faderift | [OPEN] Running with my roots pulled up

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[OPEN] Running with my roots pulled up

WHO: Bruce ~~Banner~~ and whoever else
WHAT: Rumors abound. Bruce is good at pretending he can't hear anything. A dracolisk makes everyone's life hell.
WHEN: Across Justinian
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: Belated open log thing for the remainder of June; prompts and such are under the cut. Starting in brackets but feel free to switch to prose and I will follow. If you want specific prompts/starters, let me know @

knightblazer or PM this journal!

one. trouble on four hooves. (stables)

[It's not exactly the first time the horsemaster is on his case and it probably won't be the last as well, if the current situation is to go by it.

Horsemaster Dennet wasn't exactly thrilled with the dracolisk that had decided to trail all the way back here with him (muttering along the lines of 'as if one of them wasn't enough'), but the one that Bruce... was stuck with had a tendency for more collateral damage. Nothing major, at least, but after breaking three gates and four fences in its apparent nightly ritual of getting out of the stables there were some lines that needed to be drawn. Thus, this current situation.

The hammer in his hand pounds loudly against the nails as Bruce does his best fixing up the damage the dracolisk had caused in the last few nights. The sleeves of his threadbare shirts are rolled up, for even with the chill here pounding away like this still made him sweat quite a bit, especially as he continued to toil away the hours.

Beside him the dracolisk chewed delicately on some hay, clearly much calmer and less prone to violence now that its human was around.]

two. not quite back to business (healing tents, courtyard)

[It was impossible to ignore the rumors, even if they weren't that hotly circulated, for better or for worse. But still the damage had been done and it would be a lie if he said that things were the same as before.

Nothing was the same as it used to be. After the fallout with Adelaide things didn't really quite look up. Patients who once came to him for help now avoided his gaze entirely and went to others, and the new ones who came in now looked at him with wariness, with all the suspicion that frustrated Bruce more than anything else. This was one of the reasons why he hid his magic away, why he stuck to herbs and what he could do with nothing but his head and his own two hands. He was here to help and he didn't need his magic to do it. It wasn't worth any of this.

(But of course, he deserved it. He knows that. He deserves every bit of this.)

Still, regardless of everything, he came here to do a job and despite all that had happened, there were always going to be people who needed help. So Bruce does the best he can, going around the courtyard to treat whoever was willing to accept his help and aiding anybody who came to his tent while he was in there.]

three. midnight mulling (battlements)

[The battlements had, in a way, become something of a sanctuary to him now. When the night gets this dark and most of Skyhold is asleep, the biting chill of the cold and the silence of the night comforts him well.

On most other nights he'd have the excuse of potion brewing to be up here but tonight that desire isn't there. He sits on the floor, back against one of the walls as he glances out to the mountains that surround them, the sky above that twinkle with countless stars. When everything feels so vast and overwhelming its easy enough to lose himself into the sight, to let them take him away from the chaos of his mind and his soul. To find that momentary peace within himself again, when every part of him rages for something else otherwise.]

wildcard.

[Feel free to throw in your own prompt or PM/contact me to plot out stuff!]

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[Sleep is always a fitful thing for Bruce, and with his sour mood? Doubly so, these days. He's long up by the time Adelaide is rapping at his tent, the tranquil silence of the pre-dawn broken by the sounds of her intrusion.

It only takes a moment before Bruce responds, and he opens the flap of his tent, already dressed out of his sleeping clothes and into his usual garb since he's given up sleep a good while back.]

Leblanc. [He returns the curtness with his own, gaze already sharp and bright despite the early hours. He's certain he'll feel the crash later, but he'll deal with that when it comes.]

You are joining me in the gardens this morning for lessons.

[ Advanced lessons, yes, they will be doing most of the demonstrations for the day. What better excuse to wring out what exactly is and isn't the truth from what he'd written? ]

[Lessons? Bruce takes a second to process that, and then he glances over to the staff that Adelaide has with her.]

I don't have the necessary... equipment.

