(open.) take these broken wings and learn to fly

[steler]

CHARACTERS: Kaz Brekker & Open
DATE: during january but before leaving oska.
WARNINGS: None, probably, but I'll warn as needed
SUMMARY: Kaz tries to figure out how to use his new crow powers and mostly fails. It's definitely a training montage.



a. - early january, training center

[kaz receives a scroll that details a new power he's been given. it's still strange to think of all the different kinds of magic that exist, above and beyond what the grisha were capable of and weirder still to think he's been granted a magic no one would ever be able to use at home. but he's not complaining - far from it.

kaz wants to know everything about how to use it. what use was a new skill he was just going to ignore? he reads over the scroll again and again until he's got the entirety of the instruction memorized. he figures someone might know how to do this already, but he doesn't seek out help. he can learn on his own, and that's fine.

once he's satisfied with the concept, he pockets the scroll and heads off towards the training center. it takes him a little bit of trial and error to figure out how to make it actually work, but eventually it creates a nice, chill landscape. a few hills, no enemies. just space to try and make this magic happen.

kaz takes a deep breath and concentrates. concentrates on the idea and shape of a crow. what it might feel like. he concentrates so hard that he barely notices when he manages to make the shift -- only to shift back to human a few seconds later.

time to try again.]

b. - mid january, courtyard.

[a few seconds had gradually become a few minutes and a few minutes had become, well, ten minutes. ten minutes was pretty much his peak right now, but it was a fairly consistent ten minutes each time. it's enough time, that, if he were good at flying it would be all he needs for most normal sorts of break ins. Not the best for eavesdropping, maybe, but there's still time to keep learning.

he's moved his practicing from the controlled environment of the training room to the courtyard. yes, it's a more open venue and he's therefore more likely to be harassed by random agents, but he needs to not feel safe. real abilities had to be good when it counted, regardless of pressure, regardless of audience.

so far, he's mostly been concentrating simply on taking the form, on keeping it. trying to get ever longer intervals. but now, it's time to learn how to really fly. there is, however, one slight issue with that: the crow that kaz turns into has one poorly healed wing. as he gets off the ground, his balance is hard to gain. it's hard to get higher. it tires him out and for all that ten minutes might have been consistent while he was standing still, flying is a whole other concept together. two minutes, three minutes, a little into the air and then he shifts back, falling to his knees in the grass.

kaz doesn't seem to be hindered by this, although he could do with a nicer landing and without the shock to his leg each time but he pushes past it and tries again. one more time, one more time.]

c. - late january - around

[with almost a month under his belt of relentless attempts to get a handle on this thing, kaz is at least finally consistent enough that he doesn't think he'll die trying to get anywhere in crow form, although he does often get flashes of his botched bank job and falling off a roof. he doesn't want to be cautious, but he doesn't really want to get hurt either. practice makes perfect - he shifts into crow form, takes off and flies six feet off the ground, ten feet, fifteen feet before flying back down to make a perfect landing before changing back. The landing is important. Truly, his practicing is much improved now that he isn't coming down hard on his leg.

maybe it'll become useful - but it's still going to take a lot more time before he can hold it consistently for any long period of time. it's unlikely to be the key to any heist, but, hey, dude can turn into a literal crow now. that's kind of cool. kaz thinks so, though he might not ever say as much.]

Comments

[steler]

[kaz watches, his expression blank for a moment as he assesses what jesper does. and then there's something like approval that crosses his face and he nods.]

That would be my guess.

[endeudado]

[ Every time Kaz approves of Jesper, even this minutely, an angel grows its wings. Jesper meanwhile will try to do the same for his other pistol. This is really cool, but he's just playing it off like it's no big deal. Kaz can probably see right through him. ]

Guess they must have really liked our work on our last mission.

[ Minus the part where Jesper was in jail, but let's not talk about that. ]

[steler]

Even despite going to jail.

[there it is.]

They're very forgiving, all things considered.

[endeudado]

[ Goddammit, Kaz, why you gotta bring that up. ]

It was just for one night...

[ He could add that the sheriff wasn't even that mad, but Jesper knows better than to push it. Kaz isn't happy about it and he never will be so that's simply that. ]

You've seen the kinds of people that are on this team. I doubt there's much they wouldn't forgive, short of failing the mission.

[steler]

[kaz laughs a little coldly. jesper isn't wrong - they've met...quite the cast of colorful characters on this team.]

Arguably, what you did helped. If spun in the right light.

[endeudado]

[ Even a cold laugh is a win, right? Jesper looks down at his pistils and fiddles with them. He won't try and fabrikate them into the air or anything, it could throw off their weight or he could break them, and his babies are far too valuable to risk damaging. Doesn't mean he won't fiddle with the chamber-- anything to get his anxious energy under control or something like it. ]

See? It wasn't all bad. [ He smiles almost carefully, like he's not sure whether or not he should. ] Though I did learn I'm a crap shot with lasers. Go figure.

[steler]

Mm. You alerted them to a deficiency in their security and defense.

