Chapter 178: 178
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Setup for the party went without a hitch.
Seeing some of the people who were arriving, Maria asked through Celeste, "Is what I made good enough for such people?"
"If they don't like your tapas, they can kiss my... grits. They're delicious. It would only prove that your daughter's palate is more refined than theirs," Orison said.
Despite the dress code being casual, a few people such as Adena's father and Esme's parents along with LeStrage's wife, seemed intent on outdoing everyone else just enough to be able to look down on them. They would pay for their snobbishness by getting the weakest mix he could get away with.
Emse did apologize for inviting herself and having to put Orison on the spot. "I honestly didn't know this would happen. But once they found out that Adena's father would be here, I think they came to some strange conclusions about what was going to be offered."
Orison shrugged. "I pretty much agreed to be your beard for awhile and got a very nice appetizer as an opening offer. I'm not one to 'eat' without paying... I don't want you to think I'm doing this for any other reason than empathy and genuine feelings. Being nasty is a knee jerk reaction sometimes. I'm sorry."
His intentions to keep things cool and detached crumbled the moment his unintended verbal dart struck a nerve, causing Esme to tear up.
Dabbing her eyes, Esme said, "It's alright. I haven't given you much reason to be 'kind'."
Smiling gently, Orison said, "Want to see if I can turn a friendship makeup handshake into a touching gesture between love interests?"
The faint smile that represented her thousand Watt happiness range graced her cold face as she extended her hand. "This, I have to see."
He took it firmly in his own, raised and lowered it no more than a few millimeters quickly before turning it slightly and raising her deceptively delicate hand to a brief brush with his lips.
"At least this way, I have an option to make peace with you if I make another stupid mistake. I never claimed to be perfect," Orison said as he lowered her hand a bit before releasing it.
"That will do nicely, Mr Cantrip. Now, let's see how you can do at an A list function sometime. We-" Esme said before cutting off at the approach of her mother.
Giving a saccharine smile, Esme's mother made a similar hand gesture and introduced herself while apologizing for her daughter's lack of manners.
While giving the saintly smile he reserved for fake and anger inducing people, he replied, "Since this is a casual function intended to relax and give the ambiance of a home event for nearest and dearest, formal politeness would be rather stiff, don't you think?"
The woman said, "Rather important people here for such an occasion. Or are you intending to claim intimate relationships with all of us?"
Esme stared at Orison in wide eyed shock. Her mother, not easily outdone in a social spar, fired back quickly. "It seems Esme's taste for trash has outdone itself, yet again."
Orison nodded in cordial agreement. "But I hope you won't be too hard on her, Miss Lacquer. It's only spiritual theory that a child chooses their parents before birth."
"A pompous, over evaluated C-class worm should learn their place before someone, my husband for instance, harshly puts them in their place," she said venomously.
Saintly smile blooming radiantly, the young mage said, "Some wyrms you encounter are spelled with a 'Y', Miss Lacquer. And I'll gladly flog your reputable husband off my property using nothing but the C-class magical ability you seem to hold in disregard. I sincerely hope you'll call my bluff. If not, show some social grace instead of your *ss. It would greatly be appreciated."
As her mother walked away with a glass smooth resting b*tch face, Esme looked at Orison with wet eyes while slightly trembling. "Orison, why would you do that? My father was considered a candidate for the triumvir artifact that your mentor holds. This could cause a feud between them."
Orison snorted, "The artifact chooses it's bearer. Candidates are a fairy tale. And any A-hole who challenges the Triumvirate will quickly find out why Avalon has survived two attempted coups and numerous infiltration. Here, the nights by the lake can be a little chilly."
The young mage pulled out his over robe and draped it on her shoulders. "This one has sentimental value to me but if you like it, I'll try my best to give you one. Do you prefer any particular color or effect?"
She was enamored with his over robe. Whether it was the magic on it, the oil slick sheen or it's texture that held her attention so much, it was hard to tell. One thing was certain, it had the intended effect of distracting her. During their short conversation, she managed to inform him that Trisha wanted to be surprised and had no desire to 'put him out' for anything expensive or fancy.
Their edge of the party stroll was interrupted by Esme's father. As the smiling man strolled up to them, Orison saw curiosity and challenge the man's eyes but no real malice. He suddenly felt like his initial impression of the man had been a little off due to his wife casting his own looks a shade or two more sinister than they would have looked were he standing alone. That didn't mean the man wouldn't thrash him if the older mage could. There was more than a touch of soldier still alive under that late forties ease.
"My wife informs me that you have made some fairly bold claims, young man. Do you consider yourself proficient at magic fundamentals?" Mr. Lacquer said, the challenge in his eyes growing a little stronger.
Orison quipped, "An entire generation could spend their whole lives on one thread of that dizzying tapestry and their combined discovery could still be considered incompetent. So, no but I do feel confident enough to display it in front of present company."
"Do you feel confident enough to play stage magician for the entertainment of your guests. Maybe help an old, retired man stretch his arms and limber his mind?" the man said jovially but not quite managing to cover the building excitement underneath.
Orison gave him a genuine smile and said, "Only if you join me for a toast afterwards."
