#lua bio

Sexytimes: Lua isn’t particularly interested in BDSM, and is a pansexual goblin (though they use the term bisexual as well), they find no need to delineate themselves in terms that are a part of specific aspects of the queer (top/bottom) and fetish (dom/sub) scene (if you MUST it’s switch/vers). They are just happy to be there, and generally enjoy sex that some would describe as rather vanilla (nothing wrong with tenderness, intimacy, and feeling good). If their partner is interested in something more theatrical they’re willing to go along with, but generally they’re not keen on hurting someone or being hurt. They also will not generally tolerate being tied up, restrained, or sensory-deprived. If their partner wants these things they can generally oblige. They can take charge if desired, are happy to be spoiled, and just generally enjoy mutual affection.

As a shape-shifter they can get a bit ah… monsterfucker’s delight in the moment. They don’t tend to go full on tentacle-salad apart from with Aleis, but they do tend to get a bit wild and interesting. Most commonly they’ll start shifting colors or demonstrating bioluminecence in waves across their body. They might also have fangs, claws, tendrils, scales, odd colored scaleras, and so on – these tend to be familiar to aquatic creatures in nature (elements of cetaceans, sharks, rays, sea turtles, cepholopods, nudibranchs, billfish, echinoderms, aquatic lizards, athropods, and so on and so on). This is very much a sign of being happily unguarded and in the moment.

Their genitalia varies a lot – this is something they very much take advantage of as a shape-shifter, and things tend to be at least a little inhuman (with extra tendrils, frilly bits, bright colors, or what have you) while still overall having a human shape. Asking ‘what they have in their pants’ is not only extremely rude but hilariously difficult to answer at any given moment. They enjoy both penetrative sex and being penetrated and will vary the equipment for that in all kinds of ways. (And please don’t ask what they were ‘born as’ they’ll give you an answer like “I came out of the sea fully formed” or “I was born a fish” and that’ll be that.) They will, generally, have things tucked away in a slit in a somewhat inhuman way for their ‘daily wear’ if you will.

Daily Life: Lua does a lot of the food shopping and cooking, as they enjoy it and have an affinity for it (although both Aleis and Asra can also cook). They tend to be the one to think the furthest ahead about this and while they don’t meal plan in a detailed way they are better at maintaining a diverse and interesting larder for the others. Lua is quite diurnal, and is usually the first up, getting ready for the day (they aren’t an immensely early riser but only Nadia by nature, and Portia by necessity gets up earlier than them on a regular basis), they’re also usually the first to be sleepy in the evening. They generally sleep easily and well unless stressed, and aren’t inclined to any nighttime distress, though they’ll definitely unconsciously chase anyone across the bed to be cuddly and warm throughout the night. Generally orderly and level-headed, Lua can get overly invested in projects to exclusion of all else when focused, but is usually pretty good about work/life balance unless a deadline has them in a corner. Issues of client approval may have them very woebegone though they are professional in all their dealings. They like order and cleanliness in their life, but given who they live with they’ll take ‘sanitary’ over ‘tidy’ when it comes to ensuring the house is their definition of clean. They do, however, like the things in the kitchen to be just so, so they don’t loose track of ingredients or confuse them with magical components. Their desk is also generally quite orderly unless they’re in the midst of something, they do clean up thoroughly between projects though, and things don’t tend to get buried for too long (while they can’t always take on just one project at a time, they do try to keep things separated at least).

Lovers:

Aleis and Lua have been married for many years (re-marrying officially after the events of the story). They love each other dearly, and Lua is always the most forthcoming, comfortable, and confident with Aleis over anyone else. Their strengths are complimentary and the support each other through their weaknesses. Their relationship is open and they are happily intertwined with all of the LIs (except Lucio, and with the addition of Valerius.) They both have occasional flings with the Sartinava sisters, Morga, and others in their circle. Aleis will usually be the first to open up to someone, followed by Lua.

