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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Took care of that?

[ He repeats that part first before -- ah? A witch? A real witch? Huh! That's something, isn't it? Okuyasu turns to flick his finger tips out like the generic pose for casting spells. ]

Like that, right? Like that? Making like stuff appear and stuff? [ So they actually got someone like that, huh? Before, he might have actually laughed that someone said that they were a witch, like they were making a joke, but he can't really do that now, can he? ]

I don't think I could call you senpai... yer right. [ Hm! ] So, yer watchin' to see who needs help then?

[She offers a smile.] It's a little more complicated than that. But yes. Something like that. I was more of a wish granting wish. And there was some time and space magic in there too. There's a lot of titles and they're not all that important.

[Help? Well. Yes. She did offer to help any children if they needed it but she's not just going to walk up to them and offer assistance. Nothing in life is free and that goes for advice from time to time too.]

Why~? Do you need help? [She may not help (she probably will) but she's quite curious and interested in Okuyasu's possible potential.] Tell me~ What's your name? What kind of magic do you have?

Wish-granting? Like a genie, then? [ He looks around for a second like there may be a bottle lying somewhere, but no, there isn't. Besides, everyone's pretty grounded where they are. Okuyasu can't feel his Stand at all, and he can't even make it manifest -- something that is supposed to be part of his soul. This place is real weird as far as he is concerned.

It makes him a little itchy if he were honest. ]

Kind of, but also kind of no? [ This magic is a manifestation of the soul in another way, right? He's not too smart but he thinks he gets it. ] I'm Okuyasu Nijimura. Okuyasu's fine. And ... it links someone's pain with me so that the person only feels half as much pain as they normally would, 'cause we're like sharing it or some shit.

Not like a genie at all. More like... a wish granting wish. [She offers a teasing smile.] If I were a genie that might make life a little easier... though boring. The only thing similar is that we grant wishes. Genie wishes are free but limited. Mine are unlimited but cost something.

[She frowns just a bit at hearing about the kind of magic he wields. It's not... well. Magic like that can get messy. Messy in a lot of ways.]

I see... Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Nijimura... I'm Yuuko Ichihara. Your magic is. [She takes in a deep breath. It doesn't feel like all that long ago where she was discussing this sort of thing with Watanuki and how taking the pain of another, the burden of another, can make things substantially worse.] It can be costly. I think it's not a matter of mastering it but of knowing when to use it. If you take on too much for too many you'll inevitably destroy yourself. I think my only advice is to be cast with caution...

That sounds kind of scary, doesn't it?

[ He lifts his hand to wave it slightly. ] Okuyasu's fine. Hearing my last name from those older than me is kind of... [ Makes him think that he's in trouble or something. ]

Yuuko-san, then, right? [ Huh? He looks down at his hands. ] Destroy myself, huh? I'm kind of a person that does things because it ... mm... feels right to do them at that time. I guess I don't know if this is, uh, well, if someone's hurting, doing yer best for them is for the best. Probably.

Maybe a little.

And Okuyasu it is. I'm not one for formalities either. They can be boring...

[She nods at his words and brushes a few stray hairs behind her ears.] It reminds me of something, your magic. I had a boy that worked for me. I sent him on a job with his friend. During the job the friend lost his eye. It was... sad. No one should have gotten hurt but they did. The boy who worked for me felt guilty. So he traded his eye to replace his friend's. Problem solved right?

No... problem not solved at all. His friend was angry. Angry that someone else would take away that pain and give it to themselves. He didn't asked to be saved. And he didn't ask for anyone else to be hurt but him. It was his actions that caused him to lose the eye in the first place. Why should someone else suffer for his mistake? He was quite angry at the boy who worked for me.

And it's understandable, right?

[She sighs a bit.] A power like yours is truly remarkable. You could save someone a great deal of suffering and that is no small thing. But... it's important to remember that not everyone wants to be saved. And when you suffer in their place sometimes that can hurt that person more.

Sometimes the right thing which is clear as day is not the path you should take. Your power is wonderful and that is all the more reason to be careful and mindful. Not everyone wants to be saved. Not everyone can be. And people who are hurting are not always yours to look after.

A story like that is... it's kind of sad. [ He holds his chin, thinking on it. The whole thing sounds pretty complicated to him. But he supposes that he understands it. If Josuke lost his eye, Okuyasu thinks that he'd give up his own for him. Resting his hand over his own eye, he thinks more on it. But that's because that Josuke's a lot more capable than he is and it would be better if he wasn't hindered at all.

But even if he thinks that, Josuke would be real mad about it. He knows that about that poor attitude of his -- he smiles a bit and laughs to himself before finally lowering his hand away from his eye. And he thinks of his meeting with F.F., too; she got real mad about him attempting to take away her pain from eating that gross crab meat. ]

Well, yeah. It's only natural to want to take the pain away from people. Thinking on it... I guess that it ... you'll have to ask if it's okay, then? This pain... it isn't just physical but emotional, too. [ Hm. ] I suppose I'll have to think a lot on it... yer right. I thought it was just something good to help people out here, but it's a lot more complicated than that, hm?

