Amelia Eva Steinbeck 📚 Teacher 📚 Witch 📚 Available for pop culture consultation regarding the arts, literature, and other foreign mediums of expression.
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NAME: Amelia Eva Steinbeck BIRTHDAY: February 28th FAV CAKE FLAVOR: Mixed berries, whipped cream, and lemon curd
WHAT THEY WANT MOST FOR THEIR BIRTHDAY: For her AP Lit. class to pass their test w/ a 3 or higher.
[He can't help it! Stop endearing yourself to him and perhaps he'll be able to dial it down!]
Of course— I apologize if I implied I thought things should be otherwise.
[He stands as well, straightening his sleeves by gently tugging on one cuff after the other. He'd taken an offensive stance out of habit, but he's very interested to see what else her magic might be able to accomplish.]
I would be more than happy to let you take the lead in that regard. I'll ensure you come to no harm.
[He's not quite teasing, but it's clear he's going to enjoy this. The barrier comes down, and he prepares to head out into the corridor.]
The Mage Armor I granted you earlier should still be in effect— you'll be more difficult for our enemies to hit— but I've other tricks up my sleeve to use as our circumstances dictate.
[And out they go, back into the winding stone paths. Past the corpse of the ogre they defeated, the hallways are quiet, back to the distant ambient sound of dripping water and even subtler noises of other living or non-living beings as it were.
Soon, they come upon a room with several treasure chests. Look, something to open up and take home! But Amelia is regarding all of the chests with suspicion.]
Seems... Convenient. If we weren't accosted by all the skeletons, I'd feel safe about opening these unscathed.
[He stays close to her as they venture forward, walking beside her and but half a step behind— enough to let her take the lead, but in truth, he doesn't have much interest in having a great amount of distance between them, especially when this place has already proven to be dangerous. Nothing they can't handle, he's sure, but even as they enter the room holding the chests, he narrows his gaze slightly, moving it across their lids and searching for anything out of the ordinary.]
That's precisely what makes it the ideal place for traps, I think.
[And he without his rogue companion to do any disarming. He stands there unmoving for a moment, studying the room (Percetion 6), then gives a shake of his head.]
None that I can see, or at least that I'm familiar with. I don't feel any arcane energy emanating from them, either.
[Amelia squints at the chests and tries to see if she can also make out anything suspicious. There is nothing. They're rather innocuous with their plain wooden exteriors and iron corner bumps. Like Gale, she also cannot make heads or tails of any other obvious energy signatures.]
They all look and feel normal at a glance.
[Hold on, there is a solution to this, perception be damned. Amelia turns around and goes back a few feet to where an unanimated skeleton is lying on the floor. She drags it by the shoulders and sets it in front of their feet.]
Instead of risking our fingers, let's use this.
[Amelia squats down to swiftly trace a few movements and animation runes across the skull. The empty eye sockets are filled with an eerie green light and it stands up, ready for action.]
[She really would do remarkably well for herself in Faerun, he thinks— even if she didn't end up choosing the adventuring life. He's come into contact with more skeletons than he can count, inanimate and otherwise, and she doesn't so much as bat an eye at handling one herself. Even where he comes from, many would show at least a few moments' hesitance.]
Very resourceful of you, Ms. Steinbeck!
[Said warmly, obvious praise. He raises a brow, smiling as the skeleton stands before them, prepared to be deployed.]
At least if anything goes awry, he won't feel the pain. At your leisure, then— I remain on guard, whatever may happen.
[Her cheeks turn warm at his praise but she only nods in slight acknowledgment. Amelia's resourcefulness only came about from the Witch King putting her in danger constantly. Impossible situations needed creative solutions lest she suffer for them. The Witch King would praise her for her creativity but it was all empty. She knew there would be more day after day...
But in the present moment, she's... Well, focused, but also secure with Gale around. This floor exploration was supposed to be a discovery venture, not a trial where she was being graded on some preposterous otherworldly curve.
The skeleton stalks towards the chests and kneels to attempt to open it. The first two don't yield and have no other reaction; they're safe. However, the largest chest in the room quivers as the skeleton's fingers pry it open. There's a click but the chest's cover suddenly clamps down on the skeleton like a large mouth. Amelia steps back and stares at it aghast.]
Okay, now what on earth—!?
[The chest in disguise begins to sprout, long, grey, gangly limbs and when it opens its "mouth" the skeleton clatters to the ground. This thing has teeth and it starts towards the magic casters in earnest and Amelia's booking it because oh god, they need more room and that thing is LONG.]
