[ There's a nod, but that doesn't mean that the concern is immediately dismissed. They might have been enemies at one point, but here they have been assisting one another. Their dynamic has shifted.
Still, he takes them both up the stairs. In actuality, it is the entirety of the hallway that he intends to use. Not the guest room or other rooms. There actually is a place to just lounge in the hallway. That's where he stops. ]
Excuse me? [ There's a brief moment of his ears shooting upright as he whirls around to Emet-Selch. G'raha's face colors briefly. ] Ah... I needn't charm him for something like, um. That.
[ In other words, there is no problem with engaging in intimacies. ]
[ He smirks broadly. Something about their dynamic certainly has shifted at some point. With no life-or-death, world-shattering events to orchestrate, Emet-Selch really is just another man (a man with almost god-like powers but still). The walls haven't completely come down - who knows if they ever will - but the banter is surely preferable to their original sniping. ]
Is that not why I'm here? Teaching you to create an illusion of petals showering down upon your beau? I could teach you other things as well, if you're interested.
[ They will always be at odds on some level. However, even G'raha would agree that their current relationship - if you can call it that - is more agreeable than what it once had been. Are they close friends that will confide in one another? No. Would G'raha at least consider them friends on some level?
Probably. ]
I wished to recreate a very meaningful night for the both of us.
[ In other words, they had made vows under the trees last year and wish to do it again this year. Only they couldn't because of the pain so here we are.
But then he looks at Emet-Selch. Slightly suspicious... ]
[ He sure does. And now he is blushing furiously because excuse you? Yes, yes, builder of imperial families and destroyer of them. Still, that's not the sort of thing that G'raha would like to associate Emet-Selch with. ]
I... I think I have been doing quite well without. Ahem. Advice.
[ There's a moment where he breathes out. G'raha rubs at his face, trying to chase away the blush. This is utter nonsense. There's no reason for him to blush like some young thing! ]
Yes, the entire hall. We'll likely be sitting right here. I am hoping that coming up here instead of remaining downstairs might have an element of surprise to it.
I see... And what do you visualise will happen when you bring that young man up here? For the petals to begin showering from above as you climb the stairs? Or for them to fall after you sit?
Hmph. Simple enough. But if you truly want to impress, you ought to glamour the ceiling into a fitting canopy. Imagine you climb the stairs and you turn your eyes upwards to see some completely ordinary and mismatched plaster.
[ He makes a disgusted noise and snaps his fingers. Instantly, the corridor is filled with gently falling petals, and above their heads is a thick canopy of leaves, branches arching from illusory trunks that intersperse between doorways. As if some kind of forest had grown out of the upper floor of G'raha's home. ]
[ No idea why there is a disgusted noise. It's a nice home and plenty spacious enough for Zack and Raha. Though that's not really what catches G'raha's attention in the end. It's the display that Emet-Selch puts on.
His ears perk up. Tail swishes back and forth. Yes! Yes, this is what he had wanted it to be like! A feeling of being completely immersed in the moment. ]
Ah, yes! I didn't consider the tree trunks themselves, but a canopy and falling petals. This would be perfect.
[ He gives a single clap this time and the canopy rustles. A gradient of change sweeps down the hall until it mimics the once-a-year tree and its wondrous flowers. ]
If I didn't know better I would say you were trying to propose to the boy. I'm sure you know such an occasion ought to be saved for the real thing, yes?
You know as well as I that my kind do not typically engage in those practices.
[ Not that he's opposed to the idea. Far from it. To G'raha, it is quite the romantic ideal. The pinnacle of what a relationship could be. To devote your affections to one person and one person alone in this life is quite...
Ahem. ]
Furthermore, I have not the faintest idea what Zack would think.
[ Is he the sort that would also find the concept appealing? ]
Ah, that's right... A tribal system headed by either a male or female, wasn't it? Well, I suppose when any one of us could disappear at any moment, 'tis unwise to make such vows.
[ He waves a hand and the illusion around them slowly fades. ]
Now, are you ready to learn how to replicate the glamour?
[ Without further ado, Emet-Selch launches into his explanation. There is an initial moment of condescension ("You DO know the basics of how to apply a glamour, don't you?") before he begins outlining the intricacies of making G'raha's desired illusion as realistic as possible - even though G'raha probably didn't ask and probably doesn't care to go THAT deep. That includes ways to make the falling petals feel solid (even though they aren't), how to add things such as a slight breeze or adjust the balance of water and fire aether to control humidity and temperature to further trick the mind, and how to recreate sound to fully sell the experience.
As for why he had to see the location in the first place? Glad you asked, G'raha: the long, straight corridor means a meandering wind would be out of place. If one wants to add that breeze, it has to make sense with the location.
Is any of this necessary? Perhaps not. Emet-Selch believes in being as thorough as possible however. Whether the catboy makes use of it all is up to him. ]
[ It doesn't matter if it is necessary or not. G'raha is going to listen to everything. How often is he to receive a lesson from a mage such as Emet-Selch himself? So of course he's hanging onto every word. Nodding excitedly. Ears wiggling and tail swishing around with all of the energy that he is trying to contain.
Who can say if he will use all of it, but it's still good to know?
