ximilialog | Open | RIP Sebastian + catch all

CHARACTERS: Wei Wuxian, a giant dead crab, and you!
LOCATION: The kitchen/mess hall
DATE: September 17th
CONTENT: Eating crabs
WARNINGS: None at the moment

A

[The day after their return from Xrisora, Wei Wuxian can be found having taken over one of the stoves in the kitchen. Lying on the counter next to him are two crab legs—that is, two giant crab legs from a Titan Crab. How did he get them here? It is a mystery. Anyway, he’s taken over a part of the kitchen with his crab shenanigans and is slowly but surely beginning to cook one of the legs up. After a while, he makes the executive decision to freeze a leg and a half because there is absolutely no way they’ll be able to eat all of it.

Anyway, he is cooking so much crab.

At some point he is absolutely burning some of the crab. Maybe someone can supervise? Please come save the crab.]

B

[Somehow, most of the crab gets cooked without being burned or ruined in some other way, which means it is time to season it! Do you like your crab spicy? Obviously you do, why wouldn’t you? Who doesn’t like spice? Only crazy people, that’s who!

Thankfully, Wei Wuxian is friends with Itachi which means he’s aware that some people on the station can’t handle spice. This means that most of the crab is boring and only has some melted butter on it, and absolutely zero eye searing red flakes and spices.

Everyone should help themselves to crab. Their options are terrible, boring, (perfectly fine) normal crab, or delicious, stunning, wonderful (hope you didn’t need your tastebuds or your esophagus!) spicy crab.]

C
[And at some point, a text across the network.]

I’m making crab!

[That’s it, that’s the text, he doesn’t have time for this network nonsense, his pan is on fire!]

D

[Wildcard it! Crab related or other!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He happily refills her cup.]

Trapped in death! Is that a story you feel up to? It sounds like an adventurous one.[She said she'd gone to rescue him so he assumes it didn't end in tragedy but he doesn't want her to feel obligated to talk about something sad if it did.]

[Sabriels smile wavers and falls, and she shakes her head, even as she gets started on the next glass.]

Another time, perhaps. There are other stories I would tell of my father.

[Happier ones, from the times he'd visit her at school, or contact her through other means. When he'd tell her stories about the Old Kingdom, or talk to her about her schoolwork.]

Like how he'd always bring spellbooks for me to study, whenever he visited.

[Oh, well. He called that one wrong. Dumbass. He winces and nods his head in understanding before speaking softly.]

My apologies, Sabriel.

[And then, not dwelling on it and catching onto the slight subject change] Did you inherit your voracious love of studying and learning from him?

[Sabriel pushes on with the subject change, taking another sip.]

Yes. My father was a skilled mage and necromancer. He tutored me in both, and- that was part of the reason he chose the school he did. Because they offered lessons in magic, if students got their parent's permission- Charter magic anyway, not necromancy. Wyverley is the only school south of the Wall where such things are taught.

[Because it was close enough to the Wall that magic still worked, and in an area where more than a few local families traced their descent from the Old Kingdom, and still practiced its traditions.

And had for a long time, given the age of the protective spells in the basement.]

But- yes. He was always willing to talk about magic during all of his visits, and he took a keen interest in my studies- and even though necromancy wasn't on the syllabus, he made sure I started learning when I was old enough.

Edited 2022-10-08 05:33 (UTC)

[He smiles to hear it, as it's clear Sabriel not only loved her father a lot but also seemed to admire him and his work. He's glad she has such fond memories of him and that she's apparently been able to carry on his work.]

Was it hard when you began learning? Or frightening? I know there are some big difference between demonic cultivation and necromancy and I don't know what it looks like to learn necromancy. [Especially for someone so young.] Demonic cultivation requires a steady mind and strong control of your emotions, so teaching a child would be...inadvisable. Is necromancy like that?

Well, I was twelve when he started teaching me so- yes, I was scared at first. But the book I studied from made me forget the worst parts, until I needed to remember them. How old were you when you started learning?

[Sabriel pauses, before she continues, taking a gulp of wine to fill up the silence.]

Necromancy requires that as well- since it's a kind of Free Magic, you need a strong will, or the magic will control you instead of you controlling it. And it also requires musical skill, because even without the bells, that's how the power is channeled. Tone deaf necromancers don't live very long.

[He almost laughs, in shock not mockery, but manages to reign it in. How old were you when you started learning. There's a simple answer to that of course, but it's not what she's implying it is. Not like it was for her. There were no books or study rooms, no teachers or lessons.

There was only him and a mountain of corpses, grief and revenge and helplessness burning hot in his chest. "They'll never find your body. Your soul will never escape. You're going to die here and be trapped here forever and no one will ever know what happened to you."

He knocks back the full cup he'd just served and laughs lightly.]

I was seventeen. It's neat how they both involve music, isn't it?

Edited 2022-10-08 06:45 (UTC)

Well, that's a reasonable age to learn it. Old enough to know it's dangerous, anyway.

Yes- so does weather magic, although I have less experience with that.

[Although it is a far, far more pleasant topic than necromancy, so Sabriel's much more willing to talk about it.]

Beyond crashing a paperwing, anyway. I've gotten a little better since then.

[Sensing her desire to move on, and feeling the pleasant buzz of alcohol starting to numb some of the darker feelings that had started to creep in at his words moments before, he smiles and follows along, happy to move into safer waters.]

Weather magic! Now that sounds interesting and I'm sure very difficult!

It's music- you have to be able to whistle to do it, and calling up a single wind is easy enough but-

[Sabriel gestures vaguely, and nearly spills some wine in the process.]

You can't make something from nothing and everything's connected. So if you try to make one thin happen, you can set off a chain reaction. Try to clear some clouds away and end up summoning a windstorm, that sort of thing. Or all the clouds clump up in the same place and you get a thunderstorm a few dozen leagues away from where you wanted to make clear skies.

[He nods at that, fascinated by it all.]

Mmmhmm. It sounds tricky. I bet it could go very poorly very easily. [Cause a drought or flood even.

And then] I can whistle! [He then proceeds to whistle a tune just to show her. Definitely feeling that buzz now.]

When I first started controlling resentful energy, that was all I had before I carved Chenqing from the rotted bamboo trees—that was my first flute. Before that I used whistling alone.

[And because Sabriel has just enough of a buzz to not consider how things could go wrong- she whistles too. And a glowing mark slips from her pursed lips as she does so, as a strong breeze rushes into the room- not enough to tip anything over, but plates and silverware rattle.]

Really? Father brought panpipes for me to practice with, before he let me handle the bells. But... I got to study normal music in school. And Elli- my friends would sneak records in.

[His eyes widen in wonder at the glow and he follows it with his eyes, laughing quietly at the breeze.]

Sneak? Was music not allowed? [His eyes return to hers wide with curiosity.] Was it really strict?

Well, not modern music. Not suitable for young ladies of quality, you see.

[Which of course, just made it even more tempting to listen to that music, and to sneak out to the cinema to see films at the cinema. Stern lectures only made so much progress against inventive girls who'd learned enough magic to both open and relock the padlocks the school kept on the doors.]

Well. There were rules, and you got in trouble for breaking them. But we found ways around the ones that weren't important.

Rules! [he yells, way too loud.] Sabriel, a girl after my own heart! Do you know I once lived in a place with three thousand rules?

[He throws his head back and laughs.] I broke so many of them! I never pictured you as a rule breaker! Tell me, tell me all about the ones you broke. Did they have rules about eating and sleeping? The Cloud Recesses was so strict! That's where they had the three thousand rules. It was awful!

Open | RIP Sebastian + catch all

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