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.]

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Because -- it's someone's idea of a bad joke, that's all.

[he's still frowning down at the paper, so that hints as to what he's annoyed about, at least]

[Give him a sec, Mikleo...]

Oh. Your mission, right? It can't be that bad! If these are supposed to help us get better at our new powers it probably won't be too difficult. [Right?]

And anyway, the best way to handle a bad joke is to play it off until it's a good one.

This isn't going to be a good one!

[he bites down on the last couple of words of that, covering his mouth a moment later and taking a deep breath]

...sorry. Sorry.

[On the plus side, John doesn't seem too perturbed by the outburst and instead folds his arms over his chest, giving Mikleo a steadying look instead.]

It's okay. You said that all of your other abilities are gone, right? It's a little weird for me, too. My new magic isn't bad but there are parts of it I am not sure how to fix, but I think it's always frustrating to deal with new powers.

[Granted, he doesn't know what Mikleo can do either.] What part bothers you so much about it? The impossibility of whatever Brie wants you to do, or something else?

...the ability seems simple enough, on the surface. It's--dragon transformation.

[where most people might look elated, he's unhappy.]

It's perfectly possible, but the process that turns a seraph into a dragon where I'm from involves them losing their mind to -- to corruption, to malevolence. So I'm not...I'm not exactly eager to test it out.

[He opens his mouth to say something along the lines of "dragon transformation doesn't sound simple, but okay", but then there's the rest and he suddenly seems to understand a bit better.]

You're worried the same will happen here. That you won't be in control? [Idly, he wonders if it's comparable to Rose's grimdark stint, or even Grimbark Jade. Two girls who descended into evil powers and ended up possessed, more or less. Not themselves.]

I don't know. I have not spoken to Qri or Genette or Brie or whoever is running this show, but I think that if they really want our help they wouldn't give us powers that would make things worse for us. It might not mean much, but. [A shrug.] I think it's also okay to be a little scared anyway.

Yeah, it's -- I know I'm being paranoid? If it worked the same way as it did at home I don't think you could even count it as a usable power along the lines of what most people seem to have gotten. You'd just get one big rampage.

[takes a deep breath.]

...thanks, though.

Paranoid is a word for it, yes, but at the same time it's not like it's paranoia without reason. But sure. [At least that seemed to help, so there's a nod.]

The good thing, I think, is that Brie is still around in case something does go wrong. And a lot of us have a lot of different powers that we could probably use to help out. So on the one hand, yes, it sounds bad to transform in front of a lot of people but at the same time it is better than putting it off when we can't help each other.

. . . yeah. Ugh. I don't have anything I'm used to working with in a fight, too . . . and I'm not sure Sorey's or Edna's will work the best in combat, either.

--what's your power, anyway? Can I help with your training thing?

Same with Dave and Rose. Dave and I still have our weapons but they don't work the same. And Rose...[A shrug.

But he lets that go because Mikleo asks an even better question.] But that depends. What's in your pockets right now?

Not much, my traveling pack didn't come over here with me. I've got some notebook paper and a gel?

A gel? [What is that, what does this mean.] What's it do?

It's like a weak medicine? You eat it.

[holds it out for his inspection; it just looks like a little round green gummy]

[John's going to take it, predictably squishing it a little without damaging it and holding it up to eye level.]

Cool...we don't really have stuff like this. But it sounds important, so we probably shouldn't use that. Especially if it's the only one that came with you. Do you buy them? Or can you make them?

I can make them if we can gather the right ingredients somehow . . . I'm not sure where to get them on this island, though. If you'd rather save it for an emergency, though, it's fine.

But the notebook paper's definitely just paper!

I think that's probably a good idea in case I mess up and we can't get the gel back. [He looks a little embarrassed to admit that, but Mikleo asked.]

The paper should do it though. I think Brie said it just had to technically belong to one other person, so...what is the most useful thing you can think of to be made out of paper? [Stop this.]

Books? A friend uses paper talismans as weapons as well, though perhaps books is a more practical answer.

Do you really think all magic needs to be practical though? What kind of talisman do you mean?

I suppose not, but it's the first thing that came to mind . . . I like reading. It's a shame most of the material here isn't yet translatable.

They're . . . inscribed with ink or inlaid with material that helps her magic out? If she's not using them they just look like . . . fancy bookmarks, I guess.

[And with that an idea is born anyway.]

I don't think I can fuse a whole book, but I think I have another idea. [Give him a second to fish for a pen in his pants' pocket.] Take a sheet and write whatever you want on it.

Oh--all right, sure?

[he scrawls a passage he must have memorized somewhere about the architectural makeup of a place called the Mabinogio Ruins, notes about the period style and possible purposes of decoration. it is very nerdy but the first thing of substance that popped into his head]

[It's when Mikleo finishes that John takes the paper, snatching it up to look it over because he has no idea what any of this means? But there's a nod and he ponders for a moment before reaching into his pocket again and pulling out what looks like a crab shell. Please don't ask him where he got this.

Without warning and without thinking, he holds the items together until they fuse and the shell becomes inscribed with the notes. He knocks on the shell, nodding slowly before holding it up.]

I wasn't sure if the words would stick, but it looks like if someone knew actual scripts they could be made into something more durable.

History crab?!

[...history crab!

--coughs a moment later and peers at the shell in fascination, tapping a fingertip on it as well]

That's immensely useful. Have you found any limits as to what you can combine together yet? Can you predict the result?

History crab. [He sounds pretty surprised but...he's going to hold out said-crab? Please take it.]

No, and...no, not exactly. I'm getting better at figuring out what's what but I still can't predict the precise ending. I'm not sure I ever will either.

[he takes the history crab very carefully. he will treasure it. a gift]

Thank you. I suppose that might be frustrating if you're trying for something pretty specific later, but...it's also rather a fun ability, in cases like this.

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windeity - 2017-08-07 21:23 (UTC) - Expand

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oneandmikleonly - 2017-08-08 02:38 (UTC) - Expand

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