Leionas: City Born of Dragon

[Ace]

Jamie ran his hands slowly over his face, dragging his skin as if to massage his facial muscles. He was dressed as if it was a work day, even though it was still Saturday, and had spent the better part of late morning and lunch with his assistant, with whom he had a strange relationship with, but it was efficient work as always and Jamie had it in mind that so much had been set up, all that remained was to see them through.

The phone call to Military Base was a last-minute choice—it was either visit personally, or make the trip to the Plaza so he could set up a dual-team with his assistant and get more done. Or both, but that didn't happen, so it was the latter. Jamie made his calls into the Base and had his assistant mark places on a map; it was a three-way collaboration through a two-way conversation, and together they established how many peacekeepers would be best to work extra in patrols. Following that was the brief discussion of two or three peacekeepers at the ball itself, just for security's sake. The plans were smoothed out like a folded map.

It was also discussed that the peacekeepers donating their extra time would want some compensation. The ones at the ball would be on duty, but some of the boots in the field would be asked to volunteer. They had the funds, and it wasn't exactly a big drain, but still. He pushed the matter out of his mind—there were some things you just didn't dwell on, there was only moving forward and it was hardly anything to chew his nails over. Jamie couldn't help but think eventually he should start thinking about the election. He wasn't in a rush, but it would have to happen eventually. The busy man thought briefly about Mary, not for the first time and probably not for the last time today, and wondered if it was a good idea to even think about starting a relationship when elections were coming, and not to mention trading.

He started making excuses as to why he should potentially not ask Mary on a date, also not for the first time, and suddenly wondered if she was still at the church. But everytime he wondered that, he also felt anxious all over again, and it was already a feeling he hated, so as usual, he quickly changed the subject aloud to distract him from his thoughts.

"Erin, thank you for staying late," Jamie said as he stood abruptly from his desk, sufficiently done for the day. He knew his assistant on weekends compiled daily reports (as per Jamie's request) and spent only as much time as it was necessary to get the reports and deliver them. Then he, like Jamie, was free to spend the weekend however he wanted for the rest of the day. Today being the exception, of course.

"Well, I was coming in anyway." he said, sounding either subtly rude or casually sarcastic. It was always hard to tell, in fact Jamie never could, but he stopped asking a long time ago and took it at face value. Erin picked up a folder that had enough space inside to crinkle, and held it out to the Military Representative. His assistant was the first to leave, and while Jamie wasn't taking his time, he was forced to make a decision.

Try his luck at the church—where, if she was there, he was almost certain to make a fool of himself. Or... Not do anything? Go straight home? No, he promised. He didn't promise to do it today... But he felt like he was breaking it somehow by waiting. Perhaps it was because Jamie was occasionally prone to procrastinating unpleasant things in his social life, and he knew that, and he knew he should do it sooner than later, because if he let himself put it off more, he'd never do it at all.

There were two ways this could have panned out. Jamie could have decided that he promised to do it, and he would do it, just not that day, then go home and take his time to think about how to approach the situation, soothe the anxiety in his head, take the time and effort to not screw up.

Or, he could call her office, knowing full well she won't actually be there, not leave any sort of message and just ask that someone tell her to give him a call the next time she's free, and go home feeling like a job well done.

You're an idiot, some small voice berated as he picked up the phone and dialed.

 

[MissChoco]

Lilica kept her head down and shuffled very slightly away from him, continuing to shove things haphazardly back into her bag and accepting his help but making sure not to get too close. She felt rather proud of herself for not flinching when she realized he was next to her. In her quiet, scratchy voice, she answered, "Yes. If I could find these things here, that would, of course, be best. Though..." the smallest flush rose to her cheeks as she said the words, "I may not have enough money for it all, so we'll have to discuss price." Worst come to worst, she wouldn't get the meat, and would live on whatever vegetables she managed to scrounge, and the dried meats if they didn't sell, but she was really desperate to get some of those tools. She made most of the rudimentary ropes she used for her traps by herself, but rebuilding an entire smell-proof hut would require things like sandpaper, working gloves, little pieces of metal that could be shaped into hooks, nails, the list was just too long. Just thinking about it worried her. She would also have to buy extra of everything, in case she burned through or destroyed anything on accident. Making it accident-proof would require even more work. Without realizing it, she let out a little puff of breath in a sigh, her katana clanking against the floor as she moved.

