Scene #899: Water and a Mage

Owner	Pose
Ayako Hasekawa	The Bar and Grill at the End of the Multiverse is well known for it's massive, no legendary selection of food. Well, that and it's ambiguous location in the middle of somewhere, with a simple right turn at hunger or perhaps a left turn at boredom, straight ahead at any warp gate. But it also has quite the selection of drinks as well! And so one Ayako Hasekawa is sitting at the bar, spinning on one of the stools. Well, she also has many, many glasses of water in front of her. Water from all over the Multiverse (and some imitation water from places in the Multiverse!) sits in said glasses. Once in a while, she stops spinning on her stool to sip from a glass.
Aren Cordelaine	And hunger and a need to enjoy himself were both rather strong sentiments in Aren at this point. And how could they not be? After all, he spent months on this stupid thing. But either way, there he was, the tall, rather lanky blonde fellow in the rather ratty clothes (though meticulously clean!) and the obviously magical carved staff in his hands. As it were, Ayako could see him with the Union radio on his face, and he actually happened to be talking, too.
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako stops spinning, grabs one of the glasses and then turns towards Aren. She takes a long sip from the glass and then points cheerfully at him. "A mage!" Her amber eyes focus for a moment on the Union radio and she smiles happily. "Oh, someone from the Union too!" She nods her head quickly. "I'm Ayako Hasekawa, a water witch!" And then her tongue sticks out playfully. "Just kidding! I'm a water spirit!" She giggles brightly.
Aren Cordelaine	Aren blinks at Ayako, looking back at her, then tapping his lip, as he hears her voice. Quickly, he can put two and two together. "The radio really distorts your voice. You're ... ahh. Miss Ayako, right?" He responded with a wide, friendly smile. "I'm Aren...." He explains.
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako smiles cheerfully. "Yup yup! You got it in one! I'm Ayako!" She does another spin on her bar stool. "Oh oh, nice to meet you in person, Aren!" She leans forward slightly on her stool. "So you're an apprentice mage, huh?" And then she glances around. "A hungry one too, maybe?" She giggles brightly.
Aren Cordelaine	Aren was a bit taken back by that. "Uh, yes... I was apprenticed to the High Mage, Finch after I-" A pause. "It's a really, really long story..." He said. He's obviously blushing, he was rather awkward with people, and a highly energetic and friendly girl was not something he knew how to handle. Where was William when you needed him? "Yes... It's why I got here. I asked and this was the first place I was pointed to.." He said with a bit of a sheepish smile. "Apparently it's a popular hub."
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako leans forward... she's very interested! "Oh oh, I don't mind long stories! I love them!" She inclines her head to the side gently, "But... you should order your food and tell it while you wait!" She smiles cheerfully, with her gaze completely on him, trying to ease Aren's awkwardness. "Oh it is, it is! There's pretty much everything here! Although some things... are imitations because of... I don't really know why, actually!" She giggles brightly.
Aren Cordelaine	"Imitations? In what sense? They're still safe, right?" Aren treated everything that he did not understand, in terms of technology, with a lot of apprehensiveness. And of course, there was a lot of magic that he did not know, even that did not exist in his world, a world where mages held great power due to their unique and powerful nature. "Alright, well... I doubt I'll have the time to tell all of it. It's a very, very very long story!" He said, with a chuckle. "How about, uh..." He blinks at this, awkwardly. "I recognize ribs, though I can't tell what most of these animals even are..."
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako giggles softly. "Oh, they're safe. I mean, they wouldn't serve it here if it wasn't safe. I think? Besides, it's labeled on the menu if it's imitation or not." She nods her head slowly. "Aww... but I love stories!" Her glass raises up and she takes a long sip from it. "That's not too surprising! It's meat from allllll across the Multiverse!" She shakes her head quickly. "I don't really eat... nor can I taste or smell anything so... I'm afraid I'm not much of a guide towards the food offered!" She smiles softly.
Aren Cordelaine	".. Alright then, I guess I'll go with lamb... Doesn't say it's imitation here." He nods at Ayako, sheepishly. "You don't eat or taste or smell? Oh, right, you're a spirit. So how do you survive? Do you need to consume anything for sustenance?" He looks over her curiously. "You really do look like a human, miss Ayako." He said, making his way over to a seat and sitting down, even pulling a chair for Ayako, with zero confidence though. He was always the awkward one, then shuffling over to his side and sitting down.
