[Work or panic, huh? Gavial can kind of relate, though in her case it’s been more like ‘work or get too angry’ for the past few days. With the passing of time, some very helpful talks, and, yes, throwing herself into a lot of work, she’s at least learning to let that go a little bit. The toll the past week’s events have taken on her are still evident enough though, if that frown of his is any indication.
She sighs a little as she steps back to give him some breathing room, and moves to lean against the table there, letting the head of her metallic black staff rest against the floor and tapping idly against its length with her fingers.]
I’m fine. [A shrug, and then a beat.] Been trying to keep busy, same as you… though I’ve been focusing a little too much on making sure I can give others a hand and not enough on myself, if I’m being honest.
[A bad habit of hers, from time to time. And if there’s ever a time for it, it’s usually when something as momentous as recent events happens. Makes it all too easy for a little self care to slip the mind.]
[ The staff is very interesting, now that she's pulling back and Matt has a moment to take in the full scene. But he can ask about it later: Gavial's answer takes clear priority.
Matt could maybe identify a little more strongly with her remark about helping others more than helping herself. Given he's launched into casting a bunch of spells and sneaking around Springstar rather than making plans to support his own well-being. ]
Oh, Gavial, [ he sighs, smiling up at her. ] That makes total sense. Let's do something relaxing, okay? Maybe Sebastian knows where to get super good ... bubble bath or something. I don't know, what do you do to unwind?
Fight. [Simple and straightforward, and she punctuates it with a laugh.] Think I’ve had plenty of that on my plate lately though, so maybe something a little more relaxed is in order…
[All too easy to just turn her brain off and swing her fists for a while. And she had done a bit of that once all was said and done to air out some of that frustration, but she’s trying to make a better effort at putting that instinct of hers aside again. Besides, springing that on Mr. “I’ve never been in a fight before” wouldn’t exactly be playing fair.
She exhales half a sigh, reaching up to run her fingers through her hair a little.]
Probably should take it easy, especially because stupid discord’s been messing with my sleep lately.
[ Matt laughs too, more than a little bit rueful. At some point, it may occur to him to let Gavial know that his assertion he's "never been in a fight" is now out of date, but for the moment, he's more focused on her. Let's see ...
Teaching him how to fight probably wouldn't scratch the same itch as letting loose. Maybe he could figure out how to enchant her a dummy that moves around or hits back--ambitious, but not undoable. Are there spas in Highstorm? Something else to ask Sebastian, perhaps. Offering Gavial a massage feels a little too much like middle school, where everyone wanted to touch each other but only felt like they could do it in massage trains. And if he wanted to go the full middle school route, the only person who could join in right now is Sve-- ]
Discord?
[ The unfamiliar term breaks neatly through his brainstorming. ]
Is that ... like the feeling in general, or do you mean something else?
[Right, right. New guy and all, and there’s a ton of nonsense to learn about being a Shard-bearer even when things aren’t going crazy in the cities. Never mind the fact that Gavial is partially to blame for at least some of that craziness—in fact, her hand in things is precisely why said problem is probably gotten as bad as it has for her.]
I guess it’s a pretty aptly named… affliction? That we Shard-bearers can get hit with.
[She frowns a little, because it’s kind of dumb that she’d let it progress as far as it has; she’s usually pretty on top of keeping an eye on her health—by necessity, thanks to her actual illness—and after what’d happened to Link months ago, she swore she’d make sure no one else let their discord get that bad. Herself included.]
Each of the factions got their own kind of energies, right? And some things can kinda… create kind of an excess build up of the one you’re aligned with. Tends to result in some unstable effects—altered appearances and odd fluctuations in body temperature, or behavioral weirdness, just to name a few—thus the name, I guess. Can’t get rid of it on your own, but other Shard-bearers can give you the hand you need with it.
[ Matt frowns, taking another, longer look at Gavial's face. Is that what he'd detected a moment ago--the energy buildup she's talking about? (Did her eyes used to be so dark?) ]
I see, [ he says curiously. He thinks about what Set told him about estrangement from power, his theory that the factions here may have corrupted the pure originals of Zenith and Meridian. ] Does that mean I could help? Or does it need to be someone from Meridian to get the energy back in balance?
