lostcarnival | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who: Jonathan Strange & Jimmy Novak
Where: Jimmy's trailer
When: shortly after Strange's network post
What: let's get drunk and talk about death!
Warnings: ...they're going to get drunk and talk about death.

Strange had no idea just what he had 'borrowed' from the cookhouse tasted like. It was a liquor, of some sort, and it had a high proof but honestly, he has no idea how you could make alcohol taste like whipped cream to begin with. This must be some sort of faerie thing. After all, the sweetest alcoholic beverages he's had were wine and champagne.

So, here he is, bottle in hand, as he approaches the trailer. Hopefully this would suffice for something strong, Strange really has no idea how strong or weak the alcohol actually is. It'd be poor form to open it before meeting with Jimmy, after all.

And then, for once, Strange pauses, thinks, and knocks on the door to Trailer #12. Occasionally he has moments of insight like 'don't just shove yourself into the trailer of the guy who you're trying to get information from.' He can summon up enough restraint to knock and wait.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I don't think we, the angel and I, ever had dealings with the fae. Well, before this." Accompanied by a vague handwave to encompass the Carnival at large. "Mostly it was angels, demons, and the end of the world."

"I didn't see a lot of magic done by people, but from what I picked up? Yeah. That sounds about right. Put together what a bunch of four hundred year old books say is the right stuff, hope the illustration didn't get too smudged, and cross your fingers."

Strange can't help but scowl, obviously more annoyed at Jimmy's world than Jimmy himself. Because wow is Captain Hypocrite a bit grumpy at the idea of people just trying magic for the sake of trying it, especially something as large as a summoning spell. He uses his hands as he talks, waving one in the air in a gesture of annoyance.

"That seems so irresponsible! Were those books at least respected books of magic?" He knows the answer is probably not. After all, Jimmy's world barely has magic to begin with. But someone attempting a summoning ritual without even knowing the most basic knowledge of magical theory and attempting a summoning ritual as their first spell at that...no wonder people often died, they probably didn't know how to do the damn thing in the first place!

"My first spell was to see what my enemy is doing. A small spell, yes, but that's entirely the point! You start with something relatively harmless! It's like...competing in the races after you've had one day of horseback riding. Of course you're going to fail!"

"We don't have any respected books of magic. Since it's so rare, everyone believes it doesn't exist. For almost everyone, magic exists in books, on TV and in movies. It doesn't exist in real life." Jimmy sighs, feeling a little bad about trying to explain to Strange that magic did not exist in his world at all, for the most part.

"So you don't have clearly written textbooks spelling out what you should and shouldn't do. You've got scraps and fragments that you've pieced together and you're hoping you've got it together right." He remembers vague impressions of how primitive human magic was. Effective, but so very primitive.

Yeah, Strange just looks at Jimmy like he said something completely ridiculous. His world doesn't have any respected books of magic? And people still try to summon things in the first place?! He's halfway tempted to just start name-dropping all the magicians he knows to see if Jimmy recognizes any of them, but that little sigh tells him right away that it would only end up with both of them getting aggravated in different ways.

"If I actually had my book here, I'd give you a copy to bring back to your world." Because again! No books of magic! That is bad news. Granted, Strange has recently spent most of his time performing magic without the aide of books, but that's different. He wasn't a complete novice to magic who decided that summoning angels would be a perfect first spell. "I can at least write a pamphlet for you to distribute. 'The Art of Summoning'...I think that's a good title. Of course, my expertise is with faeries, but I would imagine some of the same conditions apply."

The fact that people are just summoning angels with scraps of paper, hope and fragments, and barely any magical knowledge to begin with has apparently pissed off Strange more than he realized.

Edited 2017-03-03 00:22 (UTC)

"On the upside, since nobody thinks it's real, nobody bothers with it. Granted, it's not much of an upside, but nobody's getting themselves blown up because nobody does it." It's not much of an upside, but it's better than thinking that people are just blindly throwing magic around, right?

"You could always ask for your book? I mean, if it doesn't cost any extra." Jimmy has no idea how important it is to Strange, but the tone of it says that it's not just a book, it's a Book. "But I'm sorry my world is incredibly magically backwards?" He hadn't expected to set Strange off, really!

"I don't think the Ringmaster could summon my book even if she tried. I imagine...circumstances will prevent her from doing so." Circumstances being that, at least to Strange's knowledge, said book doesn't exist anymore, all copies vanished by his former mentor. Not that he's bitter or anything (no, he is totally bitter, and that small little frown on Strange's face as he mentions the circumstances is 100% proof of how bitter he is.)

"So no, it shall have to be a new work." Sorry Jimmy, he's just dead set on this idea of a pamphlet, taking a sip of water as he already starts planning it out. "It'll be a challenge, of course. I doubt your world has Omskirk to begin with, I'll have to fully explain my references. The poor thing will be swimming in footnotes."

