A Moonlit Wisteria Nurtures a Seedling

    It's late in the day... so late it is almost early. But then when else do you look for a Moonlit Enchanter? The tavern is mostly quiet and that's probably a good thing since the tall very white woman standing at the bar has pulled three tables behind her and they are absolutely cluttered with papers and crystals, strange mechanical parts and three masks rest on the bar before her along with a dark bubbling beverage in a glass.

    Upon entering the tavern, Lauren... blinks. One never just finds what they are looking for, that isn't any reality. Instead, taking cues from the environment, she approaches the bar and politely awaits her turn to order, and in the meantime...
    "Excuse me," Lauren says when she is close enough to Wisteria to speak without raising her voice. The short imp has to look directly up. "I admit that I came here to get a drink, to mull over some things, and knowing who you are, also a hope at speaking with you."
    "But I'm dying to know, why the masks?" Lauren asks, glancing at them as if in search for motifs around design.

    Wisteria who has been staring at the masks trying to figure something out, blinks owlishly, the tall young woman hmms, tips her head looking down. She lifts one hand, fingers stained with various alchemical solutions and enchanting reagents. She taps her lips. (Not a recomended habit when working with chemicals). "Well." she picks the mask of a blindfolded woman. "The Blind One." She sets it down and picks up a mask that is of a woman wearing a heavy helm "The Burning One." she settles it down and picks up the third, a beautiful long haired woman, the hair laced with chains "The Beautiful One." she says. "I'm almost ready to complete my most potente of curses." she grns widely and lifts her glass taking a large swallow of the dark bubbling fluid. "AHhhh hahahahahhahahahha!" the satisfied sigh turns into a rolling cackle of laughter.

While the Dragon's Larder technically didn't close (unless all it's staff were off at a Boss Raid or something) it did have it's quieter periods. Which was when Vertina did other things like work back in the distillery. Which is where she had been, coming through the back doors with some restock for the bar. Just in time for the almost mad scientist laughter, which gets a scaled brow to raise slightly. "Still hard at work on that pet project I see."

    Just about to speak, Lauren holds her tongue as Vertina just asks; sometimes you really can get information by observing. Although initially surprised by the laughter, Lauren simply looks guileless in her confusion. Does one interrupt a mad scientist or wait until they are down laughing? Will cues be given? Should she look appropriately terrified, or does that disqualify?
    With no answer immediately coming to mind, she simply speaks when it seems safe to do so. "So this curse," She begins slowly, lowering her head in recognition of Vertina, "in relation to the masks, is this a syncretic effect? Usually the Three aren't mistaken for one, like the Fates, so I admit I'm simply curious: a curse in what sense, what do the masks tell you, and I'm so sorry. I'm Lauren Sharpe. I'm an aspiring enchanter, so... that mask. Looking to invoke the power of divinity to render someone persona non grata to reality?"

    Wisteria grins at Vertina, the girl currently in human form and so doesn't have the ears to be taller than her friend. "Hmm oh of course why is it late?" she says looking at her wrist like it's going to tell her something then shrugs and takes another swallow of her drink. "Ooh hey could I get another rootbeer?" she asks happily as she sets the last mask back down. "This curse is going to take the curses I've placed on my armor, helm, and sword. Then it is going to combine them into a retributive effect where upon I call down the wrath of the Three and cripple my enemies so that they may fall before me like rice before the kama." she says as she turns to the spread out tables. She points left to notes and diagrams with her helmet resting atop a few crystals that radiate dark magics. "Black Flame Retribution, a plee to the Burning One to turn her wrath on those who would attack me." She points to the center "Black Chain Binding, a plee to the Beautiful One to bind those who would dare oppose me." She draws her katana and rests the black bladed weapon across the third table and papers. "Black Luck Blade, which calls upon the Blind One to turn her favor away from those struck." she turns back around to the three masks. "The Displeasure of the Three! My greatest Curse, that shall call down the displeasure of all three goddesses to smite my foes!" she cackles again... someone should probably sleep if she's like this without a Mood driving her.

"Sure thing Wist." Vertina sets her case of flasks down on the bar, and walks behind it to grab a root beer. Walks over and sets it down on Wist's table aside from the masks so it doesn't interfer with her work. "So she's taking all three curses and combining them into one -big- curse... Kinda glad I don't have to fight you outside of training, after all that." Then turns her attention to Lauren. "Can I get you anything?"

