Trail 55: Personal Lights

--- Jon ---

“It’s never wrong to help someone in need…” He sighed. “That’s what you always told me… encouraged me to do…”

His Ma didn’t respond, simply laying there still. (So terribly still…)

“And I like helping people, but… I know people tend to take advantage of that.” (DeSade did, and Audrey admits she does…) “Yet, I still help them…”

He felt his Ma would say something along the lines of, (“That’s because you’re too nice. Which isn’t a bad thing, so long as you remember that some people deserve help more than others. And if you’ve got to pick between the two pick the one who is a victim not the one playing victim to guilt you.”)

“I know that.” He admitted. (The only reason I helped DeSade is because Rosalind needed it and then he was helping me weaken the Beast.) (Alongside threats to his little empire…) (Then Audrey was so I could get the bounties on the Creeps…) (While she collected her cut.)

“It’s just…” He ran a hand through his hair before sitting forward. “I’m not, I’m not stupid enough to think people will be my friends just because I help them…” (Learned that long ago…) “But… is it bad I wish it would? That helping people would make everyone nicer and friendlier…”

(“No, it’s not but… Niceness, friendliness, justice, they don’t exist because they should. They exist because we make them exist… You can’t control other people, but if you want those things you need to make them happen, even if it means fighting to make them happen because other people won’t let them.”)

He considered that before nodding. “Help people even if it frustrates you, because a better world is worth fighting for.”

Scene Consequences

-Ma Whitaker is still in a coma. (It has been 1 Week.)

---

(Patience, Jon… patience…) He told himself exhaling slowly as he watched Pix draw doodles in the air with her light rather than the Script he was trying to get her to learn. (You’ve worked with ADHD kids before, you can handle a fairy with an attention span shorter than herself.)

“Sho…. what exactly are you trying to do here?” Miss Edna wondered, snacking on a bag of pretzels she was splitting with Hoots on her shoulder.

“I figured out how to use Pix’s magic to create Spell Scripts in the air, but apparently she doesn’t want to learn any script that doesn’t involve zapping things.” He grumbled.

Pix looked him dead in the eye before sticking out her tongue.

“Oh, that old trick.” Miss Edna blinked, before reaching into her pocket.

“Yeah, Artemis -that girl I did that one project with- she could do something similar.” He half-explained, leaving out the details involving the Beast of Blackwell’s temporary (very temporary) resurrection. “So I was hoping I could get Pix to do something more complex given how much easier it was to use that light in the air than say, using chalk on a brick wall or something.”

“Makes sense.” Miss Edna nodded, looking over a silver ring she’d pulled out of her pocket.

The tell-tale lightning of magical electricity sparked over the ring, a mix of greens, grays, and blues dancing over the ring with far more complexity than his own magic usually demonstrated.

When the electricity stopped, “Catch.” She tossed him the ring without a second look.

He fumbled it for a second, the small object bouncing out of his hand when he caught it more on reflex than anything else, before finally catching it on his third swipe and holding the ring up for inspection, noting the faintly glowing inscription now carved inside of it.

“Uh, what’s this?”

“A [Light Sketching Ring].” Miss Edna answered, before giving him a finger gun and a wink. “With mood lighting attachments, ck-ck… They’re fairly common as far as things go when you want to write out a spell and edit it, but people tend to pick up bad habits if they don’t learn how to draw by hand first.”

“So should I use the ring or keep drawing by hand?” He had to ask, given how he hadn’t even been practicing magic for half a year, and Script Craft had been there for less than half that time.

“Eh, using the ring won’t hurt in a pinch but I’d still stick to the more physical scripts at least until you can draw… one per minute by hand?” Miss Edna shrugged. “Honestly, aside from checking my math on more complex Enchantments, Script Craft isn’t really my thing. I’ve just known enough script artists to pick up a trick or two.”

“I see…” He slipped the ring onto his index finger, feeling like that would be the easiest given how he’d seen Artemis use hers.

With a hand on his amulet he pushed a bit of magic into his hand before tapping his index against his thumb twice, causing a few colored sparks with each tap before drawing a few pale blue squiggles in the air.

Something Pix immediately took interest in as she fluttered over watching the light with interest, before copying the squiggles in her own pink light.

Remembering how Artemis had edited her own Light Script, he brushed his thumb over the light, clearing it away before drawing a circle in the air with his index finger. One he immediately drew a larger circle around with a thicker line by putting his index and middle finger together to draw it.

Pix watched him before clearing the squiggles she’d drawn and mimicking the circles he’d put into the air.

(Well at the very least this’ll make it easier to teach her.) He thought, knowing if he said anything the stubborn little fairy would begin ignoring him once more.

“Hmm, interesting…” Miss Edna mumbled watching him with narrowed eyes.

“What is?” He wondered curiously.

Miss Edna made a face that just told him she was suppressing her actual thoughts. “It’s just you seem to really know what you’re doing with that ring without any help.”

“Yeah, I watched Artemis use hers so it’s pretty straightforward.” He shrugged.

“I see, so you were pretty focused on this girl.” Miss Edna grinned. “This girl you have a study date with on a saturday, hmm?”

He frowned. “No. No… Bad Miss Edna.”

Scene Consequences

-Jon gained 2 XP to Spell Scripts.

