OPEN | I'll search for what's in front of me

[voidtransport]

WHO: Allumin & Perhaps, maybe, if you feel inclined, you?
WHAT: Catch-all/Open Log for the month
WHEN: All of September
WHERE: Various
NOTES: Allumin accosted in bath by ghost. Will update as needed. Feel free to message me on discord, plurk, here, wherever you like if you desire to plot and receive a custom starter!

Comments

OPEN - mage/staff training

[voidtransport]

Present Allumin is currently frustrated that past Allumin decided a rapier was a better choice than a quarterstaff. Maybe it's also a bit of the self-loathing one feels when you pick up something new and aren't immediately good at it, but whatever the case is, it's affecting his control for sure. It becomes apparent to him that quite a bit of magic here relies heavily on the somatic movement of the staff to be cast, which would be fine if he weren't. So. Clumsy. With it.

There are some days where he doesn't seem to drop it quite so much so his temper is more even as he practices a fire spell and an ice spell interchangeably. At one point one of the training dummies does catch on fire (too many fire spells in a row) during this and he does panic and cast the ice spell to try and put it out.

Other days are not so great, and his grip keeps slipping in such a way that the staff just clatters to the ground or thanks to momentum arcs wildly off to one direction, occasionally missing or hitting someone (to whom he profusely apologizes). At one point his grip slips and he keeps almost, not quite, if he can just grab it, catch it maybe, come on, this time for sure, nope - it just bounces off one misaligned grab after another until he gets fed up and smacks it to the ground with a shout. And then squats down into a little ball of embarrassment to make sure he didn't break it and also hide his shame.

On a rare day, one might even catch him practicing some other spells. A fog may appear over a section of the training grounds for a bit before dissipating when someone expresses confusion about what is going on, or a large bubble of darkness appears around one of the training dummies.

[feel free to assume what kind of day he's having and go from there, he's going to be training multiple days throughout the month]

training

[thereneverwas]

"All right, all right, come on now."

A large hand reaches over him to pick up the staff, the even larger form following it grunting with the mild exertion of bending to get it off the ground. Barrow has certainly been around and about the training yard, as it's something of his domain, but he hasn't been exceptionally active of late on account of returning with another combat injury.

With that knowledge, it may be the first time he and Allumin are actually meeting. He's taken pity on the staff, and turns it over in his hand to brush it off.

"I think you owe this stick an apology," he mumbles good-naturedly, inspecting it for any permanent damage.

[voidtransport]

Still crouched down, he covers his head with his arms and hides his face in his knees for a moment. "Yes, you're right," he says, words muffled as he speaks. He feels so ridiculous for behaving so immaturely, but he's just not particularly good at coping with his frustration in a healthy manner.

After a minute or so, he stands upright again. His gaze avoids Barrow's eyes as he looks over the man and then to the staff in his hands. He bites his lip, taking in a deep breath, and then sighs.

"I'm sorry - I was frustrated at my own failings and took it out on you when I shouldn't have," he says, eyes cast down upon it.

[thereneverwas]

Barrow immediately stops smiling and looks down at him rather like someone who just dropped a vase without realizing it was handmade by a now-dead prince of Serault, and it just revealed itself to him. Ah, fuck.

"Mate, maybe you should take a break," he decides, at the very disquieting sight of the young man actually, in earnest, apologizing to the wooden staff.

[voidtransport]

Allumin has no reason to doubt that perhaps the older man did not mean it literally. He absolutely would apologize to his wand if he treated it with disrespect.

"But there's only so many hours in a day..." As if pitying himself isn't a waste of time compared to taking a break.

He rubs his face as if to make his embarrassment go away by force and then tucks some loose hair behind his ears. Then, Allumin holds his hands out to take the staff back.

"I'm also sorry you had to see that," he says, eyes slowly making their way up to make eye contact with Barrow as if to hope that maybe if the other person looks away then he won't have to deal with being directly perceived.

