Magic Is Hard

[unrecovered]

[The best way to improve in a skill was training. Wash knew that. What he hadn't realized was that training went a lot more smoothly with someone who knew what they were doing in charge.]

[This probably explained why his attempts to practice magic in the park had been frustrating and fruitless for the past half hour. He had no experience in magic and no idea what to do - what he had was determination to master a weapon he'd need in order to fight, and a supply of patience that was beginning to run low.]

[His magic was different than most people's, he reasoned. He didn't have to start his own, like Casey, or use what was on hand, like Greg - no, his element was all around him all the time, and all he had to do was make it do what he wanted. Somehow.]

[Anyone who had been watching him for a bit may have seen sweeping and increasingly ridiculous arm motions - movements that might actually look cool if the wind was playing its part, but just came off as badly choreographed interpretive dance without it. Anyone who had been watching for quite a while may have witnessed him yelling at the sky about how one sweater-vested asshole could have at least provided a tutorial.]

Comments

[jonesiseverywhere]

[Yeah, OK, that is not the reaction Casey expected. It seems to him that the problem is solved: Wash can use his magic when he's really pissed off or scared. It's not the BEST solution ever, but whatever, that's the problem solved. This is a new problem.

Or maybe it's the wrong problem? Maybe it's been the wrong problem all along...]

OK, what's really goin' on?

[unrecovered]

[One of these days, he was going to remember that Casey was a lot sharper than he usually acted.]

What's going on is I still don't know how my magic works, and that didn't help.

[jonesiseverywhere]

[Casey takes a second to think. The connection is pretty obvious to him, though...maybe he does get why Wash isn't happy about it.]

Kinda...seems like it only works when you're scared?

[unrecovered]

[That's not what he wants Casey to take away from this, namely because he's half certain it's not true and half refusing to believe it might be true. Either way, not happening.]

That's not the case, and even if it were, it's not sustainable.

[jonesiseverywhere]

[Now who's the annoying one? Wash still isn't giving Casey much to work with. Casey's gonna figure this out even if Wash smacks him for it.]

But it's still got somethin' to do with fighting Nox, right? An' you didn't seem angry the last time...

[unrecovered]

[As far as Wash is concerned, Casey's still the annoying one, because he won't leave well enough alone.]

Casey. I'll figure it out. Drop it.

[jonesiseverywhere]

[Casey throws up his hands, at the end of his rope.]

Are you kiddin' me? You had it! And you sure didn't get it by flailin' around like an idiot!