The Magic Box, Monday

[existencemisspent]

Eliot was 100% hungover from his shift again. But at least this time he could blame Quentin’s sudden appearance and disappearance instead of nightmares!

Not that he wasn’t 100% still having nightmares every time he slept or anything, but really, it’d been more than a week, he was basically used to that, now.

You know, as much as anyone could get used to reliving a formative traumatic memory over and over with no way to stop or change it while a casual acquaintance watched and judged you from not nearly afar enough.

Anyway, he was here again. And looking slightly more functional as he skimmed the bookshelves for anything about a) interdimensional travel, b) Neitherlands-like world hubs, c) magic quests, d) fear entities, or e) bunnies.

“So that’s how they do the rabbit out of a hat trick. Huh.”

[open!]

Comments

[gospel_of_oblivion]

Hopefully he wouldn't mind an interruption mid-afternoon, when Illyana came in with her shopping list.

"I need a dozen white candles, nine black candles, a box of casting-quality chalk, some almond incense, ten ounces of frankincense resin, three or four pieces of Bat Head's Root, and some unshaped beeswax. And whatever type of bergamot, honeysuckle and/or clove you've got in stock. I can't get those to grow in my room, and I'm sick of going back to New York for reagents," she said, not really looking up from her list, as she checked to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. "Oh, and a job application, if you're hiring."

Illyana, this was not the best way to make a good first impression with a possible coworker.

[OOC: Illy applying has been cleared with the appropriate persons.]

[existencemisspent]

Eliot raised an eyebrow, waving around him. "Candles are that way. Incense is over there."

He supposed he was expected to look for the rest. Ugh, retail.

"And we could be hiring." He didn't have that kind of authority at all, but that had never really stopped him from putting on a good show of it. "What sort of spell are you planning with all that?"

[gospel_of_oblivion]

"Replentishing supplies, mostly," she replied, immediately heading in the direction of candles. "I was gone part of the summer, and some of my stuff didn't survive the neglect. My candles and incense resin pretty much melted."

"Besides, it's always a good idea to start stocking up on basic protection equipment after Parent Weekend. It's only a matter of time before something terrible tries to invade the island and kill us all. And I'm trying to stick to using protection magics in those situations."

And not, say, Chaos Incarnate.

[existencemisspent]

“I suppose,” Eliot allowed, getting gracefully to his feet. Looking for the appropriate chalk was at least less mind numbing than research. “Though this all sounds a bit fiddly for a proper emergency situation.”

Battle magic, he’d learned, was way more about internal Circumstances than any list of ingredients.

[gospel_of_oblivion]

"Complete mastery of the ritualistic aspects will allow for greater levels of power and flexibility in spontanious casting at later stages of training," Illyana droned rolling her eyes, clearly repeating something she'd been told a thousand times by a very frustrated instructor.

"Also, it's way easier to ward individual spaces ritually, so I don't have to maintain active attention all over the island. When shit's hitting the fan, it's faster to know exactly where the magic alarm is going off, rather than needing to play 'guess the destination.'"

[existencemisspent]

“You sound like this guy I know. Even have a hint of the accent. . . .” Eliot spotted some clove oil and picked it up. “Admittedly he is an extremely skilled magician.”

[gospel_of_oblivion]

"The accent is mine, I am from Lake Baikal, in Siberia. The sorcery instruction is from my teacher, my plane's Sorcerer Supreme," Illyana replied. "--who is infamous for taking shortcuts, ironically enough."

[existencemisspent]

"I don't doubt it is," Eliot said easily. "I imagine Russia breeds all sorts of power, really. Can't say I'm familiar with a 'Sorcerer Supreme', but I'm guessing it's not too different from a 'Master Magician', which Mayakovsky certainly is. A fact he will never fail to remind you of when you talk to him, especially when he's been hitting the lichen vodka."

[gospel_of_oblivion]

"He has to wait for the vodka to take effect? He's been out of Russia too long, then," Illyana deadpanned. "False modesty suits no one, especially not magic-users or Russians."

"Russian magic users are a special breed of impossible, and I include myself in that statement."

[existencemisspent]

"Well, he was banished to Antarctica," Eliot mused. ". . . And I'm not certain I've ever seen him when he hasn't been hitting the lichen vodka."

He found the chalk and added it to the little collection he was making for her based on her rattled off list.

"So what's your Discipline, then? Other than preemptive protection spells?"

[gospel_of_oblivion]

"Chaos, Infernal, and Creation," she said, collecting the last of her candles and then heading towards incense. "In that order. Though to claim the title of Supreme for Earth, I'll have to master everything eventually."

"You?"

[existencemisspent]

“Telekinesis, technically,” Eliot said. “But I try to dabble in a bit of most things.” And mostly ignored the natural telekinetic bent. “I happen to be an especially fan hand at party magic.”

[gospel_of_oblivion]

"What is a 'party magic?'" Yana asked, sticking her head out of the aisle to look at him, confused. "I have not heard of that school of power."

Yes, she thinks you're being literal, Eliot. Sorry.

[existencemisspent]

“Oh you poor neglected miscreant,” Eliot said. It wasn’t personal, ‘miscreant’ was one of his favorite words. “Party magic is any spell you can use to make sure people have a good time. Potions, phosphoromancy, musical magic, it all gets wrapped up in there somewhere.”

Don’t tempt him to try to make you sing, Illy. That was one of his group’s favorite spells.

[gospel_of_oblivion]

Compulsion spells on Illyana would be a terrible idea.

"Ah, no one would like my 'party' spells," she said wryly. "Unless they like playing 'get the goblins off the chandelier.'"

"...that is not a euphemism." She'd been friends with Uly long enough to know she had to specify.

[existencemisspent]

"That's too bad," Eliot said. "I imagine the euphemism version would be a great game."