11/28 A True Knight's Example

 Task would nod in just affirmation as he watched the distant solution of the dispute in a legal, wholesome manner. The acclaimed pastime of rock paper scissors, a legendary article of law instituted by the first magi watchman, Fraggledorf the Just. Some say that in his time, it was not a peaceful pastime to enjoy with friends, but a method of execution for the unjust. Oh, how the times have flown since his mythic era of law enforcement.

It was a pleasant way to spend an evening.

"Ah yes, Dame Iessia, have you considered my proposition? It's entirely alright if you don't want to stare blurrily at stars, there's plenty of other relaxing pastimes to engage in. Like combat knitting, or boulder tossing! I admit, I don't have many hobbies."

Task would offer a missing toothed, tired smile to the lady knight as he puffed away at his corn cob pipe, blowing a cloud of minty smoke towards the roof of the establishment as he enjoyed the evening in good company, the lines of stress loosening just a bit upon his bald visage.
(Task)
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 The rabbit boy would have been about ready to storm out, when he heard Robin's next words. His foot slammed into the ground.

"I get it. I get it, I get it, I get it. I'm nooooo fancy person with a fancy title, so I'm not as important as Sister Blaire, or nobles, or other people. Theeeeeeeey're so much higher in rank, and more important, so they get paid attention to first."

"With their fancy balls, and their orders, and getting whatever they want..." Underneath the gas mask, his cheeks puffed up.

His eyes held their own animosity in them, fists still balled in his pockets as he looked towards Soren.

"I don't know. What do you think? If that's sooooooooooo important, just go, and we can do this some other time. If not,"

The boy began to throw his fist forwards, simply playing rock for the game.
(Cameo Octavius)
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"Don't be like that. It isn't about titles! But if I do this, I'll be one of the first certified doctors in Sudbury. On the Watch!"

Soren leans onto the back of the chair, squinting into Cameo's eyes a bit.

"Then I'll be able to patch you up after our spar. You know?"

A goading grin is given as he holds a hand up to form paper, then reaches out to lightly close his hand around the Octavius' fist.

"Thanks for understanding, Cameo. I'll see you all soon!"

And he releases with the intent to zoom out of the door right after.
(Soren)
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 The animosity in the gaze doesn't fade as the paper reached out and covered his hand. Instead, the reflected emotion is only defeat, mixed with anger, his hand slowly moving to go back into his fist.

"Go on then. Go to your lesson..."

his hand moved up to his hood, pulling it further over his face to hide a scowl.

"I'm going outside."

And, a bit after Soren had left, he too headed outside the bar.
(Cameo Octavius)
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Whatever they're talking about down south has gone a bit over her head, as she was far and distracted by her own inner machination nd outer drinking spectacle.

They're going off to spar? She offers a wave with the hand not holding her mug, and drops it finally a few seconds later to sit on the table as hollow as if freshly left to dry after washing. Foam, and foam alone.

"Ah, right. Your proposition, Constable Task. Is..."

She pauses, trailing off and thinking quietly for a moment.

"Is there competitive boulder tossing, sir?"
(Audree Iessia)
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Task would tap his chin as he took a hefty draft from his tankard, emptying the container down to its last dregs before removing it from his face. Naturally, a beard of foam now remained upon the bald constable's visage, him none the wiser as he continued to puff away, perhaps a bit more sloppily than usual due to the minute intoxication, at his corn cob pipe. Blowing a cloud of minty smoke up towards the rafters, the watchman would hum to himself in consideration as he mulled over Audree's words.

"I'm not quite certain, actually. Usually when I do it, it's part of my training regimen. As a constable and a pugilist, I need to ensure my physicality is at the top of its game at all times. Boulders tend to be excellent training implements, whether it be tying them to my back and climbing mountains, binding them to my legs and attempting to swim laps, or merely tossing them to build arm strength. It goes doubly so now that I've begun my pursuits in energy magic; it's a largely physical art that will require even more of my diminished stamina. I must find my limits and break them time and time again!"

Task would flash Audree a wide toothed, idealistic grin as he beamed, a sense of honest enjoyment as he chattered throughout the evening with the lady knight amongst good company and cheer. The constable wasn't used to unwinding as such, his was a stiff and dutiful demeanor in most cases.

"...We could make it competitive though, if you'd like? Some boulder tossing under the stars doesn't sound like a terrible way to spend an evening with good company at all, Dame Iessia."
(Task)
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 "Suppose that is fair. I just wrap my blade in chains for more resistance weight. And likewise elsewhere." To each their own, and to their own devices. But there were certain similarities between those who practiced traditionally forceful manual close combat, with or without weaponry.

In a manner of speaking, she did both! But only slightly, as she bore one hand either with a shield or to flex her claws in what was one of her better attacks. Or it was. Might've been nerfed to be bad now.

"The convenience of conjured, weighty magics that is. And a bit of it has extension into my blade. But only a bit."

