Yo momma's so fat she has her own orbiting bodies

[burlyheart]

Who: Potemkin and anyone
When: 1st of April
Where: Rm Q108, various areas in the Hall of Glory
What: Potemkin gets gravity powers. Oh boy.
Rating: None



After his ill-ending dungeon adventure the doctors had told Potemkin to take some time off and get lots of rest. (Between those two events he had tried to walk it off, and then was practically dragged into the infirmary by a certain someone, but those were the point a and point b.) If Potemkin could somehow be conscious while sleeping, then he would notice that he suddenly feels A LOT better in the middle of the night. The other thing he would notice is that a large fraction of his room is now defying gravity. Objects from lamps to nightstands lift off the ground before stopping and staying in place, like submerged objects hitting air. As soon as he starts waking up and feeling the wrongness of the situation, everything drops. Including himself, destroying his undersized bed once and for all in a crash of breaking wood.

Nothing good has ever come from falling asleep in this place.

2.
With his uncontrollable gravity powers even a trip down the hallway becomes an ordeal. If random objects aren't jumping straight up, then they're racing toward him (and it is always very obviously him). Most of the objects are silly (did anyone drop a nail file? An invoice from the local tavern? A used kick-me sign?), but a few of them are somewhat alarming. Potemkin stands puzzled, holding a metal bust of the Prime Minister which had almost beaned him in the head. He's not going to bother going to the dining hall this morning.

3.
Potemkin spends the rest of the day in the courtyard of the Hall of Glory, legs folded and eyes clamped shut in paradoxically intense meditation. He looks even more statuesque than usual; the only tip off that he isn't actually the picture of calm he appears to be is the vibrating rocks around him. The observant will notice that some of them aren't touching the ground...

Comments

[sunderings]

"Yet you worry still." As ever and as always, the Hero King's voice rings with a perfect calm, his tone only subject to change when in battle or so given to teasing. The latter, of course, is unlikely to occur (at least in this moment!), though for another Sion might have pursued the avenue to provide a measure of familiarity and of comfort. But more than anything, he knows Potemkin to be a soldier, and perhaps the only way to grant the man true peace of mind is an exercise. One of will, mind, and magic, for all that Potemkin seems ill at ease with it.

"And rightfully so, for I doubt there is a single soul who would not be unsettled by being the catalyst for magic which they did not know."

His head canting to the side, the long fall of his hair spills over his shoulder as he makes to seek out Potemkin's eyes.

"So I must ask you this: will you join me in an effort to recreate what happened here?"

[burlyheart]

Potemkin turns to meet their eyes. With such a intensely focused gaze, uncertainty looks plain strange on him. "I will try. I think anyone would have more experience in using magic than me.

There's some complicated history behind it, but the abbreviated version is that where I was raised, magic was not seen as something necessary or wanted. I've never used it before myself." Of course anyone could have figured that out by now but Potemkin feels the need to state it explicitly before it can be acknowledged.

[sunderings]

And acknowledge it, the Hero King does, holding Potemkin's gaze as he nods his head, neither overlooking the uncertainty which is all too apparent in the other man's eyes, nor wholly accepting of it—Sion has faith, as he does in all people and things, in Potemkin's ability to rise up and above any manner of limitation, including those placed upon him by himself.

"Let history be just that." However complicated, a soldier must adapt, a soldier must move forward, and beyond that... A person, a man, Potemkin needs to carve a place in this world for himself. "Shortly after our arrival here, I became acquainted with a man whose homeland was bereft of magic entirely. If such a person could learn to weave spells, then I've no doubt you can come to control this."

The levitation of objects, defying gravity. For there to have been a crash (and oh, how there had been one!), the objects strewn in the area surrounding must have gone up.

"If it is useful to you, the magic of my realm and the magic of this world seem both to be extensions of will. Visualize what you mean to do, imprint it at the back of your mind, and use your mana to see it through."

[burlyheart]

Without any magic? Potemkin has some surprise at that. Most of those he had talked to were at least familiar with it, though to some it was a rare phenomenon.

But Sion's logic does line up with Potemkin's general train of thought. He always believed that the strongest forces in the world were not anything physical but sheer convictions. And who had more certainty in the strength of his convictions but Potemkin? With renewed confidence he concentrates on the mental image of objects floating. Indeed the magic does come out again, but this time the target is Potemkin himself. The physics of when something with Potemkin's mass suddenly weighs as much as a grape causes him to helplessly spin forward, falling on top of himself. And length times force equals torque. The bang of when his spinning body hits the opposite wall of the room is timed perfectly with the room nanny fluttering in to give its morning message.

"Congratulations, Hero Potemkin! You are hereby summoned to Commander Lisbrand's..."

[sunderings]

Sion sees his hand withdrawn from Potemkin in the instant when the man tumbles forward, successful in his attempt to summon the magic which had seen their shared quarters overturned, but less so in his endeavor to wholly control it. Still, there is something rather magnificent (and perhaps even majestic!) about the sight of so very large a man, standing at least two feet and some inches above the Hero King's own height, floating as though he were weightless only to...!

Crash, in the absence of a fulcrum with which to pivot upon. It is quite an impressive bang, truth be told, but one significant of accomplishment—something has been marked here, on this day, and in the event that Potemkin had not heard the message which the room nanny relayed, Sion cares to elaborate,

"It would seem as though you're due for a promotion." And if there is a measure of pride in his voice, it is on Potemkin's own behalf: the man is certainly capable; to manifest a skill which one has no prior experience with on the very first attempt speaks to quite the ferocious will.

"I will see to finding your uniform. In the meantime, you'll want to dispel your magic." He does not ask if Potemkin is all right, out of respect for the man's dignity and faith that his roommate is (for the most part!) well, and without another word, he rises, locating the trunk which had once been at the foot of Potemkin's bed. "Do let me know, if you would like for me to brace your fall."

[burlyheart]

Yes, Potemkin would call himself alright. There are definitely worse audiences than Sion for this to happen in front of. And in his current position of his back against the wall and his head touching the floor, it looks like his mental image of the room floating came true after all. How nice.

Potemkin takes Sion's offer of help silently at first, taking a few moments to contemplate his lot in life. When he snaps out of it and tries to move again, he's forced to reconsider - Potemkin's legs aren't short at all, but he's preposterously top-heavy, making rebalancing difficult. Normally this would never come up as he didn't take to the air until just this morning.

"Sion, I think I will ask for some help."