equinox

gale awen | ? | part of pelago islands

[athanatosasteria]

honeytxt​:

The Forest || Open

☀ ⟫ Ella had a habit of staring into the direction of the forest whenever she was working. It wasn’t something she was aware of until someone had caught her staring, but she was unsure as to why she did so. Everything in life was going smoothly, she didn’t feel lost, confused or hurt. Maybe…she was longing for an adventure?

It had been sometime since she had lasted visited the forest. While it was a ways away from the orphanage, it was pretty close to the Church. Since she was there today, she could squeeze in sometime to stop by to play with the sprites…or maybe some woolies.

Wizard only had a moment to think before the girl made her way over to him. His eyes widened in surprise at her advancement -- luckily, she didn’t appear to be a threat. The energy radiating from her was that of an Earthmate, and he’d familiarized himself with their legends and had even encountered some.

He let a breath out, one that he didn’t know he held, as the barrage of questions assaulted him. She seemed... excitable. He felt a grimace cross his expression for a moment before registering his neutral, calm look once again. Who was this girl...

Wizard let the woman take a breath after her spiel before decidedly answering. “... I am known to all as the Wizard...” He paused for a moment in his own internal questioning, as if he were processing all of her speech over the course of it. “... I should be asking the same of you... It is far too late for you to be wandering..”

[athanatosasteria]

arch-sorceress​:

old friends (?)

Pandora strode in through the door before Wizard could say “in.” She gave the room a good look over. To say the least, she wasn’t impressed. Dust coated most surfaces in the room leading to Pandora coughing albeit over dramatically. “You should really clean this place,” she noted. Wizard walked over to his telescope and she followed.

“Is that anyway a minion should speak to their master? It seems you need more training,” she says despite the fact that there was never any training to begin with. Pandora stood up as straight as possible, trying to add height, but it was no use against the much taller Wizard. Looking over his shoulder was difficult, but she persisted. Anyone who knew Pandora was aware of her height complex. It was especially prevalent with taller individuals such as him. 

“What work do you have that is more important than me?” she asked, sounding offended. Truthfully, she wasn’t quite sure what it was he did.

Her over-dramatics were a usual suspect when dealing with Pandora. The coughs she emitted bounced around the tower, the acoustics lending aid to her flair. It was an annoyance to have such loud noises at all times, but especially so when he was attempting to work with celestial energy. The night in particular may not have had meanings to most, but Saturnus was visible only tonight for another few months -- it would help immensely with the new chart he’d written.

With a flick of his long, spindly fingers, a scroll unwrapped on the table beside him and the ink glowed with celestial promise. He slowly tipped his index finger up and down, jotting points and Roman numerals with the pen he controlled. Yet, Pandora’s voice was piercing and unavoidable -- especially when she was nearly trying to crawl up his back to get a look at the stars.

His sigh was elongated -- perhaps a bit of dramatics on his end -- and hid his hand beneath his sleeve as the magic-controlled pen dropped onto his scroll. “Perhaps... or perhaps you are not in control...” The corner of his lip curved ever so slightly. “The alignment of Saturnus... You should be aware of the planets... Are you not?” The question hung in the air with a prick of judgment. It was not his intention to rile her up, but the sting of aggravation was enough to bash her antics. 

[athanatosasteria]

The Forest || Open

Fugue Forest was a wild place. Foliage and vines grew without remorse for their surroundings. Stone that could have been remnants from civilization were threaded within roots and vines. It seemed the trees were taller than the sky, blocking out nearly all of the moonlight from above -- the little bit that did peak through was only due to Wizard’s own magical incantations he occasionally whispered. It was all silence around him as the creatures of the night did not even enjoy roaming these woods.

Though it was not the most pleasant area, it was overgrown with fugue mushrooms. As far as Wizard knew, it was the only place to acquire the intoxicating specimens. They were dangerous for mortals, but were a delightful and tangy treats for others -- plus, they were entirely useful in a number of potions. 

Wizard was just gathering the last of his bounty, stuffing the fungi in a worn satchel when a whisper of starlight caught his ear. The convenient thing about celestial beings was the fact that they were always watching, and it was often one of their better uses. Without turning, Wizard held a tanned palm out behind him, flattening it against the breeze. 

“Halt... No need to bother with stealth... I can sense you...” He raised his head slowly, facing the brush the stars had hinted at. 

[athanatosasteria]

arch-sorceress​:

old friends(?)

“Finally,” Pandora said as the door creaked open. “You should really get an apartment like me. It’s the modern way of living.” If she was being honest, she hated her apartment. She would much prefer living in a large tower like Wizard. It would be more befitting as a lair for the arch-sorceress. Although, hers would be much more inviting. She supposed his tower could serve as a headquarters for her.

