→ ( CLOSED - for a spell that can't be broken, )

[aberth]

WHO: Adam Parrish & Sabriel
WHERE: Nonah
WHEN: Backdated to June 2nd
WHAT: Educational shenanigans.
WARNINGS: N/A

[ He does as he said he would and leaves it alone for a few days. But when the morning dawns bright and full of possibility, Adam's finds himself reaching for his phone without thinking to fire off a message. Sabriel responds relatively quickly and it isn't long before he's stepping out of the Porter in Nonah, anticipation pounding in his veins.

He's going to learn magic. He's finally doing something useful. He's finally going to set right what he's lost by being brought here.

It doesn't mean he's not nervous though, shifting his weight from foot to foot just outside the door. He checks his messages once more to make sure he's got the right place before he knocks, a solid sounding thing, and far more sure of itself than Adam is. ]

Comments

[bindsthedead]

[When Sabriel hears the knock, she greets him at the door. She looks better than she did several days ago- still subdued, but not exhausted and less tense. Behind her, there's a faint scent of burnt wood.]

Adam! Come in, everything's ready.

[Sabriel's home is nicely appointed- there's nothing ridiculously fancy, but a lot of wood and dark fabric, along with a surprising number of books and knicknacks.

On the kitchen table there's a small, clear bottle, and a shallow dish filled with ash.]

[aberth]

[ He notes the difference in her mood but doesn't comment on it. Grief is just one of those things and if she wants to throw herself into her projects then he'll be willing to join in while it lasts. Her home gets a cursory glance but his real interest is on the bottle and the dish. ]

What are we starting with?

[bindsthedead]

[Sabriel dips one finger into the wood ash, tracing over her own Charter mark with a practiced grace.]

Well, before anything else, there's the baptism. Then we'll move on to something basic.

[Sabriel grabs the bottle. There's water inside of it.]

Are you ready?

[aberth]

[ He pauses for a moment. Adam's not entirely sure what he was expecting - a river maybe, because that's what he knows baptisms to be all about. ]

Does it hurt?

[ Magic is a strange thing, he's had Cabeswater run away with him, but he'll still do it if she confirms it. It's always easier to control his flinch. ]

[bindsthedead]

No. It can be a little overwhelming at first though.

[aberth]

I can deal with a little overwhelming.

[ It's been the majority of his life, if he's honest. ] What do we do?

[bindsthedead]

Just hold still for a little bit.

[And Sabriel shuts her eyes and starts chanting. Her voice sounds strange, and the words aren't in any language Adam's familiar with. But her Charter mark glows beneath the ash, and Sabriel sees Charter marks flashing beneath her eyelids. After the first several dozen, it takes less and less effort to pluck them from the Charter's flow, letting them flow through her arms and into the bottle- which is glowing brighter and brighter, pulsing with the rhythm of her chant.]

[aberth]

[ He holds still.

That part isn't hard. Neither is watching this unfold before him. If Adam's honest, it's fascinating and his gaze is sharp and narrow and watchful, the process just as enticing to him as the outcome. ]

[bindsthedead]

[Sabriel falls silent, but the light in the bottle keeps pulsing as Sabriel touches the bottle to the floor, then her own Charter mark-

And upends the bottle over Adam, pouring the glowing water onto his forehead.

As soon as the water touches him, there's a blinding light, and for a split second, the world falls away, and there's nothing but an endless sea of symbols all around him, above and below, moving in currents and countercurrents, each mark glowing like a star in an endless galaxy.

Then it's gone, and Sabriel watches as the ash vanishes from her forehead and appear's on Adam's, a Charter mark already forming beneath it.]

It's done.

[aberth]

[ Everything goes far too bright and he feels his heartbeat pick up instinctively, something like fear crashing through him. When he can see again he blinks slowly, shock settling there instead of blind panic. ]

Oh.

[ Breathing out. ]

Wow.

[bindsthedead]

You saw it, didn't you? The Charter.

