[Right, the humor dies on the vine, but Stephen's fine with that. He doesn't have the energy to keep even his acerbic default running at its usual baseline; he needs all the focus he can muster for this, besides.]
No pressure.
[Well, almost not enough energy for an acerbic remark.
But as soon as she gives him the proper space, Stephen does not hesitate to begin casting. Since so much of this is inspired by his native magic, the one taught to him at Kamar-Taj, the spell starts with gestures of the hands. Wrists at just the right angle; fingers sometimes interlocking, sometimes forming shapes with a dexterity that belies their otherwise scarred and strained frames.
Then the light show begins -- rather, the amber sparks and glowing trails of light that are part and parcel of Eldritch magic, following his fingertips. Blossoming outwards into a huge, rotating mandala, which then lifts all of the personal items into the air, engulfing them in its heat. They burn and sear away, leaving only small trails of smoke to indicate they once existed.
And then this same light bursts, expanding in all directions, and disappears.]
All right.
["All right", like he's just done something as mundane as turn on the stove, but he doesn't have time to be even vaguely impressed that it went off without a hitch. Stephen motions to the opposite wall, where a large map of Thorne's territory has been pinned to the wall on thick parchment. She'll notice that certain areas have started to thrum and glow with the same color as his magic.]
no subject
No pressure.
[Well, almost not enough energy for an acerbic remark.
But as soon as she gives him the proper space, Stephen does not hesitate to begin casting. Since so much of this is inspired by his native magic, the one taught to him at Kamar-Taj, the spell starts with gestures of the hands. Wrists at just the right angle; fingers sometimes interlocking, sometimes forming shapes with a dexterity that belies their otherwise scarred and strained frames.
Then the light show begins -- rather, the amber sparks and glowing trails of light that are part and parcel of Eldritch magic, following his fingertips. Blossoming outwards into a huge, rotating mandala, which then lifts all of the personal items into the air, engulfing them in its heat. They burn and sear away, leaving only small trails of smoke to indicate they once existed.
And then this same light bursts, expanding in all directions, and disappears.]
All right.
["All right", like he's just done something as mundane as turn on the stove, but he doesn't have time to be even vaguely impressed that it went off without a hitch. Stephen motions to the opposite wall, where a large map of Thorne's territory has been pinned to the wall on thick parchment. She'll notice that certain areas have started to thrum and glow with the same color as his magic.]
What do we have?