fandomhighdorms | Main Campfire, Friday Evening

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Main Campfire, Friday Evening

Once the sun went down, a rather spectacularly large bonfire was lit for the party. No, Merlin was not aware it was now celebrated on the first of May. Calenders change, after all.

There was even a crudely constructed maypole there in case anyone felt the need to dance around it. They did so at their own peril, of course. The mockery that may ensue would probably be great.

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"I can imagine," Karla said sympathetically. "Well, I can't, because I don't have a sibling, but I do know what it's like to be far from home and all alone." She reached over to give Fiona's hand a friendly squeeze.

She took the friendly squeeze nicely enough.

"What's home like for you, other than frozen in often?"

Bad. Dangerous. Terrifying.

"Oh, it's decent enough. My cousin and I live with my uncle--not Morton's father--" Karla hastened to add. "--I came home from a different school a few years ago, and now I'm back at a new school again." Her voice and face were pictures of studied carelessly.

She had a feeling it wasn't good but she didn't say anything.

"What was your other school like?"

Here, Karla genuinely smiled. "It was a coven of witches sworn to the Hourglass." She pulled a small hourglass pendant out from under her shirt. In the hourglass, there were equal amounts of sand in both the top and bottom. "This means I'm Hourglass-trained, but not completely so. In Kaeleer, there are a caste of witches called Black Widows. We heal the mind; weave tangled webs of dreams and visions; and are trained in the creation and use of illusions and poisons. My former school was the estate of the highest-ranking Black Widow; there, several other young girls and I learned spells and potions and poisons and to spin tangled webs. It was great fun."

It was the spinning and the weaving that caught her attention.

"Illusions. Like... making yourself look like someone else. And you can heal the mind with the threads?"

"Exactly right! Illusions and mind-Healing are advanced Craft, and I'd need some prep to do it, but, yes, I can make myself look like someone else. Or I can make a shadow that can interact with the world in my stead, while I was doing something else. Or I could create a Healing web for the mind. I can do it for the body, too, but that's because I'm a Healer in addition to being a Black Widow."

Healing. Could she heal? Or could she only kill?

She didn't know.

Part of her was unnerved by what she said about illusions, considering what her father had done to her not two months past, but it was also interesting. Eliot could play like their father could; could she do some of his tricks?

She didn't know.

"Could you explain those words? I know what they are, but I have a feeling they mean something different to you."

"Ummm..." Karla looked a bit embarassed. "Which ones? Shadow? Healer? Craft?"

She shrugged, not waiting for an answer. "Those are a good place to start, anyway. Craft is what we call magic. Basic Craft is the small, easy things any witch can do: airwalking, passing objects, calling items, vanishing items, stuff like that." Karla demonstrated as she talked: hopping up in the air, but not coming back down, passing her marshmallow stick through a rock, calling in a bottle of wine and then making ot disappear again. Simple stuff.

"Advanced Craft is what separates the castes. Healers heal the bodies with Craft, as well as potions, brews, teas, and the like. I already told you about Black Widows, but one of the illusions we can create is a shadow; a recreation of an object's physical form. A first-stage shadow is stationary, and cannot be touched, tasted, or felt. A second-stage shadow can move around, but it has to be manipulated like a puppet. It looks solid and real enough, but still has no tactile capabilities. A third-stage shadow can touch, but cannot be touched, and must still be manipulated. The last stage shadow is fully tactile, to all the senses, and doesn't need to be manipulated, so long as it goes through simple routines. The conversation is pretty boring, but it can have independent conversations. No shadow can do Craft, though."

She smiled sympathetically at Fiona. "Have I answered what you wanted, or just made it more confusing?"

"You've given me things to think about. And things to... ask about."

"Feel free to ask me whenever you like. I always have time for a Sister. I'm in Rutherford, should you wish to find me. Or, if you can, send me a thought on a distaff thread. I'll get it." Karla smiled, then stood up. "It's been a pleasure to meet you Fiona."

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Main Campfire, Friday Evening

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