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Post by Audiva on May 3, 2009 20:39:12 GMT -5
Jason paused again, thinking. "Yes and no. It depends on what kind of spell it was. I think that it's a subjective one - it should work when you're here, but the residual effect should be the same as it would if you knew what you were doing. The spell is a compulsion of a general sort, imbued with will, and should prevent him from coming back, but that's where the subjective part comes in. It could be that it's just his intent - to kill me - that will be blocked; if he comes back with the intent to hurt you, it might not protect you," he said.
"I'm not entirely sure, because that isn't a spell I know very well - I studied those years ago, and I don't remember them all that well since I haven't used them. The ones I use are different and more tailored to my personal magic," he continued. It was a rather amusing spectacle - he talked with his hands and gestured at certain points that were somewhat comical at points.
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Post by Aly on May 3, 2009 22:29:28 GMT -5
Poppy blinked, smiling happily. "I will just have to keep it in mind in case he does come back for me." she laughed, as if that weren't a possibility, although she knew, deep down, that if Alan's need for revenge was so great as to drive him to kill his own son, he should not hesitate to come after her. But of course Poppy Habison dealt with things as they happened, with no planning whatsoever.
"That's interesting," she said suddenly. "You studying magic. Where would one go to learn that?" Granted, she was thinking something along the lines of Hogwarts Castle, but of course there weren't true witchcraft and wizardry schools in the world. That was too strange.
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Post by Audiva on May 4, 2009 7:56:30 GMT -5
Jason half-smiled at this. Most people who weren't from the Night World came up with some very interesting ideas...like the woman who wrote the Harry Potter books, whose name he could not for the life of him remember at the moment. There were a number of other hilarious (to him) ideas, but very few of them were true.
"I learned from my mother, who was a witch - most people who do learn magic are born with it - all witches are, actually. It's generally passed down through the family, and the parent who has magic will teach any of their children who have the talent. There are a few people, though, who have discovered the Night World and have drawn power from vengeful magic - most of the people who aren't natural born witches who touch magic are like that - and they are called Tristes. That's what my father is. So, in general, if you weren't born a witch, then the only way to learn..most of the time, that is...is to become a Triste and apprentice yourself to another..."
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Post by Aly on May 4, 2009 18:34:31 GMT -5
Poppy's lips pursed just slightly. "So there are only two sides in magic?" she asked, head tilting to the side. That was a strange notion for her to bear in mind. "You're either born with it, or you learn it to destroy it?" She bit her lip, eyes narrowing just slightly. "That isn't fair."
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Post by Audiva on May 4, 2009 21:44:18 GMT -5
"It isn't," Jason agreed with a sigh. "But that's all I've ever known. That is what I was taught growing up...I don't know if there is a point between them. I wish there was, because of all the people that magic has changed, like my father, for example," he said. "My father was a good man once. But maybe there is a way, and I just don't know it. There's always that, and there's always hope, anyway, that someone will find a way..."
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Post by Aly on May 5, 2009 20:42:19 GMT -5
"Well, I did magic." Poppy blinked, mind spinning again. "That might not technically make me anything in particular, but... With what Mr North has said about the Night World, and with what he's taught me and had me read, I... guess that you could say I know a lot." she bit her lip, trying to see the destination of her thought train. "But magic hasn't changed me for the worse." She held her breath, watching him. She wasn't sure if she'd said something right or not.
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Post by Audiva on May 5, 2009 21:48:16 GMT -5
"That doesn't mean it won't, Poppy," Jason told her softly. His expression was solemn, sad even, as he looked at her with his bright blue eyes. "Even the best people can change if they let magic warp them, even unintentionally. Magic is very dangerous unless you know how to use it, and very few people who are not natural born witches can. But maybe you're lucky. Maybe you're one of those people," he said. The slightest hint of a smile curved his lips. He honestly hoped she was.
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Post by Aly on May 6, 2009 18:16:30 GMT -5
"Well, I've always kind of believed what Mr North taught me about the Night People, but he didn't move me towards vengeance." Her warm brown eyes simmered slightly with thought, but she didn't say anything more on the matter, but nodded slightly when his last comment made itself known. Then she smiled. "I'm not one to let anything control me, ever."
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Post by Audiva on May 8, 2009 18:43:21 GMT -5
"It isn't a conscious choice most of the time, Poppy. It just happens. It can even happen to someone like me. There are witches who have turned into monsters - did you know that one in every thirty witches that were burned at the stake were real? The others were charlatans, a rare few of them were actually Tristes, or they were wrongly accused. Most of the time, witches were too clever to get caught, or they managed to use magic to get away, such as the drowning cases. It's quite easy to veil oneself from the eyes of mortals," Jason told her. To make his point, he reached toward the magic he could feel constantly and began to run a veiling spell through his mind in a mantra, as he did some of the simpler spells that would spring to mind instantly. A split-second later, he disappeared.
