aterat | Open Catch-alls for September

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Open Catch-alls for September

Who; Lord El-Melloi II and anyone!
What; Open catch-alls for September
Where; The Historium, The Magic Academy, and the Harbor District
When; All through September
Warnings; None but will update if something comes up.
Note; If you would like something specific or have an idea, you are welcome to throw it at me. I am also open to writing personalized starters if anyone wants one. I can match action brackets if that's preferred, this is just my default setting lol. I would love to get this guy some more CR. I can be reached at this journal or on discord @ WhimsicalSpook#8219

So this is the academy? - The Magic Academy - OTA

Lord El-Melloi II (or Waver Velvet to some) had finally made his way to the academy for a look around. He’d gathered up a lot of base materials needed for demonstrations and projects that he tended to use as introductions to magic. It sounded like there might at least a few people who were new to these things, and he wasn’t unused to that. Aside from the 'problem students' he attracted at the Clock Tower? His department tended to be where the new, younger mage families gravitated, given he didn’t view them the way that other old-fashioned departments did.

And, recalling one Flat Escardos, sometimes even the experienced student did silly things or forgot basic knowledge.

So the tall mage had a rather bulky bag hanging over his shoulder as he strode through the halls with purpose. Well… Weary purpose, he wasn’t suited for carrying heavy things long distance, really. So the trek to the Academy and through its halls was a bit taxing on the man.

His keen olive green eyes had begun to take in the building, looking around and vaguely wondering what the place had been like before the disaster… Supposedly this was an important fixture at one point in time, if the townsfolk and what those he’d met since arriving had said was to be believed. Right now, he could at least appreciate the work that had been done to start to clean the place up already and see the potential in it.

Waver supposed he could have asked Illyana to show him around, but he didn’t doubt he’d bump into her or someone else at some point. For now, he just wanted to wander and get a feel for the academy on his own, ducking his head into doorways to get a look at the various rooms as he searched for where the lecture halls might be. He hoped to find a room that was suitable for a few students with room to grow, and a place to store the supplies he’d gathered.

And just as he thought he would, eventually he opened a door and stumbled across a person who happened to be around. “Pardon my intrusion.” He commented politely in a lightly British accent, torn between closing the door again and actually making an attempt at being social. The latter winning out, if only because he should probably get to know the people who might be here regularly. “I was just getting a look around.” He added with a nod in greeting.

Lost Among The Shelves - The Historium - OTA

While Waver Velvet had grown and changed quite a bit over the course of nearly ten years… Some things would never change. He had a particular thirst for knowledge and the written word that often had to be ignored in favour of his recent responsibilities in life. Reserved for small lengths of time during quiet afternoons, post-lectures or evenings in after a case solved.

Here, however, the young Lord had very few responsibilities outside those he had begun to take upon himself. He was more of a free agent here than he had been used to more recently, but he was also in desperate need of a distraction from thoughts of the life he needed to get back to and what he’d left behind that needed his attention…

So the Historium was becoming a favoured haunt once he found his way to it. The tall shelves and haphazard organization were a challenge, but one he was more familiar with as he picked at books and tomes at random to slip on top of a pile in his arms. Today, he was wearing something less rumpled than the clothing he’d had when he arrived. A dark brown coat with an oxblood red scarf draped over the lapels and a black dress shirt and pants, with a grey cravat in place of a tie.

For someone with very low physical abilities and muscle, he was seen to gather rather impressive piles as he wandered. Ignoring the strain on his arms and the almost teetering height of them as he carried his selections back to set on an empty table he’d chosen. Comfortable to sit at and hunch over the pages, slender fingers tracing over the words as he devoured each book.

Then it was back for another wander, finding his next targets… One could ask if he had a particular area of interest, but really he seemed to be pulling from one thing to another rather quickly. Even sliding in some novels here and there, detective novels being his preference, and stories about knights or kings and their quests or battles following close behind.

Eventually, the man was quite diminished by the surrounding piles, looking less like the tall, imposing professor that he was and more like the small, naïve young man he used to be. More Waver than El-Melloi II. It was going to be a pain to put everything back whenever he did decide to leave, but that wouldn’t be anytime soon. He wasn’t keen to return to the Red Building, and he was quite comfortable to enjoy this rare indulgence.

