Reunion: Bedside Chatter

[opius]

Following a full day of forging, Alastair pushed for an additional few hours. Whether he was compensating for the slow morning or just plain self-flagellating was hard to determine. One thing was certain- he was driven, and Konane was along for the ride. By the time he'd finished throwing himself against the brick wall that was his 'pet project' the final two and a half hours of work felt easier. At least there was a definitive beginning and end with that project. 

And even that circuitous exploration of 'what if' and 'maybe this' was rudimentary compared to the attempts at getting Roland Deschain to back down from what Alastair believed to be a Certifiably Bad Idea™. Addled from work and punchy, the two of them cleaned up their work spaces, headed to the baths for a quick dip, and eventually made their way back to the rooms to wind down.

Sharing a bed was a common thing now, and often times Alastair would sit on the edge to perform whatever task he set himself to before he could fall asleep while Konane sprawled. It was an evening ritual at this point, and tonight was no different. He sat at the edge and set about looking through the green book, the Lorekeeper's Ledger, while Konane was free to explore the lion's share of the king-sized guest bed. Only the occasional yawn clued her in to the boy's fatigue. 

"Twenty or so days, almost a month... If I can finish this project, and Vulcan approves.. hmn... He's going to need to approve..." 

[CautionCat]

Oh, what a long day. She learned a lot, and burnt herself quite a few times, but some healing salve or some of Klinkle's healing helped ease the would-be scars away. Having a bath after all that was very much needed, and she felt refreshed. Forge work was dirty, hot, and unpleasant, but the products were worth it. She was having... fun? Learning something like this was amazing, for sure! She couldn't wait to be confident enough to make something herself.

And yes, she would sprawl on the large guest bed. Their bed on the ship was cozy, but she wasn't able to stretch so much like this. Comfortable, and not needing to keep the human form up, she was in her fluffy fox hybrid state. The sheets felt so nice on the palms of her hands and the soles of her feet, absolute luxury. She was getting too used to this.

Alastair did his nightly ritual of winding down, reading or going over notes on the edge of the bed, with his back facing her. He spoke to himself, and her ears perked and twitched, as she rolled over to get beside him on her belly, laying horizontal on the bed. "What are you saying... What do you need approved?"

[opius]

Alastair nodded and turned a page, squinting some at the more esoteric writing. This was... a wizard's book, for sure. Hard to read, dry, less like a schematic and more like an instruction manual for creating the concept of the color orange. Difficult to read, hard to make sense of, but in a strange way it checked out. There were spells in here- ones he could access. Somewhat. His focus shifted from the lorekeeper's ledger to her words.

"The last vision I had brought me to the First Forge. I thought I'd be speaking with Moradin, but instead one of his... attendants? A man named Vulcan looked at my work and asked me a hard question. Whether I was content to simply make, or if I was creative enough to invent something new. I took that as a hint- that I'd need to push to create something rarer and more difficult to produce. To challenge myself more." He rolled his arm over, letting the giant's bracelet dangle and shift on his skin.

"Clearly this wasn't enough- which I figured. The bracers get this. This was simple enough. With any luck, the thing I'm struggling with- that should get Vulcan's attention. I've got so many questions- things only Moradin and his circle can answer."

He glanced back down. "...Well, that's what I'd thought, anyway. Before this fell into our lap..."

[CautionCat]

Konane blinked some, and tilted her head to get a look at the wizard book. She scrunched her nose at it, like a bad smell, but it was the bit of reading that put her off.

"So, you need to make... You need to invent a new thing? What could you possibly do? I heard you say 20 days... That is quite some time. And the book, what spells are there? I would read it but I cannot stand the way it is written."

"So he is tired of you making brooms and things that are useful, and wants you to be challenged..."

[opius]

"That seems to be the objective." He nodded, sighed, and turned a page before turning the book on is side.

"Yet another teacher telling me to apply myself more. As if I wasn't showing -enough- initative."

