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Amethyst Among the numerous businesses in the western quarter of Great Forks, stands a finely crafted stone structure, its architecture taking many cues from the lost age. On the sides are beautiful silken tapestries, dedicated to the five elemental dragons and the alchemical principles each of them embody. Above the entrance, hewn into the stone is the most fundamental principle of alchemy, 'As above, so below'. All of this is written in high realm. For someone who didn't think they belonged to the dynasty they sure took a lot of cues from them.

The door has a with 'Welcome - Open' written in High Realm, Old Realm, Riverspeak, Forest-Tongue, and Flametongue. Along the doorway are peculiar bright green-blue boxes, presumably there to provide light once the sun sets. And inside is more fine stonework, with shelves upon shelves of various alchemical reagents, formulae, chemicals and trinctures and potions.

And of course, at the back, tinkering with interesting looking glassware is the alchemist herself, counting the drops as she drips a vial into a much larger container. She's in her human form, and a subtle, deep blue-green glow surrounds her.

A door stands behind her, which leads to the rest of the place.

Black Pearl The invitation had come, and the reason behind it plain. Black Pearl has dressed in flowing silks that nonetheless do not hamper her, and come through the streets with a few bodyguards for show, until she comes to Yim's shop. When she comes in, she first looks around, curiously at the shelves and bottles thereon, nodding a bit at some of them. It's several minutes before she finalyl turns to the other water-chosen. "Good day, Amethyst. How are you this day? Your letter was..intriguing, to say the least."
Amethyst One last drop, and the mixture releases a puff of green smoke, swirling and beginning to glow brighter and brighter, and settling out. It glows with the same color as the lights in this shop.

Amethyst looks up and nods towards Black Pearl. "Welcome. I'm doing well. One of the temples wants to replace their torches with something that doesn't require quite as much mainteance." She takes the mixture and pours it into what seems to be a mold. "Intriguing?" She chuckles a little, ears falling. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Black Pearl Black Pearl nods, and smiles slightly. "Certainly a worthwhile endeavor. It allows them to do more to serve their god," she says, and comes closer. "And that is the beauty, my dear. It could be either, or just intriguing. And the question is what the speaker means--or how she intends it to be taken by the audience, yes?" Her bright almost electric blue eyes twinkle. "But this just highlights what I need to help you learn, because anyone at the Spiral would know immediately what I meant to portray...and some of the better ones would figure out what I truly meant." And so she segues into the reason for the visit, and she grins, "Of course, coming to the point without a long time, of pleasant nothings over tea, speaking of events, of family and history...I would be attacked as very gauche, or worse--provincial--for coming to the pont so abruptly."
Amethyst Amethyst goes and turns off the burners and closes up vials and puts lids on bowls. She takes a deep breath and stops focusing on her alchemy for the moment and diverts her full attention to Black Pearl. She is silent for a good few moments as she tries to order her words.

"'Course I probably would've ended up at Heptagram myself. Or at least that's what I would've hoped for. But only the dragons know for sure what my family would have had of me. Heh, if I'd stayed I might be just as dead as the rest of the Yim household. And I fear what the rest of Peleps may think of this sorceress who's been born and raised beyond even the threshold." There's a deep breath.

"But that's why I wrote that letter. Though I'm sure you already figured that much." She rubs her head.

Black Pearl "Indeed, and why I entered as I did." Black Pearl says. "So...there are several aspects to this, and all are important. First: recognizing the message one wishes to convey. Often, there are not-so-hidden insults or priases which are the 'public meaning' of the words, the first layer beyond the plain words given. Then: recognizing the truth behind the message. Perhaps it is praise that hides insults, or vice versa. Or giving some information while trying to conceal other....does this make sense?"
Amethyst "I'm reminded of the varied comments I get on my ears." Amethyst wiggles her pointed ears, moving them up and down and letting them stay down. "Some are geninue, some are insults, some are praise, and some are heavy handed sarcasm about how I've chosen not to get rid of them despite my talents."

"So I mostly follow." She nods.

Black Pearl "For that...expect any comment of your ears to be neutral at best, and mostly veiled, or open, insults. Or expect them to be ignored enough to have attention drawn to them," Black Pearl says. "But...may I touch them? Would you mind?" She asks, nicely, politely. Or at least it seems.
Amethyst Amethyst nods, "I wasn't really expecting too many people to have good things to say about my ears." And then when Black Pearl asks to touch them, her ears shoot up and back just a little. It clearly surprises her. "Uh," her ears middle out, "Sure?" She sounds a little confused as she looks up to Black Pearl and keeps her ears middled and spread out.
Black Pearl "Thank you," Pearl says and reaches to stroke gently, touching, rubbing, almost caressing, but nothing too intimate. "And...what did you think I was doing there? What effect did my words have on you? What do you think was behind them?" Still rubbing softly and exploring
Amethyst "Uh, maybe you were curious about them?" Amethyst asks. Her ears are remarkably soft and delicate, with little bits of fuzz on their back. It's pretty clear that they are not the result of random wyld mutation -- the wyld does not make things so elegant.

"Other than that I'm not too sure." Her wide violet eyes are looking very intently into Black Pearl's brilliant blue.

