Once home to the Crystal Cities of the Hunter clans, Craiss Caverns is now a hollow empty shell of its former glory due to a strange misfortune in the past. Man-made tunnels now lead to this place, but tales tell of some never returning. (+3 Defense, +2 Offense)

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Re: Into the Abyss Will I Run (Self) [Hunt]

Postby Ander » 08/02/2016 12:25 PM

Well, alright - not exactly forget. She thought they would both agree that they had done too much of that for one lifetime. But they had succeeded in making him a distant worry instead of an ever-present one. Tied up in their separate lives, they could distance themselves from the past. They could push that entire nasty issue away, downplay it into something that the two of them could deal with whenever they were ready. And yes, maybe that was wrong. But it had been so much nicer.

Then they met Juniper.

As much as she hated to say it, something about the bubbly Cream Ancient roused something in each of them - something that felt almost like memory. Just being close to her, hearing her speak, watching that glint in multicolored eyes... It was hard for even Melcena, as analytical as she prided herself on being, to explain. The closest she could come was feeling like they had a chance. Like their memories weren't as terribly far away as they had thought. Like, if they could remember and so easily rekindle a friendship - of sorts, Melcena admitted with rolled eyes - with another of their spectrum, then maybe there was hope to recover the rest of that which had been ripped away from them.
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Re: Into the Abyss Will I Run (Self) [Hunt]

Postby Ander » 08/10/2016 5:11 AM

It was hard to forget the way Juniper had stormed into their lives. For a time, Melcena and Aetos had frequented a city cafe for weekly meetings: their way to keep up with each other's lives and goings-on. The meetings were a mutual decision. How could they not stay in touch with each other when they were all each other had?

Melcena was providing both sides of the conversation, per the norm for the time. She remembered not thinking too much of the strawberry-blonde that bounced into the shop - although she would later find it suspicious that the woman caught her eye at all. Back then, however, it hadn't been until the woman made her sudden, unerring beeline for their table that she attracted the Blue's notice.
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Re: Into the Abyss Will I Run (Self) [Hunt]

Postby Ander » 10/02/2016 10:17 PM

The way Juniper just floated up to them, all smiles and laughter. She had draped her arms over their shoulders, like they were all the fastest friends - Melcena was getting the shakes just thinking about it. Wasn't right for anyone to be that friendly.

But then she turned out to be just that: a very old friend, one that - yet again - the Elder had stolen from them. As she was all too happy to pull up a chair and explain, she had spent a very long time looking for she and Aetos just so that she could explain herself. She described herself searching for the only two kuhna she could actually remember... Mel liked to think of herself as a pretty skeptical person, but her heart went out to this exuberant stranger nonetheless.
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Re: Into the Abyss Will I Run (Self) [Hunt]

Postby Ander » 10/02/2016 10:24 PM

Come to think of it, she'd never actually asked Aetos what he had thought about that first meeting. Melcena's eyes cut sideways, just able to see the larger Ancient's bulky frame from the corners of her vision. Had he been as suspicious of her as she was? Had he looked at her and wondered if it was possible to have memories of his bright, earnest girl so thoroughly swept away?

The Blue hugged herself tighter. Of course it was possible. For every fleeting memory she had of the other Ancients and the spectrum they wanted so badly to protect, it was only logical that she would have dozens more, utterly gone.

Regardless, it was clear that Aetos believed Juniper now. He had enveloped the girl into their routine, entrusting her with reconnaissance and research into stopping End and finding their way back home. Hell, he'd given her even more responsibility once her magical aptitude had come to light.
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Re: Into the Abyss Will I Run (Self) [Hunt]

Postby Ander » 10/02/2016 10:40 PM

If you could even call it aptitude! Given the height of the cave, Melcena had to settle for throwing her arms up in disgust in her mind alone. The Blue Ancient prided herself on her study of the arcane; on a traditional, responsible approach to magecraft that involved long years of grueling apprenticeship and strident growth. Juniper, on the other hand, had magic that "just kind of happened".

Aetos had to physically restrain her from biting the woman's face off with questions. What did she mean just kind of happened? Where did she study? Who was her master?

The Cream Ancient's answers were nothing short of infuriating. She had never studied anywhere, nor had she attended school. The idea that magic could be learned from books was alien. The concept of the master/apprentice relationship flew right overhead - "Why would I want to be someone's slave?!", she'd gasped, while Aetos tried to explain and Melcena tried to bite through her own tongue - and she had repeatedly insisted that her magic was just a little luck.

Eventually, Mel had to stop asking. Juniper never explained further, and the Blue was pretty sure that even Aetos wasn't really sure how she accomplished anything. Just let her coast along on blind faith. And Melcena, for her part, was just more concerned and confused at how such an unreliable mage so reliably managed not to blow herself up.
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