[ He sounds hesitant on the last point. All Matt's hypotheses here flutter with the most delicate of butterfly wings, and only his sense of urgency about the encroaching shadow makes him say them out loud to other people. Back home, he would've let them percolate, tested on his own time. Alone. ]
[Hesitant or not, he’s clearly got a decent handle on how things work if that’s the first place his mind ends up when thinking on it. Gavial raises a hand and gives it a little noncommittal waggle back and forth.]
Yes and no to both. It’s way more effective to get help from someone on the other side, yeah, but it doesn’t have to be. What kinda makes the real difference is how each individual’s Aspects line up.
[Something she’d largely put out of mind after learning about it during the standard spiel all the newbies tend to get at all those welcoming parties, but she pretty quickly learned that it could be a lot more pertinent than she’d first realized.]
For me, I’m in the group of Advocates. I can get help from anyone counting themselves amongst the Stargazers and the Harbingers, and vice-versa. Even if those with Zenith can’t help each other as effectively, it’s still better than letting it get worse, y’know?
[ Matt soaks in this information like a sponge, a posture that Gavial may be starting to find familiar. Despite her difficulties, which he has nothing but sympathy for, he can't help feeling pleased at the small moment of vindication. Meridian and Zenith energies can be complementary, even within the current order of things. They can be used for something other than conflict.
He does, at least, perk up most noticeably when she gets into the Aspect piece. ]
I'm a Stargazer, [ he says. The phrase is a bit awkward on his tongue. ] Or the Stargazer Aspect chose me? Anyway, as long as I won't make things worse, I'd love to try helping you out. Just let me know what to do.
[A bright flash of a smile lights up her face when he reveals that Aspect of his. What better place for Ms. Advocate here to land after the manor got taken out than what is increasingly becoming the Stargazer house?]
It’s a real easy process though. [She shifts a little from her position leaning against the table to reach a leg out to give one of his own a little playful nudge.] The whole thing centers on prolonged physical contact.
[ Matt can't help reflecting the brightness of her smile back to her. His own may even be slightly sunnier, lit with eureka.
Because, like. Physical contact???
Holy shit, this is proof of fucking concept, as it were. ]
Okay, [ he says, ] okay, okay, does it need to be skin to skin? Is it hand-holding? Or does-- [ He lifts his foot to return the little nudge. ] --anything work, as long as it's prolonged?
[Oh, he’s way into the idea, huh? Or way into the idea of puzzling out more of the forces around here.
There’s a little bit of amusement poking at the edges of her smile, but she nods and holds up a hand, waggling her fingers for emphasis.]
Gotta be skin-to-skin. Far as I know, anything can work as long as it hits that requirement. Comfort level probably plays into things, if I had to guess. Just gotta have the intent.
Hmm, well, intent I can do. [ Matt's thoughtful as he regards her fingers, as if he's solving equations in his head. That's probably more complexity than the moment demands, but he can rarely help himself on that score. Still, after traveling down a brief corridor of thought, his gaze snaps back to Gavial's face, and he smiles at her. ] Do you wanna sit down?
[ He sidles closer to the end of the sofa. He wasn't taking up much space to begin with, so the gesture is more signal than practical.
[Oh yeah, very thoughtful about this whole thing. But it’s time to get this show on the road, isn’t it?
Gavial flips her staff up from where it was resting slightly against the floor with one simple motion, and turns to set it down on the tabletop properly as she stands. And then she’s flopping onto the sofa in the space just next to him, taking his hand in her own with a pleased grin. Hers is cool to the touch, an effect of the discord moreso than the winter weather here in Highstorm.]
Thanks for this.
[She’s settled quite comfortably there beside him, clearly not bothered in the least by close proximity to another—something probably not surprising after her very touchy greeting.]
Oh, of course. [ Matt's warmer fingers wrap around hers, grip comfortable but not too firm. ] Thank you for the lesson. And, you know ... a chance to make myself useful.
[ Matt tends not to initiate physical contact, as much as he loves it. As mentioned, he wasn't raised in a very demonstrative household. And the way he got into magic, as a lonely teenager, has impressed on him how meaningful touch can be--for good or for bad. But when he gets the sign that touch is welcome, he takes to it like a cat to a sunbeam.
