[Nexus] Random Places and Plots 5

[The Bushranger]

[Misha's Pool]

And so Dani, now looking quite concerned, has to break the ice!
Sitting on some moss by the edge of the pond.
"By the way, you have gorgeous hair! Who's your hairdresser? I have to fiddle with mine a lot to keep it from fading but yours looks awesome! I'd love to know how you do it!"

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

The blank expression on Riss' face would probably be enough information to tell that she was less than acquainted with what it was Dani was suggesting. Although it did seem like a question just far enough out of the blue to startle her into an answer. The complement didn't hurt either although it might have been part of the surprise. "..Um.. It's, um.. Normally like this." the muse said, interjecting a bit of volume this time so her words would carry.

With a mildly furrowed brow, the muse returned with a question of her own. "Fading?" she asked, apparently unfamiliar with whatever Dani was going on about. Hair doesn't really fade, does it? I mean.. I don't think that it does so... What does she mean?

[The Bushranger]

[Misha's Pool]

"Really? Huh, that's awesome!" Dani grins cheerfully...

"Mine's naturally red but when I play in the sun and I do like to get out a lot and do stuff the sunlight kinda makes it fade and fray so it isn't so rich and so I have to use stuff to keep it rich and I was wondering if there was any way to avoid that but if it's natural that's just so totally cool!"

...and yes, that did all come out in one breath.

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

If Riss wasn't naturally quiet then she possibly would have been rendered speechless at the sudden syllabic torrent. ...Okay then. I suddenly get the feeling that I've just run into my opposite. If anything, even though I don't speak much, well.. Most of the time, I think that might be a little too much for some people.

Shifting her position a bit, the golden seashell locket would swing into view for a time. Though it might not mean much to others, Dani may be enticed to make a comment on it given her own silver sickle ornamentation. Riss simply had thought it was just another bit of jewelry but it was entirely possible it stood for something else. Of course, that idea hadn't even crossed the muse's mind as she had still to get used to the more 'usual' happenings of the world she was in.

[The Bushranger]

[Misha's Pool]

"....oooh, that's pretty!"
And Dani points at the locket, the torrent of words finally coming to a halt.
"Are you a priestess too?"

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

A moment of confusion would pass it's shadow over the muse's brow, as seemingly was becoming a common occurrence in this conversation, while she processed what Dani was referring to. It only took a moment, though. "Um.. No. Nontheistic." she said plainly. Picking up the locket, she peered at it to see if there were any markings or anything specifically ornate about it that would engender such a conclusion. I don't see anything that would lead someone to think that but maybe I just don't know what to look for. It's an old thing so maybe it's some old following or something?

Peering at Dani, Riss felted inclined to ask just what it was that would lead the strange girl to that conclusion. "..Why, um.. Why do you ask? Are you?"

[The Bushranger]

[Misha's Pool]

"Oh. I was just wondering if that was your holy symbol, like mine." And Dani, smiling, holds up her neck-charm for the other girl to see (albiet at a distance). "I...kinda am, but semi-retired! Sort of."

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

"Holy symbol?" came the question. Apparently Dani's strangeness was just enough to generate curiosity that overrode the muse's normal shy nature. Cerebral pursuits were always a good way to get her attention at least. "Semi-retired? Uh.. What do you mean?" she asked venturing for illumination about the subject in general.

What might be quite a special treat, though, would be a third utterance in quick accession. Or rather, as quick as Riss was able to muster given the circumstances. In reality, it would be rather slow or ponderous for any normal conversation but the muse was doing quite well by her standards. "And.. Um.. What kind of priestess?" she inquired. Though she did not personally put much value in the divine, it was always interesting to know the reasons behind the choices made by others.

[The Bushranger]

[Misha's Pool]

"Well, see, the holy symbol is the insigina of your deity, and it helps you channel their power for magic!" Dani exclaims. "And, well, I'm only sorta active sometimes since I got married and all. 'Cause, see, I'm a Priestess of Angela, Goddess of Lust."

And now she waits for the panicked screaming.

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

"..Say again?" Riss asked. It was not in the worried tone that one might use when someone has said something that might tread with their worst fears so much as it was the bemused, almost unconcerned tone that one would most often hear when one simply was not aware of the subject in question. Quite possibly it was the exact opposite of what Dani was expecting. Really, the muse might have simply said 'Huh?' with a shrug.

Though, it was mostly the first part that gained her interest. "Um.. And, uh.. You said magic?" she asked, clearly more interested in that than some goddess of whatever. Really, though. They have a deity for that? I'd say that was silly but this is the whole 'gods' thing coming up again.

