[ Nick doesn't reply to that; he just goes back to work, to do the things that he needs to get done in order for everything to be ready for Dorian. The thing about people with Dorian's...Dorianness - which is to say that portrait issue - is that magic is trickier with them, to make sure that the painting doesn't just absorb it.
For whatever reason.
By the time Dorian gets to the church, Nick is splay legged on the floor in front of the altar - which he preserved because fucking on the altar of the False God is still a thrill - in a circle of sacred geometry. He has a pile of books next to him, and there are small selection of candles in front of him. ]
Gray.
[He says it but barely looks up from the work he's doing.]
[ It's closer to the end of an hour than the start of it that Dorian makes his way to Nick's. He lets himself in, rapping loudly on the door as he enters the church. He takes one look at Nick, sitting in the circle of geometry surrounded by books and candles, and can't help but raise an eyebrow at the scene. ]
Scratch. I've got to say, you warlocks have mastered the concept of aesthetic.
[ Nick's house, the Gray Room's...everything, Nick's current set up with book and candle, it's pitch perfect ambiance and Dorian adores it.
He walks over towards Nick, taking care not to step too close to the circle, as he squats down to get a better look at the magic involved as well as the title of some of the various books. ]
Magic like this isn't my strongest suit, but if I can help, I want to. What should I do?
[He looks up then, and his smile is charming, just a little sly.]
Well, certainly we had the time.
[The books are all in Latin, except the one that's very clearly in Scandinavian runes. Nick doesn't read those very well, but considering the nature of the protection spells he cast, it was necessary to at least try. They're all on topics of gates, except for one of the books on the bottom that has no title.]
Do you have any experience with magic? One of...your versions? Alternate selves? He has no talent at all with magic.
[ Idly, Dorian plops down on the floor, sitting outright instead of squatting. He continues to browse the titles, taking in their names and authors as he talks. ]
Versions works. And I'm afraid I'm in the same boat as the non-warlock Dorian. I've had spells cast on me and seen various rituals but I'm afraid I've never participated in any of them.
[ And none of these books are things he's seen before. Pity, but expected. ]
[ Demon fat? Well that's interesting. And unexpected. He leans over the candle slightly, trying to get a whiff of any possible scent. ]
My bent is more Greco-Roman but I did spend some time in the 1970s brushing up on my Norse. [ There's an entire story behind the reason why, but Dorian knows it's not the time nor the place. ]
Odin sacrificed his eye and pierced himself with his spear. He hung himself from Yggdrasil, dancing between life and death for nine days and nights before he saw the runes. I don't remember the specific nature of the charms—one of them was to calm storms, I think? As well as to make any woman love him and to turn his weapons against his attackers. But they were all very powerful magic.
There are two that you should know about specifically. One, is a charm to turn witches away and send them spinning back, so they cannot find their own doors. The second is a secret, because the most powerful charm is a secret that only one person knows.
So.
[He lifts his head.]
The magic I'm layering on my collection hinges on those two charms.
[ Dorian listens, nodding at Nick's explanation. The first charm makes sense. Turn witches away, keep people out of his library. It's the second charm that interests him. ]
Is the secret something I have to tell you? I have something in mind, but my Dominant might be a...problem. He has the power to compel you to tell something. He's only used it on me once, but it's still there.
[ Nick looking interested makes Dorian even more interested. So, he knew enough about Jon to know about his power? Small world. Nick gets a nod of confirmation at his statement. ]
He doesn't know. Sims takes...a rather hands-off approach with me. Truth be told, I think he's a little scared of me.
[ Something that Dorian is just super pleased by. ] I don't mind. I find him interesting.
Well this you should be able to keep from him. You could tell him you know where my library is, but he won't be able to pull the information out of you.
[This is a true level of trust. If Dorian breaks it, Nick will ruin his life.
He holds his hands out, and the words come out in fast, rapid-fire Latin; the incantation makes the circle lift off the ground, until the energy is floating about three feet off the ground.
Nick overlaps his hands, and says the spell again, and the energy rushes towards Dorian.]
[ Dorian watches all of this with a look of rapt interest on his face. As the magic starts and the energy floats off the ground, Dorian's body remains perfectly still while his eyes dart from point to point, trying to take in as much of the scene as he possibly can. ]
And unlike me, he's not durable enough to take a hit when that magic decides to bite back. Not that yours will, of course, [ Dorian quickly interjects. ] But I've seen his scars.
[ Dorian does so. When the candles snuff themselves out, Dorian looks around. He makes a small noise of approval before looking over to where he hopes Nick is. ]
If this is part of the magic, I hope we can have a little bit of fun in here afterwards. A pitch black room offers so many possibilities.
