11342/Magic 101

Magic 101
Date of Scene:	09 June 2022
Location:	The Velvet Room - Sitting Room
Synopsis:	After a good start with lots of questions and discussion, the first session of JLD magic classes devolves into quite literal chaos. For once, it's not Terry's fault; it's Ma'at's instead.
Cast of Characters:	Jonathan Sims, Cael Becker, Lydia Dietrich, Terry O'Neil, Rien D'Arqueness, Chas Chandler, Robbie Reyes, Gabby Kinney, Megan Gwynn

---

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon and Rien have gathered several members of the Justice League Dark in the Velvet Room's training room, to have the first of several classes to learn about magic. When asked to provide them with an outside space with plenty of room for teaching magic, the room seems to read Jon's subconscious and places them on one of the lawns near Oxford University's botanical garden. There is, indeed, plenty of room, a wide green expanse broken up by trees and bushes, buildings in the distance, a blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds.

    With a shrug, Jon moves to sit down on the grass, gesturing for the others to join him. "This ought to work alright, there'll be things to potentially destroy but none of it's real. Have a seat and we'll get started. Well, first off, if everyone could maybe tell us how much they know about magic so we've got an idea where people are coming from...?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "I only know whatever shit I've run into with you lunatics," Cael remarks in a dry voice, as she settles onto the grass. She pokes at it curiously, as if disbelieving its mere presence. It... seems real enough. "...okay. This makes me doubt the couchs. What the fuck," she mutters under her breath.
    She'll deal with that later.
    "Should I have brought a pen and paper, Professor Sims?" she asks in a dryly amused voice.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    One of the good things about a virtual blue sky, is that it's not /real/ sunlight. This means that Lydia can be out in it. She pauses on the edge of the threshold, just blinking at the brightness. Her eyes weren't meant for things to be this bright. She steps in, reaches out a hand, and plucks a pair of sunglasses out of thin air and pops them over her eyes.

    She walks to the group of others and settles down, crossing her legs. "I always thought that if the sun didn't drain me I'd enjoy the day more." She lets out a disappointed sigh, "I guess not."

    Louder and to the group she says, "Most of what I know is self taught, and stems from Kabbalism, though I've branched out a bit. I'm good with rituals, rites, sigils and artificing. I can craft a ritual potent enough to shield the material plane from the angels, but throwing fireballs? Not so much."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Having convinced Gar to let him have custody of the Cheshire for tonight (with great reluctance), Vorpal was able to attend as his magical self.

This may have been a mistake.

The attire he chose to appear in, for starters. Immaculate white tux shirt and tails, combined with a performer's fishnet leoard and sleek black boots. White gloves complete the outfit. "I'm ready for the magic to begin!"

The Cheshire cat grins and sits down when Jon gestures for it, and pipes up: "Pretty much nothing theoretical as far as hard theory goes. Everything I do is instinctual, so I am in dire need of some foundations before I accidentally rewrite reality - or change all of Raven's outfits into neon clothes and thus bring about my untimely end."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien glances around the area that Jon creates, then looks across at him, one brow lifting up, "Oxford? That's you're 'wide open spaces'? We've got to get you out of the city more, my friend..." Chuckling, she finds a tree to lean against, arms folding loosely as she watches people start to filter in and get settled. Once Jon gets started, she turns the bulk of her attention towards him, though she does lift a hand in greeting to those present.

"I was born of magic, raised in it, with it. Steeped in it, you might say. I was taught by sorcerer's and sorceress's as soon as I could read and speak." She clears her throat and glances away, "I specialize in the hunting and banishing of demons, channeling, rituals, and just.. general magic." Rien lifts a shrug and smiles, "And I know most languages used for magical purposes."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas has been to Oxford a handful of times. Old places tend to attract their fair share of restless spirits and after pushing a millenia, Oxford was no exception. He looks around and smirks at Jon. "I suppose this is a good a place as any. Especailly with the lack of the usual people around" he says as he drops down into a seated position.

    "You know my history" he says to Jon, "I've been fighting supernatural creatures of various variety for the better part of 20 years. As for the theory I have a lot of the practical parts but none of the better philosophical points. Until recently."

    Cael's commentary (more like teasing) on Jon gets a smirk and he joins in. "You sure you don't want to get one of those robes and the white wig? I'm sure the room could oblige if you asked."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie was torn between coming and not coming, tonight. On the one hand, he'll admit to some curiosity. On the other, well.. people. And socialising. The compromise is him taking up a spot near the back of the 'room', and grabbing himself a beer while he listens.

As to the question that's been asked? "Don't know a whole lot beyond, uh. What Lydia said." He isn't sure whether to consider what he does to be magic; he's sort of an outlier in a room full of outliers, where that's concerned.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney glances up toward the sky to squint at it before she moves to join the rest on the grass with a quick flop-drop right down into sitting cross-legged. Her hands stuff in the pockets of her hoodie rummaging around only to pull out a tube of EOS lip balm. It smelled like coconut and pineapple as she traces it over her lips and smacks them together for good coverage.

"Kind of cool having our own Room of Requirement," she has to admit with a broad grin. "Among other things." Ah, but she was asked a question and a serious one at that. The balm is placed away again as she considers an answer.

"I know that there's different types of magic power. In Limbo, it's pure potential that can be shaped by willpower and magic. But you have to be attuned to it, kind of. A part of it." Glancing over toward Vorpal she tips her head toward him in a little 'Case in point' kind of gesture.

"But in practical usage, magic always requires a cost of some sort. A memory. A feeling. Blood. Or sometimes part of a soul. Depends."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "This is where I first learned about magic," Jon says, expression faintly wistful. "Even if the teacher turned out to be a horrible jackass who wanted to steal my body, he /was/ teaching us about actual magic." He gestures about. "We used to sit on the lawn after classes and talk about magic and philosophy, practice making amulets. I didn't know I was homo magi back then, but it was... nice." He eyes Cael, and then adds, "The couches aren't 'real' either. We're on the Astral Plane. None of it's real in the sense you're used to thinking of."