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako smiles softly and then nods her head quickly. "Un. I've tried to learn how to taste and smell in the past, but... while I can detect sugar, salt, and the like, I don't really understand the... sensations ane emotions behind it. So... yeah... sugar doesn't make me feel nice, salt doesn't really do anything delicious-feeling..." She inclines her head to the side gently. "Hmm... I don't need to consume anything. Maybe drink a bit of water now and then because my body does evaporate a little and it's annoying to grab the water vapor back All. The. Time. But I can just create some water for that." And then Ayako blushes lightly. "Umm... thank you, Aren. Hearing something like that means quite a lot to me." She hops off her current seat and walks over to Aren cheerfully and sits down in the offered chair. A cheerful smile is offered to him to help alleviate the awkwardness. "Do you believe that I'm a water spirit, though?" She grins playfully, "Oh, I know... my favorite thing to do... here!" Her right hand is offered towards Aren in a gesture of shaking hands. If Aren should take her hand, it feels like a normal human girl's hand.
Aren Cordelaine	Aren blinked in surprise. "I'm really amazed to hear that. I've heard tell tales of beings who could live on magic, like by draining it? But this is the first time I've heard of anyone who could self-sustain perfectly. That's really amazing. I wonder how that works." He said, smiling a little. He does reach over to take her hand, and nodded. "... I can't tell the difference. And yet you're made entirely out of water. Really impressive!" He nodded. "Well, I can tell you about the story, but I'll have to make it -much- shorter."
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako winks playfully. "A girl has to keep some secrets!" She then glances down at her hand that's being shaken. "And... just to show you that I really am not..." Her human hand instantly turns into cool water-still in the shape of her hand and floating in the air. "See? Water~." She giggles brightly and then nods, leaning forward attentively to listen. "Oh oh... I love stories! Even if you have to make it shorter."
Aren Cordelaine	"Eep!" he looked at the Water, and blinked. "I can't even imagine how that begins to work! And I'm pretty decent with water magic..." Well, fairly, anyway. An understatement. Aren's expertise in magic was far belied by his expertise, but one does not climb the ranks while travelling the world. "Well, if you want, I can start. Even telling you, I can't believe that it happened quite this way, but..." He says with an awkward smile. "But first... uhm..." And he turns to order ribs. Lamb, because at least he knows what that is! At least he HOPES it's the same thing.
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako giggles brightly at Aren's reaction. She withdraws her watery hand, sliding the water through Aren's hand, leaving it perfectly dry. And then reforms her human hand again slowly. She then settles comfortably in her chair. "Oh, yes! Please start!" A soft smile is on her face as she notes him ordering ribs and lamb.
Aren Cordelaine	"Well..." He took a deep breath. "I was just a kid from Briala.. That's a farming town close to the shore. My dad is the innkeeper and I and my brothers worked for him. It was my day off, so I went off fishing..." He looks around. "There's this spot on the rocks that I loved, it was convenient for fishing and had a great view! Well anyway... So I hear a crazy sound, like ... a screech, but not really of any bird I was familiar with. And I look down, and I see a man attacked by a strange creature!" "It looked like... A giant winged eagle, with taloned legs, I came to learn it was called a griffon later on.."
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako lenas forward, listening intently. "Un un... Ah... fishing! I'm not allowed to do that because I cheat." She giggles softly and resumes listening. "A-ahh... a griffon, huh...? So so? What did you do?" She smiles softly.
Aren Cordelaine	"Well, he wasn't alone... Sadly, there was a man who was already in bad shape, he got torn up, bleeding on the sands." Aren explains, now lost in telling the story, she could hear his voice pick up. This was one of the areas where he was comfortable with, it's not like there was much to do, it was like the taverns back home. "So, well, the man was armed and armored, but I... Well, okay, I wasn't the smartest guy, I took out my fishing knife and charged, screaming like a madman!" He explained with a laugh. "You'd probably have thought me an idiot. I know I did too! But well, it worked! I got its attention and it turned towards me, and, uh... just knocked me over onto the sands. By the moment I even knew what was going on, it had wheeled around and was coming -straight- at me..." "So I raised my arms to defend myself, my knife was knocked out of my hand... I was so scared, but then.. Something happened, I heard crazy noises, and the griffon let out a screech and then... Nothing."
