The View From Up Here

       Late afternoon, Lupecyll-Atlon Residence

With a chilly, brisk wind blowing in, the hazy days of Summer are finally receding into memory. Autumn slowly approaches.

Dressed in her full priestly robes, Simony moves along the street at a decent clip. Her feet making a noisy clumping sound, her new boots occasionally seen under the hem of her robes. The Goblin pauses at a garden gate, peering inside a moment, before entering and closing the gate behind her.

Her path meanders around the garden, pausing here and there as she is distracted by the flora. Presently, she raps her knuckles upon the greenhouse door.

"Telamon?"

The greenhouse is an odd affair -- more tall than wide, actually standing close to two stories. But movement can be heard within, and at Simony's inquiry there's a surprised sound. Then the simple door opens, to reveal Telamon dressed down in a homespun tunic, trousers, and shoes. He's also hovering about two inches off the ground.

"Simony! Good to see you!" The half-sil smiles at her, as he backs up a little if she wants to come inside. The greenhouse itself is a simple affair of planting boxes on racks, arranged around the walls, with no ladder or stairs to ascent to the upper levels -- only the open space in the center.

Simony's bright grin is quickly replaced with wonder and curiosity. "Hiya Tel! Whoooa!" She peers up and up and up. "That is crazy!" She slips inside so that the door may be closed. "Did you build all this? Oh, and once more... thank you!"

Her hands reach up to her hood, and pull it back, and then she begins to pull hair from where it slides down her back, hidden by her robes. When all is said and done, her hair is about half again as long as she is.

Telamon grins. "I had some help. But I came up with the idea from Grandfather's library -- he built his vertically as well. If it works for a library, it should work for a greenhouse." Indeed, the building seems built in mind for someone who thinks gravity is a strictly optional requirement. "Just getting some things planted that I want to save, before the chills really start to roll in."

At the sight of Simony with an absolute wealth of hair, Tel's eyebrows rise. "Well... it's nice to know my concoction works. Though I think I might warn people to use it sparingly if they don't want to have enough hair to sell to a wig-maker and still have plenty left over." He chuckles. "Remember, you're going to have to take care of it. Something to consider when you're combing it out."

The Gobbo hugs at her mass of hair. "No. Mine." Her toothy grin is followed by a little tongue being stuck out at the man. "I want to enjoy this for a little while, before I decide what to do with it. But, donating some of it to a wigmaker is a good idea, and I will take your advice there."

Simony peers up once more. "Who helped you, a giant?", she wonders. Eyeing his feet for a moment, she blinks. "Ah, you're using magic to get up here. Oh, are you bringing plants inside your house? Do the little fay ladies move inside too?"

"It's your hair," Tel says firmly. "Not mine. So do what you want with it, I've no right to press you." His eyes twinkle. "But donating some of it strikes me as a worthy act."

"Of course I used magic," Telamon comments with a grin. "I -am- a sorcerer, after all. Doctor Barnabus Bizarre I'm not, but I like to think I get along well." He studies the layout, before nodding. "Lily and Mira will probably spend some time out here, as well as adding growing plants to our house interior. It'll keep them out of trouble during the winter months, and honestly... I rather miss the vines and flowers from before. I know Lana likes them too."

Simony snorts, pouting lightly. "Hmmph, of course you would frame it that way, make me feel guilty if I don't donate it." Her grin returns and she giggles. "Those darn eyes are unfair in an argument."

She nods, still grinning, "Well, I suppose I should have expected that. So uhmmm." The Gobbo looks around. "Did you want a hand? I can't fly, but I can walk things into your house if you bring them down to me. Ooh, they can make things grow? That makes sense, with them being magical and fae. Oh. Oh! Did they find Seldan in the fresco yet? Did they like my rendition of you and the Paladin?"

Telamon laughs softly. "Of course. If you think I -ever- plan to fight fair, you're in for a real surprise. And you can blame my father for that one -- he instilled that thought in me early on."

But the sorcerer shakes his head. "No, we'll have the greenhouse heated magically over the winter. I'm not moving things inside, I'm making sure things are ready here for when the weather gets worse." His expression becomes faintly sour. "I may be inured to the cold but I really dislike snow country. And Alexandria's prone to getting snow drifts in all sorts of places."

