Friendly Freefall (Phae)

[Tormaigh MacRagallach]

It was late afternoon, and the sun was beginning to hang low in the sky. Red tinged its rays, casting dappled patterns of peach-skin reds and yellows all along the tall, grand walls of the academy proper. Some of it filtered down towards the sweeping front steps, which were mostly deserted at this hour. Torm, sitting off to the side on one of the broad, wide, terrace-like stairs, sat nonchalantly fiddling with a Clockwork Beetle. As he turned his hand this way and that, it scuttled about in a frantic attempt to remain on the topside. Some first day! No classes, but at least there's some nice people here... The peachy sunlight reflects off his gauntlets too, and the tigulated plates splash new patterns amongst the old in the failing daylight. Lost in thought, it took him a moment to realize that someone else was in the area...

[Phae]

That other person was Phae and she was walking towards the front steps from the city area. She wanted to watch the sunset before she headed back to her dorm room. She walked her skirt swaying with her hips her sword dangling on her left hip from a loose belt. She wore a sweater against the evening chill.

She sat down with a sigh her red hair reflecting the sunlight as it fell upon her. She looked over and saw a boy she had never met before. She smiled and waved.

"Hi there." she said happily. "I'm Phaedra, I don't believe I've had the pleasure."

She walked over to him and sat down next to him holding out her hand friendly like.

[Tormaigh MacRagallach]

Quickly tucking the beetle away, Torm turns his attention to this new arrival. Her delicate facial features are lit up with a cheerful expression, and the evening light makes the red hair falling to her shoulders almost glow. As for the rest of her, she was a mixture of pulchritude and strength that did not fail to please the eye. It really was no surprise that there were no classes available; not with distracting people like this Phae around every corner.

Refusing to let the gentleman in him falter, he removes a gauntlet and takes the proferred hand enthusiastically and meets her gaze evenly. "Phae, eh? It's great to meet you." Unable to help himself in the presence of her infectuous smile, he breaks out a in a grin. "I'm Tormaigh, but Torm will do fine." After looking about at the scene, he looks back at her with another grin, saying, "Catching the sunset, I suppose. They really are amazing, here above the clouds."

Everything's so different from surface life...even the sun, he thinks to himself, his smile faltering slightly at the semi-gloomy thought.

[Phae]

She smiled back at him. He was cute. She looked away at the sunset it was truly beautiful he was right. There was no where in the world anyone could see a sunset like this.

"Well, it's truly a delight to meet you Torm." she said smiling brightly tilting her head to the side as she leaned back on her hands watching the sunset.

"Did you just arrive here? I don't believe I've seen you...I just arrived a week ago myself so you aren't the only new one." she looked over and smiled at him again. "Where are you from?"

[Tormaigh MacRagallach]

So she's new too...that's comforting. I was beginning to think I was the only newbie on the entire campus! he thinks as he pulls his glove back on. He tugs idly on his orange whickers, as he tends to do when feeling pensive. "You got me. Arrived at the academy this morning, but I've been living in the city for about a year. It's quite a place!"

Pausing for a moment, he rests his elbows on his knees, hands hanging idly, and adjusts his sitting position to be angled more towards her, for ease of conversation. "As for where I'm from, I'm an American, which can mean just about anything, depending on who you ask. All my ancestors are from Ireland, so I guess you could say im from there too, in a sense. My parents and my twin sis are still on the ground, working the family ranch, no doubt." She looks a bit like sis, actually. Similar hair, at least. "How about you? Where're ya from?"

[Phae]

"Wow, America you are the second person I have met from America." she said smiling over at him. "Which part of America?"

She enjoyed conversations and meeting new people Phae really did crave friends and people around her. That was her personality and she wasn't afraid to admit it.

"As for myself if the accent didn't give me away," she winked "I'm from Germany Berlin to be exact. I had to leave my twin behind and that was really hard but I love it here truthfully I only wish she could be here too." Phae leaned down a bit more using her elbows to support her now intead of her hands.

"But Phoebe my twin is now studying in Italy so it isn't so bad I am planning to visit her soon." she turned to him. "Looks like we have a bit in common both of us being twins and all. Are you identical or fraternal?"