[Sabriel leans forward, brushing the ash off his forehead. As her fingers graze his Charter mark, it flashes.]

Well, the baptism was successful. Now you just need to learn how to reach into the Charter- to draw on the connection we just established, and use the marks to work magic.

[aberth]

They're there all the time?

[ It's amazing. It's fascinating. He can't help but feel a little breathless. ]

[bindsthedead]

Always. At first, simply visualizing and reaching into the Charter can be draining, but with practice, it becomes easier.

[Sabriel gestures over to her sitting area, before moving next to an armjair but not sitting down.]

I'll show you.

[aberth]

[ He'll just assume she means for him to sit down, following her over and then very carefully perching on the edge. ]

I used to be able to scry. Back home. [ With Cabeswater as his guiding force. And while usually he'd keep that underwraps, it feels like a useful thing to have known here. ] Is it like that?

[bindsthedead]

That's not the analogy I'd use- mostly because I've no experience with scrying. It;s more... reaching into yourself and out to the Charter at the same time.

[Sabriel brushes a few stray hairs aside, revealing her Charter mark.]

Try to remember what you felt when I baptized you. Reach for that connection to the Charter within you, and reach out to it. Don't try to draw on any marks yet, I just want to make sure you can reach into it at first.

[Sabriel reaches into the Charter, selecting a single mark- one for light- and tracing it out, the glowing mark collapsing into a point of light after a second. Adam should be able to feel it- vaguely, for now, but hopefully it'll be a nudge in the right direction.]

[aberth]

[ Reaching inside of himself.

He knows how to do that. Being the messenger of a mystical forest has some of it's uses. He has to understand energy. He has to know how to listen. ] How do we know if I can reach it?

[bindsthedead]

You'll know. Remember what you saw for an instant? You'll see it again, for longer. You'll feel it- and it will be overwhelming at first, and draining. With practice it becomes less so.

[aberth]

[ He concentrates. It's hard at first. The baptism had been a different thing entirely but trying to reach out is like moving a sleeping limb. He concentrates and it feels like forever but then the harder he tries the more something happens.

He thinks he catches sight of the marks before it snaps back inside of him. ]

Christ.

[bindsthedead]

Again. Try again. You can touch my mark- [- Sabriel taps her forehead.] If you want. It'll act as a direct connection.

[In other words, if he touches it, he'll be plunged into that endless, swirling sea of symbols without any effort- at least until he breaks contact.]

[aberth]

[ He does as she tells him to, lifting a hand to press it to her mark.

The response is immediate. The marks are suddenly there, stretching out before him. The promise of it all, the potential steals his breath for a moment. But it's still overwhelming, it's still exhausting. Adam manages to hold on for a little longer with Sabriel being the current, but eventually his touch twitches away from her again. He lets out a slow breath. ]

I guess I need to practise.

[bindsthedead]

Yes. Once you can reach into the Charter more easily, I'll teach you your first spell. I have something in mind- it's simple, but very useful.

[aberth]

What'll it be?

[ Because he's very, very goal orientated. ]

[bindsthedead]

The diamond of protection. A simple enough spell, and easy to cast with relative speed.

[aberth]

[ It sounds like something he'd find useful, and so he nods. ]

How long does it usually take for someone to be able to access the Charter easier?

[bindsthedead]

It depends on how often they do it, but- generally, they have a solid enough grasp to cast a spell reliably after about two weeks.

It's a skill- it took me years to learn to do what I can now, but if you keep practicing, you'll keep improving.

[aberth]

[ Two weeks.

It's not the months it took him to understand what Cabeswater had wanted to tell him and so there is a loosening of his shoulders, a tension leaking out of him. ] I can do that.

[ He can't help but grin at Sabriel, a little exhilarated. ] I gotta thank you. This'll really help.

[bindsthedead]

Save your thanks for when I teach you something you can use- this is just the start.

[aberth]

[ He nods, lets out a breath. ]

How often can you meet with me?

[ Because if Adam's going to do this, then he'll do it properly. He doesn't want to waste it. ]