[Bruce got rid of the staff he had used in the Approach pretty quickly once they were out of the Fade, and whatever healing he's done since then was without the need of a staff. He's no combat mage after all, and years of habit have made him used to functioning without one. It sticks out far too much when he's attempting to keep himself hidden.]

What you do not have will be provided.

[ As is true for all students that take this class. Adelaide crosses her arms, chin tilted up, cool and imperious and vaguely annoyed that he has not simply complied. He ought to know by now that she is more stubborn than him by far. ]

This is not a request, Bruce.

[Two for two can match that stubbornness, Adelaide. Bruce could push his way if he really wanted to, but its out of old friendships and guilt at his own end which makes him relent to her insistence of trying to take charge over him. Despite the fact that she really shouldn't.]

Fine. [It comes out a bit harsh, but Bruce isn't entirely sorry for that.] Just give me fine minutes to prepare.

[And without waiting for her answer he goes back into his tent to do just that.]

Fine. [ Is this an argument? it's an agreeable argument. But she waits- and keeps half an eye on the back end of the tent.

If he attempts to run, she will give chase. It will not be dignified but she is not letting him run away from this. He has obligations, now, and she will make certain he keeps to them. ]

[It would be a lie if Bruce hadn't thought about making some sort of escape. But it wouldn't end well for anybody, and--Adelaide doesn't need any more on her plate, honestly.

Honestly most of the five minutes is used to keep himself calm and prepare himself mentally on what's to come. Physically all he does is to drink from his waterskin and grab his old, tattered cloak and wear it for comfort more than anything else.

Once the five minutes are up he steps back out, giving Adelaide a brief glance before gesturing for her to lead the way.]

[ He comes without arguing which...is better than she'd expected.

An excuse and some stalling is not all that terrible compared to some of her more troublesome students- the hour is ungodly after all- but whatever kindness this might have earned him is yanked back at the reminder of why they must do this in the first place.

She cants her head and stalks off, winding her way to the garden. The pace is clipped and certain, sparing no time- the handful of students they meet there are all bleary eye'd and yawning, one or two dozing where they lean against their staffs. There is a scramble to look more aware as they catch sight of her- and a great deal of puzzled glances when they see Bruce. ]

[Bruce trails behind at a respectable distance, huddling a little closer into his cloak as the morning chill greets them. Its early enough that there isn't that many people awake yet, though he knows that will change by the time he's done going through Adelaide's lesson.

Familiar faces greet him when he steps into the garden - Adelaide's students, some of them who he worked with before. He can see their puzzled looks, and that only brings up another swell of loathing from Bruce. He really doesn't want to do this, but at the same time Adelaide isn't going to let it go until he goes through with it.

The urge to run and flee bites at him but Bruce ignores it, stopping in his tracks once they arrive at their destination, waiting for the next set of instructions.]

Bruce will be demonstrating a few techniques and spells for us this morning.

[ There is a rustling murmur of surprise- Bruce isn't a mage, is he a mage? No he's not he's that surgeon-

So on and so forth as Adelaide takes a spare staff from where it's propped by the wall and offers it to Bruce. ]

I craft a target, you destroy it. Simple enough?

[Bruce flinches a little at the murmuring, but aside from that he manages to keep himself stoic as he reaches out and takes the staff offered to him. It's far too heavy and entirely unfamiliar in his hands, and without any of the adrenaline that he had when fighting in the Fade everything just feels all... off.

He doesn't voice out any of that, of course, only brings the staff to his side and gives a curt nod to her words. Whenever you're ready, Adelaide.]

[ It is a simple enough target formed of ice, a single pillar roughly ten yards away. Nothing difficult to start- all the better for her to gauge exactly what it is he does and how he does it. ]

[He debates on the pros and cons of making a 'mistake' as Adelaide creates the target, a pillar of ice that isn't too hard to break with enough force. He can easily lower his abilities, make it seem like he's not as adept as he is - but he also knows she can probably see through it, especially after what happened in the Fade. As much as he'd like to, he doesn't really have a chance to fool her.