[Tormaigh MacRagallach]

"So you are a twin too...that's pretty coincidental. My twin and I have more of a friendly competition relationship going on, so I was pretty excited to start developing my own talents here, but it was still hard leaving." Torm couldn't help but chuckle a bit at that last question of hers. "We're fraternal twins, of course, or else we'd both have to be male or both female. She and I, we have the same drive, but different talents. I tinker, and she...runs a brewery." He laughs a bit again. "We're an eclectic bunch, eh? We hail from the Mississipi/Texas border. The Second Mexican War was pretty much fought in our backyard."

He appraises her again. Gemany, eh? I never would have guessed, with the red hair and all. Very at ease, he continues, "Your English is flawless. Are you and your twin identical? It's great that you'll be seeing her soon..."

[Phae]

She had to blush at the compliment on her English.

"Thank you, I know a few languages, English being my second best." she said with a smile.

America...that is amazing suddenly that seemed to be everywhere. She felt a bit...odd being from Germany but she wouldn't trade it for the world. She loved her home and she was reluctant to leave.

"My sister and I are identical. Her hair is much shorter than mine and she doesn't have any magical talent..." Phae's face fell thinking about her sister and the way she had runaway before Phae left for the academy. She looked away for a moment before she composed herself turning to him with a weak smile.

"Ummm..." she thought for a moment. "Oh! Here's the question you will get asked most often here. What kind of magic do you do?"

[Tormaigh MacRagallach]

Torm, spotting the breach in her cheer over the subject of her sister, was relieved when she brightened again, and was promptly flattered by her interest in his style.

"Well, I guess in terms of the schools of magic as most people know them, I'd be an elementalist. The way I use the elements is a little different than most people though. What I do is mentally weave strands of the elements together to make complex 'weaves,' which I then allow to manifest themselves physically by 'tying off' the weave in a final knot. It takes a lot of concentration, but it allows for very complex effects, and it allows me to make things like these when I combine it with mechanical know-how."

Tucking his hands inside his coat, he pulls out a fistful or roundish, metallic objects. They pulse briefly as he runs mana through them, and he flings them across the area. One by one, the little balls start glowing different colors and zoom about the area in zig-zaggy patterns, casting small lighted circles on the pavement below them as they flit about in the shadows of early evening. A yellow one lands on Torm's outstretched finger, which he holds out so for Phae to take a look. "I call these ones Clockwork Fireflies..."

[Phae]

Phae watched the little bug like things with wonder. Her eyes were bright and full of life as she watched.

"How amazing." she exclaimed looking over at him her eyes bright and excited. "That is truly a unique magic how amazing. That is so cool. Wow."

She did think it was about some of the neatest magic she had seen yet since being here. She was in love with magic and it was wonderful seeing everyones talents.

"How did you find out about your powers?" she asked with true curiosity.

[Tormaigh MacRagallach]

She's still curious? Magic is an interesting subject though, that's for sure "Well, I don't really know, actually. It sort of came on gradually, and I didn't even know it was magic at first...My dad was watching me tinkering with stuff one day and saw me do some sort of simple magic, and he immediately had a long talk with me about it. He was pretty happy and proud that I would be able to learn..."

Grinning sheepishly, he turns to look at Phae. "Well, we've done all this talking about me. I'd really like to hear more about your abilities. What form of magic do you practice?"

[Phae]

Phae looked over and grinned at his question. She nodded and rose walking back down the steps to the area just in front of the large steps.

She unsheathed her sword and held it with practiced ease in her hand she closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment.

"Inferno." she said out loud. Beginning at the hilt of the blade fire licked the blade going all the way to the tip. The orange and blue flames surrounded the blade.

She looked up at Torm and smiled.

"I'm a sword mage. I channel my magic through my blade. It's the only way I can use my spells." she said and uncast the spell the darkness that was settling around them seemed to close in even more now that the flames were gone. "I have one other power that actually just woke here."

She moved to sit next to him again. She let her head fall going into a trance. She had just learned how to project without having to be asleep and that was a big step for her. Phae thought of the position she had just been in and another version of herself stood in that exact same spot waving at Torm. She brought herself out of the trance and looked back at Torm.

"Astral Projection. That I am still trying very hard to learn to control more."