[OPEN] (frozen voice) so you wanna be a wizaaaaard...

[pocketspa]

Who: Taako and PERHAPS YOU?
What: One of Taako's magic lessons, should your character have signed up. More details inside!
Where: Imported House 5-1, aka "Horny House"
When: Anywhere from March 1-9th, before the intro log for this month
Warnings: Should be clean, other than maybe some deformed Mage Hands.

No matter how you've found yourself in enrolled in magic lessons, Taako has kept good on his word in December to actually teach magic in Hadriel. Despite your magical aptitude or otherwise trust that Taako knows what he's doing, he's been trying to meet with people twice a month for lessons, when Hadriel isn't doing something fucked up. And today's your day! You've been summoned to his place, where a bedroom has been temporarily transformed into an office for practice and instruction.

So go ahead, knock on the door, see what he's going to teach you today. Just be sure not to burn the house down.

[OOC: PLEASE sign your character up at the info post before tagging here! This will let me know where in their progress they are at this time, and keep track of how many students he actually has. Thank you!!!]

Comments

[stonebird]

She is intent on protecting herself - and others if need be. Sansa is tired of needing someone else to shield her and while she keeps up her lessons with her sword, she knows that may not be enough. If she can return to Westeros with the ability to create fire, however, that would be spectacular. The White Walkers won't seem nearly as threatening then (though they will be just as horrifying).

Her attire today is hidden under a long cloak - and for good reason. She doesn't like wearing trousers, but working in a skirt is next to impossible. Her Elven sword is strapped around her waist - in case it can be incorporated - and her hair is gathered in one simple braid.

She knocks on Taako's door, loosening the ties of her cloak at her neck.

[pocketspa]

Listen, everyone wants the ability to create fire. Even if Taako slams evocation as a specialty, he's never above a good fireball to fix an annoying problem. Like, what's someone gonna do about that?

(Get out of the way, obviously, but like, shh, that's not important.)

He answers after a few seconds, her knock being met with the click of the heels of his boots as he opens it. It's been a bit of time now-- this is far from their first lesson-- but he still gives her the same lazy kind of smile as he always has. "Ayyyy, Sanny, what's shakin'? C'mon." Taako gestures her inside, back into the modified bedroom where the bed has been pushed to the side to accommodate a desk and two chairs by an empty space for practice and instruction. He strolls in, using a mage hand to shut the door behind her.

"So how's it been comin', you doin' well so far on your first big girl spell?"

[stonebird]

Well since fire is the only thing that can kill a Wight...

Sansa smiles at the welcome, giving him a faint, perhaps slightly awkward, curtsy. The motion looks strange in trousers, but she likes giving him the respect he deserves for being her teacher.

"Thank you." she steps into the room, her boot heels clicking against the floor too. The use of magic would have made her jump during their first lesson, but now she is accustomed to it, so the door shutting is ignored.

"I'm practicing as often as possible. I'm afraid to do it indoors..." for obvious reasons, "...but outside, I've managed a small flare."

[pocketspa]

Honestly, the fact anyone gives him respect in this world is already an improvement on his life. Taako's informal on the best day, but he gives her a little sweep of his cape in a tiny bow back, just for formality's sake.

"Hey, hell yeah, look at you! Here, here, hang on, I wanna see." He reaches down to his belt, pulling off his spellcasting focus. Unlike what he's recommended to his students, like a wand or something, he has a pointy spiral glaive, because... well, I couldn't tell you. He grips it against his palm and the gem in the center flares before a shimmering shield drops like a dome over them both, avoiding the ceiling and walls.

"Alright, go on, hit me! I mean not like, me, but this. Hit this." He chuckles like he's told a joke, and the joke was not him being lit on fire. "Like, I won't die if you do, but also try not to."

[bloodburdened]

[she is here because she needs to be here. she needs every possible weapon to defend Alistair and his reign. she would kill for him. without a thought or any regrets. and if she can add magic to her arsenal and keep it secret, she would do so and eagerly.

and she must admit to wanting to spend more time with Taako. he confuses her a great deal of the time, but she likes him. and she thinks he likes her in return. so this is a reason to spend time in his presence.

she raises her hand, balled into a fist and knocks on the door without hesitation and waits calmly, patiently outside]

[pocketspa]

[Taako will give this much to Mariane- she's damn determined. Not everyone is as quick a learner as Angus "eats books probably" McDonald, and without a long history of magical theory it's to be expected. But he's more interested in practicality than the why it works theory, so he's just crash coursing his students through. And hell, she's doing well- he just didn't expect her to be so into it every single time. It's kinda interesting; likes the passion, if nothing else.

He answers with a lazy sort of grin, like he has in months before.]

Hey my gal, welcome back. C'mon in.

[He leads her into the bedroom, where the bed and a desk with chairs have been pushed back to accomodate a space in the middle for practice.]

So how's your spells goin'? Still workin' on those cantrips right? Just because you can maybe cast one big spell now doesn't mean you get to forget your basics.