And then he has to you know. Demonstrate it. Which means a couple rounds of practice. ]
[ Emet-Selch watches the catboy attempt to apply his lessons practically. He cannot help but be reminded of his own childhood. He, too, spent many a day practising with aether, mastering the basics, before moving on to more complicated sorceries. He never had the endless patience to be a teacher himself but he finds himself speaking up whenever G'raha tries something that doesn't seem to work. ]
Recording each aspect of this in crystal would help immensely, [ he grumbles. ] Your nerve is likely to fail you on the day.
[ At least G'raha is a good student. When he receives correction, he is quick to ask clarifying questions. Then make the adjustments necessary and try again. ]
Where could we find such a crystal is the question.
[ If they could even find them, really. This place does have crystals, though G'raha is not unfamiliar with the glamouring process itself. ]
From the volcanic island. There is an abundance of minerals in such places. After the fire energy is drained through use in the smithy, the crystals are repurposed. Up until this point, I had been using them as an energy source for portable magitech devices but they can still serve as traditional vessels of magecraft as well.
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Still, he takes them both up the stairs. In actuality, it is the entirety of the hallway that he intends to use. Not the guest room or other rooms. There actually is a place to just lounge in the hallway. That's where he stops. ]
Excuse me? [ There's a brief moment of his ears shooting upright as he whirls around to Emet-Selch. G'raha's face colors briefly. ] Ah... I needn't charm him for something like, um. That.
[ In other words, there is no problem with engaging in intimacies. ]
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[ He smirks broadly. Something about their dynamic certainly has shifted at some point. With no life-or-death, world-shattering events to orchestrate, Emet-Selch really is just another man (a man with almost god-like powers but still). The walls haven't completely come down - who knows if they ever will - but the banter is surely preferable to their original sniping. ]
Is that not why I'm here? Teaching you to create an illusion of petals showering down upon your beau? I could teach you other things as well, if you're interested.
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Probably. ]
I wished to recreate a very meaningful night for the both of us.
[ In other words, they had made vows under the trees last year and wish to do it again this year. Only they couldn't because of the pain so here we are.
But then he looks at Emet-Selch. Slightly suspicious... ]
...What other things are you speaking of?
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I'm sure you know what I'm speaking of.
[ Look, you don't have as many relationships as he does over x number of lives without actually having SOME skills to maintain them. ]
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I... I think I have been doing quite well without. Ahem. Advice.
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Well, if you change your mind, you know how to find me.
[ He claps his hands together. ]
Now, this is the location you wish to enchant?
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[ There's a moment where he breathes out. G'raha rubs at his face, trying to chase away the blush. This is utter nonsense. There's no reason for him to blush like some young thing! ]
Yes, the entire hall. We'll likely be sitting right here. I am hoping that coming up here instead of remaining downstairs might have an element of surprise to it.
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I see... And what do you visualise will happen when you bring that young man up here? For the petals to begin showering from above as you climb the stairs? Or for them to fall after you sit?
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I would like for the petals to fall perpetually so that it has a visually striking effect as we climb the stairs.
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[ He makes a disgusted noise and snaps his fingers. Instantly, the corridor is filled with gently falling petals, and above their heads is a thick canopy of leaves, branches arching from illusory trunks that intersperse between doorways. As if some kind of forest had grown out of the upper floor of G'raha's home. ]
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His ears perk up. Tail swishes back and forth. Yes! Yes, this is what he had wanted it to be like! A feeling of being completely immersed in the moment. ]
Ah, yes! I didn't consider the tree trunks themselves, but a canopy and falling petals. This would be perfect.
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Did you have a specific type of flora in mind?
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[ The ones where people make promises under. u_u ]
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[ He gives a single clap this time and the canopy rustles. A gradient of change sweeps down the hall until it mimics the once-a-year tree and its wondrous flowers. ]
If I didn't know better I would say you were trying to propose to the boy. I'm sure you know such an occasion ought to be saved for the real thing, yes?
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[ Not that he's opposed to the idea. Far from it. To G'raha, it is quite the romantic ideal. The pinnacle of what a relationship could be. To devote your affections to one person and one person alone in this life is quite...
Ahem. ]
Furthermore, I have not the faintest idea what Zack would think.
[ Is he the sort that would also find the concept appealing? ]
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[ He waves a hand and the illusion around them slowly fades. ]
Now, are you ready to learn how to replicate the glamour?
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[ It's something that he's thought about. Nothing that they have talked about in great detail... ]
Anyway, yes. I'd like to see to learning now.
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As for why he had to see the location in the first place? Glad you asked, G'raha: the long, straight corridor means a meandering wind would be out of place. If one wants to add that breeze, it has to make sense with the location.
Is any of this necessary? Perhaps not. Emet-Selch believes in being as thorough as possible however. Whether the catboy makes use of it all is up to him. ]
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Who can say if he will use all of it, but it's still good to know?
And then he has to you know. Demonstrate it. Which means a couple rounds of practice. ]
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Recording each aspect of this in crystal would help immensely, [ he grumbles. ] Your nerve is likely to fail you on the day.
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Where could we find such a crystal is the question.
[ If they could even find them, really. This place does have crystals, though G'raha is not unfamiliar with the glamouring process itself. ]
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I keep a stock of crystal at the Forge.
[ ... ]
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[ Look, he's just curious. That's all. he hadn't thought that there would be many viable crystals. ]
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[ That's not really how it works with their own aspected crystals. ]
Well. Good to know.
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