LUCIDUS MAGUS

[r0guish]

Silence filled him as he listened to her, head bent forward and cocked to the side to allow him a view of Aiden as not to seem uninterested. "Hah! Touche. But I'd rather not be cut up.. Y'know.. Right now." The comment had caught him a little off guard, and in his current state of ensuing sleeplessness he seemed to be growing more humorous - no telling what he would be like if he ever managed some rest. The driver of his vehicle was his own, but the one leading the little expedition was a local representative that had been sent to usher Chance in the right direction. He had to give him one thing, the man knew his way around, zipping freely through traffic and back alleys to get them to their destination quickly.

Squeezed tightly into position, even he managed a few brief glimpses of the city as it whizzed passed the window. It was an elegant looking city, and reminded him of some parts of Thessaurum Oppidum - minus the elegance of course. People seemed aloof and always at a slow pace from what he had witnessed, and in a way he was glad of the change of pace; whethet it would show in him as well had yet to be seen. But he had plenty of time to think about that later, as they were quickly approaching a grand establishment he could onlu assumr was their hotel.

Low whistle was given in response to the sight, obviously awe struck by the sheer magnificence of the building and surrounding grounds. "Man.. You weren't kidding. AND fancy drinks and babes?" He managed to turn to her with a boyish excitement about him, even through the shaded lenses before turning back to look admiringly at the digs. "I may never go home.." Eyes were glued to the structure, obviously thinking about all the things he could get away with in such a fine vacation.

( Quite alright. I understand. And at any rate it would seem you have your muse back. xF )  

[Arcine]

Aiden mirrored the excitement after spotting the upcoming view of what would be at least Chance's accommodation. "Yes," she chanted, "it's kinda like a theme park- there's so much going on inside the hotel that no one ever leaves it to explore the city."

Aside from the grandness of the hotel, there were other things to marvel at. There were the knights for instance. They were masked characters, often motionless at post, and echoed the appearance of Novum Fulgar solders or was it vise versa? Aiden would have loved to see them at action, but not even the current friction of the factions had really stirred them up just yet. Aside from this, Aiden knew the knights to be incredibly 'a**l' as she would put it considering the number of times things had been made complicated for her by a knight or two.

Aiden remembered Lucy from three months ago. The girl was from a peace corporation from Lucidus Magus. Happy happy. Aiden was sure she'd run into her soon enough since this was a peace festival going on.

A thought: "Chance, do you like kids?"

Closer and closer was the car to the hotel and closer and closer would Aiden be to her mojito.  

[r0guish]

"I can see why." He retorted happily before the vehicle finally crawled to a stop just outside the luxury accomodations. Chance popped out of the door like a jack sprung from his box, a slight hop given in the eager exit of the coffin-like transportation. So close to a little relaxation, and yet it still seemed so far away with things needing to be sorted for his stay. Long breath through his nose was given as he looked up at the imposing building, hands slipping instinctively to his pockets. "Kids? Why.. Sure I like kids. Some kids less than others, but there you have it." He seemed not to mind the question, if not a little puzzled by it for the lack of explaination.

In the lag between question and answer, his entourage was making short work of the luggage with help from a small army of bell-hops who seemed to appear from thin air. Chance watched the multitude of small individuals curiously as they took orders from his subordinates and skittered too and fro. Jet lag coupled with a little good old fashioned sleeplessness and a sharp decline of his buzz gave him a strange perspective of the city he'd arrived in - as if looking at a new oil painting in the light. "I wonder.. How they'd feel about renting me a whole floor." Lower lip pulled up slightly in that thoughtful manner as he thought on it; most popular time of the year and at the last minute? If there was anyone who could it would be the strong willed, rapier witted behemoth.  

[Arcine]

Aiden left her little inquisition where it was for then. Chance would figure out what she meant sooner or later. She stepped out of the car a tad more gracefully than the faction leader had and again in the presence of others adjusted her form as to be more inconspicuous, stepping out of the way of the bellhops and waiting next to the doorman who had mistakenly opened the door earlier than needed and with communicated grins shut it again.

Already have made a number of guesses about the luggage brought along with Chance and his men, Aiden once again again reevaluated what the possibilities were. It was apparently Chance's first time at a peace festival after all.

