approach at your own risk

It was a clear night out, the soft sounds of cicadas hummed a sweet melody and the gentle breeze casting a scent of pine. Mira raised the camera, looking through the lens up at the starry canvas. Focusing on the sky above her before snapping a picture. She paused, turning to look over her shoulder. “Hasn’t anyone told you to never sneak up on someone?” Mira asked with her brows knitted together.

"Yes, I've heard that a time or two," Noah said, a water can in his hand. He'd gotten good at controling the water from the can to where he wanted it, but he still needed a supply to work from. He was off to water some of his more delicate vegetables, ones he was only fussing with to please Aleda's requests. "Wasn't trying to bother you on purpose."

“Sometimes,” Dom agreed after a moment. There wasn’t too much that he could say without revealing that his magic was the exact opposite of light magic. “But I think it’s more important to know boundaries in some cases. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean that you should or that it will benefit you later. That’s the problem with magic I think, what works quickly or best can actually be really bad for you. Or you just get addicted. Either way, it’s no way to live,” he finishes with a little shrug. 

"Addicted to magic?" Noah asked, skeptical. He found nothing about magic to be addictive, except maybe the knowledge of it. After he knew what he was, he read everything he could, taking some of the internet articles with a grain of salt. As long as it wasn't blood magic, nothing seemed to have addictive properties to anyone else, either. "Boundaries are good, though. I don't seem to have any..." he hummed. Maybe that was the problem, but he wasn't convinced.

“It’d be dope to be one though, you could totally freak people out with it. Incorporate their thoughts and feelings into the conversations, answer a question before its been asked. You know, shit like that.” She spent a good minute on the thought, letting it unravel in her mind faster than it did with words. She wondered what went on in his mind briefly before she concluded that she didn’t want to know. “Thank you? You have more manners than I do and you’re the appointed asshole. It’s kinda fun.” She was going to continue on that note but a part of his answer made her sad. Not for herself, but for him even if it perhaps didn’t matter to him. “Just have to exist,” she repeated low, “that’s a bummer.”

Noah thought about it for just a moment. He'd never had the desire to know what someone was thinking, because he generally didn't care, but it would be nice to have a sort of leverage like that over someone. "Now that would be kind of fun, when you put it that way. Only if there was an off button. I don't want to know what someone's thinking all the time." There was enough static in his head without adding to it. "I don't know if I'd call it manners, but I do like being ironic," he nodded. He smirked then, as he realized that she'd actually picked up on his honesty. He shrugged, leaning onto the counter. "It is what it is. Not much I can do about it, so might as well give them a reason for it."

“It is hard for people who don’t have them to pick up on it.” Kel had grown up as a hald-breed bastard under the rule of a racist mountain pack. He’d learned not to let snarky comments get under his skin fast. He might as well have had a target on his back for people like this, and he had been unable to defend himself. Only put his head down and take it, all his life. That in mind, Kel looked up and smiled. “Karma’s already kicked my ass more times than you can possibly imagine. And normally I would love to be a part of such a mature, intelligent conversation with someone as refined as you, but as it is, I lost patience for prideful dicks about forty years ago.”

"Oh, I have a sense of humor when I want to. You're just not funny," he shrugged, shaking his head slightly. This man was pathetic, and Noah was already getting bored despite his annoyance. The music wasn't going to stop, so he might as well just go out in the garden or something to get away from it. Noah had a hard time backing down and being the one to walk away though, so he likely was going to argue some more before that happened. "It's hardly my fault someone used up your patience some 20 odd years before I was even born. I'm actually a great conversationalist, but only with people who aren't self absorbed and hellbent on sympathy. Not my style."

“Oh yes, you’re definitely far smarter than me. Can’t argue that.”

"At least it seems you have some brains up in that bottle blonde head of yours."

There really wasn’t much Xavier could do. If he threatened the kid, Ella would have his ass, and he wasn’t much for fighting anyways, so it wasn’t like he would be able to back it up. “Spoiled little brat.” He muttered, starting to reel the line in. He’d just take the mule to a different spot.

"Excuse me?" Noah said, turning back towards the man, who actually looked like he was leaving. That was good, at least. He could practice in peace. Or would have been able to if he was physically capable of keeping his mouth shut, which he was not. "Did you just call me a spoiled brat?"