Alex put his hand on the back of his neck and awkwardly laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "Don't worry, I have a ton of stuff that I've been trying to get rid of in the back. Honestly, I'm so desperate to get rid of them that I'll give you all the stuff you need for free." Alex paused, rethinking for a moment. His grandmother always had a fit when he gave away some items for free. He wasn't a rebellious kid and he was terrified at getting in trouble, but still, wouldn't it be better to get rid of those old items in the back? "I can give you tools and materials, but the food might cost a bit. I don't want my grandmother to get furious at me for letting a customer have a completely free discount..." He grinned timidly, hoping that he could still assist the girl. He could tell that she could use some help.

 

[firejay1]

Visible relief flooded through her system, as she heard that pronouncement. "That would be an incredible help." She said, letting out a whoosh of breath and shoving the last thing inside her bag. She stood up abruptly, tying the two ends of the strap together again very naturally, as if she'd done it many times before. If she could get anything at all free, it would help her get just a little bit farther. "I don't have very much to give you, so I'll just take what you can afford to give me." Her hands were being miraculously calm, and it was improving her mood considerably.

 

[HelloBeautifulChild]

Late Afternoon/Early Dinner Time Saturday, August 12, 5082

OOC

Okie dokie everyone, I want to get on to the next day so let's speed things up, ok?

Mary looked at the clock after ordering the grilled cheese from the boy (@SereneDeity), not really looking at the time as she did. It was so far a good day, getting new shampoo and spending time with Susan, who was no doubt finishing the day by dragging her to a bar or pub. She shivered lightly, she'd never really liked going to pubs or anything of the sort. Suze liked it though, and it was, of nothing else, amusing to watch her. Susan was a beautiful girl, but her big brother being the citizen representative scared a lot of people off.

"Oh, wow, we'd better hurry," Suze said, looking at the clock and actually paying attention to it. "It's already 4, and you haven't even gotten changed yet!"

Mary looked at her clothes, now blushing with concern for how she looked. She'd never been the most confident, and as she looked at her dress she vaguely wished she'd never gotten out of bed, or off of her desk as it may.

 

[Ace]

OOC

My post is going to be more of a wind-down, so that Lilica and Alex can tie things up without Jamie's ridiculous antics interrupting xD;

Once the call connected, Jamie was told that Mary was, indeed, not in. The Military Representative was too pleased with himself when he discovered his "plan" would be successful. "Oh no, I don't have a specific message. If you could tell her to call back whenever she's not busy, that would be great. No rush! I don't need her to get back to me immediately." Soon after, the child-like man hung up and left his office for the day.

The first thing Jamie did after leaving the plaza was head home. He would look at the basic reports, after dressing down, and make sure everything was going smoothly in preparation for trading. After that, he could do a number of things, of which two he had in mind. Think and perhaps begin the basic plan for his reelection campaign, which would be infinitely helpful so early. And call his parents and his sisters, perhaps get together on Sunday for dinner or lunch. He was struck with the reminder that he'd planned to ask Rose to accompany him at the dance. He supposed things could still go that way, if a date with Mary didn't work out.

 

[SereneDeity]

"Ah, sure, here you go," Ethan said, putting a grilled cheese on a plate. He slid it onto the counter towards the girl, saying "That'll be... $2.50." The price was clearly labeled as $3.50, but Ethan hoped she wouldn't notice. After all, a guy has to be generous, right?

The girl in the back made a comment about them being late, and Ethan immediately said, "Oh, I'm so sorry! I've held you up all this time! Sorry, please don't wait on me!" Ethan still had to get home and practice his magic anyways. Alongside his daily lessons, Ethan made an attempt to get in a little bit of private practice as well.

"It's already 4, huh?" He muttered to himself. "I'm already late for when I usually practice. Well, I suppose I'd better get going, then." Ethan decided he would leave now, and hastily ran towards the door. "Sorry, I've gotta get going," Ethan yelled back to the girl at the counter. "Please just leave the money on the counter!" It was probably a bad idea, yet Ethan trusted her even when he didn't know her name.

Maybe I'll see her again, Ethan thought as he opened the door and started down the street. Ethan tried running, but his legs failed him, and he had to stop for a moment. I've been running all day, Ethan thought, I suppose my legs are a little tired. I guess I'll just sit here and catch my breath. Ethan hadn't even noticed how tired he was in the shop, but now he was sitting on the sidewalk, slumped against his neighbor's house, greedily swallowing air. Maybe I need a little more exercise, Ethan thought. After all, I am a nurse - it'd be fairly hypocritical if I kept this unhealthy lifestyle. Ethan made a mental note to consult someone at work about a good exercise routine.

