[OPENING] magical training log

[spellslash]

Who: Brie, whichever newbies want to show up.
Where: The beach.
When: Day 4
Open/Closed: OTA

[It's about noon on the island, based on the position of the sun. The newbies have had a few days to settle in, but that doesn't mean they've fully mastered their newfound abilities.

As much stock as Genette puts into telepathy, Brie is more concerned about their other newfound gifts. She's aggressively tried to wrangle as many newbies as possible onto the sandy shores of the beachfront area for some magic practice.

She's got a list of everyone's magic -- only a few vague notes, limitations are for you to discover -- and she's handing out missions for magic training. If you want to participate? Feel free. If you don't? Suit yourself.

But understanding your magic isn't just an activity that benefits the group. Learning your magic's abilities may be what stands between you and survival, which is something she makes perfectly clear.]

Comments

[splinten]

a: break it down like an enzyme

[Dirk stares at the line of beach huts as he contemplates the mission he was given. "Break down one of the empty beach huts." There are so many questions for him in this. How is he going to come to fully understand a beach hut? Should he instead try to understand elements of it and attack it in that manner? Exactly how is something as complicated as this supposed to come down?

But only one question is said out loud.]

Ok, but how the fuck am I supposed to be sure the hut's empty?

[People may not have enough stuff to leave around. Someone might have refrained from writing their name on it but still claimed it. Does he need to write a notification that demolishment is incoming and wait until someone complains???]

b: two wrongs make a right

[Later, Dirk can be found sitting on the beaches, a little distance away. In front of him, he has a collection of random junk, the kind you might have gotten out of the bag trails that were left for them. A pair of novelty glasses, an ugly plastic plate, an old sponge.

Dirk stands, pulls his sword out from its sheathe (still annoyed that's a thing) and slices it through the items.

Then he sits back down again and stares at them. And stares. So much staring. Riveting training effort.]

b

[p_mortem]

[ There's staring going on over here too, from Minato as he watches Dirk slice through the items and... sit. And stare. And stare. And stare.

Eventually, he gives in and walks up to Dirk. ]

...Is something supposed to happen?

[splinten]

[Dirk notes the staring, and these two compatriots in staring continue to look at their respective stare-targets. It's very impressive. When Minato approaches, though, Dirk allows his concentration to break. There isn't much good in just continuing to focus on it. He has to find new ways to do this.]

The brokenness is supposed to get destroyed.

[p_mortem]

What.

[ He has no idea what that means. ]

...Is that more broken, or the opposite of broken. Fixing?

[splinten]

Fixing.

[GOOD JOB FOLLOWING THE DOUBLE NEGATIVE.]

I can destroy abstract elements of things. In theory.

[He glances up.] Yours?

[Minato's power, he means. Dirk is tired of staring at a broken thing and not being able to fix it; he wants to turn his attention elsewhere.]

[p_mortem]

[ In theory. Destroying destruction sounds useful if ever Dirk can understand it, and maybe explain to Minato in turn, but his own power is something easier to demonstrate.

Wordlessly, he stoops to pick up one half of the broken glasses, holding the rim out in front of his eye like a monocle and— it disappears all at once, turned into a bead that falls into Minato's sleeve.

His power is party tricks. ]

[splinten]

[A pause.]

You can turn things into beads. [And... lose them in his sleeve??] Is that for ease of transportation.

[p_mortem]

[ No, the losing them in his sleeve was the trick— it's stupid and he'll leave stupid magic tricks up to p4 protag instead. ]

For the most part, yeah. A complicated way to carry things around. I have a hut stored somewhere, from earlier today. Figured we'd be camping in the woods sometime and would need shelter.

[splinten]

[You tried, Minato.]

It seems relatively simple. Sort of like a sylladex that exists in physical space, and also which probably requires jumping through fewer hoops to access your items.

[Well.]

How do you get things back out.

a

[potentite]

[Jake happens to be in the hut closest to Dirk at the time. It's unlabelled, so it might have been a good choice, except then Jake comes out of it. He happens to notice that Dirk is there and immediately turns around to leave. This is a stupid idea because the door closed behind him and he's too awkward to think, so he just turns and slams into the door and falls over on his butt, wincing.

Smooth.]

[splinten]

[...Dirk feels bad.]

Sorry. I didn't know it was yours.

[Kill him.]

[potentite]

It's not! [That is very important. Much more important than his face hurting.] It's fine! Please, um, use it? It's not mine!

[splinten]

[Should he ask about his face? That's bad. But he's concerned. But does he have a right to be concerned? What should he do. He has no idea. Help him.]

I have to destroy one. So.

[potentite]

[Jake forces himself to stand and clears his throat.]

Um, well, that one is unoccupied. Do you know how... to destroy a home?

[splinten]

English, I'm a regular homewrecker.

[ha ha ha

shit he ruined Jane's goals re: home, he is a homewrecker, he destroys home, why is he so destructive FUCK HIS LIFE. Dirk is so glad the shades hide that he's glancing away.]

I don't know. I supposedly have to 'fully understand' what I'm destroying, so... Not sure how far that has to go.

[potentite]

[He doesn't get it but he knows Dirk is putting himself down, so he's eager to push past it so Dirk won't dwell on it.]

Hm... Well, um, tell me your understanding of a hut, I guess? And we can think if... that's good enough? If you want to...

[splinten]

[Uhh.] It'd be composed primarily of plastic and wood. [The info page seems to imply this??] The plastic is tempered differently for the windows. Iron nails, screws, and bolts to hold it together.

a!

[probablynoteren]

[From out of nowhere behind him (but actually Lenka's just been standing there briefly, he just moves really quietly out of habit):]

Open the door?

[It's kind of deadpan, but he does mean to be helpful. Probably.]

[splinten]

[Dirk isn't surprised; he sensed a nearby presence out of battle trained habit.]

Thanks for that tip.

[He's inspired. Truly, it's a grand assist.]

I'm supposed to destroy it. It would be less than great if someone had picked this place out for their home and found they had none to return to.

[probablynoteren]

In that case, just destroy your own. That's the easiest.

[Absolutely no hesitation in that reply, he's perhaps a bit too pragmatic about this -- but that's what he'd do, himself.]

I don't know why they want us to destroy the huts, though, instead of something less useful.

[This isn't even the first hut-destroying mission here, is it.]

wtf I LOST THE TAG FOR THIS SORRY

[splinten]

I live in my hut.

[So no.]

It's a waste, yeah. Who else has a destruction mission?

and then I died BUT S'OK LET'S DO THIS

[probablynoteren]

They're all about the same, aren't they?

[So, in his view, all Dirk would have to do is move to another hut. He's not particularly invested in convincing him, though. If there aren't belongings already in the hut, then the same goes for whatever victim forgot to mark their territory.

In principle, of course, it's best to avoid destroying someone's else's things, no matter how generic they are.

He looks around, and points to a blank spot in the middle of huts, probably where Minato or Yang either walked off with a hut or blew it up.]

How many do you have to do?

[splinten]

[BRIE. WHY.]

Just the one.

[THAT SPACE THO IT'S]

I'm just gonna start expectin' this shit from Brie.

[probablynoteren]

... At least it's only one. Does she do this a lot?

[He hasn't seen a lot of her before now; it's mostly been running into Genette on his end. But Brie seems like the no-nonsense, practical sort, so this kind of training is a bit confusing to see. Unless part of the training is having them build their own huts or start living in the wilderness for real.

He wouldn't be surprised, exactly, but well... It's not his favorite way of life.]

[splinten]

No idea. I just get that kind of impression of her.

She set up spycams because she didn't want to come out to meet us.