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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Just walk down the mountain from the ship until you hit city ruins, then turn left and walk along the edge of those until you hit farm fields. I will find you. As for the-- ah, the sha-kan, there are farmers on the edge of the city. Ask one of them?

[Briar scratches his head] Potions? They're not that unusual though, for academic mages at least. But why the rituals though? The most they could do is help you meditate.

I'm not sure...I didn't understand much of his explanation, but it seems the rituals are the magic.

We have a bit of that where I'm from as well.

[Briar reaches out to grip the side of the shakkan's pot, looking altogether reluctant to part with it - even if he was the one to bring up keeping it somewhere else in the first place] These farmers - can you trust them?

You do? But aren't you an academic mage?

Um...I don't know what that means? I mean, I went to school for it...

You don't? [Briar blinks in surprise. But maybe he's being hasty. Maybe they just have different words for it, where he's from?]

You know, academic mages - they draw their power from their own internal magic. While ambient mages get theirs from natural things.

[He frowns in thought for a moment.]

You...get your magic from something else?

[She looks perplexed by his reluctance. It's just a tiny tree, right? ... looks kind of like a bonsai tree, actually, all miniature like that, though she's never seen one that looks quite like that.]

As much as you can trust anyone here, I suppose. I doubt any farmer will let a plant die, so you do not need to worry about that.

Not my magic - my strength. My magic's always there, but I get my power from plants - I'm a green mage. [Briar titled his head to look at Remus] Don't you have ambient mages where you're from?

[A magical tiny tree, and one that's very important to Briar.

He scowls at the mention of letting plants die, and pulls the tree closer] Like I'd let anyone let my shakkan die!

History begs to differ on that one. Good biohazard control, sufficient distance - hell, even having a cure produced means annihilating yourself isn't guaranteed unless someone screws up.

[It takes a lot of effort not to roll her eyes, but she manages. She does mutter something unflattering about his mental prowess in Japanese, though.]

They are farmers. Your tree will be fine. Or if you really want to carry it with you, do that. I will see you in a few hours in person, good?

No, I'm sorry. I'm not sure I understand how that works.

It's still despicable.

[Sure, they might take care of it. But they might also decide to steal it. Shakkans were valuable, after all, and Briar knew all too well the inclination to steal]

Yeah, I'll see you.

Its...[how did he even end up explaining this? Sure, ambient magic wasn't common, but it wasn't incomprehensible!]...my magic's based in plants, alright? So my magic's connected to them. Academic mages don't have that connection. They can do more - usually - since they're magics not based in one or two natural things, but they don't have the same strength.

Of course it is. Any attack on a civilian population is. That doesn't mean there aren't people who'll do it if they think they can get away with it.

It's just too bad the people who dreamed this up have been dead too long to learn otherwise.

I see. [Remus grins, because that all sounds fascinating, and then has a brief coughing fit into his arm.]

Forgive me. I'm a bit...under the weather.

Typical.

But someone must be dealing with this one, right? Is there a quarantine?

[Oh no. Briar is not buying that. He might be new here, but he has already heard a bit about what's going on here]

...Under the weather? Under the weather? You've got the plague, haven't you?

...yes?

[He frowns apologetically.]

[Briar grits his teeth as he spits out his next works] And do you realise that you're bringing your disease with you? To someone who doesn't have it?

I'm sorry.

[He frowns, rubbing his forehead.] I wasn't...I wasn't thinking.

Well you should have! Especially with a spell like that, where you could spread the diseases anywhere in the blink of an eye! Lakik's teeth, you need to go back to where you were, right now, and stop going anywhere near people who haven't been exposed yet!

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[video: week twenty, friday]

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