A Magical Meeting (Oron)

[attr="class","icon"]

[attr="class","text-area"]
A knock on her room's door immediately had Token fly straight back into his bag. It would be downright dangerous if he was caught in the wrong person's sight. Word travels fast, after all. As Token panics and hides, albeit he was quite quick to become hidden, Ritua was left stunned for a few moments. [break][break]

She had never expected anyone from town would actually try and come and meet the mage that she apparently trained under. It was supposed to be a simple cover story! She hadn't heard this voice before, so hopefully, a few more excuses wouldn't stretch the story too thin... Or at least, so she hoped. There would only be so much she could do before people started poking holes in her statements. [break][break]

"Uh..." She mumbled a little bit, quickly attempting to make herself look nice. Hood up, book in hand, dirt clean off her face. To at least Ritua's standards, she appeared like a proper mage should. Or perhaps, a mage apprentice for her story, anyways. [break][break]

"Yeah, uh, I am! Kind of!" She yelled through the door, admittedly already sounding like a confused child even before she opened the door. "One minute, please!" She literally had to stand on her tippy toes to unlock it properly before pulling the door open. [break][break]

Almost right away, Ritua was stunned by the man's long red hair before her. Red hair was incredibly common back in the grove, but she had barely seen it at all since she had left! She stared up at him with wide eyes for a few moments, having a silly childish fantasy as if that's what some of her friends would have looked like if they grew up as Hylians did. It took her a few moments to actually speak, not entirely sure how to respond, especially considering she was alone in the room without an adult to speak of. [break][break]

"Uh... Hiii, my name is Ritua. I'm... the mage. T-their apprentice, I mean! Yeah, uh, definitely their apprentice. Can I help you, Sir?" She rocked back and forth on her heels, neck craned all the way up to look at them. Her old tome clung carefully to her side as if it somehow made her appear more magical and not just a child in a fancy robe with an old book. [break][break]

"My teacher... uh, mentor... d-dad?" She spoke the word, almost as if she wasn't even sure she was using it right. She even tilted her head, almost as if she was asking the stranger if she used it properly. Ritua's audible confusion was incredibly genuine. "Yeah, uh, that one. He isn't, uh, here. Yeah. He's gone. F-for a bit! Not like, forever. Just, oh, you know... went into the woods. To get some... mushrooms! Yeah. In winter. Yeah." [break][break]

She eventually sighed, just shaking her head. That wouldn't even convince her, and she barely understood what a dad was. Or how mushrooms grew, for that matter. "Nevermind all that, what did you need a mage for, Mister?"

[googlefont=Fira Sans:400,500,600,700]
[newclass=.sidebar]margin: 20px auto; width: 420px; border: 0px solid black; font: 400 12px/16px 'Fira Sans', arial; display: grid; grid-template-columns: 100px 1fr; grid-template-rows: 1fr auto; grid-template-areas: 'icon text' 'ooc text'; grid-column-gap: 16px; margin: 20px auto; width: 420px; border: 0px solid black; font: 400 12px/16px 'Fira Sans', arial; [/newclass]
[newclass=.sidebar .icon]width: 100px; grid-area: icon; position: relative;[/newclass]
[newclass=.sidebar .icon img]width: 100%; filter: brightness(100%) contrast(100%); transition: filter 0.3s; -webkit-transition: filter 0.3s, -webkit-filter 0.3s;[/newclass]
[newclass=.sidebar .icon img:hover]filter: brightness(110%) contrast(110%); transition: filter 0.3s; -webkit-transition: filter 0.3s, -webkit-filter 0.3s;[/newclass]
[newclass=.sidebar .text-area]grid-area: text; text-align: justify;[/newclass]
[newclass=.sidebar .text-area b]font-weight: 500; color: #29af89; text-decoration: none; [/newclass]
[newclass=.sidebar .ooc-area]padding: 8px 0; border: 1px dotted #29af89; border-left: 0; border-right: 0; font-size: 10px; line-height: 14px; grid-area: ooc; align-self: flex-end[/newclass]
[newclass=.sidebar .ooc-area a]letter-spacing: .6px; font: 500 10px/15px 'Fira Sans',arial; text-decoration: none; color: #29af89; text-transform: uppercase;[/newclass]

[attr="class","icon"]

[attr="class","text-area"]
As soon as he expressed that he had been studying magic for a few years, Ritua's guard slowly began to drop. Eyes wide, she listened to every word he said. He was looking for a teacher. He wasn't wearing mage robes, but she supposed all types wanted to learn magic! [break][break]

At the cheeky mention of apprentice, a teasing smirk slowly began to spread across her face. He knew but was playing along with it. Definitely a good sign, perhaps she could actually even trust him somewhat. "Maaaybe," she began, stepping back into her room a bit. "Maybe we can indeed help one another out. Please, come on inside. You'll let out all the heat!" [break][break]

Of course, that was just a subtle attempt to get him inside so fewer people had the potential to hear them. [break][break]

