[closed]

[iliveidie]

WHO: Kasia Nyx & Harry Dresden
WHERE: Jeopardy
WHEN: 1/27; Afternoon
WHAT: Coffee? & magic
WARNINGS: TMI is going on, will update if needed



[It's been a few weeks since Kasia's arrival and she's still unaccustomed to just how much of everything there is. People everywhere, car horns honking, people talking loudly on their phones, music blaring. How does anyone manage to think with so much noise? Back home most of her time is spent alone in the wilds with her Ghost.

To her credit, she's trying. She showed up for her job, she made an attempt at sleeping in the bed provided to her by the government, and now she's meeting someone for coffee. She's trying to be "normal".

Upon arriving at the coffee shop they agreed upon she looks around, looking just a bit lost.]

Comments

[iminthebook]

Kasia!

[ Harry waves as he rises from the booth he had selected. The coffee shop is new to him, but already one he likes. They make strong coffee. Harry waves again. ]

Up here. [ he takes a breath as he places a menu at the chair across from him.

The area where he is is in a nook and is quieter than the rest. ]

[iliveidie]

[Kasia can feel eyes on her immediately after Harry calls out to get her attention. She pulls her hood a little tighter around her head and makes her way over as she tries to ignore the murmuring from those she passes.

She slips into the seat across from him and looks around before relaxing a bit. He picked out a nice spot, not too many eyes on them.]

Hey.

[iminthebook]

[ He smiles to her. ] How are you today?

[ He notices the murmurs and watching people and he raises a hand, murmuring a word. And to the rest of the hall, they vanish, along with the booth area entirely, as he raises a veil around them. ]

There. No more staring.

[iliveidie]

[How is she today? How does she answer that question when she doesn't even know how she's doing? Normal people just say "fine" right?] I have no idea how to answer that.

[Her eyes widen as everything around them vanishes.] That's a handy trick.

[She relaxes ab it more, pushing her hood back so that her face is no longer hidden shadow, though it remains on her head.]

Uh, how are you? That's how conversations work right? Exchanging pleasantries?

[iminthebook]

[ Harry nods. ]

Well, usually, it means things like... Are you distressed? Have you felt comfort or discomfort? is your living space and work space relaxing?

[ He smiles at her and nods again. ] I am okay. Trying to get used to this world. And yes. generally, when conversations start, or if they have no other purpose, this is how they go.

[iliveidie]

Well, in that case, I am fine. Though my living and work spaces are not relaxing, confining if anything.

[She snorts softly, seemingly amused.] I'm out of practice when it comes to, what people consider, polite conversation. I suppose I need to work on that. [She frowns, not having meant to say all of that.]

Eugh, anyway, magic?

[iminthebook]

[ Harry nods, then cocks his head. ]

How confining? I mean, how are they so? Is it compared to what you know? [ He holds up a hand. ]

And feel free to tell me to mind my own business. I am just curious. One of the hazards of being a wizard.

[ Harry grins lopsidedly. ] I never really got into the habit of making polite conversation.

[ He nods. ] Magic. [ And he incants a simple word. ]

Ignus Minimus. [ And a small ball of fire, pulsing between a marble size and a baseball size, forms over his hand, looking like a less bright and smaller version of the sun. ]

[iliveidie]

I usually have the open sky overhead.

[A soft laugh.] Your curiosity would have you fitting in quite well with the Warlocks. [Though she's no less curious.]

[She watches the small flame pulse in his hand, tilting her head a bit.] Reminds me of a Solar Grenade, though we don't need to speak anything to make it appear. Is that how all your magic works with the use of magic words?

[iminthebook]

[ Harry nods. ] Would you be more comfortable living outside? Some people do that.

Hmmm. I think that's one of those words which has different meanings on different worlds. On mine, it means an oathbreaker wizard.

[ Harry shakes his head. ] The words are just for focusing. The magic itself is concentration, will, and understanding.

[ he gestures, letting the flame fade. ]

We study reality, and how things like physics work, and then we use our understanding to manipulate them.

[iliveidie]

[Her lips pull down into a frown as she shakes her head.] No... I need to get used to living indoors if I'm going to be here a while. Back home I was always in the field.

Well, on my world a Wizard is a powerful female magic user of the Hive, which is a bad thing. They're really annoying to go up against. Warlocks are warrior scholars, so not a bad thing.

[She ponders showing off a bit of her own magic but decides against it for now.] So you can essentially do anything?

[iminthebook]

Alright. [ Harry nods, listening. ]

The Hive? And cool. Sounds like an interesting world. [ he rubs his chin. ] I wonder if you can ever pass into other people's universes from here. [ That gets filed away to ponder more later. ]

Well, not anything. The more you have to alter reality, the more power and knowledge it takes. And acquiring the knowledge can be just as dangerous and as time taking and exhausting as performing the magic.

