(no subject)

[bindsthedead]

WHO: Sabriel, RISE, and anyone else
WHERE: Heropa and De Chima
WHEN: The rest of November
WHAT: Catch-all!
WARNINGS: Violence, talking about violence,

De Chima 007; locked to Blue

[Sabriel's marked off a section of the backyard for training- nothing much, just a few wooden stakes surrounding an area of level ground.]

Blue, are you ready? [She's dressed differently today- no armor or weapons, just sturdy, comfortable clothes that are easy to move in- and seem out of place with the thoughtful intensity in her expression, with wood ash traced over her forehead mark and a clear bottle of water in her hands.]

Heropa, locked to RISE members

[At first, it had been harmless vandalism- graffiti sprayed in places only someone able to fly could reach. Then it had gotten more and more mean spirited, then outright malicious- heavy rocks dropped on passing cars, hapless civilians stranded on top of roofs and lampposts. They have a name- Tony Gibson, a high school senior with a reputation for delinquency who hadn't been in school for the last two weeks.

Having gone from minor annoyance to superpowered threat (Of a rather petty sort) the Heropa police had been quick to call RISE. They're briefed in a police station, and Sabriel frowns as she goes over incident reports, Gibson's home address, and places he's known to frequent.]

At least we have a place to start. Let's try not to stand out too much- it looks like he's flown away every time he saw the police coming.

De Chima 007, open to neighbors; set after Thanksgiving

[Sabriel's not a follower of any of this world's religions, but the decorations she's started to see are giving her ideas. So shortly after sunset, she heads out the the front of her house.

Charter-lights are a simple spell- generally, the first one taught to children, and there's something soothing about placing them around the outside of the house and the trees and bushes in the front yard as she hums to herself, each one looking like a tiny star.]

Comments

[halloflamer]

[Blue looks fairly nervous, but he's there, he's ready, and he nods with a slight swallow. Ready as he's going to be, to attempt something that he's only read about in storybooks or seen in movies.] Y-yeah... I guess.

[A couple of his Pokémon, Exeggutor and Eevee, are watching from the edge of the yard by the berry patch in curious interest. So Master was going to be able to use moves like them? For a Pokémon, it was certainly strange to think a human could do so.]

[bindsthedead]

Relax. It's not going to hurt. [Sabriel rests a hand on his shoulder.] I promise.

[Then she withdraws her hand and starts to chant, holding the bottle up as she reaches into the Charter, drawing forth mark after mark that slip into the bottle, as the water begins to pulse with light.]

[halloflamer]

...If you say so. [He nods, staring as the chanting began. It had been hard to believe this sort of thing could be real, but before his very eyes, the water was beginning to glow. What that could mean, as far as his training, he couldn't guess.]

[bindsthedead]

[Sabriel keeps chanting, the light growing brighter until she falls silent, touching the bottle to the ground, then her forehead, before upending it over Blue's head.

There's a blinding flash, and for a moment the world around Blue falls away, replaced by endless symbols, each shining like a star and moving together in some intricate dance.

Then it's gone, and Sabriel's in front of him, blinking as the wood ash on her forehead vanishes and reappears on Blue's, a Charter mark forming beneath it.]

It's done.

[halloflamer]

[Okay, so Blue is about to loudly complain about the water that was just suddenly dumped all over him (he doesn't know what kind of weird stuff is in the glowing water, and he likes this shirt!)]

[But then he's falling, spinning, tripping like he's never tripped on a bad night at the club, and probably made a shrieking sound, if Sabriel can even hear him anymore....]

[When he finally comes to again, he groans, dizzy, and feels like a bad hangover. Ugh, oof. Is it over? He stares up at her incredulously, then down at his hands, then back up again.]

What the Shellder was that!? [Okay, magic, he believes now.] ...So what... I just, imagine stuff and-- bang, boom, it happens??

[bindsthedead]

[Sabriel reaches out to steady him, brushing the ash off of his forehead and testing his Charter mark, nodding as she feels that yes, the baptism worked.]

That was the Charter, and no, magic takes more effort than that. It takes focus, dedication, and a certain amount of memorization.

[halloflamer]

The... wh.... [Blue tries to repeat, but he's still a little shaky. The Charter... she'd mentioned that, but he still didn't quite understand what it was. Or what it meant.]

