"Yes, I'm from a small village not far from here. Eilid discovered my Gift when she walked by me on the road. A chance happening that changed my life forever. What about you, where are you from originally?"
(out of curiosity, would Iolair's Second Sight be able to see through the clothing (with a roll of course)? Is Second Sight an 'always on' effect or do I have to consciously 'activate' it? Would that be considered scrying under the Oath?)
((My interpretation is that Second Sight is basically a sensory ability, like seeing or hearing, and thus Always On. The Second Sight description on p. 167 leads me to believe that Iolair would be able to "see through" the illusory clothing if he makes a Second Sight vs. an Ease Factor of 7 (6 + the magnitude of the spell). And it wouldn't be "see through" as though it weren't there...he'd be able to see the illusion and the everything else at the same time, if that makes sense.))
((edit because I put would instead of wouldn't in the last sentence.))
(Well, it looks like Iolair can see through Talia's clothing...that makes things more interesting)
((But Talia doesn't know what Iolair can see, unless he comments.))
"I'm from A small village not far from Naples. I spent a few years sailing the Med and then came through the Pillars of Hercules, slowly making my way northward. Most recently I had been ferrying cargo between Edinburg and Bruges. "
Iolair nods, doing his best to look Talia in the eyes, as opposed to her other assets, while she talks, "Wow, I've always wanted to see the Mediterranean; is it as beautiful as they say?"
(Guile+Pre roll of 6 to hide the fact that he can see through her clothes: http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3780331/)
(Moving this over here, because I don't want to derail whatever Peregrine has planned, and I just feel like I'm interrupting Peregrine over there... If something interesting happens otherwise, Talia will speak up about it over there, but for the conversation with Iolair, I think continuing it here is best. At best, what she'd be doing over there is creating conflict, for fun.))
Talia notices Iolair seeing through her illusion and trying to hide the fact. "I'm sorry, would you like for me to put on some real clothes? I haven't worn real clothes for well over a year, since I learned this trick from a neighboring maga who does much the same. Answering your question," she continues on, without making an effort to really cover up or do anything and not giving it much of a thought until he says yes, one way or another. "Answering your question, the Mediterranean is beautiful. It's almost like a gentle lake compared to the Atlantic. Indeed, my original ship was ill-suited to the storms, and we were shipwrecked soon after wards. We spent a winter in Lisbon. I had the means to conjure another ship, but not her sails, rigging, anchor or other attendant parts of the ship. Nor did I have the means to pay for those things. Fortune later smiled on us, after our winter in Lisbon." When Talia says 'Fortune later smilled' she's making it very clear, without stating it explicitly that she came by those things in a less than honest method.
"It doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you," he says with a wink and a smile. "Although depending on how long I'm here, I may ask you to teach me that; it would save me from having to...borrow clothes like this after a long flight."
"Well, they do say that fortune favors the bold," he says with a sly grin that articulates that he knows exactly what she is implying. "At least it sounds like you've had an interesting life. It seems that many of our kind prefer to spend their lives holed up in dusty laboratories and never experience the world outside their covenant."
"Me? Mind? Certainly no. This is for the comfort of everyone else. There was one time I walked to the library without my raiment, if you will. And the poor librarian sputtered something awful. It took me a while to figure it out, because I've gotten used to there being nothing there, despite appearances to the contrary. It's also of great utility when one of my sailors needs a morale boost. He never has to mess with my fussy garments." She smiles, as if she's thinking about one of those times.
After a moment of reverie, "I expect to find myself holed up in a dusty laboratory for quite a while. But I'm also not afraid of a little adventure. I'm certainly hoping that I won't spend the rest of my life in a laboratory or in a shipyard, whether Hermetic of mundane. I'm sure my men will convince me to take them out to sea now and again. Unless they all settle down and marry and deny themselves my charms, that is."
Iolair chuckles out loud, "I can only imagine the look on that librarian's face. And I must admit, if I were one of your sailors, I would probably feel the need for a morale boost quite often. I'm curious...you seem less...modest than most women I've come across in my years. Is that a virtue of all women from Naples, or perhaps you time on the seas?"
"How many Tytalus maga do you know?"
"Hmm, I suppose you would be the first."
"I'm a maga. I like men. I'm the captain of a ship. A ship at sea is it's own world, and there, I am the Lady of that world. And so I enjoy the privileges that come with rank."
"Fair enough," Iolair says as his eyes glance down at her breasts before looking back into her eyes. "I am definitely not one to judge. I was just curious if all women where you come from are like this, or if you are just uniquely enlightened," he says with a playful smile.
Talia shrugs as if she's unconcerned about others degree of enlightenment. "People tend to lock themselves into their own self-assigned roles. I do what I want, when I want. If others are around to assist me in whatever endeavor I undertake, they are more than welcome to do so. If not, I take care of myself. The pursuit of sexual pleasure or combat, knowledge or power, it all applies. But, pardon my observation, men are so predictable when it comes to sex that I almost never have a problem, even with the adverse effects of the Gift. Even you are demonstrating all the signs..."
Iolair nods, "As I said, I don't disagree with you, it's just rare, and refreshing, to find someone as self-aware as you are. As for the predictability of men goes...it has been my experience that women are just as predictable, though most do their best to hide their intentions. As for me, I appreciate beauty, and as you are unabashed in displaying yours, I feel no qualms in openly admiring it."
"
"Well, in an effort to not be predictable... Right here, right now, in front of everyone." Talia appears completely serious and backs it up by sitting astride Iolair facing him and starts grinding...
While Talia can feel Iolair's body responding to her grinding, he takes a deep breath, grabs her hips and lifts her off of him and onto the table so that she is still facing him, "I......I prefer to keep my...intimate encounters...private. Although if the offer still stands, I would be happy to join you somewhere less...crowded."
"More's the pity." When his hands are on her hips trying to pull her off, she just adjusts and stands, stepping away from Iolair. "There's never really any privacy aboard a ship. And intimacy is not what I'm seeking." She pats him on the cheek, "Enjoy the salmon, I'm going to give my son a goodnight kiss and tuck him in, then I'm returning to my sanctum and my crew. See you around, Iolair."
Iolair chuckles, "I will, it is the best salmon in the Highlands after all. Have a wonderful evening Talia."
"I always do."