Open Catch-alls for September

[ask_whydunit]

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.”

Comments

[ask_whydunit]

Waver was oddly quick to shake his head. “Your kindness is appreciated, but unnecessary.” There were few things that the man didn’t budge on. One being his own inadequacy, and the other being how very foolish he had been as a teenager. It had been something hard learned, and drummed into his head by certain people and experiences. So Mitsuru’s words were kind, and appreciated for what they were meant to be, but he’d never quite believe them. Even as he’d learned to push forward and come to terms with certain aspects of himself… Enough to make something of his life… He still had a particularly famous inferiority complex. What he knew or had decided about himself would always be hard for him to move past. He didn’t look for sympathy, nor expect kindness on the subject. Which could make things a touch awkward, especially if Gray pointed something out.

Mitsuru had hit the nail on the head concerning relics. It could literally empty a mage’s accounts in order to win one at auction or secure the purchase of something so priceless. The case at Iselma would have been several times less complicated were it not for one mage having decided they needed a relic, and wanted it enough to storm the residence of the mage who’d purchased it for other reasons… “The fights that can break out between mages is rather frightful on the subject, I’m afraid. Being caught in the middle of it is no picnic, either.” He rubbed at his temple, a frown deepening. He really had hated that case, between the attack on his sister and Touko Aozaki’s creature running out of control, all over a simple Cinderella enchantment that had destroyed the catalyst to summon Siegfried? It had been an absolute mess for him to deal with.

The question gets a small pause, the easiest way being to explain his current situation with Iskandar’s mantle and this so-called Hephaestion that had appeared… But Waver instead took the easy way out. There was another example he could make, as much as he didn’t like the spirit involved. “Take the story of King Arthur and the knights of the round table, for instance. Should you happen to get your hands on a piece of that very table? One could successfully summon Arthur, perhaps… But it would be just as likely that you could get any of the other nights that sat at that table given they’re all just as tied to the story. So if one wanted to be sure of their summon, they would be better off gaining a relic that would be tied to the specific spirit alone.”

He smiled wryly as Mitsuru came to the conclusion that he would have offered as an answer, tilting his head forward in a brief nod. “Yes, that would be it exactly, I’m afraid. Many mages see the partnership as a means to an end, and forming attachments or bonds with the heroic spirit is considered unnecessary by many mages.” And here was Waver, nearly ten years later, wishing he could have the chance to see the man he’d summoned again. He was a very odd duck as far as mages went, though, and they often said as much.

“It certainly can be. One never knows when a killing blow might come from the shadows... Even allies made are all tentative, given the nature of the war and the prize everyone is attempting to win by the end of it.” He shook his head slightly, huffing lightly. “Then there’s the fact that some heroic spirits see little reason to conceal their identities and go boasting based on their rather oafish, overly friendly personalities. The challenges one faces can come from so many complications, from outside parties or within the team.” That wasn’t even counting entrants who hadn’t even cared about the grail, and only sought to commit atrocities.

[bufus]

"If you insist." Then she would simply drop it. She knew well enough when one had already made their mind up about something and she hardly knew him well enough to argue. Even if she had, she more than likely wouldn't have put up too much of a fight. He took responsibility for his own inadequacy, his own faults, and she could respect that. There were certain things she would not budge on herself, so what right did she have to push others?

"That's a shame. It seems this system brings quite a bit more strife with it than good." If one could even really consider any good coming of it besides the chance to speak to some mythical or historical figure of old. After all he'd said there was no proof the entire wish thing would actually come to be. It seemed like such a lot of pain and fighting to happen all over something that might be real. Unfortunately, given her experiences with her own grandfather's research she knew all too well the lengths people would go to search out even the impossible. If there was even a hint of some greater power many would throw everything they had into uncovering it. The cost often mattered little and the collateral damage seemed even less important. It really was a shame to hear that was the case even in an entirely different world with entirely different rules.

