aterat | Open September Logs

Entry tags:

Open September Logs

Who; Waver & Anyone
What; 2 Open Logs
Where; Market & Fountain (memory)
When; Late September I guess
Warnings; For the fountain memory: Severe Injury & allusions to possible death

A. Market – OTA

Several people had been on his case (justifiably even if he wouldn’t admit it) to get out more. Not that last month had made it that easy to acquiesce to that suggestion… Waver had exerted himself a little too much over everything. Between the damned beast and the other situations, he’d gotten involved with (even if he’d been warned not to). His overused circuits ached, and the rest of his body had done what it did every time a case got a little too out of hand and he’d pushed himself until it was over. It stopped him by way of getting sick and he’d had to hide away while he tried to recover from it.

So there was at least a reason for returning to the hermit life.

At least until that day, as he opened his fridge and realized with disappointment that he was once again out of bread and other assorted sandwich making ingredients… Not to mention he needed to pick up some things for the workshop before he went there later to check in on the state of his current subject of interest. The mystery seed that definitely did not appear to be normal by any stretch. He’d been cautious, studied it a bit, then set up a carefully controlled environment to contain it and see how it grew. Giving Waver items of a magical nature was like giving a kid a toy at Christmas. He was going to be curious, and he was going to study the hell out of it.

So, between the need for easy to make food stuff and materials for his workshop, he found him in the open air market. Strolling between stalls with a bag over his shoulder to carry what he needed. The mage mumbled to himself as he ticked off each item on his mental list, “Tomatoes… Lettuce… Eggs… Bread. Right, I need bread.” He sighed, turning to move away from his current path and on towards the bakery. “Maybe I’ll stop at the tavern for lunch-” Waver started to muse to himself as he noted the time of day, only to stop with a startled sound as he almost walked right into someone, the bag on his shoulder slipping off when he started to drop to the ground with an audible sound of something breaking (RIP eggs). "What the- You startled me!"

Obviously...

Smooth, Velvet.

B. Fountain Memory – OTA

Waver sat on the edge of the fountain later that day as he fussed with his lighter that was being difficult, despite him being certain he just filled the damn thing. It was just meant to be a short pause to light his cigar before starting the walk to his workshop. He planned to check on the mystery planting project he’d set up in a small, controlled environment placed next to a window, maybe nap on the sofa and hope that nothing exploded for a few days.

Idly the mage glanced at the fountain as he seriously considered giving up on the lighter and conjuring a little flame to be done with it, but that was a waste of mana in his opinion when a lighter should be doing the job just fine. The little gold object slipped free of his grip though and clinked audibly on the ground as something caught his eye in the reflection of the still waters…

And when the memory played to the end, a muttered curse left his mouth and his shoulders shook lightly in annoyance. “Shit.” He did not, in fact, need the bloody reminder of what happened just before he suddenly found himself in this stupid city over a year ago now… Especially when he’d had to practice the art of dodging the obvious around people who were starting to notice his avoidance of certain subjects and questions.

It was then that he noticed he wasn’t alone, feeling a presence standing near enough that the fountain had probably been in full view. His head swivelled and his gaze was sharp as he glanced at them uncomfortably. “Can I help you with something or are you just going to stand there gawking?”

Oof... Have fun with that.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Any water… That was good. That would make things a little easier if something happened on a larger scale around here. “I see, so you won’t have to worry as long as there is a source, regardless of the kind.” And when Waver thought about it, he had to wonder… “I wonder what you’d see if you used it with the waters off the harbor or beaches…” A lot of things seemed to happen there, both in recent times and those past from what he understood, but it seemed that no one had ever really gone to look into it.

The question gets a small hum in confirmation. A lot seemed about right. “I’ve been here a little over a year now, and I’d say I’ve gotten tangled up in something stupid often enough in that time.” Once to twice a month at times, it seemed almost absurd.

It makes things easier all around, since there was no logic - that Yin had been able to put together - that she could stick her hand in a glass and connect to a puddle some thirty feet away, but here they were. It helped in so many ways.

"How far is the harbor from here?" she asks, even as the specter plops into the fountain, then vanishes from sight.

"Are you safe? When those things happen?" Yin exhibits a mild level of concern when she asks. Waver has made an impression, and while she doesn't go out of her way to make friends, doesn't really know what they connection feels like, there is a quiet comfort in his presence. For her, at least.

