A Winter Outing

[Lucinda Noru]

Since Lucinda had to fly back to Nova with her brother's military drakes, she'd been forced to travel lighter than she wished. At the earliest opportunity, the princess made her way to down to the market for some emergency winter shopping. Her two body guards trailed behind a few paces, not crowding here, but obviously with her and quite alert. It was a rather nice day, for winter. Bright, clear, and cold but with snow still tucked into the shadows and the ground a bit sloshy. The princess made her way to the higher end shops, stopping by a few she had frequented with Aria as well. She ordered new winter dresses and leggings, bought a few winter cloaks with fur lined hoods, and several pairs of winter appropriate shoes. She picked up a new bow and arrows, having left hers in Palico. Actually the only thing Lucinda had brought back with her, aside from Alli, who of course was riding on her shoulder, was her harp. It was a long morning with all the shopping. Most of the dresses she ordered would have to be made and sent to the castle, which could take a few days. So once she was done with that, Lucinda headed back towards the main market.

She stopped in at a store that had some clothes already made and shopped around, selecting a few of the nicer dresses. They were plain, but Lucinda knew the royal seamstress could work wonders with them. The princess selected a couple of pairs of warm, plain wool leggings to wear under her dresses, paid, and carefully tucked the clothes into a bag with her bow. Lucinda left the clothing shop and made her way casually through the market, admiring the winter stock of meats and preserved vegetables. Alli looked this way and that from her perch on Lucinda's shoulder, occasionally stretching her wings a bit and tickling Lucinda's ear as she played with her hair. Lucinda really did enjoy her trips to the market. It was a great opportunity to see the people as they really were and she found that they were so resilient, resourceful and friendly, in general, that she was truly in awe of them. She knew her own subjects back in Palico were similar, and thought that they were rather lucky, as nobility, to have such wonderful citizens. 


A bright glimmer from a nearby shop window blinded Lucinda, breaking her thoughts and grabbing her attention. Curious, she entered what appeared to be a jewelry shop but one that also sold all kinds of gems and magic items. She had purchased a few pieces of new jewelry from a different store, but these were different. She wondered if perhaps they had spells on them or were special in some other way. Magic was a foreign language to her but she found herself oddly interested and since the shop was much warmer than the open air market, she decided to peruse for awhile, absently petting Alli as she did so.

[Deleted]

"Ah Sage, thank you for this month's supply of Wind Gems for the academy, your payment is on the counter in the back as usual" a male voice says a distance away from Lucinda as a white haired man in a white and black mage's cowl emerges from a storeroom with a woven basket under an arm. As he begins to depart from the back room and makes his way toward the front, the young woman caught his eye.

A flashback of a petite woman who had an interest in magic occurred, the image blurry and not easily made out, but after a moment he shakes his head. The woman was a lovely sort, and Adrain should always encourage more of the interest of the magical arts among others. Plus, his curiosity had been roused due to the flashback, of which they had been more common. Perhaps talking to this woman might trigger something more and some information would be gleamed.

He took a couple of steps toward the young woman as she was looking about and smiled as she was looking at some of the robes. "Interesting aren't they? Each of those has an enchantment of sorts woven into it to have a function of minor benefit to whom wears them. Are you new to magical studies? You have a certain open eyed curiosity toward these arcane curios."

[Lucinda Noru]

Lucinda heard the sound of voices in towards the back of the shop but politely turned away, attempting to mind her own business and carefully avoiding getting her skirt caught on anything. Today's chilly weather had her in a black, finely crafted, wool dress. The sleeves draped artfully from her wrists, which she was keeping tucked into each other. There was delicate silver embroidery and lace around the collar and the ends of the sleeves. Her cloak was a pale silver with some kind of dark fur lining the hood. The princess had left her hair down to brush her shoulders and help keep her ears warm.

At the sound of the unfamiliar voice clearly addressing her, she jumped slightly then smiled sheepishly up at the man. "My pardons, sir but you startled me," she said quickly. She considered his questions carefully for a moment, still looking at the robes. They were beautiful. "Yes, they are interesting though I could not possibly consider dabbling in magics. It's not very well looked upon for my station. Still, I suppose you could call me curious," she answered, smiling a bit. "You seem to be more familiar with these things though, am I right?" she asked, not bothering to hide the aforementioned curiosity.

