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[She laughs a little, immediately put at ease by his casual approach to everything, and finds a spare countertop to slide her tupperware of biscuits onto. Then she follows his point, meandering over to the table to plop herself down.

She should deny that she has a blowing stuff up hobby, but... she is not going to be doing this...

Because it's true.]

I mean, it's really satisfying, isn't it? Isn't it? You can solve so many problems by just blowing them up! [No...]

It was one of the first bits of magecraft I ever learned how to do!

[ casual is a very good descriptor for Reno's general demeanor—he's not big on propriety or even necessarily manners, tends to be straightforward and treats everyone like old friends even if they've only met once. ]

Ramuh, ain't it? I always say that. [ he sets the bowls on the counter so he can serve, although it's a miracle he doesn't fling pasta anywhere considering how animatedly he gestures. ] I ain't doin' it with magic, though. Practical effects only. Me and my partner back home, we learned how to build bombs together. He always makes 'em real pretty when they go up 'cause he knows that's how I like them.

[ Reno's bombs tend to be works of art in themselves—sure, flattening a building, but why not also make it blow up in pinks and blues and purples while you're at it? seems a waste not to if you have the opportunity.

he grabs both of the bowls, sticks forks in them, and then brings them over to the table so they can sit. ]

You mind if I ask—you always been kinda magical or is that a skill you learned?

[Whoaaaaa... pretty bombs? She wants to learn more about that. Maybe she can work that into her magecraft...!!

--His follow-up question causes her to blink, and then with a light laugh and ever-so-casually:]

Well, all faeries are capable of magecraft. Most of them just don't bother since they can do better stuff in other ways.

To be honest, I'm a really weak faerie and barely have any magic at all, but...! I've been trying to learn all I can anyway. So, mmmm... both, I guess?

Faeries. [ they definitely don't have those on Gaia, at least not as far as Reno's aware. he gives Altria a once-over, mostly just to see if there's anything about her that immediately pings as non-human. ] I mean, if you got any magic at all then you're more magical'n me, so you still got a leg up here.

[ Reno wonders if this is how he sounds when he talks about mako and the Lifestream and stuff—saying words like the other person is going to understand what they mean without explanation. what is magecraft!!

actually, that's one he's going to ask out loud as he eats: ] Pretend I don't know anything about faeries or magic—what's the difference between magic and magecraft?

[She doesn't ping as non-human at all, really; everything about her looks perfectly, normally human. She's about to tell him that humans aren't generally magical, so she wouldn't expect him to be--

But he asks that instead, and the nerdy heart in her can't help but perk up, enthused, forgetting all about the meal in front of her.]

Magecraft is a subset of magic, more or less. Magic is a lot more impressive than magecraft, but you gotta have a little of it to do any magecraft at all.

Magecraft is... mmm, sort of like bringing to life things that are possible to be done? Like making a fire appear! It's possible to make fires, and magecraft is just finding another path to make that happen.

But magic... you can use magic to do the impossible.

[A beat, and she rubs the back of her head sheepishly.]

Ahaha...ha... not that I have enough magic to do that.

That makes a lot of sense.

[ it actually really does. magecraft being the tangible, practical angle of magic, while magic itself is far broader… it reminds Reno a little, perhaps, of the difference between materia and the Lifestream. the Lifestream can do everything materia can do and then some, but materia can’t even come close to touching everything that the Lifestream can do.

he grins a little, propping his chin in one hand. ]

Eh, I don’t know how much cooler it gets than makin’ cookie monsters at a ball.

[ he’s not actually teasing about that, either. the theory of it is cool and all, but using your powers to cause harmless mischief is pretty much peak, in Reno’s opinion. ]

So you ain’t gotta have magic to do magecraft? Or you can do magecraft with a lil’ magic, but you ain’t got enough magic to do more than magecraft?

[She laughs a little at that, but seems deeply pleased by his words. Usually she's getting scolded for her magecraft! This is special and exciting!]

Mm, kind of. Humans need at least a little bit of magic to do magecraft, but other creatures aren't like that. Faeries can do a lot of things just because they're faeries.

Um. Except for me. [She's not cool enough for that, and she rubs the back of her neck sheepishly as she says it.]

[ well, she brought it up... ]

So you're... a faerie with no magic, or did somethin' happen that took your magic?

[ does that even happen? Reno's not sure. the only magic he knows how to use is contained in materia, doesn't even take any inherent magic to use. ]

Ah...hahaha...

[She just rubs the back of her neck sheepishly, shaking her head.]

No, nothing happened! I was just born without very much magic, that's all.

But, um... that's why I'm learning magecraft!

[... Her food! She was just sitting here gabbing away and forgot that he made food! She's diving into that now--both because it smells delicious, and because it buys her some time to avoid being too overtly embarrassed over her failings.]

Hey, that's okay, though. I like you just fine without it.

[ as far as Reno's concerned, the fact that she can do any of it at all is a win, even if there are faeries out there who are more powerful. he knows better than most that more power doesn't always make someone better, after all.

he's been a little better about remembering to eat than she was, so Reno slows down a little to let Altria catch up, figuring it'll be awkward if he finishes and leaves her as the only one eating. ]

So now we come back to the big question: what are we gonna blow up?

[Oh.

He says it so casually and so easily. He likes her better just fine as she is. He has no way of knowing just how earth-shattering of a statement that is (in the best of ways, of course)--it's the sort of thing that she's rarely ever heard before.

She blinks at him owlishly, cheeks a little red, but he moves on quickly, before she can even begin to start to doubt or question it.]

Oh--oh!! Right!

[She clears her throat, straightening.]

We should blow up some of the things that make people uncomfortable here! Like those awful exhibits, or things like that.

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im soooooo sorry this is late please feel free to ignore if the vibe has passed

opens my arms to you YOU'RE FINE

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