How to Make Friends and Influence Elves (Melda)

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Melda kept it to herself, but she could have sworn she saw a slight hint of fear in the mages eyes when she spoke of "specifc pain". As amusing at it was, it wasnt her main focus. She could feel him watching her as she told her little story, and when he started speaking she turned to watch him in turn. She could feel his hesitance and understandably so. What he said next was nothing she hadn't thought about before, but hearing someone else say it caused a jab of pain in her chest. She looked away from him when he said her husband may not have been her "one", tears forming behind her eyes. She sighed inwardly as he brought his speech to a close.

I want to be angry. I want to say you haven't a clue what you're talkin about; but what you just said I've thought about for decades now. she kept her face away from him. Her husband would have died over a hundred years ago even without his battling habits, long before her. That is the thought that always lingered in her mind- how could he have been her one and only when he never woukd have lived as long as her? I appreciate your kind words; they do mean much to me... However this is not something I wish to discuss further. Old wounds may scar over but they never quite go away. she turned back to him, her stoic expression returning but her voice remained gentle and her eyes sad. When his speech changed elven she smiled and nodded approvingly. Well done, you're quite good at that. she responded in the same language.

As he spoke of their setting and the Dragon, a soft look took over her face. That makes you an excellent teacher Adrian; dont forget that.

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Adrain nodded, saying nothing more on the subject. It was his tendency to say what nobody else would say to hope that the person who is talked to would grow. It may have been forward to have said as much to Melda, at least so soon, but she seemed to respond in a way that indicated she might well enough come to growth on her own. It was the sort of thing that would require personal thought and meditation and to harp on it further wouldn't serve much of a purpose if years of teaching taught him anything.

He nodded with a small smile when Melda praised his use of elven, remaining in the language until such a time that it was requested to speak Common again. It was a good excuse to practice it plus maybe it was a comfort of sorts to Melda to hear it actively. When the dragon got a bit of praise from Melda about being a good teacher, he nodded.

"I'd like to hope so, though I've been called a sadist by some poor sports after they fail the challenge, the belligerence of youth I suppose. I actually recorded the more interesting sessions and can pull them up some time. It's a decent source of comedy and when repeat offenders of arrogance start acting up again, a quick session with a memory crystal reminds them of that lesson." he states, then shrugging.

"The trick is not flash and power, but subtlety. The easiest way is to use a spell that causes air to leave the dragon's lair once it falls asleep, leading the beast to ruin a few minutes later. Perhaps a useful thing to know in case you find yourself having to face a dragon down in your life." he says with a chuckle. His expression softens a little as he gets a slightly mischievous smile.

"So, tell me one thing you've always wanted to do but never had a chance. It can be anything, even that which seems impossible."

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Thankfully Adrain dropped the subject on her request. It wasnt that she didnt trust him- but she hardly knew him. Going into any further detail about her past just seemed taboo for her, in addition to making her sad. She noticed how he stayed in her language, a small smile on her lips. 

As he went on to explain his students she laughed openly. Ahh but kids will be kids. There's not much one can do about that. They believe they will surpass their masters long before they actually will; but your lession, with time, should teach them humility which is great. She knelt down, petting the grass with her hand, letting the blades of grass filter through her fingers. It is usful advice, though I cant say I've ever come across a dragon myself. But I'll keep that in mind just in case. She looked up to him from her perch in the grass and smiled sweetly, remembering his request to drop the stoic routine. 

Upon hearing his question, she stood back up, arching an eyebrow at his smile. Something I've always wanted to, but never could do? Hmmm... Well the most popular answer would be to fly, but I can actually do that. Well I suppose I would have to say breathe underwater, and walk the ocean floor. Sadly my water abilities aren't so vast that i can do that. Even my power has limits. She sighed, flicking her wrist in the air to create a slight breeze, which unintentionally blew the flower out from behind her ear and into the sky above them. Oops...

