fiddlestick | aefenglom IC Inbox

[You'd think it'd be awkward, but Mikleo's glad to move on. He leads Elliot down a turn and down a dirty alley just as a strong breeze full of fish wafts down. Mikleo's nose wrinkles, but he doesn't complain. And then they're here: a tall, worn out warehouse that looks to have been destroyed by a fire, and the massive empty lot around it with various bits of debris corroded by time. Some of the bigger pieces of scrap metal look fresh, but on closer inspection they appear to have been painted as a target and used to some effect if the gouges are anything to go by.

Mikleo turns and holds out his arms.]

Well, here we are. This is a pretty good place to blow off steam if you want to. And if you're going around without a Bond for a little while, you'll need to.

Have you been practicing water spells at all?

[Elliot follows, observing his surroundings. It reminds him a little of the harbor in Heimdallr, just saltier smelling from the ocean. The empty lot he's brought to looks very much like a place forgotten and abandoned...no one would notice any accidental damage, it was perfect.

He can't help but blink when Mikleo seems to be back to normal. Jeez...he wouldn't say he's just like Alisa...but there sure are some similarities.

Oh well, no need to look a gifted horse in the mouth]

Y-Yeah...good point. I'm still working on finding someone willing to bond.

[People were so skittish about it. And on top of that, he knew way more witches than monsters. Not helpful if he wanted to avoid exploding.]

I have! Every day. It's the easiest element for me.

[He frowns a little at that. Elliot just got here, so it's not really surprising that he hasn't bonded yet. That makes cycling his magic all the more important.]

I'd volunteer if I thought it might help you, but I'm a Witch too. It's not-- forbidden, but since you're still new to all of this, I don't think it would be a good idea. You'd be leaning on me to keep both of us stable. I'm sure you'll find someone eventually, you just need to be open about it-- if you get along with a Monster, then ask them.

[He folds his arms.]

Why don't we start with that, then? I want to see what you've learned.

Y-Yeah, I know. Bonding with a witch would just make the problem worse. I just...need to suck it up and ask a monster. There's at least one I think would be good...

[but oh, right. Magic. He gives a nervous little nod.]

Okay, here goes.

[Elliot concentrates on drawing out that water energy, humming as he does so. He's done this every day, so it's pretty easy now for him to summon that bucket's worth of water. It hangs in the air in front of him, turning around until it forms into an orb shape. It's still slightly lopsided, but it's still pretty dang good for a relative newbie at this school of magic.]

Edited 2019-06-17 06:02 (UTC)

Good, good. Just-- you know, it doesn't have to be romantic, if that's holding you back. You're asking for a lifeline and offering yours.

[Mikleo watches Elliot work. He pays special attention to the movements he uses as well as the humming. That's interesting, but he's not surprised; one of his early classes had mentioned that sometimes people could adapt the same phrases they used to cast spells on their worlds and have it call to magic the same way. Humming a little melody is just as effective as any verbal incantation or hand motion.]

I'm impressed. You've been here... a couple weeks? That's about what I could conjure, too.

-- O-Oh, no. I know that. It's more... [he sighs] I don't really know anyone that well. If my friends were here, I'd ask them for a bond without a second thought. But...they're not.

[And overcoming that chasm of loneliness is harder than he initially thought it'd be. He thought it'd be similar to how he stopped seeing them every day when he went to the music academy. But even then...they were always a phone call away. Rean and Machias were a train ride away. And Fie would pop in whenever she'd have business in the capital.

But here...there was nothing. No phone messages from Millium, no letters from Jusis or Gaius or Emma, no routine check-ins from Alisa or Laura. The silence was surprisingly deafening. And finding a new sound to overcoming it felt so....difficult.

But enough about that. He shakes himself out of those thoughts, smiling a little weakly]

Aha..thanks. I've been working hard to get it right, though to be fair, water's always been my best element. I'm still trying to get a handle on the others.

[Mikleo frowns as Elliot goes on. He might not outright say that he's lonely but Mikleo has seen that sadness and isolation in other people. In... himself. He's quiet for a moment, unsure of what to say.

In the end he decides to channel Sorey a little and speak from the heart.]

I know what that's like. All you can do is keep reaching out-- keep working toward finding a way back to them.

You've come this far on your own two feet, haven't you?

[As for the magic...]

There's value in training up your weaknesses. I'll show you runes later since that's more of a passive magical reaction and I brought you out here to cycle your magic.

How about healing spells?

[..........]

...R-Right. Forward, relentlessly.

