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 Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 5:06 pm
Relm quirked a brow laughingly at his answer to her shower question but did not push the issue. It was clear to her that the mage was very naive. She herself was innocent -in the she had not been there aspect- but knowledge & understanding made her far from naive. In that way, she had not been a child very long. Although teasing Kaleb would be fun, Relm found she did not have the heart to right now.
"You certainly did something right." The pictomancer looked at the magic lines again, wondering if she could duplicate them. "Maybe sometime you could teach me." She grinned, giving Kaleb a friendly wink. "I promise to be a better student than I was to my other teachers."
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Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 5:50 pm
Kaleb smiled again at the compliment, although he still blushed brightly and fidgeted in a flustered manner. "I-I could try to teach you, but I-I don't know how well I could explain some of the concepts and spell forms. It's pretty intricate." He wasn't doubting Relm's ability to learn the spell so much as his own ability to teach it, the magic was very difficult to cast and he didn't want to accidentally endanger his friend with bad instructions.
He glanced up at the sky again, and then looked at Relm. "I-if you wanted, we could walk while we discuss it?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 11:19 am
Relm looked sheepish, having already forgotten that she had been the one to bring up going home in her excitement. "Sure thing! You'll be taking a portal home most likely, won't you? I've already put you out of your studies. I'd not want to have you walk home in the dark when you were kind enough not to leave me to it."
Habitually she dusted & smoothed her pants & adjusted her cape. When her hands went to straiten her beret & found the white mage's hood instead Relm had a moment of shock before she laughed at herself. "I can still call for Timex outside of the city. We live east of Bass'ken Lake, so it's a good trek on foot. Of course, you don't have to see me all the way home but if you do... you'd've seen the place so could 'port over to use our library when you want to." She crinkled her nose slightly, wondering if she should say not to bring anyone without asking then deciding that Kaleb was well brought up enough not to need such a reminder.
"As for explaining spell concept & forms..." The artist mage grinned impishly. "I'm sure you'll be just fine once you get going." Starting to walk Relm painted an imitation of the magical pattern in the air before them. Except for the magic of the painting itself, it held none of the true magic to activate it as a portal. Relm had clearly created it for reference purposes only. "We can start with the part I recognize. Here." She tapped it with her brush tip, causing the 'strand' to brighten slightly. "Now since it seems the same as what's on our door, I'm going to guess it's not part of the permanence spell. Perhaps the part that relates to deciding where to go? The relay I think?"
She was still thinking of ways to help her friend with his blood problem. She would have to have a word aside with Fred & George to please keep the Nosebleed Nugats away while Keme was over. It would not due to have him fainting over that. Or maybe it would... maybe the issue isn't the Scholar being faint... maybe it would be easier to find a way to wake him back up each time... Relm filed the thought away for the time being. One big magical undertaking at a time. Sometimes it was very hard to focus on only one thing when there were so many interesting venues to explore.
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Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 12:15 pm
Kaleb nodded, "I-if it's not too far away for me to manage. I-I'm getting stronger though, I can almost portal clear across the city now." His eyes widened a bit as Relm continued. "Y-you would let me see your library?" He asked almost eagerly, but his tone also contained a great deal of hesitation. He was delighted at the possibility of finding some books that he hadn't already studied, but he really didn't want to intrude.
Hopping off the bench, the mage held his massive book securely with both arms as he followed his friend. As she created the magical diagram, he shifted the book to rest against his hip so he could point at another section. "That part, along with this, is the structure that keeps the door open." Biting his lower lip for a second, he traced the line he had pointed at, along with several others, to leave thin golden streaks highlighting the strands of magic he was referring to. "All these parts are important to maintaining the integrity of the portal on both sides."
Kaleb reached up to brush his bangs out of his face, inadvertedly leaving gold highlights that glittered a bit against his natural blonde hair colour, and a smudge of gold on one cheek. He didn't seem to notice though. "The relay, as you call it, isn't really a relay at all, so much as a bending of reality, and that is much more complicated."
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Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 4:03 pm
"Of course you could see the library. I wouldn't have said so otherwise." Relm answered nonchalantly; almost offhandedly. It was really Remus' Library, though they all used it. She knew the wizard kitsu loved sharing the library with anyone seeking knowledge anyway. "Hmm... you might have to portal twice -once to the city then to your home. You'll have to be the judge of that once we get there. I'm not going to presume to know how far is too far." Her family would have laughed at that, knowing how Relm liked to push her limits all the time.
