entrancelogs | sleigh bells are ringing, it's that time of year

Entry tags:

sleigh bells are ringing, it's that time of year

Who: Anders (

circlejerked) and Minato Arisato (

jivitadana).
Where: First floor tea room.
When: Dec. 28th.
Rating: PG, probably.
Summary: A late Secret Santa gift exchange wherein Anders does his first Christmas proud and they try to wash the taste of Ewaymas out of their mouths.
The Story:

_{[After that roller coaster ride of sleep deprivation and fending off hordes of mindless Tranquil-esque pod people (a slight exaggeration, perhaps), Anders could honestly sleep for a year straight with his usual dreams of Wardens flying into battle on the backs of tigers. But there's no rest for the wicked or the weary--duty calls.

Somewhere out there is a Secret Santa recipient waiting for him to shower them in holiday cheer. It's Anders to the rescue.

After all, how can he hope to take part in Earth celebrations--or just as likely poke fun at them for being strange--if he dropped the ball on his first Christmas gift exchange? It's practically like Satinalia, and he's awesome at that. He's got this. And then maybe he'll consider looking into that year-long hibernation.

It's easy enough to find his giftee's name in the contact list and send them a text inviting them down to the first floor tea room to meet their Secret Santa. It's not stranger danger when someone's luring you with free gifts, right? Well, that might actually be the textbook definition of stranger danger, but who's counting?]}

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[Sometimes Minato wondered too how they all existed inside of him and where they came from. And then why some of them were the same in someone else, for that matter. It couldn't be a coincidence.

No one at home really questioned what they were and why, really, since it was either a secret or the people around him knew about them already. It was like he had the chance now to explain it not only to Anders but partially for himself too.]

I think they were always with me, but I didn't know. Like I was missing a friend I didn't know I had.

[Something like that too? They must have been there the whole time. He was only aware of them when he became stronger. Uh, then there was the issue of fusion. That's complicated. And the issue of that thing he had sealed inside of him. Also complicated.

But huh too. Being born with magic sounded different from Minato's situation where something seemed to awaken instead of being so innate.]

You managed not to have that happen to you though?

[Maybe? Could he have been talking to Anders and whatever demons he had inside of him? He didn't think so.]

What do the demons want or what do they get out of killing everyone?

_{[Manifesting spirit-like creatures like some kind of extra limb is interesting, but it's not one of those topics that can be easily unpacked in a single afternoon. Anders accepts he's not about to understand the intricacies right this moment; for the sake of not trapping Minato in a Q&A session, he'll have to be satisfied with that answer.

His head tilts at an angle as he considers.]}

I get by. Others aren't so lucky. That's another long story, but those of us trained in Circles of Magi are taught to resist more malicious spirits. Demons have endless appetites, as a general rule--they'll feed on energy until there's nothing left.

_{[The consideration in his expression deepens as he rakes Minato up and down with a look like he's trying to see behind his skin to what's living inside.]}

If your Persona things there had been demons, I don't suppose we'd be talking right now. They'd have burned the maze to the ground and kept going.

[Sometimes Personas were like demons, he thought. (~~If he only knew SMT canon.~~) There were deities and figures from mythology. Some of them were demons in their own right. He didn't want to seem so arrogant that he could just control them all at will though.

He nodded, smiling a bit at the analogy since it made sense. He could imagine. It wouldn't be all that great to be overrun or be ruled by demons like that. Where would his sense of self be then? Probably burned to the ground like the maze.]

Did training take a long time? Who trained the trainers?

[It seemed like a constant cycle of teaching and training. But that was good though, if to maintain tradition and the "right" way of handling Anders' type of magic.]

Is the point though to defeat all the demons?

[Now it was like the reverse, with Minato conducting the Q of the Q&A.]

Most of my life, through no choice of my own. _{[Offered up casually with a wave of a hand as if to say no big deal. The implied sarcasm is unmistakable.]}

The rest is a long trip back into the annals of history. Mages have been around for hundreds of years in my world. Where there's a mage, there's a demon attracted to their power, and we're powerful enough on our own to make people nervous. Uncontrolled magic can be dangerous, so the best solution the Chantry could come up with was rounding us all up and keeping us under constant surveillance. You could say the point is making sure mages don't have a chance to become a danger by assuming guilty before proven innocent.

