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[takestime]

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[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.

[withdistinction]

"So 'ow about if you can use it to defend yourself or others, and if you see a need to use it to 'arm someone outside of those circumstances you come talk to me about it first? I want-" He pauses, mouth twisting a little- "I want you to think, lad, about what you want to do and why, not just react."

[takestime]

He doesn't scowl exactly, but his face closes down a little, and he turns to look at the shelves.

"Just because you don't like my decisions doesn't mean I didn't think about them."

[withdistinction]

"If you're thinking then you shouldn't 'ave trouble explaining it to someone else, then, should you?"

[takestime]

"I thought about the island a lot, and I still can't explain how I feel about that to you," he points out.

"Is that what you think I do? Just react?"

It's insulting. It...hurts, although he shies away from the thought.