national kick a tall person day

[weenwoon]

Who: you and Hythlodaeus! Or you and any other person taller than you. Or shorter than you.
Where: errywhere around Mango City
When: October 25
What: national kick a tall person day! Get 'em in the shins!

[As you walk around the city, be it for pleasure or on some errand, there is a very good chance that you will suddenly be swarmed by tiny kids who arrive to happily kick you in the shins. Fortunately, they are still very small, so the kicks are about as effective as being slapped with a soft toy. In fact, some of them choose to press their Pokemon's paws against your ankles instead. Upon questioning, the kids happily explain: it's kick day! The day you can kick if you're small! A day of revenge, cries one of the kids!

An older child, tagging behind the group - clearly the designated babysitter, and bored of the antics, - explains that it's the National Kick A Tall Person Day. That's it, really. You kick anyone taller than you in the shins, - here she half-heartedly taps your legs with her foot, - and you can try to dodge kicks from shorter people. The toddlers love it.

There you have it. You are now free to participate in tormenting anyone taller than you! It seems like the power of the kick is fully dependent on your desire. Do you take this chance at revenge? Do you ignore it to go about your business and avoid further attacks for the day? Do you have an (ir)rational fear of getting kicked and hole up in your room for the day?

Should you try to return the kick favour, however, the kids stop you, frowning, and explain that no, you're not allowed to kick back, you're only allowed to throw the shorter people! Almost immediately, you are surrounded by children demanding you throw them up and down. Enjoy!

For those looking to extract revenge, be it for your height-related complex or for his personal transgressions, Hythlo is wandering around the city on his day off. Go get him.]

Comments

[partymagician]

Pretty much! Although I'm sure there are those who are powerful enough to counteract that sort of thing by placing themselves in a temporary dimension.

[ Don't ask why he immediately thought of that. ]

Or they don't need to move at all to attack.

[selfconcept]

[ He won't ask, but-- ]

Because that's what you can do, huh?

[partymagician]

[ He can't really avoid answering that so... ]

I think I could do it. I don't know if I can for sure. It's a type of magic based on sound, but I haven't tried using it just yet.

[selfconcept]

That sounds pretty cool. I wanna see it in action someday. Though, I guess, it would be best if you didn't have a reason to use it in the first place.

[ Sounds like an emergency escape button to him, tbh. ]

[partymagician]

[ He's exactly right about that. ]

I've been saving it for a time I would really need to use it. Hopefully you won't actually get to see it! I don't even know if I'll get the rest of my magic back anyway, so I might not even be able to use it.

[selfconcept]

Hm.

[ Hien seems thoughtful for a moment. Does that mean he won't ever get the full extent of his powers? Admittedly, it's a Lot, but also he'd like them back?? It feels like there's a part of him that feels empty--a void where that used to be. And he's slightly worried about what he'll have to use to fill it in the meantime. ]

What if it never gives it to you by the time you leave?

[partymagician]

That would be a real problem!

[ He says that almost too cheerfully. It would make his curse much harder to deal with, but maybe he won't get that back either. After all, if he had it, he probably would have killed someone by now. ]

I suppose I would have to find a way to deal with having a small fraction of it back. Or I would make a wish to have the rest of it restored to me.

[ Meaning, he would ask Tsubasa's resident wish granter for it. ]

[selfconcept]

Magic is really important to you, huh...

[ It obviously must be for a wizard, but from the way talks about it, Hien feels like there's something more to it. ]

[partymagician]

It is!

[ Even though he was happy to not have it for a while. ]

When you have something your entire life, it becomes important to you.

[selfconcept]

Hm... is that so?

[ Hien will just agree to disagree in his mind. ]

I guess it becomes important in a sense if you're so used to having it for so long, you geezer.

[partymagician]

[ He just laughs. ]

How old do you think I am?

[ He's hinted at it a bit, but he's curious. ]

[selfconcept]

Over a hundred.

[ Though when it comes to existences like them, it's like the equivalent of "you're definitely younger than 80" for absolutely normal humans. ]

[partymagician]

That's right!

[ It was definitely an easy and vague guess. ]

I've actually lost count.

[selfconcept]

When you live long enough, you figure it's much easier to just stop counting.

[ Spoken like someone who gets it. Hien has also stopped, because if he actually counted, he'd have longer periods of insanity. He doesn't need that. ]

[partymagician]

That's right!

[ He looks at Hien for a moment. The way he says that tells Fai that he's in a similar enough boat. ]

I would have guessed you were younger than me. Maybe I was wrong?

[selfconcept]

Dunno. Can't confirm if I don't know how old you really are. Guess we'll just have to let that be ambiguous.

[ He doesn't seem too fazed about it though, so it's fine. ]

At least you look older.

[partymagician]

[ He's also fine with the ambiguity, especially since different worlds move at a different pace. Years could have gone by back wherever the others ended up, while it's only been about two months here. ]

Not by too much, I'd hope. Since you look like you're in your early twenties.

[selfconcept]

Something like that.

[ They'll just be forever young. Anyway, Hien looks off to the distance for some time, before feeling like... oh. Hm. ]

Actually, I need to go. I forgot something. Bye.

[ And off he goes... Will he tell Fai what it was later? Only if he remembers and asks. ]