[kaz says it a little carefully too, like he's weighing whether or not he wants to give this, which is so much like forgiveness, to jesper. that he wants to absolve him of the prison debacle.

but the truth is, kaz needs jesper. he needs him to stick around and he needs him to have his back. jesper is the only person from home and that's more important that petty arguments over simple things like one night's worth of jail time.]

Of course you're not good with lasers. They aren't metal.

[endeudado]

[ Jesper will take it. The words are probably more than he deserves. Kaz's forgiveness is worth its weight in jurda parem, for all that it's a rare and dangerous thing to examine too closely. He'll take it gladly and move right past it. They're all they have here in Oska, on this strange team and in a strange world.

It almost feels like being trusted again. Jesper knows it's not, but it's close enough to warrant a smile... that immediately dissolves at Kaz's next words. ]

Hey, what's that supposed to mean? I'm an amazing shot.

[steler]

[oh. hm. well, that answer gives him pause.

it's not that he didn't think maybe jesper would be oblivious to the way he shoots he just... still had some sense that maybe jesper would figure it out on his own. that getting through everything might make it increasingly obvious to him.

maybe that was giving jesper too much credit, though. jesper was never very good at self-insights.]

You said it was your mother who taught you how to shoot, right?

[endeudado]

[ Introspection may as well be Jesper's enemy for all that he tries to avoid it. The more he looks inward, the less he finds to like, quite frankly. It started with his father telling him to hide his powers and has continued on with every itch and impulse to act, not think and leap without bothering to look. ]

Yeah, that's right. When I was little. [ He'd said as much in Sonia's post, though he didn't mention that his mother was a grisha. Or a zowa, as it were. But Kaz is smart enough to put the pieces together. ]

Why do you ask?

[steler]

She was the one who encouraged your powers.

[jesper had told him as much, under the mistletoe. and he'd rather gently lead jesper to this than tell him out right.]

[endeudado]

[ Truly, Jesper has no secrets left to give Kaz. Even this one, a secret he practically kept from himself. ]

Yeah, and...

[ He can tell Kaz is getting at something here though, so he trails off more than actually expects an answer to his question. What's Kaz getting at? His mom taught him how to shoot, sure, she always had him visualize his target, picture the trajectory of each bullet and see the bullet travel there in an instant. Almost like.

Jesper looks down at his hands, the bullets, his guns. ]

Oh.

[steler]

[and there it is. good, that he didn't have to outright tell him.]

You should keep working on it.

[endeudado]

I never realized I was doing it.

[ Is that why he never misses? All this time? Jesper's still shocked. How long has he been doing this? He can't even remember shooting any differently. He never has. ]

[steler]

Try not to get hung up on the idea.

[and you know think so hard you cant do it right anymore]

[endeudado]

[ It's cool, hopefully added control means he'll still do it no matter what. ]

Honestly, it's the only way I know how.

[ But now he's gonna try and do cool stuff like shooting with his eyes closed or maybe shooting straight into the air to throw people off, so thanks for the ideas, Kaz. ]

What about that spell they gave you? You can turn into a crow?

[ Seriously? ]

[steler]

[he is always happy to help especially when it directly benefits him.]

Yes. [hes...so excited...] I'm still figuring it out, but I imagine it'll come in useful.

[endeudado]

[ His skills are your skills, Kaz, this is fact. Also seeing what passes for excitement cross Kaz's face is pretty cool, it's like scheming face 2.0. ]

Yeah, it'll be pretty great for spying, huh? No one would look twice at a crow.

[steler]

Precisely. [so good for spying, for flying over rooftops, for generally being badass and getting left the fuck alone]

[endeudado]

[ Jesper grins. ]

Saints, I never get tired of your scheming face.

[steler]

[aw thanks jesper]

What do you think about the next mission?

[endeudado]

Sounds like we better not get infected.

[ Because Jesper might lack the context for zombies but that sounds really unpleasant. ]

I know there's some members on the team who are good with science. They came up with an alternative for the argecite in the last mission, I doubt it'll take long for them to come up with a cure in this case. [ He shrugs. ] Doesn't leave much for the rest of us to do, though.

[steler]

[yeah zombies, that's like a horrifying thing for kaz. a truly horrifying thing. just you wait, jesper.

but (amazingly??????) jesper actually has a point here. about the cure.]

It's true, it doesn't sound like it'll take all 80+ of us.

[endeudado]

[ Jesper will be here when the panic starts, Kaz. He will be your roommate and hold you through every panic attack (and also be like holy shit Kaz is having a panic attack??? but you know) ]

Yeah, even "containing" the spread should only take so many people. Unless those Zymandis guys show up again, it sounds like it's gonna be pretty straight-forward. [ He pauses. He's kind of disappointed, but also... ] I really don't want to catch that Bristol thing they mentioned in the dossier. The deemers were creepy enough last time.

[steler]

They never said being part of this team would be a picnic.

[still, he could do without. the deemers were pretty bad, but they'd dealt with them. they could deal with the bristol virus.]