save_the_souls | driftfleet ♪ IC Contact: Year One

...I'd much rather you understand. My feelings are fine.

[Honestly, he's heard much worse. Beverley's was more the typical stuff you heard from people ignorant of Allen's reality. Even if he didn't approve of it, it's not like it made him hurt or anything. He clears his throat]

All magic requires a source of energy, and a method of channeling the energy to make a specific form. There's many different sources, and there's many different ways to channel those energies. These differences are often sorted into different "schools" or "arts". For example, the art of Blood Magic refers to any spell that requires blood to be used as an energy source.

Necromancy is a school of magic that uses the dead either as an energy source or a channeling method. There's variations of what necromancy is considered across the many dimensions and lots of absurd folklore about it, but that part remains consistent.

And within necromancy, the spells can generally be sorted into two types. The first type is one that just uses corpses or parts of corpses. The energy for the spell will come either from the caster themselves, or from residue energy left in the body's cells. [Much like fossil fuels!] Using this type of necromancy is...controversial [And from Allen's tone, it's clear he has a good amount of disdain for it] but it doesn't necessarily require intervention unless it's harming people.

The second type is much worse. In the second type, the caster will entrap a soul and bind it - usually to an object. The soul will then give off energy from it's feelings to be used for the spell. Very rarely, the soul is there willingly, and in those rare cases the feelings being fed on are positive ones like love and affection. [Like in the case of Robin...] But most of the time, the caster set up ways to torture an unwilling soul, so they can feed on the energy given off by the soul's suffering. And to make it worse, most of these types of spells will corrode the soul over time until it's destroyed.

That type of necromancy, the type that traps and torments souls, should never exist.

Edited 2015-08-07 16:36 (UTC)

[At first, Beverly listens very intently, absorbing as much of what Allen is saying as she can. The way he's describing magic... it doesn't actually sound too dissimilar to what some aliens with psychokinesis can do or how beings like Q and Amanda and John can manipulate energy and matter.

However, as Allen goes on, the similarities start hitting too close to home. Without realizing it, she's balled her hands into tight fists and her face goes pale. Distracted by her memories, she's only vaguely aware that Allen has stopped speaking and it's a long moment before she says anything. When she finally does, it's directed more at herself than him.]

It's like Ronin...

[Ronin...he remembers that name. She had told him that story shortly after he shared about the Noah...]

There's...similarities to that, yes. Though he sounds closer to a parasitic species than outright necromancy. Possibly a demon or a spirit, depending on what types of energies he used. There's cases of those sorts of creatures requiring a host to thrive.

[He rubs the back of his neck]

It gets...very complicated very quickly, when you're dealing with so many different dimensions.

[She had been staring unfocused, but now she cuts Allen a sharp glance, though her tone remains level.]

Parasite, yes, but there was nothing supernatural about him: he was simply a person, an alien, using human fear and ignorance to his advantage, to win sympathy or to intimidate, whatever proved most useful. And he'd been doing this to the women in my family for centuries, forcing us to bond with him, until I...

[Until she killed him. She takes a deep breath and her fists unclench.]

While our terminology and philosophies may be different when it comes to these matters, if it's your job to stop people like Ronin, who am I to be dismissive or disrespectful of that?

Edited 2015-08-11 03:59 (UTC)

[He listens to her defense, not arguing about it. He was simply describing what he'd be categorize, but he did not have a strong enough opinion of it to mind if she rather think of it another way.]

...I'm sorry.

[Not that he said the terms she didn't like, but that her family had suffered that way. It sounded hellish, honestly]

But yes, thank you. I'll do my best to make sure something like that does not happen here in the fleet. [It's the least he could do as an Exorcist]

[She nods in acknowledgement of his sympathy, but she'd rather not linger on that, not now, so she doesn't say anything else in regards to Ronin.]

I know you will. I may not understand it all yet, but I do trust you.

[He decides that it's probably time to try to lighten the mood, so he'll laugh a little and say cheerful]

I'd hope you trust me! You do let me see patients!

[Beverly smiles back in relief, glad that the lingering remnants of her foot-in-mouth disease haven't caused too much damage.]

Well, of course! I couldn't ask for a better partner in here!

[Which reminds her...]

Thank you, by the way, for making me take a vacation.

[He smiles at that compliment. Ah yeah]

Oh? Have you been feeling better?

I have!

[Other than Nightingale managing to get through the augment's influence to upset her, that is. But he doesn't need to know about that. Instead, she lowers her voice, in an overly conspiratorial manner.]

I even went dancing. They have some fascinating musical styles here!

Really? That's wonderful! I know you love dancing!

Did you go with anyone?

Well normally, I actually don't like too many people knowing about that. Good side effect of the glitch, I suppose, that I'm not embarrassed now.

But yes, Daneel went with me! I don't know if you've met him yet?

There's nothing to be embarrassed about with dancing.

I don't think I've met Daneel yet. Is he a friend?

[Dryly.] You wouldn't say that if you were the one people insisted on calling "The Dancing Doctor" all through med school.

[But her smile quickly returns.]

Yes, Daneel is my friend! I met him a few months ago, when he first arrived. I'm surprised I haven't mentioned him before... I think you'd like him!

Oh no, I guess people didn't call me that...they just made walker puns out of my name. [yeah] But point taken.

Then I hope to meet him sometime! [he grins a little] Is he a good dancer?

Edited 2015-08-24 13:52 (UTC)

[Are you insinuating something here Allen???]

He's still learning... no one had ever taught him to dance before. But he's off to a good start! And my toes have so far remained uninjured, which is more than I can say for some other partners in the past.

[NOTHING AT ALL. But that gives him a little amusement]

That is a good start! I'm sure he'll be an excellent dancer when you're through.

[Liar.

...Not that she's really insulted of course.]

Maybe we'll even start up our own jazz revue. Provide a little entertainment for the fleet.

That might not be so bad! People seemed nothing but starved for entertainment here.

Maybe... to be honest, if I was going to do any sort of performance, I'd rather put on a play.

[She brightens at that thought! A play! That could be just the thing!]

Do you think people here would go for that? Being in a play I mean?

Uh-!

[He blinks in surprise]

Maybe some would! Plenty of people like to perform. [And before she even asks] - Er, not me really, though. Other...people.

Are you suuure you don't want to?

Edited 2015-08-25 20:55 (UTC)

[He gives a little exhale]

Absolutely sure.

driftfleet ♪ IC Contact: Year One

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