[come sail away] ic inbox (season 1)

[light_mischief]

Skulduggery Pleasant

Cabin 117 - 6:39 PM

altered from killthecake

Comments

[light_mischief]

[The shift in conversation is expected. The tone of it, less so. Other than during the Battle Royale, Skulduggery doesn't think he's ever seen Jade appear anything other than amicably confident. If this were a normal conversation between the two of them, Skulduggery would expect Jade to coyly gloat over his magical advancements. Maybe ask for a pen and paper to diagram out the exact methodology, if this were meant to be a longer visit.

It's impressive magic, but Skulduggery is hesitant to say quite as much, as if it were the wrong impression to take away from the admission.]

It seems to have come in handy this time. [Which is as neutral a statement as possible, offered up with an equally neutral tone.] But it must not be something you can do often. [Or would want to do, from the looks of it...?]

[fonomena]

[Even in Jade's reality it's an impressive feat, it's true--he remains the only fonist in Auldrant capable of creating replicas purely by hand with no machine assistance, at any rate, to say nothing of the fact that fomicry is considered to have pioneered an entirely new application of fonic artes to this day. ...But Jade sure is saying none of this, and isn't particularly acting like those facts exist either. No paper or pen being requested for an incoming diagram here; instead, it's just Jade straightening as he slowly folds the bag into a manageable shape between his hands, turning back towards Skulduggery with a slight frown falling upon his features.]

It's--mm, before arriving here, it'd been many years since I last used it. But that was more of a personal choice... [Well, there's yet another thing he didn't necessarily have to say. Skulduggery actually gives him a very seamless out, with a question like that...but all the same, Jade's setting himself to commit to at least some frankness in the matter--regardless of how briefly difficult it still is, to resume actual proper eye-contact. Regardless, too, of how promptly he notices Skulduggery prudently trying to match his own neutrality--evidently already aware of something a bit amiss in this tangent anyhow, no doubt. (Goodness, that obvious, is it? ...Well, no matter. The fact remains that his own hangups just aren't important, here, not when they need every tool they can use to figure out some eventual means of remedying the situation on this ship. If fomicry might help--Skulduggery, a peer in magical matters and a strong source of information in general...he ought to know too. And could perhaps even provide some input, on a certain aspect of this topic. So, continuing on--)] Objectively speaking, I haven't lost any proficiency in utilizing it; extent of use, as well, is generally limited only by one's own natural capacity for fielding multiple fonic artes at once, much the same as any other arte. ...But I have found myself limited in a different way all the same, in this particular attempt with the panacea bottles. I was only able to create seven of them in one sitting...and since that time, I haven't been able to create replicas of anything else whatsoever.

[A very unusual metaphorical wall, to say the least--though it'd felt less like literally hitting a wall, and more like...going through the motions only to find nothing actually invoking? Neutrality breaking just a bit in favor of a more troubled note in tone, despite himself, Jade finally does manage to level Skulduggery with a more proper sort of look as he continues.]

I'm not yet sure what to make of this; it's not quite like anything I've experienced before, as problems with fonic artes go. ...In your time on this ship so far--have you run into any unusual limitations upon your own magic as well, here?

[light_mischief]

[This, unfortunately -- or fortunately? -- is something Skulduggery has had some recent experience with. Considering how the magic he wields here still feels mostly as it should, the idea that they're coming up on sudden hardlines in the system is... unfortunate. It's less surprising in retrospect, of course, that reflections can't manifest, but that doesn't make it less disappointing.]

I have to confess, there was a spell I tried a little while ago that didn't work like it was supposed to. Or at all, for that matter. Was this the first time you've used fomicry on board? Or have you had successes in the past?

[fonomena]

[It's unfortunate for a fact, though it was probably bound to happen sooner or later--considering how this space they currently exist in here seems custom-tailored to accomodate all manner of magic systems across realities, no matter how disparate, Jade has long suspected that the captain would also have imposed limitations on certain aspects. Anything that might pose a threat of some kind to his machinations here, most likely...though it's surprising, in a way, to be seeing the exact shape these hardlines happen to be taking now?]

Didn't work at all...so, you didn't receive even a partial result, from the spell? [The question on Skulduggery's part earns the faintest flicker of something like chagrin, across Jade's features, even as he answers promptly and neutrally enough:] No, this...I first tapped into fomicry on board this ship only a few hours ago, in fact. [Though he could have tried much sooner. Maybe should have, really. If not...for his own hesitations. Still, that's neither here nor there--] Usually, for an object of such small size and minimal complexity as a panacea bottle...I should have easily been able to produce at least two dozen replicas, in a given sitting. Yet the process for the first seven worked exactly as normal and intended--until I tried for an eighth, and it were as if...the fonons needed for the process simply refused to gather as they should. Or react at all. Yet I can still cast any other fonic arte as normal... [Jade raises a free hand in front of himself, forefinger and thumb pressing together as if in afterthought; much the same way he'd demonstrated it to Skulduggery that time back, during their very first conversation on the ship, there's a soft thrum of sound that condenses at his fingertips in a second or so, before a small and smokeless flame leaps to being. Nope, no difficulties there...] --Your own spell, what was the nature of it?

[light_mischief]

Hm... So you hadn't made any attempt to use that particular magic before now, and only managed to create a quarter of what you're capable of... It's possible that the Captain didn't know you were capable of it, maybe? If he noticed someone practicing magic on the ship that he didn't like, there could be a way for him to...

[What? Turn powers on and off? That... is a terrible thought. Nope. He doesn't want to think about that. And yet --]

It's a bit of symbol magic both mortals and sorcerers can use in my reality. We essentially construct a... placeholder of sorts out of our reflections. They perform surface-level actions in order to maintain the illusion that you are... well, wherever you need to be. [He shrugs.] In hindsight, I suppose it's just close enough to an actual living construct that the Captain would be... challenged by it? Maybe it's the same with fomicry?