It’s run down. It looks like it’s going to collapse. It’s perfect. - Harbor District - OTA

Perhaps someone who went by a title such as he did should be wandering the noble district for a nice space to set up his mage workshop. Or even one of the nicer parts of the market… but that really wasn’t who he was. He was a temporary Lord meant to keep the seat warm for someone else once they were old enough to take their rightful place at the head of the El-Melloi family. It had just been slightly amusing, perhaps, for Reines to see the man who caused Kayneth so much trouble filling the role. Especially given he was a third generation third rate, to have him sitting at the table with the likes of the other Lords was somewhat hilarious.

He had refused to live at the family estate, between wanting to maintain some semblance of freedom and the idea of living in the same house that Kayneth once had, gave him indigestion. Plus… Being easy access for Reine’s teasing would probably age him faster. He had begun to care for his adoptive younger sister, but she still grated on his nerves at times.

Ruffling his feathers was her favourite sport, after all.

His preferences to avoid reminders of some places or people aside, there was something to be said for an uninviting space when you were more or less a social hermit by nature. Harry Dresden had warned him that the harbor district was dangerous, yes, but that also meant he wouldn’t be as likely to be pestered by locals for things that most tended to assume mages were good for. He could conduct magical experiments and research in peace, with only a bounded field to ward off the more brave and a dilapidated appearance to keep the faint of heart from approaching.

For those few anomalies in between...? Well, in exchange for peace and security he might consider mixing some compounds and potions for payment or assisting with some light magecraft if needed. As long as their request wasn't too much of a pain in his ass or above his skill level.

He had finally happened upon an old stonework building that might have been a small tavern at one time by the looks of the faded sign hanging on by one link and swinging faintly in the breeze coming in from the docks. The bricks were crumbling in places, and there was some stubborn plant life splitting the walls in other places as it fought to keep a hold. The windows were caked with dust and dirt, which unfortunately kept him from seeing the inside without going in… But even that was a selling feature. If he couldn’t see in, then no one else could. “Perfect…” He mumbled, nodding his head slightly as he moved to the door, tilting his head as he found the doorknob was stuck, rusted shut.

Well, that wasn’t too much of a problem. Breaking in would be easy enough with a little patience... He’d have to replace the doorknob, anyway. Then he frowned lightly. Glancing over his shoulder, he offered a tired sigh. “If you’re looking to rob me, you should know I have very little of value on me at the moment.”

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He was waiting on the reply about the magic, but maybe the guy didn't want to talk about it. Maybe he'd been through some pretty terrible things and for that the keyblade wielder would understand. Throughout any of the worlds he'd been in, Terra always asked questions and that was how he learned. Master Eraqus had been particularly patient with him, and so Terra went off of that when he first started travelling.

Strategy could be a good thing for him to learn, even if he did use it sometimes. However, he relied on how hard he could hit because Aqua was the magic master of the trio and Ven was the fastest. But he himself enjoyed combat and didn't pass up the chance to test himself in the Games at the Olympus Coliseum.

Nodding understandingly at the other's reply, he smiled. The guy seemed to be having trouble and it passed through his mind to ask if he needed help. But he wasn't sure that would be welcome since they guy did seem pretty intend on it himself. However, the longer he stayed, the more trouble he seemed to have. So finally he gave in.

"Do you need some help?"

Unfortunately, Waver could be a little more awkward around people he didn’t know well than the average person. Plus, his magic wasn’t (in his opinion) much to speak of for all the strengths and tricks he’d learned to make up for it. So the fact that he intended to make this place his magecraft workshop was as much of a confirmation that he had magic as he was going to offer right now.

He was still waging a silent war with the door blocking his path, seeming to get a little more ruffled with it with each moment despite his usual composure held around people. The young Lord had a short fuse, honestly… Not as short as it had been when he was younger (thank god), but he did have his limits and the man could honestly use a win between what was going on back home and suddenly being here. It was a little embarrassing to not be able to A. use some kind of magic to blow the damn door down without straining his magic circuits, or B. force the thing open with a little physical force.

He tried to force it again with his shoulder and winced with another grumble. Maybe coming back with something to eat away at the rust would be smarter… Then he heard Terra was still there, and oh so helpfully offering help, he let his head rest against the door lightly in defeat and a little sigh of embarrassment. Slowly turning his eyes to Terra, he was a smart enough man to know full well that asking for help was the best way to expedite getting inside and save himself two long walks.

“Uh… Yeah, if you wouldn’t mind?” He finally answers awkwardly and stood back, pushing his the other hand through his hair to try to regain some semblance of composure. “Thanks… It’s bloody well jammed up tight, I’m afraid.”

