Late morning - 4th floor common room

[provostsdog.livejournal.com]

After a week at Fandom, Beka missed the Lower City still. She missed the sounds and the movements, she missed her jobs and she missed having breakfast every morning with her friends. Twas a good way to start the day and she imagined by now they'd all be gathered in the Dancing Dove, sharing tales of their day. So when she went to buy breakfast that morning, she'd bought more than she'd ever eat on her own. Fandom might be different, but people still had to eat and mayhap it could be one habit she'd not have to give up here.

She emptied the bag with pastries on the table, gathered some of the drinks of the cooling cupboard in the kitchen and fed Pounce. She'd selected a pastry with apples from the pile and turned on the television.

What's this? Pounce sounded offended and Beka glanced over her shoulder. Her cat was backing away from the plate of food she'd given him.

"Catfood," she said. "They make it specially for cats."

To poison them? Pounce demanded, turning his nose up at the food.

"No!" The package had said every cat would love it. The sarden thing had cost enough for it too.

I'm not eating that, Pounce announced.

Beka sighed and headed back in the kitchen. She'd seen some meat in there. "Most cats just eat milk and bread," she threatened Pounce. The cat didn't respond, he was zapping between channels on television.

[Open, of course. Beka talking to her cat is fine for radio, the cat talking back not so much.]

Comments

[see-beyond.livejournal.com]

It'd been one of those nights where Jonas hadn't slept well. In the past, he'd rarely dreamed but they seemed to come whenever he did sleep now, sometimes frightening, sometimes teasing with memories he couldn't quite remember.

He was up early this morning, walking the halls quietly and following the sound he'd heard when he'd gotten to the fourth floor. It was comforting to see a familiar face and he smiled from the doorway.

"Good morning," he greeted, sending the words towards both Beka and Pounce. "I didn't know if anyone else was awake yet."

[i have to run a quick errand but then i will be back!]

[provostsdog.livejournal.com]

"Morning," Beka looked relieved at seeing Jonas. It'd been easy to talk to him and she'd not have wasted her coin on the food.

"Tis early for me," she admitted, but then her rhythm was set to the Lower City where evening was the busiest time. "But I'm sure other people should be up."

[see-beyond.livejournal.com]

"I'm still adjusting to the different feel of time," he said, slipping into the room quietly. "I don't think it's actually different but it feels differently here. And I don't tend to sleep all that much anyway."

[provostsdog.livejournal.com]

"Tis still confusing then?" It wasn't quite a question. It'd be a while before it stopped being confusing to her, anyway.

She motioned in invitation towards the table with pastries. Then stopped, blinking. She hadn't put streamers on the table, or umbrellas in the drinks. "Where did that come from?"

[see-beyond.livejournal.com]

"It's a little--" His words died when he saw the sudden decorations on the table. "I didn't put them there."

It was an automatic response due to being the only other human in the room. At least, that's he thought he was. Jonas found himself looking behind him and down the hall.

"Where did they come from?" he said, repeating her question because they had not been there when he'd come into the room.

[provostsdog.livejournal.com]

"I don't think you did," she assured him. She didn't think he could move that fast. Taking a step closed to the table, she poked at one of the streamers. They were real enough.

"Mayhap it's like the rain yesterday?"

[see-beyond.livejournal.com]

"The sticky rain?" The name still alluded him but he'd known enough that liquid falling from the sky was rain. He just hadn't known it could be that sticky. "I didn't see...these rain from the ceiling."

That didn't stop Jonas from peering up at it.

[provostsdog.livejournal.com]

Beka couldn't help peering up either. "I didn't really meant as rain. Just that... it's odd?" She'd no idea what she meant, honestly.

[see-beyond.livejournal.com]

"It's very odd," he agreed, reaching out and poking a streamer, almost expecting it to do...something. "At least these are sticking to us? That rain was difficult to clean off."

[provostsdog.livejournal.com]

"Thought I'd never get it out of my hair," Beka wrinkled her nose and she shot Pounce a look. He hadn't so much as gotten a smudge on him when it'd started raining. "At least it didn't stink." She spoke of experience there, having had the worst kinds of muck thrown at her on duty.

[see-beyond.livejournal.com]

"True, it didn't. It actually smelled pretty good," he said, finally turning his attention away from the streamers only to find...flowers sticking out of the pocket of his pants.

"What...?" It was all he could manage to say, peering at those flowers, fascination and surprise intermingling. "These weren't here before either."

He turned and showed her the newly blooming flowers coming from his pocket, unsure if he should touch them or not.

