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Tweak says, "chicka chicka yeah"

Akaashi is gazing at the star before his eyes (oftheworld_) wrote in wildhuntthreads,
@ 2021-03-04 18:16:00

Entry tags:

!post: thread, keiji akaashi, ness gallyway

Who: Keiji Akaashi & Ness Gallyway
What: Job Interview
When: Thursday afternoon
Where: Crimson Lake Bathhouse
Status: Closed, Finished
Warnings: Rated G, TBA

The hike up to the bathhouse wasn't as bad as he was expecting. The bus let him off at the bottom, and all he had to do was jog up. Back home in Tokyo, walking everywhere was second nature. The hustle and bustle of the big city was nothing compared to the quaintness of Clio. Here the locations were spread further out. Walking from the gymnasium at Eerie Point High School all way here would be quite silly. He'd hate to show up to his interview out of breath due to such a decision. Thankfully, practice had let out early enough he was able to catch his bus with five minutes to spare. Shaking Bokuto-san had been quite difficult, he'd wanted to come. A job interview was a private matter, one between employer and employee. He mustn't be disturbed.

The opportunity to learn magic had been his main motivation to go here today. A job had been something he'd been looking into. All things considered the food both Pit and Bokuto consumed would prove to be a bit much for their stipend at times. Getting a paycheck would make things comfortable, and the three of them could go out much more frequently. Like all his studies, Akaashi was determined to pay close attention to Ness's instructions.

My world changed in the blink of an eye. He bit his lip, reaching the doors and pushing them open. I have to be prepared to change as well.

"Thank you for having me." Akaashi gave a polite bow of respect as he approached Ness. While he owned no fancy clothes as of yet, he'd made sure to hit the showers and clean himself up before heading over. The stench of volleyball was not something he wished to carry over into this interview. "And for the opportunity."

He took a few more steps further towards where Ness was sitting.

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lady_of_limbo
2021-03-05 06:01 am UTC (link)

Ness was aware of his arrival before he even entered the bathhouse. It came with the enchantments of the place, she was vaguely aware of the presences of people around it. The rest were side effects of her curse. Ness glanced up as Akaashi walked in. A smile graced her face as he bowed, he was a respectful one. "Of course. Shall we talk in my office?" She stood up, grabbing her large black umbrella from the back of her chair. Ness gathered a couple more things from the reception desk, tapping the papers straight. "Just a moment." She stepped to one of the doorways to the side and glanced in, calling for someone to come watch the front desk. She looked back at Akaashi, "Come with me." She nodded and lead him down a couple halls to her office.

Ness held the door open for him, "Go ahead and take a seat Akaashi." She wore a pleasant smile. Her office looked like a jungle. A soft white carpet sat over the hardwoods, with beautiful dark oak chairs and a large desk on it. The heavier dark grey curtains were drawn back to show the nice landscapes of the Redwood district through the sheer white curtains. A large circular mirror with a golden frame hung on the wall, making the room appear larger than it did. On the bookshelves, desk and small table between the chairs were countless house plants. It gave the whole room a rather witchy aesthetic.

Ness took a seat in her large plush leather chair and pulled a drawer of the desk open. She stored the papers away while she spoke, "So Akaashi, why don't we start with your application?" She looked up and held out a hand for it, "While I read you can tell me a bit about yourself. What to you like to do? Why do you want to study under my tutelage?"

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oftheworld_
2021-03-05 06:26 am UTC (link)

That's quite odd. It's not even raining out today... Noting the black umbrella Ness had picked up on her way into the office, Akaashi followed behind, taking a seat and sitting upright, attentive and ready to answer any questions thrown his way. Keiji kept his hands in his lap, fidgeting a little bit. He'd never seen anything quite like this office, it far exceeded any expectations he may have had before arriving here. Sort of roomy, and admittedly, quite magical.

His application had been straightforward, there wasn't much to it. Conciseness was better than adding "fluff" details. It would be less of a mouthful for Ness to have to sift through. In terms of work experience, he was rather limited. Most of his life up until this point had been just schoolwork and volleyball. This routine back home had kept him pretty busy. He'd known he was going to have to apply for a job at some point, reading about tips for getting hired. The science of it was about seventy five percent preparedness: your outfit, your application, how you carried yourself. And the twenty five percent pure luck, which was based on a number of factors: location, prior knowledge, suitability for the position, et cetera.