[Deleted]

As Lucinda mentioned that it wasn't looked very well upon in her station, he was slightly curious as to what she meant by that station in particular. She wore well made clothing, so perhaps of the nobility, but there were plenty among the nobility whom could use magic. He was even turning one of them to the arts of spellcraft as it was.

"Ahh what station would that be? I've worked for some time now to bring magic a more common place among civilization. To remove some of the mysticism that surrounds it and have it recognized as a valuable skill. It is my hope that in the future it becomes no different than a Hammer for a smith or a Needle for a seamstress, to better and advance society." he says, then realizing that he probably shouldn't get into one of his lectures about magic's part in society.

"Apologies, my old tendencies as an instructor at the Arch are hard to break at times." he says with a small chuckle. "Familiarity I do have with most of these relics and trinkets. I'm Adrain Kaiaru, Headmaster at the Arch of Ages." he says, taking the opportunity to introduce himself while also curious to know the lovely young woman's name.

"In any case, even if you aren't keen on learning the art of spellcraft, you could certainly still use enchanted items to make life more interesting or simple. Of course, if you have any specific questions by all means ask."

[Lucinda Noru]

Lucinda flushed lightly when Adrain asked about her station. She shouldn't have said that, really, but there it was. As he continued though, she couldn't but smile. She enjoyed people who sought to better society and never really understood why magic was so taboo in the first place. She found his apology amusing, giving him a beautiful smile but not saying anything since he clearly wasn't finished. What information followed surprised her, and it showed.

So this was the Headmaster of the Arch then. Lucinda had heard of him, of course, but had yet to meet him during her previous stay in Nova. "There's no need for you to apologize, Headmaster. I find your desire admirable. The betterment of society is a noble goal. I certainly have no magical talent of my own, so I consider anyone who does to be rather special. Magic does seem to have its uses, even if some people shun it for fear of the unknown," Lucinda said, glancing up at the Headmaster. She wondered momentarily about his age. He looked young for being Headmaster at the Arch of Ages already, so clearly he must be a master of his craft. She knew well that the Norus must have some magic in their line; her cousin Jeon was a prime example, but she wasn't so sure about her own and knew how Uncle Noku felt about it. Her thoughts didn't show much on her face, save a small and brief frown before she continued.

"I wouldn't say that I am uninterested in learning, merely that my brother and my cousin would likely not approve. To that end, I suppose I should also introduce myself. I owe you that, and it would answer your earlier question," she replied, smiling a little before sighing. Sometimes it was easier when people didn't know who you were, she thought. She supposed she didn't really have to tell him, but it would certainly be rude not to. "I'm Lucinda Noru, Princess of Palico, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Headmaster," she said politely, then relaxed. "I'm not one for formalities, honestly, and I might accept your offer with the enchanted items at least. I could certainly use a bit more interest in my life," the princess grinned and casually tucked her hair behind her ear.

[Deleted]

When Lucinda went into a small spiel about how admirable and ideal his...well, ideal was, Adrain couldn't help but give a slightly tired chuckle. He had heard similar spiels in the past. He was never sure how to directly respond since he was never really one for praise, directly or indirectly.

"Well you never know if you have magical talent. The truth is most people have some degree of ability and can at least form rudimentary spells. Not everyone can become an Archmage, but almost everyone can do something if they wish for it. The part about fear of the unknown, I can only hope that trying to educate and help the public at large as much as possible people will gradually shift their opinions. Unfortunately, most people have a stereotype of a black cloaked figure causing a meteor to fall on a city to bring ruin and doom." he says with a small sigh.

As Adrain heard Lucinda say she is interested in learning but other family would take issue with it, a brow raised at first. When Adrain heard her name and title though it did make sense: Noku was always a paranoid soul when it came to sorcery and despite his best efforts to alleviate his concerns by training mages with high ethical standards, his opinions haven't swayed too much. Not that ol' Noky deeply thought about magic's place in society much.