[provostsdog.livejournal.com]

She looked at him in confusion to see what he meant and couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. "They suit you well," she remarked, amusement in her voice.

She made a step forward, curiosity leading her, but then caught herself. "Are they real?"

[see-beyond.livejournal.com]

"They--I think so," he said, reaching down and brushing one finger over one of the petals on the flower. It felt real even if he hadn't felt a flower in what seemed like a long time.

He finally plucked one out of his pocket and offered it to her. "Would you like one? I seem to have enough to share."

Even if he wasn't sure flowers suited him. They seemed a little too delicate and untouched for someone like himself.

[provostsdog.livejournal.com]

It made him look festive.

"Thank you," she mumbled as she took the flower from his hands. She'd no reason to be nervous or to blush. She distracted herself from it, smelling the flower and feeling its petals curious. "Either a mage is getting bored or the Trickster God is having fun with us."

[see-beyond.livejournal.com]

"You're welcome," he said, pulling a few more of the flowers from his pocket but leaving a few there just in case pulling them all caused more to grow. "I'm afraid I don't know what a mage of a Trickster God is."

God, he recognized that word from the very minimal things he knew of religion and the thought of a God being here made his stomach roll with nerves. The Elders had that kind of power and they were many. In one person's hands, it was frightening to imagine.

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

Firekeeper had woken this morning to find the room liberally decorated with streamers and things. She was pretty sure it wasn't the roommate's doing, since Angela was gone for the weekend and it just didn't seem her style. So she and Blind Seer padded out of the room to go see if the strange decorations had appeared anywhere else.

"Hello," she greeted, eyeing the pile of food. "Is much food, there."

[provostsdog.livejournal.com]

Beka decided it was best to start with the simplest explanation. "Have you heard of magic?" she asked as she turned into the kitchen.

[see-beyond.livejournal.com]

"Very briefly," he said honestly, "and very vaguely. Before coming here, I hadn't, no. Magic wasn't used, taught or even recognized where I'm from."

Even if he himself had proven to be some kind of magic with being able to receive memories and see beyond what most people from the Community could see.

[provostsdog.livejournal.com]

"You're welcome to it," Beka invited, she glanced down at Blind Seer. "There's meet in the cooling cupboard too."

Pounce jumped off of the couch and trotted over to greet Blind Seer. Just don't let them feed you that catfood. It's unhealthy. Beka couldn't understand him now, so he must have been talking in a language the wolf would understand.

[provostsdog.livejournal.com]

"It's common in Corus," Beka explained as she grabbed a glass and filled it with water. She put her flower in it and returned to Jonas, offering the glass to him.

"Not everyone can practise it and it takes a lot of studying. My friend Kora is a mage. She's good at firespells and she can make potions and salves to heal, just not so good. There's all kinds of mages. Each with their own skills. Some mostly heal people, others are better in fights, or they can put spells on you to make you say the truth." She hated being magicked.

[see-beyond.livejournal.com]

With flowers still sticking out of his pocket, Jonas greeted the new arrival with a slight nod and a, "Hello," of his own. He found his eyes drawn to the wolf, more than a little fascinated. Before this land, all the animals had been stuffed or in pictures.

He knew he should have spoken more, asked after her but he found himself focused on Blind Seer and how different he was from other things he'd seen.

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

"Thank you," Firekeeper gave the girl a nod, taking one of the pastries.

Blind Seer gave the catfood a cursory sniff. "Good thing I'm not a cat," he replied. "Is there any actual meat in this?"

Firekeeper let out a snort of laughter. "Blind Seer wish to know if there is any meat in that 'cat food'," she offered.

[see-beyond.livejournal.com]

"So, magic is quite broad, isn't it?" he asked, sticking a few of his flowers into the offered glass and giving the glass a small smile. He'd liked flowers, he remembered, because they were so small yet so alive with color.

The specific aspects she explained didn't quite make sense but now he had words he could start filtering, categorizing, organizing. He could understand that magic wasn't something everyone did so that made things easier during the conversation.

"And can be used for good and bad?" he added after thinking about ramifications of people with that talent who weren't good people.

[provostsdog.livejournal.com]

Doubtful, Pounce declared, sniffing at the food with contempt. I believe they're trying to poison their pets.

Beka looked surprised at Firekeeper and down at the wolf. "He talks to you?"

[provostsdog.livejournal.com]

"Everything can be used for good and bad," she reasoned as she arranged the flowers over the glass. "I've got gloves that prevent your essence to stick to the things you've touched. It can save a Dog's life, making it impossible for anyone to find out he's on their scent. But thieves or assassins can get gloves like that just easily."