Telamon's expression lightens again at the mention of the fresco. "Oh yes. Lily was spinning in circles and even Mira was fascinated. I suspect if Sir Seldan was not spoken for he would have those two drooling after him."

The Goblin manages quite the glower and pout. "Even against me?" She tries batting her eyes, but can't even hold a serious face for more than a few moment, before snorting and laughing. "I shake my fist at your father, then." Gesturing for a moment with her tiny fist, she peers upwards once more. "You're going to heat this space for the winter? Do you have a means to make things permanent or long lasting... or are you going to be out here every day refreshing the spells?"

Simony laughs once more. "I do hope that Sir Seldan won't be pestered by them, but well, being good looking is often a curse, I am told. Hopefully he has the patience of a saint when he visits."

Telamon smiles. "It won't be so hard. Here..." He leans down to move a small leather flap aside, to show an large paving stone inlaid with runes. "It's kind of like the ones used to heat the pools at the TarRaCe. Lana or I can expend a little spell-energy into it, and it'll keep the greenhouse warm enough so the plants don't suffer. We'll have to check it every few days, but the pixies will be keeping an eye on it as well."

Tel straightens up, and nods. "I suspect Sir Seldan will be fine. He's seen a great deal, and he's got plenty of help if he needs it. That sword of his has..." He pauses, thinking. "I don't know if it's his ancestors, but it's certainly their memories. Personally I could think of worse advisors."

"Ooooh.", she says, crouching down to peer at the runes. Her hand reaches out, to gently touch at the stone. "Very neat. "So you'll say a command word and it will turn on? You think of everything." Simony snorts, "Hopefully the pixies will tear their eyes off of the fresco long enough to due their duties."

She nods gently in reply to Tel's thoughts on Seldan, "His eyes said as much. And uhm... that's an interesting sword. I think I might be quite put out if my warhammer started offering me advice. At least at first."

"They'll be fine. As will the plants. Lily and Mira can be flighty, but they do good work. I suspect the novelty of having a year-round place to work and play will be quite the distraction for them, in the meantime." Telamon grins. "It'll keep them out of trouble. I hope."

Tel snorts. "Tell me about it. At one time I was in possession of ... well, it was an artifact. And it was a pain in the arse to deal with anyways -- I don't think I could've handled it if it had decided to start talking to me outright. But... it happens. We live in a world of magic and mystery, and sometimes things happen. Sometimes they're bad, but sometimes they're very good too."

"Oh, they like working for you, then? That's neat. Would it be okay if I visited during Winter, to hang out in your greenhouse with them? They're pretty funny, I find." Simony smiles, and then blinks.

"I gather by your lack of descriptive details that it was a dangerous artifact, one best left unnamed? Was it the uhm dangerous one Seldan brought up that one time, that I've told no one about nor even thought about til just now?"

Telamon grins. "You know you're welcome here, Simony. Though you may have trouble getting to the upper levels in the greenhouse. Maybe I -should- put a ladder in." He muses on the prospect, before setting it aside.

"I think so, yes. I... keep forgetting now and then that the totems are gone. Granted, what has transpired is... better than we might expect." Tel's eyes are thoughtful. "But it was unexpected and frankly it rattled a lot of us when they disappeared."

"I find it's still polite to ask, for I do not wish to wear out my welcome. I know.. that I can be a bit much sometimes. A trait of Goblins in general. Too many questions asked." She squints and peers up. "Perhaps I could find a fly scroll or two? It's a long way up, at least for me."

Simony lets out a low breath. "Ous had one of them. And I recall being mad about that, wondering why he had something so potentially dangerous. The thought of him being badly wounded or dying does .. funny things to me."

"Or something that would allow you to climb sheer surfaces. Slippers of spider-climbing, though I suspect from your adventures you are less than enthused with the idea of any piece of gear with 'spider' in the name." Telamon grins. "Winged boots aren't bad, either, though the cloak of flying is probably the most effective tool. But it's pricey."

