smartass_captain | A Very Nexus Reception

To all the friends of the happy grooms, PINpoint messages have already been sent weeks ago inviting them to expect quite the street party arranged in the commons of the Nexus. Guests have been invited to bring an appetite--both for food and for a social adventure. Nirnish weddings are public affairs, after all. While the ceremony has had to be somewhat sequestered for the sake of keeping the existence of Other Worlds a secret, neither Felix nor Jim would want to leave out their interdimensional friends entirely. Having a reception party arranged in the Nexus became the natural plan of action.

Overnight large sections of the Commons are transformed via diligent craftsmanship and quite a lot of magic from those who’ve volunteered. Lanterns representing the Divines are hung along every lamp post, bringing at least the idea of warmth even if the flames are too small to heat their surroundings alone. Bardic tunes carry in the air as readily as the scent of food and drink. Past banners of red and black, blue and white the people gather.

For both grooms this is nearly a continuation of the day before. They’ve had the chance to sleep off the nerves of their ceremony. Today is entirely for celebration--uninhibited celebration at that. No more minding what is said and isn’t. No more pretending to be anything other than who they are. Jim’s traded out his Nirnish finery for a suit and tie, garments he’s much more familiar with. Felix is staying with his native clothing; though he may have dressed down a little from his wedding clothes, the conjurer’s dressed in fitted breeches and his best fur-trimmed coat and boots, the soft hide dyed blue to match his tunic. By their side sits the conjurer’s spectral wolf familiar, ears pricked at the gathering.

As the guests find their ways over it will be easy to spot their friends amidst all the decor along with many other avenues with which to enjoy themselves….

Greetings
Food and Drink
Music and Dancing
Bonfire Entertainment
Party Games

((Links to all relevent wedding Prose can be found Here!))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

From:

heirtothedragonsfire

A finger taps against her glass, but other than that she remains completely still while she stares Felix down. The silence stretches on entirely too long, but surely no one ~~would dare~~ could judge her for savouring the opportunity to make him squirm just a little bit.

"What would I need to do?" She asks eventually.

From:

conjuredskies

It's a stare to make a man sweat, and Felix finds himself holding his breath when she replies. He exhales in a rush.

"Only come to the circle. I've prepared wards to, ah, contain things. Once I summon the atronach and make the connection, you'll be in control of the spell. Not of the elemental, but you can decide how long it stays, and you'll be able to feel what it wants. The musicians and the... ah, sound system, are of course at your disposal."

From:

heirtothedragonsfire

Conjuration magic. That would be a curious experience. In the end an entrancing experience is more valuable than gold to a Durant. That doesn't stop her from pushing for more. More than just a single experience. She wants to get everything she could possibly want. In this case, that's an answer.

"Why? This is your party. Your celebration. Your moment. Why do you want me to do this?"

She knows why. Or thinks she knows why. But the why she thinks she knows, the why he tells her, and the real why may all be different things. Better to know two of them than one.

From:

conjuredskies

"I... ah..." Ouch. She's really going to make him say it, isn't she? Felix sucks in a breath, gaze dropping as he tries not to squirm.

"Call it an... olive branch, of sorts? After... everything, surely I owe you a good moment." Surely he owes it to prove that his magic can do her some service. His mouth twitches in a smile, more hopeful than easy this time. "Besides, I know that you'll be far more adept at this than I would."

It's his celebration, after all: he has reason to want the most spectacular show he can ask for.

From:

heirtothedragonsfire

Isidor raises an eyebrow. "Is that what you owe me?"

Gods help her, it would be so easy and so enjoyable to stand here needling him all evening. She taps her glass one more time and then downs it.

"Alright. Let's meet this elemental."

From:

conjuredskies

Felix winces at that question, pointed as a dagger. But that just means he's all the faster to seize on her agreement. He bows, wordlessly relieved.

"Ah- yes. Thank you. Just this way. You may want to speak with the musicians before you enter the circle," he adds. "It won't be so easy once things are in motion."

He leads her toward the bonfire, where his familiar is hard at work chasing out anyone who strays into the circle bounds. There's a reason he had the musicians (and Jaylah) set up so nearby. While Isidor readies herself, he'll do his best to clear his mind. Setting aside her words - the Implications hovering in the spaces around them - and focus.

