un: man's greatest treasure (video)

[reparo]

[The talisman starts transmitting almost out of spite, catching a few seconds of Hermione chopping herbs meticulously, in what looks like her room in the teahouse. The few days before departure are very clearly spent preparing supplies for the road, with her cauldrons bubbling happily away.

She brings her herbs over to one cauldron and drops them inside, picking up a spoon to stir, muttering under her breath:] Ten counter clock this time, maybe it will be stronger - no replacement for - [She flinches, her jaw twitching where she grits it.

Somewhere in her head, she is treated to a cacophony of Ke-Waihu's dead, the most recent ones outraged that they were not rescued sooner by all these strangers. You stir your potions and tell us to mind that face paints aren't poisoned, but do you do anything for us? Where were you when the beasts attacked?

A from Hermione in stirring, the sudden flash of anger in her face at having lost track of her counterclock-wise strokes, and to anyone unwise to what's happening, she snaps at thin air:] Will you shut up for ONE MINUTE - all of you --

[She freezes in place, and looks at the talisman, propped onto the worktable next to her.] Shit. [The feed stops.]

[ooc: SOMEONE signed up to absorb some volcano spirits and now SOMEONE can hear the dead and the dead have A LOT to say right now so now SOMEONE might be extremely angry. (Set before sea-travel, after Subaru's post announcing it.)]

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[reparo]

[She knew it. She knew he was going to actually drop by, felt it in her waters or her instincts as a witch. Or something. The actual ghosts that haunt the teahouse haven't dropped by to gossip in a while, but they'd have had something to say about Hermione leaving her room to let a young man into the house.

She opens the door and for a moment just looks at him, on the tip of her tongue a protest about how she's fine, and why did he bother himself at all.

But he'll just tell her she's supposed to ask friends for help, and she hates having her own words thrown back at her - especially when she's right. She sighs and waves him in.]

I need to get back to the cauldrons, the first hour or bubbling is crucial so you'd better come in quick. Second door on the left.

[blackscales]

[ He nods in understanding, following her in -- hands neatly behind his back as he glances around before following her instructions. ]

Of course, see to your potion. I will not put myself in the way of it.

[ He'll just trail in, quiet. Patient. Being here allows him to observe both her and her space more closely. He could, of course, impose on her directly -- reading people without permission however is likely on the list of things that count as rude. ]

[reparo]

[She is going to create a rota, if more people start wanting to check in on her now. Just to make sure she can handle all the benevolent, well-meaning care.]

Are you going to tell me what you really think about all of this?

[blackscales]

Do you want my opinion?

[ A genuine question, and it's a sign of both how much he likes her and how concerned he is that he bothers to ask instead of just foisting the information on her.

He tilts his head, scanning the room thoughtfully as he waits for her to answer -- letting his senses slowly take in everything in the room. He's not, in truth, sensitive to the presence of the dead here. In Azeroth, they behave differently. There's less... subtlety to their presence, if a place is haunted there's unlikely to be people who don't know about it.

Funny, in truth, that he's related to the Aspect of Death yet so inexperienced with it. ]

[reparo]

[She waves her hand as if to say, get on with it, because she's a busy witch and if he's going to change his mind about her heroics, she'd rather know about it sooner rather than later.]

[blackscales]

[ The hand wave is interesting. She seems... tense, and Wrathion isn't sure if that's a presence in this room he's not privy to or himself. ]

I'm not an expert on the dead. Several members of my family have been, in the past, but I much prefer to involve myself with the living as a rule.

[ He moves to lean up against a patch of wall, gestures expansively with one hand. ]

Conjecture, however. Exposure to strong sources of magic usually has an impact on people -- the degree of impact depending on the strength and duration of exposure. Elves who grow up near the Sunwell, for example, develop a permanent glow to their eyes -- which is why the glow in mine is nothing uncommon where I'm from. Your exposure, I would imagine, was quite short -- we have... seen the impact of standing at the dais too long and you still appear to be fully human.

[ You know, instead of a wild hybrid lurking in the volcano with the others. ]

So, if I were to guess, I'd say exposure to the magic of the volcano and the mirror inside it has heightened your sensitivity to spirits. Given they're aware you are sensitive to them, they're more likely to be drawn to you. No point bothering people who can't hear them, after all. If the range of spirits you're seeing is changing, and there's several, that would track with this theory. If, however, it's one or two specifically and no more then it may be something more specific.

[ Like they have, in fact, bound to her in some way. ]

[reparo]

[He used the magic word - conjecture. If there's anything she likes in this world, it's going on nerdy tangents with other nerds. And here's Wrathion, with conjectures.]

I'm afraid you're likely right about that. I can hear them, even those who are not usually able to make themselves known. It's all very overwhelming. [She crosses her arms with a bit of a pout, and grouses,] I didn't want people finding out. They're making a big deal out of it now.

[blackscales]

[ He nods once, accepting that. ]

I understand the desire to not feel weaker than you already do.

[ Genuinely, he vibes with the desire to not ask for help. ]

So, think of it as a study of the volcano's magic. Catalogue your experiences, and if you make a diary of it and how it impacts you then you may find it easier to notice if the effect begins to fade on its own or if it stays steady. If... you are willing, there are of course people who are well versed in this who may be able to offer some help -- wards, things to reduce the impact. That would, of course, make it harder to tell if influence is fading but may be better for your ability to sleep. You could still take notes in the day but allow yourself reprieve at night, if that worked.

[ A pause, Wrathion re-folding his arms. ]

If you're amenable, you could ask Anduin. He has the ability to dispel harmful magic. This may be beyond his ability, considering how potent the volcano is, but consider it an option.