[ text | un: jkent ]

[supersweet]

One of the things people don't do often is talk about the good things they've done or have right now. Sometimes being away from home is hard, so sharing helps!

So what's one good thing in your life right now? Yesterday, I got a cat out of a tree! It wasn't very happy but the owner thanked me a lot.

Comments

[supersweet]

That stuff's hard for everyone.

You just gotta keep them in the loop.

[spellslots]

All I know about rabbits is how to catch them and that you can starve eating the damn things

[supersweet]

That's definitely an interesting experience to have with rabbits.

This wasn't on the animal planet you went to, right??

[spellslots]

Oh gods no, that's. No, we didn't eat any of those guys

[A horrifying thought. Even if they were animals, they were self-aware enough that Taako would put that on par with like, eating dwarf or human. Not technically cannibalism, but still bad news.]

But me and Lup used to hunt for food, rabbits are a lot easier for two fifteen year old elves to catch than like, a deer.

[supersweet]

Oh. That makes way more sense.

Did you hunt them with magic or arrows?

[alchemyfreak]

I passed the physical requirements, but it was a special branch. I'm an alchemist, we have to pass a written exam to get in, and show our skills. Only one or two get accepted every year, it's not exactly a cake walk.

Everyone else was an adult. My brother couldn't pass the physical exam, so he didn't join... but he still stayed with me the whole time.

[He's used to be people being fairly unimpressed with the notion of alchemy in these worlds, so he breezes over that detail as if talking about the weather. Enough negative reactions made one stop boasting about a certain aspect when it was rarely well received or impressive anymore.]

[spellslots]

Snares, mostly. We didn't learn magic until a couple years later and couldn't afford a bow.

[franciscoramon]

do you want a general description or the hardcore science-y stuff?

[ At least he asked before going full-blown science at the least provocation. ]

i mean, you asked!!!

[supersweet]

Oh. I forgot. Sorry Taako.

[supersweet]

General stuff. I'm not that brainy.

I did, but you knew it was cheesy too.

[supersweet]

What's an alchemist?

[ Jon is ten, he only knows so many words. ]

[spellslots]

It's fine, pumpkin, it's not like we had a super rough life, we just had to make do. Growing up like that is half of why I'm good at cooking.

[supersweet]

You're the BEST at cooking. I bet everyone gets jealous.

[alchemyfreak]

Someone who performs alchemy.

[So helpful.]

Alchemy is a science, it's kind of hard to sum up quickly but- we deconstruct and reconstruct matter into something else. As long as you have all the components... It just needs to be an even trade.

[Pause.]

My brother made a demonstration fixing a broken lamp. He could only do that because he had all of the pieces though, he couldn't turn it into something else, like... metal or wood.

[Explaining this wasn't usually so hard but he's a child and from another world, so Ed's not sure how much of it would even make sense.]

[spellslots]

Even Lup gets jealous, but don't tell her I told you, cause she might shave my hair off in revenge :O

[supersweet]

No, she wouldn't.

I wish I had a sibling.

[supersweet]

Oh, neat. Matter reconstruction.

[ Kelex in the Fortress of Solitude can usually muster up something like that. ]

It's cool that you can do that without a machine.

[smokedout]

...you're real smart for a kid, y'know that?

i hope your folks know how fuckin lucky they are.

[supersweet]

I dunno about lucky, but I know they love me. They always tell me so I don't forget.

[alchemyfreak]

[Someone that actually understands the concept? He might be visibly surprised.]

Yup. Al uses circles, but I don't need those anymore... Which is probably how I got into the military over all the adults taking the same exam.

[There was more to it than that, but details.]

[supersweet]

[ Jon may not be as smart as many people here, but he isn't that bad either. He's made his own drone and can fiddle with technology decently enough. ]

So you can fix anything? Is the amount of mass the only thing that matters for the even trade?

[alchemyfreak]

Well. The technology here is a little more advanced than we're used to, so we can't fix anything-

[He can't fix his own arm, but the kid doesn't know about that so he needs a better example.]

Usually, as long as it's an inanimate object, we can fix or make pretty much anything.

[There's some energy involved too, but he's not going to get into all of that, at least not now. If the kid comes up with more questions later, maybe.]

Some people are more versed in biology, or botany- but we don't work with that stuff.

[Or talk about it, really. It's nightmare fuel.]

[supersweet]

Oh, well, that's still pretty cool.

[ Jon is easy and he rarely questions much. ]

I bet you get to help a lot of people that way.

[alchemyfreak]

Sure do.

That's why I like being on the Guard. Helping people is kind of a big deal for alchemists.

[Okay, definitely not all of them, but it's supposed to be. Alchemist Be Thou For the People and all that.]

There's a lot more we can do here than we could at home, too.

[supersweet]

Yeah. I'm on the Cadet program but I haven't done much yet.

[ Mostly because Jon can't show off his abilities. ]