ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇss ᴏғ ᴘʀᴇsᴛɪᴅɪɢɪᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ (cigam) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-06-15 20:03:00 |
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The Magic Guild location was more an entity that could be sensed rather than seen. Anyone with an otherworldly connection to the mystic, the pool of shared energy dipped into by those with an affinity for the arcane, could feel the prickle of ‘something’s here’ creeping along their skin - the average person, however, wouldn’t even notice the hidden entranceway. Zatanna showed Elphaba inside the headquarters - and she’d be able to return on her own later, if she wanted, but Zee always liked to enlighten newcomers so they knew the right path. Then they were inside the main meeting room - books, trinkets, artifacts. Of course, the racks and racks of wine. This once had been a cellar to house the many bottles, leaving them to age beautifully. “I always offer guests a drink first,” she smiled enigmatically, blue eyes crackling brightly at the prospect of teaching. “Obviously, we’ve got plenty of wine.” White, red, rosé, most anything to appeal to the palette. The place was warm too, it even smelled like the very magic that was piped within the corridors - ancient, old, slightly musty. A force to be reckoned with. Elphaba was drawn in, the magic attracting her like a moth to the flame. Gazing around with her mouth agape, she couldn't help but feel comfortable in this place. Her magic bubbled inside her, wanting to be let out to play, to work. "Uh, I don't suppose you have anything non-alcoholic? I don't want to risk not having control," she told Zatanna, a little embarrassed by the fact she didn't have complete control. “Of course.” Zatanna pulled a jug free from the collection and unscrewed the top, explaining, “Apple cider. One of our Guild members has a tree that likes to go into overdrive. Thus, apple everything.” Before she handed Elphaba the glass she made sure to invoke a bit of eci, the spoken word, to ensure that the drink was nice and chilled. Just one of her many talents. For her, Zee poured her own glass - solidarity and whatnot - and gestured to the space around them with a flourish. “So, welcome officially, I suppose. Here’s our ‘library’ of sorts - most of the books are from my personal collection. In my dreams, I own a house called Shadowcrest and it contains essentially anything related to the occult and magic one might want. Coincidentally, the library showed up in the waking world so I just moved everything here.” She sat on the comfortable sofa, effortlessly dropping feline limbs with grace. “Tell me about your magic, then?” "My magic?" Elphaba asked, dropping her chin a little as she moved to sit on the other end of the couch. She put her bag down on the sofa between them. "Um, well I first set a tree on fire when I was...In a tight spot," she winced, remembering being tied to the tree by Luthien and being afraid. "But I've also been able to control cooking utensils while cooking and I've used my Grimmerie to clean a house of dust," she told her. "In my Dreams I can do more though, but mostly it's all stemmed from my Grimmerie," she gave gave a little shrug and smiled, patting her bag. Many witches, spell-casters, magic practitioners, sorceresses, anything - they had a Grimoire such as Elphaba did. Or a Grimmerie, as she seemed to call it. Probably was a Grimoire, for all intents and purposes. A spellbook - charms, talismans, divination tricks. Even from where she sat, Zatanna could sense the power emanating from the artifact; she wanted to see what was in there, though it might not be as simple as that. “And you haven’t attempted most of the spells here, in this reality?” she asked. “Are you the only one who can read the book, or can anyone learn?” The tree on fire she would touch in a moment - that sort of signaled that the magic was also strongly tied to the current emotional state. Elphaba shook her head, looking down at the bag a little worriedly. “Not really. Umm...in my Dreams my magic is...dangerous. I seem to do more harm than good despite my best intentions,” she sighed heavily and swallowed against the lump in her throat as she thought of Nessarose, Fiyero and Boq to name but a few. “I’m scared of it I suppose. Anything bigger than moving some spoons to help me cook and I...I worry I’m going to cause more damage than good,” she told her, biting her lip to try and keep the worry at bay. Zatanna understood. Magic was as much a curse as it could be a gift sometimes - and not knowing how to wield it? Ha, forget that. Of course people were frightened of what they didn’t understand - she had seen it numerous times, not just in magic users, but in other humans who still believed in things like witch hunts. That was the reason she kept the existence of the Guild wrapped up tightly to prying eyes not a part of the network of Dreamers. “Well, that’s why you’re here,” she spoke with cool confidence, reassuringly. “We’ll start slowly. Here, come with me - “ She set her empty glass down on an oaken table beside the sofa. “I’ll show you to one of our practice rooms. In