Beachside Encounter

Beachside Encounter
Date of Scene:	18 April 2013
Location:	Traverse Area - Bodhum - Beach
Synopsis:	Maira is spending some time alone at the beach, and it is here that she meets a certain street performer.
Cast of Characters:	Maira, Emperor Mateus

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Maira has posed:
The beach here is usually lively, various groups of people coming to hang around by the beach and appreciate the scenery under the starts. It was the beach without the scorching heat or the sunburn, a place to party or relax or bring a date for a romantic stroll.

It was where Maira had first encountered the Dark Knight.

While she is not alone in the general area, she is sitting by herself on a blanket in the sand, a white shawl wrapped around her shoulders. She's holding the horn from the dark knight's armor in her hands, her eyes focused on the dark material as she runs her fingers over the smooth surface. She knows every groove, every curve, every indentation by memory.

What had she done last they had met? What did it mean? Maira hadn't a clue, but it worried her. Would he be back? Probably so...everyone else seemed to think so. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was just....

Maira sighs heavily, continuing to stare out at the ocean, her thoughts a tangled mess.

Emperor Mateus has posed:
"You seem troubled, lass."

The voice comes from Maira's right, a curious tone flitting on a rich tenor. If Maira looks in that direction, she would catch sight of a slim young man kneeling in a clear patch of sand. He is wearing a pair of jeans and a plain T-shirt, his platinum-blonde hair pulled back with sunglasses resting on top of his head.

If Maira has gone shopping in Traverse Town lately, she has probably seen someone of his description performing in front of one of the stores once in a while.

His lavender eyes flick towards the strange black horn in her hands. Such a strange-looking material. "Forgive me if I have disturbed you. I could not help but notice your lack of enjoyment of such scenery." A hand lifts in the direction of the ocean before them.

Maira has posed:
Distracted as she was, the man is beside her before she even notices. When he speaks, she nearly jumps to her feet in surprise and alarm.

She looks to him then, taking in his appearance. He was /probably/ just a guy at the beach...and he looked a bit familiar. A local? Maira thinks for a moment, and the memory comes to her. "Oh! You startled me! I'm okay, just...um....thinking," she says, then slips the horn back into her pack with failed subtlety.

"I've seen you around Traverse Town, haven't I? You're a performer?" she asks with a small smile, trying to take the attention from herself.

Emperor Mateus has posed:
The man smiles, looking quite chagrined after her startled reaction. "My apologies, I did not intend to interrupt your thoughts nor scare you."

He bows his head to her. "But yes, I am a street performer occassionally hired for one store or another, usually within District One." He offers his hand, palm up, for a handshake. "My name is Matthew. A pleasure to meet you."

Maira has posed:
Maira smiles easily, reaching out to take his hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Maira," she informs him.

"A street performer huh? What kind of performing do you do? Acrobatics? Juggling? Acting?" she asks, tilting her head slightly in question. "Are you new to Traverse Town?"

Emperor Mateus has posed:
Matthew smiles warmly. "I do not consider myself a citizen here, as work can be sporadic and I get homesick easily. I hail from the World of Ruin and make the trip between worlds if I have a job. I have considered also trying my hand in such locales as Carwen or Luca, perhaps even Fluorgis."

He taps his chin thoughtfully, then shrugs as he chuckles. "But we shall see. I enjoy my time here too much to forsake it entirely."

His eyes flicker in boyish glee upon her curiousity of what he does. "A little singing, some magic tricks," he reaches out between them with one hand and twists his wrist so his hand is palm-up, a clear crystal orb suddenly appearing out of nowhere between his fingertips. "But I am best at contact juggling. Like so." As a demonstration, he weaves his hand in a figure-eight motion, the orb seeming to bob over his fingers with each weave.

Maira has posed:
Maira blinks in surprise as the orb appears, watching with fascination as it rolls so smoothly around his hand. "That's amazing!" she says. This, coming from a girl who magic is as natural as breathing, but she couldn't do /that/! "I saw a movie once where--" then she looks up at Matthew. The blond hair, the orb....

Maira gasps, a hand rising to cover her mouth for just a moment before she lowers it to ask, "Are you the Goblin King?" her voice a whisper. Hey, weirder things have happened! Frequently!