Waver watched as the specter seemed to disappear with a plot of water into the fountain and disappeared, before looking up again at the question. “Ah, it’s east of here. Just beyond where all the forges and some of the taverns are. It’s a bit… sparse for a harbor in activity. There’s a ship partially built in port and a lot of old warehouses and abandoned buildings out that way.” The mage explained, knowing the area pretty well, as he’d set up a workshop in that part of the city for a little peace and quiet.

Although, ironically, it also turned out to be more prone to danger than other areas and the guards didn’t spend much time there. One month alone, he’d had three near-death experiences involving wererats.

Which was why he was a bit glad the spirit had disappeared from the water for the moment. It kept his awkward expression from showing as he kept his tone neutral, even as he answered honestly. “Not always, no. Like I mentioned that night, there are things in this city that like to prey on people. Not to mention the risk of falling through a mirror…. But I’ve been lucky enough for others to happen by and step in to help, though I’ve known a few people who weren’t so fortunate themselves.” So it’s a fair warning to be cautious, he thinks…

Yin closes her eyes for a moment, trying to guide her specter, leading it with Waver's explanation. She might still not make it, but she was going to try.

And if it was unguarded properly, then maybe Yin should put her specter there sometimes.

"Mirror.... You can just fall through mirrors here?" That is something Yin thought only happened in stories. Clearly not.

It's a very good warning, considering she hasn't met that side of herself, but in her, without a mirror, is the potential for something very dark. She would be a shock to anyone who knew Yin.

Waver’s workshop did have a small bounded field around it, but it was to deter strangers from approaching, mostly. Given the nature of Yin’s specter, it would not be surprising if she could put it in there, and he had a tendency to leave cups of tea or glasses of water forgotten on counters considering his rather cluttered, messy nature in his personal spaces. It was a thought, certainly, if she ever got curious while exploring the harbor.

“You can.” The mage confirmed, actually glad that he brought it up now that he thought about it. It wasn’t something people spoke of overly much these days, since most people avoided them. “Shortly after I arrived, standing mirrors appeared in everyone’s living space or place of business. They lead to an alternate world on the other side, where another version of us is present. If you happen to go through, you switch with them.” Waver had largely avoided that mess so far… But not avoided the mirrors entirely. “There was also a month where they lead to a different place altogether without other versions of ourselves, full of monsters called shadows like those from another person’s world.”

That had only happened once, at least. The mage wasn’t sure which option was worse, though. “There’s probably one in your apartment. My best advice is to cover it with something to prevent an accident if you can.”

Glasses of tea and water left out were definitely possible places for her specter to pop in and out of. He might consider that if he doesn't want accidental spying. Yin will, especially, spy on people she has taken a liking to. Waver being one of those individuals.

Yin's expression tightens, barely, so slowly, and by a mere fraction, but the concern is there.

"What happens to the person on the other side? How do they get back?" It sounds treacherous. With someone replacing the original person, no one would know, unless, of course, they realize the person was acting different. With Yin, would they even know how she's supposed to act?

She nods to the advice. She'll find the mirror with her observer spirit and put a cloth over it right away.

If only Waver was able to fight his own nature of leaving things lying about to clean up after himself...

The question gets a small thoughtful pause as he pulls from his own experience and those he’d heard about since the mirrors appeared in the first place. “What happens depends on the person, it seems. My experience was with the alternated, temporary version of that place rather than the standard reality on the other side, so I can’t give you any firsthand knowledge...”

And he wasn’t keen to gain firsthand knowledge of the usual realm on the other side of the mirror, either.

“From what I understand about it, most people are forced to wander a mazelike city where the reception of residents varies. Apparently food, though sustaining, does lack flavor. There’s also supposed to be some kind of hotel for people to seek shelter at.” So there was at least some chance of survival until you could find a way out. “There are two ways back. Since the initial entry point disappears, you have to find another mirror portal to leave through which automatically switches the other version of yourself back… The second is being stuck there a week and get switched back forcefully, so there is some kind of time limit.”

If Waver won't fight his nature, Yin won't fight hers full of curiosity and wonder under all of that absence of emotion. She's not supposed to fight in the first place, so that's just her nature to be more passive about what she shouldn't feel anyway.

Yin listens intently, committing all of Waver's words to memory.

"That is useful information," she tells him, voice empty despite her gratitude. At least she knows of it ever happens to her, people will only have to deal with her inverse copy for a week. In her favor, is the fact she doesn't eat for flavor anyway, but just to survive. Nutrients to keep her functioning are the most important aspect, so she can handle that.

“I believe it is, do keep it in mind.” He responded in a serious tone, though internally the mage was glad he’d brought it up even if expressing that he was concerned about the potential in the first place was a bit awkward.

