Fuzzy, Kenji, Sasha and Marco - August 13th - Monday Morning - Blake Island, Outdoor amphitheater

Fuzzy looked to Kenji and then Sasha, whose hands were up. She really know how this would go down nor was she sure that it was a good idea, but as far as social stuff went, she figured they knew better than her.

Marco was against it though and he folded his arms.

"I don't think it's a good idea," said Marco.

"Better to have some options than none," said Kenji, "Nothing is going to be perfect. The situation is fucked any way you look at it. We just want to make it less fucked."

Marco nodded in grudging acknowledgement but his enormous arms were still folded. A moment later, Kenji left to go find Julie while Fuzzy, Sasha and Marco chatted about the spells they were going to learn and how that worked.

"So how do you learn a spell?" asked Fuzzy.

"Here?" asked Sasha, "Every day you go into a little hut made of baked mud, sit on a rough log for hours until your back and ass hurts and you work on getting a headache."

Fuzzy frowned and looked to Marco.

"She's not wrong," said Marco, "It's not fun. Casting a spell means imagining a three dimensional object in front of you. Unless you actually understand magic then it'll just look like a nonsense shape which makes imagining it harder. Then you'll try to shape that magic into the image that was in your head. The more perfect the shape and the more tightly its packed with magic, the more powerful the spell will be."

"That sounds hard," said Fuzzy.

"Yeah, it is," said Sasha, her tone disgusted, "It took me a week to learn my first spell. Such a pain. Even with a teacher and a spirit to help out. One guy in the lodge took the full two weeks and didn't learn anything. Bad luck. And we don't even need to be in a lodge. Or sit on logs."

"No, we don't," said Marco, "It's more tradition. The mud huts are a kind of magical lodge. They protect against anything magical like spells and spirits and it's easier to reinforce them with spells since most lodges are flimsy. I could probably knock a hole in it if I pushed on it and not very hard."

"And the logs?" asked Fuzzy.

"Well...Sitting on those is how our teachers learned it, so of course we do too," said Sasha, sarcastically.

"That's dumb," said Fuzzy.

Sasha made a displeased face and nodded as well.

"Yep," said Sasha, "The magical lodges are a good idea. Everyone should have one, but logs are bullshit."

"The first awakened spellcasters tended to be extremely poor," said Marco, "It's a way of remembering them."

Sasha arched an eyebrow up at Marco.

"Says the guy who has his very own lodge and probably a comfier chair," said Sasha.

Marco only smiled.

"Anyway," said Sasha, "Learning a spell can take a day if you're really, really on point. Most of the time it takes three to five days. It can take up to two weeks. That's how long the teachers teach spells for each semester and they get really mad if you take the full two. If you haven't learned it by then, well, you're probably wasting your time. Come back to that spell next semester if you really want it."

"What if you want to learn a second spell because you finish early?" asked Fuzzy.

Both Sasha and Marco laughed, which made Fuzzy frown. Marco laid back against a nearby tree and it groaned heavily under his weight.

"The teachers will only teach you spell one a semester," said Marco, "They're in those mud huts sitting on logs too and they like that about as much as the students do. So if you want a second spell, they'll tell you that you shouldn't. But if you really push they'll try and teach you right up until the last student in the lodge figures that first spell out. Then you're on your own with a half learned spell."

"You saying I can't do it?" asked Fuzzy, coolly.

"We're saying it's not worth it," said Sasha, gently, "And once you learn your spell you're going to want to test it out. Figure out the limits, how it works for you, all of the little intricacies. And you're going to want to relax after sitting on a log for days. All the students who cast spells get whatever part of those two weeks they don't use learning spells as break time. You kind of need it. I've seen a few who go real hard on learning magic fast and end up hating it."

The tree that Marco leaned against groaned again as he shifted his weight.

"Unless you're an adept," said Marco, "They have normal classes on how their magic works."

"And you wouldn't believe how much they complain that we get time off and they don't. Let them try sitting on logs for days or weeks while trying and failing visualization techniques," said Sasha, who turned to Marco, "Fuzzy here is a mystic adept, so she gets to hang out with us."

Marco tilted his head in acknowledgement.

"Well, well, lucky you," said Marco, "You get adept magic, spells, spirits, alchemy, everything."

"Can't astrally project," said Sasha.

"Yeah."

"Why don't the adepts get time off?" asked Fuzzy.

Sasha looked to Marco as he was the upperclassman for a better explanation.

