[Closed] Smoke and Mirrors [Kari]

[Vyn]

Kaden's little tail feathers had been wagging a mile a minute until, to his shock, Peaches actually stopped and sounded.. very adult-like. Crap! Older people were always so concerned about stuff like that. Responsibility and Rules and Don't Get Hurt.

Didn't they know he'd be just fine?

Silly adults being all the same! But at least she was willing to teach him and, really, he could promise not to abuse it. Since, well, he didn't really know how you could abuse mirror walking. He just needed it to sneak around, after all.

"Don't worry, Peaches... I won't abuse it, and I'll be real responsible." He nodded in a very prompt way, trying his best to reassure her. "I'll use it only when I really really need to." He wasn't sure how often that'd be or, really, why it was such a dangerous thing if Peaches did it a lot... "And I know it'll be harder than just wanting it... I'll have to practice and understand and be ready. Like raising my rank... It takes more than just wanting it."

The boy stared firmly at the 5 on his chest, once again willing it to be a bigger number. Or not there at all... Or different entirely. Stuff like Papa could do.

[Kari Muffin]

"All right," Peaches said as she leaned forward to look at the boy. A smirk plastered on her face. "If you're not careful, Kaden, I promise you that things won't be easy for you."

She tapped one of her fingers lightly on the table. "You bring up a good point about rank. It takes a good deal of concentration to up your own rank. It takes a good deal of concentration to learn this spell. The only way I was able to manage it was because of a previous spell. What do you think relates to a mirror, Kaden?"

Might as well start with the basic theory. It would be easier for him to master if he got the basic theory down before he actually went to discover the power. After all magic could get dangerous if you failed. Then again it could be dangerous if you succeeded. Too much power led to nothing but trouble.

[Vyn]

Kaden, when he put his mind to it, could be an extremely devoted individual.

Especially when it was something that already intrigued him. And this definitely intrigued him. So the bird stopped his fidgeting and forced himself to relax, sit back in the chair and think.

What relates to mirrors?

"A mirror is made of a piece of glass -- or a reflective surface -- something to hold it -- like wood, or metal -- and usually some sort of backing, probably of the same material as the frame..." That was the physical description of a mirror, but was that it? What else reminded him of mirrors, things that weren't so black and white? "Reflections relate to mirrors, and being backwards." Those were still obvious... was that what he was supposed to be looking for? The obvious, or something harder to figure out? It seemed like something sneaky Peaches would do, to try and get him to think of something that wasn't quite obvious.

So what?

"Alice went through the Looking Glass..." It was the only other thing that came to mind about mirrors and such, his Dad's old fairy tales about Alice... "Dad's stories don't really explain how she did that though... So I guess that's not all too much help."

[Kari Muffin]

He was going for the obvious answers. Of course. She expected nothing less. The smirk grew wider on her face as she watched the boy struggle. "Nothing is as simple as that, Kaden. I'm sure you've discovered that even though you're still young."

"Now, you're on a right track. What color is the backing of a mirror? And what does a mirror really reflect? Is it a true image you're seeing in a mirror? Or is it simply a copy? What is in the world a mirror? How does a mirror really work? Can you answer any of these question, Kaden?" She shifted, leaning her head on the table. "You have to be able to answer at least some of these questions before you can learn how to enter a mirror and the world it creates."

She hoped that she was at least going in the right direction to help the boy.

[Vyn]

Kaden could think of a lot of things when she put it like that.

A young mind meant that, while less experienced, he was also full of boundless imagination and he was delighted to put that to good use. His feathers fluffed and the young avian's grin grew wide. Alice went through the looking glass, right? Where everything was upside and backwards...

Peaches said it was dangerous, too, so everything was probably upside down and backwards there as well.

His eyes lit up.

"Physically the back of a mirror is easy... you could smash it and find out... but if you could go through the glass instead, then... it could look like anything at all. If the mirror was just a reflection without a backing, it'd be like looking through a window... You just have to focus really hard on what might be on the other side, y'know, squint a little until you can see through your reflection."

He smiled a little at the thought, it made sense to him. Were mirrors like windows?

How does a mirror work? What's a reflection? Was it really a copy? Were there mirror people who spent their time leaned against reflective surfaces and giggling at passers by? His mind shifted a little, focusing on the mirror and not mirror people.

His brain protested this thought a little, struggling against the prospects he was pushing on it. Mirror people and how mirrors worked, outside of logic and all that. And then he thought for a moment.

"If I focus, I can make people see double... Like a copy, that can sort of be like what people see in the mirror, which would mean it's not really a reflection at all, but a copy like you said... And we're all just seeing a copy, or even just seeing what we want to see. So if you could see through that you could probably see the back of the mirror too, or inside of it even."

[Kari Muffin]

Peaches glanced at her empty cup as the boy spoke. He was nowhere where she had intended him to be, but he certainly had an imagination. She picked up the sugar bowl, dipping her tea spoon into it. Once a good amount of sugar was piled onto it she slipped it into her mouth.

