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[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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"Enough"? That's rather like saying, "I know that fire burns, so I know enough to start a fire, don't I?"

(He shakes his head, but chuckles.)

Well, then I suppose we're all lucky magic doesn't require anyone's belief to exist. It simply is, whether they like it or not. (He scoffs slightly.) Honestly, is it because they're afraid? It is powerful to be sure, and dangerous in the hands of fools who have no idea what they may be doing with it, but so is a sword, or a spear.

(He's perceptive enough to notice that moment of bleakness, but he doesn't question it. There's a story there, certainly, but who doesn't have a story?)

Well, it isn't really a matter of desire, Christian, but I'd be happy to.

[ Called out! Christian's mouth works like he's tasted a lemon and is trying not to react to it, because that description sums up his life nicely. ]

I've made some pretty successful fires so far.

[ Dorian talks of magic strangely, like his perspective is that people would take him seriously if he told them he'd seen Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster. It's not completely out of tone, but it still seems unusual for Christian, who is far more used to walking on eggshells with any sort of paranormal talk. ]

You've got a lot of faith. Maybe that's why your magic's stronger. I'll take some pointers since you're offering them. Just how good are you with the magic thing?

(Dorian smirks as though he'd been expecting that response along, and nods.)

So long as you didn't leave others to put out those fires in your stead, I'll forgive it.

(Though he does raise an eyebrow at that.)

No. My magic is stronger because my world is more closely tied to it. You'll come to understand.

(Oh, and now it's time for him to look haughty.)

Oh, I can assure you I'm very good at the whole magic thing.

[As long as he doesn't leave the clean up to others? Well, Christian fights a smile, managing to keep his expression mild and at least partially unassuming when Dorian offers to forgive him. The man is more than confident, with an air that reminds him of a psychic from his world. Magic with a true bloodline. He keeps that thought tucked away, though.]

I do know a little about the world and how closely we sit to magic. But thanks. I get the hint.

[He raises both eyebrows as the man shows his pride in full force. Yup, definitely blood.]

Really? Not just bragging to make yourself look good, are you?

(Dorian chuckles, crossing his arms casually before shaking his head.)

Now, now. How silly would I be to make claims I couldn't prove? What's more, I've never needed to brag to look good. Some things just come naturally. I suppose I could list my credentials, but what purpose would that serve? You aren't Tevinter. You wouldn't know how prestigious the Circles from which I've graduated are, nor would you be familiar with Magister Alexius' varied and multitudinous accomplishments that should be attributed to his apprentice, that is to say me.

[That show of arrogance catches Christian's attention. It's effortless, an assumed level of superiority that speaks of upbringing and the world from which the man came. It was fascinating, because the way Dorian refers to his magical training is the way some people talk about their degrees from Ivy League schools. There's a sense of formality, a world that not only acknowledges magic, but elevates its status among people.

It's a world that shouldn't exist. He laughs softly, covering some embarrassment.]

We'll have to stick with a demonstration, then. If you'll humor me, of course.

Of course. (And Dorian smiled, inclining his head to further illustrate his agreement.)

Magic is a gift. A dangerous gift, but a gift nonetheless, and a tool, a weapon in some hands, but it can also be used to heal, to protect, but it should also be understood.

[A gift, he calls it. Well, that's an interesting point of view. Christian considers that, his smile being slightly muted and thoughtful, and then he lets it grow warmer.]

I can't argue with wanting more understanding. Will you show me your gift?

(Dorian can't help the mischievous smile that touches his lips.)

My, my, Christian. And we've only just met. I realize I am thoroughly irresistible, but do try to control yourself.

(But he nods.)

Of course I will, though to do anything near impressive, I'd recommend somewhere contained.

[He makes a noise that isn't quite a laugh, but it still sounds amused. It's like a surprised breath, an exhale of humor that he can't hold onto.]

I'll do my very best. And I think I can find some place that will be suitable for you. Should I be worried about my safety?

(Dorian chuckles, clearly pleased with himself, both for making Christian, who seems far too uptight, laugh and for winning the chance to show off.)

Be sure that you do, and you only need worry if you're keen on standing in fire. I trust you have common sense.

I'll try not to get my soles singed.

[He's got enough common sense to know what he can't do, but dealing with magic always makes that line blur. What if? Just what if the impossible is there for him?]

Just don't burn the whole place up.

Please. I'm not a novice. I survived my training after all. Clearly I'm better than that.

(He pauses for a moment.)

That was a joke.

[Christian raises both eyebrows at that, smiling with a tilt of his head.]

Maybe you can tell me what your training was like. A little bit, anyway.

Which branch?

(He raised an eyebrow.)

Are you curious how they train children to resist the temptations of demonic possession or otherwise?

Oh, you have branches.

[He's not completely surprised, but it does reaffirm his impression that Dorian is a lot like the psychics of his world.]

I'd be interested in hearing about your approach to demons, actually. That sounds... familiar.