Asra: Aleis and Lua have been friends and lovers with Asra for many years. He moved into their shop (left to them by their “aunt” when she chose to move from Vesuvia) quite a long time ago, and they’ve all been cozy and content there since. Lua finds him sweet, charming, and funny, although at times can be exasperated by his sense of humor and tendency to disappear without warning. His pleasant, gentle demeanor tends to put their anxious self at ease, although he has had a time getting used to them as less confident than they once were. Their personality hasn’t changed, but their coping mechanisms have. Still though, they’re still Lua, and he’s still very endeared to them. His sympathy with water-based magic goes well with Lua’s love of the ocean and all things aquatic.

Julian: Lua was… never realistic about their chances of surviving the plague. As overconfident here as anywhere else, they really did not truly take to heart the danger of what they were doing. Aleis had been much more realistic, but Lua was, well, Lua. This, perhaps, synergizes well with Julian. They tend be a good contrast – supporting each other when the other’s facade fails. However, they can both get into a spiral of being limbs and blushing. (Aleis finds it adorable that either of them have delusions of dignity.) Lua’s rather scientific (or at least practical) approach to magic is definitely one Julian finds comfortable enough to understand – however the details of what they do are so personal and obtuse they’re still figuring out how to explain it to him. Julian can be a little bit more social than Lua is all together comfortable with, but they still enjoy his enthusiasm and theatricality.

Nadia: To be perfectly honest, Lua was deeply intimidated by Nadia for quite some time. Always put together, calm, and collected, she gives an air of expertise and confidence that just makes Lua feel like a bumbling fool. They don’t mean to be so anxious – they know, logically, she’s just a human person, but whoo boy does she seem to have it all together to them. However, through time as they’ve come to know her better, they very much enjoy her company and her fellow mechanical expertise. The two are very much on a similar thread about what they make and do and they can happily bounce ideas off of each other for hours. She has also learned to let her guard slip a little more around them, putting Lua more at ease. Lua has also come to be able to let her spoil them, when they’re in the mood.

Muriel: Muriel is so dear to both Lua and Aleis. They relate to his need for solitude, and persist at being these weirdos who like him… for some reason. They get a lot out of spending quiet time with him, peacefully working on their own things. Lua loves to be out in nature, quietly existing, and they very much enjoy it with Muriel’s company as well. With Muriel’s welcome, his home is often where Lua will retreat to if they need quiet comfort away from the city (Aleis and Asra will often nudge them off that way when they’re getting extra fussy). Muriel enjoys that Lua generally knows when to shut up, and also appreciates that they quietly do their own thing. Muriel’s protective magic is very foreign to Lua, as it’s not something they’re particularly familiar with, they very much rely on his guidance if attempting to replicate such spells.

Valerius: Valerius and Lua share a lot in common. Their insecurities and anxieties run along similar lines, and their backgrounds are less different than either one likes to give credit for. This means that these two butted heads terribly for quite some time (always pushing each other’s buttons in the worst way), much to Aleis’ chagrin. But, over time, the two have come to see these commonalities less as deliberate irritation, and more as something shared. The two have developed a comfort with each other in private as they have both, with the assistance of their friends, come to relax more following the main events of the plot. It took a lot of steps to get to this point, but starting with Aleis and Val having the occasional bout of hormonal, angry sex, Lua and Val getting used to each other (sniffing each other through the door – like cats, says Aleis), and finding eventual common ground, they worked it out.

Friends:

Portia: Not their lover but still a close friend - Lua only wants good things for the eternally hard working Portia.  They admire her very much, but can be a little bit shy around her as she can seem a bit forward to them.  Still though, her playful sense of humor, sensitivity, and intelligence all really endear her to them.  Lua’s approach to magic fascinates her, and she’s enjoying learning from all three magicians (who all approach things differently, though all see her as a prodigy).  Portia is charmed by Lua and their attempts at dignity, and always willing to help them laugh off it’s inevitable downfall.

