4961/A Year Reborn ft. N'raha and Nina

A Year Reborn ft. N'raha and Nina
Date of Scene:	01 January 2017
Location:	Hydaelyn Reborn <ARR>
Synopsis:	Raha, Nina and Dorian brave noisy Free Companies to ring in a New Year.
Cast of Characters:	N'raha Tia, 985, 774

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N'raha Tia has posed:
    Well, if people were looking for a party, by god they've found it tonight in The Mist. The cream of the crop among adventurers, Free Companies and more are all packed into the residential districts, all challenging each other to see just who can throw the most raucous parties and badass soirees...

    But in one lonesome house near the beaches of La Noscea, A Certain Solitary Catman is watching the stars from his back porch. Which is really the beach, but that's besides the point. Besides, it's awfully cool out, and who wants to be out in the fog when they could be up in the warm parties and all those fireworks and also booze? HUH? YEAH! ONLY DUMB PEOPLE!

    And people who can't indulge too heavily. Not with a very important mission in the morning. And so Raha has a basket of dinner next to him: steamed buns with fish and bean paste, some fried potatoes, and a big bottle of something mildly alcoholic.

    Happy New Year?

Nina Windia (985) has posed:
Happy New Year, indeed.

Nina wanted to come to Ul'dah ahead of time - she said she'd help with the pirates, after all. But she isn't actually very fond of crowds. She expected that if there was a celebration it would take place in pubs or near the palace. She did /not/ expect adventurers (and why are there so many of those?!) to be spilling out of every house in the district.

She may not realize this is, in fact, the adventurer's housing district. Being a foreigner means she didn't get a map.

Either way, she's been trying to avoid the biggest presses of people, which means that she is in the foggy parts of the district, away from the loudest groups. She cuts a distinctive figure even here, since none of the common races of Eorzea have wings like hers, but she's walking rather than flying for the moment.

She probably isn't too hard to find. She's been wandering around here for a while.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    And as Nina passes by a certain house, her radio or whatever will get a little... ping. New Frequency Detected. Something called a Linkshell. Oh, interesting.

    N'raha, for his part, can hear the wings before he realizes just who is coming to see him. His tail swishes a bit, and then he looks up, spotting the... well. Miss Nina. He coughs, and then waves at her from the shoreline and his scavenged benches. "Ahoy, Miss Nina. Pleasant surprise!"

Nina Windia (985) has posed:
Nina Windia pays attention to her radio... sometimes. Right now she is, as she's in a strange place and doesn't know much about it; if she's going to get helpful advice on it, she's certainly going to listen! Not speak, necessarily, but listen.

But right now, she's not worrying about that, because she's just been addressed. By name! Since only one or two people from this world know her name at all, that gets her attention very quickly. Her head jerks up instead of watching the ground in front of her and she looks straight at N'raha.

She smiles, just a little. "Mr. Tia," she says, politely, before realizing that she has no idea if that's the proper way to address a miqo'te. (That was the name, right?) "I thought I'd find my way here before I needed to leave it right away. But I wasn't expecting it to be so..."

Nina pauses. Then just finishes: "Loud. There are so many mercenaries up in the district! You could almost fill an army with them."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    "Buh, yeah. Lots of free companies, these days. Lots of... well. Less savory sell-swords, now that all the city-states are up in arms." Raha sighs. "And it's... Raha. Tia is a... well." He waves Nina over, holding up his basket of dinner. "It's what miqo'te call male miq who aren't in charge of a tribe. I guess it's like... Bachelor or something."

    He rubs a bit at his nose. "I suppose you got my note to the... others... then?" He looks hopefully at the pretty girl. He might have some decent help tomorrow.

Nina Windia (985) has posed:
What's the N then, part of Nina wants to ask, but she does not. It sounds like they have their own style of naming, which makes sense - even if she doesn't understand it. (She's pretty cosmopolitan in dealing with other races.) "Ah, I see. I'm sorry for the mistake; we put family names after our given names, or place names for some nobles, so I thought that's what it was. Instead it's for... non-nobles?"