It wouldn't do to have this go horribly wrong, now, would it?

From:

heirtothedragonsfire

That wince is satisfying to see. She has to tilt her head up so that she can focus on the small motion instead of smirking. Setting her empty glass on a nearby table, she follows Felix and eyes the space set out for the bonfire.

This... was not what she came here to do. It doesn't leave her any time to prepare or plan or practice. That said, performing under pressure is her forte, and she'll be damned if she leaves anyone else to do it. Of all the people gathered here today Felix is the only one she might have considered appropriate. Even that was mostly due to not knowing the intricacies of his skill set. No, she doesn't trust anyone else to do this. This is what her bloodline was made for. To watch anyone else try would be remiss of her.

Ideas twist and turn as she runs through practices and plans, adapting them right up until the moment she introduces herself to Jaylah. Once her song choice has been prepared she returns to Felix.

"I'm ready."

From:

conjuredskies

Felix bows and beckons her into the circle. Once she steps inside, however, he moves away; his hands flicker in small gestures as he makes a circuit of the bonfire, and when he stops facing her again, the lines of magic around them spring to shimmering life, an iridescent net of wards. To Isidor it probably feels like having a safety net draped around her, but it's less restrictive than she might fear. When she tests the magic around her, she'll find she is free to act, to leave if she chooses. But the people outside the circle will be protected from any stray fire or magic.

Their lupine sentry is still prowling the boundary as Felix spreads his hands. The lines of magic around their feet flare with purple energy as he draws forth the spell between them. A silken hiss as the air warps and yawns apart with a snap. A burning feminine shape takes form, whirling a pirouette on feet that never touch the ground.

"Isidor Durant," Felix murmurs, too quiet for anyone beyond them to hear, "Magdra Sakris." He's backing smoothly out of the circle, satisfied the reins have been handed off to Isidor.

The elemental turns its horned head, eyeless gaze focusing on the mage. And Isidor will find that she can feel its thoughts, pressing almost as near as her own. They're alien, shifting, hard for a human to grasp and yet shockingly intense. Were it not for the wards buffering her, they might threaten to overwhelm her at first touch. She is not in control of this ancient, primal being- she is merely in communion.

But Isidor Durant knows fire.

Beyond the unlit bonfire, one of the Breton knights sounds a hunting horn, strong and sweet and clear, summoning all and sundry to turn their attention to the circle. Isidor might not even hear. The fire elemental's stare seems to ask a question, twofold: What are you? What do you ask?

From:

heirtothedragonsfire

Even a patron can't resist watching and sensing as closely as she can. The magic is foreign and familiar at once. She knows what she would do, and it would not look wholly different from Felix's actions. If anything the spectral wolf is the most unusual thing here. She wonders if Felix is always this careful in everything he does. Was he always this careful in the past?

All thoughts that leave her head when he returns to his starting point. They are replaced with a deeper curiosity, a trembling anticipation and a burning need to act, to do. The air heats up almost instantly and Isidor's eyes sting with the sudden change in temperature, but when she blinks the discomfort away she stares. Magdra Sakris, Felix says. She's beautiful.

Isidor inclines her head politely at the introduction and waits until Felix has retreated. It gives her time to make sense of the new feelings pressing against her senses. Once she does, she relaxes. Those are questions she can answer. She knows exactly who she is, and exactly what she wants.

"I am a dancer. And I am a fire mage. I intend to dance, and to light this bonfire." She tilts her head, fixing her gaze on where eyes should be, but feels as though she's staring into the elemental's soul. "Will you join me, Magdra Sakris?"

From:

conjuredskies

She can hear the flames hiss in answer. Feel the pull of them, the burning desire to move to act to blaze to sear her touch into the world around her- The air around them has begun to shimmer. The elemental spirit skates away a few paces, a trail of flame licking the ground beneath her too-delicate feet; she whirls around, watching the mage, waiting her move.

The fire within Isidor pulses like the beat of a drum, flames rising to a roar. Elsewhere, the hunting horn sounds again.

It's time.