“Your tower is too out of the way. It took me forever to get here. And what kind of greeting is that? After I made the effort to come visit you.” Preferably, he would be on his knees as a sign of respect, but Pandora couldn’t seem to get anyone to go along with her demands. It was quite infuriating, actually. These mortals (and some immortals) have no respect.

“So…are you going to invite me in or must I stand here all day?” she asked with her usual impatient tone.

Immediately, the half-demon girl began her usual endless spiel. She was the same as he’d ever remembered her. He shoved the door open with the palm of his hand before retreating back inside, only echoing a meager “come in” and avoiding the rest of her questions. He knew the girl was a powerful being, but how could anyone realize such when she was so... naive.

Wizard walked back to his telescope, correcting the lens before peaking through the scope. His robe tugged along the floor, collecting dust and scraps of mess as he worked, but he was unaffected and decidedly unaware with things like that. His eyes wondered over to Pandora, lips pressed into a thin line in an unreadable emotion.

“... You came at an inconvenient time... The sun is setting.. I must get to work..”

[athanatosasteria]

☄ Activity Check | 05/30/2020 ☄

Passed!

[athanatosasteria]

Fish Out of Water || Pia & Wizard

[athanatosasteria]

childlikemermaid‌:

Pia felt herself growing weaker and was moments away from giving up when she felt the grip of the net loosen. Her tired eyes trailed up to see a vaguely distinguishable outline of a person. And once she was able to rest when the net fell and focus on the scene in front of her, she saw the face of her savior. There was no hesitation in his movements as he threw the pirates with no more than a flick of his wrist - another magical being like herself.

“Thank you,” the mermaid replied; in a language that the average human couldn’t understand. She rubbed on her arms where the rope was tightest and left small burns. It was harder for her than normal to be her peppy self after what she was put through, but she tried her best to smile at him. “You saved me.”

It was obvious to see that she was weakened. Wizard felt his teeth grit beneath his frown, energy rising within him -- the way her kind were treated was unequivocally unfair, and he was all too familiar with the feeling. But, he found solace in the fact that the two men were tied down by their own tools. Irony was often so sweet.

When she spoke, Wizard recognized it as the language of merfolk. He was all too familiar with it from various dealings in the past, fluent enough that he could speak conversationally with them. He sucked in a breath when he saw her arms were burned which was undoubtedly the work of the roping net. He paused before raising his palms toward her wounds, chanting under his breath. The same aura stretched from his fingertips, snaking over her burns like a mist; within seconds, the skin and scales were completely regenerated. 

Wizard sighed as the aura regressed back into his hands -- he normally didn’t use so much energy in one go -- but returned her shaky smile with an echo of the same. He rose to his feet, now an unwavering stare placed on the woman below. He was a bit taken by her at first sight -- merfolk were famously beautiful and enchanting, reasoning as to why some of her kind morphed into sirens when they used their looks as a tool. He shook his head, the thought suddenly occurring to him that she was likely separated from her pod.

“... Do you know... where you are...?”

[athanatosasteria]

Fish Out of Water || Pia & Wizard

[athanatosasteria]

childlikemermaid‌:

The nights at sea were just as dangerous as the mornings. Pirates lurked in the shadows that hid their misdeeds. It was after the sun set that her kind were in the most danger. However, Pia was a known explorer amongst her friends and family, which often led to her swimming in the dark hours of the night. Although she was often told not to, even forbidden to by her father, she went anyway. She felt she was wary enough to be safe, but…

It wasn’t her cautious eye that got her in trouble, it was her concern for her aquatic friends. While she played with a pod of dolphins, two of them were caught in a pirate’s net. They had started catching them in greater numbers thinking that they were connected to finding the mermaids, which wasn’t that far from the truth. They often lingered where the merfolk were. But Pia couldn’t leave them and quickly worked to untangle them from the net. It was in her fight to free them that her tail was wrapped and caught. In the chaos, she shoo’d the pod away to keep them safe and tried her best to escape - to no avail. The pirates had dragged her on board and cheered at their win.

Hours passed before she was dragged on land in a new net that restricted her movements more than before. Pia squirmed as much as she could to try and find a weak spot in the net, but they quickly caught on and rustled the net, pulling it tighter and lessening the room she had. She was already struggling to breathe on land and after exuding so much energy trying to wriggle free, she was exhausted and the constraints added another kind of pain as the rope tightened against her skin and scales.

“… help.”

