I know, but that would've taken more time and effort.
[He would've had to find a bowl or a mug or something, either boil the water or use the microwave, etc. It would've also taken like, a whole three minutes, and that much functioning is a little beyond him at the moment.
Which is why it's surely the best time to learn magic, right? Speaking of which, he's going to just kind of redirect away from his depressing attempt at a snack, and--]
[Lance gives her a flat look for that, although he's clearly not actually bothered by the comment.]
I usually get 'I expected you to be older', so I guess I'll take 'stuffy' if just for the novelty.
[But more seriously--]
My job typically requires a certain sense of formality, which can definitely come across as stuffy, but if it isn't necessary then I try to avoid that impression.
[It gets exhausting to pretend you're not a huge dork all the time.]
[Kyna is also a huge dork, so formal makes her squirmy.]
So uh... the easiest spells to learn are called cantrips. They're the stuff you teach kids when they're first learning, you know? That's what we're gonna start with.
Lance nods in interest, suddenly all focus on the matter at hand, and even manages to avoid taking it personally that they're starting with little kids' magic. Any magic is better than none, so he's not about to complain.]
I still don't know what that means, but I'll take your word for it.
[And he will remind himself that he should master the kid-level magic before he even thinks about how cool it might be to have more powerful magic, if that's even possible. One step at a time.]
A focus lets you control your magic. Channel it, if that makes sense. Stronger spells need more magic, you know? It can be anything, like a necklace or a ring or whatever, but you need to perform a ritual to attune it to you.
[He can tell she's teasing, but he's still losing confidence rapidly at that response and it's probably briefly visible on his face. Right, okay, in theory that makes sense, but he's not sure about his ability to believe in using magic that strongly. It's not like Lance can't put a lot of determination and willpower into achieving something, but that's kind of the problem; considering that's never resulted in magic powers--much to his disappointment, especially as a child--he's not sure why it suddenly would now.
But he does his best to put that all out of his mind and remember that he's in another dimension filled with a lot weirder than magic, and so he really shouldn't be overthinking this. He'll figure it out.
Yeah, pretty much. I know it sounds dumb, but it really does help if you visualize it. Picture what color the light would be and the kind of shadows it would cast, that sort of thing. After you practice enough you won't have to think about it so hard.
[Alright, well. That doesn't really help in terms of him trying to do it, but it's still really, really cool.]
That's awesome.
[And useful. But mostly awesome.
But okay. He's... Going to do this, somehow. He just saw that it works, and she seems confident that it's not difficult, so there's no reason he shouldn't be able to manage it himself. Right? Right.
But what is he going to try to make glow, anyway? There isn't a lot in here, at least not that seems reasonable to turn into a makeshift lamp, but then he has an idea and pulls his FBI badge from his pocket. The shield emblem is already shiny and metal, and it's relatively small, so maybe--]
Would something like this work? Does it even matter what it is?
[Something ten feet on any one side would be kind of a huge thing to try to make glow, although it'd also be really cool. But alright, don't overthink it--easier said than done, for him--and just concentrate. Right.
Lance takes a moment to try to clear his thoughts a little and not worry about if it doesn't work; there's no consequence for failing at this, and he can just try again. The magic itself is clearly real, so it's just a matter of figuring out how it feels and making it work. He can do that.
So he touches the badge carefully, as though it's delicate even though he knows for a fact it isn't, and concentrates.
Almost immediately the badge lights up with a soft golden glow, although it only lasts for a moment as Lance is so startled by it that he drops the badge entirely. Did it really work? There's no way, especially not on the first try.]
I... Did I imagine that?
[He knows he didn't, but it still feels like he should ask. But even if he hadn't seen the effect of the spell, he thinks he would've known it worked because he realizes he does feel... Something, even if he can't exactly pinpoint how to describe it yet; maybe almost like a rush of adrenaline, only not unpleasant. But definitely something.]
[He's still a bit disbelieving, and at the same time a million conflicting thoughts are rushing through his head, but the compliment causes him to brighten a little all the same. He might be good at magic. How is that even a real, actual thing that he can be thinking right now?
Lance takes the badge back as she offers it, and although he's briefly nervous--what if he can't do it again?--this is a rare occasion where that fear is completely drowned out by cautious but genuine excitement. He actually really wants to see if he can do it again.
It takes slightly longer this time, requiring an additional second or two due to Lance finding it somewhat more difficult to concentrate, but it still lights up in the same pale gold. This time he doesn't drop it, instead just kind of marveling; it feels more than a little surreal.]
This is... Really, really cool.
[Not the most eloquent of wording, but sometimes there's just nothing else you can say.]
[Just making something glow is already the 'big stuff' as far as he's concerned; he may be, at this point, the only person from his world to ever do something like this, and that's an utterly incredible thought.
But okay, not the point, focus. What color should it be? Blue, as Kyna suggests, is a good idea; he has a particular shade in mind, actually, because he's seen Brennan use a forensic light source before and they're very distinctive. It isn't difficult to call up that mental image clearly, although the color of the light doesn't smoothly transition; instead, it dims and turns off entirely before relighting in a vibrant, almost aqua blue.
