Magic. [A beat.] Like, real magic. I know that doesn't really exist where you're from, but it does for me. I'm a sorcerer. Most of what I just did is a spell called Prestidigitation, which lets you do all kinds of neat tricks. Like the fire. Fixing the phone was Mending. That lets me, uh, fix stuff.
[He's... a little worried that trying to teach Michael's kid self some magic will only end in disappointment like it did with adult Michael, but, well... This is probably temporary. He can find some excuses to avoid disappointment if mini-Michael has trouble. That'll be easier than a flat no here and now, anyway.
...Wait okay but holy shit he hopes this is temporary. Oh god. What if his boyfriend is stuck as a kid forever?
Mmmm gonna assume that's not the case and just. Magic lessons!]
Yeah, I'll show you. Mending is easier, so, uh... [He looks around, and then gets up briefly to grab a paper towel from the counter. He rips it so that it isn't quite in pieces but is still distinctly broken, and then sets it on the table. It's easier to fix a tear in one whole object than to rejoin two halves.]
Pick that up. You have to be touching it for the spell to work. [And now comes the awkward part where he has to explain how to use magic to someone who has, until this point, thought it was a made-up thing. Oof. Maybe Message would've been easier. At least he can demonstrate how that works with Michael as a recipient, get him used to how the magic feels... That can be a back up in case this doesn't work.]
Casting spells is all about manipulating energy that's already in your body. [Sooort of?] This spell is an easy one, so the energy you need to put into it is about as much as you'd need to do basic stuff you do all the time without thinking, like walking or breathing. Fixing that tear is gonna be easier than you think it'll be. It'll just feel hard because you don't think it's possible. It's not something your body can do without magic.
[He pauses for a moment to think.] You know how when it's really cold, you can kind of watch frost spreading on a window? That's what you want your magic to do with this paper towel. Focus on that, and think about how the paper towel looked before I ripped it. Make it, uh, be that again. It might take a little while and you might need a few tries, but you'll get it. You can do it.
[And then he waits to let Michael give it a shot. He hopes he's explained it well enough... This is more of a Kyna thing, really. Harlan's always had magic, always known what it feels like. That makes teaching it a little tricky.]
no subject
[He's... a little worried that trying to teach Michael's kid self some magic will only end in disappointment like it did with adult Michael, but, well... This is probably temporary. He can find some excuses to avoid disappointment if mini-Michael has trouble. That'll be easier than a flat no here and now, anyway.
...Wait okay but holy shit he hopes this is temporary. Oh god. What if his boyfriend is stuck as a kid forever?
Mmmm gonna assume that's not the case and just. Magic lessons!]
Yeah, I'll show you. Mending is easier, so, uh... [He looks around, and then gets up briefly to grab a paper towel from the counter. He rips it so that it isn't quite in pieces but is still distinctly broken, and then sets it on the table. It's easier to fix a tear in one whole object than to rejoin two halves.]
Pick that up. You have to be touching it for the spell to work. [And now comes the awkward part where he has to explain how to use magic to someone who has, until this point, thought it was a made-up thing. Oof. Maybe Message would've been easier. At least he can demonstrate how that works with Michael as a recipient, get him used to how the magic feels... That can be a back up in case this doesn't work.]
Casting spells is all about manipulating energy that's already in your body. [Sooort of?] This spell is an easy one, so the energy you need to put into it is about as much as you'd need to do basic stuff you do all the time without thinking, like walking or breathing. Fixing that tear is gonna be easier than you think it'll be. It'll just feel hard because you don't think it's possible. It's not something your body can do without magic.
[He pauses for a moment to think.] You know how when it's really cold, you can kind of watch frost spreading on a window? That's what you want your magic to do with this paper towel. Focus on that, and think about how the paper towel looked before I ripped it. Make it, uh, be that again. It might take a little while and you might need a few tries, but you'll get it. You can do it.
[And then he waits to let Michael give it a shot. He hopes he's explained it well enough... This is more of a Kyna thing, really. Harlan's always had magic, always known what it feels like. That makes teaching it a little tricky.]