    "May I ask for tea?" Lauren, the Maid, asks. "Just like, strong, black, a little bit of honey, and hot, please?" She winces at the request. "I'm so sorry, but thank you!" Another smile to Vertina. When her attention drifts, it is to the Black Luck Blade.
    "You know what I've always wondered?" She asks, seemingly to no one. "There are so many spells to alter the lethal properties of a sword, but I was thinking, why not just create a solid probability space in which every strike against one's opponent also includes the cuts and slashes the wieler /didn't/ make but /could have/. That thought truly unsettled me. Almost as much as Black Flame Retribution."

    Wisteria looks and then taps her lips with her stained fingers again "Hmm... I think that would take something that actually bypasses system protections... since you'd be messing with the game clock." she hmms "It'd be like reversing the Immortal flag." she sips her soda. "Hmm, well best not to get too distracted, I have to work the Phalanges in... this is going to be the hardest part." she says taping her fingers on the table "I... should I dig in now... go get a bath..." she hmms and turns back to the new girl "Ooh you were talking about talking... what can I help you with?" asks and sips her rootbeer.

Vertina gives the apology a dismissive wave. "It's not a problem." She turns and walks back towards the bar. "I keep plenty of options on hand for the people who want to spend social time at the pub with friends but not actually drink alcohol. Wist is a prime example." She gets to work on preparing Lauren's tea, laughing a bit as Wist is coming back around to her wits.

    "Oh," Lauren says abruptly upon Wisteria's explanation. "That's brilliant, thank you. That saved me a lot of research," She admits. "I think you did just help me!" Following her quiet chuckle, she adds, "And... I have wanted to be so good at something that my work towards it would enable me to achieve Moonlight status one day," she admits. "I really wanted to ask if you were taking apprentices, because ever since I came here? Enchantment is all I think about. To live and breath the path and expression? It's a big deal for a girl like me. But I have this ability, I have this other ability I wish to master as well, and together, I wanted to ask for your help in getting there. Or just advice."
    As she speaks, she hands a napkin without word to Wisteria. "But none of that happens if you accidentally eat something lethal."

    Wisteria laughs "Ooh don't worry, nothing I'm working with is poisonus... mostly I'll just end up with an elemental effect or something... catch on fire temporarily or something." she shrugs and sips her rootbeer. She does wipe her hands however. "Ooh well that's easy enough. You become moonlit by stepping off the path." she says "You step off the path to the left or the right, to the forgotten or the unknown." she says "And then the song of creation grips you and drives you onwards until something lost or something new is before you." she smiles "And then the world recognizes you, and you can either agree to move onwards... or stop and never again hear the song for that path." she shrugs a little

"Haven't yet heard of anyone not continuing. Just sometimes it takes time for the follow-ups to strike you," Vertina provides from the bar while she's prepping. "But Wist's explaination is right on the money. Been there once myself." Like a good barkeep she's listening even if she's not directly present in the conversation at the moment. "You mentioned enchanting, what's the other ability?"

Lauren is long to listen but very quick to hear, as she awaits without interruption information she sought. Although judging from the intensity of her stare-- someone who has forgotten they have a physical self, and all related social niceties-- there are notes being taken someplace internal. This goes for all imps, but Lauren especially has the impression of pulling words into some fathomless void.
    "Well, first, I wanted to thank you both. Wisteria, that was excellent advice. I think I even knew it, but as you say, a step is a change. As for the other ability, I am a summoner."
    At this, Lauren appears blank. "The fact has always been a neuter to me. It has no polarity," she stresses, quietly searching for the right words. "I'm left-handed, my name is Lauren, I'm a summoner. I never thought much about that side. If I am being honest," the imp adds, "I want to make beautiful clothing. True haute couture, bespoke. And that is a fairytale so tightly entwined with enchanting that I can already hear the song, as you say." She nods towards Wisteria.