They have a serious purpose here, so he's focused. Professional, if you will. But he's more relaxed than Gavial's seen him since they met. ]
Okay, [ he says, letting his eyes close. ] I'm sending you good vibes. Healing vibes ... good sleep vibes, balanced vibes. Vibes for replenishment.
[ His lips twitch a little, but he's totally in earnest. His breathing falls into a regular rhythm, a complex enough pattern that it seems like it must be the result of practice. And at the back of his mind--figuring, can't hurt--he recalls a prayer: As Heaven and Earth are not afraid, and never suffer loss or harm, even so, my spirit, fear not thou. As Day and Night are not afraid, nor ever suffer loss or harm, even so, my spirit, fear not thou. ]
[She can kind of understand the desire to feel like you’re doing something useful—particularly for someone still relatively new to all of this, dropping into this world just as things get more chaotic. It’s good to have focus. It’s grounding.
And with as relaxed as he seems with the whole thing, she’s feeling pretty glad that she thought to bring this all up, even if it had been sort of off-handedly at first. Yeah, she was kind of in need of it, but maybe it’ll do him some good here too.
His very earnest talk of good vibes earns him a little amused hum from her, something not quite a laugh but maybe in the same family. She gives his hand an encouraging squeeze, leaning into his space just a little more.]
All very good vibes for this sorta thing, I guess. I could definitely use them, that’s for sure.
[And with the clear intent from both of them together with the welcome and open feeling of physical contact, there’s a little bit of a new sensation beginning to build. It’s a familiar one to Gavial at this point, having been here as long as she has and needing to do this on occasion, but maybe a new feeling for him—the faintest bit of a tingle, cool and serene like the feeling of Zenith itself.]
[ Matt chuckles at her hum. It's nice of Gavial to indulge him, especially when the thing's for her. With his eyes closed, he can't see her lean in (of course), but something of the warmth and gravity comes through. The little shift. He sways slightly closer himself, on his next breath out.
And--
Did he feel this before, in Springstar? When he made his promise to a dark whose end he couldn't see? It's hard to remember; so much was happening then. But at the first whispers of this soft, moonlit sensation, Matt's head tips curiously to the side. ]
Oh, [ he says, eyebrows arching. ] Hi.
[ He cracks one eye open to look at Gavial, as if to say, Did you catch that? ]
[She opts to close her eyes as well, with as comfortable as they’re getting here. It’s a familiar and easy situation at this point, even with someone she’s only really beginning to get to know. Though her eyes don’t remain closed for long, as she turns to regard him with a little bit of confusion when he speaks a greeting.]
Hi?
[And then she catches that look of his, things clicking into place a little more. She laughs, a short and pleased good-natured thing.]
Ah, so you feel it, then. See, you’re a natural at this!
[There's a boisterous little nudge with her elbow, a squeeze of her hand against his. She had no doubts! What she knows about him so far is that he’s the thoughtful sort, with a keen interest in the way things work around here. Of course he’d take to something like this immediately.]
[ At the nudge, Matt laughs again, both eyes opening now. ]
Very cool, [ he agrees. ] I forget how much I told you about my whole magical practice-- [ Except the part he doesn't tell like, 95% of people. ] --but channeling energy, and like ... listening for it, and to it ... that's a big piece of it for me.
[ Any time a preternatural presence makes itself known, it feels like a blessing to him. Even if the presence isn't necessarily a friendly one. Luckily, Zenith's energy doesn't have that complication: it feels comforting, gentle as an evening breeze. So Matt does what he always does in such circumstances, and welcomes the energy. Breathes, coaxing it to flow through him and follow its nature.
And of course, he keeps his prayers for Gavial in a corner of his mind. As Sun and Moon are not afraid, nor ever suffer loss or harm ... ]
Well, I’m glad I got to show you this little trick, then.
[There’s a warm smile for him as she settles back into the sofa cushions a little more comfortably. She always forgets how relaxed this whole process tends to make her feel. Probably a good sign that everything’s working as intended, even if the cool tingle of stirring energy is signal enough.
Her expression soon shifts to something a little more curious, and she tilts her head just a little as she regards him.]
