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 Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 6:36 pm
Lysander was more interested in talking about Gabriel and his childhood, and why is coloration would mean he had to be a mage, but that was not the direction the conversation seemed to be taking. He quickly considered how he could turn the conversation around, and take it away from Malecoda if possible. He didn't know if Gabriel had simply mis-heard, or actually did not know of her. If it was the latter, then this was a rare opportunity to cause someone to form an opinion of Malecoda which did not fall into the usual categories one found at court. Perhaps he ought to take advantage of it.
"Malecoda is a sorceress, one of the most powerful magic-users in the Underground. She was trained by the Goblin King himself, many years ago, when their relationship was different. Recently she has withdrawn to her private estate in the southern forest to train an apprentice, Lore Silvestri. I was given to him as an orb, and raised in Malecoda's castle."
He paused, his eyes drifting up and to the left as he thought back to his time there, remembering how fantastic the whole thing had been. No one else he had met had been raised in such a setting, steeped in magic as it was. Except, maybe Gabriel, he considered.
"Malecoda is one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen, even after coming to court. She always knows what she wants, and how to get it. She can be very charming and solicitous when she chooses to be, and even when she's arrogant it's obvious that she's basically a good person. She can be a bit moody, but it makes being around her more exciting. Does that make any sense?" He frowned and shook his head slightly. Malecoda was harder to describe than he'd anticipated.
"Anyway, she keeps a fantastic stable, with almost every kind of mount imaginable, including a hippocampus."
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 6:49 pm
Gabriel listend quietly to the man speak of this woman. She seemed to be a great woman and a powerful magic wielder. He raised an eyebrow at the fact she housed a hippocampus in her stables but then again, perhaps he should not be so surprised. None of the merfolk knew just how many creatures had been taken from the sea by land dwellers.
"She sounds like an amazing person. And it seems quite common that magic users become reclusive and solitary once they have achieved a certain age. Some of the eldest mages of our kingdom live in the wilderness and must be sought out when we..."
And he was suddenly interupted by the glow and vibration of the large seashell on his necklace. He sighed for a moment. "Please excuse me for a moment." He took the shell off his necklace and opened it up, a small beam of light shot out and a circle of light hovered about six inches above the shell.
What appeared there was a blue faced younger looking merman. He looked similar to Gabriel with the same strange mark over his cheeks and nose. His long hair was just as blue as his body where as the markings that covered his face and arms were of a darker hue. "HI GABRIEL!!" The joyful youth smiled at him.
The merman winced a bit at his enthusiastic cousin's greeting. "Good day Emperor Manakel. Is something wrong?"
"No, I just thought I'd see how you were."
From somewhere outside of the circle wherever the Emperor might be the voice of a young girl called out. "I wana say hi to Gabriel!!"
"No! I'm using the Shell View!"
"I WANA SAY HI!" There is the sounds of scuffling as Mana is pushed about in the picture.
"Go away Uriel!"
"I'm gonna tell Mama!!"
Gabriel rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Lord Manakel, Lady Uriel. I do have a guest here so do please remember you manners."
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 7:03 pm
Lysander tried hard not to look as horrified as he felt at anyone referring to Malecoda as being "a certain age." Certainly, had anyone done so in her hearing, they'd be wearing their lips on their knees and talking by cracking their kneecaps together. Lysander had no idea how old she was, or whether she was "a certain age" but she didn't look or act like she was, and she would have been offended to hear anyone suggest it. He was surprised that Gabriel had fixated on Malecoda's possible age.
He bit back an amused smile at the interaction between Gabriel and his family. As a corsea he had enjoyed a similar familiarity with Lore and Malecoda, though there were notable differences. For one thing, both Lore and Lysander could lapse into being awed by Malecoda very easily, and Malecoda was always one step ahead of them in all things. Also, Lore was more than half in love with Malecoda, though it was anyone's guess if she knew or cared. She ignored his infatuation totally. Lysander was not attracted to Malecoda as Lore was, but he admired her greatly. Still, when Lore wasn't being awkwardly moonstruck, there was an air of light teasing and fondness between them which he frequently missed at court.