Tel looks sympathetically at Simony. "Believe me, neither Lana nor I were thrilled about carrying those damned things around. The only thing worse was when they vanished and it took a little bit before we found out why." He pats Simony's shoulder. "In any case, at some point I think I should take you flying to see what you think of the experience. I have just the spell for it."

Simony shivers at the mention of spiders. "I have no love for creepy-crawlies in general, and spiders very specifically. But I could probably handle those slippers, though. Unless they look like spiders."

She glances up again, and lets out a little sound. "I want to try flying!", she says, somewhat excitedly, and she looks back to Telamon. "Just once, to see how it is."

The Gobbo hops from foot to foot.

Her expression sours, and she reaches out to pat at Telamon's hand. "I suppose it was for the best, yes? Maybe a bit disconcerting to find them just ... gone. But, hopefully, that's the end of it, the last we'll see of them."

The Gobbo bounces up and down then, once more excited. "I would be most pleased! I would paint you another fresco in return. Or perhaps some smaller paintings? Maybe a tattoo?"

Telamon smiles, as he gestures for Simony to step outside. "Let's step out here then." As the two of them step outside the greenhouse, he closes the door behind him. "But to add to what you said, I don't think we'll see them again. They have served their purpose. What they bound has changed his nature, irrevocably. What he will become, well... that's anyone's guess. But hopefully it'll be for the better."

Once they're in the backyard, he gestures for Simony to stand close, and he begins to chant in a low, sonorous voice. The air around him takes on a scent of ozone, charcoal, and oranges, and there's the crackle of magical energy as a shimmering sphere of force suddenly expands up around the two. Enclosing both of them, and then the sphere smoothly lifts off, carrying them into the air.

GAME: Telamon casts Telekinetic Sphere. Caster Level: 19 DC: 26

The Gobbo nods and hops outside, nodding in reply. "I hope it is for the better too. All that which was suffered would be for naught if it isn't."

She follows Tel's instruction, and stands as close as possible. Her ears perk up at the chant, and the Gobbo's nose wrinkles as some of the smells are not entirely pleasant. The sudden appearance of the bubble around them has Simony clinging to the Half-Sil. Her gasp of surprise is muffled by her covering her mouth with a sleeve. She whimpers a few times as they rise up. "Oh."

Telamon's expression is serene. Calm. The bubble is barely visible, really, just a ripple in the air, but it feels as substantial as a dwarven-built wall. Gaining altitude, till they are about sixty feet up, just floating in empty air. A bird goes flying past, giving the two of them a bit of a stare.

"Relax, Simony. You are not going to fall. You are -safe-." Tel reaches down to put his hand on her shoulder again, that familiar, firm grip. "It's a bit impractical for me, but I can see all sorts of fun uses for this, especially with objects I can't move with mage hand or telekinesis."

Her hand reaches up to his, to grasp a few of his fingers. After that, her demeanor calms. "That bird seems awfully surprised to see us up here.", she says softly. "Erm, have you ever accidentally flown into a something while up in the air. I expect you're watching out for such things, but, has anything ever caught you unawares?"

Simony leans forward a little, peering downwards at the city streets and houses below them. "One could not complain about the view, I must say. The countryside and mountain range must be gorgeous from up here."

The Gobbo looks to Telamon. "Oh, fun uses you say? Like dropping a load of water onto someone from above? Though uhm, that might actually be a useful tool for firefighting, especially in a city."

The telekinetic bubble begins to float leisurely along, as Telamon smiles. "Oddly, no. Though I have been given the eye more than once by various birds. They seem surprised someone without wings is wandering around on their turf, but I'm just too big to pick a fight with." He shrugs lightly. "I don't cause them trouble, they don't cause me any trouble."

"The view is definitely one of the reasons I love to fly so much. You can see most of the -continent- if you get high enough -- though it's very cold up there, and the air is -very- thin. I don't recommend doing it without special equipment or abilities to counteract that."

He hmms. "Well, there's that, dropping water. Also moving heavy weights without having to work very hard -- I can lift almost three hundred sixty stone with this. All it takes is concentration." He pauses. "Oh, that reminds me. This spell only lasts a little over a quarter hour. So sadly, no hours-long flying."