Nn... Great... Well I expected all that, but then what was all that for? What do I do now?

[bindsthedead]

Now the hard part begins- you learn to reach into the Charter, draw out the marks you want, and assemble them into a spell.

The baptism was just to establish a connection to the Charter.

[halloflamer]

Reach into... and draw out... [He repeats, staring down at his hands, like it would provide him any kind of answer. He glances back up again.] Okay. I wanna start. Teach me how to do that- drawing out this magic.

[Whatever other goofing he might do, he was serious when it came to training- this would be just like training to use Mega Evolution or Z-Powers with his Pokémon, right?]

[bindsthedead]

First, I want you to visualize the Charter. Close your eyes, reach for the feeling you had when I baptized you, and focus on that. Then I want you to watch the marks.

[He's more serious than he was before, which is good- Sabriel feels more sure about teaching him.]

[halloflamer]

...Like I had a hangover? Not hard.

[Blue mutters under his breath, but he closes his eyes anyway, trying to visualize that bizarre, falling sensation- and the lights behind his eyes that had appeared. He wasn't really sure what any of that had been, but... it was almost like looking up at stars in the night sky, or some of the phenomena he'd heard of in connection to legendary Pokémon.]

[bindsthedead]

Good. That's the first step.

[Sabriel traces out a mark with her fingertips, letting it shine in the air between them.]

Now let it go. Open your eyes.

[halloflamer]

[Blue's eyes do open, slowly, unsurely, before fluttering fully in surprise to the shining mark hovering in the air. Was it a hologram of some kind, or...?]

Is that ...a spell? That right there? [He reaches out as if to touch it.] What do I do with it...?

[bindsthedead]

A very simple one, yes. [One Sabriel lets him touch, to feel the power in it before dismissing it.]

Let's see... You wanted to learn spells to heal and protect, right? We'll start with a simple one.

[halloflamer]

[He stares as the mark shimmers in the air- he can feel it, that surge of energy from the mark before it vanishes, and it's a little amazing.]

Yeah. [He stands a little taller, a little straighter, serious again. This was... the steps he was taking so that he could be brave like Red, so that he could minimize the inevitable fallout from the stupid loser from leaping headfirst into danger. He had to get stronger- as a trainer, but as a person, too.] Whatever you've got, I wanna learn.

RISE meeting

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

[Looking down at a picture of a damaged car, Jacob just sighs and shakes his head. It's not the kind of universe-shattering threat he fought back home, but the kid clearly needs to be stopped before he escalates further.]

Kids, right? Give them a taste of power, and there's a good chance it'll go to their heads. I was figuring out my biotics when I was his age... did some stuff that I'm not proud of.

[He flips over to a picture of Tony himself, and looks at it pensively.]

[bindsthedead]

Really? If any of my classmates did half of what he's done, they'd probably have been expelled. [Part of learning magic was learning that it wasn't a toy, after all.]

Still, stopping him from flying away might prove an issue- and goading him into a fight is going to far, he's not some costumed lunatic yet.

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

[Jacob nods, shifting to the business at hand.]

Now that I've got a glider, I can chase after him in the air. If he makes a break for it, I'll go after him. You and Rosa can be in charge of making sure that's not necessary.

[Fighting misguided teens isn't what he's been honing his skills for.]

after Thanksgiving

[vanto]

[Eli is on his way out, he was planning on heading next door to see if he could achieve the task of dragging Thrawn out for some town exploration. Instead, he spots Sabriel creating a constellation of lights in the front yard.

He is never going to cease being amazed by the powers held by imPorts. He also thinks Thrawn should come out and see this because of course Eli does.]

It's beautiful.

[Eli looks awkward for a moment realising he doesn't know this neighbour at all and having some stranger come and comment could be considered weird.]

Uh. I live next door.

[bindsthedead]

Thank you. [Sabriel nods when he says he lives next door. Another imPort then, and one of her neighbors.]

It's a simple light spell, but since it's apparently traditional to decorate houses with lights at this time of year, so I thought I'd participate. [It's an excuse to use Charter magic in a fun, harmless way, rather than binding some malevolent supernatural force or throwing fireballs at whatever threat is menacing the Porter cities this month.]