"Ah. That does make sense. Though I imagine it must be quite difficult in some cases to find something tied to that spirit and that spirit alone." With that example she could certainly see how accidents might happen. The entire thing did seem like it had quite a potential for rather large messes. She frowned. "That seems like something of a shame. It's a partnership. Treating it any other way seems rather disrespectful to the summoned spirit." She shook her head and sighed. "Forgive me for saying so, but it all seems rather tiresome." The more he spoke on it the more she felt mildly grateful that Artemisia was simply a representation. Perhaps she could have learned from her, but at what cost?

[ask_whydunit]

Waver was glad for her to move on from that particular subject easily enough, instead focusing on the matter of the grail war. “I cannot deny the evidence supporting that… One can understand the drive, of course, but it doesn’t lessen the potential disputes between parties should two mages be after the same relic.” Atrum Galliasta was willing to wage war against Byron Iselma over one, and had only been soothed after a hell of a battle between his students and the mages forces by the promise of Waver’s relic in exchange for a peaceful resolution should Siegfried’s relic not be recovered. That had been a hell of a risk, only saved by the fact that technically it had been found and Atrum had been forced to leave with the ashes of the relic instead.

“It can be quite difficult. Even those one would expect should only have one person tied to them can surprise you on occasion.” He responded with a small sigh, shaking his head. “A smart mage would mage plans to cover such possibilities, though, or adapt as the situation changes.” Not that all mages were smart, of course… But some got quite lucky, really. He had been very lucky, after all, to have had such a powerful spirit on his side. Despite the rockiness of their partnership at first… The larger-than-life king had never failed to protect him, to make sure he wasn’t left vulnerable if they could help it. It was what kept him alive to the end of the war, undoubtedly, even if he should have been struck down by the spirit that felled Iskandar after the fact.

A slightly wry expression crossed the mage’s face as she spoke up. There was no need to apologize, she wasn’t wrong. But… “While that cannot be denied, there are still those who see the worth and strive to take part in the ritual.” He folded his arms lightly, tilting his head thoughtfully. “Even if to be a proper mage is to leave behind one’s humanity to reach for something greater… We’re all still very prone to human folly. The desire to see something through to the end, the potential to have some wish held dear granted? There will always be those who cannot resist the temptation. We’re all fools at the end of the day.” And it had been pointed out by other mages that Waver seemed to refuse to leave behind his own humanity and become a monster of sorts. To become entirely cold was beyond him, as much as he tried to present the image as such. So he was perhaps twice the fool that most mages were.

[bufus]

"And I assume it's unheard of for mages to simply decide to work together?" Or maybe it was forbidden. Though from how he acted about it she couldn't help but assume it was more a choice. "I take it you had experience with something like that? Or at least heard directly of it?" She frowned a bit at his statement and nodded. "Of course, not everything can be planned for. Even under the best of circumstances." Try as she might Mitsuru had learned that you could not plan for every situation in life. Surprises always came up even if you had plans for your plans. "Even if one does make plans for the unexpected those plans can often end up going wrong. Adapting however is a key talent that anyone should get used to utilizing, particularly in such a volatile situation as you're describing." She doubted everyone, even mages, knew how to though. Sometimes adapting was rather difficult, particularly if it was a large and unexpected event one was being forced to adapt to.

"There are always those that would say the pursuit of such knowledge and power would be worth it no matter what." There was a hint of sadness in her tone there that spoke of someone that had seen that first hand. She blinked at his admission about humanity though. "What do you mean you must leave behind your humanity?"

[ask_whydunit]

“Not entirely unheard of… But when it comes to the grail war, partnerships are always temporary if both mages are competing.” There would always come a point that they would have to end the teamwork and face each other… partnerships between mages where one was competing, and the other was not was another matter, of course… But they still could go south as well, if there was a disagreement or something changed. People were, after all, people. Prone to disagreements and petty disputes, even between those they saw as allies. The question gets a nod of confirmation. “There was a case I was called in on that became rather over-complicated after one mage who had been outbid for a relic decided to launch an all out attack on the mage and his workshop to take it by force. I was there to deal with a murder and to clear someone’s name, but then all hell broke loose.”

