[prp] this damp grows in my lungs like a plague [alexis/???]

[Ashdown Whaler]

Alexis receives a very particular stare from Kiel.

"Obviously," he intones dryly, "but I want to know why."

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

Something about Kiel makes them more amicable to tell him. Maybe it's the fact he just saved their life. Maybe it's the freckles; half-mirrored from their own face. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter.

They take a breath. "...******** up. Someone -- told me they thought I was gonna hurt someone I really care about," (hurt him again is the unsaid implication), "and -- I freaked out and lost control of the rain. Dunno what happened after that, but I heard a couple of ribs snap. I just ran. Didn't help her or anything."

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

Kiel is silent.

Listens.

Breathes out a sigh and rubs a hand across his face before he promptly reaches over and pushes them over. It's just enough to make them wobble and not to hurt. "Your emotions were always tied to your ability to control but you got to work on that. Haven't you found the calm yet? I don't mean shutting down either."

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

Alexis looks baffled.

"I don't get it."

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

Another roll of his eyes.

"Your center. Your focus. What lets you control your powers."

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

"I focus when I'm disassociatin'," Alexis says, "n' that's pretty much it. If you have suggestions, it'd be appreciated, 'cause Mercer ain't any help."

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

"Just said I don't mean when you disconnect," he huffs but shakes his head.

"Look, the water's part of you, you know that right? Except that water out there - that's not part of you, it just wants to eat you." No, apparently he's still not happy with that stunt.

"Besides, we've been over this before. It isn't the first and I doubt it's the last. Hell, pretty sure Mercer's helped a time or two." Kiel drags his fingers through the soft soil, leaving trails behind and wiggles his finger over them. Water fills the small indents, coalesced from the moisture in the air. "You're a storm, Alexis, but you need to be the eye of the storm. It sounds stupid, I know, but it's the best way to put it."

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

"We've been over this before...?" Alexis echoes, confused. "I get what you mean, conceptually or somethin', but -- dunno how to put it into practice. N' it bein' a part of me...? I -- figured I was just commandin' it, really. Not that I had some sort of mystical connection or whatever."

Ashdown WhaIer

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

Kiel waves a hand at the echo of confusion. Mostly because it was hard to explain and- Well, time was not always linear. "Command works for others, it's their magic, but you- you're more at home in the water than the land."

With a wiggle of his fingers, he reaches towards them and his hand hovers near them but not touching. His head tilts, an obvious question of if he could touch for a moment.

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

"Mercer said it was all about commandin' it," Alexis mutters, and takes a deep breath -- they keep the blanket close, trying to ward off the chill that's worked deep down into their bones, and settle their shoulders in place. By Alexis' standards, it's practically an invitation. "Who else'm I gonna ask, Spektor? Haven't seen him throwin' rocks around."

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

"That's Mercer's method. You have your own, though-" Kiel shakes his head, pushes past it and reaches for Alexis once the blanket settles at their shoulders. His fingers press where there had been hands at their neck, running along the skin.

Except it is not normal anymore and Alexis would feel it as he touched. The skin looked bruised but they had been changed by their magic. "See? Your magic was looking out for you and that's the first step."

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

When Kiel touches them Alexis shivers - a full-body shiver, from an unfamiliar sensation they aren't quite sure how to deal with yet. Their gills flare out a bit under his touch, shaking the few bits of dirt caught in them free, and Alexis -- well -- there's a little tiny awkward squawk that almost makes it past their lips, but not quite. Keeping quiet at surprise touches is second nature.

But that's a thought for another time.

"Mercer throws fire around, he's old as balls, figured he'd know what he's doing..."

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

"Because it works for him, because that's his connection to magic- Command. I knew someone who sang to use their magic and you ..." Kiel leans in to inspect both sides of their deck, fingers brushing away dirt and then settling back.

"You channel the storm; the eye of it, the center of destruction, so on and so forth." He digs bare toes into the wet soil and then leans back on the palms of his hands. "Water is capricious. So when you are agitated, it's agitated."

Daekie

 

[Daekie]

"Didn't take you for a poet," Alexis murmurs. They've gone obediently still under his hands -- a second, and then they shake their head hard, changing the channel so to speak -- they need to stop doing that. It's easy, but they need to stop, or

or it's just going to lead to oblivion over again and Kiel won't be there to fix their split-second stupid decision.

"I know it kinda follows my emotions, yeah...I've just -- had a lot goin' on. An' I don't wanna bother people with my s**t; they've got enough to worry about. But." They start to bring up their hand to touch their neck -- think better of it -- it slips to their waist instead, pulling the blanket tighter. "I just don't wanna hurt anyone. Not unless I've gotta. And -- my first reaction to a lot of things is hurt it, so -- that's what the water does, I guess."

Ashdown Whaler

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

"Poetry is easier than a lot of the other things I've gotten involved with." A smile twitches at his lips. "... and I've known someone who used poetry to help their magic but that's another tale."

Kiel blinks as they speak and he nods his head. "You can't immediately hurt, Alexis, you have to pause." He rolls his eyes a bit; spares them the speech about not bothering people. "Breathe. Think. Process."

Daekie