IRC bonus scenes

[Anastasia]

These scenes are canon, but are purely fluff that serves a particular purpose. Namely, the point is to get into the head of the characters and simply let them flow. It's practice and clarification, a little time given to them to let their personalities stretch out.

[Anastasia]

> In the aftermath of the Abolition War, free time returns to Seira. After a day of working on the Prophecy of Primus, she leaves business to her avatars while she focuses on herself. A walk - a simple, mind clearing walk. Coming out of her home, she sees a familiar figure sitting on a bench nearby, working away. Donald is there in light clothing, attention fully focused on a lump of iron in his hand. It's semi molten, enough to shape and move like a ball of clay.
<Seira> "Thinking of stealing Elle's thunder?" Seira calls out to him, coming over. "It's never too late to diversify and explore new abilities."
> Donald doesn't look up, attention on it. "It's not a wondrous enchanted trinket," Donald says, "It's going to be a religious icon celebrating Zaaman Rul's victory at the Battle of Father and Son."
<Seira> Seira snorts. "We won the flashiest battle there. Did you make something nice to commemorate that? I'm actually curious, now."
> "Not yet," Donald still focuses, clawed hands kneading the ball. Almost like a dough ball, his voice distracted. "I want to build something bigger for that, and I'll need Lagann's help. He's better than Elle with metals."
<Seira> "He's got the hyper-focus for that," Seira agrees. "A shame about that, really. If he were more of a generalist, we could've kept on adventuring together."
> A shift, shaping the iron carefully, starting to push it into a shape. "Too short," Donald says, "Too much of a construct - he'd have to improve himself for that. They break too easily. We've broken enough to know." Smiling a little bit, "We haven't done that in too long - have some wizard throw golems at us and watch as we smash them apart."
<Seira> "I do have a bit more purview in how my friends are built," she responds with a grin of her own. "And if that's not enough, we've got our research as well. Did you think about giving it a try? Let your dragon blood rage and go prismatic?"
> Grasping the iron sphere with one hand, Donald tosses it underhand into the nearby lava. It melts down quickly and he says, "I'm thinking about it - soon." Smiling now, "I am always right about these things, even when you get upset about it, like the time with your dragon research."
<Seira> Seira blinks. "You know, I'm drawing a blank here?"
> Donald hms, "Aren't you supposed to have a perfect memory?" he banters right back.
<Seira> "Funny thing," Seira responds with a chuckle. "I keep two repositories of knowledge, one for immediate recall and another at length that I can question if I need to. Once you ascend, it's a trick I recommend adopting. That way you get to be surprised at some things and enjoy delicious foods and interesting books anew, but the key thing is that you don't grow too alien. You've met Kossuth and the other elemental deities, and that's not my ideal of
<Seira> divinity. I'd rather keep hold of my mortal roots, and that means having some arbitrary limitations that I only bypass in combat or other high-stress situations. Right now, while I'm with a friend? There's just no need to dip there. And come on, refresh my memory already!"
> Chuckling at it, "It was great. You'd been out for something or another, and you came back and found out I'd snuck into read your dragon notes in pursuit of draconic power. You really don't remember? It's what lead me to the path of a dragon disciple." Looking up a moment, letting the breeze wash across his face - hot but not too hot, in spite of the lava - Donald lets out a breath. "It is easier to remember Amaryl complaining I wasn't living up to her elven ideal."