He watched as the other man tried to use his shoulder to push against the door and it didn't seem to help at all. Still, Terra could be patient when it came to dealing with others and so he stood there, not sure what to do if anything. He observed the man seeming to grow frustrated and he himself knew about getting aggravated. Still, he remained calm until the guy asked for him to step in and so he did.

Waiting for the mage to step back, Terra then took a look at it. He wasn't about to take his keyblade out, but knew a trick learned from Master Eraqus years ago about how to get into a locked door. So it took him more than a few tries, but finally he was able to gain passage and opened the door.

It would be rude to go in front of the guy even if it was a thought because who knew what was lurking inside, but this guy was a mage, right? The best mage Terra knew was Aqua and he had faith in her abilities so he half thought the guy might be something more like her.

Stepping back himself, he nodded to his companion. "Door's open."

The fact that it at least took Terra more than one attempt to get the door open did something to salvage Waver’s dwindling pride, and the break from fighting with the door gave him an opportunity to smooth his fraying nerves from the frustration of trying and failing to get tin himself.

But then the door was open, and the man was standing aside to allow him entry, which Waver offered a nod in thanks. “Thanks, much appreciated.” He responded in a rush, eyes falling thoughtfully on the open door and the shadows within. Really, Terra had too much faith in the abilities of a mage they had just met. With Waver’s own luck, if something were inside, it would just eat him. That said, the magus didn’t sense anything inside that was out of the ordinary. No flairs of magical energy or presences of any particular kind of power. So nothing more than an abandoned building in desperate need of a cleaning, probably.

Which was why when Terra backed up to let him by, the young Lord entered and pulled out his lighter to illuminate the dingey-looking room within. “Hm…” He looked around, spotting an old oil lamp on what was probably once a tavern counter. It still had some oil in it, so he lifted the glass and put the flame from his lighter to the wick to cast the room in a more steady glow. Dusting his hands off on his jacket, he noted a few rats scurrying around. That was actually a selling feature, he was pretty good at catching rats and if he needed a set of eyes around the city without leaving his space, then they’d do nicely as familiars. “About as expected, needs some work but it should do… Might need to get rid of some of the junk left behind from when this was a business.” He added, looking at some of the bar stools and assorted items that had been abandoned that he definitely didn’t need.

He could see promise, though. The counter and the shelves behind it would be perfect for setting up some equipment and storing materials… A few of the old tables could be used to set up projects, and maybe he could fit a sofa for napping on for the later nights he put in.

He let the other ahead of him but would be ready for combat himself if something had happened. Nothing did and Terra followed in, with his blue eyes blinking to try and adjust to the absence of light. This was hauntingly familiar though and he simply stood back.

When the mage produced a sustainable light in the dark place, Terra could feel himself breathe a sigh of relief. This was better, even though he himself had been in the darkness for a good ten years and had headed back to it alongside Aqua and Ven. But they became separated.

Not touching anything, the keyblade wielder looked around as his companion spoke about it needing to get rid of things. "It's definitely going to take some work to turn this place into a shop. But at least you can get in now and see what work needs done."

Again, the mage wasn’t sure he would describe it as a true shop that would have customers for outside of particularly stubborn individuals that found their way to his doorstep and were nosy enough to bug him. Had Waver considered that word might get out, and he’d have more company than expected? No, that was a problem for future-Waver… Like many problems were….

But the point was that he was beyond correcting Terra on the subject. He only got stubborn with corrections when it came to his title. The man had helped him get in, after all, and if he needed some assistance of a magical nature in the future, then Waver was bound to provide to the best of his abilities… So it was good as a shop to Terra, anyway.

“Yes, thank you again for the business with the door. I wasn’t keen on having to make an unnecessary trip back and forth for supplies to get in.” He responded over his shoulder, dusting off his gloved hands lightly and tugging a leather case from his pocket a moment later and shifting his lighter to his other hand. “As long as I can clear out the things that aren’t needed to make space to work and set up a stable bounded field, it shouldn’t take too long.” He murmured thoughtfully, though to be fair, Waver was not the most tidy person outside his classroom. His flat that doubled as his workshop had been a chaotic mess, which was unlikely to change here. There would always be a difference between his professional endeavors and his personal projects.

He hummed, considering Terra again. The man had presumably been here at least a little longer than him. “Don’t suppose you know anyone who would be looking for donated, used tavern furnishings, would you?” Or a place he could purchase the furniture he would need in question… Or a service to move something from the red building to here, he supposed. There was… a lot to think about, the mage realized.

