shapeupship | Fucking boat food, how does it work [Action // Open!]

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Fucking boat food, how does it work [Action // Open!]

[Despite the span of time (though really, Shinjiro hadn't been paying attention to how long it had been,) the supplies he'd found in the galley hadn't really diminished or grown rotten or-- Anything. Sure, he was on some sort of trans-dimensional, space/time deflecting, ethereal boat full of dead people, sailing around Fuck-Knows-Where-- but at least there could be a half-assed pretext of making sense.

Actually, along that thought-- Why the hell did it have to be a boat?]

[His nose wrinkles as the thoughts once again surface-- it was impossible to fully ignore the way everything was slightly off. As much as this place seemed rooted in reality and the physical (he breathed, he got hungry, slept at night,) there was always those lingering reminders of just how messed up this whole situation was. How the rules of logic didn't really apply all the time. The boat kept going, yet he never saw any sort of crew members manning the sails or cleaning up after people. There was electricity, lights in the cabins... And no matter how long they sailed, he'd never seen anything but huge expanses of water all around. They showed up in some unspecified manner, probably disappeared the same way...

Oh, not to mention the fact that he was dead.

His brows crease as he steps back to the sink, running his hands under the running water absently and trying to shake the thoughts off. No use lingering on them: answers weren't apparent and he wouldn't be able to grasp then any time soon.

He'd been down in the galley for a good while, watching a few items on the stove as he put together some lunch for himself. The teen wrings his hands on a hand towel, before returning to prodding the vegetables sizzling in a skillet with a wooden spoon. Anyone walking in would probably be greeted by the smell of stir-fry and sesame oil-- and the sight of a disgruntled-looking teen, hair pulled back in a scruffy ponytail, having essentially taken over the whole little kitchen area for the time being.]

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I'm afraid I succumb to stereotype and am something of an addict, [he admits conversationally, reaching toward the sink to fill the pot with water. He glances sidelong as Shinjiro moves around the kitchen, keeping track of him.] But this is quite drinkable. [He'll just get a second mug down and if he doesn't want to drink it, he can leave it there.]

You say it isn't cooking, but it's far more than the teenagers of my acquaintance put forth to. So, cheers. [A moment's pause as he considers the implied question.] You raise a good point, but I don't know. If it's a spell, I'm not familiar with it. Creationary magic is incredibly difficult-- beyond my level.

[His brows lift slightly in curiosity-- The way Giles casually mentions magic and the like is, again, reminiscent of the Chairman and interacting with the team within the dorm. Familiar, but not overbearingly so. He prods at the still-cooking lunch with chopsticks, looking down into it.] I've just been doing it for a while. You learn what you got to.

[A short roll of the shoulder, and he fills the pause with stuffing a chunk of food in his mouth. It gives Shinjiro a moment to try and remember what Giles had mentioned their first conversation-- being a watcher or keeper or whatever, supposed to be hands-off, preferring to ensure the safety of whoever it was that was fighting.]

[Swallowing, he looks up with another question.] Far as I know, people don't got 'magic' back home. [Not in the traditional sense-- And Personae were... different. More structured. Individual. Fixed. Far from the open expanse he believed fairy-tale magic would be like.]

What is it you do?

Most people don't have it on my Earth, either, and only slightly more are aware of its existence. What I do is largely academic. I am a book taught spell caster in the event that I cast anything, which is infrequent. I am accustomed to handling power, but not to generating it, if you can appreciate the distinction.

[Giles slips easily into exposition mode with a comfort that suggests he does it often. (He does.) He measures out the tea leaves into the mesh basket as he goes on.] If you're looking for a more practical idea of my abilities, I've previously done things such as truth spells, rescinding a vampire's invitation from an abode, and removing illusions. I require some amount of preparation and supplies for each one, however.

[His brows crease for a moment, listening-- No, he wasn't entirely aware of the difference there. Handling power, but not generating it? He assumed Giles meant manipulating extant forces rather than purely conjuring something... but really, he had no parallel from his own world to try and smooth over the understanding of it.

The alternate explanation makes more sense to him-- removing something someone else did, and... truth spells. He frowns for a moment, still looking into his bowl.]

Guess the needing stuff for it helps cut down on anyone trying to be selfish with that crap. [Mostly the 'truth spells' part. He doesn't consider himself a liar per se, but definitely not accustomed to openness and truthfulness.]

[Speaking of truthfulness, he might as well relax some of his own withholdings-- at least with someone who was in a similar situation in their own home.]

