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Cam is out flying. There's a decent cloud of atmosphere around the gold plane, now, millenia of demons making air around themselves for comfort and not sealing it up because why would you bother. There's a small forest, here - the effect is kind of ruined by the lamps it has to grow under, but it's still pretty.
He feels an open summons and lets it grab him -
from_scratch
"This is useless," Emma mutters to Jenny. "We are devoting an entire class day to things that we explicitly know magic can't do."
"Relax, wouldja?" Jenny replies cheerfully, poking Emma in the side before she returns to the drawing in front of her. "We get to draw circles on the floor for a day, instead of memorizing yet another type of magipathy, or whatever. Here, you know languages, write something fancy on the outside."
Emma sighs (wasn't Jenny the one who wanted to take this class in the first place?) but does as Jenny says, scribbling on the border of the circle in Latin. After she exhausts her Latin vocabulary, she writes the remainder in Spanish. She contemplates the circle for a minute, then adds a few random Chinese characters into the empty spaces. (In for a penny, after all.)
"It looks so niiiice," Jenny beams. "Here, you finish the loops, I wanna show Professor Reed." And off she trots to fetch the professor from the other side of the lecture hall.
Emma rolls her eyes fondly and finishes the looping curlicues Jenny had begun. Show Professor Reed what? Everyone knows summoning circles don't work.
"Relax, wouldja?" Jenny replies cheerfully, poking Emma in the side before she returns to the drawing in front of her. "We get to draw circles on the floor for a day, instead of memorizing yet another type of magipathy, or whatever. Here, you know languages, write something fancy on the outside."
Emma sighs (wasn't Jenny the one who wanted to take this class in the first place?) but does as Jenny says, scribbling on the border of the circle in Latin. After she exhausts her Latin vocabulary, she writes the remainder in Spanish. She contemplates the circle for a minute, then adds a few random Chinese characters into the empty spaces. (In for a penny, after all.)
"It looks so niiiice," Jenny beams. "Here, you finish the loops, I wanna show Professor Reed." And off she trots to fetch the professor from the other side of the lecture hall.
Emma rolls her eyes fondly and finishes the looping curlicues Jenny had begun. Show Professor Reed what? Everyone knows summoning circles don't work.
from_scratch
Cam glances around. This is more crowded than most demon-summonings. Also, this is a terrible circle. That's what, three different languages in the circle? She's letting him talk but he doesn't even know which one to start with. Maybe she'll talk first.
Emma- stares. Then sighs. "Jennyyyyyy. Did this really need an illusion? It already has three languages!"
"It wasn't me! I'm not that good at illusions, geez, that's an entire person." Jenny comes over to admire the shirtless boy. "Cute though!"
"It wasn't me! I'm not that good at illusions, geez, that's an entire person." Jenny comes over to admire the shirtless boy. "Cute though!"
from_scratch
Okay, English, that's good to know.
"I'm not an illusion of any kind, what are you talking about?"
"I'm not an illusion of any kind, what are you talking about?"
"This does not appear to be an illusion at all," Professor Reed says from behind Emma. "And if it were it would certainly be beyond the scope of Introduction to Magical Engineering. I have, in fact, no idea what this. Ms. Miller, what exactly did you do?"
Emma had not heard the professor come up behind her, and starts away at the sound of her voice. "I don't know! I don't- I didn't- I just- you just said to draw something! It's not supposed to work this is the day of magic not working."
Behind her her classmates are starting to gather around curiously. Professor Reed does not often admit to confusion. Murmurs start to rise: "What happened?" "What'd they do?" "Lookit those wicked wings! "
Behind her her classmates are starting to gather around curiously. Professor Reed does not often admit to confusion. Murmurs start to rise: "What happened?" "What'd they do?" "Lookit those wicked wings! "
from_scratch
"Introduction to magical what?" says Cam. "What did I land in? This is the worst summoning circle I've ever seen." He shifts his wings a little when someone comments on them.
"Introduction to Magical Engineering", Jenny says helpfully, then looks down at the circle. "I thought it was pretty," she says wistfully. "You didn't have to be mean about it."
Emma looks at Jenny incredulously- the aesthetic qualities of the curlicues are the concern here?- and then turns back to the circle. She takes a nervous step back, but as long as she doesn't know what's going on, she decides she might as well answer the question. "Um. It's just class. College. We're freshmen?" She gestures around her to the crowd. A few wave.
from_scratch
"It's very pretty, if linguistically bizarre, it just isn't very good. I mean, obviously it worked but it's missing all your standard precautions and you're lucky you didn't get somebody mean. What kind of place is having freshmen summon demons in unverified circles, what did I miss?"
"They are lucky to have gotten anything," Professor Reed says dryly. "One might even call it something of a miracle." She walks around Emma to stare contemplatively at the circle on the floor, then returns her attention to its occupant. "And I assure you, I do not normally have freshmen summon- demons?"
The murmuring has picked up at the word 'demons'. A couple students have pulled out crosses and are holding them nervously. The noise ceases at a look from the professor, but the crowd is now much more obviously nervous and the crosses have not been put away away.
"Why don't we start with you," Professor Reed says finally. "Ideally with the part where you are apparently a literal demon, as those are- supposedly- as mythical as working summoning circles."
"But Professor Reed, demons are-" one girl starts, sounding mildly panicked and clinging to her cross for dear life.
"Ivy, we have no idea what is happening. Remember, never assume things about magic." She eyes the circle. "Especially right now."
The murmuring has picked up at the word 'demons'. A couple students have pulled out crosses and are holding them nervously. The noise ceases at a look from the professor, but the crowd is now much more obviously nervous and the crosses have not been put away away.