So this magic of yours—when you were back home, was it like a job? Or something more academic?
[He seems like the studious and thoughtful type, so it wouldn’t surprise her if there was something of a scholarly bent to how he approached this sort of thing even back home.]
[ In some ways, Gavial's instincts are dead on. Matt started his graduate program to enhance his magical practice. But at the same time ... ]
Not exactly, [ he hedges. ] I guess I would've called it more like a vocation. But back home, magic wasn't really considered acceptable to practice.
[ He can sense a bit of negativity in himself, which he tries to breathe through. He focuses on the air flowing through him, on the cool peace of Zenith, on Gavial's hand in his. On her settling back against the couch cushions, one more little sign that he's managing to help her. ]
[He had mentioned something about the potential of his spells for harming others back when they’d first met, so naturally that’s the first place her thoughts leap to. Which kind of tracks with Arts back home, depending on the type. Plenty of helpful use cases, a lot of potential for bad if used incorrectly.]
Weird how that sort of thing is viewed differently in different places. Out here it almost feels like magic is commonplace. [Probably because of how ever present the forces of Meridian and Zenith are, but…] Back home, the Arts we used were fairly widespread, but had kind of a mixed perception. Probably because not everyone had the knack for it.
Totally commonplace, [ Matt agrees, with a hint of wistfulness. He'll never forget watching as Sebastian conjured the Atharvaveda for him from the shadows, right out on the street. People didn't so much as stop to look. ] But in your case, was the mixed perception because people who couldn't use the Arts didn't understand them, or because people used them badly and gave them a bad reputation ...? Or a little of both?
[ He isn't trying to avoid talking about home on purpose. But maybe he wants a little more time before he delves into it. ]
[When it comes to the topic of her own home, Gavial tackles it with the same matter-of-fact ease as she’s always had. Though perhaps it’s even easier when it’s Terra as a whole being discussed, rather than Acahualla specifically.
She tilts her head from one side to the other for a moment, looking thoughtful before she punctuates it with a slight shrug.]
Little bit of all of it, I guess. I’m sure there are people out there who’re bitter about not being able to use ‘em themselves. [Which could maybe account for a small amount of it, but frankly most people living normal lives don’t even know if they have the aptitude for it.] Arts in certain contexts are sorta commonplace, but it’s kinda… how do I explain it?
[A thoughtful pause as she scrunches her brows in thought, then she’s reaching one leg up to nudge the end of her staff hanging off the edge of the table with her foot.]
Back home, anyone capable of using those skills has gotta have a certain kind of focus, I guess you can call it, to be able to channel the Arts. Like my staff. The only exception to that are people who’re infected with this disease we call Oripathy. Means they’ve got this magically conductive and volatile mineral spreading through their systems, which lets them cast Arts as freely as they want. And since the Infected are kinda demonized in most societies…
[Well, people who are ostracized gotta fight back sometimes, thus the mixed views.]
[ Matt follows the movement of Gavial's foot, intrigued as she nudges at the staff. He'd assumed it was magical in nature--he's used similar tools himself, though if he has a spellcasting focus now, it's probably his own body. ]
Oripathy, [ Matt repeats curiously. He hears it like gold, and thinks unavoidably of alchemy. The ancient alchemists believed in transformation of more than lead. They were doctors, philosophers; they believed in perfection of the body and the soul. ] That's ... not totally unlike how people view magic back home. Preternatural types in general. They see it as like, there's all these people wandering around with largely unexplained, definitely volatile, seemingly unlimited powers, and there's a lot of suspicion, to put it nicely.
[She’s nodding as he touches on what he’s seen of things in his own home, because that sure as hell sounds real familiar to her too.]
Yeah, that sounds about right. People are always way too quick to jump to fear when it comes to the unfamiliar, especially when they’re convinced it’s something that puts them at a disadvantage.
[Something that is, in her opinion, really dumb. But human nature is human nature, and that seems to transcend worlds and universes the more she learns about places other than Terra. It’s part of why the idea of something completely new to build upon ended up appealing to her in the end. Maybe a better foundation could be laid.]
There was a lot of that suspicion back home on Terra too. Throw in that terminal sickness plaguing a lot of people capable of those sort of skills on top of it all…
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She sighs a little as she steps back to give him some breathing room, and moves to lean against the table there, letting the head of her metallic black staff rest against the floor and tapping idly against its length with her fingers.]