[thereneverwas]

Not the type to look away even in moments of awkwardness, Barrow uncertainly retrieves the staff, his eyebrow cocked and his eyes narrowed in a look caught somewhere between amusement and concern.

"But there's enough time to-... ahh, forget it." Semantics aren't his forte, and the kid looks like he's about to faint.

"You're new, eh? Rifter?" It's not a given when someone has a shard-- he nods to it-- but it's a fair question.

[tender]

"It'll help if you get a cloth grip for it," comes a voice, punctuated by the soft thock as the end of her own stave comes to the stone. "You won't need it so much when you've had more practice."

Because he clearly hasn't had that. Practice. It's not said unkindly, just a gently offered observation as she draws up alongside him in the training yard.

After all, Derrica had once been a novice with her stave. She understands what it is to build those skills from nothing at all.

[voidtransport]

He stares at the staff on the ground, nodding for a moment before looking up to her.

"A cloth grip will help...?" The question of confirmation is almost less a question and said more like he's working through some thoughts in his head. Trying to find solutions to problems that really aren't that big of a deal, like how much is a cloth grip and can he afford one on his salary because he's not familiar very much with the economy hear yet? Or can he get one from the armory? Are there any to spare in the Armory? What does he do if there isn't?

Eventually, he arrives at a solution. It's not maybe the best one, but it is at least, in his mind, efficient for the time being. His head bobs again, and he stands up with commitment to the solution he has arrived at, and...

He carefully rips the bottom half of his shirt off like one would for an improvised bandage, and then bends down to pick up the staff before wrapping the torn bit of his shirt around it. The shirt can be mended later, he thinks, and it's fine because it's one of the simple shirts he arrived in so that means he doesn't care about it if it's a bit damaged really (he can always wear a tunic over it if he cares that much).

"Will this work?" he asks as soon as he's finished making sure the cloth is tied securely to the staff.

OPEN - workin'

[voidtransport]

meetcute

If he's going to be helping with research on the Veil and Rifts, he needs to understand them much better than he does now - which means oftentimes Allumin is fetching too-large stacks of books from the shelves. One arm cradles any number of books depending on size while his other hand holds his wand, using it to summon a spectral gloved hand in light blue to acquire books from shelves just out of reach. This way, he doesn't have to try navigating a small ladder with piles that go all the way up to obscure the vision of his left eye.

...which is why when he turns away from the shelves to head to the Felandaris offices to read every possible book he can carry at the moment that mentions anything even remotely relevant, there is a non-zero chance of a wholesale bumps-into-a-new-love-interest anime moment with books falling everywhere from his precarious pile. Or maybe the person sees him coming and it just happens to be a near miss. Either way, the books are coming their way.

simply reading, come be nosy

Perhaps after one too many full on book-to-person's face accidents, or simply near misses, Allumin has opted to claim a table in the library for his review rather than taking things back to the offices. It makes it easier for him to hop up and make smaller trips back and forth for smaller stacks of books, instead of trying to save time and doing one big stack in one trip. As a result, he has taken up the entire tabletop in question with many books, all sitting open as he scans them, supplemented by some papers laid out with reports and research data.

His wand is in hand every so often, summoning his mage hand to fetch a book or turn a page on a far corner of the table. He is so focused on all the information before him that if one felt mischievous they could definitely get a good scare out of him.

'meet-cute'

[arkitect]

[quotation marks included because 'cute' goes out the window if emet-selch is involved, let's be honest.

anyway. it's very close to the bumping-into-someone-else moment, except at the very last moment-- there's what seems to be a shadowy purple blur from the other side of that pile of books, resolving off to the side, where emet-selch appears to have abruptly relocated. with his own small collection of books still tucked under one arm, he brushes off the sleeve of his coat before glancing at the state of allumin's pile; whether it's a few off the top at the near-miss or the whole damn pile, though, his reaction is the same.]

It is generally advisable not to block one's own view. You ought to count yourself lucky you haven't run into the wall.