Mmmm. Sugar.

"So, on the subject of what is behind a mirror, what is in a mirror Kaden? Is it really like a copy? Is there a hint of truth to a mirror or is it simply a lie...?" Peaches hummed cheerfully as she picked up another scoop of sugar. "And most of all, what does magic have to do with mirrors."

Once he was done with this maybe she should show him the ability? Showing is clearly part of the teaching... and Hatter didn't seem to be coming back anytime soon. Suppressing a sigh she waited for the boy's response.

[Vyn]

Kaden watched as Peaches nommed on the Sugar while he thought desperately about her questions. ...Mirrors, mirrors... Blast it all, he didn't really feel like he was on the right track. Most people showered you with 'good jobs' when you were on the right track, or something.

So maybe he was just wrong?

What the hell could mirrors be? What was the inside of a mirror even like? And how the hell were you supposed to know without actually going on through and seeing? ...Or maybe you didn't see anything at all? Which was stupidly not true because Peaches worried about dangers, so there had to be something.

"Well, there's definitely some truth. To copy anything, it has to at least be relevant... But perception is often a lie." Not everything is what it seems, Dad had spent a great deal of time reminding him of that. It was also in a lot of his stories, so maybe he was on to something? "What's in a mirror is... harder, having never been in one." Magic, however, was something he knew better. Lists were easy.

"Mirrors are said to be related in a lot of magics: clairvoyance is a big one, being able to see into another time or place or simply another person. They also represent portals between one place and another, and they also appear to be a good place for trapping people. Souls, cursed people, genies, and so on."

He looked up, curious and eager... Was he even close or was he just guessing in the dark still?

[Kari Muffin]

Well. He was getting closer at least. "Portals. Let me show you how my ability works, and maybe you'll get a proper understanding?" She said with a wide grin.

She got up and walked towards the wash closet. She knew that there was a proper mirror there, and she would be able to use the ability properly. When she got there she left the door open for Kaden and glanced at the mirror.

She waited until he was settled before activating her ability. She slipped into the mirror, disappearing from the normal world and entering the other side of the looking glass. Saying the word "Reflect" allowed her to become visible for the young boy. When she was she gave him a rather emphatic wave.

Well. While she was in here she might as well have some fun. Grinning she disappeared from the sight, moving to another mirror in the household.

Hopefully Kaden wouldn't be that upset.

Amazing Power: She is now able to use her shadow ability to slide herself into mirrors. She an follow people through their reflections and can sometimes see...the more sinister side of people in those reflections. She will not be visible to others while inside of the mirror unless she wants them to, if she does she simply says "Reflect", and she becomes visible...to all who can see the mirror, but moving to another one deactivates this spell.
She can do this once per week and it lasts for one hour...however if she does not remove herself from the mirror within that hour, she is trapped in the mirror plane until one full week has passed and she can activate the ability to get out once again.
While using this ability she can pass from mirror to the next closest mirror, enabling her to travel far and wide, though if there is no mirror, she cannot be there. She can hear and see everything around her within the mirror scope.
Warning: Seeing things in this mirror plane can be dangerous as they might be able to follow her out....

[Vyn]

Kaden paused to consider her offer. Show him? He'd seen her disappear into the mirror from afar, but he'd never gotten a real look at the mechanics of it. When he bobbed his head at last he coupled it with a wide grin.

He wanted to see, that would help.

Settling down, he watched with bright eyes as she vanished, temporarily, into the mirror only to reappear seconds later on the other side, waving enthusiastically. He returned the wave eagerly, but couldn't help the growing sense of subtle frustration. It was definitely magic, because he couldn't grasp any of the science behind it. She just... disappeared. He poked the mirror lightly with his beak but it was still the same as it had always been: a solid as a plate of glass.

When Peaches disappeared again, this time without reappearing in the physical world, Kaden figured she must have moved to a different mirror. She had mentioned portals after all.

Since he couldn't open the locks on the doors to the basement, he was left with the mirror in the den or going upstairs to the ones in dad's bedroom and the guest bathrooms. There were probably other mirrors scattered around as well, but hopefully she'd go after a main one. To avoid going into Hatter's bedroom, he aimed for the living room first and hurried off to, hopefully, meet up with Peaches.

[Kari Muffin]

She hopped to the closest mirror, which just so happened to be the den. She waited for a while, for the boy to appear.

There he was. Should she bother to show herself or should she make the best of her ability and use it for the full hour. There was a thought. He wouldn't know where she was either way. She muttered the word and made herself visible.

She wasn't coming out quite yet. Peaches saluted the boy before going to the next mirror. Hatter's bed room. She only lingered for a few moments to inspect the contents of his room before going to the guest bathrooms.

Nothing interesting was going on in his house. Then again she hadn't checked the basement.

She didn't want to check the basement. Finally in the bathroom she deactivated the spell. Hopefully Kaden would be hopping around soon. The woman was left to check her own reflection in the mirror while waiting.