PFSB

[riddleofthebelow]

The next time Tom enters the bar, he turns round to the portal painting first thing. When he steps away, the rabbits playing poker look much more like proper rabbits instead of rabbit-shaped former canines. He steps back, regarding it, and nods his head. Much better.

Then he takes his stack of research with him to a table and orders a scotch. While Wei Wuxian indeed broke the ward on the mysterious scroll, and Tom was able to translate it, it still makes no sense. He has old maps of London Above to scour for clues today, because the existence of scroll is still bothering him. He doesn't think it's malevolent, but he's even more convinced that there is no logical reason to have found it in the Underside.

Not that the Underside is very logical. You know what he means.

Comments

[blue_ajah]

"That is very kind of you, Tom," the Aes Sedai murmurs. "You have my sincere appreciation."

Her hand rests lightly on the paper she was working on before, and the tip of her index finger traces the edge of a circle.

"I may well make use of it. Although I will admit to some curiosity as to your choice of redecoration. Was it to amuse Portico, or Egress, perhaps?"

[riddleofthebelow]

“Oh, no. They’ve never seen the painting here, much less requested a change. Door and I agreed that Milliways would not be a place for them.”

At least not while they are small enough for terrible things like being chosen as Heralds on far away worlds can occur.

“No, this was for one of the magic users I mentioned. The lad has a phobia of dogs. I’d never before considered that as a potential problem for any patron here.”

[blue_ajah]

"I would not have, either," she observes. "But stranger things have certainly happened within these walls."

As they both know well, and which, as it happens, is another reason for Tom and Door to ensure their children stay far from Milliways until grown - unless they were to find their own entrances. The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills.

[riddleofthebelow]

And maybe not even when they’re grown!

“I would hate to hex everything by saying things seem downright calm of late. I suppose for us, for our worlds and their respective battles, they have calmed. I can’t say I mind this one bit.”

[blue_ajah]

She does not - quite - wince.

"I would not like to be thought suspicious, but I cannot say that I disagree."

A small, slightly wry smile curves her lips.

"I suppose that what I occupy myself with these days might be considered a sort of retirement; I know others have considered it so. I view it more as a matter of change, and am just as content to aid in smaller ways where I may, now."

Tarmon Gaidon was enough.

[riddleofthebelow]

“If that’s the case, it’s well earned.”

He nods to the paper before her.

“Is this part of an exercise in art or study?”

[blue_ajah]

"Both, perhaps," the Aes Sedai demurs.

"I myself have encountered one here who works with unfamiliar magic, and we have been learning from each other."

[riddleofthebelow]

"Oh, very good. What manner of magical system is it?"

[blue_ajah]

"Spell-based," she replies. "With structured magical notation."

Moiraine realizes perfectly well that she has sidestepped what may be the actual question Tom had intended, at least for the moment.

[riddleofthebelow]

And Tom realizes perfectly well that his questioned has been sidestepped; it piques his curiosity but not enough to press.

“Sounds like the most interesting kind.”

[blue_ajah]

Amusement flickers in the dark eyes.

"Perhaps more familiar to you than to me," she murmurs.

"The weaves that are taught in the White Tower are generally done so by demonstration and repetition. Although it is not unknown for people to learn from descriptions in books--"

--as she herself had done, in fact, after finding a description of the forbidden weave of balefire and learning to recreate it on her own--

"-- this sort of detailed notation that anyone with the gift could read and reproduce is absent. I am trying to see if this system could be modified to diagram my own workings."

[riddleofthebelow]

“I don’t think I realized that your magic isn’t learned primarily through books. I suppose I assumed every magic user has some version of schooling with book-based learning, even if the subjects and methods differed.”

Tom is on the cusp of a great deal of growth and learning!

[blue_ajah]

"I did," Moiraine replies. "There was much to be learned from books while I was training in the White Tower, and after, as well. It is simply not the only method of learning that I experienced."

[riddleofthebelow]

"I see your meaning," he says with a nod. "The practical application of magic is always where you make the greatest leaps. In my experience, at any rate."

[blue_ajah]

Moiraine considers him.

"How is it that spells are recorded and taught in your schools?"

[riddleofthebelow]

"I believe it's still the same as when I was in school. Spells, potions, and charms that gradually increase in difficulty are collected in books for each year of school. You learn the basics and then you spend much of class time practicing."

[blue_ajah]

"How are they collected? Are they written in any particular way?" she presses.

[riddleofthebelow]

"I believe they're written using a quill and ink and then replicated by charm to make copies of the books. As I recall, there is an explanation of the spell - the background - the why, what, where, and how. Then, if something involves wands, there are moving illustrations that show the precise motions to make. And, of course, which incantations go with the motions of the wand."

[blue_ajah]

"Moving illustrations," she observes. "I see."

"Perhaps not unlike demonstration, after all."

[riddleofthebelow]

"Well, what is flat on a page is only a shadow of the reality. I remember that many students struggled with making the leap from what they saw demonstrated on the page to actually manipulating the wand in the way it required."

[blue_ajah]

She inclines her head to him.

"The purpose of practice."

[riddleofthebelow]

“Especially when you’d rather not and say you did.”

Like when learning how to delink one’s tendency towards anger when casting magic!

[blue_ajah]

"A not uncommon problem among novices, as I recall," she murmurs, dryly.

[riddleofthebelow]

He nods and smirks, a little more like the Tom she met long ago.

"All masters must begin somewhere."

Then he laughs.