[11:27] Agnimazud Ishwaratu says, "Oh, another person from this place, I presume."
[11:28] Lemuria was in the midst of obsessively jotting something down in her journal, her eyes widened like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
(Lemuria Augustus)

[11:29] Agnimazud leans against the excessively large tree, folding his arms beneath his cloak and turning so he was facing the female. The glint of green from the shadows masking his face cast by his hood signal that his gaze is pointed at Lemuria. "I wonder what it is you're writing about."
(Agnimazud Ishwaratu)

[11:32] At first, she seemed to be ignoring him, willfully. But after a few moments, it finally seemed to hit her that someone was actually talking to her. She quickly and nervously closed her journal, her gaze shifting over to Agni, her expression one of concern.

"I'm producing art. Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
(Lemuria Augustus)

[11:37] "I'm just a wanderer. No place to call home, and no place I'm expected to be. This place is entirely new to me, however. I figured I would explore a little. It's certainly home to things I've never seen before." the Drakanite begins to explain, his voice seemingly apathetic--but this was par for the course.

His head turns to take in the surroundings of the village further out, and his staring idles for a few seconds before the attention of his eyes is back on Lemuria. "Oh, right. You can call me Abraxas. And--who are you? What is this place?"
(Agnimazud Ishwaratu)

[11:43] While initially beset with immense skepticism, the mention of having no place to call home managed to calm Lemuria's nerves. After all, if he didn't possess a home, making a single mistake here meant that he'd never find himself with one again.

"I see. We are Moonfall, a village with a rather colorful history. If you have no other home, you may be able to find one here, as long as you behave well. My name is..."

She paused, not wanting to give him her true first name; not yet.

"August. It's a pleasure to meet you."
(Lemuria Augustus)

[11:48] Agnimazud nods his head in the form of a greeting of sorts, quickly speaking afterward. "It's nice to meet you as well. The prospect of having a place to stay after so long is interesting. Though, I wonder if I've become too accustomed to the endless road at this point. Who knows? It's a fun enough thought to have, I guess."

There's an indifferent shrug of his shoulders with that. He actually wasn't really looking to settle down per se--though that did come with the perk of having a new 'hideout' of sorts, given his old one was more than compromised at this point. He turns his head to Siexita having spotted her roll on around, nodding to her in acknowledgement as well.

"What are you writing about? I suppose I could use a history lesson too."
(Agnimazud Ishwaratu)

[11:48] Adama abandons his usual shop location to sit by a big tree, peddling his wares there.
(Adama)

[11:53] The young lady leaned up against the flower-covered structure behind her. There was a dull gaze as she glanced towards Adama, watching him as he tried to tell his tales. None of which really interested her at all. She clicked her tongue quietly, looking away afterwards.

Her eyes settled, then, upon those that rested beyond the large tree. She focused on the girl nearby, before letting a little huff come from her lips.

Was it a greeting to the drakanite, perhaps? It was hard to tell.
(Siexita)

[11:53] Lemuria was highly skeptical of showing off her journal to someone, but it's not like it'd do any harm, right? As much as she preferred keeping such things secret until the time was right, it's not like Agni would see what would happen when that time came. She scooted over to him, and opened her journal.

"Like I said, art."

Within the journal were pages upon pages upon pages of runes, some of them similar, but each one at least slightly different. Some were recognizable, others were of her own creation. Every single inch of paper within the journal was covered in these drawings, but they were carefully crafted to never overlap.

This was an obsession, that much was clear.
(Lemuria Augustus)

[11:59] The sight of the pages immediately caught the Drakanite's attention, this much was evident by the increased glow shining from his eyes with them widening. "Oh, there are some runes here even I don't recognize, that's actually pretty interesting." the usual apathy in which his words were spoken was even replaced with noticeable hints of interest in his increased inflection.

"Still, art if a rather vague term. There are many forms of art, and there are things that one may consider art while others do not. But that in itself is part of art's appeal, and why it's so fascinating, I would say."

Back to the usual indifference with his words, not that it seemed to be a reliable gauge of his stimulation in regards to interaction either way. He pauses only to open his mouth wide and yawn for several seconds, speaking once his mouth closed. "Your work here, though, goes beyond meticulous. I suspect it will evolve into something even greater at some point."
(Agnimazud Ishwaratu)

[12:08] "Most things can be viewed as art. Most things can be made into art. Art is an expression of the hidden world within all of us; it's the magic of our mind! And symbols can draw out these hidden worlds within everything, not just people."

Lemuria's usual reserved and quiet tone gave way into something more passionate, although not overly so.

"That's why I draw these. I want to draw out everyone's hidden world- their hidden power- because I believe that people have the greatest hidden worlds of all."