"Why don't we start with you," Professor Reed says finally. "Ideally with the part where you are apparently a literal demon, as those are- supposedly- as mythical as working summoning circles."
"But Professor Reed, demons are-" one girl starts, sounding mildly panicked and clinging to her cross for dear life.
"Ivy, we have no idea what is happening. Remember, never assume things about magic." She eyes the circle. "Especially right now."
from_scratch
Cam blinks.
"Sorry, what year is this? Last I checked summons and demons and so on were common knowledge as of a century and a half ago, and you said this was a magic class, you don't need an entire university-level class to teach non-summoning parlor tricks."
"Sorry, what year is this? Last I checked summons and demons and so on were common knowledge as of a century and a half ago, and you said this was a magic class, you don't need an entire university-level class to teach non-summoning parlor tricks."
"It's 2007," Emma supplies. "Isn't it for you...?" She is still eyeing him, but now with more trepidation. "Pretty boy" and "demon" do not appear to be coexisting well.
Emma lets out a quiet laugh at 'parlor tricks'. "You sound like my parents. 'Parlor tricks', heh." She looks at Professor Reed, who has stiffened up in outrage. "Bet you get the whole speech now."
"Magic is not parlor tricks," Professor Reed splutters indignantly. "It is as valid as any other scientific field, with the history and research to back it! Our master's program in telekinetic algorithms is one of the most respected in the country! And our psychiatric empathy certification-"
She manages to pull herself back together, and straightens. "I apologize. You were saying something about demons and summoning circles..." she prompts.
"And where you got those wings!" a boy in the back yells, to giggles.
She manages to pull herself back together, and straightens. "I apologize. You were saying something about demons and summoning circles..." she prompts.
"And where you got those wings!" a boy in the back yells, to giggles.
from_scratch
"I made the wings," sighs Cam. "And the tail. They're very fashionable. And where I'm from, it's 2159, so you've managed to pull me either back in time or to an alternate universe with your incompetent circle, and given that little spiel about magic I'm guessing alternate universe."
She knows it is totally unreasonable, but this annoys Emma anyway. "Hey!" she objects. "As far as we knew, summoning circles are, are, legends and fairy tales! By our standards we were miraculously competent."
And then the rest of his speech sinks in. "Alternate universe?! So..." she looks down, and shrinks in on herself, "...can you get home? I don't- it's not- I don't know how to undo this."
And then the rest of his speech sinks in. "Alternate universe?! So..." she looks down, and shrinks in on herself, "...can you get home? I don't- it's not- I don't know how to undo this."
from_scratch
"Were you the person who made the last mark in the circle?" Cam asks. "It felt like a normal summon from my end, so I doubt every rule of the magic I'm accustomed to is suspended, which means you can probably send me home the usual way."
About to reply in the affirmative, Emma changes her mind at the last minute. "...What are the rules of magic where you're from? What's the 'usual way'?"
Best to know what's she getting into by replying.
...What if she has to give up her soul? Or go back to Hell with him? He's a demon! She doesn't know how this works.
Someone in the back of the class calls out an extremely inappropriate suggestion. Emma turns bright, bright red. For lack of a response (that she could make in front of a professor), she ignores them entirely.
Best to know what's she getting into by replying.
...What if she has to give up her soul? Or go back to Hell with him? He's a demon! She doesn't know how this works.
Someone in the back of the class calls out an extremely inappropriate suggestion. Emma turns bright, bright red. For lack of a response (that she could make in front of a professor), she ignores them entirely.
from_scratch
"Usually, you summon a daeva of any of three kinds of which demons are one, and we're stuck in the circle till you get rid of us or we agree on a task and a payment. The lewd remark was presumably facetious but it's not unheard of, but relax, it's not my speed. But you didn't make this circle very well, so I can do whatever I want whether I do you a task or not. If I tell you how to get rid of me when are you planning on doing it, may I ask?"
"Uh." Emma shrugs helplessly. "It's not like I planned to summon you! You're mythical!" Pause. "Kind of. So, um, whenever you want I guess...? Do you need to be somewhere?"
"I am aware that was you, Mr. Parker," Professor Reed says without turning around. "I will be expecting you after class."
She turns back to Emma and the circle. "If you plan to stay for any length of time, Mr- I didn't catch your name?- I would appreciate a little more detail on what, exactly, demons do. Cultural bias, you might say." She is carefully not looking at the students with their crosses out. "And how you were planning to do things like eat."
She turns back to Emma and the circle. "If you plan to stay for any length of time, Mr- I didn't catch your name?- I would appreciate a little more detail on what, exactly, demons do. Cultural bias, you might say." She is carefully not looking at the students with their crosses out. "And how you were planning to do things like eat."
from_scratch
"My name's Cam. I can stick around a while, nothing pressing to do at home, but I would object to staying for more than eight years because that's when we get a concordance with Limbo and I want to interact with the postal system. ...I'm assuming here based on the fact that you speak recognizable English that your years are like Earth years back home. What demons do depends on the demon; what makes us demons is the ability to use demon magic, which is - making things." He conjures an ice cream cone. "Including things like food, so you don't need to worry about that." He licks his ice cream cone.
"How did you do that?" Jenny asks in fascination. "Magic can't just- make things." She shakes her head and laughs. "Or summon demons I guess! Whatever."
And then, after a second, "-can you make those in chocolate?"
And then, after a second, "-can you make those in chocolate?"
"Jenny," Emma says, torn between laughter and exasperation, "how is your concern here chocolate ice cream?"