eastbound | un: silhouette among silk spreads

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un: silhouette among silk spreads

[ A cheerful voice comes on over the network the night before they are set to leave. To some of you it may be familiar already, to others a mystery, but thankfully he is not going to leave you in the dark for long. ]

Alright, sounds like we're rolling out tomorrow! I haven't even met everyone yet so this is going to be interesting, but, uh, Hi! I'm Fox.

[ There's a long pause... ... ... Just long enough to make someone wonder where the fuck this guy went when suddenly there's a sound of a bunch of pieces of paper falling loose everywhere and him scrambling to pick them up: ]

Sorry! Sorry, uh, where was I? Right, I'm Fox, I'm - ah - a mage, I guess, is the best way to put it. Wizard always sounded stupid. Anyway, uh, so this is all a little new to me, haha - uh - not that it isn't new to you guys? From what I understand, pretty new for everyone. Even the um. People who have been here a little longer. Still not totally clear on all that but - right, sorry, not the point.

The point is! I do a lot of enchantment magic. I guess here they call it thralling? Anyway I'm from Canada and while I can't say I'm from the tundra exactly, Toronto still gets pretty fucking cold so warming spells on clothes is like, a must have, for at least six months of the year. It's kind of like - um - you know those little packets that you can rub together and they heat up? No? Handwarmers? I can't remember what they're called. Anyway - it's kind of like that. But in your clothes. So you're just always warm. Which is good, in the winter. Obviously. Um--

Uh--

God I know I had something more to say but uh--

I guess if there's anything else you think you'll need, let me know? I'm not charging anyone for spells, but you will have to bring components. So uh for warming spells incense is great, or like, a box of matches or something like that usually does the trick. In a pinch, tinder wood, but you need like a good couple handfuls of it and then a way to burn it. Anyway. You probably don't care? You don't care.

OH-- [ For a second it seemed like he was done, but he wasn't. sorry. ] -- one last thing. Um, magic? Other people's magic? Your magic? I'd really like to take a look at it. I'm real quick at picking stuff up and I'm happy to teach my own in exchange if you want? If that even works here. Still experimenting with that! So if you're up for experimenting that's good t--

[ He gets cut off by someone's screaming orgasm. ]

-oo... okay. Okay! Yeah, anyway, hit me up! Cheers!

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A bit, yeah. Mingyu's been trying to keep me up to date on our whole weird little family. [ His returning smile is genuine and warm, mostly because he only half believed Mingyu about the child-body thing. He doesn't offer to shake either, mostly because he just never thinks to. ]

And you know a bit about me, yeah? Good, so we don't need to do introductions or whatever and we can get right to work. I'm not really good at the whole 'how do you do' thing anyway, I always end up just rambling about magic or something and then the other person looks annoyed or whatever and then I just feel a bit stupid, so - best to let the magic do the talking!

You want me to enchant what you're wearing, or did you bring another set?

[ Five watches him carefully. It's not terribly clear exactly what Mingyu told him beyond his name, and that response isn't telling enough to be satisfying.

Even after taking up his offer, he's slow to actually go through with it. After a measured silence, he shrugs off the blazer he has on and holds it out for him to take. Then he reaches into his pocket to pull out the incense and a handful of matches he swiped on the way over. Because he obviously just had them sitting around. ]

I'd rather not smell like a brothel, if you can handle that.

[ The word 'paranoid' came up, so Fox isn't super surprised to see Five hesitate, and just sort of waits patiently. Or, well, as patiently as Fox ever is, so he's back to fiddling with things in his pocket again. He takes the blazer and gives it a once over, humming a little under his breath. ]

Well, a scent enchantment is definitely possible - but don't worry, the incense is just a component for the warming enchantment, it doesn't actually smell like incense once it's in use. If you know what you do want to smell like, we can figure out something from there.