"I heard you asking for help," Nina says, as she picks her way over to N'raha. She doesn't sit down but she does stand within easy conversational distance, hands held in front of her in a somewhat habitual stance. "Or, well, mentioning that help would be appreciated. I've been helping people in other places, but I've never been here, so I thought, if my abilities could be of use... why not?"

Apparently there will be help, at least.

She adds, a little worriedly, "Are they going to war? I've seen countries do that before, or hire out their army as mercenaries, even."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    "Nah it's okay. So." He settles in, once again, offering up the food. Like waving the basket in front of her. It smells pretty good, as far as fried potatoes and savory bread is concerned. "So. N'Raha, means Raha of the Tribe of the Aldgoat. Tia, means I'm not... uh... taking care of huntresses." There's a tinge of color in his ears, efore he coughs.
    And anyways, I'd rather not have that... responsibility. All of the Nuhns end up makin' bad choices anyways, so." Ah, there's an undercurrent of NO YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP DAD in there.

    The questions about the Free Companies gets the Miqo'te to make a face. "Buh, sort of? I mean... each of the city states have their own army and security forces but... you know. Sometimes there's stuff they need done that you can't advertise. Or admit." ...Politics of war.

Nina Windia (985) has posed:
Nina Windia understands that sentiment, if it's not at all the way she'd put it.

The food does smell good. Nina doesn't eat very much at a time, but given as it's offered, she does reach in and take one of the pieces of savoury bread. She looks at it a little thoughtfully as if trying to judge what it's filled with before she tries it, but she nibbles around the edge a moment later. "Thank you," she says. And then!

Then she sits down. There's enough room on the bench, after all. She tucks her wing in on that side to avoid hitting N'raha or any of his dinner with it, turning her body slightly.

"...ah," she says herself, remembering what N'raha said about the number of men among the miqo'te compared to the women. She very deliberately does not follow up /that/ comment. "Yes, I understand. Even if it's nothing I've been involved in before. ...but I assume everyone wants to stop pirates and sea monsters?"

N'raha Tia has posed:
    There's a grump from the Miq, as he settles in and takes a swig of beverage. "Mmmmh. Well. You'd think that and they all do, yes, but. BUT. Vesper Bay is an important trading hub of Ul'dah and is not under the purview of the fleets of Limsa Lominsa BUT the Reavers come from La Noscea so this is clearly a job for Limsa Lominsa BUT you better not bring too many men or disrupt the shipping more than you need to BUT those pirates have to be gone BUT."

    He holds his hands up in front of himself. "BUT! The Scions are extra-governmental, and the Light Warrior fights for ALL OF US, right? GO FIX IT."

    Oh, when did he get very loud? N'raha coughs and grumbles and stuffs a bun in his mouth as his ears wilt..

Nina Windia (985) has posed:
Oh, fish! Nina likes fish well enough, so when she finds it's a meat bun (well, and bean paste) she is a bit less tentative about biting it.

Nina doesn't know all the place names, but she gets the gist of it very quickly. There's an argument about who has to actually clean it out, and nobody wants an army on their doorstep they didn't put there. Which, of course, actually makes it perfect for the Watch, in her opinion; it's the kind of thing she /should/ be doing, cutting through that kind of red tape to make sure nobody gets hurt while the city-states sit on their metaphorical hands.

She understands N'raha's frustration. "Well," she says, more quietly - and looking around to see who might have heard. "So are the rest of us. I don't mind, if it keeps these things moving. It's the kind of thing they might have asked the Rangers to do at home, too - not that I'm a Ranger, of course, but sometimes you just need an outsider..."

She finishes, "I understand you might feel imposed upon, though." Who wouldn't?

N'raha Tia has posed:
    The catman sighs and rubs his face, fangs clicking a bit in frustration. "Mmmmh. so, yeah. That's... part of the reason I joined. Just... gets so damn fustrating, makin' me do the stuff that ought to be done for shitty reasons. Just do it, you know?"

