sranks | a necromancer and a priestess walk into a confessional

[She certainly does have some cute reactions! But Zvei keeps the teasing in his head where it belongs and instead nods with a smile at that.]

Of course, of course. My apologies for flustering you so.

[He sweeps into a bow and then offers her his arm - come on, let's go find somewhere quiet to get to know one another!]

[She'll take Zvei's arm with some gratitude, at least, as he thankfully spares her any further teasing. There isn't a specific path she follows, but she does try to go off to the side; away from prying eyes, mostly, and trying to ignore the increasing flush on her face.

This is happening. All of this is. It's almost dizzying, but there's still that hollow feeling despite it all. Amaya can at least recognize that this isn't unwelcome, but the familiar scent of sandalwood hits her nose and she finds herself drawing toward the confessional without thinking of the implications too deeply.

...Even as she opens the room and realizes it's quite. A bit smaller than the confessionals she was used to keeping. Quite a bit tighter, and for a brief moment she wonders if the two of them will actually fit inside, but...]

...I appreciate your willingness to apologize. It is simply a touch overwhelming in front of a crowd of others, but...

Would you be willing to tell me more about yourself?

[Ah, the confessional... oh, it's quite small isn't it. Hmm.]

But of course. Though first let us see if we can fit in here properly.

[We'll probably have to squeeze in tight, sitting close together, but Zvei has no problems with that if Amaya is unopposed! Once we're settled in...]

I am Zvei, of the guild Ruby Dawn. It is one of the largest guilds in Emirre and has quite a bit of influence in the surrounding countries, leading to interesting opportunities in my research. To put it simply, I research magical artifacts and study their usage within the world.

[He could go on and on (and on and on and on) about magicelite and the Aeli and all of that, but that's getting sidetracked and not exactly information about him.]

I'm also an amnesiac; I haven't been able to determine exactly what happened that cause me to lose my memories.

[He says it in the same light tone as everything else, though his expression is a touch more serious than it usually is.]

[Amaya is...well, if it were anyone else, she supposes she'd be opposed, but in the middle of hornytown, she'll take whatever bastion of familiarity she can get. If it means she's locked in a little tightly with an unfamiliar man, so be it.

Still, what Zvei tells her is fascinating. Not that much of her gaze can be made out in the scant light they have here, but Amaya's always had pretty good night vision; she watches Zvei talk with a surprising amount of interest, though it's more that she's staring right at him and barely blinking once. It's kind of. Eerie, maybe.

...But even so...]

Fascinating. [And that comes out surprisingly genuine, even if interest is yet another emotion the Dragon has taken from her.] It sounds as if your skills are indispensable to this Ruby Dawn. Knowledge of magic is no easy thing to obtain, my child, and your skills sound as if they are being put to good use.

[Even so, the latter bit gets a bit of a quirk in Amaya's brow.]

Amnesiac...strange indeed. And this guild, they took you in knowing that? You're certain they had no involvement.

[There's something slightly harder in Amaya's tone at that, but she waits for Zvei to clarify. She has a feeling he'll talk if he wants to, at least.]

[Considering he does the exact same thing to people, the staring doesn't bother him in the slightest. In fact, he's doing that to her as well! Ominous.]

I would be quite surprised if they had! No, their hold is in the eastern half of the world, and I found myself awakening in the western; in the rather mysterious country of Ize-Vti, where Ruby Dawn has no hold whatsoever. If they had something to do with my memory loss, I imagine I would have learned of it by now.

[It's not entirely out of the realm of possibility, and it is something to keep an eye on... but he's also been working with them for years at this point. If they knew anything about his amnesia, surely someone would have dangled it over his head at some point.]

But you're right - my skills are quite important to the guild, and the world as a whole. I've worked quite hard to ensure my knowledge is of value.

[Despite the cheerful words, there's no real pride in it. It is what it is, and what it is is valuable work. Zvei loves his research - but he loves it about as much as he loves anything else. Which is to say, not much at all, really. Love is a complicated emotion that he's not entirely sure he's capable of feeling at all.]

[They really are perceiving one another, aren't they. It's...not entirely bad to be stared at like this, Amaya thinks; someone's attempting to see her for all she is or just has about as intense of a stare as her.

Truly, a match made in hell.]

...I see. Do forgive my suspicions; I meant no ill by them.

[The words don't quite reach a genuine tone of apology, sadly, but she does try and at least means it slightly.]

It is simply an intriguing circumstance that I wondered if they may have capitalized on, but it would seem that their desire for your presence was genuine. Tell me more, of the knowledge you have pursued; what is it that you have researched so thoroughly, and what have your findings managed to do?

