InsaneJournal

Morag macdougal & Li Ming
26 August - Level One - Library "Oh, I'm Sorry!"

Sitting cross-legged on the floor of the small library on level one. Morag sat in a small, almost side room filled with older books marked in languages she didn’t even know. Morag bit the edge of her left thumb as she looked down at the book on the floor in front of her. All around her were papers spread out but organized, a planner just to her right, and a very colorful timetable sitting just to the right of it.

Tilting her head, she was completely unaware that she had accidentally marked her left cheek with ink. She knew she could use the tablet, but she’d found a quill and preferred writing her ideas out the way she’d grown up.

Sighing, she switched which leg was on top as she flipped a page of the book with her right hand. “But if this…” She whispered to herself, completely unaware that someone had wandered into the area she was in until she looked up.

“Oh! I am so sorry. I can get out of the way!” She said quickly, getting to her knees about ready to shuffle all of her things together.


Li-Ming liked the libraries, and well any would do but those she could wander unrestricted, where no one told her ‘no’? Well, those were her favorites. She was fairly sure the magisters back home would get hives if they knew half of what she was learning here, but well they weren’t here, and even if they were, the time they could have told her anything had long since passed.

Today was another step in the journey. She’d had to start from scratch because time and space had never been much of a formal concept back in Sanctuary, and most of the writings were a bit beyond her, but she was catching up. She was reasonably sure she could test her theories soon enough.

She was worried about home, obviously, but in truth most of it was clean up and considering opinions, well it might be better if The Nephalem sat reconstruction out. It hurt, to know people would consider it meddling when all she’d ever done was help, but she wasn’t wholly ignorant. Slayer of Diablo was one title to bear. Killer of Angels (even the one who’d gone mad) was another. The thought was broken when she saw a figure, and then she spoke. She blinked (usually she was better, being caught unawares tended to mean death back home) but smiled nonetheless. Sure, she needed a book near the stranger, but so far no one had treated her like she’d been treated back at the Sanctum.

So she held out a hand to help the stranger up. “It’s alright. I just need to look over the shelves.” she offered a smile and gestured to the papers. “Research?”


“If you do need me to move, just let me know. This is just a really comfortable place to work,” she admitted. It was one of the few places on the ship where she felt like she could really be herself and fit. It reminded her a little bit of the library in her family's home. It didn’t smell the same, but it was close, at least.

“Yeah, I’m studying the different wood properties that we have access to now that we’re on this ship. There are a lot of alien ones,” she blinked, looking back down to the book and pointing at the tree that looked bright orange on the dark pages.

“Is there something you are looking for?” Morag added, looking around, figuring no one really wanted to listen to her go on and on about wood properties. “I sit in here a lot. I probably can point you right to it.”


She waved her hand. It wasn’t really much trouble to skirt around, and be cautious of things. “I can understand. Don’t worry about me.” She studied the spines of the books, curious about the applications of different tree’s and wood of all things.

She didn’t see the thread, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there. She noted the tree and tilted her head, “it’s not my area. I’ve never really bothered with trees except to see which ones might come alive and try to kill me, but I am curious as to the why of your research? Do you study plants?”

She glanced at the shelves and figured asking someone who spent time here might be a good idea. “Yes. Anything to do with either time or space. I’m covering the basics, and the more I learn, the more I can apply. It’s interesting, it’s actually far more complicated than I gave it credit for.” Then, remembering her manners, she turned to offer a bow of her head. “I’m Li-Ming, I don’t think we’ve met?”


“A tree that could come alive and eat you…” she trailed off as it had just sparked a thought, and she quickly wrote something down in neat handwriting on one of the many notebooks she had perfectly organized next to her.

“Oh, um, where I’m from, we use wands to help direct our magic and to use more complicated magic. They’re kind of critical. They’re made of wood and with a magical core in the middle, so I was researching the different kinds of trees that I’d never heard of before.”

