• Open • Anagénnis (Viden's Grand Ball)

[Cyrus]

4 Cylus 721

One person seemed to enjoy Doran's presence, at least.

Cyrus and the professor had not gotten off to a good start and the Ellune still felt the faintest trickle of annoyance seeing the man. He couldn't place why given the night's festivities and jovial air, but looking at the others of his kin, the disagreement about the blood magic continued to unsettle him. Cyrus didn't trust Doran, and looking at the company he kept...

Cyrus cupped the mug of ale in his lap and watched the room.

The music continued and somewhere laughter boomed, toasts and cheers resounding. Footsteps followed, a steady thrum of vibration as heavy feet began to stomp in time with the melody. A few Ellune kicked and jumped, turning as they mimicked each other and downed their spirits while the beading of dress and hair rustled loudly. He thought he recognized the voice of his companions amid the ruckus and lifted his chin. If they looked at him, he would try to smile, he decided. They had allowed him to tag along, but Cyrus wasn't much of a dancer. His size had always made him quite aware of his physical presence and as a result he shied away from sweeping movements in public spaces but seeing the Ellune women move...

Maerim bobbed with the music, her dress flashing a bit of thigh and the designs that had been painted down her leg. Cyrus lifted the mug, if only to try and hide his shameless staring and held the rim of the mug between his teeth. A flash of dark hair and fur settled beside him and his face tilted towards when he felt the server's eyes on him. He glanced over and nodded in greeting.

Diana pulled aside her hair and spoke. "Agate is rare beauty in Viden; volcano rock," he said, still watching Maerim with an unreadable expression. The Ellune woman was smiling and beckoned over someone concealed by the crowd. Shortly, another man he did not recognize approached dressed in traditional wear and Cyrus lowered the drink, jaw set. Crystalized frost spidered from his fingertips and wrapped around the surface of his glass. He shouldn't have been so irritated by watching his acquaintance reach for another, but it was a reminder that he continued to be awkward in social gatherings. What had he hoped would happen?

The giant finally pulled his eyes away from the dancing couple and his eyes found Diana's exposed neck, pale and delicate and unmarred. She was closer than he had expected and he straightened, his attention recaptured, "It is spiritual stone, good for..." Concentration. His brow furrowed as he reached out and brushed the earring with his knuckle. It was a small, and he imagined for a moment crushing it beneath his thumb. Still, he could not think of the common word he wanted and Cyrus stilled. For a moment it was if he had become frozen himself, but he soon pulled his hand away and leaned back, "Focus... to clear mind."

Almost without question, Cyrus set the half-frozen drink beside Diana and tilted his chin downward to pull at the layers of beading draped across his chest. He lifted them over his head and held the strings out to the woman so that she could hold them if she wished. Solid, rounded orbs, some painted, others left stark white. All were cold to the touch, cold as ice, "Whale bone," he revealed, allowing her to hold it if she wished. It was heavier than it looked, "But I like seeing. I mine, in mountains, by Black Peak," he looked at her wrist to the decorations there, pleasantly surprised that she had decided to revisit him.

"What is your name?"

[Doran]

When Llyr set his glass down on the tray of a nearby host, the son of Ziell followed suit. He had not finished his drink yet, but he had lost interest in it, even though it was delicious. Rickith and Cyrus, the Ellune that he had had a disagreement with some time earlier (The man had taken issue with his experimenting with Ellune blood and insisted that he stop his research immediately.) ceased to matter as well. The younger Mortalborn held his entire attention now. The rest of the world tended to fade into the background when Llyr was with him. He did not know what exactly it was that caused that effect, but he did not question it. That Llyr was there was all that really mattered to him.

His smile grew a hint wider as Llyr took his hand. For a moment, he simply held it, feeling the warmth of his skin, tracing it slightly with one of his fingers, before he led him away from the others and to the dance floor. Llyr was closer to him than he had been before now. It had been a long time since he had been that close, and it made him realize that he had, possibly, missed him even more than he had thought.

“I won’t mind if you step on my foot”, he assured Llyr, laughing slightly, when he heard his promise – he wouldn’t mind if the younger man constantly did so, in fact, as long as he danced with him. “I can show you how to dance”, he told him, his voice softer than it usually was – he only ever made use of such a tone of voice when he was with Llyr. “Just relax and let me guide you”, he said and moved his hands slightly. He linked the fingers of his left hand with Llyr’s while he put his right hand on his upper back, and then he stepped forward, and ultimately to his right, meeting the younger man’s gaze as he did so.