It might matter more if she had a better blade than the most basic of basics, but...

"Regardless, I could likely buy into that. A competitive edge is always a positive spark."
(Audree Iessia)
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Task would smile as his tired, brown eyed gaze held upon Audree's visage, listening intently to her words as he puffed away on his corncob pipe, foam beard and all. The bald constable had found himself spending more and more time with the metal magi since his distant introduction to her, and he'd yet to ever find a reason to complain about her good company.

Occasional things worked out, even a city like this.

"I'm still a bit of a novice as far as actual mana manipulation, but chains don't sound like a half bad idea...perhaps work on my mastery of maintaining solidity and form in energy by making rungs of mana to bind to my person with heavy loads rather than material ropes and ties. It will no doubt be twice as tiring, but that is oft half the point of a good training session! If I can still feel my legs afterwards, clearly I've failed."

The bald constable would grin, a toothy, tired thing. His eyes were a bit lidded from his perpetual state of exhaustion and the aid of alcoholic influence, but it was clear from his own visage that he was, at least for the moment, genuinely at peace. It seemed Dame Iessia proved quite proficient at bringing him to such a state.

"Your magic is fascinating, I'd imagine mastery of metal as a fencer is a boon in itself. I look forward to seeing your abilities grow, Dame Iessia, it is a wonder to watch you at work."

The bald constable would take a long, thoughtful puff from his corncob pipe, a smirk widening as he settled back in his chair and watched the dispersing crowd and chatter.

"Then it's settled, isn't it? If we cannot gauge the stars with our own eyes, then we'll simply need to hurl boulders so high in the sky that we make new ones. Then we can name them and reap the profits of scholastic knowledge! It's a dangerous game, but a worthy gamble for a constable and knight alike."
(Task)
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 Another fellow is curious by what she means? As an aside and example, she stretches out her arm opposite to Task until straight, and a flashy, brief flair of mana twists a loud, clanking link of chain together. It's loose for only a breath before magnetizing to the armor and cloth along her arm, and then hanging look as new links materialize along the wrist.

With a cursory flex of the elbow, the length of it shifts accordingly to lax and loosen.

"The easiest of means to weigh myself down, and practice twofold- maintaining this magic, and working core strengths simultaneously. I am not the best with this magic yet, so it works out well to keep it on hand as often as my mind's not too tired to manage.

Despite how fast she'd downed any and all alcohol brought before her, Audree was still as she was- neutral and flatly spoken, showing little to no such influence of affect. But- she is a taller Felinae Knight, reaching to a hair under six feet. And her frame is not one generally small, either. She fills out her armor well enough by looks.

It should be no surprise she holds her alcohol like a champion proper.
(Audree Iessia)
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 Task would admire the manifestation of the chains from his up close, parallel view, sipping on the suds of his tankard in-between puffs of minty smoke as he smiled contently. The bald constable would offer a whistle and a round of applause as the chains clanked, something that would never occur from the usually thoroughly serious watchman if it wasn't for the benefit of intoxication.

Even hard headed fools needed to loosen up once in a while.

"I admire your dedication to self-improvement...I am certain before long you will manifest your abilities as naturally as breathing.The harder one pushes themselves without breaking, the strong they become. It's a sense of drive I find in my own pursuits of betterment with my aspirations of being the best constable I can be. I'm glad to have found a kindred spirit, Dame Iessia."

The bald constable would offer a warm, missing toothed grin with only lightly reddened cheeks, his tone coherent in spiteof the mild intoxication that came about him. While looser than usual, he was still his same rigid self. It would take much more to actually crack that kind of iron shell.

"Were you the first in the present generation of the order to manifest this form of magic, or did you have a tutor of some kind?"
(Task)

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Heavy, old-looking in aesthetic, perhaps that was some extension of her mastery over the twisting ties of the metal links themselves? They looks a little brittle, as if as of yet unsuited to combat. She could briefly a show the tip of something that grows from her hand. That much is more like a lance, but it is shortlived before being swallowed back into a mist of pure mana that reabsorbs back into her fingertips or disperses thusly.

"I'd no tutor of the sort, nay. Many earth magi I served under as a Cadet, and witness the talents thereof first hand. But I never knowingly laid my eyes upon metal, nay. Not of the magical sort, and not that I knew."
(Audree Iessia)
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Task would watch intently in-between puffs of his corncob pipe, minty smoke steadily rising up towards the rafters of the tavern as he reclined in his seat and took in the lady knight's display. The curling of the brittle links, the apparition of the lance before its sudden dissipation; these efforts did not to Task speak of a novice's effort, but of a swift and growing understanding of an entirely new manifestation of magic that merely required adaptation! The bald constable's brown eyes, while still lidded with exhaustion, were wide and open in attention as he offered Audree a toothy grin.

"Yet another chronicle to add to legendary tale of Dame Iessia. Some say her mastery of metal came one day from the sheer manifestation of her iron will, her stubbornness made physical by the very manifestation of iron in the air. It makes for a good song in truth, a swordsman who weaves metal like cloth. I might even have to learn to read for it."