The man chuckled and said, "Help me put on a good show and I'll consider it a deal."
Over to the side, Esme looked concerned. It was likely that the man had roughed up or ran off quite a few of her and Trisha's playmates in the past. Orison didn't get the feeling that the man was cruel or mean spirited at all. It seemed more likely that Mr. Lacquer was just a traditional father that liked to test the metal of his daughter's suitors. He was also probably bored as hell and wishing he hadn't retired so early.
After Orison agreed to the duel couched as a performance, Mr. lacquer and Jacques set up a safety shield which the young mage was obliged to power from his own property's magic grid. Since half the reason why he agreed was to make his mentor look good, being bitten by the extra expense left a sour taste in Orison's mouth but he already knew what kind of man LeStrange was. He resolved in his heart to make the man cough up some merits and a little bit of blood soon anyway. So, he wrote the act of petty stinginess off.
As the young and old mage squared off against each other inside the circle, Mr. Lacquer said. "Nice focus but that's not the one written on your file."
While the man fired off a behind the back casting of 'Frost Shards' made while he was talking, the young mage countered with a flip of 'Degree Shift' while he replied, "My mentor informed me that creating my own focus would be best. It's little more than a novice attempt at a master's work. Nothing to brag about."
With his one spell fluctuating heat and cold sporadically, Orison managed to disrupt three split second quick casts of the older mage. Expecting a counter, the man had begun setting up a model of an absorbing shell of magic Orison didn't know. Having picked up the trick of not only sensing inert essence but also directing it some what, the young mage had collected the small amount shed by their castings and slung it at the center node of the unfamiliar model.
Since it was an absorbing spell, it broke the model and temporarily clogged the extremity of Mr. Lacquer's dominant magic channel. With lightning fast situational adaptation, Mr Lacquer redirected his reserve towards the channel at his throat. Unfortunately for him, Orison could see the movement of essence and the map of the older man's channels was an open book to him.
A half second into a vocal casting, the man received an exploding five pounds of telekinetic pressure to the hollow under his throat, pushing extra essence into an incomplete model, shattering it. It would take another second or two for the man's main channel to push out the dissolving inert essence and pull more air into his lungs while his eyes watered slightly. Instead of pushing the advantage, Orison allowed the man to save some dignity.
As the little bit of time needed for the man to recover elapsed, the young mage said, "All the audience got to see out of that exchange was a couple of weak flashes and ripples. Should we ramp it up into something a little less focused on efficiency and a little more on showmanship?"
Disgruntled but grateful for not being embarrassed, the man said, "Just as long as we have an understanding that I was performing at the same class as you. I'd hate for you to mistake my abilities to be that limited."
"Don't worry, Trick Shot. No one here is going to think you're going soft when there's stacks of arrays all around my student's property stopping your signature illusion magic from working," LeStrange said with a sly grin.
Head snapping with precision, Mr Lacquer stared down Jacques as his jolliness evaporated. "Don't start getting a big head because I went easy on your student for my daughter's sake. I've wiped the floor with you from primary to seminar at Miskatonic University."
As LeStrange revved up to some return statement that would lead to a duel Orison wouldn't be able to control the flow of, the young mage said, "Too bad it and a large chunk of old Massachusetts were swallowed up on the Night of Writhing Skies. It should be a lesson to all mages that magic is to never be underestimated or it's the innocent bystanders that get hurt the most. There's not much recorded in the History books about the University or Writhing Skies. Would either of you be interested in telling me about it, as people who lived the event. After the private toast I have planned, of course."
The party goers were more than a little bummed not to have a good show. Stag came to the rescue with some magic tricks of his own. Soon enough, Rio and Daphne, along with some of their friends that were added to the list after Orison's 'futures past' moment, got an itch to strut their stuff.
The young mage was grateful to them for the diversion as he navigated the mine field between Jacques and Esme's father. That is, until Adena got into the shielded area and showed off her 'tricks'. With every new explosion, Orison watched the merit bill from the grid grow visibly higher by thousands a shot. When it reached close to 100k, excused himself for a moment, feeling a little green as he shut the show down.
A few rounds of private toasts later with VIPs that were too 'I' to turn down and and some watered down mix toasts to self invited guests that were too capable of disrupting his plans as a group if snubbed, the first half of his party drew to a close. LeStrange had enough sense of presence to realize that part of the crowd that was causing Orison's real guests from enjoying themselves were still loitering around because he was there and excused himself. The same couldn't be said about Esme's father who Orison had 'potential son-in-law' charmed a little too well.
After balancing the scales and seeing more good than harm come from it, the young mage let it be. Besides, with him occupying the father and the mother having to play nice once her husband lost interest in defending her pride, Esme was free to enjoy Trisha's company openly at a party. It also seemed to put Adena's father a bit more at ease seeing the young mage playing nice with Mr. Lacquer.
A little after ten, Orison rounded up Liberty's children from the bunker training room and took them to his room, explaining that their mother would be by to pick them up late and he didn't want that riling up the other kids. He hoped their presence, soundly sleeping under the nourishment of the medicine he slipped them, would help her make the choice she hadn't the last go round. If it didn't, that was fine too.