_{[The "right" way of dealing with magic is a contentious issue at the best of times--the Circles teach, but only in order to suppress and control, which vastly outweighs the pros when the thing they're controlling is a person with free will. It's an issue that hits a sore spot in him, and it shows.]}

That's not to say demons are the only spirits out there. Some are benevolent. We can draw power from good-natured ones--but that's normally a long distance relationship between worlds. Nowhere near as cozy as what you just did.

[Hundreds of years. That is a really long time. Someone out there developed those rules or laws to govern over mages and non-mages to keep things in order. Or really, just to control them somehow. It sounded a little familiar, keeping a group of people with magic powers secluded and away from others if just to observe and experiment on them. Not cool.]

But has a mage in your time ever caused any harm?

[Rules are rules, but maybe by now there wasn't the need for it to be so strict? Hundreds of years should have helped in honing in on how to keep that magic under control versus keeping demons at bay. But then again, demons were tricky things. So was magic, actually.]

So when you're born a mage, you have magic of your own? Is there any specific kind of magic mages are born with?

[He was thinking along the lines of elemental magic, that different mages had different kinds of magic.]

_{[Unknowingly or not, Minato hits the nail on the head. Whacks it with a sledgehammer, really. Anders looks a little on the sour side, lips coming together in a way that screams borderline sulkiness that he'd absolutely deny if mentioned.

Has a mage ever caused harm? More than can be counted. Plenty of mages have lost control, or simply not cared enough to act on that control. That's not really his fault on a personal level, nor is it enough to condemn an entire people in Anders' opinion, but the dangers of magic pricks a little more now that he knows about Corypheus and the future of his other self. Mages apparently brought about their world's greatest threat, and he, himself, turns Kirkwall into a battleground. Food for thought in the worst way.

So yes, harm. In opposition, a large part of him revels in the lack of judgement in Wonderland--people like Minato who haven't followed the Chantry's teaching his entire life wouldn't know to fear Anders if he didn't give him a reason to, not like the people of Ferelden that have heard enough horror stories to curl their lip as soon as they see a mage coming. That blank slate is seductive, and he's reluctant to tarnish it.]}

Magic is a powerful force. It can be dangerous in anyone's hands if misused. You might call it by a different name with what you do, but I'm sure you understand.

_{[There are bad apples in every bunch, it doesn't mean everyone is rotten. But Chantry politics is perhaps a soap box to stand on another day.]}

For us, it's a mixed bag depending on what you study. Like those-- _{[A gesture at the singed branches and melting ice.]} --we'd call spells from the primal school of magic. Elemental stuff. I'm not bad, but my main focus is spirit healing. I rub elbows with spirits that are willing to help out with that sort of thing.

_{[But still a far cry from Minato and his ability to pull Personas out of his hat in rapid succession.]}

[The look didn't go unnoticed though because it was in stark contrast to the charismatic and almost carefree demeanor Anders had only a moment ago. Magic and mages were quickly becoming apparent to Minato that they were a sensitive subject, and he took for granted the significance of it in someone else's life or world. He took for granted the powers from his own world too (sometimes) since it wasn't easy for everyone to wield said powers. He was out like a light for a week or so the first time he realized he had them.

But since it was that sensitive, a deeply, personal subject, then Minato wouldn't ask more in that particular direction. Not yet, maybe, even if he were curious or was willing to listen to anything that Anders might want to talk or vent about.]

I do. I think that kind of thing happens in any world, magic or not. Mine too.

[And oh, man, was there an issue related to magic and powers or what back then.

But healing! That definitely got Minato's attention too.]

I'd pick healing if I could only have one skill. Does your healing cover all physical wounds?

[Broken bones, bruises, lacerations? Loss of blood?]

_{[A nod, acknowledging Minato's point that abuse of power is a universal danger.]}

Moderation in all things, as they say. My world takes that adage too far some days, but it's true that being taught to control one's abilities helps prepare a mage for when an ill-intentioned spirit starts whispering in their ear.

_{[Anders' nonchalance is a smoke screen for many things, not the least of which is the layer of lava-like resentment that runs in him, burning quietly below the surface. Anything to do with the strict teachings surrounding Harrowings and the treatment of mages is almost guaranteed to incite fumes, and in another place and time those feelings will take on a voice of their own, one called Vengeance.

