outer_divide | [video: week twenty, friday]

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[video: week twenty, friday]

[The image that appears is of Briar, sitting on the grass just outside the ship and frowning at the device in front of him. Settled next to him is a potted miniature pine tree. But the most striking thing about him is the intricate leafy vine tattoos on his hands and forearms - which if you look closely at, you might be realise are actually moving.

When Briar starts talking, he seems to be addressing the mirror itself rather than anyone on the other end]

You can't be working, you know. I've never been able to scry - and besides, you don't even have any magic anyway, so I don't see how I'm supposed to talk to anyone with this.

[Not that Briar's all that sure he wants to talk who whoever brought him here. But magical objects without any magic is just plain bizarre, so his frown deepens]

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[The knife bit isn't bad. Presumably he has some hidden cache, in his sleeves. Defending himself is a plus, anyway.]

There are not many people with magic where I am from, and those who have it are secret and do not tell others much. There is the word "witch", but no one believes in those really, and "demon", but demons are not human.

[She makes an effort to use those words in English rather than Japanese, in case he recognizes them, too.]

[Oh, Briar definitely has a cache. Overall, he has eight knives hidden away about his person. He would carry more, but this was all that he found when he woke up]

Witches are mages, demons definitely aren't. But why would they keep their magic secret? How are they gonna get employed if no one knows what they are? And what about new mages - someone has to teach them how to use their magic.

[That is a much less extreme reaction than Remus is beginning to become used to around here.]

It's just...apparition. Can you not do that either?

[Their worlds are obviously very different....]

For one thing, because they will be called witches and demons, and probably killed. For another, there are so few....

[She shrugs. She doesn't really want to get into it, period, since it's all personal and about past lives and all that. She wants to get into it even less over the network.]

Are you interested in coming, or not? If you come, we can talk about magic there. These things are not always safe.

Apparition? [Briar shakes his head] I've never heard of it. I'm am ambient mage though, not an academic mage. I don't really do spells.

What?! Being a mage is reason for other people to kill them? Why? [And once again, Briar looks at Haruka with complete horror. Different worlds, indeed.

Briar looks distinctly unsettled, but right now since he has nothing to do other than sit around here - well, he might as well come along to look at this explosion. Maybe then he can ask some more questions in person] I'll come. Although I'll hope you aren't bringing any mage-killers with you.

[Remus sighs and shakes his head, of course it was too much for him to hope this man would practice a magic similar to his own. He offers his hand.]

Remus Lupin. It's nice to meet you.

[Briar grins, and reaches out with his own hand to shake Lupin's. And if Lupin hadn't noticed Briar's tattoos before - the moving, leafy design that stretched from his hands to his elbows - then he certainly would now.] Briar Moss. So, do I get to hear about these secret things that I shouldn't say to my scrying mirror now?

[Remus shakes his hand warmly and then gives him a wry smile.]

Well, for one, the fact that you have a scrying mirror.

[Briar blinks]

You want me to not tell my scrying mirror that I have a scrying mirror. Right, that makes perfect sense!

Have not met any here yet, so you should be fine. Well, except the soldiers, but they will shoot anyone, and they are not invited. Meet you at the northwest end of town in a few hours? Bring whatever supplies you have.

[She'll be making a quick trip into the city, herself, for some food type things and her coat, but otherwise everything she'd want is in her and Michiru's old apartment. Safer that way.]

[After letting go of Briar's hand, Remus takes a step or two back. He's fairly certain he remembers the doctor saying that he'd still be contagious even with the anti-whatsits he'd been given.]

Well, it's likely not working exactly like a scrying mirror anymore. And it's the magic you want to be careful about discussing.

[Briar's scowls very deeply at the mention of solders. He'd rather not go anywhere near soldiers]

You got a map? I don't exactly know the area. And I'll need somewhere to put my shakkan while we're away. [Briar nods his head towards the miniature tree next to him]

[Briar won't be happy if he realises that you've just exposes him to the plague, Remus]

I already knew that much. It doesn't have any magic at all! [Briar frowns to himself, perplexed. He still doesn't understand how that can work] But why've you got to be careful about magic?

[He forgot he had it! His brain's a little fuzzy at the moment.]

Because the Authorities don't much like it. Apparently they've come after magic users before.

[Briar looks at Remus sharply]

Who are 'the Authorities'? And why don't they like mages?

They're sort of...soldiers. From the dome. And they don't like anything that might give the people out here a chance against them.

[Briar scowls. It figures. Once again, someone in power wants to cling onto it, and doesn't care what they do to others to keep it]

They must not be all that confident, if they just go after everyone with even a bit of magic. Don't they have their own mages? [he doesn't realise that that question isn't actually rhetorical - back in his world, every nation has mages]

Er...I don't think so? I haven't...

[He pauses a moment to cough.]

There aren't many of us here who have magic.

[Briar scratches his head. Mages are as common as dirt, so the idea of them being in short supply is odd to him] There must still be a fair few, right? That dome - there'd have to be lots of people living there. Some of them've got to be magic.

As far as I can tell, no. I've only met one other here who does any sort of magic.

And it's very different from my sort.

Just one? They should have more than that! Maybe if they didn't keep killing all their mages off, they'd actually have a few. [Briar shakes his head. It's ridiculous, really.] But what do you mean, different? Why kind of magic did they have?

I did!

[She catches herself, and mutters something unintelligible. Arguments over cross-dimensional vernacular: not actually the pressing subject here, Ash.]

And whoever dreamed it up was someone who wanted to be able to win a war - no matter what it'd cost. You get people like that sometimes - they'll never have to sit there and watch it happen, so it's just numbers.

And what about when they catch the disease too? [Briar shook his head at the madness of it] Plagues don't care what side you're on.

It was sort of...

[He shakes his head, not sure how to explain Thero's magic. The action and the effort of thinking make him a little lightheaded.]

Sorry, I've...I think I should sit down.

[Which he promptly does, on a nearby rock.]

It was sort of...more potions and rituals and less spellwork.

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[video: week twenty, friday]

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