Con Spells Cloaked
Supreme Aug:Pre+3 Man+2 dur 12hrs;Skill Mastery Socialize+2 Persuasion+4 dur 12 hrs
"Practice and time absolutely play a roll... but how can one man hear Mozart played once and be able to not only play that song without any formal training, but go on to compose his own pieces while his brother could not plink out a recognizable Mary had a Little Lamb after months of formal training.. There are miraculous gifts throughout humanity, and I want to understand their origin."
He listens to Shodan's encouragement with a friendly grin. Then nods in agreement as he discusses the soul.
"Yes the soul."
"Non-sequitur, I'll admit I googled you after our meeting, everyone seemed to be making such a fuss I got curious. Do you continue to practice your art as an professional entertainer?"
A finger was held up to her lips, “Shh! Not so loud! Hoping to get my hands on that tape before it becomes public.” Of course she was joking. Drugs dulled the mind, and that would have been deadly on stage. “Philosophy huh? Not too comfortable with that topic, not one I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about. But, I’m still willing to sit down and see where a talk goes. Have to admit though, that’s a great hair style.” Not one she could pull off, but looked good on Morgan. “If you get something setup, let me know. I’ll bring some homebrew.” Yeah, she went back to doing that.
“That’s true, but it’s also something that too many forget.” Both in the Circle and outside.
She didn’t feel like discussing the soul. Most of all in a coffee shop. So she simply listens and drinks more of her coffee, content to let them talk about it.
“Months of formal training will not make someone into something they’re not meant to be. I could spend months learning to play the piano, but if my hearts not in it, and the music doesn’t speak to me, I won’t be successful.” Least, that’s how she looked at it.
An eyebrow raises, “Googled me?” she was actually a bit surprised. Then shakes her head, “No, I don’t perform anymore. Though I have done private shows when the money’s right. But my hearts not in it anymore.”
He hesitates for a moment, attempting to hide the effort he making to form his next thought.
"Please forgive me if this is an inappropriate question, but my understanding of an artist is one who needs to express themself through their art, it's almost a compulsion. Was there an inciting incident that took that from you, or was it like lust-love. The chemical release of serotonin gradually lessened until you no longer received enough of a lift from action to be motivated to pursuing it?"
He cringes, sure he's committed some faux pas but unable to stop his own compulsion to ask.
He smirks as Aurora 'admits' her indiscretion "Philosophy is one of the things you can wing on the fly. Trust me, I've been there" Shodan certainly had opinions, but not necessarily any formal training to support them "I'll let you know"
And as for Anima's question, the Prime Mover neither says nor does anything. Well, he takes a sip of the coffee, curious about where the moment will go and not wanting to spoil it.
A shake of her head, “It’s not inappropriate, it’s a valid question. But I wouldn’t call it a compulsion, it was just something I was good at and made great money doing it.” A shrug, “But my life took an unexpected shift a couple years ago, and it made me reexamine myself and what I was doing. And the field of side show is really not what it once was. There was never a chemical release for me when I performed. Performing was all I ever knew, so it was like second nature. Hell, I could do my act with a blindfold, which might be bad with the fire and swords.” There was a laugh, “But I still practice and train daily, a habit I don’t think will ever go away.” Never know when those skills would be needed. Probably never, but hey, she had them.
Smirking to Shodan, “Not sure I’d be any good at winging that. But what the hell, I’m willing to give it a try."
Anima smiles as Aurora responds, "Thank you for your candor. I'm always curious about the creative mind."
He glances at his wrist, "Thank you for the conversation, I need to check out and be going." He stands and offers each a small nod of the head, collecting his belongings, purchases, and his kombucha. "I look forward to seeing you both again very soon!"
Anima exits after polite good-byes.
"And off he goes" Shodan says, his eyes trailing behind the Libertine Shaman before returning to Madison "Which means I probably should get going, too"
This could turn awkward. In a number of ways.
"Wait, no. That came out wrong. It's not interconnected. Like, me being here is not dependent on him being here. And I didn't mean it like I have any specific thing against staying one on one with you. All I wanted to say is that it's probably a good moment for me to disappear after we've finished one topic but begin another, so that we can start anew next time we see each other"
He shakes his head.
"I'm just making it worse with every second, ain't I?" He's ready to make himself scarce, but doesn't move just yet. A hasty retreat would be just weird at this point.
A small wave was offered, “See you later.”
As Shoden spoke, she shrugs, “Sure.” He was under no obligation to spend the night entertaining her.
Amusement was clear on her face as she listened, then laughed, “You’re fine. I wasn’t worried and didn’t think anything of it.” And from her tone, she was being honest. “But I appreciate what you’re saying, and look forward to starting a new topic next time.”
Laughing, “Again, It’s fine. Just have a fun topic next time we run into each other, and we’ll call it even.” She jokes with a wink.
"Great. Thanks" He is visibly relieved "I'll think of something. Until next time, then"
Better run before she changes her mind. Shodan quickly finishes whatever remains at the bottom of his coffee cup and, after nodding in polite farewell, he's no longer here.
Closing the scene, thank you for the fun!