He tried hard not to eavesdrop or spy. He wasn't sure which term was appropriate for this method of communication.
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 7:17 pm
"Oh really! Who's your new friend? And since when do you make friends?"
"I wana see Gabriel's new friend!"
"Uriel! Please stop it!"
Gabriel blushed a bit and cleared his throat. "Lord Manakel and Lady Uriel, this is Lysander, a Seelie Fae at King Jareth's court." He turned the shell so the merman could see the other sitting next to him. Suddenly a blonde female merchild appeared as Mana was pushed aside. She was obviously young and seemed to look very different from the two mermen Lysander had been shown so far. Her chest was covered by a large lilypad with a big flower on the top.
"HI! I'm Uriel! I'm a princess!"
"Uriel!! Stop it! It's not polite to push!"
"Alright, that's enough out of both of you." A more mature and gentle female voice sounded from behind the merchild. She looked like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Another blonde woman pulled the little girl away and held her up. She was very beautiful with a silken scarf like item hanging loosely from her arms. Her hair billowed about her face and upper body with a gentle wave. Her breasts were covered by sea shells held together with strings of pearls. "A pleasre Lord Lysander. As I see you have met Emperor Manakel and Princess Uriel, I shall also say hello. My name is Nautilia, I am their mother."
"Thank you Lady Nautilia." A very embarressed mage was he.
She smiled softly. "Not a problem Gabriel dear. Now come along young lady, YOU need to get ready for bed."
"Awwww mommy!!! I wana see the air breather!!" She was lead off with much protest before Mana returned."
"Sorry about that Lysander. She can be a pain like any sister." He grinned.
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 7:27 pm
Taken aback, Lysander hardly managed to keep his shock at being something to be looked at from showing on his face. He nodded politely, if awkwardly, to the royalties introduced to him, deciding quickly that it would be very awkward to stand up and bow, though that was what the occasion would have required had it been a personal audience. Of course, if it had been a personal audience, he'd be gasping for air and then quickly filling his lungs with water and drowning. Best that he was in the Goblin Kingdom, and dry.
"There's nothing to apologize for," Lysander said, hoping he didn't sound as stiff as he thought he did.
He had been formally presented to the Goblin King at one point, greeted perfunctorily, and then ignored. Royalty had never taken a direct interest in him since then, and it seemed much safer that way. It did mean, however, that he was sorely out of practice when it came to dealing with members of the ruling classes.
"It is an honor to see any of the ruling family of Atlantis," he recovered, slipping into formality, which was not exactly comfortable, but natural to him. He was very good at formal when not caught off-guard, as he had been upon meeting Gabriel. Well, he'd been caught off-guard by Manakel's appearance, but there'd been a bit of a cushion provided by Gabriel.
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Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 1:46 pm
"Eh with her it's not much of an honor. More like a unfortunate surprise." The merboy laughed a before being scolded by Gabriel.
"Now now Lord Mana, that is not nice to say about your sister." He frowned at the younger merman but it was more of an older brother frown that anything really disapproving. After all he was almost like an older brother to the ruler.
"Yeah yeah. Sorry. So Lysander, what do you think of Gabriel and our people? I wished I could have stayed longer above water but duty calls and all that garbage." He grinned brightly at the Seelie, hardly looking very royal at all. He seemed more like the teenager he appeared to be.
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Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 1:59 pm
"I have very limited experience with merfolk, highness. Until I met Gabriel, I had never even conversed with one of your people before. But, based on Gabriel and my brief encounter with your immediate family, I generally like Atlanteans a great deal."
He smiled. He couldn't match the emperor's enthusiasm, but he was more comfortable with the effusive young man than he had anticipated. Perhaps it was the knowledge that he was only communicating by proxy, as he'd meant to do with Fiero earlier that morning.
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Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 2:07 pm
"Well thats good!! I made Gabriel stay behind so we could make new friends all above water. Despite his "I'm Mr. Serious" attitude." He giggled bright at his cousin's hmph noise.
