oneandmikleonly | [SPELLBIND

Speak for yourself . . .

[grouchy, but in an impersonal way; he does take a seat, trying not to show how stiff he is. ow. bruises and injuries transfer right over when he changes form, it seems]

At least we found something of interest, right?

Yeah. And we've got a plan of what to do to get a better look at the island.

[half of a plan is still a plan]

With only . . . minor bruises to show for it.

[he raises an eyebrow at Mikleo, looking for confirmation that they are, actually, only minor bruises as he plops gingerly into the seat next to him.]

[SIGHS]

You didn't tell me I still had a shark attached when we came down.

[he is not going to come right out and say he has teethmarks on his butt

he's not gonna do it]

I didn't realize I was supposed to be staring at your butt instead of trying not to fall off. Next time I'll make sure to keep an eye on it for you. "Hey Mikleo, I noticed that you've got an extra tail back there, just thought you should know. It seems to have teeth."

[i mean, he knows the shark was on his butt, so he noticed it at some point during the freefall]

[scowls and throws a cushion at him, a bit feebly]

Next time I'm dropping you first. To make it easier to carry the boat.

[catches the pillow with a smile like butter won't melt in his mouth]

Or you could put me in the boat and just make sure not to smash it up.

YOUR butt will weigh the boat down!

No way! You managed to carry me down just fine this time. If I was too heavy you'd have fallen faster.

I think I fell fast enough for either of our tastes, thank you.

It's true that I don't really want a repeat experience. I think my bruises have bruises right now.

I could try to heal you . . . in a bit, at least.

[true friends heal each other even when they make fun of each other's butts]

Heal some of your own bruises first. It might be hard to believe, but I've taken worse beatings than that before. I'll be fine.

Said like I wasn't there for most of those. All right, I'll heal us both when I can raise my arms again. Strange. I'd expect the stress on the wings to transfer to my shoulders or my back instead of right to the arms, when I have forelegs as well.

Maybe any strain on your forelegs gets transferred to...

[pausing to look Mikleo up and down, trying to decide where it would go]

Well, your legs or your arms? You have more, uh, appendages when you transform, so the stress could be doubling up in certain parts of your body.

Well, that's disturbing to think about. Guess I'll have to train harder and see if that improves things, too.

Has it been a little easier with practice? Mine doesn't have a physical or mental drawback as far as I've been able to tell, but it also isn't physical like yours is.

...it has been easier to adjust to the transformation, yeah. The more I turn into something else without...without any associated malevolence, or loss of control, the easier it is.

Yours is more a matter of, well, responsibility and consent, isn't it?

[nodding]

Pretty much. The last thing I want to do is wander around inside of someone's soul without asking first. It has certain limitations, like how long it can stay active, but it seems like the more I practice the longer I can maintain it for.

Have you been able to use it on yourself...?

[the question's a little delicate, but if Sorey can maybe make use of this to, to sweep some malevolence out with a metaphorical (literal?) broom at some point, Mikleo is all ears.]

You bet! That's how I've been practicing.

[he doesn't mind saying as much; using someone else's soul for what ultimately amounts to practice feels too personal, especially when he's still getting to know people.]

It's interesting. I actually meant to ask you if it's anything like what you see inside of me, just to compare.

I'll bite. What do you see...?

[he's absolutely fascinated by Sorey's power, as necessarily little use as it gets in day to day life...]

It looks like a grassy field overlooking the ocean. Pretty different from yours, right?

[the description is vague and it's obvious he's leaving some things out, but he doesn't offer any further details]

Well, maybe, and maybe not. To me it's sort of like being in an ocean...or a river, maybe.

[looks up at ceiling towards the unseen ocean sky, mouth quirking]

Probably a river. It feels safer than an ocean.

A river, huh? I don't remember seeing one of those around. They've got to be different then.

[a smile slips onto his face]

It feels safe?

It makes sense. You protect us by being our vessel, after all.

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