 

[HelloBeautifulChild]

Late Afternoon/Early Dinner Time Saturday, August 12, 5082​

Mary smiled as the boy finished pulling up their order up, putting the two grilled cheeses on the counter.

"That'll be... $2.50."

Oh really now? Mary thought, deciding she'd go ahead and pay the $3.50, not wanting the boy to get in trouble with whoever his boss was. Worst case he got it as a tip. She appreciated his kindness however, and planned to pay it forward soon. She pulled out her bag then, going to pay for their lunches.

"I can pay for myself," Suze argued. "Really, see?" She tried handing her money but Mary waved her away.

"Really, I've got it, my treat." She said, pulling out the money. As she conversed with Mary, the boy seemed to be realizing the time. He looked concerned before speaking,

"Please just leave the money on the counter!"

Mary raised her eyebrows as she put the money on the counter and handed Suze her sandwich.

Susan shook her head lightly, "That boy is all sorts of out there."

"Oh like you weren't just as bad," Mary argued, tipping the jar 3 coins and heading out to eat and walk. "You drove Mage Johnson nutters!"

"Oh Mage Johnson loves me," She said. "We talk all the time."

The rest of the walk home to drop off their bags and get Mary changed was quiet, the two eating their sandwiches and watching the town wind down.

"Mary!" A girl yelled, she was 15 or so and worked nights and weekends to organize (not that Mary left much organization to be done) and take calls. "Mary, hey I'm glad I caught you."

"Hey Janice," Mary said, "What's up? You need time off?"

"Oh, no, well yeah, but that's not what this is about." She said, "The Military Representative, Jamie(@Ace), called when you were out and said to give him a call back. I went ahead and jotted his home and office number from the phone book for you."

"Oh, what, really?" Mary found herself blushing like a little girl. Jamie probably just needed someone to help him with research, he wouldn't be the first politician to contact her for that. Heck, she'd helped out James last voting season. She took the note then, slightly dazed as the girl ran off. Susan, ever the proper mage girl, waited until they got home to interrogate her about Jamie. Instead of going out, they spent the night talking about that. Mary, unlike Susan, was very very shy. How she had caught Jamie's eye, she had no idea. Susan insisted that that's what it was too, he had called to ask her out. Her words shaped Mary's dreams that night, 'Just corner him at Church tomorrow, it's so much more romantic in person! Maybe he'll kiss you!'

10P Saturday, August 12, 5082
GM Post​

He smiled to himself, controlling dreams was easy, especially when in this case he found that he barely had to nudge the two to dream about each other. Yes, Jamie (@Ace) and Mary (@HelloBeautifulChild) were seeming to be an easy couple to match up. ​

 

[Ace]

OOC

Oh no, you've ruined him, @HelloBeautifulChild, he is going to crumble like a pie on Sunday and it's your fault!

Also this was going to be more fluff but I figured I owed Jamie more than that so here's some basic-but-obviously-not-yet-changed character development instead. It seems kind of early in the game, but Jamie doesn't take me for the kind of person to let a problem run until it's ruined his life anyway, and I'm leaning heavily on the fact that his social anxiety isn't exactly fixable after one night xD;

It's still an end-of-the-day closure post anyway ^^

When Jamie got home, it struck him as being very late in the day, but only because his apartment seemed dark. He turned on the lights, set the file on his counter, and changed out of his work clothes. He made himself a quick dinner of leftovers—the night before, he'd made pork chops with a sauce, and as he skimmed the files, he chewed on that with his thoughts as entertainment. He finished the papers after longer than normal, but he was distracted with thoughts of his reelection, and the leftover anxiety was like electricity but a hundred times more frustrating. He rubbed his eyes at one point, trying to figure out how to ground himself, when he decided to call his parents as a distraction instead. Dialing the number was very familiar to him, and he glanced at the time. Sometimes it seemed his parents had a narrow window of availability, which was always late in the day, but it was a weekend and the last he could recall, neither of them worked a side-job during those days anymore.