<Seira> "That I remember! It's all your fault, really. You secretly love the poetry, too."
> This gets an eyeroll, "It's still boring. Elven has too many words for tree. Why, I need tree and...tree. That's it. I don't need words that also explain about the tree's shape, bark, age or leaves."
> With a glance over to you, "Your wife does," With a smile, "Maybe she's compensating for something she's missing?" That smile grows, Donald smoothly scooting out of arm range of Seira.
<Seira> "If you're implying sexual acts with trees, they sound very painful, whatever the bark you fancy," Seira notes, shaking her head in disappointment. "Really, why do you talk like that about your closest friends? Don't you think Amaryl would be hurt if she overheard? She can, too, given it's her realm as well. That brand of humor rather reminds me of the spell made in Kascha's name, intended to mock her."
> This get sa pause in the conversation. Nothing heavy, just...Donald thinking. "I've had that on my mind lately, ever since you made me your proxy for a longer time." He admits this, voice quieter, "It's still funny, but it's harder to enjoy the punchlines and reactions."
<Seira> "Good?" Seira shrugs, turning her gaze upwards to the distant throat of the volcano. "Inappropriate jokes are fine if they're harmless or don't target someone, and they're actually useful in battle or during aggressive negotiations with people we don't like. But used like this it's pretty much friendly fire. We could've joked about the many words for tree instead, you know? It's actually interesting, the way elves are similar to elementals in this
<Seira> aspect of their language and culture. You'll find the same with many words for ground in earth elementals, or fire in fiery ones and so on."
> "I always wanted to be a paladin," Donald remarks, out of the blue. "But I made do being a spellcaster and warrior instead. Maybe I need to make do with something else on that, too."
<Seira> "I was just thinking about that," Seira muses. "I stand by the way I taught you, and it's one of the most effective styles of combining magic and melee combat. That said, once you figure out the prismatic thing, perhaps you could revisit your old passion? I'll sponsor you."
> A chuckle - a deep one from in his chest. "I'll think about it. Speaking of old passion, you still like Elle?"
<Seira> "You do that." It's really been one of Seira's past regrets, and unlike the time she accidentally got him killed under her leadership allowing Donald to fulfill his dream of becoming a paladin is something she can actually change. "And I don't think we ever really grow beyond our crushes, not entirely, but we do settle down with time and realize what exactly we want out of life with age."
> Tapping his knuckles against his knee, a soft sound but audible, "What is it you want out of life then, Seira?"
<Seira> "I literally became hope, so what I want is to grow strong enough that I could meddle as much as Shar does, but to spread that hope rather than misery. Make sense?"
> With a fond smile now, "Like the hope to get with everyone you like?" Donald doesn't sound mad, "Most of me wants to punch you for it, and the smarter part has to admit every man's dreamed of something like that. A harem, like the efreet do."
<Seira> "What? No. That's so weird! Why would I want anyone else when I have Amaryl?"
> "...she's listening, isn't she?" Donald says after a beat.
<Seira> Seira smiles at him. "It doesn't matter. I'm not even going to check. I'm happy with Amaryl and that means I don't need anyone else. I'm sure it's the same for you and Elle, so there's no need to pretend."
> "...heh, heh, heh," Donald laughs, low and slow. "Maybe we've both grown up, Seira."
<Seira> "In all the right ways~"