[a bit of amusement, there. he's not continuing on his way, but he also is not making a move to help, just leaning against the shelves here.]

[voidtransport]

[If it had just been a case of Emet-Selch stepping out of the way, it might have only been a couple off the top that go teetering off of his pile and to the ground. However, the man relocating in a blur causes him to jump and his books fly everywhere to the ground. A hand goes to his chest to stop his heart from bursting out of it, and then, he laughs.]

Oh, oh that startled me - I didn't know anyone else could do that too! [Somehow he manages to talk through his laughter, half nervous at himself as he tries to calm down and half with joy at not being the only person who can... teleport? Well, it was sort of, wasn't it? Maybe it had been before but was different now in a similar way to his own magic.]

Yes, that's true. Sorry, I, ah, didn't hear anyone else coming so I thought I was clear.

[He kneels down and starts picking up his books and stacking them up again, fixing the pages of any that landed face down before adding them to two, smaller, more reasonably heighted piles carefully balanced across the full length of his forearm and hand.]

[arkitect]

Evidently, you were not.

[please be more careful, sir. he just lets allumin deal with the books, though while he watches; this isn't his problem, or at least not his fault.

he adds, though, with a raised brow:]

But did you truly not think someone who had any familiarity with portal and transportation magicks might be capable of something similar?

[portals... not so much, now, but still.]

[voidtransport]

Well considering that most people here act like it's some impossible feat, perhaps it slipped my mind that you might have a similar kind of magic.

[That's the excuse. Really he just didn't appreciate feeling somewhat looked down upon during their last conversation and proceeded to promptly forget it happened so that he wouldn't feel quite as bad about himself. Immature, perhaps, but he is still (very) young by comparison.]

[arkitect]

[being looked down upon is, unfortunately, The Emet-Selch Experience™. it is simply a part of the Vibe.]

Regretfully, it does seem more or less impossible here, or else I would certainly make more use of it.

meetcute

[acreage]

" — Whoa."

There is no saving the books from falling to the ground — the ground, or unfortunate feet, and while Holden's boots are sturdy, he still winces as a particularly thick tome bounces off his toes — and there is, in fact, no attempt made to. Instead, he reflexively reaches for Allumin's elbows, trying to steady the guy and keep him from falling too.

"Are you okay?"

A fairly new face, he notes, among many lately. And one he actually has to look upwards to meet, which is a rare experience. It's likely Allumin's noticed Holden around the Research workspaces before now, attired in fairly simple tunic and trouser combinations; more a pair of helping hands, or someone bringing in or taking out things to the field, or similarly busy with books, than an inventor like Wysteria or Tony, or adept with chemicals like Joselyn.

[voidtransport]

Oohhh noooooooooo there they go, the books, goodbyeee.

He absolutely freezes when there is the grip of someone holding him upright. It is appreciated, but also, he is just completely still like a deer in the headlights. When Holden's question finally makes it to his brain for processing, he nods in a small, almost frantic motion.

It takes another few moments to recognize that while not having formally met he has at least seen Holden in passing around the Research offices. Realizing this, he starts to relax a bit.

"Fine," he says, voice cracking. His breathing? It is not fine. "Yes, um -" There's more nodding as he takes in a deep breath, or tries to. "I'm okay." Convincing.

[acreage]

He lets go as he clocks that level of discomfort. Not everyone's okay with being grabbed, even to keep from falling, and he's not interested in making this poor guy feel worse.

"Are you sure?"

Because that answer is not, in fact, very convincing. He glances over Allumin for any sign of injury — unlikely from just now, as they didn't run into each other with much violence, but maybe something older aggravated by the stumble.

[voidtransport]

As soon as his grip has been released, Allumin begins to relax. His nodding slows to a more normal pace and his breathing steadies. It's fine, just some books fell, no big dea--oh, no, some of them were quite heavy, so now it's his turn to be concerned.

