001 { video } un: PRONGS

[heorot]

[ thankfully enough, james somehow managed not to hit send on the impressively awful posts he had started to type up/has been typing up for the better portion of about three hours. something to also note: this typing and not sending has all been happening while nursing a couple of bottles of alcohol, all of which can kind of be seen floating a bit awkwardly in the background when the video finally comes to life.

in the foreground, though, is james, looking tired and a bit of a mess. his words are slurred when he speaks, his movements carrying that fluid weight that is telling (if the slurring already wasn’t) to just how much alcohol he’s been consuming. and while he’s not holding a bottle in the video, he does seem to look right off the screen for a longer moment than necessary, as if he’s trying to decide if it’s worth reaching, but decides against it. ]

We’re-all foockin’ cursed, ‘ren’t we? [ his words trip over themselves, stumbling and rolling to a stop. the worst part is that james seems to notice and pause. then he blinks, and then another, before he seems to focus back on the camera. ] Like- you ever think maybe we shouldn’ta been woken up in the first place? Mayb’ none of us shoulda been. ‘Cause have you noticed how many are gettin’ sent back? ‘hoo just are here an' then aren’t? I’ve had- [ his face drops for a second, out of the drunken anger/annoyance/general upset demeanor to something darker, something pained.

but then he takes a breath, and the look fades. ]

Doesn’ matter. But ‘as anyone noticed? That somethin’s off? There’s gotta be something, right? A show, clue, whatev’r? There ‘as the sic’ness an' all, an' the pilotin’ instead of the transport, but-

[ he stops, his eyes going a bit wide for half a moment as he looks off the screen. was that a burp? or...yeah, let’s not go there. he takes the second, but then reaches down next to where he’s sitting and pulls up his wand, reaching to grab one of the hovering bottles and tapping it with the end of his wand. in a matter of seconds, the bottle refills with a dark brown liquid.

james hiccups, then takes a swig from the bottle. ]

Oh, also- [ he sways a second where he sits, before turning back to the camera. ] 'nyone want whiskey? Rations are short an' all that but I’ve got. [ he grins, waving his wand and bottle to the camera. sorry olympia. should he have mentioned that before? ] Jus lemme know.

[ and then the feed cuts. ]

Comments

video;

[heorot]

[ he's not here to be responsible for underage drinkers, sorry. ]

Eh. [ he waves nonchalantly, like he doesn't find much wrong with it. ] People'll answer or not. Either way. An' how's this a waste, anyway?

video;

[fiendennor]

[She has no plans to underage drink, fortunately.

She does, however, come from a world where magic is fading as a resource. Some habits die hard.] Just because there doesn't seem to be a limit on magical energy here doesn't mean you should be using it so frivolously.

[Still, she does allow, after a moment:] I suppose I am used to how it was where I came from, I'll concede.

[heorot]

[ 'fortunately' is a bit heavy on perspective, there.

but then you're changing the conversation around and james is not really in the mood to figure out what's even happening, let alone something that isn't even vaguely in his consciousness. ]

What're you even saying? There's never been a limit- [ but then he shakes his head, pressing his fingers into his forehead. ] 'm sorry, but. Is magic limited back for you?

[fiendennor]

It was, yes. Magic had been fading from the world, for the most part. Without the power from leylines and the sorcerer stones, your ability to cast magic would be diminished-- if it worked at all.

A world of magical abundance does take some getting used to.

[heorot]

Have you been misusing it? Dunno why the power would- sorry, did you say sorcerer stones? As in more than 'ne?

[ okay, okay. sorry. he's just...trying to wrap himself around all that. because he's heard the legends about the sorcerer's stone, yes. but the idea that there are....multiple. is difficult for him to understand sober. let alone where he is now. ]

[fiendennor]

[Different from your thing, James!] Yes, more than one. They act as... beacons, you could say, for the leylines, projecting their power in a localized place. Without one, Luna Nova couldn't function. And there are several theories for the decline of magic, though I'd imagine there is no singular explanation for it. It had been happening for centuries by my time, after all.

[heorot]

Luna Nova?

[ this is all so much. so much. but also he's just coherent enough to actually be curious and want to learn what she's talking about? ]

That's just...mad. [ there is an honesty somewhere in that disbelief. an almost kind of sadness. ] The idea magic could just...die away like that?

[fiendennor]

Yes. Luna Nova Magical Academy. Certainly the premier school for magic in England; unarguably one of the best in the world. Without the Sorcerer Stone powering the school, classes would have been little more than theory work.

Fortunately, ah... it seems the decline could be reversed.

[heorot]

Ahh- it's your school, okay. [ he nods, even if that all sounds...so strange. ] For me, our school's Hogwarts. The premier, and only, school of magic in England. Also, arguably, best in the world.

[ . . . . a beat. ]

If it can be reversed....why haven't you?

[fiendennor]

[Hogwarts. Really? What an unappealing-sounding name.] I've never heard of it, but I imagine you're in somewhat of the same boat.

What makes you think I-- we-- haven't?

[heorot]

[ he waves his hand, unfazed. ]

Differen' world. Prolly don't even exist in the same place.

[ and then he blinks. and looks at her. ]

Have you?

[fiendennor]

Probably not. Luna Nova is some distance outside of London. --and, no offense meant, you wouldn't be admitted. [It's an all girls school.]

It wasn't exactly our intention to revive Yggdrasil, but we seemed to have succeeded, yes.

[heorot]

[ he shrugs. ] Hogwarts's up near Scotland. And it's equal opportunity.

[ because he got that little hint, thank you. ]

Yggdra- wait. You mean that... [he waves his hand around, trying to figure out the word currently escaping him. ] It'sa tree, right? The life tree? From the vikings?

[fiendennor]

[She's more interested in talking about this than the gender politics of magical education:] The World Tree, yes. Slightly different from the one in Norse mythology. Yggdrasil was once the source of all the magic in the world-- what we called leylines were the remnants of its roots and branches, stretching far across the horizon. [She clears her throat slightly.] While there was constant debate among scholars whether or not it was an actual tree or merely a metaphor, it turns out to have been quite real.

[heorot]

[ oh merlin yes please, james is not and will never be sober enough to talk about gender politics and magic. ]

Makes sense. [ which…it does, actually. though james has a pretty loose definition when it comes to things making sense. oh well! ]

So you’ve got an actual magical tree holding your world together?

[fiendennor]

In a sense, yes. The reborn Yggdrasil was less "roots, leaves, and bark" and more... ethereal, however.

And dozens of miles high. It was quite the sight.