Lucio: Isn’t their lover, but, after years of actual repentance and apology, a ton of growth, and at least a year spent as an actual goat, Lucio has become a friend of Lua and Aleis. He’s their odd buddy who’s got a good sense of fun, and not always a good sense of what ideas are good ones (or a lot of sense at all… really. He’s still learning). Still though, they’ve seen him through a lot of change, and are willing to accept him now having genuinely come to understand the consequences of his actions. (In Aleis and Lua’s continuity – Lucio serves out an abbreviated version of Nadia’s punishment, because of an additional stint as an actual goat, and has to repeatedly prove that he has become a better person. He currently lives on Volta’s estate, who is good at keeping an eye on him as he helps her get her stuff in order.)

Vulgora, Vlastomil, & Volta: Having been freed of their bonds, they’re all adapting to lives as human (or nearly human) again. Vlastomil has changed jobs with the transition of how law works in Vesuvia, now serving as a professor in one of Vesuvia’s most prestigious universities, teaching high-end worm science, where he’s much, much happier. He has changed very little. Vulgora has found an outlet with theater (having been dismissed from their position), and having learned pain again, is definitely more cautious with their fleshy form (they still love a good brawl though, or at least a spar). Volta is simply living her best life, now able to effectively do her job (and enjoy a good meal). Lua considers them all friends, although they have the easiest time interacting with the very sweet Volta. As they find worms to be neither weird nor gross, they have no trouble carrying on conversation with Vlastomil as well, if he’s in a mood to talk about ocean-going worms.

Valdemar: Freed of their bonds there was very very little ‘human’ left in Valdemar. That of them that remained human was so little that when made ‘human’ again they are currently about three inches tall. They don’t seem to let their diminutive status get them down, and Aleis has made them a miniature office and operating theater where they are allowed to perform dissections and experiments on dead specimens. They’re… very strange still, but Lua tries not to be too put off, as they and Aleis (and Julian, Asra, and Nadia) help to keep an eye on them. They aren’t quite as alien as they once were but they’re still a little weirdo. They’ll sometimes travel in Aleis’ pocket.

Aisha and Salim: Lua and Salim’s magic, when it comes to artificing, is very similar (although Lua’s tends to involve a bit more clockwork) and the two of them can either work extremely well together or drive each other crazy. Aisha finds it funny that Salim will try to ‘dad’ at Lua and Aleis who are both not much younger than him (especially if he and Lua are in disagreement about something technical). Honestly he does outmatch Lua in experience, which can drive them a little crazy (the worst part about being ‘dad’ed at is when ‘dad’ is right). Aisha’s familiarity with her husband’s work means that she is good with synergizing with Lua’s as well. Overall (despite being ‘dad’ed at) Lua and Aleis both get along very well with Asra’s parents and are so glad to have them back in his (and now in their) life.

The Satrinavas: Who doesn't love Nadia’s beautiful family? Nasrin and Namar are of course impressed and delighted with all of their daughter’s clever and interesting court magicians. Lua has absolutely no idea how to impress these people (the secret that Lua can’t get their head around is that they just do as themselves) and will DEFINITELY be at their overthinking worst if a bunch of them are in the same room. Still though, on an individual basis they are always happy to show off the breadth of their skills, talk shop, or generally just… spend time with these fascinating people.

As for the sisters:

- Lua finds Nafizah ineffable but delightful to be around (they trust her and her turtle very much).

- Similar to how Lua and Julian find common ground in Lua’s scientific approach, Lua and Nazali enjoy harmony in discussing various natural processes, biology, and weird phenomena. They share a similar style and love of the practical.

