[video]; early July

[simulsimul]

[Kratos does not often attend the network, so may not be familiar to most. He has the air of someone understated, with an impassive face; but those who know him will note he looks more relaxed than usual. He's almost smiling.

[His hair is also floofy, like he's been hit with static, and his clothes are damp. He doesn't seem to mind.]

Would anyone be averse to my bringing some storms to bear? This humidity and cloud-cover is ripe for rain, but the storms appear to be holding back.

I would not like to inconvenience anyone. If the city officials or the farmers would prefer I leave the weather as it should be, I'll refrain.

[ooc: This is a minor player plot! This has been given the go-ahead, so no NPCs will object. (If no NPCs reply here, I will assume NPC go-aheads are given to Kratos privately.) Otherwise just assume there's more rain than originally forecast and an easing of salt toward the Foreigners.]

Comments

[annihilist]

Why, mercenary, you've been holding out on me. You never mentioned you had a special charm with the weather.

I'm liking the new look, by the way. Very casual. You'll have to tell me the name of your stylist.

[It's like he can't help himself.]

[simulsimul]

[... He should have thought of this. Kratos pauses, but only briefly, his face blanking a little more.]

It's not a connection to the weather, so much as what causes it.

[He's choosing to ignore the second part, mostly because he doesn't realise his hair is floofed and is assuming this is another round of flirting.]

[annihilist]

Oh, don't be like that.

[It's unclear exactly what this pouting comment is in reference to. Possible all of that reply.]

And what, pray tell, would that cause be? I'm led to believe physics is to blame most of the time.

[simulsimul]

Yes. It's to do with the charged cohesion inside a cloud. Getting the water to stick until it's heavy enough to fall will make a cloud drop its rain.

[He hasn't got much connection to water, but to heat and electromagnetism -- yes. He's just going to ignore that first remark, since he can't tell what Devin is referring to.]

[annihilist]

Pretty and smart. What luck.

That still doesn't explain your hair, or the fact that you're practically grinning by comparison to your usual reserved mask.

[He knows you have Feelings under there, Kratos.]

[simulsimul]

[Oh, no. And this is on a public comm, too. Kratos is thankful he still has his sensations turned off from having been moonlighting in the clouds; it means he doesn't blush onscreen. Though he is confused.]

My --? --Ah.

[He runs his hand through his hair and flicks static off his fingers, and manages not to come of as self-conscious.]

I was -- interacting -- with the lightning.

['Playing' is not a word he wants to provide to Devin right now.]

[annihilist]

[The smirk broadens, almost to a full smile. Almost. The fact that Kratos didn't even notice his slightly unkempt appearance would be endearing were it not simply so amusing.]

'Interacting'. [The hesitation in word selection suggests that Kratos was doing something less constrained than that.] My word, are you telling me that's what you do for fun?

[simulsimul]

[Kratos does not cross his arms. That would be defensive. He does not sigh. That would be long-suffering.]

Lightning is fun.

[Like puppies and kittens are fun.]

[annihilist]

[Devin is a little surprised that Kratos actually admitted it out loud on a public network, but hey, no complaints.

He starts giggling.]

And here I was beginning to think you'd forgotten the meaning of the word. This I really must see, mercenary.

[looksfine]

[As one impervious to cold, heat, and humidity, Aya was ambivalent on the subject of weather a majority of the time. However, in this instance, she appeared on the network with a look of...passive interest. Her expression rather neutral, with only the tiniest hint of sparks in her blue eyes.]

You possess the ability to summon storms?

[simulsimul]

[A brief headshake.]

Not from nothing, no.

[That was the province of interactions between summon spirits.]

But when the climate is ripe for storms, I can direct them to some limited degrees.

[looksfine]

Interesting.

[She meant it, too; there were no traces of sarcasm or dryness.]

May I inquire as to how you came to be aware of your degree of control over them? This is not something I have much experiential knowledge in, directly or indirectly.

[simulsimul]

It was a matter of logic.

[He spreads his hands about a foot apart and channels mana to them with a soft purple glow; visible static leaps from one to the other.]

I have an affinity for lightning, as well as fire and air. Being able to manipulate these aspects of a storm-cloud produces rain. But my control over even these elements is limited by having a physical body; the only beings capable of the fine control needed to actively generate climate are incorporeal manifestations.

[For Kratos, it's more like having a hammer he knows where to use in just right place in something already built.]

[looksfine]

[Her eyes followed his movements carefully, taking internal notes on everything she saw. There seemed to be no verbal cues or external catalysts. Whatever initiated the manipulation was not readily visible to her.]

Did these abilities originate with these incorporeal manifestations you speak of?

[simulsimul]

[He closes his hands, cutting off the mana generation.]

No. Ordinarily, they're genetic, and humans don't have the genes. But it's possible through other means for humans to gain the ability.

[Involving some not insignificant scientific experimentation.]

[looksfine]

What means?

[Though she did not seem that surprised by his response. This was oddly familiar territory. The abilities might have been different than what she was used to, but he would not be the first human she encountered to gain powers not commonly found within their species.]

[simulsimul]

[He pauses for a moment before answering. There's no real reason for her not to know ... it's not even a personal revelation. It's just that he's unused to being open. Still ... it's a conversation with someone he's never met before, as Raine has been encouraging.]

There's a mineral which, when ingested, triggers a non-harmful physiological change. Abilities like these are the manipulation of the basic energies of the world -- mana. Humans don't have the physiology to sense and manipulate mana, but aionis prompts the development required to manipulate it.

[But not to sense it. Not like elves and half-elves, or some angels.]

video;

[wintershepherd]

Always nice to have another weather-mover around the place.

[simulsimul]

I wouldn't call myself a 'weather-mover'. That implies a degree of control and connection I don't have.

[He lacks the right.]

[wintershepherd]

Uh... well, okay, if you insist. Pretty sure being able to nudge the weather along like you just offered qualifies, but I'm not going to argue.

[simulsimul]

[Kratos shakes his head.]

I control elements inside the clouds, not the clouds themselves.

[There's a difference, in his mind, in no small part due to the relationships between climate and summon spirits.]

You have a connection to the weather?

[wintershepherd]

Yeeeah, you could say that. I'm the Spirit of Winter, back home. There's a lot of spirits though, and a bunch of us influence different types of weather.

[simulsimul]

Celsius.

[This is murmured, and Kratos considers the youth in the screen before nodding.]

I'm familiar with spirits who are personifications. I'm not one of them.

[wintershepherd]

Yeah, Sheena mentioned that name too. Is that a... good reference or a bad reference? I feel like my ears should be ringing here.

[simulsimul]

Not a bad one. Celsius is the name of the spirit of ice -- she who defines the winter.

[Things Kratos does not mention: Celsius was one of his family's household gods. That was a very long time ago, and having met Celsius in the interim, Kratos doesn't presuppose an inherent connection.]