abraxaslogs | [Open] November catch-all

Kell more expected to see Jayce here, so it is a surprise when it's Victor who comes up to join him at the table. A nice surprise for a change. The thing is, no matter how much he feels he knows about Victor, there weren't that many chances to talk to the man himself. So it is not only politeness speaking through him when he replies.

"It is very good to see you, too. How are you doing?"

A trick question. It seems rude to ask for Victor's health straight away. It also doesn't seem right to ask about the situation in Free Cities. Or even safe for that matter, with all of Thorne's security on their toes looking for anyone causing trouble. This is theoretically neutral territory, but Kell was raised on the royal court. He knows it just means it's a better place for factions to spy on each other.

Jayce is around, somewhere—but despite their general inseparability, the two of them tend to have separate agendas during the day. Viktor has finished his loop around the marketplace in anticipation of meeting Jayce here a little later, but he’s ahead of schedule, needing to take a moment to sit. Might as well be sociable while he has the time and energy. Besides, Kell is a friend.

“About as well as I can be.”

Not close enough to saddle him with how Viktor is really doing (which is, generally speaking, bad), but this is about as friendly as Viktor gets.

“Jayce told me you visited our Horizon after…” he trails off a bit, not feeling it necessary to get more specific than that. “Thank you for checking in on us.”

"I'm glad to hear that."

Saints! He hates how awkward he sounds. Kell viscerally detests small talk, but without it, not knowing the other person well enough to have already established some common topics? That's all he really has. It's so much easier to hold conversation with Jayce. Mainly because Jayce is usually the one pushing it forward, and the only thing Kell has to do is try and keep up.

"I did. I was..." worried. In hindsight, it feels like he was overreacting, rushing there the first moment he could without drawing suspicion to himself. Or Rhy. Now it feels stupid, exaggerated even. "I was worried. I don't really know where you two live."

Kell will hear no complaints from Viktor in that department--he's still working out the whole "being social" thing himself, so he doesn't really mind a slightly awkward start to the conversation. What's important is that they're seeing each other in person, confirming that despite the trials of the last few months, they're both okay.

Relatively speaking, of course. Viktor is used to people being worried about him, but mostly in the terms of his health. He finds that he doesn't mind so much when the concern is about extenuating circumstances.

"Now that we have access to Nocwich, It's my hope that we'll all be able to worry less." In that there might actually be somewhere to escape to, should things really take a turn for the worst. "Speaking of, I don't think I ever thanked you for the book."

It was a present for Jayce, but Viktor has taken advantage of it as well. "If there's ever anything you need from us, please don't hesitate to ask."

"I only wish we will be able to keep that access, no matter what happens in the future."

Escaping to Nocwich, with it's eternal night, is something Kell has considered. How possible would that be given the very place they do get to visit here was specifically established for that purpose. How open will that be if the hostility rises beyond what has already happened is an open question.

"Oh. Was it useful?"

He was certain that Jayce will pick up enchantment from a book with ease. It's one of the branches of Thornean magic that lends itself best to their academic approach. There's little need for in person supervision. Alchemy is as much art as it's strictly academic discipline. It's more work and practice to produce uniformly reproducible results. Something Kell struggles with still.

The question though catches him off guard. Victor is not the first asking this. When Jayce did, Kell had no idea what to say. Now, he actually does and it's something enchantment might be useful for.

"I... might. But it's a bigger project ... and it's kind of personal. I'm not sure if it's even possible here, but if anyone were to be able to do it, it would be you two." Kell pauses thinking how best to describe his signature coat. "Back home, I had a coat. I'm sure it was magical, but not really how it worked. It had many sides. I could turn it out, and it was dark and ragged, then turn it out again and it was all in my family colors. It had sides I wasn't aware of until very late. I doubt it's possible to fully replicate it, but anything that's able to transform into a different disguise will be helpful."

Kell looks back at Victor realizing he just described what is most likely a project for months of research. Maybe interesting, but probably too much to ask. He just brought Jayce two books. It feels wrong to ask for so much.

"Please tell me if it's too much work. It's just something I was thinking about a lately."

“Very, yes.”

Viktor has been slightly reluctant to delve too deeply into his own magic for various reasons, though he’s certainly curious about it. Enchantments are something he can study with Jayce and do not require a sacrifice of his own blood (though of course he’s considered using his blood as a means to make the enchantment more powerful, he’s sure Jayce will not be very pleased by the idea).

The good news is that Viktor loves having projects, particularly complicated ones. This sounds like something more suited to a tailor, at least when it comes to the coat itself, but everything else does seem like a complicated enchantment. He seems to think about it for a moment before providing his answer.

“We can certainly try. If you can send us anything you know about it, we can do some research and see if it’s something we might be able to accomplish.”

Sacrificing his own blood to do his magic is the very essence of Kell's unique brand of magic. It is what makes it so powerful. Though, woefully less powerful here than back home. So Victor would find no opposition to the idea in Kell if he ever mentioned it.

"I can find a coat for you to work on. I just have no clue how the magic worked. It was unusual even back home. I've never seen anything like it. My own magic is pretty unique on its own, but this was something different."

