[PRP] Old New Friends (Kaleb & Horace)

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Your guess is as good as any." He rubbed his nose. "Sounds like you need a magical tetanus shot. Do you wanna just, like, try?' There was a rather convenient bench and he sat down on it.

"Just try concentrating on willing something, anything to happen. Whatever you want." Horace looked at his hand and held it out in front of him. Nothing happened for several minutes, but then, sparks of electricity began to dance around his palm.

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb smiled, despite his misgivings. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt," he admitted, and sat down at the bench next to Horace.

Despite finally agreeing to try something, Kaleb found himself at a complete loss as to what to try. He didn't know what he was supposed to be thinking or wishing for, and the leering mannequins from across the street were not helping his concentration.

He turned away from the creepy figures to watch Horace's attempt, hoping maybe he would learn something from the observation. He noticed the strange feeling right before the electricity sparked to life, hot and delicate like the filament of a light bulb.

"Does it always feel like that when you use magic?" He asked hesitantly.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace glanced up at Kaleb. "Feel like what? Electric-ish? I mean, I guess... It's not really shocking me, if that's what you asking, though."

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb met Horace's eyes for a second before glancing away. "I don't know, like... what does it feel like to you?"

Even without looking at the sparks of electricity, he could still tell it was there. Like reaching out to grab something while looking the other way, if he concentrated he could feel it at the edge of his periphery.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Uh, kinda tingly, I guess? Just on my hand, though." He turned his hand over and the sparks vanished. "Doesn't persist. With Shiloh - the plant dude - I didn't think he felt anything with his magic. Like he just wills plants to happen." Horace frankly had no idea Kaleb was talking about.

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

"Really?" Kaleb asked, beginning to second guess himself all over again. He thought back to what Jeremiah had said about instincts and magic. Last time he met Shiloh he hadn't felt anything strange when it came to the plants, but maybe he just hadn't been looking for it.

Of course, he might not have noticed anything because there was nothing to notice and he was really just losing his mind entirely.

"Not like... warmth, or something thread-like? I don't know... I think I'm probably just going crazy. Too much college stress or something, maybe not enough sleep..." He put his head in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Nah, not, uh, warmer than sparks are normally? Definitely not thread like." Horace willed the sparks to dance around his hand again. It was easier the second time.

"I wouldn't discredit anything you feel though. I mean, we're dealing with magic, Kaleb. Anything's possible. But-" He smiled lopsidedly at Kaleb. "I don't know s**t. It might be best to bother someone who knows more... Zac, the guy at that one bookstore - I can give you the address later - knows a lot. And of course, Shiloh. Dunno who else."

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

"I don't... I don't think I could bother anyone about it," Kaleb admitted, his cheeks turning slightly pink. He was rapidly accumulating contact information for all sorts of people who could provide him with all sorts of useful advice, but he knew he would never have the courage to actually approach any of them.

He glanced over at the sparks again. "I've met Shiloh, but I'm not sure I could bother him either. It just feels like something I have to figure out for myself..."

"Earlier, you pointed your finger and made a spark. Was that how you exploded that plant?" Kaleb asked, still watching Horace's magic display. That strange feeling also remained as long as the sparks did, almost thrumming like current through a wire.

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

He clenched his fist and the sparks disappeared. "Look, Kaleb, you won't learn anything if you don't ask. I mean, we all know the police chief is kinda magical, right? Shiloh said he can each, too." He pointed his finger and concentrated, feeling a spark blossom from the tip. It shot out and pinged against the concrete.

"Yeah, like that. You should really try just... concentrate really hard. See if anything happens."

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb was a little distracted from Horace's words, what he felt from the magic was clearly something different than what he was seeing with his eyes. When Horace 'shot' the spark, that hot filament of magic seemed to arc not only down from his finger, but upwards from the ground itself, and it was in the meeting of the two strands that the spark struck out at the concrete. Like a lightning bolt connecting with the earth.

"I am concentrating!" He insisted, and for a second he looked almost stubborn. "But things only happen when you do things, like that lightning stuff! Am I supposed to be trying to change something?"

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Horace flinched back when Kaleb raised his voice. "Look, I'm just saying you have to concentrate on doing something. Like jumping really high or growing a plant or shooting out laser beams." He stood up and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"How are you supposed to learn anything if you don't want to even ask anyone?"

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb directed his gaze back down at the ground, his shoulders slumped under the rebuke. That little moment of insistence had come and gone, leaving him looking smaller than ever.

"Sorry, I'm just... not very good with people," he said weakly. "If you do that spark thing I'll... I'll try again. To do something."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

"Like, I just... I can't tell you what to do, Kaleb, or what to think about." He stretched his fingers. "You have to find a teacher. But I know you're supposed to concentrate on making something happen." After a long moment, the sparks were dancing around his hand again. Horace wondered if he could short out small electronics.

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb was silent whole Horace continued the admonishment, looking as wilted as he ever had. But the moment those sparks appeared, along with that thread that could only be magical energy, he focused in on it. Now if only he could use what he felt to make something happen... Maybe he could make Horace's sparks jump to the sidewalk like they had before.

Instead of just feeling the thrumming line of magic, he concentrated on pushing it, trying to give it that directional momentum to connect with the ground.

Suddenly there was a snapping sound, like a burst of static energy being discharged, and Kaleb yelped as Horace's sparks struck him instead of the ground. It was not a dangerous zap, just enough to thoroughly startle Kaleb with the jolt.

He was silent for a half second, then stifled a laugh. Well, it had definitely done something!

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Startled, Horace let the sparks abruptly dissipate. "Are you - are you okay?" His mouth dropped open in a frown. "Did you.. or did I-...?"

grey dragon