Tahi's eyes lit up. "If our methods are so similar, d'you think that means I might be a Seer, too?" The prospect excited him. He wanted to learn that, too! It was intriguing, and could seriously help alleviate some of his grief about the world considering he was a believer in determinism. One should always follow the path that Fate has laid out for them.

His ear flicked and he laughed a little at her question. "It fluctuates, but meditating does usually help it out. But you know how magic is -- every once in a while, we get happy accidents. I was also showing off a little bit."

At the prospect of learning more magic, he nodded. Giggle was the best. Generous enough to teach him all of this, and all it took was a couple of promises that he wouldn't hurt anyone and that he would make sure to come back.


@giggle

"You could be!" she responded, in an encouraging tone. "I think all magic works that way, but if you wanted to, you could try and see where it leads you."

"Now, I mentioned hallucinations. As self-defense. That's what I'll show you; it can be unpleasant, but if you know what's coming, if you keep your head and remember it's all fake, it'll be okay. But it's important to understand how it works--how potent it is. With these mushrooms here," she added, again nudging the brown-capped, pale-stalked ones. "Right, you ready-? Brace yourself. And let's hope this actually works," she added, with a short, braying laugh.

The hyena focused, a surge of magicka from her to the mushrooms: the spores wafted out, almost breeze-like, for Tahi-shei. "Now, remember: whatever you see, whatever you hear, it's fake. It'll go away in a few moments," she repeated, her voice calm and reassuring.

She had no control over what he'd hallucinate--but perhaps that was for the best. Some of the shit that Giggle had seen was pretty damn nightmarish.

rain stock: D Sharon Pruitt wiki commons; hyena Benjamin Hollis on flickr

@Tahi-shei

Tahi-shei perked up at the notion. Being a Seer sounded... interesting. Maybe he'd have to learn that from Giggle! Or, at the very least, get her advice on how to start the process of Seeing. He followed her gesture to the cluster of mushrooms -- they looked rather like his whitecaps, but then she was explaining that they'd allow her to show off the hallucinations. He hesitated, but Tahi-shei trusted her. She wouldn't let him get hurt. He nodded, and let his eyes follow the puff of spores. Tahi didn't resist breathing them in.

It took a moment, for everything to set in, and it began with a low and crooning laugh. His head jerked up, bewildered and confused but-- it's not real, he reminded himself. He looked nervously around, trying to focus on Giggle -- but she started to... melt. He felt a little nauseous, blinking hard. "Not real," he said, out loud this time, to remind him. He swore she rasped his name, desperate, bleeding, decaying-- and from somewhere behind him, a low and purring sort of voice murmured, "You did well."

He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, forcing himself to breathe evenly. In for four counts -- hold for seven -- out for eight. "It's... not real," he insisted to himself, mumbling this time, but the whoosh of fabric behind him and the acrid sting of smoke and the clawed hand laid threateningly on his shoulder with the pinprick talons against his throat and the low, purring laugh--

Tahi-shei turned his head behind him, violently. A shadowy sort of figure was there, red pinpricks for eyes, and he narrowed his eyes, heart beating out of his chest. "Not. Real."

And with that, the illusion vanished.



@giggle

She studied him carefully, to ensure he didn't lose control--but if he did, what could she do? It was a rather embarrassing thing to have to ask herself that question retroactively. Would the mind-influencing fungus work to counteract it-? Would the spores perhaps interact in dangerous ways?

I'll have to test that later, she decided wryly--and on lessers, first.

Luckily, Tahi-shei retained her explanation clearly: his quiet repetition of "it's not real" had her nodding along, mouthing the words, even reassuring him aloud on the second one. "It's not real," she agreed, quietly--and if he saw her slightly elsewhere, perhaps her voice was disembodied.

When it seemed he came out of it, she waited--she knew sometimes it would linger for a few moments--and then spoke. "Are you all right?" she asked, first, ears cupping toward him; and then, "Maybe you can meditate on learning that one, eh? I think it's useful for defending. If you've managed to confuse your attacker about what's real and what's not, sometimes you can leave them fighting midair--even running away!"