    Raha's tail flicks a bit, and he leans back, looking to the Wing Clan girl. "Thanks, by the way. I figured I'd be spending the New Year alone."

Nina Windia (985) has posed:
"At least it's getting done." Nina breaks off another part of the bread and chews on it thoughtfully for a few moments. "It's better than ignoring it... which is what might happen otherwise, until they couldn't, anymore. People could get hurt. I'd rather do something now."

Nina looks out toward the water for a few moments. "I almost forgot. We don't celebrate the new year - well, we do, but it isn't so big. There's larger celebrations at the change of seasons, and that already happened. And I was just going to stay in with a book, but I thought it would be better to travel here first. I'm glad I did, if it's like this."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    THE SCENE SO FAR:

    There is a Bird Girl and a Cat Man commisterating on the shores of La Noscea, in the Mist Residential District, outside of Raha's house.
    The rest of the Mist is packed with Free Companies and Adventurer groups all carousing and being loud and noisy and also loud. N'raha's party is not that. It's also not much of a party right now.

    "And yeah. I mean... Eorzea's great and I wouldn't trade it for anywhere. There's just something about being... here. I mean, more than just being a Warrior of Light, you know." N'raha takes a long pull of his beverage, and looks out over the crashing waves, as another round of fireworks goes off somewhere behind them.

Nina Windia (985) has posed:
Nina is the bird lady!

Right now she's sitting on a bench and has swiped one of N'raha's savoury breads (to be fair, he offered it). And, yes, they're talking. It's a lot quieter than the rowdy parties elsewhere.

"I suppose, if you have a home like that," Nina says, glancing backwards toward his house, "you want to keep it. More than just a house, I mean - an actual home, somewhere where you stay and just feels right... and that means you have to protect it, too."

She has nothing like that. She feels, momentarily, adrift. Fortunately, the fireworks cover for her.

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    Dorian's had some fun times in Hydaelyn. Possibly not THIS version. But it's still the same world, so Dorian doesn't feel at all out of place. Besides, if there's parties, there's going to be booze, and as long as there's booze, he's happy.

    Though he IS going to eventually seek some quiet and rest from the festivities. Which will be what leads him out to where N'raha and Nina are. Not wanting to disturb their quiet, instead of calling out, he walks to where they are before speaking up. "Greetings. All the festivities too much?" he asks. He's not asking out of smugness or teasing. The tone is honest.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    The last part of Nina's message gets... a hopeful smile fro mthe steely eyed cat. "And I'm going to protect it, mark my words. It needs it and it deserves it."

    Well if there's something better than one handsome fellow at a not-party it's two handsome fellows. Dorian's arrival gets a cheer from N'raha, as he stands up to face the mage. "Oh! Hello! I got a HOUSE." He waves both arms at the little cottage, where a sleepy looking lime green chocobo roosts in a hutch outside. "And... yeah it's noisy up in the rich folks section. Come on over!"

    He lifts up the basket of food that's on offer. Fried potatoes and savory fish and bean steamed buns. "Food and a pretty lady and the ocean, man, welcome to the Mist!"

Nina Windia (985) has posed:
"I'm glad," Nina says, and means it.

She looks up and over as Dorian approaches. She doesn't know him but that's not unusual - she doesn't know many people around here. "Well, it /is/ awfully loud up there," she agrees, looking up toward the place where they're launching fireworks again for a moment. "I don't even want to try flying around those, either. But it is very ... busy up there."

Nina does look a little taken aback at 'pretty lady'. She must not get that much. "Ah," she says, but trails off, finishing what's left of her savoury bread while avoiding people's gazes for a few moments.

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    Dorian smiles brightly when N'raha cheers. "Well, that's definitely a pleasant greeting," he teases. Though the words of a house get a blink, and he looks towards the house. He blinks again at the lime green bird; he never did understand how those chocobos worked! Though the words of the noise get a chuckle, and he looks back at N'raha. "One gets accustomed to it. The rich do tend to have great, noisy parties. And then complain how noisy the lower classes are."

