riverview | video; un: youradhere

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video; un: youradhere

[Well, this is certainly bringing things full circle. The irony doesn't escape him, but this time Christian is actually making an effort to do his job. As much as can be expected from him, of course.

Which means the network gets a nice view of a man at a small desk, looking more like an assistant than a professional in his oversized sweater and jeans completing the look with tousled hair. He's organizing books on the surface as he addresses the network, with titles including How to Find Yourself, Practical Counseling, and The Pocket Manual for Technical Magic stacked on top of each other. He has the phone sitting on one such stack, propped up behind the others.]

So. [Wait, false start.] You ever feel like this place is just a little bit weird?

I mean, how many cities have portals that lead to other worlds and collect people? And hire Magic Counselors? Hi, I'm Christian, Magic Counselor if you ever need one. I'm not sure how many people here do the magic thing. Do you?

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Well, all magic comes from the spirit realm. It's not really mine, I just use it.

Sort of.

[ Christian perks up some when Billy introduces himself as a witch. If nothing else, at least this kid will believe him. Whether or not they rely on the same rules isn't that important. ]

How'd you become a witch, Billy?

( rules of magic never--quite seem to match up, even taking out the "being in a nexus full of others from numerous other worlds" thing. )

That's also complicated. I. . I'm a mutant, so I was born with it. Kind of?

Mutant. [That to him leans toward science fiction rather than magic, but the explanation resonates with something more familiar. He has a different term for it, but he nods with a hesitant understanding.]

I think I see what you mean. Everyone can learn magic, technically. Some people are just better at it than others.

[Christian smiles, then aborts it and presses his lips together tightly.]

And there are different kinds of magic, too. Some that can be taught and some that can't.

( billy's personal brand isn't something one could just pick up a book and learn, as far as he knows. )

Well, that's true. I guess we all have our own strengths.

[ And if a mutant is like a psychic, they have a distinct advantage. One that is tied very deeply to their bloodlines. He can't compare to that. ]

I happen to live close to the source. It just rubs off on you. Not quite like being a witch, I imagine.

Not quite the same as my version, maybe. But there were a few other witches here, before. And even back where I came from, the differences between witches and what they could do was. . vast.

All with varying origin stories of how they came to power, too.

Well, it sounds like at least some things are similar between our worlds. Magic is complicated and doesn't make sense.

[ He seems amused by that, and more cheerful now that they have common ground. ]

Can you show me something?

( magic is always overly complicated. mix magic with science and it gets even more complicated. thank you, marvel.

but he's raising a hand, letting fingers glimmer with wispy blue threads of magic. )

Sure. What do you want me to show you?

Dealer's choice.

[He's just interested in seeing how this new magic works. Even a small spell could be telling.]

( jokes on you, he doesn't use traditional spells. the phone's set down a bit away so it's not zoomed in on him and the snake. with a twitch of his fingers, the casual clothes he was wearing shifts, blue encompassing them moments before it dissipates and leaves behind the long red cloak and dark costume with galaxies down his arms and sides. )

I warp reality, so I can pretty much do. . whatever.

[ Spells are something entirely different to him, and while rituals can hold a lot of the trademark signals, they are generally there for a practical purpose. He frowns when he sees the clothes shift, squinting for a real examination. ]

What do you burn to do that?

I use chaos magic, but I don't think I burn anything.

( having more power than he knows what to do with helps with that. for bigger things, he has to say what he wants to get it to happen, but he's been shifting clothes for as long as he's known his ability wasn't just lightning-based--so it's no big deal. )

You have to burn something. All magic uses something.

[It's the basic principle of magic where he's from. Magic is the act of making use of things, like cooking or building. It requires resources by nature and Christian can't picture the process working simply without.]

It's not always obvious, but there are effects. What is chaos magic? Maybe tell me about that. It'll help explain how you do it.

I burn myself up eventually but that's a lot less--running out of magic than using more than my body can handle. ( too much power in one tiny body. or something along those lines. )

Chaos magic is what Chthon used-- ( which explains nothing to someone not from a universe similar to his, actually. ) It's magic that can warp and reconstruct reality to whatever who's using it wants.

That's typically a side effect of too much power, yeah.

[ Which is why more people don't use it. Compatibility is a thing for all energy, magic or otherwise. Christian nods, listening with idle curiosity. ]

So you borrow power.

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