Thirty-Seventh Hex - [Voice/Action]

[hisdarkmark]

[Hi Luceti. Today if you happen to be walking anywhere in the village, you might notice an overenthusiastic malamute attached to a leash. At the other end of said-leash is a rather disgruntled British wizard, more or less glaring at the dog as he's dragged along.

Stupid Arumat. Of course he had to disappear and shoulder him with the responsibility of yet another life. It was strange knowing that the man, the last original housemate, was officially gone. Not necessarily sad, though there was a hollow feeling he hadn't been able to shake off ever since he'd realized what had happened.

He didn't get much time to reflect on it though, seeing how the malamute has been working him. On their walk today, the dog's busy barking at pretty much everything, trying to pull Draco in all directions to sniff all the things.]

Gods, you're obnoxious, aren't you?

[He wraps the leash around his wrist to make it a tighter hold, using his free hand to make a grab for his journal while Edge is still pulling him along.]

I can't believe I'm asking this...

Dog training. What do any of you know of it? Time's a factor here, I'm half-tempted to toss him into the lake at this point.

[Later in the day, in fact, he will be at the lake. His lake. The South Lake. Edge the Malamute seems to have calmed down, but Draco's sitting up and a bit on edge. His wand's in front of him, and he seems to be concentrating.]

Expecto Patronum. [Nothing.] ...Expecto Patronum! [Still nothing. A frustrated sigh later and he's back to consulting Luceti as a whole. Though the journal's in his hands, he's hesitating for a moment. It'd be much easier if Hermione were still here, but she's not. That's a fact. She won't be returning anytime soon, so he'll have to make do with the resources he has.]

...second question for the lot of you. When do you reckon it's appropriate to give up on something?

Comments

[hisdarkmark]

[Edge is busying eating up all the attention, tongue lolling out and tail wagging rapidly. Draco, meanwhile, is just kind of watching and being grateful for the break in the walk/drag.]

He's Edge. I'm Draco. [He lifts an eyebrow at her then.] New Feather?

[anita_hero]

Am I that obvious? [Maybe more likely that everyone around here knew each other, but she was too new to be sure.

But then her brain trips backwards over the first half of his response and she looks up in surprise at the actual person in front of her, rather than at his attention-hogging dog.]

Draco Malfoy?

[hisdarkmark]

I've been here a while. I've started to pick apart who's who.

[Annd he's suddenly got a strange sense of foreboding by the way she says his name.] ...well, yes.

[anita_hero]

Wow. [She mulls this information over while thoughtfully scratching Edge's neck.] There really are all kinds of people here. In my world, there are books about you. And some movies.

[hisdarkmark]

So I've heard. [The driest of dry tones.] Seven of each, right?

[anita_hero]

[Her smile is apologetic.]

I bet you get that a lot. Sorry. ...I don't know if it makes it worse or better that I didn't actually read them.

[Her upbringing didn't have an enormous emphasis on pop culture.]

[hisdarkmark]

Better. Much better. [He seems to relax ever-so-slightly upon hearing that.] I wouldn't say I get it a lot, but enough to really start questioning the validity of the statement.

[anita_hero]

In that case, you're the first person who's made me glad I never broke down under my friends' badgering to read Harry Potter, so I guess we both come out on top.

[hisdarkmark]

Maybe you can explain something to me. Just what is it about the series that makes it so popular?

[anita_hero]

[Huh. Pondering that, she goes back to scratching Edge's ears, because he didn't seem to like it when she stopped.]

Good question. I guess because it appeals to a lot of audiences? You know, magic, action, adventure, mystery and horror and all that. And it probably helps that it started getting popular around the same time the internet did, so people from around the world could get together and talk about how great it was. That's my best guess, anyway.

[hisdarkmark]

The internet. [Edge's tail is again moving at about 100mph suddenly.] Honestly, it just sounds like you people need better hobbies.

[anita_hero]

Hey, I have plenty of better hobbies. Don't they read books where you come from?

[hisdarkmark]

We've plenty of books, but nothing you'd be interested in, I'm sure.

[anita_hero]

[Oi, what's that supposed to mean?] What makes you say that?

[hisdarkmark]

Mostly the fact that I hardly think you'd understand any of it.

[anita_hero]

...Why not?

[hisdarkmark]

Magic, first of all.

[anita_hero]

Oh. [Fair enough.] I wouldn't say that. It's probably a different kind, but I know plenty of magic.

[hisdarkmark]

Do you now. Such as?

[anita_hero]

Well, for a start, I can do this... [She lifts her hands and conjures a hex shield to her left. She holds it for a few seconds before letting her hands drop, and it disappears.] That can withstand about five kilotons of force, and, on one occasion, Supergirl.

Oh, and I can do this. [She makes eye contact with Edge, who is wagging and panting. Her eyes flash gold when she speaks:] Sit. Quiet. [And he sits, and is quiet, without fuss.] I'm told that's actually a kind of math, but you know what they say about sufficiently advanced technology.

((ooc: Apologies for hijacking your dog. Won't happen again.))

[hisdarkmark]

Huh. [It's a thoughtful sort of "huh", one that mostly means he's impressed but definitely isn't going to say so. He looks down at Edge who remains sitting quietly, then back at Anita.] And how long did it take you master that?

[ooc: oh hey no worries <3]

[anita_hero]

Which part? The hex shield I learned in a few weeks, but it took me the better part of a year to really master. The commands...I've been doing that my entire life. I was born with a piece of something called the Anti-Life Equation in my head, which is only supposed to control the minds of sentient beings, but apparently something else about me - probably my innate magic abilities - means it can work on non-sentient beings as well, as long as they can understand commands.

[She goes back to ruffling Edge's ears.]

And you can, can't you? 'Cause you're a smart boy! Yes you are!

[hisdarkmark]

[Edge just woofs and rubs his head against her hands as Draco takes in what's being said here.] Fascinating. I don't think I've heard of similar magic. [That isn't illegal, anyway.]

[anita_hero]

Like I said, it's technically science, but part magic. I can also do spells, but they take a bit of preparation.

[hisdarkmark]

What sort of spells?