    Wisteria giggles, an odd bright sound from such a tall well muscled girl. "Well see, when I say you can step away from it... you get a system prompt... and you could always tell it NO... I don't know anyone who's pushed that button but the implication is you'll stop progressing in that skill." she shrugs "I mean someone might push it someday... maybe I'll dance to the song down some path I'm not passionate about but find intriging or might help my enchantments or help me better contemplate curses." she shrugs a little "Then I can push the NO button and find out." she hmmms "Is it worth the work to experiment... just to let people know what the system says when you push NO? I mean I just want to get home but it's been two years and Kami know what that means for us really." she smiles "How many minutes, hours, days, years has it been back home? Are we still back home? Is this the next life? Was that life the dream?" she chews her lower lip.

Vertina aaahs. "Summoning. I don't know much about that one. That would be more Kita or Setsuna's turf... Here's your tea." She passes the cup to Lauren. So now her fingers are free to count off as she tries to remember who she knows that deals in summoned monsters. "Rylen. Haru... Uta if you want everything and anything about Slimes.... That nosey noisy nightmare Olympus has..."

Lauren is only too happy to see that tea, and she smiles with a mighty gratitude to Vertina. Even while her fingers twine around the cup, she listens.
    "Slims?" She says, abruptly, before realizing the likely answer to her own question.
    "I think the problem is..." She begins slowly, only once Vertina has finished speaking. Her gaze goes to the surface of the tea. "Mmm. My parents were industry people. Are industry people. I once awoke to a famous actor cast as Dracula having dinner at the table with family, but in full outfit. And Hollywood is already a place of dreams and ghosts. I plan to forge a pact with the Boogeyman, soon enough," she says, shrugging. "And the shades that hide in the closet, the monster that eats fingers that hang over the edge of the bed, I'm on intimate speaking terms with them. I would be," she says, narrowly avoiding Teenage Eyeroll. "My parents worked on so many of the films. Summoning doesn't take as much skill as enchanting, which requires both skill and talent. I think that's why I find it less interesting-- and I already possess enough Dark magic to be on speaking terms with at least a few of those curses," She says, nodding to the masks on the table. "So... the goal was for beautiful clothing and my own, deliberately left vague intentions for enchanting."

    Wisteria shrugs "Ooh Enchanting isn't about anything in particular." she smiles and sips her soda "I mean I use it for curses on my own stuff, but I developed the reactive sheilds for our home and to help with the war against the crowned."

"Yeah, those kind of things sound like you'd get along with Setsuna. He's into the creepy necromancer vibe." Vertina shrugs a little. "Enchanting sounds neat, but well above my headspace. I just pester Wist when I need something infused. I'll stick to brewing and cooking for making things. And alchemy. After the tournament Syx is going to teach me farming and hermalism stuff so I can procure my own stock more easily."

    "Mostly, just enchanting right now." Lauren laughs. "I mean, I'd like to focus on one project at a time. Which is why I wanted to ask if you were taking apprentices," She asks of Wisteria. "And what do you plan on growing?" Of Vertina.

    Wisteria shrugs "I've never had an aprentice before... well I mean I have taught a bunch of people how to use elemental crystal formations and the ancient circutry method of enchanting." she says "So uhm... I guess? I mean I'm happy to help out teaching people how to work with the crystals."

Vertina starts ticking on her figures. "Herbs, spices, that sort of thing. A lot of alchemy regeants are plant based too, and some are really hard to come by if not expensive. Of course it means having to dungeon delve for them yourself, but that's great!... I just need to be able to actually tell what I'm looking for."

    "I LOVE dungeon delving!" Lauren says, brightening up immediately. "I can't get enough of it! I rely heavily on summons in dungeons, but I really need more work with enchanting first. I'm not much of a fighter, and summoning isn't as versatile in damage as sorcery. Therefore, summons. And an unholy amount of Dark magic," she says, smiling brightly. "And I would be so honored!" She tells Wisteria. "Anything I can learn."

    Wisteria nods her head and settles down sipping her soda. "Okay well I've lost momentum. You know what that means Vert?" she grins "BATHOUSE!" she says throwing her free hand into the air. "Hot soak time, I love that we have a bath here." she dances "No More two hour walk just to get a soak. Well at least when I'm visiting Tolbana."

Vertina laughs as Wisteria decides to conclude work in her usual suggestion of visiting the bathes. "Okay, just let me make sure the distillery is locked up properly first."