    He looks around and nods. "Alright. So... I think, then, Rien and I are the ones with the most grounding in magical theory, which works out. Not that you can't do magic without knowing the theory, but it's sort of like performing music without knowing theory. You /can/, but you'll be able to do a lot more a lot easily if you know what chord progressions are and how to use them."

    He clears his throat. "Alright, so... I would personally define magic as a matter of applying one's will to change reality. Rien may disagree with me--which is just fine--but in my experience it's actually best not to think of magic as something special that only special people can do. Some rituals can be performed by literally anyone with enough focus and will, mutant psychics can enter the Astral Plane, and there's an extremely fine line between hyper-advanced technology and magic."

    He looks to Gabby. "Part of why I say this is that... the idea of a 'cost' is a misconception. To say 'there must always be a cost' and think it /must/ be something like blood or a memory or a piece of one's soul is to ignore that Rien and I do magic every single day without /ever/ having to give any of those things up. I would say that it's far more fundamental: you don't get something for nothing. If you want to drive a car, you have to put gas in the tank. If you want to use a cell phone, you have to charge the battery. And on the other side--there are /always/ repercussions to casting a spell. Always. The 'cost' of magic is more about energy conversion and kharma than any tit-for-tat 'if I pay this I will always get this result.'" He glances to Chas. "I'm sure you can speak to the perils of thinking of the 'cost' of magic as something purely concrete you can, say, con others into paying for you."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "The guy whose face I'm going to shoot?" Cael asks calmly. "And do NOT make my headache worse, Professor Sims." There's a momentary pause before she groans, "This entire lesson is going to be about making my headache worse, isn't it?" She flops out onto her back at this, staring up at the sky.
    As Jon talks about //anyone// being able to perform magic she says dubiously, "That's... not true. Is it? I mean, I can //use// magic. I can't //do// magic, though. I can't create it." There's a difference between putting something magical to use, like the amulet, and... casting a spell. //Creating// magic.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Gabby's explanation gets a wince. "It doesn't always have to be that drastic," Lydia says. "The cost can be time, internal magical energies, reagents, that sort of thing." She nods at Jon explains it better. "Right. What he said."

    She scowls though at something he says. "But isn't that what ritualistic magic is about? If I design a circle that would, lets say, ward your house against hedgehogs, wouldn't that mean that somebody can follow that design, put a bit of magic energy into it and never have to worry about hedgehogs again? I would say that if you don't get the desired results you've performed the rite incorrectly."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
The Cheshire cat strokes his chin, deep in thought. Then, he finally speaks up. "So you are telling me that any time I summon up, say, a flamingo bat, I am incurring some karmic cost? Because if so, I may never summon glitter ever again..." he pauses. And then his eyes widen. "Dear heavens what did I just say?"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"Misconception." Rien looks to Cael with a smile, "Magic isn't -created-. It exists. It's around us, all the time, everywhere. Like protons and electrons... like atoms. Magic is one of the fundamental energies in the universe. There is some belief that -all- matter and energy comes directly from a sort of... bottomless pool of cosmic power. But that's a debate for another time."

Rien nods towards Jon, "We approach magic different. Jon calls it 'will', and that -is- a component to it... but will alone won't allow you to reshape reality. If that were true, Batman would have already reshaped the world as he desires." She looks back to the others, "Drawing on the magical energy around the world requires a connection to it, in some form or fashion, usually because you were born to it. Though yes, you -can- learn it. Our current Sorcerer Supreme is a man that would have scoffed and sent us to Bellevue just a few short years ago. He didn't believe in any of it, let alone was able to access it."

Then she's looking to Lydia with a grin, "Yes and no. Its never that simple. Yes, you could draw out the circle, perform the chants, make all the proper gestures... but without the ability to access the magical energy... you're just drawing in dirt and waving your hands around while speaking funny." She lifts a hand palm up, "But, people -can- be taught how to access those energies. You don't have to be homo magi, though that certainly helps, or homo superior, though that helps too. Plenty of utterly ordinary people have learned how to access magic through study and belief, through open minds and open hearts. And sometimes simply out of desperation or necessity. Magic is there. It can be used. It just takes practice. Time. Effort."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas' look of discomfort as Jon points out exactly what he and a man he counts as a brother used to do. "Yeah... it's not as clear cut as paying for things. Even if someone else pays for you... you still wear some of it on you. Eventually a stain still runs through even the strongest of towels." He makes a face of disgust. "But yeah, there's more to it than payment and price and not every price is as high as the things you listed."

    He sits back a bit and listens to those with more experience than him. Jon's his mentor. Rien's an expert in the field. To him and his experience, they're both goliaths on wealth and knowledge. He would glady defer to the leadership of this group before he mentioned something himself as to what it takes to do magic and how it works.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney considers that with a small nod of easy acceptence. "It tracks. I mean. The first is what I learned in Limbo, the second us what I was told by people after but it wasn't... It wasn't what I experienced before. So it's like, a moving of energy from one place to another to use how you want, and that can be tiring or wear you down." A bit more understandable at least.

Grinning she glances over toward Terry batting her eyes at him. "Maybe it was karma when I walked in on you and Thomas..." Was she ever going to let him live that down? Hell naw. Besides she was curious to see Vorpal's reaction versus plain old Terry. In as much as Terry was plain.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn is rather late to the meeting but no less eager to be here. Gabby had told her about it and had invited her to trail along even though it took some work finding the place. So she arrives a bit breathless, peering around at all those gathered perhaps recognizing some from brief encounters. "Phew, I made it! Err..This is the magic 101 class..Right..?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon looks to Cael and says, "You convinced Ma'at, through nothing but persuasion, to change the way the Archivists have punished those judged unworthy for 5,000 years. That is a profound change on the world, one more lasting than me summoning a gout of magical fire. Yes, to perform what most people would call 'magic,' to use magical /energy/, you need some kind of connection, but as Rien notes--/anyone/ can gain that connection." He grins at Rien. "It's a matter of semantics, in a way. But I think we can both agree that if Batman ever /did/ decide to learn magic he'd be formidable."