When Roy and Turner Came stumbling in at a touch before eleven, Orison had made his rounds and tried to be as social as he could with his attention pulled in too many directions. The two had been delayed by an on call assignment and judging by their demeanor, had done a little pre-gaming on the way over. After everyone had enjoyed their chuckles at the small comedy drama centered around Gina's only half serious butt chewing for their little side venture, the young mage got everyone's attention.
He said, "Now, I know on the invite, it said midnight margaritas but everyone's here and it's midnight somewhere. It's no secret that this is a supplement party. So, I hope no one gives me guff for including these few youngsters here."
There was some good natured ribbing including a few comments towards the 'youngster' host.
"On top of the main attraction tonight, I have some little odds and ends I made for a few of you. If I didn't, don't feel too slighted. I'm only just recently alchemy certified.
"Aside from our august company this evening of Mr. Firebrand and Mr Lacquer, the rest of you haven't had much to any opportunity to get your hands on quality supplements before. They can make you groggy or outright sleepy. Feel free to crash where it's comfortable but my room's off limits. A friend of mine's children are in there until they can swing in to pick them up.
"I have a last small warning before the assembly line starts. If you get an edibles box, don't switch your drink out with someone else's. They're balanced to allow you to get through the drink before a person might be hit with a little sudden narcolepsy. I don't think anyone wants to wake up tomorrow realizing they spilled their expensive drink on the floor. As willing as I am to share, I don't want to see someone wasting the opportunity I'm trying to give them."
With a little help from Roy, disposable margarita glasses were getting limed and salted as fast as Orison could mix. Within less than three minutes, everyone had drinks and edible boxes in hand. Most were waiting for the toast but some had sneaked a few sips while they were waiting, including Mr Lacquer who was giving the young mage an evaluating look.
Orison raised his glass and said, "As you all know, Gan here is the man of the hour but this is also Stag's welcoming party too. Say hi at some point if you haven't already. But before that, is there anything you'd like to say? This is your toast."
Looking a little out of element, he just said, "Don't go to the Irregulars. It sucks. And if you didn't know, UTF tester balls aren't worth the price they charge to eat one."
After everyone had taken their supplements and a few sips, Orison got everyone's attention again and said, "Stag, you want to say a few words?"
With a wicked grin the green haired man said, "My rooms that way and I'm a very friendly snuggle buddy."
Unsurprisingly, there were a few intrigued people, including Garret's mom and a couple older Rowdies students.
Clearing his throat, Orison quickly added, "Unless you live here, bedrooms are off limits to those under eighteen. That includes you, Daphne and, uh, your friend."
Daphne's grandmother gave the young mage a thumbs up and a wicked smile of her own before being the first to drop out with a small amount of drink left. Trisha, who was standing nearby, caught it and made sure it didn't go to waste. It didn't take too long after that for people to start finding places to sit, lay or sprawl before slipping into dreamland.
The two 'fathers' who were far more resilient to the effects, watched curiously as Orison, Gan and Stag quickly coordinated the collection of old glasses before replacing them with another that had a small amount of fluid swished around in them.
Right about the time that Orison made the bag of collected glasses disappear, Mr Lacquer became too curious not to ask what was going on. Mr Firebrand added a concerned voice of his own, feeling a little groggy.
The young mage said, "We're about to have unwelcome guests who want to confiscate what they think I was serving. All they're going to find is Triple Seven traces."
Building up anger, Mr Lacquer joined in. "Why are we getting this tired?"
Orison said with a sunny smile, "That would be the devils getting chewed up in the basement."
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Setup for the party went without a hitch.
Seeing some of the people who were arriving, Maria asked through Celeste, "Is what I made good enough for such people?"
"If they don't like your tapas, they can kiss my... grits. They're delicious. It would only prove that your daughter's palate is more refined than theirs," Orison said.
Despite the dress code being casual, a few people such as Adena's father and Esme's parents along with LeStrage's wife, seemed intent on outdoing everyone else just enough to be able to look down on them. They would pay for their snobbishness by getting the weakest mix he could get away with.
Emse did apologize for inviting herself and having to put Orison on the spot. "I honestly didn't know this would happen. But once they found out that Adena's father would be here, I think they came to some strange conclusions about what was going to be offered."
Orison shrugged. "I pretty much agreed to be your beard for awhile and got a very nice appetizer as an opening offer. I'm not one to 'eat' without paying... I don't want you to think I'm doing this for any other reason than empathy and genuine feelings. Being nasty is a knee jerk reaction sometimes. I'm sorry."
His intentions to keep things cool and detached crumbled the moment his unintended verbal dart struck a nerve, causing Esme to tear up.
Dabbing her eyes, Esme said, "It's alright. I haven't given you much reason to be 'kind'."
Smiling gently, Orison said, "Want to see if I can turn a friendship makeup handshake into a touching gesture between love interests?"
The faint smile that represented her thousand Watt happiness range graced her cold face as she extended her hand. "This, I have to see."
He took it firmly in his own, raised and lowered it no more than a few millimeters quickly before turning it slightly and raising her deceptively delicate hand to a brief brush with his lips.