For now, though, there's one voice and one voice only, and it's currently telling him to follow this track of conversation wherever it leads. It's leading away from mention of the Circle, which is the ideal direction, in life as well as in practice.]}

Most. _{[A trace of a smile returns to replace the shadow of old resentment, kicking up higher on one side.]} Since it would seem I'm outclassed when it comes to the fancy stuff, would you like to see?

_{[Minato's demonstration had been thoroughly distracting, but he hasn't forgotten he owes one in return.]}

[Anders seemed prepared though for that eventuality, if it ever did happen. He was capable and knowledgeable. Sure, there were those that would abuse whatever power they had--that was happening now, wasn't it, back at that mage's home?--but it didn't account for anyone else who actually had good intentions.

He could only hope that one day, if and when Anders did return home that things would change.

He hadn't minded the tangents since they were actually related to the original intention of their coming out to the hedge maze at all. He was grateful too that Anders was willing to share what he did.]

I'd still like to see, please. Fancy's okay, but whether it's effective or not is something else.

[For all of the elements he could wield, he remembered fighting Shadows and either finding that an attack didn't work at all or that it backfired. Literally. Not cool, man.]

If you're worried about effectiveness, don't be. _{[Despite himself, he ends up chuckling. Only a youngster full to bursting with supernatural freeloaders would sound so serious.]} Looks to me like you've got that in the bag.

_{[The Evoker pointed at Minato's head and the subsequent appearance of the Personas had thrown Anders a bit, but he looks around now, thinking of an easy way to demonstrate some of his magic without going too crazy. Maybe by doing so it'll help Minato contextualize the similarities and differences they've been discussing thus far.

His eyes settle on a branch on the ground, blown off one of the hedge walls from the force of the spells. It's not his usual fare, but...]}

It's not a laceration gushing blood, but this'll do. One demonstration of Thedosian incanting, coming up.

_{[The branch sits in one hand, his other poised just above it, cupping it between them. The murmur of words won't be familiar to Minato, but the faint light that encases the branch hints when Anders' power is about to take hold.

It's not a conventional healing spell as one would use on a living person to revitalize flesh and knit it back together, but under Minato's eyes the branch's splintered base and bruised leaves will begin to sprout new green, extending and growing in his hand like a video of a plant's growth fast-forwarded.]}

Edited 2017-02-22 10:11 (UTC)

[Whoa.

That is so cool.

Minato watched carefully as Anders was demonstrating this one part of his powers. And Minato knew it was just one part. Anders had to have so much more in his arsenal of which he hinted at, but how much of it he had couldn't be explained in words.

It was so fascinating to see. Most of Minato's healing or what he knew people could do in terms of healing was focused mainly on human beings (and okay, a robot and a dog), and he knew he wasn't capable of giving life to something like a tree or any plant like this. Some nostalgia struck him though since he had seen something similar before in someone else, but not this rapid or with this level of ease.]

That's amazing.

[It was! Demonstrations like this don't happen every day. He was grateful.]

I'm glad I got to see it. You can even do it without your staff.

_{[He pushes a little more mana into the branch, a pinch of earth magic that gives birth to buds that unfurl while they watch, colorful splashes of flowers dotting the length of the twig. Fanciful, if not fancy in the same flashy way as a fireball. He can't resist; it's not every day he shares his craft with gifted individuals from other worlds, either.

But... he still wouldn't say it's anywhere near holding a weapon-looking thing to his head and calling on spirits that look like they jumped out of one of Alphys' anime shows. Minato's got the market cornered there.]}

Compared to that-- _{[Waving the newly-restored branch at the rest of the maze, reforming at its much more sedate pace.]} --it's nothing, really. If those Persona things have as diverse a repertoire as you say, I don't know that there's anything I could show you that you, or they, can't do yourselves.

[There was more. Minato was intrigued since it was not just restoration, but something new had come out of it as well. That kind of ability was really so cool as he had thought before since for all of the firepower Minato might've had, he appreciated healing skills much more. What was he going to do with his life after fighting anyway? (Besides guarding a door, if he had the choice.) Knowing how to heal was going to be so much more useful.]

I like that you can just do it without any real ceremony.

[No summoning device, no thinking about one's death, none of that stuff. Anders made it look so easy, even if it hadn't been.]

Anything you show me, I'm sure I'll still like that too.