"Yes, formalities are unneeded at least with me. I'd much rather come to know Lucinda before the Princess." he says with a roguish smile referring to the fact that when the title was in play, a mask of appearances was maintained and that he rather liked talking to her as a person instead of a title.

As she exclaimed an interest in enchanted items, he nodded and looked about.

"Well, there are all sorts of things. Most of them have either a crystal that pulls small amounts of mana in to store that a power word releases the energy to go into a glyph for a specific but temporary purpose, or a specific elemental crystal that has an amount of power that can be expended. Neither is really better than the other. For example..." Adrain says as he picks up a cloak off the rack and looks at for a moment.

"This is an invisibility cloak. these are generally fairly expensive since the materials cost is sort of high and it's an item that would be popular if it were cheap, but there is a degree of responsibility in having one of these to use it ethically. When you put it on and say 'Lei Visis' while it's contacting you, it will conceal your presence by turning you...well, invisible." he says as he then puts the cloak back on the rack.

"There are also pieces of jewelry that you can buy that grant benefits like flight or self defense, is there any effect you have in mind?"

[Lucinda Noru]

Lucinda merely nodded in agreement to his initial reply, willing to let that part of the subject drop. He was right, of course, but there really wasn't much else to add, though she had to laugh a little at the black cloaked stereotype. Adrain's willingness, even apparent desire, to drop formalities was rather refreshing and she sighed happily, clearly understanding the more subtle message he was going for. "I appreciate that very much, Adrain, and I have to say that the prospect of getting to know you beyond your job is intriguing," she returned, smiling.

As soon as Adrain turned his attention to explaining about crystals and glyphs, Lucinda's brow furrowed as she tried to follow what he was saying. His example with the invisibility cloak helped quite a bit though, nudging the pieces into place for her and she nodded to show she understood. Lucinda liked the idea of jewelry that could hold enchantments, but hadn't really ever considered it before and wasn't sure what to look for or even what was possible. She bit her lower lip a bit, thinking it over. "If I were a 'sneaking out of the castle' type, I might consider that cloak," she started, laughing a bit, "Honestly, I have no idea. I suppose additional self defense couldn't hurt. What other possibilitys are there?" She asked, curious.

Looking around for a moment as she thought, Lucinda caught sight of some bottles that were obviously potions or elixers of some sort. She noticed one for hair growth that caught her interest, but gestured to all of them in general. "What about these? How do these work? Are their effects permanent? Or are they similar to the cloaks and jewelry?" she questioned, her eyes beginning to practically shine with her curiosity.

[Deleted]

"There are many possibilities of magic. However there are finite capacities of how much mana can be charged into a ring, then there is a risk if there is too much mana in it leaking through and causing potential mana corruption to those who use it. Basic materials have reasonable limits, but to have truly powerful magic in an object it takes quite a heavy amount of alchemic resources and incantations." Adrain says in response to the comment about possibilities. He then chuckles slightly.

"You talk about that cloak as a theoretical 'sneak out of the castle type' but I bet you want to buy that as soon as nobody is looking." he says with a teasing smile. When Lucinda looked at the potions, he shrugs and walks over to them.

"Alchemy is as broad as magic. While it is possible to make permanent potions with enough magic and ingredients and other circumstances, most of these shop grade ones are likely temporary. They want you to come back to buy more after all. But they can be useful, such as the Elixir of Satiation which lets you go for days without needing to eat or a potion of speed to increase your agility briefly. Then there are the more...luxury goods sorts such as ones that swap gender for a period of time or change the shape of a body for say an event like growing a few inches or losing a few pounds. Admittedly Alchemy isn't exactly my strongest domain of knowledge so I'm bound to be overlooking something." Adrain states to the curious princess.

"You know, you would be welcome to take a tour of the Arch of Ages if you'd like. It is in preparation for the entrance exams after Midwinter so the cleanup is finishing up from the various things that'll happen around campus such as pupils playing with fire or letting golem experiments run rampant."