[ he chuckles. ] There are ways to cheat the rules, but those are dangerous, immortal, or both.

[iliveidie]

The Hive are kind of difficult to explain, they're kind of bug-like but not the same kind of bug-like as the Fallen.

[Kasia hums thoughtfully before shrugging.] There was another world before this one, but it seems that you need the 'Porter in order to travel anywhere outside of this world.

Hm, so it's not Vex levels of reality messiness. [She pauses, realizing she should probably explain a bit more about the Vex.] The Vex are robots that are trying to convert all organic life into a nonorganic form.

[iminthebook]

[ Harry nods and listens. He is always up to learn more. ]

Oh? Huh. Sounds like there are levels of mystery waiting to be unwoven and awoken.

[ He listens again, then smiles. He raises his cup of coffee to drink. ] Sounds like real assholes.

[iliveidie]

There are a few people here that lived in that other world, I spoke to one recently. [She's quiet a moment as her Ghost goes onto the network to find the user's name.] Tony Stark is one.

[She lets out an amused snort.] That is one way to describe them.

[iminthebook]

[ Harry watches her, listening, and nods. He does not visibly double take, but he chuckles. ] Stark, huh? I'll remember that.

[ Harry smiles, spreading his hands. ]

I call it as I see it.

[ And got in trouble fo5r that, but he wasn't about to stop now. ]

[iliveidie]

[She nods.] And as I said there are a few others.

Not a bad trait, I suppose. [Certainly reminds her of a few people from back home.]

So theoretically you can do anything with magic, but it may not exactly be moral. Certainly sounds like it has more uses beyond being a weapon, unlike our magic.

[iminthebook]

Theoretically. But it requires knowledge, and power, and concentration, and will. All of which is not as easy as it sounds.

[ He smiles and nods, listening. ]

Your magic contains no utility outside of combat?

[iliveidie]

It is similar with our magic. You need those things or risk blowing yourself up. [Maybe not exactly that but it is always a possibility. Though it's always possible to blow yourself up even when doing things right.]

Sometimes our magic helps with mobility, crossing a chasm or something like that. But most of it is explosive or damaging in some way. I'm sure older and more practiced Guardians have found ways to use the Light in less destructive ways, but for the average Guardian we use it to defend ourselves and what remains of humanity.

[iminthebook]

Makes sense. Nice to know some things are similar across worlds.

[ He sits back as the waiter comes by and orders a coffee then continues when the waiter is gone. ]

Wizards on my worlds are supposed to be quieter and more subtle, so most use magic for quieter things, and less explodey or damagey things. [ He spreads his hands as he smiles lopsidedly. ]

My first teacher didn't teach me like that, though, so I am only now really getting good at the quieter things.

[iliveidie]

On the bright side if we blow ourselves up we just get right back up. [The perks of being a Guardian.]

After what you've told me about your world that makes sense.

[She leans forward, resting her chin on the back of her hand as she grins.]

So you have some practice in combative magic?

[iminthebook]

[ Harry blinks. ] Now that sounds like an interesting quality.

My people heal faster than normal, but not as fast as it sounds like you do.

[ Harry nods at her question. ]

For good or ill, it's my specialty, though finding people and things is a close and preferred second in knowledge and skill.

[iliveidie]

We do heal quickly but in many cases its a resurrection. And it's not exactly a natural ability like it appears you have.

[She hums thoughtfully.]

What does it take for others to learn the magic that your Wizards are capable of?

[iminthebook]

Oh, huh. Resurrection is fairly rare in my world.

Some magic, anyone can learn. The basics of potion making and circles of protection. The more advanced magics require something else.

[ He sits back rubbing his chin as he thinks. ]

Some say it is genetics, some say it is something more... magical, but no one really knows. Just some people can do advanced magic, and some cannot. The stuff anyone can learn just requires study and a teacher, and time.

[ He hmmms himself. ]

I... am not sure if it could be taught here. Some of my world's magic doesn't work here and that could change everything I know, really.

[iliveidie]

It's how we Guardians are made. Risen, reborn, resurrected, whatever term you want to go with.

[She hums thoughtfully again.]

I see. I do wonder how much can be applied to the Light.

[iminthebook]

[ Harry nods. He has more questions, but he is not entirely sure how to formulate them. ]

The only way to find out is to try to cross-train. Not sure if any of it would work, but trying could teach us both things about our own magics we did not know, even if we fail at what we set out for.

[ Harry likes experimentation. ]