    Jon puts their hands behind them on the grass and leans back, squinting at the sky. "Part of what I mean, too, Lydia, is that..." They pause, and ponder, chewing on their lip. "A lot of ritualists will put together a spell to be rid of hedgehogs without considering the repercussions. They will figure whatever power they put into the spell is the only potential cost, rather than disrupting the local ecosystem. Or, they might think 'well I have to put blood into this spell, but /I/ don't want to bleed, so I'll get someone /else/ to pay the price.' But everything is connected, and the repercussions will always come due, if only in broken relationships and shattered trust."

    They shake themself. "Alright, enough of that... do you guys have any specific questions? Or... Rien, did /you/ have anything you want to get across, particularly?" He lifts a hand to wave to Megan. "Yes! Come, sit down, introduce yourself. Maybe tell us what you already know about magic."

Cael Becker has posed:
    "Persuasion is not magic, Jon!" Cael protests, letting out a sigh. She sits up abruptly - rubbing at the back of her neck. "Why was even //astral// grass itchy? That's bullshit," she mutters under her breath. Sitting up bring Chas into her line of view - so she shifts subtly, so she doesn't have to look at the man too directly.
    "My problem is I don't know enough to know what to ask," she points out simply. "I'm just- I'm here to listen."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    "I /did/ say you'd have to put a bit of magic energy into it," Lydia says to Rien with a grump. Louder, she says, "But, yeah. I didn't have much in the way of an inherent magical connection when I first started. At least... I don't /think/ I did? Nobody's figured out how I'm able to constantly generate ectoplasm, so that might have given me an edge when trying to figure it out."

    "When I first started, I used my faith... my connection with God to power my magic," she explains. "But after I joined my coven, I was shown how that faith taps magic. I was also told by my mentor that I had wellspring... vast untapped potential, but I don't know how much of that is her just psyching me up and how much of that is the truth."

    Cael gets a chuckle. "The art of persuasion is a magic of it's own, Cael. You /persuaded/ a god! If you can do that, you can /persuade/ a fireball into existence!"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Vorpal looks flustered by Gabby's comment, and quickly clears his throat, deciding to distract by commenting on Cael's original statement- "That's true, Cael! Anyone can develop that connection to magic without being a homo magus! Look at me, I use magic now and I am not magus, just sexual." Pause. His brain registers what his mouth said. "I mean Sapiens. Homo sapiens. Well, sexual too. But the emphasis is on the 'homo' part-- and I'm just going to give up now."

He shoots Gabby a glance, threats of glittering in the future are certain now.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"Ah, but it can be. Magic to manipulate the minds and hearts of others is one of the more dangerous forms of magic.. at least, to me. The chance of it fizzling or backfiring is high, and if the subject ever gets loose, there's a good chance they'll know what you've done. It's... it's honestly just best left alone." Rien nods to Cael before grinning, "And there is perceptive magic. The grass isn't itchy. It's not actually grass at all. But you -expect- it to itch, so the magic of the room makes it so."

Looking back to Lydia, she shrugs, "But even that isn't always going to work. The caster doesn't really get to decide how much or little or what kind of energy a ritual or spell will cost. The effect does. The -intent- does. Now, there's ways to manipulate that towards specific desired results... but it's a painstaking process that won't always work." A glance back to Cael and a grin, "And this is why I'm not a fan of ritual magic. There's so much nitpicking and... math... involved."

To Jon, she chuckles, "Lets just say that you subscribe to the baking form of magic, where I prefer the cooking form of magic." She motions towards them, "You prefer precise measurements, exact times, very rigid and methodical." She motions to herself, "And I prefer the method of 'add a pinch of this, a dash of that, there's no true measurement you have to -feel- when it's right', very instinctual." Then there's Terry, and she's chuckling at him, "You are more like me. You -feel- the magic... you go by your instinct and gut on when it's right to do what. I can help you try to refine that sense so you can get a little more precision from it. It isn't controlling the madness so much as... a method to the madness."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas raises his hand, feeling silly to be doing the signal usually reserved for actual classrooms and not clandestine meetings in astral training facilities. "Umm... what about beings that are no longer human?" he asks. Yes, he's talking about himself. "What about beings who are -made- of magic? Where does that power come from? Is it a finite source? Does it run out?"

    He knew the answers. Having lived them for a couple months now. But others might not and when the next demon comes charging from the abyss such things are good to know. Self-defense is key when utilizing the forces they're discussing. Even from oneself.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie's phone starts vibrating in his pocket. It's ignored at first, perhaps in hopes that whoever's on the other end will give up. But then it starts vibrating again, and with a frown, he digs it out and glances at the caller id. Ah, hell.

Jon and Rien are shot a slightly sheepish smile as he switches it off and pushes to his feet, aiming to make a surreptitious departure.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney leans her chin down onto her fist while fixing Vorpal with a grin. A wide. WIDE grin, nearly splitting ear to ear while she watches him completely squirm. It's almost a... chesire grin? Naw. It was just a badger-grin as she enjoys seeing him flustered a few moments before letting out a laugh. "Okay, okay. I only tease because I love you," she points out with a bobbing nod. Only friends were mercilessly teased like that after all. "Not in that way but you know. Anyway. Focusing."

Her hand lifts to point at her eyes, then back toward Jon and Rien and she tries, really tries, to get back into focusing on the actual topic at hand. Pixie's arrival earns a grin along with a perhaps unecessary wave. "Hey, glad you made it! This is Megan everyone," she introduces. "An Outsider and magical girl of sparkly goodness."

While the questions begin to be tossed out she lays back on the grass spreading her arms out so her fingers can wriggle between the blades that weren't actually grass. And she closes her eyes, drawing a deep breath, and begins to mouth words. Focusing her intent, her will, on the grass beneath her. After a few rounds of not-quite-whispering she actually does whisper. Some nearby might catch her mumbling, "Massaging magic grass-fingers..." Cuz man that would feel good.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks as she sees all the people, some familiar in passing only, some not at all. She smiles and waves to Jon and steps in to find an empty seat. "Hi! Thanks for inviting me.." she settles down, listening to the others, making a face at Gabby and Terry as they say odd and rather awkward things. Which causes her to laugh nervously. Oh but she has questions and her hand shoots up.