[He says it cheerfully enough, and then he reaches and takes Dorian by the hand. Nick has a hand of glory, which doesn't help Dorian much, but it doesn't matter. This is part of the spell.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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wanna continue this here or log this baby?
here is fine for the sake of my poor brain
For whatever reason.
By the time Dorian gets to the church, Nick is splay legged on the floor in front of the altar - which he preserved because fucking on the altar of the False God is still a thrill - in a circle of sacred geometry. He has a pile of books next to him, and there are small selection of candles in front of him. ]
Gray.
[He says it but barely looks up from the work he's doing.]
understandable! sick brain is truly the worst. :<
Scratch. I've got to say, you warlocks have mastered the concept of aesthetic.
[ Nick's house, the Gray Room's...everything, Nick's current set up with book and candle, it's pitch perfect ambiance and Dorian adores it.
He walks over towards Nick, taking care not to step too close to the circle, as he squats down to get a better look at the magic involved as well as the title of some of the various books. ]
Magic like this isn't my strongest suit, but if I can help, I want to. What should I do?
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Well, certainly we had the time.
[The books are all in Latin, except the one that's very clearly in Scandinavian runes. Nick doesn't read those very well, but considering the nature of the protection spells he cast, it was necessary to at least try. They're all on topics of gates, except for one of the books on the bottom that has no title.]
Do you have any experience with magic? One of...your versions? Alternate selves? He has no talent at all with magic.
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Versions works. And I'm afraid I'm in the same boat as the non-warlock Dorian. I've had spells cast on me and seen various rituals but I'm afraid I've never participated in any of them.
[ And none of these books are things he's seen before. Pity, but expected. ]
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Magic is as much study as it is skill, but that doesn't mean it's something easily learned, either.
[He hands over one of the candles, fat.]
I'm assuming you're not queasy.
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[ Dorian takes the candle as he looks over at Nick. ]
I'll be fine.
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[The humans candles are probably more difficult for most people, but those aren't exactly used every day, are they?]
I only have two of those, so I don't want them to go to waste.
What do you know about the eighteen charms that Odin learned on the tree?
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My bent is more Greco-Roman but I did spend some time in the 1970s brushing up on my Norse. [ There's an entire story behind the reason why, but Dorian knows it's not the time nor the place. ]
Odin sacrificed his eye and pierced himself with his spear. He hung himself from Yggdrasil, dancing between life and death for nine days and nights before he saw the runes. I don't remember the specific nature of the charms—one of them was to calm storms, I think? As well as to make any woman love him and to turn his weapons against his attackers. But they were all very powerful magic.
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There are two that you should know about specifically. One, is a charm to turn witches away and send them spinning back, so they cannot find their own doors. The second is a secret, because the most powerful charm is a secret that only one person knows.
So.
[He lifts his head.]
The magic I'm layering on my collection hinges on those two charms.
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Is the secret something I have to tell you? I have something in mind, but my Dominant might be a...problem. He has the power to compel you to tell something. He's only used it on me once, but it's still there.
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[There's a pause.]
Jonathan Sims is your Dominant.
[He looks interested by this.]
It's not a secret you know. It's a secret you have, so it should be safe from him. Does he know you're working for me?
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He doesn't know. Sims takes...a rather hands-off approach with me. Truth be told, I think he's a little scared of me.
[ Something that Dorian is just super pleased by. ] I don't mind. I find him interesting.
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[He tips his head just a little to look at Dorian, his mouth slightly pleased.]
He's easy to scare. He's afraid of books.
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Tell me if he ever does something silly like that again. I've got a few things I can threaten him with to set him straight.
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Don't move for a second.
[As he starts tracing, he speaks.]
Sims has no real sense of self-preservation.
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He really doesn't. But he's interesting—his entire Archives is. I want to poke at it and pry it open until I find out how those things really work.
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Well this you should be able to keep from him. You could tell him you know where my library is, but he won't be able to pull the information out of you.
[This is a true level of trust. If Dorian breaks it, Nick will ruin his life.
He holds his hands out, and the words come out in fast, rapid-fire Latin; the incantation makes the circle lift off the ground, until the energy is floating about three feet off the ground.
Nick overlaps his hands, and says the spell again, and the energy rushes towards Dorian.]
He plays with magic he doesn't understand.
[He says it as if he didn't just cast a spell.]
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And unlike me, he's not durable enough to take a hit when that magic decides to bite back. Not that yours will, of course, [ Dorian quickly interjects. ] But I've seen his scars.
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[Once he does, all the other candles go out, and it turns black dark in the church.]
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If this is part of the magic, I hope we can have a little bit of fun in here afterwards. A pitch black room offers so many possibilities.
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[He says it cheerfully enough, and then he reaches and takes Dorian by the hand. Nick has a hand of glory, which doesn't help Dorian much, but it doesn't matter. This is part of the spell.]
I like fucking surrounded by books.
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