[Amaya does sound as close to genuinely intrigued as she can, at least. Though she adjusts herself a bit--this place really is cramped and she's trying to get a little more comfortable, give her a moment. Maybe she'd be more comfortable if she leaned on her new husband, but even now, she seems reluctant to do so.]

No need for that; I'm hardly offended.

[Though given what you've seen of him thus far, did you think he would be? He doesn't have anywhere near enough feelings for that.

This is a very good topic though, and Zvei nods enthusiastically.]

I research magic crystals known as magicelite. They are quite the potent little things, created from the natural magic in the world, monsters' unique brands of magic, and those that people use. Their exact creation methods vary - and thus vary in potency - but they have a deep connection to the Aeli, the World Tree.

[Hmm, he should probably explain the Aeli too, as most people don't seem to have a World Tree...]

The Aeli is the source of all life in our world. Its Branches house particularly powerful monsters and magicelite; it is only with this potent magicelite that one can hope to pierce the barrier surrounding the Aeli itself to explore it. Considering how curious everyone is about the Aeli and how much is shrouded in mystery, it's been a goal of many guilds to finally explore it.

Ruby Dawn was finally capable of this; with my research and assistance, of course.

[Though he still sounds just as cheerful about the whole thing, there's no real emotion behind it. It is what it is.]

[Amaya listens with that same blank stare, taking everything in. It all sounds fascinating, truth be told; magicelite sound like an interesting alternative to the way magic in Madide works. No complicated elements to keep track of, no strange runes that one must use to increase their power. It's all deeply fascinating.]

Intriguing. That World Tree of yours, it sounds akin to the Goddesses of my own world and their jobs. A tree so full of magic and life and secrets...I can imagine that you must have been excited to finally see your research bear fruit, as the Ruby Dawn explored.

[Amaya adjusts once again, likely nudging poor Zvei in the process. She lets out a small sigh, at this point.]

Those magicelite sound akin to what we used on Madide. Much of it's...magic, is unfortunately quite dry and boring to explain, but all things in our world have an element to them. Honing ones abilities and increasing your power, it requires one to obtain runes of that specific element, as decreed by the Granter; the runes are Her reward to the hardworking masses, to encourage them to use their gifts to the fullest...

But ah. I've rambled. Do allow me to apologize. [The negative emotion of sheepishness gets Amaya to stop, at least, shaking her head and likely flicking her stupid long hair about.] Tell me more. What have you been able to find with the Ruby Dawn so far?

[Zvei nods at that.]

The Gods created the Aeli, so that is a very fair comparison.

[Though she nudges him, he doesn't flinch; perfectly content to remain sitting next to her. This would be easier if we were cuddling, but he's not going to initiate that since she doesn't seem the sort to want to cuddle. Still though, he listens curiously as she explains about her own work and shakes his head as she cuts herself off.]

Nonsense, it's quite fascinating! I've only ever known our one system of magic; to hear about another world's is simply delightful! "Dry and boring to explain" it may be, but it is truly interesting! We have spells of certain elements, with monsters being weak to some verses others, but most people do not have an elemental affinity. Nor do we have the Granter or Her runes... though some do use runes to cast their magic.

[Bits and pieces that almost line up, but aren't quite in the same position. Truly, it's fascinating. He could talk at length about her world's system of magic and how it compares to his own, but she's asked him another question so Zvei settles back where he's sitting.]

Ah, we located the Aeli Itself, the near-Godlike being that controls the Aeli and its Branches. An interesting individual, certainly, though I was taken from just after meeting It, so unfortunately there's much I have yet to explore and learn.

[That is all technically true! It's just leaving out the part that he merged with the Aeli and kind of intentionally shoved a god in his brain. Totally normal things.]

[...Oh, that's. Huh. Amaya's look almost perks at that, though for her, perking is more akin to her eyes briefly widening with some strangled semblance of hope. It seems the Dragon's hold on her heart still persists, but this isn't bad at all. No, despite the empty feeling that creeps in, it's...

Nice, she thinks. That he'd genuinely like to listen.]

...You finally saw your efforts bear truly ripe fruit, and were taken just from it. That's certainly one way to yank a researcher's chain; I do hope that you're able to return in time, and be able to ask the Aeli all of the questions that It can answer for you.

[Amaya pauses a bit, tempted to shift again, but...she's going to have to realize that it's going to look like she wants out if she keeps doing this. It gets a small noise out of her as Amaya looks to Zvei, briefly.]

...Zvei, I apologize. Would you mind too terribly if I came closer? I'm having quite the hard time finding a comfortable way to sit in here, I'm afraid...

[and like hell is she going back outside! it's horny out there!!!]

[Ah, what a beautiful expression... He has to wonder what it is he said that caused it. Perhaps he'll find out. After all, they've plenty of time to get to know each other here.]

