|
|
Post by Master Crane on Sept 6, 2010 3:35:24 GMT -5
The busy streets of New York, NY. He never thought he would end up here, especially on his pilgrimage. No, scratch that; banishment is what it felt more like. It wasn't hard to notice that his father wanted nothing to do with him any more, let alone be near him for a better, much clearer and direct term. He was an obedient child, Crane very well knew that he was one of the very many hardworking children in China that deserved respect from his parents, if not a pat on the back to keep him encouraged. But that was unlikely, since the Crane family definitely wanted so much more from their son that the young bird could never offer. Crane thought, it would be best to pack up and take flight. That's what he did, and after running and waving down various transportation vehicles, the avian found himself in New York; lost as he'll ever be, but at least happy.
It wasn't hard to find a bulletin board that provided jobs for a newcomer; finding pamphlets seemed to be a lot easier than finding a proper place to camp in and the recent post the avian had snatched from a board sounded decent enough; he'll be of service to someone at least. Who, Crane hopes, appreciates his hard work. He had a habit of keeping things tidy if anything, so whatever grime he had to scrub, Crane was ready for it. He had to be, he was desperate. He hurried over to a building, old, looking to be one of the Victorian structures in the city. Crane tilted his head for a moment, scanning the premises before pulling out the paper he had taken earlier. The address was right, but it looked like no one was home. Darkness peered back at him through stained glass. Perfect, he'll be staying out in the rain. At least the front porch had a roof. "Might as well, crash here." Crane sighed tiredly at the concrete porch.
|
|
|
|
Post by Maxim Horvath on Sept 10, 2010 22:19:45 GMT -5
Maxim Horvath had lived a very long, very varied life. There was very little that could surprise the old sorcerer anymore. In fact, he had chosen to settle in New York specifically because it now and then afforded something unusual. That and the fact that it was quite close to certain enemies he liked to keep an eye on- Balthazar Blake, David Stutler, the Puck, and her rather odd husband who happened to be Horvath's great-grandson. The latter two weren't enemies, but they were inclined to cause trouble, and the Puck had a tendency to irritate him.
Humans and faeries he was used to- even the tiny Neverland Pixies like the one who'd recently teamed up with him. The creature currently perching by his door was doing quite literally that. Perching.
Horvath had seen cranes of various types before on his travels. None of them had been partial to wearing conical straw hats.
The sorcerer had a curiosity streak. That was what had driven him to apprentice to Merlin in the first place, and continued to drive him to stay up late into the night researching new magics. There not being much more curious than a hat-wearing crane, Horvath opened the door and looked down at the black and white bird, one eyebrow raised in silent inquiry.
Was that a paper it was holding?
|
|
|
|
Post by Master Crane on Sept 12, 2010 3:12:30 GMT -5
The large doors suddenly swung open, warm air pouring out from within to greet Crane's cold condition. He almost shuddered at the feeling but kept his stance at the man who greeted him with a stare. There was a moment of silence followed by a splash from a passing car in the hard rain; the bird's paper had been lost in the wind having been blown out of his talons. It was then that Crane finally decided to speak up, tapping his hat in center as it clumsily slid to the side. "I uh," He cleared his throat, "I saw your request on a bulletin board, sir."
|
|
|
|
Post by Maxim Horvath on Sept 12, 2010 12:42:13 GMT -5
"Request-? Ah, yes." It talked. Well, with that hat Horvath supposed it had to be intelligent, but it actually spoke. Quite clearly, in fact, with what he thought was a Chinese accent. Interesting.
The sorcerer stood aside to allow his little guest to enter. "Please, enter," he said.
|
|
|
|
Post by Master Crane on Sept 12, 2010 15:53:40 GMT -5
The man seemed to be examining him out of curiosity, or perhaps he just looked strange to human eyes. Cranes are usually seen trotting about in China or Siberia, there were rarely any in New York. Nothing, to be precise. Crane hadn't seen any other birds of his type, so there was no use blaming people who stared; everyone tended to when something unusual would show up up. Crane flapped his wings gently at the kind offer and stepped through, taking a pause over a door mat to rid of the water dripping down his feathers.