"Adept magic works differently," said Marco, "It's almost all internal, focused on the body. You develop magic either by focusing on wanting to learn something specific, which you do here at school or prolonged stress, which they try to prevent."

Fuzzy took a seat on a log bench and looked up at Marco.

"Why's that?" asked Fuzzy.

"Because otherwise you end up with a suite of adept powers that adapts to the stress," said Marco, "And that might not be what you want. You can't unlearn adept powers and it gets harder to push your magic the higher you go. So if an adept wants their powers to be crafted like they want them to be then they need a relatively stress free environment and the time to figure out what they want their magic to actually do. Adepts are always getting told to wait and think so they don't end up with powers they'll hate at thirty because their fifteen year old self thought something was cool."

"But...I came in with pretty powerful magic," said Fuzzy, "And I just have a minor talent with animals. I should probably have more adept powers then, since I'm from Puyallup, right?"

This question caught them both off guard and both Sasha and Marco had to think about it.

"Yeah, I got nothing," said Sasha, "That's adept stuff."

"My guess..." said Marco, slowly, "Is that you didn't need it. Adept magic is pretty reactive, but you just weren't stressed enough."

"By the ash wastes?" asked Sasha, "How is that not stressful?"

"Well..." said Fuzzy, "I've been hunting in them since I was around ten. It's easier now than it was when I started out. Going out into the wastes was just another day. A hard day, but just another day."

Marco extended an enormous hand to Fuzzy.

"And there you go," said Marco, "Your life just wasn't stressful enough to trigger more adept powers. Just a few. But if you dropped some new kid with magic into the ash wastes with a lot of magical potential, they'd end up adapting to it fast."

"Adepts adapt," said Kenji, simply.

They all turned and saw that Kenji had rejoined them while all the other students had left the assembly area. He lifted himself up and onto the elevated platform for speakers and sat down.

"Julie said no," said Kenji, "Too hard. Too personal."

"What, you didn't pressure her or anything?" asked Marco, coolly, "Wheedle?"

"No," said Kenji, flatly, "I'm here to present her with options. If she doesn't like my options I'll think of others. Just because I have one good idea one time doesn't mean I get married to it. I'll have more. Besides, maybe she'll want to do it later. Didn't want to push her so hard that she hates it on reflex if it looks like it might be a better idea later."

Marco and Kenji stared one another down at eye level for a few seconds, due to the fact that Kenji sat higher than everyone else. The stare down lingered, but Kenji looked to Sasha and Fuzzy and played off the fact that he broke first.

"I will say that she smiled once I said we put it to a vote," said Kenji, "I think that she's happy that we're thinking about her. Maybe it's for the best. Julie is going to get a lot of quiet time with Mother Bear and you, Sasha. Though that'll be nights since she's teaching healing during normal school hours. Some of the new students are excited about signups for spells and starting their training, but a lot of the older students are grumbling.”

Marco waved his hand in dismissal.

"They'll learn to hate it," said Marco.

Kenji shrugged in response.

“Training starts this afternoon and all. I'm an adept so I don't do spells," said Kenji, "Since I’m taking classes for adepts, they don’t stop. At least you get to finish and get time off since not everyone finishes at once."

"The spellcaster versus adept bitchfest begins," said Sasha, sarcastically, "Maybe I'll hear something new this year."

"You probably won't," said Marco, with a little grin.

"Yeah, probably," said Sasha, exchanging her own grin with Marco, "Same old bitching as last year. Welcome to Blake Island, password accepted."

"I feel like I'm missing something," said Kenji, "But whatever. Anyway, Sasha, what spell are you learning this semester?"

Sasha pursed her lips in thought.

"I had a long time to think about it over the summer," said Sasha, "I'm thinking enhancement spells. Enhance logic."

Marco nodded in approval.

"Good for school," said Marco, "Great for studying. They won't let you use it on quizzes or tests though."

"Yeah, I know," said Sasha, "Great for blowing past high school level classes and getting college credit. Great for late night coding sessions too. And I've been thinking about getting the whole suite of enhancement spells: Enhance logic, intuition, charisma, willpower...What else was there?"

"You mean all of the physical stuff?" asked Marco, "Body, strength, agility, reaction."

"Yeah," said Sasha, dismissively, "Maybe I'll pick that up someday. But if I get the full suite, that means that I can enhance myself or others without any 'ware...Or drugs, I guess. Gross."