"Sure." He nodded, sitting up a little straighter. "I played volleyball at home, and I continued here. When I am not doing that I like to read, it's relaxing. Before I was sent here, I planned to go to college to study to become and editor." Akaashi paused, letting the last question simmer for a moment. "I am not after magic for power or fame. If it's any consolation, all I want is to be able to protect those I care about. There's so little I know about a world like this. A lot..." He looked down towards the floor. "A lot of those who were pulled here seem to know how to defend themselves. But I can't do that. I don't want to feel helpless anymore."

It was honest, if not a little foolish to say outright. If it was one thing he'd learned from Nationals was that he needed to stop holding things in. He didn't plan on starting that habit again.

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lady_of_limbo
2021-03-05 07:22 am UTC (link)

Ness read over his application as she listened to his answers. She was intrigued to find learn he wanted to be an editor. That was an interesting profession and not one she personally had a lot of experience in. Perhaps she could learn a thing or two about it from him. She noted he sat straighter while he spoke. He certainly was trying for the position, his shampoo wasn't lost on her supernatural senses. She appreciated his effort despite their conversations on the network prior to this. He was very professional.

She set his application down while he spoke of his reasons for learning magic. They were deeply personal to him, that much was easy to tell. "Why choose magic? You are old enough to learn to defend yourself in other ways. Plenty of people here would train you in combat, by blade or gun. So why do you choose to study the magical arts out of all the ways to be able to defend yourself?" She asked him, leaning back in her chair while she waited for his answer. Her eyes were sharp.

The fact that he wanted to defend others and himself was honorable, but not enough by itself. Magic was not an easy thing to study, and certainly not Limbo's magic. It was so easy to loose yourself to it's lulling softness and miss the spikes that held you down within it. The fact that he was not after it for any selfish reasons was a good start. When your magic was alive it looked for cracks and nicks in your will, ways to escape. She wanted to know why and see if his will would stand against the magic she would be teaching him. He already had the skills to simply work at the bathhouse, and the ones he didn't have would come with time. So the rest of this interview, this was checking his promise as a student. Ness would be happy to teach him, but she wasn't going to get his hopes up if her brand of magic would harm him.

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oftheworld_
2021-03-05 07:55 am UTC (link)

"Magic is versatile. It can help plants grow, heal the sick and injured, summon light or help, and more. From my understanding. I am aware of the dangers, not all things are inherently good. I don't plan on using the spells that exist to purposefully harm or take life, unless it is necessary for self-defense." Akaashi paused, he didn't know everything, these were just things off the top of his head. "You can't heal someone with a gun, or make a plant grow with a blade. Violence never solves any problems, it just makes them worse."

There wasn't much for him to really go off of. Every world had it's different definitions and uses for magical means. His post alone had proved that. Though, it seemed many people got their magic from other beings. Demons seemed to be a popular choice, as Faustian as that sounded. It brought up some major points of discussion he wasn't sure he was quite ready to unpack yet. Why a majority sought to use their very lifeforce as a bargaining chip was beyond Akaashi. He hoped this wasn't a ploy to sell his soul. Ness seemed to be very kind, and if she had wanted it, she probably would have opened with the latter. Hmm. All of this was so new. He wasn't stupid, if she asked all he had to say was no.

"The material is something I think I can handle. There will be times when I get stuck. And there will be chapters that cover the very things I seek to avoid. I won't quit." He added a bit boldly, "I want to understand magic. I want to know how to use it. This world...it flows through it's people, it's like the lifeblood. I want to know why people from other worlds use it differently then here, and what makes each system different. I don't want to learn to just to defend others, I want to master all aspects of it and use them for good. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I had the chance to save someone and I couldn't."

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lady_of_limbo
2021-03-05 08:12 am UTC (link)

There it was. His willpower was shining through his answers. Ness was impressed, he had a strong desire to learn, understand, and most of all to do good. Even in the face of the inevitable consequences. It was admirable. Ness listened closely with an unwavering sternness about her. She was very good with putting up façades, it was something that came natural to her.

After a moment of silence at the end of Akaashi's answer she nodded, "Very good. But be aware of your own limits. Magic is an energy, but it does not come without compromise. Magic will borrow from your energy as you do it's, so taking breaks is a necessity, as is precaution. Thank you for your answers." She stood up and walked to her book shelf, gazing across the volumes and trinkets along it. She left Akaashi in silence as she choose a book.

