[ She says it idly, but... given the way that she looks, Vander can probably guess that Akua Sahelian will always be happy to catch attention. She'd been a woman who could have been Dread Empress, after all, had she wanted it. She'd certainly been raised for it, but they move along, and she nodded as he described how it felt, and she could follow the... feeling of it. Of his power and the magic inherent in it.
She watched his fist move, and the stone and earth move with it. Was that a crutch, or linked to it?
Her fingers spread out, magic and slippery letters spread before her, and she traced the motion, and the earth. ]
Interesting. Uncontrolled, of course, but starting out often is.
Tell me, when you move your fist, do you feel as if it guides the motion, or is it more mental?
[Oh, she certainly does seem like the sort to revel in seizing peopleās attention. Honestly, itās not a foreign experience for Vander eitherāa big lug like him causing a stir for countless years was something that naturally turned heads, alright. And that had been kind of the point of all the work heād put in back there in the undercity.
But catching attention for slip-ups like this, after trying to keep himself out of trouble? Well, that is an unfamiliar road that he would rather not tread upon.
He watches her own motions with keen interest, curious how it must be to have such a deep understanding of forces like this. The question gets a thoughtful tilt of the head from him.]
Been hard to really pinpoint it, since Iāve got my whole focus on it when trying to replicate it. But If I had to wagerā¦
[He trails off for a moment as he goes through the motions again, this time angling his swing slightly to the left at the apex of the arc. The disturbed earth follows, though itās a little shakier than the last demonstration.]
It does feel a bit like itās following the way I move my fist.
And your mind, when it works, are you empty of all thought, or calculating?
[ To Akua, calculating was required for her form of magic -- but then again, it's magical calculus that fuels her power -- and she can only guess as to his. There are others in Calernia, that use less precise methods, and those of the Titanomacy use something so inherent and deeply borne that she does not think it comes in the form of computation.
She's trying to weed it out, what would work for him in particular. ]
[He clenches and unclenches his fist for a moment, then his attention goes back to her.]
Thereās a sort of focus on my movements when Iām swinging, both when Iām practicing and when Iām fighting, but itās more of an innate sort of thing, I suppose you can say. Feels kind of the same way with this magic, but sort of shakier.
[Throwing a proper punch is as simple as breathing for Vander, but even he had been an inexperienced kid once upon a time. Took a lot of practice to get there, and he expects there will be a lot of that in his future if he can get a handle on this.]
[ She tapped her finger. It was somewhere in between, something like a Blessed Monk, or the Drunken Master. ]
I think it needs to be intention, as much as it is focus. Your motions guide it, yes? The way you move can provide you with the pneumonic to activate your powers. Some sorcerers have found crutches like this to be appropriate. Perhaps it is necessary, in your case.
[ For all that the words were an insult, they were also simply... fact. Akua said this like it was a fact of life. ]
Think of your movements as a...pattern. A guide for which the earth to follow.
[For what itās worth, Vander hardly seems bothered by the underlying insult. He knows his own abilitiesāand particularly in this case, his limitationsāand Akuaās matter-of-fact knowledge is about all he has to go on in this instance. Crutch or not, he has to start somewhere.]
Intentions and patterns, huh.
[The words are thoughtful, and he takes a moment to study the disturbed earth his budding magic had moved moments before. Tries to remember every feeling that came with it when he channeled the power.]
I imagine that intention must play a pretty big part in most magic, yeah?
[At least thatās how it seems from an outsiderās perspective.]
In most, yes. Magic is enforcement of your will on the fabric of creation.
[ A slight shrug. ]
For me, it is that and computations. Occasionally, additional power is needed for a ritual, but I think that is not what you will require. Thankfully. Such rituals are unkind to those who are not used to them.
[ You know. Human Sacrifice and all. ]
Patterns help one with moving energy in the direction it needs. With time, this becomes routine, and you can focus your attention on intention, and on the power for your will to be made manifest.
[As he listens to her explanation, he steps over and reaches down to grab a chunk of stone that has been disturbed by his amateur magic. He turns it over in his hand, then tosses it up and down experimentally.]
So, lean into the patterns that work it, then itās easier to will it into something more. [A slow nod of understanding.] One step at a time, then.
[He drops the stone, dusting his hands off as his attention returns to Akua.]
What sort of magic did you usually work back home? I imagine anything involving computations must beā¦ a lot.
[ How did one describe the shape and power of her magic? The great and terrible acts it could wreak upon the world, the exact power needed, the way to create such power? ]
Vast, and wide. I can play with the elements of course, raise the dead, I used to summon demons, devils, create drains of power and store it in new vessels. I stored my soul away from my body when I was just shy of being a child.
[ This is such a loaded question, but... ] The sorcery we use in my land is one of many, that directs the energy created by life. Mine is the most precise, but as it is precise, the amount of energy needed for each action is... somewhat complicated. Then there are those that can understand High Arcana... The one percent of one percent, if you will.
