Open RP/Catch-All: IXIS NAUGUS

[ixis]

Characters: Ixis Naugus and You! Anyone! Come on down!
Date: All of January
Location: His home is in the Earth Sector (2D) and he’s easily found there. He can also show up most anywhere if you wanted to name a new location to run into him. He’s sneaky and keen on exploring, be it by foot, air or shadows. Whatever you want, man, I’m here for YOU.
Situation: Catch-all! Open RP! Confrontation! Anything!
Warnings/Rating: None presently.

The earth sector gained a very unusual resident earlier this month and it seemed it only took him a few days to get cozy. The only exterior change to the unit is the absence of a door. In its place is several faceted green gems, thick and flat, all irising inwards to make an opaque, jagged barrier. There is no doorknob, no hinges, sliding mechanisms, nothing discernible as a way to open it.

Inside, should anyone get to see it, has changed just as drastically as the entrance. Every surface is a single, cohesive one. Shelves cut into the stone wall itself, tables sprouting from the same, stairs hewn in earth with bannisters of emerald green. Seams of the crystal are visible in all surfaces as well, forming more delicate objects and elaborations. Overall, the mage has terraformed his whole suite, morphing the earthen material into a lair more to his liking, changing and contorting it to crystal where earth may not be present. Runes are inscribed into walls, circles reminiscent of alchemy etched in green on the floor.

The only exception to this transformation is the terminal, the area around it obviously untouched, as well as the device itself.

The mage has been busy and he is pleased with the fruits of his labour.

((Shoot me a PM if you’d like to RP! I’m more than happy to accept or make a set-up for your character and any character. :] ))

Comments

[hisbabygirl]

There's a few things Sarah takes from this; first that air magicks and shadowmelding are a thing and second that the tea is safe to drink. While he speaks, she focuses on that second and sips at her own tea as important point three comes to light.

At the announcement he's to be king, Sarah about spits said tea everywhere. A hand to her mouth is all that saves both of them.

"Y-you're gonna be king!?" With all that's been happening lately, she really shouldn't be surprised to hear something like this, but Sarah is caught way off guard.

"I mean, when you get the kingdom back. How... are you gonna do that? Exile doesn't sound good, and if there's a war going on then..." It's sad, in her opinion.

[ixis]

"My exile has been reversed, and for good, thankfully. I had been in the process of claiming my throne, in fact, when I was summoned to Tu Vishan! Primarily speaking with the standing king and council to discuss my rightful place." And deal with an angry guy with a sword calling him a villain, of course. Standard. "The war that saw me displaced has concluded, but a fresh one rises by the same man, a sworn enemy of mine, the kingdom and all living things."

He swirls his tea, the crystal glass delicately pinched between his claw. "So yes, a great deal going on in my prime zone when I was plucked up, but I will set it to rights upon my return. And what of you, Ms. Sarah? Is yours a world of only Overlanders like yourself? I suspect that is the case for many here. Alas and alack, to be the odd man out!" He dramatically covers his eyes in faux distress.

[hisbabygirl]

"You can do it. I know you can." It's words of encouragement accompanied by a firm nod. Sarah has every faith in Ixis to safely claim the throne and stop the bad guy. It doesn't even cross her mind that the other guy might not be entirely the bad guy.

"Home is... well. Yeah, it's just overlanders." She pauses. "I think." And frowns. "...You might need to break down the term for me. Just to make sure I've got this right."

[ixis]

Naugus smiles at that encouragement. "I appreciate your support, Ms. Sarah." While his version of homeworld events are maybe just a little skewed, he has every belief that he is the hero here! So what if some strings have to be pulled here and there to pull it off?

"Overlanders are, uh. Well, like you! No fur, no spines, no tails, dry noses, rather tall. Pink and brown, round ears, a preference for technology. Why, what are they called in your realm?"

[hisbabygirl]

He's fantastic in her eyes. Sarah's made a few friends in this place already, but Ixis ranks in the top few.

"Oh! Alright, yeah. Yeah we're all overlanders. Everyone's like me. I mean... well, there's no one like you back home," she replies, silently hoping not to offend.

[ixis]

"There's no one like me back where I come from either!" He replies with a laugh and takes another drink of tea. "In looks or talents. I'm frightfully unique.

"I confess I was a mite put off when I saw the abundance of Overlanders in this realm. My people, the Mobians, do not get along well with them. There have been wars but we do our best to keep to our own affairs. Mingling is discouraged for these reasons. But as I said, I am aware I am the minority here and a guest every bit as much as the rest of us. And we are all allies, species differences or not. It did a great deal to put me at ease."