It might be hard to follow what she was saying, given how non-literal she was being.

"I desire to practice this art, and various other means of artistic performance, until I can do that."
(Lemuria Augustus)

[12:09] * You have been awarded 1 Roleplay Points! *
[12:21] Agnimazud leans further back into the tree, relaxing himself as much as he can against the rough bark. It was nice to hear someone else speak passionately about something they were invested in. Partly because of his own lack or motivation, or perhaps rather inability to convey that motivation in such a manner himself.

"It's like night and day, seeing you talk about your artwork. Interesting. Though, I fear you overestimate the potential of people. There are some, of course, who I would agree fit what you describe. The majority, though?"

The Drakanite scoffs almost as if in disgust, shaking his head in vehement disagreement. "I don't see it. I wish you luck, either way. I do hope to continue to oversee your progress if I am able to."
(Agnimazud Ishwaratu)

[12:27] Make no mistake, Lemuria understood the sentiment behind what Agni said, but she herself also vehemently disagreed with him, just... not for the reasons he might think. See, it wasn't a matter of underestimating people; it was a matter of her wanting to see people give it their all, and to see passion clearly visible within her eyes.

"If art can't bring out the hidden worlds within someone, then that's fine. I know for a fact that terror works, too. Art motivates the exceptional, but fear motivates the dregs of society. I'd be more than willing to use both. I just know which one I prefer."

No matter what kind of passion it was.

"I feel most alive when I see the eyes of another widen. It doesn't matter what the rest of their face tells me."
(Lemuria Augustus)

[12:36] "I would say the opposite, but then I believe at that point, it's just two sides of the same coin. I find fear works best on the exceptional--but it depends on just what evokes the feeling of being exceptional to you. Those at the top are oft only prone to budge when they feel fear--that fear usually being losing that precious position they've been so comfortable with."

Agni stops, his expression becoming pensive. This conversation took a surprising turn--it was more interesting than he thought it'd be from his initial exchange with Lemuria. The time he took to gather his thoughts before continuing to speak was also spent defining how he truly felt about this. It wasn't something he ever touched upon much by himself.

"...Then again, you could say that one who only moves in the wake of such tactics is the dreg, and the ones who have to claw their way up through 'passion' are truly exceptional. In the end, it's determined solely through the lens you view each individual with. In my opinion."
(Agnimazud Ishwaratu)

[12:44] "The strong are those who move in the face of that fear, the dregs are those who can only run from it. But that desire to run is a form of motivation in its own right, and it's what teaches them to be strong if they had the potential to begin with. The exceptional are those who don't need that motivation, and this is by no means indicated by their wealth."

This was something that she herself clearly put a lot of thought into, however.

"Their ambition is what drives them. It's what makes them exceptional. Poor, rich, or even middling. The poor and middling claw their way up, the rich move forward. It's all the same. None of it requires fear. It just requires passion and discipline. Passion which art can inspire."
(Lemuria Augustus)

[12:52] "Potential isn't everything. However, I do believe it counts for something. I suppose it's a bit more black and white for me. Exceptional, dreg? Strong, weak? They're simply constantly fluctuating values that individuals possess. It matters not to me how they obtained these values, through fear or passion, or anything else in between. What matters is that they exist as they currently do."

The more that he spoke, the faster his words gradually came out. It seemed that through their conversation he arrived at a conclusion that he didn't have prior to it. In fact, he was even nodding his head as if to confirm the culmination of his brewing thoughts.

"Yes--for ultimately, whatever means used, or taken are the strength for that individual--because they end in the same result. The weak or strong, using either fear or passion--should they arrive at the pinnacle, either are therefore, objectively 'exceptional'. Should they fall from grace, or be usurped? Then those who've climbed ahead of them take that ever elusive title, and the ones from before become the dregs. An infinite, but never ending race. It's fascinating to me. It's how life should be. To play the hand that you're dealt most effectively as possible, that's all really one is capable of in this life. That isn't to say that some hands aren't capable of brilliant things that most would not grasp if given them in place of others."
(Agnimazud Ishwaratu)

[12:54] {Item} You drop Nataraja.
[12:54] {Item} You picked up Nataraja. Dropped by Agnimazud Ishwaratu. .
[13:01] Lemuria shook her head. She was the opposite; she believed that potential accounted for almost everything.

"Some people lack the capacity to be strong. Everyone has a hard limit, everyone has a different rate of growth. I'll give you that most people average out to be similar, and that potential is something that exists within many different aspects of a person instead of just their overall whole, but people are either born with that fire, or they're not."

