Azmuth (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
whohastimeforthat) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
cousinsindozens2016-02-18 12:15 pm
whohastimeforthat) wrote in cousinsindozens2016-02-18 12:15 pm
Entry tags:
[OPEN] A New Wizard, Centuries Old
Who: Azmuth, OPEN
What: Safely away from prying eyes and likely pranksters, Azmuth finally answers the message that keeps popping up on his screens. Say "hello" to a new Provisionary Wizard.
Where: New York, Earth, I guess?
When: Now's good.
Notes: Poking with an AU version of Azmuth because I like AUs and kind of want to play around. It's long for a setup, I know, but that's sort of my style.
Do you want to be a wizard?
The question was ridiculous. Azmuth was a Galvan, empirically the smartest species in the Milky Way, and he was the smartest among his own people, ranking him the smartest being in the galaxy. Just shy of two thousand years old, he was already the leading expert in a variety of sciences including Engineering, Astrophysics, Biology, and Chemistry. He'd even built an entire planet for fun once. Needless to say, he wasn't one for flights of fancy or cluttering his primary brain with nonsense.
But that little question was persistent, the message popping up regularly no matter what data pad or computer screen he was using, with the same two options of Yes or No.
He always closed the message without answering, keeping an eye out for who might be sending it to him. Galvans knew that magic existed but the practice of it was frowned upon in their society. Magic was wild and never followed the rules, the famous wizard Bezel being as flighty as the powers he wielded. Galvans preferred the rigidity and structure of science. It gave them solid footing on their understanding of the universe along with serving as their protector, allowing them to keep technologically ahead of all other races lest they be crushed underfoot.
But Azmuth had always known there was something more out there, something just on the edges of his vision that no one else seemed to see. He didn't want to learn science; he wanted to learn it all. That was what made him exit without a clear answer because he was so curious but didn't want to provide fuel for ridicule from those who already despised him and would jump at the chance to call his expertise into question.
When he chose to leave Galvan Prime to focus on his inventions, he made a stop on a primitive little planet with beings too large pay much mind to a small creature about five inches tall. Perching himself on the branch of a tree, he pulled out the data pad tucked up under his arm and pressed Yes as the message dutifully arrived.
...If this was a joke, it was a darn convincing one.
The manual that appeared was much more in-depth than he could've predicted...not that he'd predicted anything more than a mocking message laughing at his gullibility. Reading the table of contents alone had intrigued him, and the further he read, the more hungry for more he became. Especially considering that a good portion of the concepts hinted at in just the basic overview were mirrored in scientific discoveries his people had made thousands of years ago. It seemed that this "Speech" was magic's answer to science.
Maybe it was an elaborate hoax. If it was, what would be the harm in pursuing it further until he had proof to show anyone else who might have gotten suckered into it? And if it wasn't...
Well, he wanted to know how the universe worked. He needed to know, to understand. Maybe mastering "The Speech" would help him achieve that goal.
So he took the Oath written there.
Within seconds, his name appeared on what he assumed to be a registry of wizards in the "New York metropolitan area"...without him doing anything to add it:
Azmuth
Kennedy Memorial Park
Hempstead, New York
(novice, pre-rating, temporary address)
What: Safely away from prying eyes and likely pranksters, Azmuth finally answers the message that keeps popping up on his screens. Say "hello" to a new Provisionary Wizard.
Where: New York, Earth, I guess?
When: Now's good.
Notes: Poking with an AU version of Azmuth because I like AUs and kind of want to play around. It's long for a setup, I know, but that's sort of my style.
Do you want to be a wizard?
The question was ridiculous. Azmuth was a Galvan, empirically the smartest species in the Milky Way, and he was the smartest among his own people, ranking him the smartest being in the galaxy. Just shy of two thousand years old, he was already the leading expert in a variety of sciences including Engineering, Astrophysics, Biology, and Chemistry. He'd even built an entire planet for fun once. Needless to say, he wasn't one for flights of fancy or cluttering his primary brain with nonsense.
But that little question was persistent, the message popping up regularly no matter what data pad or computer screen he was using, with the same two options of Yes or No.
He always closed the message without answering, keeping an eye out for who might be sending it to him. Galvans knew that magic existed but the practice of it was frowned upon in their society. Magic was wild and never followed the rules, the famous wizard Bezel being as flighty as the powers he wielded. Galvans preferred the rigidity and structure of science. It gave them solid footing on their understanding of the universe along with serving as their protector, allowing them to keep technologically ahead of all other races lest they be crushed underfoot.
But Azmuth had always known there was something more out there, something just on the edges of his vision that no one else seemed to see. He didn't want to learn science; he wanted to learn it all. That was what made him exit without a clear answer because he was so curious but didn't want to provide fuel for ridicule from those who already despised him and would jump at the chance to call his expertise into question.