it, you’ll find many tools to help you learn to hone your craft. And all our practice rooms are fortified against damage, don’t worry about that. That’s why they were created.” Finishing her drink, Elphaba picked her bag up and slung it on her shoulder before putting her glass down and following Zatanna. “You’re sure it’s not going to affect anyone outside? In my Dreams I...I managed to turn someone into a...a scarecrow. From miles away,” she admitted bashfully. It hadn’t been her intent, she’d just wanted to save Fiyero’s life, keep him from being harmed. “I can read the book but I...I don’t necessarily understand what I’m reading. Does that make any sense?” she winced, clutching the strap of her bag. “It makes sense,” Zatanna promised, and into the room they went - it was mostly empty and open, not much furniture. But there didn’t need to be. Just a desk, an altar of spellmaking, a table, shelves, and a few cupboards containing supplies. “But trust me, nothing will escape this room.” She gestured for Elphaba to put her bag down on the table and went to the cupboards, withdrawing chalk to use. On the floor she outlined a circle of powdered residue to encase them both, murmuring a few words - the air glowed and hummed, it was electric, it was protection for the both of them. A creation of sacred space. “There,” she nodded. “Now what I think is most important is familiarizing yourself with what’s in that book. That way it won’t seem so terrifying - you don’t have to cast everything all at once, but connect with the power in it. Connect with the power that lies within you, so you control it and not the other way around.” She dusted her hands off, fingers still slightly chalky. “Try something simple. Pick something. A new spell, one you’ve never tried before. Like I said, nothing’s getting past the circle.” Elphaba watched her move about the room anxiously, still convinced something was going to go wrong. Taking a breath, she placed the bag on the table and slipped the Grimmerie out from inside and laid it on top. “I can try, but like I said I don’t know exactly what I’m reading I just get a feeling about what the words are trying to convey to me,” she explained, opening a book and gesturing to a passage. “For example, this is the spell I used in the Dreams to keep Fiyero safe. I knew it was some sort of protection spell and I...I just started chanting, singing to stop him feeling any pain, so his flesh wouldn’t be torn, his bones wouldn’t break and...next I knew he was a...a scarecrow,” she rambled. Swallowing, she flipped a couple of pages. “This one helped my disabled sister to walk after I enchanted some of her shoes,” she flicked a couple more pages and pointed. “This one turned a man into tin when I tried to save his life after he got stabbed,” she looked at Zatanna helplessly. “What good a witch am I if I can’t understand the language of a book from my own land? I’d love to try something simple from here, but how do I tell what’s simple from what’s not?” Zatanna smiled warmly. “You’re going to be a really good witch,” she promised; it was just that the woman needed some practice, that was all. “Give yourself a little more credit. You can read some of the words in the book and you know some pieces. Start there, and work outward. Piece all the bits of the puzzle together over time. Come here to do it, within the safety of these walls, this circle. I promise no one will be turned into scarecrows or tin men.” She stepped closer to gingerly leaf through the pages of the grimmerie; it was a large book, and upon some more study, it seemed to contain more than just spells - info on angels and demons, other supernatural creatures, and also what looked to be methods of poisoning. But that wasn’t what she was going for. “In the margins you can see it here,” she said, running a finger along the words. “It’s a recipe for a potion to keep yourself awake. Want to try making it?” Taking a steadying breath, she looked at where Zatanna was pointing. She squinted her eyes to look closer. The words seemed to say 'sleep' to her. She licked her lips and cast a furtive glance at the more experienced woman beside her. She seemed to have confidence in her, so why hadn't she got it in herself. Reluctantly she nodded. She had to try and get control over her powers somehow, here must be the place for it. "Where do I start?" Efficiently, Zatanna gathered the ingredients they would need - according to the book (it was written in English, it seemed, but sort of a strange version - a whole spell language, really), the potion was made up of mostly home remedies. But she intended for Elphaba to be the one to cast, ultimately, and create the potion. Elaine had made a similar one, from what Zee had heard. So this would be good practice. The oils, herbs, incense, and a cork-topped bottle were all placed on the table where their working space was. They were still within the safety of the circle. “Take a deep breath,” Zatanna instructed, first and foremost. “It’s just like following a recipe.” And when Elphaba finished, she’d have one successful potion - just in case anyone needed a touch of insomnia to stay awake and perhaps study. Hey, it was safer than coffee. |