2387/Ice Palace, V2

Ice Palace, V2
Date of Scene:	08 July 2020
Location:	Bronx
Synopsis:	Nessa learns a bit more ice magic, and her teacher learns more about /her/.
Cast of Characters:	Loki, Nessa Donovan

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Loki has posed:
There's a lot of screaming in the vicinty of the 'ice Palace' that was created in the Bronx. While some people are still trying to film the situation and take their pictures, they are also RUNNING AWAY.

The reason is apparent if one peeks inside: there's a massive monster made of ice, towering at 12 feet tall, stalking around inside, booming "WHOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOES" and stomping with heavy steps, like some horrifying titan!

Nessa Donovan has posed:
As self-appointed guardian of the ice palace, Nessa had taken to hanging around it a decent amount... mostly studying and reading, the snow bunny hopping about by her feet. Unfortunately, she wasn't there the entire time--she does have to work for a living after all. Messenger bag slung over her shoulder, she was on her way there when she heard the screaming. While screaming is usually a bad thing, she decides to investigate anyway.

The ice monster is certainly massive, giving her a bit of pause as she lingers near the doorway. She's not sure how it got there or where it came from, but she's certainly determined to find out. It hasn't hurt anyone, after all. "I go!" She hollers back.

Loki has posed:
Or has it? Is there blood on the ground?

It looks a little bright for blood. And the lost red sno-cone nearby may assure that yes, it is just cherry coloring from a dessert. But the effect might have still been a bit jarring.

The snow monster actually seems to actively ignore Nessa, it doesn't respond to her as she yells at it, and instead continues to herd two instagrammers out by stomping directly at them, making them depart in a hasty way out the back into the dumpster and side area of where the 'palace' is located: which was the empty chain link warehouse loading dock behind hit.

Up on the balcony, seated on the ground and leaning against one of the posts, is the mage Nessa had interacted with before, the Sorceror Jianyu Vega. He's relaxed there with a mug of something steaming, with a calm quality, observant.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
It's certainly a little bit unsettling to see the red, but at least a moment of investigation proves it's not blood. Nessa's seen blood on the snow before, so at least it's a familiar enough sight to make it easier to identify. As the monster shoos out the occupants, she steps out of the way to make sure there's a clear path for them to flee as she heads further back towards the balcony. The creature isn't really /hurting/ anything, and she's found a much more interesting conversational partner.

"I take it you didn't like the casual tourists?" She gestures towards the snow monster, assuming it's a construct of his. "You should see some of the photos. Very artsy. Some of these kids have /nailed/ the use of camera angles." She pauses. "I had to scare off a couple of guys trying to charge admission. That was certainly interesting."

Loki has posed:
The mage on the balcony shrugs some, relaxing one forearm across a raised knee, and taking a deep, pleasant drink from his mug. It's something hot, by the appearance of the flitting steam from the surface of it that curls up around his face and amid his mane of sleek white hair.

"If I'm altering the location, it's better they not be under risk of being harmed when the place changes," he answers. "And I'm enjoying my drink," he adds, with a quick little smile, while the big monster stomps around gloweringly like a strange guardian gargoyle.

"But as I have you here: how is the spellcraft coming?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa's head tilts to the side, expression curious. "Altering the location?" Now she's certainly interested in what he's doing, moreso than before. "What exactly did you have in mind?" Her attention moves from the surroundings to his mug, briefly, before she looks back to the mage himself. The monster is kept carefully in peripheral vision, despite the fact that she doubts he's a problem.

"I've been practicing, a lot. Especially the incantation. That and control. Redirection, I suppose. Taking what I'm finding harder to control and pushing it to fuel what I can. Like piling up snow for snowballs. It's slower than I'd like, but I'm trying."

Loki has posed:
"What's blocking you, then? A feeling of lacking the raw power to summon, or the finesse to express it in the way you're trying to make it go?" questions the mage.

At Nessa's bag, the little rabbit he'd made struggles and then leaps out, landing with a POOF of snow and ice on the ground, and then bounding towards it's creator recklessly. He doesn't entirely ignore it, he allows it to scamper up onto his leg then to shoulder, smushing itself into the crook of his neck and ear with an aggressive affection, veiled in the mage's white hair.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"I'm certain the power's there. I've always felt it was there. It wouldn't have expressed itself the way it did when I was a child if it weren't," Nessa frowns for a moment, but watches as the rabbit shows itself and proceeds to be adorable. The frown turns into a bit of a smile in spite of her frustration. "It's more the finesse, yes. It's like writer's block and I can't figure out how to make the words flow properly. The words are there, I just can't quite order them. I suppose that comes from simply lacking direction, so it's hard to just overcome by bullheadedly ramming my head into the problem. Already tried that."