[He repeats the old mantra to himself as if to encourage himself. He had to keep trying it he wanted to make it home to his loved ones.

However, it doesn't do anything to ease the sadness and isolation. It was a good try Mikleo, but not entirely effective

As for the magic, yeah. He's got it. He's all for training his weaknesses, so he just nods along. ]

I've got a minor healing spell down, but it's not like there's any injuries for me to treat now.

Exactly.

[That wasn't as effective as he was hoping but that just means he'll need to be persistent.]

There's something they didn't mention in class. I'll show you.

[He conjures a small jagged piece of ice and slices his right palm with it, only barely wincing. It's deep enough to start pooling in his hand.]

Try healing this.

[With that amount of blood, the spell will be enhanced somewhat. Blood is a very important reagent for potions as well as spells.]

[!!!!!!!

Well that sure causes him a shock! He jolts back in horror because DUDE. DUDE]

What're you doing?! Are you crazy?!

[He will heal it though, giving a hum to throw a spell at it. Mostly so Mikleo STOPS THE BLEEDING. The cut will knit itself up with a cooling sensation.

Which no. He doesn't notice the difference in power because you didn't explain it and he's too busy going into Healer Mode to care about theoretics. ]

There! Now don't do that again!

[Mikleo is just... calm? He had it handled? But of course his first reaction is to snap right back.]

I know exactly what I was doing-- I'm a healer too. How am I supposed to show you blood magic without blood?

[He sighs and looks over his hand.]

Well, it looks like you healed it just fine. You don't feel dizzy or anything?

I'm fine.

[I'm not the one cutting myself like an idiot!! In fact Elliot is still worked up]

And you do it with words?! You know, talking?!

You don't just cut yourself with no explanation! O-Or at all! How do you think you'd react if I had just done the same thing??

[Welp. Mikleo's not usually one to poke at something until it bites back, so he takes note of Elliot's vehemence. His lips form a line-- but he does listen.]

It'd depend on the context but--

[He pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes.]

No, you're right. I would be yelling even more than you are.

... Sorry. I keep forgetting that I'm human now. A deep enough wound and I won't be able to recover. Not like I used to.

[He breathes out when Mikleo apologizes. Allowing himself to calm down. It's not like he likes being mad, he was just freaked out.]

...It's fine, I get it. You're still getting used to it.

Just next time warn me, or give me an explanation instead. People don't like seeing their friends hurt themselves.

... Yes. I'll do that.

[He rests a hand on his hip and lets the other one curl around his staff. Friend is... such a strong word, but considering what he's seen from Elliot, he's not averse to it.]

Do you want the explanation?

Thank you.

[Sorry what? I'm lonely and clingy and you've spoken to me twice now. WE FRIENDS]

Yes please, I wasn't sure what you were getting at before.

[Elliot will now DIE FOR YOU. Mikleo isn't going to turn him down just because he's feeling a little prickly though, he knows he was in the wrong.]

Not long after I got here, I ventured outside the wall with someone and he ended up getting hurt. I didn't really know anything beyond the most basic of healing spells and I was having trouble casting because of the corruption, but I channeled everything I had into healing-- and it worked. I healed my friend's wounds that day and I shouldn't have been able to do that.

As it turns out, healers here use blood-- theirs or their patient's-- as a way to boost the effectiveness of their magic. Unfortunately, I couldn't control it and ended up being unable to use my magic for a week or so. I completely wore myself out.

Blood and water aren't that different. That makes it even more important that you know what you're getting into.

[No that's Rean. Elliot will just heal you because he's not dumb.

He'll be a good student, listening to the story. He makes a bit of a concerned face when Mikleo talks about going outside the wall so soon. He'd been out of the wall a couple times by now, but never alone and always cautious of his environment.]

Sounds like you guys got really lucky...

[It's a good thing they did. He liked Mikleo, and he didn't want anything to happen to the person he was with either.]

Blood huh. That's...definitely different than how healing arts worked back in my world. [Also, pretty gross.] I can see why they don't teach it often in class...

[That's something that could easily be exploited or twisted in the wrong hands. He saw a boy get kidnapped and forcibly shoved into a corrupted divine knight because of his bloodline. Goddess knows what someone like Duke Cayenne would do with a piece of knowledge like this.]

I'll keep it in mind though. Thank you for telling me.

Yes. And before you get any ideas, we did catch hell for it.

[He nods.]

Witch blood is powerful in itself, too. It's dangerous, but if someone is going feral you might be able to calm them with a small amount.

[He smiles faintly.]

From one healer to another.

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