be discreet

[msmage]

It's not much later, in Isabella's room, that she asks:

"So... is Alex really a dom?"

Comments

[eclipsi]

"Experiments with fire, I assume. I don't have a specific idea for that one."

[mrmage]

"And is she? Working with fire?"

[eclipsi]

"General elementalism, all four."

[mrmage]

"Huh. Is there a reason to do those four specific elements instead of, like, wood and metal too, or whatever?"

[eclipsi]

"They're classics? I haven't asked her about wood and metal, I know they're done but they're not considered a form of elementalism in the West."

[mrmage]

"It sounds a bit arbitrary, they're not even really elements, they're just... stuff."

[eclipsi]

"Well, they're not chemical elements, no. They do represent most of the not-alive-or-previously-alive stuff you can run into walking around in a pre-tech era though."

[mrmage]

"Yeah but... can't elementalism be subsumed by something else that's more general? I mean I'm not even sure how I'd go about doing stuff like that, everything I've ever done was to living things, most of it to my body."

[eclipsi]

"I mean, people specialize different amounts. It's kind of arbitrary that there is a popular amount for 'earth, air, fire, and water' and not a popular amount for 'magnetism, radioactive metals, grass, and mollusks' but she's not going to learn slower by specializing, she will learn fewer things faster."

[mrmage]

"...mollusks," he snorts.

[eclipsi]

"Mollusks!"

[mrmage]

"That might be about the most useless thing one could specialize on."

[eclipsi]

"Well, it probably depends on what you wind up doing with the mollusks, but if I were a mage it wouldn't be my first or thirtieth choice, no."

[mrmage]

"What would?"

[eclipsi]

"I'd go for healing and immortality first and then probably utility grade teekay after that."

[mrmage]

"So, basically, the same thing I'm doing."

[eclipsi]

"Rather, yes, without the detour at shapeshifting, I like how I look just fine."

[mrmage]

"Good, that makes two of us."

[eclipsi]

Kiss.

[mrmage]

Kisss!

"Although I bet a boy you would also be really hot."

[eclipsi]

"I'd probably just look like Alex."

[mrmage]

"Well, Alex is pretty hot, too, and the cane can only help..."

[eclipsi]

Snort.

[mrmage]

"But I don't know that you'd look like him, you two aren't that physically similar."

[eclipsi]

"Yeah, I guess. I can't say I've ever given it much thought what I'd look like."