The line connected, and it was Jamie's mother who answered. He greeted her, and she cheerily asked how he was doing. They had a brief conversation about their daily lives, and Jamie intentionally left out any mention of Mary. He'd thought about it briefly, because while he was very open with his parents and willing to share, he imagined the worst-case scenario to be...explosive. In a good way, sure, but too much to handle for something that might not even work out. Jamie asked about visiting them on Sunday for dinner, and after a short second-hand conversation between his mother and his father, a loose time was settled. Jamie promised to call Rose, his sister, tomorrow morning and invite her, and then the call was over.

Jamie set the file on the table of his tiny apartment living room, mentally vowing to remember to pick it up and put it somewhere appropriate, such as his office, tomorrow. He glanced at the clock again, and on a whim, he walked into his kitchen and opened one of the dusty cupboards. He grabbed a small glass and poured in it a whiskey. Jamie didn't drink much, and once the glass was just a little over half-full, away the bottle went again. He took the glass to his living room table, sitting sideways in one of the chairs so to look outside through a tall window.

He took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly. Jamie Williamson was going to devote his time to focus on Mary Adams until he got some answers for himself, even if it took another trip to the kitchen cupboard and pour himself more drinks. He stared at the grain in the wooden table, gently twisting his glass cup, slowly drinking away his glass, until finally he found himself at a mental conclusion. He was resting his head on his hands at that point, arm propped up and leaning on the table, his eyes heavy with the desire to sleep. He still had a few fingers of alcohol left, and downed it with a sense of satisfaction. He felt at rest, and relaxed. He didn't know when Mary would get back to him, but he had a sense of readiness he hadn't before. He didn't know what to start with or how to open, but he knew how to say "hello" and that's a start. He decided on a basic idea if she agreed to spend time with him, something that he would be comfortable doing, which was sort of a hard call to make without being too casual but not too intimate.

When Jamie collapsed into his bed, his muscles relaxed and after such a high-anxiety day, his body ragdolled into the mattress. His anxiety barely felt like a flicker. As he slept, he dreamed vividly of his first date with Mary, and while the settings were unrealistic, his emotional reactions felt very real and very connected, and brought his dream to life. In it, his anxiety returned to him, fumbling his words and gripping him cruelly. And because they were dreams, open fantasies to honest realities, he grew more and more discouraged in himself as his control slipped through his fingers. Dreams could also be manifestos of hope, and however likely or unlikely for his hopes to be true in the waking world, Jamie dreamed that Mary was patient every time he made a mistake. It did nothing to calm his frustration or stop him from feeling upset, but he had never considered the possibility before, and rather than dreaming of a happily ever after, he dreamed of finding at the end of the day that nothing had gone the way he'd expected it. For someone who consistently dwells on new personal bonds with the mindset of the worst possible scenario, the end of Jamie's dream and "happily ever after" weren't so different at all.

 

[MissChoco]

Visible relief flooded through her system, as she heard that pronouncement. "That would be an incredible help." She said, letting out a whoosh of breath and shoving the last thing inside her bag. She stood up abruptly, tying the two ends of the strap together again very naturally, as if she'd done it many times before. If she could get anything at all free, it would help her get just a little bit farther. "I don't have very much to give you, so I'll just take what you can afford to give me." Her hands were being miraculously calm, and it was improving her mood considerably.

Alex stood up tall, feeling happy that they both seemed to finally be calm. "Okay, great." He smiled politely while turning around to head to a back room. The room was only a few feet away from the front desk and was well lit, so the items -despite being some of the oldest items in the shop- were good and useable. Alex walked a few steps into the room and put a doorstop in the wide open door, taking a few seconds of struggling to keep the doorstop in place, and let out a sigh of happiness. The last time he came in this room was about 2 or 3 months ago because of how little these items got sold. It still looked the same as last time, with the somewhat small space and high shelves that had items upon items stored in bulk. There was a large variety that ranged from wooden planks to safety helmets, even some meat that was freshly preserved in saran wrap in a transparent freezer. Not many people in town needed these, hence why they were all alone in the back room.

Alex motioned for the girl to come in, "Grab what you'd like. Feel free to come back out to look at the items in the front again." Alex stared off towards the wall clock in the back of the room. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on what the skinny clock hands were pointing towards as they silently ticked. His eyes widened, 'It's almost night!' The store actually closed for the day in a couple of minutes! He still had half of his book left to read back in his room, he was desperate to get it finished before tomorrow, but he was almost out of time. He nervously laughed, trying not to rush the customer too much, "I'd hate to rush you or anything, but y'know, it's almost nighttime..." He shrugged, trying to keep the conversation light, "I don't think you would like it very much if you had to walk back home in complete darkness."