"At least this way, I have an option to make peace with you if I make another stupid mistake. I never claimed to be perfect," Orison said as he lowered her hand a bit before releasing it.
"That will do nicely, Mr Cantrip. Now, let's see how you can do at an A list function sometime. We-" Esme said before cutting off at the approach of her mother.
Giving a saccharine smile, Esme's mother made a similar hand gesture and introduced herself while apologizing for her daughter's lack of manners.
While giving the saintly smile he reserved for fake and anger inducing people, he replied, "Since this is a casual function intended to relax and give the ambiance of a home event for nearest and dearest, formal politeness would be rather stiff, don't you think?"
The woman said, "Rather important people here for such an occasion. Or are you intending to claim intimate relationships with all of us?"
Esme stared at Orison in wide eyed shock. Her mother, not easily outdone in a social spar, fired back quickly. "It seems Esme's taste for trash has outdone itself, yet again."
Orison nodded in cordial agreement. "But I hope you won't be too hard on her, Miss Lacquer. It's only spiritual theory that a child chooses their parents before birth."
"A pompous, over evaluated C-class worm should learn their place before someone, my husband for instance, harshly puts them in their place," she said venomously.
Saintly smile blooming radiantly, the young mage said, "Some wyrms you encounter are spelled with a 'Y', Miss Lacquer. And I'll gladly flog your reputable husband off my property using nothing but the C-class magical ability you seem to hold in disregard. I sincerely hope you'll call my bluff. If not, show some social grace instead of your *ss. It would greatly be appreciated."
As her mother walked away with a glass smooth resting b*tch face, Esme looked at Orison with wet eyes while slightly trembling. "Orison, why would you do that? My father was considered a candidate for the triumvir artifact that your mentor holds. This could cause a feud between them."
Orison snorted, "The artifact chooses it's bearer. Candidates are a fairy tale. And any A-hole who challenges the Triumvirate will quickly find out why Avalon has survived two attempted coups and numerous infiltration. Here, the nights by the lake can be a little chilly."
The young mage pulled out his over robe and draped it on her shoulders. "This one has sentimental value to me but if you like it, I'll try my best to give you one. Do you prefer any particular color or effect?"
She was enamored with his over robe. Whether it was the magic on it, the oil slick sheen or it's texture that held her attention so much, it was hard to tell. One thing was certain, it had the intended effect of distracting her. During their short conversation, she managed to inform him that Trisha wanted to be surprised and had no desire to 'put him out' for anything expensive or fancy.
Their edge of the party stroll was interrupted by Esme's father. As the smiling man strolled up to them, Orison saw curiosity and challenge the man's eyes but no real malice. He suddenly felt like his initial impression of the man had been a little off due to his wife casting his own looks a shade or two more sinister than they would have looked were he standing alone. That didn't mean the man wouldn't thrash him if the older mage could. There was more than a touch of soldier still alive under that late forties ease.
"My wife informs me that you have made some fairly bold claims, young man. Do you consider yourself proficient at magic fundamentals?" Mr. Lacquer said, the challenge in his eyes growing a little stronger.
Orison quipped, "An entire generation could spend their whole lives on one thread of that dizzying tapestry and their combined discovery could still be considered incompetent. So, no but I do feel confident enough to display it in front of present company."
"Do you feel confident enough to play stage magician for the entertainment of your guests. Maybe help an old, retired man stretch his arms and limber his mind?" the man said jovially but not quite managing to cover the building excitement underneath.
Orison gave him a genuine smile and said, "Only if you join me for a toast afterwards."
The man chuckled and said, "Help me put on a good show and I'll consider it a deal."
Over to the side, Esme looked concerned. It was likely that the man had roughed up or ran off quite a few of her and Trisha's playmates in the past. Orison didn't get the feeling that the man was cruel or mean spirited at all. It seemed more likely that Mr. Lacquer was just a traditional father that liked to test the metal of his daughter's suitors. He was also probably bored as hell and wishing he hadn't retired so early.
After Orison agreed to the duel couched as a performance, Mr. lacquer and Jacques set up a safety shield which the young mage was obliged to power from his own property's magic grid. Since half the reason why he agreed was to make his mentor look good, being bitten by the extra expense left a sour taste in Orison's mouth but he already knew what kind of man LeStrange was. He resolved in his heart to make the man cough up some merits and a little bit of blood soon anyway. So, he wrote the act of petty stinginess off.
As the young and old mage squared off against each other inside the circle, Mr. Lacquer said. "Nice focus but that's not the one written on your file."
While the man fired off a behind the back casting of 'Frost Shards' made while he was talking, the young mage countered with a flip of 'Degree Shift' while he replied, "My mentor informed me that creating my own focus would be best. It's little more than a novice attempt at a master's work. Nothing to brag about."
With his one spell fluctuating heat and cold sporadically, Orison managed to disrupt three split second quick casts of the older mage. Expecting a counter, the man had begun setting up a model of an absorbing shell of magic Orison didn't know. Having picked up the trick of not only sensing inert essence but also directing it some what, the young mage had collected the small amount shed by their castings and slung it at the center node of the unfamiliar model.
