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Gold forcibly sobers himself, shaking his head to clear it. "My apologies. I brought up children because it seemed to be a happy subject for you, not to -- this." He gestures at himself, still not venturing to make eye contact. "It...is very recent and this is probably the first I have mentioned it" or allowed himself to think of it "since arriving here."

He didn't really have the presence of mind to realize it was only the first time because clearly, he must have felt safe enough to, for whatever reason. But presently he is just too concerned with not allowing himself to react.

"It's fine..Talking about Octavia is one of the few joys in my life but, I am not so obtuse to ignore that it may not be the same for others. Especially if that pain is a recent one." He smiles a little before picking up his tea for a sip.

"I find, that cherishing every moment with my Via is worth more than all my powers and riches could ever amount to. I don't know what I would do if she were taken from me." He gently sets down his cup. "But, I do know that if someone were to do so, there would be no force in Heaven or Hell that would stop me from turning the universe back into the stardust it formed from."

That does get him to look up. "I feel the same way." And he had made good on that -- Regina wanted him to do the good thing, to back away from the notion of revenge. He might have if it had just been him. The chance was slim, but it existed. Zelena killed the only person that was ever going to convince him not to snuff her out. But if he is going to let himself talk of this, let it be on a more hopeful note. "...I suspect it's why I'm here. I know my contracts. I know what I would agree to and the list is very, very short."

"Admittedly, the list of things I would agree to is also a short list." A very short list but, Stolas has to admit that there's a reason he's here as well. Even if it's become.. obvious recently. "However, I suspect my particular wish may have come from my desires, not my vengeance as it were."

He pauses for a moment before reaching over for another cookie. "I don't think I am wrong if I assume your wish had something to do with your loss. Revenge perhaps?"

"Oh no," he's almost conversational about this part. He finally takes a sip of his tea. "I already took my revenge. If I accepted a deal for anything, then it is because I believed the loss could be reversed." In a proper, less catastrophic way than the likes of Victor Frankenstein had tried. In his head the only logical way would be to undo the thing that killed his son in the first place: namely, bringing Gold back to life.

He can't help it, an eyebrow goes up with curiosity when Gold admits that he would be after something else. Especially when he mentions what that something else is. Which has Stolas even more curious than before considering what he knows on the subject of..well, death.

"You know, reversing a loss such as that one isn't quite as possible as one might think. At least, as far as I am aware of." He hums for a moment as he taps an elegant finger against the tabletop. "I mean, reanimating the dead is practically a parlor trick for me if I could access my magic. The same can be said with the right sigils and offerings for summoning other demons and spirits that have passed on from their earthly lives. I've even been known to possess one or two people when it's suited my needs so... I would have to wonder just how our gracious host might go about granting your wish if he were to."

Stolas pauses for a moment before taking another sip of his tea. "That is, if that was your wish of course."

"I am aware of such things, and I would never subject my son to that." He does not wish for something else to fill his child's body and speak with his voice and pretend to be him, nor would he seek something like what Frankenstein had done -- which would trap his boy in his own bones and leave him longing for death while agony and uncontrollable violence commanded his nerves. "The only thing I would wish for is to undo what killed him in the first place. And to accept no form of resurrection that would not essentially be that in spirit. All magic has a price. He should not be the one paying for it."

"That speaks to changing an event that has already happened." He frowns. That would involve a type of magic that Stolas doesn't have at his disposal. Is it possible? Stolas doesn't know but, he can't dismiss the possibility either. After all, one never stops learning. He could simply not know about it yet.

"Honestly? That is beyond my capabilities, so, again. I would have to wonder if it's even possible for our host to do and just how he might do it. But, you are right. Magic always has a price. The payment and who is paying are the parts that usually get people in trouble if they don't know their way around a well written contract."

"Unfortunately," the word was exhaled with acceptance, "I have seen someone manage it. Barely." And it was part of the reason his son was gone. "But I also know myself. I am the maddest I have ever been, and even now I know I would not have taken a deal for that if I was not certain the contract could be completed. So whatever the state of anyone else's wish, I am confident at least one will be granted, and I mean to see it through." And there was only one person he was willing to risk that for.

"Oh? I'm curious to know how they managed that." Providing Gold is willing to tell him. "I see, then hopefully your wish does come true. As I've said, I don't know what I would do if I lost Via. I just know that nothing would survive my rage."

While Stolas is well aware that there are beings more powerful than he is in Hell, he is also aware of the magics at his disposal and just how powerful he can be if he were to really pour himself into it. An if the one responsible was Stella...

Stolas closes all four of his eyes for a moment and draws in a deep breath before slowly letting it out. "Perhaps a change in subject is in order before either one of us starts to get worked up about it. You said you are a scholar of magic, yes? What do you typically study in your world?"

"Least of all the cause of it." And Gold will leave it at that. No one needed to suffer for what happened to his son but the one; he decided that much. (Which he would have called progress.)

Once Stolas suggests a change in subject, he nods.

"All that I am able really," he answers. "But...thank you. It's nice to know someone understands, at least. Easier not to dwell, I think."

Another sip of his tea. The warmth is beginning to penetrate; he can feel it in his bones.

"But as for magic. As I said. I try to study as much as I can. And I suppose for now my focus is here. I can feel it but --" He purses his lips. "-- It is almost as though it speaks a new language. Even what I have learned to do before means very little, because it feels different. Heeds a different call."

He nods before turning his attention to more pleasant things such as magic in general. To say that Stolas has spent his entire life studying the subject may just well be an understatement of massive proportions.

