middaeg | i see the hazy sense unfold [ OPEN ]

Entry tags:

i see the hazy sense unfold [ OPEN ]

Who: Sora and new acquaintances!
When: Throughout
Where: Around the city, the Coven library.
What: Deliveries for Precogstichin', searching for mysterious animals in the city, and studying.
Warnings: Probably nothing, but will edit if anything comes up.

delivery for—
[ Fortunately, growing up and constantly traveling around a semi-claustrophobia-inducing city means Sora has a decent sense of direction and a good memory for buildings. But to use that memory, he has to learn first.

So he might be knocking on a few wrong doors. ]

Hi. Corset delivery.

in the library—
[ Having a practice only once a week isn't too often, but it does mean Sora has an actual schedule to follow that isn't intermittent shifts at a convenience store. He's trying to study as much as he can outside of class to make sure that he, and by extension Tora, are safe and prepared for whatever other weird stuff this world is going to throw at them.

And that means reading.

After some searching for words he can actually comprehend, Sora finds some books he thinks he can handle and carries them to a table. After only a few practices, he's struggling and visibly so. Magic isn't something he'd ever believed in.

Later, when he goes to return them to their places in the shelf, he's still looking down at the words when he rounds a corner and nearly walks into someone. ]

Oh. Sorry. [ He's just holding a stack almost up to his nose. ]

in the courtyard—
[ Sora's trouble with magic is manifesting in a more noticeable way, later in the Coven courtyard. He wants to protect himself with a barrier in theory. But what actually happens is the small amount of the magic in the barrier being redirected and shoving Sora back.

He falls on his butt with a quiet yelp. Embarrassing, but definitely not the most embarrassing thing that's happened to him. He starts getting up and dusting himself off. ]

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[Theseus can't help but raise an eyebrow at that. Sora's certainly... enthusiastic about learning, but he wonders how much he's really taking in. Studying magic can certainly can be difficult and it's doubly true if he's unaccustomed to it.]

Pardon me for prying, but how are you coming along with your reading?

[There's at least some similarities between the magic here and the magic at home for him. He just needs to get a feel for it.]

[ Sora hesitates, looking away. The books are pretty heavy (despite what he'd said) and he shifts his grip for a few seconds. ]

I don't really get it. [ The writing suggests that much of magic should be instinctual, but it isn't at all for Sora. ] Magic isn't real. Not to me.

[His answer isn't surprising in the least, and Theseus takes a quick glance at the books Sora's holding, trying to see what material he's getting into first. Even though the Auror isn't capable of effectively using magic yet, he's still somewhat confident that he'll be able to assist him.

...It's definitely strange though, teaching someone that never believed in magic how to use it. It's not something he dealt with back home. But he has to remember, all of this is even more difficult to muggles and Theseus isn't about to ignore them.]

Why don't we take a seat over there? [Theseus points to a nearby table, completely empty of anyone sitting nearby.]

[ Sora was struggling, and ready to ask, but he still doesn't expect being invited to sit with someone who knows more than he does. ]

Oh—

[ He nods quickly and follows. ]

You're not busy with other stuff?

[Once they get there, Theseus motions for Sora to plop them on the table. He's still under the assumption that he has it all handled, despite him struggling with the books.]

I am, but I'm also studying. [It's the only way he's going to get a feel for the magic here without accidentally setting something on fire or unintentionally transfiguring something. Study now, practice later. Or study and practice at the same time.]

If you're struggling with the basic concepts, it'll only become more difficult. Think of magic as an extension of yourself.

[ Sora doesn't drop anything on the floor, but the books do make a rather loud thud when he puts them down. Sora himself doesn't really notice, and he focuses more on sitting down and being attentive. ]

But it's not. I didn't have it before. [ He's... not quite sulking, but he's visibly frustrated for a fraction of a second before deflating again. He does usually feel incompetent, but right now he does moreso than usual. He looks at Theseus in silence for a moment. ]

You know a lot of things.

[He honestly cannot remember a time where he's been completely disconnected from magic. Even in this world, when he first arrived, he still had a feeling for it, even though it was off and weaker. He's slowly been adjusting, but it's truthfully a bit difficult to relate to someone that's never dealt with magic before in their life.

It's not something he's ever helped someone with, but... he'll need to get used to it. Sora is far from the only person that its in his shoes. Although, with that thought, there's probably someone here that can better explain this to him, but Theseus still isn't simply going to give up.]

No, but what matters is that you have magic now. I promise that it will become familiar to you eventually and the fact that you've been reading this much about it is a great start.

[He can't help but chuckle lightly, fully aware this is the second time now that he's caught Sora in something he's unfamiliar with.] Just a few things. You just always somehow catch me at those times... guess that's made me more knowledgeable than I appear.

[ Just because he has magic now, acknowledging it doesn't make it easier. It hasn't so far, at least, and Sora's mouth tightens slightly as he looks down at the books. ]

...you seem like you know things.

[ But moping will do nothing for him. He's come to realize this now. ]

I think I just have to do it until it works. Do you have time right now?

Perhaps some things about magic.

[Theseus doesn't offer more details than that, but he doesn't leave Sora by himself either. There's certainly something else that he could be doing, but not so much that he's willing to just leave someone if they need help. This will be good review for him as well.

So, he taps on the first book in the stack while looking at Sora.]

As a matter of fact, I do. Before we start, however, I've wanted to ask, were you practicing certain spells first? Or reading everything you've come across?

