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Characters: Ursula Callistis... and you!?
Date: February 1
Location: Aifaran
Situation: Ursula is trying to figure out Aifaran works. It goes okay?
Warnings/Rating: None at the moment!

[Ursula isn't really used to Aifaran. She hasn't even been here a day -- and she only had time to really drop her stuff off at her new house, unable to even meet the people she is living with -- before she decided to set out into the city. It's a wondrous place, and she has her communicator for questions. But, really, she needed to see for herself. Which is what led her to a long walk.

And, winding through the city, she's found her way to one of the port areas. The wind is blustery here, so close to the ocean. The waves are beating against the breakers, and the steady chop chop chop of their lapping against the ocean distracts her. Ursula slows to a stop, but a hand is placed firmly on her head. Her wide-brimmed witch's hat threatens to blow right off.

She keeps a grip, and looks out. She sees the Aisling Tower: distant, white, and stark. It's a sliver against the sky from here.]

Ah... it's so pretty! [She exclaims it aloud -- and there's a crowd about. Maybe not the best decision.]

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It's quite a sight, huh? I wonder how it was made.

[The person who steps up after overhearing Ursula has a massive cascade of messy hair that glistens under the light like a crystal, and the wind is catching their open shirt enough that it almost looks like a cape blowing out behind them. The holes in their torso, filled in with more gemstone, stand out bright without that obstruction.]

Seems like we came during the windy season, though. It's a shame.

[She turns to look at the newcomer, and the first thing that Ursula notices is the holes. The holes in them stand out, marking them as someone not human, and she opens her mouth. She smiles, after a moment.

She has talked to people who look strange before. The magical world is like that; one way to get through life is to develop a keen sense of not gawking and accepting that, sometimes, you don't know why or what.]

It is, isn't it? But, yes, the wind is something else. It's all I can do to not lose my hat!

[She extends a hand.] Ursula Callistis.

[Padparadscha has learnt by now not to be too concerned about people's reactions to them. After 3700 years of life, it's not something that ever strikes as all that important. But it is always interesting to see how people choose to make themselves known, and this one, it seems, is politer than most.

Padparadscha laughs a little, the sound deep and rolling, and shakes her hand back. The warmth of their own body is that of something warmed by the daylight, not from within, and their hand is solid as rock.]

Padparadscha. [They point to Ursula's hat.] Do humans wear those for a reason? They were never something I saw in my own world.

[The solidness is noted. This gives Ursula a better idea of what Padparadscha is: someone made of stone. An animated golem, but animated with far more powerful magic than the sort that she saw at Luna Nova. This, Ursula decides, is incredible.

She smiles wider at the question, though.]

It's a matter of fashion. That said, I am a witch. [She tilts her head, and her eyes sparkle a little behind her glasses.]

I wear the hat to look the part.

[Fashion is a fair explanation, and Padparadscha laughs a little thinking of what Red Beryl would probably say about something like that. The secondary explanation captures their interest, though, and they tip their head a bit.]

Oh? You'll have to explain what a "witch" is. There's a lot of things humans have come up with that I'm not that familiar with myself. [And the opportunity to learn is one they're certainly not passing up after only two weeks of being here. For the first time in 3700 years, they feel like they need to catch up.]

[Ursula can't begin to guess at their age. She wouldn't expect anyone -- human or otherwise -- to live that long, based on experiences from her world.

The question, even if implied, makes her blink. Then, she nods. She's a teacher; this explanation comes naturally.]

A user of magic. It denotes a certain tradition, in my world--in this case, the tradition's stylings were rooted in one region, though it's spread to acquire global interest. And, of course, the study and use of magic.

The hat is sort of a classic look, for witches.

[At least it sounds like this person has more experience in explaining these matters than a lot of the ones Padparadscha has encountered already, so it's easy to understand the concept put that way. Tradition isn't something widely held among gems, but it's not an unfamiliar idea either.]

So someone who uses magic with specific styles attached, huh? I've heard a lot of people talking about magic here, but I haven't seen a lot of it yet. You have an advantage, knowing about that sort of thing already.

[It's probably not the same magic, but elements of it probably carry over, like learning to fight with a new weapon while knowing basic combat skills.]

Oh, is that so? I will have to ask about it! Especially if their worlds have different sorts of magic. Ah, it's exciting to ponder...

[Ah, but an important bit of info there. She looks up and smiles.]

What is your world like, if I may ask?

I've heard a few bring it up, so I don't think you'll have trouble finding your own kind of people. [It's almost lonely to them, being so unable to find others like them in this place, but at least others can do it.]

Ah, it's simple, compared to this one. And small. Just a few people like me on a nice little island. What about yours?