[Though it's not the first chest Gale has ever seen spring to life, it is immediately apparent that this is like no other mimic he's ever encountered— for one, it sprouts legs and starts moving towards them much faster than any he's ever had the displeasure to meet, and he's already on the move when Amelia directs him towards the hallway, the pair of them quickly putting as much space between themselves and that creature as possible.
They'll need room, and maybe a bit of time, as well.
As they burst into the hallway, Gale puts an arm around Amelia's shoulders on instinct to pull her close and shield her with his own body as he turns towards the door and throws a hand outwards, ice spiraling from his fingers to form crystals at the base of the door, swiftly building upon one another to build a wall meant to trap the mimic inside.]
Glacies nos defendant!
[He swiftly turns his attention to Amelia, wild-eyed and only a little short of breath from the shock and the surge of adrenaline now running through him. Already, the mimic can be heard throwing itself against the other side of the ice wall, and there's a distinct crack that sounds from it.]
It won't hold for long, but it should buy us a few seconds.
[Amelia didn't expect Gale's arm to wrap around her but she stopped to see the manifesting of the ice wall. There's no time to contemplate their closeness because really, there is a treasure chest with teeth and arms and it is kicking the ice wall down with a concerning amount of strength.
When he turns to her, she nods at what he says and points him to the other end of the hallway.]
Go! I can take him with the shields you have up and if you throw something from afar.
[CRACK! The mimic is making quick work of the ice wall and Amelia takes several steps backward with her eyes never leaving the monster.]
[He doesn't make her tell him again— not with that urgency in her voice, and as loathe as he is to put distance between them with a monster closing in, he knows better. He trusts her, just as he would expect her or any of his other companions to trust him, and he only gives a firm nod before he pulls away from her.
Rather than run, he Misty Steps away, vanishing from sight with a soft gust of wind and a sound pop before reappearing at the end of the hallway. Immediately, he puts his feet apart to plant himself, raising both hands in preparation to throw a spell at any moment— which one will depend on what she does, but he keeps his eyes trained on both Amelia and the space between her and the door, able to hear the ice splintering even from where he now stands.]
[The barbaric mimic looms over Amelia and takes a swipe at her. She dodges with some surprising athleticism. It's the kicking that nearly knocks the witch off of her feet but she skids across the floor between the mimic's legs and green magic sparks from under the soles of her shoes. Next, she thrusts out her arm and the runes encircle her arm and then gather into the palm of her hand.
Soon the crackling sound of electricity fills the air and a lance of emerald lightning forms. Amelia throws the lightning lance right into the open mouth of the mimic and it causes a beautifully chaotic explosion upon impact. It stuns the monster and it begins to stagger backwards clumsily.]
GALE! Can you pin it down with ice?
[Amelia has more magic lightning at the ready, but if her conjecture is correct, Gale would be more than capable of following up.]
[If there were time to stop and admire her work, he most certainly would; magic is beautiful in all its forms, and the mystery of how Amelia's presents itself is one he is keen to unravel, but now is hardly the time or place. Rather than responding to her request, he simply acts, his muscles already tensed and ready to launch whatever spell the moment demanded, the very air around him nearly buzzing as even here, in another world entirely, he draws upon the Weave.]
Glacies percutiens!
[Her lightning strike had done the bulk of the work, knocking the creature off-balance, and a lance of ice proceeds to follow it, splintering into three before it strikes— one of the shards goes wide and hits the wall, shattering, but the others strike true, one managing to pierce its abdomen while the other follows the path of Amelia's own emerald lance into its gaping maw.]
[The mimic for all its strength and unnatural limbs is no match for their swift teamwork. Gale's ice attack makes it fall over and with an unearthly gargle, perishes and lies on the ground twitching for several more seconds.
Its tongue lolls out of its chest mouth and when it's done moving completely, that's when Amelia steps forward to examine it with a grimace. ]
Ugh. Imagine if we tried to open it up normally. And why is it so long?
...
[And then Amelia takes out her phone and starts taking some pictures at several angles. Hey, research.]
[As the mimic goes still, Gale closes the distance between them in another blink, popping into existence beside her and gently prodding at the mimic's tongue with the sharp end of his staff before he goes down on one knee to examine it more closely, as well.]
I'd rather not imagine that, thank you. Good thing we took precautions. It's much faster than the creatures of its like I've seen, and they're not exactly slow.
[He wrinkles his nose, then looks over as he hears the snap sound effect from her phone's camera and lets out a breath that manages to be a laugh at the same time.]
That really is a useful tool for documentation, I must say.
