diatuooc | Test Drive #7

Test Drive #7

Air Apparent

The fundamental principle of Sundering, that of breaching the barriers between here and there, often manifests as summoning. Simply open a portal and then bring through that which you desire to command. Today's lesson in the magic went slightly wrong, and now a strange creature called an "air imp" stalks around the campus, causing mischief wherever it can. Its powers are not terribly dangerous, but it is a trickster with the swift gusts of air it can conjure, and almost impossible to see since it is the very color of the air itself.

The faculty has made two important announcements. First, do NOT go commando under your robes while this thing is out there. Second, whichever student or group of students catches the imp shall earn five points for the Colormarch for their House or Houses, and shall be taught a special spell of Discovery personally by Professor Trammel.

This reward has the student body in a tizzy, and groups of eager imp-hunters stalk the campus after classes, each of them with a clever idea to get the prize for themselves. Quickly, find a partner and join them!

Only Shooting Stars

Thanks to some horrible twist of fate, a body-swapping magic has caught you in its claws and wrenched you into a form that is not your own. Perhaps you're a familiar now, a blobby owl or a sneaky cat. Perhaps you've taken over the body of that student next to you, who's now looking at you from the eyes that ought to be yours.

There isn't any easy answer for this. You're stuck, for the moment, anyway. All you can do is try to make the most of it... or just get through.

Another Fine Mess

The fervor of the day down Anastara way surrounds a shop that just released their new special product: Airsquiddlies. These curious little toys take the shape of a squid, and through some little trick of magic they catch the air when held up above one's head. Tethered by a string, they drift about a few feet up with their tentacles waving most realistically and slithering around to curiously investigate whatever, or whoever, they find.

By luck, you've managed to get one of these -- and as delightful as it might be, it does come with a couple of quirks. Has its tentacles gotten somewhere you'd rather they not -- a merchant's wares, the hair of a fellow student perhaps? Or maybe you're stuck dealing with a few people who are intent on getting their own Airsquiddly, any way they can since the stores are sold out?

Labwork

Not every magical disaster is caused by some wayward student you don't know. Many of them are caused by you instead. To wit: you're on the spot in one of the magical labs, being called on to demonstrate a technique more advanced than others you've mastered so far. Failure is expected, and the wards should prevent any injury to others from a miscast spell. But will the sparks of your magic just sputter out and die? Or will you inadvertently mispronounce, misform, misshape, or miscalculate in a way that brings chaos to you and your lab partner?

(You could also manage to succeed in casting the spell, but that isn't very fun.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yotsuyu looked down her nose at the man. Well, as best as one could when one was shorter. Her robes, as well, were spattered, and the stench--pfaugh, not even a dzo on a hot day was worse!

"My calculations were correct. I suppose the ingredients were imprecise?" Dry as the Sagolii. Yes, Yotsuyu was well aware that this was supposed to be above their skill level, but usually mathematical vectors simply did not...get this far out of hand!

She sighed, then. "At least I can probably get the stains out." Likely. Considering her House robes were base white, and she could not handle being stained or dirty if she could at all help it...

He was familiar with that kind of disapproval and disappointment. Aziraphale swallowed guiltily and looked elsewhere than at her judgment. My, the walls in here were a lovely shade of stone! He hadn't noticed!

"I suppose," he admitted, "I may have added some..." then hastily, "but I thought it would only improve the results, not--! ...this."

Oh, but he knew a thing or two about stains on light clothes. By which he meant he knew about getting stains ON light clothing, not getting them off.. at least not the normal way.

"But, yes," he added, flustered but feeling somewhat vaguely confident he could at least solve this problem for her, "isn't there a thing one could use...? Something like...bleach, perhaps?" The word came with a rise of inflection, as if unfamiliar with the word, or as if he wasn't wholly sure bleach was what it was called.

Not the normal way...yes, Aziraphale might have something there, indeed. "Bleach? I do not know what that is." Because Yotsuyu comes from a place that's far more like medieval times than the modern day. Nor was she usually the one to wash her own clothing--at least not before she came to the Ten Kingdoms.

"I intend to use Modification." And yes, she's arrogant, but Yotsuyu's also rather good at this--she'd have to be, with the pristine state of her robes before their accident. Even if his robes aren't the same pure white hue as hers, they'll end up as good as before. If not better, as Yotsuyu practically makes the dirt flee from the very fibers with both her fan and the geometric patterns she inscribes in the air as she mutters equations beneath her breath.

"There, that's better," she says, more than a bit smug about it all. But she's been here a while...

He is about to launch into a vague, and probably partially incorrect explanation about bleach--the explanation of someone who has heard of it, read about its uses, and seen it in the grocers, but never had reason to use it himself--

But then she magics away the stains and he looks--well, certainly not baffled because cleaning with magic is nothing new to him (new as he is to this world)--but a bit touched and surprised to have been included in her efforts without exactly asking outright. She could have just done her own and left him to figure this out himself. Humans were ever surprising in their generosity, especially those who present themselves as brusque and grumpy. He admired his robes, then put a hand to his chest and gave her a warm smile.

"Thank you. That was very impressive."

"Wasn't it, though?" More than a bit arrogant, but in this case, it's earned--Yotsuyu has worked hard to excel in the classes she's taken, even if this one is defeating her at the moment. "You are quite welcome, though!" It is nice to be noticed, even if it's just a classmate.

"Do you recall at all what you added? I would not be surprised if there was wormwood, considering the stench..." She bit her lip a moment. "I haven't the faintest idea about the rest, however. This...probably is not the time to experiment, in truth." Though she really can't blame him; she's been known to dabble herself from time to time. Save her results are usually better!

Pride was technically a sin, he supposed, but a job well done was deserving of a little pride. He wasn't going to tell her not to be pleased with her own hard work, definitely not when it was so well deserved (and when it benefited him so much).

"There may have been wormwood." And for a moment he was distracted thinking about a very nice vermouth he had been gifted years ago that would have made a nice apéritif for dinner last night. Sadly not the use of wormwood in this case. Rather a waste, in retrospect. "There may also have been rosewater. I was reading about a week ago about its properties in magical spells and thought it might add a ...zest to the recipe to get that, um, specific quality I was going for."

His apologetic expression changed to a sly smile. "Sadly, I do not think it worked as I envisioned, but discovery is all about experimentation, is it not?"

"I'm rather certain there was." Not that it was the first time she'd made a mistake with such matter. Though this one definitely had its ranks in the memory--not for the reek alone, either. Her brows went up when he continued. Rosewater? Were they making a cosmetic? Yotsuyu thought not.

"That might have been it as well. Many of the things rosewater is used for is cosmetics or confections...and wormwood, decidedly not. Hmm." She was going to have to note that--good thing she had a chapbook ready to make that notation.

"It is--hence why I'm taking notes, so at least one of us shan't make the same mistake twice, eh?" At least she was laughing, then. "So, shall we try again, then, and hope for better results this time?"

Test Drive #7

I'm so sorry, she's kinda mean

She's nice compared to some people this one's dealt with

Maybe. She's been working on that a bit.

He commends her for her efforts!

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