[ at "magic," they raise an eyebrow. With their extremely basic understanding of human concepts, they have only the barest idea of what "magic" is supposed to be, and they've gleaned it entirely from listening in on others and reading what they can easily get their hands on (without having to talk to anyone, in other words.) Some kind of special powers humans can use, apparently? It reminds them of their own "special power," which means that they're immediately uneasy about it. ]
I feel like you'll show me even if I say no. [ a beat. ] Wait -- what are you going to do with it, anyway?
[Wh-- wow, that actually makes him falter for a second. Personally, Constantin is so enamored with anything and everything involving magic and learning about it that it did not occur to him that other people might not be interested. Ah... hmm... okay.]
Well, I can light a little fire, if you'd like to see that.
[He's defeated... please be excited by magic.....]
[Yes, it's not nearly as exciting to show off now that they don't seem to care at all... But he is out here to practice, and since he only has so much energy in him before he spends the rest of the day miserable from magic headaches, this will have to do.]
Hm— certainly, just hold right there for a moment...
[He'll set something on fire, he supposes? Which requires hastily shuffling back to his satchel and rooting around in it for just a scrap of parchment... a corner he won't need. This he holds up- marvel at how it is not on fire- and after a solid several seconds of staring at it very intently, a flame flickers to life from nowhere, curling the edge of the parchment as it starts to burn.
[ He's a good sport. And he will be rewarded for his efforts, at least a little -- Cinnabar's unimpressed expression does shift a little when he actually succeeds, eyes widening. They lean their head towards the flame slightly without realizing it. ]
And you can do that just by thinking about it?
[ it seems like a dangerous ability -- not to a stone like Cinnabar, obviously, but a lot of these buildings are made of wood. Humans are also probably flammable. ]
[Buddy, don't lean in-- Constantin draws his hand back automatically, holding his other hand up to shield the little flame so they don't, like, lean in more... Stay back, it's fire??]
Well, in a word, yes! It's somewhat more complex than that, but ah, the theory is not as interesting as the practical lessons...
[He's literally burning a scrap of his notes right now. A studious man he is not.]
[ the moment he moves his hands, they flinch away like a stray cat. Old habits die hard, poison or no. And it does remind them of the poison. How can they help but be fascinated by someone with destructive powers that they can master? ]
Knock it off, [ they comment, expression sour - mostly to try and cover up the half-frightened reaction they just had. ] It won't hurt a crystal like me. You should be more worried about burning that soft hide of yours.
[ their gaze shifts from the flame back up to him. ]
[A number of things: First, that answers a few questions Constantin hasn't found the words to ask, and also raises a few more... A crystal, huh... Alright, why not! Sounds as plausible as anything else around here.
Second, hmm, no, the Destruction practical classes have not yet covered, ah, not destructing. Give him another second or two before the parchment burns down almost to his fingers and he drops it hastily into the slush below. Goodbye, magic trick.]
...Skin. Actually. Calling it a soft hide is just a touch, well... [He waves a hand, making a face. Uh, gross? It sounds gross.]
[ at that, they just quirk an eyebrow, looking skeptical. Does it make a difference? They doubt it. Skin feels like the wrong word for the weird outer piece on a human when the gems use it to describe their outer layer, too. ]
Whatever. Can you control it or not?
[ a beat. their glittering gaze drops down at the charred scraps of paper in the snow below them, and they grunt. ]
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I feel like you'll show me even if I say no. [ a beat. ] Wait -- what are you going to do with it, anyway?
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Well, I can light a little fire, if you'd like to see that.
[He's defeated... please be excited by magic.....]
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Out of nothing?
[ fire is an unfamiliar thing to them, mostly - they only know it as a side effect of lightning. So maybe they're a little curious about it. ]
... All right. Show me.
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Hm— certainly, just hold right there for a moment...
[He'll set something on fire, he supposes? Which requires hastily shuffling back to his satchel and rooting around in it for just a scrap of parchment... a corner he won't need. This he holds up- marvel at how it is not on fire- and after a solid several seconds of staring at it very intently, a flame flickers to life from nowhere, curling the edge of the parchment as it starts to burn.
Behold...... he is a top tier wizard.]
There! See?
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And you can do that just by thinking about it?
[ it seems like a dangerous ability -- not to a stone like Cinnabar, obviously, but a lot of these buildings are made of wood. Humans are also probably flammable. ]
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Well, in a word, yes! It's somewhat more complex than that, but ah, the theory is not as interesting as the practical lessons...
[He's literally burning a scrap of his notes right now. A studious man he is not.]
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Knock it off, [ they comment, expression sour - mostly to try and cover up the half-frightened reaction they just had. ] It won't hurt a crystal like me. You should be more worried about burning that soft hide of yours.
[ their gaze shifts from the flame back up to him. ]
Unless you can control it.
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Second, hmm, no, the Destruction practical classes have not yet covered, ah, not destructing. Give him another second or two before the parchment burns down almost to his fingers and he drops it hastily into the slush below. Goodbye, magic trick.]
...Skin. Actually. Calling it a soft hide is just a touch, well... [He waves a hand, making a face. Uh, gross? It sounds gross.]
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Whatever. Can you control it or not?
[ a beat. their glittering gaze drops down at the charred scraps of paper in the snow below them, and they grunt. ]
... I guess you can't really.
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Well, that isn't the point of magic called "Destruction," is it? To do it with finesse?
[Finesse looks very cool, don't get him wrong, but putting out the fires isn't the objective as far as he's concerned.]
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[ Cinnabar speaks with the air of someone who knows what they're talking about... ]
After all, destroying things is easy... You should be careful.