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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jan 13, 2010 4:06:25 GMT -5
Alex made a face and laid his head against Hitoshi's shoulder. "Well, if I have a clone, I certainly don't know about it."
He nuzzled Hitoshi. "I... kind of. A few things; sure you want me to ask?"
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jan 13, 2010 4:22:48 GMT -5
"If...I really don't want to answer, I'll just say so," he replied. "I won't be offended or anything." Hitoshi leaned against Alex, closing his eyes. It was strangely nice, huddled up with him in the cold.
"So what are you curious about?"
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jan 13, 2010 4:26:15 GMT -5
Alex looked at Hitoshi, shivering slightly. He wanted to get up and move around in a bit, but right now, he was more interested in hearing what his boyfriend had to say.
"What happened when you first found your magic?"
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jan 13, 2010 5:32:33 GMT -5
Hitoshi was quiet for a moment, considering how to begin. He felt Alex shiver against him and shifted around, pulling Alex in front of him and wrapping his arms around Alex. He wrapped the blanket around the other boy; Hitoshi seemed less bothered by the cold.
"It was--" he paused. "The basic foundation of magic is in intent. There are other factors, but the core of magic is in meaning to make something happen. Though magic can have unintended consequences, nothing is ever entirely an accident. I'm telling you this because I want you to understand exactly what happened.
Hitoshi closed his eyes, opening up his mind so that Alex could see the memory of it.
"I was about twelve at the time, in seventh grade. It was a little more than a year after my mother's death. Hitomi's friends liked to pick on me, particularly the boys that hung out with her. I made myself an easy target for them -- quiet, small, sarcastic... I never bothered making friends and I never drew attention from teachers, so I was basically alone.
"Hitomi's boyfriend in seventh grade liked to push people's limits, particularly mine. He said something to me in the hallway... I don't remember what it was, exactly, but it was probably about my mother. Or Hitomi. It had to have been something that pressed my buttons, either way, or I don't think I would have reacted that way.
"I blacked out, but there were people around who saw it. He just sort of...stood there, not moving. He started turning blue, then fell. He was in a coma for a week. They kept him in the hospital for a month, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. A few people were suspicious, but there wasn't really anything to trace back to me.
"That sort of thing happens a lot when necromancers first tap into magic. Just to look at someone, and to want them to be in incredible pain...and to see it happen..." He leaned against Alex. "I could have done that to Zephyros, or...to Thrall."
The entire memory was laden with a churning anxiety, and an undercurrent of worry.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jan 13, 2010 13:49:15 GMT -5
Alex snuggled into Hitoshi and wrapped his arms around Hitoshi's neck. Mm. That was warmer. He recognized the wavering echo-feeling of someone trying to show him something and opened himself up to it.
He huddled, eyes closed, listening to Hitoshi's words blend with the memories in his head. As the story continued, he squeezed Hitoshi tightly, protective concern leaking through, and at the edges, anger at all the things the other boy had been through.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jan 13, 2010 14:15:02 GMT -5
The anxiety faded slowly, replaced with a steady feeling of conviction. The undercurrent of worry persisted, and the faintest impression of fear.
It was something beyond that experience. Something deeper. Magic, and power in general, could be extremely addicting, and they were things Hitoshi planned to pursue. The last thing he wanted was to lose himself to them and let them control him rather than the other way around.
It helped to have people to anchor him, like Alex or Hitomi or Tristan.
And though he didn't bother clarifying any of it with words -- he wasn't sure how to, exactly -- he was fairly certain Alex caught the gist of it.
"Was there anything else you wanted to ask?"
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jan 13, 2010 17:55:58 GMT -5
Alex squeezed him again, happier. "I'm glad," he murmured in response to the unspoken statement. Then, a thought struck him.
"Mm. Would you know where we could go to learn more about that... thing we found earlier in the semester? I'd nearly forgotten all about it- when I thought I knew you and then we went to Professor Smoke?"
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jan 13, 2010 19:36:08 GMT -5
Hitoshi contemplated that. "We could talk to my grandmother. She's not quite as focused on divination as Professor Smoke, but she might be able to try something he wasn't thinking of. She also might be able to give us ideas of where else to look. Maybe if we can find a bit of a lead we can do some research ourselves."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jan 13, 2010 19:57:06 GMT -5
"Do you think she wouldn't mind?" Alex replied curiously.
"And as much as I enjoy this, do you think we could keep walking for a while? I want to see this tree house, for one." He smiled.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jan 13, 2010 20:47:44 GMT -5
Hitoshi smirked. "Alright, if you want. We can talk to my grandmother once it starts getting dark."
The sun was already setting when they left the barn, and it was quickly getting much colder. The wind was icy, but it wasn't quite as strong as it was earlier.
The tree house was about halfway up the tree, going all the way around the tree. The ladder consisted of a series of planks nailed to the trunk.