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"One can hope anyway." Adrain says in response to the comment about teaching humility to the younger. It was a constant struggle to reign in the egos when the sensation of creating fire from one's fingertips makes one tend to feel indestructible. To continue to talk about it seemed like it would just be him trying to milk praise from the elven lady. Or at least so the self conscious headmaster would believe.

He watches her seem at peace, filtering her fingers around the grass. She was adorable in a way acting like this, but he blinked to refocus on the words she stated. She mentioned the fact that she could fly and then the fact that she would like to go underwater, that she lacked the ability to breathe underwater. As she inadvertently caused her flower to blow up, Adrain raised his own hand as it stopped drifting abruptly, and then began to lower gracefully to Melda.

"Well, there is a way to do that with air magic, to manifest a bubble of air around yourself, but that makes it inconvenient for purposes of exploring. A potion can help with that, but most people feel very disoriented the first few times since the potion turns water to air as it comes in and displaces the water not used for air as mana. That said, the water spell for breathing is the easiest." he states as he then holds his right hand up as a blue aura manifests. A flash occurs as Melda would feel an energy envelop her, making it such that she didn't need to breathe and that she could see clearly underwater.

The mage then raises his hand as the scene begins to change once more, manifesting in a synthetic bubble underwater suspended by crystals forming a sort of air pocket. Outside the sea would go as far as one can imagine with fish swimming, whales gracefully going overhead, and dolphins spinning around. Seaweed and algae would spread appropriately with other more exotic plants sprouting from the bottom. Shells, wrecked ships, and magical crystals dot the landscape.

"This is a simulation for a few things, but water breathing learning is one of them." he says casually, stepping out of the magical bubble and into the water. He begins to walk off into the distance to show the breathing spell should work.

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Melda nodded slightly, leaving the topic there. She wouldn’t lecture the teacher on how to handle students, she knew he knew full well on what they were like; she’d gotten her to sense in and that was what mattered. While she knelt down, she knew he was watching her, and she felt so out of place in that moment. She hadn’t let anyone see her this free since she was but a young girl, many many many years ago. Though, even feeling odd, she also felt… natural. Like every part of her was at ease, despite acting how she was in front of someone she still barely knew. When her flower blew from her hair, Adrain stopped the wind, bring the petals back down to her person, allowing her to hold up her hand and catch the delicate plant in her palm, twirling it in her fingers once more before placing it back behind her ear. Thank you. She said softly, turning to look at him with a soft smile. She only wished she could bring some of these flowers home, but she knew that wasn’t a reality. She didn’t have the time to travel back to her home country, what with all her Duchess duties.

Adrain went on to explain the different spells and ways she would be able to breathe under water, some of which she’d heard of, or looked up herself, but never had the time to try out. Before she knew it, he was demonstrating, and Melda felt a burst of energy around her, and her whole body felt lighter. She saw him move to change their scene once more, and Melda smiled as he did what she had predicted, and an ocean view surrounded them. Everything she could have possibly imagined under the water was there for her to see, and it was glorious. Her visions wasn’t even slightly impaired by the water! Her head turned to Adrain as he spoke again, stepping out of the bubble and into the water, demonstrating that his spell would work just fine. After a moment of hesitance, Melda followed suit, and left the bubble he’d created for them. This really is incredible… She muttered to herself, eyes wide with admiration of the scene around her. It was everything she’d ever wanted and more. She felt like a magical being, waltzing through the under water tide.

”I can’t believe this is happening… I feel like a child again. My mother used to tell me stories of mermaids and legend’s of the sea, which is how I discovered my affinity for water, and I always dreamed I’d see something like this… But I never thought it would come true… It feel so real! I can feel the water on my skin… There are no words to describe how I feel right now.[/colour] She caught up with Adrain easily enough, flashing him a large smile. Thank you, so very much. She doubted she would get the chance to act this way for a long time to come, so she took advantage of it now, running ahead slightly, and walking along side a dolphin for a moment, placing her hand on it’s back lightly before it took off to the surface to breathe. She felt like a princess, dancing with all her fairy tale fish friends, and she hadn’t been so happy, in such a long time.