Emperor Mateus has posed:
Matthew raises an eyebrow briefly at Maira's surprise, as if suddenly concerned he had startled her again, but he only warmly chuckles at her question. "No, I am not Jareth. But the similarities are eerily /remarkable/, would you not agree?"

He flips his hand and holds his arm out to the side, the orb spiraling around his wrist before settling to a stop on the center of his forearm. "I myself did not understand the comparisons until after my second performance here, when someone was kind enough to give me that very movie as a tip. I was quite amused by the unintentional similarities, and I integrated it into my performances ever since."

The orb bounces off of his arm and into his hand, where he just holds it between thumb and forefinger. "Labyrinth, I believe the movie was called?"

Maira has posed:
Maira laughs brightly. "Yes! I watched it not long ago with my friend, he's from Manhattan," she explains. "That is delightful! I loved that movie. Well, even if you were the goblin king I don't have any children for you to steal," she giggles. "I know if I were in the Labyrinth I would use magic to get through it--if I could anyway," she says, considering. Really, why is she actually giving this serious thought!? It was a movie for goodness sake!

"Heh...well the world sure is filled with strange things," she offers. This Matthew seemed friendly enough, perhaps she'd made a new friend. "What part of the World of Ruin are you from? I'm from there too. Really, I think everyone in Traverse Town is from somewhere else...."

Emperor Mateus has posed:
Matthew's smile turns a little saddened. "I've found the Northern Continent to be closest to home, but... I have found precious few familiar landmarks since my world fell." His gaze falls to the orb with a homesick look, but simply shakes his head.

"We have all lost something, some more than others. Sometimes as quickly as a bubble bursts." The orb in his hand instantly disappears like a popped soap bubble, and he inhales a bit sharply before smiling a bit. "But this is hardly a topic worth losing cheery conversation over. Would you not agree, Maira?"

He shifts to sit down in the sand properly, leaning back on one arm with legs semi-folded in front of him. "You said you can use magic?" His head tilts slightly. "May I ask what kind?"

Maira has posed:
Maira frowns, filled with empathy. Such a sad story, and so common these days. "Same with me. My world's been lost to darkness. There's some things that are like it in Goug but...its not the same," she replies.

Suddenly, Maira gets a call on her Ma Belle. "Oh, sorry, just a minute!" she says, answering the call and having a brief but hilarious conversation.

"Oh oh! I met a guy who totally looks like the goblin king!.....What's a codpiece?.....hurk! N-no he doesn't have one of those! He's dressed for the beach....I'll ask, do our phone thingy's have cameras?.....I dunno if mine does...."

RIGHT! He was still right there. Maira blushes a deep shade of red and turns back to him. "U-um sorry, got a call from my best friend...hehe. She's a big fan of that movie too, you see..."

Backtrack, quick! "Oh, my magic? All kinds, though I'm best with fire--and healing I guess. I can do other things too, some earth and some air...water and ice are difficult for me though."

Emperor Mateus has posed:
Matthew seems quite amused upon overhearing Maira's side of the conversation, and only laughs at her subsequent explanation. "It's quite alright." He seems quite comfortable almost lounging in the sand. "And you may take a picture to show her if you wish. It doesn't bother me." He has already gotten used to it as a manner of one of his performances, after all.

He lifts his free hand in front of him and a small eddy of wind begins to form in the palm of his hand. "I am a bit of a Black Mage myself, hence why I inquired to your magical abilities." What almost looks like static electricity sparkles between the mini-tornado and his hand. "Air and Thunder are my own primaries. Some fire, a few non-elemental spells as well. Being able to use magic in my performances is pleasing to the crowds without overdoing physical activity."

He sets the little eddy down on the sand, where it tears away across the beach as it grows into a small dust-devil. "I find it is also relaxing."

Maira has posed:
Maira recognizes his use of magic before he even casts it. The feeling in the air changes, the nearby electricity stirring her, rising the small hairs on her arms. She watches, amused and delighted.

