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Lucent had set his first Theatrical presentation. It was the greatest theater he could find in the Sunlands, with an audience both of fortunate plebians and the wealthiest nobles in the Sun-Blessed country. Lucent had invited the entire Circle to watch 'Total Eclipse of the Heart, The Tale of Calibration, Episode I: The Nightblossom.' It was part monologue, part play, as his lights made special effects for the few actors in the scene, most of which were there to
Lucent As it finishes it was to effusive applause, and it had been indeed quite a romantized version of their exploits. Afterwards, Lucent had set to meet with Cerin above the theater, overlooking a rich portion of the Sunlands and beyond. A place in the roof only they could reach... well, and the Empress, but she was busy with the adulation of her subjects. (And the children wanting to see the blue blade and the war bell for real!)
Lucent stood in the roof, hands in his pockets, the air of an early spring night going through his hair as he waited for Cerin. He shivered somewhat, remembering his last... few... meetings with the man. But he steeled himself. He had to let that go.
Lucent ((* most of which were there to give voices to the Circle and their adversaries.))
Cerin "Good evening, Lucent." Comes the voice from behind him, although from some distance away on the roof. "An impressive performance, I think."
zahara is nigh mobbed by her enthusiastic subjects! Soon she enforces an orderly and efficient queue to quell the chaos and the urge to use the War Bell and Jade blade for more than simply show.
Lucent resists the urge to jump in surprise, and thus make an impressive Lucent-sized dent on the street below. Instead he turned to Cerin, taking a grave bow. "Thank you, Cerin the Wolf. I am glad you came to watch it." He rises. "I must apologize for barging into your room last time. That was... rude."
Cerin inclines his head to accept the apology. "I would ask that you show more care with the documents in the future. They are there for you," he says. Cerin's lack of need for them went unspoken.
Lucent "There for me? Hmmmm." He looks up. "I remember someone else saying that. That is a quite... passionate view about the documents, you know." He looks away again, at the lights of the city under the full moon. "Some would say, quite unlike you."
Cerin "Passionate?" He asks, a little puzzled. "To let you or Spring or Imrama or Varanim read my notes is passionate?"
Lucent "Oh, I am sorry." He waves it away, "I thought you meant that the purpose of documents was to read by people. I remember a Librarian-Goddess who thought so. She was a friend of Iallu's." He nods. "It seems like I always misread you, Cerin. It is quite distressing, really."
Spring can be briefly seen on the street activating various defensive Charms with the look on his face of someone who expects dramatic trouble in about ten seconds. This look is quickly replaced with surprise and then horror as a mob of young girls start shrieking questions at him.
Cerin "Oh, undoubtably. Just not the documents in my private study, no?"
Lucent "Oh, certainly. It is more of a general trend, however. I told Imrama that he had not made any deep friendships... but afterwards, looking over the relationships on the Circle, I realised how at ease you are with one another. I just always find people like you to read... I was never good at reading people. Just at convincing them."
Lucent Below, the young girls begins to ask Spring a myriad of questions relating to wether or not he is Thirteen, offering a book titled 'Thirteen Lucent Flowers' for him to sign and tell him if that is true -- fact that gets those girls in a fistfight with other girls holding 'Thirteen Trinity Birds' books, and questions about his continued affair with either Lucent, Imrama, or the Empress.
Spring breaks and runs.
Cerin "If you cannot read people, how do you know what they need convincing of?" he asks, tilting his head.
Lucent "... what do you mean? They need to be convinced for the greater good, and I know they are convinced when they act towards the greater good, or tell me they are convinced. Sometimes, with tears on their eyes." He nods.
Cerin "I did not ask 'what', but do they need it? How, for example, would you rate my dedication to the cause you would convert people to?"
Lucent tries to think up a reply... and then goes silent, leaning against a collumn that ended in an open-winged swan. Deep in thought. "Hmmmmm."
Cerin is silent for a few moments, watching the arrayed people through the roof below him. "That was perhaps unfair," he says quietly after a few moments.
Lucent "The only thing I thought of saying would have been more so." He admits, "What do you think of us, I wonder? Of me, of Imrama, of the Circle around you, around Zahara?"
Cerin "Zahara," he smiles, and that smile, the look in his eyes, is really all the answer which is needed.
Lucent turns back. "Zahara?" He asks, as if the answer had clarified... nothing at all.
Cerin "Sorry," he says, still smiling a little about her. "You weren't asking about her."
Lucent "No. I distinctly asked about us. Me, Imrama, Thirt... Spring, Varanim. All of us."
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