- Despite sharing many aspects of the same Arcana (The Moon, as Lua’s alternative to the Fool), Navra and Lua are rather polar opposites – her easy self-assured nature is very much the opposite of Lua’s constant overthinking. One could see Lua as the Moon reverse (although not corrupted) with Navra as the Moon upright. Lua’s overthinking constantly blocks their intuition, causing them to falter. Despite this, they have a similar sort of synergy if Lua can be comfortable with their own thoughts – the same ease of being themselves that allows them to shape-shift so well is akin to Navra’s joy in dancing (a physical, personal, and creative act).

- Although intimidated by Nahara (as conventional combat and fighting is a world rather foreign to Lua), they always enjoy a calm, stoic presence and she is no exception. They are not sure what they can offer to someone so confident and capable, but they’re definitely willing to take her advice that some meditation and physical activity might help relieve stress.

- Nasmira can honestly be a bit much for Lua, but her persistent kindness is the sort of affirmation Lua needs at times.

- Natiqua can also be a bit much for Lua, who doesn't really appreciate pranking or politicians. Still her very honest nature is always a welcome relief in formal situations. In the right circumstance Lua can definitely have a streak of mischief (they are married to Aleis after all).

Mazelinka: If you don’t love Mazelinka you are incorrect. Lua is absolutely no different.

Morga: Morga, quite frankly, terrifies Lua, they’re not super sure how they feel about that, but they do their best to impress (such is their nature). They don’t usually succeed, and they’re not sure how Aleis gets along so well with her. Although, honestly, Morga respects their shape-shifting prowess and their ability to use it thoroughly, she just has no time for all this overthinking nonsense.

Continuity: A blend of the through-line and conclusion of all upright plot lines and then some – all people have been freed, all villains have been defeated (or redeemed), everybody’s pretty much happily in love with everyone else. Lucio is still living (albeit having served out punishment for his misdeeds). Julian can… probably die now and has his own practice. Nadia is countess instituting major, positive social change with Portia at her right hand (serving as a major diplomat). Muriel lives quietly and peacefully and no longer so scarred. All five of the Courtiers have been freed of their bonds to the devil and have had some career changes. If it’s good, it’s probably happening. Lua, Aleis, Asra, Aisha, and Salim serve as court magicians in turn with each other or based on their skill set. Morga is still living… somehow. Tasya sails the seas. Lua, Aleis, and Asra still live in and run the magic shop, when they are not away on other business – their friends and lovers are all welcome by and come and go, and they come and go at their own places too.

Background: Lua is incredibly quiet about anything involving their origin, family, childhood, and background. The had been rather distant from their family prior to their death, and their death became a clean break. They do not concern themselves with familial affairs and no one seems to ask after them. This is not a litany of trauma and sorrow, but something where Lua simply never really fit. There are hints about the pressures of a gifted child, the difficulty of fitting in with an accepting enough but never truly understanding and accommodating family, and the nature of simply not being ‘right’ for those around you. They have chosen to move forward, and love those they have found along the way.

Those looking at the right clues will notice that they must have come from a reasonably well-off family (as their musical knowledge implies a relatively expensive instrument and long-term training, in addition to other clues that imply implicit familiarity with courtly business.) They generally require no briefing on how to behave in a passably polite and formal way. Their abilities to ride, swim, and sail taken all together with these other small clues imply that their family had the means for training in areas where one either gains skill through work or has means, time, and opportunity to train. Valerius is pretty sure that despite them being from another nation, they couldn't be from a major aristocraticfamily or he’d already be aware of them, however the fact that they came from some means is clear. Others might notice they dogive off strong ‘only child’ vibes.

Lua is not originally from Vesuvia (neither is Aleis, and they are not from the same nation), and they and Aleis moved around quite a lot after getting married in their 20s (they have known each other since their teens and been through a lot. Aleis respects Lua’s desires for privacy regarding their family). They went place to place making their way as magicians (honing their skills, making commissions, doing odd jobs), until eventually deciding to settle in Vesuvia. An extended relation (referred to as their “Aunt”, but not actually related to Aelis or Lua) took a shine to them and eventually left Lua and Aleis their shop (when she retired to travel the realms), and the two have been comfortably settled there for quite some time.