[Anastasia]

> It's the sound of a crash that gets Seira's attention. She looks up from her spellbook, only to see Elle nearby. She's glaring death at her own spellbook, as if personally offended.
<Seira> "You could just set it on fire until it cooperates," Seira notes.
> "That would be gratifying, but hardly effective," Elle retorts, "I made this thing fireproof ages ago."
<Seira> "That doesn't mean it likes being set on fire," Seira counters, shaking her head. "The instinctive fear books have of fire is not so easily overcome, Elle!"
> "Unless it's a book from Fire," Elle's retort lacks any real heat, "Never mind it, it's stupidity and I'll adjust it later. What of your own readings?"
<Seira> "I'm working on chronomancy, so you're technically not allowed to help. There's no telling when we'll be in a situation that breaks the rules, so it's best to be prepared."
> "More time magic," Elle says, "What's it like, working with an entire new school of magic?"
<Seira> "Like realizing the puzzle you've been studying all your life up till now has been missing a central piece, and once you slot it in, everything has fresh meaning." She grins, adding, "Not to mention making you wonder whether there's more missing puzzle pieces out there, somewhere."
> "What other schools of magic could there be?" Elle ponders, "I've heard others propose others, but it's usually fools or madmen. A school of metal, a school of eromancy and a school of planes I've all read argued for, but none have a grain of truth to them."
<Seira> "Those are all hyper-specializations," Seira agrees. "What else, however? Haven't you noticed that there are precious few spells that adjust our reality, and they stand apart from other magic? Similar to Time Stop, perhaps? I'd bet good money on that sort of manipulation being another possible school of magic."
> "You mean like Wish?" Elle remarks, "There's lots of spells that adjust reality, Seira. I wish not to mind the summer heat? I can endure elements and my reality is no longer affected by the heat."
<Seira> "Like Wish, yes. We call a few spells like this Universal, but they're really not. It's just a placeholder we have, because they don't fit any of the established schools  of magic and we're not in the habit of making a school based on a couple spells. But what if like with chronomancy, we're just seeing the remnants that were pruned?"
> To this Elle is quiet as she thinks, a single finger tapping against her spellbook. "Nothing's impossible," she says at last, "Spells do tend to be narrow over broad, and broadness increases the difficulty of the spell rapidly. Plus spells such as Wish have built in limitations for mortals to cast them, something deities lack."
<Seira> "And to be clear, when I talked of adjusting reality, I meant in a more generic sense than making it more convenient for the caster. Permanency, the art of making lasting spells. It too could fit this potential school. And if we're talking about broad effects, Prestidigitation is a prime example of them. Out of all the cantrips we learn as we set off on our way, it alone offers a great many uses. Perhaps this has been right under our noses all
<Seira> along, and we simply haven't seen it?" Tapping her desk with her index finger, Seira muses, "As a deity, I have a unique opportunity to experience both Wish and Miracle spells, and I've been both the recipient and the power of true miracles. Wish and Miracle should be the same, and it feels like they should run off a similar phenomenon as divine power, but there are indeed built-in limitations that feel artificial in nature. If I can reward a
<Seira> follower by making them smarter, Miracle or Wish should manage that. Yet they only do for outsiders and genies, not across the board."
> "Lore says that genies and spirits draw on their great masters for that," Elle points out, putting her reading aside. "I've never heard of such a thing, while there are traces and hints of chronomancy to be found. If such a thing is true, it must have been created at the beginning, or be the Weave as designed." Another pause, "I've been reviewing Kascha's lore, and one being called magic the Veins of Mystra. Striking, isn't it? Visceral. Is arcane magic merely drawing on Mystra's divine power in a different way than we draw on deities for divine magic?"
<Seira> "What else is the divine ability to alter reality but a trace? Is the anarch power not a hint? Malleable demiplanes? Words of Creation and their counterpart? In the end, perhaps it is not that this magic was pruned, but that it never fully manifested when Creation was formed from the Beyond? Locked away from our use, aside from a few tantalizing hints, perhaps?" At Elle's question, Seira frowns but ends up shaking her head. "I'll ask her when
<Seira> we talk next, but that feels wrong for me. I think it's more correct that we're using the framework Mystra left in place for arcane magic, but it is not drawing on her."
> "It could be either," Elle says, "We don't know enough to be sure. Part of the nature of deities is to spread power and loan it out, while guiding souls. One is supposed to be able to create even in the Beyond and survive it." A long consideration, "Is all magic and the Weave itself merely tiny fragments of that potential?"
<Seira> "It has to be. Mystra's the goddess in charge of all magic... in Creation. She was created here for that purpose. But if we say that command over reality is a form of magic, then it is one that has existed before Creation, and was at least originally outside her purview. Since that would suggest the existence of one instance of magic predating Mystra and the Weave, it's at least possible there are others."
> "Or that Mystra interprets and aids us in it, because we lack the ability," Elle says, "Though the fact that the Weave extends past the power of a wish or miracle spell makes it more complicated."
<Seira> "You know, this got me to wonder. Perhaps the existing schools need to be reshuffled? There's more than a fair share of spells that don't feel like they fit a school as firmly as others, and some that belong to multiple schools. Why shouldn't there be a school of metal? Lagann will be happy."
> "Ask Mystra," Elle banters back, "I wouldn't be stunned if pressed, that she says the Incarnations defined the schools and they aren't subject to revision. I wonder..." A hum at that, "In theory, anyone could become One. I wonder if we're all potential deities, unaware and sleeping?"
<Seira> "Nevermind One, in earlier days people were elevated to godhood by the Incarnations. If it happened similar to me, it's not like you get some huge boost of power. It felt more like a limiter placed before you was suddenly gone."
> "Like you were woken up," Elle says, "Even if One and deities seem to have a few differences."
<Seira> "Who knows, I might go for it and then we'll know how it feels when a deity undergoes that ritual?"
> "I would give anything to have an honest talk with an Incarnation now, to gain clarity and understanding," Elle says at last. "The more I learn, th emore I wonder."
<Seira> "Since they're so alien in their thinking, you'll probably gain as much insight as a chat with a frog."
> "I object," Elle says with a hint of a smile, "At least slaad speak a language we understand!"
<Seira> "There's a doglike one on Aurora that can't be understood, and I'm speaking all languages in existence!" Seira protests.
> "All the languages in the world mean nothing if it speaks nonsense," Elle smiles, "I met 27 briefly. It's cute."
<Seira> "Vayley is cute, 27 is a headache. But someone else's headache, at least, so there's that?"
> At that the two of you chat away and...OOC: Good there?
<Seira> OOC: sure