(cw: mental illness)

[bloodburdened]

[she's always been determined. how else could she have pushed herself through the year of the Blight, while mourning the loss of her parents and plagued by fits of severe melancholy? failure wasn't an option she allowed herself and she's not allowing it of herself now. so yes, she's passionate. and intense.

she gives him a small, shy smile in return and nods her head before coming into the house.

she follows the now well-known path to his bedroom and stands primly at attention]

Not . . . quite as well as I would like [which is an impossibly high standard], but I do believe that I am coming along? And of course I wouldn't forget my basics. I practice them every day.

[pocketspa]

[He nods along with her assesment, one part listening and one part not. By now it's not hard to see she's hard on herself, but that doesn't mean she isn't doing well. He's taken a slightly gentler touch, but she's not behind schedule, so there's no worry.]

Alright then, cool cool, let's run through what you got so far. Pick one of the cantrips you know, show it off.

[She will have learned something from the easier spell list, which he's sure she's got down pat by now.]

[bloodburdened]

[anyone who pays real attention to what she says and does can tell that she's hard on herself. she goes back in her mind and replays battles, trying to figure out what she could have done better, she remembers the night her parents were betrayed and murdered, wondering why she didn't tell her father of the odd feeling one of Howe's guards gave her when she spoke to him. she needs to be a great deal kinder to herself.

she nods] Very well.

[she chooses to go with the Ray of Frost. it may seem an odd choice, given their current location, but as she knows they won't be here much longer and her weapons are enchanted to radiate cold, she likes it.

she looks up at him after she performs the spell] Was that good enough?

[pocketspa]

[He's got targets set up so she can nail a spot on the wall or floor without, y'know, shooting him with a dart of ice. Just because he has the stamina to take it doesn't mean he enjoys getting his nipples frozen off. But he watches, observing the movement, turning back to her when she's done.]

Well, you tell me. How did it feel? Did you like it?

[bloodburdened]

[no, she'd rather not hit him directly with a spell in the first place. that would be rude and inappropriate. but she's visibly pleased that it works, which is unusual for her]

It felt . . . good. And yes, I liked it very much. I--I want more.

[closerift]

[ What use is there for Prestidigitation?

There's a table between them. Cecily grasps her wand, concentrating and breathing deeply. She focuses, closing her eyes for a second before - nah, keep 'em open, and she channels the spell he'd taught her through the wand and toward the surface of the table.

Before long, there is a small image of a dick there, in all its glory. ]

Now I'm a wizard. [ She breathes, pumping a single fist in a victorious gesture, clearly savoring the moment. ]

[pocketspa]

[He is watching with absolutely rapt attention as she does this- not because he thinks she can't, but because she hasn't told him what she was actually gonna do when she walked in here today. As soon as it appears, his mouth splits into a wide grin of absolute delight, and her words just send him into a fit of loud laughter as he holds onto the edge of the table to keep from collapsing.]

Fuck, dude, you sure are!

[Once he's recovered himself, he reaches out to poke at it, knowing it'll be fake due to the confines of the spell. But it behaves perfectly right, and he turns his grin back on her.]

Solid work, my gal. Told you you could do it.

[closerift]

I do remember you specifically telling me that I could conjure a dick out of nothing, it's true. [ Actually, she remembers discussions of magic accomplishing chores while she lounges with her feet up, but that's neither here not there. ] I'm happy to have pleased you, o mentor.

[ There are probably more productive things that she could do with these newfound abilities, but that wouldn't really be on brand. ]

[pocketspa]

[He's trying not to burst into another round of giggles, just barely keeping himself together as he takes a breath to try and continue here.]

Sounds like you pleased yourself, really. See, now you can make dicks but all the time. Wait until you can make 'em more solid.

[Taako adds a wink to that one, just to be incredibly obtuse.]

Good lil' illusion, though. Prestidigitation is like, probably one of the most useful spells cuz it's just making any dumb shit you need. Did you get through all the effects yet, cuz uh, that's also the one that cleans shit.

[closerift]

Oh, now there's an idea. [ ♫ Fantasy dildos: where all your dreams come true! We've got a dick for you! ♫ ] I hope you don't mind if I don't tell you when I manage that.

[ She winks back. ]

Right, yes... If you'll, ah - I don't know, conjure up some mud, I can show you?

[ Let's see if she's really the wizard she believes that she is in her heart! ]

[pocketspa]

[Cecily you're going to make him choke on his own laughter. But thankfully they can actually move on with the lesson, and he takes the Krebstar off his waist.]

Well, good news my gal, spell does that too.

[He barely moves with it, just having his focus in his hand, and a pile of wet dirt appears right there on the table. Cecily gets the single benefit of the doubt of not making it literal dog shit, mostly because he doesn't want to smell that.]

Go on, chop chop, get some fantasy clorox on.

[closerift]

Excellent. [ First the dick, then the mud. This table has almost literally seen some shit.

Cecily concentrates again, wand clutched in her hand. After a brief pause, she casts the spell, managing to magic away 99.9% of the wet dirt, just like all the commercials claim. ]

Close enough, at least for now? [ There's still a speck or two, but she did her best. Cecily sighs, flicking the remaining spots and and trying to look very cool and confident. ] And practice makes perfect, or so they say.