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako winces slightly when she hears that there was a man who was already wounded pretty badly. As a healer, that sort of thing catches her attention. And then nods her head slowly when upon hearing Aren charging in. She giggles softly. "Some things you just don't need to think about. Besides, like I like to say, 'crazy doesn't make sense until after the fact'!" Her head nods slowly as she listens. "Oh oh... crazy noises!"
Aren Cordelaine	"... And when I opened my eyes, there was... nothing, in front of me. Nothing but a huge trough in the sand, from right in front of me, all the way to the water. I still remember how terrified I was, and how confused." Aren explained with a frown. He sighed. "Unfortunately, the wounded man, Gregor, died on the beach in the other man's arms, and gave him a medallion, and gave him a warning about the Consort." "The other man was William Escobar, the youngest son of my Lord, Count Escobar. He told me that I had used magic to defeat it!" "I couldn't believe it, but William knew enough to tell me that the gift of magic - Which is something few have in my world - Sometimes comes in strong at a time when survival is at stake." He smiles faintly. "So in gratitude, and for my own safety - A mage without training is unpredictable and dangerous - He decided to take me to his father to get me apprenticed with the High Mage, Finch..."
Ayako Hasekawa	"Ooohhh." Ayako claps her hands together softly. She sighs softly when she hears that the wounded man died. And then smiles softly when she hears that Aren used magic to defeat the griffon. "Eh heh... well... it must be quite a shock for someone to tell you all of a sudden that you have magic!" She nods her head quickly. "Mmm... that's true. It's good to know how to use magic if you have it! That way you don't accidentally magic holes in things that you don't want holes in." Ayako nods her head once, as if she said something profound instead of something obvious.
Aren Cordelaine	Aren actually laughs at that, "Well, yes. High Mage Finch gave me lots of horror stories when we finally got along to that, but that's like... well it was over a year after we got there. After I said my goodbyes, you see, we had barely left Briala for Panizo - That's the capital of Pianda, which is Lord Escobar's province. Well, we had barely left that we saw a woman being assailed by a whole gang of bandits! William and I went to save her..." "Turned out her name was Kaelyn, a huntress. She said she'd be fine, and I believe her. She's one of the best archers I've ever seen. But we couldn't just ignore it as it was happening. She was very honorable, too, so she decided to join us until she could repay the favor. So... Well, we headed off to Pianda."
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako smiles softly. "Over a year after you got there? Someone's been on a lot of adventures!" She giggles softly and adjusts her witch hat. "Hmm... an archer huh?" Her amber gaze glances off to the side for a moment as if remembering something... and then she smiles softly. "Well, it's nice to meet someone honorable when you're travelling around."
Aren Cordelaine	Aren nodded at Ayako. "Oh, definitely. Well, so we arrive at Pianda after... Well, a number of problems. For one, we come upon a rotten Lord who kicked a farmer out, poor Brunia, for not being able to pay his taxes. This happened because not a single plant came up that entire season for him. Turns out that that rotten Lord Garson had hired a witch to curse his fields! You should see the colors he turned when she admitted it and gave us her handkerchief as evidence!" He smiled as he smelled the lamb coming. He could recognize the smell, which also gave him an early indication of lamb not being code for some sort of weird creature in the greater multiverse. "Phew... It looks delicious!" He blinks a little. "Uhm... Going to be awkward to eat alone, are you sure there isn't anything you'd like?"
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako blinks her eyes quickly. "I... what? But... why would a Lord curse their own fields?" She inclines her head to the side gently. "Hmm... I guess they really didn't like that farmer..." Ayako herself can't smell, nor does she have any reaction to the food other than a soft smile at Aren's rection to the food. She shakes her head slowly while making a gentle sound of disagreement. "Mmm, I'm sure. I don't care to waste food."
Aren Cordelaine	Aren explained, "Oh, it was simple. He wanted more money, and the farmer had the deed to the land, as long as taxes were paid on it. By cursing the field, he made the farmer unable to pay the taxes, making the land go back into his direct control." He said, with an irritable face. "He was such a nasty man. But he will be mentioned later again!"