"Omskirk? No... Never heard of Omskirk." Jimmy listens to Strange with the sneaking suspicion that there's going to be homework involved. It's kind of fascinating, but at the same time, he's very little idea about the finer points of what Strange is proposing.

"I'd be glad to help, if I can." Because even with the prospect of homework, it does sound pretty interesting. Even if he will probably need to get Strange to explain everything half a dozen times before he gets it.

There is straight up going to be homework involved, especially since Strange is just getting more and more into the idea of writing this pamphlet to begin with. Still, as Jimmy mentions that he's be glad to help, Strange gives the other man a wide grin. Perfect.

"Wonderful! If it's not too much trouble, could you write down whatever you remember about summoning rituals from your world? Even if it's only scraps of information, it would help in figuring out how best to address the topic."

"That's... There really isn't anything. I was dragged along behind an angel who ran with the fringe elements that actually used magic in some small way. I don't know anything, really. The angel never bothered to fill me in when I was awake, and the hunters never bothered explaining anything." Jimmy winces, feeling like there's something miscommunicated on both ends.

"I really want to help, but I think I haven't been clear about how little magic there is in my world. The only reason I even know it exists is because I've seen it. And even then it's only used by the fringe elements of the fringe elements."

Strange is still entranced by the idea of writing something, of creating something useful that...he's just straight up ignoring Jimmy's protestations that he doesn't know much magic to begin with. Sorry buddy, he's wrapped up in dreams of pamphlets.

"Well then tell me what the fringe elements do! You've still seen something even if you aren't clear what it is to begin with. Even the most muddled of information is better than none."

There's only a little condescension from his end.

"I don't know what the fringe elements do because I wasn't in control when I met them. And technically, I didn't even meet them all! I wasn't in control of what my body said, what it did, or where it went. I only remember the two hunters because the angel was practically obsessed with them." Not that Jimmy wants to bring up the Winchesters, but they're tangently related.

"It's like... At the beginning it was like trying to overhear something being said on the other side of a crowded room. By the time we were separated? On the other side of a stadium. I can't give you that information because I don't have it."

That actually gets Strange to stop for a moment, pulling him out of his dreams and slapping him back to the reality of the conversation. Is that how it really worked? Was possession that...limiting? Strange had all these ideas of an angel and a human working together, sharing the same body and sharing the same knowledge. After all, there were stories of magicians and faeries working together, why shouldn't it be the same with this? To hear that Jimmy didn't know what the angel knew and could barely experience what the angel in his body experienced to begin with was...disappointing.

So he's going to change the subject before he gets further annoyed!

"Which two hunters? And hunters of what?"

Because with all of this talk of angels and magic and summoning, Strange has a feeling that these hunters don't hunt deer or fox or whatever it is people hunted these days.

"Mostly? Anything supernatural that decides that killing people is a good idea. Shapeshifters, witches, demons... You name it, and there's a hunter that's bound and determined to take it out. They lived out their car, probably had enough arrest warrants to wallpaper your living room with, and were generally kind of sketchy all around." No, Jimmy doesn't have the best opinion of the Winchesters, but who can really blame him? A demon blood junkie and his brother who was pining over his BFF do not a good first impression make.

"So, when you get this pamphlet finished.... What then? Do I read it and see if I can get anything out of it?" Granted, Jimmy was going to read it anyway, but it's a little different if you know there's going to be a quiz at the end of it. "Because that... doesn't sound too bad." Especially if it can give him a little extra in making sure the angel stays gone after Jimmy's done. (And if Jimmy doesn't go into this with a plan, he's going to be all kinds of screwed.)

Strange can't help but wrinkle his nose at the idea of hunters. Mostly because of that whole 'killing witches' thing. He wouldn't consider himself a witch (he is a magician, thank you very much) but his understanding of witches basically boils down to 'someone who has magic' which technically counts as him. And on another note, if these hunters killed shapeshifters and demons, it's entirely possible that they'd think killing faeries would be a good idea, which knocks these hunters down a few more notches in Strange's book.

"I suppose so?" Strange responds, with a little shrug. "My experience with regards to summoning is all with faeries, so I'm sure some parts will have to be adjusted with regards to angels. But if you're looking for specific information with regards to rules of summoning in my world, simply tell me and I'll try my best to explain it."

"Summoning.... Angels?" Jimmy looks at Strange thoughtfully. It hadn't quite hit him before. ".... If you can summon angels, can you banish them?"

Because wouldn't that be useful, when you're trying to convince an angel that he needs to take his whisperings of sweet nothings elsewhere?

"Like, a particularly bothersome one that you really need to convince to go away?" Jimmy has no way to know if Strange's magic will even work on angels from his world, but he's not going into this unprepared.

"I suppose so," Strange remarks, with a little frown. "Logically, it would be taking the components of a summoning spell and just reversing it. Tying the presence of the angel to something more solid than a candle's flame so that when you remove the object from your presence, it removes the angel."