To be fair, Reines had asked him to look into the situation from the clock tower for her while she was stuck at Iselma. He was the one who made the trip with his students and inserted himself directly into the situation with the intent of helping clear her name. She had been quite annoyed at first, but she was his sister. Related by blood or not… And he wasn’t about to let her be framed for murder.

Adapting was something that not all mages could do, Waver had gotten rather good at it purely out of a desperate attempt to survive absurd situations time and time again… But a lot of mages were rather full of themselves and overconfident in their reputation and abilities. Adapting was not something easily done for some, which was how many came to meet their end.

“Exactly, so while it seems a potentially pointless struggle? It’s hard to not try at all.” He responded, shaking his head. Her question gets a thoughtful pause, though. Chatting with Mitsuru like this, her maturity and way of looking at things, honestly made it easy to forget she wasn’t a mage herself. “In mage society, unfortunately, it is often thought that things like kindness, compassion, and forming attachments are a sign of weakness. One must be able to turn off their emotions at times and make potentially difficult, if not terrible, decisions for their family magecraft in pursuit of the root of all magic. Those who can’t do that aren’t expected to make it far as a mage, at least based on the majority of mage society.”

And Waver, for all that he tried to fit the image, was one such mage that was unable to do it. He cared about the lives of others, down to the smallest creature at times. He could be emotional, and awkward, and terribly foolish and form attachments where they were often seen as unnecessary. Even encouraging friendship and attachments between his students who clearly needed them… But one could also point out that it was probably part of why his class was so loyal to him, compared to students in other classes.

[bufus]

“I assume that means that there are often betrayals there." There was a particular inflection on the word betrayal that displayed her disdain for the word itself. "And if not that then they would have to face each other eventually." That seemed rather tragic. Somehow she still maintained that it almost seemed like the wars caused far more bad than good. She put a hand to the bridge of her nose and rubbed it. "That sounds utterly insane. I hope things worked out?"

Somehow it really wasn't surprising that a mage would do that from what he'd been saying. What was a bit surprising was hearing that he had gotten involved in a murder case. On top of teaching he also worked murder cases? What an interesting life he must lead. Or perhaps just a very hectic one.

"The potential for the reward is too great to pass up for some." She shook her head. In some ways she truly couldn't blame them and yet on the other she knew what came of things like that first hand. "My grandfather would probably appreciate that." Strangely, there was no hostility in the statement. "That truly is a shame that they feel that way though. I have seen firsthand just how much power true friendship can give an individual. There's no way to know what mages may be missing by ignoring that." There'd be a certain amount of irony if that was some sort of key to actually reaching the grail.

[ask_whydunit]

“Unfortunately, even the closest allies can still turn around and put a dagger in your back.” He responded with a small shake of his head, though admittedly Waver didn’t know just how true that had been in the fourth grail war. No one really knew what happened to the Tohsaka mage, who had allied himself with a member of the church. “Especially depending on what’s at stake.” He was a bit too earnest and honest for it, really, but even he knew better than to not expect one day a friend might turn around and be an enemy instead. Reines had even been betrayed by someone before she was even ten, after the lordship had fallen to her before she named Waver a stand-in until she was older.

“Insane is a good way to describe that fiasco… Every time we thought we’d reached an endpoint, something else happened. I can’t begin to describe the varied levels of that mess.” He rubbed at his temple. The memory was enough to give him a headache. The princesses, the murder, Atrum, Aozaki, Aozaki’s creature… “But it did work out, at least as well as it could have. The murder was solved, names were cleared. It was just a terribly frustrating incident.”