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Adrain nods when Melda had the appreciation for catching the flower. There was much on her mind he could tell, but she was more loose than she would. It was one of those rare times she would lower her guard it seemed in ways that would never happen out of the ARC. He noted that she seemed to raise a brow when he talked about some of the varieties of the water breathing technique. When Melda mentioned how real it felt, he chuckled slightly.

"Well it would be possible to do this in reality, but it requires a little more preparations. Pressure control spells, attire, a lack of presence spell for more hostile sea life. But if you like mermaids..." Adrain says mildly mischievously he states, holding his hand up. Melda would feel an energy start to envelop her, and unless she tried to repel it, it would shift her lower legs into a more mermaid-like state.

"No, I can't do that in the normal world, that would be blood magic which is taboo, especially to change someone else's body." he says in response to the likely startled reaction.

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Oh I know it’s possible, but like I mentioned, I never have the time to venture out and just do something like this. And as you said, there’s so much more to it in reality… But really.. this is stunning. She waved her hand through the water, feeling its cool temperature against her palm. It was just as soothing as the grass from before. She turned her head to look at him after a moment, catching his change in tone. Before she really have a chance to react, she felt energy taking over her body again. In any other situation she would reject it, but she was putting her trust in Adrain, knowing this wasn’t a reality.

Next thing she knew she was part mermaid! What in the godly hell!? Her voice was loud in the otherwise semi-silent surroundings, stunned as she was.With the change, she had fallen onto the ocean floor, not typically used to using a tale to keep her afloat or standing. Landing on her bottom, her icy blue eyes were wide and her mouth agape. Her heart was pounding in her chest, as she looked back and forth from her lower half to the mage across from her. The tail match her quite well, not that she would admit it, with icy looking purple and blue scales trailing down to the end, the fins a translucent faded blue. Thankfully this sudden change hadn’t altered her clothing to match, or she’d be in some sort of sea shell bra. That would not go over well.

Well… That was interesting. She spoke after a moment, pushing herself off of the sandy ground and into the water., trying to get the hang of swishing the tale to move. This may have been better in the stories… Her voice was a bit trembly as she wobbled around, embarrassed in front of him.

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When Melda exclaimed in surprise and shock at the initial transformation, Adrain couldn't hold back from chuckling a little bit. Melda was fun to mess with in the ARC at least, hopefully she doesn't figure out soon that she can potentially retaliate with manipulation of the dream world. He felt a little bad when Melda seemed to be struggling to adapt to her new form and he got a little bit closer, thinking at first to help her. But then he realized picking her up physically wouldn't help when she needed a wide range to go.

"Here let me help stabilize it." Adrain states holding his hands up as a drift of water begins to pick Melda up to at least hold her a few feet above the bottom of the sea floor. "The tail does suit you in a way, the colors matching the rest of you/" he teases a little bit, then pausing and chuckling slightly.

"You can will yourself back to normal when you are ready." he states calmly hoping he wouldn't pay too much for this one.

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Hearing a laugh, Melda glared at Adrain from her spot on the ground. It wasn’t fair that he was entirely in control of their surroundings. Melda was a bit wary when he moved closer to her, not sure what he had planed next. He seemed to decide against it, which was almost more concerning. The water then shifted, and he was fixing her ability to float. Thank you. She said, her voice still a bit shaky from the shock.

Does it? I suppose it’s pretty, but the colours seem a bit to light for my personality. She smiled modestly, not really caring about the actual look of things in that moment. She was still so unused to being so at ease with someone like this, that having him tease her almost took a minute to keep herself from responding badly as she normally would.