Granted, he hasn't ever done that sort of magic before, but it seem simple enough. Swap things around, take aspects of the spell and reverse it...perhaps he could take the more slightly complex spell he used to summon the king back to his palace and rework those elements for less of a chance of error. He's lost in thought for a moment before he realizes wait, Jimmy's still there, might as well actually say what he's thinking.

"Give me some time to fiddle with the requirements and I believe I might be able to come up with the basics of a banishing spell." Says the man who believes that he can do anything with regards to magic.

"That.... That would be amazing." Being able to tell the angel no, and then be able to shove him off this plane of existence for a while? Sign Jimmy up!

Jimmy starts to say 'if' then looks over at Strange and immediately changes his mind. "When you get a banishing spell worked out, is it possible you could teach me to cast it?" He's trying to avoid looking too enthusiastic at the thought of being able to do that, but with the rest of his plans, it dovetails so well.

Likewise, Strange is trying to avoid looking too enthusiastic. Because actually getting interested in magic is one thing, but wanting to learn magic? He's just straight up pumped that Jimmy wants to learn in the first place. The longer he stays at the Carnival and the longer he deals with all sorts of people, the further Strange gets in his conviction that if you want to learn magic, go ahead and do so.

"It won't happen overnight. I might need to ask the Ringmaster to bring some books about magic from my world to the Carnival. But once I iron all the details out and figure out how best to cast the spell in the first place, it should be easy enough to teach you."

Because Strange, in all his ego, is straight up assuming that he'll get the details worked out eventually. Why wouldn't he?

"Until then, I can teach you some spells I already know, if you wish."

"That would be great." Jimmy smiles. Being able to tell the angel 'no' and have enough weight behind it to banish the angel for a few minutes so he could talk some sense into himself was an amazing opportunity.

"I'd assume we'd be starting with relatively safe magic first?" Jimmy's got a sneaking suspicion that nothing is ever really safe about magic, but smaller spells would be less likely to get him exploded. Again.

"Oh, of course," Strange responds, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. Strange's idea of 'safe' might be veeeery different than other people's, but even he knows to not start Jimmy off with horrifically complex magic. "The first spell I ever cast was a spell to see what my enemy is doing. I think it would be quite useful for your situation."

After all, Castiel was obviously Jimmy's enemy--at least, in Strange's eyes it was obvious. Until he learns how to banish the angel, the least he can do is spy on him.

"After that, we can progress to scrying or a more general sort of elemental magic. Hopefully then I'll have at least the rough outlines of the spell completed."

"That sounds like an amazing opportunity. And if you're willing to teach, then I am very interested in learning whatever you want to share." Honestly, this is a huge opportunity. If he can go back with options, and buy himself more time by banishing the angel? Hell. Yes.

"I.... should probably apply for a solo trailer. I've got a roommate, but I think Joker's keeping him working on a new routine or something. I never see him. It'd probably be easier for any late night reading or practice."

"It probably would be best. I've got a roommate as well, and practicing can be a challenge." Of course, Strange's roommate is Lars and rooming with Lars can be a challenge just by itself. Teenagers, man.

"I'll also talk with the Psionic to see about getting some of the supplies needed for your education. Things like mirrors can easily be borrowed from the big top, it's the basin that might be a problem."

Or, at least, he'll get all the necessary supplies once the Celebration, vampires, inevitable rescue trip to hell nonsense is all done. Thanks, vampires.

"And of course I'm willing to teach," Strange adds in, with a small little smile. "At least in my world, it's tradition for someone who wishes to learn magic to become the pupil of a more experienced magician. I just never thought I'd actually be the more experienced magician in the first place."

"Upside of working in the kitchens? I can probably borrow something from there. It won't be pretty, but it'll probably work. Even if I start out learning scrying in a sauté pan." And that gets a laugh out of him from the absurdity of the image.

"But thank you, for agreeing to give me a shot. I have no idea if I'll be any good at it, but you never know until you try, right?" And Jimmy's got a hell of a lot of motivation to try.

It gets a laugh from Strange as well. Scrying out of a saute pan? Well, it could work, one would just look absolutely ridiculous.

But at Jimmy's statement, Strange can't help but smile, giving the other man a small nod. "I don't really care if you end up good or not: you want to learn. That's reason enough for me to try and teach you." Strange is someone who enjoys pushing the limits, taking magic as far as it can go just to see what it can do. The fact that Jimmy's got even the slightest interest endears the other man to him more than Strange realizes. He takes another sip of his water, finishing off the glass, before continuing.

"I'll write out that spell and find all the necessary ingredients before our first lesson."

'That sounds like a plan, and I'll be there, with or without saute pan." Jimmy smiles again, before a thought occurs to him. "... Is there anything I should do on my end, to get ready?"

Pop culture won't help him at all, but it never hurts to ask if there's any prep he needs to do.