These Half Truths You're Telling Me [Closed]

[pryr4thedyng]

Characters: Rory and Hex
Content: Rory extracts an aforementioned favor from Hex, and traps him in a lecture in the process.
Setting: Library, second floor bathroom
Warnings: Possible razorburn?

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[chimeralchemist]

Upon their return, Hex had secluded himself, calming down in one of the deserted wings of the library. But he'd grown bored without people around, and even though he didn't really want to talk to anyone, he decided upon heading out to the courtyard.

Yet another book in hand- something important to fill the time, he supposed, until more use could be made of any of them that weren't a part of the meeting- Hex paused, glancing about at first before his eyes rose to see the figure on the stairs. Blinking once, and wondering what Rory wanted, as he was usually self-sufficient, Hex ambled closer.

"Did you need something?" he asked, and suddenly remembered the brief question Rory had asked while they were still at the water. He'd wanted something, indeed, something to be made.

[pryr4thedyng]

"Only a small something, yes," he replied as he took the remaining steps briskly, scrubbing a hand through his hair, loosening some of the dirt and sweat that held it there. He wanted to shudder, almost, at how long he'd gone without a proper shower, but it couldn't be helped at his leisure. He was at the disposal of the group, now, a thought that still soured in his gut from time to time. Baby steps.

"I need to be presentable for the conference." The words spilled hastily, though by no means uncontrolled. He wanted this out of the way. "As you can see," he continued, canting his head slightly and scritching at the underside of his jaw, the stubble there itching more now that he had attention drawn to it, "grooming is in order. Bathing can be handled later, but this is something I'd like out of the way while I have the free time."

The other hand came out, drawing from his pocket a thin piece of metal and a chunk of wood. "For blade and for handle. I admit, I'm fond of old fashioned razors."

[chimeralchemist]

"Oh," he replied shortly, taking the supplies with a hesitance, only remembering Rory's lack of 'practical,' as he called it, skill in alchemy. "I guess I can, yeah. Um. I used the last of my chalk a bit ago."

The stairs caught his eye, and again, he hesitated, wondering if it was a good idea to carve a circle in the thick wood, though it was let go at the next thought that no one else would be able to use it, anyway. "I can do it here," he offered, thunking the tip of his tail's blade into the wood. Indelicate, to be sure, but a workable method that ended in a good, if rather crude, circle, to which he bent with the materials.

[pryr4thedyng]

Rory eyed the array with a furrowed brow, certain that such an imperfect circle couldn't properly conduct the energy required for the transmutation, but sure enough, Hex was setting to work with it, and Rory bent to get a better look at the process. It was pitiful that he had vetoed such a useful practice, even if it were to go on to more advanced and progressive work; how could he not have seen that his understanding of the fundamentals would be so imperative? There was much he had to learn, and that meant a trip to the past to retrieve what little of the facts he did remember

[chimeralchemist]

Wood and metal laid on top of each other on the stair, Hex paused, looking up as Rory's sentence trailed into quiet. It was kind of surprising that a practicer of alchemy didn't seem to understand the basics of working with, well... the basics. "Not... really? It doesn't dilute the energy, it just gives it more room to flow where it needs to, if that makes sense?" He looked at the circle and its potential razor, then slowly picked up on his thoughts, trying to word them properly so as to evoke the right image. "I can make this array do all sorts of things; it really only uses the energy I give it. Putting too much stuff in an array is like... giving a car too much gas. It's kinda pointless, and it does less good than giving only what it needs, or sometimes even less than that."

The drone of alchemy in his mind took his thoughts briefly from what had happened earlier, and it was almost a comfort. Glad to find something to occupy himself, Hex could have continued, but halted, and hesitated as Rory watched.