[ A beat. ] I am the... second best Sorcerer in my land, and it is something I hold with price, if that describes the first.
[ To be fair, the Number 1 spot was held by a guy called the Vivisector of Miracles. Hard to top. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[ She says it idly, but... given the way that she looks, Vander can probably guess that Akua Sahelian will always be happy to catch attention. She'd been a woman who could have been Dread Empress, after all, had she wanted it. She'd certainly been raised for it, but they move along, and she nodded as he described how it felt, and she could follow the... feeling of it. Of his power and the magic inherent in it.
She watched his fist move, and the stone and earth move with it. Was that a crutch, or linked to it?
Her fingers spread out, magic and slippery letters spread before her, and she traced the motion, and the earth. ]
Interesting. Uncontrolled, of course, but starting out often is.
Tell me, when you move your fist, do you feel as if it guides the motion, or is it more mental?
no subject
But catching attention for slip-ups like this, after trying to keep himself out of trouble? Well, that is an unfamiliar road that he would rather not tread upon.
He watches her own motions with keen interest, curious how it must be to have such a deep understanding of forces like this. The question gets a thoughtful tilt of the head from him.]
Been hard to really pinpoint it, since Iāve got my whole focus on it when trying to replicate it. But If I had to wagerā¦
[He trails off for a moment as he goes through the motions again, this time angling his swing slightly to the left at the apex of the arc. The disturbed earth follows, though itās a little shakier than the last demonstration.]
It does feel a bit like itās following the way I move my fist.
no subject
[ She nods, considering. ]
And your mind, when it works, are you empty of all thought, or calculating?
[ To Akua, calculating was required for her form of magic -- but then again, it's magical calculus that fuels her power -- and she can only guess as to his. There are others in Calernia, that use less precise methods, and those of the Titanomacy use something so inherent and deeply borne that she does not think it comes in the form of computation.
She's trying to weed it out, what would work for him in particular. ]
no subject
[He clenches and unclenches his fist for a moment, then his attention goes back to her.]
Thereās a sort of focus on my movements when Iām swinging, both when Iām practicing and when Iām fighting, but itās more of an innate sort of thing, I suppose you can say. Feels kind of the same way with this magic, but sort of shakier.
[Throwing a proper punch is as simple as breathing for Vander, but even he had been an inexperienced kid once upon a time. Took a lot of practice to get there, and he expects there will be a lot of that in his future if he can get a handle on this.]
Is it better to put more focus into it?
no subject
[ She tapped her finger. It was somewhere in between, something like a Blessed Monk, or the Drunken Master. ]
I think it needs to be intention, as much as it is focus. Your motions guide it, yes? The way you move can provide you with the pneumonic to activate your powers. Some sorcerers have found crutches like this to be appropriate. Perhaps it is necessary, in your case.
[ For all that the words were an insult, they were also simply... fact. Akua said this like it was a fact of life. ]
Think of your movements as a...pattern. A guide for which the earth to follow.
no subject
Intentions and patterns, huh.
[The words are thoughtful, and he takes a moment to study the disturbed earth his budding magic had moved moments before. Tries to remember every feeling that came with it when he channeled the power.]
I imagine that intention must play a pretty big part in most magic, yeah?
[At least thatās how it seems from an outsiderās perspective.]
no subject
[ A slight shrug. ]
For me, it is that and computations. Occasionally, additional power is needed for a ritual, but I think that is not what you will require. Thankfully. Such rituals are unkind to those who are not used to them.
[ You know. Human Sacrifice and all. ]
Patterns help one with moving energy in the direction it needs. With time, this becomes routine, and you can focus your attention on intention, and on the power for your will to be made manifest.
no subject
So, lean into the patterns that work it, then itās easier to will it into something more. [A slow nod of understanding.] One step at a time, then.
[He drops the stone, dusting his hands off as his attention returns to Akua.]
What sort of magic did you usually work back home? I imagine anything involving computations must beā¦ a lot.
[He laughs.]
no subject
[ How did one describe the shape and power of her magic? The great and terrible acts it could wreak upon the world, the exact power needed, the way to create such power? ]
Vast, and wide. I can play with the elements of course, raise the dead, I used to summon demons, devils, create drains of power and store it in new vessels. I stored my soul away from my body when I was just shy of being a child.
[ This is such a loaded question, but... ] The sorcery we use in my land is one of many, that directs the energy created by life. Mine is the most precise, but as it is precise, the amount of energy needed for each action is... somewhat complicated. Then there are those that can understand High Arcana... The one percent of one percent, if you will.
[ A beat. ] I am the... second best Sorcerer in my land, and it is something I hold with price, if that describes the first.
[ To be fair, the Number 1 spot was held by a guy called the Vivisector of Miracles. Hard to top. ]