Personality: Lua is fine… until they overthink things, which, inevitably, they will. This is Lua, as they are now (reincarnated, and post main story), in a nutshell. They are nearly always confident in their work, skills, and knowledge (apart from the usual human foibles there, we all have our days), but they are very anxious about themselves, personally. They are good… until they think about the fact they’re squishy and weird and full of feelings. They might be described as shy or anxious, and they definitely are leery of social situations. This doesn't mean they’re deeply fearful or difficult to communicate with, but they can be guarded and come across as aloof. They can also come across as a bit cranky or crabby. When at their lowest they tend to think of themselves as ‘old, crabby, and boring.’ At their best they think of themselves as ‘clever, fluid, and tender.’

They are comfortable and confident in their gender identity.

They are by nature introverted and private and always have been. Their social anxiety can be a problem now, but they’re never going to be tremendously outgoing if they overcome it. Still, they’re not impossible, and will have fun with the right people at the right time when all is going well. At functions, balls, galas, masquerades, etc. they tend to stick to Aleis or another more extroverted friend, or hang around quietly as they can with the other introverts.

Shape-Shifting: After their skills fully return and develop following their reincarnation (sometime after the main events of the story), Lua is able to take on the shape of just about anything. They are capable of taking on any animal form, appear as other individuals, make themselves appear as inanimate objects, and so on. In the form of animals, they have all of their natural skills and abilities – flight, speed, gills, etc. and are able to use them to their full extent. The upper and lower limits of their size seemed to be determined by life living on the planet (as their upper limit seems to be about that of a blue whale, and lower limit being about a bacteria). In order to facilitate this change, their mass is either borrowed or lent to some arcane realm, specifically designed for this physical change. Lua finds shape-shifting innate and easy, so the exact mechanisms of this are not totally clear, but they are always attempting to better understand them. It does seem that changes in excess of approximately 200lbs are quite taxing physically and magically (and can only be maintained a short while – and usually require significant time to recover from). Unlike Aelis, they are unable to split their consciousness into multiple forms or become semi or fully incorporeal. They also tend to fully shift into things (even if it’s something fantastic) rather than just giving themselves piecemeal aspects (although they can, they find it easier to just go all-out – there are some exceptions to this). Lua also uses their shape shifting to better understand various animals, their biology, environment, and how the world around them works. Despite Lua’s overthinking (perhaps because of that awareness) they always have a clear sense of their own self which assures they are not lost in shape-shifting. They are able to return to their comfortable human form no matter what shape they take, as they are confident in their own body in this regard.

Other Shape-Shifting Ephemera:

- Lua’s shifts are very quick, generally less than a second. There’s body horror and uncanny valley stuff in there but it’s usually too quick for the human eye to catch. Usually. Lua can deliberately slow the process if desired but it may prove uncomfortable.

- Allowing themselves to breathe underwater is so innate to them they don’t even slightly think about it anymore.

- They use shape shifting to keep from getting drunk if they don’t want to (this requires conscious effort and they don’t always do it in a timely manner). They can use it to other metabolic effect as well.

- They can embrace the abilities and instincts of other creatures without loosing their own mind. (This would be much harder if not.)

- They don’t necessarily tend to have a ‘set’ form of any given animal – they can be whatever they’d like. They tend to be a specific species example when animal shaped (being, for example, Epicrates cenchria the ‘rainbow boa’ rather than just ‘a snake’ or ‘a boa’), and if they’re not feeling obtuse or deliberately trying to blend in they’ll be a color morph that feels recognizable as them (earthy toned or blue-black furred with some white flecks, medium/large sized, somewhat lank, gold eyes, etc.)

- They have a rather encyclopedic knowledge of animals, furthered by curiosity, travel, and study.