[hisbabygirl]

She laughs when he does and smiles as he continues, glad to of not offended. What he says is something Sarah's been aware of but hadn't really thought about. They're all in this together, all on the same side.

"Well, maybe it's good that we're all here then. I mean, you get to hang out with overlanders in a safe zone." A beat. Sarah shrugs. "Safe... ish. You know what I mean."

Or at least, she hopes he knows what she means. Again she sips at her tea and motions to it. "This is really good too. I forgot to say that before. I always have tea at home. Dad says I'm too young for coffee but I think I'm just fine."

[ixis]

"Coffee's too bitter to me. Age clearly doesn't matter in your feelings towards it." Like she noted earlier, this guy's pretty old, if he was able to see two generations of monarchy from his own adulthood. Also, the beard is suspect.

"And I suppose that's true. I am amongst your kind whether I like it or not. I should probably cast aside past distrust and biases if this land's war is to result in our victory. Thus far, I have found your kind to be...surprisingly diverse? There are beastly people and irritating people amongst the decent and the competent." He states this like it's some kind of surprise.

[hisbabygirl]

"Hoo yeah," Sarah says with a nod. "There's good and bad and angry and happy and nice and just... plain old nasty."

His surprise makes her tilt her head in question. "Isn't it the same for you? I mean, personality wise?"

[ixis]

"I...suppose." He kind of finds most everyone to be untrustworthy or beneath his notice, but some are...less irritating than others? Well, there were his apprentices and underlings, but even those...

"Geoffrey is an example of one who can be trusted. Uma was as well, rest her soul. The poor woman did not deserve such a wretched end, but at least her offspring saw her legacy fulfilled. Before they also met an undeserved fate. Erm." He scratches his forehead. That's actually a huge bummer now that he thinks on it properly! "...I did not mean to be so morbid. My apologies."

[hisbabygirl]

She frowns a little, but it's more out of concern for her friend than anything else. He's lost a few, by the sound of it. Sarah's only had a taste of that, and from a different perspective, but she can relate enough.

"It's okay," she says, voice quiet. "I'm sorry you lost anyone."

[ixis]

"It is part of living. Knowing others means we will know death. Uma's trade was in death as well; though her demise was not befitting of a warrior, she knew it was in the cards. Less so her children, though, and I was in no shape to intercede their fate at the time it befell them. Unfortunate, but so it goes.

"You are young, but this all is a truth one should make peace with at some point." Because she's just a kid and clearly hasn't already seen or experienced loss so profound, right?

Naugus waves his claw as if to clear the air around them. "Bah. I just apologized for being morbid and they I simply carry on. Enough of that. Tell me of your world, Ms. Sarah. Tell me of where you come from." It has to be a cheerier subject, right?

[hisbabygirl]

It's not. Well, depending on what date you focus on in remembering it. The last she knew of home, her final moments, are something she's refusing to face. Loss may be a part of life, but for Sarah it's a little different.

She focuses on life before the outbreak. "Well, what really do you want to know? I live in a place called Texas with my dad. I go to school, I play soccer. Guitar too!"

[ixis]

"Tex...as." He repeats it carefully, clearly having never heard or spoken it before. "What a captivating name. Sounds a bit like 'Ixis', doesn't it?" He grins, liking that comparison.

"Ah, school! What sort of lessons? Any field of study you preferred?" He's all ears, really, trying to imagine what a land of just Overlanders must be like. They didn't make for very hospitable observation back home; few Mobians know what their culture is like because of it. This is new insight! And on a whole new world besides.

[hisbabygirl]

Sarah responds with a giggle. She hadn't thought of that. It's interesting to see him so intrigued by what's being said. Sarah kinda feels a little proud.

"Well, we do a whole bunch of stuff at school. Cover a lot of different subjects and then later we get to pick which ones we want to keep going with." She pauses to sip her tea and leans a little his way, voice hushed. "I really don't like Math though."

[ixis]

"Math is-..." He makes a face and rocks a palm-down hand back and forth in a 'so-so' gesture. "The equations I do are hardly based in numbers, but it's still a good foundation. Get the basics, at the very least."

Though this raises an interesting point! His ears perk upright in curiosity as he says, "Do they even have any schooling on this turtle for people as young as you? Have then mentioned anything?"