"A whole floor?" Aiden asked, "Do I get in on that action?" She was only half joking. She would take up an offer in a snap if she could.  

[Alexandria Joan]

Moa had been with Ace for a while and made sure he got where he had to go before leaving again to find out where the rest of the people she knew had gone to. It had taken her a long time to get where she was going and at times she found it easier and safer to just travel in the shadows.

Finally she had made it to Lucidus Magus and had booked a room at a hotel. Once she was done with that she went to her room and got comfortable and cleaned from the long journey. Once she was cleaned and got on new cloths that were also black she walked around to check things out.  

[r0guish]

Chance had waited patiently until everything was in order, including Aiden, before he stepped up to the doors, which opened graciously by means of the impeccably dressed doorman. First in and it was more than apparent that the outside was only a prelude to what lay hidden within, the extravagent expanse of the room a testament to that. Faltering before he reached the immense front desk, he turned to the curious little arms dealer with a smirk. "I'unno.. Can you be.. Coool?" Pearly whites bared as his right hand slipped from his pocket long enough to accentuate the last word with a smooth sliding motion. Of course he was just having his fun at her expense, but she was more than welcome to the luxury digs in his eyes.

Leaning into the marbled front desk as he reached it, he found it's height simply unsuited for simply standing at like a pedestrian. "Hello my good man. I'd like to rent your finest - floor." The man working at the desk was taken aback by the turn of events in what he'd believed would be a simple room rental. When the objections started in Chance could only sigh at the small speed bump, that small action bringing around a member of management. Before this new individual could further rain on his parade, Chance pulled the pocketbook which had been concealed in his rear right pocket. It swelled against the wealth that was contained within it, and upon opening confirmed all assumptions.

He rattled off no small amount of money before laying it on the desk, paying for the rooms for the duration of his. There was a moment of speechlessness among the staff before the manager had them stepping and fetching mixed with a few threats to the man who had halted them just moments ago. Upon being asked his name, Chance didn't even skip a beat as he stared cooly into the face of the question. "Wesley Konrad. And thank you for understanding." Right hand rose to hus chest as if the comment was actually heartfelt before he took up the handful of keys - four total. Walking away he was tailed by the ever growing number of tag-alongs, but this was where Chance was in his element. "Hope you don't plan of sleeping much, Ms. Aiden." He spoke as he walked, head forward before tossing one of the keys in an arc over his shoulder for her to catch.  

[bluehaze94]

๑۩۞۩๑ Arcana traced her fingers around the glass filled to nearly its brim with a strange opaque liquid, her frame reclining upon a ivory lounge chair. The drink was a concoction of differing beverages meant to sooth the mechana vocal box. The lounge area of the palace was quite except for the occasionally clank of a glass from the bartender. She used her other hand to gently press against her throat as she hummed a simple tune. This voice of her's felt more real then the one she previously had those many years ago, this voice granted her the power to control sound waves. Then again her maternal heritage was unknown which meant the ability could have been from that woman. Arcana waved the idea away as she took another drink from her glass. Things were going to all fall into place and she would be right there for the front row seat.

๑۞๑ "Hello Vulcan. It is good to see the trip did not take a toil on you" A male's voice playfully chimed from somewhere around the area. Obsidian approached the robot with his usual calm demeanor and hands anchored within his pockets. "As you know K.A.I is here as well and I would like if you two exchange information but I want his true nature to be left in the dark." The young man smiled as he stared at Vulcan, another great work of technology. "We need to get more Intel on the crown and something must be done about the citizen that was murdered. It's bad enough that Aes is parading around and claiming we did something to them." The military leader scoffed at the concept. "I want you to find out want Vossler thinks he can accomplish. Arcana does not believe this will come to any positive outcome but I will stay optimistic for the time being." Obsidian shook his head before turning his peculiar indigo orbs upon Vulcan.

♞ K.A.I. was wandering about as he finalized the remaining files for Obsidian, he was taking in all the rich culture around. Things were quite different from Novum Fulgar, almost as though it was the polar opposite beauty. Neverless the richness in the sun and the sweet scent of the air made the jitter doll move much slower than normal. He wanted to enjoy this beauty before he would bring it crashing to its knees.

Endless_Reflection

 

[kdke]

"Layla...?"