 

[SereneDeity]

OOC

Not even sure myself why Ethan is getting this tired, lol - should I not be making Ethan get so tired?

About a minute later, Ethan somehow gathered the strength to stand up again. He brushed off his shorts and started walking back towards his house. On the way, he thought about that girl he met. I still don't know her name, yet I know I creeped her out beyond measure, Ethan thought, sighing. I hope I never see her again - I'll just creep her out more.

Before he knew it, he was back home at his small apartment. Ethan unlocked the door and stepped inside, flicking the lights on to reveal the interior. Despite Ethan's clumsy, forgetful nature, he has made an effort to keep his new one-room apartment as clean and organized as he could. The apartment had a small kitchen connected to the room with only a neatly-kept bed, a short wooden table, and a long desk in the corner with stacked papers covering it. They were all notes that Ethan had taken during his lessons or from books he had been reading on medical arts. Ethan wandered into his small kitchen and started cooking a beef stew with ingredients he had picked up the day before.

As the magical flames licked the bottom of the pot, Ethan opened a drawer and pulled out a bag of black beans, setting them on the counter, then putting one bean on the counter in front of him. Ethan took out a small scalpel he had received from work and carefully made a small incision on the bean. Now then, time to start, Ethan thought, setting down the scalpel on the counter and readying himself. Ethan felt the magical energy flow through him, and imagining the bean's original shape, and finally attempted to direct the energy towards the bean...

But nothing happened. The bean didn't even explode or anything - Ethan just couldn't channel the energy. Ethan finally realized that he was sweating profusely. Ethan turned the stove off, and stumbled over to his bed, collapsing. I didn't even do that much, Ethan thought, Why am I so exhausted? Ethan's consciousness faded away, and he finally fell asleep.

 

[firejay1]

Alex stood up tall, feeling happy that they both seemed to finally be calm. "Okay, great." He smiled politely while turning around to head to a back room. The room was only a few feet away from the front desk and was well lit, so the items -despite being some of the oldest items in the shop- were good and useable. Alex walked a few steps into the room and put a doorstop in the wide open door, taking a few seconds of struggling to keep the doorstop in place, and let out a sigh of happiness. The last time he came in this room was about 2 or 3 months ago because of how little these items got sold. It still looked the same as last time, with the somewhat small space and high shelves that had items upon items stored in bulk. There was a large variety that ranged from wooden planks to safety helmets, even some meat that was freshly preserved in saran wrap in a transparent freezer. Not many people in town needed these, hence why they were all alone in the back room.

Alex motioned for the girl to come in, "Grab what you'd like. Feel free to come back out to look at the items in the front again." Alex stared off towards the wall clock in the back of the room. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on what the skinny clock hands were pointing towards as they silently ticked. His eyes widened, 'It's almost night!' The store actually closed for the day in a couple of minutes! He still had half of his book left to read back in his room, he was desperate to get it finished before tomorrow, but he was almost out of time. He nervously laughed, trying not to rush the customer too much, "I'd hate to rush you or anything, but y'know, it's almost nighttime..." He shrugged, trying to keep the conversation light, "I don't think you would like it very much if you had to walk back home in complete darkness."

Lilica nodded seriously, immediately understanding. Quickly, she grabbed all the things she needed, and then found some food she thought would probably be worth the coins she had with her. She only hoped her bag would be strong enough to carry everything up the hill. She was trying to do this as fast as possible, but without rushing, as she was trying to be thorough. She didn't want to have to come back again. She doubted anyone would be so charitable twice. She took everything to the counter, not wanting to feel like she was stealing anything. She might be evil for her magic, but that did not mean she had to purposely break the tenets she'd grown up with.

Anxiously, she held her pouch of money out towards him, as she began jam-packing her bag full of the items. "Will this be enough?" She said, in her quiet, scratchy way.

 

[HelloBeautifulChild]

OOC

@firejay1 and @MissChoco, in an effort to move this RP along your next post is going to be the end of Saturday and the beginning of Sunday. I know you're mid-convo, but everyone else wrapped up and we have to move on.

Everyone else! It's morning, wooh! I'll play the Mage Representative, who will lead the Wicciah Service for all who plan on attending. Let's continue meeting everyone and all that jazz.