Hmm. Perhaps I'll have to ask over... er... this network.

[It has some kind of ridiculous name. She can't remember that; she could barely keep social media networks at home straight. She sighs, a little, and then she shakes her head.

Focus on the person in front of her.]

Oh, you were on an island? Ah--well, mine... it was a whole planet, of course. A whole universe, really. I'm an astronomer, too. But I lived at a school. I was a teacher there.

It's a little useful for things like that. But people like to be loud on it a lot, so I hope you can make yourself heard.

[It seems to be a habit of most of the species here. Or maybe an effect of having a short lifespan, that they need to talk so much about things.

It makes information easy to come by, though, so it's not something they'd consider a problem. Just an oddity. Padparadscha seems more interested in what she says next, though.]

Oh? I'm more familiar with teachers than astronomers, but it sounds like an interesting kind of life to lead.

Ah... well, I'll need to be careful, then. I know a little about loud people.

[She smiles, at that. It's a bit of a joke; she's a teacher, after all.

She tilts her head, though. No astronomers? She wonders about that. Maybe their world predates astronomy as a science.]

It is, I think! Astronomy's the study of the stars, the planets... well, the universe, really. Oh, and it's all different here. Different stars...

So you'll have to learn those again here, huh? [Padparadscha knows that feeling, and despite their lighthearted manner, there's some kind of sympathy in their tone.] Still, it sounds like interesting work. I admit I never thought that much about the places beyond my home.

[Except the moon, of course, and nobody needs to know about that in great detail. They can't help but feel like it might hurt someone dedicated to studying what's out there, anyway.]

I will, yes. They do look so different. Ah, but... without a telescope, I don't know how much I'll truly be able to do.

[She shakes her head, then she looks to them. Ursula tilts her head.]

It never came up, much, where you lived before?

Maybe they'll have something like that here. This "technology" of theirs is pretty advanced, right?

[It reminds Padparadscha a little too much of that of the moon people, but there's enough distance there that they haven't been focusing on it all that much.

With a light shrug, they tilt their head back.] It was an uncomplicated world. We were happy with just having the place we called home.

They do seem to have advanced technology... some of it more advanced than what was normal, where I came from.

[In-line with Croix's experiments.

She looks back at Padparadscha, though, and nods after she thinks about it.]

I think uncomplicated sounds nice, I have to admit.

It's a lot more advanced than what I knew, though I'm not sure that would be hard. [They had very little technology where Padparadscha came from - the Moon had much more of it, but they only had time to see a tiny amount of it before coming here.

Ursula's response makes them laugh a little, though.] It has its advantages. I think I might miss it after a while, but for now there's a lot to learn about here too, huh?

[She nods to them, a little eagerly. More advanced, though -- yeah, she knows that feeling.]

There is. It's a world rich in opportunity, I think. And I'm grateful for that! No one would want to be stuck somewhere boring.

Oh, of course not. What would be the benefit of being pulled out of your own world if it wasn't even interesting?

[Padparadscha gives a faintly amused smile even as they say that, though they think any other world would probably be interesting in its own right. If there's such a variety of them, then there's no end of knowledge to gain.]

It's the truth! There wouldn't be a point.

Though, I do wonder why we were pulled here. If we'll ever know.

From what I've been hearing, it's nothing more than random chance...but that doesn't sound like much of an excuse, huh?

[They do think there might be something more behind this, especially if some of the others here have been drawn here and sent home once before, but there's nothing hinting at it so far.]

Mm. Random chance doesn't exist, I don't think.

Something moves us -- be it the stars, fate, or our own hearts. I think the same must be true here, even if we'll never have an answer.

[A little more poetic than their answer, but... that's Ursula.]

Oh, that's an interesting way of looking at it. [More so than random chance, at least. Considering how little chance factored into Padparadscha's life, they don't hold a great deal of stock in it anyway.]

Well, that's no reason to be idle, anyway. There's a lot to know even if that one little answer never comes.

Mm-hm! It's the truth. And if we ever must return... maybe we can find a way.

[She nods, then she sighs. She glances at the sky, and then back to Padparadscha.]

Ah, but it's getting a little late and I have a few things I should take care of. It's been a pleasure to talk to you, Padparadscha.

Maybe. It's been done before, so I hear...however temporarily. [They're a little amused at that - five hundred years might not be long for them, but they suppose they wouldn't be too annoyed with coming back here again in that time.

Since Ursula has things to do, though, Padparadscha nods, turning on their heel and raising a hand in farewell.]

Likewise. I'm sure we'll see each other again, then.

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ursulamajor - 2018-02-28 00:34 (UTC) - Expand

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