Hopefully, he mused to himself, she wouldn’t need to make use of it if she kept away from the mirrors. Not that he was entirely optimistic on it, even he had an accident with one. It just seemed like an unfortunate fact that they were all on a time limit to ending up in one mess or another involving them.

At some point, he’d have to get back to investigating them properly. It was just that the puzzles around the magic academy tended to occupy his mind with more frequency than the mirrors… Because, really, seeing his other self reflected in the one in his apartment just annoyed him.

She believes it is, herself. There is still so much about this place she doesn't know.

"Are there any other ways to end up there? Or just the mirrors?" It's worth asking, to be completely certain. There might be other such pocket dimensions.

The wrinkles in Waver’s brow deepen a bit as he goes over what he knows before responding. “At the moment, there doesn’t appear to be, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t change.” Considering the new development with people’s memories being reflected in the fountain waters, he’s a little concerned that most reflective surfaces might become hazardous in a variety of ways at this rate. Which… makes more sense than he’d like it to, considering the history of magic and the use of mirrors in general.

“To my knowledge, there is potentially one other space where one could potentially go, but as far as I can tell, there is only one person here who can. The realm where the Academy had been before it was returned to Aterat, the only person who can go and traverse it, is a woman who arrived with the Academy.” And while she suggested it was possible to take people with her, it was not easy and would require a degree of preparation on her part… And admittedly, she hadn’t really been heard from since then.

Though Waver was not about to assume they couldn’t end up there other ways one day, given how unpredictable this world could be at times.

Once again, Yin takes in all the information, letting her mind process it. Pocket dimensions, places only certain people could go. Could that be like what happened to her home-world? Some sort of dimension shift.

"Who is that one person?" It's safer to be aware of all the ways, and that means the person is a way, in their own way.

Wasn’t that a good question? Problem was that the woman didn’t seem to offer things like that. Waver often pondered over if she didn’t remember or if she simply chose not to say.

“I’m afraid I don’t have a name, at least none she’s provided. Her form was changed after what happened. From what I’ve heard said around the city, she’s become something that looks like a creature other people recognize. Something called a tonberry, I believe…” Shaking his head a little, he continued. “Short and green complexion, but we don’t see much of her… Like most of the key figures of this world, she doesn’t seem to be the most social.”

Though Waver couldn’t say he was surprised, her situation seemed complicated at best and there was the probability that she was in that other place looking for fragments of the voidcryst.

Yeah, that sounds like a problem. Yin registers the fact with her usual lack of expression gaining a mild, perhaps noticeable frown as she asks, "A tonberry does not speak?"

She might still look for it, though, using her specter.

If Yin couldn't get her to speak, then that was okay. After all, Yin felt no strong emotion to get information out of this unknown woman. Just a simmering curiosity that she shouldn't be able to feel in the first place.

“That I’m not entirely sure of. They’re of someone else’s world, not mine. So I’ve never seen one aside from her… But this one is capable of speech, it’s more that she doesn’t make appearances to talk all that often.” Which was unfortunately something that most people in charge or in positions to know more about this place shared, he couldn’t even recall the last time the aspects made an open appearance.

Waver would say that, despite his slightly growing pessimism over the state of this place aside, Yin’s simmering curiosity was a good trait that he would encourage. Frustrating as it was, they weren’t going to get anywhere by just sitting around accepting things as they were.

In theory, Yin was supposed to just accept things as they were. It's what Dolls do, what they did, what they were programmed for. Maybe it was being separated from her team, the strange feel of longing that wells in her when she thinks of them, or the right questions and interactions from the others that stirs something inside of her.

Whatever it is, she can't stop wondering, and keeps her wanting more information.

"If she does appear, I will see if I can speak with her, then," Yin decides.

"Have you spoken with her?"

“Very briefly, she rather disappeared mid conversation over the tellphone, I’m afraid.” He offered with a visible frown. He’d really hoped to have gotten more information from her, but Waver was nosy and often unsatisfied until he knew everything. “We did speak on the topic of the Void Cryst she was looking for.”

He folded his arms lightly, thinking back on the subject. “The Void Cryst played a part in the calamity that caused this world to need to be recreated and rebuilt. From what I heard of it before our conversation, it seems likely that it was part of some kind of cycle that this world goes through.” Creation and rebirth, if the fact that this world had been reborn before was anything to go by. “According to her it has an undefined degree of sentience, because just as she had found it in that other place it disappeared again and due to dangers, there she was forced to retreat.”

