the lawn - tuesday morning before classes - 3/25

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

It was a bit chilly out, but Liir was on the lawn with notebook in hand. He was attempting something of an experiment, mostly since his previous attempts at writing a letter back to his-- to Shell had proved a miserable failure. As such, he was both working on some math and budgeting while trying to write the letter; some of his magic texts had suggested that the mind occasionally was more helpful when distracted by something else.

And Ozma knew, anything was worth a shot at this point.

The location had been picked with that thought in mind as well: a bit cool, outdoors, with the wind and the grass... Not too easy to be distracted, except by a chill, and the cloak he had on (Karal's, not the Witch's) took care of that well enough.

[put up for one, but open obviously; everyone else is BEFORE the big brother, though] [eta: a touch of foul language in the michael thread]

Comments

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal was on his way back from feeding Trenor, and not paying a great deal of attention to anything, when it was caught by a familiar flash of colour. Which was wrapped around a familiar person.

He debated briefly with himself, thinking of what he'd said to Andrew, then walked over and sank down to sit in front of him. "Good morning," he said quietly, giving Liir a small smile. "I've a desk you could use if you liked."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He looked up and gave Karal a slightly bashful smile.

"Thank you," he said. He wrapped the cloak a little tighter, looking down at the folds around his arm before glancing back at Karal.

The cloak seemed warmer now, almost as if Karal's presence made it more competant, and for some reason as he looked across at his brother, he was reminded intensely of their first meeting. Of the offer of Karal's own cloak, how skittish and distrustful he'd been of everything but especially Karal. It had been, he realized a moment later, on this very lawn that they'd met.



Hadn't that proved true enough?



...true enough as well.

He quirked his lips and made a very decisive sort of grunt before moving around to sit next to Karal.

"I'm out here mostly to find some focus," he said then. "I can't seem to get something written right and it really has to be perfect since I doubt I'll get another chance. In fact, I'd rather not, if you understand."

He looked sideways.

"A desk?"

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

"To make the writing easier," he explained with a slightly larger smile, turning a little to face Liir. "The physical act, anyway, even if the actual words are no easier to craft." He paused for a moment. "May I ask who you're writing?"

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Kind of cold out here", Michael observed, stopping as he left the dorms for work.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He blinked as he realized he hadn't actually told Karal about the letter.

"My--" he reconsidered his words "someone who claims to be my Uncle. He's the Witch's brother, anyway, and you'll never find a worse scoundrel in all of Oz that I've seen."

His teeth, by the end, were gritted.

"He sent me a letter in his style" which meant it sounded friendly and jovial until you considered the implications "and I want to send him one back to let him know that whatever he is, I want nothing to do with him."

His fingers wrapped in the cloak before he reached tentatively out with the other hand to-- he hardly knew, but he also knew he hadn't actually touched Karal for what felt like ages and that, right at this moment, felt very wrong somehow. Even if the pat to the arm would be somewhat awkward, it was necessary, as far as he was concerned. If he was allowed, anyway.

A lot of the past few days felt very silly right along with it. No, if he was honest, it'd been plain stupid. He considered how to apologize.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He nodded and looked up.

"I need the focus," he said.

"Hello, Michael. I owe you a thank you."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

He nodded. "Andrew told me you had received a letter from him, and that you weren't at all happy about it." He sighed. "Which I am happy to talk about, but first there is something I have to say to you." For some reason, the memory of Danyel's empty eyes rose up, but he pushed it away. "I have been overly harsh with you over the past week, have said things in a way they didn't need to be said, and I'm sorry for it."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"...for healing Andrew?" He waved it off. "He needed it. Max would've done better."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

He blinked.

"That's much more elegant than 'I've been an Ass and a half to you'," Liir said in reply before realizing just how bad it actually sounded out loud, "which is what I was going to say. Well, not quite what I was going to say, but what seems to have come out."

He looked down.

"By which I mean, er, I'm sorry as well. It wasn't entirely you."

[vkandis-son.livejournal.com]

Karal had to bite down on a laugh. "Well, saying obvious things in an elegant way, so they can be mistaken for wisdom and truth, is part of being a priest," he said lightly. "Peace?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

There was a comment from a little green voice in the back about that but he squashed it down zealously. It was uncharitable, inappropriate, and nothing he'd think about Karal even when he had been cross with him.

He wondered if that was the real difference between himself and the Witch. He didn't wonder long, though.

"I could certainly use some." He nodded.

There was a brief pause.

"Can I have a hug, please?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"What someone else would or wouldn't have done is rather moot," he pointed out softly. "You helped Andrew. So I thank you. I was worried sick about him, honestly, but I didn't want to force."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"I tried to get him to go to the clinic first, but if he doesn't like the place, I can't make him."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Exactly," he said with a smile.

"And unfortunately, all I'm good for is unintentionally snooping in other people's memories and making oranges."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

Michael blinked.

"Making oranges?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"They didn't even taste like oranges," he admitted somewhat sheepishly. "But yes, I was doing a visualization exercise and I started popping out oranges. For all I know, it could be this place making fun."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Were you visualising oranges?" Michael wanted to know.

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Yes," he told him, "but I was distracted by cooking thoughts so when I tried to get the taste in my mind, it was always something else I could put with the orange. So I got a chocolate orange and a cumin orange and Oz help me a bacon orange."

He shook his head.

"It was really rather ridiculous. I was giving them out for days."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"At least they probably tasted good?" he offered. "I can't make anything out of thin air like that."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"It probably wasn't me," he said. "I was frustrated and couldn't get the exercise right."

Beat.

"The coconut and curried orange was rather good, though. I made some chicken with it."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Hey, you got it mostly right, if you were supposed to be making an orange. And you got edible stuff out of it."

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"Somewhat," he agreed. "Though I wasn't supposed to make an orange, just imagine one completely."

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"...what's the point of that?"

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"To train my mind," he reported as if reading from a book.

"The better you know something, the easier it is to change it. Or make it. Or any manner of other things. But if you aren't prepared to learn things to that level, you won't and it'll be harder.

"And as minds go, mine is an absolute mess."

No, really.

[rebelheartalien.livejournal.com]

"Never looked at it like that", Michael said thoughtfully. "But I only change stuff on the surface, mostly. Or blow it up."