Hadriel IC Contact

[solvethepuzzle]

"This is Near. I assume you know what to at this point."
Text | Voice | Video
(Good luck ever getting video from him. But if you want to . . .)

Comments

[solvethepuzzle]

[Well Mello had been in the way, so if one were to be technical, he was in a manner of speaking forcing him to stay in the doorway. But Near is feeling magnanimous enough not to point that out. And he inwardly smiles at the dramatic sigh and eyeroll. Mello is so funny when he's annoyed about stupid things.

[He follows without comment -- after closing and sealing his door -- maneuvering himself into one of the oddly-shaped chairs, tucking his left leg to his chest as is his wont.] The spell that seals the doors and windows is an Indigo spell. We will not be getting to that immediately. What we will be able to begin with are Prestidigitation, Light, Detect Poison, and Detect Magic.

[torrefied]

[Mello has seen Near use Light before, back when Sharon called Silent Hill to Hadriel, and he's been told the resulting analysis of both Detect spells when Near has used them in the past. Prestidigitation, though ... he shifts on the couch, leaning forward with interest.]

If any of this involves card tricks, you can skip that part.

[solvethepuzzle]

I would have come prepared for that. [A brief, impish smile. He has so many cards, after all.]

Prestidigitation is any number of minor tricks: changing things such as the colour, taste, smell, or temperature of the target. Or slowly lift small objects.

[He unconsciously starts twisting his finger into his hair.] The effect will only last approximately one hour.

[torrefied]

[Mello rolls his eyes again. He sort of set himself up for that.]

So which one do I need to learn first?

[solvethepuzzle]

[Yes, he'd absolutely set himself up for that.]

None of them is any more difficult than the others; whichever you learn first is up to you.

[torrefied]

Light seems like the most practical one, given the nature of this place. [They've lost power or otherwise needed a backup source of lighting at least twice while Mello's been here, and it's reasonable to assume they'll need it in the future as well.] Let's start with that, then.

[solvethepuzzle]

Alright. [He unwinds the finger from his hair. He's never had to explain this before, nor had it explained to him in that other life -- Liam had taught himself from a book.]

When you use magic, you are drawing from within yourself, not from the environment. [Hence why personality has such a strong effect on what colour one takes to.] For a spell like this, it isn't necessary to draw upon any specific type of energy. Concentrate, look within; when you find it, you will know.

[torrefied]

[It sounds simple enough - concentration is all it takes? Maybe too simple.]

Fine. I can do that.

[Concentration is easy, or so Mello would like to think. It sounds like a simple enough task, but his mind has always been too full of thoughts and plans, more accustomed to multitasking than mindfulness. He sits forward on the couch, closes his eyes, and - tries to focus, and fails.]

How do you know that you'll know?

[solvethepuzzle]

[And that's where they differ. Mello's mind jumps around to different possibilities, but Near has always been a creature of supreme focus, fixated on a single goal.]

It's how it worked for me in that other life. [The memories of that childhood are somewhat hazy, but he is sure of that much. He twirls his hair thoughtfully, searching for a clearer way to explain.] The place . . . it feels hollow at first. But look deeper than that.

[torrefied]

A place that feels hollow ... OK.

[He repeats the phrase like a mantra, inhales a deep breath, closes his eyes again ... and begins drumming his fingers across his knee. Rapidly, audibly, he exhales that same breath.]

How do you get there, though?

[solvethepuzzle]

[He checks a sigh of irritation, but he does roll his eyes a bit.]

I cannot hold your hand to find the path, Mello. That's up to you. This is an individualistic process.

[torrefied]

Well, you could be a little less cryptic about it.

[Mello does not hold back on that sigh of irritation, though it's mostly reserved for himself. This process sounds simple enough, and yet he isn't immediately picking it up like he thinks he should.]