Since it was an absorbing spell, it broke the model and temporarily clogged the extremity of Mr. Lacquer's dominant magic channel. With lightning fast situational adaptation, Mr Lacquer redirected his reserve towards the channel at his throat. Unfortunately for him, Orison could see the movement of essence and the map of the older man's channels was an open book to him.
A half second into a vocal casting, the man received an exploding five pounds of telekinetic pressure to the hollow under his throat, pushing extra essence into an incomplete model, shattering it. It would take another second or two for the man's main channel to push out the dissolving inert essence and pull more air into his lungs while his eyes watered slightly. Instead of pushing the advantage, Orison allowed the man to save some dignity.
As the little bit of time needed for the man to recover elapsed, the young mage said, "All the audience got to see out of that exchange was a couple of weak flashes and ripples. Should we ramp it up into something a little less focused on efficiency and a little more on showmanship?"
Disgruntled but grateful for not being embarrassed, the man said, "Just as long as we have an understanding that I was performing at the same class as you. I'd hate for you to mistake my abilities to be that limited."
"Don't worry, Trick Shot. No one here is going to think you're going soft when there's stacks of arrays all around my student's property stopping your signature illusion magic from working," LeStrange said with a sly grin.
Head snapping with precision, Mr Lacquer stared down Jacques as his jolliness evaporated. "Don't start getting a big head because I went easy on your student for my daughter's sake. I've wiped the floor with you from primary to seminar at Miskatonic University."
As LeStrange revved up to some return statement that would lead to a duel Orison wouldn't be able to control the flow of, the young mage said, "Too bad it and a large chunk of old Massachusetts were swallowed up on the Night of Writhing Skies. It should be a lesson to all mages that magic is to never be underestimated or it's the innocent bystanders that get hurt the most. There's not much recorded in the History books about the University or Writhing Skies. Would either of you be interested in telling me about it, as people who lived the event. After the private toast I have planned, of course."
The party goers were more than a little bummed not to have a good show. Stag came to the rescue with some magic tricks of his own. Soon enough, Rio and Daphne, along with some of their friends that were added to the list after Orison's 'futures past' moment, got an itch to strut their stuff.
The young mage was grateful to them for the diversion as he navigated the mine field between Jacques and Esme's father. That is, until Adena got into the shielded area and showed off her 'tricks'. With every new explosion, Orison watched the merit bill from the grid grow visibly higher by thousands a shot. When it reached close to 100k, excused himself for a moment, feeling a little green as he shut the show down.
A few rounds of private toasts later with VIPs that were too 'I' to turn down and and some watered down mix toasts to self invited guests that were too capable of disrupting his plans as a group if snubbed, the first half of his party drew to a close. LeStrange had enough sense of presence to realize that part of the crowd that was causing Orison's real guests from enjoying themselves were still loitering around because he was there and excused himself. The same couldn't be said about Esme's father who Orison had 'potential son-in-law' charmed a little too well.
After balancing the scales and seeing more good than harm come from it, the young mage let it be. Besides, with him occupying the father and the mother having to play nice once her husband lost interest in defending her pride, Esme was free to enjoy Trisha's company openly at a party. It also seemed to put Adena's father a bit more at ease seeing the young mage playing nice with Mr. Lacquer.
A little after ten, Orison rounded up Liberty's children from the bunker training room and took them to his room, explaining that their mother would be by to pick them up late and he didn't want that riling up the other kids. He hoped their presence, soundly sleeping under the nourishment of the medicine he slipped them, would help her make the choice she hadn't the last go round. If it didn't, that was fine too.
When Roy and Turner Came stumbling in at a touch before eleven, Orison had made his rounds and tried to be as social as he could with his attention pulled in too many directions. The two had been delayed by an on call assignment and judging by their demeanor, had done a little pre-gaming on the way over. After everyone had enjoyed their chuckles at the small comedy drama centered around Gina's only half serious butt chewing for their little side venture, the young mage got everyone's attention.
He said, "Now, I know on the invite, it said midnight margaritas but everyone's here and it's midnight somewhere. It's no secret that this is a supplement party. So, I hope no one gives me guff for including these few youngsters here."
There was some good natured ribbing including a few comments towards the 'youngster' host.
"On top of the main attraction tonight, I have some little odds and ends I made for a few of you. If I didn't, don't feel too slighted. I'm only just recently alchemy certified.
"Aside from our august company this evening of Mr. Firebrand and Mr Lacquer, the rest of you haven't had much to any opportunity to get your hands on quality supplements before. They can make you groggy or outright sleepy. Feel free to crash where it's comfortable but my room's off limits. A friend of mine's children are in there until they can swing in to pick them up.
"I have a last small warning before the assembly line starts. If you get an edibles box, don't switch your drink out with someone else's. They're balanced to allow you to get through the drink before a person might be hit with a little sudden narcolepsy. I don't think anyone wants to wake up tomorrow realizing they spilled their expensive drink on the floor. As willing as I am to share, I don't want to see someone wasting the opportunity I'm trying to give them."
With a little help from Roy, disposable margarita glasses were getting limed and salted as fast as Orison could mix. Within less than three minutes, everyone had drinks and edible boxes in hand. Most were waiting for the toast but some had sneaked a few sips while they were waiting, including Mr Lacquer who was giving the young mage an evaluating look.