--Currently: Spell Scripts Lv. 4 (7/10).

-Pix gained 1 level to Light Scripts.

--Currently: Pix Light Scripts Lv. 4.

-Jon can now teach Pix how to use Spell Scripts that she’ll use on her own, but at her current level she can only learn 1 Spell Script each.

-Thanks to Miss Edna Jon has gained: [(Mood) Light Sketching Ring]

--Grants [Freeform Scripts (I)] a stackable effect reducing the time to create a Spell Script mid combat by 1. (I.E. Base: Very Long Action, (I): Long Action, (II): Standard Action, (III): Quick Action.)

--Also changes color based on Jon’s mood and intent.

---

He couldn’t help but pause half way down the bus as he found Val sitting there with a girl who was probably twelve or so years old.

(A sister?) He guessed given their physical similarities, though he also had to note that the way they carried themselves was practically day and night. With Val looking tired and a little on guard in her darker clothes and jacket, while her sister wore brighter colors and looked to be excited about something as the little one rambled about a fantasy novel involving witches or some such. (Wonder if she realizes her sister is a witch?)

He was going to pass them by, figuring that whatever the two were doing wasn’t really his business but a second after feeling something turn its attention on him, Val’s eyes snapped to him.

(She must have the Scarecrow keeping watch.) He realized upon noticing the odd shape of some of the nearby shadows as well as the fact that no one was sitting within several seats of the sisters’ despite the city bus being relatively full on the weekend. (And it must be scaring people off to give them space.)

Part of him felt that was a little much, but at the same time he didn’t have a little sister and if he thought about it, he realized he’d probably be just as protective if he did. (Though with less Demon and more blood.)

“You moving?” Someone behind him asked.

“Oh, uh, sorry.” He blinked, snapping out of it and taking a seat, one that just so happened to be next to Val and her sister. (Great…)

He tapped his fingers on his thumb in a cycling rhythm as he felt a slight awkwardness in the fact that Val was still watching him, making him wonder if he should’ve said hi. (No, then I’d be intruding on their family time… Or is it ruder to just ignore her?)

After a moment Val’s sister leaned over to see what her elder sister was staring at before asking, “Uh, do you two know each other?”

He grimaced and glanced at Val with a curious look, given how he very much doubted she wanted him to say. ‘Yeah, we tried to kill a Demon together on Halloween.’

Much more reasonably, Val answered, “We go to school together.”

“Oh, like you and Artemis!” The younger Alejo nodded cheerfully. “Is he part of your study group too?”

“Uh, Artemis invited me to… help with something, because I’m, uh, good at what she needs help with.” He answered, despite the fact that it was less, he was ‘good’ at Demonology so much as he had access to actual books on the subject. “I don’t think I count as part of their ‘group’ myself though.”

Val gave him a look before rolling her eyes. “You hang around us enough you might as well at this point.”

He wasn’t sure about that -given the current lack of a threat, or profit for them- but he didn’t see the point in arguing about it either.

“Well, I’m Elena!” The younger Alejo introduced cheerfully as she leaned across her sister and offered him a hand.

A hand he shook with a mix of amusement and bemusement at the interaction, noting how (she really is more cheerful than Val.) “Uh, Jon… No H.”

Scene Consequences

-Scene Synergy: In addition to offering training, Val will join this Turn’s [Path To Power] Project.

---

“Oh, you’re… both here… together…” Artemis greeted upon seeing him and Val, something briefly flickering on her face before she shook her head.

“We ran into each other on the bus.” Val shrugged, Elena having run off to look for a book to check out while they searched for the Arcane. “So how exactly are we doing this? I’ve got Elena with me and I promised to take her out to the movies when we’re done here.”

Artemis coughed into her hand. “Well, I’ve secured us this study space for ourselves and have a perception filter ready to ward any eavesdroppers off… the Scarecrow will tell you if she starts looking for you, yes?”

“Yeah, he’s keeping an eye on her while we’re here.” Val nodded. “He’ll let me know if she needs anything.”

“Good then we can get started.” Artemis nodded, snapping her fingers and causing a pink spell circle -(That she probably made with her own Light Sketching Ring.)- to surge to life as it spun through the air.

“And what exactly are we getting started on?” Val asked. “I mean, I’ll help with whatever, but Script Craft is my specialty and I’m not exactly sure how that’ll help with the Horror’s arm thing you two are working on.”

“Well yes, but after a year of mentorship from the Scarecrow I’m sure you have a more… unique understanding of Demons than most other students of Demonology.” Artemis pointed out. “Which I’m hoping when combined with… Jon’s books will result in us finding… something of value we can use the arm for. Speaking of, you did bring your books, right?”

He slung his pack off of his back. “Yeah, just give me a second.”

It had taken a fair bit of debating on his part which books he’d share with Artemis. In part because while he was sure the more of his books he shared the more he’d get out of this little research project, he was also aware of the fact that a number of the books DeSade had given him were… less than legal. (And that’s before we get into the fact that one book is definitely made from the skin of… something.)

But he had eventually decided that given the fact that Artemis was friends with both Audrey and Val, a probable drug dealer and a Demon summoner respectively, he was willing to risk bringing his [Scene Choice].