+23+ [action]

[fellpool]

[Today, Leon is practically living in one of the battle dome rooms. How many times now had he put off actual combat practice? There had been a few distractions here and there, but he had to admit to himself that a good majority of the time was spent tinkering with symbols and gems in his lab.

When was the last time there had been a large draft? Four months ago? Was that the last time he had swung his sword around for any good reason for more than a few minutes? His lack of practice shows in his awkward test swings. Even with a practice simulation to fight, he's quickly tiring. Claude would probably laugh at the mistakes he was making.

Leon huffs and moves on to Symbology practice, switching from the Claude's Silvance to his own Heraldry blade. Even within the barrier and with the lower augmentation of his sword, he's able to quickly form ice needles and arc black sabers across the room. When he switches to one of his Symbology tomes, he increases his range and covers the walls in a thick layer of ice. And then shatters the ice with a decisive flick of one hand.

--

Later on, towards the mid-afternoon, Leon trudges over to the plaza to go looking for something to eat. First the bakery to check out the pastries for the day, then the coffee shop to order something cold, and then over to the grocery store to grab something for the inevitable midnight munchies.]

Comments

[musubi]

Cute ears.

[On that terrible introductory note, Isamu nears Leon's area of the battledome. Actually, is it an introduction? The teen looks familiar.]

Seen them before, I think. Idle chatting or some other bullshit on the journals probably.

Sweet spellwork, by the way.

[fellpool]

[Leon rubs the back of his hand over his forehead wearily, blinking in surprise at the unexpected comment from the entrance of the room. He turns to face the passerby, tilting his head thoughtfully.]

Thanks. We-- Huh. [An embarrassed frown makes its way to his face. They'd only talked over the journals, and that was definitely a long time ago.] We never traded names, did we? I'm Leon.

[musubi]

Isamu. It's not like we can be expected to remember everyone who comes and goes in this place, anyway.

But since you do remember, you've been here this whole time. [Which is something, considering his eyes are a different color now and he isn't wearing his signature hat. He figures it's probably the attitude.]

We should all get long term membership cards.

[fellpool]

[Really, there's only the faintest memory of this kind of irreverent conversation that's sticking in Leon's head; if not for the fact that he remembered they hadn't traded names, he would have admitted that he couldn't remember any of the context of how they had first met.

...But that wasn't important.]

Would we get rewards? I'm not sure I'd want rewards for lasting a long time in this place. [He sheathes his sword, not wanting it to seem like he was eager to get back to his training.]

Do you come here often?

[musubi]

Fairly often. Not as often as I should.

[Though he's gotten a lot better at keeping up with his training now. There was a while where he didn't even bother.]

The spirits don't care for me much, though, so I'm mostly stuck with physical things.

[Nala will work with him, but that's Nala. The fact that he can work with Hyt now is his trump card and he doesn't bring it up if it can be helped.]

[fellpool]

There's a lot you can still do without knowing magic yourself, at least. I'm pretty sure there's been people who never reached out to the spirits while they were here.

[His lips quirk into a wry grin.] I'm not much for combat practice. You'd think the threat of random drafts would instill better habits.

[musubi]

I'm just a burden on drafts.

[He grimaces, a little more serious for a change. But he's soon wiped that expression from his face and is smirking back at the mage.]

But I'm gonna fix that. Every little bit helps, you know.

[Of course he has bigger plans now that involve more than just properly spinning a staff around.]

[fellpool]

Are you? [Leon's brows knit together at how blunt Isamu is about his own abilities. Truthfully, he had his moments of feeling like a burden even with his firepower, so he can't help but ask...] What kind of training are you usually doing?

[musubi]

Like I said. Physical stuff.

[He hefts a wooden bo staff onto his shoulders.]

I'm not gonna actually make a decent ninja any time soon, though. I was always more of a mage type.

But, you know. Dumb spirits.