"The weak dregs of society are those who congregate at the bottom and nip at the heels of those stronger than them. The strong are those who climb up within that society, or forge their own path outside of it."

Lemuria was antsy, and hated being still. She loved to be doing things, and would always be doing something if given a chance. This tendency was very much reflected in her philosophy on such things. Coming to terms with something was not a sign of strength for her; movement was.

"That's what I believe."
(Lemuria Augustus)

[13:12] "But you haven't disagreed with me, now have you? As I said--the strong are the strong. It matters not how that got to be that state. I guess you could just surmise that everyone to have reached that state would thus, have "potential" but I don't think that's quite true, myself..."

A slight grin takes to the Drakanite's face, held for a couple of seconds before he starts to chuckle. It was the most animated he'd been yet. "It's kind of silly to say, but rather, I'd say there are those with 'potential' and those with the 'potential for potential'." he can't help but laugh even further after verbalizing where he was going with his ideas. It didn't last long though, expectedly.

"That is to say, some are simply prone to accruing power. However, there are those that, not by themselves, but if in put in the proper scenario, or perhaps even the proper care, will then acquire that same proneness. One could argue these things are one in the same, but I think there's a clear difference. Still! My belief stands that, power is objective and absolute. Those who hold it are the powerful, regardless of the means they achieved that status. Of course, more... unscrupulous individuals with power are quite likely to squander it."

There's a shrug of his shoulders.

"Or not reach up to their own true potential, even."
(Agnimazud Ishwaratu)

[13:21] "Power is absolute, huh?"

Lemuria held her hand up and gazed at it, the faintest bit of occult mana visible within for several moments. Perhaps an odd thing to display so easily, but that just set the tone for the village they were in. Such things were accepted- nay, they were welcomed.

"No disagreements there. Might makes right. Not because what the strong say is automatically right, but because they have the power to set the definition of what is right. Power is the ink through which the story of one's life is written, and if you cannot write your own story, others will write it for you."

Lemuria rose her finger up and drew a magical rune in midair. It quickly faded, mind, but it was just a means of expression that possibly matched up with what she just said. A compulsion.

"What chapter of your life are you on, Abraxas?"
(Lemuria Augustus)

[13:28] The display of Occult magic alone would've been enough to take Agni by surprise, but for it to be presented so casually...? Well, the prospect of finding a home within this place just became infinitely more appealing, to say the least. It was his first time coming across another who wielded the magic.

"Yes, you get it exactly, August. Power serves as the door that leads to any destination possible. The more you have of it, the more roads and destinations are added to that doorway. History is determined by the victor, or so they say, after all." the Drakanite chuckles again, this time cynically. He decided to also display his own Occultic magic. A pitch-black veil of mana encapsulates Agnimazud's form, just barely avoiding Lemuria after it fully formed into a sphere around his airspace. The space around and between them became thick with the signature eerie feeling of the Occult for several seconds until the daemonic magic vanished on its own.

"A turning point, I would say. However, whether that turning point is positive or negative remains to be discovered. It's a formative time for me. I have to make use of this time, and become stronger. Lest my goals become unobtainable."
(Agnimazud Ishwaratu)

[13:33] Lemuria shifted her gaze over towards Agni, making genuine eye contact with him for the first time. She smiled, too, which was also a first for this conversation. Perhaps she really was warming up to him, as evidenced by her further interest in what he had to say.

"And what would those goals be, Abraxas? I've been talking about mine this whole time; let's hear your own. If you are to find a home, and if that home is to be Moonfall, we should get to know each other a little better."
(Lemuria Augustus)

[13:45] Agni was quick to reciprocate the eye contact. Given how close the two were, even with the hood covering his face, his lime-green, serpentine eyes were discernable through the shadows. The wrinkles in his mask made a smile of his own evident as well.

"I would hate to simplify it so much as just acquiring more power, but... well, I guess that's just a means to an end. I would rewrite society, so to say. This place... yes, a place such as this, so far, seems like the type of place I would have the world be. A place without castes or hierarchy. One where your status or name is not how your worth is determined. A world where all achieve what they have solely through their own merit, and nothing else. This is how I see the world as how it was meant to be."

The Drakanite's brows furrow in clear disgust when he transitions in to what he has to say next. "...What we have now is a clear bastardization of that. Nobles, ruling classes, slums... nonsense. It makes the concept of justice a mere farce. Someone powerful determined that this be the course society take. That means I must be powerful enough to take the reigns and steer it back on track to what it should be."
(Agnimazud Ishwaratu)

[13:54] The smile on Lemuria's face quickly shifted into that of a smirk, and an attempt to hold back laughter could possibly be made out on her face. Not at him, mind; she didn't find his goals laughable! She found it all perfect.