"It's fine - are you alright?! I'm so sorry, I really shouldn't carry that many at once," he says, already off and talking a mile a minute, "but it's like, um, you know when you go to the market for food and you come back home and there's so many bags but you don't want to make many trips in and out to bring them in so you just carry as many as you possibly can at once?"

A universal experience, really.

[acreage]

He definitely opens and closes his mouth once while Allumin takes them through that analogy, then gives up and listens. He's not, really, familiar with the experience; but he can understand the sentiment.

"I'm fine," he reassures, bemused, and, "I'll help you carry these," is added as he crouches down to start picking up the books. "Where are you going?"

OPEN - randy, your sticks!!! (just a fun bath time experience, really)

[voidtransport]

Now that he's not reading for his own self-interest and leisure, it's absolutely tiring. There's no rush to catch up with years of data that's been collected, he's tried to tell himself, but then he always overwhelms himself with work. The days when he forgets to take a break and walk around the Gallows to stretch his legs are worse.

Today is one of those days. As he's washing his hair, he sinks down into the water to submerge and rinse it clean, his exhaustion and insomnia catch up with him. He closes his eyes for a moment to appreciate the feeling of his hair floating in the water and relax for a bit...

And starts to doze off...

RANDY, YOUR STICKS

[helpinghidinghaunting]

SPLASH.

It's sudden, a handful of water paddled directly at the elf to wake him. Startling, given as Allumin had certainly been alone when his eyes had shut - but now, if he looks, he will see a strange figure poised at the side of the bath, grimy and gangly and gaunt. Big blue eyes stare from just under the brim of an overlarge hat. He looks young, younger than Allumin is for certain, perhaps just in his twenties.

And he definitely seems out of place in the baths, ratty as he is, looking like the only bath he's taken recently is walking in the rain.

His hand is still dripping with water, concern pulling his features into a quivering frown. He says nothing.

zzzzzz

[voidtransport]

It's certainly efficient at getting him to wake up, because he's so startled that he launches fully upright in an instant sending bath water everywhere like a sea creature breaching the ocean's surface.

When the water settles, he is left standing there, arms out in panic at first, then down in modesty to cover himself.

"Ah, wh-, um, hh, wh-," is his first attempt at trying to form words in response to the other young man suddenly there, presumably also the one who splashed him awake. Then he stops gaping, tries to take in some deep, steadying breaths through his nose, and then at the end of them lets out a bit of a frustrated sigh.

"Was that really necessary?"

YOUR STICKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[helpinghidinghaunting]

The strange boy nearly jumps as he is addressed; he's openly staring, but at Allumin as a whole, not paying any particular attention to his state of undress. (He does, however, store away the information that this man is probably strong. Just in case.) He looks left, then right, then - now positive that it is, in fact, he who the elf is talking to. That is definitely going to take getting used to again.

"You were falling asleep," he finally answers, voice hoarse, expression something like confusion. "You needed to wake up." He pauses a beat, tilting his head to one side.

"This isn't a bed. This is a bathtub."

zzz--huh whah

[voidtransport]

The logic is sound, but that isn't what Allumin is upset about. He tries to reason with himself that he should be grateful for the wake-up call, but the fashion of it has left him annoyed. His face is scrunched up into a grimace as he tries to determine what to say to that, and how.

With a small huff after some thought, he asks, "You couldn't think of a better way to do that?"

He got bath water up his nose thanks to you.

[helpinghidinghaunting]

Cole thinks about this question for what may be an uncomfortably long moment. There's something about the way he's staring that's just a little too attentive, like he's looking right through Allumin's skin, to something deeper.

"...I thought about throwing a rock. But that would hurt worse."

He reaches down into the water, idly tracing shapes in the ripples. The brim of his hat dips down as he watches the distortion of his fingers through the surface. "And most people don't like me touching them. I could have tapped you and then made you forget, but...forgetting scares you. Leaves you haunted, harrowed, hopeless, heartbroken."

Cole looks back up, as if he hadn't said anything out of the ordinary.

"I thought maybe you would prefer the water."