Orison raised his glass and said, "As you all know, Gan here is the man of the hour but this is also Stag's welcoming party too. Say hi at some point if you haven't already. But before that, is there anything you'd like to say? This is your toast."
Looking a little out of element, he just said, "Don't go to the Irregulars. It sucks. And if you didn't know, UTF tester balls aren't worth the price they charge to eat one."
After everyone had taken their supplements and a few sips, Orison got everyone's attention again and said, "Stag, you want to say a few words?"
With a wicked grin the green haired man said, "My rooms that way and I'm a very friendly snuggle buddy."
Unsurprisingly, there were a few intrigued people, including Garret's mom and a couple older Rowdies students.
Clearing his throat, Orison quickly added, "Unless you live here, bedrooms are off limits to those under eighteen. That includes you, Daphne and, uh, your friend."
Daphne's grandmother gave the young mage a thumbs up and a wicked smile of her own before being the first to drop out with a small amount of drink left. Trisha, who was standing nearby, caught it and made sure it didn't go to waste. It didn't take too long after that for people to start finding places to sit, lay or sprawl before slipping into dreamland.
The two 'fathers' who were far more resilient to the effects, watched curiously as Orison, Gan and Stag quickly coordinated the collection of old glasses before replacing them with another that had a small amount of fluid swished around in them.
Right about the time that Orison made the bag of collected glasses disappear, Mr Lacquer became too curious not to ask what was going on. Mr Firebrand added a concerned voice of his own, feeling a little groggy.
The young mage said, "We're about to have unwelcome guests who want to confiscate what they think I was serving. All they're going to find is Triple Seven traces."
Building up anger, Mr Lacquer joined in. "Why are we getting this tired?"
Orison said with a sunny smile, "That would be the devils getting chewed up in the basement."
Setup for the party went without a hitch. Seeing some of the people who were arriving, Maria asked through Celeste, "Is what I made good enough for such people?" "If they don't like your tapas, they can kiss my... grits. They're delicious. It would only prove that your daughter's palate is more refined than theirs," Orison said. Despite the dress code being casual, a few people such as Adena's father and Esme's parents along with LeStrage's wife, seemed intent on outdoing everyone else just enough to be able to look down on them. They would pay for their snobbishness by getting the weakest mix he could get away with. Emse did apologize for inviting herself and having to put Orison on the spot. "I honestly didn't know this would happen. But once they found out that Adena's father would be here, I think they came to some strange conclusions about what was going to be offered." Orison shrugged. "I pretty much agreed to be your beard for awhile and got a very nice appetizer as an opening offer. I'm not one to 'eat' without paying... I don't want you to think I'm doing this for any other reason than empathy and genuine feelings. Being nasty is a knee jerk reaction sometimes. I'm sorry." His intentions to keep things cool and detached crumbled the moment his unintended verbal dart struck a nerve, causing Esme to tear up. Dabbing her eyes, Esme said, "It's alright. I haven't given you much reason to be 'kind'." Smiling gently, Orison said, "Want to see if I can turn a friendship makeup handshake into a touching gesture between love interests?" The faint smile that represented her thousand Watt happiness range graced her cold face as she extended her hand. "This, I have to see." He took it firmly in his own, raised and lowered it no more than a few millimeters quickly before turning it slightly and raising her deceptively delicate hand to a brief brush with his lips. "At least this way, I have an option to make peace with you if I make another stupid mistake. I never claimed to be perfect," Orison said as he lowered her hand a bit before releasing it. "That will do nicely, Mr Cantrip. Now, let's see how you can do at an A list function sometime. We-" Esme said before cutting off at the approach of her mother. Giving a saccharine smile, Esme's mother made a similar hand gesture and introduced herself while apologizing for her daughter's lack of manners. While giving the saintly smile he reserved for fake and anger inducing people, he replied, "Since this is a casual function intended to relax and give the ambiance of a home event for nearest and dearest, formal politeness would be rather stiff, don't you think?" The woman said, "Rather important people here for such an occasion. Or are you intending to claim intimate relationships with all of us?" Esme stared at Orison in wide eyed shock. Her mother, not easily outdone in a social spar, fired back quickly. "It seems Esme's taste for trash has outdone itself, yet again." Orison nodded in cordial agreement. "But I hope you won't be too hard on her, Miss Lacquer. It's only spiritual theory that a child chooses their parents before birth." "A pompous, over evaluated C-class worm should learn their place before someone, my husband for instance, harshly puts them in their place," she said venomously. Saintly smile blooming radiantly, the young mage said, "Some wyrms you encounter are spelled with a 'Y', Miss Lacquer. And I'll gladly flog your reputable husband off my property using nothing but the C-class magical ability you seem to hold in disregard. I sincerely hope you'll call my bluff. If not, show some social grace instead of your *ss. It would greatly be appreciated." As her mother walked away with a glass smooth resting b*tch face, Esme looked at Orison with wet eyes while slightly trembling. "Orison, why would you do that? My father was considered a candidate for the triumvir artifact that your mentor holds. This could cause a feud between them." Orison snorted, "The artifact chooses it's bearer. Candidates are a fairy tale. And any A-hole who challenges the Triumvirate will quickly find out why Avalon has survived two attempted coups and numerous infiltration. Here, the nights by the lake can be a little chilly." The young