Then, he let the spell go and just reappeared in her vision. "I suppose we're lucky that my father has no talent for that and has a difficult time creating a veil. Else, I'd probably be dead, and you would be in a great deal of trouble as you would have been the only person in the shop, and knowing him, it would have been messy. He isn't very good at death spells either, and hence usually botches them very badly..." he continued with a sigh, pressing his lips together after he stopped talking.
"I'm sorry. I'm being very morbid, aren't I?"
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Post by Aly on May 8, 2009 18:53:15 GMT -5
"I don't have much of a conscience," Poppy admitted, then blinked at his statistics. "Humans dislike things that are different from them, even if they are humans themselves. It seems perfectly reasonable that the witches that are not corrupt can hide themselves easily - I'm assuming that the truly evil witches are well-known, even in the human world, even if they aren't truly recognized as witches." Her eyes widened just slightly when she saw the man before him disappear - but she kept looking at the same space, studying it. When he reappeared. "From what you've said, Tristes can have a hard time mastering magic, because some do not have the talent but insist on learning the skill anyway."
Then she shook her head, "Not so morbid as Mr North," she laughed. "He talked about the witch trials in much greater detail." Then she paused for a while, deep in thought. "You know, you aren't completely invisible when you veil yourself like that. I expect you're only invisible if someone doesn't know exactly where you are."
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Post by Audiva on May 11, 2009 10:04:06 GMT -5
Jason laughed at her last comment. "You're right about that. I'm good at veils, though. If you hadn't already known where I was, I might have been completely invisible to you. Though, that particular spell doesn't take shadows into account, so you might have seen me had you seen my shadow," he said rather jokingly. Then he paused.
"It all depends on the person. Some Tristes have an easier time with magic than others do, and like witches, their magic is usually stronger in one area than others. My father is not talented with veils like I am - I got that from my mother - nor is he good with death spells. He is, however, much better at summonings than I am, and he can manage a few other kinds of spell better than I can. It just depends on where the magic is concentrated, really," he told her. It was probably rather amusing, seeing as he also talked with his hands and was gesturing almost the whole time.
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Post by Aly on May 11, 2009 19:20:22 GMT -5
Poppy nodded, understanding perfectly... she thought. "Shadows cause problems a lot, actually." she said. "With lots of things." She nodded, watching his hands; they really told the story. "I think.... it's like school. You're good at certain things, and others are just horrible." She smiled, it was a wonderfully amused smile.
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Post by Audiva on May 12, 2009 7:53:13 GMT -5
"Exactly. I hadn't actually thought about that because it's been a while since I was in school, which I never really liked. But your point stands," Jason told her. He still had yet to notice how very much he was talking with his hands. He did that a lot, and he tended to forget it did it until it was pointed out or something along those lines.
"It all just depends on where the magic is focused, and it is rather aggravating sometimes. For example, when I try anything that has to do with plants and controlling them, I fail miserably. But fire and water, on the other hand, I can control easily with the right spells. I suppose it's really about attunement and genetics at times. But, either way, the fact that you managed that when you know very little about the Night World shows a gift, I think," he continued, pausing there for a moment and thinking.
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Post by Aly on May 12, 2009 10:25:57 GMT -5
Poppy laughed. "I think school would be different now than it was then. You might like it." She smiled, still watching his hands, but didn't say anything. It didn't bother her.
She nodded, "In school, I'm good with English and science, but not math or history." she grinned. "My mom was a scientist and my dad a writer, so maybe it is genetic..." she trailed off, thinking along with him.
Then she broke the silence: "Will you teach me?"
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Post by Audiva on May 12, 2009 21:12:29 GMT -5
Jason paused for a moment, biting his lip. This was a huge question - a huge request in its entirety, really. If he taught her and she lost control or became a real Triste, he would he held accountable, and his father wouldn't need to seek revenge on him - the elders of the Night World would do it for him, and Jason would be executed. But to say no to her could quite possibly push her to that same fate. It would be his fault either way. Why had he just had to come to this bookstore? Oh, right, he was an idiot and he wanted a book that he really hadn't needed all that badly in retrospect. Jason closed his eyes for a moment, thinking. With a sigh, he opened them again.
"Yes. I'll teach you, but I won't promise that I'll be around here much longer. And I can tell you right now, this isn't the way to everlasting life or any of that junk. You'll still be as mortal as can be, and not only will I not teach you anything that will come close to that, but practitioners are not immortal in any way. Necromancy is forbidden, and there are a number of other subjects that I will tell you about later that are also off limits. And what I teach you will be white magic, which is what kind I have and use. I cannot teach black magic, and I couldn't anyway, since I can't use it. Am I understood? And keep in mind, this is a limited time thing. If I get attacked again like this, I'm going to have to leave, most likely, so that my dear father doesn't kill anyone else on his quest for my blood. All right?"
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