    However, when N'raha mentions a 'pretty lady'? He looks in Nina's direction with a smile. He notes the taken-aback look, and the smile widens a little. "I have to agree, the scenery is much better here." Aaaaand he's looking right at Nina. "I don't believe we've been introduced. Dorian, of House Pavus. Very pleased to meet you." He bows, and then offers a hand. Should she accept, though, it's not a handshake. No, he will make to raise her hand to place a light kiss on the back.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    "Oy oy oy." Raha grumps and grumbles and huffs at Dorian's VERY EFFECTIVE FLIRTING METHODS. Puff huff. Ears flick and tail bristles. Man. "...Masher."
    And he's not all all trying to think about new pointers at flirting. Maybe it's the goatee, man. He's got to get a goattee.

Nina Windia (985) has posed:
For all that Nina is flustered by the attention, she at least remembers enough of her old etiquette lessons to understand that people kiss the back of hands and that it might happen to her. She doesn't admit it, but once upon a time she was a princess, after all.

She remembers enough to bow slightly over it, though she doesn't stand up for it so it's fairly brief. "My name is Nina," she says, as usual disdaining any second name. "It's, ah, a pleasure to meet you, sir. Lord?" House is important enough. She is covering her awkwardness by simply reacting as she was taught, inasmuch as she can remember (it was a long time ago and as she was rather young at the time this particular lesson wasn't really made anything of).

Wait. "...masher?" Nina glances at N'raha. On that, she's lost.

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    Dorian can't suppress a little chuckle at N'raha's bristling. Turning in the Miquo'te's direction, he sends a small, secret wink. It's one of those 'shhhh, don't tell' winks. Though he doesn't actually say exactly what the secret is that he's supposed to have shared there with N'raha. Maybe it's something for him to figure out? He does however, point out, "I've done nothing untoward. I haven't drunk enough for that yet." There is a teasing tone to his voice.

    Though when Nina asks him about his rank, he offers, "At one time, yes. Though I'm rather not welcome in my parents' house at the moment. They seemed to think it was a good idea to marry me off to a sharp-tongued lady who is just as relieved that I left before they could put this plan of theirs into action." As for her question? "Ah, N'raha has accused me of being inappropriate to you." He bows his head. "Do forgive me if I have."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    "He's a lout and handsome and bluh." N'raha grumps and sighs. "Just like me to invite better looking people to a party." Despite the lack of invites AND the lack of a real party. The Miqo'te sighs and rubs at his face... and laughs.

    More fireworks, closer, over the top of N'raha's house. The hour is approaching, after all, and they bought all those damn fireworks, better set them off!

    The catman gesticulates with his bottle and is about to say something... before he realizes it's empty. "Damn, hold on." He grumps, and shuffles around to find his backpack. Or should I say 'inventory'. It's a moment or two, and he's pulling out a few more bottles of beverages of various sorts, along with a handful of very chilly looking rocks, which he tosses into a basket... with the beverages.

    Yes, he's using Ice materia to chill drinks. Why do you ask?

Nina Windia (985) has posed:
Nina Windia gets the feeling part of this conversation is going past her head. Which it probably is, given she can count the number of times she's actually been flirted with on one hand, and, well... this is new.

She has a vague feeling she's being made fun of, somehow. Sort of. Maybe? It's confusing.

"Ah, no, it's fine," she assures Dorian. It sounds like nobody here is on great terms with their parents, though at least she wasn't pushed into a marriage - well, she wasn't old enough at the time anyhow. "It's, um, ... it's fine." That last to both Dorian and N'raha, this time. She got flustered again, but is too restrained to show it... much.

Nina looks around for something to distract herself and conveniently finds some magic rocks to do it with. "Oh, what are those?" she asks, nodding toward the basket of now-chilling drinks.

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    Dorian chuckles at N'raha's grumping, and leans to pat him on the back. "Not to worry. It's not as if she's instantly made her decision," he comforts. Man. Flirting with Nina right in front of N'raha, and then COMFORTING him. BRAZEN! No other word for it. "I will admit to being both charming and handsome, yes." And he's also a little vain, apparently. "But we all have our strengths."

