star_kingdom_logs | I dream of gardens in the desert sand

Entry tags:

I dream of gardens in the desert sand

WHO:

innerflow, closed
LOCATION: Agrabah; just out in the desert.
TIME: Around noonish on Saturday, the 24th of September.
WHAT: Magus has gone to Agrabah; Mercury is there. Line-facing will ensue.
RATING: Ah, PG-13? Possible R, but I doubt it.

For a number of reasons, and not just because he wanted to find a place for himself and Schala to start a new life, Magus had been learning about the other worlds around and visiting them. And while he had found that he could teleport to other worlds, it would leave him drained for a while. As such, he had been taking such explorations at a slow pace.

His current exploration was Agrabah. He has intended to arrive in the city of the land, but he had never been there before and pinpointing his teleportation from this distance was a fool's game. Which is what landed him in the middle of the desert.

Of course, for all of his magic and all of his power, it was still draining on his power to teleport like this. It took him a moment to gather himself after arrival, which gave time for several Crimson Jazzes to appear, hopeful to pray on the dark heart of the weakened mage.

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"Hm. Then, we will go and look at the caves."

If nothing else, it would be something to pass the time until his magic came back enough for him to teleport.

"We should bring lights at the very least." What else... "Possibly some water." Of course, the water, she could provide herself; and it'd be a long way back to Agrabah just to get a flashlight somewhere.

He held out a hand, a ball of fire floating just over the palm of his gauntlet. What did he need another light source for when he could create his own?

"As to water, you can clearly create your own."

It would have been rude to simply expect of him; and she isn't sure of his specific powers anyway. Now, as long as he's willing, she nods.

"Then we can go right away."

And yet, he simply expects her to provide water. Of course, he can create ice. Ice melts.

"Yes. Lead on."

Normally, he isn't willing to follow along with someone, but she knows the way and he does not.

"It's approximately three kilometers away. It shouldn't take us long." Even allowing for the desert heat and sun, they should be able to go at a decent pace. Mercury squinted up towards the sky, shading her eyes with her hand. "This way."

He didn't quite know how long a kilometre was, but from what she said, it didn't seem as though it was very far. He followed her, shaded from the son within the folds of his cloak.

Occasionally, he muttered under his breath and frost crystals appeared in the sky around them. Either he was intentionally working to keep them both cool, or Mercury is just getting an effect from a large area effect spell.

"I could learn a lot from you." The words came out without thinking, but she wouldn't have taken them back anyway. Seeing him using his frost abilities that way made her resolve to experiment with her own powers, to think of new ways to use them.

"Yes, you could."

It wasn't just arrogance. He was nearly twice her age and had been studying magic, with little thought beyond saving Schala since he was eight. Although he hadn't really focused on ice magic. His focus had been shadow magic, the combination of lightning, fire, and ice.

Arrogant or not, she had to suppress an urge to laugh at the words the way she might laugh at Usagi's antics, slightly embarrassed.

She'd already seen some of his capabilities, though. "I'm glad for the opportunity," she said simply. "The caves should just be a few more minutes - you can almost see them on the horizon now."

He looked ahead and yes, he could see them on the horizon. He supposed they seemed the same as any caves one might find in a desert, but how many deserts had he been to?

They'd be cooler, at least, presumably; away from the beating sun, and insulated from the heat. Mercury quickened her pace slightly. "We'll make sure it's sturdy first, and then-" She stopped abruptly.

"It's enormous!" The view she'd had earlier hadn't prepared her for the close-up. "And doesn't it look a little... sculpted?" Like a giant, gaping maw and a yawning throat.

He looks up at the entrance to the cave. It was certainly not natural.

"There is much magic here." He could feel it. It was in the sands, in the cave, in the sculpture. He pulled his cloak around himself, as though to shield himself from it.

"The entrance is rather feline looking."

"Do you think it should be safe? A shape like this seems like it must be man-made," and thus imply it was intended to be explored; "however, we can't even be sure how long it's been here, or how much it might have eroded in that time."

Though looking at it, it looked remarkably fresh for something out in the desert. She stepped closer, but did not cross the threshold. Instead, she conjured a small ball of ice, and threw it inside the cave.

It tripped no traps.

"Yes, I would think it is man-made. There is only one way to know if it is safe."

He watched the ball of ice go. When it tripped no traps, he floated up and landed on the lip of the cat's mouth. Somehow, the wind seemed to only be so strong around him, and his cape whipped out behind him.

Seeing no immediate danger, he settled a bit more firmly, the wind dying down.

"It appears safe enough. Although, I'm sure there are Heartless in here, somewhere."

"If there are Heartless, forcing them out of this cave might push them towards the town," Mercury worried. "We'll have to be careful of that." A way to confine them, maybe? That would be better, to her mind.

She eyed the opening almost nervously. "It isn't very inviting." Nonetheless, they'd chosen this route. And she was certainly curious. This cave seemed likely to be man-made; what might its maker have left inside?

"Then we force them to the back." It would leave the Heartless cowering deeper inside and might send more of them out at them, but it was a solution. And really, he could handle it.

"Did you expect it to be?"

"I didn't know what to expect." Some caves were, after all, very beautiful and attractive rather than the slightly ominous feel of this one.

"Let's go inside."

He nodded and started down the steps, leading into the feline's mouth. It was quiet and dim. He held out a hand and a fire ball hovered just above his gauntlet, giving them enough light to see by.

The stairs ended by a deep crevice. Magus looked over the side and dropped the fireball. It fell for a long while before going out with a distant hiss. There was water down there.

He lit a new one. "Hm."

"Shall we look for another route down?" That drop was somewhat disconcerting, but there might be a side tunnel or passage leading there at a more manageable rate, or at least an easier climb.

"That will take time." He is a grumpy mage.

He steps back and touches one hand to his forehead, mumbling under his breath. When he holds his hand out, a large block of ice appears and it drops into the water. Then he drops the fireball he's holding.

"It is not far. I can teleport."

The words come a little grudgingly. He doesn't really feel like teleporting them both, but it is more efficient than searching for another path.

"I'd appreciate that," Mercury admitted without an outward trace of embarrassment at her own weakness. Of course, she couldn't help comparing herself to him, and finding herself coming up short.

'I'd appreciate that.' Meaning she cannot teleport. Meaning he will have to.

"Very well," he said, gathering up his cloak. "Come."

She was suddenly very sorry she was relying on him so much, asking so much of him. But she approached at his word; they'd come this far together and it would be worse to try to excuse herself now.

And perhaps, maybe, there'd be something she could still do, in the caverns.

He folded his cape over the two of them. The wind whipped around them and there was a sudden sharp pulling...

...and then they were standing on the ice block. He lit another ball of fire and stepped away from her. There was no telling how deep the water was; he could see no bottom. There was, however, a tunnel not far off to the side and it was high enough that there was a bit of ground before it.

"There," he said with a nod.

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