Re: Wizards are Easy (xivvix)
Once again, Celeste was oblivious to the effect her bouncing and near disrobing had on the man in front of her. She brought a hand up to her chin as Gravus explained their financial issues. Celeste laughed at his appraisal of the city, then grew thoughtful. "I saw shops and stalls on my way into the city, offering plenty of things besides murder and sex," she said, then sheepishly added, "Well, sex was still part of most of them." She gave a slight laugh, then offered, "Maybe we could have one of our own? I'm sure every city has need of magical services." She considered the idea for a moment, then shrugged and decided it could wait for later. Right now she wanted to meet the others.
First, however, Celeste needed some clothing that wouldn't fall off with a slight breeze. She followed Gravus through the house to the back room, waving again as she passed the assembled mages. 'It's so cute how they all follow me around,' she thought, stifling a giggle at the idea. Celeste nodded in thanks as Gravus handed her a robe once they reached the back room, and quickly stepped back to the stack of boxes meant to provide privacy. She slipped the skimpy dress off, making sure to fold it properly, or at least as properly as possible considering the style, and then placed it on one of the boxes beside her. She took a moment to look over the Academy's robe, remembering with a sigh just why she hadn't brought any with her. The robe was very old fashioned: bland and heavy. Still, until she could find a clothing shop, it would be better than giving off free peek shows to everyone around. Holding the robe up above her she let it fall down over her, then squirmed to get it into position about her. 'At least the neckline is buttoned,' she thought as she undid the top several buttons, allowing a bit of her cleavage to show through the heavy brown robe. Once done, she walked back out to Gravus and motioned that she was ready to meet the others.
Stepping out once again into the main room, Celeste smiled as Gravus introduced her officially as their new leader. When Katherine stepped forward and bowed, Celeste returned the gesture. "Nice to meet you, Katy, and it's good to know you aren't really mute!" she said with a laugh, before nodding her approval of the girl and turning her attention to the next mage to step forward. As the young man stepped forward, Celeste was struck by a rather peculiar scent, which had the most intoxicating effect on her. She couldn't help but blush as he smiled and introduced himself, reaching forward to take his hand instinctively. "Th-thank you," she responded to his compliment, her stance shifting slightly as she pushed her chest forward a little in pride. All the while, she considered the odd scent, it was strange, but familiar, like something she had experienced before. Celeste jumped at Gravus' angry yell, and quickly waved to the man while saying, "I-it's alright, Gravus, it's just a compliment." She turned back to look at Daniel, slightly at a loss for words before letting out a slight laugh and saying, "Nice to meet you, Daniel. I look forward to w-working with you." As the man smiled and returned to his place among the crowd, Celeste sighed breathily before the heavy arousal seemed to suddenly leave her. 'What was that?' she thought, taking a moment to straighten her robe and her hair before the other mages approached her.
By the time the next young man approached her, Celeste was back to her usual bubbly self. She giggled a bit at Robert's introduction, again returning the bow, then responded, "Nice to meet you, Robert, and I'm sure we'll find some way to make use of your skills." Celeste nodded as the curvy red head gave her quick curtsy and greetings, then replied, "Nice to meet you, Annita. Can I call you Ann? You look like an Ann." She smiled at the mage, then turned to face the serious looking older man who approached her. Once again, she bowed, then looked up at him nervously and said, "Nice to meet you, Delvin. It's good to know I have an experienced mage like yourself around."
Next to approach Celeste was Shiva, and her rather direct greeting caught the young mage by surprise. Once Gravus had scolded her, Celeste quickly waved away his concern. With a laugh, she responded, "It's nice to meet you, Shiva. And don't worry, I don't mind those kinds of jokes." She turned again to take the hand of the next mage, and replied, "Nice to meet you, Andrew, and it seems you've got your work cut out for with this place!" She laughed, then looked to the next mage. While she had noticed the horns before, Celeste now openly looked them over as Serena called attention to them. "Oh, they are cute, aren't they? How long have you had them? Nice to meet you, Serena."
With the introductions finished, Celeste took a moment to look around again and marvel at the fact that she was now officially in charge of such a large and diverse team of gifted mages. Inwardly she squealed in delight at the idea, but on the surface she managed to only smile brightly. "Well, in case you didn't hear earlier, my name is Celeste Seheraszad, hydromancer and aspiring demonologist, and I'm going to be your new leader," she said, her smile beaming as she looked over the mages. "I have a feeling that many of you have never taken on a project of this magnitude before. Neither have I, actually, but I can already tell that each and every mage here has the ability and potential to do more than simply succeed. We have the chance to excel here, and really show the Academy just how amazing we all are!" If possible, her smile widened as she continued her speech. Her expression grew more serious, though she was still grinning as she continued. "It won't be easy though. Doing proper research requires discipline, hard work, and attention to detail. Gravus has already briefed me on some of the issues facing us. Vital, serious issues. These aren't just issues, though, but tests. Tests of how committed and serious we are to this project. And once we pass these tests, I'm sure everyone will see just how dedicated we are." Her smile returned as she spoke the last sentence, and she placed her hands on her hips. "It will take all of us working together, closely, to solve these issues, and doing that will make us more than just a group of mages from the Academy. We'll be a real team. And with all of us working together as a team, I know we can accomplish anything this city can throw at us! So who's ready to get this project started?!"
Celeste paused for a moment after her last, nearly shouted, question. She was sure that was an inspiring speech, and the mages would need a second to let it all sink in and wash over them. After a few moments and they had all settled down, she held her hands up and smiled at them. "First things, first," she said, smiling and looking over at Gravus. "The money the Academy bestowed upon the team has gone to renting this nice house, but I'm afraid it's not going to be enough to keep us going for long." She looked over the assembled mages, then continued, "Everyone here has a specialty, and I think those specialties are key to maintaining the Academy's presence in Acheron." She motioned over at Delvin and said, "Delvin here is skilled with earth and metals. I think someone like him would be of great value to a blacksmith." She then turned to point towards Annita and said, "All great cities need alchemists and the potions they make." Celeste then turned to Daniel, a slight blush on her face as she said, "Enchanting has always been a desirable and valuable ability, in any setting." Holding her hands out wide, she continued, "Everyone here has a skill, and I think it's important that we all come up with ways to figure out how we can use them to earn a living in this city. I want all of you to come up with some ideas of side jobs you can perform while also doing your duties on this project."
With the financial matter and ideas for it's resolution discussed, Celeste decided now might be a good time to break up the meeting, since everyone was likely getting tired of standing around. Especially after her rousing speech. "That's what we're going to focus on for now, but I think we have something a little more pressing to deal with." She bounced slightly as she paused to add a bit of drama to her statement. "It's getting to be late, and I think dinner is order. I think we should all celebrate our newfound team spirit with a hearty meal. What do you all think?"