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 Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 12:14 pm
Starlight arrived in the park perfectly on time, because if he came too early he might have seemed desperate and if he arrived late he might have seemed disrespectful. He was taking this all very seriously and he was grateful for Lysithea’s willingness to meet with him and help him work through his magic.
He felt her energy signature approaching at the same time he was, so it wasn’t any surprise that they arrived at nearly the same time. He raised a hand to wave to her, and tried to keep a fast, normal pace, even if he was tempted to just trot over.
“Lysithea, hi,” he greeted. He carried a small cardboard box with him and presented it immediately. “I brought you some sweets. It’s a couple different types, it’s from the bakery. They’re things that didn’t sell today. They’re good! We just made too much. Some of them are the ones that came out looking a little funny but they still taste good. I wanted to bring you a thank you gift for coming out to practice with me tonight.”
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Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 12:48 pm
Lysithea’s eyes lit up, both with seeing him and at the gift. “Oh! Thank you that means a lot, I’m excited to try something from there. I had meant to visit but. I got a little distracted with…you know. Life and stuff. Had the talk with Soleiyu and he said that the reason that I can’t be as strong as I was is because my starseed is damaged from the corruption and everything that happened so…”
She took the box and shrugged, opening it and hesitating before picking up one of the treats and taking a bite, happily surprised at the chocolate cream that was hidden inside. “Oh, oh wow yeah I’ll be over to the bakery soon if everything tastes this good!”
Lysithea licked a small bit of the cream from her lip and put the box down on a nearby bench, trying to go into serious mode and finding it a little difficult. She wanted to just be friends with this boy but…he wanted assistance in solving his issue so. She could help.
“Okay! Show me your magic, don’t tell me what it’s supposed to do and we’ll see if it works, okay? Don’t let me know what I should expect to feel or…you know. Don’t let my mind trick us both into thinking that it’s doing what it’s supposed to if it isn’t!”
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Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 1:59 pm
“Okay,” he said quickly, and decided that he could save the unicorn charm he’d brought her until after they were done practicing. He sucked in a breath to try and calm his mind. “I just want to reassure you that it’s not going to hurt, though–that’s the big thing. I’m proud of you for having your talk with Soleiyu.”
If he wasn’t going to tell her what his magic did, he supposed it was fine to talk just a little more while he worked up the focus to try casting his magic again. “Your starseed is going to heal, right? You’re not stuck like this?”
Okay, he was ready.
He positioned his paintbrush so that the tip was pointed at the ground and he began to make shapes with it. It didn’t look like he was doing anything, but he was trying his hardest to will the magnetic path for her to follow. He started in front of her and began to paint a trail in a circle around him, and a few little wiggly path to see if she was moving of her own accord or following his path.
Quote: Magic: When Starlight channels his magic, he must 'paint' a path on the ground. He can paint a path within thirty feet of him and can target a single opponent at a time, ally or enemy, and they will feel a magnetic pull to the track he has painted. The magic will guide them along the path, compelling them to follow it. While it is possible to resist the urge, the magic will always have a magnetic pull. The magic pool lasts for 40 seconds at a time and he can keep painting a track until the pool ends or he can paint a cyclical track for them to follow (such as a circle) until the end of the magic. He cannot force anyone into a life threatening situation unless the player desires, and the target can always resist and struggle to slow the pull or to break away from the track completely.
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Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 5:44 pm
Lysithea sighed. “I really hope so. I really hope that…it can be fixed soon but.” She was curious as to what he was doing, but didn’t realize that he was using his magic until she felt a strange pull and began walking, frowning just slightly as her feet seemed to move on their own, following a strange path, first a circle, and then some zigzags that made her almost trip over her feet.
“...This. This feels really strange…Starlight, this is you, is this you? Or am I just. What is this?”
Her voice was a mixture of confusion and a little fear, though she tried to hide it.
“I hope this is your magic, I…I’m not…not sure I enjoy how this feels. It’s like I’m being pulled along some kind of a track…is…like I’m a toy car or something.”
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Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 7:00 pm
“I thought I wasn’t supposed to tell you what it did?” he asked, temporarily pausing so he could look at her face. She looked uncomfortable, and for a moment he was worried that he was doing something wrong or hurting her, but…”
He kept channeling his magic, but stopped painting a new path for her to follow. “It’s kind of magnetic, right? I think that’s what it does. I think my magic is–I just paint a path and people follow. Except, the last time I was trying, it didn’t do anything. He totally ignored the path I was painting. So it–I don’t know, it seems like it’s doing what it’s supposed to, but…I don’t know why he was able to break it?”
His lips pressed into a tight line and his brows furrowed together a bit. “Maybe he’s just immune to magnetism? Or maybe I wasn’t focusing very well? I don’t know. I’m trying not to focus that much right now,” he said, and finally painted a little more. He kept talking, but seemed to be trying to figure out if she was more or less compelled to follow his line if he wasn’t thinking about only channeling his magic. “If it’s too weird, I can stop. What happens if you close your eyes, does that make it easier for you to not follow it, or…?”
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Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 7:12 pm
“Hmm…” She closed her eyes and then shoved her hands over her eyes, digging the heals into them to make sure she couldn’t see.
Her feet kept moving of their own will, following his line perfectly.
