INBOX | @PONYTAIL

[horsepowered]

— LOG IN｡

NAME
Archer of Black/Chiron
@Ponytail

VITALS Public
LOCATION Public (if on assignment) || Private (if on BASE)

Comments

@DRUIDBRO | backdated to uhhh /waves hands? januaryish

[fernbeleafer]

you can find me on this thing, right?
i found a tiny respite i think you'd love

[horsepowered]

I can, give me....ten minutes?

[fernbeleafer]

of course! look for a super majestic oak-- you can't miss it

[ underneath sits keyleth, meditating. she looks a bit out of place in soldier's clothes, hair tucked away so that from afar, her figure cuts a boyish frame. but the way her hands move is a familiar sight for chiron, as she tries to ask the earth beneath her for information. ]

[horsepowered]

[Chiron's quick to get to Keyleth. It's going against his own words in so many ways about having a hard heart on the battlefield. But this battlefield is worlds away from Trifas, and even there he had the time to at least sit with Fiore and speak with her. Walk around the fortress. Enjoy a landscape that wasn't scarred to hell.

So maybe the indulgence isn't worth judging himself over. Regardless, he travels in spirit form rather than move through the world in a physical one, and eventually, he arrives. From no where, he appears sitting next to her.

She ought to know about this anyway.]

--Did I make fair time?

AHH HOLY SHIT IS HE ASTRAL PROJECTING

[fernbeleafer]

[ there's a lot of information to listen for and then sift through and choose from. ]

Oh!

[ considering the war around them, keyleth had thought better of asking about the spiritual population of the peninsula. so she jumps at chrion's arrival-- but recovers quickly with a chuckle (almost as if she has seen something similar before hmm). instinctively, her curiosity makes her reach out for his shoulder and if she makes contact.

excited but hushed, keyleth gushes: ]

Holy shit that was awesome! How are you doing this?

AH, THE POWER OF FATE/ NONSENSE.

[horsepowered]

It's my nature.

[Chiron is perfectly solid under Keyleth's touch, and he doesn't seem to react to sudden muscle grab.]

How is your magic fairing here?

i'm so pumped right now oh my god

[fernbeleafer]

[ she narrows her eyes at his answer, but her smile and excitement remain. after a moment, she seems to realize she's just groping away and snatches her hand back to her lap. ]

It's ... OK. I think I'm too far from home to make use of everything I should have. [ she feels hypocritical complaining about being left without power the native people of this land only dream of, but it does suck. her magic isn't just power. it's a part of her. ]

What about you? Is your body somewhere safe?

also if you have ooc questions about this silliness shoot me a pm because this canon is...messy

[horsepowered]

[Chiron's not bothered. It wasn't like she was really grabbing at his arm muscles, and there's not that much to grab either. They're big and very solid.]

But it's better than on BASE, yes? [He tilts his head slightly, wanting to know where the differences lie.]

I'm a spirit. My body is immaterial.

ok will do! i wanna wing it for a bit but i'll holler if kiki gets off track ;)

[fernbeleafer]

[ ooh chiron so swol. ]

Oh, right. That must be how your hair's always so shiny and soft-looking.

[ cheater! but she nods at his reminder, remembering that he's quite unlike most beings she knows. ]

I guess I just didn't follow that logic through. But yeah, having nature actually around me to work with makes it much easier. [ keyleth grins and pushes an open palm in chiron's direction, whispering a word and making his shiny hair shampoo commercial worthy ]

Sounds good!

[horsepowered]

you have seen this horse right.

He tries not to laugh at the hair comment, but the sound squeaked out anyway. It's a compliment, truly, and Chiron takes it as such.]

In fairness, there's a difference between being told and then seeing what it actually means. Either way...

[He pauses when the palm is pushed, and then blinks. His hair is almost too shiny, but thank goodness. It's wasted being shoved under a helmet.]

Has the land given up any of it's secrets to you yet?