"It's not a problem." Terra replied with a half smile and a shrug. The door was having a contest with him of sorts as to who was the more stubborn one, and that was a battle that the keyblade wielder had fully intended to win and did.

Blue eyes continued to visually sweep the room, taking in the odds and ends and trying to see it transformed into a shop. Well it could work, and it was as he said in the Castle of Dreams world, dreams required work to make them come true. And that's all this place needed in his eyes.

At the question, Terra looked back at the mage and thought a minute. "Maybe the tavern where people eat, or the hunter's lodge would be the first places I'd think to check."

Not a problem, huh? Well, Waver had to thank him, anyway. As awkward as he is, he does know how to be grateful to receiving help. It saved him a fair amount of trouble getting in, both with wasted time and energy that was better used on the cleanup of this place.

The mage could appreciate that particular sentiment. Dreaming big was something his king had been in favour of… Every day Waver continued to try to move forward, he was always reaching for what seemed like an unobtainable horizon. A fool’s errand, in his opinion, but he was loyal to someone to a fault and the idea of giving up seemed like an insult. His workshop wasn’t a big part of that, of course, but he needed a space to work on his skills and research for improvement. He wanted to be better, to be worthy, to make the next time count. If there was a next time…

The suggestions get a brief nod as he tugged a cigar out of the case in his hands, lighting it. It wasn’t a normal cigar, for all some of his colleagues hadn’t really figured that out yet. They were mystic codes for a variety of purposes. This one being a temporary bounded field to secure the space for him to work. Gray had always described their sweet scent as oddly comforting when she was in a panic. Taking a small drag from it, he glanced at Terra again. “That sounds about right. I’ll have to see if I can have a word with the owners of both at some point.” Keep an eye out for anywhere that might need them. Preferably people willing to do the work to come and collect them, since he wasn’t lugging this stuff across the city.

He kept walking around, looking at this or that. Terra knew that things took time and so he wasn't going to stop by every day but maybe he'd check in once in awhile. He too had a project, but that was one of the reasons he'd gone to work for Garry's. Terra had his eyes on a certain place and had to learn how to do repairs which he thought was going pretty well.

But he had to learn first.

His chocobo racing was going well and was going to be picking up or so he heard. He also worked for Fanci at Grave Concoctions so all of that was helping him to get to where he needed to go. Working hard for something was definitely something Terra understood very well, like he'd told Cinderella's fairy godmother that dreams required work to make them come true.

Looking back at the mage now, Terra nodded. "If you need anything else let me know. But if you're in and you're safe, I should get going."

Waver had wandered a few steps behind the counter to see what might be left around there, relaxing a little to have the space secured a little more to his own liking. He did look up, though, as Terra spoke up again finally. The offer for further assistance is a little surprising, but the man did seem like the type. If he knew him a little better, he might invite him to help out a little more… But he doesn’t, and his social battery is starting to run a little low. Especially without his apprentice or one of his students around as a buffer around strangers.

That said, he’d keep the offer in mind for another time, perhaps. “I’ll let you get going, then. You’ve been more than helpful already.” He added with a polite smile, before his eyes turned back to the room. He was going to have to get to work, anyway. “But I’ll remember that and let you know if I do- though, it might be nice to know what I can call you if I do.” He added absentmindedly, realizing that after who knew how much time… He hadn’t really gotten the man’s name. Hadn’t given his own, either, really.

Terra smiled as he finished looking around and turned to his companion. "You can call me, and I'll come help if you need it." And that was when he realized he hadn't given his name as he had turned to walk out the door. "I'm Terra. So now that you know my name, you can look me up on the network."

Helping was its own reward, but if he could learn some things while working for the mage, that would be great too. If something had to be rebuilt or remodeled that would only serve to hep him when he needed to do such for his own future house.

That would make looking the man up a little easier. Should he happen to need the assistance? So he offered a nod of agreement, glad to have a name to put to the face of the man who’d helped him out that day. “I’ll do that, then. It was nice to meet you, Terra.” He added, slowly turning back to figure out where he was going to start… Before realizing he hadn’t offered a name either, finally, and glanced back to add. “And I’m Lord El-Melloi II. Should you need to get in touch with me yourself. Have a good afternoon.”

"Nice to meet you too." Terra wasn't sure whether he should call the man by his name if Lord was his first name or not. Some places did and some didn't and it depended on the world. This was something he'd encountered on his travels too so there was that.

He smiled again before walking out the door. "Have a good afternoon too."

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Open Catch-alls for September

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