"A good philosophy to live by. You don't want the birds pooping on your carriage, after all. Or calling you names every time you go by." Simony giggles nervously, watching the cityscape go by below.

"The -whole continent-?", she wonders, incredulously. "I mean, I know you can see farther but... just how high up did you go? Above the clouds? Near the... the edge?"

The Gobbo nods, "Ermm... I am just less than three stone, I think. The last time I checked. It won't be me dragging this bubble down. Erm... how long have we been up?" SImony sidles up closer to the Half-Sil.

It's clear they haven't gone very far from the house -- indeed, the sphere is fairly slow. "Almost to the edge," Telamon remarks. "I kind of chickened out going further -- you know how it is. Starborn or not, I don't think I'm ready for it yet."

As the bubble lazily wafts along, Tel continues, "It's been about a minute. Don't worry. I cast my personal flight spell this morning, and I can carry you in a worst-case scenario." He points, as the bubble ascends a bit. "There's the temple district, and the mountain."

"Almost to the edge.", she repeats, wonder in her voice. "What was it like? What did you see up there?" Nodding, Simony smiles, "I do understand. But.. I have every confidence that if you set your mind to a thing, you will succeed in doing that thing. It will be amazing, I think. Was... was it black up there?"

She's distracted momentarily by the temples below, the Goblin squinting through her pince-nez. "Oh, you can see more of the temple's architecture from up here." Her other hand dips into a pouch on her belt, coming out with a small note book and pencil. Simony lets go of Tel's hand, and begins to sketch out the more interesting features of the temples (and other buildings) below. "Hmm, and we have an interesting perspective on the spire, too. Oh, and the aerie!"

Telamon nods. "The skies darken, and you start to see the stars come out, even though it's not nighttime." He pauses, thinking. "Sometimes I wonder... I have dreamed of things. Creatures that ply the empty spaces much like whales swim in the oceans. I wonder if they are only dreams -- or if they are real. It would be fascinating to meet one."

Tel smiles as Simony devotes herself to getting sketches from this perspective. "Sometimes you can just see egalrin taking off from the aerie, flying around. I try not to soar directly into the city, but land at the edge -- I'm sure they know me, but they also probably prefer strangers and visitors to come through the gates first."

"They darken and you can see the stars? Amazing! You should try going up again, some time soon, Telamon. And tell me all about it. I'll have to get a bigger notebook!" Simony blinks and she nods. "I think you know that they are real, I mean, if there are giant whales that swim the seas of our world, why /wouldn't there be star whales that ply the oceans of the stars? But... I can go looking, if you want. I could browse the different library's for information."

The Gobbo giggles then, "I am sure they would be surprised, but you are right, you should save barging in for emergencies."

"Sometimes, the things that you dream of are more real than you'd expect," Telamon agrees with a grin. "Still, I'll have to make a return trip. I know a couple times I've gotten up so high that when I descended, I wasn't exactly sure where I was. Had to teleport back to a familiar location -- in this case, that field outside Alexandria that I use."

"Precisely. While I am all about swift action when needed, there's a reason we have manners and grace. Cultivating a little polish can open doors and smooth over troubles far better than you'd expect." He makes as if to brush some dust off his shoulder, his smile broad. "After all, it's worked out well for me."

"Sometimes that's the problem, isn't it? Dreams can go very wrong, sometimes. But uhmm, not many would understand or know to be careful in dreams that feel real. Right?" The Goblin nods enthusiastically. "Are you capable of bringing along a passenger? Perhaps with a few safety items to avoid erm falling to one's death?" Her expression is hopeful. "I'm... feeling good about this now and ... wonder what it's like to really fly."

Simony lets out a little yawn, and leans against Telamon. "It's really relaxing at this pace, with the scenery below just lazily scrolling by."

Telamon furrows his brow. "...Maybe. Let me think on it. As I noted, I have some tricks others don't have, and we'd need to figure out how to keep you warm and prevent issues with breathing. Plus getting up there in the first place." The sorcerer turns the bubble back towards home finally, reaching down to pat Simony again. "No matter what happens, always reach for the stars. But don't forget about family and friends, either."

The magical sphere drifts onward, a faint shimmer in the light, as it heads back towards the home of the Lupecyll-Atlons.