When he chose to leave Galvan Prime to focus on his inventions, he made a stop on a primitive little planet with beings too large pay much mind to a small creature about five inches tall. Perching himself on the branch of a tree, he pulled out the data pad tucked up under his arm and pressed Yes as the message dutifully arrived.
...If this was a joke, it was a darn convincing one.
The manual that appeared was much more in-depth than he could've predicted...not that he'd predicted anything more than a mocking message laughing at his gullibility. Reading the table of contents alone had intrigued him, and the further he read, the more hungry for more he became. Especially considering that a good portion of the concepts hinted at in just the basic overview were mirrored in scientific discoveries his people had made thousands of years ago. It seemed that this "Speech" was magic's answer to science.
Maybe it was an elaborate hoax. If it was, what would be the harm in pursuing it further until he had proof to show anyone else who might have gotten suckered into it? And if it wasn't...
Well, he wanted to know how the universe worked. He needed to know, to understand. Maybe mastering "The Speech" would help him achieve that goal.
So he took the Oath written there.
Within seconds, his name appeared on what he assumed to be a registry of wizards in the "New York metropolitan area"...without him doing anything to add it:
Azmuth
Kennedy Memorial Park
Hempstead, New York
(novice, pre-rating, temporary address)
no subject
"But my Ordeal made itself obvious soon enough."
no subject
All right, he was fishing, hoping to glean some clue about what the Ordeal might be or how much time he had to prepare for it.
I want to reference Dairne's "I might as well buy It a hot dog" line, but Nita doesn't know of that!
Nita knew the story behind her's and Kit's, her sister's, Darryl's, and Ronan's, but there wasn't necessarily a reliable pattern; everyone had something unique to characterize their Ordeal, though.
Pffft.
Re: Pffft.
"Though that's usually used fondly."
She sighed.
"So there's a prejudice afoot. Are you the only... Galvan, wizard?"
The pause was to make sure she was getting the naming of his species right. It'd be terribly rude of her to mess that up!
Re: Pffft.
What were you planning to have as his Ordeal?
She paused, pondering.
"I might know some people who've been in your situation - only wizard of their species, I mean."
Quelt wasn't an option, for obvious reasons.
Sorry for the delay. Anyway, I'm still trying to work that one out.
"I don't mind it, actually. One of my goals is to understand it enough to show my people that magic is one of the fundamental forces of the universe, and to understand it is to understand more about the universe itself." Azmuth smiled up at her, spreading his hands. Despite his alien face, his eyes are clearly shining with excitement and passion. "Have you ever seen something just out of reach and you know it's important but you can never quite reach it?"
I know someone who plays Dairine; Want me to joint-ping you two on Plurk?
"Now that's a good attitude to have. And you're kinda sounding like my sister there, but I'd have to say yes to that, too."
Thanks, DW, for never sending the notif. /SIGH
"Do I?" He tilted his head, intrigued. "Regardless, that means you both must know how maddening it can be. I didn't even realize until I was fifty that what I kept seeing everyone else couldn't."
/pats Ping me when you do get to them. ^^
"For humans, it seems most of us are able to see the world more clearly as children... and then we lose that connection when we grow up. Some don't, though."
It was far from just a Galvan problem, at any rate.
I've got a bunch of them as ebooks, but right now pleasure reading isn't a high priority.
For good or for ill, he'd always stood out. It seemed him deciding to try to give serious study to magic would be one more thing that marked him as weird.
Glancing around, he noticed that a few people were glancing Nita's way while giving her odd looks.
"We may wish to move this to somewhere more private."
Right. /o
Nita didn't expect people to be looking at them - then again, she'd forgotten to put up a wizardry to divert people's attention. Her fault, there.
"No argument. I can show you back to my house even, if you'd like."
Or, if he wanted to go elsewhere, she knew a few places...
But feel free to poke your friend! o/
I'll send out the joint ping today, then. ^^
Most people wouldn't know a wizardry if it bit them, after all.
Once she was sure there weren't any prying eyes, Nita walked (not teleported) casually home. The opposite of a scene, this one.
no subject
Azmuth climbed into her pocket, wriggling in a bit and trying to make himself as small as possible. It wasn't a tight fit, but it definitely wasn't comfortable. Particularly when she started walking. He grimaced a bit but kept silent, keeping his complaints to herself.
Should we keep going to the Callahan household, or stop the thread here/timeskip?
If Azmuth had spoken up, she could have spelled her pocket into being temporarilly more roomy. As it was, she would still periodically check on him on her way home.
Maybe Kit and her family would have some input on this new scenario.
I'm good with either!
Then again, he'd built things on a whim in the past that did fairly ridiculous things. (He really couldn't say what possessed him to turn one of his father's lab assistants' extranet "radio" into a clockwork rodent. He knew he'd had a reason at the time but he'd long since forgotten it.)
He closed his eyes and settled in for a light nap while they headed to their destination. It was better than trying to read in all this.