"Ooh I have a question! So like, I'm kinda new to magic and I just know one spell..I'd like to learn more spells that I can pull out of my hat but I dunno the best way to go about that..Learning to teleport took a while. Hmm what else, I'd like to learn to use ritual magic in a safe way, stuff like wards and charms and scrying would be useful, and I wanna learn more about my soul sword."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Mmmmm..." Jon waggles a hand back and forth. "I don't know that I'd say 'rigid and methodical?' I actually cook better than I bake, but I was a better cook once I learned about things like the Maillard reaction. I prefer jazz to classical too, but I was a better musician once I understood the theory. In magical terms--I studied flight and bird anatomy a great deal when I was learning to fly, even if none of that's strictly applicable. I need to /understand/ a thing to be able to do it well, I need to know /why/ my steak is searing the way it is, but once I have that, in the moment, I just cook the steak until it's properly done. I'm not sitting there with a timer and a thermometer."

    After a moment's thought, he conjures up a picnic blanket and offers it to the others, to put between them and the grass if they want. "That, Chas, gets into the energy Rien was talking about earlier. Which... I suppose is what I'm trying to get at, talking about general..." He huffs out a breath. "There's a power underlying the whole of... everything. Rien tells me it's called the Power Cosmic. It's... the power of creation. /The/ power of Creation." He lifts a hand to display glimmering rainbow lights, that he sends to dance around Terry's head. "Every act of magic is tapping into the Power Cosmic on some level. Some people use ritual magic to guide it through very rigid pathways, some people make bargains with demons, some people call upon gods... and some people can tap into it through their own will. People like me and Rien." He nods to her. "A being /made/ of magic, well... I'd assume they're made of the Power Cosmic. Inexhaustible, probably, although usually that comes with drawbacks and boundaries." He looks around at Rien, raising his eyebrows. "Am I right in that? You know /way/ more about this part than I do."

    He nods to Megan. "I think we're planning some more specific classes to... I could teach people to make magical amulets, for instance. Lydia's really good at teaching wards. Things like that." He smiles.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael spends a moment staring at Terry. "...not touching that," she finally remarks, before turning her attention back to Jon, and Rien. She listens in thoughtful silence, still rubbing at the back of her neck and shoulder for a little while longer, before she falls back onto her hands.
    "I can teach people how to shoot, punch, slash, or stab," she remarks. "I mean, basically - if it's combat, I'm really not bad. It's all this magic stuff that's complete gibberish to me."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia scowls a bit at Rien. "The designer of the ritual, or circle, or what have you /does/ get to decide what's needed to power it. The kind of magic and how much. The /point/ of rituals is consistency. And of /course/ it won't always work. /Nothing/ works a hundred percent of the time. To so offhandedly dismiss it because of that is... ugh!" she says, throwing up her hands in frustration. She actually folds her arms and pouts a little bit, "Next time you need to bind an archangel, or, I dunno, kick the Host out of the material plane, I'll leave it up to you."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
The Cheshire cat clears his throat, thinking about a way to easing the tension. "Er... I would be interested in learning how to handle my chaos magic. I don't know if anyone here has any experience in it, but I am basically made up of the stuff." He glances around, "So whenever I am using my abilities, I'm basically playing with m- the stuff that makes me up, and I recently realized that that could potentially have some very negative repercussions on my... well, my me if I end up doing something stupid."

A glance at Cael, "Which I sometimes do."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien turns a broad smile towards Jon, "You have to study something before you can use it. Meanwhile, studying puts me to sleep. I need to get my hands in there and working with it. Taking it apart and tinkering. Then I can figure it from there. That's how I went from portals to straight teleportation. They utilize the same basic elements, just put together differently. So once I took that apart and fussed with a bit, I figured out I could put it back together in another way and not have to open the portal, just... go to where I wanted." She flashes a grin towards Cael, "Don't worry,, I think once you get your hands in it, it will start to make more sense."

Turning to Megan, she grins, "Hello! Welcome! It's so good to see more mutants with magical ability. So I can definitely help with the magic part. But the soul sword, I will refer you to Jon and Chas. They'll be able to help much more than I could in that respect." She motions first to Jon, then to Chas, smiling at them both. "Chas, you might find that sword resonates more with your own... weaponry."

She looks back to Lydia and sighs, "But that isn't how it works. A ritual has certain steps that need to be followed, but not everyone will be able to get it to work the same way each time. Because the -intent- changes. A ritual isn't an instruction manual that you follow precisely 'or else'. It's more like... 'these are the components that are necessary, now fill in the blanks with what works for you'. That's why I say belief and intent are -so- important. There's differences, not always big ones, but -important- differences. That's why I can look at three ritual circles that all -seem- the same and still tell you who cast each one and how they differ. Because they will." Rien lifts a shrug, "Working magic differently doesn't mean it's not effective, it just means that it's done differently. A ritual caster's spellbook is going to look a lot like a recipe book. You'll see the main ingredients or components to the spell, but you'll also see notes in the margins, or things added or removed because this didn't work for them but that did, or adding this will give that extra effect. Even ritual casting isn't going to be exactly the same from person to person. And what each of them puts into it is going to differ. Because everyone approaches magic in a unique fashion."

Turning towards Jon, she grins, "Yes. Okay, one of my favorite subjects that even I'm still learning about. The Power Cosmic. AKA the bottomless pool of energy that literally fuels the universe. Everything, science, magic, life as we know it.. all stems from the Power Cosmic. Every person, everyone, has the ability to tap into this. We all come from it, just.. some are more... directly? from it. It's hard to explain. A being of magic... djinn, angels, demons... they are formed almost directly from the Power Cosmic. People like mutants, like magi, we've started to get closer to the source. BUT. That's through nature, through genetics, through random chance. People, all people, can potentially access the Power Cosmic."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas smiles as the answers given are pretty much what he knew as truth. There were greater degrees to it, but even his own recollections from that time were beginning to haze over. Part of learning the secrets and history of Creation meant that you don't get to take it with you when you go back to Earth. Even if you're an angel on the return trip.

    Megan's mention of "Soul sword" does draw his attention. "Huh... might be something to look into... yeah" he adds in agreement with Rien's suggestion. "Though..." he glances to Cael momentarily. "Might be better done in a private setting rather than here in the class room."

