hotelcaelum | 🌹 OPEN

Can you send messages back to where you come from through that device?

[His brows lift slightly, his interest and surprise quite genuine— he has a lot to learn about modern technology and how it may or may not interface with a clearly magical realm like this one— but he has to admire her work ethic.

Rather than wait for an answer, he offers her one of his patented smiles.]

After a snack, yes— or so I intended. Who knows what secrets I might stumble across while the staff expects us all to be asleep in our beds!

[She was about to answer his question regarding emails and how it's Kinda Complicated and that she's hardly an expert but he moves along so smoothly that Amelia just rolls with it. Sometimes you don't need to talk about Earth Stuff.]

And you're going alone without Tara? Seems rather risky in case one of the floors harbors something unfathomable.

[No doubt he'll pepper her with questions about Earth Stuff in earnest in the near future, but for now, he's most interested in the present and the delicious mystery that this place has set out in front of them.]

She was so cozy curled up by the fire in our room, it would have been a shame to bother her. I get out plenty on my own, or I used to— should I come across anything unsavory, I'm certain I can handle it with finesse and aplomb aplenty. Are you worried about me?

[One corner of his smile tugs just a bit higher than the other, a boyish bit of amusement in his eyes.]

[. . .]

Ah, right. You are a wizard after all.

[Amelia isn't sure how to take his question so she redirects instead. Truthfully she wonders; is she being teased? Is he finding her concern too akin to nagging and it's funny? She'd be expressing the same to everyone else she's met so far, she's sure about that at least. It isn't an exclusive concern.]

You are more than capable of getting yourself out of a scrape.

That I am— I do appreciate your vote of confidence.

[He folds his arms in front of his chest, giving her little work setup a once-over, despite the fact that she's set it aside for now.]

While it would appear you've set yourself up here for the long haul, you could come with me— if you wish. As I recall, you're rather curious about what's to be found here, as well, and I would certainly welcome your company.

[Oh.

The natural instinct to reject his invitation (politely) arises first. She could just continue to revel in her protective shell of school work and it would have been a perfectly valid excuse. Amelia Steinbeck is a teacher who puts her student's education first after all.

But considering the unique circumstances she inherently understands that none of this has to be done in one go. She was here for the long haul after all with that wish hanging over her head and everyone else's.

Really, all of that is to say, she's overthinking an easygoing invitation from this annoyingly affable wizard. And even more annoyingly, Amelia finds that she can't find a real reason to say no since she doesn't find Gale unpleasant at all. Quite the opposite.

Slowly, if reluctantly, Amelia closes her laptop and takes a deep breath.]

I can certainly carve out some time to take a look at one of the floors with you. Let's not wander all night, however.

[But she'll start stacking her laptop on top of her binder, a sure sign that she's packing up to begin the excursion with Gale.]

[Victory, it would seem! He had half-expected her to decline, given that she'd already been occupied before he'd arrived, and would have cheerfully been on his way if she'd wished it, but he'd been quite honest about welcoming her company. Exploring on his own would be fine, but it would be far more interesting— and exciting— to have someone to share his findings with along the way.

He raises a hand to lay it over his heart, bowing his head slightly.]

You have my word. I won't keep you from your work for too long. I know full well how important such things are, and your work in particular is not to be taken lightly. There is no greater task than the molding of young minds!

[Gods, he loves school.]

[Amelia would probably reframe the thought into something more sensible and practical along the lines of "It's better to go in pairs," or "It's safer than being alone," before ever saying she wanted company unless she implicitly felt enough kinship with another person. She's a difficult witch.

But before they leave, Amelia starts casting a spell, specifically tracing a circle of runes around her items so that they drop down and disappear into her room. Then the rune circle closes up and finally disappears.

She stands up, nonplussed by her flippant use of magic, and faces Gale.]

I'm ready to go when you are. You can lead the way.

[He watches the spell with an academic sort of interest, boyish smile pulling slightly to one side.]

Quite a useful trick— not too different from one I've often employed, myself.

[Magic has all sorts of practical applications! As she stands to join him, he gestures in the direction of the elevator, his snack venture momentarily forgotten. This is going to be far more interesting.]

Shall we, then?