Some devices are specialized to only capture images but for what we have on our phones, the image clarity is good enough.
[Click, click, click! After taking a few more pictures at different angles, Amelia puts her phone away satisfied. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices a dull glint on the ground that has dropped out of the mimic's mouth.]
... A key?
[Kneeling, she gingerly takes it between two fingers, frowning. She holds it up to Gale.]
Here, look at this. We could look for the door that this unlocks and if it proves to be nothing particularly fruitful, we'll go back to an elevator.
[He echoes her as he looks it over, reaching to gently take it from her grasp and turning it over in his hand. It doesn't seem to have any magical properties, but he supposes a key needn't do so to be of interest. They tend to lead all sorts of fascinating places, in his experience.]
Well, color me intrigued. If this encounter hasn't put you off, then I say we press onward. If it's worth locking away, it's likely worth seeing.
[All knowledge is worth having!]
I do hope today's adventure has been as thrilling as you'd hoped.
[Actually, Amelia feels her muscles burning, her eyesight getting irritated by the dim lamplight, and everything is cold and smells wet. Sure they managed to defeat several swarms of skeletons, and overcome an ogre, and a very scary mimic, but was it worth it? Really?? She had to do a complicated reversal spell and oh god, she doesn't want to think about how stressful it would have been if she messed up.
She'd much rather curl up in a blanket with some hot tea and finish her book in the fake afternoon sunlight in her room right now and...
Although Amelia has all sorts of old-lady complaints stirring in her mind, before she opens her mouth, she looks at Gale...]
[... And remembers how he had just protected her with his body and his arm around her when they were up close to the mimic. He wasn't afraid of getting injured again for her sake. Throughout their whole mini-adventure, Gale has managed to keep his spirits up while working in tandem with her.
... Amelia thinks that she doesn't dislike this. She has many complaints, but working through the obstacles with Gale isn't one of them.
So she stands up to stretch her arms out in front of her and nods.]
Let's finish our excursion on a good note and make sure we treat ourselves to a good meal after this. I'm thinking of a large steak.
[That meal was going to be well-earned after all they've done here today; magic itself takes a great deal of energy even among the most experienced practitioners, and while they've not seen anything they couldn't handle thus far, it's certainly more than their vacation has demanded of them up until now.
He returns the key to her as he draws back up to his full height, giving a stretch of his own and feeling the muscles in his back loosen as a result. Adventuring, it turns out, is rather fun when it's not a life or death situation. He gestures to the way ahead, deferring to her.]
Let's see exactly what was worth hiding behind undead soldiers and locked doors. Perhaps even a small piece of the puzzle that is Hotel Caelum.
[And their trek continues. There are more enemy skeletons, some in groups, others stalking the corners to make a surprise attack. Anytime Amelia sees a chest, she immediately sets it on fire which is a good way to get any sneaky mimics out of the way. Using the key's design as a reference, they're led to a spiraling staircase that goes down, down, and down...
And finally, there's an enormous set of locked doors at the bottom. Though the keyhole matches what they have on hand, there's a stone slab that sits across the handles and there's an inscription that's hard to make out.]
It looks like we have some directions to follow before we can open up. Can you light it up Gale?
[With their early encounters in this place behind them, they manage the skeletons and potential mimics they come across with aplomb. The spiral staircase seems quite promising even as they approach, and when they do reach the bottom, Gale believes they've absolutely come to the right place, should they hope to find anything of worth.
At her request, he immediately raises a hand and gives it a wave, lighting the end of his staff.]
It would be my pleasure.
[He proceeds to take the staff in both hands and angle it so that the light shines on the inscription, leaning in and squinting a bit to examine the text.]
[The script is very small and written in fine lines but the light from Gale's staff helps illuminate it. The inherent magic makes the lines glow making it easier for Amelia to read it aloud.]
"Greetings travelers You've come this far. Now you've one last foe One most bizarre.
One last thing, Before you attack..."
[Amelia pauses, not to be dramatic but to be... Dumbfounded.]
[With a roll of 17, Amelia's natural intelligence and experience with wordplay comes into full force. Now if she's actually proud of being able to figure this out... Well.]
...
...
...
Spare ribs.
[The words of the riddle light up and the stone slab disintegrates into dust.]
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no subject
Of course— I apologize if I implied I thought things should be otherwise.
[He stands as well, straightening his sleeves by gently tugging on one cuff after the other. He'd taken an offensive stance out of habit, but he's very interested to see what else her magic might be able to accomplish.]