[The Bushranger]

[Misha's Pool]

Indeed, Dani blinks in surprise, not quite sure what that reaction means!
Then shrugs.
"I'm a Priestess of Angela, who is the Goddess of Lust," she repeats. "And yeah, I have both, um, lust magic and normal clerical magic!"

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

Dani would be getting a rather skeptical expression from the muse. It was simply the fact that this entire thing sounded more than a bit.. Well.. Silly would be putting it lightly but Riss insisted on using that term simply so she wouldn't go farther and start associating the person in front of her with less than desirable mental operating efficiency. That's.. An.. Interesting thing to have spells for...

Or is it? No.. I don't think I really should be surprised, all things considered. 'If there is a market for it.' and so on. Still, that implies rather limited utility but.. Well, depends on the occupation one has. I suppose one could get clever with it, now that I think of it. "...Never heard of them." the muse eventually answered. "And.. Clerical magic?" she asked curious as to that particular designation.

[The Bushranger]

[Misha's Pool]

"...huh. You're new here then?" Dani asks with a soft giggle, then nods. "Yeah, healing spells, divine fireballs, that sort of thing! You don't have magic where you come from?" The little redhead tilts her head, looking intensely curious!

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

"Erm.. No. Technology." the muse replied, stating the area of progress that her realm had been focused on. Something came to her as she added that little tidbit, though, as a sudden gnawing feeling began scratching in the back of her mind. "Is.. Um.. Is magic common?" she asked, her tone suggesting perhaps a bit of apprehension at finding out the answer.

"And..I'm not.. Not sure what, um, 'that sort of thing' means." she said, half mumbling in shame of her own ignorance. Really, if magic was indeed the more common of the two, then she would be the one who was out of place. Well, not that I'm not already but even more so, I guess. Then again, should I expect any different, now?

[The Bushranger]

[Misha's Pool]

"Yup! Very common. So's dirt." Dani giggles as she makes the comparison. "But technology's pretty common, too. As for that sort of thing, well, there's Flame Strike, and creating water and food and purifying stuff and blessings and all that," she explains.

A deep thinker, she is not.

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

Dani's explanation was more or less lost on the muse as she had nothing to equate the words to. Not to mention she was unsure as to what that final term meant either. "I.. I don't understand." she said, voicing as much after a few moments.

Though she tried her best to put together what 'blessing' might mean from the context of the sentence, the farthest she was able to go was simply that it was some kind of magic thing. Still, given the way it was used, it has to be a common enough thing. I mean, it at least sounds like some sort of category name rather than a proper noun or something like that. I guess it would be better to ask rather than stay ignorant but that's always the problem, isn't it? "So.. Um.. Blessing?" she inquired, keeping her 'sentence' rather short.

[The Bushranger]

[Misha's Pool]

"Um, well..."
Dani pauses, trying to think of how to simplfy things.
Then it hits her!

Metaphorically, of course.
"Well, it works like, if I cast a blessing on you, and you were in a fight, it skews the odds in your favor. You'd hit more often and harder than would be expected, while your opponent would miss more and only hit with glancing blows!"

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

So.. I don't understand how that could be a thing. I mean, not with how it's being described. Does it skew probability or might it simply enhance one's abilities in this context? The latter makes more sense but.. Maybe I should ask here, too "So.. How does that work?" Riss asked after a minute or two.

...I guess one good thing about this person is that, though she might seem a bit simple, she isn't getting aggravated with me. Or at least she isn't showing it. Then again, she could simply be a very good actor but once I get into that territory I start second guessing everything. Paranoia should be kept at a minimum, alright? Pushing a wet lock of hair behind her ear, Riss shifted her position again, somewhat, so as to get comfortable. Sitting on rocks wasn't the most enjoyable of things after all.

[The Bushranger]

[Misha's Pool]

"Um...I don't really know how it works. Just that it does!" Dani chirps, apologetically. "You cast the spell, and you get better with your attacks and your enemies' don't hurt as much!"

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

...And here I was certain that this couldn't make much less sense. So, what she is saying is that she doesn't know how this works and yet she still uses it? I mean.. I understand that one can not know how a gun works and still be able to use it but that kind of parallel isn't one that I feel safe drawing... Though she needed to include the preface 'clerical' in there so.. Maybe there's something different about it? Dani would see that her 'explanation' would only further dismay the muse as could be told by her following question. "Is.. Is clerical magic.. Is it different?"

Really, Dani might get the idea that she was muddying the waters, so to speak, in the muse's attempts to understand just what this strange thing called 'magic' was. Or she might at least get the impression that Riss was unsure as to the existence of quite a variety of magics, at least.

[The Bushranger]

[Misha's Pool]

"Different from what? From arcane magic, you mean?" Dani asked, tilting her head with a curious look!