The bald constable would offer Audree a wink, snickering at his blew another cloud of smoke up towards the rafters. He would widen is own palm, staring at it briefly as, with a bit of concerted focus and effort, the barest wisps and embers of ethereal blue magic would appear, vanishing as soon as they arrived with a light sigh from the watchman.

"I admit my own efforts haven't been quite so fruitful. Physical training is simple to me; lots of sweat, strain, and perpetual exhaustion. But actually manifesting mana...making it dense and physical so it can be manipulated? It's escaped me so far, even with Lord Brienne's explanation. I must dig deeper, I suppose."

Task would hum to himself, returning his brown eyed gaze to the lady knight with another smile.

"Any suggestions for me? You're the future master here."
(Task)
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 Oh. Watching him through peripheral makes her itch, so again she turns to restoring her pipe to it's glory and alighting it to the scent of pure, concentrated tobacco- the sort one likely has to request to either suffrage or glee of both.

But she exhales very little of the smoke with her first breath, it seems. She holds much in still, and closes her eyes to her own sigh. It is relief from unseen stress.

"I might concede that that's what it was. Makes it sound dramatic, at the very least."

Her admittance comes with a small touch of that smoke, but her intakes far exceed it. The Felinae is becoming the smoke.

"Mayhaps you're approaching it the wrong way. My basis was always earth. Sturdiness. My innate magi affinity was that, felt even long before I could make a small patch of soil hiccup." She nods, not exactly sagely. If only. "But you seek a magic that is not something that you can traditionally hold in your hands, or craft into the world naturally. It is no piece of natural, mundane existence. It is energy itself. As a function, still, it is the expression of that in the same way my metal magic is... metal. But built, made, or manipulated wholly by my familiarity with it- my practice and understanding for how it feels as it's coaxed to be.

Whether I twist these chains into existence from air and mana pure, or looser earth with only traces of mineral that I need, or straighten my wholly metal sword after an errant blow. What I know is the innate feeling, and sense, for that to which I am attuned, that I have felt and can replicate at will. In every which way, it is an exaggeration of something that you can feel even without magics. I think that's the best way that I can describe it, if it at all help you, Constable, ser."

She certainly goes on.
(Audree Iessia)
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Audree also drops the chains. They're kind of uncomfortable.
(Audree Iessia)
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Task would smile just a bit wider as he saw Audree too light up her trusty pipe, a sense of familiarity beyond the warmth the bald constable already felt seeming to come forth from the gestured as his lidded, brown eyes were once more focused entirely upon the female knight. He seemed to be relying more and more in recent times upon the good sense of the felinae knight's words; at the least they appeared to make more sense to him than most folks in the city.

A positive for good company.

Yet, as Dame Iessia explained the concept of familiarity and attunement, of getting a feel for that which you aim to manipulate, the gears gears began to turn in Task's head as his mouth dropped just a bit, the bald constable steadily blinking as he listened on to the woman's words with complete focus.

"Familiarity....yes! I'm going about this all wrong! I'm trying to bring forth mastery by brute force when I don't even have the basic feel for my own mana! I'm trying to learn to run before I can walk, and its impeding me! Lord Brienne suggested meditation was a good first step, but it didn't entirely click with me until now. I must familiarize myself with the flow of mana throughout my body before I can manifest it physically, attune to the very essence of the energy within myself before it can be externalized!"

Task's tired smile would spread into a wide, toothy grin as his eyes opened for once completely without a hint of exhaustion, excitement and sudden understanding overwhelming him. The bald constable would proceed to immediately embrace the felinae knight in a tight hug, whooping with joy as everything at last came together within his mind.

"Oh, you are brilliant Audree! I hadn't even thought of that! I might actually have some progress to show you in time now, for the first time since it was explained to me originally I feel like I'm actually getting it!"

Task would blink, the mention of the magic reminding him with sudden curtness that Lord Brienne was having an assembly of his staff and retainers this evening. This evening being now.

"Oh shi….shucks, I have a meeting to attend with Lord Brienne. I'm sorry for cutting the evening short Dame Iessia, I hope it will not take too long. I shall see you soon, yes? I'll likely be around the park after all that business is handled."

The constable would release the knight, beginning to rise as he dusted off his cloak and leather adornments with a firm nod.
(Task)
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 Audree Iessia says, "Oh- aye, aye, ser. I've enjoyed it, and apologize for keeping you so."
 Audree Iessia says, "I hope you find your way to these new magics. If so, I may accept the slightest of credit."
 Task says, "Pfffft."
 Task says, "Humble as ever, I see."
 Task says, "I've enjoyed it too, as ever. I'm loathe to leave your company, but duty calls."
 Audree Iessia says, "Of course."
 Task asks, "Til next time, yes?"
 Audree Iessia says, "Do take care."
 Task says, "Indeed, you as well."