Waver doesn’t doubt she’s still looking for it, which could also attribute to her lack of appearances since then. “I had asked if more people could be brought to assist with combating the threats while she searched, but she said that it would take a lot of preparation on her part. So, I expect going there is not easy.”

There’s an apologetic note to his tone as he ended. “I’m afraid that’s as far as my knowledge on that goes until she reappears, or further information is uncovered. My search of the academy records where the study of the cryst took place only yielded the Academy Headmaster’s name, and that’s about it at the moment.” And the name of donors and supporters, which definitely helped with funding to get it back on its feet, but that was beside the point.

It's a good thing Waver explains the Void Cryst, as, once mentioned, Yin was going to ask about it. She listens carefully, eyebrows furrowing, slowly and slightly.

"Is the cycle going on, now?" Otherwise, she might need to ask what happens if the world they're currently in cycles with them present. It seems while this place might be quiet, it's actively engaged in some much more bigger, on a grander scale. Something that isn't obvious on the daily, possibly more than was originally divulged, at least.

Yin's eyebrows seem to dip at the apologetic tone in Waver's voice. Noted. He's a considerate individual. She's starting to become more aware of how different her friends are, and keep track of the similarities and differences. Learn who they are.

The last bit causes Yin to tilt her head at Waver. "Who is the Headmaster?"

If there is anything Waver is prone to, its explanations on subjects he has found interesting regardless of if anyone asked for them. So Yin would probably usually get explanations like that in place of discussing personal matters.

Her question is met with a hum, as he had been thinking on the subject himself on and off. “That’s a bit debatable, I think… The cryst is hiding in that other realm, and the calamity itself suggests that there was some kind of interruption or diversion from how things should have worked.” Considering the Aspects seem out of their depth and the fact that they can’t even control the comings or goings of people anymore… Well, he hasn’t got high hopes of any of this going according to how it should be.

“So if the cycle is still going, I don’t think it’s going how it’s meant to… But we need more data to work out the specifics, and maybe a chance at recovering the cryst if it’s that important to the way this world operates.” Which he expects means that, at some point, their little green acquaintance is going to have to enlist help whenever she’s ready. Clearing his throat a little, he refocused. “So it’s all just my current theories, and I believe you’ll find others have their own ideas.” Some people didn’t even seem to want to figure it out to go home, so much as figure out how to stay here… Weird, in his opinion, but he supposed it might be better than some people’s alternatives.

At the final question, he lowered his cigar for a moment. “Percival Quincy. So far no one I’ve spoken to recognizes the name… I suspect if he’s here, he may be serving a different function and leading a different life than he did before. If not that… Then he could also be in that other realm as well, I suppose.” Why else would he not show up at the academy once it returned? The professor rather hoped it was the former though, so they might at least have a chance at talking to him to learn more.

While Yin just doesn't talk in much general, she might be able to at least understand where the sentiment comes from. It's easier to have these conversations with Waver - he doesn't pry, and she never has to explain anything unless she wants to.

She files away all the information Waver gives her. She could never tell what information might come in handy later, and maybe she could find someone else to ask the same questions to and get their opinion, in the event it was different from Waver's.

Yin wonders, just for a brief second - go home, or help? - which is she? Does she have to decide? Left to her own devices she would just do what someone else told her to. Given a real choice, though, she isn't sure. She's not used to choices, so sometimes making them is hard.

"People here can lead different lives? Do you forget yourself?" Yin knew one thing - she did not want that. She feels it, strongly. It's a passion she hasn't felt in ten very long years - something distinct and sure, even if it doesn't show on her face, still can't be heard in her voice. The fact she asks might indicate some serious concern.

Waver rather appreciates that Yin seemed to take in the information carefully and was attentive, rather than being distractible and potentially missing something. A sign of a good student, really, rather than the troubling sort. The mage would, of course, encourage her to think about what she wanted rather than letting the rest of them decide for her. Even if she wasn’t used to making them… That said, he wasn’t sure that the power to choose might not be taken from them in a place like this. It wasn’t their world, and the powers that ruled seemed unstable at best.

Her questions were still good ones, and he offered a small shake of his head to ease that potential concern a little. “For us, we seem to remember and remain largely unaffected by this place… Aside from some instances of an outside influence causing us to speak when we normally wouldn’t, or emotions being intensified.” Truths or stories shared despite a usual preference to not, paranoia and anxiety being intensified… And rarely more positive emotions like joy.