It depends on where one's from, really. In Tevinter, we are trained to identify persuasion in our dreams, which is where the nasty demons come to find us. In the South they're much more...intense.

they have a ritual in Circles of Magi in the south, which they refer to as the "Harrowing". If that isn't indicative of the concept, what I've heard is, frankly, a tad barbaric. The southern circles are notoriously secretive as to the exact process of this "Harrowing", but what is known is the apprentice is forced to imbibe a drought of Lyrium potion, derived from crystallized magic essence, which forces their conscious mind through to the Fade, the land of demons and from whence all magic flows. There, they are forced into a confrontation with a demon. If they fail, they are killed. They, of course, have the option of rejecting participation in the Harrowing, but if they so choose, they are made Tranquil instead.

Tranquility severs one's mind from the Fade, which while a place of demonic influence, is also where one's mind travels when one dreams. Severing that bond renders the mind...placid...in a very real sense. They are emotionless.

[That is probably the most brutal description of people handling what Christian calls the Subtle Realm that he has heard. His normally passive expression tenses and becomes dark, fixed on Dorian with a serious frown.]

That's the rite of passage? And if you don't want to follow a custom that invades magic, then you're cut off. Yeah... barbaric is a good word.

[It reminds him a bit of Hunters and people that only see the realm as a dangerous place full of hostile demons that they need to kill. It's better off destroyed, they think, and maybe some people would be happy giving up their dreams like those in the world Dorian comes from.]

If people can use magic anyway, why would they need to go looking for demons?

(Dorian considers Christian's question for a long moment before responding. He appreciates that Christian agrees the practices of the southern Circles are barbaric at best, though that is changing, at a cost greater than he likes to think on most days.

Still, Christian just revealed something about his world Dorian hadn't considered, and it had given him pause.)

Before I answer your question, Christian, I have one of my own: what is magic?

What? Wow, that's one of those philosophical questions you ask yourself late at night, huh?

[What is magic is probably a question he should have been asked a long time ago. It was always an assumption for him based on the perceptions of magic that humans had. It's a hard concept for someone that generally likes to fly by the seat of his pants.]

I guess it's a kind of energy. But more than that. It's the essence of another world. The life blood of the spirit realm where all the things we imagine come from, I guess.

No. Clearly magic is real. You've touched it, I assume, or the bureaucrats in this place wouldn't have seen fit to place you in the line of work in which you've been placed. It is a thing, existent regardless of belief, but what is it?

(He nods as Christian explains.)

That is precisely what it is, yes, and mages are individuals whose bodies are attuned to that plane in such a way was to pull that energy to the physical, to give it shape and purpose. If a sword rests upon a table, it is no less a sword, no less honed to a razor's edge, no less capable of destruction, but it is inert, a tool that needs a wielder to be a danger to anyone. Magic is that sword, resting in its realm until a wielder uses it for a purpose.

(A beat and he makes a motion, as one explaining the point of a lecture.)

In sort. What is magic? Magic is a tool.

I've touched it.

[Yeah, that's a good way to put it. That living, flowing energy that filled the Subtle Realm and acted as the life's blood of existence itself. He'd gone in deeper than most humans had, and while he had to agree with part of Dorian's lecture, that magic was a tool used by humans, magic was also more than that. It was its own form of life, one that humans could make use of, but that grew and developed alongside them for its own purposes.]

It's useful, but that's not the only thing it can be. Tools are made by people. Magic is something beyond us, isn't it?

Incorrect.

[He raises a hand to still any protest. This is a debate he's had with southern mages many times.]

A "tool" is a means, but yes, I suppose it's something more than that...much like a river. Just like magic, a river's energy, when affixed with a water wheel, may be utilized to mill grain for bread, or whatever else one would use a water wheel for. It can be used to sap the heat from a blade during smithing, and a thousand other uses.

[He waves a hand.]

I digress. Water simply is. It is a part of us all, and the industrious may put it to use. Thus it is with magic.

Edited 2018-04-12 04:47 (UTC)

[Christian's expression turns into a wry smile. Dorian reminds him of Kyle, albeit a slightly more sociable version of the man, who believes he knows all there is to know about making use of magic and that others are just amateurs playing dress-up magicians in comparison. He's the newcomer to the grand tour, and they never fail to remind him of that.]

You think magic is part of all of us? So everyone can use it if we try?

[That's the interesting part for him. It's a sentiment that not everyone holds and it does say something about Dorian's world.]

[ He grimaces at Christian's simplification. Perhaps he'd been a bit too elementary with his explanation. ]

Vinhedis, no. Let us stay with the analogy of magic as a river, though, coursing with often untapped potential, but willing to wander wherever it might without mortal interaction. Anyone may dip their hand into that water, feel its current and the power it contains, but it is only through something like a water wheel, something dipped into that well of power with the intent to use it, that it may be wielded.

Mages, [ He touches his chest to indicate himself. ] we are born with the ability to delve deeply into that flow, to make it what we will. We are born water wheels, you could say. Anyone who is not would needs enter into a pact to access the primal forces of magic.

[ He's looking at you, Christian. ]

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