I’m fine. [A shrug, and then a beat.] Been trying to keep busy, same as you… though I’ve been focusing a little too much on making sure I can give others a hand and not enough on myself, if I’m being honest.
[A bad habit of hers, from time to time. And if there’s ever a time for it, it’s usually when something as momentous as recent events happens. Makes it all too easy for a little self care to slip the mind.]
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Matt could maybe identify a little more strongly with her remark about helping others more than helping herself. Given he's launched into casting a bunch of spells and sneaking around Springstar rather than making plans to support his own well-being. ]
Oh, Gavial, [ he sighs, smiling up at her. ] That makes total sense. Let's do something relaxing, okay? Maybe Sebastian knows where to get super good ... bubble bath or something. I don't know, what do you do to unwind?
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[All too easy to just turn her brain off and swing her fists for a while. And she had done a bit of that once all was said and done to air out some of that frustration, but she’s trying to make a better effort at putting that instinct of hers aside again. Besides, springing that on Mr. “I’ve never been in a fight before” wouldn’t exactly be playing fair.
She exhales half a sigh, reaching up to run her fingers through her hair a little.]
Probably should take it easy, especially because stupid discord’s been messing with my sleep lately.
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Teaching him how to fight probably wouldn't scratch the same itch as letting loose. Maybe he could figure out how to enchant her a dummy that moves around or hits back--ambitious, but not undoable. Are there spas in Highstorm? Something else to ask Sebastian, perhaps. Offering Gavial a massage feels a little too much like middle school, where everyone wanted to touch each other but only felt like they could do it in massage trains. And if he wanted to go the full middle school route, the only person who could join in right now is Sve-- ]
Discord?
[ The unfamiliar term breaks neatly through his brainstorming. ]
Is that ... like the feeling in general, or do you mean something else?
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I guess it’s a pretty aptly named… affliction? That we Shard-bearers can get hit with.
[She frowns a little, because it’s kind of dumb that she’d let it progress as far as it has; she’s usually pretty on top of keeping an eye on her health—by necessity, thanks to her actual illness—and after what’d happened to Link months ago, she swore she’d make sure no one else let their discord get that bad. Herself included.]
Each of the factions got their own kind of energies, right? And some things can kinda… create kind of an excess build up of the one you’re aligned with. Tends to result in some unstable effects—altered appearances and odd fluctuations in body temperature, or behavioral weirdness, just to name a few—thus the name, I guess. Can’t get rid of it on your own, but other Shard-bearers can give you the hand you need with it.
[Hard to seek balance on your own, after all.]
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I see, [ he says curiously. He thinks about what Set told him about estrangement from power, his theory that the factions here may have corrupted the pure originals of Zenith and Meridian. ] Does that mean I could help? Or does it need to be someone from Meridian to get the energy back in balance?
[ He sounds hesitant on the last point. All Matt's hypotheses here flutter with the most delicate of butterfly wings, and only his sense of urgency about the encroaching shadow makes him say them out loud to other people. Back home, he would've let them percolate, tested on his own time. Alone. ]
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Yes and no to both. It’s way more effective to get help from someone on the other side, yeah, but it doesn’t have to be. What kinda makes the real difference is how each individual’s Aspects line up.
[Something she’d largely put out of mind after learning about it during the standard spiel all the newbies tend to get at all those welcoming parties, but she pretty quickly learned that it could be a lot more pertinent than she’d first realized.]
For me, I’m in the group of Advocates. I can get help from anyone counting themselves amongst the Stargazers and the Harbingers, and vice-versa. Even if those with Zenith can’t help each other as effectively, it’s still better than letting it get worse, y’know?
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He does, at least, perk up most noticeably when she gets into the Aspect piece. ]
I'm a Stargazer, [ he says. The phrase is a bit awkward on his tongue. ] Or the Stargazer Aspect chose me? Anyway, as long as I won't make things worse, I'd love to try helping you out. Just let me know what to do.
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[A bright flash of a smile lights up her face when he reveals that Aspect of his. What better place for Ms. Advocate here to land after the manor got taken out than what is increasingly becoming the Stargazer house?]