He leaned back, resting his back against her. "... The invention in question is... Well, it's a tool. It's... A very expensive, very... Time consuming tool. I don't know for sure if it'll come together. But I -need it- to. If I can get this to take off, I think... Well, it could become the last tool I ever need."

[CautionCat]

"The last tool you will need?" She raised her brows. "That would be something. You already do so much with the bracers... What more could there be?"

He leaned onto her, back to back, and felt incredibly cozy like this. But she wanted to be on her back... So she gently rolled under him, having him lay on her belly instead, and she would start petting his hair.

"Usually a teacher pushes their student to work harder, because they know they are capable, and want the student to know they can do many great things." She smiled, and ruffled his hair gently, before going back to petting it.

"I keep telling you, you are amazing. Gods speak to you in dreams. No one visits me in my dreams, telling me to get better."

[opius]

He closed his eyes and sighed, leaning into the petting. "It's... Actually somewhat based on them. My attempt to emulate some of their best qualities while attempting to make something that... Well, completes them. A counterpart."

He began talking with his hands, gesticulating. "The quicksilver bracers can already do so much. They compliment my abilities and shift and shape into forms I know how to use. They enhance my defense, their aetheric envelope is small but prominent. The ability to transmute spells into runic is likewise incredible."

He lifted his shoulders. "But what about the tools I -don't- know how to use? I already know there's a wealth of knowledge to tap into out there, I've seen Felix divine that power. And what of my spellcasting power? I've seen what wands have done for you." He opened his eyes.

"There's a spell in this very book that could point me in the right direction. If I follow that thread, then it should be possible to make this tool work like that spell." He flopped, arms to the side.

"... I know what my limitations are. And I know my skills. I don't think I'd be here if I wasn't the real deal- I don't think the bracers would find me...y'know, worthy." He glanced back at her.

"... But I also don't think I was destined or anything like that. We were at the right place at the right time to find and awaken these. I think a lot of what I've experienced is luck too." He tilted his head, watching her.

"I might be skilled and may have gotten lucky. But you were -born- special. Taliesin might speak with nature and the Doctor might have been chosen by a nature spirit, but you were born with one as part of you. Your magic comes so easy- all you need to worry about is clenching when you sneeze. Er. Metaphysically speaking."

[CautionCat]

"The payment to having magic so easy, is the chance of things going wrong." She shrugged some, and continued to twirl her fingers in his hair, long nails gently running along his scalp.

"If I did not use my magic at the wrong time, I would still be at home. I know you do not believe it to be destiny or fate, but I feel something is playing a game with us to come and work together."

"Knowledge is a very powerful tool... And to just know how to do something with the magic of an item? You would be... Well, unstoppable I would think."

"You may not be gifted with magic and animal spirits, but we all have special abilities in our own ways. You are able to work with speed and ease, and make things to... Compensate what you can not do normally. I think that is special, and why I want to learn... Maybe wear something more protective, or something that could keep me hidden longer in plain sight..."

She shrugged, and watched him looking up at her. Admiring his mismatched eyes and dozens of freckles on his face. "I do not think it is a contest, who is more gifted. We are all very unique."

[opius]

He chuckled. "No, not a contest. I just like keeping notes about my friends." Folding his hands on his belly, he continued looking between her, the ceiling, back to her...

"Self sufficiency, adaptability, I like to think those are concepts I aspire to. Maybe not... -unstoppable-, but more options is better in my opinion. That's why I asked Roland about working on firearms, and why Sae agreed to take me on as an apprentice." He looked back to the ceiling.

"Another tool, another option. And it sounds like you yourself share that same value- you're already looking for a way to improve what you've been given. Iterative, incremental improvement. I think that's a virtue." He shifted to look back at her.

"Maybe you'll find a way to control your magic through artifice. Some... Natural law to temper the chaotic magic. I get your concern though. You had another surge during that fight with Dimitrios, didn't you?"