[He starts in that direction at an easy pace, trusting her to keep up.]

I'm quite eager to see what we may find. I have my notes, of course; my aim is to avoid retreading our previous steps so that we both might see something new.

[She stays close to Gale easily with her straight strides and hands by her sides. Amelia nods in response to what he says and adds: ]

If this hotel is anything like some buildings I've lived in before, it will be of a nebulous nature. Several floors could remain consistent like the ones we live on and the lobby itself but our own rooms shape itself to suit our comfort. Who's to say the shift doesn't constantly happen?

[After pressing the button to the elevator it opens up for them and she steps inside.]

My house has some similarities but it does not house entire realms as detailed and filled out as this hotel. That and it only has as many rooms as I need it to have, which is to say way less than a hundred.

You've lived places like this before?

[Interest, rather than disbelief— in fact, he quite agrees with her line of thinking; the possibilities in this place are truly endless.]

That sounds like quite a house, I must say. Even my tower is stable in that regard; nothing changes unless I will it to, but I will say that I am prepared for this place to continue to surprise us. Whatever magic is fueling it is incredibly strong, and I do doubt the ability to shift is only located to certain areas.

[He joins her in the elevator, much more advanced than many he's seen in the past, but he had been familiar with them before coming here. He looks at the numbers before them, then lets a finger come to hover over one of the numbers at random— 41. He turns his head slightly to give her an impish sort of look.]

What do think? This one?

[He's enjoying this way too much.]

Yes. My teacher provided for me for a time although currently I more or less own the house I have now. I had to fix a lot of its interior and exterior to make it hospitable

[It's a very miniscule compensation after all that she had been through.

There's a shrug and a nod.]

I've no objections with 41. Let's go.

[He nods, pressing the button and letting the elevator perform its duties.]

No doubt that in the process, you've made it your own. I imagine that would be well-worth the effort. It sounds as though you had quite an interesting tutelage.

[41 is a lot of floors, but the elevator seems to be moving through them fairly quickly, much moreso than the sort of lifts he's run into in Faerun.]

[Amelia falls silent at the latter half of Gale's remark. She leans against the wall of the elevator with her arms crossed.]

Interesting is one way to put it. It was certainly challenging and it prepared me for other dangers in my world I would have to face later on.

[Gale is a stranger. Of course, he wouldn't know the full irony of what he said and how it unknowingly got under her skin. So she conceals the dull pain of the past. In her world, only other witches could grasp the extent of what the human that the Witch King stole went through.

None of them could do anything for her and she couldn't do anything for herself except wait.

She changes the subject.]

How does one grow into and learn the ways of wizarding in your world?

Edited (grammar stuff) 2023-10-30 04:24 (UTC)

[He studies her for a brief moment as he considers her response, but doesn't seem to pick up on anything necessarily out of place (Perception 2). They all have their tales to tell, he supposes, and they'll each tell them in their own time, should they so choose.

He does note the subject change, but doesn't pick up on any underlying rawness he might have caused, only follows her lead as directed.]

Through study and practice. Like music or art, talent does play a part, but it is a skill to be honed, one that will only grow with use, dedication and ambition. I started with independent study, but was fortunate enough to study under the Blackstaff as part of Blackstaff Academy— an opportunity only granted to the most promising of wizards. In return for such an opportunity, these elite apprentices were expected to protect and serve the city of Waterdeep using their abilities.

[An academy for magic? Fancy that. She's bursting with questions now and they could all go in any direction.

➡ Ask him about his slice-of-life magic school days.
➡ Ask him about the curriculums of Blackstaff Academy like a huge nerd and talk hours upon hours about grading standards and tests.
➡ Ask him about the city of Waterdeep.

She'll opt to ask about the third because if she recalls correctly...]

You mentioned Waterdeep before, as part of your title. Does that mean you were a top apprentice and you worked your way up to becoming a protector of the city?

[Gale approves of that dialogue choice.

He smiles— he always seems to be smiling— as she recalls the way he'd introduced himself several days before.]