The tip of the staff flares bright red for a moment as Bruce channels his mana, bringing out only what is strictly needed before waving a hand in the direction of the ice pillar and casts his spell. In an instant the air around the pillar heats up violently, and then a ball of flame explodes right where the weakest point of the pillar would be. The force and the heat is enough to shatter the pillar, and the fragments of ice instantly melt from the flame, wetting the ground below.]

[ She hadn't been able to pay as close attention to his spells in the fade as she might have liked- avoiding death had taken priority for so many reasons- But she would have noticed a lack of skill, a lack of power. This is not how she and her students cast but it is very much Circle training. The question is from where?

Until she sees more she won't be able to pick that out and thus, without a word, she snapped a trio of targets into being at fifteen yards. HOw well did he handle groups when he wasn't fighting for his life? ]

[The answer: quick and precise crippling.

Bruce only pauses for a moment before he snaps into action again; once more the staff tip flares a bright red as he casts another fire spell. He waves his hand again and a ball of fire appears from his palm that instantly flies towards the pillars. In the middle of its path however it splits up, turning into three smaller, faster fireballs that zoom in the last bit of distance and strike at precise locations on each pillar, making each of them splinter apart with the force and heat of the strike.

Quick, precise, and practical, with no excessive usage and strict control. That is how Bruce casts his spells and it shows very quickly.]

[ There's a narrowed glance thrown in his direction before the pattern continues. More targets out of ice that snap into being - a few moving targets that drift and float, controlled with a steady gesture of Adelaide's hand.

Similar spells, yes. Techniques? These are new. Where did he learn this? ]

[If Adelaide asks Bruce might tell, but right now he's too busy casting spells to do that. This time he sends a volley of small but precise fireballs flaring from the tip of the borrowed staff after another wave of his hand; they spread out quickly and hone onto each individual target. This time however not all of them break in one hit, since the projectiles are that small, but that gets rectified when another one or two more join in soon enough.

Once all of them are down Bruce lowers his hand, taking in slow deep breaths as the bright red flare coming from the lyrium tip slowly fades away. Bruce glances over to Adelaide with an almost entirely blank expression.]

I think that should be enough for now.

[They all must have seen enough.]

That will suffice, yes.

[ She gestures to the students who, now, step forward and begin asking questions. The first one being 'why did you hide-' which is cut off with a stern look from Adelaide. ]

Relevant questions about his casting technique and spell choice. Personal questions are not why I brought him here.

[ She might be angry- furious even. She might not agree with his choice- but a lesson is a lesson and he is here to help teach. Not be hounded by students. ]

[Despite everything, Bruce flinches visibly at the question when it comes, before Adelaide cuts the student off. It's not as if its a big flinch, but its noticeable enough if people had been looking at him. And a good number of them probably were.

Too late to take anything back, though. He'd just have to deal with it. (Just as he had been, with everything else.)

He can't help but be a little bit tense as the students start to question him, and he gives whatever answers that he can provide: he uses fire spells because its the easiest for him to cast; yes, he was from the Circles before they fell, but had to adapt while he had been travelling around Thedas and no, he didn't learn anything from the Dalish - as open as some of the elves were learning their magic was another thing entirely.

He answers those questions and anything else that didn't talk about his personal life and choices until most of them are (hopefully) satisfied (for now). He knows there'll be more in the future, especially after this... but he'll deal with that later. Somehow.]

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[OPEN] Running with my roots pulled up

SPELLS FOR THE SPELL GOD

SCROLLS FOR THE SCROLL THRONE

STAFFS FOR THE STAFFS... LORE

ROBES FOR THE ROBE BONE

TOMBS FOR THE TOMB STORE

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD MAGE

LYRIUM FOR THE LYRIUM KING

MANA FOR THE MANA QUEEN

MAGIC FOR THE MAGIC STOCK

SCHOOLS FOR THE SCHOOL YARD

TARGETS FOR THE TARGET FIELD

FIRE FOR THE RAGE DEMON

burn baby burn

THEDAS INFERNO

SET FIRE TO THE RAIN... OR SOMETHING

WATCHED IT BURN AS SHE TOUCHED HIS FAAACE

IT BURNED WHILE HE CRIED

Cuz she heard it screaming out his name

he set fire to the raaaaain