"I'm merely a good diplomat, Lord Mana. And as it is Lady Uriel's bedtime I suspect it is nearing yours as well. Have you even attempted to study your spells while I've been gone?" He gave the Emperor a look that implied he wasn't always a dutiful student.
"Um....s..sure! Sure I have! Opps time for bed! Night Gabriel!!" And with that the picture disappeared.
Gabriel sighed and reattached the shell to his necklace. "Sometimes I think I should still be there just to make sure he practices. He is a student in his own magical arts. I've been his tutor for many years. Yet he still can't do a proper whirlpool." The merman shook his head. "So now you've met the Emperor of Atlantis. Not exactly what you would expect is he?"
Gabriel was very understanding that Manakel was the strong magestic leader that so many humans and even those of the underground seem to think Atlatians were. Oh yes, he had read about their ideas on mermaids, mermen, and other creatures of the deep. They had given him a good laugh.
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 5:05 am
Once the emperor had signed off, as it were, Lysander felt more at ease. Sometimes those who were easy-going were actually the most difficult to deal with. Especially for someone who was a self-described stick-in-the-mud. He did not always find it easy to interact with people so relaxed and good-natured, because he couldn't tell what irritated them, and what to avoid therefore.
"He is different," Lysander replied diplomatically. "But he's young, as you said, so perhaps a lack of diligence in his studies or decorum in his demeanor is somewhat admissable?"
He remembered the glimpse he had caught of the emperor as he'd arrived at court and realized that the emperor had been almost a year younger at the time. It was remarkable that one so young could bear so much responsibility and manage to seem as carefree as Emperor Manakel. At least, Lysander found it so.
"How long can you stay out of the water?" Lysander asked, addressing another matter which had interested him. "Do you possess lungs as well as some underwater breathing configuration?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:45 pm
Gabriel just smiled and shook his head. "Magic, when you are a dedicated student, is very important to master. One mistake could be deadly to you or others Which is why I impress his practice on him. As for his demeanor....." He sighed. "Even his father loved a good game of hide and seek."
He looked to the man as he asked about his time out of water and his breathing. It was something strange about his kind that most people would ask. "I can stay out of the water for several hours. Lord Mana is younger so he cannot keep water in himself as readily."
He took a deep breath of air. "And as you can see, I am quite capable of air breathing. But our lungs look different than yours. They have gills of a sort on the top, so as we breath in water it does not affect the air breathing part of our bodies."
He brushed a snow white lock hair from his face. "This section of our lungs become active mostly when our tails form." He placed his hand down to his waist as his legs began to glow a bit. In a few secords, his lower but from the navel down was one solid white tail. Smooth like a dolphins it looked soft and supple.
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:33 pm
Try as he might, Lysander could not picture how such a breathing mechanism would work, but he nodded anyway. He could puzzle it out later. Really, he doubted anything short of a vivisection could make such a complicated process make sense, and he would not propose that in any circumstance. He was all in favor of increasing knowledge, but not at all costs. He also found the idea of handling a dead body repulsive, which left disection out. Just the thought of cutting another being open in anything but self-defense made him shudder, though he was able to suppress the reaction so as not to alarm Gabriel.
"I agree about magic and dedication being necessary. I heard about it often enough from Malecoda during my time in her castle. I think it must be something about magic-users, though. All that burdensome power forces them to find some sort of outlet."
In Malecoda's case, she let out some of her stress by teasing, but she was most relaxed when she was actually playing some sort of childish game, or a joke. It was still a variation on teasing, but it was not so entirely one-sided. Lore would go outside and sleep in the sun and come back itchy and twitchy because of the ants and other crawlers which invaded his clothing. Despite this, he also came back refreshed and relaxed. His favorite thing to do to relax, though, was to go for a ride or a swim. It was different with everyone.
"Of course, that is only conjecture on my behalf. I am no mage," Lysander admitted. "I'm glad of it, too, most of the time."