    Even if his aura is blue hued instead of golden better to save Cael to trouble of having to steel herself when faced with it in this setting. Though... if someone wants a demonstration, he would oblige.

    Terry is something he's not encountered since his change and the man's proximity--he deliberately put himself away from Vorpal upon the young man's arrival--is still a tangible effect on him one that he's not sure he's fond of.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I don't think either of are saying that ritual magic is less effective, Lydia." Jon smiles over at his friend. "It's different, more time consuming--you have to do reseach ahead of time, say, to know the Name of a thing and how to bind it, rather than just doing some off-the-cuff spell with magic rope. But off-the-cuff is going to take a /lot/ more power, and be more likely to fail utterly. That's how we get mere mortals--or near-mortals--doing things like binding the literal creator of this universe. All that time and effort you put into figuring out /how/ makes up for the fact that you didn't need to be on par with him in terms of sheer power."

    He hums softly. "Practically speaking... Terry, Megan, you sound like you each need mentors, able to help you with your specific applications of magic. Our hope with these classes is to provide a broader ability to recognize magic even if it's not the type /you/ use, to counter it and understand it. For instance, you may not be able to directly evoke the Power Cosmic, or invoke the power of the gods... but if you can /recognize/ those types of magic you can figure out what's going on." He peers at them both. "Speaking of which, do either of you have magical sight?"

    A pause, then, "Actually, maybe let's start doing some demonstrations? Get our hands into things, as it were." He gestures to Terry and Megan. "Feel free to demonstrate your own magic, but I'll..." He sits up and says, "So the bulk of my magic works by thinking up constructs on the Astral Plane and then summoning them into reality. I make portals, for instance, by imagining a door that leads to where I want to go. Here on the Astral it's /much/ easier to do."

    He thinks for a moment, then summons up a pillow and offers it out to whoever might want one. "Whatever I make will disappear shortly after I finish concentrating on it, but the effects stay... although that doesn't seem to mean I can conjure food that's very satisfying." He glances to Lydia. "Actually, it tends to dissolve into ectoplasm." A pause. "I'll save the divine magic for... well... give me a minute. I have to think of something appropriately impressive." He winks.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks and joins the others on the grass.lOh but there's sooo much going on! "Yikes! Umm..I mean..That's Soo many paths to magic! Where does one even start?" the suggestion of courses causes her to breathe a sigh of relief, "Ooh that would be useful, yeah..Just basic stuff. I mean, what are good basic spells to learn for a young superhero anyway? Are there no hard and fast rules? And hello! Part faerie too!" she giggles as she flutters her wings.

She scratches her head at talk of ritual and combat and chaos and other magic..Ooo Soo much to know. "Um I mean to start with, is there like, a basic manual one can begin with as a guide?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "You know. The last time I saw a faer- you know what? Nevermind." She's pretty sure the girl doesn't want to hear about that.
    She doesn't seem like a throat-slitting type, anyways.
    Instead she turns her attention to Jon's little 'demonstration' and claims the offered pillow, shifting so she's lying on one of the picnic blankets, with the pillow under her head and folded arms. "My hero," she remarks in a mildly teasing voice, lapsing back into the silence to continue listening to the conversations.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia just folds her arms and grumbles without having any kind of retort. Mostly because her spellbooks are /exactly/ like what Rien described. "Yeah, okay," she concedes.

    She turns to Terry. "I don't think your magic is pure chaos, though," she says. "/Pure/, unquantifiable chaos is magic of the Void... the magic of uncreation and entropy, and messing around with that..." she shakes her head. "We did that once and stopped the universe for a bit. It was a learning experience, to say the least, but I do not recommend trying it. /Ever/."

    "When we used it to bind Michael, it didn't have the side effect of getting him high," she says, unfolding her arms and leaning against them behind her. "So I don't think that's where you're getting your magic from. I did a lot of research on Chaos Theory when coming up with that binding circle, and I think that your magic is quantifiable. It's got bounds and rules. Some of which we know, a /lot/ of which we don't."

    "I think that your power still comes from the Power Cosmic. There's just something in it that ... I don't want to say 'corrupt'. Perhaps 'change'? 'Transform?'" She shakes her head. "Regardless, /something/ happens to the magic from the source to you to turn it topsy-turvy and upside down."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry nods, "Yeah, learning how to identify all sorts would be very helpful." He smiles at Megan, "You are part fae? I have some fae in me, too!" He looks around, explaining- "Wonderland is somewhere in the intersection between Dream and Fae. So what Lydia says is right, I'm... a cocktail of sorts, I guess. There's chaos and dream and whatever else and nothing is simple and straightforward. Probably because it's Wonderland."

He glances at Chas. He definitely can feel the presence, just a wee bit outside of his own boundaries, and he has to resist the urge to come closer. Wouldn't having a trip be FUN? He has to watch himself with Jon, too. And he briefly thinks about how many of his friends have, as of late, developed the ability to make him trip balls.

Does that say something about him?

"As to what I can do... I can create images, sounds, smells... I can assemble magical constructs. I also can breathe temporary lives into objects and... Oh, I punch holes in space across varying distances. I once accidentally dreamt myself into my boyfriend's home planet." He chuckles. "... that was fun."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien glances sidelong to Cael and grins, "I want to hear that story another time. With whiskey. Maybe even a good cigar or something." Because that sounds like a story that demands alcohol and some sort of smoke.

Looking back to Lydia, she grins, "I'll see if I can't get you a copy of my grandmother's spellbook. It's -ridiculous- how much hers looks like a fifth generation family cookbook. Also, possibly some good spells you can adapt. You might already have them, but never hurts to peek through!" Then she's leaning back against the tree once more and looking between everyone. Smiling and nodding her agreement to Lydia's assessment of Terry's powers.

"Jon and Chas get their power pretty... pure. From the Power Csmic, then run through the filter of a God, and then to them. I think yours, Terry, is similar. Straight from the Power Cosmic, through the filter of Wonderland, and then to you. I don't think it's the power itself that's causing the funny side effects. I think it's the filters. BUT. Theory. I haven't really dug into Jon or Chas yet, and certainly not Terry. But the analysis would be -fascinating-."