    He too looks a little confused at the chilly-looking rocks, but he does sense the magic there. "Are those... magical ice cubes?" He's been around in the modern-ish world long enough to know what an ice cube is, yes. "...Actually that's not a terrible idea..." He raises a hand and rubs his chin thoughtfully. Maybe he's getting an idea!

    He also offers a nod to Nina's dismissal of possible offense. "Thank you. It wasn't my intention. I might not be drunk, but it's possible I've had a bit too much to drink, and might be a little too forward," he offers. Though he doesn't answer what the cold things are. Mainly because he doesn't really know. N'raha can answer this one, though!

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Pat pat pat. Raha's ears wilt a bit, his tail droops, and he grumbles. More good naturedly tha nbefore though. He also jams the basket of fish bread at Dorian. "Eat, you."

    And then they're poking at his Food Safety Equipment. "Oh, they're Materia. The coalesed essence of the Aether that gets built up when you use things like armor for a while." N'raha perks up, and smiles. "These ones are Icy onces, that make you more resistant to cold if you use them when makin' new gear. Buuuuuuuuut I'm crap at making armor and weapons so this is how I use em. They keep my food cold in there."
    Such a blatant disregard for magic and reality and the Way Things Should Be.

Nina Windia (985) has posed:
"Ah..." Decision? What? Nina doesn't recall making any sort of decision! Or even preparing to! Maybe she should just drop the topic before she embarasses herself... or, more likely, the others embarass her more. Her cheeks are a little pink.

She focuses on the magic, instead, because she is a sorceress and that's what she's supposed to be doing here, after all. "Oh, that's interesting. I've heard of similar things but I've never made one myself. I don't know how to make much in the way of weapons either, though I do maintain the enchantment on my ring." She holds it up, or at least the hand it's on.

Yup, that's a ring: a simple band. But there's something about it that does seem like it would gather or channel energy, used properly. It doesn't really store much, though.

Nina lowers it, then leans forward, reaching into the drink basket to poke at one of the materia. Mostly to see how cold it is and how well it works.

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    Hey, Dorian's trying! He does chuckle when the basket's pushed at him. Ooh, fish bread! "Ah, thank you," Dorian replies, taking some of the bread from the basket. He seems to have no qualms about eating with his hands, either.

    Perhaps he's figured out that he's kind of being a bit of a horrible person regarding N'raha and Nina and the flirting, so he too turns his attention away from it. Nina's ring! Her words about that ring draws his attention to the band. "Hmm." His mouth is full, see, so he isn't going to be so rude as to talk that way. Once he's cleared his mouth though, he speaks up.

    "I do notice the aura it's got around it. Though it's not quite the kind of magic I'm accustomed to." Nina poking at the ice materia gets a smile. "See, this is the sort of thing I like to see -- magic being used to make life easier. If only the people of my world feared magic less, things like this would be known to everyone. It's either something horrible or something to be used to take over the world. No one in my world sees it for its utilitarian purposes."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    "Well." Another suppressed burp from the Pirate Cat. "Tht's dumb. Magic is a part of all of us, man. It's what makes us tick! Aether flows from the Lifestream through us, we catch bits of it for our own use, and then, when we die, we head back to the Lifestream. That's how stuff works. I've seen it!" Raha's gesticulating again, hands waving and spilling some of his cider into the sand. "Aaaah, dangit. But that's what's dumb. None of this war matters if the Primals mess up Hydaelyn and ruin everything. That's why we gotta stop them!"

Nina Windia (985) has posed:
doesn't, at least, pick the thing out. She straightens a few moments later, leaving the drinks and the materia both behind in the basket.

"It channels magical energy," Nina explains to Dorian. "It's less... controlled? Manipulated? than a true spell. Simpler, direct. But, um, it's useful when you don't have the time or focus to finish a complete spell." That's why she has it, and doesn't have any other weapons - unless that counts, she's completely unarmed.