Waver offered a small nod at the comment, “While magic and science can differ greatly, we do share similar drives and desires to reach for the unthinkable.” It was simply unfortunate when it backfired, or they reached for something only to learn that it was something beyond their capabilities. Her response gets a softer expression though, a smile crossing his face. “You’re quite right. I have seen what teamwork and strong connections can do, and it oftentimes is more impressive than the individual who works alone. I wouldn’t be sitting here today if it weren’t for such things.”

[bufus]

"I...you're quite right." A wave of sadness washed over her as memories of the betrayal of the one adult she'd truly trusted flooded back into her mind. How had she been so blind that she'd allowed that to happen right in front of her? It'd been so stupid, so foolish, and so immature of her to just trust him without question. She should have been more suspicious, more hesitant to believe anything fed to her, but she hadn't been. That mistake had cost so many their lives too, including her father. Deep down she knew it was unfair to blame herself for it all, but how could she not? She shook her head and forced a small smile to try to push the feelings down.

"I am glad to hear it at least worked out for you and all names were cleared." Sometimes she supposed that was all one could ask for: for things to work out. "Do you often do work such as that?"

He was right of course and in a way it was interesting how similar the two fields could be. "Neither would I. It's a shame more can't come to that conclusion."

[ask_whydunit]

Waver could see that he’d hit on something with the comment, it was both sad and unsurprising that she knew of such an experience so personally… Mage or not, people could be terrible to one another at the end of the day… It made trusting a bit difficult, and almost seem foolish at times.

Her question gets a small, tired nod. “I do. I am often called upon to assist with various cases involving other mages when something happens involving their work or a member of the family. Some families prefer to avoid drawing the attention of those from the policies department and to have things investigated by someone their family is allied with.” But that starts to slip into the politics of the clock tower and the more prominent families, which is a headache for him to explain… And oftentimes it was Reines throwing him at these cases as a means of paying off the El-Melloi family debt. So perhaps he was being a bit vague. “Other times I seem to just stumble into them, I admit.”

His damned fluctuating luck, honestly.

The professor offered a nod of agreement, it was a shame… Things could go so much further and perhaps end up less of a mess if people could just put a little effort into working together without planning to stab each other in the back in the end. Accepting a concept that was outside what one had been brought up to believe could be difficult for some, unfortunately. "All one can do is keep pressing forward, I'm afraid, and hope to make the case and to see people come around to the idea."

[bufus]

"I see. I suppose I can understand that, in some ways the Kirijo Group operates like that." They had members of the police force that were more willing to overlook things and those were usually the ones they went to when they absolutely had to. Otherwise they often simply took care of things from the inside. For better or worse.

Mitsuru had little hope of people coming around to the idea, but she still gave a small smile. "You're right of course. I do hope that you're able to see people come around." She ran tucked a book under her arm and smiled a little brighter. "I appreciate the conversation. Though, I suppose I should be returning home. I hope we run into another again." It was nice to have an adult treat her as an equal. Rare, but very nice.

[ask_whydunit]

Waver supposed they had been talking for quite a while, now… And he wasn’t about to keep the young woman longer. He did have his own research to get back to and this had been… A lot of socializing for one day. So he offered a small, polite smile in return and nodded. “It is growing rather late… But It was a pleasure to meet you.” He added, pulling one of the stacks of books toward him finally. It was nice to know there were some people here he could enjoy engaging in conversation with, who had decent sense and appreciated the value of knowledge and research. He hoped to have a chance to bounce thoughts and theories off of her again.

“I don’t doubt I’ll see you around again, either here or elsewhere.” Tugging one off the top of the pile, he settled in his seat and flipped it open. “Until then, I wish you a good evening, then.” He added politely in parting, before he finally turned his eyes to the page in front of him… And, well, it wouldn’t take long for him to get absorbed in the text. If she lingered, he unfortunately wouldn’t have noticed.

(Thank u for the lovely thread, I adore this cr)