Open Chronicles An Unwanted Invitation

[WitchyKat]

Aoife angrily tapped out her pipe, red embers catching the breeze and spraying onto a patch of newly-clipped grass. How was she supposed to pass the time if she couldn’t smoke? A group of students across the courtyard were looking up from their books, casting angry glares. In her mind she was drafting up a hundred different comebacks, watching the guard place back the ‘no smoking’ sign before returning inside.

She took a deep breath, pocketing her pipe and looking back down at the letter she still held. ‘Come to Elbion College’ signed K.G, the gold-trimmed paper a bit torn after she’d angrily snatched it back from the receptionist. Aoife knew she needed to calm down, but she had really hoped to settle this quickly. There was work to do back in Alliria and she hated cancelling on her client’s. Who the hell was K.G? Did she forget to mention the wax seal, and the 10 gold within the envelope? The clueless receptionist was no help at all, and it had already been an hour since she’d been told to wait in the courtyard. Aoife stuffed it in coat her pocket alongside the pipe, casting a cold look at one of the students who was still staring.
“Maybe there’s somewhere I can get a drink…” she mumbled, leaning back to stare at the afternoon sky, preparing for a long wait.

 

[Igni Ymaranath Ythys]

Igni liked to consider herself above boredom, but even she had to admit she'd been waiting a long time, gold-trimmed invitation fluttering in one hand. She had a park bench to herself out on the green, not because there was nobody who wanted to sit but rather because there wasn't much space on either side of Igni's colossal frame. Dressed as she was in fine flowing silks of green and blue, draped in sparkling jewellery and given the abundance of her curves, it would be forgivable for the students about her to mistake her for the incarnation of a fertility goddess. But these were educated fellows, not peasants. They merely stared at Igni for the oddity that she was.

And Igni smiled back. She enjoyed their attention, even if it was just shock and not adoration. They would glance away when they met her eye though a few would hold on long enough to bear witness to her magnanimous smile. Igni had a dazzling smile, all large, sparkling eyes and bright teeth. To look at her smile was like looking at an old friend.

She smiled at everyone with an ernest nod of silent greeting, though at seeing a tall lady with pale blue skin and a smoking pipe, Igni's eyes widened with surprise. Not at the pipe or the blue skin but at the familiar-looking invitation fluttering in the breeze, but at the gold-trimmed invitation clasped in the fey girl's hand. Igni raised her own invitation for Aoife to see.

Perhaps she had met an ally in this place. Or a rival. It was hard to tell when one didn't know why they were invited. But just in case it was the latter Igni didn't waste the energy to stand and approach her. After all, for Igni, rising took a lot of energy indeed.

 

[WitchyKat]

Aoife closed her eyes against the sun’s rays, the sky was abundantly clear she’d noticed. It’d been a while since she had left her little corner of cloudy Alliria, maybe a bit of light would do her good. She once again searched her mind for any visions that the letter could conjure up, and once again found nothing. This unnerved her, usually she’d at least get something, however cryptic it may be. She couldn’t rule out the possibility that whoever sent this letter may be putting up a strong magical barrier, this was Elbion after all… She was just beginning to rummage her mind’s eye for a nearby pub when she felt someone’s gaze upon her. Aoife sat up from her reclined position and opened her eyes, noticing the woman across the courtyard beaming at her. She too stood out against the students, with an unusually round figure and layers of jewelry that caught the afternoon light, making Aoife squint at the sparkling reflection. It wasn’t that which caught her attention though, it was the matching letter that she held aloft in her hand. Aoife shook her own letter, bolting up from the bench. She marched over briskly, almost forgetting she wore her long work robes, nearly tripping over herself.

“Are you the one who sent me this thing!? About damn time you showed up, y’know I’ve got stuff to do. This isn’t a vacation for me, and I sure hope that 10 gold was just for my travel because if you think that’s even close to what I charge for my services you’ve got another thing coming!” She stopped abruptly, realizing her misstep. Now that everyone in the courtyard was staring, and the Woman who’d been smiling moments before was now staring in utter shock. “Sorry.” She said, much quieter. Aoife took a deep breath before continuing, “Please, just tell me what you need so I can go home..”

 

[Igni Ymaranath Ythys]

Igni's look was one of bemusement, like a friendly aunt watching children fight- this despite her youthful face. "I'm afraid I've given you a terribly poor impression. I am Igni, and I, too, received a mysterious invitation."
She got a thoughtful look, then, her bright blue eyes staring at some point in the sky over Aioife's right shoulder.
"I am terribly sorry to hear your incentive was only ten gold, however. My sum was vastly superior. Almost enough to make the trip from home worthwhile. I hate favouritism in all its forms. One of my pet projects is increasing equality in the cultures of lesser races wherever I go.