She could change herself? She didn’t know that was an option! Within moments, her eyes were closed and she was wishing herself to have her legs returned to her. As nice of a thought that was, it definitely wasn’t for me. Too… flowey? She patted down her dress, happy to see her legs underneath, and not something with scales. She turned her eyes to him now, a slightly icy look in her eyes. No more surprises like that please. I do not enjoy falling on my behind. She frowned, making a last minute decision. With an arched eyebrow, Melda focused her mind on Adrains form, and he would feel a similar change of energy around it, unless he were to resist it. After a moment, the same transformation would occur to him, a tale coming from his lower body where his legs would be. Melda cracked a smile, the ice leaving her eyes.

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"I apologize. I am probably becoming a little too carried away with the more amusing potentials of the ARC." Adrain says once Melda had requested no more surprises. He closed his eyes and exhaled a slight chuckle, knowing that he had probably pushed it a little far with that one. The mage let himself forget for a moment that Melda was a noblewoman and that even seeing this side of her was a privilege of sorts in itself. "I did want to just give you a chance to indulge in something that is otherwise impossible but did not think of the method as well as I could have." he says with a warm smile to hopefully disarm the negative thoughts Melda may have been having.

Adrain felt something about to change. He thought it was a quirk at first, used to the idea that he was in perfect control of himself at all times but then Melda's will began to be impressed upon him. However, a result of a certain attribute of Adrain's body activated, and instead of him turning into a sexy merman, rather his upper half turned fishlike as above the waist his robe shattered as he took on the visage of a large fish head. He blinks, flailing a little as his arms turn to fins and his head takes on a new, awkward shape.

"Wha the fmmmmphphhh" he starts as he is startled in equal measure as Melda may have been, even if not as intended. Of course, this gets the attention of some of the dolphins that were swimming about, causing them to swim towards the fishified Adrain.

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Melda smiled It’s alright. No harm done. Again, I appreciate the thought. Melda watched curiously, not sure if she could do to him what he’d done to her, and soon enough she could not contain her laugher.

Oh my! I—I didn’t think that would happen! Melda was doubling over herself in laughter, her face turning bright red as the fish began swimming towards the new form of Adrain. Melda was laughing so hard she had trouble breathing, and the laughter then became silent, but her face was still bright and grinning. I-I can’t! She sat down for a moment, her legs shifting to her side, as sitting in a skirt on the floor was difficult, and attempted to catch her breath.

After a few more moments, she stood back up, a grin still clear on her face, and a few giggles here and there. Okay, that was meant as payback, but I definitely didn’t know this would happen.

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Adrain in his fishy state, looks at Melda and scowls as much as a fish can. He still flailed a little not certain at first how to make spells work in this altered physical state and the abruptness causing his thoughts to shift. A dolphin tries to gnaw at Adrain, but he conducts a brief electrical current as it does so, deterring the creature with an exasperated clicking sound.

At least Melda was having fun, his fishy scowl softening when he sees Melda was in complete mirth over the event. He noted that she sat down, unable to contain herself as she was having a total fit while laughing, and eventually, Adrain managed to reground himself to begin to reverse the effect. He could guess that Melda was trying to do the same thing to him after her comment about payback, so Adrain would try to up the ante.

A flash of light occurs, and when it ends, Adrain manifests as a merman, but with long flowing hair and wearing naught on his torso part looking like a sea king.

"Was this what you were looking for?" he says, flexing ever so slightly, looking like a radiant god for a few moments. When Melda would either stop being flustered or have no real amusing reaction whatsoever, he would turn back to his normal state, sighing slightly.

"By reflex I counterspell any magic that comes my way, since you tried to use the dream state against me, the spell counted as a self-cast, which reversed the effect literally from merman to fishman...that is an interesting side effect actually, one I may need to learn how to play with for some purpose or another." he states with a slight laugh.

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I have never encountered such a hilarious sight! Truly! Melda was still laughing hard, her face flushed to the max as she doubled over once more, his “glare” setting her off again. It didn’t last long as Adrain figured out how to set things back to the way they should be; or so she thought.