Of course; I'm looking forward to it.

[But for now he can focus on this, and at her question, he laughs softly.]

You don't need to ask; particularly if we are to be married, after all!

[He says, with absolutely zero shame or hesitance.]

[It's about what she's come to expect of Zvei at this point; if she could smile, she would at the gesture, letting out a small noise as she pushes herself closer to him.

He was always bigger than her; she knew this from the moment they walked down the aisles, that he practically dwarfed her in height. And yet the feeling of leaning into him, not quite climbing onto his lap but allowing herself to get closer to him, it's...

...Amaya doesn't know why the word safe enters her mind, but it's there, and she doesn't find it the worst thing in the world. Her legs finally have some room to stretch out at least, even if they're likely at least slightly a tangle of limbs right now.]

I only thought to do so out of respect, my child. [...] Thank you. You are quite kind. Is there anything I can answer for you, of my own world? I would...not mind. Staying like this, I mean.

[Sure, they could go to a room, but in a strange way, she feels comfortable in this space. Sure, it's a strangled feeling, but it's there.]

[She fits snugly into his side and Zvei's first inane thought is that he likes this. He's not entirely sure why he likes this - as he's never particularly liked what affection he was given from Fiona - but maybe that was different, somehow. He's not entirely sure how. Really, all of this is a bit beyond him, so Zvei decides to simply stop thinking and let himself enjoy it for what it is. They're close now, and that gives them a little bit more room for their legs, and that's nice enough for now.]

Neither would I, though I do fear that my legs may eventually fall asleep!

[He laughs it off, clearly meaning it (mostly) as a joke. If he's truly uncomfortable, he'll let her know. But for now, the proximity is... nice. Comfortable. Something he greedily wants more of, if he's perfectly honest with himself. Maybe it would be nice if she was in his lap. Ah, but he'll keep that thought to himself.]

Tell me more of your world - of your magic and gods. You must have a creation myth of your own and I'm quite curious to hear how it differs from ours. All beings are said to be borne of the Aeli, after all.

[But without a World Tree to give rise to the many different races across the world, where did the ones in your world come from?]

...Do let me know if they begin to. I would be amendable to moving elsewhere, but with...minimal interaction with everything else.

[From where her head is from where she sits, she can practically rest her head on his chest and hear if he has any sort of heartbeat or not. It's strange, but...centering, almost. Idly, Amaya feels her hand gently find one of his and she sets hers atop it briefly and simply lets the silence happen. It's comfortable. It's...

She could even dare to call it home, almost, despite the way the Dragon strangles her heart and the feelings within it.

...But Zvei asks a question, and Amaya would be remiss not to answer.]

It's quite different, in fact. Many different parts of Madide have their own take on it, but the one we know of goes as such; that long ago, two beings were created from the ashes of an old universe. The Creator; She who creates life and gives it form, each one said to be a precious creation of hers that she allows to roam the world she and the Granter created. She creates incessantly, and wishes only for her creations to live in harmony.

And of course, there is the Granter; She who gives purpose and meaning to all life on the Creator's green planet. She is that which grants meaning to the existence of all life on our planet, who writes their stories and assists in helping them make their history. She is a granter of power, of love, of all of one's hearts desires; all one need do is pursue it, in her eyes, and their determination will be rewarded.

Does that make sense, to start?

[She can feel that he does have a heartbeat, in fact! It's about as fast as one would expect a resting heartbeat to be; he's not the sort to get flustered or riled easily, and his heartbeat reflects the ease he's feeling. She rests her hand on his and he idly laces his fingers with hers.

(Fiona used to do this all the time, when she'd drag him by the hand to get him to leave his office. C'mon, Zvei! She'd say, dragging him off and making sure he couldn't pull away by gripping his fingers tightly. You're going to work yourself into an early grave the way you're going!

And yet she was the one who found herself in an early grave. Well, that's simply her own fault. He told her not to trust him.)]

It does, yes. Your Granter sounds a little like our Deity of Destiny, the one who decides our fates from the moment we're born. At least, that's how things supposedly go, though depending on who you ask, thoughts vary on how true that is.

[Some people simply don't believe in that pantheon of gods, after all.]

Please, keep going.

[Amaya probably would have found it comforting either way, but the heartbeat is...nice. It gets Amaya to close her eyes, and for the rigid way she carries herself to slacken, at least slightly. How strange it is, that the emptiness doesn't feel entirely like a curse at this moment. The absence of feeling, the gentle and easy beat of his heart...

It's almost pleasant. Peaceful, even.]

I understand. It sounds like an aspect of religion in your world; I take it there are those who worship this Deity as one would our Granter. She has many devoted followers, even compared to the Creator herself.