And although Lance is pleased by the end result--]
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[He would've had to find a bowl or a mug or something, either boil the water or use the microwave, etc. It would've also taken like, a whole three minutes, and that much functioning is a little beyond him at the moment.
Which is why it's surely the best time to learn magic, right? Speaking of which, he's going to just kind of redirect away from his depressing attempt at a snack, and--]
So... How exactly does this work?
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I was expecting you to be more... I don't know. Stuffy.
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I usually get 'I expected you to be older', so I guess I'll take 'stuffy' if just for the novelty.
[But more seriously--]
My job typically requires a certain sense of formality, which can definitely come across as stuffy, but if it isn't necessary then I try to avoid that impression.
[It gets exhausting to pretend you're not a huge dork all the time.]
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[Kyna is also a huge dork, so formal makes her squirmy.]
So uh... the easiest spells to learn are called cantrips. They're the stuff you teach kids when they're first learning, you know? That's what we're gonna start with.
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Lance nods in interest, suddenly all focus on the matter at hand, and even manages to avoid taking it personally that they're starting with little kids' magic. Any magic is better than none, so he's not about to complain.]
Okay, sure.
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[She waves her hand.]
Thing. We'd have to do it together.
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[And he will remind himself that he should master the kid-level magic before he even thinks about how cool it might be to have more powerful magic, if that's even possible. One step at a time.]
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[And doesn't sound too terrible.]
But if it's not necessary for cantrips, how do I control or channel magic for them? We don't have anything like this in my world.
[Aside from fiction, anyway, and only as far as he knows. But he definitely doesn't have any experience with any of this, so he's lost.]
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[She's smiling a little, so it's clear she's teasing him on at least some level.]
It feels different for everyone. For me it's like... I don't know. Like feeding electricity through a circuit. You'll know what I mean.
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But he does his best to put that all out of his mind and remember that he's in another dimension filled with a lot weirder than magic, and so he really shouldn't be overthinking this. He'll figure it out.
He hopes.]
Okay. What spell are we going to try first?
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[So he is completely happy to try that first. He'd be happy for that to be the only thing he could ever do, actually.]
So do I just... Touch something and concentrate really hard? Or...
[It sounds really dumb put that way, so maybe there's more to it.]
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[She pauses for a moment, tilting her head.]
Want me to do it first?
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If you don't mind, yes. I think it'll help to see how it works.
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[Kyna reaches up to touch the pendant of her necklace, which instantly glows with a bright, white light.]
See? Piece of cake.
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That's awesome.
[And useful. But mostly awesome.
But okay. He's... Going to do this, somehow. He just saw that it works, and she seems confident that it's not difficult, so there's no reason he shouldn't be able to manage it himself. Right? Right.
But what is he going to try to make glow, anyway? There isn't a lot in here, at least not that seems reasonable to turn into a makeshift lamp, but then he has an idea and pulls his FBI badge from his pocket. The shield emblem is already shiny and metal, and it's relatively small, so maybe--]
Would something like this work? Does it even matter what it is?
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[She taps the badge gently.]
Concentrate, but don't overthink it and start worrying about how it might not work or whatever.
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Lance takes a moment to try to clear his thoughts a little and not worry about if it doesn't work; there's no consequence for failing at this, and he can just try again. The magic itself is clearly real, so it's just a matter of figuring out how it feels and making it work. He can do that.
So he touches the badge carefully, as though it's delicate even though he knows for a fact it isn't, and concentrates.
Almost immediately the badge lights up with a soft golden glow, although it only lasts for a moment as Lance is so startled by it that he drops the badge entirely. Did it really work? There's no way, especially not on the first try.]
I... Did I imagine that?
[He knows he didn't, but it still feels like he should ask. But even if he hadn't seen the effect of the spell, he thinks he would've known it worked because he realizes he does feel... Something, even if he can't exactly pinpoint how to describe it yet; maybe almost like a rush of adrenaline, only not unpleasant. But definitely something.]
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Holy shit, good job. I bet you're gonna be awesome at this.
[She bends over to pick up the badge, then practically shoves it at him.]
Do it again.
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Lance takes the badge back as she offers it, and although he's briefly nervous--what if he can't do it again?--this is a rare occasion where that fear is completely drowned out by cautious but genuine excitement. He actually really wants to see if he can do it again.
It takes slightly longer this time, requiring an additional second or two due to Lance finding it somewhat more difficult to concentrate, but it still lights up in the same pale gold. This time he doesn't drop it, instead just kind of marveling; it feels more than a little surreal.]
This is... Really, really cool.
[Not the most eloquent of wording, but sometimes there's just nothing else you can say.]
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[Kyna's still smiling, head tilted slightly as she watches him. His excitement is infectious.]
Wait until we get to the big stuff. Try making the light a different color. Like... Blue or something.
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But okay, not the point, focus. What color should it be? Blue, as Kyna suggests, is a good idea; he has a particular shade in mind, actually, because he's seen Brennan use a forensic light source before and they're very distinctive. It isn't difficult to call up that mental image clearly, although the color of the light doesn't smoothly transition; instead, it dims and turns off entirely before relighting in a vibrant, almost aqua blue.
And although Lance is pleased by the end result--]
Is it supposed to stay lit up the whole time?
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[But it's no big deal. She's still impressed by how quickly he's picking this up.]
Try it again.
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