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

[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.