|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 10:56 am
Who: Dante Araquenosse and RuiZhi Tai
What: Private Role Play (Reposting)
When: After the introduction ceremony
Where: Dante Araquenosse's office
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 10:58 am
It was getting close to dinner, but the boy wasn't hungry, not for food. The elven man hadn't left his mind since their meeting not that long ago, and it had only taken a little prodding of his older brother to release the professor's name. That's why RuiZhi was in the hallway near the magic division; he was seeking out the one known as Dante Araquenosse.
He stood in the hallway, wringing his hands beneath his sleeves, trying to think of what to say. RuiZhi already knew that it would take some time for the topic of their discussion to be translated, but he still wanted to know more. Would it really be possible for him to tred both lines? Would he be allowed to go through the school twice otherwise? Would the Headmaster just laugh at him for his high hopes and dreams?
RuiZhi squeezed his eyes shut, trying to compose himself. It would do no good to talk himself out of talking to the Professor, not when there was so much to learn, and so little time to do so in. Lifting his clenched fist (and making sure to move his sleeve out of the way), the boy gave the office door three sharp knocks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 2:38 pm
Ah, right on time.
Dante looked up from his notes, raising his eyebrows and noting the knocks on his door. So Ruizhi was here. That was good.
He would be pleased to tell the boy that he was on the last few chapters of translation. Magitechnology was something he was unfamiliar with himself; its past and development were intriguing, the sketches well-done and well-formulated, very thought-out.
He opened the door and found RuiZhi eagerly waiting.
"Well...good afternoon," he said, opening the door and motioning for RuiZhi to come in. "Normally I would ask you to sign up for a time slot and come back later, but...I'm not in my office. I'll make an exception.
Really, Dante, you're getting too soft.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 3:34 pm
RuiZhi nearly jumped out of his skin, even though he'd been expecting the man to answer the door. Really, he wasn't sure why he felt so guilty; maybe it was because he'd found out the man's name without the Professor giving it to him directly?
"Professor Araquenoss!" The name came out almost perfectly; he'd been repeating it in his head ever since he learned it. The boy looked up into the expectant face of the elven man, his cheeks coloring. Was he expecting the boy? Well, this was just a fine mess. "I, ah, that is, I came to...okay." Ducking his head, RuiZhi walked by the Professor, hands firmly clenched under his sleeves. Breathe, he told himself, pulling together his thoughts, this is your life. Don't be afraid.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 4:21 pm
Dante had to bite back a smile at RuiZhi--a boy who simply admired him because he was him, and not just an Elf. A boy who wanted to discuss things, learn things. That was something he could appreciate.
The classroom he was working in had a comfortable ornate carpet with what looked something like a hologram projector hovering in the middle; various notes were neatly arranged on the floor, along with a book.
"So what was it you wanted to talk to me about, RuiZhi? Was it about the study of magitechnology and the books I've been translating?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 8:57 pm
RuiZhi uttered a soft sound of appreciation at the projector, having never actually seen one before. His sharp eyes took in every detail, from the fibers of the carpet to the workspace on the floor. He wondered if that was the book that they had spoken of, a thrill of excitement gripping him. There was a feeling of progession here, and he felt quite special to be able to see it at all.
He turned to look back at the Professor, wringing his hands again. "Y-yes, Professor, and other things." After a moment's pause, he added, "Would you prefer Heru? It suits you." Again, the word was said rather well, having heard it from the Professor during their first meeting; he'd not forgotten the word, or the level of respect it implied for the elven man. RuiZhi was doing his best to absorb the small bits of information given to him now, as it was all a foundation of which he was going to build his future on.
"I wanted to talk more about your Healers. A-and the book, yes." RuiZhi still felt a little nervous being with the Professor, one on one, but his curiosity and awe kept him firmly where he was. The boy was also curious about how someone who had the means to translate such fantastic works so freely, came to work in the school. RuiZhi was always curious as to why people chose the profession they worked in. It spoke volumes about who they were, and gave him something to look for in himself. He already respected the Professor for his stern yet gentle demeanor and obviously brilliant mind; he truly wanted to know more about him, but wasn't sure where the student/teacher line was.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 7:16 am
Dante nodded. "Why don't you have a seat?" He finished looking over a few papers and signing them before standing.