I'll have that post up soon, so unless you're @firejay1 and @MissChoco, working on closing up Saturday still, let's not post.

 

[MissChoco]

OOC

@firejay1 and @MissChoco, in an effort to move this RP along your next post is going to be the end of Saturday and the beginning of Sunday. I know you're mid-convo, but everyone else wrapped up and we have to move on.

Everyone else! It's morning, wooh! I'll play the Mage Representative, who will lead the Wicciah Service for all who plan on attending. Let's continue meeting everyone and all that jazz.

I'll have that post up soon, so unless you're @firejay1 and @MissChoco, working on closing up Saturday still, let's not post.

OOC

Yeah, that's why I was saying that Alex had to rush. :) @firejay1 and I should be done with our convo very soon.

 

[MissChoco]

Lilica nodded seriously, immediately understanding. Quickly, she grabbed all the things she needed, and then found some food she thought would probably be worth the coins she had with her. She only hoped her bag would be strong enough to carry everything up the hill. She was trying to do this as fast as possible, but without rushing, as she was trying to be thorough. She didn't want to have to come back again. She doubted anyone would be so charitable twice. She took everything to the counter, not wanting to feel like she was stealing anything. She might be evil for her magic, but that did not mean she had to purposely break the tenets she'd grown up with.

Anxiously, she held her pouch of money out towards him, as she began jam-packing her bag full of the items. "Will this be enough?" She said, in her quiet, scratchy way.

Alex looked up at her, "Ah, no! Trust me, you don't need to pay." He shook his hands dismissively. "You're helping me out just by taking those items back there. I was afraid some of those things were never gonna be sold." He walked a few steps back to close the other door while still being in hearing distance. He was hoping that she would understand, besides, she was very nice and the last thing she needed was to walk home in the dark.

 

[firejay1]

She nodded again, then high-tailed it out of there. Lilica would've liked to stay and argue that it was only proper for her to pay, but she was more worried about the dark than he was. It was, after all, her who would have to walk home in the dark, and she didn't relish what would happen if some curious animal happened upon her before she managed to get home. The minute she was out the door, she went sprinting off towards the hill, her strong legs carrying her far, her now full back thumping repetitively against her back and sword. She finally got home, shut and locked the door, and went to bed for the night, exhausted. She hadn't had a real conversation with someone for years. Tomorrow, she would have work to do.

 

[MissChoco]

Alex sighed a breath of relief, shutting off the shop lights and heading back upstairs to his room. He didn't even have to bother with flipping the 'closed' sign back around since it still showed that it was closed from the last time he falsely turned it.

As he approached the top step, his grandmother called out to him, "What was that? I heard some crashes."

"Nothing. It's fine, I just sold some items from the back, so that's nice that we have some more room." He entered his room, recalling when the costumer's bag broke and he embarrassingly stood there, not knowing what to do, as the items in her bag were scattered about on the floor. 'She sure won't want to come back after that rude accident of mine...' Alex huffed.

"Oh, that's nice." His grandmother shouted from her room, coughing afterwards. They said nothing else to each other as his grandma got back to watching her television and Alex proceeded to write down notes from the book, eventually passing out in a deep sleep.

-----

Rist slammed her front door shut, trying to keep out the night's cold. She couldn't think of anything to think about as she took her vest off, not bothering to change into her night clothes. It was just a normal day, despite that she nearly got killed by one of her 'students'. All she did was watch the plaza, looking for any trouble, and just like every single other day, there was no problems. She threw herself onto her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. She closed her eyes and let sleep take over, hoping tomorrow would be more exciting.

 

[HelloBeautifulChild]

7:30A Sunday, August 12, 5082
​

"Good morning, good morning!" An older man said, standing at the podium of the main hall of the Wicciah Church. He wore clean white clothes, the official mage uniform. He wore a grand scarf as well, signifying he was the Mage Representative and leader of the church. The podium had a microphone on it, connected to the radio booth only 10 feet away to broadcast the days sermon for those who could not make it. Anyone watching for the first time would assume it was an especially important day, and it was, but last Sunday was just as important and next Sunday would be the same. The church was more than just a religious mecca, though that could easily be the reason for all of the madness. No, the church was a place of social gathering and a time to relax your magical muscles. "Come in, take a seat." He continued, speaking with a magically enhanced voice. He took a sip of water, preparing his vocal cords. At 59 years old preaching took a lot out of him.