Indeed— something along those lines. My reach went a bit further yet, but Waterdeep remains my home, and shall therefore always have a place in my heart. I have offered my services to the city, as well as places beyond. I was quite fortunate in having one of the most famous wizards of our age or any other serve as my own mentor, and with such opportunity comes a great deal of responsibility. In time, perhaps I'll mentor an apprentice of my own, but I've been— a touch distracted, as of late.

[He's a cheerful fellow. Informative too. In so many words, Gale already makes her want to learn more and she finds herself intently listening even if she wasn't unfocused to begin with.]

Distracted? Something of urgency came up then?

[Although she asked him what he remembered doing last during their previous conversation it was just the immediate happenstance. Clearly, this was implying a bigger picture.]

I'm afraid so. A long tale in the telling, and there are a few steps between my affairs in Waterdeep and the business that brought me to Baldur's Gate— the city I was visiting before finding myself here. Astarion, as well. We started out as allies of convenience in this venture, I suppose.

[There's a wry quirk to his smile, and he only briefly glances at the little display that tells him how far they've gone on the elevator. There's still several floors left to go, but he hardly minds answering her questions. He asks plenty of his own, and he's always been fond of talking.]

We both found ourselves among a number of people who had been taken captive and afflicted with a particular— condition. Not to worry! Nothing contagious, nor anything anyone here need worry about. [He hopes.] We were closing in on what we'd hoped would be a cure.

It all sounds like you and Astarion are in the middle of your own tall tales.

[She almost, almost sounds bemused. But there is a concerned sort of frown that follows as her green eyes give him another once over.]

If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have been able to tell that you had any condition at all. You're both so lively... In a manner of speaking.

[Cause har, har, irony if her inferences about Astarion are correct.]

In other words, you both look and act fine. I'll take your word for it. However...

[Amelia holds up her finger.]

Should something come up related to your condition, let me know. I don't know if I'd be of any help but far be it from me to leave something so serious alone.

I am glad to know that it doesn't seem to have caught up with either of us— though I confess, that in itself is unusual. Most people in our position have a matter of days in which to find a solution. Often less. I don't suppose you're at all familiar with ceremorphosis?

[His expression is more serious than what he's shown her thus far, though his tone remains light, even and matter-of-fact.]

Not that I aim to be dramatic about such things— only to say that this 'vacation' is indeed quite welcome. I hope to use the opportunity to expand the breadth of my research. I'll certainly keep your offer in mind, as well. Having another magically-minded person to speak with on such matters can only help. That said, it's good to know that even in this state, I haven't lost any of the usual charm.

[He's all smiles again, and the elevator comes to a halt with a soft 'ding!']

Ah! Here we are.

Ceremorphosis... I haven't heard of it but...

[She's an English teacher and while that word doesn't exist in the dictionary, the word roots aren't hard for her to figure out.

cere. / (sɪə) / noun. a soft waxy swelling, containing the nostrils, at the base of the upper beak in such birds as the parrot.

Hm. That's probably not what he means but there are the implications of a forcible transformation that are apparent enough though from what he said, normally this condition would have been the end of him much earlier on in the process. Her brow scrunches up as the elevator stops and opens up for them. Before she takes a look outside she has to ask:]

Gale, are you sure you're alright?

Edited 2023-11-01 05:04 (UTC)

Perfectly fine, in fact!

[His answer is, perhaps, a bit too immediate, too cheerful, and there's something about his boyish smile that doesn't reach his eyes. He gestures forward to the corridor ahead of them, and rather than look ahead to see what might await, steps out into it and turns to face her, his smile going just a bit slack as he reaches up to touch his hand to the side of his face.]

Why? I've not gone pale, have I?

[There's a note of genuine concern in his voice, however small.]

As far as I can tell, this little problem of ours won't progress while we're here— at least that's what all evidence points to, thus far.

[Amelia shakes her head as she steps outside first though she keeps facing him, brows furrowed with concern.]

No, your complexion is fine.

[Travel weary perhaps, but everything else about him seems healthy. Though he reassures her again she doesn't look entirely settled.]

May I try something? If you don't mind pausing a second.

Edited 2023-11-01 06:39 (UTC)

Of course— I'm in no particular hurry.

[He answers without hesitation; they may have only met recently, but Amelia is the sort of no-nonsense personal he feels it's very clear is trustworthy.]

Be my guest.

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