mage pulled out his over robe and draped it on her shoulders. "This one has sentimental value to me but if you like it, I'll try my best to give you one. Do you prefer any particular color or effect?" She was enamored with his over robe. Whether it was the magic on it, the oil slick sheen or it's texture that held her attention so much, it was hard to tell. One thing was certain, it had the intended effect of distracting her. During their short conversation, she managed to inform him that Trisha wanted to be surprised and had no desire to 'put him out' for anything expensive or fancy. Their edge of the party stroll was interrupted by Esme's father. As the smiling man strolled up to them, Orison saw curiosity and challenge the man's eyes but no real malice. He suddenly felt like his initial impression of the man had been a little off due to his wife casting his own looks a shade or two more sinister than they would have looked were he standing alone. That didn't mean the man wouldn't thrash him if the older mage could. There was more than a touch of soldier still alive under that late forties ease. "My wife informs me that you have made some fairly bold claims, young man. Do you consider yourself proficient at magic fundamentals?" Mr. Lacquer said, the challenge in his eyes growing a little stronger. Orison quipped, "An entire generation could spend their whole lives on one thread of that dizzying tapestry and their combined discovery could still be considered incompetent. So, no but I do feel confident enough to display it in front of present company." "Do you feel confident enough to play stage magician for the entertainment of your guests. Maybe help an old, retired man stretch his arms and limber his mind?" the man said jovially but not quite managing to cover the building excitement underneath. Orison gave him a genuine smile and said, "Only if you join me for a toast afterwards." The man chuckled and said, "Help me put on a good show and I'll consider it a deal." Over to the side, Esme looked concerned. It was likely that the man had roughed up or ran off quite a few of her and Trisha's playmates in the past. Orison didn't get the feeling that the man was cruel or mean spirited at all. It seemed more likely that Mr. Lacquer was just a traditional father that liked to test the metal of his daughter's suitors. He was also probably bored as hell and wishing he hadn't retired so early. After Orison agreed to the duel couched as a performance, Mr. lacquer and Jacques set up a safety shield which the young mage was obliged to power from his own property's magic grid. Since half the reason why he agreed was to make his mentor look good, being bitten by the extra expense left a sour taste in Orison's mouth but he already knew what kind of man LeStrange was. He resolved in his heart to make the man cough up some merits and a little bit of blood soon anyway. So, he wrote the act of petty stinginess off. As the young and old mage squared off against each other inside the circle, Mr. Lacquer said. "Nice focus but that's not the one written on your file." While the man fired off a behind the back casting of 'Frost Shards' made while he was talking, the young mage countered with a flip of 'Degree Shift' while he replied, "My mentor informed me that creating my own focus would be best. It's little more than a novice attempt at a master's work. Nothing to brag about." With his one spell fluctuating heat and cold sporadically, Orison managed to disrupt three split second quick casts of the older mage. Expecting a counter, the man had begun setting up a model of an absorbing shell of magic Orison didn't know. Having picked up the trick of not only sensing inert essence but also directing it some what, the young mage had collected the small amount shed by their castings and slung it at the center node of the unfamiliar model. Since it was an absorbing spell, it broke the model and temporarily clogged the extremity of Mr. Lacquer's dominant magic channel. With lightning fast situational adaptation, Mr Lacquer redirected his reserve towards the channel at his throat. Unfortunately for him, Orison could see the movement of essence and the map of the older man's channels was an open book to him. A half second into a vocal casting, the man received an exploding five pounds of telekinetic pressure to the hollow under his throat, pushing extra essence into an incomplete model, shattering it. It would take another second or two for the man's main channel to push out the dissolving inert essence and pull more air into his lungs while his eyes watered slightly. Instead of pushing the advantage, Orison allowed the man to save some dignity. As the little bit of time needed for the man to recover elapsed, the young mage said, "All the audience got to see out of that exchange was a couple of weak flashes and ripples. Should we ramp it up into something a little less focused on efficiency and a little more on showmanship?" Disgruntled but grateful for not being embarrassed, the man said, "Just as long as we have an understanding that I was performing at the same class as you. I'd hate for you to mistake my abilities to be that limited." "Don't worry, Trick Shot. No one here is going to think you're going soft when there's stacks of arrays all around my student's property stopping your signature illusion magic from working," LeStrange said with a sly grin. Head snapping with precision, Mr Lacquer stared down Jacques as his jolliness evaporated. "Don't start getting a big head because I went easy on your student for my daughter's sake. I've wiped the floor with you from primary to seminar at Miskatonic University." As LeStrange revved up to some return statement that would lead to a duel Orison wouldn't be able to control the flow of, the young mage said, "Too bad it and a large chunk of old Massachusetts were swallowed up on the Night of Writhing Skies. It should be a lesson to all mages that magic is to never be underestimated or it's the innocent bystanders that get hurt the most. There's not much recorded in the History books about the University or Writhing Skies. Would either of you be interested in telling me about it, as people who lived the event. After the private toast I have planned, of course." The party goers were more than a little bummed