- They are not particularly able to use shape-shifing to heal themselves – they can use it to prevent injury in the first place if they can catch or react to something in the first place (shifting around blunt force or strengthening the area where the blow might be) – but the amount of energy needed to use this ability to rapidly heal makes it a moot point. Wounds shift with shifting, scaling appropriately. More injury makes it harder to shift (owing to pain and exhaustion).

- Getting sick is similar – if they catch a cold early enough they might be able to forestall it by running it through a different immune system, but if they’re in the midst of the flu they can’t really shift much anyway, it’s too taxing and hard with a gooey head.

- They generally can’t take their clothes with them, needing to remove them so they’re not damaged if they’re going to get a lot larger. (There’s an internal pocket based workaround but they can do but don’t like to use it as it’s distracting). There’s probably a way to shunt clothes off to another arcane realm and summon them back in a tidy fashion but they’ve not yet figured that out.

- They can mimic clothes and other trappings with their own body but it takes focus. It also leaves them vulnerable to cold and sun. This is great for espionage, party tricks, and not much else.

- They tend to keep their earrings in in casual situations if it works with the form (short of it being too small it usually does).

- They don’t shape-shift in their sleep, which would be on par with very dramatic cases of somnambulism. They might have little rivulets of color, fur, feathers, scales, etc. move across parts of their skin now and again if they’re having a really dramatically weird dream (much more akin to sleep-talking).

- Their shape-shifting is kindof ‘sticky’, if they fall asleep as something they’ll tend to stay that way until they wake up and consciously change back (although another magician could force them out of it, depending on the situation).

As mentioned – their mass relates to an arcane/magical relationship. This is the same for their ‘library’ of forms. Lua is well traveled and very knowledgeable, but they are still able to shape shift into animals (and other things) they are not immediately familiar with (with enough description or information) by accessing through an internal, magical connection, an inter-dimensional arcane library of information. This is, again, not well understood and comes naturally to them – but relates to how they (and Aleis, and other shifters) are able to take on various forms without breaking themselves or reality. This is not a ‘curated’ or human-created thing – more of a 4th dimensional log of information that is accessed through magical means at blisteringly fast speed. Lua’s ability to access and reference this information is so internalized they themselves would not be able to explain it well (it would likely take some magical scholar who understands very high end physics).

Artifacts: Lua has a mind for clockwork and other mechanical contrivances and skill at imbuing these with spells and other magical effects. The work they produce stands on its own as fully functioning once it’s complete, and has fascinating abilities because of it’s magical nature. If one were to consider Lua in the modern era – they would be respected as some sort of robotics engineer. As it is, they create work which tends to be beautiful, esoteric, and serve some sort of strange function. Lua’s primary income stream is from private commissions on this work – it is complex and time consuming to produce and their rates are high (Nadia is a repeat customer these days). The practical work they produce include things like astrolabes that can project an entire moving star map, lockpicks that reveal what is happening inside the lock, automota which can serve as two-way communication devices, and so on. The more artistic work they produce can be more delightfully frivolous – a hand organ that that plays in colors, jewelry that can turn into a little creature and run around, music boxes that change their melody based on mood, and on. Combining their skills with their spouse’s skills with miniatures has made for some decidedly fascinating and weird results. Because of all of this – Lua is an impeccable draftsman, and is generally seen with a shoulder bag full of drawings and drawing equipment (they do not usually bring their pieces to work on when traveling/visiting unless they know they will have a works space where they set things up and leave them undisturbed, however they will gladly plan out future projects and refine ideas wherever they can set down a piece of paper – and draw silly or entertaining things at times).

Lua is also adept at repairing non-magical clocks, music boxes, and other automata only using magic as a means to assist (rather than permanently repair) the object (such as magnification, steadying their hand, creating light, etc.) They tend to take on fewer of these projects as they prefer to imbue or work with items which are magical in nature. They are not an all-purpose expert (as some automata, even non-magical, are incredibly involved), but they can certainly get a pocket watch going again with no trouble.

