Log View

Source	Contents
Amethyst	Great Forks is quite the city. And Amethyst knows where /all/ of the cool shops are. She invited Ereyo to come along with her as she went out to gather all manners of herbs, alchemical reagents, and gods who knows what else. She ends up with an entire basket filled with things she claims are all for alchemy but there's some strange ones in there. What does one even /do/ with flower petals and discarded bits of meat fat? But, after her little tour, she arrives at her own shop, the sign showing closed. It's a hell of a structure. She grins at Ereyo, "Told you we'd make it there sooner or later. But they don't call this place Beehive for nothin' I'll tell you."
Amilar Ereyo	Turns out following someone along through the bustling streets of the Beehive isn't a simple thing when you get distracted as easily as Ereyo. In several instances, Amethyst saw her stopping dead in her tracks to examine this storefront and that street seller's wares with immense interest, only for her to remember that she was actually supposed to stay close to the alchemist... to avoid getting lost in the crowd.
Amilar Ereyo	To no one's surprise, now that they've reached their destination, Ereyo looks a bit flushed and slightly disheveled from bumping into to many people (and gods, and elementals, and who-knows-what) on their way here. She takes a curious peek at the contents of Amethyst's shopping basket, before finally taking in the sight of the store's outstanding architecture. Beaming, she agrees: "Dragons preserve me, I had no idea how busy those streets can be! But it was worth it. Did you see all the /things/ they had for sale? And this...", she gestures broadly at the store in front of them, "looks astonishing. I don't recognize the style. Did you build it yourself?"
Amethyst	"I had it built for me after my anima happened to the old wooden one." Amethyst explains. "Turns out that when my anima flares it wears away at wood like the ocean does driftwood. It was pretty dramatic." She says tapping on the door in various places to get it to open. Walking inside she gestures around. "You don't wanna know how many formulae, recipes, essence and anima went into stocking all of this. But! It's all my doing." "Do you like?" She grins, ears perked.
Amilar Ereyo	The look on Ereyo's face is one of unmitigated sympathy, tinged with more than a hint of sadness. "It happens to all of us, I guess", she mutters. Then, visibly relieved to leave behind the unsavory topic of ravaging elemental anima as they enter the store, her gaze immediately begins to take it all in. Predictably, her eyes widen in wonder upon the sight of it all. "You've poured a lot of passion into making this. I can absolutely tell. It's lovely! Perfect even." With a flourish that sends gentle gusts of wind through the store, she turns back to Amethyst with a wide grin. "Want to give me a tour?"
Amethyst	Amethyst's eyes sparkle as she gives a big grin. "But first..." Then she stretches, and it looks a little strange as further mutations... unfold? The webbing on her hands stretches out, her feet shift, and her tail falls down from somewhere up in her tunic. And beautiful irradescent scales cover her body, shifting colors in sync with her tattooes, it's a little mesmerizing. She does a little twirl, and grins back at Ereyo. "Figure you're gonna find out sooner or later anyway. I keep most of my mutations hidden in public. This though, this is what I really look like." And with that she heads to the back door, twirling and dancing her way over there, poking at the door and opening it. "You can do a lot with sorcery." She says, turning back towards Ereyo in her obviously wyld-touched form.
Amilar Ereyo	There's no mistaking the Lookshyan scion's first gut reaction to that unexpected transformation: Utter surprise and confusion. She certainly didn't expect /this/. At least she manages to recover quickly, although her smile falters a bit. She says nothing while eyeing Amethyst's true form up and down for some time, shifting her weight a bit from her good leg to the noisier one and back in the process. Just as the silence between them begins to stretch and becomes uncomfortable, the water aspect clears her throat and gives Amethyst a respectful bow. When her face comes into view again, she is smiling more warmly. "Forgive me. I was wholly unprepared for this. This... your true self... it's quite the sight to behold. I admire you for being able to disguise yourself so deftly."