“There you go.” Andrew said with a grin. That seemed more likely, with how annoyed Noah tended to be by the world in general. Which made it strange that Noah was even talking to him. Andrew was pretty sure that he annoyed the other man, so it didn’t make much sense that he hadn’t just left the room. “I guess that’s something.” He said dryly, shaking his head. It wasn’t like he was really offended or anything, but it would be nice to see some sort of remorse. “I do it, just not until like, an hour before it’s due. It’s worked out well so far though, haven’t failed a class yet.”

"Yeah, I guess," Noah said, "that's how most of it starts anyway." He shrugged, since it was true--most of the time, he didn't entirely set out to ruin someone's clothes or their life, it just happened that way. Almost like his magic had a mind of its own and acted without his express permission. Most people inspired that response, and when he met the rare one who didn't, it was a breath of fresh air for him. Much like Andrew, come to think of it, but Noah stashed that thought away for later. He looked at Andrew quizzically, as he realized the other might have taken his comment to heart. "Yeah, well. Would you rather I ignore your lack of hearing entirely?" he asked, tone a bit sarcastic. "Ah, you're a crammer. Hey, whatever works. At least there's enough around here to keep you distracted. Personally, I think school is a waste of time."

Brooke was using the word ingenious largely due to the fact the witch used spells to be aware of what was going on around him. It was a very creative thing that she’d never seen before. Granted all the witches she knew could hear. “Considering you know him better than me, what word would you use?” she questioned though she doubted she might agree with him. Brooke could tell just by the way he said it he thought something else of the witch and curiosity got the better of her.

The brunette snorted. “You do realize that only makes you sound like more of an asshole. I mean to have someone else say its just your personality, I’d believe it. But to have you say it just sounds like you enjoy being an ass and don’t care enough to make an effort not to be.” Brooke made a general gesture. “Well don’t let me stop you from getting clean.”

Noah had to think about that one. What word would he use to describe Andrew? He actually didn't know the other witch particularly well, but he thought he might want to. That was a worrying thought that he was trying to put out of his mind and not actually think about, for obvious reasons. Noah didn't get close to people out of principle. "Intriguing," he settled on. "He's definitely different than most."

Noah raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like I'm unaware of that. Being an ass has gotten me this far, why would I stop now?" He knew that made him sound even more of an asshole, but it was true. If he was soft, he would've crumpled long ago. For Noah, at the very least, it was better to people others to the punch before they had a chance to land one on him. "Thank you for your permission," he said sarcastically as he turned the water on to scrub his hands.

“But I obviously had to tell you what a terrible advice it is so you know. how else will you learn?” Leo knew that it was solid advice, that it was what you were supposed to do but that didn’t mean she had to like it. Or take it. It was how she did most things, giving her advice had never worked out in anyone’s favor. Least of all hers. “Oh that’s creepy,” she commented at the sight of his grin that she knew very well was meant to patronize her. “Did you practice that in front of a mirror? Did it hurt? Do you need to take a nap after that? It looked pretty exhausting from over here.” A laugh escaped her, not taunting or rude, but pure as ever. “What’s it like, being an asshole? I’ve always wondered.”

"Fair enough. I'm not a mind reader, and don't pretend to be." It was rare that Noah would agree with anyone, much less admitting to it, but she had a point, even if she was wrong. You can't learn unless someone tells you what you've done. That was the way the world worked. It didn't mean he had to take anyone's advice, though, because he didn't do that often. "Thank you. I'm fine, actually. I'm a man of many talents, and not needing a nap after making a facial expression is one of them." Noah was a bit confused by this girl, since she didn't take offense to anything he did, even though she called him an asshole. Most people just got mad at him. "It's a lot of fun, pissing people off. I don't even have to try most of the time, I just have to exist. They do all the getting mad, which is the real exhausting part," he shrugged.

“I’m sorry, was I defensive? I’m fairly certain I bowed to your superior wit.”

"Good. As you should. I was just checking."

“Because I’ve got just as much of a right to this pond as you do?” Xavier pointed out. God, the worst part about the new people was all the idiot punks coming in thinking they owned the place. “Fishing is a way to get food without breaking the bank. And it’s delicious.”

