milliways_bar | (no subject)

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rae "sunshine" seddon

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An older gentleman is out by the lake today practicing his golf swing.

Kinda.

An arcane ball of purple light, about a foot across, pops into existence a few feet off the ground. Using his staff like a club, he swings the raven topper at the orb, sending the energy flying out over the lake. It gets some pretty good distance before it hits, hissing and dissipating into the water.

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Sunshine hears the faint hiss and sizzle against the lake water, and looks up from harvesting herbs from the garden near the kitchen. (They had needed trimming, and some of them get tough and bitter later in the season.)

She sees Khadgar, and smiles.

Once the herbs are clean and drying in the kitchen, she emerges from the kitchen again, drying her hands on her sunflower-dotted apron.

"Are you going for distance, or accuracy?" she asks when she's in easy earshot of the mage.

Khadgar glances over as another orb appears, a welcoming smile appearing on his face.

"Speed, actually," he says as he whacks the sphere. The actual impact is quiet but the energy goes flying just as far as the first. "Good day, Rae."

"Good day, Khadgar," Sunshine replies. She comes up nearby, watching with curiosity and a smile. She is more at peace with the less peaceful parts of her life, by daylight, and smells of oregano and rosemary and soap.

"So it gets it where it needs to go as quickly as possible. What is it meant to do when it gets there?"

The orb strikes the water the exact spot as the others have and he sends off two more while she speaks. They also hit the same spot with a hiss before the water absorbs their energy.

"Strike and hopefully remove an enemy from the fight."

He gives her a small apologetic smile.

"I'm expecting a battle soon."

Sunshine nods, watching him. She grimaces slightly when he mentioms battle.

"I am sorry," she murmurs. Sunshine is not one who glorifies battle. They are terrible things. Terrible and sometimes unavoidable.

"Who will you be facing?"

(ooc: Augh, I'm sorry for calling off the face of the map. I did not see the notification for your reply and didn't see it until today.)

[OOC: No worries at all, I've had no mana for RP brain till today anyway.]

"Orcs." He grimaces slightly, memories of the First War drudging up. He stops his practice, flipping his staff around so it's standing right side up.

"The Iron Horde is sending a dreadnought with a terrible weapon down the coast. We're expecting them to move against the city of Shattrath."

'Dreadnaught' is a word Sunshine had only ever read in stories. She is reminded how, when she was little, she had thought the name 'dread-lots' would've been more accurate. Dreadnaught always seemed to cause lots and lots of dread.

"How are the city defenses? Are there ways to get... the citizens to safety?" she asks, concerned more for preventing loss of life.

"The defenses are sound," Khadgar tries to assure them both. "The city is essentially the draenei's capital and most of their salvaged crystal technology is there."

And yet that didn't stop the orcs from sacking the city in his timeway and that Horde didn't even have dreadnoughts.

"If it should fail, however, there isn't really anywhere large enough to hold them all. The temple at Karabor would be the best option, and that would require pulling mages off the battle lines to hold open the portals." Possible and perhaps necessary and maybe the Vindicators would be enough to buy them the time they would need.

And maybe there's no way to stop history repeating itself.

Sunshine listens to Khadgar's words, and watches what his shadows tell her, as well.

"In my world," she murmurs, wondering if this would even be an option, "when something - usually a very large, dangerous storm, a hurricane - threatens a city, there are pre-emptive evacuations. Then when the storm does hit, emergency crews can work without having to worry about citizens being left in danger."

Khadgar considers this.

"Karabor should at least have room and supplies for the youngest. I will speak with Maraad of this; he's defended the city from siege before."

He'll have to approach that conversation carefully; Maraad has been terribly angry of late and Khadgar isn't certain why.

"We shall still attempt to stop the ship from ever getting that close." That, too, will be a challenge. It's not sailing alone.

"Is there anything I might do to help?" She asks.

Sunshine doesn't know what help she could offer, but she can't not offer.

Khadgar isn't certain either but he honestly considers the offer. He's not about to drag a baker by trade into a war, even if she does have a bit of magic to her. Especially if she has a bit of magic since, given their past conversations, she's not been trained.

"I appreciate your offer," he says with a warm smile. "I would like to think I could expect another of your excellent cinnamon rolls afterwards?"

Sunshine's knowledge of how to use her magic has only ever been on an at-need basis. She can very effectively keep her and hers alive despite the best efforts of their enemies, and she has become very efficient at keeping her enemies warded off or rendering her enemies dead. She has had no training in the way a longtime backstreet brawler has had no training in the fine old art of war.

But her smile is kind and soft, suggesting she knows a bit of what he's not saying.

"You can always have one of my cinnamon rolls, Khadgar," she promises. "It's an open offer."

Both for cinnamon rolls and help.

They might need to have a conversation about magic again. It would help if he thought of her as any other caster type than 'mage'. Mages are the only ones likely to blow themselves up if they make a mistake.

"You have my thanks, Rae." He bows his head to her. "How have you fared?"

Sunshine has been learning the cans and can'ts of her magic largely on her own, and has yet to blow up!

Yet.

"I have been... all right. Things being a bit hectic back home is apparently a familiar theme for lots of folks here, lately. Nothing as pressing as a major battle, but... just stressed out while waiting for things to settle down, if they ever do."

"Is there a new party causing trouble, or just the usual factions vying for dominance?"

He's well familiar with the latter. The Horde and Alliance are always seem to be somewhere between uneasy truce and not quite open warfare. Sometimes both at once.

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