"Then you've come to the right place, Abraxas. Maybe you'll find what you need, here. This is the best place for such things, after all!"

Her façade broke, as she let off a slight cackle, but she quickly recomposed herself, allowing her to continue.

"Who knows. If you look around enough, maybe you'll find someone who will help you indulge in your desire for power."
(Lemuria Augustus)

[13:54] Lemuria Augustus whispers: After all, it's a sin not to indulge.
[14:24] Once again, he found himself surprised by the reaction provided to him from Lemuria. Slowly but surely, he was coming to enjoy the company of the quirky teen more and more. Perhaps he need not be so shocked if she ended up being on the same wavelength about even more things down the line. For their ideals on things thus far to align--even if perhaps approached from different ways--wasn't a mere coincidence.

It was impossible, because he was long gone from the beaten path. For another to be receptive to his values, they'd need to be birds of a feather. His ears twitched when they were whispered in to, and he couldn't help but smirk all the same. "Yeah, I had a feeling--the more I spoke to you, that is--that a place such as this would be conducive to my efforts. Serendipitous it is for me to have stumbled upon this place. Or perhaps this is one of those rare instances where 'fate' is applicable."
(Agnimazud Ishwaratu)

[14:32] {Item} You drop Nataraja.
[14:32] {Item} You picked up Nataraja. Dropped by Agnimazud Ishwaratu. .
[14:32] Another cackle. A quiet and subdued one, but indicative of her perspective all the same.

"The hands of fate often deliver what we need upon us. Recognition of the gifts of fate is a kind of magic too."

She had a strange perspective on what magic was, that's for sure. Especially considering this is a world where magic was widespread, but...

Well, like Abraxas thought, the girl was a bit quirky.

"I'd suggest you branch out and meet some of the people here. I cannot introduce you to any myself, as I am not that interested in making friends, but you might find it a more useful venture than I. I suppose I will make an exception if you wish to be my friend, however."
(Lemuria Augustus)

[14:38] A mischievous grin takes to the Drakanite's face at the last words that were spoken. "You know, you needn't be so convoluted about it. You can admit that you'd like to be friends, August."

He playfully ribs at her., scooting over slightly to lean toward her side and whisper some few words in her ear before he shifts back into his original position, having taken the time to think about her suggestion through his motions.

"It's funny. A certain someone would be suggesting I be going out and making friends, too. I didn't expect to receive that sort of advice again, here, of all places..." after speaking the words, Agni is overtaken by a somber mood. The lids of his eyes lower and his head lowers. When he continues speaking, his voice is significantly quieter.

"...I... didn't realize how long it's been since I heard those kind of words either, I guess..."
(Agnimazud Ishwaratu)

[14:44] Lemuria tilted her head at the mention that he hadn't heard those kinds of words in a while. As much of a shut-in as she is, Lemuria knew that bonds were paramount to success; she just wasn't exactly that good at making them.

"Then I suppose you need to hear them more often. I find it a hassle to make them, and most people bore me, but perhaps we can start making them together."

She shrugged.

"Just be careful with where you go and what you say. This is not a friendly place to anyone with even the slightest bit of hostility towards its inhabitants."
(Lemuria Augustus)

[14:45] Agnimazud Ishwaratu whispers: By the way, my name is Agnimazud, actually.
[14:46] Lemuria Augustus whispers: And mine is Lemuria.
[14:55] For a while, he didn't even register what Lemuria was speaking to him. It was just now fully hitting him how long it'd been since he last saw, or even spoke to Astelle. It'd been so easy for that sense of time to be warped, for it to seem like far shorter than what it really was. Many things happened back-to-back in succession, and each of them were situations where his life was very well on the line. His brain hadn't even been given respite to be receptive of reality in its entirety.

Then, as if a switch was flipped, he shook his head rapidly. It was as if all of the words spoken caught up all at once by 'fast-forward' being hit on them, and he replied. "Yeah... I guess. I'm sure it'd be easier with someone alongside me... again." That word, 'again', it almost stung to say. It was a very loaded word--would the 'again' he referred to come back? If it didn't, how could he ever know if some other form of 'again' would even last, if what was had before was able to vanish? The Drakanite started trembling all over, almost on the verge of losing himself...

...but then, he simply doesn't. He becomes still instantly, and it's as if whatever feelings were surfacing, and whatever reactions he may have had were never happening in the first place. His words were calm and collected, in his usual deep monotone.

"I'm not a particularly hostile person, though. I'm sure things will go well here. It almost seems like a place made for one such as myself."
(Agnimazud Ishwaratu)