I think our team back home only had to deal with illusions one time. I wasn't there for it, though. Far as I know, it was pretty much trying to distract them from hunting it down. [...Distract being the kindest word he could use, really.]

[The implied concern that the power could be abused for selfish reasons is one that is close to the forefront of Giles' mind these days, with Willow here, in a position as an inmate. He has no illusions about that; she's here precisely because of ongoing selfish misuse of her power, and moreover because of his failure to dissuade her from it. Giles feels guilt and responsibility over that, as much as logically she's a grown woman, an adult now, and it's in the end her own choices. She's still one of his and he feels a paternal obligation toward her that he has failed.

He's not about to burden Shinjiro with all of that, however. But it does mean that there's a pause, a hesitation to his actions as he sets the kettle back on the stove and switches the heat on. He goes to stay out of the way and lean back against a nearby cabinet, arms folded, face drawn in consideration rather disproportionate to the casual topic.]

It's not the supplies that prevent my misuse of it, [he says finally.] Though you're correct that the added difficulty is helpful in that respect. But those that are determined enough, who-- who are seduced by the idea that they can change reality with their will alone, they lose the need for all the trappings.

I simply have seen what happens as a result of that, and have no desire to go down that path myself. So you needn't worry about me, and magic. I have no urge whatsoever to use it more than necessary.

[He doesn't say a word about Willow, because it's her secret to keep or to tell. It's a highly personal topic.

This last line he is genuinely interested in, besides, and he perks up a little lighter with a more purely academic interest.] What kind of team is that, precisely? You seem... not totally familiar with, but unsurprised, by the, ah-- the hidden supernatural element.

[A short nod at his explanation. The hesitation is seen and noted-- But so far Giles seemed to have traits similar to himself. Consideration before putting things into words, selecting what information would be relevant and for what reasons. So he can brush it off easy enough.]

Like a junkie doing anything to get their fix, right?

[It's the closest analogy he's got, really.] Keep using it to get what you want, keep making problems, keep trying to fix them with what you want.

[Basic enough-- Except with... Magic. Sure. He shoves some more lunch into his mouth at the man's question, giving him a moment before responding. How best to explain it....]

Kinda the same as yours, I figure. [He shrugs.] Not demons and shit, but these monsters we call Shadows. They just eat peoples minds, consciousnesses. [He speaks casually, as though he hadn't seen just how many people lay as though boneless in the streets, occasionally dying of exposure, in the weeks before a full moon.]

We're 'bout the only ones who can see 'em, fight 'em. The Chairman can't fight, but he can see them and research them. He's kinda like you. [A pause, and he looks up across his bowl to Giles, before amending that.] ...Well he's a bit lamer. But same kinda job, from what you've said.

[Another mouthful of stirfry and rice, giving Shinjiro a pause before he continues, just as casual as before.] We can't do magic like you're talking about: nothing big and open-ended. But we've all got our own skillsets. Some've it could be seen like magic, I guess.

Yes, it's... remarkably like an addict, unfortunately. [The words are said with complete sobriety and not a little introspection.

But Giles doesn't add anything else to that. He's much more interested in the details of his world, in any case. This is new information, and extremely relevant to his personal academic interests.]

Shadows-- that's quite fascinating. [He seems to realize his enthusiasm may not be appreciated and curbs it back a bit, sheepish.] Not that I mean to make light of your, your plight, but it's all rather interesting to me.

What is it that you do that could seem like magic? I gather if you're fighting mind-eating amorphous beings then you must have something beyond the norm.

... And I appreciate the caveat that I am not entirely the lamest person you have ever met. [Said with the utter most dryness.]

[The enthusiasm doesn't offend him: Hell, it is interesting. He had certainly thought so once the disorientation and horror had worn off and before the jaded cynicism had set in. And if Giles was similar in roles to Ikutsuki--well, then he was a reasearcher and a learner at the heart of it, right? So the curiosity should be expected.

Still, he looks over to the heating tea kettle as he considers a response: How to respond adequately without getting into the potential personal issues there. Lips press together for a moment, before he nods and responds.]

...We're called Persona Users. A Persona's just like... the user's psyche given form for battle. They're unique to their user, and we can call 'em out. Mine's just got physical attacks; others've got electricity, ice, that sorta thing.

But like I said, they're linked to the users. I ain't ever gonna learn any skills like that, but Aki's got healing, electricity, and can affect the Shadows's abilities.

[A shrug. Bowl mostly done by now, he sets it on the counter behind him.] I figure someone with magic could do whatever the hell they wanted to, eventually.

And if you start sliding puns in, then you might lose that not-as-lame spot.

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