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako nods her head slowly. "Aahh, I see." She frowns softly and crosses her arms in front of her body. "I don't really care much for people that make crops not grow." Her head then gently inclines to the side. "Oh, he will?"
Aren Cordelaine	Aren he nodded and smiled. "Well, anyway. We made it to Pianda, even though we had to face a lot of things... The Smallpox, a deadly disease, was going through the place, and the Montari - A race of catlike underground dwellers, they make amazing armor... and chocolate. Er. Anyway, they were rebelling, which turned out to be due to a lack of water. But we made it safely there, and met William's father. He's a stern man, more interested in business and waved us- and Wiliam - off even though he was like a month late home." He shakes his head. "Anyway... He tells us two things. One, Finch had left for his secret cove nearby, and two, that the Imperial Consort, the man pledged to wed the Emperor's daughter Aurora, was going to pass through the city of Ticoro soon, on its way to the capital. He figured that something was going to happen to him off of what Gregor said."
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako inclines her head to the side gently as she thinks for a moment... "Hmm... a deadly disease, huh...?" She thinks to herself for a moment... and then nods when she hears about the lack of water. And then giggles softly. "I take it that you're going to be on a wild goose chase for Finch?"
Aren Cordelaine	Aren shakes his head and laughs. "Not particularly. We find him easily enough. However he ... really wants tea." He says, with a groan. "Chailian tea is a rarity, so that is what causes the goose chase. Long story short, we get it for free if we get this guy to pay a debt he has. He agrees to pay off the debt, but we have to do a favor for him as well. He gives us a divining rod, and tells us to go put it in the Montari's river, which had slowed down to a trickle. It was the first I've ever seen of Water magic, and where I started to study it, and it was amazing!" He says, smiling. He figured she'd be interested in this. "So we go there, put the divining rod on the water, and it immediately flies out of my hand, digs into the ground, until it strikes water, digging all the way to for their underground river!"
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako inclines her head to the side gently. "For some reason... a lot of people like coffee or tea. I don't exactly understand it myself other than... caffeine." She giggles softly... and then listens intently about the divining rod. "A divining rod, huh?" She smiles softly when Aran says that it was amazing. "That sounds like quite an energenic divining rod!" She giggles brightly.
Aren Cordelaine	Aren laughs a little. "I know, usually at least we have to dig, right? It did that all on its own!" A pause. "Well, Finch is still very busy and promises to help when he's not so much. He was tending beetle eggs, for potions." He says, with a completely straight face. "But he teaches me control, and that's all that I really needed at that time. With that done, we head off for Ticoro, which turned out to be having its Spring Festival." He said, taking a bite off the lamb.
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako blinks her eyes quickly. "Beetle eggs, huh?" She shakes her head slowly. "Hmm... but control is definitely a good thing to learn!" A soft smile is on her face when she watches Aren eat.
Aren Cordelaine	"... You know, uhm." He's eaten quite a bit at this point. "We can continue the story at another time. Don't have to sit here if you don't want to.." He says, awkwardly but gives a bit of a smile.
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako giggles softly. "Alright, Aren. I'm no stranger to long stories myself... considering how long I've lived." She hops to her feet and stretches her arms while wincling slightly. "But! Other than the story... I hope I can meet you again sometime!" A cheerful smile is on her face.
Aren Cordelaine	"Of course! And I promise that I'll even continue it if you want. I'm... really not, ah. Sending you away or anything. Please don't take it that way..." Aren HAD just finished his mean by this time, however. "I, uh. Wouldn't want to offend or anything." Right back to the awkwardness as soon as the story ended, it would seem.
Ayako Hasekawa	Ayako notes that Aren's awkwardness has returned. "A-ah. Don't worry, you aren't offending me." She smiles softly. "Relax, relax! I'm not a mean water spirit." She giggles brightly and waves goodbye cheerfully.
Aren Cordelaine	"I hope it was... entertaining, miss Ayako. Hope to see you again." He says with a smile as he nods, his hand moving to take his staff back up again, but not leaving just yet. Then he notices the wave and returns it.