"Perhaps we should compare notes?" She met Aioife's gaze directly. " Perhaps this is about our capacity for magic. What are your talents in that regard? I am a... conjures, of sorts." Igni wove her little fat hands about magically above her bursting bosom, and a large silver coin appeared within them. She handed it to Aioife. "Platinum. For the sake of promoting equality." Igni grinned as if the pleasure of giving was great indeed.

 

[WitchyKat]

Aoife gazed at the shimmering platinum in her hand, catching it as it nearly slid from the place her ring and pinky finger once were. She was in disbelief, mind reeling from her embarrassing misstep. It certainly didn’t seem as if Igni deserved her tirade, but this K.G sure did. “Uh, thanks… I’m Aoife.” She slid the coin into her pocket, hearing it clink against the pipe. “A noble cause for sure, I’ve been in Alliria so long I’ve forgotten how bad the inequality can be in other cities. Can’t say I’ve met a conjurer before…” Aoife trailed off a moment, realizing this is the first time in a while she’s even met another practitioner. “I’m a Seer myself, former student of The Dusk Court and the best in Alliria as far as I’m concerned. And Fae of course, so I’m quite skilled at Ley Line Magick.” Aoife squinted against the sun, noticing Igni’s ears were slightly pointed. “Huh. You’re not human either are you?”

 

[Igni Ymaranath Ythys]

"Aoife! That's a very beautiful name. Fey names are often so pretty." Igni patted the seat next to her, all six inches of it, as if inviting Aoife to sit in the tiny space. "And it's perfectly fine. I must look educated, and sophisticated!
She cocked her head, quizzically. "I've never met a seer, either. How much are your services? Perhaps I would employ you some time. What sort of things do you see? Inight into trade in Alliria would be..." She blew out her cheeks. "... priceless. Perhaps you should come work for me, after this? I may be a mage, but I'm also a merchant.
"And to answer your question... no, not human. Thank goodness." She laughed, saying the last under her breath, just in case there were any humans around. "Intriguing creatures, but the thought of dying so young terrifies me."

 

[WitchyKat]

Aoife looked at the small space the woman had made for her on the bench, “Uh, I’m good. But thank you! And I’ll take the compliment, I enjoy my name as well. Helps with the whole ‘image’ that my human clients want to see, makes them more trusting for whatever reason.” She glanced around, noticing the clusters of students had thinned significantly. Aoife reached into her pocket and pulled out her pipe, then unbuttoning a small satchel that was strapped across her waist. “I work on a sliding scale,” she said, pulling out a pinch of tobacco and packing it in the pipe. “Usually 200 gold a session, they’ve got deep pockets in Alliria’s Inner City.” She pulled out a match, narrowing her eyes for a moment until the head lit up with a hiss. She puffed a bit, turning to blow the smoke away from Igni. “I can summon visions when I concentrate on whatever, or whoever I want to know about. They’re usually pretty cryptic, but I’ve got a 99% success rate in interpreting them. I’ve helped my clients become rich, find love, avoid assassins, overcome illness, crap like that.” She took another puff from the pipe, reaching down to brush a bit of ash that’d fallen on her cloak. “I’ll work for anyone who can pay of course, I do care about my clients privacy, but let me tell you I know some juicy details about the nobility in Alliria. I see lots of things I don’t even tell them, just in case I ever need to blackmail them.” Aoife gave a wicked grin, “Humans are funny creatures, but my clients mean well. They only get a few decades on this earth anyways, so I’m happy to help, as long as they’re not hurting anyone. Dying young indeed…” She trailed off, her smile fading as she stared past Igni, mind lost in thought. “Anyways.” She shook herself back to the present, “What is it exactly that you do? I’m trying to piece together what this K.G wants with a Mage and a Seer. They’re obviously skilled themselves, I’ve tried to call visions to get more info, but it appears as if there’s a block of some kind.”

 

[Igni Ymaranath Ythys]

"What I do isn't exact, I suppose. I enjoy making money. It requires so little effort to move goods from one location to another. And it pays handsomely," Igni said. "Some creatures are not so fortunate, and so I... redistribute the funds, in exchange for loyalty and... merit," she said, thoughtful.

"I also study the lesser races. I find their company to be flattering. Their wide eyes, when they see what ones like us can do. They are quite adorable. And, when I take this form, some of them appear intoxicatingly handsome," Igni said, and winked. "Their politics are simple, compared to my kind. Their grudges only have so long to fester. They forget, and in that forgetfulness there's a... certain bliss."

For a moment Igni was thoughtful, tapping the points of her fingers together across the front of her belly.

"It does not sound like you're a struggling artist, either. Two hundred gold is a fair sum. No wonder you were insulted by the ten gold! Perhaps this K.G does not know you that well after all."