When the light died out again, Melda blinked and found a long haired Mer-King in his stead. Melda stared for a moment, blinking once, twice, before once again laughing her noble ass off. You-you… She couldn’t get the words out, before he spoke, flexing away to get a rise out of her. Oh goodness me! Such a comedian! she finally caught her breath, standing straight and running a hand softly over her face, hoping the red would leave it soon.

Congratulations, I haven’t laughed in such a way, in nearly decades. Be proud of yourself, you may never see that again. She cleared her throat and nodded as he explained what had happened. I was surprised I got any change to occur; even if I can manipulate some things, I wasn’t expecting to alter you.

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Adrain laughed for a moment while Melda was having a full out fit of laughter and mirth. She had quite a lovely laugh really, even if she sounded in part like a cracked out hyena at the moment with how far she was going with it. When she finally began to settle down, he laughed a little as Melda began to 'congratulate' him. The fact that she said that he may never see it again couldn't help but to be interpreted as a challenge of sorts to the mage.

"Well don't be so sure about that, I've made the impossible happen before and I can always do it again." he says, eyes closed with a warm smile toward Melda. When she expressed surprise at the fact that she was able to have an effect apply to him, he laughed a little. "I think you may just have a more powerful will than even you give yourself credit for. Here a strong enough will can do anything. I could probably put you in a cliche coconut bikini mermaid type of thing if I wasn't sure you'd castrate me for doing so." he says, joking about one of Melda's fears completely and totally by coincidence.

At this moment, a presence seems to enter Melda's mind. She could feel an invisible energy permeating her mind as her vision takes on a large black spot in the dream that Adrain would be oblivious to. In the center of said void, a pair of red eyes glow, staring dead into Melda's.

'You, elf...I can feel it, I can feel that you know the red haired one who would hide the truth...one whom thinks a mercy of denying the pain of truth to the cue of ignorance is bliss. Tell her...the animal-ling that her and I need to have a chat...I care not if you return with her but this concerns far, far more than she could being to appreciate...'

As the voice run out, Melda would feel an overwhelming, alien power emitted from the being for the moments it connected to her consciousness. A terrifying power that would shudder one to the core, even in this dream realm where generally all was safe and well. Just as abruptly as it began, the connection would end.

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Well you sure sound confident in that, it may be best that I don’t challenge you. Melda shook her head jokingly, not wanting to find out whether or not he was right. Her sides hurt from laughing and honestly it was weirding her out that she had laughed so much.

His next statement caused her to arch a brow at him, her face going a bit back to the icy normality. You’re right to be cautious. She left it at that, knowing full well the imagination could create more fear than her words. She felt goosebumps tumble over her skin at his joke, but she ignored it; he knew not what he said, nor did she need to present her problems on the table.

While in this state of though, the goosebumps tripled, the hair on her arms standing on end, and an odd shiver coursed through her, as she felt a large amount of energy enter her out of nowhere. her vision went dark aside from a pair of ruby orbs staring into her soul it seemed. A voice penetrated her mind, echoing but soundless. She didn’t understand the words running through her mind, but they were nearly memorized by the time the voice was finished.

Just as quickly everything was gone; the voice, the goosebumps, the energy. She blinked a numerous amount of times before her vision cleared completely and she could see Adrain in front of her again. The look on her face was one of shock, confusion and unease. The voice had made her feel violated, as he mind and body had been taken over. She looked to Adrains face, needing to see his eyes to get the red ones out of her head. Adrain… w-who is the “red haired one"… and why did a voice just tell me it wanted to talk to her? Melda already had an inkling of who the “red haired one” was, as Aria’s face always popped in her head when red hair was spoken of, but she wouldn’t assume so with Adrain’s confirmation first.

What just invaded my mind? You said this place was safe! Melda was growing paranoid, and glanced around their surroundings nervously.