Flames in the shaft

[23:26] Ethan offers a small nod towards Amalka before he turns around, looking towards Reito Shimasu, Regent of Huangzhou, practitionner of Sunyata and ex-Chancellor of the Illuminated: His friend. He offers a small wave towards the Kitsune, followed by a question.

"Any advancement?"
(Ethan Hawke)
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[23:26] Reito Shimasu exclaims, "Oh!"
[23:31] The Kitsune was quiet, placing a finger against her lip as she thought over it briefly before she nodded,

"I think so!" She said in response, "I can easily take the flame and while you move it into the staff, I can seal it into the staff itself with runes. I think that'll be our best option, honestly," She answered with another brief nod. She Kitsune closed her eyes and sighed. "It may take a few tries, as it may try to escape as we're working on it."
(Reito Shimasu)
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[23:34] Ethan seemed to think it over for a few seconds before he nodded in agreement. An error and trial method would likely be the best way to go. This wasn't without mentionning that the artefact itself wasn't something too harmful, it sort of just... Existed. Or didn't.

The Wayfinder still wasn't sure after having fought that being.

"Sounds good. You tell me when you're free."
(Ethan Hawke)
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[23:43] The Kitsune gestured vaguely,

"Well, I'm quite free now!" She said with an enthusiastic little smile, "So we can work on it now, yes?" She asked. Her tail swayed back and forth patiently, hands placing themselves together in front of her as she awaited Ethan's reply.
(Reito Shimasu)
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[23:51] Ethan thought about the idea for a few seconds before he offered a nod. They had plenty of time, after all. This was calm and probably the most opportune time to do something like that. The Wayfinder steps forward, speaking up soon after.

"Lead the way to... wherever."
(Ethan Hawke)
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[23:53] Reito Shimasu says, "We can work on it here."
[23:54] Ethan Hawke says, "Sure."
[23:54] Ethan Hawke asks, "What's the first step?"
[23:55] Reito Shimasu says, "Uh."
[23:56] She exhaled air sharply, thinking over it,

"Lay the staff on the table," She said, patting the table lightly, "And also the... I don't know what to call it, so we'll call it the flame. Lay it down, too."
(Reito Shimasu)
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[23:58] Ethan noddded at Reito, reached behind his back for the staff that quietly hung there. He laid it down upon the table, the foci sitting right by the Kitsune. The spirit within it pressed its face up against the edge of the star's core, lightly knocking against its surface as it stared at the woman.

"Hey, Reito-baby-chan. It's been a while hasn't—"

The Wayfinder flipped the staff around, trying to get Phil to quiet down as he laid down the flames of change upon the table. They quickly went from a solid to a liquid, spreading along the red cloth and eating it alive.

... No one had to know.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[00:00] Her ears flattened against her skull when she heard the spirit's voice within the staff, quite thankful Ethan flipped it around. The Kitsune sighed heavily, before she noticed another hiccup; the flames burning the tablecloth. Oh no.

"Pick them up! Just er - hold them, please. Yes."
(Reito Shimasu)
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[00:03] Ethan stammered a bit, reaching out to grab onto the liquid flames unsuccesfully for a few seconds before they finally shifted back into a solid, gathering within his grasp. Someone would have to buy a new tablecloth and it sure wouldn't be him! The table's wooden surface was partially revealed as the man pulled the flames from it.

"Just give me the direction and do your stuff. I can probably coax the flames into being any sort of form if I try hard enough - that's the only thing they do, really: Listen."
(Ethan Hawke)
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[00:09] Reito sighed out now with relief as Ethan saved the buildings from practically burning down as they worked. She nodded now at his words,

"Alright. I think the best way to do this is, I'll lay down the base runes on the staff, and then you should coax it into a liquid form to flow along the lines of Rieka. After that, keep it in that form and I'll lay down the secondary layer of runes. The bottom layer will make sure it remains in that state, and then the top layer will make sure it doesn't escape out, and that your magic can influence it to make it morph it's state," She said with a small nod.

Without waiting for Ethan's reply, the Kitsune was already busy with her own work of runescribing. Withdrawing the tools, she busied herself with marking down the lines and circles and runes themselves for what she planned out. She was silent now, the elder Kitsune focused entirely on her work.