If by that you mean the kind of ceremony that involves pointing weapons at my tender bits, then I like it, too.

_{[Hey, you do you, Minato. No offense to your activation ritual or whatever you'd like to call it.]}

So which Persona represents that politeness of yours?

_{[Anything is a pretty broad. Letting Anders run roughshod over this little demonstration is kind of adorable in the manner of a courteous audience that claps at anything. He's not adverse to doing more magic if there's genuine interest, though--should Minato want to see a specific kind that's within his capabilities, he's up to the task of trotting out more Thedosian techniques.]}

[Minato nodded since he meant it that way. No offense taken at all. Having magic at one's disposal without all the fanfare was super convenient. He had been more than annoyed more at himself when the mansion decided to nope his Evoker out of an event where it would've been helpful to have. The best he could do was slash a sword at that rate, and he was lucky enough to have one at the time. Not bad, but not so helpful.]

Most of them. Except Jack Frost since that's the way Jacks are.

[And Jack Frost still thought the name "Anders" was a terrible name to pun for lack of any "hee" or "ho" to play off of. Disappointment all while looking like :D forever. But it was soon forgotten since Jacks like shows of magic and are easily amused, even if they're a bit arrogant and think they're bigger than they are. How much of that is Minato is still up for debate.]

But you do have more, right? Anything that could take down a hedge maze?

_[Wait--]

There's more of them? As in these Jack Frosts are their own species, you mean? _{[Now that's a thought.]} So they're not just unique extensions of yourself. There are more of them out there.

_{[That's certainly something these Personas would seem to share with spirits, more than just the fact they're not entirely corporeal. For every defining quality, but there are multiple spirits that do the embodying in the Fade. There's not just one spirit of compassion, but several--hundreds, thousands.

Interesting. He'd come out today to hand out presents, but he's not at all sorry to be learning about the kinds of other entities that share world(s) with people.

He laughs at the almost hopeful way the boy inquires about whether or not he has more firepower to his name, a change from the people who'd ask about his powers with the same kind of eagerness, but with the opposite hope. That he's not powerful enough or skilled enough to raze an area to the ground. It reminds him a bit of Sigrun, wanting to see him a burn a bush just to prove he could.]}

Sure I do. No offense to nature, but defenseless leaves don't stand a chance against a mage on a roll.

They're brothers. Jack Frost, Pyro Jack, Black Frost, and King Frost.

[Little does Minato know there are even more Jacks out there, like Raiho and Frost Ace and so on. Funny, Jacks had a habit of saying "hee ho" a lot, but only of them could have a pun in their name. Double standards there, Jacks. But he only knew of four, and therefore only gave the names of four. He missed the others all the same, even if he saw a Pyro Jack in someone else. It wasn't his Pyro Jack though.

But magic! More magic is to be had and Minato smiled, thinking about it.]

Well, I wouldn't want to slow your roll.

[He was pleased, as excited as a silent protagonist would get at something like this that had piqued his interest. He had more questions too, like if using magic was draining, if different types of magic required different incantations or if they were in different languages, things like that. ]

Of course, brothers. I should've guessed. That makes about as much sense as anything I've seen today.

_{[What's next, sibling squabbles? One Jack doesn't want to talk to another Jack and they sit on opposite corners of Minato's soul? Family dinners that end in split personalities?

Anders can see that given the boy's opening volley had been destruction incarnate, a small display of revitalization probably isn't enough to satisfy an appetite for something big. Everyone always wants the lightning and earthquakes. All right... he can oblige, just this once. Partly because Wonderland can heal itself--any damage won't be permanent.]}

Oh, all right, since we're doing show and tell.

_{[He bends to stand the twig up in the dirt at his feet. It's still growing larger by the second, mantle of green thickening, already the size of a small bonsai tree by the time he steps back.

Not for long. A cage of bluish light surrounds the bit of hedge. It's no gentle healing light--the telekinetic trap condenses, shredding the plant and turning it into scattered bits of mulch on the path.]}

We call that one Crushing Prison.

_{[For obvious reasons. RIP, plant.]}

[Well, Jack Frost and Pyro Jack put on a stand-up comedy show sometimes.

Minato liked that Anders was taking all of this in with a grain of salt and also with a sense of humor. No one had really asked much so far about his abilities, and having them scrutinized this way was actually more interesting that having to explain the whole death, death, and more death thing even if it was a part of it. It made him realize that yeah, he was pretty weird.