[Lucinda Noru]

Lucinda listened intently to his take on 'possibilities', nodding. That made a lot of sense. What little she knew of magic, it seemed to have both finite and infinite uses. Such a strange thing and foreign concept. Still, it was intriguing. Uncle Noku didn't really like magic, barely tolerated Jeon when he was around, and she'd be a fool to think he'd never find out if she started dabbling. Still. It wasn't looked on quite as badly in Palico and she knew from their history that the Norus certainly had potential. So, perhaps.

She laughed as he teased her about the cloak and unintentionally pulling her from her thoughts. "You caught me. I do have a history for sneaking away from time to time. That cloak would make it much easier, and probably more dangerous considering my poor self defense skills. I've gotten better, but I have a feeling I wouldn't do well in a real situation," she said, laughing again, this time more at herself. The short sword that hung around her middle was hidden well by her cloak, and underused save for a few sparring sessions with Aria and secret practices in her room. If it could, it would be dusty. Archery was always her finer talent.

Adrain continued, explaining a little about the potions and she nodded in understanding. Alchemy wasn't magic really, then. A different branch perhaps? How complicated and diverse. "I always thought that alchemy and magic were the same thing. That doesn't say much for me though, does it?" she admitted. "I wonder, though, where I would get a hair growth potion of a more permanent nature. I'm getting a bit bored with my hair being this short," she added, hoping she didn't sound too vain.

She turned back to face Adrain, as he offered her a tour of the Arch of Ages. He mentioned that it would be clean and she grinned in amusement at the examples of what might go wrong at the campus. "Does that happen often?" she asked, "It sounds like you rather have your hands full. What exactly do you do, Adrain? What does being Headmaster at the Arch of Ages entail?" Lucinda asked, genuinely interested and directing her full attention to the archmage. After all, it wasn't every day one met the Headmaster and he certainly wasn't here merely to answer her questions about a little magic shop.

[Deleted]

"Well if you actually choose to use a cloak, you also get a Teleportation Band along with a glyph to put in a safe place like your room. Granted, teleportation is typically unpleasant to people not accustomed to magic so maybe that's not the best idea to plant in your head." Adrain says probably putting too much thought into the idea that there should be a safe way for Lucinda to sneak out at night. When Lucinda seemed to be a little off on the nature of Alchemy the mage tapped his chin in thought for a moment.

"Alchemy is medicine combined with magic. It combines the two elements to create effects that neither can do completely alone. Usually ingesting a potion is a faster and more stable way of imbuing an effect. Casting a spell requires study and training, and then a strong will to manifest the will around them along with the focus to keep a mana current flowing. Most people require a few years of study to maintain something for a longer period of time." Adrain says. But when she wanted a potion that did longer hair, he couldn't help but chuckle for a few moments.

"Well, there are certainly concoctions for that, just be careful to get one too strong that has the hair grow longer than the length of your body...." Adrain says as he looks around at the bottles, walking to the far right and then picking one up. "...Maybe this one, mana count of six which is on the lower end of the scale. Side effects, well the worst is turning into a chicken for five minutes of your body completely rejects it..." Adrain states as he puts the bottle back down.

"Many of the students are young of mind and...dangerously creative." Adrain says as if a bubble of sweat went down the side of his head. "The tasks I do are many and hard to name in entirety off the bat but I have final say in all higher actions at the Arch, have a role to play in business arrangements such as me being here to collect wind gems for the classes to come this week, organizing and delegating tasks for both day to day activities as well as events, recruitment and a myriad of other responsibilities." he says with a small shrug.

"And the Princess of Palico, what does that position entail?" Adrain says, amused and turning the question back on her.

[Lucinda Noru]

Lucinda raised an eyebrow, giving Adrain an intriguing look as he explained about the cloak and it's matching teleportation band. She had to admit it did sound like an excellent way to sneak out of the castle but ended up laughing, the bell like sound chiming throughout the store, when he mentioned he probably shouldn't have told her that. "That's quite alright. I won't tell anyone you're aiding my escapes if I decide to buy one," she said, clearly teasing him a bit.

