[The Keep] Walking to Skye

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Straken
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Re: [The Keep] Walking to Skye

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Chief Mastrogiacomo leaned her hip against the lab station, and with her arms crossed simply watched the antics of Safeholme’s Druid duo. Her laugh had passed, but her face still looked brighter than it had yesterday. Looking towards the table, her face suggested she was reacting to a nonverbal conversation. Idly she tucked a loose lock of grey behind her ear to mingle with the rest of her coffee colored hair. The tight bun of yesterday had been replaced by a relaxed loop that was pinned with a couple of pens, and thanks to a careful guide eye Drysi could spot a hair clip; a cheap looking gimmick clip that looked like a paste di meliga cookie that seemed out of place on the seemingly stern Chief.

“There you go, no more ants,” Mastrogiacomo spoke as her face settled back to business. “Now, no further need to utilize your master’s prodigious height. Come in.”
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Kokuten
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Re: [The Keep] Walking to Skye

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"Ugh, I want to be that put together when I'm her age."

"You will."

Drysi then opened her mouth to speak, but Gideon cut her off.

"No."

Her fingers clenched tightly to the notebook.

"Why not‽"

"Do not open all your hard work on a comment about a hair clip, you're getting distracted."

The apprentice made her way into the lab, checking the edges for ants or any stray bugs. Drysi had come a long way from despising nature, animals, and dirt. The furthest she had come was adopting the same tendency her master had of disappearing into the forest when he didn't want to be found.

But bugs? Bugs were a work in progress.

"Thank you for the opportunity," said Drysi, tugging out the chain too. She made her way over to Mastrogiacomo, feeling butterflies fluttering in her stomach. "I wasn't sure if you wanted a written report or a demonstration. If the latter is okay would you mind if my master particip–...'

"Stop."

"What now?"

"Look at the clip."

From where Drysi stood, she was looking up at Mastrogiacomo. Her eyes shifted over to look at the cookie clip, her sentence cut short.

"What am I doing here?"

"What do you think of it?"

"It's cute. It really works on her for some reason."

"Can you imagine yourself wearing it?"

Instead of responding, Drysi's imagination wandered to a picture of herself wearing her own cookie clip. Her gem-colored eyes glimmered.

"You were asking if your master could…" urged Gideon.

"Oh! Would it be fine if Master Flynn helped in a demonstration?"
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Straken
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Re: [The Keep] Walking to Skye

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The Chief’s face seemed to have returned to its stoney business mode. With little indication of her curiosity she listened to Drysi begin her explanation of sorts. Her mouth pursed slightly at the teenager’s meandering manner of speaking, but didn’t interrupt. An eyebrow cocked as Drysi seemed to get distracted and simply stare up at her. Diverting her look over to Ruarc, the Irishman simply shrugged. Once the acolyte made her request, both of the experienced Druids shared a look to which Ruarc just shrugged again. Mastrogiacomo rolled her eyes slightly.

“Instructions were merely to tell me the why and how. How you tell me that is your own discretion. Master Flynn’s assistance in the demonstration is permitted, but I will confirm that you didn’t have his help during your investigation; correct?” Mastrogiacomo’s voice was precise and left little room for emotional inflection.
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Kokuten
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Re: [The Keep] Walking to Skye

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"Of course… not."

Did moral support count?

"Pep talks don't count towards citations," imparted Gideon, sensing her unease.

"Definitely not," said Drysi, trying to present herself a little more confidently. She began to look through her notes to find a place to begin, and evade the lead weight of Mastrogiacomo's stare, "Master Flynn's not one t'cheat me out of a challenge. And this… This is my first step in showin' I belong here."

She turned a few more pages, before landing on one of the pages of shirtless drawings she had failed to discard.

"But! Proof's in the puddin's, and I ought'r get started."

Whap! The notebook was harshly snapped shut, and Drysi spun about to begin her demonstration.

"Now."