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

Rather than attempt to force her words, the muse simply nodded once. The fine definitions of 'arcane' and 'divine' were largely lost on her in the context of magical expression but it sounded to her to call magic 'arcane' at all seemed to be the right idea.

Though, why use the distinction at all? If there are at least two types of magic then.. Well, no, I'm looking at this wrong. I mean, one doesn't say 'I want to learn science' and expect to be taught. I guess it would make sense to group different kinds of magic in categories if that was true.

Assuming my analogy is correct, of course...

[The Bushranger]

[Misha's Pool]

Dani took the nod as encouragement!
"Well, see, arcane magic can come from a variety of sources, like from dragons and pacts with elder beings and stuff like that, but divine magic always comes from a deity. Well, except for Ur-Priests, but they're just weird."

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

..I'm sorry.. What? How does.. What is. How.. What are any of those?! Are they machines or generators of some kind or... Pact? What, some sort of bartering agreement? What.. So, one trades material goods for power or something? That part makes sense but it still doesn't answer anything. Elder beings? So.. Is magic like politics in that way? Old people with clout using their influence in that case? Riss just stared at Dani's feet as she tried to comprehend the influx of information that resulted in more of a mess than an actual explanation.

Holding her head in her hands, she simply murmured "I don't understand." as she tried to make sense of the garbled mess that this blithering idiot spews out like she's a leaking... Ah.. Calm down. There's probably a good explanation.. Maybe she's a savant or something at the 'worst?' It's just... Is it not obvious that I have no idea what she's talking about? Am I the problem here?

[The Bushranger]

[Misha's Pool]

And it's at this pont that it clicks in Dani's head that she's just confusing the poor, shy girl.

And so she does what she does best.

She moves over to try and give Riss a hug!

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

Even before Dani was close enough to initiate any sort of contact, the muse would relocate from the shallows to a somewhat deeper part of the pool to where she would at least still be able to stand without sinking under the water. All that would happen next would be up to how the part-time priestess handled things from there although all that might go through her mind is that Riss was simply being shy as she had been so far.

Riss, however, was eyeing Dani with a wary expression. Okay... What is she getting at? That's a little closer than I'd like but I think I can deal with it if she just stays there.. The ridge is nearby so I don't think I can go much farther in. Not sure how the other formations are so I don't think I can move much side to side either... Is there a reason why she's doing this? Some custom that I don't know of? The muse held her silence but mostly due to words being more difficult to summon while under stress.

[The Bushranger]

[Misha's Pool]

And Dani paused.
Pouting a bit, now!
"...what, you don't like hugs?"

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

One last half-step backward would be Dani's answer. There was no direct affirmation or denial so much as it was just a fearful expression etched in the muse's amber eyes. Dani could at least guess from what she had walked in on that disliking hugs was probably not the issue at hand, though.

Still, Riss was quite tense as anxiety clawed at the walls of her stomach. It was far from an ideal situation but hopefully things would resolve themselves? Not sure what to expect if I'm going to wish for that, though... Where is Misha, anyway? It would be really nice if, maybe, she were to at least let me know she was still here. How long has it been, anyway? It can't have been too long since then.. Or maybe it has? I take a while to respond but.. No, she's not back yet but still.. Maybe she'll be back soon? She said she would be so just a bit longer? Maybe?

[The Bushranger]

[Misha's Pool]

Dani suddenly nodded, and stepped back, sitting on the mossy edge of the pool once more. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. It's alright though. So...was that your girlfriend earlier?"

[Terumitsu]

[Misha's Pool]

Is she my... Um.. I... Though for Dani it might seem like just some small, simple question, to Riss, it simply brought a long flowing undercurrent to the forefront of her mind. I.. Maybe? But.. I don't know. Is she really 'mine' to begin with? It's just.. I don't own her so what she does is entirely her choice.. So I don't know about that part. I mean.. I guess if she's asking about being in an intimate relationship, that would be true but if she's asking about.. Mmm.. I mean, she's important to me but is that simply from a chemically induced standpoint or.. No no no.. Stop there. You'll only start picking things apart like if there is anything other than just a chemical reaction that causes this... And now I can't stop. I mean, if the brain is simply all just a chemical machine that simply exists seeking the associated 'positive' response from certain actions then all that can be derived is... Stop. Stop stop stop stop..

In what would likely be a heavily perplexing response to Dani, Riss remained quiet although obviously quite pensive as she returned to a shallower part of the pool and sat down again only to cover her face with her hands and quietly start to choke up as she attempted to restrain the sickening dread that always managed to creep in when she delved a bit too deep into certain subjects. It usually took some time for her to be able to re-convince herself of there at least being some kind of observer inhabiting the corporeal collection of meat, metal, and other materials that made up her form but it was always a difficult struggle.