ruevealing | folkmore inbox.

And more proud of you than you know.

[These moments are so precious, the times that Casey can speak of his sensei with fondness and warmth, not just the lingering sting of hurt and grief. The fact he can look back on that man and smile, even as emotional as it makes him, is such giant step forward in his healing.

Rue is so endlessly proud of their boy.]

Leo will be so thrilled.

[Sensei being proud of him was such a difficult thing to envision, ever since he'd had to close the portal on Leo and heard those words. Now, though, it's... less painful. It warms his heart at the same time, the thought so much more bearable. Proud of him... he hasn't technically done anything to earn this power, but hopefully he can earn that theoretical pride by putting it to good use. And of course, showing gratefulness to those who (even subconsciously) gave it to him.]

I'll tell him soon. For now, got any advice for a novice teleporter?

[Since they're right here and all, and they offered.]

[Casey... Rue can't even try to hide the way the offer touches them.]

You don't want to wait to talk to Leo? We both know he'll say it's his domain.

[Teasing and warm as Rue pecks a kiss into Casey's hair.] Not to mention, it might be a perfect opportunity for the two of you to spend time together. Not that you ever need the excuse, but it's far easier for you and I to make time for one another. Leo and Donnie get so caught up in their lives, it might a good in to get some extra time with him.

He'll also be so endlessly proud if he has the chance to teach you.

No no, I do! Of course I do. And I will.

[His cheeks go pink, his head ducking and leaning a bit into the kiss. They make a whole lot of very good points.]

I'm sure he'll teach me plenty about teleporting. A-and I want to hang out with him more, I really do. But it's also fae magic, so... I wanted to ask you, too.

[As both the source and the local expert, he'd be a fool not to.]

Casey.

[Their voice rings out with their usual soft, musical calm, a gentle laugh curling right at the end.]

You have nothing to be embarrassed about. I'd be so joyous to teach you what I know, you don't need to explain yourself. I only wanted to give you the choice, if you'd rather have that moment with Leo.

[He straightens up as they say his name, like he'd been caught raiding the cookie jar. He's doing that thing again, fussing too much over the small stuff. This isn't a zero-sum, low resource situation here.

So:]

Why not both?

[Does he have to choose?]

[They will just reach up to brush Casey's hair behind his ears, still giggling softly.]

Why not both! That sounds perfectly fine to me, as long as you are happy.

I'm very happy.

[He beams up at them from beneath their feathers. It's been kind of a whirlwind, wondering what this means, if it's safe (if it wasn't Rue's influence), if it's something he gets to keep. Now that any of his concerns have been alleviated, he's allowed to really enjoy it. And what a wonderful feeling it is.]

You never answered my question, though!

[Casey beams up at them, adorably peeking up from their feathers, and Rue can't help but match his shining expression.]

Well, I'm certain Leo would be able to give you much more thorough advice considering it is his speciality, but for my specific spell, I find the visualization is the key. When I was first learning it, even speaking the details of where I wanted to land beneath my breath helped to focus where I ended up.

Visualization... hmm...

[He thinks on that for a moment. His teleports thus far have been vision-based. He'd see something interesting in light and he'd suddenly find himself there. It makes sense that visualizing where he's headed would work.]

So far I've only been able to jump to places I can see. Does that help you go further? Like somewhere out of view?

Unfortunately, my ability isn't nearly as fine-tuned as Leo's. I can only go to where I can see. Though I imagine the same would apply, no matter the distance.

[Rue can't imagine why it wouldn't.]

Would you like to test that theory out?

Oh, we could! I know this area pretty well by now, I think I could imagine parts of it just fine. I just can't go far- I'll get sick if I use too much energy.

[He's still a baby magic user, level 1.]

[Look at this infant level one baby]

The shop is not too far, though is still out of sight. Do you feel confident trying there?

[Level 1 and they didn't even give him a cantrip, went straight to teleportation. He lifts his gaze up towards the shop. Hm... does he need a street light, or would the daylight outside the shop be enough? Maybe it's time to find out.]

Sure, I can try that. Just let me focus.

[He closes his eyes, thinking hard on the shop; he's been there enough times that he can picture it in his mind perfectly, from the decor out front, to the sign, to the lacy curtain detailing in the window...