He started heading back inside, but not far - just to a little table that the servants used as they were coming and going, for deliveries and passing errands like that. He grabbed a stool, pulled it to him and sat down as he laid out the blazer before him. ]

Right, so, this is pretty straightforward, yeah? What I'm going to do is actually two enchantments - one that is basically like a thermometer, and keeps an eye on your temperature and the temperature of the surrounding environment. The other is like, mm, basically a heating element, yeah? So when you start getting cold, or the air around you does, it'll start heating up. Never hot enough to burn, though. I did that to myself by accident, once. [ He chuckles lowly as he lays down the incense and rolls up his sleeves to uncover his tattoos. Unlike Mingyu's lotus, these sprawl over his arms in intricate patterns and passages - all in an alphabet that doesn't line up with any language on Earth. He traces his fingers over his skin and a couple of the marks light up, making flickering light pass over his eyes almost like sunglasses. ]

So, this is basically a short cut tool I use, [ He explains as he gestures to the tattoo he just activated. ] It works as basically like - a portable array? Means I don't have to carry around chalk or shit or draw over everything all the time - though that's fun too. I just found it got really cumbersome for doing magic on the fly. So instead of that, I activate this tool and basically say "cool, we're doing magic now" to the universe, if that makes sense.

[ He is happy to just prattle on if Five doesn't say anything, but he does actually pause for a second to let the guy get a word in edgewise as he lays out the incense, breaking it into smaller pieces as he does. ]

[ Fox should at least be satisfied that Five is listening to his rambling, if not as closely as he's watching paying attention to his movements. As if one could be a trick to distract him from the other. It's not paranoia it's common sense.

He frowns when he mentions burning. That's his only blazer, so he might have thought to test this on something he wasn't attached to. (But is he attached, really? Maybe it's not because it's that particular blazer. It's just hard to find anything that looks halfway presentable around here. Which is simply what he prefers ever since leaving the apocalypse.)

When he uncovers his tattoos and they start glowing, Five tenses more than he means to and backs up a step. Just to stay out of reach. He keeps his eyes on him, and they narrow slightly even as he makes an attempt to sound casual. ]

Why wouldn't it? Sounds like a real time saver.

[ Fox looks up from his work when he notices Five move back out of his peripheral vision, and blinks at him. Paranoid was right, look at the way he's squinting... He gave a smile he hoped was reassuring. ]

Not everyone can follow along with my rambling, but - you don't need to worry, okay? I get that magic doesn't seem to be like, a thing, with everyone here, but I'm not going to be like, setting it on fire or something.

[ He doesn't even think that Five's reaction might be about the tattoos. Mostly because he doesn't even know about Mingyu's. ]

Anyway - [ He turns back to his work, moving slowly and carefully so as not to spook the old man, and grinds some of the incense between his fingers as he starts to murmur under his breath. The language, like the writing, seems to be completely unique, and his eyes start to glow a little as the magic takes effect. With the powder on his finger, he starts tracing lines and shapes onto the jacket, but instead of leaving a smudge where his fingers touch, the trail is a thin glowing line instead, flickering a copper green. ]

Okay, that's part one done, [ He murmurs to Five, his eyes still glowing that same green, flickering in time with the lines over the jacket. ] Now for part two-- [ He again starts speaking in that strange tongue, though when it is spoken more audibly it doesn't seem to be a formalized language - the cadence is all wrong to have grammar in it at all. He traces a second set of lines and shapes - these ones overlaying and interconnecting with the first, and ends it by snapping the head of a match between his fingers for the briefest spark. Then the light fades - first on his jacket, then in his eyes, and then finally his tattoos.

The blazer looks untouched when he finally picks it up and holds it out to Five again. ]

There you go. Try it on. We can go outside so you can see how it braves the elements.

[ The reassurance just makes him frown more for his discomfort being noticed. He doesn't try to stop him though. How else will he see how it works?

He's less sure of this decision as he goes, because who knows what else he could be doing to that blazer for all he's murmuring. The first thing he thinks is some sort of tracker, because of course he does. But it's not like he's been hard to find anyway. Practically announcing everywhere he'll be lately. Embarrassing for them that he hasn't been caught again, really.

It's when he finishes and hands it out without covering the tattoos that Five hesitates again. He looks him in the eye before he finally grabs it and shifts it back onto his shoulders. Thankfully it doesn't smell too strongly. (Though it's hard to tell. He's been living here so long, he might just be used to it.)

Then he adjusts it slightly, smoothing it out as if it were brand new and this was his first time trying it on. He feels warmer already. ]

No need. I can tell from here. [ It's... fine. For an experiment. ] And this is something you just learned how to do?

Sure. This sort of enchantment is pretty basic, honestly - most people where I'm come from just go with tech because they can go out and buy it, you know? No study required. But I spend just about all my time learning magic. It's like anything else, yeah? The harder the work, the more you study, the better you get at it.