As the subject turned back to the alchemy, a look of clarity came over the princess's face as Adrain explained it better. "Oh, that makes it easier to understand. So, people like me would generally prefer to use alchemy actually instead of taking a risk with a spells," she said, reasoning more with herself but still obviously talking to Adrain. She reached for the bottle he was holding as example for a good potion. "May I?" Lucinda asked politely and waiting for him to hand it to her. As she looked at it and listened, Lucinda looks up quite surprised when he mentions the only side effect is being turned into a chicken for a time. "That's one of the worst? That doesn't sound so bad, really, considering," she mused, moving to place the bottle on the counter before continuing her perusal and listening to Adrain.

He talked about his work with interest and it intrigued her. She looked at him wide eyed when he spoke of his students, thinking that sounded both scary and exciting. "You sound as if you keep quite busy, whether you choose to or are forced to be by your adventurous students," Lucinda says, smiling. "Honestly, I'd love to tour the Arch, if it's really no trouble to you. I don't wish to impose upon your duties or the studies going on," she added, looking excited but attempting to still seem only calmly interested. The obvious contradiction between her personality and her upbringing.

The princess looked surprised when Adrain turned the tables, asking her about her duties and she laughed lightly. "Not anything as fascinating as yours, I assure you. Back home, I just help my brother oversee the kingdom, doing whatever he asks of me. Here, I don't really have anything to do. I'm supposed to be looking for a suitor and acting as an ambassador," she explains, vaguely, not wanting to bore Adrain with details and absentmindedly petting Alli.

[Deleted]

"Mmm, and where would you go in the event of a perfect escape, such a lovely woman as yourself would be recognized anywhere? Hard to get about unnoticed once the invisibility wears off" Adrain says with an amused smile and half-closed eyes. He wanted to see if he could make Lucinda blush or throw an embarrassed fit. Why? Why not?

As Adrain handed the bottle to Lucinda when asked, and she made it sound as though she would not be entirely against the idea of turning into poultry, he laughed a little. "Well at least you're committed to the vanity if you are willing to turn into a fowl for it."

"Busy...that's one way of putting it. If my hair wasn't naturally silver I'm sure I would have had a few gray hairs by now." Adrain says when Lucinda mentions the adventurous students. "A tour would be no problem at some point, it would be hardly disruptive, tours happen on a routine basis."

The mage listened to Lucinda go into detail about her duties, at least the bits she cared to share. When the subject of a suitor came up and the ambassadorshio, he chuckled.

"You don't sound overly excited about either side of it. Maybe a change of subject to raise the enthusiasm is in order Tell me something what is the most beautiful part of Palico, I have only been there to the occasional schools of magic or the mage quarters in the castle in the past but it's been a few years since my last trip. I am curious what it is like to a native."

[Lucinda Noru]

Adrain’s question caught her off guard and she ended up with a blank look followed by a blush at the obvious compliment, the gentle pink color warming her cheeks and only adding to her cuteness.“I’m not sure. I mean I’ve semi snuck out to come here a few times, dressed in peasant clothes, just to sort of mingle without being noticed. Although, it is difficult as you pointed out, and thank you for the compliment. I haven’t seen as much of Nova as I’d like to, just the castle and the market so far actually,” she said, a brief frown forming as she realized that she’d not properly or even improperly toured the kingdom at all.

The princess only blushed deeper as the Archmage teased her about the potion. “There’s nothing wrong with a little commitment. Mostly, I just find the idea of it exciting. So much of my life is rather boring, I wouldn’t mind being a chicken for a few minutes. Though perhaps I should buy two just in case the first one doesn’t work out?” she said, somewhat defensively, though her eyes gave away her enjoyment of the whole encounter and his company.

Her look faded to one of surprise though at Adrain’s next statement, however. “Your hair is natural? That’s such a pretty color though, Adrain, nothing like the grey you speak of, which you don’t look old enough to have,” Lucinda said, holding his gaze in a rather bold move for the timid princess. She laughed, though, breaking her gaze as he pinned down her lack of enthusiasm. “You’re not wrong, at least where the ambassador part is concerned. I don’t mind having to find a suitor, and I’m grateful that my brother has left the choice up to me rather than try and force my hand to someone whom I do not desire or barely know,” she said, sounding quite sincere.