"So you want to know about Healers, huh?" Dante nodded and took down a few books from the shelf in the corner--all copies he had translated from the original Elven, but with the Elvish alphabet and pronunciations intact for learning uses--and turned a few delicate leaves into the book. "Where I come from, Healer can be applied to many professions and techniques.
"The most basic is what you humans might liken to "first aid." It is the simplest method that utilizes herbs, polituces, bandages and the like to heal more physical wounds and minor injuries."
He turned a page. "In terms of magical healing, however, we have several classes. One is an Empath--an individual who cannot attack any living thing without feeling its pain and, thus, lose their healing abilities. There are Battle Healers, who select and choose different spells to hone their troops on the field. Then there are the clerics, and their healing methods and mediums vary--some are as benign as flowers and some are as surprising as blood. My sister is a blood cleric."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 7:30 am
RuiZhi stood near the Professor, finding himself absorbed in his curiosity of the man himself. His brown eyes followed the man's movements to the bookshelf, watching as the Professor plucked a few tomes off the shelf. He found himself wondering if all the spines on that shelf were translated by the Professor. As Dante began to speak, the nervous Chinese boy completely forgot his previous discomfort, hanging onto each word that fell from the Professor's lips.
He swallowed hard, trying to absorb the words that were familiar but not easy to recall to memory. Being with this man would certainly try his English, and he gladly accepted the challenge.
In an effort to show he understood, RuiZhi tried to repeat the information, digesting it and returning it to Dante with his thoughts. "I respect the Em-path," he started, his mind working quickly to analyze the position against his goals, "but I do not think I could work in my profession without violence." Although he was pleased that his English came out so well, there was a sadness in the remark made. "I am unable to stand by and watch anyone be hurt. That is why I'm here to begin with." His brown eyes softened, looking apologetically at the Professor. He wish he was a stronger person, to swear off violence, but in his heart he didn't think the world he lived in would allow those ideals.
"Battle Healer..." Again, he looked at the idea, turning it over in his mind, "very interesting, but I don't know if I could lead others." Troops was a foreign word, but he assumed it was a type of person or peoples, like the job of Battle Healer itself. "But...I would try my best!" RuiZhi could already see Weiyuan shaking his head, smiling in a humoring manner. It's true, he wasn't an assertive personality, but that could change. That's what school is for, he told himself, steeling himself against the image of his chiding brother, I can be more than I am now.
RuiZhi fell into thought at the last subject of Healers. Clerics. That sounded more along the lines of what his people in China were capable of, although he had never felt magic from their ways. It was too little information for him to work with. "Mediums...meaning, they use an item or...or...like blood to channel their magic?" The boy didn't even think of his English; his mind was so wrapped up in the possibilities that were showing themselves that his sense of self was not in the forefront of his mind.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 8:27 am
"Precisely. Very good, Ruizhi," he said, nodding. this child was very intuitive. "Mediums can be just about anything--ink, paper, pencils, art, even such things as water. Anything that can be found in nature can be utilized by a cleric if they can heal. And they are not limited by the need to not attack. They are like battle mages, except that their duties don't necessarily mean to lead. They are there for support magic and to help others and are usually in the employment of one deity or another."
Dante put the book aside and opened another one. "This is a tome explaining clericism in slightly more detail," Dante explained. "Mediums are gone into more detail and spells are listed for each. I have not translated the spells, however. I don't want some student being tempted to make a mistake."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 11:49 am
"Are people..." RuiZhi squinted, thinking, "...attuned to certain things? Or do they choose their medium?" And Gods were a part of it? This was getting more and more enthralling with each piece of information! He watched Dante move between the books, flipping the pages deftly. Again, he wondered what it was the Professor did other than teach; his mind was too fine and his knowledge too vast to have only been a teacher.
The boy nodded in understanding. Magic was not something to be taken lightly; even those most dedicated to the studies could be overwhelmed by the desire to know more. That Dante did not want to write down the spells only increased RuiZhi's trust and admiration in the man. "That's fine," he said, uncrossing his arms to brush his braid over his shoulder, "and that's how it should be, I think. A book can't teach." It didn't occur to him that he may sound opinionated; to him, it was a simple truth, more common sense than an opinion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 1:27 pm
"It depends," Dante said. "In the case of my sister her magical powers led for her blood to be the basis of her powers. She possibly could have used other things if she had tried, but considering her somewhat leary profession from my village's viewpoint she found blood the easiest medium with which to heal. Once a cleric is experience enough they can use their blood to heal cuts, large wounds...even reattatch severed limbs or create entirely new ones."