My name's Sabriel- I take it you're a recent arrival?

[vanto]

[He lifts a hand in a wave rather than offer a handshake.]

Good to meet you, Sabriel. I'm Eli and yes, newly arrived. [His laugh is a little awkward.] Are you a long time resident?

[Eli is listening but again his attention is captured by the lights.]

[bindsthedead]

I've been ported out a few times, but- yes, I've been here for more than a year.

It's been... interesting.

[vanto]

Interesting good or interesting bad?

[Eli turns her attention to Sabriel, sticks his hands inside the pocket of his jeans.]

More than a year.

[His voice holds awe.]

So we could be here for many more years to come.

[Eli might sound a little hopeful there, for personal reasons.]

[bindsthedead]

Both- and yes, we could. Some have been here for longer than I am, even. [He doesn't seem displeased by the idea, she notes.]

Do you like it here?

[vanto]

So far, yes.

The memory issue last week was kind of a bit [...] much. Otherwise I like that this place gives another chance to people in a way.

De Chima 007

[art_of_war]

[ The glow had been the first draw, the light humming the second. Sabriel ws outside doing someting - as that was her voice - and she was humming to herself as she did so.

Curious, Thrawn does come outside to see her lights. He'd seen similar decorations along the city streets, but these were free of any cumbersome wires or hooks. He actually had an idea they were connected to an upcoming religious holiday, but had little interest in it. Clasping his hands behind his back he stood still and enjoyed Sabriel's handiwork. ]

Interesting. Is there a meaning to the placement?

[bindsthedead]

[Sabriel's not quite sure what to make of Thrawn- he's quiet, and not from the sort of world she's familiar with.] Just that it looks nice. [Sabriel traces out another few marks and gestures, letting them settle, evenly spaced, around the outside of a window.]

It's apparently traditional to decorate with lights, so I thought I'd just use Charter magic instead of buying electric ones.

[art_of_war]

[ He has that effect on most people. The very few that know him at all call him "aloof" even in his own world. His questionable morality has not interfered with his effectivness, though.

He's gotten closer to another resident because he is intersted in her powers more than her personality. Sabriel...now he's a bit more wary of her. ]

So it is a sort of temporary art. Will this 'Charter magic' you are using simply dissipate?

[bindsthedead]

I'm flattered you think it's art, but.. all spells fade with time. I want this one to keep going until Christmas, but after that I'll unravel it if it doesn't start fading on its own.

[She'd heard locals complain about people leaving their lights up for too long, so apparently doing so would be considered rude.]

[art_of_war]

[ Clasping his hands behind his back, Thrawn seemed to be inspecting the lights. ]

You are creating art with light. I do not mean to flatter you, only tell you what I see. You say it will unravel? It is like fabric, then?

[bindsthedead]

Spells are made of multiple parts, interlinked and interwoven with each other. [How to explain this to someone who doesn't know of the Charter...]

Taking a spell apart means undoing those bonds. Although it's more like untying a knot then unraveling fabric, sometimes.

.heropa.

[pop_of_color]

[Fucking kids. Fucking teenagers. It seems they suck in every universe, no matter where or what.

Rosa's looking over the file she's been giving in the briefing, easily slipping back into her role as a detective from her former life. She memorizes his address and a few of the places where he hangs. She closes the file before looking at Sabriel.]

I'll check out spots one and two on the list. Nothing about me screams cop, so I should be good with that. Do we know what the deal is with this asshole? Daddy issues or something?

[bindsthedead]

He wasn't exactly a model citizen before this, but- I believe his parents are still married.

Sometimes, when people are given power, it doesn't make them better people- it makes them worse, because they think the rules don't apply to them.

[pop_of_color]

Don't need to tell me that. I saw plenty of that shit back in Brooklyn.

It was always the philanthropists, the outstanding members of the community, and all that shit. The overly nice assholes are the ones I'm most suspicious of.

[bindsthedead]

People who put a pretty veneer over something rotten?

[pop_of_color]

Fucking yep. Do all that "good" garbage to make it seem less likely that they'd be skinning people in their basement and shit.

[bindsthedead]

And give them access to supernatural- or superhuman- powers and it's a nightmare.

Although there are some powers that will corrupt anyone, even those with the best intentions.