Amethyst	Watching and examining Ereyo's reaction gives her the insight she was looking for. "It's alright. In truth I just waned to see how you'd take me doing something so suddenly. The sorcery I employ does allow me to mask myself pretty deftly indeed. And I usually only show this form to someone I trust, or someone that I'd like to." She steps through the door and beckons Ereyo, "And you've gotten my interest. I can't show you everything today, I have some projects from clients that seek... discrection, but I can show you most of my workshop." And with that she leads on. First stop is the workshop proper, filled with alchemical apparati, various books, and all manners of reagents along the walls and in cabinets. Also entirely too many papers and notes with too little disorganization. One gust of wind might send everything to the aether!
Amilar Ereyo	In response to her words, Ereyo gives the alchemist a contemplative look, but doesn't hesitate to follow her - after all, /she/ was the one who requested a tour, and now that she has gotten over the unexpected mutations reveal, she soon starts operating at peak curiosity levels again. This time, she makes an active effort to keep her feelings in check, and the air in her vicinity doesn't rise above the level of a very gentle breeze. At first, she doesn't speak much except to ask questions about the nature of some of the strangest apparati - too busy with absorbing everything she sees, reading labels written in Old Realm, carefully studying other scripts she might not even recognize. Finally, she inquires: "You have a lot of projects going on at once, don't you? How busy are you currently, let's say, on a scale from one to ten?"
Amethyst	"Hmm, a solid 7? Probably an 8 or 9 if you include my research." Amethyst says, "Don't have much time for relaxing these days. And on the rare moments I do have a moment I'm usually just resting in my pool. And when I'm not here working on things I'm out adventuring. After all, you don't find Gunzosha armor from standing idle, I'll tell you that much. Or that weird artifact I'm researching." Is she a scavenger lord on the side or something? "I have the armor here if you'd like to see it." She grins.
Amilar Ereyo	At that, Ereyo raises both eyebrows, and the slight scent of ozone always trailing her becomes a bit harder to ignore. "You /found/ Gunzosha armor?", she asks with audible excitement. "And you didn't simply sell it to the highest bidder? Mela's coils! Yes, I would like to have a look at it. I would like that /very/ much." Her eyes are sparkling, and not in a metaphorical way. "How did you find it? Where, when? What about that other artifact?"
Fudou the Mountain	"Amethyst! Helllooo??" The deep rumbly voice pops up out of nowhere. There was no forewarning. No sound of heavy footfalls or rumbling impacts. Just that voice. It's immediately recognizable to the alchemist, of course. To a listener who has never heard it before it rumbles with a deep heavy bass vibrato that quakes into the very pits of the stomachs of those who listen to it implying a capability to rattle walls and shake windows if raised in volume. "Are you there, luv. Yes?" the voice questions again followed by a heavy pounding on the door. A light touch for the gargantuan force behind it but still enough to make the doors shake and the walls tremble. There is a pause following this. Long and pregnant which is then followed by a rumbling, "Mmmm.... Well then..."
Amethyst	Amethyst reaches /into/ her tunic and grabs something, which then causes a pause of bright light as the tunic itself shifts to an undersuit that resembles something similar to what mortals would use to don the armor, but with the essence nodes neatly removed. But that's not the impressive part. Then the armor itself comes into view, forming along Amethyst's body. integrating with her essence and everything. Despite its resemblance, it's obviously not made from Jade. It's some sort of strange white metal that has a rainbow sheen to it, with runes that more closely resemble that of her tattoos then not. And inexplicably its molded to her strange shape, including having a tail of its own to compensate for hers. "Huh, never tried donning it while in my mutant form." She muses. "I found it in a first age ruin deep in the wyld on my journey towards sorcery. And with my new wyld-borne prowess I'm sure I can get back there. The other artifact is the thing I'm not really supposed to talk about it, alas." "Oh yeah, there's also this." ANd she focuses a moment, and in another flash she's wielding a diaklave. "It came with this too." "Oh great, it's Fudou. I better go see to this." She says. And so she goes, fully armored, back out towards the front of the store, gesturing for Ereyo to come with her. She opens the door, "Hey Fuds. What can I do for you?" She asks, leaning on her diaklave. "You caught me at a moment."
