I Know What You're Searching For
Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2023 11:36 am
TIMESTAMP: Earth's Rest 28, Ash 122
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Sometimes, Æros thought back to that Sunborn mage he’d met but only a few weeks ago. While he had spent some time practicing Semblance with his beloved Khyan, every individual mage offers insight that is unique to them, do they not? So surely, it would behoove him to seek our multiple practitioners to learn from. That being the case, he decided he ought to reach out to this newfound acquaintance of his. Upon hearing back, the two of them rather quickly planned to meet with one another– the other man, Chrysanthos, was apparently rather excited to do so, too. For why, exactly? That part, at least, remained to be seen.
The two of them met within the walls of Gens Sælyan's demesne nestled in the Luxium's Aurecine district, but at the same time, they still sat beneath the sun's golden rays. The manor itself was built around a long, rectangular garden that sat in the middle of the property, the mantle of upkeep currently being held by Æros' cousin, Palæmon. As an Elementalist and a sculpture artist turned landscape architect, the man was pretty possessive about managing its care. The result, however, was a breathtaking environment that many within the family used for informal meetings, Æros now included.
"How grand," Chrysanthos said as his bronze gaze drifted languidly around the surrounding foliage. "Somebody in the family has taken quite an interest in horticulture, I assume?" The question was asked curiously, because while the other man could peer into Æros with his Sembler's eye and pluck out the answer, doing so wouldn't make for very good conversation.
"Correct. Head of my house's son. He spends a lot of his time here, and I've no knowledge of what he's doing today, so you might even meet him. I've not met a better Elementalist." While Palæmon was a modest man, there really wasn't a reason to be. Being a master was one thing, but to become grandmaster? That was a true novelty and feat of strength even in Solunarium.
"That so? Intriguing…" the other man mused in response. "...but onto your Semblance. I understand your academic knowledge on the subject is fairly high, yes? If that's correct, then really all you need is practice and I've an idea that should help you."
"Oh?" Æros tilted his head curiously; Chrysanthos had said as much in their exchange of missives but he had not been very clear regarding what exactly he meant.
"Yes! Your mark of Masquerade– I see it shines much brighter now than before, too! And we didn't even meet that long ago." As he spoke, the man's fox-like featured lit up with an amused sort of curiosity. "But anyways, my plan was to ask you to read my thoughts or dig for specific memories and recreate snapshots of my mind with Masquerade. That way, I can see how accurate you are with your Semblance and you can flex both of your unmastered runes at once…and while Mesmer may help, try not to cheat too much with it," he said, punctuating the sentence with a wry wink.
In response, Æros chuckled. "I will certainly try not use it much, if at all. That is a good idea, though, since I'd like to wield both runes well."
"Wonderful! To start, I'm going to think of something fairly recent. That's easier than digging for an old echo…and while it might not show on my face, I am old." He spoke in a way that was deliberately melodramatic regarding his age, though with enough levity to indicate that such a tone was used in jest.
Æros was unused to not using his Mesmer at all, but for the sake of making the most out of this encounter, he closed himself off from his companion's Symphony entirely. Since last they'd met, the star-crossed Færie had improved his ability to wield Semblance, though he would still consider himself to be fledgling at best for the moment. Even with his aptitude for magic, one can only move so fast with its use…that is, if one does not desire to dangerously push limits.
On the act of the tutor, Chrysanthos made the conscious effort to remember something from earlier in the season of Ash. In a bid to make the maiden attempt for this method of practice perhaps a bit easier, he chose an event that he assumed Æros was also present for– the Ash equinox in Aværys' grandios temple. Granted, the two of them experienced the event from different locations within the temple and therefore had different viewing experiences. Chrysanthos would be able to yell quite easily if the image Æros conjured was from the correct perspective or if it was an amalgamation of both of theirs; after all, he'd briefly checked prior to conjuring up his own memories what the ceremony looked like through the half-blood's eyes.
As Æros wove æther through his most recently acquired Craft, he first saw the memory being pulled consciously to the forefront of the golden mage's mind. Immediately, he was able to recognize the memory for what it was, and he was even able to glean the reason for picking such a memory from the other man's thoughts, too. As such, Æros would be…really rather disappointed in himself should he fail to accurately capture the other elf's memory with his Masquerade. Latching on to what of the memory Chrysanthos had actively recalled, the half-starborn peered back to look at the full extent of what was stored within the other's mind regarding that specific day.
