I Lose All Sense Of Reason [open post]

[summerdude]

Magnus is walking down the front steps of the Mansion, freshly-loaded bag of food in tow, ruminating on a few of his most recent and devastatingly embarrassing conversations, when he hears footsteps behind him.

Well. He did tell Galahad he'd ask everyone. Might as well start now. "Can you explain the birds and the bees -- I mean, sex -- to me?" he demands, even before he sees who it is.

Comments

[sagramore]

"He did not! He left it stabled with Fenyes, and now Qi Yan thinks she's likely to foal, which made the gelding particularly pertinent."

[summerdude]

"...Huh," Magnus says. That seems kind of rude of Arthur, to him -- just thoughtlessly letting a horse go to stud, or whatever. "Well, if it becomes relevant... I can talk to pretty much any animal, but I don't know if I can heal anything but humans. But horses are, like, my dad's whole thing. Besides, of course, the summer stuff and peace stuff and stuff like that. So I could try. If there's any non-human animal I could heal, it would almost definitely be a horse."

[sagramore]

"That's useful to know. We can check on the gelding later if you like -- the wound stopped bleeding as it should, but it would be good to make sure it doesn't fester. Qi Yan is going to look after Fenyes while she's carrying."

[summerdude]

"Yeah, sure! It would probably be good for me to find out if I can heal them, if there's gonna be three here. Including a baby." He makes a tiny little face. He knows nothing about baby animals (or baby anythings), a fact which has become more urgent since he and Galahad found that griffin.

[sagramore]

"Had you mentioned you can heal things when we met? --Actually, no, that's not the important question. You met Arthur while he was here?"

[summerdude]

"Didn't I? Well, I can. It's why I switched to being First Aid Guy at the zombie attack. And... yeah! I gave him a, um, portent?"

[sagramore]

"Did you indeed?" much pleased by the idea. "Was it a bad one?"

[summerdude]

"Oh, it was stupid as hell," Magnus laughs. "I wanted to tell him to find my buddy Halfborn while he was pillaging York, or whatever, but the timelines super didn't line up. So I told him to find this guy I did a report on in seventh grade instead. Robin Hood? I don't think those timelines lined up either, but who can say!" After all, one of the Merry Men is here now, so.

[sagramore]

"Well, perhaps it will keep him busy for a while and out of trouble."

[summerdude]

"One can only hope," says Magnus, who didn't particularly dislike Arthur but who has a broader problem with authority.

[sagramore]

"I've lost my taste for kings," Sagramore says, as if to commiserate.

[summerdude]

"I have problems with authority," Magnus shrugs. "I think most people who want to be in power shouldn't have it."

[sagramore]

"I think that's an eminently respectable position."

[summerdude]

"That's because you're not one of those assholes who want to have and misuse power," Magnus says, quirking a smile at Sagramore. "I tend to piss those guys off pretty good."

[sagramore]

"I appreciate the compliment, but I used to be one of those assholes who had and misused power. I just didn't enjoy it very much."

[summerdude]

"So you didn't want it?" Magnus asks.

[sagramore]

"At first I did. But I realized fairly quickly I was miserable."

[summerdude]

"I'll give you a pass, then," Magnus says. "Hey, speaking of guys with power and also visitors... did that one guy find Laertes? I got him lost in the woods after he said you wouldn't let him inside, but I didn't stick around to see if he found his way out again." A little embarrassed at his slacking, and very apologetically, he clarifies, "My girlfriend came back, so. Um. You can guess what happened to my priorities."

[sagramore]

"You were busy, weren't you, giving people the runaround?" fondly. "He did find Laertes, but Laertes was extraordinarily brave and spoke with him himself. I appreciate your help."

[summerdude]

"Oh, good for him," relieved. "It was an, um. Interesting day for sure. I also Peace of Freyed Wei Wuxian's... brother? That's when I use a, like, shockwave to disarm people." He can't remember if Sagramore's seen it before. He's pretty sure when they sparred they just sparred.

[sagramore]

"Oh, yes, I met him too. He didn't like my handwriting. --You have innumerable talents, by the way."

[summerdude]

"Just stuff I inherited," Magnus says, immediately humble. "Oh, but I can do this one thing that's probably only 30% my einherji skills. Wanna see?"

[sagramore]

"Of course."

[summerdude]

"This," Magnus says, jumping up and gesturing to the trampoline at the edge of his clearing, "is a trampoline. They're very springy." He climbs up onto it and jumps a few times. He's learned exactly one skill with it since he dragged it out here the other day. He's at about 85% success with it?

After a few more jumps, he tucks his legs up, and attempts a mid-air somersault. Oooh, that's definitely a solid 8/10.

[sagramore]

"You're an acrobat," says Sagramore, who is both delighted by the trampoline and also about 30% concerned that if he did the same thing he'd break every bone in his body.