Darkness That Never Was

"Uhm...Who are you?" ((AU Schezo blog based on Madou Monogatari ARS, sideblog of darkwizardschezo.))

[innocentspellsword]

Snuggles for the lil guy (lasorciereviolette)

“????????”

[Schezo isn’t sure how to react to this. He’s often given this treatment by his mother, but not from someone he’s not related to. It’s foreign, but trying to decline it would be rude on his part. He’s just…taking it. Quietly. No comment. Unsure how to comment on it.]

[lasorciereviolette-blog]

innocentspellsword:

[Being not as tall as his prime self, the lowered broom was a nice gesture. He mounted at the front end of the broom, hanging on with a firm grip so he doesn’t fall off. The thought of flying is exciting, but kinda nerve-wracking!]

“Uh- This be my first experience in flight!”

                ✩~ “Ufufufu… Then hold on, because I fly fast.”

She would temper her speed a little for his sake, but it was still going to be fast for a first-timer. The witch mounted after him, sitting behind Schezo but leaning forward to hold the broom around him. It was an extra little safety measure, as long as the wind wasn’t too wild and she didn’t make any odd sudden maneuvers he shouldn’t be in any danger of falling off this way. 

Or he’d knock them both off. Oh well, no risk, no reward.

                “Ready?”

If yes, she was going to take off, shooting into the sky. She didn’t think she’d take him over the clouds yet, it did get cold up so high, but it was a possibility.

[innocentspellsword]

“Uh- WHOAH!”

[And a firm grip he shall take! The cape barely fluttered, being sandwiched between him and Astra, but the speed certainly made his hair billow in its turbulence. He looked up, noticing the clouds seeming closer than he imagine he’d be, but not above it.]

“...Wow!”

[innocentspellsword]

Snuggles for the lil guy (lasorciereviolette)

“????????”

[Schezo isn’t sure how to react to this. He’s often given this treatment by his mother, but not from someone he’s not related to. It’s foreign, but trying to decline it would be rude on his part. He’s just…taking it. Quietly. No comment. Unsure how to comment on it.]

[lasorciereviolette-blog]

innocentspellsword:

“H-Hey!”

[The small mage still can’t get used to head ruffles. It’s not quite the gesture of affection he’s familiar with, but she had good intentions. Seems she’s feeling better, at least, moving on talking about harvesting things from a chimera nest. Sounds dangerous, but…]

“You have my interest.”

                ✩~ “Of course I do. Come on then, we don’t have time to waste. Hop on.”

With a flick of her wrist and a quick arcane gesture she summoned her broom, letting it hover horizontally so Schezo could mount it. It would be easier for her if he sat in front. They could walk, she supposed, but why do that when they could fly? Flying was so much more fun.

[innocentspellsword]

[Being not as tall as his prime self, the lowered broom was a nice gesture. He mounted at the front end of the broom, hanging on with a firm grip so he doesn’t fall off. The thought of flying is exciting, but kinda nerve-wracking!]

“Uh- This be my first experience in flight!”

[innocentspellsword]

Then why don't you look for it instead of waiting around? Your mother must be worried sick about you. Don't you care that you're upsetting her?

“What are you hoping to achieve by berating me?”

[innocentspellsword]

Don't you wonder why no one's heard or your hometown and doesn't know how to get you back home? How long are you going to wait around to try to get back?

“I seek a way back but surely there must be one with such a trail.”

[innocentspellsword]

“You’re lost in this world. Wandering without a purpose.”

“Huh...? Whatever do you mean by that?”

[innocentspellsword]

Snuggles for the lil guy (lasorciereviolette)

“????????”

[Schezo isn’t sure how to react to this. He’s often given this treatment by his mother, but not from someone he’s not related to. It’s foreign, but trying to decline it would be rude on his part. He’s just…taking it. Quietly. No comment. Unsure how to comment on it.]

[innocentspellsword]

lasorciereviolette:

                ✩~ “Nah. Thanks yourself.”

She ruffled his hair, and it made her smirk a little. She was already feeling a bit better with just a quick unreciprocated hug. “I’m a hugger sometimes, don’t worry about it. Look, I need to get my mind off things. I’m going to go find a chimera’s nest, I need some parts. You want to come with me?” If he came with her, at least she wouldn’t have to worry about knowing where he was. And anyways, taking him on an adventure, no matter how small, was a pretty good reward for good behaviour in her mind.

“H-Hey!”

[The small mage still can’t get used to head ruffles. It’s not quite the gesture of affection he’s familiar with, but she had good intentions. Seems she’s feeling better, at least, moving on talking about harvesting things from a chimera nest. Sounds dangerous, but...]