"Come here for a moment," She gestured to the spot beside her, then to the shelf. On it was a variety of trinkets from small gems to necklaces to coins to a potted succulent. "If you could have an object on this shelf which one would you have?" She asked him and then stood back to allow him to decide. She returned to the desk and opened a drawer to fish out a notebook she'd bought earlier for him. It had a soft dark green hardcover. Ness took a seat again and waited for him to pick out what would become his arcane focus object. It didn't matter what it was, just something she could enchant for him to begin with.

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oftheworld_
2021-03-10 04:00 am UTC (link)

All things came with a compromise, a price. Akaashi knew that all too well. Perhaps not to the scale in which Ness was referring, that would come with time. Magic as a concept was something he was still trying to get behind, but being scared of it would be childish. He'd be careful like he always was, and take extra care to study and listen. Ness was kind enough to take him under her wing. He wouldn't make her regret her decision.

"Thank you." He gave a small bow again. Keiji followed her to the table, getting a good look at all of the items.

There were your basic ones. Small gems, necklaces that looked like amulets, wands, orbs, staffs. The coins surprised him, he raised an eyebrow to them. Is this some sort of test? He wondered if Ness was attempting to gauge what sort of mage he wanted to be, which was a valid test. The gems and coins were so flashy, a sign of wealth or power, and the necklaces just the same. He didn't wear a lot of jewelry, nor wanted money, and the wands seemed sort of silly.

"I like this." Akaashi held up the small potted succulent. Sure it was insignificant and went unnoticed, but with enough care it would grow big and healthy. Besides, if anything, it would be a nice decoration.

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lady_of_limbo
2021-03-10 05:19 am UTC (link)

Ness watched him pick, leaning back in her chair. He's over thinking this. She thought to herself with a smile. When she first started out, she didn't get a chance to choose. Her focus was herself due to her curse. When Akaashi picked her succulent she raised her eyebrow. "A living thing? Alright if that's what you wish." She held out her hand for Akaashi to give it. A living thing... How unpredictable. I do hope he will not kill my poor plant. "Now, wait a moment while I enchant it. When I motion to you, I want you to give your name ok?"

Once he handed it over she set it down on her desk and held her hand before it with her palm down. "Energy of the world around us, heed my words and follow my call" While she spoke her works wrote themselves in the air in a neat script, it matched her hand writing. "Wraith of Limbo that follows in my shadows, I call upon you now. I ask of you to lend your strength to my pupil. Show him the ways of your magic, bound to the confines of these leaves. Feed upon not him, but the water within those leaves, and silence your lullaby of woe. It is time to teach and it is time to learn, our words will be clear, our intentions pure, and our energy consistent." Her words continued to write themselves in the air, across the plant. The room was filling with a crackle of energy, it felt almost like someone was hugging him from behind. A warm gentle embrace.

"With these binds you will listen to me, Nessa Gallyway, and you will listen to your new caster," she motioned for Akaashi to speak. Once he did she nodded and continued, "Let my words form chains for my charms. Settle." She turned her hand so the palm was up. Her words solidified into a golden color and shrunk to settle on the succulent, winding around the leaves until they settled into the soft skin and vanished. The energy in the air seemed to be sucked into the plant. Ness reached to rest her hand gently on the succulent, "Show your secrets to me." the words reappeared and lifted from the plant, hanging in the air close to it. "Scripture open your chains." Ness grabbed the notebook she'd gotten for Akaashi in her other hand, "Connect your chains to your grimoire." Around the cover of the book words started to write themselves, the same ones she'd spoken before the plant. Ness set the book down and pulled her hand away from the succulent. The words settled into their objects and vanished.

"There. Now you're ready to learn magic. I want you to try by reading the first charm in this book." She handed what looked like a journal to Akaashi, "I've written them down, they are easy charms like color charms. You will write your charms in this book," she handed him the green covered notebook, "So when you go to cast you will read out your charm. It will help you focus on simply channeling the magic rather than thinking of what to say next. You will cast while holding your succulent since it is your focus." She held out the plant to him, "Here." Once he took everything she stood up from her chair, "I want you to try the charm without my assistance first. If it happens to fail you can come to me and I will help. You will most likely get frustrated, that's a normal thing. Limbo's magic can be rather wild. Do you have any questions?"

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