Their work never really mimics modern technology – these are esoteric, magical items, not ‘fantasy cell phones.’ They do sometimes demonstrate what may seem like anachronisms (precise knowledge of astronomy, chemistry, physics, etc.) but these are things based on Lua’s studies, travels, and personal experience and a dash of magic.

Combat Magic: Weapon-wise, when pushed, Lua favors what is functionally a compound bow, which is more sympathetic to their magic than a recurve, when dealing with long-distance armed combat or hunting. (This is highly anachronistic but so is the piano that Nadia plays.) Lua is not adept at hand-to-hand combat (they are not particularly trained at this apart from very basic blocks and holds from Aelis) and they prefer to use their shape-shifting to fight. They are incredibly clever and dangerous when it comes to fighting this way, able to shift quickly, and utilize the abilities of various creatures to their advantage (speed, strength, armor, venom, etc). A shape-shifter battle is very exciting to watch. They have a similar approach to hunting, as for them much easier to be a predatory fish or bird than hook up a line and reel (though they don’t care to eat their catch raw unless it is particularly delicious to the human palate).

Divination: Lua is passable at divination, but doesn't generally like to do it. They rather fundamentally object to asking others what is ahead of them (as they prefer to take charge of themselves), and when it comes to reading for others their heart generally isn’t in it. They don’t object to the arcana themselves – they find them fascinating and an incredible resource, but so far as Lua is concerned they have better things to do with their time than deal with fussy mortals. Aleis and Lua have turned to it as an income stream in tough times, but it only has made Lua more resentful of it – that’s Asra’s business (they don’t really mind him doing it, he has a much better personality for it, both for chatting with the arcana and for dealing with customers). Aleis excels more at the ‘headology’ part of divination – giving people what they want to hear to feel better than Lua does, but Lua isn’t bad at it when pushed. Lua prefers wood/bone burning rather than tarot reading.

Other Magic: Lua and Aleis are still powerful magical generalists, and while mastery takes time and effort, basic functions tend to come easily. Still, magic that is sympathetic to their personality is the easiest to work with, and Lua tends to take to conjuration, summoning, and other ‘creation’ magic (whether it’s elemental lore, otherworldly entities, or simply starting a fire). If there are written instructions or known spells Lua can usually parse through them pretty quickly for at least passable results (not masterful or clever or elegant ones mind you – just workable). Antithetical to Lua’s nature is magic that involves control of other people - illusions, manipulation, teleportation, and similar effects are very difficult for them to get their head around. The same goes for magic meant to control or manipulate natural phenomena. This is why it takes Aleis’ help for them to help shape-shift other people. Fortunately Aleis and Lua’s magic compliments each other nicely, and where Lua struggles Aleis thrives and vice versa. Together their magic is incredibly strong and they are used to letting the flow of raw magic power go between each other to compliment their work.

Familiar: Lua is extremely obtuse when the matter is mentioned. Most people are not sure if they do or do not have one (in fact Julian and Lucio have an ongoing game of trying to figure out what it might be and bringing various animals to Lua to see if they ‘stick’ or ‘click’. Fortunately Lua likes animals. When it doesn’t work they get them off to wherever they belong – the sanctuary, a farm, back home, etc).

Retreat: Like Asra and Aleis, Lua has their own retreat. Their cozy log cabin is on a rather lush, generally uninhabited, crescent-shaped island off the cost of a northern rain forest, full of tall pine trees, sandy beaches, rocky outcroppings, and dramatic winter storms. They built this prior to their death, and have been happy to return to it – giving them peace away from other people (although they occasionally bring friends with them, the rule for all the magician’s retreats is that unless you are invited you should not show up unexpectedly). With a small footprint, their cabin is the only indication of habitation on the island. It has enough room for a bed, work table, fireplace, small kitchen, and a detached Japanese-style bath Lua has set up with magically running hot water. While there is suitable game on the island (and certainly a bounty in the sea) Lua generally prefers to stock up their larder with groceries whenever they visit.