There were other things she could use, for that--harsher things, more intrusive things--but they were not of the Fungus; and that was not what Tahi-shei wanted to learn.

rain stock: D Sharon Pruitt wiki commons; hyena Benjamin Hollis on flickr

@Tahi-shei

Tahi-shei's breath caught in his throat as the illusions melted away, and there was Giggle again -- whole this time, not Oily, and certainly not paying the price for his own sins. Still, Tahi was shaky, and had a storm rolling in his stomach. She asked if he was okay, and his ears laid back. "I will be," he said, voice breaking a bit. The deer drew in a deep breath through his nose and breathed out again. "I just, uh, didn't expect that to be so..." He shuddered. Tahi cleared his throat.

"Yeah, meditating on it feels like a good plan." He shifted a little awkwardly before starting to get to his feet. "Uh... hey. Thank you for, everything. I, uh-- I should probably go rest, though. Think a little, mediate some, see what I can figure out and then come back in a couple days?" he offered. Tahi-shei felt too unsteady to do much more magic today; he really just needed to rest.


@giggle

"No, no, not at all." Giggle observed Tahi-shei for a moment; he did seem clear of the spores. "I'll excuse you for now, apprentice," she added, with a playful grin.

"Come back in a few days, in a week, whatever. In the meantime, practice what I've given you but do it carefully. This shit can backfire, and easily, too, so be sure you're in a safe place-... nothing sharp, no steep drops, no fast water. Practice on Lessers, if you want; I do that before eating sometimes, but I never torment 'em or anything. You have the edge where you can just let 'em go." Giggle didn't like having to kill, but it was a fact of life. "Practice trying to find the fungus by sense, too. It'll come in handy. Then there's other things I can teach you--once these defenses, and the basics, are... Once you're used to them," she finished, with a nod.

She briefly eyed the deer up and down. Tired, unsteady. "Be careful on the way back. How far away are you going to rest-? If you're not up for travel you could always use my den for today," she offered; she'd hate to see the kid get ambushed, exhausted and distracted by the hallucinations, halfway home.

rain stock: D Sharon Pruitt wiki commons; hyena Benjamin Hollis on flickr

@Tahi-shei

Tahi paused, confused for a moment, until she finished her statement and called him apprentice. He liked the way that sounded. He nodded in affirmative to Giggle's advice -- practice carefully, potentially on Lessers. The thought made his stomach turn, just a little bit, but he understood that it was kinder than trying to practice on real Gembound. He considered, briefly, methods of practice -- Lessers in Polaris could be tricky to track down without attracting Golems or otherwise being too near to them, although the tunnels had lots of Runners he could experiment on. He was similar enough in size and shape that they tended to regard him as another Runner until he did something suspicious.

At Giggle's question, his ears pricked up. "Oh, just to Orion. I don't think it's possible to get lost in the weird tunnel. Thanks for the uh, offer, but." He paused, glancing warily towards the area where he'd first met with the Collector. "I think I'll be okay."

Tahi-shei dipped his head again, gathering himself up a bit and casting a last glance towards Giggle. "Thank you so much, Giggle. I'll be back once I've figured out some of what you've shown me! Maybe not all of it, but definitely at least a few things." Then, he started on his way.


/exit tahi-shei unless stopped
@giggle (visibility)

"Ahh, that's not too far, then. Be safe," she added.

When he'd left, she wondered if she should've perhaps Spored him; with a grimace she sent out her mind, tentatively.

Sister-daughter. Omen. Would you make sure he makes it home all right? She could feel her familiar lifting off, wheeling; considering. It meant going past the Hole, but then again, Omen seemed to have little problem with void.

I will go, came the thought, after a moment--not in words, but a sort of affirmative agreement, an acknowledgment. Giggle sent her her gratitude, and it was genuine; and then she settled down to watch, to ensure that the young deer got where he was going safely.

If Tahi-shei were very aware, he might notice the crow-like bird some distance behind, now and then--at least until he got home--its single red eye observing from afar; but it didn't intervene, and it didn't call out. It only escorted--and then left for home.

rain stock: D Sharon Pruitt wiki commons; hyena Benjamin Hollis on flickr

exit Giggle
(likewise @Tahi-shei for visibility)