Doran was by no means a masterful dancer, but he had improved considerably since the Mummer’s Ball in Rharne in Vhalar. The standard dances were not as challenging for him anymore, and he did not have to concentrate as much in order to avoid making a mistake anymore either – as they danced, his focus was on Llyr, on the way that they moved together, and the feeling of the younger man’s body so close to his own, trying to match his rhythm to Llyr’s. The younger Mortalborn, he observed, did not say anything, but he did not mind. On the contrary, he enjoyed those moments of silence between them.

For that reason, he only raised his voice again after Llyr had done so.

“I have been well, although I did miss you greatly”, he told Llyr quietly, but he did not tell him that he wished that he were able to spend more time in his company. Once upon a time, he had promised him that he would be content with whatever he gave him, and that he wouldn’t try to change him, or ask him to change the way that he lived his life – because he wouldn’t be the man that he had fallen in love with anymore if that were the case, and because nobody should do that. “I was chosen as a possible successor of Dean Trandino, and I’ve finished my Licentiate. I invented more, an entirely new branch of alchemy, and yes, I’m still collecting mage blood. And I met him again, in Rharne. It was not at all like I expected. He forgave me, and he marked me”, he spoke, his tone of voice momentarily tinged with a hint of disbelief.

Llyr would hopefully, know who he meant. The etherist was one of the few people that he had told about how he had tried to kill Xiur during the battle at Treid’s Tomb, a few arcs earlier. Back then he had been deeply suspicious of all the Immortals and considered Xiur to be a liar. He would always regret what he had done, deeply, but at the same time, it was the reason why he had found Llyr. They had first met in a dream, a dream of a fight against the Immortal of Hope, a fight that he hadn’t been able to win, no matter how hard he had tried.

“But you, what about you?” he asked as he stepped a little closer to Llyr and turned his body slightly so that they would move in a different direction now. “How are you?” he wanted to know. He was aware of the fact that there were things that Llyr would not talk about, that he had possibly more secrets than he did – and he would not pry – but he couldn’t help but curious about how the younger man had spent the previous couple of seasons. Whatever had happened, he looked well, at least, which was something that he was happy about.

[Jackalope]

]

Very lamentable that this thread was never finished. There’s a lot going on, and all the characters and their respective takes are fascinating.

Diana

Experience: +15 xp

Magic xp: None

Knowledge:

Skill Knowledge:

Business Management: Offering free samples of your employer's products to advertise them.
Business management: Representing your employer in an official function. Psychology: Noticing another person's interest.
Socialization: Attending a ball with strangers.
Socialization: Selling interest in your employers product.
Socialization: Piquing interest by showing off jewelry.
Socialization: Finding someone to engage with in a crowded function.


Renown +5

Injuries/Overstepping: None.

Skillplay: Appropriate to level

Comments:

I hope Diana’s boss appreciates the work she’s doing for him. I thought she did a great job serving and recommending wines. And interacting with Cylus. And keeping her cool when the jerkweed eidisi made their comments and bumped her tray! A lot of tension, deriving from the social situation in Viden and Diana’s place in it.

As the thread opener, you had the toughest job, and you did it awesomely! I love the imagery when you set the stage in the temple.

Doran

Experience: +15 x.p.

Skillplay: Appropriate to level.

Knowledges:

Dancing: Leading your partner to the dancefloor
Dancing: Changing direction
Detection: Differences between the Mummer‘s Ball and Viden’s Grand Ball
Etiquette: Don’t interrupt a conversation

Renown +5

Injuries/Overstepping: None.

Comments: This is the second thread in a relatively short time involving Doran dancing that I’ve reviewed. I’m on a roll! Having Llyr show up must have brought up all sorts of feelings for Doran, yet he seems remarkably calm and happy to simply enjoy his company. That’s a remarkably mature and well-adjusted attitude. And it seems like a Doran kind of attitude. Getting caught up with what Doran has been doing in his research and academic career was interesting as well. And all well-written, as usual.

Let me know if either of you have any questions/feedback. Enjoy your rewards!