"Love the hair clip, by the by," Drysi remarked over her shoulder, caught off guard by Gideon's timing. "Master Flynn, could I get a bit of your Dragon Fire in a straight line out in tha' empty space? Just a consistent jet, if you please."
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Straken
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Re: [The Keep] Walking to Skye

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A series of looks crossed Mastrogiacomo’s face. Curiosity with a cocked eyebrow towards the sudden snap of the notebook. Confusion with a mild scowl at the sudden comment about her hair clip. Scorn with a harsher scowl directed towards Ruarc who had immediately begun getting a look at the hair clip. Resignation with a coy eye roll as she determined the matter wasn’t worth a side-lined conversation. Lastly a mild look of concern at the request for Ruarc to use one of his keynote spells.

“Over here, please,” Mastrogiacomo urged. With a sweeping hand the Circle Chief directed the two druids towards the corner of the lab that, upon closer look, was cleared of obstacles and had slots in the floor for setting up extra barriers. No extra barriers were set in this case, and Mastrogiacomo took a relaxed position once again leaning her hip against a nearby desk.

Ruarc, once again feeling put on the spot by his apprentice, and once again withering under the heavy gaze of a Circle Chief, moved to the testing space without having an opportunity to make a comment about the cookie shaped hair clip. Resigned to his role as patsy, the Keeper raised his left hand and channeled his will. The energy moved easily from the ground, through his core, and out in front of him with a spark of determination. The jet of flame coursed from the space in front of his palm into a concentrated jet.

“A good consolidation of will despite no casting implement. A product of combative magic where the caster is either frequently disarmed or ill-prepared,” Mastrogiacomo’s voice was a level as ever, while Ruarc couldn’t help but feel like she had just thrown a jab.
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Kokuten
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Re: [The Keep] Walking to Skye

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"Isn't it cracker how he can just will it forth?" chimed Drysi, finding Mastogiacomo's assessment more favorable than her master did, "He squashed a cultist with it during our summer field trip. Made it look like he was whippin' him with a dragon, bare handed. Wandless castin's a fascinatin' process. You know…"

"Wheel the conversation into your presentation," advised Gideon, "you're getting distracted."

The apprentice clasped the chain to her wrist, flexing her hands, "... it requires a type of channeling most of the time, which is why I asked Master Flynn for this particular spell."

With a little energy, she projected a circular field outward and began to speak further.

"In m' testin' I found the chain to respond well to a constant flow of magic. A wielder can create a field that disperses energy as it passes through it," the triclops first obstructed the flames with the field, before changing the shape of the field, "The shape can be manipulated, as well. It's not so much an anti-magic zone as much as it seems to rob the power of its direction. Spells persist for a negligible time before their effects dissipate."
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Straken
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Re: [The Keep] Walking to Skye

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“Chief Brennan has said that one of Master Flynn’s best skills is mana conversion. Something to be said about one of the oldest lines of Druidic heritage,” Mastrogiacomo offered as she began to walk with a slow and measured stride. With a dissecting gaze she looked between Ruarc and Drysi, gauging the explanation of the device versus the demonstration provided. Having a precise knowledge of the object, she took an appreciative moment to consider the apprentice’s analysis. As before Drysi would find that the change in shape was more so just an alteration of a dome segment. The effect was more noticeable now that she had the band and an extra person providing the test effect. The gout of flame washed across the barrier in a brilliant cascade of colors. Drysi would also find the chain beginning to heat up; not terribly for now, but one could posit that too much direct exposure to incoming forces would lead to overheating.
It's not so much an anti-magic zone as much as it seems to rob the power of its direction
“An apt analysis, and what I will give you the most points for,” Mastrogiacomo was pure business, and Drysi was squarely in the shoes of a lab-tech. “Fine progress for having merely a day to work; especially a day filled with so many new experiences and frivolities. Lacking, in some regards, but not bad for a hook. Rob the power of its direction. Expound on this.”

The Chief had just given an order.
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Kokuten
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Re: [The Keep] Walking to Skye

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"When a spell enters the field, the effect is similar to a rock hitting the water," explained Drysi, more stiffly now. At that moment she was regretting not taking every moment to prepare for this. "The spells don't bounce off or spread over the affected area, they enter and the – fookin' hell!"

