025.2 Janson and Wayland

[Corwin]

[20:50] <Kotono> Wayland, Simmer and Janson are still with the elder at the moment, the conversation having wound down.
[20:51] <Janson> "If it's alright, elder, we'll go get settled for today and head off tomorrow?" Janson suggests as Aaeru and Andrea rapidly flee. "We can find some things for Simmer to burn, maybe set her up with someone who also likes burning, then I can catch up with Holly and mom," he smiles at his sister a moment.
[20:52] <Wayland> "That's probably the best idea. I don't want Simmer to accidentally set someone's home on fire." Says Wayland.
[20:53] <Kotono> "You may do so, Janson," Vanessa decrees, "Go then."
[20:54] * Janson nods and starts heading to the stairs. "Come on, Simmer. A lot of the daughters here use fire in their magic, and we might find some deadwood or something you can burn to get a feel for things."
[20:54] <Wayland> Giving a wave and a cheeky grin, Wayland waves at the Elder as he follows JAnson.
[20:54] <Kotono> "Yeah..." Simmer shakes her head, "That sounds good. Real good. Burn something," She licks her lips and then shivers, "I'm getting all flushed thinking about it."
[20:56] <Wayland> Wayland eyes Simmer. "Are you alright?"
[20:57] <Janson> "It's a pity we didn't find much to burn on the walk here," Janson commiserates. "But tomorrow we might find more things to burn when we go looking for the lake of gold, so I'm sure you'll get a chance to give it a real go soon!"
[20:59] <Kotono> Heading back downstairs is without incident. As you reach outside again, "I just need to burn something. Yes. That's what I need to do." Simmer's leafy hair starts to smoulder, her eyes red as a campfire's flames.
[21:01] <Janson> "Want to come along, Holly, or will I catch you at the house?" Janson asks his sister before heading to the outskirts to find sufficient deadwood for a nice happy bonfire to satisfy Simmer.
[21:04] <Kotono> "Come home," Holly says without hesitation. She glances at Wayland a moment and smiles, before going off. Heading to the outskirts of town, finding deadwood is simple enough. SImmer watches it intently, staring at every single bit of it.
[21:04] <Wayland> "Now would be a good time, preferably before she just sets herself on fire."
[21:05] * Janson takes his time both gathering up the wood and showing Simmer how to push the dirt up to make a fire-break so it doesn't spread any further than you want it to, stepping back in satisfaction from the conical bonfire. "How about you light it up, then?" he asks, grinning.
[21:07] <Kotono> Simmer comes forward! She extends her hands out in a fan, murmuring a single arcane syllable! From her hand a thin sheet of fire comes forth, engulfing the wood! It begins to burn, Simmer falling on her knees before it. Her eyes soak in the newborn flames, enthralled.
[21:08] * Janson holds out his hands to the fire. "Ahh, nice and toasty, isn't it? We should have a cookout!"
[21:09] <Kotono> Simmer reaches out, taking a burning stick by the fire end! She withdraws it, rubbing the flame to her face. This gets a long, drawn out gasp from her, "Oh, it's warm! Burn, burn, burn," Her smile grows, not really matching her flame-captured eyes. "Oh, it's so...good to be so wrong...!"
[21:12] <Janson> Hesitating a moment, Janson only continues after confirming that she doesn't seem to be damaged by the flames. "It's not wrong, it's just different. Flames provide warmth and protection when you have them in moderation. You used to be a spirit of plants, right, but it wouldn't be any good if a fungal blight overgrew half the forest and starved the trees to death, would it? An out of control
[21:12] <Janson> forest fire's the same thing."
[21:14] * Wayland nods along with Janson, not really understanding what he's on about but anything about not starting huge fires is probably a good thing.
[21:16] <Kotono> "Hehehehe." Simmer grins ear to ear as she looks up to Janson, "Sure, okay. Different." She drops the bit of burning wood back into the fire, "Setting fires is an affront to dryad kind. It's like what you'd call cannibalism." Yet Simmer is content to bury her face into the flames, hair whipping back. Embers fly from it, but she herself is unburnt. "But it's so right now."
[21:19] <Janson> "Yeah... I'm glad I can't talk to plants. Not being able to eat animals is bad enough. I'd only be able to eat... fruit and dairy, I guess?" Janson shudders. "But just try to think of ways your fires could still be helpful to the forest. Got a troll that's going around knocking down trees? Burn him away! Got a blight that's infecting part of the forest? Burn it up! Hmm... I wonder if you
[21:19] <Janson> could team up with a nymph and use your fire to turn her spring into a hot spring?"
[21:23] <Wayland> "You could open a business! Simmer's Springs!" Wayland enthuses.