Amilar Ereyo	At the booming voice, Ereyo flinches. Even as she scrambles to keep up with Amethyst's sudden rush to answer the door, she tries to make sense of what her eyes are telling her. The fact that Amethyst is able to conjure it seemingly out of thin air - or more to the point, out of her anima - doesn't seem to astonish her that much. She is probably familiar with that particular use of Essence. What really gives her pause are the exotic material, and the way the armour neatly reshapes itself to accomodate the alchemist's mutant form. Ereyo gives the daiklave another quick glance, but there is no time to ask questions for now - they are already at the door, and she finds herself looking up... and up... and even further up at the enormity of a person standing outside. Her eyes shift from bright violets towards dark, storm-ridden gray, and she even takes a step back, right hand on the grip of her own daiklave... probably more for reassurance than with the actual intent of drawing the weapon.
Fudou the Mountain	Once Amethyst door is open, the immense body of The Mountain is immediately seen, standing a few paces back from the door with arms folded and one hand lifted up towards his chin in a gesture of thoughtfulness. His gaze is hidden behind his silver rimmed spectacles but his mouth is quirked slightly in a half smile that contrasts with his furrowed brow. His smile only grows softly as Amethyst greets him, sort of....and then even more as Amilar looks upon him and reacts as she does. A perfectly natural reaction, honestly. One might say he almost misses that given how of late his actions in the arena have shifted perception of him among many familiar with the sight of him now. A little reminder that, yes, he does cause startlement, goes a long ways towards grounding you. "Busy with..." he begins, rumbling softly and then gesturing vaguelly with his massive hand, "....planning to raid a camp of bandits? A pirate ship? The barracks in the arena?" His hand flippantly moves, indicating the armor she's doned and then beyond her to the daiklaive in Amilar's possession. "And without me? Hn..."
Amethyst	Amethyst puts her own weapon on her back and puts an arm over Ereyo, a very much 'don't' sort of gesture. "At ease Ereyo, Fudou's a friend of mine. And sometimes a big pain the ass." She grins and looks up at him. Her eyes betray her mood more than her outward appearance. Fudou's known her long enough though to see that she's... not as okay inside as she's pretending. "Hey Fudou." She looks back up to him. "This here is Amilar Ereyo, a Lookshyian from the Gens of unorthadox innovators, sorta their equivalent of the Great Houses back in the Realm. A place I think might actually accept me rather than reject me out of hand like the Realm would." "I was just showing her around my shop. And she's a sorcerer engineer, so I figured I'd show her the first age tech I have." She gestures at her armor. "What brings you here?"
Amilar Ereyo	Although she doesn't immediately drop her guard as Amethyst puts her own weapon away, the words "At ease" finally have the desired effect on Ereyo, and she relaxes ever so slightly, letting go of her still sheathed daiklave. Amethyst can still smell the scent of lightning behind her, now overpowering - Fudou seems to have an even more unsettling effect on the Air aspect then her body language betrays. She gives a slight bow towards the Mountain, hand over fist, and manages a slightly breathless "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Fudou." After that greeting, she takes a step forward, standing now only slightly behind and to the left of Amethyst. Waiting how this exchange is going to play out. Watchful.
Fudou the Mountain	"Lookshy?" Fudous' expression seems to light up with interest as his massive arms unfold. The very movements of the titanic man seemingly audible like that of leather being stretched as his bones creak and his sinew hauls visibly on his monstrous physique. But his smile becomes more pleasant, cheerful even. His expressive features pull into an ear to ear smile, laugh lines visible and pronounced as htey fold into view under his seeming merriment. "Lookshy!" he repeats, "I have not ever met someone from Lookshy before! Only heard rumors and stories of their greatness!" The full weight of his gaze and presence falls upon Ereyo now. It's like having a sequoia pay attention to you. " Yes. I am called Fudou the Mountain. " he rumbles, properly introducing himself, "Some have called me the iron-bodied colossus. Others the exemplar of physical strength. Fudou will do. I was given the gift of exigence long ago in the south east, in Volivat." A lie. In part. he is from Volivat though that accent is long smothered by his time in the east. He seems to mostly be attempting to explain his immensity in a way to put her more at ease. "Are you here for the Congregation of Victory?" he asks of her, momentarily ignoring Amethyst's question and locking his attention onto the Lookshayan.
