like water. This is important--focus! Breathe in...and out...'
Rinaldo's breath slows, and she tries to maintain complete control. She focuses her gaze on the painting on the far wall, as the stern visage of Anoura Valanise gazes down as if in disapproval. Now that is just a flight of fancy. She closes her eyes on focuses on the arcane formulae and energies. She could use Magic Missile, but he would expect that--he'd have a Shield up. Scorching Ray might work, if she could get off a shot...at least for an opening move. Her own defenses should last while she determined his strategy. Jaedyn was a worthy foe, but Rinaldo was better, and she had been meticulous. She wouldn't lose--she would prove that she had every right to be here.
At the sound of the start, Rinaldo spins rapidly in one smooth motion, her lithe hands dextrously weaving through the spell's formula. There he is over there--my does he look handsome! But now he is her opponent, at least for the moment. Once she impressed him, well...who knows.
The Scorching Ray blasts off perfectly...too perfectly. It flies straight into him and burns...badly, a critical blow. He wasn't protected against it at all?! What was he thinking!? Rinaldo...[/SBLOCK]
[SBLOCK]Rinaldo gazes down into the diaphraxian crystalline temporal field, artificially constructed and yet still stable! She holds her breath as she watches the strange spatial distortions and colourful residue images that flash through her vision, a side effect of bending the fourth dimension, even in such a small area. But now, for the test! She reaches down with a soft slender hand and picks up Rayne. Rinaldo holds the old cat gently and cuddles her up against her ample chest in perhaps a final hug, as Rayne lets forth a feeble but contented purr. Rinaldo remembered when she had first found Rayne as a kitten. She hadn't needed a familiar, but she instantly fell in love with the friendly and curious calico kitten. She knew Rayne would understand. Sparing a hopeful smile for Jaecyn, her assistant, she quickly casts a spell with the hand not holding the old cat, calling forth a minor telekinesis to lift the cat and fly her towards the unstable field.
'Sorry girl, this isn't big enough to use one of the monsters from the dungeons, and besides, your time was coming soon anyway...and then again, there is the off chance--'
Rinaldo gently lowers Rayne into the roiling temporal muddle, which whirls and gyrates oddly. Rinaldo gasps as the field resolves itself and collapses, leaving behind only a beautiful calico kitten, which purrs as it leaps into Rinaldo's arms, full of energy.
"I can't believe...No, I can believe. I knew you could do it. You're a genius! The greatest wizard that ever lived! I am not worthy to love, worship, and adore you, to bask in your genius and share in this world-changing discovery!" Jaecyn exclaims--Was his name definitely Jaecyn? Maybe it was Jaemie? Rinaldo wasn't sure.
But that didn't really matter. It worked! All that time, all that research and it was a success! And as a minor fringe benefit, it was her daughter's birthday today--a new kitty will win Rinaldo the 'Best Mommy Ever!' award for sure, not that an infant is particularly hard to please. Perhaps the unconditional love, the utter innocence of a baby is almost as surpising as the results of...[/SBLOCK]
[SBLOCK]Rinaldo sits quietly in her chair, gazing lovingly at her little girl, her Laynie. My but Laynie is getting big quickly! She's quite a handful, but Rinaldo loves her with all her heart and soul. Rinaldo sighs and takes the moment to reflect on her past, her present, her future. She feels somehow much mellower now. Maybe it was Laynie, but she feels more at peace with the world, more likely to respond to a random stranger with lovie and camaraderie, rather than cold reason...maybe just a hormonal thing, but maybe not. Rinaldo sits and dreams...perhaps there's some hope for the future after all...[/SBLOCK]
[SBLOCK]Rinaldo glances both ways suspiciously. No, that hadn't just been someone. Thank goodness! She breathes a sharp sigh of relief. She flips through the book carefully, occasionally glancing around to see if she can spot anything suspicious--any sign that someone might have found her here. The writing is incredible! These magical theories were way ahead of their time. Even now they would--Wait...what was that noise?![/SBLOCK]
[SBLOCK]Rinaldo rushes down the corridor in stark terror, her usual composure shattered as she screams for her life. Her clothes torn and rent asunder and fallen to the ground or burnt away, her breasts heave with exertion as she pushes her body to its limits--physical exertion had never been her strong point, but neither is she sickly, and so she makes good time in her flight, as beads of sweat begin to drip across her bare flesh, as blood trickles in slow red rivulets from gashes across her lower stomach. She brushes a loose straying mass of locks aside that has crept across her vision as she runs--her hairdo was definitely not chosen intending such a thing--then again, Rinaldo doesn't think anyone would expect something like this when choosing a hairdo, at least not anyone sane. Rinaldo races ahead, eyes on the floor to be sure she keeps her footing, not even daring to glance back--'Goddess don't even think about looking back, girl!'--she shivers reflexively and continues running.
Gasping, crying, sobbing, she streaks down the empty halls--no one is ever in this area. No one to save her, though in some ways, she's glad that she wont...
WHUMP!
She turns the corner and slams into something soft. Looking up, she sees a concerned-looking girl with pale blue hair--how unusual, but she doesn't have time to register or process or think on the implications. She barely has time for a part of her to be resentful, embarrassed, and outraged that anyone had seen her like this--that little part of Rinaldo knew full well that it was the rational part, but compared to the visceral emotional terror, it is buried as nothing, and Rinaldo tries to pick herself up and flee again, but the girl takes Rinaldo in her arms and hugs her, speaking soothingly
"It's okay. Shhhhh. Everything's going to be okay. You're safe now, just quiet down, and tell me what's wrong." the girl strokes Rinaldo's beautiful golden hair gently and soothingly.