[totally not a plot point, nothing to see here--]

But I am getting ahead of myself. It is said that the Creator and Granter came together at the end of all life to start the world we hail from anew, and they each created three different worlds. Two of which they share and collaborate, and two each of their own. The place I hail from--Fefello Caelum, is under the Granter's primary influence. Or so I've been told.

Many of us have never seen these Goddesses, but their legends have been passed down for generations. Of the gods that they have created to help serve their purposes, and ours. Of even the Granter's personal bloodline, known as the Wordsmiths; they who record all of history for the Granter and keep Madide's history in line.

But while the Creator wished to create in perpetuity, or so it is told, the Granter wanted to give meaning to these creations, and thus granted them the ability to utilize magic. Through the runes she bestowed upon them, and the teachings of the Wordsmiths that were passed along, she would allow anyone to train their abilities based on what magic they were aligned to, and what they resonated with. It's resulted in a multitude of magics that have been given form; at least twenty different varieties, that I can recall. My own specialties lie in the magic of the Sun alignment, and the Darkness alignment.

How interesting! We've only six elements to worry about; twenty sounds like it would get quite confusing.

[Zvei inclines his head a bit in thought, tapping his fingers against hers.]

If the deimori are to be believed, we are descended from the gods. The Aeli's first creations were the deimori, and they were to govern all those that came after. But the deimori displeased the gods, and so their children had their immortality stripped of them, leaving behind a far weaker, mortal species.

Of course, I don't particularly buy into that line of thought, as I'm not very religious myself. I do find such myths absolutely fascinating, however!

[Hearing that she's aligned with Darkness, however... that absolutely scans. If he had an elemental type, that'd be his. It makes perfect sense that he'd recognize something similar in someone else.]

Tell me more about these alignments. Do they apply to every living thing in Madide?

Believe me, it does. Legend has it that if you strain your ears enough at night, you can still hear the scholars in all four lands of Quercetum debating over which elements should be combined for the sake of ease. The Wordsmith's lineage refuses that train of thought entirely, but that is a talk for another day...

[Amaya doesn't mind the tapping, honestly; it's nice. Centering, almost.]

Ah, so your kind...they're sort of like the Granter's children, according to legend. That truly does sound fascinating, all things considered. An intriguing legend. I'll have to ask you what more you know about the Deimori that you've found.

[Still! Let her get talking of the elements.]

I'll start with my own; they do apply to everything in Madide, though there are a rare few who have no elemental alignments that I know little about, unfortunately. Darkness is quite straightforward, and an element that I've been trained to have control over; it allows me to manipulate dark energies to whatever it is that I need, using it to protect myself and the others of my flock with precision. It allows me to be attuned with the darkness that lies in my heart, that I have trained myself to control for the benefit of all.

The Sun alignment, however...that one came from my very bloodline. Those aligned with the Sun are usually the religious and the seekers of knowledge, born from the god Veritas' power; that of universal truth. It's alignment grants us the ability to utilize it's blazing power, to shatter any illusions that one may attempt to cast upon us. The Sun is sort of like a compass that will always guide those who seek it, and no illusions will deceive them with their abilities.

Our alignment is opposed by those who follow the alignment of the False Midnight Sun. The illusion seekers and dreamers.

[...this is about to get so stupid]

[Zvei nods at that, tucking it into the back of his mind for later. He'll gladly tell her what he knows about the deimori, but even his own kind are something of an unknown to him. That's just what happens when you lose all your memories and become a shell of your former self. 😔

Anyway! Amaya goes on to discuss her own alignments and Zvei hums a bit as he considers it. This makes much more sense how she could be aligned with both the sun and darkness - as "the sun" refers to a concept rather than "light". Fascinating!]

Do you run into illusions all that often...? I suppose with those of the False Midnight Sun, you must. Illusion magic is very uncommon where I'm from, with only a few practiced users of it; why, even only a few monsters are capable of it!

Yes, in fact. Many of the people of Oasis Mellitus utilize it's abilities, especially when it's Emperor decides he wants to make problems for the rest of us.

[She sounds so tired. Emperor Eindride is a bitch ass motherfucker.]

It doesn't help that Pravitas and the people of the Oasis have incredibly bad blood with one another, that I've been having to mediate for years now.

But it's quite a common tactic where I come from. Some other elemental affinities when combined can create truly stunning ones, when utilized with that magic, but that's all it is at the end. It's an advanced magic, and there's no reason for them to worship that which doesn't exist. Everyone in Madide knows that the sky's only light comes from Pixies and Faeries and the like...

[she says, like this is a totally sane thing to say to someone who assumedly knows what a moon is,,,]

a necromancer and a priestess walk into a confessional

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