Edited Date: 2019-12-10 09:24 pm (UTC)

From:

heirtothedragonsfire

Hollow notes call through the air, bidding the audience to hush and settle. But for Isidor and the atronach it pulls a curtain around them. They face each other fully, a safe distance apart, the only two people in the multiverse. Isidor breathes, the atronach burns. Steady.

Isidor’s arms snap up suddenly as if only just realising ’There you are…’. Calm again, her hands slowly glide across her cheeks, fingers sliding into her hair until her joints bend, hands gripping her head in fear of ’regret’. She stares up to the sky, her shoulders heaving with slow, steady breaths. Opposite her the feminine figure spins gently and rolls her shoulders until their heads snap to face each other with ’a will’ and they mirror clenched fists being thrust beside their hips, one side then the other.

This is just an introduction. A tribute. A chance for Isidor to cast a spell on herself to keep her skin from burning. The mage knows this tune well enough that anticipation is already rising through her. This is it. This is where she must truly dance with fire.

The patron steps one foot outward and she looks across her shoulder to Magdra, jaw set but with pleading eyes that are only partially for show. Legs cross in strong strides towards the elemental and with an outstretched hand she lets the song beg for her, ’Take me away’. The pause that follows is a split second to the audience, but an eternity for her. And when Magdra takes her hand she lets her body and expression melt while she’s led into a spin that flares out the deep orange of her skirt as that simple command is drawn out. They pause together for a moment, but flames do not still themselves, and they’re acquainted now.

Isidor puts her hands together and faces the audience again, fire trailing from her hands so that it makes a circle as she lands into a crouch the moment the first clap sounds. A motion that highlights Magdra who lifts into the air and then dives into a somersault, effortlessly returning to hover behind Isidor. This time they don’t stop moving. Magdra’s fingers come together in elegant poses that switch with each snap of her hands while her hips and shoulders roll. She is a goddess and Isidor is her priestess whom she summons, twisting and rolling upwards to her feet, until she’s standing facing the audience again.

The singer cries and whispers simultaneously as Magdra trails a finger along one of Isidor’s arms that rises to meet her, leaving a line of fire behind. The mage jerks her hand closer, staring in unabashed awe, as if unaware of her other arm rising to Magdra’s finger drawing another flame. Only once the atronach is done does she look, wide eyed, at a feeling made real on her other arm. It lingers for one wonderful moment and then, on the last clap, vanishes.

No sooner has the fire on her skin been snuffed, then Isidor bends and twists and entwines her limbs with Magdra as the atronach loops her arms and moves her body around the mage: An elegant turning of shadow and flame. Burning hands cover Isidor’s face for a breath and when they pull away a jawless skull of fire hovers in front of her face, reminding her that she’s ’alive ‘til I’m dead’. Magdra comes to Isidor’s side where they face each other, the music rolling through their legs to their shoulders so that they’re almost touching until their ’pulse loses time’, and they cross each other rolling their shoulders, arms outstretched, as they lean back and then forward.

This time when Isidor offers her hand at the plea to ’take me away’, she pulls Magdra close and together they sway and swoon into a spin which ends with them standing side by side. The tune guiding them kicks into gear and sparks fire at their fingertips. Together they dance, hot on each other’s heels, spinning and twisting, casting trails of fire in the air that loop and wind through each other. The patterns are so intricately woven that if she were to pause for even a second, Isidor would be consumed by magic, the atronach’s and her own. They delight in changing the width of the flames and the direction of their motions. They revel in having found someone capable of matching their talent and their passion. They move faster and closer, around the bonfire and around each other. Hands and feet and fire spinning and whirling. Tighter and stronger until, finally, they turn to the centre of the circle.

It is not a whisper as the crescendo sounds and the carefully stacked bonfire explodes into flame. Their goal complete, Magdra and Isidor face each other once more, raising a hand each so that their palms touch. The magical mask dissipates from Isidor’s face while they circle each other, then spin and meet again to step in the other direction. Isidor twirls the elemental and together they spin. Calmer, more traditional motions as the music fades into a stop. Only once it has finished completely does Isidor step back and offer Magdra a low bow. It was an exceptional honour.

