milliways_bar | (no subject)

"Common?" She replies sarcastically. "We can't move for the bloody stuff. It's everywhere. Not that I mind of course," she adds, "it certainly beats having to rely on machines for everything, and makes it easier to find a good bar.

"That book's nothing special, it's just theory, mostly. It's not got as much latent power as some of the other books in the library. I'd lend it to you, but I do not want to get on the wrong side of the Librarian." She babbling now, she's found someone she can really relate too.

"Oh, wow. That sounds amazing. I mean, I can use magic, but there's not all that many people in my world who can, and it's dangerous if you get addicted." Her expression darkens for a moment, but she perks up quickly. "We don't have that many magical texts, either, at least not easily accessed ones. People who write them are usually thought to be a bit erratic or eccentric."

"Erratic or eccentric... yeah, that pretty much sums up all the wizards I know - the witches as well, come to think of it.

"But, yes, it's very dangerous if you use too much of it. It can... well, let's just say that it attracts Things you don't want to attract. The skill is knowing when not to use magic." Which is pretty much all the time, she thinks sadly.

"Yeah, it's like that where I come from. I don't use it unless I have to, I've seen what happens when you get addicted. There're no Things - at least, none that I've seen that're attracted by magic - but there are consequences."

She smiles. "So, are you a witch or a wizard?"

"I'm sure there are Things, even if you can't see them. It sounds like your world is... thicker than mine, if that makes sense. All that raw magic sloshing around can cause reality to be pretty relative."

She grins brightly, and shows the octogram around her neck. "I'm a wizard. I'm actually a little relieved you asked. Many people I've met seemd to think they were equivalent. You're a witch, right? I mean, you haven't got a hat or anything, but you just seem like you have that kind of magic..." she hopes she's not being offensive.

"Oh, there probably are. We have demons and vampires, why not Things?"

She peers at the octogram, looking interested. "Oh, I figured that if magic worked differently in your world, maybe witches and wizards were different, too. And yeah, I'm a witch. We don't actually wear black pointy hats or anything where I come from, unless we feel like being silly."

She giggles. "Yeah, we have those too, but they're not a big deal. Demon's gotta do their job like anyone else, and vampires, well: a little holy water and garlic, and your biggest worry is getting them out of your carpet.

"If magic's supposed to be a secret, then I guess you don't want have a uniform, but at home, you'd lose half of your power if you don't advertise the fact. It's not so much what you do, as it is what you can do - or what they think you can do. I mean, what's the point of being able to turn people into frogs if they don't know it and behave accordingly?"

Tara giggles. "Oh, we don't turn people into frogs. At least I don't think we do, I can't do anything like that. A witch my friend used to know could turn herself into a rat, but I don't think I'd want to do that. I mainly use my magic to help the others fight demons and stuff."

Still giggling.
"But they don't need to know that, do they?"

"I suppose not. And the thought of demons quaking at the idea of being turned into a frog--" she giggles again.

"I've never really needed to worry much about demons, actually. In my world, they're either getting involved in religion or they're the tiny things we use in iconographs. It's people we have to worry about. They're the dangerous ones."

"Oh, yeah, people can be dangerous. I think demons in my world are different to the ones in your world, though, they can be bad. Really bad."

"Sounds different, yes. Not that demons aren't dangerous or anything, but they're danegrous like the gods are dangerous: a lot of potential if they'd only stop squabbling and being so bloody stupid." Esk has the casual tone of voice of an atheist who knows the Gods too well to have any reverence for them.

Tara giggles. "That's an interesting way of putting it. I like it. But no, the demons in my world are a lot more dangerous, which is why we have to fight them instead of them them squabble amongst themselves."

"Sounds..." Esk bit down on the word 'fun', "...a lot more interesting than spending your life at University, reading and working on magical theory."

Tara grimaces. "Ouch. That sounds... boring, really. I mean, I enjopyed college, but I was going to be there for five years, maybe? At the most?"

Esk grimaces in a 'you don't know my pain' way.

"I've been at UU for fifteen years now."

"Oh, poor thing! Why do you have to stay so long?"

She shrugs.
"I've been there since I was ten. I should have gone earlier but they wouldn't take me because... well, the Lore is - was - quite clear about female wizards.

"It's the only wizarding school on the Sto Plains, possibly on the entire Disc, and if you don't learn to control your magic, then it can be dangerous, as you know.

"It's not so bad. I get six square meals a day, my own room and unlimited access to the Library. It's better than any of the alternatives I've come up with."

"That doesn't sound so bad, especially since controlling your magic is important... you don't look as though you eat six square meals a day, though."

She's unsure if this means she looks underweight, but decides it's a compliment. She's never had a compliment before, so isn't certain.

"Well, I don't attend all the dinners. There's a limited amount of quaffing I can take, and wizards aren't all that interesting when they're filling their bellies."

She giggles. "I can imagine not. And, um, sorry if that was a bit blunt before, I just meant you don't look as if you eat that much. You're not too thin, but you're really not overweight."

"Oh that's OK, don't worry about it." She giggles along with her.

"So, you did go to University then? Was it a secret one? I've heard of at least one on another world so far... can't remember its name though."

"I went to Sunnydale University, but it's not a magical one or anything... it was over the Initiative base for a while, until that kinda got closed down. But no magic."

"A non magical University?" The concept confuses her. A lot. "What do you learn there, then? And what's an initiative base?"