call me maybe

[from_scratch]

Cam is out flying. There's a decent cloud of atmosphere around the gold plane, now, millenia of demons making air around themselves for comfort and not sealing it up because why would you bother. There's a small forest, here - the effect is kind of ruined by the lamps it has to grow under, but it's still pretty.

He feels an open summons and lets it grab him -

with the Joker (kappa)

with Ripper (kappa)

with Darren (Aestrix)

with Minus (kappa)

with Emma (Marri)

with Facility 3141592 (armokGoB)

with the admin (kappa)

with Jarvis (kappa, Aestrix)

with Miles (kappa)

with Hank (Nemo)

Comments

[marrinikari]

"My linguopathy wouldn't even kick in until I was able to form basic sentences in whatever language by myself first," Emma volunteers. "It's like... I absorb faster from simple conversations? I can't just- grab an entire language." She grins. "Otherwise I could've just done the whole circle in Latin."

More seriously, she adds, "And it's not a big deal to avoid the empaths at the hospital if you want. I don't work with them really anyway, my job's all with vaccines."

[from_scratch]

"Can I get a make and model on a blocker to try? Probably won't work, but maybe."

[marrinikari]

"Oh goodness, I know Okawa makes a couple but I couldn't name models. If you don't mind staying put for a minute, I'll go ask Annabel, she keeps on top of that kind of thing."

[from_scratch]

"Yes please."

[marrinikari]

Professor Reed wanders off. This will not take long.

"I'm sorry I didn't warn you," Emma apologizes quietly. "It didn't occur to me. It's mostly like- you sometimes meet people who are good at reading facial expressions? At least for me. Selevy just has a really good psychiatric empathy program, so... empaths."

[from_scratch]

"At home the kinds of magic that exist are limited absolutely to trivial parlor tricks, personal indestructibility, moving stuff, changing stuff, and making stuff, with the last three one to a customer and only for daeva. Not a thing with mental effects."

[marrinikari]

"What constitutes 'trivial parlor tricks' anyway? My dad calls our magic that regularly, which it's not, but... maybe in comparison to personal indestructibility."

[from_scratch]

"Oh, and summoning daeva, that's also magic, but not a parlor trick. Parlor tricks are tiny laborious telekinesis, slowly and unevenly changing the color of a thing, stuff like that. The only common use is for disabled people."

[marrinikari]

Emma laughs. A pen floats out of her backpack and settles lightly on Cam's head. "Telekinesis here is not very laborious," she tells him very seriously.

[from_scratch]

"Cool, good for you, you're like wingless fairies."

[marrinikari]

Jenny pulls a similar trick to retrieve the pen off Cam's head and hands it to Emma. "I love you to biiits but I have class now. Don't conjure more ice cream without me, 'kay?" She waves to Cam. "Bye! Thank you again for the chocolate!"

[marrinikari]

"Bye," Emma says affectionately. "Try not to sugar rush your classmates to death." Jenny waves at her dismissively in response.

[marrinikari]

"Who's a wingless fairy?" Professor Reed asks as she walks up. "Goodbye, Ms. Marino, I'll see you in class tomorrow. And, Cam, try an Okawa A3. If that doesn't work she thinks the C5 has an electrical input option, but they don't work as well."

[from_scratch]

"All of you, apparently, fairies are the telekinesis types where I'm from." He sets about making an 'Okawa A3'.

[marrinikari]

"Well, yes, I did mention the telekinesis I think? It's not any more efficient than actually picking an object up yourself, but it's good for remote work. Top shelves in grocery stores, that kind of thing. And of course there are ways and ways to apply it; picking up a box by the corners is a far more reasonable use of your energy then grabbing the entire bottom of the box, for instance."

Well. It's like she got her master's degree in telekinetic algorithms, or something.

A small bracelet-like device appears in Cam's hands. It has two smaller straps that go tightly around his wrist, and a larger band on top of them that looks electronic with a small display. The display is currently dead.

"That's not promising," Professor Reed says, eyeing the display, "but you might as well try it on."

[from_scratch]

He puts it on.

[marrinikari]

The display shows no inclination to live.

[from_scratch]

"Nope," sighs Cam, taking it off. "It's expensive? Anybody want it?"

[marrinikari]

"I'm okay, but thank you."

[marrinikari]

"I'm fine without one, thank you, but we can donate it to the school," Professor Reed suggests.

[from_scratch]

"Sure. I nominate you to represent the school." He hands it to her. "Other kind might still work?"

[marrinikari]

"Other kind takes batteries. They're not well rated against physical contact but they should be fine for wandering around."

[from_scratch]

"Okay." He makes the other kind.

[marrinikari]

This one is similar but noticeably larger, and will be closer to half a forearm than a bracelet, but its screen is successfully lit. It's just a green indicator light, but it's a light.

Emma peers at it curiously. "Wow, that's like half a battery pack in there, no wonder they usually use magic."

[from_scratch]

"...Okay, so if I wanted to conventionally recharge this battery, would I use a cord of some kind that would connect on the other end to a two- or three-prong outlet in a wall, provided I was in the United States at the time?"