themusemanor | PSL - Anders | Helen Magnus ---> Rumor has it

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PSL - Anders | Helen Magnus ---> Rumor has it

[ continued from here! ]

[ she notices the past tense but doesn't comment on it. that's a wound she won't touch. ]

Ah.

[ her eyebrows rise in appreciation and she offers a smile in return for his demonstration. impressive. and quite different from what she's used to. ]

Anything you'd like to tell me would greatly enhance our understanding of what my patient is experiencing.

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Can ...your patient... [The pauses around the word are audible. She's not a healer, but she also doesn't seem upset by his use or talk of magic.] Can he use magic when he's calm, or is it linked to emotional outbursts? Control is the first step, learning to tap into the Fade in a focused way.

[ as she considers his abilities more abilities and less magic? definitely not upset. she's seen far worse in her day. ] It's difficult to say, as he doesn't talk. I'm not quite certain he's capable of it, though for the most part, we're attempting to keep him calm enough so he can control his abilities and he does react to my voice. At the very least, he understands tone, if not the actual words.

[ pause. ] To answer your question, a bit of both, perhaps.

He doesn't understand words? [Anders frowns, thinking.] So what you would need is someone to show instead of tell. And if he can't talk, then you can't ask him how he's tapping in... [Anders shakes his head.] I don't know if I can help without being there, if conversation isn't an option.

In my experience, such an ability is less 'tapping into something' and more an innate part of their being. He draws energy from himself and we've been working on getting him to slow down how he does it and only pull up a small amount of his power at a time. It's very slow going, but in the time he's been my patient, he's come a very long way.

[ she pauses at that, considering. ]

Perhaps, if you don'd mind keeping everything you see completely secret... I may invite you to pay us a visit. I daresay the Sanctuary might interest you.

For mages, accessing the Fade is innate and it can be exhausting. It can be hard to tell what's going on if you don't feel it. [A small smile flashes across his face.] And the classrooms have been set on fire more than a few times in every Circle building.

[Anders nods after a moment.] As long as I am free to go I would be fine with keeping things secret. Problems come up when I'm expected to stay somewhere.

Do you mind telling me more about this Fade? [ that makes her smile as well. ]

Absolutely. The Sanctuary has never been a prison and I would not wish it to feel that way for you.

It is what magic comes from. [He pauses as he tries to figure out how to explain it.] It is the first realm, inhabited by spirits and demons, and entering it is a tricky thing. All people go there in their dreams, but mages can knowingly access it, tap into it, and, in unfortunate circumstances, walk in it. It's not a pleasant place to be.

[Anders nods again.]

I've been caged too much of my life.

It's a place and yet you can tap into it, pull energy from it, and use it as the manifestation of an ability?

[ she's trying to rationalize what he's telling her in a way that makes sense to her. less magic, more science. ]

I understand. The Sanctuary was never meant to be a cage or a zoo. My patients are there for their own safety and that of the general public. Some come of their own free will and if at all possible, we take measures to reintegrate as many as possible into their natural habitats or places that can support them and are far away from civilization. You'd be welcome any time to see my Sanctuary, but we will never force you to stay. That's not how we operate.

It is a place, and it is magic. Magic is what it's made of. Those of us who are mages have access to it.

[Whereas he has no notion of science, aside from how to make potions from herbs.]

...How do you determine when imprisonment is for the safety of the general public?

I see.

[ she nods, finally understanding it to a degree. ]

I prefer not to consider it imprisonment, as we tend to give them large enclosures to mimic their natural habitats as much as possible. We don't step in until they have actually threatened the public or the public has threatened them. If they are sentient and understand what the Sanctuary does and stands for, often they will come to us. Sanctuary for all.

[ sanctuary, not prison or zoo. she takes it very seriously. ]

If at all possible, later on, we try to rehabilitate and then release them in an area where no one will be threatened by their existence.

And if they're sentient but something happened that hurt 'the public' and they don't want to go, what happens then?

[His voice is neutral, calm.]

Our public is terrified of mages, because there are some that are weak and wind up possessed, turning into abominations and attacking as many as they can.

It's a case-by-case basis. There aren't many sentient beings who pose much of a threat and usually if they do, it's a matter of miscommunication. Most understand the purpose of the Sanctuary and how the public reacts to those who seem different and would rather remain hidden or with us.

In that case, we would rehabilitate them, offer them Sanctuary until they feel comfortable returning to their lives. Their... "release," for lack of a better term, would be entirely up to their own feeling of safety.

[ she purses her lips at this. the story of her daughter is on the tip of her tongue, but she's not sure she wants to go into that just yet. ]

What remains the same is that no one can harm any of my patients, my friends -- [ she emphasizes that to make her point, as she very much considers each of them a friend to her. ] -- while I can do something about it.

And so if they did something harmful, but feel like they're safe enough and are sentient, you'll let them walk free, without your rehabilitation?

[It's a bit of a personal topic, and one Anders wants to be clear on before he agrees to go anywhere.]

Have any of your patients harmed you?

Mhm. [ she nods at that. ]

Oh many times, often within the same stretch of time, but not even that will make me give up on them. All beings deserve our respect and care. I don't play favorites just because I've been hurt.

...You're not calling them people, I notice.

It's difficult to call a lizard a person, you understand. I work with more than just humanoid species.

[ her staff was comprised of humanoid species, but her patients came from all walks of life. ]

Actual... lizards? Or dragons? No, it can't be a dragon, because they'd eat you.

Not the typical dragons of folklore, no. I have yet to come across any of those. These are actual lizards, with genetic Abnormalities that make them a little different.

...Are they sentient?

Yes and no. Some are and some aren't. It just depends on the subspecies you're talking about.

Sentient lizards are some of your clients. Along with a mage who can only use fire and can't speak. Your place sounds very... different.

[ she gives him a warm, almost challenging sort of smile. ]

Indeed. That's certainly one of the nicer things an outsider has called it.

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PSL - Anders | Helen Magnus ---> Rumor has it

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