Nina slides her foot away from where N'raha is spilling cider, because she doesn't want to clean it off her boots. "It depends on the kind of magic," she agrees. "It... can be a part of everyone, perhaps, even if it takes study to use properly, but it can be horrible too. Or used only to destroy."

She doesn't know much about the Primals except what N'raha said yesterday. She curls her wing slightly closer to herself (she doesn't want /that/ cidered either) and adds, "I can't speak for the rest of it. I only know what you said about primals. But it would be ... nice, if magic wasn't feared, in places where it is." She sounds slightly morose again.

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    Dorian gestures to N'raha's at those words. "Exactly. Some may not be able to channel it, but the Fade is in all of us. We return to the Fade when we die, so we have to come from there in some capacity." The Fade must be similar to the Lifestream. The mention of the Primals gets a nod. "I've heard about those. I've never had the... 'pleasure' of facing one, though." He doesn't mention that most of the assistance he did with Hydaelyn was on behalf of the Garleans. That would probably get him in trouble.

    Nina's words of the ring get a nod. "That seems as though it could be handy," he comments. "Being able to half-cast a spell, and then store it, so that it can be released later. That would give non-mages the ability to use magic. Though... that sounds dangerous..."

    He also happens to notice Nina's mood. He pauses, tilts his head. "Well admittedly... at least in my world, it's due to idiots misusing it. There's a long history of that. And some people are quite rightly frightened. It makes it difficult for those of us who aren't cackling villainous clichés using it to try and subjugate all living things to our will. But that just means we get to educate people on the proper use of it, and to bring to task those who are. Even if 'bring to task' ends up being 'take them out'."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    If you're looking for N'raha after his passionate speech, though, he's cut off as the fireworks start in real earnest. Thundering great bangs and sparkles and magical accompiantment, thaumaturges lighting off Fire and Ice spells up into the mess all for the game of it all.
    And the catman shuffles off the bench and turns his back to the ocean to just sit there and watch.

Nina Windia (985) has posed:
Nina is distracted by the fireworks for a moment, too, but being less drunk than N'raha seems to be (since she hasn't had any alcohol at all) she is more able to talk while she keeps an eye on it. It's not popping literally all the time, after all.

"It's less a full spell anyone can use and more - " Nina raises her hand, channeling energy through the ring and having it coruscate around her fingers. Like she was casting a spell, but less complete; she simply releases it without a word, sending a blob of white-blue energy away from the ring to fly through the air, popping after about fifty feet like it was a (small) firework of its own. "It's just force," she explains. "Just... discharged power. Not electricity or anything, just magic."

She looks very serious at the rest of Dorian's words. "I... understand," she says. "At... where I come from, magic isn't banned, or feared, not usually. There are schools to teach it; I went to one. Many people could learn to use it if they tried - many people can use it without training, but not very well, only trial and error. I've studied it, so I can do a wider variety of things. And, of course, some of the Clans have their own abilities. The Grassmen - they talk to plants, it's said, and can even control them, though I've never met one myself and can't say if it's true."

"But some... magical effects, I suppose, are feared." Nina trails off. "Some people. I don't know if it can be changed. I don't know if it should be changed. I think... I like a place like this more, where it's everywhere, and nobody worries about what you can do."

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    Oooh, fireworks! Dorian tilts his head up and looks as the bright flashes fill the sky, and he smiles. He can see the mages there too, at least the magic they're using. And in the spirit of things, he aims a hand up. He's aiming at a star, but of course his magic doesn't have to range to hit a STAR. No, what happens instead is that he clenches his hand into a fist... and there's a small pyrotechnic pop in the sky! It's not very impressive when compared to the rest of the fireworks, but it's his contribution nonetheless!

    As it so happens, Nina does almost the exact same thing, though it's more to demonstrate the ring's use. "Ah. So not a half-cast spell, but a way to channel magic without it having to be a specific spell?" he asks. "That still seems like it would be useful if one doesn't have time to channel into a specific spell. Definitely something an enemy wouldn't expect. Well, one in my world."

