fandomhigh | The Magic of Plants, Wednesday, Per 3

It felt good to be back on the island again and in front of a class. Even though it seemed like she only came to the island these days when everything was exploding, Karla still missed Fandom and all of its whimsical madness. Though since she did have a class to teach, she should probably get on that, rather than reminiscing about the times she'd had class in this very room and the state of her old locker.

"Hello, class, and welcome to the Magic of Plants," she said, giving her class an easy smile. "Which, depending on where you're from, might have a disappointing ratio of magic to plants. This isn't some introduction to witchcraft--that's not how my Craft works--we are going to learn to unlock a lot of the uses of some common plants you might come across in your day to day life. You likely already know that plants are integral to our survival as a species; they feed us, clothe us, shelter us, provide us the bases for a great many medications and remedies. Also, tea, coffee, and chocolate all come from plants and without those necessities, we'd have to have serious conversations about how much of life is actually worth living."

Because coffee. Life-giving, precious coffee.

"But since you've all been on the island for at least a semester, then you know what the first week is for. So, introductions! Name, class, why you took this course, and then an old favorite ice breaker of mine--two truths and a lie. Tell the class two truths about yourself and one lie and we'll all guess which one is a lie. And then once that's done, we're going to use plants to make papyrus sheets like your Ancient...Sumerians did? No, that doesn't sound right, hold on." Karla looked at her phone to double check. "Ah! Ancient Egyptians! Right, like the Ancient Egyptians did."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I'm Khadgar, I'm a junior, and I love learning about practical uses for things," he said. "As for the rest, I'm a mage, I've been here since the beginning of the summer, and I'm kind of addicted to the Perk."

"Playing it low-key," Tip said. "Nice. Okay, I'm going to go with the beginning of the beginning of the summer thing. Maybe you've been here . . . longer?"

She didn't really know the guy, though. Hence the question mark at the end of her guess.

"You're right, I've been here for about a year," Khadgar said, "which is long enough to start to understand how this place works, and a short enough time that some weekends still throw me off."

This one Summer felt pretty confident about. "Khadgar sounds totally like a mage name," she said, "and the Perk is freaking awesome, and you weren't on the shuttle bus when I arrived at the beginning of the summer, so that's the lie."

But as soon as she said it, she had her doubts. Maybe not everyone took the shuttle bus?

"Right?"

"Yes, I got here last summer. Also, I'm glad I'm not the only one who appreciates the Perk," Khadgar said. "We don't have anything like that at home."

"Hello Khadgar," Karla greeted with a smile. "I know the answer to this one, so I'll let others guess first." She'd been on the island before and recognized his name. "So while we're waiting for that, can you share how your magic works?"

"I can certainly try. That's not a question I get asked often, to be honest," Khadgar said, but he looked excited about it. "Magic is a learned skill where I'm from. Most people could probably cast a small spell if they memorized the words of the spell and learned how to use the energy they have inside themselves. But, not everyone can do that as naturally as others. Being skilled in magic is partly an innate skill, and equally as much about how hard one has studied."

"Not terribly far from Craft then," Karla said. "That is, only members of the Blood can access the energy within themselves to use Craft, and our Jewels--" she tapped the Ebon-gray gem around her neck "--lets us create reservoirs of power. The darker the Jewel, the deeper the reservoir. Though we don't need specific words or spells to use it."

"That would be helpful. If a mate gets silenced, we're pretty helpless," Khadgar said. "And if you use a spell incorrectly, things could get very complicated. Your method seems safer."

Karla smiled a bit. "You should probably hear the story of how my best friend and I blew up a kitchen before you say that," she advised.

The Magic of Plants, Wednesday, Per 3

Re: Introductions

Re: Introductions

Re: Introductions

Re: Introductions

Re: Introductions

Re: Introductions

Re: Introductions

Re: Introductions

Re: Introductions

Re: Introductions