14035/Vamps Book and Belle

Vamps Book and Belle
Date of Scene:	05 February 2023
Location:	Candle, Booke and Belle
Synopsis:	Ariah and Lydia have a nice little chat by the fireplace in the Candle Book & Belle
Cast of Characters:	Lydia Dietrich, Ariah Olivie

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Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia needs to pick up a few common supplies for her magical stock at home, and the best place to come to is the JLD's home, the Candle, Book and Belle. She's currently perusing the herbs, taking what she needs and putting them in little pouches to purchase.

    Tonight, she's casual. Jeans and a blouse, and a woolen peacoat to keep her 'warm'.

Ariah Olivie has posed:
    Strangely, perhaps unnoticed due to her small size and the blanket wrapped around her, but Ariah already happens to be here. Whether or not she /needs/ sleep is a subject of debate, but curled up in an easy chair by the fire imakes it easy to imagine anyone or anything could sleep swaddled so. Especially with the chill outside!

    Her body shifts slightly as she comes to a more awakened state, the chair creaking loudly with its age and ever-so-easily announcing her presence--even if she had been here for a while now.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia's sensitive hearing picks up on the creaking and she pauses in her herbal pursuits, sniffing the air, lightly, identifying Ariah's scent. With a grin she puts the packets of herbs aside and wanders over to the fire.

    "Evening, Ariah," she says pleasantly. "Snoozing beside the fire?"

Ariah Olivie has posed:
    The small form of the tiny vampiress slowly sits up. She's blinking those mismatched eyes open, taking in the familiar presence of Lydia as she approaches. At the query, she peers up at the other woman, gracing her with a slow nod of confirmation. "Oui... Bonsoir, Mademoiselle Lydia..." she speaks, so soft in volume, so cold in tone. Clutched against her is a book, likely what she was reading when she'd fallen asleep.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia finds herself a chair and settles down into it. "What've you been reading?" she asks curiously. "Not any of my books. They're all smut save for the Book of Lydia."

Ariah Olivie has posed:
    Ariah glances over to Lydia, watching her sit. She hugs the book a little closer to herself. "...poems..." she states, not elaborating just yet. The name 'Louis Aragon' is on the cover. "...from my homeland..." she then clarifies. Her eyes close, "...inspired by the war." Then she shakes her head, "...would prefer to live my smut than read it.." she states, voice still icy, but clearly she's trying to be a little more... light-hearted.

    "Found this in antique shop. Is. Perhaps first edition."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia laughs lightly, unphased by Aria's icy tone. "Believe me, so would I. Still, it's fun to fantasize from time to time, and fun to write."

    "Usually it'll say which run it is in that publishing information page they have at the very beginning of the book," she says helpfully. "You know, the one everybody just ignores and skips over."

Ariah Olivie has posed:
    Ariah shakes her head slowly, "...it was damaged..." she explains. "...page or two missing. Poems intact, however... still a treasure." She sits up, then wiggles more into her seat so she can converse with Lydia without looking like a curled up bundle of white-haired ragamuffin.

    "What brings you here? Tonight?" the small woman asks, fixing her mismatched gaze upon Lydia.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    "A bit of shopping," Lydia answers easily with a shrug. "Need to restock my herb supplies, and this is the best place to do it."

Ariah Olivie has posed:
    "Herbs... I never was an apothecary..." Ariah says quietly, absently. She stares past Lydia for a moment before refocusing her gaze and meeting eyes once more. "What do you do with them? The herbs? Tinctures? Potions? Medicine? Poultices?" she asks, an interested and earnest inquiry.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    "Well, neither am I, really." Lydia admits with a wrinkle of the nose. "They're useful for rituals and offerings, though, which is more my thing. Burn them like incense or infuse them into charms. That kind of thing. I haven't really played around with the more earthy herb witch end of things, though now that I think of it, I should probably dip my toes in it.

Ariah Olivie has posed:
    "If you do, let me know. I know some basic first aid but I am... not a witch? Not in that sense..." Ariah says quietly. "Though, I am more than happy to call myself one. I am a sorceress and I cast runes. A 'witch' is a fitting title, non?" she offers. "...what do your charms do?" she then asks.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia scratches a cheek thoughtfully. "It really depends on who's coming to me for one. I've done a couple of healing charms to help sick people get better, like, people with cancer. They won't cure the cancer, I'm not //that// good, but it'll help them recover."

    "I've done a couple of luck charms, before," she explains. "General luck charms aren't that useful, but if you've got a specific thing in mind, I can put something together that'll help. I've also done memory charms to help students... anti-anxiety charms, anti-depression charms. That kind of thing."