She looks to Jon and grins, "I'm game." She holds a hand up, then waves it down along herself, the chic jeans and top with tall boots changing into a stunning JVD gown, her hair putting itself into an elegant updo. Then back down and her hair falls back to it's usual place as the gown becomes a black bodysuit with armored pieces and soft-soled boots. "I have a lot of versatility," she says as she creates a small sparrow and sends it flying around overhead before it bursts into sparkly confetti that dissipates as it touches people. "But it costs me more to use it continually. Channeling from other sources is easier and less of a drain on my personal reserves, but takes more time than is sometimes available."

Chas Chandler has posed:
    It's Chas' turn to correct Rien--something that won't happen very often, if ever again. "Actually," he says. "My power isn't run through a god... it's funnelled from the Source itself. That much I remember from my time on the Door." He shrugs. "It's everything I am and everything I can do." A significant distinction between what he can and what he knows how, the latter being much less than the former.

    He pushes himself to his feet and says, "If we're all doing show and tell I need to get a bit further away." He gives a pointed glance to Terry and Cael before backing away from the main group. "I don't know the particulars yet, still figuring that out but the energy I utilize is pure, unfiltered, and direct from the Silver City." A blue glow, not unlike hypergiant stars starts to cover his form as he lets down the barriers in his mind that keep the aura and his power in check. "It's strong," he says, raising his voice a bit. "That much I know and I still have to hold onto the majority of it even to do minor stuff, but..."

    He raises a hand and a ball of blue-white flame, not much bigger than a baseball forms. There is a shifting and coalescing of the power there and there is heat. Intense heat and a pull of stronger level gravity pours off of the energy ball. "This is something I've perfected doing. It's not much... but it's a start." He's calling creating literal miniature suns a start.

Megan Gwynn has posed:
Megan Gwynn nods to Jon and sighs. "Yeaah, been trying to find a magic mentor for *ages* with no luck.." she pouts, "And it's not like I was offered any for a while until I came of age, but then college hit.,And superhero courses, and random chaos and..You know, life? So it's been hard to keep on top of things."

Cael is given a look when she speaks of 'another faerie' "Heh, been there, done that, seriously, I've got sooo many crazy stories to tell.." but another time and place perhaps. And he summons a pillow from nowhere and she grabs it, staring at it. "Ooh, cool..I don't really know a lot of spells but..I could undo any spell you cast..I think..With this.." and she summons a glowy pink soul dagger from her chest, stabbing the pillow, making it dissolve into nothing.

Not as badass as Illy's sword surely, but it does the trick..

Terry's comment does hit her at a delayed reaction and she blinks, "Oooh really? Are you like, a Pooka or something?" yeah it'd make sense, kinda, "That's cool, I never met another one before.." she blinks, "Wait wonderland? As in..The nevernever or Alice in Wonderland or..?" although his magical repertoire seems more advanced than her own.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon watches everyone demonstrating with a smile. They very much enjoy all of this sort of thing. "We can work on finding you a mentor if you like, Megan. It's not as simple as books of spells... though sometimes it is."

    He stands. "Well... alright, so the magic I just did? Summoning the pillow? That's from me, from being homo magi. No god filters. Maybe Astral filter?" Jon shrugs. "But the /god/ filter... looks like this."

    He flexes his fingers. Then, for a moment, he gives over his consciousness to Ma'at entirely. Their clothing changes, becoming their Egyptian-style superhero suit in teal and gold and blue. They gain wings in the same colors, sprouted from their back, and a circlet on their brow that holds a single black ostrich feather. Their eyes glow teal, and their voice resonates differently than it had before, audible even to mortal ears.

    "/This/ is channeling the power of a god. If you have any questions you'd like to ask the Goddess of Truth, now is the time." They (she?) look around with twinkling amusement. "I've been terribly curious how I affect Wonderlanders, given the way they affect me. There's a wiggle of fingers, and a flower crown appears on Terry's brow, the flowers all pinks and purples. "There," she says. "I dub you Terry O'Neil, Faerie Queen of Wonderland."

    This... is a goddess, apparently? But to anyone with magical sight the magic likely /does/ look different, obviously so.

Cael Becker has posed:
    "...yeah. Whiskey sounds like a plan," Cael agrees. "That, uhh, story is... part of how Jon and I started to get to know one another. Or- well. Sorta."
    Her eyes flicker briefly towards Chas - and then away again, locking onto Jon, as her right hand clamps onto the leather cuff around her left wrist, both tucked under the pillow on which she relaxes. This is fine. She is fine.
    She regards the Goddess of Truth, and asks the first question that pops into her head. "How do you say scone?" I mean, it rhymes with cone, obviously. Right?

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia sits up when Chas and Jon unleash their full powers. She holds up her hand to protect her eyes from Chas's sun. Even though she has sunglasses on, it's dangerously bright, and since it is a literal sun, drains her power, making her look gaunt and as dead as she is. "Can we... can we please stop?"

    Still holding up a hand to block out the majority of the sun's light, she looks up at Jon and gives him a wan grin. "I've never seen you go full Ma'at before." She gives the flower crown a sideways glance, though. "Are you sure that was a good idea?" she asks nervously.

Terry O'Neil has posed:

"It actually /is/ Wonderland!" Terry answers Megan, "I'm the Cheshire cat!"

That's all that Terry gets out before being crowned. The change in him is remarkable and nearly-instantaneous- he's like a Lamborghini going from 0 to 60 in three seconds. His eyes widen and take on a purple hue, and there's glittering light around him in the same hue. "Why yes, of course! I /am/ the furry Queen of Wonderland!" He holds up a hand to the side of his mouth in the theatrical gesture of 'confiding to the audience', "In fact, I am the biggest Queen in Wonderland, please Their Majesties or not!"

Then the cat is on his feet in that tuxedo-and-fishnets combo,"And since I am the Queen, I must exercise my royal prerogative! I therefore declare that-"

Wait, was that a piano glissando?
Where are the disco ball lights coming from?
Why are there now two Terries?

The double Cheshires suddenly begin to sing to the music, pointing at Ma'at/Jon:

~You can dance, you can jive
Having the time of your life!
Ooooh see that girl?
Watch that scene
Dig inthe dancing Queen!~

And, yep. There's the obligatory glob of glitter, sailing through the sky.