Black Pearl "Indeed, at least for the base meaning. And I was curious about something else as well, but...no. On the other hand, we have spent years learning very different things. You should not expect me to make a poison on my first attempt, at least not safely. So...we will have to practice. At least if you have any thoughts of being anything other than a shunned laughingstock on the Isle, and perhaps Peleps will truly cast you out in that case."
Amethyst The fae-dragon pulls back just a little at the mention of poison, just enough so that Black Pearl's hands aren't on her ears anymore. And she takes her ears in her hands, "What exactly did you want with my ears?" She asks helplessly, and then she sighs. "...I'm going to need a lot to sure up my social skills aren't it?"
Black Pearl "Well, I was curious about them," Pearl says, with a smile. "And the best way to hide the truth is not with a lie, but a different truth all together. I wanted to see if you could find this other layer of curiosty instead. Bu t yes. You will need to shore up your social skills, and I will help with that."
Amethyst Amethyst lets go of her ears, and grabs her arm. "Well, I appreciate it. Is there anything in particular you want in return for teaching me these things?" She tries to relax a little, her tattoos rapid shimmering calming as she focuses.
Black Pearl "I...I'm not sure yet. What I want is...complicated. For now...let it be a favor owed? I won't ask for anything....untoward," she says, before smiling.
Amethyst "Hmm, a favor." Amethyst contemplates. "Favors can be dangerous things." She pauses, "But sure. A favor." She nods and smiles, perking her ears up.

"So when do we begin?"

Black Pearl "We already have," Pearl says with a grin. "I will want to meet with you every day, and we will do things--either just here to be in class--or to be out as...field exercises. I willt ell you what I want you to portray, and you will try to do it. It will take soem time, but...worth the investment."
Amethyst Amethyst grins back. "Time well worth it. A smaller detail is clothing. I'm planning on getting some new outfits made and I'd like advice on how I should dress on our journey. All the books I have all have contradictory advice on what to wear."
Black Pearl "Much will depend on thepart you are trying to portray. You will want a...variety of different outfits, and I should probably help select them for you and then start going into all of their meanings, what is appropriate where, inappropriate and insulting for when you want to do that, and so on." Pearl nods, "Do you ahve a tailor?"
Amethyst Amethyst's eyes grow just a little wider. "That explains so much..." She rubs her head, "And uh, I do? It's just that it's a demon spider that's bound to a friend of mine."

"And uuuuh, well, the other thing that I've been debating is uh, well: Ametis, as they would know me, would be male. It wasn't until my journey into the depths of the wyld, the same place I was tattoo'd, that subtle sorceries were worked to make me more like how I felt. And yes I know that Danaa'd herself was transgender, but it might help if I am the gender they're expecting me to be. It could be an uphill battle to prove that I am who I say I am and well, yeah."

Her face is this lovely deep red-purple color as her ears are pulled down and back. One wonders how much of her words are trying to convince herself that this is a good course of action.

Black Pearl "It will be an uphill battle anyway, but...a male will be lower-status than a female," Pearl says. "Saying you sought power--or, better yet, /implying/ you sought power without outright saying it--will bring a modicum of respect from others. If you come as male, well...you might be pushed off to another household, or given to a Lost Egg you are expected to breed with. As a female...you will be kept in the household, butperhaps still with a Lost Egg. Because family and dynasty has nothing to do with what you want, but what the Matriarch wants."
Amethyst Amethyst considers, "...I never really thought of my gender from the strategic side of things." She nods. "But what you say makes a good deal of sense. And if there's one thing I intend to do before I set foot on that Island, it's have a long, long list of accomplishments. I have neither pedigree, nor schooling, nor familial connection on my side. I'm an outcaste in all but name, and something tells me it may be a good bit before they find someone willing to marry someone with /fae blood/ in them. So my capability, and the connections I've formed beyond the threshold, need to be my strengths."
Black Pearl "Exactly. They may want to purge you because of your mother. If they don't, you will be one of the lowest stepping stones, and like I said, probably be made to marry a Lost Egg. And might be sent back out here in Exile, to be out of sight, out of mind." Pearl nods, and leans closer. "But what do you want? Do you want them to reocgnize you? Do you want to take your place on the Isle? To go to the Heptagram? To belong to the dance of generations?"
Amethyst "If I am the only female left of my household, then I have a lot of work to do to rebuild it." The Alchemist says simply. "...Though I must ask, given that I am well capable of sorcery, what would sending me to the Heptagram do? Or is that a status thing?"

"As far as my greater ambitions... I really don't know yet. On the one hand I've found people out here that I love and care dearly for. On the other, I've lived in the shadow of my birth my entire life and want to do /something/ to change that."

"But in the end I have a lot of thinking to do rather than just blindly being ambitious. And I won't know what I can really do until I know what pieces I have to play with."

Black Pearl "They will want to test you. To try to break you. To learn your secrets. To make sure you are loyal to them, and--by extension--the Realm. To make your birth herlad who you truly are. The shadow will consume you, if you let it," Black Pearl says.

"So...study. Learn, figure out what you /can/ do, and then see how you can leverage that to what you /want/ to do." She smiles, "It will likely end in tears--which of us ever is truly happy--but at least let it be on your terms."

Amethyst "...I 'pose that's one part of the Dynasty I was never quite familiar with. Then again, I tried my best never to shed any tears. It was one of the only times I've broken and shed tears that the dragons decided I was worthy of their power. I just try to make the best of things. And sometimes making the best of things is being an orphan in the single most heretical city in the entirety of Creation, with strict orders from my mother to do what I could to establish myself here."

Amethyst sighs. "It's not going to be any different when I go to the Isle. Guess I best prepare myself."