    She looks thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe I can get some of the other members of the JLD interested and we can get Nettie to teach us some. Make it some sort of class."

Ariah Olivie has posed:
    "...curious..." Ariah whispers softly, listening, nodding, and slumping down in the chair a little more. She looks more blanket than witch at this point. Maybe she's taking class levels in Blanket Witch? Either way, she shrugs. "...Teach how to be an apothecary? Herbal poultices? For wounds and poison?" she asks. "...home remedy to stop the bleeding would be useful for many in this day and age..."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia nods in agreement. "Indeed. I think magical first aid is right up our alley, and should be known just in case one of us gets injured. I'll be sure to get in touch with Nettie to see what she thinks about it."

    She cocks her head curiously. "How about you? What have you been up to lately?"

Ariah Olivie has posed:
    Ariah nods slowly. "...my powers are not for healing... they harm, they protect, but they do not mend..." She considers the idea and nods once again, "...learning herbal remedies would add to my own rudimentary knowledge of first aid. I will consider it, and will place my name in the hat, oui."

    At the query of what she's been up to, there's a tiny shrug. "...trouble in Gotham. Constant. Much hunting. When not? Just reading."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia looks just... sad at Ariah's explanation of her own powers. "I know what you mean. Being a vampire, having these mutant powers, none of it was meant for healing." She lets out a little chuckle, "Granted, I don't think that my mutant powers were meant for anything at all. They just //are//."

    "But becoming a vampire..." She shakes her head. "Part of it made me colder, more heartless. Before, killing somebody, or just being in violence would give me nightmares for weeks. Now it's just regrettable."

Ariah Olivie has posed:
    "I can understand, to an extent," Ariah says quietly. "Until the war, I could not have imagined hurting anyone, let alone killing them... but as you can feel now... time changes. Experience changes. The best that remains is to kill for the right reasons. That is where I stand. Even if the line can blur at times..." she shakes her head slowly and closes her eyes.

    "If I may, as I am curious, what are your... powers?"

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia holds out her hand, and the twinkling starfield around her slowly compact until there's a softly glowing sphere in the palm of her had. "I generate a field of ectoplasm and can manipulate it." she says. She looks at the ball, and it quickly morphs into that of a golden glowing owl.

    "I've had it since it awakened on my fourteenth birthday party." She chuckles ruefully, "freaked my mother out. To think! Her child a mutant!" She shakes her head and the owl morphs into a large tarantula that settles into her open hand. "I used to glow green, that is until I was turned. That kind of ... broke it somehow. It turned black and flaky. Then last year during the fight against the angel I ate a seraphim which gave it, and my eyes this golden color."

    She sighs, and lets the tarantula crawl about her arm, making it look very lifelike. "I can do things with it besides these little tricks. Shields, wings, swords and tentacles. Basically my imagination is the limit."

Ariah Olivie has posed:
    Maybe it's the manipulation of energy near her, but Ariah's eyes do open as she feels the shift. She watches the energy gather, coalesce, and reshape by Lydia's will. Her head tilts very, very slowly, and she nods. "...we are... somewhat similar in that regard the, non?" she asks. "...I do not know if I could call myself a... mutant or have a mutant power... but I suppose that it is... close enough?" Again, her slender shoulders lift in a small shrug.

    "I have very fine control but I had not thought to form energy into... animal shapes.." she muses softly. "How much can you do before you must rest? The cold, it saps my reserves..."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    "Stuff like this? I can do it for as long as I can concentrate." Lydia shakes her head. "I make copious amounts of the stuff naturally without thinking about it. In a fight?" She considers the question a bit. "It depends on how much I'm using, I guess. I can only control so much, and the stronger I make it the more tiring it gets. If I go all out I can last... I'd say around ten minutes before I have to stop."

    "As for the animals, I started doing them to practice my control." She chuckles, letting the spider dissipate back into the starstuff. "When I first started practicing, I could only do basic shapes. Spheres, cones, squares, that kind of thing. Then I just started making more and more complicated things. I've been practicing for over ten years now, so it's not like I woke up with my powers and could do this."

Ariah Olivie has posed:
    Ariah listens intently and then nods. "..it is a lovely talent. It looks like you have fun with it too, non? Making creatures and exercising your ability?" Then the girl smiles. So young, so small, but so old. "...I... did not think to cultivate such things... I was young when I was found to have latent magical energy... and still young when I was... recruited to use it. And modified to use it better..." she tsks quietly. "Still. Tiny arachnids. A clever way to practice. I will have to keep that in mind for future ... training."