[21:24] <Kotono> Simmer just grins, creeping bigger and bigger. Looking up from the fire, licking her lips, "Sure. As long as I can burn things. Yeah, burn things. Get me more wood."
[21:26] <Janson> She's a demanding little thing, isn't she? "Wayland, why don't you keep an eye on Simmer while I see if I can find any daughters who want to help out?" Janson suggests. "I know a couple of firebugs who'd love this."
[21:28] <Wayland> "Sure. I'll make sure she doesn't go anywhere." Wayland says, rather regretting saying that.
[21:29] <Kotono> "Sure thing," SImmer says, going back to baking her face in flame. "Waaayland, come here."
[21:30] <Wayland> "Err, yes?" Wayland inches closer.
[21:32] <Kotono> Rising up from out of the flame, Simmer leans forward and puts an arm around Wayland. "How hot do you like it?"
[21:35] <Wayland> "Not really hot, actually. I'm more of an air main, myself. You know, flying through the air, cool breeze on my face."
[21:35] <Kotono> Simmer's face falls slightly, but then a smile comes on, "Wanna...try it a little hot," she reaches to the fire, taking out a burning stick.
[21:40] <Wayland> "Err..." Wayland looks to see if there is a part of the stick that is actually not on fire.
[21:55] <Kotono> The bottom end she's holding isn't on fire. The top part is.
[21:58] <Wayland> Wayland valiantly reaches for the part that is not on fire!
[21:59] <Kotono> It's warm but not hot! Wayland can feel the flames above lick at his wrist! "Go on, take the fire," she whispers, "Take it."
[22:00] * Wayland takes it and waves it around!
[22:01] <Kotono> The fire is waved! Now Simmer eyes WAyland, "I mean, take the fire in your hand."
[22:06] <Wayland> Wayland looks at her blandly. "I'll burn."
[22:07] <Kotono> "I know." For a moment she looks at Wayland, her smile slipping. "I need to know. I need to know if someone else burning will make me feel like this, too."
[22:08] <Wayland> "Ahh. You should have said so." Wayland proceeds to grab the burning end. Ow.
[22:09] <Kotono> roll 1d4 fire damage
[22:09] * Hatbot --> "Kotono rolls 1d4 fire damage and gets 3." [1d4=3]
[22:10] <Kotono> OUCH! It BUUUUURNS! Motherfucker, it burns! Putting your hand on a burning flame has the predictable results, sending thrills of distinct pain deep down Wayland! Yet Simmer watches all the while..."...strange...it's there, but not nearly so strong."
[22:11] <Wayland> "Wonderful," Wayland says with forced calm as he drops the stick. "I'm very glad that it's not as strong. I wonder if they have healers here."
[22:14] <Kotono> Deftly Simmer picks up the stick as it hits the ground, "Sorry," she manages, studying the sputtering flame, then going back to the fire, "It's still so beautiful, though. Is air like this to you?"
[22:16] <Wayland> Wayland mutters a prayer under his breath, hoping that Ilmater will forgive him for his stupidity while he usess his healing ability on himself. "Somewhat, yes, although you seem to get a much stronger rush from it than I do."
[22:19] <Kotono> Wayland's burn heals! Relief comes, scorched flesh becoming whole once more. "Mmmm." she murmurs this, "The connection to fey-kind and nature is gone." She looks at the flame as it begins to lessen, the fuel being consumed. "This urge isn't quite the same. It's a reason, it's a motivation, but it's not the same. I can't sense nature, but I can sense the fire. I can taste it, touch it, smell
[22:19] <Kotono> it, feel it, hear it."
[22:25] <Wayland> "Mmm, I'm not that closely connected, unfortunately. I am the way I am through more natural means; I was born this way. Unfortunately, I seem to have less of a connection to my element because of that. I'm hoping that by finding my original parents, I might be able to connect more with my element." Wayland says.
[22:30] <Kotono> "Mmmm." Her answer is the same non-word, just a murmur. As she ruminates on this, Janson returns! With her is a 30ish year old woman in leathers, carrying an armful of wood. She has short blonde hair and a ready smile, "That's her, Janson?" she asks.
[22:31] <Janson> "Yep," Janson cheerily nods. "Simmer, this is Roselia. She's a big fan of fire magic too, so I bet you two could have lots to talk about!"
[22:32] <Wayland> "I can tell you that she doesn't enjoy burning people quite so much." Wayland says.
[22:34] <Kotono> Casually Roselia smiles to WAyland, beofore speaking! Her voice is like crackling, popping flame! Simmer blink-blinks at it, before slowly, hesitantly replying in much the same way. Bakc and forth they go for a few exchanges, "Yes, yes, I do believe it's right. Ignan is burnt into your soul." Roselia says in common, "It's the tongue of the fire-elementals and firespawn."