“Bottom left, just over there,” she turned slightly, pointing. “There are a few promising titles for you there,” she smoked. “I’m Morag. I don’t think we’ve met.”


The mention of wands made her crinkle her nose. Everyone back home always went on how important foci were, and how you’d need either staff or wand or something, when really, you didn’t. “Critical because people say they are, or because no one’s ever tried branching out?” the last was a bit of a joke, to ease a bit.

She knew her own flaws well enough, but even if all she did on this odd journey was open eyes, then maybe she’d have accomplished something. And maybe it wasn’t her place, but lots of things hadn’t been, and she’d still gone there. “I know wands. We have them at home. We do enchantments, not cores, but really.” she held out her hand, letting a few snowflakes appear. Nothing that would damage anything, it was just a display. “You don’t need a focus for magic. You are the magic.” She added with a smile.

She shook her hand to let the magic dissipate and leaned down to collect the books. “Thank you. And, as stated plants are not my field, but I’d look at flexibility, and anything regarding plant life around leylines. And I can do enchantments, for when you’re out of your research phase and moved to practical applications.” She might consider it a bit pointless and feel like wands were unnecessary, but she’d grown enough during her travels she could at least offer the help and because Eirena and Kormac both would frown at her, and so for them, even if they weren’t here, and because they’d tell her how pushy she was being she added, “If you like.”


Morag thought for a moment, her head tilted, eyes looking up thoughtfully. “Probably a little bit of both,” she answered, looking back to Li-Ming. She smiled as she watched the snowflakes appear before adding.

“Wandless magic is a thing, but it isn’t something we’re taught enough to become good at, and there are some things that can’t be as strong without a wand, but I’d suspect that it is partly due to someone long ago decided something, or got lazy, but I think there is merit in wandless and wand magic.” She was pragmatic about it.

“I’ve been studying the trees of different worlds here, and the flexibility is really important but often very personal to the witch or wizard where I’m from. We also use wood to fashion brooms we fly on, so the wood’s properties are always important.” She nodded. “And I would be very curious to see how your magic would interact with the creation of a wand using my worlds background on them, and I imagine there is a lot that could be learned and created to be useful here.”


The comment about laziness and someone deciding something made her snort. That tended to be how it went. “The benefit of not having a focus, is no one can take it from you. It does not mean, however, it can’t benefit in other ways. I find more use in something sharp to carry around. No one expects the wizard to turn around and stab.” There was a smirk at that. “And I’m always happy to show off.”

She considered a flying broom. Now that, would be useful. “Once you find your tree, find me. I haven’t done enchantments in an age. It’ll be good practice. Have you any luck on reagents?” She doubted she’d find the same things you could find back home, but she was sure there’d be other things. And she should keep up with her other magics. It’d be good distractions from trying to figure out time.


“I suppose they wouldn’t,” she agreed. “Although until recently, I hadn’t been in a position where fighting like that was something I needed to learn.” Morag didn’t keep going on that subject mostly because there wasn’t much she could do about it now, and she was here and learning combat skills seemed to be something everyone did.

“I will,” she nodded. “I haven’t gotten to the cores yet, our reagents, but I really only started to seriously look into all of this until a couple of days ago. It’s always been an interest, but I hadn’t taken the time until now, and the advantage of all the books and information we have here, I was more focused on finishing my schooling here.” Morag was glad and sad that part was almost over.

“But you might be able to help some of us. We’re talking about setting aside some time to work on wandless magic, and given your experience, it might be useful to have you around some, if you were willing, that is.” Morag didn’t want to push her, but she knew they could use the help, too.


That was, in many ways, lucky. Sanctuary had never been safe (the irony was incredible, really) and she’d always been confident enough to know she didn’t need things like foci, but while the younger Li-Ming would have made a comment, the one who’d fought Hell and Heaven didn’t. She just smiled and nodded.

