Video | un: Stone

[bookbrawler]

[Jacob Stone comes from a world of both smartphones and magic (and sometimes those smartphones had magic in them), so he isn't entirely unfamiliar with this. The Omni is a little awkward at first to deal with, but he's managing.

What he isn't managing, is the rattlesnake that seems intent on curling around his shoulders in a cozy fashion.]

Hi. My name is Jacob Stone, I just got here, so there's a lotta new things I ain't quite got the hang of yet.

Uh.

So.

So can y'all tell me if there's an incantation or something to get rid of--of whatever this little critter is?

[The snake looks just as grumpy as he does, for a moment, and hisses at him. He looks mildly offended at the gesture, or maybe the snake might have said something rude.]

I'm not--I don't use magic, I mean, but this thing just sort of appeared outta nowhere and now it won't go. I didn't mean to summon it! But I guess I did and now I don't know how t'make it go away.

[He's just...a little stressed. Being a Librarian whose job it is to find magical artifacts and hide them from the world and as a rule doesn't use magic because he's terrified of it is now in a world absolutely steeped in it, and he just accidentally summoned a smoky creature right out of his chest.

It's fine. He's fine?]

Comments

video; un: seeingtheworld

[schoolingfish]

Oh, don't worry about that! We all get an animal friend when we come here. I got a crab!

[He holds up Camilla.]

[bookbrawler]

[This. This is not reassuring. That looks like a very good crab friend but Jake's mouth drops open and the snake around his shoulders simply looks smug.]

That's...that's just great. Just what I always wanted.

[schoolingfish]

What's wrong? I think it's a pretty snake.

[bookbrawler]

It is a pretty snake, but just--

[He gestures in the snake's direction, and the snake looks less than impressed.]

It's magic and probably cursed or evil somehow.

[The snake knocks it's rattle at his head. Rude, Jake.]

[schoolingfish]

Why would it be cursed or evil?

[bookbrawler]

Cause it usually is. That's how magic works. You think it's all friendly and nice and that's when it gets ya.

[schoolingfish]

I've never noticed that. My crab is always friendly and nice, and she keeps me safe. And back home I didn't see a lot of magic, but...the magic I did see was okay.

[bookbrawler]

Oh.

[Whoops. Maybe he's being kind of a jerk here about it but...]

I mean, I'm not sayin' all magic is bad. It's just it usually has a price. I'm glad that your crab is nice, though.

[schoolingfish]

Oh. Camilla never came with any price. And the magic back home didn't have a price. Back home we had fish people who looked human when dry and like fish people when wet, but I'm not aware of any price with any of that.

[bookbrawler]

...you're lucky, then.

[It's not sarcastic or mean, either. It's genuine, he really means it.]

In my world it's not...like that.

[There's a beat.]

Fish people, huh? That's pretty cool. Did they have a scientific name?

[schoolingfish]

Um...not that I know of. Most people just call them sea monsters, but that's definitely not a scientific name.