He looked at the crowd of people, all chattering lightly as they waited for the sermon to begin. It was a generally positive mood with the men, woman, and children of their town happy to be there. He knew many if not most of the people chettering now, his son, for example, was talking to his daughter and her best friend. Mary, his daughter Susan's best friend, appeared to be blushing and he smiled. She was a good girl, he was good friends with her parents. Which was good considering the two had sleep over at one anothers house so much both homes had bunk beds. He was curious as to what they talked about, but decided to stay on the podium, to not set them aside.

He decided to re-read his sermon then, looking at the paper. He had used the type writer that all Mage Representatives had used since the begining of the church to type it out. This sermon was exceptionally inspired, and he hoped to get to the very core of the people he was speaking to. That's why he loved his job, a way to spread the word and teach people, to make a difference. His wife was talking with his other boys, Michael was a tattoo shop owner at 28 and while he did everything he could to cause issues, he still made his parents proud. HIs other son, John Jr, was also a Mage and was wearing a uniform much like his father, except he had no scarf because he was a class 3 mage at 33. He was going to be a class 2 soon, and it appeared that that's what he was so excited about as he spoke.

"Let's get settled now," John decided when he looked at the clock, 7:59AM and slowly ticking closer to 8AM, start time. The choir, a group of fellow mages singing calming tones. "Everyone take a seat."

OOC

Hey everyone! Sorry for the slow reply, but it's up so yey! For everyone's post, start your morning out, your chatting, we will have a couple of posts before it's 8AM.

I'll post up my Mary/James/Susan post and I think we'll all have two posts each,if not just one, before the sermon begins. Watch the time on the top of my posts, as that's what time your posts should start at. If you're not talking with anyone, end your post at "Everyone take a seat". @firejay1, your character probably won't be at the sermon so feel free to post the sermon and such for the Dresiden church. (There's plot stuff there too, more so there, so get excited. :])

 

[HelloBeautifulChild]

6:30A Sunday, August 12, 5082​

The sound of a shower running and a candle being lit filled the home of Mary Adams up like a gunshot at 6:30. The rest of the city was quiet, no-one else feeling the need to get up so early for a 8 o'clock sermon. The church itself was waking up now, though, and since she was raised there, Mary woke up then as well. She always had, every Sunday for her entire life. Wake up and go to church.

She hummed the calming hymns of the choir, music with no real words as it was basically a spell, as she washed her hair. She had never whined about getting up because she loved her showers. They were a time to think, to use magic something she had always loved doing, and to clean.

The smell of mint filled her apartment as she flicked her hand and turned off the water. She went to her wardrobe then, picking a white dress with a dark blue knit sweater over it, buttons undone. She put her hair up into a braid and did what little makeup she owned. After looking in the mirror one last time, Mary smiled. She was ready for Church.
She slipped on her boots, charmed brown today, with a pair of thick white socks peeking out of the boots. She brought a cherry pie with her, bringing it for the pot luck type breakfast they did every Sunday. It was 7 now, when she magically locked her door and walked to church. It wasn't a long walk, but one point did bring a perfect view of the Dresiden church. It brought a sad expression to her face, the poor, scared people of that church had always received her pity. It was a topic that had caused her many a fight with her little brother. Though her parents never argued with her, they never told their son to stop so she knew they felt the same.

It was hard not to, she supposed as she smiled at her mother and dropped off the pie before grabbing a muffin and looking for her friends. They were so hateful and mean, but behind all of that was fear. Running their lives and ruining their friendships. She couldn't justify being mad at someone who was in such a painful and difficult position.

She wondered, as she looked around, if Jamie would be here this morning. She'd spent her night dreaming about him, a thought that made her blush even though she was speaking to no one. She grabbed her elbow from behind her back with her right hand as she walked, avoiding Suze and James as Suze would do nothing but embarrass her if she didn't have any definite result when it came to Jamie.

 

[SereneDeity]

7:30 AM Sunday, August 12, 5082​

Ethan's eyes slowly opened and light flooded into them. Ethan had apparently forgotten to turn the lights off last night, he was so exhausted. Well, at least I turned the stove off, Ethan thought with a smirk. He crawled out of bed, his limbs still aching, although less so, and headed to the kitchen. The almost-stew looked like indescribable putrescence, so he dumped the contents of the pot into the trash can beside him. Ethan yawned loudly, and started on the making of his breakfast.