[ A beat. ] Um... the power that you were given... it isn't as complicated as mine, is it?

Edited (hate using same icons) 2017-07-15 15:21 (UTC)

[She nods.]

It all worked out in the end and the boys learned and grew... I suspect the story in the end doesn't work out the way I'd hope though.

[Watanuki and his wish... Hopefully, her precautions will be unnecessary. If not... if he went against her will the shop will take care of him as it took care of her.]

It's a very complicated thing. Pain is tricky and no one wants anyone else to suffer. But still... strange as it is to say... it is not yours to take. That actually, in a way, makes the pain worse for the other person. Because now you're hurting because of them. There's a time and a place for it, certainly. But always being mindful is important too. I think you'll get the hang of it in time.

[As for her magic...] Complicated only when I think about my life and where I was before I was sent to this world. I can make things grow and rather fast. Flowers and the like. Breathing life into things... I'm a green witch now, it seems. It's fun and it makes me want to garden.

The way you'd hoped?

[ Mm, isn't that a little personal for someone that he just met. He shakes his head. ] It sounds real rough. Somethin' still eating ya up about it, right? [ He scratches his chin as he thinks more of what he could say. ] I can't really say sorry since I don't really understand or know, and [ He looks up. ] personal stuff like that... I don't want to force it out of someone I just met.

[ That's, mm, kind of rude. ]

You can make things grow, though? [ Moves onto that because she seemed really happy when talking about powers and magic. ] I didn't know that witches had different colors to them. I've never gardened before. But if we're gonna be here awhile, what's the harm of having a few flowers, right?

[It is rather personal. Much more than she'd give out to a stranger. Her concern for Watanuki and what he may or may not do is hard to shake. She has to believe he'll make the right choice.

Anyway. It's easy to move on to this next topic because what this young man said is quite amusing.]

Aha~ It's not quite like that. Green witches are witches that use herbalism and gardening. They're technically the only ones that go by color. The rest just state their craft. A sea witch. A space witch. And so on and so forth.

You've never gardened though? Me either. I hear it's quite relaxing~ Helping life to grow and become strong... I imagine that's quite rewarding. And since as you said we may be here for a while, I was thinking of starting a garden. Just cause I can make things sprout up doesn't mean they'll live. I'm just cheating the waiting process.

So~ would you like to help me? If we can find the seeds we can grow some of your favorite things. And not just flowers. Fruits and vegetables too. Strawberries and raspberries and potatoes and pumpkins~ It'll probably be fun.

Takin' that they have a green finger further by naming themselves the color. Is that right?

[ The rest by their crafts? How many type of witches are there? He supposes that there are a lot, since Yuuko said that she was a space witch. Lifting his head up, he looks toward the sky. Space, huh? And that helps to grant wishes? It sounds a little too confusing for him, if he would admit it. And he usually is the first to admit when he doesn't get something. ]

I have a plant, but it's also a cat. There isn't much gardening that I have to do with taking care of it. [ He looks back over to Yuuko. ] Sure. I wouldn't mind helping you out with something like that. After the fiasco with the crabs, it might be a good idea to make something that we're sure is kind of safe, right?

Something like that. [Explaining further really doesn't seem necessary. He's got the gist of it for the most part. Besides what he's talking about seems much more interesting. A cat and a plant?]

You can't briefly mention something like that and not elaborate. What is this cat plant? Do you mean... like the cat tail plants by lakes and rivers? They have fuzzy ends and stick straight up or do you mean something else altogether? [She can't imagine what but it sounds incredibly interesting.

And she'll definitely keep him in mind as well when it's time to start building the garden. More helpers means less work for her~]

Is that so?

[ He makes a soft, thoughtful sound before shaking his head. ] No, it really was a cat that was a plant, too. It uh, [ Lifting his hands up, he tries to mimic the leaves of Stray Cat with the position of his hands and fingers. ] like this with a cat face on it. It meowed and everything.

[ Mmm. ] It sticks to hanging out in a pot, and that means I can carry it around easy. Eats like you know, cat food. It's real weird but I like it a lot! It's starting to warm up to me, too.

[How curious. Sounds like a possessed flower of some kind... Ah well. It sounds harmless and cute too!]

It sounds like two hobbies in one. Animal handling and gardening. You seem to be a jack of many trades. Protecting people, animals and plants alike. Very admirable.

[Can add magician onto that list too. Speaking of...]

I'm curious about what your task was. Everyone on the beach seems to have something special they need to do. But your power is quite unique so how are you training it?

Ah?

[ He raises his hands to lightly wave them, but he rubs the back of his head as he looks actually quite proud to be given such praise. ]

The only way to train is to be able to link with people. But ... I had a power back home. It's was about the same idea. [ Feeling that sort of power and controlling it. While he might not be too smart, he at least understands how to use it. ] Anyway, my task was to link two people that were in pain together. But ... even in thinking of doing that, I kind of feel... not too good about it now.

Edited 2017-07-28 22:38 (UTC)

[Woops. That would be sort of her fault, huh?]

Well. [Well.] Asking permission is always a good start. And there's lots of different kinds of pain. Something as light as hunger pain might be good. I can't imagine too many people that would be upset about you taking away that. Or... something simple, like a headache. Nothing serious or too heavy of a burden. Half a headache is nothing!