He did step back to give Anders some room. The big guns were coming out and Minato wanted to see. And see he did. That plant that had been full of life--how sad!--now was just bits and pieces with hardly any evidence of what it had looked like in all of its previous glory.]

Nice. All of your attacking spells are that flashy?

[He hoped so! But if not, that was still cool. Anders wasn't that unassuming, but no one should underestimate him at all.]

Is there a limit to how much magic you can pull off at a time?

_{[It'd have been much more impressive on an ogre, but he's not about to pull one out of a closet just to demonstrate. All the splattered blood and intestines would turn his appetite off his cake and that'd be unfortunate.

He brushes his hands off as one does after a job well done. The hedge probably wouldn't agree, but the kid seems entertained enough.]}

I've heard it said flashiness is one of my strong suits.

_{[He smiles with sly amusement. A way of saying Anders that when away from the heat of battle where efficiency rules the day, he's a bit more dramatic with his spells and his hand movements than he strictly needs to be.]}

I'd like to say my might is endless, but it's all depends on the mage. It's definitely draining to cast too much too often. Is that not how it works for you, or are your spiritual alter egos doing all the heavy lifting?

I like it.

[Not that Anders was looking exactly for Minato's approval, but Minato wanted to say it. He did like it. He considered it definitely a strong suit. Color Minato impressed in any case. Anyone would be impressed with that flourish added to magic spells. It wasn't directly Minato's style, or he hadn't meant it to be intentional.]

And it's the same. Physical attacks drain my health, magic attacks drain my spirit. Your chanting though makes it sound a lot more legitimate.

[It was fascinating that magic operated in similar ways across different worlds. Like it was universal.]

Stop, I'm going to blush.

_{[And he hadn't to pretend to shoot himself or anything to earn the badge of honor--go him.

Curiosity renewed, he considers what else the kid says, and how he says it. Chanting. Like Anders embodies the more mystical, wizard-y traditions. Perhaps in Minato's eyes, that's how it seems. And maybe it's true. Despite considering himself something of a modern man for Thedas' time, his spells are traditional--and what Minato's capable of definitely isn't.]}

You mean incantations? Most involved spells need to get the juices flowing. Or that's how it is for my kind of mage and how we're taught. _{[But as they've ascertained, Minato is a special case.]} I take the same kind of formal education wasn't a part of your learning curve?

[Minato only wished sometimes that he did receive formal education. Or even a warning. None of this "oh hey all of a sudden save the world and by the way shoot yourself in the head" kind of deal, even if it had turned out as best as it could. Being taught though how to use power seemed logical and a good idea. Best to start out slow and learn through doing instead of just doing it and learning from mistakes afterward.]

Sort of self taught, even if I had some guides.

[Again, sort of. Well, he couldn't dismiss his Velvet Room proprietors as just some 'guides.' They were actually more than helpful. But it wasn't anything so formal (was it?), like being taught in a classroom with an instructor.

But the world Anders came from seemed so much more rich with history and tradition in terms of magic, and that was never going to stop being interesting.]

How many different kinds of mages are there in your world?

Ah, that so. _{[Honestly, he'd have been more surprised if there were enough of these Persona users to form an institution for learning.]} If this were Thedas, they might call you an apostate. Someone who goes his own way.

_{[There's another 'a' word that might get bandied around, too: the "abomination" label, on account of having psychic passengers that aren't entirely human, but that one's less pleasant to share. Apostates don't come with the best connotations, either, but being one himself, Anders is a bit biased of the designation.]}

Oh, there's plenty. _{[His smile ticks wider, amusement still evident.]} Some of us are tall and thin, some are small and fat. Some are grouchy--that would be most of the Circle. Some are paragons of their trade.

_{[Like Anders, maybe, if you feel like filling that blank with his name.]}

[Oh, man, Minato would not have wanted to go off on his own to do the bulk of his journey. Way too difficult and also kind of not fair to his friends too who were in a similar boat as him. But there was nothing wrong with going one own's way too.]

Are apostates not normal in Thedas?

[It didn't sound like it. Someone like that was hard to find anywhere, really. Minato though smiled when Anders gave him that list of mages. Not what he meant, but he asked for it.]

I meant if different mages have different magic specialties.

sleigh bells are ringing, it's that time of year

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