Loki has posed:
"Some self-limiting there, and just sheer practice. Like a painter that is unsure how to guide the brush exactly, so it a mix of experience and confidence to just start painting and not worry so much if some of the paintings are outright lousy," laughs the mage.

"Come on up here, take a seat," Jianyu suggests, pulling the rabbit away from his neck and depositing it near his knee, then gesturing near him at the balcony.

However, the magic of the melting balcony vibrates and adjusts, as he draws up a comfortable long couch directly from under himself, magically made of ice and snow, yet also the fodder of something 'other' in it as well. A raw magic, but the way it was cast was quick and dirty, pulling resources from elsewhere in the magical castle to save energy. It may feel like an expert using a shortcut that's just ingrained from long use.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"I didn't think it was something I was incapable of," Nessa agrees with the assessment. "So you're right. I think it's a little self-imposed. Unintentionally, of course." After all, why would she want to restrict herself? Especially after so long. At the gesture, she makes her way from where she was standing near the top of the stairs to the newly created couch before she sits down. There's some admiration in her expression for the skill. She may not know how to do it quite the same way herself, but there's something to said about being able to understand its nature and see it come together.

Loki has posed:
"I'll help you cast the spell, if you like. You'll just ....observe," suggests the companionable, friendly mage, 'Jianyu', in front of her. He draws one hand up, fingers splaying open, towards her upper forehead, but pauses there. There's a silent query about if she'll accept what he's doing, which appears to be that he intends to place at least a few fingers on her head.

"But if you feel confident, aid as well. Consider it a hands-on demonstration?" A slight smile is added, but there's no sarcasm there, at least not on the surface.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa doesn't back away from the touch to her forehead, seeming at ease with the gesture. While she doesn't know how, exactly, he plans on doing things, there's at least some understanding as to what he's trying to do. "Alright," she agrees. "You show me, I'll help." He did, after all, say if she felt confident she could. Something in her stubborn nature keeps her from entirely sitting on the sidelines. She /would/ do it, even if it took time.

Loki has posed:
The touch comes since she doesn't back away, allowing him to place thumb and third finger in a splay on either side of her forehead. Technically, the mage doesn't need anything like that to use his mental powers, but it's far better to make people think that he requires it. Then they don't suspect other use. And this mage is very, very practiced in manipulation.

"Relax a little," Jianyu the mage teases. ...Another thing that isn't actually required for him to do things, but, well.

Then, there's a mental press, and presence: a sense of someone else there. A leading hand that effortlessly guides magic, using /her/ pool of magical resources, to start to form the base of a construct in front of them that will start to churn and coil, a beating icy heart of a wisp....

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa lets herself ease, focusing on what he's doing. She's aware that it's her magic being used, a guidance on how it's done. If someone's guiding your hand, is it you writing it? She isn't sure exactly what to make of it other than he is, indeed, giving her a guided tutorial of sorts. She does, however, do her best to put herself into the creation. While she doesn't fight the mental press, there's a meeting of it, her own attempt to have a hand in the creation. It's her magic, after all. She wants to be a part of it.

Loki has posed:
The wisp continues to form, and swirl, and then suddenly her guide flares his eyes just a little, a playful spark of something maybe icy in them, and he draws his hand back and entirely leaves her there in the deep end of the forming magic. It's the same as if he'd actively been steering a car by leaning across her, and while her hands may be on the wheel, she's suddenly expected to do all of it.

Or is she? Is he still there, but hidden? Hard to tell, really, with the swamp of churning magic in and around the mage...

Nessa Donovan has posed:
It's hard for her to tell, with all the magic there. But the metaphorical car is still going, and Nessa isn't about to let it crash. She had felt how the magic was forming before, so she mimics that, using it as a template to shape it further. Much how someone might trace something over and over before attempting to draw it, she starts with what she knows and has seen before attempting anything creative on her end. But if there's anything to be said... it is that she's learning. She's at least taking to the creation of the thing.

Loki has posed:
Jianyu supervises but then brings his hand up and across to her wrist, a physical instruction on hand position while she's casting: though it may end up spooking the hell out of her instead, since it will involve his automatic move to touch a hand that is actively casting ice magic.