[fellpool]

[His eyes automatically flit to the wooden bo at the movement, even as he continues to listen.]

The spirits aren't the only way to harness magic around here. I know there's been some people who've had luck with learning other worlds' variations of 'magic.'

[musubi]

Think I've heard something about that.

[He frowns. If it's possible, he just hasn't met the right people.]

I always figured you had to have some affinity for it beforehand.

[fellpool]

Depends on the type, I guess. Symbology -- what you saw me using just now -- requires first having the potential, and then you enhance it through tattoos and armaments. I knew a guy whose elemental skills were ... some blessing from a god or something like that, so that's another way you could end up with magic.

[He flaps a hand dismissively.] Not that affinities aren't involved. You could have affinities for certain elements, just like how certain Filial spirits might favor you.

[musubi]

Tattoos, huh?

[He peers a little closer at the boy.]

Let's see them.

[Never mind the more important topics.]

[fellpool]

[And Leon blanches at the abrupt change of topic, staring at Isamu as if he suddenly grew a second head.]

Huh? You-- My tattoos?

[musubi]

Yeah, you heard me. You have them too, right?

Are they just a bunch of runes and shit? Because that's what it sounds like it would be. Is that not the sort of thing you display? I figured most people had tats to show them off.

[fellpool]

Well, usually... [He frowns; he couldn't deny that a good number of Symbologists seemed to put their tattoos on display.] That's not really something on your mind when you're 10, though.

[musubi]

Are you kidding? [Isamu chuckles.]

I would have put them in all sorts of crazy places at that age.

[There's really no comparing him at age 10 to Leon at age 10, though.]

[fellpool]

[Leon huffs and looks away, indignant at the thought of such thoughts entering his head at such a young age.]

It's one thing to think something like that, and another to actually get the tattoos. I was ... delicate at that age.

[Well. He was probably still kinda delicate. Who liked getting banged up in a fight?]

[musubi]

Delicate? Only then?

[He grins, but it's not as if he's much of a beefcake himself. Pot, kettle.]

[fellpool]

[His ears flatten against his head as he sighs in exasperation.]

Okay, maybe that hasn't changed. ...I guess, if I had gotten my tattoos at an older age, I would have had them down my arms. [He gestures down along his bicep and forearm, stopping at the wrist with a shrug.] Or maybe along the collarbone.

[musubi]

Along the arms would be pretty awesome, yeah.

[Isamu stares at his own arms for longer than he means to, expression growing serious again.]

So these symbols... They help someone with a latent talent for magic, right? Can you... tell if someone has it?

[fellpool]

Can I tell if someone has the talent?

[Leon tilts his head at the question, frowning faintly before reaching up to scratch his chin. His eyes are fixed on Isamu, curious.]

Not just by looking at a person, no. Usually a person first manifests their power in a display of significant symbological force in some way -- accidentally or intentionally, like through a test. Some people get the tattoos before they actually know if they have any decent talent for Symbology.

[musubi]

Before? [So if he got some, and then turned in mission points to unlock further abilities, would they be able to improve them?]

Do you think it would work for me? I mean, I've worked with magic before... sort of. When I was merged with something else. If there's anything left in me that I might be able to drag out, I'd like to try it,

[If he can use that magic through his own ability rather than relying on the Malnosso, he would greatly prefer it.]

[fellpool]

Maybe. It's not unheard of that residuals left from a process could still become potent in some way. [It was one of many reasons why experiments had to be started over if contaminated equipment was used.]

This world allows for a lot of strange things, too. Like things continuing to exist here that should logically not be possible once you're stuck in another world, unless this world accumulates everything from every world. Like ... the blessing from a god. If you're here, away from that source of power, the connection should logically be severed, or at least weakened. But that doesn't happen.

[musubi]

Can you do that? Put the symbols on someone?

[There's a bright spark of hope in his eyes now, and his tone is a little more insistent.]

Or do you know someone else who can?