There is nothing like the feeling of making sense of a complicated magical problem and then using your knowledge into something more practical. He announces the good news, and that he will be the one going, because he is sure this will be much safer if the caster is the also sending himself. Not to mention that his ability to compact himself will make it much easier to do calculations.

They pair him up with a spirit translator, and then he starts the casting process. The first stage requires him to be in his human form, but he shrinks himself as the weave of magic develops around him and his passenger. He is limbless and blind by the end of it.

Then he appears elsewhere.

But he still can sense the lack of gravity and the change in the air makes it pretty obvious and he "unfolds" back into his prefered human shape.

Merves has built something of a routine; work with Areus on languages, talk to Areus about his refugee crisis, and wheedle Areus into helping move the city- this last one has continued to prove unsuccessful, as he insists on being Good about things. It's somewhat more exciting than his daily life prior to his arrival, for which Merves is grateful, even if nothing else comes of all this. Then, after a few days pass without incident...an incident happens. A ball of cyan fabric appears above Areus during the course of an ordinary conversation, and unfolds into arms, legs, and a head, revealing a humanoid figure- and then another, appearing next to the first, at a foot and a half tall.

"Areus," says the arrival, and this doesn't make the sudden appearance less shocking; Merves barely registers it.

"Aaa!" Merves says.

"Temperance! Couldn't you give a warning?" 

"Oh, sorry. But we really couldn't." Well, it would take longer, and it's not like he wouldn't get busy eventually. "Also, hi! I am Areus' half-sibling. Sorry for the scare."

Oooh, no gravity. Did Areus mention that to their father? Temperance can see this being a problem for some refugees, which Areus would completely fail to notice because it would take him a few minutes to adjust. Temperance is not complaining, it's interesting and only a problem in the long term. And to him is not really a problem at all. He introduces himself to Areus' friend and then demonstrates the flexibility of his shapeshifting by growing tentacles and showing how dexterous they are to Merves.

And of course the answer to any question related to learning about magic is "yes". With only exceptions when it can be "later, because I can learn more magic that way".

Merves thinks shapeshifting has fascinating implications! He isn't asking about that, though. He isn't. Temperance asks him where to put a beacon, and with that minor piece of logistics resolved, they're free to talk about magic. Merves doesn't find magic nearly as interesting as Temperance does, but he can talk about the subject with some authority.

"The first place to begin with our understanding of magic is to ask, what is the difference between the body and the soul?"

"In Actana at least, the body is the physical housing of the soul, which is a bit of magic that stores' a being self. Is that different here?"

Nod.

"The body is made up of matter, but the soul is made up of belief. The parts of us that think, feel, and decide- that is the soul. The part of us that senses, reacts, and allows us to act in the world- that is the body. Magic refers to all the unnatural things that people can do when they align their body or soul with a plane besides their own. If it arises from the natural connection of the body, the soul, and the plane you are on, it isn't considered magic. Swimming is not magic, breathing water is not magic, seeing in the dark is not magic- for a triton such as myself. Those are natural abilities. Magic is anything else that a triton cannot do without aligning with somewhere else."

Temperance takes notes. "This sounds like an explanation why your world is different from ours. I mean if it's possible to have connections like that. Please, continue?"

"People can align themselves with all kinds of planes while on the prime, but the selection is more limited here. Some planes are closer to each other than others. The planes closest to Water are Steam, Salt, Ooze, and Ice, so most people here align with one of those, although the Ethereal is also an option. People who align their bodies with other planes are called fighters, and people who align their souls with other planes are called spellcasters."

"Interesting. Is it easier to align to a plane while in it?"

"In most ways, no, surprisingly, if you're a native. It's easiest to align yourself with neighboring planes, as opposed to the one you're standing in or more distant ones. Some do align with Water on Water, but it's more rare than you'd expect. Takes the right kind of way of thinking. I'm a fighter aligned with Salt, personally."

"Interesting. What are the effects of having your body aligned to Salt?"

"I hear the whispers of the recently deceased. They call to me, seeking vengeance on those that have wronged them, or restitution. I seek favors from them. I can also preserve my own body, in case I am fatally injured, so that healers can bring me back long past the time others would have moved on to their afterlife. My body is unusually resistant, and I can survive poisons and diseases that would kill a lesser triton. My screams, if I intend them to, can disable an enemy before they have a chance to strike."

Frown. "And none of that is magic?"

"All of that is magic. None of it is spellcasting. It uses only my body, not my soul."

Temperance talks with his translator, and gets a few terms down. "Is it possible to do both? Or align to multiple planes?"

"It's possible to be a fighter and a spellcaster, but it's much more difficult to align with different planes. Alignment represents your priorities, and most people don't want vastly varied, different, or contradicting things out of life. Becoming a spellcaster requires training your soul, and becoming a fighter requires training your body."

Temperance nods upon hearing that translation. "Species in Actana have elemental magic, do you expect this to affect how we align to the planes? I am a half sea-serpent and half-dragon. Which is water and magic itself."

"It may affect how your body aligns. I don't expect it to affect your soul. When the body aligns with a plane, you will sense the change immediately; detecting changes in the soul's alignment are more difficult. I can show you the exercises I learned."

Grin. "I would be very interested in that!"

"Alright. What would you need to know about a plane to decide if you want to align with it? Understand that aligning with a plane means taking on some of its qualities- in the case of the body, this is more about senses and weight and things- how it feels to be in your body."

"I like versatility over raw power. Out of those you mentioned that near Water my first hunch is assuming that Ice is the most versatile, but I don't know much about any of them. And I don't have a strong sense of what Ooze amounts to. Also, I have a freezing breath due to being a hybrid."

Nod.

"The freezing breath suggests your body already has an affinity with Ice, so it's what I would recommend. Briefly, I can summarize your options. Steam is energized, active water; it moves freely, traveling in gaseous form. Although we call it Steam, it would be just as accurate to call it mist or fog, since any gaseous part of water is part of that plane. Salt is desiccation. It is what absorbs water, leaving only dryness. Where Salt goes, no Water remains. Ice is where Water and Air meet; Ice is about a tenuous kind of solidity. It is coldness but not firmness; ice can crack or melt. Ooze is where Water and Earth meet; it is warmer than Water, and more solid. Ooze is slow, ponderous, and challenging to move through, but it is also comforting, welcoming."

"Huh... sounds like it would be something between Steam or Ice, oddly enough. I am not Ooze at all."

Nod.

"Your soul is most likely Steam. Your body may be Ice, though, given your freezing breath and your apparent identification with my description; instincts like that usually indicate your body's most favorable alignment. Shall we begin with some Ice exercises?"