[hisbabygirl]

Sarah nods, but her expression is lacking in enthusiasm. "Yeah, my dad's been on my case about it. No matter how much I don't like it, just gotta study harder, y'know?"

It's interesting to hear that his own work links to it though, however vaguely. At his next question, Sarah shakes her head. "Well... now that you mention it, nope. I haven't heard a thing."

She pauses and looks to Ixis, curious. "...You're not gonna make me go to school, are you?" Sarah asks.

[ixis]

"Well, it would be a productive use of your time, wouldn't it?" He plucks up a cracker from the bowl for himself, taking a crispy bite. He chews and swallows before speaking again, pointing the uneaten half at her.

"When you are as young as you are, you retain knowledge better. Your mind is more malleable, more open to new ideas and concepts. You don't want to get as old as me and find that you wish you had learned a little something about other languages or the workings of the stars." Even though he's pretty resistant to new ideas anyways, being old as hell or not.

"You should inquire about school! And if there is none, we Foreigners should organize one. What do you think of that?"

[hisbabygirl]

Even if she doesn't want to admit it, Ixis has a point. Quite a few points, really, and none of them Sarah can rightfully argue. "I guess..." she starts, dragging out the words.

"But what kind of things would you teach?" This is going to take some convincing.

[ixis]

"Me? I-...I wasn't volunteering as a teacher! I don't know how to handle children!" Though his expression smooths out as he looks to the side and ponders briefly. Huh, but if he did, what would he teach?

"...Alchemy, perhaps. The science of the elements and transmutation. Perhaps a little magic, enough that the young can defend themselves. Leave writing and science to other volunteers."

Let's make Hogwarts, Sarah.

[hisbabygirl]

She tilts her head to the side. "But isn't that what you do with apprentices? You teach them stuff, right?"

But she grins at him over her teacup when he starts to answer anyway. Everything he says sounds far more interesting than anything she's been doing at school. Or well, better than most things. At the mention of magic, she brightens all the more.

"I think you'd be a good teacher. And! If you're not comfortable teaching others, you could teach me some stuff... maybe?"

[ixis]

"I suppose it is like what I have done in the past with my apprentices, yes. It's just...you know, a classroom is a little different from one-on-one teachings!"

And when Sarah does mention that very thing, Naugus grins.

"So if you could pick one of the elements to control, which would you choose? Just out of curiosity." You can tell a lot about a person based on this particular choice. The different suite sectors even demonstrates that!

[hisbabygirl]

"I still think you'd be good at it!" she replies matter of factly. Sarah continues to smile at him as he continues.

His question however is one she's not prepared for. Trying not to look too excited, she frowns a little in thought and sips at her tea. "Well..." This is harder than she first thought. "Wind, I think. Or water. That's a tough question."

[ixis]

Naugus sits up, no longer resting on his elbow, hopping from his chair. He's still grinning, perhaps mischievously at this point.

"Wind; far-reaching, unseen, the gentle touch." Uh-oh, it's demonstration time. He waves a hand and an errant breeze blows through the cave, whistling as it goes but not leaving a chill. He gestures as it forms into a visible coil of spiraling dust and cloud, his claw plucking up a red fruit from another bowl on his counter. "Able to lift aloft the greatest burden, gentle as a thought," he says, the wisp taking the fruit from his grasp and lifting it up several feet above the table, "or to apply pressure greater than the ocean's depths!" At those words, the air bunches at the top of the fruit instead of holding it up from the bottom, smashing it down onto the table with far more force than just falling would have done. The fruit is pulverized.

"And water!" Another series of gestures, positioning of his fingers in various ways, prompting the wind under his control to congeal and condense, soon a swirling column of clear liquid suspended over them. It snakes around the air, moving smoothly and gracefully, at one point coiling around one of Naugus' extended arms. "Flowing, moving, ever-changing. Most versatile of them all. A calm stream, or..." His hand tightens into a fist and suddenly the water splinters, crackling and freezing into suspended icicles with a puff of frosty mist. "...harsh ice!" The final gesture is a sweep of the hand, sending the frigid spears across the room to shatter against the far wall.

With all that done, he looks back to Sarah, still grinning cheekily. "I think both of those suit you."

[hisbabygirl]

It's a demonstration she's thrilled to witness. If her classes back at school were as interesting as this, well, she would certainly complain less. Not to say Sarah doesn't like school. She's a good kid, after all, but everyone has their days where they simply don't want to go.

Again a look of total awe comes across her face. Ixis continues to be the most amazing person she's ever met. "Seeing you do magic will never not be awesome."