She was back on the door however. It was a bit of work for her, not having been taught on the terms Kaleb knew. Magic had always come so easy to the pictomancer; almost like breathing. She followed those lines streaked with gold, seeing where they connected & held. Later she would probably notice the magical gold Kaleb had accidentally annointed himself with & laugh, but not now. "Okay. Integrity. Right. I guess even our door needs integrity or we'd get lost stepping through." But then she frowned, more from contemplation than from being upset in anyway. "So if the part I recognize is for integrity, what directs location?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 11:43 pm
Kaleb didn't think he would be able to work up the nerve to just invite himself over to see the library, he would need someone to take him once or twice so he felt comfortable with the idea of just dropping by whenever he wanted.
He didn't voice his awkwardness, but instead turned his attention back to the diagram. "It's not there." He said simply, frowning a little. He shifted the book again so he could reach out and draw more gold lines, weaving amidst the existing strands in intricate and intertwining forms. He muttered to himself a bit as he fleshed out the diagram, the lines he drew becoming thinner and finer as he added in more and more detail.
Once the diagram was built up to a large mass of interwoven geometric designs and delicate curves of gold he hesitated, looking like there was more he wanted to add but not quite knowing how. "There's more, lots more, but it relates to the quality of the weave and the basic energy components... I don't know how to draw that aspect. And the magic that actually links one's internal representations to the current location, and then to the target location." He didn't say it out loud, but there was also a quality to the magic that he didn't think anyone could replicate, similar to how everyone had a unique voice, or writing style. He had no idea if that factor was important for the spell to function or if it was completely irrevalent.
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Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 12:31 am
Relm blinked, her eyes going wide. She opened her mouth once, then closed it again -watching Kaleb add missing parts.
"Wait. Wait. Wait... you mean those are all actually parts of the spell? All those tiny little filaments??" Awe & wonder filled her voice as she tried to keep her jaw from going slack on her. "I thought they were just residual magical energies or something... not part of the matrix themselves!"
Carefully, Relm began trying to add the rest of the "filaments" as she called them to the diagram floating before them as they walked. Her face took on an intense look of concentration while she worked. After a while she relaxed a bit, studying the diagram's construct analytically. She gave a nod of satisfaction at her work, then her shoulders slumped forward in defeat. "I don't think I can do that... I can paint it... but I haven't the foggiest how to create all those intricate things when casting a spell! I just reach & throw!"
The pictomancer suddenly realized how very limiting her magic was without her painting and it was not very comforting to her. She felt quite dejected, not having the first clue how to go about learning something so very complex. The first model would have been difficult enough, but this? Relm looked at the ground as she kicked a rock idly along the path.
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Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 12:51 am
Kaleb felt rather warm when he noticed that Relm seemed to be impressed, but his mood fell when he noted how dispirited she seemed that she couldn't cast it herself. "I-it's n-not something a lot of mages can do anyway," he said quickly, waving away the gold lines he had drawn. He neglected to remove the gold smudged across his cheek and decorating his hair, since he wasn't aware it was there. "M-many mages don't bother with this level of fine casting, if they have other specialties they may never need it..."
The small healer shifted his book again so he could hug it with both arms, and he glanced away as he chewed on his lower lip. He wished his social skills were more developed, then maybe he would know what to say to cheer Relm up again.
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Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 1:24 am
Somehow Relm managed a wan smile. "Specialties like being a pictomancer?"
She kicked another rock. Although she would not admit it even to herself, Rufus ShinRa's comments on her art & magic had cut deep. Deeper perhaps than even she knew. There were times while adventuring her skills had come in handy... more often than not though the group asked her to play healer, not quite having faith that her "paint" or "control" abilities would pan out fruitfully. Still she knew what she was capable of. Trelweny believed in her too, and that had been enough for a while.
Sighing, Relm erased the diagram completely. "Just doesn't seem good for anything, sometimes. 'cept show."
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Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 7:26 am
Kaleb perked up and gave her a bright smile in return. "Yes! That magic you showed me earlier was amazing, I don't think I'd ever be able to manage that effect even if I studied for years longer."