Dante smiled at Rui's insightful comment and nodded, but said nothing beyond that, instead taking another book--a journal-esque one--and flipping to a page with diagrams on it.
"These pictures were allegedly taken from a citizen in Vayne," he explained, pointing to the picture of the metal arm. "The way this works is very similar to the way a...cyberkinetic arm of yours would work, except it latches on to the mana streams in your body rather than muscles and ligaments. It gives greater mobility, but takes considerably more time to master since it's controlled by your thoughts, and you must train your mind to be completely focused."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 10:37 am
"Blood," RuiZhi repeated, fascinated. The very thing that people needed to live, used as a way to heal--even reattach and create new limbs?! He lifted his hand to his cheek in shock. He didn't realize that the medium of what a Cleric would use, would actually be the means of the magic, rather than be a conduit for it. "I would like to meet your sister. That's truly amazing!"
When Dante extended his finger to the picture, RuiZhi dropped his hands back into a folded position, padding over to the Professor to stand next to him, looking over his arm. He didn't know where Vayne was, but that wasn't even important in his mind; his eyes were filled with the picture of the prosthetic arm and Dante's description of how it worked. "It's...alive, then?" RuiZhi turned his wonder filled eyes up to the man next to him. "It reacts to the brain, and functions off of the body like a real limb?" He practically whispered the last part, hardly daring to believe. The boy had no idea such things existed, let alone the aspects that magic lent to the field of his dreams. Could he do this? Could he be a part of this?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 11:09 am
Dante smiled sadly at the mention of his sister. "Perhaps you will," he said. His whole family...naneth, ada, Evanflaed and Mado and the youngest of them all--he missed them dearly. But Prinwaltz had not wanted to crowd the school, so he had to leave them behind. And he had no idea when he would see them again....
He rubbed his temples, much like one would rub away tears. It was his version of the same action.
"Theoretically, yes," Dante explained, turning the pages and showing other mechanisms and items that used both magic and technology to function. "See, none of these things are actually believed to exist. These journals were discovered one day in an underground cave with a decaying skeleton--for all we know these journals could have been written by a madman. I tried to counter with the intricacy of the drawings--but the descriptions are vague, and in the end Prinwaltz's decision to keep the two separate was upheld. I'd probably be upbraided right now for showing you these things," he chuckled, opening a few more books. "My family dismisses it as one of my fancies, Prinwaltz doesn't think it possible...but as a scholar and an intellectual I can't dismiss the possibilities of this."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 1:11 pm
RuiZhi was beside himself with wonder and elation, all but clinging to Dante's arm as he showed the pictures. He soaked up the Professor's words, devouring them and turning them around in his mind.
The boy nearly burst at the mention of dismissal. "You can't disregard possibilities! That's what everything we've fought for has come from!" His face was aghast, disbelieving in such words. He charged onwards in basic English, almost angry, "I bet no one thought it was possible a man would build a piece of glass with the ability to contain light, or...or that someone was going to build huge things on wheels that could move people at high speeds! Just because it's not likely doesn't mean it's impossible." He finished his tirade with a sullen expression, looking genuinely upset at the lack of faith in the drawings. This is how great ideas started; how anyone could dismiss such a thing without serious consideration to the future, it baffled him.
"Anything is possible," he grumbled, "and that's why I'm here." His eyes had darkened, almost gloomy, as he stared at the books.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 9:42 pm
Dante sighed, then chuckled. "I wish everyone could think like you and me. I'm just glad that I've finally found someone that sees where I'm coming from on these issues." He closed the book, then took several more like it down from the shelves. "Here. You can sign these out if you wish--just enter your name into the database and be sure to return them in two week's time." He paused, then slid something out of the projector that he handed to RuiZhi. "I also feel no shame in giving you this. It's the start of several 3-D models and theories that I've been sculpturing and ruminating on. Just be sure that nobody sees it, since I'm not supposed to be giving these to you in the first place."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