Of course, she could play this game! This was something she could do. The air around Maira grows warmer as she lets her magic rise to the surface, raising a hand that is now wreathed in flame. She weaves the magic into the a small form--a woman dancing. It is something she's seen during a parade a little while back and had been wanting to try to recreate. She manipulates the fire with seeming ease, her fingers dancing to give her a focal point--the magic though, flows from inside of her, a bright light.

"Hehe...me too. At least now that I'm better with it," she admits with a smile.

Emperor Mateus has posed:
Matthew watches her manipulate the flame with keen interest, taking in how the female figure dances. He turns his hand towards her, warmth rising as well as flames focus in his palm and fingers. His fire is notably different than hers, not at the core but the edges, which fade almost to a red wine-like color before they disappear. It just isn't as pure, only supporting his statement that fire is not one of his better elements.

The form of the flame coalesces into a male figure, dancing just slightly out of sync of Maira's female dancer. As the seconds tick by and the dance becomes clearer, the male figure's movements sync better and better with Maira's. But it is still clear that Maira herself is leading this display of flame.

Maira has posed:
Very seldom does Maira have someone like this to practice this with. All too often her fire has been put to use in battle, always trying to protect herself or the people she cares about, often by harming the people and creatures that were against them. All too often her magic was summoned when violence was near.

This display lightened her heart, a warm smile on her face as she leads the dance, watching with wonder as the two figures come together to join hands and dance around each other in graceful arcs and turns, limber in flame.

Maira tears her eyes away to look to Matthew, her eyes shining. "You're very good!" she informs him.

Emperor Mateus has posed:
Matthew smiles softly, just watching the figures dance as one. "Not as good as you, lass," he replies lightly. The male flickers once in a while, but the flame doesn't go out--instead seeming to regain strength from the bright female. It also seems to take Matthew a bit more focus to maintain the flame, at least without cheating by way of Air magic or something.

Maira has posed:
She blushes, laughing lightly. "Well, fire is my element. I bet you can do much better with those you are better attuned to," she informs him, letting the female figure fizzle out, disappearing in a small puff of smoke.

"That was fun. I don't get to do things like that, almost ever. Seems like I'm always fighting," she sighs.

Emperor Mateus has posed:
The male figure fades like a candle's flame deprived of air, not even smoke marking its passing.

Matthew lowers his hand and bows his head. "That is good to hear." He laughs softly a little bit. "It is why I became a performer, I suppose. To lift spirits, to ease hearts, to provide a small window to simpler things and times."

He grins, a playing card appearing between his fingers. "Perhaps also to find magic--" The card flips between fingers and becomes a bright red flower with white edges around each petal and a sweet fragrance besides. Not a rose, surprisingly enough. "--In the mundane." He then offers the flower to Maira. "A gift of my own thanks to you."

Maira has posed:
Maira smiles, nodding. "That's good. The people really need that to keep them going sometimes. Those small things...but they are powerful, aren't they?"

Maira's eyes widen as the card turn into a flower and he offers it to her. A shadow passes over her mien briefly, as she can't help but remember the last time she was offered a flower.

This time though, she takes it, for it seems innocent enough. "Thank you...its beautiful...but you don't need to thank me for anything! How /did/ you do that? Will it turn back into a card?" she asks, examining the delicate object, bringing it to her nose to breathe in its scent.

Emperor Mateus has posed:
Matthew just grins impishly as Maira examines the flower. "Magic loses itself when logic is applied, hence why a magician never tells his secrets. It may disappear entirely if I explain it."

He lies down in the sand, folding his arms under his head. "It will not return to being a card, but I fear the magic won't last forever." He gazes upwards at the stars. "But if you plan to enjoy it until it fades, it is a gift well given."

Maira has posed:
Maira smiles, then reaches up to stick the flower behind her ear. "I most certainly will!"

"Well um...I don't have a camera in my phone, but maybe you could meet my friend sometime if you'll still be around town. I should probably get going," she says, getting to her feet.

"It was nice meeting you Matthew!"

Emperor Mateus has posed:
Emperor Mateus chuckles. "I will hold the rain-check for that picture until our next meeting. I would love to meet your friend as well." He rolls to his feet, brushing off the worst of the sand, then bows at the waist to her. It has an almost royal air to it, but too casual to be properly done. "And it was a pleasure meeting you too, Maira. Until next we meet."