The Initiation Trials of Denizen: The Star

[MacMan]

Leroy gets a faint smile on his face. "One of my more nerdish hobbies growing up was the study of classical Greek mythology. Those stories are filled with characters who let their ambition and vanity get the best of them. From Ariadne, the woman who challenged Artemis to a weaving contest, then proceeded to insult the gods, resulting in her transformation from a beautiful woman into a spider. To Cassiopeia, the queen whose vanity so angered the gods of Olympus that instead of condemning herself they condemned her own daughter, Andromeda to be eaten by the last of the Titans. But while we should temper ambition and vanity we should never abolish it entirely from our emotional make-up. Without Ambition man would not have walked on the moon, or dared to dream of flying. Its bravery and ambition that have created the world we see today not cowardice, and laziness."

[Ixidor]

Okay, Ixidor can work with this.

He nods again, more emphatically this time, but not quite headbanging. "Bravery and ambition, absolutely. Energy, inner fire. That's the trick:

"You must burn.

"And for the Théarchs, we must burn brightly. Don't forget, that for all of these stars in the sky, twinkling lonely out there in the darkness, our sun is just like them. Hell, fairly young and small, by general comparison."

It's easy to see the energy charging through Ix, if not literally, then metaphorically. He rakes his lower lip through his teeth before grinning a classic sort of fuck yeah. Walking in a semi-circle around Leroy, with his back to the field, there is a wild sort of look in his eyes. "And it rules us. Our very days are scheduled around its appearance. Its light feeds the plants that we gain nourishment from. It warms us, helps us see.

"Remember that, when you think of the Precept of the Star. The Silver Ladder is the path to victory. You must burn brightly. You must give, nourish, guide, and you must be bold about it!"

He takes a step forward, jabbing a black fingernail toward Denizen in pointing. "Do not be afraid of being called arrogant, but do not be guilty of it, either. That is the very fine line you will have to walk, with your every waking moment. Can you do that?"

[MacMan]

Leroy smiles and replies with the self-same grin as Ix, "Hell, yeah, I may not want to let my ambition run away with me, but that doesn't mean I don't want recognition. Hell, I would love to become Attorney General of California, or a State Supreme Court Justice. I am not even overly concerned with dying, one of the brightest objects in space come from the last gasps of a star exploding. But, with their deaths the building blocks of life are created, that's a hell of a legacy to leave behind."

[Ixidor]

Ixidor very solemnly throws up the horns, as though it's a salute of success. "Right on.

"That's actually a pretty damn noble way to look at it. I like it."

The rocker turns to look out at the few people still slipping out of the field. His posture suggests that he's viewing the scene with Leroy; as though for a moment, they are the audience, and the sleepers under the twinkling night sky is their show. Their example.

At least the crew hasn't returned to finish dismantling everything, yet.

"When everything threatens to shake you down, Denizen. When other Mages disappoint you, and the people show their weakness, and the whole of the world seems to be working against you, remember: It's a star that lights the way.

"The Silver Ladder is the path to victory."

He shifts the volume knobs on the bass down to minimum, and kills the power to its wireless transmitter. "Now let's get the fuck outta here. I'm starving."

[MacMan]

Leroy grins, "IHOP, Bet I can eat more pancakes than you."

[Ixidor]

Ixidor grins as well, not unlike a sneaky fox.

"Ha! You're on."

End Scene. Good job!