There were odd artefacts floating around from the times when people in Arnes used their magic more freely. Hundreds of years before. Kell encountered a few in his search of more information on his own blood magic. But the coat was not one of them. The person he won it from in a game of cards, probably had no clue how special it really was.

"That would certainly make it easier."

As in, Viktor was probably just going to purchase a coat, or something--but it will be better if Kell gives them something he's comfortable with. Hopefully it will survive their experimentation (he makes a mental note to perhaps do trial runs on other pieces of clothing, first).

"How did you acquire it, if I might ask? Did it have any sort of history?"

"It would not be fair to weigh you with additional expenses because of my whim."

Kell already planned to do it if Victor agreed to his sudden request. They're inventors, not tailors. He might have been raised in a castle, but he knew the difference between crafts.

"That's actually a funny story. I won it in a game of cards on a gambling night with some pretty shady people. We weren't playing for money, but rare, magical items. Some very illegal." Like his own contribution to the pot. A smuggled piece of another world. "The guy who put it in never said where he got it. Could have stolen it, could have been a family heirloom. I don't know. Though the latter is less probable given the company."

The memory does sting. It reminds him of what kind of person he was then. Before everything went down the drain. He's way more cautious now.

"If you didn't bring us a coat, we'd likely purchase one in Cadens." He shrugs. "At least this way it's something you want to wear."

The story is funny, but just adds to the mystery. Without real knowledge of how magic works in Kell's world, all they can do is guess. A card game where the prize is rare, possibly illegal items? Viktor might want to play himself.

"I suppose in the end it doesn't matter--we'll be starting from scratch either way. I wonder if it isn't some kind of illusion magic. If that's the case, I'm sure we can research it."

Kell would happily teach Victor how to play. He'd need to organize a deck somehow - probably order it made - first. He misses the mostly harmless risks involved with Sanct. It strongly depended on the company how truly harmless those risks where. With wrong company, it could end with a broken rib or two.

"If it was illusion magic, it would fool only the people looking at it. But it changed entirely. As if it wasn't one garment, but many. I had put things, small items, coins and such, into pockets of one version, only to find pockets empty when I turned it to another side. Then find them back when I turned to the one, where I put things. It changed shape as well as color. Ornaments like buttons, lining, collar. My guess was always some kind of lost transformation magic."

He did suspect a missing piece of Antari magic. This was the only one capable of extraordinary feats with seemingly no limit. But he found no information on anything even similar. Here, it most likely will need to be created from scratch.

"Ah, I see." That's helpful information to know, and yes, it seems more complicated than a simple illusion or glamour. He and Jayce will have their work cut out for them, but he immediately thinks of Jayce's bag, the one that's bigger on the inside, and he wonders if he can glean something from that.

For now, he nods along. "If you remember anything else about it--even theory, I'm sure we would find it useful. We'll keep you updated, in the meantime."

"That's actually... all"

It feels wrong to admit to it now. As if he was too lazy to investigate more. When the truth is, he really was. Back home, Kell was content with simply having a unique magical object. Now he regrets he didn't dig deeper.

"Thank you, I don't want to interfere with your current projects too much."

Kell didn't bring all those silly trinkets from the other London, risking getting caught, because clever mechanisms mean nothing to him. Jayce and Victor are inventors, people who make such mechanisms. Quite naturally then he's interested in their work. Even if he's pride might make him pretend he's not really that interested.
So there's a moment of hesitation before curiosity, inevitably, wins.

"I must say, I'd like to hear more about what you're working on now, if that's not a secret, of course."

“We like having lots of projects. Keeps us busy.”

The alternative, being not-busy (of course) is nearly unbearable to him. Sure, Viktor prioritizes accordingly, so he might not get to this right away, but he always likes a puzzle to solve. A mysterious coat with an unknown enchantment on it seems like something he and Jayce would greatly enjoy to puzzle out.

“Some of it is a secret,” he says, though the wry smile on his face indicates that he might be a little more forthcoming with a friend. "Most recently we've been receiving an important from Luna--a type of metal. Jayce is excited about it, as you might imagine."

"I do."

Kell smirk proves how easy it is for him to see the picture. The image of how Jayce's impassioned speech about the properties of the new metal could look, and sound, like coalesces in his mind with ease from all those memories Kell heard the man speak.

"What is so special about it?"

Edited 2022-12-25 16:27 (UTC)

Viktor brightens, and it's not hard to imagine how enthused he's been in the workshop, trying to puzzle out all the uses. So much potential--his favorite thing.

"It's incredibly magically resilient. What it lacks in physical durability it makes up for in its ability to receive and hold enchantments. A marvel, really, with an astonishing amount of applications."

Kell can recognize, and very much relate to, the enthusiasm that Victor describes the new metal with. It is fascinating. Everything new about magic is fascinating to Kell, but a material that's able to hold enchantments better than anything else? He'd love to have a piece of it to experiment on.

"Do you think you can make it stronger?" There's limited number of application for a receptacle for a spell if it shatters on use. "Or at least make it a part of something else that could hold it together?" Sometimes you just need a little tweak. It works with elemental magic. Maybe it could work with this new metal too.