I would be more than happy to let you take the lead in that regard. I'll ensure you come to no harm.
no subject
looks at the thread below this, she has failedAmelia removes her rune barrier, wiping it away with her palm like one would wipe down a window.]
Good. I'm a lot more forceful when at the forefront so that could send a message to the rest of the dungeon.
no subject
[He's not quite teasing, but it's clear he's going to enjoy this. The barrier comes down, and he prepares to head out into the corridor.]
The Mage Armor I granted you earlier should still be in effect— you'll be more difficult for our enemies to hit— but I've other tricks up my sleeve to use as our circumstances dictate.
no subject
[And out they go, back into the winding stone paths. Past the corpse of the ogre they defeated, the hallways are quiet, back to the distant ambient sound of dripping water and even subtler noises of other living or non-living beings as it were.
Soon, they come upon a room with several treasure chests. Look, something to open up and take home! But Amelia is regarding all of the chests with suspicion.]
Seems... Convenient. If we weren't accosted by all the skeletons, I'd feel safe about opening these unscathed.
no subject
That's precisely what makes it the ideal place for traps, I think.
[And he without his rogue companion to do any disarming. He stands there unmoving for a moment, studying the room (Percetion 6), then gives a shake of his head.]
None that I can see, or at least that I'm familiar with. I don't feel any arcane energy emanating from them, either.
no subject
They all look and feel normal at a glance.
[Hold on, there is a solution to this, perception be damned. Amelia turns around and goes back a few feet to where an unanimated skeleton is lying on the floor. She drags it by the shoulders and sets it in front of their feet.]
Instead of risking our fingers, let's use this.
[Amelia squats down to swiftly trace a few movements and animation runes across the skull. The empty eye sockets are filled with an eerie green light and it stands up, ready for action.]
no subject
Very resourceful of you, Ms. Steinbeck!
[Said warmly, obvious praise. He raises a brow, smiling as the skeleton stands before them, prepared to be deployed.]
At least if anything goes awry, he won't feel the pain. At your leisure, then— I remain on guard, whatever may happen.
no subject
But in the present moment, she's... Well, focused, but also secure with Gale around. This floor exploration was supposed to be a discovery venture, not a trial where she was being graded on some preposterous otherworldly curve.
The skeleton stalks towards the chests and kneels to attempt to open it. The first two don't yield and have no other reaction; they're safe. However, the largest chest in the room quivers as the skeleton's fingers pry it open. There's a click but the chest's cover suddenly clamps down on the skeleton like a large mouth. Amelia steps back and stares at it aghast.]
Okay, now what on earth—!?
[The chest in disguise begins to sprout, long, grey, gangly limbs and when it opens its "mouth" the skeleton clatters to the ground. This thing has teeth and it starts towards the magic casters in earnest and Amelia's booking it because oh god, they need more room and that thing is LONG.]
Hallway! Now!!
no subject
They'll need room, and maybe a bit of time, as well.
As they burst into the hallway, Gale puts an arm around Amelia's shoulders on instinct to pull her close and shield her with his own body as he turns towards the door and throws a hand outwards, ice spiraling from his fingers to form crystals at the base of the door, swiftly building upon one another to build a wall meant to trap the mimic inside.]
Glacies nos defendant!
[He swiftly turns his attention to Amelia, wild-eyed and only a little short of breath from the shock and the surge of adrenaline now running through him. Already, the mimic can be heard throwing itself against the other side of the ice wall, and there's a distinct crack that sounds from it.]
It won't hold for long, but it should buy us a few seconds.
no subject
When he turns to her, she nods at what he says and points him to the other end of the hallway.]
Go! I can take him with the shields you have up and if you throw something from afar.
[CRACK! The mimic is making quick work of the ice wall and Amelia takes several steps backward with her eyes never leaving the monster.]
Go, NOW!
no subject
Rather than run, he Misty Steps away, vanishing from sight with a soft gust of wind and a sound pop before reappearing at the end of the hallway. Immediately, he puts his feet apart to plant himself, raising both hands in preparation to throw a spell at any moment— which one will depend on what she does, but he keeps his eyes trained on both Amelia and the space between her and the door, able to hear the ice splintering even from where he now stands.]
I'll cover you!
[Whatever she chooses, he'll follow her lead.]
no subject
Soon the crackling sound of electricity fills the air and a lance of emerald lightning forms. Amelia throws the lightning lance right into the open mouth of the mimic and it causes a beautifully chaotic explosion upon impact. It stuns the monster and it begins to stagger backwards clumsily.]
GALE! Can you pin it down with ice?