“The locals, however, are another matter.” Which was no less troubling, given they were people they got to know and interacted with on a daily basis. “This place seems to affect them more strongly… I’ve heard there was an instance at one point where they stopped trusting the arrivals and were less… welcoming.” He hadn’t been present for it, but it hadn’t sounded good.

“And sometimes when places that weren’t here before suddenly exist, the people act as though it’s normal and that it’s always been present when it clearly hadn’t. I have suspicions that whatever the process for bringing people back is at play, and causes them to adapt to the lack of what was here before by way of not remembering it until it becomes relevant… So what that means for those who were directly involved with something that was absent and then returned is a bit curious.” Which is why he suspected that perhaps not all the people here were leading the same lives as they did before the calamity.

She can't help she was programmed to be silent and thoughtful and not think for herself. Now, the person she was before, her child self, was a terrible student and would have done nothing but interrupt Waver and pout at answers she didn't like.

That does sound particularly unpleasant for the locals.

"Their lives...just change." She might repeat the words, but it's not a question so much as her biggest concern. It reminds her a lot of what happened back home - the vanishing of the moon, the changing of the stars, then suddenly, they were some people who were Dolls and some Contractors. Dolls being what she became, void of her own emotions, and now programmed to be this perfect machine to assist a team of Contractors.

She stares at the ground as these thoughts take root. Could it be something similar? Related?

"How often do new places appear?"

“From what I can tell, yes…” He confirmed, sounding like he wasn’t fond of that himself. The mage often wondered if this world’s restoration would see everything returning to what it was before, and if it would mean that for the people as well. They didn’t even seem to realize they were being odd about something when things did occur, from what he’d heard… That this place could influence its people in such a significant way, seemingly without even their knowledge, was worrying.

He also doesn’t like the answer to Yin’s next good question. “That’s the funny thing- well, not funny, more… frustrating.” He huffed, and there’s an almost petulant note in his tone as he continued, one of those rare, small breaks in the professional demeanor he usually presented. The mage folded his arms though, and considered what he knew between what he’d been told and what he’d seen since arriving. “It seems to be very irregular. Sometimes changes can be closer together, and sometimes this place can go ages without anything new appearing and then suddenly there’s something.”

Which unfortunately… “Makes it hard to find a pattern or anticipate when these things are going to happen.” And he doesn’t know if you can blame everything on the Aspects. He knows some things were their doing. Fumbled attempts at fixing something… But he doubts it’s all on them, especially if there was supposed to be a cycle involving the cryst and it’s who knows where.

“The only thing I can say is that we all ought to just expect another shoe to drop at any time, and to try to communicate with each other whenever we find something worth noting.” He tries to at least utilize the network when he does, even if he’s not fond of it or the results so far.

These are not the best circumstances, but none of it is Waver's fault, he is just information her. Yin doesn't seem affected - she's still, but she usually is. She's quiet, but she usually is. Sometimes it can seem she is deep in thought, that's where Yin is, now. There is no guarantee on timing, and there are no guarantees for the locals.

One thing she does seem to react to is when Waver's own tone changes, she does turn in his direction, though Yin says nothing. This is hard on everyone, it sounds like. Difficult for all. Noted.

Yin nods her head. Changes, especially in her case, are very important for her to be aware of. She could end up walking into a new building if she wasn't careful, and consistently alert.

"If I notice anything new, I will communicate it," Yin agrees. She doesn't realize the network is the best way to make sure everyone is aware at once, though. Someone might have to say that directly. Yin, of course, keeps an eye on it, though she remains fairly quiet, because she just is quiet.

( ooc: Should we wrap this one? I’m probably going to try to figure out some new stuff soon. )

“Good, the more of us on the same page and keeping each other updated, the better.” Waver offered one of his rare smiles that could just be heard in his tone to the young woman’s agreement. If he knew she might not realize the network was a good way to share with everyone, he might try to assist… But hey, as long as Yin knew how to find or reach out to him there was little the professor could complain about there.

At least in theory. It really depended on how Yin went about it if the time ever did come.

Although her quiet nature left Waver with the impression that it was a safe bet, at least that she would be more reasonable about reaching out to him than some people around here.

(no subject)

moonlitrequiem - 2024-01-18 22:01 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

ask_whydunit - 2024-01-21 17:35 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Open September Logs

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

I am very sorry for the delays, got sick again

0 worries, but oh no! I hope you're better now

Thank you <3 it's an ongoing thing but I'm gonna keep up when I can!

sorry to hear that. long term or chronic situations are no fun

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)