"Exactly!" Noah said, pointing straight at the man. "I have a right to this pond too, and can do what I want, even if you don't like it. And fish isn't that great, as far as foods go. It's smelly and only good when cooked right." He turned back towards the pond, planning on ignoring the man completely for the rest of his little experiment.

Dom had to force himself not to snort. Practicing always made him think of his mother, not something for polite conversation. Though he thought most of his magic wasn’t for polite conversation either. “I had a,” he paused, not wanting to say good, “knowledgeable teacher,” he settles on. “Never afraid to take risks.” He pulled a hand through his hair, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth as he did. “I guess I have a lot to be thankful for in that respect.” Even if saying the words left a bad taste in his mouth, he mused.

"That makes one of us," Noah said bitterly. He tried not to think about it too much, but there was a part of him, deep down, that knew the majority of his problem stemmed from his childhood. Growing up, passed around, and then landing with people who thought he had "the devil in him" and deserved to be beat for it wasn't easy, and he wouldn't really wish that on anyone. What ifs weren't his style, but if they were... he would wonder what would have happened if he was raised by other witches. Or at least someone who didn't think he was evil. "Things can always be worse," he said, not really believing his own words. "At least you know what you're doing."

“That was back when I was attempting a sense of humor.” This was new. He had been expecting judgment, no matter what he said. But this person seemed to take personal offense to Kel’s mood and sense of humor. Typically he would have made a joke at the man’s expense at the very least, but he was already in a foul mood because of Holly and didn’t have the patience for anyone with as foul a humor as this person. “I might have considered it if you had been even slightly more decent. But you know what they say, karma’s only a bitch if you are.” Kel reached over, still making eye contact, and turned the music up a little more.

"Oh, that was an attempt at a sense of humor? I wouldn't have guessed." Actually, he could have guessed, but Noah had the heart of an instigator, and took no pity, even on those having pity for themselves. They were typically the most annoying. Noah had a hard time dealing with people who took time to feel bad about themselves. Pity was generally a wasted emotion. "Luckily for you, I know I'm a bitch," he said, rolling his eyes as the other turned up the music. Of course this would come back to bite him in the ass, why wouldn't it? "Though, I have heard that karma comes around, so you never know. It'll come for you some time too."

“That sounds more like it was on purpose.” Andrew pointed out with a grin. It sounded like something Noah would do, at least, and he’d only talked to the guy once. He turned a bit to face Noah though. “Wow, that’s both offensive and accurate. Good job.” Andrew nodded quickly, lips pressed together. He was quickly distracted by the sketchbook though. “Oh, it’s a side project I’m working on to avoid school. Nothing important.”

"... Accidentally on purpose, then," Noah amended. It might have been on purpose, since he had been thinking about it, and then it happened. Some of his questions had been answered about his magic by that incident--if he willed it to happen hard enough, it would--but it didn't change the fact that he had to be in a high emotion for that to work. Under normal circumstances, nothing. Everything was so erratic and frankly, it was annoying. "Hey, at least it was accurate," he shrugged. He wasn't afraid of offending someone. "Do you ever do your homework? You're always avoiding it."

Studying was the worst. Which was why Andrew was avoiding it in favor of working on a new spell. The idea of it was simple enough; sigils could seal away power, that was how most of them worked. So he was trying to figure out if he could store it for a different person, even if they weren’t the one to originally put it in the sigil. It was pointless for the most part, but interesting, and he’d pulled out a sketchbook to start testing out different things. So far, nothing had worked, but he figured it a was a matter of time. He glanced up when someone else entered the room, and grinned when he saw Noah. “Hey! Did you work things out yet?”

@lixnoah

Noah was looking for an empty room again, spell book tucked under his arm as he poked his head in and out of rooms filled with a variety of people. This ranch was far too populated in his opinion, and the fact that he had to fight for a place to study was annoying. But that was the same time he stumbled into Andrew, who was at least someone who could be useful. He walked all the way in the room, acting like he hadn’t poked his head in first to check for people, and took in the sketchbook Andrew had in front of him. He didn’t quite know how to handle the fact that Andrew seemed pleased to see him, but at least that would work in his favor. “No, not really,” he replied. “I had a mishap with some water the other day, but it wasn’t on purpose.”