The apprentice whipped her hand around, jingling the chain over her wrist and on to her sleeve. Gideon slithered down from her shoulder and worked under the links.

"Gideo-..."

"I'm fine, keep going."

With a panache for showmanship, the snake coiled tightly around Drysi's arm and worked the chain off her and raised himself to display it. The heat was new, and not something she had accounted for. Then again, she hadn't been packing the same magic potential as Mr. Flynn.

It hit her like a stack of bricks.

"It's absorbing the kinetic energy of the spell," posited Drysi, her eyes alight with new ideas, "The chain works like a heat-sink, redirecting the energy in a reciprocating coil. Arcane current is started through it to project the field, and an alternate current passes energy entering the field back into the chain."
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Straken
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Re: [The Keep] Walking to Skye

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Ruarc jumped a bit in surprise at Drysi’s sudden exclamation and immediately ended his spell, but before he could move to check on her and Gideon Mastrogiacomo had already begun moving towards the young druid. The Chief accepted the chain from Gideon as though the snake were presenting it for her, seemingly unphased by the heat. With her off hand and a sidelong look she also made certain Drysi’s wrist was alright. Satisfied, the Chief began a meandering stride that consisted of slow extended reaches of her legs before quick punctuated steps. It appeared she was thinking.

“You’ve done well,” the Chief spoke, her back now to the duo. “Both you and Flynn, I should say.”

The chain was raised to the light as Mastrogiacomo inspected it.

“Tests aren’t inherent in joining a Circle, but consider this one passed, Miss Maelgwyn. Notes for improvement: you are making the explanation too focused, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing; but it restricts the full scope of capabilities. Master Flynn, if you would be so kind as to channel energy into it…”

The Chief tossed the bracelet to Ruarc who acquiesced; putting the trinket on and putting energy into it. The metal was still warm, but the bulk of the heat seemed to have faded.

“Example:”
It's absorbing the kinetic energy of the spell
“Instead: It absorbs kinetic energy.”

Mastrogiacomo pulled one of the pencils keeping her hair in a bun and threw it at the shield. The pencil struck the shield and bounced harmlessly off. Demonstration concluded apparently, the Chief gestured for Ruarc to drop the shield as she leaned against the lab station; strands of hair beginning to fall around her shoulder as her bun loosened.

“You weren’t wrong by any means, but you weren’t quite right. In early investigations, don’t be afraid to be a little vague. While yes, the shield absolutely absorbs energy from incoming spells, it's also rated against everything from bulls to gunshots; and yes, even pencils. Sometimes the less precise the answer, the more accurate it is. Your points about it acting as a heat sink to redirect incoming energy are accurate. Thus, you’ve done well.”

Looking towards Ruarc as he sat the bracelet down, she could see a look of confusion on his face and immediately could read why.

“And I said you did well, Master Flynn, because I also owe you a bit of an apology for thinking a druid apprenticing under you would end up more… cavalier and less inclined to think things through. That is on me. Although, it has only been a few months, so who’s to say.”

Ruarc seemed to stand a little straighter at the praise, even though it also suggested how the Chief had seen him prior to this.

“Any questions you have, Miss Maelgwyn? Either about the chain assignment, or other Circle matters?”
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Kokuten
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Re: [The Keep] Walking to Skye

Post by Kokuten »

Drysi was beaming, despite coming short on her own assessment, she managed to not only make herself look good, she made Ruarc look good. She'd agonize about coming short of perfection later, but for now, the triclops was very pleased. Now, the challenge was just trying to make sure that her face did something other than grin.

"I always have questions, Chief Mastrogiacomo," remarked Drysi, still smiling, "but none too much that I couldn't ask m'Master Flynn. He's tha' brains of tha' Menagerie. That… and you looked super busy earlier."

The apprentice brought her snake close to her chest and he coiled up affectionately. She looked down at him, and he stared at her with that oddly intelligent gaze.

"... I did have one question. Where do I go from here? I still have school to finish, but I am still a Researcher of the Order. Will I get assignments?"
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