It’s a real easy process though. [She shifts a little from her position leaning against the table to reach a leg out to give one of his own a little playful nudge.] The whole thing centers on prolonged physical contact.
[Easy, peasy.]
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Because, like. Physical contact???
Holy shit, this is proof of fucking concept, as it were. ]
Okay, [ he says, ] okay, okay, does it need to be skin to skin? Is it hand-holding? Or does-- [ He lifts his foot to return the little nudge. ] --anything work, as long as it's prolonged?
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There’s a little bit of amusement poking at the edges of her smile, but she nods and holds up a hand, waggling her fingers for emphasis.]
Gotta be skin-to-skin. Far as I know, anything can work as long as it hits that requirement. Comfort level probably plays into things, if I had to guess. Just gotta have the intent.
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[ He sidles closer to the end of the sofa. He wasn't taking up much space to begin with, so the gesture is more signal than practical.
And he holds out his hand. ]
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Gavial flips her staff up from where it was resting slightly against the floor with one simple motion, and turns to set it down on the tabletop properly as she stands. And then she’s flopping onto the sofa in the space just next to him, taking his hand in her own with a pleased grin. Hers is cool to the touch, an effect of the discord moreso than the winter weather here in Highstorm.]
Thanks for this.
[She’s settled quite comfortably there beside him, clearly not bothered in the least by close proximity to another—something probably not surprising after her very touchy greeting.]
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[ Matt tends not to initiate physical contact, as much as he loves it. As mentioned, he wasn't raised in a very demonstrative household. And the way he got into magic, as a lonely teenager, has impressed on him how meaningful touch can be--for good or for bad. But when he gets the sign that touch is welcome, he takes to it like a cat to a sunbeam.
They have a serious purpose here, so he's focused. Professional, if you will. But he's more relaxed than Gavial's seen him since they met. ]
Okay, [ he says, letting his eyes close. ] I'm sending you good vibes. Healing vibes ... good sleep vibes, balanced vibes. Vibes for replenishment.
[ His lips twitch a little, but he's totally in earnest. His breathing falls into a regular rhythm, a complex enough pattern that it seems like it must be the result of practice. And at the back of his mind--figuring, can't hurt--he recalls a prayer: As Heaven and Earth are not afraid, and never suffer loss or harm, even so, my spirit, fear not thou. As Day and Night are not afraid, nor ever suffer loss or harm, even so, my spirit, fear not thou. ]
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And with as relaxed as he seems with the whole thing, she’s feeling pretty glad that she thought to bring this all up, even if it had been sort of off-handedly at first. Yeah, she was kind of in need of it, but maybe it’ll do him some good here too.
His very earnest talk of good vibes earns him a little amused hum from her, something not quite a laugh but maybe in the same family. She gives his hand an encouraging squeeze, leaning into his space just a little more.]
All very good vibes for this sorta thing, I guess. I could definitely use them, that’s for sure.
[And with the clear intent from both of them together with the welcome and open feeling of physical contact, there’s a little bit of a new sensation beginning to build. It’s a familiar one to Gavial at this point, having been here as long as she has and needing to do this on occasion, but maybe a new feeling for him—the faintest bit of a tingle, cool and serene like the feeling of Zenith itself.]
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And--
Did he feel this before, in Springstar? When he made his promise to a dark whose end he couldn't see? It's hard to remember; so much was happening then. But at the first whispers of this soft, moonlit sensation, Matt's head tips curiously to the side. ]
Oh, [ he says, eyebrows arching. ] Hi.
[ He cracks one eye open to look at Gavial, as if to say, Did you catch that? ]
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Hi?
[And then she catches that look of his, things clicking into place a little more. She laughs, a short and pleased good-natured thing.]
Ah, so you feel it, then. See, you’re a natural at this!
[There's a boisterous little nudge with her elbow, a squeeze of her hand against his. She had no doubts! What she knows about him so far is that he’s the thoughtful sort, with a keen interest in the way things work around here. Of course he’d take to something like this immediately.]
It’s pretty cool, right?
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Very cool, [ he agrees. ] I forget how much I told you about my whole magical practice-- [ Except the part he doesn't tell like, 95% of people. ] --but channeling energy, and like ... listening for it, and to it ... that's a big piece of it for me.
