spellbinders | [OPENING] magical training log

[OPENING] magical training log

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[All right.

Fine.

Someone is looking harried as he scans the crowd for power-practice partners. This someone may or may not, we're not specifying here, have been on the losing side of an argument with a certain sword-happy handmaiden. At any rate, he's pacing up and down the beach, scrutinizing anyone who walks past--including you, if you happen to be nearby--with a distinctly tortured air.

Oh, and his hands are tucked into his sleeves, out of sight. It's almost as though someone really, really does not want to be touching another person right now.

Too bad?]

Hello!

[Ryoji probably doesn't know who he's talking to, since... they never actually met face to face, but he is enthusiastic despite that.] Are you looking for someone?

[Jay looks Ryoji up, looks him down, looks at his cheerful face, considers the likely outcomes of sharing his emotions with someone who seems so overbearingly earnest, and says,]

Pass.

Huh? [Ryoji feels like he's missing something here. But why does he feel like he just got dissed...?] ...Are you not looking for someone?

[That's because you were dissed, buddy.]

As far as you're concerned, I have never been looking for anyone less in my life. Did you want something?

Not really. I just thought I could help you look if you needed it! [And he's still not sure what's happening but??]

Well, you can't.

[This is said with a pained sort of grimace--he really would rather not let on to this smiling loser what he's up to.]

Are you always this cheerful?

Alright... [Ryoji's not sure he believes him, but he obviously doesn't want his help. Even though Ryoji's really not sure why.

He chuckles a little.] Usually, yes. You say it like it's a bad thing.

It's neither a good nor a bad thing. It just is.

[He sure sounds like he thinks it's a bad thing, though.]

I guess that's true. [It's ok Ryoji will take the value of the words, and not the intent behind them.]

[A sigh.]

What's your power, anyway? Are you practicing it, or are you just . . . here?

I'm practicing too. I can teleport, apparently. [Which is still very new and exciting.] What about you?

[Jay gives Ryoji a dire look, then--without another word--turns away from him.]

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dangerouslyinlove - 2017-07-19 12:35 (UTC) - Expand

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rebells - 2017-07-19 18:59 (UTC) - Expand

...Is your mission to stare at people, Jay?

[ OR IS IT SOMETHING MORE INVOLVED, he can't tell. ]

It doesn't have anything to do with staring.

[He says this as though the fact itself is offensive to him. The glare stays fixed on his face for a few moments before he sighs, glancing off to the side. Dave is . . . probably not the worst candidate for this? Unlikely to forcibly remind him of People He Is Definitely Not Thinking About by being earnest and friendshippy at him? Possibly capable of minding his own business?]

. . . I could . . . use a favor, if you don't mind.

Depends on the favor, but the answer is probably yes.

[ he apparently won't give an automatic yes without knowing what he's agreeing to, but he does generally not mind helping people so? it will probably be fine? still pays to be cautious, though. ]

What's up?

[That's probably smart, to be honest. Jay thinks so, anyway.]

I have to practice my power.

[Dave may get the impression that every word is being poked out of him with an exceptionally sharp stick. He really, really doesn't want to be doing this, but here he is.]

It involves . . . emotional projection.

[ oh okay dave suddenly understands everything. kind of. ]

I don't mind helpin' out. Is it...uh, projectin' your emotions, or just ones you want people to feel?

It says "ability to project his emotions onto other people," so I assume I have to summon a feeling within my heart in order to push it onto someone else.

[And that had better be possible, or this is the most useless power ever.]

I thought I'd start with my emotions of general annoyance at this situation. --If you don't mind, of course.

General annoyance is a-okay with me.

[ it doesn't sound like an emotion he'd have trouble, like, dealing with. ]

Do you need me to do anythin' special?

No, just--I have to touch the person I'm projecting onto.

[This is another thing he doesn't like. He is not a touchy person.]

Give me your hand?

[ ...

okay yeah that is a pretty big downside. still, dave holds out his hand. it is a pretty normal hand! there are sword callouses and some scars, though. ]

A'ight, then, let's do this.

[He grabs hold of Dave's hand, then, a little awkwardly, as though he's going to shake hands or something. (He doesn't.) He also closes his eyes as if concentrating, but that doesn't actually seem necessary to activate the power, because the moment his hand touches Dave's he'll start to get, well--

The predominant emotion is in fact annoyance at this general situation, or perhaps frustration--it's the feeling you get when there's something you need to do, that perhaps the rational part of you recognizes you should do, but you really, really don't want to. It's sullen and slow, with a kind of prickling discomfort underlying it. Underneath that is impatient anger directed at someone else, a sensation like chafing under a restriction (this may be identifiable as the you-kidnap-us-and-ask-us-to-help-you? emotion), and then a shaky, unsettled feeling that may be familiar to Dave, as though something awful has just happened, something your emotions have no idea how to deal with. It feels a little like guilt, and a little like fresh grief.

~~And then underneath all of that, a dry, earthy bouquet with a hint of peat moss.~~ No, um. It's like that for a moment, and then Jay closes his eyes and the annoyance intensifies, drowning out the other feelings, although the anger takes a little while longer to separate out. The feeling holds for several seconds before Jay drops Dave's hand and it cuts out.]

. . . well?

[ yes. he recognizes the uncertain feeling like a punch to the gut, the guilt-grief swirled flavor. but jay chose his target properly: dave is capable of minding his own business. there might be a flicker of understanding across his hard-to-read expression before it's gone, but he doesn't ask and won't bring it up.

people's feelings are their business, especially when they're feelings like that.

he'd been carefully keeping tabs on his own feelings, knowing what was about to happen, and he thinks he can sort out whose was what, even if some of them are shared. ]

Annoyance - frustration? You really don't wanna do this shit but you know you gotta.

[ that's the stuff he thinks jay was trying to get across, so that's the stuff he says aloud. ]

[That's a little more than he would have chosen to reveal voluntarily, but when he asks himself what he would have wanted the answer is something like "not to have this power at all," so. Close enough. (You're a bro, Dave.)]

Essentially. [He makes a face.] I can see how this power might be useful as a distraction or deescalation technique, assuming I can learn how to control it more finely, but it wouldn't have been my first choice.

[But he can totally learn to control his emotions. This Is Fine.]

. . . thank you. I appreciate your help with this.