His smile faded and he shook his head quickly at her last comment, causing a bit of gold to fall off his hair like fine powder. It had always saddened him back at the academy to see mages who doubted their fine work, and it made his heart ache believing that he was the cause of Relm's doubt. "I-it was good enough for you to go adventuring, a-and it was good for impressing me, even with all my studying. I-I've always thought you loved painting, isn't it good for using with your paint and making you happy? Your magic makes everyone who knows you happy too, I-I would hope that makes it good for something." The mage went back to chewing on his lip, keeping his gaze down towards the ground as they walked.
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Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 8:00 am
"I do love it!" Relm exclaimed defensively, almost before she knew the words were out of her mouth. Her raised ear flicked beneath her WhiteMage hood, causing it to move slightly.
"I've just been wondering lately if I'm only good at painting because of my magic, or only good at magic when I'm painting..." Her voice trailed off as she had an inkling why that was. "ooo!!" Eyes narrowing Relm growled softly. "It's that Rufus ShinRa! Whyever I let that arrogant pretty-boy's words affect me like this I'll never know!"
A split second later her ears drooped. "I guess... I guess it hit home. That maybe without my magic I wasn't a Master..."
She wanted to let herself be cheered by Kaleb's compliments. It was just that when it came to questioning her magic & art, well -that was the core of Relm's being. Without them, she felt lost.
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Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 8:42 am
Kaleb startled a bit when she exclaimed more vehemently, and fidgeted at the mention of his employer. For the sake of his poor nerves he wanted to like Rufus, but he didn't want to disregard his friend's experiences either.
"Why does it matter what makes you good at your painting or magic?" Kaleb asked, "Isn't it enough to know you're good?" He hugged his book tighter, hesitating a bit before continuing in a very quiet and almost wry voice. "The only reason I'm good at magic is because I'm too messed up to do anything else. I would hope that's not held against me when I'm healing others."
His ears also drooped a bit. "I-I don't know if Rufus was informed enough to make such a decision for you."
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Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 11:24 am
"It shouldn't matter." The pictomancer agreed with a sigh. "It's bugging me that it does matter. To me. Keme wouldn't like it that I was fretting over it..."
Her tail wagged happily beneath her cot at the thought of the hummingbird male & a small smile started to grow on her face as she snuggled into her cloak. "And you're not messed up, Scholar." She insisted loyally.
Then she snorted softly. "Perhaps not. But then he should not have said so." She was neither fully upset, fully despondent, or much of any emotion as she spoke & though she did seem a little mollified her lips pressed close in a firm line. "I would think it would not behoove a man of such standing to impart such spiteful insult casually." Light green eyes flashed dangerously. "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I had lost my temper! If I had dropped a wall on them or pitted them against themselves!"
A spark was back in her eyes at the thought, and it was likely not very pleasant. But then it was gone Relm grinned softly in an almost apologetic way. "I... shouldn't say such things. Shouldn't even think them. They're your friends, aren't they? The Turks? So long as they're good to you... I'll try not to think ill of them."
She glanced at Kaleb to see his reaction & giggled, seeing the gold on his face & hair at last.
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Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 12:25 pm
Kaleb was pleased to see her smile, even if only for a bit, but the talk about what she might have wanted to do to him made him nervous. The thought that Relm may have wanted to cause Rufus harm was almost terrifying, since it would be his job to stand up against her and keep Rufus safe.
As her expression softened, he felt a bit better. "I-it's confusing. I-I don't really know where I stand with them... But they are nice to me." He adjusted his glasses a bit as he thought about it. He guessed they were friends, but he wasn't sure how much of it could be called friendship and how much could be just a working relationship. "I-I'm really glad you won't try to hurt them," he finished quietly.
He glanced up when he heard her little laugh, and blinked with a curious expression.
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Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 1:31 pm
It probably would not have helped to tell Kaleb that her meeting with the ShinRa president had occurred before he joined their group even had she thought about it. For her friend's sake though, she would do her best to keep her word. Thankfully since that first fateful introduction she had only met one other Turk. At this point, the pictomancer was quite satisfied to keep it that way.
Her giggling however intensified seeing Kaleb's expression. She shook slightly, holding her sides & poking her brush out of where she had drawn the sides of her cape in front of her Relm pointed at the mage's hair. In a moment she found words again, getting them around her giggles somehow. "Your hair! Face! Magic glitter!"
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