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:47 pm
"Oh I had no choice in the matter. I was destined for this role from birth. Neither of my parents have much in the way of magic. My father has no skill, which is why he trained to be a Defender. They are our elite soldiers. Now he is the captain. My mother..." he sighed softly. "Has decided to turn match maker. I do not understand her insistance on my finding wife. Ah, pardon me. Perhaps I complain too much."
He smirked a bit, his mother wanted grandchildren, little magical grandchildren. But he was far too busy planning Emperor Mana's class schedule or assisting in his ruling. He didn't trust some of the advisors and prefered to look over anything they submited to the young ruler. "Magic is not a burden if you choose your powers wisely. Many of my powers are defensive in nature such as a blast or wave. I do have a few offensive ones but not many."
"As for an outlet I ride Baltic around for a bit, or write poetry. I find poetry to be a wonderful outlet. And swimming fast on Baltic does give a sense excitement." His mind traveled back to his last ride on his wonderful steed.
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:58 pm
"Lore would ride, too, sometimes. To my knowledge, he never wrote poetry."
That wasn't quite true, strictly speaking. He had known Lore to compose poems, but he had never read any of them. Lore had never asked him to look at a finished product. Possibly because every piece of writing Lore ever set out to write ended up crumpled into a tight wad and thrown in the general direction of the waste basket. Lysander was almost certain it had been poetry, and that the subject had been a certain sorceress of their acquaintance, but he had never pried, or peeked at any of the discarded attempts.
"I don't mind listening. I don't have such problems. I know neither my mother nor my father, and though I have some clue as to which tribe of fae I'm from, I admit I have been lax in continuing my research in that area. I am not sure I want to meet them. From my readings I've gleaned that the majority of the fae lead very simple, uncomplicated lives, and give little thought to the future or the past. Those who are otherwise come to court, where they are happier. I do not think I would fit in well among those who choose not to come to court. We would at once mystify and bore each other."
He smiled in a self-deprecating manner. "Now who's complaining too much? Tell me what it's like to have a match-making mother."
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:07 pm
He listend carefully to the man talk about his own family. How sad that he knew not his real family. Perhaps in this culture it was ok for children to not know their family. In Atlantis, family was very important and everyone could identify who's family they were in by their look. Mana and Gabriel's was the mark across their face. "Ah, people who attend court can be stuffy. I do enjoy Lord Mana's rides into the country. He visits all our farms and herders personally to address any problems that they were having. I always found them far more honest than any proper man of court. Strange eh?"
He blinked a bit as Lysander asked about having a match-making mother. Then he chuckled. He and never looked at as an experience to explain, more like one to identify with. "Well she innocently asks me to come to the house for a nice family dinner. But this nice family dinner usually has a young lady she has met also invited. She is usually sat next to me so she can flirt and my mother can talk about her wonder attributes."
He sighed like he always did when he thought of his mother's attempts. It's like a sigh from someone who's just been scolded. "And when nothing happens she bemoans the fact that she has no grandchildren even with a grown son."
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Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 6:00 pm
"Not so strange. The fae who don't live at court are more honest, too, they're just simpler in their interests. What interests them does not interest me particularly."
Lysander would not have described himself as urbane, but the pastoral interests of his people were boring to him. They liked things to be pretty, and everything about their doings was done for the aim of making things aesthetically pleasing. Lysander would have been the first to admit he had no sense of aesthetics. What he found pleasing were straight lines and sharp edges. They tended toward frills and lace.
He found the whole set-up fascinating, between Gabriel and his mother. It was intriguing beyond words. He wondered what it was like to have someone introduce you to someone else. No one introduced him to anyone. He made all his own introductions, when he made them. Mostly he didn't bother. Not that he was interested in finding a mate at the moment. There was too much still to learn.
"It sounds like it could be fun, to be introduced to so many new people. You don't have to go into the meetings with an eye to marriage, after all." He would have found it terrifying, probably, unless he could force himself to relax, which was unlikely. He wasn't good with people.
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