driftfleet | Bishop Mingle!

[He reminds himself to breathe. Creepy glowing eyes and black robes aside, the kid doesn't seem too threatening.]

Y-- yes, I'm fine. [He blushes a bit and looks down at his feet.] I apologize. You... look like someone I know.

[He shakes his head, tries to reel himself back in. His tone is flat, forced, very small.]

My name is Belthazar.

Oh, jeez... [she manages a laugh, even if it's kind of awkward.]

Yeah, that happens. Sometimes. To people. Ah... I'm Krista.

[...she sticks out her hand? handshake?]

It's nice to meet you. I'm the captain.

[He hesitates, then reaches out to clasp her hand in a way that is decidedly... medieval... Well, he's an elf, of course they don't have handshakes. They have HAND CLASPING which is very heterosexual.

He's blushing though. Even more than he was before. Because touching. So he lets go as soon as he can and hides his hands back in his sleeves.]

It's nice to--

[He blinks.]

Wait, are you the same Krista who runs the library?

[He sounds so hopeful.]

[oooooh okay she looks a little surprised at the hand-clasping, but they have that in fairyland too--and at least he didn't try to like, make out with her hand or something. like the Duke would. eugh. the Duke. eugh...

she's happy to take her hand back too, though. and perks up a little when he mentions her library!]

Uh, y-yeah, that's me! It's right here on the ship... [she points out into the hall, kinda, already leaning like she's going to start heading in that direction.] Want to check it out?

[Belth's answer comes with absolutely zero hesitation.]

YES. I had so many books but they are all gone and I need to research my craft, not that you would have books on magic all the way out here, but there were a few on Exsilium and I read them extensively, and I had a few detailed experiments written up--

Dude. Dude.

[her eyes get very wide and she puts her hands on his shoulders because her people.]

Dude. We have books on magic. You are coming with me.

[COME ON let's go buddy she'll lead him out of the room if he's following.]

By the Light.

[He never says shit like that, but here he is. HIS PEOPLE. HE HAS FOUND HIS PEOPLE. Screw being unfriendly, Krista is amazingly nice and she has a library and THERE ARE BOOKS ON MAGIC. He scampers along behind her with the gait of someone about half his age, all excitement and frenzy and trying not to trip over his robes.]

Are you a mage? You feel like magic, a little.

Haha, nooo, not a mage...

[not that there's, uh, anything wrong with being a mage! she quickly adds--]

I'm something else. I've, um, only discovered magic recently, so I've been trying to collect up as much as I can find about it. It's not a huge collection, but... We're trying.

[here, she'll show him the door. she changed the plaque to read "Library" instead of having her name on it... and behold, there are shelves and shelves of books inside. it's not much bigger than a large bedroom or an office, and some of the cases still need to be filled... but...]

Magic section, right over there. Over the beanbags.

Something else? [Call him curious, he's looking at her sideways.

He pauses a moment to take in the collection. He even inhales. This fucking nerd loves books. He shuffles over immediately to start inspecting the titles.]

It is a good collection nonetheless.

Sooomething else, um.

[she's trying to stop thinking of mages as "those guys that open rifts in space and time and try to kidnap her for science", but she can't help her gut reaction. she watches him look at the titles and tries to gauge... if this guy could ever be dangerous, and if she could take him if he was.

age means nothing. her best friend was fourteen and had a sword that was literally made of lightning. if he hadn't been all weird earlier, she'd be really concerned, but...]

...Do they have fairies where you're from? Are those a thing?

[He could be dangerous, but right now he looks like a kid in a candy store. He's already thumbing through one of the magic textbooks. His ears twitch, possibly the only sign that he's not outright ignoring Krista.]

We have fey dragons. Is that what you mean?

That sounds like... not what I mean, I think.

[well, dragons exist in the dreaming, and they're made of the same stuff fairies are, but... uh... she decides she may as well walk in and plop herself down on the couch. hopefully this doesn't turn into a long thing. he might even be really cool with it, like Steffa was...]

The short version is that fairies are people made out of magic, put into normal human bodies so that they don't dissolve in the normal mortal world. That's what I am.

[Belth blinks at her as if taking in her 'oddities' in comparison to normal humans, but he doesn't look completely shocked.]

You are like a dragon then! They are made of magic, and they occasionally take human forms. [He's more intrigued than weirded out.] Do you have innate magic? Is that why you are so interested in learning other kinds?

Oh... [she does know a dragon who often takes human form, so she nods! this is already going better than she'd feared, so she perks up a little!]

I think all of us have a little innate magic, but I had to learn how to do all of my spells by trial and error. And there's a whole bunch of other Arts I haven't even figured out yet, so... Yeah! [she starts smiling, despite herself.] I don't have any fae teachers here, so I'm kind of trying to figure it out myself.

[His ears are standing straight up like a really interested cat. Aaaaaaaand here is rant mode.]

Experimenting with magic is what I do, and most of what I know about magic is entirely self-taught. I read a lot of books, [he says, like it's not an obvious thing.] Arcane magic is wild and hard to control. Because of that, I believe learning from many different sources is the best way to adapt and evolve.

[she just. listens. attentively.]

Okay, so you and I are book friends now. Like.

There's no getting out of it. I don't think we have a choice.

Wait, what? Friends?

[He turns red.]

I'm not-- I can't... I don't--

Don't what? Don't friends?

[oh, yeah. okay. this guy's a wimp.]

[His ears pin flat against his hair. Even the ends of them are pink.]

I'm-- I've never... had friends.

Oh. That's fine. [she... actually smiles. almost a grin.] I'm like, super low-maintenance. I'm a great starter friend. Don't worry.

... You aren't going to make fun of me?

[lmao, starter friend...]

No way. [a pause.] Well, maybe a little bit, but only in the good way that friends do. And you can toootally make fun of me back.

[Belth's first thought is that Krista is probably crazy. His second thought is that he's dangerous, and hanging out with a being made of magic might end up being bad if he ever loses himself.

But he decides not to spring that on her. Not right then.]

I'm not good with people. I don't even know the first thing about being a friend.

[He sighs.]

But I guess... I'll... try.

[It has nothing to do with Krista looking like his sister nope nope nope.]

Dude, I really suck at people. I'm serious. It's fine.

[she'll remain totes oblivious. friendship, go!]

So, just... Start by feeling free to come get me if you ever want help with something, or if you ever just want to hang out with... Another person, or whatever. I think that's what people do.

[nodding. being social. yes.]

Bishop Mingle!

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