So the answer to Lydia's question is clear now.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    At Lydia's insistence Chas puts out the sun in his hand. The glow around him fades as well and he frowns. "Sorry..." he says before he moves aside to avoid the scatter of glitter from Terry. "Dammit, Jon..." he mutters at the man. "You just had to go and do it right on him, huh?" he mutters before crossing his arms.

    The pulse of euphoric energy from the Cheshire Cat is a tangible thing he's accutely aware of. He pinches the bridge of his nose as Terry (Terrys?) continue to sing. "So much for a collected class..." he mutters with a shake of his head.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon/Ma'at regards Cael with am amused smile. "Actually," they say, "You and Jonathan and Martin are all correct. There are different pronunciations in different places, and pronunciation changes over time." A beat. "But as we are currently in America, the American pronunciation that rhymes with 'tone' is the most appropriate." A wink, and then she leans down to whisper something softly to Cael, eyes flicking to Chas briefly.

    As she straightens, she laughs delightedly at Terry's antics. "And here we have a prime example of 'Chaos' magic, complete with--" The glob of glitter sails through the sky, and they neatly sidestep it. Most of it. Much of it splats on the ground but some of it still backsplashes onto them. For a moment, they actually do twirl about, giving into the Cheshire's suggestion to be, well, a little silly. A little chaotic.

    Then, with an effort of will, Jon pushes the Ma'at transformation /away/. The crown atop Terry's head remains, but Jon is now there in his usual t-shirt and jeans, giggling. "Well," he says, "as you can see, umm... sometimes different flavors of magic interact... unpredictably." Another giggle. "Or maybe /entirely/ predictably? 'Terry pulls out ABBA' was /definitely/ on my 'Vorpal magic bingo card.'" A broad grin.

Cael Becker has posed:
    Cael gives a snort of amusement as J'at's response to her question - but as the Goddess stoops to whisper to her, the reclining woman's form stiffens, and her smile turns in to a frown. "I know," she says a bit tersely, and defensively, to whatever was whispered to her. But knowing a thing, and //feeling// a thing are two different matters entirely.
    And then Terry is dancing, and singing and- "God DAMNIT, Terrance!" Is his name even Terrance? Do you think that actually matters to Cael? "I was right here, too!" She sits up, and try to brush off some of the glitter that fell on her.
     It's not a very effectual process.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    As soon as the sun goes out life (well, the semblance of life) returns to Lydia's skin. Color doesn't really return to it, it's more that her face isn't quite so hollow and her eyes aren't quite as sunken. Also, little specks of light start popping into existence around her, a sure sign that her mutant powers are starting up again.

    It's not soon enough to save her from the glitter, though. She manages to get a hand up to protect her face but the rest of her can't escape its unfortunate fate. "/Terry!/" she chides.

    For show and tell she looks a little uncomfortable. "I, ah, can't make stars, or channel gods, or whatever the hell /he/ can do," she says pointing a thumb at Terry. "I just don't have the kind of raw power you all have."

    She stands up and starts shaking out as much glitter as she can from her sundress, mumbling, "God, Terry. /WHY?/" She reaches up into her mass of thick brown curls and shakes vigorously but all to no avail.

    "Okay," she says, letting out a little huff of frustration, and setting her hands on her hips. "You know what? I can do something you all can't." She raises a finger into the air and shouts, "BATS!"

    And with a *POOF* Lydia disappears and eight glitter free bats flitter about the air. These aren't the big black scary bats that you'd think vampires would become. These are cute little bats with pale tummies and russet fur on back and huuuuge bat ears. They fly about for a moment until they squeak in unison, "I mastered eight at a time!"

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry twirls around in plcae, even as Ma'at's presence disappears, he will be riding that high for a bit. Fortunately, though, he falls on his back and giggles to himself, the music and the special effects subsiding.

"Why? Why? Why would you ask me that question? You know, I am beginning to doubt your commitment to sparkle motion..."

Eventually he gets himself under control, mostly. When Lydia explodes in bat, he lets out a queak.

"Oh my gods they are /adorable!/ They're, like, the opposite of Batman! So cute and eeee!" he falls back against the grass and looks upwards. "... I don't want to alarm you, but I think the world is spinning."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien watches over everything with a faint smile frrom her relatively safe spot under the tree. She does, however, wave a hand to get rid of the glitter for Cael, then looking to Terry, "Okay, first lesson is how to make glitter that cleans up after itself. I can definitely help with that. Some of the rest of this... we may have to tag-team to help you with all your various means of magic."

Then she's glancing to Chas and lifting a brow, "You expected the plan to exist past first contact? Plans never stay intact past first contact. Always have contingencies, or be prepared to ride out a storm." She motions around to encompass... the whole room, really.

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Lydia's explosion of bats gets a blink of surprise. That's new from her. But not entirely unexpected given vampiric legends. He gives Rien a soft smile. "I guess given present company it should've been expected." He gestures tot he falling particles of sparkle. "I'm not even sure if burning them with holy light would get rid of them, given their source."

    He chuckles at the reactions of Jon and Terry. "I think we might have to call this one here with one teacher on the sauce and Terry on it as well. Nothing productive... at least at first glance... can come from both of them being on a mystical bender." He glances at Rien. "Do you agree?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon's eyes widen at Lydia's display. "Oh, /brilliant/, Lyd! Bravo! Sixteen next, right? Please don't get these tangled in my hair, that /hurt/ the other day."

    He keeps giggling and goes to sit down and put an arm around Cael's shoulders if she'll let him. "Noooote to self: more targeted, practical lessons in future. Maybe with hands-on things to do. People like hands-on things. We should make amulets! But we never really got into things like types of magic or elements or aaaaaany of that." He shrugs. "It's alright, though. We've got a better idea where people are. Which is: all over the place, and more interested in learning spells directly than theory."

    He snorts. "Typical. Or maybe I'm the weird one." A pause. "...I'm probably the weird one, huh?"