"Can you use magic to increase your magic?" asked Fuzzy.

"I wish," said Sasha.

"Have you nerds just been chatting about magic since I left?" asked Kenji.

Marco shot him a dirty look.

"As for me, I'll teaching myself magic," said Marco, who ignored Kenji, "I made my cabin into my own lodge. Not a log in sight. Most of the upperclassmen teach themselves with the help of spirits only, not teachers."

"What spell are you learning?" asked Fuzzy.

"Cure disease,” said Marco.

Fuzzy's eyes widened.

"Oh, that would've been so nice to have," said Fuzzy.

Fuzzy remembered a particularly bad flu she'd had when she'd lived with Rat Man that had spread throughout the entire household one winter. Not only was she not able to work, but basically everyone else hadn't been able to either. Recovering had taken a lot of extra time too.

"Cure disease?" asked Kenji, "Why?"

"I specialize in health spells and all of them are curative while enhancement spells are the other side of the coin," said Marco, "I'm Mother Bear's apprentice. We butt heads on our traditions, but we agree on healing the sick and that's enough for me. We try and convert one another sometimes. She thinks it’s cute when I proselytize."

"Wait, you’re not a shaman? What's your tradition?" asked Kenji.

"I'm a Christian Theurgist," he said.

There was another pause.

"A follower of Jesus," added Marco.

"I didn't know that," said Sasha.

Marco shrugged.

"Well, we really didn't talk last year."

"I was a baby freshmen," said Sasha.

"Also your friends weren't so uh..." said Marco quickly, but he slowed down and added, diplomatically, "Nice."

"Shitty high school mean girl bullshit," said Sasha, "Yeah, it was a phase. Thankfully."

Fuzzy nudged Sasha.

"What's a Jesus?" whispered Fuzzy to Sasha.

Sasha stifled an inappropriate giggle.

"It's complicated. I'll tell you later," whispered Sasha back to Fuzzy.

If Marco heard them he ignored them to focus on Kenji.

"I want to be a minister who heals the sick," he said, "Most of the people here teach out of the shamanic tradition, but I changed my tradition from shamanic to Christian theurgist in my junior year. But I also didn’t want to leave."

"Big guy like you, huh?" asked Kenji,

"Yes. A big guy like me," he said, moodily, "Wanting to heal the sick and nourish peoples' souls."

"Never would've thought it."

Marco's brow furrowed and a dark cloud of anger clouded his features.

"Maybe I should wave around an AK-97 for you and charge screaming into gunfire while murdering people with fire and lightning? I haven't had any kamikaze in five minutes, oh, where did I put that popper?" he asked, and mocked searching his shorts, "Right, not an addict either. No combat drugs. Kenji. I get this from my people enough. I'm not troll enough for most trolls. Too troll to be taken seriously in what I want to do. I'm trying to push against the ideas of violence that people immediately associate with trolls. I’m more than my muscles and horns."

Kenji opened and closed his mouth a few times. He'd been completely wrong footed. Then he took a long breath, ran his hands through his hair and nodded respectfully to Marco.

"I was wrong. I apologize," said Kenji, quietly.

Marco shrugged one shoulder.

"Don't worry," he said, "We trolls have something going for us."

He rapped his chest with his knuckles and it made a knocking sound as he hit the bony, dermal plates that grew out his chest like armor. Tough skin was a troll's birthright. Some had smooth bones, some rough spikes and some had warts as thick as leather. Marco had plenty of the first. Dotted on his face, arms and legs he had smooth expanses of bone here and there, an inch or two in width and length, though doubtless they covered his body.

"We got thick skin," he said and smiled wanly.

"Use that line a lot?" asked Kenji.

"Way more than I want to," said Marco with a sigh.

Later after people began to go their separate ways Fuzzy found Marco and tugged on his sleeve.

"Oh, hey Fuzzy," he said. "What can I do for you?"

"Hey, you're smart, right?" she asked, "Like really smart?"

Marco looked dubiously at her for a moment, as if she'd just questioned how intelligent a troll could be, but then brightened at "really smart".

"You flatter me,” said Marco, politely.

“I mean what I say."

There was a pause and then Marco nodded once.

"Right," said Marco, "What can I do for you?"

Fuzzy looked from side to side, but no one was immediately within earshot. She beckoned him down and he leaned forward. She whispered into his enormous, pointed ear.

"I can't read,” she whispered, "And I think I need to do that for school."

