eachdraidh | video; open to both courts

[Though she cannot tell who may be listening, Élise remains calm and composed she she speaks. She will not let any fear or anger show; she's been taught better than that.]

My name is Élise de la Serre and I don't believe in magic. But I don't believe in being lured away from everything I know by creatures either, and here I am. And so, I've been told, here are you.

[She shakes her head.]

For now, I think it's best to stop clinging to what I do and don't believe in. Either all of this is real, or I've gone swiftly mad.

[And she doesn't feel mad. But if she were, would she?

Some questions are best saved for quiet times when she's alone with her thoughts.]

I'd be grateful for information any of you know to be important. I've heard what our hosts have said and I'm making my own inquiries elsewhere, of course, but there is always more, things we must learn that others overlook. I'm sure that all of you who have been here for some time can think of things you wish you had known.

[She pauses a moment, then just nods.]

In return, you'd have my gratitude and an owed favor. And I'm not without enough skill to pay it back.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well, this is certainly going to be an interesting experience for you, then.

[ahhh, and he said it in the most punchable tone of voice, too...]

If that is, indeed, the case, I suppose the most important thing for you to learn would be that even someone like you can learn to use magic for yourself.

[Punchable indeed. She frowns briefly at his tone.]

And is there a reason I should want to?

...ah, perhaps it's my bias talking, but I can't imagine why you wouldn't want to. Even if you have no intention of partaking in the war, the very least you can do with it is patch up any injuries you may sustain.

Where I'm from, magic is nothing more than parlor tricks to amuse children and the gullible. You'll have to forgive my skepticism.

What sort of magic do you claim can be learned? Healing, more...?

Ah, actually, I can, when you put it like that... that, and it's kept under wraps everywhere but here.

[...it's amazing how easily he forgets these days...]

Well, here, it seems like you can use it to do practically anything, really. Though, it seems as though most of it has to do with controlling the elements --- mostly for combat purposes, but there are plenty of other applications.

[That sounds ridiculous. But after the time she's had, Élise is not about to write anything off as impossible.]

All right, I'm listening. How do you learn such things?

Honestly, for you... I'd suggest seeking out someone who didn't have any experience in magic before they learned it here. I'm actually a professor back home, but the students I teach have invariably been trained by their parents in the basics back home, so I have a bit of difficulty figuring out how to explain the more elementary principles.

[...part of it is that he just doesn't want to because while this is helpful ughhhh he really dislikes the idea of training people who don't have background]

It shouldn't be too difficult to find someone like that, though, as there are quite a few... and if all else fails, you can get some sort of magical artifact from the monarchs as a reward for accomplishing something for them.

[She'd like to get right to it if she's to learn anything, and he sounds like an expert...but if he is an expert, she should probably take his advice. Damn it.]

I hate to say it, but it sounds like you're probably right. If magic exists in my homeland, it's an extraordinarily well-kept secret.

Do you consider the monarchs worth serving?

Yes, it probably is. We're not the sorts to be public about it back home, but here it's really kind of pointless to keep it under wraps.

I'd say that I haven't seen a good reason not to, at this particular point in time.

You know, I meant that as a joke, but now I have to wonder.

[And that is also supposed to be a joke...maybe.]

The fact that they brought us to fight their war without our permission is enough to give me pause.

I presumed as much, but you really never know. It's not impossible for a world to be without magic, just... unlikely, in my opinion.

[HE DOESN'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT...]

Well, there is that, but the benefits have outweighed the negatives for me personally.

[It's unnerving to her as well, but in the opposite direction.]

In that case, I hesitate to imagine what your homeland must have been like.

Ah, it's not that bad. It's just twentieth century England, after all.

[She pauses.]

The twentieth, you say?

That would be correct, yes. Which century are you from, then...?

The eighteenth. One could say you have the advantage of me.

In that I tend to know how everything turns out, yes. Of course, things might have diverged a bit between your world and mine, for all I know --- there's really no way to know whether or not that's the case unless someone from your twentieth century ends up here.

Still, I feel like those used to more modern conveniences are at a bit of a disadvantage here unless they can adapt rather quickly. It's not too bad in the cities, at the very least.

Stop. You're giving me a headache just thinking about it all.

[As far as she's concerned, their should be no his or her twentieth century. Different worlds are strange enough, much less different timelines.]

It's funny, though—up to the time I came here, I would have said that I was living with the most modern conveniences. What happens when those who say that now are eclipsed by those from even further in the future?

...ah, right. Yes, it can be a bit confusing if you haven't studied the theory of parallel worlds before.

[...honestly, it is even if you have, but at least you can just kind of shrug and think "it's operation of parallel worlds i ain't gotta explain shit"]

Hah, well, I have seen people who do seem to be from further in the future than this. I think they are, indeed, even worse off than I am, given that they're apparently more used to vehicles that travel through space than even vehicles that travel on land.

[Élise had previously never heard of it, much less studied it. Confusing indeed.]

It sounds as though they've lost the ability to be fully self-reliant, for all their advancements. How sad. [Eh. Not really.] I suppose we'll all muddle through together.

Something like that, yes. Granted, I suppose we'd be just as lost where they're from, so it's something of a trade-off.

This world is a bit strange regardless of where you're from, of course, but as long as you're adaptable you'll do fine.

Then I feel better already. I've never had difficulty adjusting to new circumstances.

[This is not entirely a lie.]

Good, good. Enjoy learning magic if you choose to do so, then --- I'd imagine it's a bit of an adjustment in and of itself, but the results really are worth it.

In a land such as this, I have no doubt you're right.

Edited 2015-03-02 20:11 (UTC)