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[takestime]

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[takestime]

That was fast; he scowls a little, and pulls the book back to hold it tighter against his chest.

"Yes. I'm pretty sure it can't hurt me, especially if I don't...open myself, read it or anything. But they want to be found. If I just lock it up in my cabin, even with the other books, it might get sneaky. I want to be able to. Keep an eye on it, to will it to behave, without having to carry it with me all the time or stay in my room watching it, but right now my will is limited to touch proximity."

[withdistinction]

"So you want me to ask the Admiral to give you back the power to exert your will at a distance?"

[takestime]

"Yes."

He has some counteroffers, if Porthos is concerned about just how much more dangerous that would make him, but he's not going to start there.

[withdistinction]

"And tell me, lad, exactly what that would entail if you can."

[takestime]

He frowns again, and waves his hands in a series of completely opaque gesticulations.

"I can't just make anything happen, even at full power. It has to....matter? I have to mean it, whole and clear in my head, and the bigger it is the more committed I have to be."

[withdistinction]

"And what else do you expect to want to use this power for?" This is all very much not a no, it's Porthos wanting to know the parameters of what Kahl is asking for.

[takestime]

"Convenience?"

It mostly just saves him the trouble of teleporting over to touch things before warping them. Not that he's done very much of that.

[withdistinction]

"Specifics, lad. What other things do you expect to want to use this power on?"

[takestime]

"I don't know?"

He really, honestly, hasn't thought about it that much. It's a lot of effort and focus for only minor return, most of the time. "I could get stuff from across the room without getting up?"

[withdistinction]

"Is it summat you can use on people?"

[takestime]

".....wellllll."

This is, of course, a teenage yes.

"Not, like, mindreading. But other ways, some. You could phrase it so it only works on objects?" he counter-offers.

[withdistinction]

"I could. Or I could ask you to promise me not to use it to do people 'arm."

[takestime]

He scowls.

"I won't."

[withdistinction]

"Why?"

[takestime]

"Because I care about promises, and it's too big and too vague, and it's stupid. Everybody hurts people. You hurt people, you're a soldier. But you want me to just promise never to, when neither of us knows what will happen tomorrow. You're - you're being a hypocrite, and a coward. So I won't promise and you can't make me. Give me my own will back or don't. I'll sit on the damned book like a chicken if I have to."

And then he disappears, book still clutched to his chest.

[withdistinction]

Porthos gives him a couple hours and then goes looking for him, since trying to reach him on the network is probably pointless.

[takestime]

He is, as implied, holed up in his own room. He's not actually sitting on the book, but he's got on eye on it - while, actually, scrolling through his communicator.

[withdistinction]

Porthos knocks and waits, even though he doubt the boy's locked his door.

[takestime]

"It's open," he mutters.

[withdistinction]

"Can we talk, lad?" Porthos asks as he pushes the door open. "Or are you going to storm off again?"

[takestime]

"I guess that depends on what you want to say."

Again: he's not promising.

[withdistinction]

"Let's start with you're right, it was unfair to ask for such a big, vague promise," he concedes.

[takestime]

He doesn't seem to entirely know what to do with this for a moment.

"Okay. Thank you."

[withdistinction]

"Fair's fair." He shrugs. There's no point pretending the boy hadn't had a valid point, that would be foolishness. "You might 'ave to protect yourself or someone else, or any number of other reasons."

[takestime]

"Yes."

Any number.