While his perception of it was perhaps a bit fuzzier than he would have desired, what he could see was like experiencing the event anew. Chrysanthos had stood on the other side of the room, he'd met with his own friends, family and acquaintances. He'd had far different thoughts about the occasion than Æros did; his mind was occupied by similar subjects, yet colored in by entirely different emotions. All of these information was too much for him to fully process, much of it he could only catch brief glimpses thereof, but he was able to pick up enough, he thought, to make an adequate image.
Going between his Sembler's perception and channeling his Masquerade, Æros began to illustrate the other man's memory in the air in front of the two of them. Æros began by crafting in the golden majesty of the temple itself, then layering in figures and objects as he went. Many of those in the background were vague, and some were faceless because Æros could not see clearly enough. However, it wasn't as if Chrysanthos had even bothered to remember every single other face in the crowd, either. Æros did, however, very carefully recreate the figures that had stood closest to the other man, especially so the faces of those he now knew the other man looked upon fondly.
When he was finished, the image was imperfect due to the imperfections in the images he had been able to pull up within the other man's head. Nonetheless, everything that was reproduced in the illusory recreation was accurate and quite realistic, too. Imperfect, maybe, but for somebody so new to Semblance? This was impressive, indeed.
"My, what a lovely job you've done! Frankly, I was expecting less. Not to be rude, but…many are so very clumsy with the Craft in the beginning." Chrysanthos smiled, stifling laughter. "...but really, I guess I should have picked something a bit more obscure from my memory if I really wanted to test you."
"You say that as if it took no effort at all for me to illustrate this," Æros responded. "Which…no. It took quite a bit more æther than I personally would've liked, but, well…nevertheless, your praise flatters me quite a lot. Thank you," and the smile he now wore was genuine.
"Perhaps more than what you would've liked, but I was watching you. If you'd used much less I would've been perplexed…and you've still got so much more to use before you'd hurt yourself. Care to try again? Perhaps with a much older memory?" The question was posed almost teasingly, but the truth was that Chrysanthos wanted Æros to say yes. He wanted to test the other man's limits.
Naturally, Æros was more than happy to continue. "I would be a fool to say no. Do let me know when you're ready for me to look again."
That being said, the older of the two began to sift through his memories for something both interesting and harder for him to recall, this time going back years.
The two of them met within the walls of Gens Sælyan's demesne nestled in the Luxium's Aurecine district, but at the same time, they still sat beneath the sun's golden rays. The manor itself was built around a long, rectangular garden that sat in the middle of the property, the mantle of upkeep currently being held by Æros' cousin, Palæmon. As an Elementalist and a sculpture artist turned landscape architect, the man was pretty possessive about managing its care. The result, however, was a breathtaking environment that many within the family used for informal meetings, Æros now included.
"How grand," Chrysanthos said as his bronze gaze drifted languidly around the surrounding foliage. "Somebody in the family has taken quite an interest in horticulture, I assume?" The question was asked curiously, because while the other man could peer into Æros with his Sembler's eye and pluck out the answer, doing so wouldn't make for very good conversation.
"Correct. Head of my house's son. He spends a lot of his time here, and I've no knowledge of what he's doing today, so you might even meet him. I've not met a better Elementalist." While Palæmon was a modest man, there really wasn't a reason to be. Being a master was one thing, but to become grandmaster? That was a true novelty and feat of strength even in Solunarium.
"That so? Intriguing…" the other man mused in response. "...but onto your Semblance. I understand your academic knowledge on the subject is fairly high, yes? If that's correct, then really all you need is practice and I've an idea that should help you."
"Oh?" Æros tilted his head curiously; Chrysanthos had said as much in their exchange of missives but he had not been very clear regarding what exactly he meant.
"Yes! Your mark of Masquerade– I see it shines much brighter now than before, too! And we didn't even meet that long ago." As he spoke, the man's fox-like featured lit up with an amused sort of curiosity. "But anyways, my plan was to ask you to read my thoughts or dig for specific memories and recreate snapshots of my mind with Masquerade. That way, I can see how accurate you are with your Semblance and you can flex both of your unmastered runes at once…and while Mesmer may help, try not to cheat too much with it," he said, punctuating the sentence with a wry wink.