...As much as he visualizes, however, he doesn't vanish and teleport there. His form fizzles with light, flickering on and off as if the magic is attempting to work, but it's not powerful enough yet. Eventually he stops, blinking a few times as he wobbles in place from an overload of energy built up with no exit.]

...O-oh... I'm still here.

[Give Casey Jones Mage Hand cowards]

Oh darling!

[He only has to wobble once before Rue is right there, a paw at his shoulder, keeping him steady.]

My apologies, dear, that was too much, too soon. We'll have to build up to a leap that big.

No, it's okay! [He lifts a hand to grip their wing, though, just for a bit of extra stability while he regains his balance.] Good to try, anyway... I guess I can only go as far as I can see right now, too. It kind of felt like I should have been able to do it, though. Does that make sense?

[Maybe he can do it later?]

It does. Absolutely.

[Rue felt the strength of their magic long before they could ever fully control it. It makes perfect sense to them.]

But I think it's equally as important that you were able to channel and feel your power, weren't you? That speaks of a deeper understanding of it already. Hopefully that will keep you from popping up without control anymore.

Hopefully. I haven't teleported around randomly so much since that first day, though. Just once or twice on the first day back to school.

[Thankfully not while they were flying on the staff this time. Poor Hunter.]

Maybe it just really wanted my attention.

That does sound like fae magic.

[Teasing, but also maybe just a touch true.]

I think that is enough of that for today. Give yourself a chance to recover. Even after thousands of years, I still find myself wearing out when I must use repeated magic.

Really? You get tired after too many spells?

[That's amazing to imagine. Rue always seems so unshakeable, especially when putting together their elaborate parties. Then again he has no concept of how much energy is required for which spell.]

When they are higher level spells, absolutely! If what you are using is fae magic, I imagine it would feel very draining at first!

[The most recent memory of it had been healing Leo, but that's not the happiest memory for either of them, even now, so they'll politely duck around that one.]

Practically all of the spells I use for the parties I've put on are fairly low level illusions, so most of the spells you've seen me cast wouldn't drain me in such a way. But I have some more advanced magic in my back pocket to use when necessary, and I'm sure, without regular casting, it would tire me out too.

Hmm... yeah, that makes sense. Like doing anything physical- when I was training to use my grapple, big jumps took a lot more effort and stamina than little ones. So magic follows the same logic, huh...

[He pauses for a moment, thoughtful, then asks with some caution,]

Is there a cost with fae magic, if you try to push yourself beyond your limit? Or does it cut you off when you try to cross the line?

[Different magic has different rules... it's important to know what the rules are if you're going to work within them.]

[That is a very sharp line of questioning. Rue can't help the little swell of pride they feel for him in this moment.]

Forgive me if this is more information than you need, but fae magic works more differently than the magic that mortals use from my understanding.

[Rue shoots their son a soft, apologetic glance, before continuing on.]

In Faerie, there is only one pool of magic to be used among all fae beings there. However, some fae have lost all ability to use magic - such as the goblins - and other courts have had their magic unjustly taken from them. Speaking plainly, there should be more than enough magic for everyone to take from the pool equally, but some greedier courts have made it their mission to own more than their share.

So, in quite the roundabout answer, no, you should not have to be cautious of crossing a line. As long as the magic is flowing to you and you are not pushing yourself physically, you should be able to push to your limit. The only time we'd need to be worried is if both of us felt disconnected from the magic completely.

Edited 2024-01-05 21:49 (UTC)

[A sharp question nets sharp relief from the answer; Casey's shoulders slump a little, relaxing a tension he hadn't noticed had emerged when the thought came to mind. It's safe, then. Not that he'd ever, ever imagine himself possessing the sort of power Master Michelangelo had access to, even so, it's better to know than assume and get yourself killed doing something reckless. ...Or heroic.]

Okay... I think that makes sense. Thank you. That kind of makes it easier- like there's one less thing to worry about.

[Gently, their big eyes unblinking down at Casey, just the tiniest pinch of their own concern there on their feathery brow.]

What worries are on your mind, my love?

inbox

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject