driftfleet | the veil is thin . . .

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the veil is thin . . .

[ On the night of the 16th, the feeling of tension and horrid anticipation comes to a head. Everything stops when the sun goes down-- even the ever-present music in the hoppingest part of the city center. One by one, everyone turns their eyes to the skies. The young and old alike pour out of their houses, some in bare feet, and they point to the velvety blanket of stars.

It takes a second to find it, especially if one is unaccustomed to the starscape. But even a casual observer can see it.

A brightly-shining star, larger than the others, and growing larger.

An announcement cuts across all communication channels that encourages people to evacuate to the space station, but it’s clear that these are just people and they’ll need some help. Supplies, equipment, organization, there’s something for everyone to do.

Civilization is disrupted by a panicked stampede of people vying for limited seats aboard spacefaring craft. Within hours, there will be crushed glass, looting, and chaos.

The clock is ticking. Will you help? Or would you rather watch the dying gasps of a Singing Planet from a safe distance? ]

[OOC: Please see this post for plot details. Phase two has begun! Feel free to use this post as a reaction post, mingle, etc. or make your own!]

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I would never. [He sounds vaguely offended by the implication that he would use the connection against some hapless mage, since that's what a demon would do, but he recognizes that she doesn't know him and one can't be too careful.

When he speaks again, the note of offense has already left.] I can stop it any time I wish, with or without your permission.

[Then she holds out her hand, and it takes him a hot second to figure out what she expects him to do with it.] Hermione. [He says her name slowly, like he's trying it out or committing it to memory. Touching is still... strange to him, but he's been encouraged to put more of an effort into not frightening mortals, so he tentatively takes her hand.] I have no name. If you wish to call me something, you may call me Justice.

I didn't mean anything by it. I've never met a spirit like you before. [ Her limited experiences have been the ghosts of her world and the Heroic Spirits that had been her companions here and in the Drabwurld. Nothing like this has ever happened before and despite having come to expect a new normal it's still... Odd.

She relaxes, though, as the tone of offence slips away and she nods her head carefully. ]

So it's safe for the both of us. That makes me feel a little bit better.

[ They shake, and Hermione gives herself a few more moments to consider. She is tired, and this would help, take some of the weight off of her and make her feel better, but at what cost? She feels a little bit of uncertainty - but it's hardly the first time she's shared herself and her magic with something unknown before. She'd barely known Tamamo weeks before they'd made their pact. ]

It's nice to meet you, Justice. Are you sure you're alright with this?

If I was not sure, I would not have offered. You are doing good work and, if I have the skills to assist, then it is only right that I do.

Besides, I sense no ill intent from you. [Yeah, being a spirit of justice helps him sniff out people who'd try to hurt him pretty quickly. It's unfortunately less useful when people genuinely don't believe they'd be hurting him but hurt him anyway, but he'll get nowhere if he insists on being paranoid and refuses to help because of it.]

If you wish for my help, simply open your mind to me and return to your work. I will handle the rest.

That might be because I don't mean any.

[ But at least it shocks a smile out of her, and she watches Justice for a few moments more. It wouldn't be the first time, she supposes, and it seems safe enough... If she can share her magic and get a little more strength out of her body... She's sure numerous people would scold her for even considering it - Gilgamesh, Dorian, John, Wolfe, the list went on - but she knew what she needed to do.

These people need help. ]

Alright. Thank you.

[ A spirit of Justice; she knew a little about spirits. Enough to know that justice was not a bad thing.

Carefully, she turned back to her work, relaxing and doing her best to make it so that her mind was as open as possible. ]

[Justice has never tried this while he had a physical form before, but she's a mage and he's a spirit and that hasn't changed. He feels her open her mind, and to make it easier to connect, he settles a hand on her shoulder. His touch is light, like a butterfly ready to fly away at the slightest movement. He doesn't understand the rules surrounding touching mortals, so he can only hope that this isn't somehow offensive.

Justice slips a tendril of magic through her mind, anchoring himself without sharing anything that he would have trouble withdrawing. His skin and white eyes begin to glow a soft blue, so soft that it's almost imperceptible in the sunlight, as he steadily feeds magic along this connection, keeping up with her spells and lending strength. They are firmly separate beings, and the connection is thin, but it's steady.]