The hallway was dim, a few lamps here and there with the occasional paintings on the wall and plants standing in various corners of the room. Crane felt lousy at his sudden entrance however, having wanting to get out of the heavy rain he had forgotten to shake the water off his feathers first. "Sorry about your floor," He quickly, and almost quietly apologized, "I can... start cleaning?" Yes, that sounded nice. It'd help him get dry too. Taking in his surroundings, the avian tilted his head at the cleanliness before him already. Was there another servant in the building? Maybe it was just his imagination from lack of sleep; the dust was there, for sure. The light was just distracting his eyes.
|
|
|
|
Post by Maxim Horvath on Sept 25, 2010 12:07:15 GMT -5
Horvath stroked his goatee thoughtfully. "There is hardly any need for you to rush immediately into your new duties," he told the soggy avian. After all, why start out as a tyrannical master? There was absolutely no need to rule by fear here. Horvath preferred willing loyalty. It was far more reliable. Loyal servants wouldn't stab their master in the back. A fearful one might, if pushed too far.
"You may dry off and eat something before you begin work," Horvath said with a slight smile. "I am a stern master, but I generally try not to be a cruel one. Please, follow me."
Horvath led the bird to the kitchen. He could care less if his new servant dripped a little on the floor- he'd be the one cleaning up the mess.
"I generally live alone," the sorcerer explained. "Though in the near future I will be taking on several apprentice sorcerers. I doubt there will be more than a dozen, but they will be here."
|
|
|
|
Post by Master Crane on Oct 13, 2010 19:09:05 GMT -5
(Bleh, sorry for taking so long. School started, so I might not be able to respond much  ;
He nodded kindly and was led to the kitchen. He was about to decline the offer for later, but the mentioning of 'sorcerer' caught his attention. Crane cocked his head, "... Sorcerers? Apprentices?" It was a rhetorical question, although it felt that he was asking himself whether to believe his new mentor.
He didn't think the man was crazy, or anything of the sort. But Sorcery, Crane never even thought it was possible to come across someone who knew of something so powerful. Back in China, it was kung fu and meditation.
(And thus I give you a sucky response, sorry!)
|
|
|
|
Post by Maxim Horvath on Oct 16, 2010 19:30:37 GMT -5
"That is correct," Horvath replied. His dark eyes glittered slightly as he smiled. "I am a master sorcerer."
The young avian looked rather dubious at the mention of sorcery, and Horvath couldn't blame him. There were, of course, sorcerers of his type in China- among the most notable being Sun Loc- but there they were greatly outnumbered by ki practitioners. Bland, peaceful types for the most part, eminently concerned about cosmic balance and the like, and overly fond of meditation, but not even Maxim Horvath liked to cross them. They were subtle, and they were very, very dangerous.
There was a reason China wasn't successfully invaded all that often.
But the youngster was from China, and therefore the chances of him having actually seen a real sorcerer were about nil.
Horvath gestured carelessly with his walking stick, adding a little twist of willpower to make the deep blue gem set into its top glow with a brilliant light. The puddles the young crane had left in his wake began to steam, then vanished, leaving only clean, dry floor.
"A master, of course, must have apprentices," he said. "Surely even you know that."
|
|
|
|
Post by Master Crane on Dec 8, 2010 23:55:09 GMT -5
As his mentor gave an answer to his inquiry, Crane couldn't help but feel... dry. His soggy state quickly disappeared as if the moisture clutching at his feathers had suddenly vanished into thin air. It was magic of course, and was that faint sizzling playing at his ears? The bird lowered his head and hopped back gently from the evaporating puddle he had made before. It dissolved quickly, and as Crane looked back up again to the sorcerer he couldn't help but be mesmerized by the rich blue glow of the staff which his master held. "How did you do that?" His eyes found themselves staring at the man again, "I know it's sorcery, but how did you do that?" He wanted an explanation.
|
|
|
|
Post by Maxim Horvath on Dec 28, 2010 1:34:30 GMT -5
"A sorcerer applies his will to the natural world through his magic," Horvath replied. "Or her magic- there are indeed female sorcerers. That drying spell was simply a focused application of heat, nothing more."
In more technical terms, he had used his power to vibrate the molecules of the stone floor and the young bird's feathers, causing them to heat up enough that the water evaporated. Most magics, particularly the basic ones, were ruled by the laws of physics. Had he continued to force the molecules to vibrate, something might have eventually caught fire.
|
|
;