"I'll go fist. The ladder is a little icy." Hitoshi gripped the plank, hoisting himself up. The planks were slick. Hitoshi moved slowly, pulling himself through the opening into the tree house. He sat at the edge, peering down. "It seems alright. Come on, I'll give you a hand."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jan 13, 2010 21:01:01 GMT -5
Alex wiggled his gloved fingers and set his hands on a plank. This was not going to be fun. He reached up with one hand and put one foot on the bottom plank- which was all the way up to his knee. Good lord, how tall were Rudy and Thrall as children?
After a slow and mildly scary ascent, Alex made it up without incident.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jan 13, 2010 21:17:01 GMT -5
The inside was empty apart from a few pieces of wooden furniture which might have been able to hold Alex or Hitoshi, but only barely. The tree house was tall enough that the two could stand without much difficulty, though the ceiling was rather low. There were a few small windows, a small second floor, and a walkway around the outside with a railing.
"Rudeth and Thrall used to spend nearly all summer up here. They'd sleep here for days at a time, until Rivienne made them come back inside."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jan 13, 2010 21:37:11 GMT -5
"Wow." Alex looked over the second floor and the balcony; both seemed actually functional. "This is an impressive treehouse. When was this built?"
He poked his head out the window and watched Hitomi and Sofie, who seemed to have gotten into a minor snowball fight. He smiled.
Why was it that he felt so happy to be a part of all this nonsense? It was his boyfriend's family, not his own- not even, he reminded himself, necessarily his only boyfriend ever in his life, or the boy he would end up with- but there was a strong sense that this was where he was meant to be at the moment.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jan 13, 2010 21:51:13 GMT -5
"My grandfather built it for Tristan. I guess it would have to be...at least thirty-something years old. Probably closer to forty." Hitoshi ran his hands wistfully over the smooth, slightly-worn wood.
"Sometimes I wish I'd had the chance to meet my grandfather. The tree house, and the journals... It's all very interesting."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jan 13, 2010 22:30:11 GMT -5
Alex laughed. "Tristan's that old? He doesn't act like it."
He looked down, then leaned over to peck Hitoshi on the cheek. "Come on, there's one thing..."
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jan 13, 2010 22:40:04 GMT -5
"I don't think he likes to thing he's that old, either." Hitoshi laced his hand in Alex's, glancing back at him. "Hm?"
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jan 13, 2010 22:57:38 GMT -5
"I want to go down and look back in the woods. They're just so beautiful."
Alex slipped down through the flap and began climbing down.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jan 13, 2010 23:21:49 GMT -5
Hitoshi followed Alex down the ladder, keeping close to the other boy as they entered the dense woods. Everything was still thick with snow, and between the setting sun and the trees, there was little light. The snow crunched softly underfoot.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jan 13, 2010 23:57:15 GMT -5
Alex looked up between the trees, watching the light filter in through the branches, a relatively thick canopy even when mostly leafless. He walked deeper into the woods, until they were nearly surrounded; it was getting hard to see. He stopped for a moment and closed his eyes; when he opened them, the light refracted off the snow as if it were sheets of crushed prisms in the middle of a spotlight. It first split out in a wave of shimmering rainbows, then softened until the forest around them was simply covered in softly-glowing snow.
He could hear something, something reflecting off his magic like radar hitting a target when he cast it out. That was what he had been looking for.
"What's back here?" he spoke softly.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jan 14, 2010 0:08:57 GMT -5
"Wildlife, mostly," he replied quietly. "Apart from that... I'm not sure. It's been a long time since I've been back here. I wouldn't know beyond that."
At least it was better than the forest around Dunehelden. They shouldn't have to worry about faeries popping out and grabbing them or anything like that.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jan 15, 2010 2:11:01 GMT -5
Alex started walking again, veering in the direction he'd heard something in, still looking up at the pretty trees and the wonderful snow.
After a few more minutes of this, he stumbled over something and landed facefirst in a snowdrift. "Hwah!"
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jan 15, 2010 2:23:41 GMT -5
Hitoshi skidded over beside him, putting an arm around him to help him up. "What happened?" he asked.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jan 15, 2010 2:41:13 GMT -5
Alex stood up and looked back at what he'd tripped over, increasing the light a bit. It seemed to be part of a torn-down stone wall.
"Interesting..." He kicked the snow off it a bit more, then looked around.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Jan 15, 2010 2:48:08 GMT -5
"That's strange," he murmured, brushing the snow aside. "I didn't think there was anything out here. I wonder what it was."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Jan 15, 2010 3:33:46 GMT -5
"Huhm. Some kind of structure, obviously, otherwise..." he shivered noticably.
"Hah-huhm, maybe we should go back in and ask your grandmother. Or come back tomorrow when it's light out and warmer."
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