“Your change of subject is welcome though. Let me think… Honestly, no where in the city itself. There, I have a tendency to sometimes sneak out to this quiet little meadow on the outskirts of the castle. I had it built on purpose, which is sad but that’s your answer,” she paused, “Palico is very structured, I suppose. Everything is built from this grey slate. We specialize in trained drakes and house dragons, like my Alli here,” she gestured up to the little white and purple furry dragon, “It has it’s own sort of beauty. The slate reflects light, bouncing it off the windows and creating rainbows depending on the angles and the time of day. An outsider might not see that, might only notice all the heavy stone and get rather depressed. I want more plants in the city itself, but Silas is little concerned with it,” she finished, giving Adrain a bit more than he asked for but still answering the question.

Thinking about it for a minute, she finally settled on adding the cloak, giving Adrain a look. “You can’t tell anyone I have this. Promise? I might find a use for it.” she asked, waiting, her face an odd combination of mischief and anxiety. “When I get to the Arch, I want you to show me the best thing about it. For now, I shall ask you the same question. What’s the most beautiful thing about Nova for you?” Lucinda asked, clearly enjoying the conversation.

[Deleted]

"Well if you buy two you may end up with hair that trails behind you like a wedding gown." Adrain says with a soft chuckle, closing his eyes for a moment. "But perhaps that is what you are looking for trying to woo over some aristocrat male for suitor, no? Long, luscious locks as if out of a novel of some sort" the mage says, now enjoying the teasing and Lucinda's flustered reactions.

"Yes, I know it's slightly odd but it is quite fabulous, or so I've been told." Adrain says with regards to his hair color. It wasn't the first time that people have made comments about his silver hair. Lucinda seemed to be staring into Adrain's eyes at which point he was momentarily distracted looking into her blue spheres before realizing it might be awkward and shifting his focus to a corner of the shop. He listened to Lucinda's tale of how the city was built and how monochrome it was, that the Paliconians focused on raising dragons. The notion she had a meadow made on the outskirts of the castle was interesting: how does one make a meadow exactly in the sense of a bit of ownership. He was overthinking it. The note about rainbows and light angles was interesting, something he might have to try to pay attention to next time he was in that region.

Then Lucinda's mischief got the better of her as she decided to get an invisibility cloak. His brow raised slightly, then a slight chuckle. "Of course...as far as the best part of Nova, to me it is the Manna Gorge. It is a lovely region, rarely touched by people and evergreen even in the winter. The tricky part is that it is a dense mana region, and many non-trained people would find their death when they set off a mote of mana causing an unpleasant effect or another. If you can bend the mana to your will, then it is hardly a concern, and you find the most amazing sights at times." Adrain says as he paints a mildly vivid picture of the Gorge. "As far as the Arch, I will have to leave that a surprise perhaps." he says, having an idea in mind.

[Lucinda Noru]

Lucinda shook her head, laughing at the visual of her with wedding gown trail hair. "No, I just want it a little longer than this. I'm getting two in case the first one turns me into a chicken, though," she explained, likely unnecessarily. "As for the suitor, no. I would desire a male that accepts me as I am, with all my little quirks, not someone whom I have to always dress up for or change myself to appease," Lucinda said, sounding slightly defensive and possibility unrealistic. It was part of the reason she was still single, in her opinion. The other part, was her not so adorable awkwardness, which became apparent as she realized she was staring and Adrain looked away, leaving her to blush slightly. "I didn't mean to stare. It really is a lovely color,"she mumbled, in a sort of apology.

She refocused her attention and listened intently as Adrain answered her question. "I came through the gorge on my way here the first time. It is quite lovely, a bit scary for someone like me who knows nothing of magic, but beautiful nonetheless. I imagine a powerful mage like yourself has no worries at all, though, of course," she said, smiling. Lucinda kept the smile as Adrain insisted on a surprise for Arch tour. "I like surprises. I'm sure it will be fascinating,"she said simply.