[ prp ] Bounding Forward (Leila, America, Kaleb)

[lizbot]

She had, of all things, left two letters in the mail box of the Shore House. One was for Sonny, the other for Renard. Sonny's letter had been written and rewritten and crumpled and thrown out, and replaced by something much shorter and less filled with excuses, but the weight of emotions in the former was still apparent. The sum of it was: America had not been herself for awhile. She was angry and upset and sometimes had trouble thinking past it. She was going to try to keep a little distance from her friend, until she trusted herself not to ask or demand or wish for things out of that feeling. She loves Sonny, and misses them, and this is not their fault, but America wants to keep her promises and maybe isn't strong enough to do that easily right now.

The one for Renard was much more neatly written, the image of Aunt Prudie standing over her summoned to make sure it was a Better Quality than Her Average:

shibrogane

Mr. Renard,

Thank you for helping me earlier, Sir. I was not in a good state of mind, and I appreciate your kindness toward me at that moment. Though I have not yet made good progress with what you gave me, I have another thing to ask of you, if you've got a moment and some patience with me. I'm not sure if you've received the letter from Odal the Vintner, but one of the tasks for creating a new Charter, and the one I feel a bit of kinship with, is binding power to the new frame.

If you've a moment tomorrow, we'll be at Etterman Park (on the Other Side) around noon. If you could come by and explain a bit of that to us that'd be great, but even Cliffs Notes by text or a booklist would be appreciated.

Thank you for your time and patience,
America Jones

Etterman Park was a little nook of ill-kept greenery bordered by a treeline that gave is a cozy feeling and a trail that eventually led to the bigger, more populated park a little way on. It took a good ten minutes after meeting up with Kaleb to find a doorway with the right sort of wrong and another few to make sure no one noticed the both of them entering the men's restroom.

Stepping out of it, America made a face. "I guess even magic can't clean some places."

cibarium

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb was all nervous fidgets that morning, but he diligently met up with America and trailed along behind her like a skittish puppy until she found a portal they could use. He felt a little weird, disoriented almost, as they finally crossed over to the other side, but put that feeling down to having followed the young woman into a men's washroom.

"It's... not a fun place," he agreed quietly. For a second he was quiet, but then his natural curiosity got the better of him. "How did you know there was a portal there?"

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cibarium

 

[lizbot]

"The shadows were a bit weird, 'round the door frame. Like the time of day was off just a little. Sometimes the temperature feels different, or the colors seem brighter or less colorful. Sometimes it smells like rain, used to near always though, back before things changed. It's always door for me though, other folks find other ways to notice, some can even summon them up at need."

America scanned the park for Leila as they talked and then paused quietly, closing her eyes and reaching for Mr. Bitterberry's a world away for a quiet moment. It was a habit coming back in full force, checking on people with his eyes, just in case.

grey dragon

 

[Grey Dragon]

Something not quite right, a tear in the world, his own sensation of less than nothing, it was remarkable how the perception of magic could differ from person to person. As America closed her eyes to find her familiar, Kaleb could feel that magic clearly now that they were on the other side. It felt like the same sort of thread he had observed when Nasir first demonstrated warg magic, warm, pulsing gently with the rhythm of a heartbeat.

"Amazing..." he muttered quietly, taking a moment to appreciate the sensation.

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[cibarium]

A few moments later Leila had arrived behind them, mostly unphased by the nightmarish bathroom that had served as an entryway. Years of fieldwork and crime scene work had desensitized her to most types of gross environments. She had a contented Biscuit in her arms, though the hen was gently returned to the ground once they were outside.

Biscuit creaked quietly and cocked an eye to Mr. Bitterberry, fluffing her head feathers up briefly in acknowledgement.

"Almost lost track of time," Leila said apologetically. "Renard should show up soon if he's decided to... he's punctual."

grey dragon

lizbot

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

It was short notice. Ordinarily Renard wouldn't have shown up. But for whatever reason, there he was, cuffing up the sleeves of his cardigan. He looked like a dad.

"Good afternoon," said Renard. He scanned the group with his uncannily-blue eyes, and evidently found nothing worth commenting on. "Ascencion says hello, Miss Jones."

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grey dragon

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[lizbot]

Giving Kaleb a curious look as she returned to her own eyes, America turned her attention to Leila, offering up an attempt of a smile. "Hopefully. My success with him kinda fifty-fifty," she admitted. It was an obvious relief when he did show.

"Thank you for coming, sir." Sonny's name brought a solemn nod. "Hope she's doing ok, all things considered." She wished they could just...

And then America tried to put her friend and her own I wishes out of her mind as best she could.

cibarium

grey dragon"

shibrogane

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb gave the professor a shy hello when she arrived. Although he had been invited in to help with this important issue, he had more than enough doubts, and felt like his own role was to be more of a helpful hand in the background.

The freckled teen wasn't sure what to think about Renard himself, the man looked almost... ordinary. But Kaleb was easily intimidated by even the most ordinary people and circumstances.

"Good afternoon," he squeaked in response, but otherwise kept to his timid silence.

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cibarium.

lizbot.

shibrogane

 

[cibarium]

"Hi," Leila greeted, with as much professional candor as one could squeeze out of the word. "Thanks for taking the time out." She was a little wary, but not as much so as she might've been a few months ago. That came with how he'd become a regular topic of dinner conversation with Eve, who'd become rather acquainted to the Renard from the time he was working on his grimoire, desperate to save his friends.

In spite of recent events that had all but stripped her of her status as one, Leila looked rather mom-like with her simple outfit and slightly disheveled hair. "How'd you find the jam?" she asked, amicably curious.

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grey dragon

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shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"She's as well as may be, with her father missing," said Renard. "She says she understands why you haven't come around. Thank you for sending the letter; she was getting quite worried."

He gave Kaleb a long look with his creepy too-blue eyes, and then turned his attention to Leila, who received the same lasting gaze. "Ascencion put it to excellent use with cornbread muffins," he said, "and has reserved the rest of it for culinary experimentation. So, quite enjoyable.

"But that's enough small talk. I am quite busy; what is it you need?"

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lizbot

Grey Dragon

 

[lizbot]

"We need to figure out how to tie power to a frame for the new Court Charter," America answered, getting straight to the point. "You're one of the few folks who seem to understand the...technical parts of magic best. We've got will and good intentions and intuition, but those only go so far until we trip and land in a pit."

shibrogane

grey dragon

cibarium

 

[Grey Dragon]

Kaleb looked away under Renard's glance, if he could he would have shrank back behind the two ladies who seemed to know much more of what was going on. He would let them do the talking, and just try to absorb as much information from the conversation as possible.

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cibarium

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shibrogane

 

[cibarium]

Instead of speaking, Leila retrieved a field notebook and let America explain.

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grey dragon

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shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

"That's true," said Renard. "I am more technically skilled than any of you. That isn't hard when I'm also much older than you." He gestured, and from whole cloth seemed to pull a chair out of the ether. He sat. "Do you have any ideas? I shouldn't like to prejudice you against something functional simply because it's not how I was told to do it."

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Grey Dragon

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[lizbot]

Taking a deep breath, America began to sketch out one of her more out there initial thoughts, just to feel out the deep end a bit. "I was thinking of maybe treating it like a...living thing. The way a mother feeds power, life onto the bones of the baby inside her...and when it's born, that direct connection is tied off and severed, but the baby's got enough to exist without the constant flow from mama."

Turning to the other two, she gave them each an encouraging look, urging on any ideas they might have had. Simple ones, complicated ones, really ********' weird ones, right now they were all on the same level of possibility as far as America was concerned.

grey dragon

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shibrogane