not to have a good show. Stag came to the rescue with some magic tricks of his own. Soon enough, Rio and Daphne, along with some of their friends that were added to the list after Orison's 'futures past' moment, got an itch to strut their stuff. The young mage was grateful to them for the diversion as he navigated the mine field between Jacques and Esme's father. That is, until Adena got into the shielded area and showed off her 'tricks'. With every new explosion, Orison watched the merit bill from the grid grow visibly higher by thousands a shot. When it reached close to 100k, excused himself for a moment, feeling a little green as he shut the show down. A few rounds of private toasts later with VIPs that were too 'I' to turn down and and some watered down mix toasts to self invited guests that were too capable of disrupting his plans as a group if snubbed, the first half of his party drew to a close. LeStrange had enough sense of presence to realize that part of the crowd that was causing Orison's real guests from enjoying themselves were still loitering around because he was there and excused himself. The same couldn't be said about Esme's father who Orison had 'potential son-in-law' charmed a little too well. After balancing the scales and seeing more good than harm come from it, the young mage let it be. Besides, with him occupying the father and the mother having to play nice once her husband lost interest in defending her pride, Esme was free to enjoy Trisha's company openly at a party. It also seemed to put Adena's father a bit more at ease seeing the young mage playing nice with Mr. Lacquer. A little after ten, Orison rounded up Liberty's children from the bunker training room and took them to his room, explaining that their mother would be by to pick them up late and he didn't want that riling up the other kids. He hoped their presence, soundly sleeping under the nourishment of the medicine he slipped them, would help her make the choice she hadn't the last go round. If it didn't, that was fine too. When Roy and Turner Came stumbling in at a touch before eleven, Orison had made his rounds and tried to be as social as he could with his attention pulled in too many directions. The two had been delayed by an on call assignment and judging by their demeanor, had done a little pre-gaming on the way over. After everyone had enjoyed their chuckles at the small comedy drama centered around Gina's only half serious butt chewing for their little side venture, the young mage got everyone's attention. He said, "Now, I know on the invite, it said midnight margaritas but everyone's here and it's midnight somewhere. It's no secret that this is a supplement party. So, I hope no one gives me guff for including these few youngsters here." There was some good natured ribbing including a few comments towards the 'youngster' host. "On top of the main attraction tonight, I have some little odds and ends I made for a few of you. If I didn't, don't feel too slighted. I'm only just recently alchemy certified. "Aside from our august company this evening of Mr. Firebrand and Mr Lacquer, the rest of you haven't had much to any opportunity to get your hands on quality supplements before. They can make you groggy or outright sleepy. Feel free to crash where it's comfortable but my room's off limits. A friend of mine's children are in there until they can swing in to pick them up. "I have a last small warning before the assembly line starts. If you get an edibles box, don't switch your drink out with someone else's. They're balanced to allow you to get through the drink before a person might be hit with a little sudden narcolepsy. I don't think anyone wants to wake up tomorrow realizing they spilled their expensive drink on the floor. As willing as I am to share, I don't want to see someone wasting the opportunity I'm trying to give them." With a little help from Roy, disposable margarita glasses were getting limed and salted as fast as Orison could mix. Within less than three minutes, everyone had drinks and edible boxes in hand. Most were waiting for the toast but some had sneaked a few sips while they were waiting, including Mr Lacquer who was giving the young mage an evaluating look. Orison raised his glass and said, "As you all know, Gan here is the man of the hour but this is also Stag's welcoming party too. Say hi at some point if you haven't already. But before that, is there anything you'd like to say? This is your toast." Looking a little out of element, he just said, "Don't go to the Irregulars. It sucks. And if you didn't know, UTF tester balls aren't worth the price they charge to eat one." After everyone had taken their supplements and a few sips, Orison got everyone's attention again and said, "Stag, you want to say a few words?" With a wicked grin the green haired man said, "My rooms that way and I'm a very friendly snuggle buddy." Unsurprisingly, there were a few intrigued people, including Garret's mom and a couple older Rowdies students. Clearing his throat, Orison quickly added, "Unless you live here, bedrooms are off limits to those under eighteen. That includes you, Daphne and, uh, your friend." Daphne's grandmother gave the young mage a thumbs up and a wicked smile of her own before being the first to drop out with a small amount of drink left. Trisha, who was standing nearby, caught it and made sure it didn't go to waste. It didn't take too long after that for people to start finding places to sit, lay or sprawl before slipping into dreamland. The two 'fathers' who were far more resilient to the effects, watched curiously as Orison, Gan and Stag quickly coordinated the collection of old glasses before replacing them with another that had a small amount of fluid swished around in them.Right about the time that Orison made the bag of collected glasses disappear, Mr Lacquer became too curious not to ask what was going on. Mr Firebrand added a concerned voice of his own, feeling a little groggy. The young mage said, "We're about to have unwelcome guests who want to confiscate what they think I was serving. All they're going to find is Triple Seven traces." Building up anger, Mr Lacquer joined in. "Why are we getting this tired?" Orison said with a sunny smile, "That would be the devils getting chewed up in the basement."