He kept watching. Wizard was wary of the situation as pirates were difficult to deal with, whether you held magical abilities or not. He let out a heavy, rumbling sigh before looking through his telescope one last time. What he saw quickly changed his thinking -- the mermaid seemed to look to him, muttering something he could just barely make out through the movements of her lips; ‘help.’ With that, Wizard threw on his amethyst robe and nearly ran out the door, smashing it behind him with more force than he meant. 

Luckily, the beach wasn’t too far from his home. He didn’t even think to use his magic to transport him to the girl’s side -- only instincts were fueling him now. Once Wizard arrived, he hid behind a collection of rocks on the shore, waiting for an opportune time to interfere. The two men pulled the ropes around her tighter, and he saw she was struggling to breathe. Wizard clenched his fist, looking to the stars for guidance before he chanted a mystical spell.

A blue aura twinkled from his hands, and only then did Wizard appear in front of the men. They immediately turned their attention to him, shouting something he didn’t care to listen to. With a flick of his wrist, Wizard sent one of the men flying across the beach, their body sliding across the sand. With the other hand, he pointed a finger toward the other pirate. The man’s body was sent skidding into the beach, coming to a stop right beside the other. Wizard walked toward the mermaid, glancing at her eyes before speaking dully. “... I’m going to borrow this.”

With another lazy hand movement, Wizard unwound the net from the girl. As it snaked in the air, he tossed it toward the two men, effectively wrapping them in their own tool. They began to clamor about, and Wizard clenched his fist in the air, cinching the net together so their movements would halt. He looked toward the mermaid again, only briefly viewing her tail that sparkled beneath the moonlight.

“... You are free now.”

[athanatosasteria]

Fish Out of Water || Pia & Wizard

@childlikemermaid

Evening had set on the town of Castanet. The day had been eerily complacent, with no special occurrences to speak of. In fact, it was enjoyable to have a day without the Witch Princess running a muck, as it was sure to give Wizard some problems. 

The lanky man took a sip of the coffee he’d prepared -- already tepid. He had been busy studying over some new scrolls he’d acquired from the mystical beings that resided in this town. Though he was sure to move on from this land soon, it had bargained to be one of the more interesting places he’d resided in. With a breath, Wizard rose from his wooden desk, raising a hand above candles on his way up to his telescope. They lit beneath his touch and cast a comforting glow across the otherwise dark room. He preferred it this way, since it was easier to see the stars from a dark place.

Wizard walked up his stairs, gliding to his telescope. He peeked through before adjusting it slightly, brows slanting in concentration, before looking through the lens once more. Constellations were peeking through the veil of the night already, and he picked out new patterns in the stars before him. He reached for his chart and pen, aching to plan out the new track of the stars, and accidentally pushed his telescope with his shoulder. He peeked through it again, noticing it was now set on the beach near his home, but... 

A pirate ship was docked on the coast, and there was nary a soul awake at this time in Castanet to raise alarm. Wizard moved his telescope down, trying to catch a glimpse to see if anyone was on the ship when he saw three figures struggling on the sand. Two of the nasty sea-breeds were dragging another figure onto shore, and Wizard’s eyes went wide when he saw exactly what it was. Could it be...? I thought their kind had gone into hiding... He frowned, staring into his telescope with intense thought. Perhaps it was better to leave this alone...

[arch-sorceress]

old friends(?)

[athanatosasteria]

arch-sorceress‌:

@athanatosasteris

The sun was setting when Pandora made it to the old tower that Wizard resided in. She looked up as if she would be able to see him through a window at the top. Her eyes trailed down the front of the tower until they landed on the door in front of her. What a decrepit place to live. She did admire its height though.

“Wizard! Open up!” she shouted as she knocked forcefully on the door.

Wizard had been adjusting his telescope in the dusk setting in preparation of the night to come when a knock resonated through his tower, but he did not even glance toward the entrance. Even when a reasonably familiar voice came through, muffled by the sturdy wood that barred the entrance, Wizard did not stop working his hand around the lens of the telescope. Everything had nearly been perfected in his new chambers, and he did not think it was likely someone would find him so soon -- but that seemed like a distant thought now.

With a shaky sigh, Wizard finally made his way down the steps from his perch next to one of the few windows in the tower. Scrolls dirtied by time sat about his quarters, perched upon the few dilapidated tabletops. Candles flickered in the near darkness, waiting to cast their glow upon whatever was within reach. Other than the messes of a scholar and magician, there were no personal affects -- not even a bed to speak of. He took another glance around before inching his door open, gazing down at the girl who dared to knock.

“Pandora.... I didn’t expect you...”