In response, Æros chuckled. "I will certainly try not use it much, if at all. That is a good idea, though, since I'd like to wield both runes well."
"Wonderful! To start, I'm going to think of something fairly recent. That's easier than digging for an old echo…and while it might not show on my face, I am old." He spoke in a way that was deliberately melodramatic regarding his age, though with enough levity to indicate that such a tone was used in jest.
Æros was unused to not using his Mesmer at all, but for the sake of making the most out of this encounter, he closed himself off from his companion's Symphony entirely. Since last they'd met, the star-crossed Færie had improved his ability to wield Semblance, though he would still consider himself to be fledgling at best for the moment. Even with his aptitude for magic, one can only move so fast with its use…that is, if one does not desire to dangerously push limits.
On the act of the tutor, Chrysanthos made the conscious effort to remember something from earlier in the season of Ash. In a bid to make the maiden attempt for this method of practice perhaps a bit easier, he chose an event that he assumed Æros was also present for– the Ash equinox in Aværys' grandios temple. Granted, the two of them experienced the event from different locations within the temple and therefore had different viewing experiences. Chrysanthos would be able to yell quite easily if the image Æros conjured was from the correct perspective or if it was an amalgamation of both of theirs; after all, he'd briefly checked prior to conjuring up his own memories what the ceremony looked like through the half-blood's eyes.
As Æros wove æther through his most recently acquired Craft, he first saw the memory being pulled consciously to the forefront of the golden mage's mind. Immediately, he was able to recognize the memory for what it was, and he was even able to glean the reason for picking such a memory from the other man's thoughts, too. As such, Æros would be…really rather disappointed in himself should he fail to accurately capture the other elf's memory with his Masquerade. Latching on to what of the memory Chrysanthos had actively recalled, the half-starborn peered back to look at the full extent of what was stored within the other's mind regarding that specific day.
While his perception of it was perhaps a bit fuzzier than he would have desired, what he could see was like experiencing the event anew. Chrysanthos had stood on the other side of the room, he'd met with his own friends, family and acquaintances. He'd had far different thoughts about the occasion than Æros did; his mind was occupied by similar subjects, yet colored in by entirely different emotions. All of these information was too much for him to fully process, much of it he could only catch brief glimpses thereof, but he was able to pick up enough, he thought, to make an adequate image.
Going between his Sembler's perception and channeling his Masquerade, Æros began to illustrate the other man's memory in the air in front of the two of them. Æros began by crafting in the golden majesty of the temple itself, then layering in figures and objects as he went. Many of those in the background were vague, and some were faceless because Æros could not see clearly enough. However, it wasn't as if Chrysanthos had even bothered to remember every single other face in the crowd, either. Æros did, however, very carefully recreate the figures that had stood closest to the other man, especially so the faces of those he now knew the other man looked upon fondly.
When he was finished, the image was imperfect due to the imperfections in the images he had been able to pull up within the other man's head. Nonetheless, everything that was reproduced in the illusory recreation was accurate and quite realistic, too. Imperfect, maybe, but for somebody so new to Semblance? This was impressive, indeed.
"My, what a lovely job you've done! Frankly, I was expecting less. Not to be rude, but…many are so very clumsy with the Craft in the beginning." Chrysanthos smiled, stifling laughter. "...but really, I guess I should have picked something a bit more obscure from my memory if I really wanted to test you."
"You say that as if it took no effort at all for me to illustrate this," Æros responded. "Which…no. It took quite a bit more æther than I personally would've liked, but, well…nevertheless, your praise flatters me quite a lot. Thank you," and the smile he now wore was genuine.
"Perhaps more than what you would've liked, but I was watching you. If you'd used much less I would've been perplexed…and you've still got so much more to use before you'd hurt yourself. Care to try again? Perhaps with a much older memory?" The question was posed almost teasingly, but the truth was that Chrysanthos wanted Æros to say yes. He wanted to test the other man's limits.
Naturally, Æros was more than happy to continue. "I would be a fool to say no. Do let me know when you're ready for me to look again."
That being said, the older of the two began to sift through his memories for something both interesting and harder for him to recall, this time going back years.
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'Thoughts'
"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"
"Vastien Tongue/Speech"
"Valasren Tongue/Speech"
"Common Tongue/Speech"