Event Private [Secret Santa] A Tale of Mages and Royals

Sashi · Dec 31, 2015

it was the twentieth of December and time for gift-giving. Cecete signed up for the Secret Santa event with her boyfriend. They didn't know whom their pairs would be, but they were going for it. Admittedly the harpy princess might have pushed him into joining though; she asked about the event and then thought it would be fun based off of the description. He also mentioned something about a Christmas date; she was to keep the holidays free for him to take her out. That was perfectly fine with her; she wanted to spend time with her lover for the holidays anyway.

Of course it would have been too easy if they were paired up together. She was paired with a man named Enelen. The event organizers provided her with the information, and she took that information and utilized it. She found herself intrigued by all of the magic literature and debated getting some for herself. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to try the spells in any of the books though. She settled on getting him a rather rare spell book with an emphasis on charms. She thought that would be a suitable gift. Hopefully he would enjoy it.

The woman waited at the agreed meeting spot. It was a public location downtown; to be specific, they were meeting in front of a cafe. The cafe had a flashy sign that was difficult to miss even in the worst snowfall. Not like the weather was bad; in fact, it was relatively nice in comparison to what it could have been. It was pretty cold though. Of course that's per the course for the winter. She waited for the man to arrive while holding his present. The book was wrapped in beautiful green and brown Christmas-themed wrapping paper. The wrapping job was well-done and precise.

@Thoth

Romi · Dec 31, 2015

Enelen was of the general opinion that it was in the best interests of all refugees (specifically himself, Iliril, and his younger self) to adapt to the culture of the Manta Carlos islands as soon as possible. That meant participating in social events that might seem strange or unusual, things like 'christmas' or 'secret santa'. He'd read an (admittedly short) book on Christmas traditions to get an idea of what he was supposed to do, and then set out to find something suitable.

Thankfully, she'd had 'books' and 'learning' listed down on the paper, which made everything a thousand times easier for him. He liked books, and he liked learning, so he'd simply had to come up with something creative that was easy enough for him to produce, but not common on this world.

Eventually, he produced something he made all the time - a special kind of magic bound in a book. The book itself was a quick purchase, a blank journal that he was told looked rather old fashioned. The pages themselves were blank - but also laced with magic. Of course, it wasn't exactly the most self explanatory of gifts, but simple enough when actually explained. He'd wrapped it up in garish red paper (apparently the custom), and doon a fairly poor job of it.

He found the cafe pretty easily, and a quick scan told him he had probably found the right person. She was younger than him, with red hair, and her outfits were in a style Enelen wasn't terribly familiar with. He wore his usual robes, and his staff was with him as usual.

He gave her a small smile before stepping over to sit down at the table, setting his gift down in front of him.

"I presume you're Cecete, and I haven't just sat down at the table of someone else's secret santa?"

@Sashi

Sashi · Jan 1, 2016

The young blonde glanced over at the man. Everything about him screamed mage. He held a staff and wore robes. She had no right to critique him or find his attire odd when she ran around in kimonos most of the time. She wasn't a fashionista like that anyway, so she could care less about what he was wearing. Her present for him sat on the table. Since she was already seated, she could not bow. Instead she resorted to a handshake. She extended her hand for him to shake it. It was only customary; she had to give a proper greeting.

"Correct. I am Cecete. It is nice to meet you, Enelen."

There was such a dignified aura to Cecete. There was no doubt that she was a princess; it might have even been possible to identify her as an outsider. After all, she didn't necessarily fit the fashion standard of Manta Carlos. The main giveaway was her mild accent and oddly formal way of speaking. Even so, her sincere tone prevented her from coming off as snobbish. She definitely fit the bill for a kind royal. Her green eyes gave the present a curious look. She was intrigued about what he had gotten her. The shape suggested a book, but what kind of book was it? Also, would it be possible for them to learn from each other?

@Thoth

Romi · Jan 1, 2016

Fashion was definitely not on Enelen's list of priorities. He wore more or less the same robes day in and day out, with only the slightest variation. Sometimes he had different trim, but for the most part he was practically a cartoon character - same outfit, unchanging each day.

He wasn't used to customary handshakes, but that was just another part of 'getting used to the culture', so he reached out, shaking it with his free hand with a little bit of awkwardness. It wasn't customary for staves mages to shake hands, since at least one hand was always full with a staff. Bows were more usual.

While he couldn't have guessed she was a princess, she was certainly unusual enough for him to notice. She was... well, different in a way that he couldn't have placed. There was no real royalty equivalent in his world, or at least not one he wa familiar with, so he couldn't have placed it at all.

He handed over his wrapped gift, eyeing the one in front of him before deciding that he was older, which meant custom dictated she would probably open hers first.

"You should go first. It will require a bit of explaining." It was unusual - not something you could buy in a store.

@Sashi

Sashi · Jan 1, 2016

She blinked as her gift was handed to her. She should go first? She didn't really have anything like this back at home; she wasn't even sure who Santa was. Christmas was an alien concept to her. The way they celebrated was via feasts and performances. The only time they gave gifts was on birthdays. Being a princess, she generally didn't have to deal with a gift order. So she mentally shrugged as she accepted her gift and opened the haphazardly wrapped present. She did so in a delicate fashion despite the condition it was in.

When she saw the book, she tilted her head curiously. The book was quite old fashioned; she rather liked the cover. However, when she opened it, there was nothing inside. Was this a journal? Then she felt the magic present within the pages. What could this be? Why were the pages blank? Were they in invisible ink?

"It is a beautiful book, but I am interested in learning why it is blank. Please explain."

Cecete gave Enelen the opportunity to elaborate on the gift. Meanwhile his gift was in front of him and ready when the explanation was over.

@Thoth

Romi · Jan 2, 2016

Of course it would need an explanation, but it was simply enough he'd thought that instructions would seem somewhat childish. It was easy enough that anyone could understand how it worked once explained once, and it wasn't going to require a detailed set of instructions to use.

"If you press the spine of the book to another book's spine, it will copy the contents over flawlessly. You need only say the title of the book before opening it, and when you open the book, it will be the book you named specifically." His own version was a good deal more complex, but it had also been made by a ritual mage specifically experienced in such things. Enelen wasn't capable of that sort of high-level ritual magic, so he'd had to settle for a useful but not as versatile option.

With his explanation finished, he turned his attention to the gift placed in front of him, and quickly worked his way through the wrapping, removing it precisely. He simply didn't see the appeal in ripping through it, especially when he suspected the contents were a book. Better safe than sorry.

He was correct - it was a book, and a quick skim of the cover and first page told him that it was a book of charms, no doubt of this world. That was interesting, and a smile settled on his face as he fought the urge to start reading the book immediately.

"An excellent gift. I'm quite interested in the magic of this world, and how it differs from my own magic." He wasn't sure he'd find anything with practical applications, but it would at least give him a solid idea of how they differed.

@Sashi

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