“You have my interest.”

[innocentspellsword]

Snuggles for the lil guy (lasorciereviolette)

“????????”

[Schezo isn’t sure how to react to this. He’s often given this treatment by his mother, but not from someone he’s not related to. It’s foreign, but trying to decline it would be rude on his part. He’s just…taking it. Quietly. No comment. Unsure how to comment on it.]

[lasorciereviolette-blog]

                ✩~ Secretly, the witch was an affectionate one, when the stars were in alignment                 just right between her mood and her general level of fondness for someone. Today,                 young Schezo just happened to be her unsuspecting victim; he seemed a much                 less dangerous a choice than the elder.

In truth, she just felt somewhat down and wanted a hug. Come to think of it, Schezo could probably use one too. The little guy had been through a lot even if he was making the most out of his situation. But she could feel he was uncomfortable; he felt very stiff. Ah well… She could make up an excuse for her behaviour. Her craving for human contact dealt with temporarily, the witch loosened her hold on him so he could escape if he wanted. 

                “Fufufufu…”

Despite her mood, she did her best to put on a smile (whether it was convincing remained to be seen). It wasn’t the worst hug she’d ever had.

[innocentspellsword]

[The boy still has yet to realize he’s temporally displaced. He’s simply taking it as being lost in another town, and that’s fine. He’s not in any real harm or foul, but he misses his family. The company does serve to ease his nipping restlessness.]

“...Thank you?”

[innocentspellsword]

Snuggles for the lil guy (lasorciereviolette)

“????????”

[Schezo isn’t sure how to react to this. He’s often given this treatment by his mother, but not from someone he’s not related to. It’s foreign, but trying to decline it would be rude on his part. He’s just...taking it. Quietly. No comment. Unsure how to comment on it.]

[innocentspellsword]

lasorciereviolette:

                ✩~ The witch had had quite a nice day, so far. Strictly speaking she didn’t know her                 mother, it had been over a decade since she’d last seen her parents. But she saw                 nothing wrong with treating her grandmother instead. She’d done her best to make                 her granny breakfast (cooking still wasn’t exactly her strong suit, though apparently                 she was improving) and her gift of a silver bracelet etched with a good luck charm                 had gotten Wish to smile. That was enough to qualify for a good day.

But this younger Schezo clearly wasn’t happy, and it wasn’t hard to understand why that might be the case. He was very far from home, completely displaced in time. She still hadn’t found a way that might be able to send him back to where he came from. The closest she’d come was a way to communicate with the past, to essentially tear a hole in the fabric of time, but though it was close the rift disappeared when interacted with, so ultimately it was useless as a portal. She had yet to find another way… All she could think of now was to ask Schezo to bring her to where he’d first appeared here on the chance that the area just happened to have a return portal or at least unstable magic that could be harnessed into creating a way back. Not what she’d call a solid strategy.

Though she could guess at why he was sad, the letter was a bit of a surprise. So she thought she might as well ask the obvious question.

                “Yo, Schezo. What’s up? You’re looking kind of down.”

[Schezo adored his mother and heeded her words and advice. She was there for as long as his memories held, far longer than those of his father or step-father. He only did small things around the house to help out, but he wanted to give back to her by making those household chores easier. Now...? He’s out of contact from her. He can’t even send a letter to tell her how he’s doing!]

“I penned a letter to mother, but nary a courier knows of her whereabouts.”

[innocentspellsword]

“It’s Mother’s Day, is it not? But where is mother...? Who is a courier that knows where she is...?”

[Schezo is holding a letter, addressed to his mother...]

[darkwizardschezo]

(lasorciereviolette @innocentspellsword) “I’ve got you, don’t worry.”

“Oh!”

[Good, because while he was on his way back home, he got ambushed by a few angry forest fauna. Gosh, the boy can’t seem to catch a break around these parts. Although, he was trespassing on particularly territorial wildcats. He didn’t mean to, but he was trying to find a shortcut back to town.]

[lasorciereviolette-blog]

innocentspellsword:

[Well, what do you expect from a rather socially awkward kid? He spent most of his time studying. He did talk with classmates, but mainly over the lectures. He didn’t know much about socializing. Such as teasing.]

“H-hey!”

[Oh come on! He’s had enough ruffling! The static wasn’t necessary! Schezo attempted to shake off the sparks and return his hair back to its normal state.]

“Ah. So some creativity is possible…”

[Schezo glanced at his hand, and the weapon in the other. He’s always tried to create spells from a free hand or from a control point. So there is something more than just the books…]

“Such as this…?”

[And by her ideas, Schezo attempted to create a BALL OF LIGHTNING. Wait…it wasn’t just a simple electro-ball. It looked more like a cloud of bolts, sending itself upwards to make…a thunderstorm!? Power incontinence alert!]

                ✩~ She chuckled with a smile as Schezo did battle with his newly staticky hair. If                 he stuck around with her for any long period of time, the kid would probably figure                 out what teasing was. It was, after all, a big part of how she was brought up to                 interact with other people, and in this case all in good fun from her perspective.                 There were times when her teasing would become more sharp, less playful, more                 generally cruel, and those times were more serious. Right now she just took delight                 in getting to bug the great and powerful dark wizard (to-be).

                “Sure. How do you think new spells are made?” Someone had to figure them out.                 Innovations were made all the time, though there was good stuff to be found in                 books too. That was usually where those innovations were immortalized, after all. 

Ooh, he was going to try. The witch watched intently as Schezo summoned up lightning, dispelling the little coils she’d brought up for the time being so she didn’t need to focus on two things at once. It started off interesting. She liked to make little tendrils that curled around each other so tightly they made a ball, and was curious to see his approach to the same basic idea. But though it showed promise, it got out of his grasp and began to feel unstable. She might be able to dispel it, but without warning that could shock him. She stood, raising her broom to the ready just in case.

                “Let go of it, Schezo!” Or it would keep sucking more and more mana from him to                 feed itself as it grew more and more powerful and exhaust him. Or worse, suck                 him completely dry. 

[innocentspellsword]

“Yikes!”

[And in a panic, he released the storm into the heavens. The concentrated magic struck at the forest several times, thankfully not striking Schezo in the process. This kid has that much power? It’s almost as if he’s destined to be a great mage! Wait...]

“Uh......”

[Of course, spells like that would cause some collateral damage. Lightning strikes caused some trees to collapse, the grass was singed in places...and some of the forest birds took to the skies.]

“Oops...”

[darkwizardschezo]

(lasorciereviolette @innocentspellsword) “I’ve got you, don’t worry.”

“Oh!”

[Good, because while he was on his way back home, he got ambushed by a few angry forest fauna. Gosh, the boy can’t seem to catch a break around these parts. Although, he was trespassing on particularly territorial wildcats. He didn’t mean to, but he was trying to find a shortcut back to town.]

[innocentspellsword]

lasorciereviolette:

                ✩~ Wow, Schezo. Of course he was totally inept at any kind of flattery. It was a                 good thing the witch didn’t take too much offence; instead, she smirked and                 flung a few little electric sparks towards him to hopefully make his hair stick up                 too. His would be even messier. “I’m pretty used to it.” 

                Between flying around and magic, her hair required a lot of brushing and                 maintenance to not look like a tangled nest. Someone else might have cut                 it, but not her. She liked her long hair, even when it led to moments like this.                 Anyways. His second attempt wasn’t too bad… Complimenting her on her                 power was a sure way to make the witch smile earnestly. 

                “You’re not so bad. You just need to think outside the box with your magic. How                 you can use what you know in your current situation, you know? You’ll learn.                 As long as you’re alive after a scrap, you’ve learned something.” She’d definitely                 come out of some situations worse than others, but fighting was a big part of                 what she did and how she got stronger.

As for how she worked her magic… She spun a few bands of lightning around her arm, letting them coil around and around over her skin. Her old scars tingled uncomfortably, a warning not to overdo things… But as long as she controlled it, keeping the mana flow tight, things should be okay.

                “If you can make lightning, why not a ball of lightning? Why not a bunch of lightning                 at once? Or Rolling Thunder? It’s just about practice once you know what you                 want to do.“ It wasn’t easy, but he’d learn that… As much as she didn’t like to admit                 it the Schezo she knew was still stronger than she was. She had a long way to go                 to being as strong as she wanted to be…

                “Same with fire and ice, or any magic. Here. Show me some lightning again.”

[Well, what do you expect from a rather socially awkward kid? He spent most of his time studying. He did talk with classmates, but mainly over the lectures. He didn’t know much about socializing. Such as teasing.]

“H-hey!”

[Oh come on! He’s had enough ruffling! The static wasn’t necessary! Schezo attempted to shake off the sparks and return his hair back to its normal state.]

“Ah. So some creativity is possible...”

[Schezo glanced at his hand, and the weapon in the other. He’s always tried to create spells from a free hand or from a control point. So there is something more than just the books...]

“Such as this...?”

[And by her ideas, Schezo attempted to create a BALL OF LIGHTNING. Wait...it wasn’t just a simple electro-ball. It looked more like a cloud of bolts, sending itself upwards to make...a thunderstorm!? Power incontinence alert!]

[darkwizardschezo]

(lasorciereviolette @innocentspellsword) “I’ve got you, don’t worry.”

“Oh!”

[Good, because while he was on his way back home, he got ambushed by a few angry forest fauna. Gosh, the boy can’t seem to catch a break around these parts. Although, he was trespassing on particularly territorial wildcats. He didn’t mean to, but he was trying to find a shortcut back to town.]

[innocentspellsword]

lasorciereviolette:

                ✩~ Good. They were backing off. The witch was slightly too slow to turn though,                 one had reached Schezo- But he shocked it himself.

                “Nice one, Schezo!”

Sure it was nothing near as strong as the magic she was throwing around, but at least he was a fast learner and didn’t freeze during confrontations. Which wasn’t all that surprising, considering the dark wizard he’d become… But for now he was still a cute kid, and like on quite a few other occasions the witch had to resist the urge to triumphantly ruffle his hair as the wild cats dispersed. Speaking of hair, hers was on edge with static. Yikes… She dismissed the lightning magic and summoned just a bit of ice to try to smooth out her hair with.

                “See? Not so bad, huh? Just gotta show them you’re not worth the hassle.”                 Nothing to worry about as long as you kept your head. Now, as for why they                 kept meeting… Was he following her? Or was it just simple coincidence?                 Before the witch could ask, Schezo had a question for her.

                “From whence… Oh, you mean how? Leafing through granny’s books and lots of                 practice.”

She was, after all, quite a bit older than he was. By what, four, maybe five years? Yeah, that seemed about right. That age gave her time to practice and become more powerful- And a lot of that practice involved picking fights with things. Dangerous, sure, but she was still alive and in one piece… Well, body wise. But that wasn’t relevant right now.

                “Oh, any maybe a little natural talent and being homeschooled by a great mage.                 But I wasn’t this good overnight. Why? Like what you see?” A little flattery wouldn’t                 kill her to hear.

“H-hey!”

[The hair ruffling was a mild bother, but it’s not like he dislikes it. It kinda makes him feel like a kid, but then again, he’s still in school. After some ruffling later, he noticed her hair standing on end. Having a bad hair day with static discharge there? The little Schezo couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.]

“Hahaha! Your hair is a mess like mine!”

[Even? Maybe. At the very least, his magic was put to good use. He knew how, but applying it to combat was something he needed to get used to. Being a school by, he’s very unlike Witch’s upbringing, the latter being tutored personally.]

“I-I’ve studied well in my class, but it doesn’t compare to your skill!”

[darkwizardschezo]

(lasorciereviolette @innocentspellsword) “I’ve got you, don’t worry.”

“Oh!”

[Good, because while he was on his way back home, he got ambushed by a few angry forest fauna. Gosh, the boy can’t seem to catch a break around these parts. Although, he was trespassing on particularly territorial wildcats. He didn’t mean to, but he was trying to find a shortcut back to town.]

[lasorciereviolette-blog]

                ✩~ “Jeez. Hasn’t anyone ever taught you how to fight these things off?”

They didn’t need too much magic to scatter- Just a few sparks to show the cats that you wouldn’t be an easy target and they tended to disperse. She was amazed he didn’t know at least that much. No wonder he got into so much trouble. Fufu, but maybe it was a blessing in disguise… It had been a while since she’d gotten to show off! The wildcats snarled, one stepped forward, but the witch wasn’t worried. She twirled her broom and spun magic around it, making it light up with a faint rainbow glow. She shouldn’t even need her aura for just scaring them off, so she didn’t bother with it.

                “Watch and learn. Thunder!”

The energy spread from her hands to her broom before she fired it. It made her old scar tingle a little, a reminder to be careful even with the rush of magic just beneath her skin. Not being cautious would have consequences. She fired a bolt straight at one of the bobcats. It dodged with an angry hiss, but she was ready for the others, swinging her broom around with the rainbow tail already around it. One was unlucky- It had pounced, but got caught in her swing and went flying. The witch didn’t skip a beat, she already had more magic charged and fired a few more bolts to make the cats back off. And finally… 

                “Ohohohoho! Rolling Thunder!”

Nothing with any semblance of a brain should stick around faced with this much power!

[innocentspellsword]

[The little mage could only stare in awe at the sparks flying everywhere. The beasts scrambled, some actually shocked. This girl knew her stuff! He backed away to avoid being part of the collateral, but he felt like he needed to defend himself somehow. There was one more that was about to claw little Schezo out! With a wave of his hand, he created his own bolt of lightning to try and shoo it away like she did.]

“Lightning!”

[It was certainly a far cry from what she can do, but it’s still something. The moment it was shocked, it stood motionless for a second, before scampering off back to where it came.]

“Hey...from whence have you been able to perform such arts?”

[lasorciereviolette-blog]

innocentspellsword:

[Ah the scent of freshly brewed tea. Mother always liked her afternoon tea, and joining her on those times brightened his mood. He took the teacup, being careful not to spill, and took in its aroma. It’s sweet, but it doesn’t seem fruity. What could it be? He took a sip, also being careful not to burn himself. That’d spoil his ability to savor the tea.]

“Mm…the sweetness gently permeates… What could it be?”

[He closed his eyes, trying to focus on what it could be.]

                ✩~ “What indeed?”

She’d give him a little time to try to puzzle it out before giving him the answer. That was how people learned, by being given the chance to figure things out for themselves.  

                “I’m glad you like it.” It was one of her favourites.

[innocentspellsword]

[It...it seemed a little fruity. But the subtlety of the fruit was quietly hiding behind the mellowness of the milk. The fact she’s not telling him is just egging him into guessing; he’s that curious.]

“It...I sense that of a berry’s aroma.”

[innocentspellsword]

lasorciereviolette:

                ✩~ “Coming right up.”

That was all she needed, and she popped back into the kitchen. It took her a few more minutes before she came back, but when she did she brought a tray with two cups of steaming tea. It smelled faintly sweet, like there was just a bit of spiced fruit within the blend. At another time she might have had a few cookies too, but she didn’t see a need for them when they already had chocolate. One treat was enough for the moment. Both cups of tea had a little milk in them, so it didn’t matter which one he chose. It all came down to the cup he picked.

After setting the tray on the table she sat down beside him. He could pick first.

[Ah the scent of freshly brewed tea. Mother always liked her afternoon tea, and joining her on those times brightened his mood. He took the teacup, being careful not to spill, and took in its aroma. It’s sweet, but it doesn’t seem fruity. What could it be? He took a sip, also being careful not to burn himself. That’d spoil his ability to savor the tea.]

“Mm...the sweetness gently permeates... What could it be?”

[He closed his eyes, trying to focus on what it could be.]

[innocentspellsword]

lasorciereviolette:

                ✩~ Again, what a sweet kid. Something must have happened to change his                 attitude- Something like that bittersweet chocolate but in reverse, seeing as                 the “base” as it were started sweet and became bitter rather than the other way                 around. Still, despite being sour at times she’d caught times where Schezo                 hinted at some sweetness… Maybe it wasn’t so much like that chocolate but                 rather a sweet inside hidden by bitterness in the dark wizard she knew. Anyways.                 Tea it was. The witch stood, once more having to bite down the urge to fluff                 the teen’s hair before she headed into the kitchen area.

Hmm… Tea was on a middle shelf, and while she could reach with a stool she was fairly practiced with flying up to grab what she needed. They had various kinds of tea up here, but the witch stayed away from anything she knew was quite… Potent, and things that she didn’t think would go well with chocolate, such as chamomile. A basic blend was best. She softly hummed as she grabbed the tin and slowly lowered herself back down to the ground again, if he was paying attention Schezo might be able to hear her… Though knowing him he might have gotten his hands on one of the several books around the room while he waited for her to return.

                 “Hmhmhmhm…”

In Primp they had appliances to warm water. Not so here; but they did have fires burning at all times, and compared to the usual cauldrons she had to set up for her potion making it was child’s play to set a thick black kettle to hang over the fire after she’d dolled out the proper quantity of leaves to steep in the pot. It was rude to keep him waiting, so rather than just sitting around and waiting for the water to boil she headed back into the other room. She’d have to go back to actually steep the leaves but that would be no hardship.

                “Hey, do you like milk or honey in your tea?” She realized she hadn’t asked.

[Like the good boy he is, he waited for the tea. At least his family taught him about patience, and he’s willing to wait for things. What could the tea be? The scent gradually increased, and it’s rather pleasing. It’s faint, so he can’t quite tell what is being brewed quite yet. Huh, she’s here again? Did she forget something?]

“Oh- uh. I’m quite partial to milk at the moment. My preferences for either do not outweigh each other, however.”

[Some milk to mellow out the taste. Sounds quite like him, actually. Honey was fine, but, that’s not what he’s feeling today. The creamier taste will compliment the chocolate he had better.]