[ It's nothing like anything she has felt or experienced before. She's had her power bolstered by her Servants, by Gilgamesh, by her Shard, but nothing like the gentle touch of this spirit as she works her spells. It's incredible, she thinks, the light touch on her shoulder making her relax, just so. It doesn't distract her, exactly, but it's something she's certainly aware of, her head tilting before she goes back to what she's doing.

She can feel it, she thinks, and it's not dangerous.

The magic comes a little bit easier and she feels far less tired than she had before, focussing on her magic on what she wants to do. More porkeys are made and more blankets are duplicated and folded and it means that she's done more, so much more, and it gives her the strength to keep pushing herself and feeling marvellous because of it. ]

[Justice isn't just about punishing the wicked and protecting the innocent, though that's definitely what this particular spirit is used to focusing on. Justice is also about fairness, about people being given the same chance to survive as anyone else. That's what this is about. Working as hard as possible so that no one has to be left behind.

The feeling of a spirit fulfilling its purpose is indescribable, so good and pure that spirits can live off of nothing but it. He relaxes as she works, basking in that feeling as he feeds more magic through the connection.

Working together with a mage like this is something familiar, but it always feels just a little different depending on the mage. Some are afraid, ready to pull away and attack at the slightest provocation, and Justice never keeps a connection with that sort. Some are warm and welcoming, curious about spirits and eager for their help. Some are simply easy, experienced in working with spirits, and connecting with them is like slipping on an old pair of slippers.

This one is comfortable to connect with. She's not expecting him to turn on her, and she is already at ease, focused on the task at hand and trusting him to handle the magic supply. Yes, Justice thinks he made a good choice to offer her power. As she relaxes, so does he, the touch on her shoulder settling with the connection.]

[ With the additional power beside her, Hermione can focus on what she's doing - and that's what she does. It's easy to get into the rhythm of making things, of casting spells, of doing things to help people, over and over again, a gentle, familiar set of movements that make the time pass a little faster than she thought it might. The exhaustion she feels fades too and she feels a little more at peace, a little more comfortable, at little more at ease, and it shows as some of the lines on her face relax.

Hermione certainly isn't afraid of him, and that's clear in how easily she lets him settle beside her and inside her at the same time. She's used to spirits now, of all kinds, and that means she doesn't fight against him; she doesn't do anything to contest the power he is lending her. She simply accepts it, because that's what she knows how to do.

She doesn't imagine he's going to try and overwhelm her. That would be counterproductive to what they want to do together.

When she comes to the end of her set of spells she relaxes, breathing out, before her head turns and she looks up at Justice. It's true that she had been wary at first, but now... Now she feels far more comfortable and she tilts her head up, offering him a small, gentle smile, still a little tired around the edges but present. ]

How are you feeling?

Good. Comfortable. We have done good work.

[He's relaxed, her comfort with the process reflecting on him as well. He doesn't break the connection immediately, not without confirmation that she is ready to stop and rest, but he pulls back the flow of power. It wouldn't do to overwhelm her with magic.]

What about you?

[Mortals have physical limitations, and he doesn't want her to damage herself by pushing too hard. He said he would stop when she asked, and he meant it.

Though he does get the sense that she's done this, or something like this, before. In his experience, only healers and Rivaini seers are so easy to settle with.]

I'm okay too. I'm quite proud of us.

[ She doesn't feel as desperately drained as she did before, and the amount of things she had been able to charm and enchant is incredible. Hermione feels a familiar swell of pride as her expression softens, her eyes turning to look back over at Justice. ]

Are you sure it was comfortable for you? It was fine for me, don't worry, but I don't want you to feel as though you have to say that you were fine with my head when you might not have been.

I do not like lying. I would not lie to you about this.

[Although it's strange and unnecessary, it's nice to be asked after in this way. When mages typically utilize the help of spirits, it's with minimal verbal communication, and the interaction is terminated as soon as the magic is done. The warmth and concern afterwards is new, but not unwelcome.]