[22:36] * Janson blinks. "Wow, never knew it could work like that... I wonder if I can talk to the earth now because of that other vortex?"
[22:37] <Wayland> "Who knows? This whole situation is strange."
[22:39] <Kotono> "I don't know Terran, so I can't confirm it," Roselia says with a lithe shrug, putting more logs into the fire. "It's not 'natural', but at the same time it's caused by something natural. Curious and curiouser."
[22:39] <Janson> "Guess I can test it if I ever run into elementals more friendly than the last lot," Janson allows easily. "Anyway, I really ought to go visit my mom and sister. Will you guys be okay here playing with fire?"
[22:42] <Kotono> "I'm fine here," Roselia says, "I want to talk to Simmer."
[22:43] * Wayland nods.
[22:44] <Janson> "I'll be around later, and see if I can catch Aaeru and Andrea at some point to figure out a place to stay for everyone," Janson waves and heads off to catch up with his family.
[22:45] <Wayland> With nowhere else to go, Wayland follows Janson!
[22:47] <Kotono> With Wayland in to, Janson returns home! Home is a two story house half built into a tree, near the center of the village. It's front is tidy, all grasses and beams of sunlight breaking through the canopy above. It looks as Janson remembers.
[22:48] <Janson> "Oh, uh... well, maybe my sister will want to meet you?" Janson offers as Wayland tags along. He guesses she'll owe him one given the scarcity of men around here and Wayland's boasting about not needing to breathe.
[22:52] <Wayland> "Very nature-y. You lot really stick to the druid theme here, don't you? Reminds me a bit of home, to be honest."
[22:53] <Wayland> "Why wouldn't your sister want to meet me?" Wayland looks at JAnson.
[22:55] <Janson> "You sure don't lack for confidence..." Janson mutters before addressing the first point in a normal tone. "Do elves even care about nature? The way you talk it's all palaces and blinding magic and huge cities. I thought you were outraged at the fey who were trying to make things more like this," he gestures up at the various dwellings built harmoniously into the foliage.
[22:59] <Wayland> Wayland shakes his head. "The elves merge magic and nature into an orderly harmony. Everything works together for the benefit of those it surrounds and protects. The Fey of Pallanth seek to take the elves back to the days where they were beings of a chaotic nature, flighty and fickle. The currentl elven way of life is against that. Some embrace it, especially the young. Those older or wiser
[22:59] <Wayland> know that it would cause economic downfall, among other things."

[Corwin]

[20:46] <Janson> "Your way's the wise way. Got it," Janson nods, humouring Wayland. "I have to ask, considering how much you go on about how perfect Pallanth and elves are compared to everything else, why did you ever leave?"
[20:54] <Wayland> "I've always had the urge to go places, to see things. Maybe it's because of my element, but the sensation of movement has always been on my mind, ever since I was young. You should have seen the trouble I caused when I was a boy. I often look back on it and wonder why my parents let me back into the house at night. As soon as I was old enough and able, I left home and went wherever I could.
[20:54] <Wayland> I felt a burning desire to see everything I could." says Wayland. "I got into plenty of trouble on the road, too, before I found the monastary. Even now, I tend to explore the city when I can, and these excursions we take are always a joy to me. This place, for example, your home, is beautiful. I'm not saying these things about Pallanth to try to belittle what you have, Janson. I'm just
[20:54] <Wayland> reminiscing. The Citadel of Light is an amazing place, one that must be seen to be believed, but it is not, I am sure, the most beautiful place out there. Each place is beautiful in its own way, even Balmuria."
[20:59] <Janson> "Well, you haven't insulted Aralla yet, but Balmuria always comes up short whenever you mention Pallanth," Janson shrugs. "I don't really care since Balmuria isn't mine and I had my own reasons for leaving here. But yeah, you basically live up to all the bad stereotypes about smug and haughty elves without actually being an elf yourself. It's pretty jarring."
[21:04] * Wayland shrugs. "I grew up as an elf, it's no surprise. I was actually much worse in my youth. I was a bastard. It's something I'm trying to correct about myself, though it is taking quite some time. Please forgive me if I've insulted you."
[21:07] <Janson> "Like I say, I don't care about how Balmuria is perceived, but someone who's lived there a long time might. It's something you should watch to try and avoid making enemies where you don't have to," Janson warns as he approaches his childhood home.
[21:07] <Kotono> Janson's home is as he remembers it, sunlight breaking fro the canopy above.
[21:10] <Wayland> "Saying such, I've realized that this is likely the first time you've been home in a while, Janson, and I don't wish to interrupt your family time." Wayland says, clapping Janson on the shoulder as he moves off. "Come find me when you're done." With that, Wayland picks a random direction and starts to amble off.