If someone didn't know better, they might think it was intentionally meant to mess her up, but obviously he's helping to teach...

Nessa Donovan has posed:
It's impossible for Nessa to give her usual warning about touching her when she's focused on casting, especially casting something she hasn't before. So when her hand is touched, her magic reacts on its own accord. Her skin turns cold, the temperature lowering as if she were ice, cold enough to harm any person with no protection against it. But if there's anything to be said about Nessa, she's got a stubborn determination that won't quit--and she's doing something she wants to see to the end. So instead of losing concentration and being concerned over Sorceror Vega's potential ice related fallout, she does what's logical. He's clearly a /strong/ magic user. He can handle himself. She'll handle what she's doing.

Loki has posed:
"Don't throw a truck at it, it's just a rabbit," Sorceror Jianyu says, and deliberately wraps his hand over her wrist instead, and pulls the excess brute force of the ice magic away and out of play. It's probably going to be unclear exactly what he's doing since she's busy forming and holding the little fluffy ice wisp in existance, but he's redirecting the magic, to attempt to buffer her down to the level of magic she should be pushing with the delicate spell.

"Or do, I'll filter it off, but this is what's making your spell fizzle: heavyhanded," he advises, but not in a mean way; there's a cheerful quality here. And no burns; he's fine.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
The stubbornness and determination may have kept her focused, but they didn't aid Nessa in her attempt at something a lot simpler. "Right," she agrees, her hand being moved away with very little effort. She's not trying to resist the instruction, at least. With more direction, it's a little easier to ease the amount of magic she's throwing around. When he offers to filter it off, she shakes her head. "I'm going to do it right," she states. The stubbornness is still there, but she's at least directing it in a direction that doesn't hinder things.

Loki has posed:
"Expecting to do it perfectly the first time without a teacher is a little arrogant of you," teases Jianyu. he doesn't withdraw, but is also feeling out her personality a little bit. "I'm perhaps the second best ice mage on earth; there's doing it on your own, and then there's using the resource in front of you to learn the best way with a tutor, and then practice on your own time when the teacher isn't giving direct instruction." He's amused by all of it, his tone thinks it's humorous, so there's no insult.

In a little burst, he pulls more of the ice magic away, which will force her to focus more and exert. "A lot of magic is intent, anyway. Intent, and in this case, not overwhelming the spell. I'm just asking you to do intent, while I moderate the form."

With a flutter of magic, though, a little ice-mouse has come into existance, and skitters in a circle in confusion, trailing ice!

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"I don't expect it to be perfect, but I expect to learn how to do it the right way," Nessa says, a hint of amusement in her tone. "And I expect that's what a good teacher would do. /Is/ doing." She does give him a sideways glance. "Besides, I'm not used to any sort of tutor. This is the best I've got. I'm rough around the edges, but I think I have potential." There is something he said that gets her attention. "Second best? ... who's the first best? Because honestly this whole ice palace thing is pretty impressive. I'd be curious who could top that."

But then Nessa's brought to focus again. There's the construct, after all. She nods her head, doing what she can: intent. She doesn't overdo it, she just lets it come into being. When the creature's suddenly there, her face lights up upon seeing it. "Be real with me, did I actually do any of that?" She gestures at the ice-mouse.

Loki has posed:
"You don't know who it is?" wonders Jianyu. "Perhaps some homework, then, if ice magic is meant to be your focus," he teases. "Were I studying to be a movie director, I'd know who the best ones were." It isn't chiding, he's informational, with a slight gestures of hand.

Instead of answering her, he looks at the mouse, then at her. "Analyze what just happened. What do you //think// and //feel// that you did yourself?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Consider me a movie director who only just got a television," Nessa grins, folding her arms over her chest. "But I'll do my best to find some kind of information. My magic resources have been ecclectic. But, second or not... you're good." She shrugs, then looks back down at the mouse. "It was my magic. I feel like I helped fuel that, that my intentions directed it. I just wasn't sure if it was affective or if this were an elaborate object lesson. Again, never had a teacher, just feeling this thing out."

Loki has posed:
"What a horrible past you have, suffering without magic," comments Jianyu, picking up the mouse. He lets it climb his fingers and then twists his hand and //eats the mouse// right in front of her.

There's then a playful curl of lip, and he unfolds and turns his hand over, proving some very skilled sleight of hand was actually used. He just wanted her to react, maybe. He might be younger than could have been originally estimated, there's a quality to him that isn't quite matching with some wise old mage. He does look mid-twenties, but that doesn't mean a lot with magical people. He rakes his pure white hair back with a hand, with reveals some intricate rune tattooing around the ear and back into the scalp. There's a lot to this mage both visually and personality-wise: complicated.