    He blinks, though, when Nina says she's not sure the fear of magic should be changed. "Why not?" This seems an alien thing to him. "Fear makes people avoid a thing. Makes them hate it. Mistreat it. Mages in Ferelden, in my world, are... well, they're more or less imprisoned. They're dragged to Circles, not allowed to leave, under pretense of 'teaching' them. But they never let the mages leave. Ever. To say nothing of the horror stories I've heard about the things that happen to mages in the Circles. That, at least, needs to change."

    He does, however, have the grace to admit, "Mind you, that's my world. And most of the people on both sides of the mage-templar conflict are tossers. So that's something. What's the phrase? 'Your mileage may vary'?"

Nina Windia (985) has posed:
Nina Windia agrees, "That's the idea. I never learned to fight - well, I took court fencing but it was a very long time ago. So I need to carry something, and this was it." It's a lot easier for her to learn than a rapier or a spear, and she has no experience with anything else. Plus, she's not very strong, nor sturdy, so anything that keeps her /away/ from the enemy is fine by her.

Then the hard question. "Well..."

Nina finds this more difficult to talk about. She does not speak for a few moments before she gets into it. "What if some people really are more dangerous?" is what she says. "What if they're so dangerous that - that there's proof of what they can do? Shouldn't people be afraid of them, even if they aren't afraid of other mages? I'm sorry to hear about most of them, and perhaps most of them are safe to be around, but..."

She trails off again. Then: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't bring up such things. We should probably enjoy the fireworks while they last. I don't know how many they have to light."

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    Dorian nods to the mention of Nina using the ring to fight with. "Fighters make a great deal about technique, and variance, and strengh, but as far as I'm concerned, if it works for one person, it works for him. Or her, of course. Myself, I use a staff. Not just as a magical focus. I've been known to crack a skull or two when the need presented itself." He does look rather more... built in the upper body, broader in the shoulders perhaps, than one might necessarily expect a mage to be.

    As for some people being more dangerous? "Oh there unquestionably are people that are more dangerous," Dorian agrees immediately. "But magic is just the tool, it's not the thing that makes them evil. I often wonder if, instead of sprouting magic, young people suddenly grew swords attached to their hands, people would eventually change their tune and do the same for sword-wielders." Here he places a hand on his chest and feigns horrified shock. "'Oh my blushing butt-cheeks! Round up everyone who can use these pointy things and lock them away!'."

    It's... hard to tell if he's kidding or not. And he may or may not be attempting to make her laugh, or at least to feel better about the issue. He offers a smile, though, at the mention of the fireworks. "They are very well-done," he admits. "Someone worked quite hard on these." He seems to have moved to the subject of the fireworks smoothly enough, at least.

Nina Windia (985) has posed:
Even Nina isn't sure if Dorian is kidding or not. She's torn between a desire to smile and the urge not to.

Smiling wins, though it's faint and looks a little sad anyhow. "Perhaps," she says. "But swords are a little different, I think. I'm still sorry I brought it up." Which is why she stops talking about it, presumably.

She watches the fireworks for a few moments longer. "They did. I've never seen any made quite like this; they're a little different than the sort I'm familiar with. But they are pretty."

A few more, and she rises. "I think... I'm going to go for a walk, though. I'll be back later. It was a pleasure to meet you, sir." Nina dips into a small curtsey, then.

Dorian Pavus (774) has posed:
    Dorian waves his hand in a dismissive gesture at her apology. "Not to worry. Everyone's entitled to their opinions. And things are different in different worlds. I can really only speak to how things are in my world, where... well, more or less everyone is rather a horrible person in some way." A pause, and he smiles broadly, smugly. "Well. Except me. I'm handsome, well-groomed, and with perfect teeth and hair. I can't be a bad person; it's statistically impossible." He chuckles, though, so he's probably at least partially teasing.

    As Nina makes to go for a walk, Dorian bows. "It was good to meet you as well. Do take care. I think I'll go see if that one very dignified dowager is still threatening to climb onto that roof and dance alongside those adventurers." And he'll go and wander back towards the loud and noisy areas.

    ...One can only hope he was kidding.