"I've noticed that as well. It's honestly hard to place just how it fully feels as I currently am." Which has lead to a little bit of frustrations on his part. "It most definitely doesn't feel like the demonic magic I'm used to but, it also doesn't feel quite.." He frowns slightly as he starts tapping his fingers again. "I feel that even if I were to study the 'language' of the magic of this world, I still wouldn't grasp it's use. So, I agree. It heeds a different call that we're not meant to understand."

He smiles a little. "That's not going to stop me from trying though. If I can cross reference the magical conduits of this world with similar ones of my own, I might be able to at least predict something happening or discern intent. Though, that's a big maybe."

"Which is why I stress that spending time mastering the magic you glean from that potion is a good first step. Use it, in as many ways as you can find. Get used to how it feels, and you'll start to find things that feel familiar, or at the very least give you some clue to how to work similar magic you had before." It was like learning a familiar song on a new instrument and figuring out which were the same notes. "And healing magic is valuable most anywhere."

Gold takes a moment to admire the tea -- the taste, the quality of the ingredients used.

"You know your way around plants, I've noticed. You might have a special touch for natural remedies as well."

Edited 2024-03-25 19:59 (UTC)

He hms softly. Stolas understands what Gold is suggesting and it does make sense. Though, Stolas still isn't sure just how good a healing ability will suit him if he can get his magic back. Getting hurt isn't.. something Stolas is familiar with and doesn't even think it's a possibility most of the time.

"Hm..you do pose a good point. Though, I'm still on the fence on whether this ability is suitable for me or not. I'm rather hard to injure which is why I have been focusing on saving shards to get my powers back." There's a little more tapping of his fingers as he ponders the uses of these healing powers a little more. "Of course, it might be a profitable venture once I accomplish my goal."

Stolas will just file away the potential for later. Especially once Gold compliments his tea. "Why thank you. I suppose I might have a talent for it. I find that plants are quite versatile and it's always a pleasure to find the right uses for them."

He smiles slightly. "Perhaps, for now I should focus a little on that. If anything it gives me the opportunity to really work on my garden."

"Why not both, where you may?" A raised eyebrow. "I am...not unaccustomed to both sides of the coin. Being vulnerable to injury and not. Being able to heal oneself is useful in the case of the former. Knowing how to apply it to others can also be useful. It doesn't hurt to understand anatomy, for one. For...offensive and defensive purposes. And all things in between. It also doesn't hurt to use it for diplomatic reasons as well, I imagine. For those instances where there is for some reason a danger. People are rather protective of resident healers. Certain rules when it comes to threatens in small communities. You don't target children, mockingbirds, or doctors unless you want the wrath of the crowd on you."

More on the subject of the garden, and he brightens a little.

"I've begun to work a bit of earth myself. Foraged seeds mostly. A few gathered logs and other fallen debris for growing mushrooms. And with plantings soon and harvests coming later, I can hopefully gather a few more around town as well."

Stolas can't help but smile at the thought of weaponizing the healing ability or perhaps using it for a diplomatic gain. Now that he can definitely see the value in. Stolas may not be the most politically minded of the Ars Goetia but, he does see what avenues this might open for him.

Especially if it means a form of protection for himself if say, things go sour quickly. "Now that, I can see the value in."

As for his garden..Stolas is more than happy to change the subject to something more immediately appealing. "I do have to wonder just what kind of mushrooms can be grown around here and what plants you've manage to forage. I admit, I've focused more on the lighter, universally useful plants. But, I do miss cultivating the more dangerous varieties as well."

"I am hoping for morels or something similar," he admits. Until this winter it had been years since the last time he went foraging for mushrooms. Much less trying to make them happen intentionally. But he is almost certain there's a variety or two he can grow underground as well. "And I have been doing much the same -- saving on things I would otherwise be buying in town. But...anything can be poisonous in the right amounts."

Mind, he does not always know those limits but it's an important fact to keep in mind.

"Having a steady supply of some important staples without needing to transform to make searching easier would be nice, though." In a pinch, he can forage in winter but when there is fresh snow, it's less simple without heightened senses. His regular skills were more accustomed to autumn seeking.

"I see. Perhaps I can join you the next time you go foraging? I admit, I'm not exactly well versed in seeking the plants I need out in the wild. I'm too used to cultivating them myself." Which is true, Stolas has his own atrium back home filled with all manners of plants. Most of them rather deadly or carnivorous.

"Who knows, I might find something worth cultivating on my own. I've already started with some vegetables and herbs that I acquired from town. Oh! And a few things I've liberated from the gardens, but, I could always use more of an excuse to expand."

"I do not claim to be an expert by any stretch of the imagination." A needed disclaimer, as far as he is concerned. "But I would be delighted to show you what I know. Now that it's started to get a little warmer, I will probably divide the time I've been dedicating between that and occasionally hunting or fishing. ...More likely fishing."

Too many people here could transform and he had considered the possibility that he might accidentally catch on to someone who do not know the spell well enough to speak up. Part of adjusting to that will be studying the telltale signs of a normal quarry and one that might be a person.

He also just...prefers the convenience of buying already butchered meat. He knows how to do it, how to use every part of a deer to last him and a child through several lean months.

But fishing might be relaxing.

"Then I would delighted to be taught whatever you know and I admit, I've never been fishing before. There's not much of a need for it in Hell of all places, especially on the ring I reside on." Stolas shrugs slightly.

To be fair, the nearest large body of water is in the Envy ring, several rings down from where he resided in Pride. "We simply need to wait for warmer weather and then we can go out together."

"I would say that it tends to be very quiet, but I feel like that might jinx the experience in a place like this." Just his luck and a fish might wind up being more trouble than a deer.

Spring was swiftly approaching, so the best time to do it might be sooner rather than later.

"But I suppose lessons in foraging or fishing in exchange for a lecture or two in astronomy would be quite fair." He smiles.

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