[PRP] Running into Trouble (Nasir/Kaleb)

[Grey Dragon]

With some determination and persistence, Kaleb was getting better at this whole magic thing. His own skills were almost inept compared to what Jeremiah had shown him, especially that protective bubble that had encircled them both, but his progress was measurable on a small scale. Unfortunately his own magical sphere was still too small to afford any sort of protection from the other Ashdown's potential dangers.

This afternoon was Kaleb's first time attempting something different. The empty lot was silent and still, bordered by vine-covered fences and an overgrown patch of woods, a little place where nobody would notice if he messed up. The freckled teen still had to take a couple deep breaths before beginning. Instead of a bubble in his hands, he focused on spreading the glass-like shield out like a wall in front of him. It grew more like a flat circle than a sphere, hanging in mid-air about chest height.

It stretched to about a metre in diameter before refusing to grow any further, but even that was a triumph.

azuredreams

I hope this start is okay!

 

[azuredreams]

It was probably a bit disconcerting when something came darting underneath the shield and rolled right into Kaleb's foot. A confused chitter-chirp escaped as warm brown eyes blinked up at the young man.

Trouble was not exactly sure what the shiny thing was but it was not supposed to be RIGHT there. He nearly hit it! It had been enough to disconnect Nasir from him out of being startled.

... which said warg would probably be along in just a few minutes regardless.

Grey Dragon

perfectly fine!

 

[Grey Dragon]

It was a testament to Kaleb's hard work that the magic shield stayed put through the distraction, he hadn't expected something small to dart out at that precise moment! He jumped back, shield momentarily forgotten, and peered down at the little creature that was quite tamely looking back up at him. It didn't take him long to recognize the little thing.

"Trouble?" He asked, crouching down to better look at the flying squirrel. If it was truly Nasir's familiar, the young man should also be around here somewhere, right?

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

There was another chitter-chirp from Trouble, as if it was an affirmative, and Trouble was scampering up Kaleb's pant leg. The end goal was his shoulder obviously.

Still no sign of Nasir but he'd show up soon enough.

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb wasn't sure if the little creature had recognized him, or maybe it was lost and just looking for any human shoulder? Nasir had said it was important to protect his familiar, after all, unless...

When Trouble had arrived on his shoulder, the teen turned his head to look at it up close. "Nasir, are you in there?" He asked, searching for any sign that the other young man was currently watching through the flying squirrel's eyes.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

There was a slow blink at Kaleb as he asked his question before the flying squirrel seemed to bob it's little head in a nod. Then he was turning away to look around- as if he was getting an idea of the location and surroundings.

Which was basically so that Nasir could actually find them.

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

"Wow, you're actually watching? That's incredible!" Kaleb exclaimed. He also looked around, to see if he could see any sign of Nasir, but there was little to see in this yard. He wasn't sure what he expected, the vacant lot had been chosen for it's lack of visibility, Trouble must have come through the woods on the one side. Maybe that's where Nasir was?

A thought came to him suddenly, and he tentatively reached out with his mind to feel for magic. It was right there surrounding the flying squirrel, a warm glow that pulsed like a heartbeat. A small part of that glow seemed to spin itself together like a strand of yarn, and trail off towards the direction Trouble had come.

Kaleb hastily dispelled the shield magic, the clear sheet popping like the bubbles that had once inspired it.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Trouble only seemed to sit stationary for a few more moments before he was hopping off and investigating the area around Kaleb. The awareness that had been in his eyes, Nasir behind them, was gone and just the wildness less.

A sparkle started to form on the ground in front of Kaleb just then, faint and glittery, that lead in what looked like the way Trouble had come from. In a few minutes, of course, Nasir would appear at the edge of the forest seemingly following the sparkly trail and a hand lifted and waving.

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

To Kaleb's unusual observation, the haze of magic surrounding Trouble seemed to disappear into the thread, leaving only the link which seemed to cast a faint glitter on the ground.

The freckled teen blinked when he realized the shimmering trail wasn't simply something he felt, but something that was actually there. Right in front of his eyes, a shadow cast by the magic he sensed but couldn't actually see.

When Nasir appeared, Kaleb pointed at the sparkles in amazement. "That is amazing, are you doing that?" He asked quickly.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Yeah! It's me!" Nasir was grinning a bit, face a little flush with pride that it was, indeed, him. Trouble was back in the trees and the warg himself seemed to not be bothered by this (though he looked towards his familiar once before focusing entirely on Kaleb).

The trail disappeared entirely once Nasir was standing closer to Kaleb.

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb's eyes were big and full of admiration.

"Wow, that's so useful! Is that a thing all wargs can do, or did you learn it yourself? There was this line of magic coming off of Trouble, so I thought the sparkles were just how the magic was, until I realized they were actually there on the ground!" His innocent enthusiasm hadn't been meant as flattery, but there was no mistaking how excited he was to see this new type of magic.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"I learned it myself," Nasir said with a shy smile, fingers fiddling with a hair clip. "I have been working with, um, hand gestures and thinking of what I want them to mean and do when I make the gestures."

Then he was blinking as what Kaleb said settled. "Wait, you could ... see the magic?"

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

"Like a inventing a magical sign language?" Kaleb asked curiously. He remembered Horace using finger gun gestures to shoot magical sparks, maybe associating the magic with a gesture made it easier to do without having to think so much about it...

He was a little caught off guard when Nasir asked about his own growing talent.

"No it's... more like I can feel it? Sometimes at least, if I concentrate on it," He replied quickly, not wanting to give Nasir the wrong impression. "But it's not always like actually feeling something... It's kinda hard to describe..."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Uh ... well kind of, I guess." Nasir continued to fiddle with a hairclip. "There's this series called The Magicians? They do these hand gestures called poppers that allow them do spells. I've been using that as a guideline and trying to make up my own. It's really neat, to be honest ..."

Then he was quiet as he listened and nodded. "That's really cool! I've not heard about anything like that at all. So you can, uh, feel the magic around you sometimes?"

Grey Dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

"So you can do even more magic?" Kaleb pushed his glasses up on his nose, but they promptly slid back down. "I'm still not very good at things here, sometimes it's hard to know what to do."

When Nasir asked more about his magical senses, Kaleb nodded shyly. "It's only if I'm focusing on it, and I probably still miss a lot... This place is full of magic, right? I could feel it when Trouble, you, were on my shoulder, it was warm, and felt like a heartbeat. And there was a sort of tail on it that went off into the woods where you came from."

azuredreams