fifthofthecovenant | The Last Voyages: IC Contact

As someone who has experienced death, it is not easily forgotten.

[It hurts and it's spooky, okay. ~~Also this convo is rad, how dare you.~~]

Would you mind meeting me in person? I like to get to know my inmates.

[As best as he can anyway. It's also a way to ensure they eat something.]

Uh huh. We're both people who've experienced death.

[It does hurt, though, he'll give Song Zichen that much.]

Sure, if you want to meet up, I guess. Pick a place.

[He should get up and stretch anyway.]

Come to the Cafeteria. We can get something to eat and take a walk together.

[Why sit around if you can enjoy some light exercise?]

[This guy is so weird. But he's not annoying yet, so Chase will go with it. For now.]

All right, fine. I'll be there in a little bit.

[He has to put his notes together, tidy up, drop his things off at his cabin, and then he'll be at the dining hall.]

[He waits for Chase near the door, smiling faintly when the man arrives.]

Are you hungry? [Zichen stands at a respectable six feet, two inches. He is wearing his usual black robes and his hair is pulled back with a guan that is much like one he had in the past.]

[Well, Zichen is a good few inches taller than Chase, anyway. He doesn't necessarily hold it against him, but it doesn't really endear him, either.]

I could eat, sure.

[He might've skipped lunch because he'd been engrossed in a book.]

Are we going to grab and go, or sit?

We can sit. [Zichen motions to a table where tea is already waiting for them. He pours them each a cup.] What would you like to eat?

[Tea, of course there's tea. Chase at least doesn't mind most teas.]

I'm not picky. I usually get a sandwich or maybe some soup. And whatever dessert they're serving whenever I come in.

[Tea is calming for Zichen; he is hoping it will have the same effect on Chase. Nodding at the choices, he stands.]

I will be right back.

[When he returns, he will have a sandwich for Chase - along with some cake.]

Tell me something important about yourself and I will return the favor.

[Is Zichen kidding right now? Really? Chase stares at him for a beat at the question, not yet touching his lunch. Zichen hasn't earned anything important yet. He can't be bought with food.

He settles for important but also common knowledge by now:]

I'm a witch.

[Chase can choose why the piece of information is important. It could be his favorite color or his favorite scent. Zichen never set up any parameters.]

So am I apparently. [The flattest of flat deliveries. He isn't sure about the classification.]

[Chase'll take it. If given the option, he'd always rather talk shop.]

Yeah? What kind of stuff do you do?

I'm a Cultivator. That includes using my Golden Core to perform spells, create talismans and use my sword, Fuxue. Part of what we do aligns with what Exorcists do; we can banish spirits or put them to rest. But we can also fight demons and monsters.

Oh. Hey, Ye Zun talked about golden cores. He couldn't really explain what it was, though.

A core either forms or it doesn't after a certain amount of Cultivation. If one doesn't form, the Cultivator can only manage low level spells. However if one does form, it can be strengthened quickly - especially while the owner is young.

Edited 2024-03-18 12:23 (UTC)

Okay, and what exactly is Cultivation?

[There's a capital letter there, he can hear it.]

It involves strengthening one's spiritual and physical core. Some can Cultivate to immortality. Others can only manage simple spells. It all depends on one's potential.

Uh-huh.

[Which still doesn't actually tell him anything.]

Well, we're born with magic where I come from. You either have it or you don't. You can train it, sure, but you can't build it up from nothing.

[But that is Cultivation. Think of it like growing a crop. It needs certain nutrients to be at its best. A Golden Core is really no different.]

The same applies to our cores. Some could train for several lifetimes and never develop a Golden Core. Others come by them easily, awakening them in childhood.

[Chase looks interested, though more abstractly now, since that's definitely different from how his kind of magic works.]

Our magic just kind of shows up when we hit thirteen, if we have it. No nurturing required. Hell, I didn't even know what it was. Thought I was possessed at first.

I'm sorry you discovered it abruptly. You must have been frightened. [What child wouldn't be?] When did you learn the truth? Did a teacher find you?

[Chase definitely does not comment about whether he'd been frightened or not. Instead, he scoffs:]

Are you kidding? No. I taught myself everything I know now. I didn't meet anybody else with power until I was eighteen.

Your bravery and ability are admirable. [He smiles a little.] Do you consult scrolls or books?

[Bravery? Seriously? He'll accept compliments to his ability, he is justly proud of his magic, but he's not brave, Jesus. Chase decides to roll right past that, because he has no idea how to respond.]

Not before I came here. Magic isn't a thing in my world. Almost nobody has it. If there are any books about it, they're fiction. But I spend a lot of time here in the library.

[Isn't it brave to pursue the unknown and become proficient in it? Zichen thinks so, at least.]

Then you learned through experimentation? That can be exceptionally dangerous, but I can't see what other choice you had besides ignoring your powers completely.

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