A number of odd emotions ran across Marco's face as he slowly straightened back up.

"Really?" he asked.

Fuzzy nodded.

"And no one...Taught you?" he asked again.

And so Fuzzy nodded again.

"Julian talked about getting me help, but he said something about finding more teachers, but he mentioned "red tape," said Fuzzy, "I don't know what that means. Mother Bear said she'd talk to Julian, but it's been a few days. I don't really know what to do or how so start."

"Oh," said Marco, "That'll be a serious problem for your regular classes."

Fuzzy blinked once.

"My what classes?" she asked.

"Your regular classes," said Marco, "English, history, math, science and all of your electives. You need to be able to read to take those."

Fuzzy frowned in disapproval.

"I thought this school teaches magic," she said.

Marco suddenly grinned, but seeing the scowl on Fuzzy's face, he quickly schooled his features.

"It does," said Marco, "But it's still a school. An awakened who's all magical power with no intelligence or wisdom in how to use it is dangerous. Plus, normal subjects are handy too."

Fuzzy seemed disappointed by this information. Mother Bear's magical safety class met twice a day for two hours each and that had been Fuzzy's only schooling ever.

"How many classes do we have?" asked Fuzzy, suspiciously, her eyes narrowed, "And for how long?"

"Well...Normal classes go from nine AM to three PM," said Marco, "With an hour lunch. You take four classes a semester, two core classes and two electives. Magic counts as an elective. So you can take two or none."

Fuzzy frowned in confusion.

"Wait, people sometimes take no classes on magic?" she asked, "At a school for magic?"

Marco shrugged.

"Sometimes people get bored of magic or get excited about another class," said Marco, "I took a semester off magic in my sophomore year. Then I switched my tradition from shamanic to Christian theurgist. Then I took two magic classes the next semester to catch up. Not all of the shamanic teaching for magic translates one for one to Christian theurgy, but a lot of it does."

Fuzzy took a few steps away as she internalized the new information. Four classes a day and they weren't all magic classes? Julian definitely hadn't told her anything. She did a bit of math on her fingers, because she knew addition, subtraction and some rudimentary multiplication and division for haggling and came up with a number.

"Thirty hours of school a week?" asked Fuzzy, "That's a lot."

"That includes lunch," said Marco, "But yes, basically. Five days a week. And it's not really that bad. I hear most of the public schools in Seattle are way up there."

"How up there?" asked Fuzzy.

Marco rubbed his chin in thought.

"I don't really know," said Marco, "Not as many hours as normal corporate schools, I think, but not too far off. I'd have to look it up."

Fuzzy took looked Marco over to see if he was teasing her, but he seemed sincere.

"On the bright side, no one has to do homework here at school," said Marco, "We do everything in class or maybe at lunch. Though if you want to join a club or study in the library before or after school, you're welcome to. I tried to lead a bible study group but ah...No one really attended."

Marco smiled sadly at that and Fuzzy felt bad for him even though she didn't know what "bible study" was.

"Anyway," he said, as he put on his best smile, "Do you still want my help?"

Fuzzy nodded seriously and he stroked his chin.

"I'm not sure if I'm the best person you should talk to about this," he said.

"Why?" she asked.

He furrowed his brow and then in a moment of clarity he slapped his palm to his face.

"I'm doing it to myself," he said, muffled by his palm, "Yes, I am smart enough to help you. I'll make some calls. It'll probably mostly be teaching autosofts...Um...Programs for your comm, with me to help answer questions and help you practice. I have some experience teaching little ones at church. How far along are you in your ability to read?"

Fuzzy shot him a significant glance and shook her head.

"Okay, I’d assumed…Right,” he said, “I can't help you every day, especially since we're learning spells. I'll try and finish by the weekend. If you're done by then or before then I can make time for you. Though I'm surprised that the other teachers haven't addressed this yet...Well, red tape I suppose. Too many important students here to let just anyone in without being heavily screened. Getting a real tutor needs a lot of time for them to get cleared. But yes, I'll do it."

Fuzzy beamed in delight.

"I'll see you this weekend then," he said, a little awkwardly, "And help you get an early start until someone else can take over."

"Great. One more thing though?" she asked, and beckoned him down again.

"What is it?" asked Marco.

Marco leaned down and Fuzzy hugged him and he was so big that she could barely reach her arms around his sides, with his back being completely out of reach. And then, after a moment of hesitation and with the utmost care and slowness, his large and powerful arms encircled her with ease.