Anybody can learn magic, most people just don't try to. They call it 'talent' and then decide they don't have it, or whatever. [ He shrugs, then offers a small smile. ]

Can I, uh, ask you a weird favour? As my payment?

[ Five calls it an ability, because 'magic' sounds like what you'd call something that you didn't have a real name for. What he does is different though. A lot more math and logic involved that takes some of the mystic qualities out of it. That doesn't mean he isn't curious about something he's yet to understand.

He's still mulling that over when Fox says that he has a specific payment in mind. There's (admittedly stolen) coin in his pocket, having planned on paying him the old fashioned way, but it's regretfully his fault for not settling that part ahead of time. ]

What do you want?

[ Fox looks a little embarrassed for a moment, raising a hand to rub the back of his head as he looks away. ]

Ah... I don't know what happened between you guys, and I'm sure it's not my business, but... ah... Is there any chance you could just - be a little kinder to Mingyu? He's-- He's been through a lot. Lately. I don't even know half of it, and the parts I do know, I'm not even sure I want him to know that I know. Timey whimey bullshit. Um.

[ Another pause, still looking embarrassed and for a moment the cheerfulness fades and he just looks strangely... tired. ]

I just think, like... we're all stuck here together, right? And yeah, I know that we've got like - Lord Death Brigade on one hand with laser swords and stuff, and then actual dudes from Ancient China or whatever, and I know it's not, um - I know we're probably going to have to go through some shit. Worse shit. Zombies really seem like just the start of it, if you know what I mean? So, um, we're going to have to work together. Yeah? So even if you don't, um, even if you don't like him - could you pretend to get along? A little? I'm happy to do whatever enchantments you want, on an ongoing basis, if it means he can relax a bit.

[ That speech takes him by surprise. He scoffs, loudly, then shakes his head and looks up to the ceiling to reign in the sudden spike in his temper. He's been so tolerant. After what Mingyu did, he could have been completely justified in snapping his neck, and he didn't. Instead he went so far as to make a deal with him. ]

Have I been unkind? You think I should be a little nicer? [ It sounds more patronizing when he says it back, and pisses him off more. Not to mention the phrase 'timey whimey bullshit' no matter what he's referring to. ] I don't know what he told you, but I'm not the bad guy here. I didn't give him anything he didn't ask for. Now we have an agreement, and I've been playing nice. I plan on continuing that agreement as long as he keeps up his end. That's all you need to know.

[ He smiles at him then, tight and so restrained. ]

I don't want him to relax.

[ Fox winces a little, and scratches his head as he looks down at his shoes. God. What the fuck did Mingyu do? He pauses and wets his lips before he continues: ]

Like I said, I don't know what happened. And I'm definitely not calling you the bad guy - how could I, with no idea of what went on? I'm not saying this to be an ass. I just...

[ He trailed off, sighed, and looked away. ] ... Sorry. Yeah. It was a dumb ask. I'm just... worried, I guess. Everything is different, and I-- ... Yeah. Anyway. Sorry. I just want everyone to get along, but god knows I'm very aware of how impossible a request that is, sometimes.

[ He finally stands up, brushing non-existent dust off his clothes, mostly to give something for his supremely awkward hands to do. ]

Sorry. I won't ask about it again.

[ Five had no intention of going off like that, but he stumbled right into that one. Even as he's gotten to know more about Mingyu, enough to understand where he's coming from, he can't forget. He couldn't forget even before, and it makes him angrier that it was so easy for him to drudge all that shit up. There's no trust between them.

And... well, this isn't exactly what he was supposed to be doing when he asked to meet. In retrospect, he knows that how he treats Fox has an impact on the agreement he has with Mingyu, so he takes a deep breath as the other man fumbles for a recovery. If this gets back to him, the whole thing could blow up and he'd be back where he started. ]

We get along fine. [ He doesn't apologize, but he at least makes an attempt to dial it down. ] It doesn't matter. Now that you're here, I'm sure he's got his priorities in order.

Ah - yeah. I hope so.

[ Cue another long, awkward pause.

He clears his throat. ]

Yeah. [ Said with the sort of resignation that comes from doubt. Putting Mingyu's priorities back in order... probably was going to take a while. ]

Anyway, um, I'll - yeah. I'll get out of your hair. But if you need any more enchantments, um, you can hit me up, yeah?

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un: silhouette among silk spreads

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