Layla looked up when she heard a quiet, female voice call from the other side of the library. She looked up from her book and leaned to the side to look around the shelf. When she saw who it was, she smiled; coming towards her was the acolyte healer that volunteered her time to teach Layla. Her name was Oshri, and she was very sweet. The young girl admired her and how nice yet confident she was in her own ability to teach and encourage. She only wished to be that way someday herself.

"Ah, there you are," Oshri said with a warm grin. "What are you reading?"

"I found it. Look," Layla handed the book over to the acolyte and stood up. She watched her look over the book and scan the pages. The girl glanced over Oshri's clothing: loose, flowing, and soft fabric that made up her temple's uniform. There was more than one temple from what Layla now understood, and some had different methods than others.

The acolyte grinned again and handed the book back to the girl. "That's a very good book," she said, coaxing a loose strand of her long, auburn hair behind her ear, "I remember studying from it when I became an apprentice. It's good for beginners like yourself."

Layla hugged the book to her chest and sighed. She looked down at the book, "Too bad I can't keep it."

"You're more than welcome to have my copy."

"But... really? What if you need it?"

"You need it more than I do now. I'll bring it with me when I come to see you tomorrow," Oshri said. The young girl smiled brightly at the acolyte and then set the book on the stand next to the previously occupied chair. Oshri spoke again, "I wanted to get a treat and drink downstairs. Would you like to join me?"

"A treat and drink?"

"Maybe a pastry and a sweet milk. There's a cook here who's a friend of my family. He said I could come down with you to the kitchens whenever I wanted, as long as we say hello and keep out of the way. They're always busy down there."

"All right!" Layla said. She took Oshri's hand and they walked out of the library and towards lift that would take them to the ground floor. The young girl didn't think of telling Vossler, seeing as Oshri seemed trustworthy enough, and they weren't leaving the hotel.

The lift was a smooth ride, and there were windows showing the city outside of Aureus Laus as they rode down. Layla and the acolyte left the lift and walked towards the front of the hotel, where they would plan to make their way to the kitchens through an employee hallway somewhere. The young girl didn't know how it worked.

But as they neared the front desk, her eye caught something familiar. She took another gander while following Oshri, and then stopped to look at bit closer.

The young girl's eyes grew wider and she smiled excitedly. "Aiden!" She called out. Oshri stopped and watched Layla wave at the distant woman before she ran over to her. The girl stopped less than a foot from Aiden and greeted her with a tight hug around her shoulders. She was very happy to see her, not just because she had missed her, but because it was one more friend to spend time with.

Layla finally released the young woman. "You got my note," she said with a smile. "Maybe you can get Vossler to let me do stuff with you. I mean... that's if you want to. And oh!" She turned to gesture Oshri over, in which case the acolyte approached and bowed her head. "This is Oshri. She's a healer," the last sentence was an excited whisper.  

[Arcine]

It would be a lie if she said 'eyes' didn't follow his 'hands' before 'halos' would break off and look up at the paint sequence in celling and in turn she would laugh, teeth exposed, canines prevalently sharpest and eyes nowhere relative once off the aerial painting. She was a little more cool than Chance thought she was.

She let Chance negotiate with his ridiculous numbers and then caught the key once it was a done deal, stretching not much further than the distance of her coat pocket in which with a flick of her wrist, she dropped the item, and in turn, pulled out her cigarette pack as if there was a second that magic was involved and then missing from action, alone in her short business, she slipped a cig in between her lips. Aiden couldn't help notice the staff struck and whispering who-could-imagine between themselves. The trader's now renounced eyes flicked up at Chance's latest saying. Jokes aside, cigarette came first.

She would've went out if it weren't for the second mention of her name and then the feeling over her body being wrapped around by one much smaller than her's. And there she was, Layla, porcelain in appearance or practically angelic considering the current setting. Aiden pulled the cigarette from her mouth with the in-betweens of her fingers, turned, and wrapped her own arms around the girl. "Check it out. It's Layla!" A boyish nod was provided for Oshri. "And hell yeah I'll kidnap you from Vossler. Where's the guy anyway?"  