[fernbeleafer]

[ omg that should be illegal how dare you do this to me ]

A little! I mean it doesn't reach too far and there's a lot of interference between the troops building, and our presence. But there are still some brave gulls and warblers in the air, and lots of fish I don't know in the water?

[ she looks a little sheepish for a moment. ]

And the other day I dumped all my spells too early. I've been trying to be more picky about only using them when absolutely necessary. [ kinda hard when it feels necessary all the time. ]

[horsepowered]

[I regret nothing.]

--You have limits on what spells you can use?

[Now that is new to him. For mages, the only limit they have is their energy supply. To be restricted in spell use takes Chiron genuinely by surprise, and it shows on his face.]

[fernbeleafer]

Oh, yeah. I like to think of it like you have a pool you can tap from. Some spells don't take much effort and I can just whip 'em out whenever. But something like feeding twelve people and beefing them up with some charms? I'll need a long nap before doing it again.

[ after she realizes what his surprise might actually mean, keyleth looks at chiron a little differently. ]

The only beings with unlimited access in my world are like, archfey or gods I guess.

[horsepowered]

...Hm.

[Chiron considers this for a moment, and then nods. He understands, but the contrast is sharp.]

For magi, the only limit is how much mana they can process, and how long until they are depleted. There's no particularly strict limit. For example, a mage could maintain myself and still be able to cast offensive and defense spells for a substantially long fight.

[fernbeleafer]

Hmm. So it's less the size of the lake and more the depth of the river?

[ that would be dope. color her officially kind of jealous. ]

[horsepowered]

A perfect metaphor. For some, the river can be exceedingly deep. Others, shallow. Regardless, it's a factor in their ability to perform magecraft

[fernbeleafer]

That sounds incredible. It must take a lot of discipline.

[ hang on ]

So is COST technically maintaining you right now?

[horsepowered]

--I am, very technically, maintaining myself.

[fernbeleafer]

Why are all centaurs always so extra? [ said with love, and also she doesn't know any others and is fully talking out of her ass... ] So, what? You were a mage and now that you're post-life you're technically still also a mage and therefore get to sample your own supply?

[horsepowered]

Are we, truly?

[He's gently going to call that bluff, but continues to explain.]

In life, I was simply me. I manifested because I was summoned to a particular ritual, one that links me to the mage who summoned me. It's a battle royale by proxy, with spirits fighting each other in the mages' stead. Normally, we take our energy from the mage who summoned us.

In this ritual, the mage who summoned us, called a Master so I can save words, will sometimes die. Us summoned spirits can try to sustain ourselves, sometimes long enough to find another Master to take us on. Otherwise, we can die.

There are additional means of gaining magical energy - mana is what we call it - as well. For the time being, because I have no Master, I am relying on other means.

[fernbeleafer]

[ she at least has the good grace to look chagrined at his call. she can't help it-- stoic types are fun to emote at!!

but she listens intently to the rest, crease between her brow deepening with every new detail. this will be at least the second time she's asked him this, again because she feels very out of her depth-- ]

Are you OK?

[horsepowered]

At the moment, the input and output ratios are slightly askew, but it is manageable.

[Chiron's completely calm though, making it clear that for him this isn't a big deal. Not yet at least, and that's only because all challenges so far have not been magical in nature.

then that mist happens and there's some problems]

[fernbeleafer]

[ damn dramatic irony. quietly, keyleth revisits one thing. ]

You lost your Master. [ it's a weird word even with context. were it anyone but chiron, she might feel awkward using it. ] How do you find another one?

[ shouldn't cost have considered such a thing? ]

[horsepowered]

A contract can be formed with anyone, but it's better if it's with a mage. Or a broader magic user, as the case may be here.

[Chiron's unbothered by the question, but it does highlight one thing. He genuinely misses Fiore's company. She's a calm, sensitive young woman with a heavy burden. A good soul, far better off away from the cutthroat world of magi.]

[fernbeleafer]

Contract? That sounds pretty serious.