"I didn't put any energy into it, no, but you wouldn't have done it without me here, with your current method, to be direct," Jianyu says. "But I think you can practice and get it. Or maybe aim for an ice roach."

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Less about suffering without magic, more like finding it hard to get anyone who can teach me anything /specific/," Nessa looks at her hands. "Besides, I learned fine on my own, I--" And then she stops as he just eats it. A weird expression crosses her face, and when the slight of hand proves it a trick, she squints at him. There's a measure of her trying to figure him out that comes across visually in her expression. It's not unpleasant or bothered, she's just curious. That's a dangerous trait.

"I didn't expect to have done it myself. Picture it like trying to find a path in a blizzard. Visibility is low, but you know the path's there. You might be on it, but you're not sure how you're doing." She nods towards him. "You've got a better vantage point. You can steer me towards the proper direction, if I'm off-course. I've just never known if I'm walking in circles." There's a grin, though. "I'm not trying for an ice roach. I like having a challenge. If my approach isn't right, I'll find a new one until I get it right. Now I know what I'm looking for."

Loki has posed:
"Yes, who likes roaches?" wonders the ice mage, and he nestles the mouse in both palms, stares at her, and then breathes softly over it, in a flurry of ice breath, and some intricate casting that somehow isn't visible. He cast yet also didn't cast, there's something very odd going on, but the real show isn't what he's doing to cast, but...

The mouse leaps out from the palms as it transforms bodily, growing rapidly, into a flying creature that expands grandly in a swirl of ice and power...

The ice dragon, easily twenty feet in length, a chinese style dragon without wings, has appeared. Scales are bright white, like the moon with a hint of glossy light blue. It's a creature that roars softy, rattling the ice palace around them, as it begins to circle the ceiling, breathing plumes of frozen breath out: and re-freezing sections of the ice palace that began to melt. It has a 'sense' of her magic to it, her power: as if what he'd siphoned off what re-fashioned into this beautiful icy drake.

The mage moves to stand, dusting his hands off, smile elusive.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
Nessa watches with rapt attention as he does /something/. That something isn't at all what she expected and her eyes grow wide as she studies the dragon, leaning forward in her seat to study it, both visually and with other senses. She can feel her part in it and there's something about that seems to be invigorating. She gets to her feet, glancing between the drake and Jianyu. Her lips curve into a bit of a smile. "I'll certainly be practicing. You're right, though, a tutor makes a big difference."

Loki has posed:
There's a liquid smile, smooth and easy, and Jianyu offers a hand out, clearly for a handshake. "Keep the rabbit a bit longer. Should you need to contact me, set it in a bowl of water, and scry using the surface of the water that its magic infuses." That's complicated all on it's own: whether she actually can do that or not may be up in the air.

Nessa Donovan has posed:
"Sure," Nessa says in response. Whether she can actually do that or not doesn't matter--she's determined enough to figure it out if she has need to. That stubborn streak runs /deep/. She reaches her hand forward, this more confidently. She hadn't accidently hurt him before, she trusts it won't happen to him now. Skin contact isn't exactly an everyday happenstance, so to be able to be confident about it is a new and rather exciting venture, by the look in her eyes.

Loki has posed:
And the mage picks up on it, and after the handshake, does a little flip of hand to attempt to catch her hand in a different grip, more of one that would be associated with arm-wrestling, or some kind of hero clasp of hands. One brow lifts a little, and he challeenges her in amusement, "That all?"

Nessa Donovan has posed:
There's a delighted laugh from Nessa who certainly seems content with the simplicity of the handclasp. Nearly anyone else wouldn't have found the gesture nearly as interesting, but the effortless action certainly had a reaction. Her cheeks flush, from excitement or embarrassment or something else entirely, but she nods in his direction, grinning. "I suppose it is."

Loki has posed:
There was a very mild bait in it, to see if she'd push more cold magic, or to weigh how intentional it was for her to be freezing his hand, but he lets it go: and lets her hand go. "//Suppose//," echoes the mage, who then simply steps back one pace, and fades out, in a clean little icy swirl of a teleport. The dragon goes as well, though the monster below continues to stomp around.

It'll be there a little while longer, before it wears itself out, and collapses into a pile of snowy rocks, the magic that animated it fading away.