[murderpotato]

You know what Gren wants out of this bullshit? Not a whole lot, half of this was just to see if he could be so shitty at magic that Taako would just like frustrate himself into knots. The other half is to be able to either set motherfuckers on fire or magic himself into exactly the same guy but with a nicer ass and a bigger dick. Y'know, normal stuff.

Though, in all seriousness? Knowing how to make himself a glamour would be useful. Shit was expensive back in New York, the witches charged a lot to make you not look like a hulking monstrosity. Being able to do it himself would cut out the middle-ladies, and Gren always likes being able to give the middle finger to the Business Office whenever possible.

"Okay, motherfucker," he says, "learn me some fuckin' magic or whatever."

[pocketspa]

Honest to god he did not expect Gren to be down for this. Gren is like... this weird guy that's too much like him for Taako to be totally comfortable with it, but simultaneously he doesn't understand a damn thing that goes through the guy's head. Taako tries to figure that maybe it's just what comes with being centuries of years old versus two hundred, but that also assumes he's putting thought into this, which he decidedly isn't. So what, Gren wants to learn magic. Fuck it. He can teach anyone. Especially since he's interested in transmutation and illusion based on the stuff he wants, so he can't possibly turn down the one bitch in this city that actually gives a shit about his specialty.

But also here they are and where the fuck does he even begin.

"Okay, so like... you know this isn't gonna be like an, I snap my fingers and you just have magic, right? There's like, theory and books involved?" He thinks about not making the dig and then wonders why he ever considered not insulting Gren at any time. "You can read, right? Because I need to know how early we're starting here like, exactly."

[murderpotato]

Centuries old? Try fifteen centuries, Taako. Fifteen whole centuries. Gren's old as fuck and y'know, sometimes you get the opportunity to learn some shit and you do it because you're old and bored and it might be fun to set shit on fire with your brain. Don't judge him, at least he's still interested in learning at his age.

He shouldn't have expected Taako to, like, not take potshots at him, though. That's basically what the jackass has been doing the entire time that he's known him, after all.

"I've forgotten more fuckin' languages than your whole ass has ever known," he says. "Just give me the fuckin' books and tell me what I need to fuckin' learn."

He didn't live to be fuckoff years old by not being able to learn shit and, like, adapt or whatever. Survival of the fuckin' whatever, least absolutely goddamn stupid, probably.

[pocketspa]

Fifteen centuries is a plural of centuries. He's technically right. But he laughs in response, circling around in front of him with big lazy steps as he thinks.

"Okay number one, I know six languages and I haven't even insulted you in all of them. Two, you ever done like, any magic before broseph?" He spins on his heel, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed. "Like yeah I know, you're the fantasy ghostbusters marshmallow or whatever, but does that biz come with magic stuff or is it just existing as the dude? You ever know how it feels?"

[murderpotato]

"Okay, so I definitely forgot more fuckin' languages than your whole ass has ever known," he says, and if he had two actual arms, he'd be crossing them over his chest right now. "And if I'd ever had anybody teach me fuckin' magic, why the fuck would I be here askin' you?"

On account of the fact that he would probably rather be taught by anyone other than Taako, Actual Most Obnoxious Creature, or he would already know magic and therefore not need a teacher at all.

You ever know how it feels is some vague-ass shit, though.

"I got some magic shit goin' on, but it ain't, like... something I gotta do? It just is, I don't fuckin' know how it works."

[pocketspa]

As much as his vagueness makes it damn hard for him to be understood, it's also what makes Taako such a good goddamn wizard. Most wizards get stuck in the trappings of technicality, the incantations and technicality precise but not artful. Taako approaches magic like it's his, like he owns it even when he's just borrowing by shifting the world into place. It's not going to make sense for a while, unfortunately-- but when it does, it'll be much, much easier.

"Okay, okay, that was what I needed my guy. Sooo okay, time for a lil' lecture, get out your pen and take some good ol' notes. Magic is about basically convincing the world you're doing one thing, when really you're uh, you're sliding some fantasy cheat codes across the table and the universe is none the wiser. Spells are like, we've figured out that when you say this word and do this thing you can make some fire happen even though there wasn't fire here. It's a conversion." Taako's moved to lean against the nearest wall with his shoulder, gesturing with his hands. "Make sense? So it's gonna be memorization, but that's just part one. It's also knowing that magic uses your bod to change the world, so uhhh, that's gonna be tiring and you can only do it so many times. Still good?"

[murderpotato]

Gren listens to Taako’s spiel with narrowed eyes and the sneaking suspicion that this all sounds a lot like school, you know, that thing that he never went to. Granted, he doesn’t know if he would like school since he’d never been in one, but let’s be real. He’s not a good student.

“...So you’re sayin’ that magic is pullin’ a fuckin’ fast one on the universe?”

That’s something that he could understand. He’d run cons before, he got how to misdirect and all that kind of shit, even if he was usually doing it at pool or cards rather than somehow tricking the cold and unfeeling void or whatever.

“How the fuck do you fuckin’ trick the goddamn universe? It ain’t a living thing, it’s, I dunno, fuckin’ math and shit.”