But above all asking first is essential. There's a stigma about pain and being strong enough to bear it and take it. There's a great deal of pride involved... just taking it away can wound something in a way that you cannot ease. But you're already mindful of that, I see. So you're off to an excellent start.

Your power requires incredible judgement. Because a situation may come upon you where there won't be time to ask and you simply must do. But, I have a good feeling you'll endure. You seem quite strong in a lot of ways!

Asking permission, hm.

[ He looks down at his hand as he thinks more about it. Yes, it would be best to ask permission on those sort of things, right? Why did he get this sort of power? ]

Hey, Yuuko-san. Do you think that these powers were given to us because it is something that we wanted? [ Like all the Stands. They're reflections of people's souls, right? ] But that might be a bit too deep to think about... after all... I think I saw a kid throwing refrigerators around.

[That's a good question... And she takes a moment or two to think about it. Something that they wanted?]

Maybe in some cases. The former dead able to breath life into things... You wanting to protect something so much that you'd risk your own well being for it. I'm sure you didn't want that power specifically but it reflects who you are to some extent...

But that's not the case for everyone. I met a boy who could turn into a dragon which is a most feared creature where he's from.

And then I've met some that just have an elemental kinship. Water and light and fire... Like with all things I am sure there is a reason for these powers. And for each and every one of us it's different. Fears, talents, deep seated personal reflections... I see these as causes for many if not all the magicks here.

So, it's really all related to us in some way?

[ He makes a soft thoughtful sound. There is a long pause before he jerks backwards then steps forward. ]

Wait, wait, wait! Yer sayin' that yer actually a dead person, Yuuko?!

I think so. Certainly in some cases...

[Oh! Well. She did let that slip didn't she? It's something she's been glossing over when asked about life back home and what she'd been doing. All these kids... death can be a hard thing for them to understand. Especially when she's rather nonchalant about her own.]

Well. Not currently... I don't think. [But now that it's being mentioned... is she currently in stopped time? It doesn't feel like it. She's a little too buzzed to make an accurate assumption about all of that.]

I've had the pleasure of dying twice. Neither time took. But as that old saying goes third time's the charm. [Not that she's looking to die a third time. And certainly not when they have this nice island adventure going.] Although... I guess I never really thought about it but I hope none of you children died and that's why we're all here. Some sort of beach purgatory...

Neither time took, huh?

[ Wow. That is kind of amazing. Or did someone meet her down a long dark path, too? He scratches the side of his nose as he wonders if it is more that she's just a very strong space witch. That kind of thing is really crazy -- to be able to reverse her death that many times. But she has a power to make life now? His head is kind of hurting as he tries to think of what that all means and decides to just accept that Yuuko is amazing.

Even with what little he knows of her, he can accept that she's an amazing person. ]

No. I didn't. I just fell asleep for a bit while I was healin'. [ A beat. ] Still, yer real amazing. I just decided that. Ya know magic, yer lookin' after people. Yer a good person, Yuuko-san. If ya need anythin', I got your back. I decided that. I may not be very smart, but I listen to my heart and right now that's what it's decided.

[She's not sure she follows. "Fell asleep for a bit while I was healin'". But if it makes sense to him that's all well and good. And more importantly it seems like he was not deceased upon arrival. At least as far as he can recall.

Still, Yuuko smiles as she's called amazing. Compliments are fun to hear and really the only thing she can freely take. Lots of people want to give her gifts for her help but she can never take them. Words are more powerful, more meaningful, and something that can be given to her without consequence. Though she's not sure she's done anything worthy of such praise from this young man but she appreciates it all the same.]

Well thank you. I'll remember your words. But before you head on your way do you mind if I ask you a question? You've mentioned you're not very smart. And in our entire conversation you've implied that some things might be too heavy and too much to think about. Why is that?

You should know that there are many people who claim to be intelligent that go about saying whatever they please and end up being not that smart at all. It's those that keep silent that are the wisest. But there is something to be said about those that deny their intelligence. I'm just curious why you feel the need to do so when there doesn't seem to be a need.

A question?

[ His confusion shows for a second before he mulls over the answer. Holding his chin, he wonders how he can put it into so many words. ] But I just am not? I don't know if there's a good reason as to 'why.' I don't mind that I'm not too smart, though.

[ Okuyasu makes more of a thoughtful sound. ] I guess, because it's true? I don't think there's anything wrong about sayin' somethin' that's true about yerself. I don't know what it says about people who deny their intelligence but I can't say that I am when I'm just speakin' the truth, ya know?

Have you ever read the Wizard of Oz? One of the characters, the scarecrow, continuously says he's not very smart. He says it quite often... but as the story goes on that character comes up with all the good ideas and all the plans over and over again. He was actually the smartest in the group all while saying he wasn't very smart at all.

I think by constantly telling yourself this you're failing to see how smart you actually are!

There are lots of different smarts in the world you know. Book smarts and street smarts... I think you're smarter than you think, you just can't see it. Not yet anyway.

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[OPENING] magical training log

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