[ Any time a preternatural presence makes itself known, it feels like a blessing to him. Even if the presence isn't necessarily a friendly one. Luckily, Zenith's energy doesn't have that complication: it feels comforting, gentle as an evening breeze. So Matt does what he always does in such circumstances, and welcomes the energy. Breathes, coaxing it to flow through him and follow its nature.
And of course, he keeps his prayers for Gavial in a corner of his mind. As Sun and Moon are not afraid, nor ever suffer loss or harm ... ]
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[There’s a warm smile for him as she settles back into the sofa cushions a little more comfortably. She always forgets how relaxed this whole process tends to make her feel. Probably a good sign that everything’s working as intended, even if the cool tingle of stirring energy is signal enough.
Her expression soon shifts to something a little more curious, and she tilts her head just a little as she regards him.]
So this magic of yours—when you were back home, was it like a job? Or something more academic?
[He seems like the studious and thoughtful type, so it wouldn’t surprise her if there was something of a scholarly bent to how he approached this sort of thing even back home.]
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Not exactly, [ he hedges. ] I guess I would've called it more like a vocation. But back home, magic wasn't really considered acceptable to practice.
[ He can sense a bit of negativity in himself, which he tries to breathe through. He focuses on the air flowing through him, on the cool peace of Zenith, on Gavial's hand in his. On her settling back against the couch cushions, one more little sign that he's managing to help her. ]
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[He had mentioned something about the potential of his spells for harming others back when they’d first met, so naturally that’s the first place her thoughts leap to. Which kind of tracks with Arts back home, depending on the type. Plenty of helpful use cases, a lot of potential for bad if used incorrectly.]
Weird how that sort of thing is viewed differently in different places. Out here it almost feels like magic is commonplace. [Probably because of how ever present the forces of Meridian and Zenith are, but…] Back home, the Arts we used were fairly widespread, but had kind of a mixed perception. Probably because not everyone had the knack for it.
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[ He isn't trying to avoid talking about home on purpose. But maybe he wants a little more time before he delves into it. ]
Or something completely different.
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She tilts her head from one side to the other for a moment, looking thoughtful before she punctuates it with a slight shrug.]
Little bit of all of it, I guess. I’m sure there are people out there who’re bitter about not being able to use ‘em themselves. [Which could maybe account for a small amount of it, but frankly most people living normal lives don’t even know if they have the aptitude for it.] Arts in certain contexts are sorta commonplace, but it’s kinda… how do I explain it?
[A thoughtful pause as she scrunches her brows in thought, then she’s reaching one leg up to nudge the end of her staff hanging off the edge of the table with her foot.]
Back home, anyone capable of using those skills has gotta have a certain kind of focus, I guess you can call it, to be able to channel the Arts. Like my staff. The only exception to that are people who’re infected with this disease we call Oripathy. Means they’ve got this magically conductive and volatile mineral spreading through their systems, which lets them cast Arts as freely as they want. And since the Infected are kinda demonized in most societies…
[Well, people who are ostracized gotta fight back sometimes, thus the mixed views.]
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Oripathy, [ Matt repeats curiously. He hears it like gold, and thinks unavoidably of alchemy. The ancient alchemists believed in transformation of more than lead. They were doctors, philosophers; they believed in perfection of the body and the soul. ] That's ... not totally unlike how people view magic back home. Preternatural types in general. They see it as like, there's all these people wandering around with largely unexplained, definitely volatile, seemingly unlimited powers, and there's a lot of suspicion, to put it nicely.
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Yeah, that sounds about right. People are always way too quick to jump to fear when it comes to the unfamiliar, especially when they’re convinced it’s something that puts them at a disadvantage.
[Something that is, in her opinion, really dumb. But human nature is human nature, and that seems to transcend worlds and universes the more she learns about places other than Terra. It’s part of why the idea of something completely new to build upon ended up appealing to her in the end. Maybe a better foundation could be laid.]
There was a lot of that suspicion back home on Terra too. Throw in that terminal sickness plaguing a lot of people capable of those sort of skills on top of it all…
[And, well, it was a powder keg.]
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