demandsatisfaction | noctium

[ Matt smiles in a sympathetic grimace. ]

Ah, yeah, that's a pretty common one for people. [ Not for him, but Matt suspects that has to do with the way magic works for him, or at least how it can work. ] Well, let me know if you want any ... hand-holding, or whatever. Least I can do to thank you for saving my skin.

Oh, hand-holding? How forward of you.

[Lilias chuckles gently, her face lighting up despite the heavy ache in her limbs.]

I'll consider it. In the meantime...

[She crooks a finger, inviting him to step closer.]

Why don't you lend me your arm for a while, and accompany me somewhere we can sit and enjoy ourselves. That is, if you've explored more of this place than just the elevator.

[ Matt laughs, sheepish--though at the same time, he's pleased by the way Lilias' expression brightens. He steps forward in answer to her beckoning finger, arm already lifting. ]

I definitely have. I've been here for months, actually. What are you into, outdoor markets? Subterranean dive bars? Maybe a bioluminescent arboretum? Those should all be, you know ... [ A suspicious narrowing of his eyes. ] In walking distance.

[Lilias takes his arm without hesitation, her grey eyes glinting beneath brows that are now gently raised at the short list of potential places they could go.]

Is there really a bioluminescent arboretum within a walk of here?

[This city really does have everything, doesn’t it?]

I arrived just last month, so I’ve barely had the chance to explore anywhere yet. I’m tempted by all of those places, but— [She pauses briefly, considering.] Let’s go see the plants. I’ve frequented more than enough drinking establishments in the past few weeks already.

[ Matt chuckles. ]

Fair enough. When I first landed here I went to this one dive bar like, multiple times per week, and I could not keep that pace up. [ His expression softens. ] I really like the Night Gardens, though. It's beautiful there. And ... botanically significant, so there's that.

[ He glances skeptically around the bank of elevators, before deciding, ] Let's take the stairs.

[ It's a long way to the ground floor, and it's only there that Matt realizes: ] By the way, did I actually say thank you for saving me? Because thank you.

You're fond of growing things? I haven't been to a garden in a long time.

[Not since she was back home in Magnimar. Lilias lets out a small sigh, surprised that this fact makes her feel a little homesick.

Her mouth thins slightly at the mention of the stairs—all nine flights of them. She'd used magic to skip them on the way up, and only partly because she was in a bit of a hurry. The only reason she'd known enough about elevators to force open the door was because she'd been so impressed with them after her arrival that she'd spent hours on the network, looking up everything she could about their workings. She always avoided taking stairs around other people if she could; being forced to take them so deliberately made her feel like an old woman.

But something about the magic here is harder on her body than she's used to, and besides, it would be even more telling to abandon Matt just to skip the stairs and meet him at the bottom. So she smooths her expression and nods her assent, and tries not to let her limp or her fatigue get the best of her as they make their way to the ground floor. She's leaning harder on Matt's arm by the time they get there, but the pleasure that lights her face when she receives his thanks is genuine.]

Think nothing of it. I would do it again.

[ Matt winces a little as they start down the first flight. He hadn't really thought to ask about mobility issues. On the one hand, the elevators do not seem to be in safe working order to him. And on the other, he supposes he didn't think that somebody who could so easily levitate him over a 9-story drop would be stopped by anything. That was a stupid assumption, he can see in immediate hindsight.

Still, he doesn't say anything about it. Just shifts gently as they go, offering Lilias more of his support. And he takes the stairs pretty slow.

Matt smiles at Lilias' answer when he thanks her. It's what he'd say, he thinks. And the look on her face warms him to see. ]

Cool.

Well, if you haven't been to a garden in a long time, the Night Gardens are a really good place to start. I can't even describe how it all looks ... like being in the ocean and it's full of jellyfish, but they're all flowers. [ Matt takes a moment to glance around, making sure of the way even though he already knows it. Then he leads them north. ] I do like growing things, though--I use a lot of herbs and flowers in my practice.

[What does the ocean look like when it's full of jellyfish? She's never seen a live one, although she has seen some drawings and dried specimens. And obviously dried jellyfish don't look like much. But his description is fanciful enough to make her smile, despite the dull ache in her legs as they emerge from the building.]

I've read that some jellyfish aren't especially safe to touch. Are these flowers the same?

[He did say they were… what was it? Botanically significant? What does that imply, in an alien world full of unfamiliar living things? She supposes she'll have the opportunity to find out.]

Tell me more about your practice. All I know about you is that you can summon light, and you have bad luck with technology.

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