“A suggestion? There may be other botanists aboard this vessel. Maybe cross paths with them. Even the most mundane of research often leads into the more esoteric.” She held up the books she’d gotten, “case in point.” the mention of schooling struck her. She was terrible at guessing ages, and well it never mattered how old one was back in the Sanctum. If the magisters, or one’s family, decided ‘good enough’ that tended to be it. “Hm. This is rude, but how old are you? Things don’t really work the same back home, I think.”

“Of course I’m willing!” Helping others find their strength wasn’t something she was going to turn down. She hadn’t ever trained anyone, but it couldn’t be that hard. “Just tell me when and where and I’ll be there. It’ll be fun.” This was something to look forward to, to her. That, and a not so small part of her wanted to rub it into Valthek’s face that she could be a good mentor. Like Isendra had been to her.


“I’ll have to ask someone in sciences if we’ve got one, that’s a good idea,” she wasn’t about to admit that she could be a little shy and the idea of walking up to people like that wasn’t something she was usually the best with. She kept that to herself.

“It’s okay, I’m 17, almost 18,” she smiled. “I know everyone ages differently from different worlds, and not everything is the same, even how places celebrate or not, so it’s not rude.” Morag didn’t find it rude but maybe that was in part because she was still too young to find questions about age to be rude.

“Awesome, as soon as we get it set up, I’ll let you know. I might need to prep everyone first, especially because while some of us probably can do a few things without our wands, we have a long way to go to be good at it.” She didn’t know for sure about some of the Aurors they might be better but she knew they all probably had a lot to learn.


“I’ll keep an eye out myself.” It wouldn’t be the worst to have a wand of her own. She had the Firebird’s Eye in her quarters, and her armor, but it never hurt to have more on hand if it became necessary. And she could add to the enchantments she already had and ensure that if it was needed, she could keep people safe.

“I’m not much older, don’t worry.” She didn't actually finish her own schooling, if one could call it that. She’d learned all she needed. The Sanctum had held nothing else for her, and there had been the prophecy. “Is it, necessary here to finish some sort of schooling?” She wasn’t the fondest that by all technicalities people could tell her what to do. She worked fine with others, provided they let her do as she pleased and if it was necessary she’d find a way to work through whatever was needed so she could do as pleased. She doubted many could stop her, if she set her mind to it, but she’d proven before she could play along if it got her to where she needed to be.

“Every step has a beginning. Hearing that it’s you that’s where the magic is, and putting it into practice, especially when you’ve been told you need a focus, is tricky. Besides, I think we all have plenty of time. Unless we get any prophecies. Those are always bastards.”

She blinked, then glanced to the papers. “I probably ought to leave you be. I’m talking your ear off, I’m sure, and you have research. Stars know I’d be less polite than you’re being right now. Do tell me how you get on with this. I’m curious now.”


“As far as I can tell anyone under the age of 18 is put into school and you have to complete whatever studies before moving up, but I think some of it was just decided on the fly when we all started to show up.” Morag wasn’t completely sure but she also wanted to finish school, it was important to her.

Morag nodded along, agreeing until she heard the world prophecies, she was just about to ask about it but she had kept talking so Morag didn’t feel like right now was a good moment to ask about that, she made a mental note to make sure she did later though.

“Oh, it’s not a problem, I probably needed the break,” at least the nail on her thumb felt like she’d needed the break.” Morag was NOT going to mention that. “But I’ll keep you posted, and reach out when I figure out a time for everyone.” She smiled. “It was really nice to meet you.”


That excluded her, but she’d see if she could find a way to move along. She’d defeated both Heaven and Hell, she figured it ought to count. Still, at least she wasn’t being seen as others had. And it would give her something else to do. It was odd, being so still. She was usually always on the move, and this was the most free time she’d had in any consecutive time since she’d left the Sanctum.

“I hear that’s good for you,” she gave with a smile. “And it was nice to meet you as well.” And she had more books now, which was always good. She made a note where they’d been found before moving along.