Jun 29 13:28:28 109 PA - A Magic Questsion

From Chronicles

Jun 29 13:28:28 109 PA.

LEONARD'S ROOM

Lunchtime is often a good time for people to take a moment off of work, and this general rule is no different for Gabriel. Having called ahead to make sure that he wouldn't arrive at an empty apartment, he knows thrice on Leonard's door, waiting patiently with that task done.

Midday is considered more the beginning of the day, for some. Such is often the case with Leonard, though he is vertical and rather conscious. He opens the door after a brief delay to greet Gabriel, dressed casually in jeans and a simple tee. "Good afternoon, Gabriel. Please, come in."

Gabriel steps through the mundane portal, going so far as to chuckle out, "I bet you don't use this door much for yourself?" As he pulls up to a polite stop somewhere non-invasive, his breaths come easily. "Thanks for being up, I won't take much of your time, Leonard."

"Actually," Leonard chuckles and turns for the main room, "I do. For one, it's unwise to potentially lead others into your home. For another, my talents are no more efficient for short travel than, for example, using a grenade to swat a fly." He makes himself comfortable on the sofa in front of a coffee table that conveniently supports a mug of coffee. "Doors are also useful for allowing company," he adds with a smirk. Speaking of which, Gabriel may not be the sole guest as water can be heard running from the direction of the hallway or beyond.

Gabriel eyes the hallway and points beyond, though if he has any questions about it, he keeps them to himself. His arms are crossed comfortably, as he poses the questions that he did come for. "This is really a bit of a two-part, one-part question, Leonard. When Jaxain was here, he showed me some magic. Honestly, I'm still not exactly sure what it all meant, save for a few details. In this case, is it possible for you to transfer magic to other people?" An explanatory hand is held out. "Jaxain touched me and temporarily armored my body. I'm wondering if something similar could be done by you if things go bad. Or any other useful magic, of course."

Leonard reclaims his mug, takes a sip, and then nods. "Yes, there are many effects, beneficial and otherwise, that can be placed on others. Some are no more involved than simply imparting the results upon someone else, others might require more extensive preparation. While they vary, most do require the beneficiary be very near if not touched by the one invoking the magic."

Listening, Gabriel nods at the important points. "So... in my terms, it's like handing another man a piece of equipment. That makes sense. I guess this is the follow-up, then. I don't understand how mages work, what the energy is that you draw on. But my understanding is that it's finite - except that people like yourself and maybe this ambassador draw it from the 'ley lines' and nexuses." He waves shortly to the other man and his coffee. "If you could impart magic on me and others, would that just be like taking away your ammunition, or if we're in the area anyway, could you... recharge? Right on scene?" The older man laughs quietly at himself and his lack of understanding. It's just not the same reading it in the library.

"Yes, it's finite," Leonard explains, "as most all else is, but I will bring my own additional ammunition, as it were. And, yes, I could possibly draw upon the nexus, myself, assuming that it would not interrupt the Ambassador. The power there might as well be infinite, but there is a limit as to how much one can siphon or store."

"I understand. I think," Gabriel adds with a light chuckle. "Holding this position likely means that we'll be out of close or touching range. But, let's say that we could see an attack coming, and had a few minutes to prepare. Would you be able to give us - by which I mean primarily Erebos and myself - something of an edge on the line that would last long enough for us to get back *to* the line? I'm sure these are all very basic questions, but I honestly don't have the answers."

Leonard nods once more. "Basic questions, but valid, and those that relatively few ask, interestingly enough. I could provide you with additional armor, presuming that you are not squeamish, that would last for several minutes. You could also receive an enhancement far better than any juicer or cyborg, but it is short-lived and would leave you exhausted afterward."

"Exhausted over a potential twelve-hours? Probably not a good return on the reward," Gabriel offers. "Hopefully, several minutes at a time is all that we'd ever need. But, exactly how does the squeamish part come in? Something to turn my stomach while wearing environmental armor? Well... sounds like powerful stuff, but puking on your rifle's generally a bad idea. Still, it's intriguing. What would it do?"

"Do you have an aversion to any of this?" Leonard asks, followed by a statement of phrase in an incomprehensible tongue and a casual flick of his wrist. From the floor, or somewhere far beyond, numerous writhing, ooze-covered tentacles emerge to wrap themselves protectively around the man.

Gabriel gives himself a moment, but manages to answer with the truth. "I've been covered in worse. Though admittedly it wasn't something I usually asked to happen or looked forward to... ugh." Still looking at Leonard, or what there is to see of him, he can't help but ask, "How exactly does that help me? Or you? Other than the squeamish or a royal family?" The old soldier probably likely has seen just as bad, but there's no hiding that just because you've seen it, doesn't mean that you have to like it.

Leonard dismisses the writhing mass with little more than a thought. "Aside from potentially distracting those who want to kill you, they are resilient enough to absorb incoming fire that would shatter most armor, and flexible enough to not hinder."

"Oh. Well, that would be nice. Agh," he adds as a minor guttural tone. "Ever seen a snot eel?" Gabriel ask, quickly dismissing it with a wave indicating that he imagines the answer is 'no.' It's about that time that his face makes a minor twitch, and his head tilts minutely sideways with his eyes jumping to the ceiling. "That talking demon thing that you summoned before we hit the Whykin outpost. Could you do that again? Or multiple times, to reinforce the line, if things go really, really bad?"

It is now Leonard's turn to shudder. "That was ...not a demon, per se, but no." He shakes himself out of the reaction with the answer and more coffee. "If things become that dire, I doubt that our enemies will be kind enough to stop the battle for the hours it might take me to call something. There are other alternatives available on much shorter notice, but even those would require several moments of concentration."

"I didn't realize that it was time intensive," Gabriel admits. "How long is a moment?"

"The being that I brought to the outpost was summoned several days prior, then simply brought to me when needed. I could possibly do something similar," Leonard admits with a light shrug, "but there isn't much time. It's also not terribly efficient. One more target is a benefit, but I might be able to remove or hinder dozens of foes with the same investment."

"Really?" Gabriel asks, leaning forward with significant interest. "I know that all of this talk is worst-case scenario, but what would you try to pull off?" He laughs out the old adage, "Carpet bombing from a B-52 is extremely precise."

Leonard chuckles and shakes his head. "Nothing so spectacular or singular. Would it be more worthwhile to call up another body and hand them most of your weapons and ammunition, or simply focus on firing back?"

Gabriel looks a little confused at the second phrase. "Ah.. successfully defending ourselves in the best way possible?" is his best response. "I'm just looking to ensure everyone's survival. Tolkeen's diplomat, Erebos, Tek, Sithik, you and me. I couldn't care less how it happens, so whatever it is that you can add without risking other goals, I'm sure it'd be welcome."

"You needn't worry of that," Leonard's mirth distills to a smirk. "I will do all I can to ensure that the Ambassador completes her task and that we survive, not necessarily in that order of importance." "Fair enough," Gabriel says by way of conclusion. "I should be getting back to the office, I'm trying to get in some new maps of the region. Tough, with everything changing. Thanks for your time, Leo. If there's anything else you need, knowledge of materiél, just let me know." He nods his head and starts to move toward the door.

Leonard stands to see him to the door. "I won't hesitate to ask, though I do hope nothing of unknown military nature arrives that I'll need to ask you of."

"As do I," Gabriel smiles as he steps over the threshold. "Far as I know, the situation hasn't changed, and I like it that way. I'll catch you later." That said, he moves off down the hallway, to the great wide outdoors of a big city.