[Amelia has more magic lightning at the ready, but if her conjecture is correct, Gale would be more than capable of following up.]
no subject
Glacies percutiens!
[Her lightning strike had done the bulk of the work, knocking the creature off-balance, and a lance of ice proceeds to follow it, splintering into three before it strikes— one of the shards goes wide and hits the wall, shattering, but the others strike true, one managing to pierce its abdomen while the other follows the path of Amelia's own emerald lance into its gaping maw.]
no subject
Its tongue lolls out of its chest mouth and when it's done moving completely, that's when Amelia steps forward to examine it with a grimace. ]
Ugh. Imagine if we tried to open it up normally. And why is it so long?
...
[And then Amelia takes out her phone and starts taking some pictures at several angles. Hey, research.]
no subject
I'd rather not imagine that, thank you. Good thing we took precautions. It's much faster than the creatures of its like I've seen, and they're not exactly slow.
[He wrinkles his nose, then looks over as he hears the snap sound effect from her phone's camera and lets out a breath that manages to be a laugh at the same time.]
That really is a useful tool for documentation, I must say.
no subject
[Click, click, click! After taking a few more pictures at different angles, Amelia puts her phone away satisfied. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices a dull glint on the ground that has dropped out of the mimic's mouth.]
... A key?
[Kneeling, she gingerly takes it between two fingers, frowning. She holds it up to Gale.]
Here, look at this. We could look for the door that this unlocks and if it proves to be nothing particularly fruitful, we'll go back to an elevator.
no subject
[He echoes her as he looks it over, reaching to gently take it from her grasp and turning it over in his hand. It doesn't seem to have any magical properties, but he supposes a key needn't do so to be of interest. They tend to lead all sorts of fascinating places, in his experience.]
Well, color me intrigued. If this encounter hasn't put you off, then I say we press onward. If it's worth locking away, it's likely worth seeing.
[All knowledge is worth having!]
I do hope today's adventure has been as thrilling as you'd hoped.
1/2
She'd much rather curl up in a blanket with some hot tea and finish her book in the fake afternoon sunlight in her room right now and...
Although Amelia has all sorts of old-lady complaints stirring in her mind, before she opens her mouth, she looks at Gale...]
no subject
... Amelia thinks that she doesn't dislike this. She has many complaints, but working through the obstacles with Gale isn't one of them.
So she stands up to stretch her arms out in front of her and nods.]
Let's finish our excursion on a good note and make sure we treat ourselves to a good meal after this. I'm thinking of a large steak.
no subject
[That meal was going to be well-earned after all they've done here today; magic itself takes a great deal of energy even among the most experienced practitioners, and while they've not seen anything they couldn't handle thus far, it's certainly more than their vacation has demanded of them up until now.
He returns the key to her as he draws back up to his full height, giving a stretch of his own and feeling the muscles in his back loosen as a result. Adventuring, it turns out, is rather fun when it's not a life or death situation. He gestures to the way ahead, deferring to her.]
Let's see exactly what was worth hiding behind undead soldiers and locked doors. Perhaps even a small piece of the puzzle that is Hotel Caelum.
no subject
Here's hoping. Let's go.
[And their trek continues. There are more enemy skeletons, some in groups, others stalking the corners to make a surprise attack. Anytime Amelia sees a chest, she immediately sets it on fire which is a good way to get any sneaky mimics out of the way. Using the key's design as a reference, they're led to a spiraling staircase that goes down, down, and down...
And finally, there's an enormous set of locked doors at the bottom. Though the keyhole matches what they have on hand, there's a stone slab that sits across the handles and there's an inscription that's hard to make out.]
It looks like we have some directions to follow before we can open up. Can you light it up Gale?
no subject
At her request, he immediately raises a hand and gives it a wave, lighting the end of his staff.]
It would be my pleasure.
[He proceeds to take the staff in both hands and angle it so that the light shines on the inscription, leaning in and squinting a bit to examine the text.]
It appears to be quite old. Can you make it out?
no subject
"Greetings travelers
You've come this far.
Now you've one last foe
One most bizarre.
One last thing,
Before you attack..."
[Amelia pauses, not to be dramatic but to be... Dumbfounded.]
"What is a skeleton's favorite snack...?"
What.
no subject
What sort of riddle is that?
[Frowning, he folds his arms in front of him, careful to keep the light steady regardless.]
I would expect it's aiming for some sort of clever wordplay, but skeletons don't eat.
[Something that rhymes with a body part, perhaps...?]
no subject
...
...
...
Spare ribs.
[The words of the riddle light up and the stone slab disintegrates into dust.]
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