Amethyst	Amethyst knows why he's here. And she's thankful that Fudou isn't pressing the issue, at least for now. She moves to the side to let the two talk more easily. Now she's the careful and watchful one, trying to figure out what Fudou's trying to do. And what she sees, it... she's just ambivelent. "Tell you what, why don't we all go out to eat? I know this nice ramen place. You two can meet each other over some fantastic noodles. Then I'll finish my tour of my place and tomorrow." She looks up at Fudou, accepting that she has to talk to him at some point, "Tomorrow we'll talk, alright?"
Amilar Ereyo	The excitment of the store, Amethyst's projects, the strange armour... Maybe it's all a bit too much. Maybe feeling the full attention of a literal mountain of flesh on her doesn't sit well with Ereyo. Whatever the reason, she visibly stiffens under the considerable weight of Fudou's gaze. Anyone who has ever been in a tense situation might recognize the telltale signs of a fight-or-flight response starting to surface: Quickened breathing, wide eyes, face going white, muscles tensing. In the case of the Dragon-Blooded, this is accompanied by the air around her picking up speed, lashing at her hair and clothing. When she finally speaks after taking a deep, shuddering breath, conscious that a reply is expected from her, the sound of her usually clear and cheerful voice is accompanied by the rumble of distant thunder. "I... I'm sorry, but... I just remembered there's a lesson co-coming up soon", she sputters, giving Amethyst a wild, apologetic look. "Please forgive m-me for leaving so soon. I will gladly co-continue this tour with you... next time." She nods at Fudou, but tries to not directly look him into the eye, as if he were a dangerous animal better not to be provoked. "It was n-nice meeting you, Fudou the Mountain. Let's talk another t-time." With that, she squeezes past Amethyst, still desperately trying to smile at the other two Exalts. The terror lurking behind her gaze is almost a living, tangible thing.
Fudou the Mountain	"We have a proverb among The Yennin, that tomorrow is not promised so live vibrantly for today." His tone is more....even...as he looks at Amethyst at her request and suggestion. He holds her gaze for a heavy beat, smile less bemused now. His attention swivels back to Ereyo, head turning like some sort of first age essence cannon turret atop his massive muscled neck and he raises one bushy eyebrow above the rim of his spectacles. Before he can say more, however, Ereyo speaks again and Fudou recoils slightly at what he perceives as a sudden shift in her. To him it's an abrupt change. He saw the initial startlement and bewilderment but this seems...something far more troubling, far more intense. "Hmm?" he rumbles in confusion and then this is followed by a reluctant. "...Goodday to you then...." As if lacking surety on just how to respond to, well, that. He exchanges another glance with Amethyst, confusion reigning in his face now, but then just shakes his head and turns, "Perhaps you are both right. Another time then, yes?" He starts a turn, at first starting in the same direction of the retreating Ereyo but then, seems to think better of that and turns, to start to prepare to head off in another direction.
Amethyst	"I-it's okay, talk to you then!" Amethyst says to her fleeing friend. And then she sighs. This didn't work out at all. Maybe today it was just not meant to be. She looks over towards Fudou then, banishing her armor and sword, and tucking her mutations away again. "I-" She starts towards him, but then she stops and shakes her head, "I'll see you soon." Amethyst deflates more than a little at this whole encounter. It was purely happenstance, and yet now she's left without any of her goals accomplished. She just slinks back into her shop, slams the door and lets loose a frustrated yell, easily muffled by her construction. She'll have to seek out Fudou once she gets over herself, this needs to be done.