[ Another person with magic in their world. Sora tucks that away, because he needs as much help as he can get, and he's assembling a list of people who might be able to offer it. He picks up the top book and pops it open, hunching defensively over the pages. He feels out of place and weird. ]

The barrier ones. I want to be able to make them. [ Because there's so much danger here from sources he doesn't understand. ]

[There's a distinct pause after Sora responds and if he looks up, he'll notice a passing grief appearing on Theseus' face, but it only lasts for a few seconds. It doesn't take long for the wizard to reclaim his normal put together appearance, although his eyes are focused on the book laid out on the table now.

His brother is not the only one that avoids people's eyes when he doesn't feel like meeting them.]

...That's certainly a good choice. Protect yourself and those around you. Why don't we just focus on that for now? Although it might help to learn some Universal spell work as well, since they're easier to master.

[ Concentrating hard on the words to read them, Sora only catches the tail end of that look when the pause drags on for especially long. It reminds him of how Theseus looked during the wedding dance. He seemed sad. But also quiet, as if he didn't want to be asked about it. ]

Yeah. They're the basics, right?

[ He flips a few more pages to read the more foundational material, brow slightly furrowing. ]

How did you learn magic?

Isn't there a saying? 'You must learn how to walk before you can run?' I'd say that phrase applies neatly here still.

[Although, learning magic isn't always linear. There's a variety of categories, but at least it's still true that Universal magic is the easiest to learn. Probably the least dangerous as well for someone practicing for the first time.]

At school, actually. In my world, there's several hidden schools that specialize in teaching magic to children-- of course, you must show affinity for it in the first place. [Talking about Hogwarts actually lifts his spirits quite a bit; he has nothing but fond memories of his school education.] Similarly, I've heard that the Coven teaches classes here, I suggest attending them.

[ He does have to start somewhere. And the Witches teaching seemed aware of that, giving them easier spells to start with. But even the easiest ones feel utterly foreign, and the thought of magic school doesn't help. ]

I'll try. So you went to one of those schools when you were younger? [ Oh, and they were hidden? ] What about the people who don't have an "affinity"?

We call those people 'muggles,' at least in Great Britain... and they're not allowed to know about magic, let alone attend those wizarding schools. If by chance they encounter someone using magic or witness an event with magic being the source, it's the responsibility of the Ministry to erase their memories.

[It's been the law for years and Theseus agrees with it for the most part, even if it would be nice to talk about magic to muggles. It definitely was not enjoyable obliviating some of the soldiers he became friends with during the great war, or altering their memories. But... he was not going to put the wizarding world at risk for that.

And while Theseus isn't trying to be cold about it, he does say all this in a matter of fact tone.]

The laws and culture in Aefenglom is far different, it's been something to adjust to, I admit.

[When he first arrived in this city, he thought about erasing the memories of four different people. At least he doesn't have to do that now.]

[ Having seen a couple of movies on similar topics, the use of memory alteration makes sense. The actual magic, not so much. ]

Right... you haven't tried to make people forget your magic, have you? [ Hey, he has to ask. ] Everyone already knows about magic here. Even people like me.

Most certainly not. Be rather counterproductive to erase someone's memory of magic when it's constantly talked about here, not to mention that you now have the ability to use it.

[Truly, a once in a lifetime chance for some people. It'll most certainly make returning home more complicated, but guess Theseus doesn't have to worry about that. There's enough to think about as is.]

This is a new world and a good number of their laws and customs are different than my own. I can't very well apply certain regulations from home to the people in Aefenglom. We're all just visitors.

They're kind of making us feel like we're stuck living here. [ Or life seems that way, with the housing situations and offered education. Admittedly Sora isn't used to living permanently anywhere, so his expectations are largely on the floor. ]

I don't know if I like it.

They're certainly trying their hardest to make us feel like we'll be here for a long time. Not fully sure if that makes them charitable or not.

[And as much as he wants to help out this world, he hasn't forgotten his obligations and duties back home either. Grindelwald is still out there and each day he's worried that the dark wizard has done something else that might've harmed countless people. Maybe have his war with the muggles finally realized...

Theseus barely manages to keep his anger in check. Right, no thinking about him right now. Especially since Sora's struggling with a few of his own problems.]

Perhaps we don't know how long any of us will remain here, but... [He makes a motion at the book lying in front of Sora.] Might as well learn a few things about magic. I promise, it'll be worth it.

[ There's a lot to see, a lot to read, and Sora has always struggled with learning. He's reading and listening to him at the same time, which means that he's actually just distracted from both. ]

I think it's worth it.

[ But it's hard and Sora might... already sound tired. Talking to a person right now sounds more interesting than studying. ]

Did you say your name earlier? I'm Sora.

Have I never introduced myself? I'm sorry, where are my manners-- I'm Theseus. Theseus Scamander.

[Maybe if Sora was a bit older, he would've done a small bow or offer his hand to shake, but instead, the wizard stands with a small, if almost sheepish smile.] Hard to believe that I never came forth with that one-- we even shared a dance! At least we have that out of the way now.

Sora. [ What an interesting name—and oh, what, he's standing up? Sora hurries to stand up as well and gives him a small bow mostly out of habit, feeling flustered all over again.

Less than he did while they were dancing, though. He's introduced himself to someone before! ]

Yeah... thanks again. This place is a lot to deal with.

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i see the hazy sense unfold [ OPEN ]

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