Ethan usually ate a light breakfast, so he just made himself the usual - eggs and toast. Ethan cracked a couple of eggs into a pan and put them onto the stove. While the eggs were scrambling, he inserted a slice of toast into a metallic magical toaster of sorts. Outside, he could hear people chatting on the sidewalk, heading to church. Ethan was atheist, however, and so his Sunday was free until his work shift at noon. Once his eggs were all thoroughly scrambled and his toast thoroughly toasted, Ethan sat down at his small table and ate, pulling out a book titled Medical Magics for Beginners. Ethan had been reading this thing since last week, and he was about halfway through - it was a very large book however, and it could easily take him another week to finish it. However, seeing as he didn't have any arrangements for the morning, he had time to read more of it. The book was talking about how to read an organism's magical structure correctly. Well, this is stupid, Ethan thought as he read it, This is what I already know, except that Marco showed me a more efficient way. Hell, I don't need to read this. Ethan went back to the table of contents and saw that almost all of the topics ahead were things that Marco had already taught him in the two weeks that he had been taking lessons. Ethan slammed the book dramatically and tossed it onto his bed. Once Ethan finished his breakfast, he thought to go out, but realizing most people would be in church, he just sat down, bored. Ethan stared at a pile of books in the corner, but didn't exactly feel like reading anything, so he just resigned himself to boredom until a better idea came to mind.

 

[MissChoco]

7:00am Sunday, August 12th, 5082​

"Rist, wake up." Rist's mother said sternly while stiffly standing over her bed. Despite Rist being an adult, she still had to live with her parents. Her parents weren't necessarily nice, but they weren't necessarily rude, either. Rist didn't see her parents much even though they worked in the military as well since they always had different time and different locations; Rist could go for days and days without seeing her parents, they always came home later than her and left earlier than her. In fact, it had been 5 days since the last time Rist had seen her mother, so to see her this early was a bit of a shock.

Rist groggily sat up, "What?" She rubbed her head, she wasn't good with being woken up early. "I don't have to guard today..."

Her mother kept a straight face that she developed from being in the military for so long, "Get ready for the sermon, it starts at 8. Get yourself situated and come down to the audience." And with that, her mother left.

'It's Sunday?' She mentally groaned, annoyed at not being able to sleep in like she thought she would. Rist took her time with getting herself out of bed. It was only 7:00 in the morning, and while she did normally wake up way earlier than that, she was completely mentally prepared to spend all day sleeping since she didn't realize that yesterday was already Saturday. Now, she had to force herself to go to the sermon or else her mother would never let her off the hook for a year to come. Besides, it was better than doing nothing but stand around all day.

She spend 40 minutes getting ready by taking a shower and fixing herself up to look presentable. Most of her time was spent procrastinating, as she was never a huge fan of waking up early on Sunday, but she managed to get finished soon enough.

She also took her own merry time while walking to the church, constantly yawning on the way. Before she and her drowsy mind knew it, she was at the Wicciah Church. "Everyone take a seat."

-----
6:00am Sunday, August 12th, 5082
Alex woke up from the morning sun shining directly into through his curtains. Even though the sun wasn't that bright at only 6 in the morning, his room was perfectly positioned towards where the morning sun rose, meaning no matter how strong the morning sun was, it always shone with great intensity.

Alex opened his eyes, instantly feeling an uncomfortable sore in his back. He ended up sleeping on the wrong end of the bed, face-first into his book, and arms and legs halfway hanging off the side. He breathed in heavily, wiping slobber away from his cheek. He could hear his grandmother in the other room, subconsciously reading her book out loud like she always did when she was intensely concentrated. It wouldn't be surprising if his grandmother had stayed up all night reading, she had the mind of a hormonal teenager that lived for romance novels.

Alex, not bothered by waking up early, stretched his muscles and got changed into normal clothes for the sermon. He shoved his book and notes onto a small desk that was already cluttered with hundreds of messy notes about magical fighting.

Alex headed downstairs and towards the front door of the shop, before his grandmother called out from upstairs, "Alex? Why are you leaving so early? The sermon doesn't start until an hour and a half!"

"I was just going to take a walk around before I have to go the church. Y'know to clear my mind." Alex threw on a jacket and heard nothing in response from his grandmother, meaning that she was fine with it, and headed out. The shop was only open in the late afternoon on Sundays, anyways.