Edited Date: 2019-12-11 09:58 pm (UTC)

From:

conjuredskies

Knowing Isidor's skill in this type of dance, Felix was hoping for something special. Something intense. And great Clavicus Vile did he ever get his wish. His familiar keeps up the guard around the circle, but the mage himself is left open-mouthed, staring in awe at the way she and the elemental move together. How fearless Isidor is. How immediately they understand one another. How every step and snap of their fingers makes poetry of their movements, a story as haunting as the song flowing over them. He knows he's not the only one who gasps when the atronach leaves that burning mask over Isidor's face; when mage and fire spirit pull each other close. The gathering crowd is utterly rapt. And yet Felix knows the dancers hardly know or care. They're dancing for themselves. They're dancing because this is what they are.

He has to shake himself back to his senses when the dance finally slows to a stop. Magdra Sakris inclines her horned head to Isidor, clawed hands spreading outward. Felix steps forward.

"If you're ready to release the spell...?" he manages, finding his voice. When Isidor gives him the nod, he'll reach out and unmake the binding, letting Magdra Sakris's physical form dissipate in sparks.

"I'm sure... she'll long remember this excursion to a mortal plane," Felix says. Behind Isidor, the bonfire is roaring triumphantly. "As will all of us. Thank you. That was... a privilege to watch.

From:

heirtothedragonsfire

It was as intense for her to do as for others to watch. Isidor doesn't stop looking at the elemental until the moment she vanishes into the void. Even then she gives herself a moment to set her composure before turning back to Felix.

Things would be so much easier if Felix has remained aloof, or even enforced his villainy. Instead she reluctantly has to admit, "That was... a privilege to dance." A second later she manages, "Thank you."

Still, she can't quite resist asking, "Will she come back some day? Or will it be another elemental?"

From:

conjuredskies

Isidor has seen Felix at other parties; glimpsed him talking to Zandros Alter, even. She's seen his charming smiles before. Smiles that come a little too easily and promise a little too much. This is different. His smile is smaller, almost secretive when he meets her eyes.

"It's a rare pleasure to... use my magic for someone who understands." At least when it comes to fire elementals. Few people could be so readily attuned to such an alien being. Felix has had many years of practice, for his part, and he still finds other atronachs easier to commune with. Flame atronachs are fun, though.

He won't rub the moment in Isidor's nose, however much he wants to clap his hands in glee for pulling this off. He makes himself pause thoughtfully instead. "Typically a generic summoning calls one of them more-or-less at random. However, a skilled conjurer can make arrangements... even pacts... with individual daedra. Knowing her name, I can call on this her again, if I choose."

From:

heirtothedragonsfire

She nods in simple acknowledgement of that, but doesn't go so far as to admit this was a good surprise. She has her limits and she's still unsure how to feel about the mage. There's a large part of her that remains stubborn in the initial assessment of him. Though it says more than she's reining it back and keeping her judgements under strict control. She refuses to be bought... but that dance was a good olive branch. Even she can't deny that, no matter how stubborn she is.

No, she'd much, much rather indulge her curiosity. "Will other daedra notice? Or care? Does it make the conjuration more or less powerful to build a relationship with a single daedra?"

From:

conjuredskies

To try and buy Isidor Durant's good opinion would be folly. But there is buying, and there is courting. Earning, perhaps. So many conjurers see the art as nothing more than bindings and contracts. Coercions and transactions. Felix makes a point of cultivating the subtler side of his skills. The side that's all about building connections and relationships. He's rather talented at that, when he's himself.

"Other daedra don't usually pay much attention - I didn't anger my usual atronach by speaking with this one, if that's what you mean. To tell the truth, I think they struggle to distinguish mortals, even when they want to. Cultivating a relationship can be costly in time, and effort... but it does offer a power most people underestimate."

From:

heirtothedragonsfire

Interesting... Not too dissimilar from dealing with people and businesses, really. Different approaches yield different results. It's all a matter of determining how much work something is worth, and how much a negotiator is able to do.

"And is this something restricted to people of your world? Is there an innate connection between people from your universe and the planes these daedra inhabit?"

Even death cannot take me

A Very Nexus Reception

Page Summary

Active Entries

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags