The Scorching Depths

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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Sekhmet's Summer Party
The mirror is well made, rimmed with flowing golden decorations set with blue gems. The two intruders are reflected perfectly in it, down to the last minute detail, but on closer inspection, the reflections seem unreal, as if they could change at a moment's notice.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

Post by Earl of Purple »

Sekhmet's Summer Party

"Exactly." Jack smiles as Anchor twirls in the mirror, and tilts her head to one side as she reaches out to touch the mirror's surface. She sticks a wing out, too, to have a look at the energies in the room; mostly she's very good at seeing hidden things, so any illusions will be pretty obvious. "Huh, that's interesting. Mirror, what would I look like as an elf?" She's not sure it's going to work, and she's noticed the oddity about her reflection. Her dress is enchanted to shift with her, should she change shape.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Sekhmet's Summer Party
The mirror shimmers for a moment, and when it clears, Jack's reflection has changed - in the mirror, there's now an elven woman with Jack's general build and coloration. Anchor can, however, confirm that Jack's real appearance remains unchanged.
The gems in the mirror's frame light up, and it seems almost as if it's waiting for something.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Sekhmet's Summer Party]

"You look good. I mean, it is a bigger change than I expected-" Anchor looks back between the real Jack and her reflection.

"Does it seem like the mirror can do something more?" Or are the lit gems just waiting for Jack to be done with her hypothetical reflection?
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Re: The Scorching Depths

Post by Earl of Purple »

Sekhmet's Summer Party

"Maybe? I dunno what else it could do, besides show us what we'd look like as other people." Unless it can transfer them from one body to the other, but if that's the case Jack's not going to ask to be Anchor without first confirming it and making sure Anchor's OK with the idea. And her shadow, too, since that might object as well.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Sekhmet's Summer Party
The mirror elf continues to mimic Jack perfectly (it is her reflection after all) but otherwise the magic device remains frustratingly passive. There's no way of learning what, if anything, else it might do without trying.
At least they found out that it does respond to voice commands...
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Sekhmet's Summer Party]

"I mean, maybe it could change what's reflected in it too."
Anchor steps up right beside Jack and asks a tricky question of the enchanted furnishing.
"Mirror, what would I see if I asked you what I would ask you if I knew how you worked?"
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Sekhmet's Summer Party
The mirror blurs for a moment, then its gems flash briefly red and return to their blue glow.
An error? It didn't seem to understand the question.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

Post by Earl of Purple »

Sekhmet's Summer Party

"Mirror, can you show us a list of things we can ask you to do?" Whilst Jack's speaking, she's rather closely examining her elvish duplicate, and comparing her reflection's bust to her own non-existent one.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Sekhmet's Summer Party
Elves aren't exactly known for their chests, so Jack's reflection hasn't gained too much to look at. There are other species that could produce more of an effect on her figure... Or maybe she could just ask directly if she wants her reflection to have a larger bust.

At Jack's request, the mirror blurs again, then displays an instructional graphic in place of any reflections.
The first part of the graphic shows a succubus in front of the mirror. The words "Show me..." and an arrow point to the next part, where the same succubus is shown, but her reflection is of a human and the mirror is ringed by blue lights. Below that, the word "Confirm" and another arrow point to a third image, where the succubus has been replaced by the human from the reflection and the lights are out.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Sekhmet's Summer Party]

"Ooh, so it can disguise us, I mean, or transform us maybe?" Why does Sekhmet have this, given her abilities? Couldn't she use an ordinary mirror to the same effect?

Anchor considers a few requests, then thinks better of them, and finally asks-
"Mirror, show me what I'd look like with wings."
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Sekhmet's Summer Party
The mirror blurs and returns to showing reflections. Jack's is still an elf. Anchor's now sports a pair of broad, batlike wings. If she turns, she can see that her reflection's clothes have been modified to accommodate them, if necessary.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Sekhmet's Summer Party

"I'm not sure. It looks that way. Can you make me an elf, mirror" Jack tilts her head to one side as she asks, looking at the wings the mirror's given Anchor's reflection. "I quite like those wings." Speaking of wings, even if Jack does turn into an elf, her wings are probably locked to her body far more than the rest of her is. They probably won't change.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Sekhmet's Summer Party
The gems in the mirror flash. For an instant, Jack will feel her skin crawl. Then it settles down. Her reflection is unchanged. But through her wing eyes, and maybe Anchor's reaction, she can see that her appearance matches the elf in the mirror perfectly.
Her wing eyes will also be able to see that the change is fleeting, impermanent, and not entirely real. It will last a while before fading away. A few hours? A day, maybe? It will shatter if damaged, but otherwise it looks and feels entirely like the real thing.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Sekhmet's Summer Party]

Anchor tilts her head this way and that, considering the wings. How interesting; her shadow had always liked birds more than bats, so she didn't expect this. But, actually looking at them
"Confirm this look, mirror."
That done she turns to look at Jack - the real Jack, even though she looks just like her reflection.
"Oh, I quite like yours as well. I mean, the whole look is cute~"
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Sekhmet's Summer Party
Another flash, and a skin-crawling sensation, and when it ends, Anchor has real wings of flesh and bone (or mostly real, anyway), attached firmly to her shoulders. The addition of new limbs is likely a bit disorienting at first, as it comes with a full set of new sensations corresponding to them, from the sense of where they are relative to her body to the feeling of the air against the thin, strong membrane between their fingers. She might be able to fly with these wings, if she can get the motions right.
But much like Jack's changes, they're not real or permanent, they will fade with time.
The mirror's gems are dark now - it will show things as they are until commanded to change them again.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Classroom
The room is a makeshift one, recently converted from a torture chamber. While the furnishings have been completely replaced, the small table bears a cinnamon scented candle to mask the still lingering smell of blood. It isn't a large room - there's a round table
and chairs at which the two students are currently seated with books and papers, and a blackboard hanging on one wall.
Sekhmet nervously adjusts her glasses. The demon queen is dressed rather simply - a long black dress made to accommodate her wings and tail, and her crown resting atop her horns.
Her daughter, looking part demon and part dragon, opted for her school uniform. It just feels right to wear that to class, even if it's an unofficial class outside of school.
Sekhmet glances at the paper again and asks, "But how do you know that the angles will always add up to 180 degrees?"
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Classroom]

"There are a number of ways, but here's one of the quicker ones." Miranda explains, stepping up to the chalkboard. To any of the other succubi that might be walking around just now, Miranda is fairly recognizable as "that one lady from the party a while back", maintaining the same reddish skin, darkened hair, and husky voice she had back then, now doing so deliberately instead of as a side effect of succubus venom. She's adopted her own school uniform for this lesson; a grey jumpsuit, with a little flag patch on the left shoulder and a set of stripes indicating an alumnus.

"If you take any triangle and draw a line parallel to one of its sides that intersects the opposite vertex, you can apply the theorem of parallel lines intersected by a transversal to show that all the congruent angles align with the line you just drew, thereby all adding up to 180 degrees." She explains, scrawling out the image for the two of them to see.

Image

The not-actually-a-succubus smiles and taps the picture. "See, this angle, here, and this one, here." She smiles. "Once you know what to look for, it's all relatively simple. The hard part is knowing what to look for. Which is what math is all about, really."
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Classroom
Normally, Sekhmet would be insisting that Miranda doesn't have to disguise herself if she doesn't want to, but since she's doing it under her own power now, Sekhmet's not going to discourage her from practicing.
The talk of theorems and transversals goes entirely over Sekhmet's head. "That looks right, but wouldn't you have to check every time to see if it works?" She's had only very basic math education, she can do arithmetic and basic algebra. Mathematical proof is beyond her current understanding. Mary shakes her head. "Mum, math just works that way." She's young enough to not question it.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Classroom]

"That's the neat part; you don't. The whole point of a proof is that it's always true. If you have a triangle, you can do this with any of its sides and get the exact same results." Miranda demonstrates by drawing three more; the first being a relatively sensible triangle, not very different from the one she already drew, but enough so to be distinct; the second being a right triangle, where she does the trick for all three sides to make the point stick better; and the third being an absolutely obscene scalene triangle, one that stretches the concept of the shape... and yet the proof still applies. "And like I said before, this isn't the only way to prove it. There's also proof by composite quadrilaterals." She draws another triangle, which she then mirrors with itself to make a parallelogram, which is in turn copied with itself to prove all of its angles add up to 360 degrees... and since two identical triangles were used to form it, the sum of their angles must be exactly half of that, 180. "Among many others I don't remember just now." She smiles and gives a little shrug. "There's another lesson to be had there, of course. Namely, that things that are true tend to be found as such by many different ways of thinking. Sort of why your mum has multiple advisors instead of just the one, or even just herself; if you have a lot of different people, thinking different ways, but coming to the same conclusion, it's much easier to be confident that said conclusion is correct."
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Classroom
Sekhmet looks at the figures on the board again. "I see?" she really doesn't. But she feels obligated to say that. And she can at least see what Miranda means.
Mary nods, but then she has a question, "What perspective does she need you for?" Sekhmet glances at her daughter and at Miranda. She's not sure if she should be the one answering or not.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Classroom]

"Well, that's a question more for your mum than me." Miranda replies with a little shrug. "And probably a more private conversation than this one. But there are plenty of things she could ask me about; espionage, modern technology, math..." She grins and taps the chalkboard. "...and be reasonably certain I know what I'm talking about when I answer. Failing that, there's also something to be said for consulting people outside the usual infernal court; if you live in a certain place a certain way long enough, it can find its way into your thinking, so talking to someone who hasn't can be useful for getting around any pervasive bias that might be around her other advisors... at the risk of picking up my own, of course." She pulls out a stool in front of Mary's spot at her desk, taking a seat in case this part of the conversation goes on for much longer. "That's all speculation on my part, though. Would you be willing to elaborate, your Highness? Or would you prefer we return to the lesson?"

Both are legitimate options, after all. Mary's here for an education, and while she's specifically here for math, this seems like an opportune moment to teach her something about what she can expect when she's queen, as well. At the same time, if Sekhmet isn't comfortable with talking so candidly about why Miranda's here in front of her, or if she thinks this isn't as good a teachable moment as Miranda thinks it is, there is still a lesson to get back to. And, as is typical of the queen, the decision rests with her.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

Post by Earl of Purple »

Sekhmet's Summer Party

"I am cute like this, aren't I?" Jack looks down, before turning to see her new shape in profile. Her breasts have grown, not much but... elves at least have boobs; jackdaws, being birds, might have a breast but don't have mammary glands to give them shape. She's still slim and androgynous, but not as totally flat as she was, and her dress has changed shape to fit. It did that itself; much like a succubi's garment, it's enchanted to change shape to suit its wearer. She doesn't have as much control over it as Sekhmet does over her dresses, but it's guaranteed to fit her whatever she looks like. "I like your wings, too." Jack's going to reach out and touch one, if Anchor doesn't stop her, trying to feel it. She knows its fake; the eyes in her wings can see through it as though it weren't there, but it's still interesting to feel it.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Classroom
Sekhmet nods. "Miranda is trustworthy and knowledgeable about, uh, some sensitive matters, and while I, uh, could find people with those skills in the court, I would rather look to someone who isn't bound by the court's traditions," she pauses, "At the same time, Miranda is also willing to engage with this world on a much deeper level than most. She understands it much more than most mortals would, and that makes her advice more useful for my situation." She gestures at Miranda, meaning to indicate her currently demonic outwards appearance, "But we should get back to the lesson."
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Classroom]

Miranda nods and turns back to the board to start erasing the figures she's scrawled up there, making room for more images and conveniently hiding her face long enough to indulge in a proud little smile. Sure, Sekhmet's little speech was primarily for education purposes, but it was still quite affirmative to her, both in that Sekhmet clearly trusted and valued her opinion, and that she essentially echoed all the same points Miranda gave. Nothing quite like receiving confirmation her boss was on the same page as her.

brrrrrrrt!

"Has it been an hour already?" Miranda looks down at her watch and shrugs. "Huh. Well, that should give you a leg up on your homework. But, it's time to shift gears." She claps her hands together and gestures toward the blackboard, stepping back to let Sekhmet take the teaching role, while she herself sits at one of the desks and politely folds her hands, ready to start her own magic lesson.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Classroom
Sekhmet does not think of herself as Miranda's boss. Not in the same way as her other minions. Miranda helps her because she wants to, not out of any obligation.
Sekhmet takes the front of the classroom. "We're going to, uh, start again today with breathing exercises. As you know, the foundations of magic lie in being aware of yourself and your surroundings, and in focusing your thoughts and emotions." Sekhmet takes a slow, deep breath, and breathes out gently. "Start by taking a deep breath. Hold it for a moment, then release, gently." It's a simple enough command, and it wouldn't be the first lesson that's started this way.

"I can hear you gasping, Mary. I know you know how to do it, just calm down. This needs to be a controlled motion." Sekhmet doesn't sound upset or even particularly disappointed.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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[Classroom]

Right. Seems simple enough. Miranda's done breathing exercises before. It's sort of difficult to have a meaningful exercise session (or the physical activity it's meant to simulate) without having control of her breathing. In, hold, out, repeat. Simple.

"...Okay." Miranda says after a moment, breathing quite deeply and audibly. "Start with the breathing, got it. What comes after that?"
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Classroom
"When you breathe in, reach inside yourself. Carefully. Feel for something in you, at the core of your being. Some people describe it as a star, or a knot. Most find it somewhere in their chest, near their heart. Breathe in and find it, feel its power, then as you breathe out, let it go, gently." Still simple, and building on the previous exercise, but this is where the metaphysical starts to come in.
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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'[Classroom]

"...And... what do I do if I don't feel it?" Miranda asks, keeping her hands on the table in front of her. "I feel a lot of things in myself. If I focus, I can feel my lungs expanding. I can hear my own pulse. I can feel my stomach working, and my intestines. But I'm not finding any... stars, or knots, or anything." She shakes her head slightly. "It has to be there, though, right? I couldn't use magic at all if it wasn't..."
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Re: The Scorching Depths

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Classroom
"No," Sekhmet confirms, "Without it, you would be dead to magic. So it must be there." She thinks about it for a moment. "Try to, uh, quiet those other sensations. Think about what you've done when you have used magic before, but don't act on it. Let those conduits of power lead you back to your soul."
That may or may not have made any sense at all. This isn't easy for Sekhmet. She didn't have to cultivate magical sensitivity, she was born with it. Teaching it is similar to teaching a blind man to read... Well, not quite. Miranda has been awakened to magic. She must have some sense, but unrefined, less like blindness and more like needing glasses. A blurry half-vision of the world beyond the physical.
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