I get the impression that you have shared your magic prior, if not perhaps in this same way. Those who are at ease with the idea of working together with a spirit are much more comfortable to share with than those who are not.

... Okay. I believe you.

[ And she does. Hermione might be a little more cautious than she was once upon a time - the time between trusting Severus Snape and being betrayed by the people she loved were whiplash in her mind - but she knew a good person when she met one, and Justice was good. She had felt it from their connection, and something like that just couldn't lie. It wasn't possible when you were sharing power and magic.

The questions don't shock her, though, and she smiles. ]

It's not the first time, no. I'm something called a Master - I have the ability to share my power and my mana with a type of spirit called Heroic Spirits. I've had two.

Heroic Spirits? Where I come from, we simply call them spirits. Those that would do evil are called demons, and they will possess any mage who allows them into their mind.

[So she's a seer. A young, relatively inexperienced seer, but a seer nonetheless. That makes sense. Justice thinks she is well suited for a role.

Justice would advise her to be careful, but she seems like a smart woman and while demons can be tricky, their tricks are obvious if one keeps their wits about them and their willpower strong.]

They don't exist in my world, but they were a part of the world I was in before this one. That's where I met Diarmuid and became his Master.

[ She can't imagine someone possessing her mind, though - the Imperius curse was one thing, but this sounded like something on a completely different level. Hermione couldn't deny her curiosity, but she's sure it's not something she wants to actually consider. ]

I've never met any spirit like that.

The mages in your world are very fortunate if you have no demons. [Perhaps less so without spirits, but the idea of imagining a world without his kind is uncomfortable, so Justice puts that aside.] They are a scourge in the world of dreams and the world of mortals. They haunt dreams and feed on the vices and failings of mortals, and they use these failings to manipulate mages into allowing them in. They wish to experience the mortal world, but they can only do so through possession.

[And after experiencing the mortal world himself, Justice can grudgingly admit he sees why. He sees why demons are so desperate to see the waking world, to feel it like a mortal would. The difference is that he would never steal someone's life to feel it. Desiring something doesn't mean one is entitled to it.]

I'm sure I've never met a demon. [ At least, nothing like he's described. She's found monsters of various kinds, headless horsemen and giant fire worms and even a creature that made her skin and hair rot, but nothing quite like the demonic thing he is describing to her. She thinks she doesn't want to meet them either, and she'd be quite happy to not go through the trouble, if she's being honest. ]

They sound horrible. I understand wanting to experience things, but that's such an awful way to do it.

Edited 2017-10-01 21:43 (UTC)

They believe they have a right to what belongs to others, and many of the mortals foolish enough to seek them out believe they will be powerful enough to control a demon where all their brethren failed. [The rule of thumb is that once a demon has possessed a mortal, the demon has won. Mortals can gain the upper hand if they use blood magic and bind the demon, but that's not possible after losing control over their own bodies.]

If you ever cross paths with one, you will know. They are predictable and simple to resist if you keep your wits about you.

Well, they're wrong. No one has the right to do or take anything from anyone else. [ It might be a bit of a sore spot with her, and her frustration is evident. Still, she focuses on Justice and what he's telling her - both because it might be useful and because it's new information which she'll eat up eagerly. ]

Do you think demons could show up here?

It is unlikely. It seems the mages here do not have the connection to the world of dreams that they would need for a demon to attack them in their sleep.

But I am here, and I am also from the Fade. If I can come here, I do not see why a demon cannot.

Hopefully we'll be able to make sure that they don't do anything they shouldn't be. I've learned a little bit about stopping people from getting into my head, and I could try and share that knowledge as best I can.

[ Mind-reading and possession are two different things, but Barty-as-Moody had taught them all a lot about throwing off the Imperius curse. ]

That would be helpful. Most demons do not know how to adjust when their initial tactics do not work.

[But the ones that do are much more dangerous because those are the smart ones, but if that happens, it still can't hurt to give people resources to keep things out of their heads.]

Then I'll see what I can do. It's different now, being here, but...

[ She smiles, managing that. Her power isn't quite as strong here, but it's like being at home, so she can cope. ]

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