What happens in the library stays in the library. Unless it's demons

[freedom_is_grey]

Ysalwen is seated at a table in the library, tomes and scrolls spread out before her. There's also the remains of at least two plates of sandwiches next to her elbow, and two empty glasses of water. There is one half-empty glass, too.

Liranan, seated at her side, seems to be watching that half-empty glass as if his life depends on it.

Time continues to pass.

Comments

[yinyangwizard]

"I cannot speak to that generally," Seimei says, "but as far as Shinto is concerned, it's a cultural practice in the sense that one does it because one is Japanese, and can't imagine not doing it."

There really isn't a better way of explaining it than that.

"There are certain things that a Shinto priest or shrine maiden might do that, say, a Christian would label as 'magic' if they had not been previously informed that Shinto was a religion. Or if they were a particularly obnoxious sort of Christian, they might call it magic anyway."

[freedom_is_grey]

"Can't anything be both?"

It's a --

Well.

One day it might be a useful question to ask back home, as well. Later.

[yinyangwizard]

"Yes! And that's exactly what I mean!" Seimei's emphatic agreement is accompanied by a similarly emphatic gesture. "But many people no longer see it that way. If one asks a deity to do something - say, heal the sick, or bring the rain - and leaves it in their hands, it's religion. But if one uses one's own spiritual powers to do the same things, with or without the aid of gods, it's magic, and somehow a lesser thing."

Seimei's not even going to get into the issue of how many people in his world simply don't believe in magic anymore. That's a more recent development.

"They may make some allowances if such magic is done by a cleric, and involves powers and rites recognized by their own religion. But otherwise, it's magic. Or, well, heresy. Sometimes the two are used interchangeably."

[freedom_is_grey]

"Because magic is randomly bestowed and religious powers come from gods that ostensibly love them?"

She's guessing.

[yinyangwizard]

"It's more that religious institutions don't want the competition, but the uneven distribution of magical talent is certainly part of it. Although it is not actually random: it's an inherited capacity sometimes triggered by environmental..." Seimei stops short and blinks, as if trying to clear the cobwebs. "Wait. Do you have a general understanding of genetics, or dominant and recessive traits?"

If Ysalwen knows about those things, good. If not, she is probably very confused right now.

[freedom_is_grey]

"I'd say very general, but yes. It -- doesn't always have much to do with my world and magic there, but -- so it goes."

Elven traits never randomly reappear in the population, for instance.

[yinyangwizard]

Seimei nods. "All right. So in your world, magical talent may be random. In my world, it does come up spontaneously from time to time, but often it is inherited, usually through the mother's line. We are not sure, yet, which combination of genes bestows magical talent. Or if genes are even involved at all."

While Seimei is inclined to believe that they aren't, he wouldn't bet money on it.

"Sometimes the talent manifests on its own, usually at an early age. Most of the time, some kind of environmental trigger is required."

[freedom_is_grey]

"Huh. Changing seasons, or some kind of emotional stress?"

What? It's a reasonable question.

[yinyangwizard]

Given the potential meanings of "environmental trigger," it is a perfectly reasonable question.

"If by 'emotional stress' you mean 'intense trauma' or 'near-death experience,' then yes," Seimei says. "There are other ways. Sometimes an experience with psychotropic drugs will do the trick. Sometimes a religious or spiritual epiphany - which is how my tradition prefers to awaken magical talent."

[freedom_is_grey]

She raises an eyebrow.

"Drugs? I've heard of people using them to try to suppress magic, but not -- make it show up."

Huh.

[yinyangwizard]

"It depends on the drug," Seimei says. "Sedatives or anesthetics will suppress magical abilities. Well, usually. There are a few unusual cases...well, anyway, there are certain drugs that can bring out or enhance magical talents. Certain traditions use them in controlled settings to do just that. Or to facilitate entry into the spirit world."

[freedom_is_grey]

She snorts at this last point.

"Now that I'm familiar with."

Lyrium is so helpful.

[yinyangwizard]

Seimei blinks. "Oh. You said your spirit world was also the world of dreams, so I was under the impression that you could get there by...well, dreaming."

Evidently not.

[freedom_is_grey]

"That, too. But getting there purposefully when one is not a Somniari -- that's a different story altogether."

[yinyangwizard]

Seimei takes a few moments to parse this. "So a Somniari is a specialist in this sort of thing? They can enter the spirit world fully lucid, under their own power?"

[freedom_is_grey]

"So history says. I've never met one. No one I know has, either. But that's -- how a great many things began, a long time ago. And I suppose how they continued until -- until they didn't anymore."

Her mouth twists at one corner.

"So far as we know, Somniari are born, not made."

[yinyangwizard]

"Ah. Perhaps the ability to dream with full awareness is not something a person can learn to do in your world, as they can in mine."

You don't even need to be a mage to do it, but it helps.

"That seems rather unfortunate, somehow."

[freedom_is_grey]

She frowns, just a little, eyes growing brighter with a different sort of curiosity.

"How do you learn that? In your world, I mean."

Even if it's not directly applicable, for some reason, every little bit helps.

[yinyangwizard]

"There's a sort of meditative exercise one can use to train the mind for lucid dreaming," Seimei says. "It takes a few weeks. I can, if you like, write down the titles of some books that explain the technique."

As far as Seimei's concerned, anything that helps someone do magic without mind-altering substances is a definite positive.

[freedom_is_grey]

"Could you?"

She tries not to sound as excited as a five year old, and maybe kind of succeeds.

"I'd -- I'd like to try it. If it works at all, in any way -- that would be. Um. Helpful."

[yinyangwizard]

"I would be glad to." Seimei takes Ysalwen's pen and a blank piece of paper to write down a few titles and authors.

"So I am curious," he says, as he finishes writing, "Does my tale of past misadventures accord with what you've learned in your researches? Other than the bits where I pointed out the inaccuracies in" - he closes the children's book, so he can read the illustrator's name on the cover - "Mihara-san's visual storytelling?"

[freedom_is_grey]

"You had a lot more detail in your recounting," she says, taking the paper and tucking it into her belt pouch.

"Thank you for that, by the way. And the list."

Her smile is quick and crooked.

"There were a lot of blank spaces, or very -- theatrical yet inexact language when it came to describing what happened in the tales I found. Though -- I did find a journal that was -- more descriptive. I wasn't sure if it was real or the fictional kind, though."

[yinyangwizard]

"It could be either. Historical fiction is one of my people's favorite pastimes."

For a given value of "historical."

"Whose journal was it?"

[freedom_is_grey]

"Hmm. Hold on a second."

She flips through her notes, not that one, not that one -- ah. Here.

"Minamoto no Hiromasa?"

[yinyangwizard]

Seimei's face turns stony in an instant. He very deliberately looks away from the table. "Did it say it was written by someone else, or...no, there's a better way. What was his younger sister's name?"

In the Heian era, the proper names of women were rarely if ever committed to paper. Her name would be unlikely to appear anywhere else.