Presuming he actually followed in behind and closed the door, Ritua instinctively jumped up onto the bed to at least attempt to even look the man in the eye. "First, introductions. I'm Ritua, the traveling mage! You can call me Ritua! Tada!" She waved her hand as if making some grand reveal. As if to prove her point, her hand faintly glowed with a soft green color as electricity literally crackled between her fingers. [break][break]

"Don't mind my age, or my mannerisms. I promise I'm as dedicated to magic as they come!" It was almost as if she was attempting to reassure herself, rather than him. With another brief "magical" pose, she turned her attention back to him. Sure, she was older than he probably was, but explaining that would be exhausting. Not to mention, she never quite understood how Hylians looked at what age. How could you tell someone 18 years old and 30 apart? Terrifying concept, really.[break][break]

"Just how much magic do you know, Mister Stranger? Tell me about yourself, would you?"

[attr="class","ooc-area"]Tada! — Auron Fulbright

[attr="class","icon"]

[attr="class","text-area"]

At the sight of Auron's own electrical crackle, Ritua's grin slowly began to widen even more. A fellow Farore enthusiast, perhaps? He certainly came to the right Kokiri. Of course, the offer for something in return had her attention. She could always use a few rupees, rations didn't buy themselves! And yet, she had a sneaking suspicion he was implying something different. Curious and curioser. [break] [break]

"Ahem! Well, all right 'traveler." She spoke with a teasing tone, almost akin to how he had called her 'apprentice' just a bit ago. Nobody was simply just a traveler, but perhaps intents and goals were best kept secret. If he truly was just traveling the world solely to travel, she'd have to eat her own socks! Or something else, less gross.[break] [break]

"But enough about that, more about magic! Magic is what defines our reality, to some extent! The rules of the world themselves bend to the whims of a talented mage! Each branch of magic is named after a goddess for a reason!" Of course, the Gods could have simply blessed mortals with the power of magic themselves, but her book didn't quite describe the origins of it all. An interesting idea to delve into later, perhaps. [break] [break]

"I can teach you some of the basics, but you seem to have at least the ability to cast spells already, so that's a good start!" She'd chuckle to herself, flopping back a bit until she eventually sat down on the bed.[break] [break]

"From my experience, magic is all about willpower. Having the self-control to not only be able to focus on the spells you cast but also keep them from growing out of control." She'd pause for a brief second, placing her ancient tome atop her lap. "You have to have the strength to force your own desires upon the world! Feel the energy of the world around you and just, let yourself be a conduit and manipulate it. Feel the wind in your hair, the static on your clothes, the very life energy in the plants around you, all of it is magical in its own way. Even the most simple forms of life are magical beyond comprehension and deserving of study!"[break] [break]

She had never tried to teach anyone else magic before, but Ritua certainly was trying her best. For as childish and energetic as she appeared to be, her word choice and careful understanding of the usage of magic alone betrayed there was much more than met the eyes about this strange 'ten-year-old' girl. [break] [break]

"We could sit here and study my tome, discussing the like... foundations and basic principles of elemental manipulation. Or perhaps..." A smirk returned once more, mischievously chuckling for a few seconds. "We can head out somewhere and practice blowing things around. Your choice!"

[attr="class","ooc-area"]Tada! — Auron Fulbright

[attr="class","icon"]

[attr="class","text-area"]
If there was any doubt to their natural affinity with Farore-brand magic, it was quickly forgotten as he brought up his natural instinct of the winds. It was someone else who quite literally went where the wind took them, a kindred spirit perhaps. [break] [break]

"Well then! Let's be off!" She would quickly begin packing her things, gently placing her book back into her pack as well as everything else she owned. Which didn't boil down too much, really. Some spare shoes, a blanket resting on the bed, and that was it. She hopped straight down off the bed, landing with a solid oomph and a dramatic yet obviously childlike pose, giggling with excitement. [break] [break]

"I know a pretty nice clearing outside of town. There is probably still some snow out there, but we can blow it all away!" Ritua would beam a smile up to her... student? Associate? What even was the word for a situation like this? Either way, she was fairly certain it didn't matter in the slightest. [break] [break]

It was a short walk outside of town, but in truth not all that far at all. She had already stayed in a small twig hut in the area a few nights ago before the snow and temperature began to drop. Her little footsteps had already covered the area, quite visible in the snow. Otherwise, the small clearing was surrounded by trees on all sides, giving some nice room to breathe. "Tada!" She'd say again, clearly in the business of enjoying dramatic and not so dramatic reveals. [break] [break]

"Here's the place!" Ritua would quickly kick her feet around as she picked up the wind, swaying her hands with the motion. A bit of snow would pick up and clear away from where they stood, letting her stand on proper, albeit frozen, ground. "Why don't you show me what you actually know, traveler? Impress me!"

[attr="class","ooc-area"]Tada! — Auron Fulbright