"Yes, I think so. Jayce is skilled in metallurgy, and we're accustomed to finding...creative solutions, to problems like this."

Even the very first Hextech rig required testing of various metals, to make sure they could withstand the power that the crystals supplied. Jayce had done most of the work in that department, and he's the one actually smithing the Braerium. Viktor is confident in his ability to puzzle it out.

"It may simply be a matter of forging it with something, to create an alloy. We'll test it, of course."

Kell smiles hearing the understatement. Yes, creative is one way to call it. Most people would rather use the word revolutionary. The point stands, though, if someone were to figure out how to make this unusual metal sturdier, it would be Jayce.

"I will take your word for it. I know a lot more about magic than metallurgy. If you ever needed a second - well, a third - pair of eyes on the magical properties, I'd be happy to help. Forging is way out of my field of expertise."

That he would like to help is pretty obvious. Kell has been fascinated by technology since the first time he has seen things people of the Grey London were able to achieve with it. Ever since, he has a weakness for uselessly complicated trinkets.

"Part of being a scientist is admitting your own shortcomings. You're a real magic user--you likely know more about it than Jayce and I ever will."

Suffice to say, he appreciates the input.

"I'll let you know our progress. It's likely we'll need field testing sooner rather than later."

If they can smuggle it through Nocwich, that is.

"That's not very different from being a magician."

Magic is always more powerful than the person wielding it. It always ends badly if a magician forgets it. The balance must be kept. There's only death and destruction when it's not.

"What kind of enchantments do you think would it be best for storing?"

If he were to suggest anything, he'd choose something that's either complicated or time-consuming. More complicated than a stupid rain spell.

About the smuggling... hmm... that was Kell's illicit hobby for a long time. He likes to think he was quite good at it.

"Then perhaps our disciplines are not so different."

Viktor, of course, knows this already. Magic and science complement each other, and need to be approached in similar ways. Still, he's more than willing to admit that he's been dabbling in it for a comparatively short period of time.

"Right now we're working on various protective charms--physical and magical defense. Until we're able to successfully strengthen the metal itself, it seems more suited to jewelry. Tokens. Things of that nature. Also, much easier to pass off as a gift."

Kell lights up at Viktor's acknowledgment. From what he heard from Jayce descriptions. Even from his worries how both can be misused. Worse still when they work so well together. He agrees. It's really just two ways of approaching the same problem.

"Clever," Kell comments with a smile. "Nobody pays attention to jewellery. Unless they are a thief or themselves a jeweller." If you don't have precious gems grafted into your cheekbones, it's transparent to most people's eyes. "You can pass a lot of magic pretty much unnoticed."

"If they stop us upon entry because they can detect the enchantments, that might get us in trouble, but there's no indication they're looking for that."

Just weapons or other contraband, for now, though he's not so optimistic that he doesn't think it might change, depending on the larger political situation.

"But that's something for Jayce and I to worry about. All we'll need from you are your notes, when you test something for us."

"That I can definitely deliver."

Because it is obvious by now, that unless barred from by external circumstances he can't somehow circumnavigate either by skill or by cunning, Kell is more than willing to test anything they produce.

"I bet simple enchantments are pretty common. Or at least that's the impression I got from the Thorne side of things. Obviously, I don't know how it's on your side."

Kell smiles, fishing out from under his coat the enchanted pendant they all need to have to even pass the portal to Nocwich.

"Besides, we're already coming in wearing enchanted jewellery. What difference does it make if someone has one more item on their person?"

"Well, that's different. Those are sanctioned." But Viktor laughs, then offers a shrug, seemingly conceding the point. The unfortunate reality of the situation is that they won't really know until they try. If they get in trouble, well, Viktor's been caught doing worse.

"Jayce and I are far from experts, so we'll have to start small anyway. Protection charms and the like. Surely they won't blame us for that."

"Is it really that different?" Kell winks, but doesn't follow through with this train of thought.

The thing with blatantly trying to play dumb is that you can only pull this off once. So not a sustainable solution for their smuggling needs.

"I don't think they would. A protection charm seems like a reasonable thing to have, even if they do not allow weapons here. Some people don't need weapons to be dangerous. Hypothetically, of course."

Kell hardly believes anyone could attack any of the Summoned in Nocwich. He's mainly trying to build a plausible explanation for Viktor and Jayce to use on why would they want to bring an enchanted object here.

"Hypothetically."

Viktor offers Kell a wry grin to say that he understands. Besides, he's never cared much for rules and regulations, especially when it benefits him to break them.

"You've given me a lot to think about," he says, like he doesn't always have a lot to think about. "I'll let you know when we've made some headway on your cloak."

See, that's why they understand each other so well. Kell was never one with much respect to rules. And there were so many rules governing his life back home. Some of them he bent only slightly. Some he broke when no one was looking. He was rarely openly defiant - that would be costly - but he had his ways.

"Thank you. I'd love to hear about it, even if you end finding out that's not possible with the local magic or technology."

As much as he'd love to have something close to his coat back. The process itself is interesting.

[Open] November catch-all

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let's get the two nerds talking

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I'd call that a wrap, what do you think?