“Starlight, this is so wild. It does feel like a magnet, like I’m just being pulled and I have no control over it. When I’m trying to move somewhere else, I just…keep getting moved back. Unless I’m crazy…am I going where you’re pointing? Maybe…”
She was trying to think about his problem while reassuring him, while trying to fend off the magic but. It was difficult to do all three.
“Was he stronger than you? Could that be it? If he was stronger than you were, that would make some sense, maybe your powers just didn’t work on someone stronger?”
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Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 7:19 pm
Starlight kept looking up from the ground and her face, mindful not to give her any obstacles she couldn’t avoid. “You’re still going where I point. You haven’t strayed from the path at all.”
He frowned, just a little, and couldn’t shake the fact that even when he was just painting and not really thinking about it she was still following his paintbrush. “He wasn’t stronger than me. If he were, I would have run faster. I know I’m not a good enough fighter to take on a General or anything. I try to be really careful. I don’t know. The magic is going to run out soon, do you want to stop now? I can’t figure out what I was doing wrong with him. It’s so strange. I really don’t understand all of this. And it’s so frustrating not to have a ‘help’ book. Like, ‘If your magic isn’t working, eat three apples and get a good night’s rest or something.”
He paused for a second and then leaned back. “...Wait, maybe I did skip lunch that day. Can that mess with your magic?”
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Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 7:34 pm
“I’m really not sure. I don’t…think it should mess with your magic. I can stop. I want to eat some more of that pastry.” Lysithea removed her hands from her eyes and flashed starlight a smile, though paused.
“Wait, had you used your magic at all before on that day? Could that have been the issue? That it had run out?”
It sounded as good of an answer as any, and if she could help him feel a bit better about things…well. That would make it all worthwhile. “If you had run out of magic…that would make some sense, don’t you think? I mean…I’m not completely sure how Knight magic works, but I know I can only use my healing so much before I can’t anymore.”
When the magnetic pull ended, she gave a sigh and stumbled slightly before catching herself and moving to the bench, pleased to take another bite of the chocolate filled delight.
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Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2022 7:55 pm
Starlight fell quiet for a moment and then looked away, but it was clear that his ears and cheeks were already a little bit pink. “I don’t know,” he answered, and coughed to clear his throat. “Maybe. I suppose I should time it or something.”
He lowered his paintbrush and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I think…there’s only so long I can use my magic for. I don’t know.” He still looked a little embarrassed, and quickly pulled the unicorn keychain out of subspace. It was cute, in soft pastel colors and with a holographic overlay. “Anyway, I made this for you. I mean, we’re going to sell them at the bakery so it’s not like it’s one of a kind! But you’ve got the first. Um. And I’ve got some in other colors, too. I’ll show you if you like. If you want to stop by you can have the whole set.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2022 7:10 am
“We can time it next time, I’d be fine with you practicing on me again, and I’ll make sure I have my normal phone set aside so we can time how long you can cast your magic…but um.” She gave a little, sheepish grin. “...When we do that, can you not do the zig zags? I kept thinking I was going to trip over myself and there wasn’t a way I could stop it!” Lysithea laughed softly, though paused as he handed her the keychain, her eyes growing wide.
“Starlight, you…seriously made this for me? This? That’s amazing, it’s so cute!”
She did want the whole set, and she would stop by. It would be wonderful.
“Yeah! Tell me when it’s a good time for me to come over and I’ll be there, seriously! I’m really glad we met, and I know I’ve said this before, but…I’m not happy you got hurt, but I’m so glad of what came of it.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2022 11:20 am
Starlight nodded. “Right, um–yeah, no zig zags. Sorry, I was just trying to make a path that I didn’t think you’d randomly do. But I’ll be more careful next time, now that I know. I didn’t want you to get hurt or fall down or anything. But, um. I’m glad you like it.”
He looked a little embarrassed at her praise, still shy about the attention. He was happy! Just, still learning to accept and appreciate kind words.
“I’ll text you, I’ll save a set and if you come by after five thirty or six tomorrow it’s usually pretty calm, I can get you a few things to take home with you, too. But–I’m really glad I met you, too. I mean, I’m really grateful for your being there to heal me, but you’ve been really nice, too. I appreciate you doing all this for me. I just want to be able to pay you back. And, um. You know. Give you an excuse to want to stay friends.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2022 11:45 am
“No need to apologize! This was a whole different thing, now we know that your magic does work, the next time will be to see how long it can last. It’s just a request that makes it easier on the both of us! I’m glad you did the zig zags this time, it helped prove to you that it was working, and that was the whole point.”
Lysithea hesitated and then hugged the boy for a moment, squeezing him tightly before pulling away and shaking her head. “You don’t owe me any payback, and I want to be your friend regardless if you pamper me with sweets and the cutest keychains I’ve ever seen. I’m going to be your friend no matter what, Starlight. Because I just want to be your friend…but I’ll see you tomorrow night then! Expect me, okay? And get home safe. Maybe we can go practice the endurance of your magic after I meet you at the bakery. If you’re up to it, if not, we’ll do it another time.”
She hesitated and stuffed the rest of her pastry into her mouth, closing the box to share the last one with Zac. Or Evan. Or…whoever.
Regardless…she was going to share it.
Maybe.
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