Marks here and there, clear runes sittingthere before she opted to go back over it with ink itself, coating the staff with it as she marked over what she had already done.
(Reito Shimasu)
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[00:21] Ethan nodded towards the woman. His own task seemed easy enough; while she would ensure the odd substance wouldn't change on its own with runes a second layer would be added thereafter to prevent it from escaping. It brought the Wayfinder back to his own thoughts about Ohtli's request to him and how they'd theoretically would be able to open a sort of spirit gate between the spirit world and the physical plane, albeit Ethan's whole idea was far, far more complicated than keeping matter bound to a state and a place.

The old man began manipulating the flames, shifting from one state of matter to the next, looking at Reito to wait for the right time to pour it all in.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[00:28] Once she seemed relatively pleased with her own work upon the runes, Reito nodded towards the Wayfinder,

"Go ahead and bid it into a liquid form to fill up the slot, yes?" She said with a cheerful look on her face. Work was nice. It kept her busied and honestly, she needed more of it, "Once you do, keep your hand on it, somehow, to keep it in that form and then I'll start the process of covering it with the second layer." She paused, head tilting,

"Also I want you to keep your hand on it so it'll grow used to you. I feel that something like this grows more used to someone who handles it a lot. Your magic.... Likely imprints upon it, you see? So when you command it to do different things, it should obey you quite willingly!"
(Reito Shimasu)
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[00:37] The man could only agree to Reito's idea. If he wanted the flames to obey him and move at his whim they would have to get familiar with him more than anything else. The cleansed and emptied line along the shaft of the staff received all of his attention. Where rieka once coursed through a void had replaced it, and now? They had something that could match up to it. His lips parted, whispers following as he gently allowed the liquid flames to pour from his hand to the staff; turning from a solid to a liquid as each bit of the matter's turn came.

"I think that's a pretty good idea, actually. I should get some training done with Phil as well— help him understand Wayfinding better so he can help me when I use it."

As the very last drops of the liquid landed upon the bed of runes the man's right hand shifted a bit. A gentle fire escaped his palm as he aimed to coax the everchanging flames to remain in their liquid form.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[00:51] As he worked to coax the changing flames into the void where rieka had once been, Reito watched curiously. It was good that it obeyed him now, and now with his hand upon it, to make sure it stayed that way, the Kitsune worked for the second part of her own task.

Much as she had done initially, she sketched out the draft of the runes around specific points upon the staff to make sure the liquid fire running through the staff would not spill or leak, and most importantly of all? If Ethan bid it to change shape or form, it would. Naturally, of course, it would take some work and training on Ethan's part to get the material used to his magic, but she trusted the Wayfinder to do his part.

As for his mention of Phil, the Kitsune's ears flattened a bit,

"Perhaps you should teach him how to speak to me," She muttered. She paused now, shaking her head.
(Reito Shimasu)
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[00:54] "I don't think that'll be easy or even possible. He likes your looks." The Wayfinder said, offering a smirk towards the woman in hopes she'd take it as a compliment and simmer down a bit. Emerald eyes fell down towards the weapon as he watched Reito scribing down the runes needed to have the flames remain where they belonged: In the staff. The old man looked back up towards his friend once again, giving a brighter smile than before.

"I think this'll work."
(Ethan Hawke)
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[01:02] The Kitsune shook her head,

"It's just strange," She said patiently. Now with the draft of the runes completed, the Kitsune worked to cover them in proper ink. Even as the liquid fire simmered directly next to her hand, she seemed focused. Her tail swayed happily as she continued going over her work to ensure it stayed on, no matter what.

It was a delicate process and one she wanted to make sure she didn't mess up at all. After all, if she did, and the stuff escaped, what kind of Runescribe could she truthfully call herself?

Eventually, however, it seemed complete, and Reito pulled away from the staff, nodding,

"It should be good to go now, Ethan."
(Reito Shimasu)
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[01:06] Ethan nodded towards the woman after her words. His hand moved down a bit, grasping onto the staff that had been laid down upon the table and bringing it up closer to himself. A quick look along its shaft revealed flames in a semi-liquid, semi-gasesous state at the moment, running up and down the weapon.

He would have to work on mastering that, too.

"Thanks, Reito."
(Ethan Hawke)
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[01:11] Reito Shimasu exclaims, "Of course, Ethan!"
[01:11] Reito Shimasu says, "I like working on the staff, honestly."
[01:12] Ethan Hawke asks, "Yeah? Why's that?"
[01:12] Reito Shimasu says, "It gives me something to do."
[01:13] Ethan Hawke says, "..."
[01:13] Ethan Hawke asks, "Is your life that boring nowadays?"
[01:13] Reito Shimasu says, "Somewhat."