Cael Becker has posed:
    "...you are definitely the weird one, love," Cael agrees. She lets Jon put his arm around her, and she leans into his presence before she adds, "You know - my neck and shoulder are driving me nuts. Could you...?"
    She alternates between watching the bats, and watching the now slumped over cat. Only one of those gets a look of distrust, however.
    "Yes, Terry. The world spins. ...we, however, are on the astral plane."

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
     "Right?" the little bats squeak at Terry as they flutter about. "Nobody will suspect anything until BAM!" Lydia appears on the ground a couple of feet away from Terry, fangs bared, eyes red, and fingers hooked into claws, "Surprise vampire!" The fangs retract and the eyes fade into their usual golden color as she devolves into giggles. Okay. Maybe a little bit of Terry is rubbing off on her.

    With a sweep of a hand, and a swirling of stars, glitter is cleared so she can sit without getting any on her. "I don't know. We're /all/ pretty weird. Except for you, Cael. You're pretty normal." She looks around and says, "I mean I'm a lesbian Jewish vampire mutant witch." She rubs her face. "God. At this rate Isis will want /me/ as her avatar so I can add /that/ to the list."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"I beg to di-fur, *I* am the weird one. Y'all are my backup dancers... if your neck and shoulder are driving you nuts, Cael, does that mean you're asking Jon to give them therapy?---AAAH! SURPRISE UMPIRE!"Terry raises a catcher's mitt that had not been in his hand a second ago.

Suddenly something happens. Music!

~So when you're near me, darling
can't you hear the S. O. S?~

No, it isn't Terry having another musical number. It's coming from the Cheshire's tux. "My bad! I forgot to turn my phone off!" He reaches into his tux jacket. He blinks, "Oh Hiiiiiiii! ... you're aging? What? We're ALL aging, it's what we do in this cruel cruise ship on spaceship Ea-- OH, EGYPT! You're going to have to speak louder, I've got glitter in my ear... wait. What?"

The Cheshire stands up in one hop. Which manages to be not completely wobbly to his credit. "On my way!"

There's a flash of light, and suddely Terry is attired in a gold lame outfit with a trailing cape at at least ten feet long, a headdress that incorporates the flower crown, and more sequins and rhinestones than a Dolly Parton lookalike contest. "I must go. My planet needs me!"

He stops, mouths the words again, and says, "I mean, a friend needs me!" and he steps out. But not before colliding with one of the trees.

"I meant to do that!"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien can only stare at the utter insanity that is Terry to the rescue. She blinks. Then again. Then finally looks to Chas, "Seconded. Let's end this before anyone else gets caught up in the pageantry. Or breaks out into song. I don't want to be Buffy."

And on that note, she's stepping forward and holding her hands up, "Okay! This has been a -great- first class. Please keep your eyes peeled for notice of additional, more specialized classes being offered. There's a schedule in the sitting room near Nameless. Feel free to sign up for anything that interests you, or that you wuld like to work on! And if there's anything you feel you can teach others, please don't hesitate to ask Jon or myself to add a class to the list! We welcome for everyone to share their gifts!"

Chas Chandler has posed:
    Chas sighs and rolls a shoulder as Terry leaves. "Thank you..." he says softly to Rien as he moves deeper into the park. "That's odd... umm... did anyone see where the door back went when it changed over to this?" he asks turning around. Even the buildings of the Oxford campus are remade on the horizon. It's possible that given the depth of this room that the interior is identical to Jon's own memories of the place. But he didn't want to test that theory.

    As if on cue a blue outline appears in the middle of the field not far from where he stands. "Ah... there we go. More riddles and puzzles. Like... is this place controlled from somewhere else or is it a sentience of it's own." He shrugs and reaches for the doorhandle.

    A soft feminie voice with a strange lilt in it answers before he opens it. "It's controlled. The castle itself isn't alive any more than any other castle is. We handle the general parameters and effects asked of it and through your ideas create the environments you see here. Have a pleasant day, Mr. Chandler."

    Chas stops and looks to the others to see if they heard the words as well or if they were in his mind only.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon peers at Cael for a moment, giggling suddenly subsiding into a worried frown. He reaches around to scratch the spot Cael indicates, and the giggles come back again as Lydia and then Terry continue to be... chaotic.

    "Think I'll go with 'amulets and other protective magic' and maybe specific breakdowns of different /types/ of magic. Lydia can definitely do wards and ritual things. Rien can do summoning! And demons! I need to learn /sooo/ much more about demons." They wave a hand. "We'll figure it out."

    Then they blink at the ceiling. "Oh, so /that's/ who's been making things work the way they do. Gooooot it. Hi there, disembodied voice lady!" Maaaaaybe Cael ought to get them home, hmm?

Cael Becker has posed:
    There's a sigh of relieve as Jon relieves the itch she was feeling - it makes her just want to melt against them in relief, but she doesn't - not at the moment. "Maybe I should get you home, love? Make you a cup of tea, hrm? You seem... well. You're pretty loopy." She seems amused by the turn of events, though.
    With her discomfort relieved, she climbs to her feet, helping Jon up as well, as people begin to shuffle out by whatever means they deam fit.

Lydia Dietrich has posed:
    Lydia blinks at the voice that answers Chas, and looks up at him questioningly. "Yeah. I heard that, too." She gives Jon a questioning raise of an eyebrow loopiness and just shakes her head as she raises to her feet.

    "I've only been that drunk two days of my life," she says. "The first time I would have totally had sloppy drunk sex with Raven had she not the moral stature to not sleep with somebody who could barely stand, and the second time all I had to do was eat an angel." She looks at Jon and Cael, "You all remember how I was." She gives Chas a grin and says, "Don't worry. You're not on the menu."

    "But, yeah. I think it's time to head out. I finally got that interview with Michael that I've been wanting, so it's time to pull everything together and make an actual book out of it all." She turns and raises a hand in parting before she steps through the threshold, "See you all later."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
RIen blinks at the female voice that sounds, glancing all around and lifting a brow, "Well... that's new. I swear, one of these days, we're going to open a door and it's going to be all Wizard of Oz in there..." Shaking her head, she moves to the door and holds it open for Cael and Jon.

"everyone take care, I'll post up the next round of classes shortly." She pauses, and chuckles, "And yes, Jon, there will be a demonology course. Now don't give Cael too much trouble and get soem rest."