[CautionCat]

"You noticed it, too? It felt like the time when I got younger, but... I do not feel any different. Maybe my pants a little more snug... but I feel I could be overthinking. Much like when you see a bug, then you feel like there is a bug crawling on you."

"Every time my magic goes a little crazy, it feels a little different. I know something happened... but I do not know what it is right away in some cases. When I made Sae and myself invisible, I felt something weird with my magic. A feeling in my throat... and when I spoke, no sound came out, but bubbles."

"During the fight in the castle, I felt something off... it was a feeling all over my body, and within myself. The same feeling I felt when I was made younger. The magic did... something... but I have not figured out what it is, yet."

[opius]

Alastair cocked a brow and nodded, listening. He shifted his gaze back to the ceiling, furrowing his brows in thought. "You seem - I don't know- bigger? Not by a lot. Maybe the surge shifted your body mass around. Is that a thing?" He tilted his head.

"... Is anything -not- a thing? Wild magic doesn't seem to follow any specific rules, so maybe I'm asking the wrong questions.."

He glanced back at her. "... That said. Your face looks a little fuller and your eyebrows are a little thicker. It's... Oddly, easier to see the differences in -this- form. If I didn't know better, I'd think you'd gotten older."

[CautionCat]

Her ears flicked up and she blinked. Bigger? Older? How much older... "If you can tell, even a little, then it must be that. I suppose older is better than younger... but I still do not know how old."

"Funny that you are noticing it more while I am like this. Is there more silver in my fur?" She chuckled, and rested her other hand on his chest, giving it a rub while she played with his hair with the other. "I have not looked in a mirror while like this in some time... Does it bother you? I am sure there is someone around here that could fix this..."

[opius]

His brows rose a little as she went on and started petting him. Briefly pursing his lips, he thought...

Why -was- it easier to notice in this form...?

"I... Can't put my finger on it. I think... Well, when you're fluffy, you're like konane but more. Your brows are thicker, your smile gets wider, there's uh. More rounding of the angles..." He reached to to rub his chin. "I'm not seeing any gray- so it's not like it's a huge jump. I suppose it's like when you meet someone's sibling who's just a little older- they look like the person, but there's slight differences."

He quirked his lip and shifted his jaw. "It's not a bother to me- but I could see it becoming a problem if it happens again. Hips and knees don't last forever... Maybe there's someone in the city who knows something. I feel like we'd need to reach out to a temporals expert or a sorcery expert- and I don't know what's rarer."

[CautionCat]

She smiled, and giggled a little at what he noticed about her. It made her feel cute. "Yes, I do not want to get too old... last time, it was a curse lifted off me. Maybe Taliesin could fix it..."

Shrugging, she yawned, mouth opening a little wider than one would think it would, with all her teeth and such. "But, maybe I will be taken more seriously looking a little older." She smirked, and sighed contently.

Konane felt so cozy and comfortable with his weight on her belly like this. She could probably sleep like this...

"How are you feeling, anyway? What with Alain saying that stuff yesterday..."

[opius]

He fiddled with his thumbs as she talked and yawned, and while admiring what big teeth she had -could- have kept him occupied he instead considered her words.

The old man from the ranch came to mind. The leaders of the allurani and mareki tribes came to mind. Even the old elf from the torchbearers. Then there was good king Orren himself. It seemed more often than not there was some old fart who wouldn't take him seriously.

Gunslinger Deschain was a slight in a long line of stubborn older folk. Boy, alastair's list was getting longer and longer. Maybe he'd start keeping a Book of Grudges too.

His focus shifted at her question. "Oh. That." He huffed and looked away again. "I'm not really sure. From one bastard name to another, I can't imagine it matters much. But there's history attached to it... And I guess I'm not really a bastard at all if Alain married." He wrinkled his nose. "... I suppose on this continent Kokinyu would have more sway than Fields. But I may have to learn Aegien if I'm going to go swinging a name like that around."