The rational part of Rinaldo is too buried to react, but it would have been incredibly insulted by that sort of treatment--this girl is no older than Rinaldo, probably younger, and even the fear sends impulses to flee, but Rinaldo is in a vulnerable state right now, and she the peace of feeling safe and secure feels so good, she just lets herself calm down, slow her breathing, begin to relax...
"There, that's much better!" the girl encourages cheerfully, "Now you just...Great merciful Halina!"
Rinaldo has her head buried against the girl, so she can't see what caused the exclamation or the sudden fast heartbeat she feels against her face from the other girl's chest, but Rinaldo knows what it is without looking.
"Don't worry, you're still safe. I'm first in my class at Evocations. Just get behind me," the other girl instructs.
In her right mind, Rinaldo probably would have realised that the girl's boast was either arrogance, a misplaced attempt to comfort Rinaldo, or even if true, it still doesn't matter, as the girl is surely less competent than Rinaldo herself, but Rinaldo is still in flight-or-fight mode and isn't acting particularly rationally--she clings to the hope that she is safe and stands behind the girl, who draws her nexus and casts two spells in rapid succession--three magic missiles and a lightning bolt...Wait, three magic missiles and lightning bolt? Actually that is impressive, not that Rinaldo specialised in Evocation mind, but...
The creature gives a wicked leer, standing completely unmarked. Rinaldo should have remembered that the creature had a wicked resistance to magical spells. She had selectively blocked that, or maybe foolishly thought this girl could overcome it. She needs to get her thoughts straight, but on the other hand, doing so might distract her from the solid singular necessity of running. The creature's bat-like wings flap as it continues to leer in anticipation, darkness and flames dancing across its body as it reaches forward with talons and slashes through the other girl's robes and underclothes, ripping them apart and drawing blood as the tatters fell to the floor and began to smolder in the creature's flames, just like Rinaldo's before them. Then the creature's eyes glow red and both of the girls are filled with incredible supernatural fear, screaming and running away down the hall together, as the creature cackles wickedly, enjoying the thrill and sights and sounds of the chase as much as anything.
But the creature wouldn't win today, Rinaldo promises herself--even in her utter terror, there is a method in her flight. She and the unknown girl--Evoker Girl is her new interim name--she and Evoker Girl continued fleeing down passageways with the creature right behind and Rinaldo in the lead, having been further down the hall to start since Evoker Girl had been trying to make a stand. Rinaldo seems to be taking a fairly haphazard path, but as they turn the corner, she grabs Evoker Girl and pulls her into a cranny that she happens to know leads to a tiny extradimensional space. It was only really big enough for one, but it would probably fit two if they squeezed, and after Evoker Girl stuck her neck out for Rinaldo, it was the least Rinaldo could do. Besides, as the two squeeze into the tiny space and huddle against each other, shivering with terror incarnate still possessing their bodies and souls to the very core, Rinaldo has to admit that she feels safer having someone else there with her, she feels better not being alone. Now all that they needed to do was pray to all the gods that the creature would pass by without noticing the secret hidden entrance to the extradimensional space--and even if it did, there wasn't enough room for it to fit, unless it had more tricks up its sleeve. They would need to hide out inside for as long as they possibly could, and they try their best, continuing to shiver uncontrollably against each other and squirming a bit to try to find a more comfortable position. What a mess!
Slowly, Rinaldo's heartbeat drops, as does Evoker Girl's and her thoughts begin to become more normal, the unnaturally powerful emotions receding. Rinaldo is reminded of her hatred for Enchantment magic, any magic that can make a person feel like that--she always wants to be in control of herself, since that's the only thing one can be sure she controls in this mixed-up world. Sound doesn't carry out of the extradimensional space, so if they're going to be stuck here, Rinaldo decides that she might as well not call the other girl Evoker Girl--
"Hey, thanks for your help back there," Rinaldo says once she is sure she can speak with her full mature equanimity while still expressing her gratitude, "Obviously I'm not normally like that, but I was under the spell of that thing's eyes and overwhelmed with terror. That was some impressive spell-slinging back there--you're definitely one of the most talented people I've met recently.
"Tell me, what's your name?" Rinaldo queries--the girl may have acted condescendingly, the memory of which still nettles a bit, but Evoker Girl should no more be blamed for that than Rinaldo should for her fright-induced flight.
The girl begins to move about, and Rinaldo realises that they had shifted into a position where Evoker Girl's face was facing away and was a bit contorted so she couldn't talk easily with Rinaldo. With only a modicum of shifting about in the cramped space, they manage to shift so that Evoker Girl can talk more easily, but while they did that, Rinaldo's shoulder moving past the side of Evoker Girl's head brushed against---!
"Oh, I'm sorry. My name's Rayne. And thank you for the compliment, though fat lot of good I did us--you really saved the day with this little place. I swear I've seen you around before, but I don't think I recognised you in the midst of all the action, and it's too dark in here to see--I'm sorry, what's your name."
A pointy ear--Rinaldo had spoken too soon! Well, sort of pointy. Not really sharp like an elf's and that explains why Rinaldo had missed it earlier, though forgetting the light-blue hair thing was inexcusable, really. But this Rayne isn't even human at all! Still, Rayne had tried her best to help Rinaldo...and yet...
"Oh, it's not your fault. I'm sure most people aren't used to meeting me in such a fashion. I..."[/SBLOCK]
That's what the ally card does--it implies the presence of an allied NPC. Frankly, the face cards are kinda less interesting. I prefer the others.)