[James Stukov]

One of Vossler's men that the Commander had given the task of watching Layla burst into the politicians room. Vossler turned to the man and raised a brow in confusion. The man explained that Layla and one of the Healer's had left the library and traveled downstairs to find food. Vossler decided that he would like to join them and casually made his way out of the room and down the lift.

As the Commander arrived to the ground floor he was shocked to see Layla and Aiden enjoying a hug. Vossler strolled over to his friend not caring for any of the others that were currently in the lobby. "Miss Aiden it is good to see you. I'm glad you could be here. Aes has a grand show planed for the festival. I was hoping to ask you to be in it."

Vossler didn't wait anytime catching up. "Oh yeah you should see Layla' progress. Its impressive. The girl is a natural. We have to have a big outing, the three of us." Vosler didn't know the tall man and thus thought he was only there for the festival.  

[r0guish]

Brief pause was given at the sound of Aiden's name echoing through the vast lobby, a turn of his head offering a glimpse of the goings on. Then almost immediately followed by the appearance of another; looking quite the part of a small dysfunctional family. It seemed that Aiden's remark about being the most interesting person he'd ever met was finally coming to light. The scene was beginning to get a bit touchy-feely for Chance's liking however, and it seemed as if he'd barely broken stride as he restarted his pace. There would always be time for catching up later, and he had other things on his mind than meeting with strangers.

Entering the lift with his newly bolstered entourage he was quickly whisked to the fifth floor - his floor for all intents and purposes. Upon reaching the hyper-luxury of the all but uninhabited floor he breathed a sigh of relief in the crisp cleanness of it all. Keys were passed out among his men, keeping one for himself before disappearing into his private digs; leaving the bellhops with his associates to work things out. Each step he took into the pristine room lost him another article of clothing, strewn in a defined path leading to the shower. Far from prying eyes, the multitude of scars that marred his body came to light, each with it's own memory; but even those were soon drowned out by the sound of falling water and the soothing warmth of the hot shower. It's good to be king, he reminded himself silently.  

[Arcine]

Standing next to each other, Vossler and Layla had the appearance of blood relation. Pallid, aquatic eyed, and struck with white hair were features just too rare to be a coincidence. Often Aiden's imagination would go off in an imaginary plot tangents and she'd creatively come up with yet another possibility of how the "unknowing siblings" had carried on with their lives unaware of the other.

Reality: "What?" Aiden's expression showed that she was taken aback by Vossler's suggestion. She rose from bent knees that were adjusted to hug Layla. "I'm down for the outing, but what about me in the show?"  

[Alexandria Joan]

Even though Moa was a few floors up in the hotel she could hear familiar voices echoing through the vents. She stopped and blinked before turning around to go to the front desk. When she stopped at the stair door her eyes caught familiar faces as well. She gave a wide grin as she then leaned against the wall away from the door and with her arms crossed over her chest she just watched them.

It had been a while since she had seen them and could see that they were doing just fine. Just for fun she let out a small howl to get their attention as she staid where she was until they realized.  

[Arcine]

Aiden practically leapt from off her feet the instance she heard the howl, which in the expanse of the hotel lobby echoed as loudly as the original start. Her heart now beat faster than her thoughts would processing, so she took a minute. Hotel staff and visitors alike froze and worked there eyes onto Moa who with her tiny frame would be the last thing anyone would suspect could produce any kind of noise like that of a howl. This applied to any human for that matter. But Moa was not exactly human and had been caught in the act as if their was a black hole in her diaphragm, and even then it was impossible to believe.

Calmed or at least in the process of calming and avoiding the the outward glances into their circle, Aiden waved the women over. "Moa, has it not been an eternity between us or what? Hug or no hug? You didn't seem to love it too much last time. Pushing me off like that… it hurt." Jokingly enlarged eyes added to this little skit.  

[Alexandria Joan]

Moa smiled at Aiden's reaction and then pushed herself off the wall and walked over. She gave Aiden a hug that was between friends and then backed away still holding her for a bit longer so she could look into her eyes. "It has been a while my friend. Sorry if I hurt you the last time we did hug I was just not use to it." she said with a chuckle and then went on hugging for a bit more.

After a bit she let go to look around. "So you have decided to come to this hotel as well I see. I am a bit shocked to see you all here. I know I said I would go to the west with all of you. I just didn't know when and then you all left so suddenly I didn't know where you went."