middaeg | [ OPEN ] June Catch-All & Quest Log

It's been a long time coming -- ever since their strange arrival, since Waver realized with growing discomfort that he doesn't have the same sense for or control over the mana he can feel from this place as he should -- but finally, things are becoming too obvious to further ignore or deny. He'd put off getting tested for too long, but for a while now, Waver had known the answer.

Learning it with certainty doesn't help. It doesn't make him feel better to consider he hasn't experienced anything too unsettling yet; he's not the type to hold out hope. If anything, it only makes his anxiety worse, only plagues his nightmares at night when he can managed to actually sleep. What will it be like? How much will it hurt? How much of himself might he lose?

The other Monsters living and working around the city have their faculties about them well enough, but he's heard less than pleasant stories too, read about cases of corruption, loss of control, madness.

Bonding is supposed to help, the Coven tells him. Once Waver finally accepts the truth (with a little prompting perhaps from Diarmuid, as they look for somewhere to live that will be able to handle whatever happens), he figures it's also finally time to start educating himself. At least he should know what to expect and how to handle it. At least he can pretend it makes him feel less sick-to-the-stomach scared.

He goes to the bonding demonstrations willingly, if grudgingly, at first hanging near the edges and only observing. As of yet, there are no physical characteristics to mark him out. For now (for now, and who knows how temporary that will be?), Waver looks like any of the other humans. He also looks like he's trying to decide between bolting or throwing up, or both, hands clasped white-knuckled in front of him and eyes a touch too wide as he watches people pair up and drink the silver liquid.

"... Are you all right?"

The quiet question comes from a girl in a Coven robe, standing just out of arm's range, a mild curiosity and concern in her expression. Yako hasn't paired off herself yet, more interested in observing for any trouble and hoping to put any new arrivals at ease, but it's hard to miss someone who seems like they'd rather be anywhere but here.

Waver starts slightly, not having noticed the woman approach as he's been staring intently at one of the other pairs doing the minor ritual of making a temporary bond. He turns to look at her when she speaks though, cheeks coloring faintly.

"I-I'm fine. It's just all a bit... new to me."

Considering the robes, he assumes the Witch is a native of this place. And that she's probably laughing at him.

“Well, just about everyone here’s new to this,” she chirps, surveying the room with a hand on her hip. In turn, because Waver isn’t displaying any obviously animalistic traits, she’s casually assuming he’s a fellow Witch himself.

“But we’re all here for the same reason, aren’t we? To try and figure out how this all works. If it works for the Witches and Monsters of Geardagas, it can’t be all that bad.” It’s a bit unclear if she’s trying to pep talk him or herself...

He doesn't think the bonding part itself is bad. Honestly, it's just... all of it.

Waver catches the way she phrases it though, and amends his assumption. A new Witch, then, probably still staying at the Coven considering those robes. He sighs.

"Sure. I can guess how it works, more or less. It's probably something like a temporary contract between a mage and a familiar. 'Bond' makes it sound like a binding spell, but considering its function--"

He's rambling nervously. He really wishes he were a mage-- a Witch, rather. Life is so unfair.

"In any case, have you tried it yet?"

“Mmhmm. Well, that’s what I’ve read, anyway. I’ve never had a familiar myself, so I can’t say how similar it is.” Her steadily upbeat demeanor doesn’t waver in the face of his nervousness, and she gives him a quick, reassuring grin.

“I’ve tried it a couple of times now. I think it’s not that big a deal. It’s weaker than the real thing,, but it’s not like your partner’s going to be able to suddenly read your mind or anything like that. You’re just more aware of each other.” She pauses, tapping a finger to her chin.

“What about you? Is this your first time here?”

Edited 2019-06-10 23:50 (UTC)

The reason Caster attends the bonding demonstration is in a sense similar. Magic users suffer from a different kind of side-effects if they don't get to cycle their magic properly. Really, no wonder such system grew in this place. There is a balance to be found in these Bonds— but how do you enter one willingly when you're a refugee of a different world? What about those for whom the freedom to choose is weird?

He's not planning too far ahead, but he recognizes something should be done. He's far too snappish and irritable for it to be happening because of his real moods, and it is one of the side-effects of magic build up. (Set something on fire, that counts as cycling magic, yes??? Unfortunately, the nearby forest lacks the dead areas, fire ecology where are you when you're needed?). For now, he simply watches, standing nearby that skittish shortie. At least until one of the witches comes to them, holding bottles in her hands. The Coven robes truly flatter her figure and—

"Here, don't be afraid or worried. Remember this is only temporary" Caster finds himself distracted enough that he is now handed two (2x) bottles into his hands as she goes away to distribute the potion between other stragglers.

"Think it could fetch a good price somewhere?" he turns to Waver with a joking lilt in his voice as he hands him the bottle. YOLO.

Waver looks up at his randomly assigned partner with a skeptical look, reaching over to take the bottle when it's handed over but not opening it quite yet. Really, all this going on and this is what he's wondering about?

"I suspect not, if it's so temporary and they're handing the bottles out without much supervision. But if you'd rather pocket it than do the exercise, I don't care."

He's not entirely keen on this bonding thing himself, certainly not with strangers, though he was trying to commit to at least making an attempt. After observing the other pairs for a while and asking some questions of those who have tried it, at least his uneasiness about taking an unknown potion has subsided, but the concept is still uncomfortable to him.

It's not the bond he has a problem with. It's the fact he's not the mage in the relationship, and combined with the whole 'turning into a Monster' business, can you blame a guy for being freaked out?

"Are we doing this or not?"

Oho, he got one with a temper. Good, good. Instead of answering, Caster first, gulps down the entire content of the bottle. Muting the weird taste, because uh, not like they got any palette cleanser to scrape the residue off.

"Hey, you didn't seem very into it, so I thought I'll offer you a way out. But if you're leaving that up to me—" A shrug. What's done is already done, at least on his half. Magical contracts are a norm for Servants, sure, but these ones here... Like them or not, they seem to be a necessity in the end. Unless there is a reliable way to work without Bond they are not being told about. Which, would make sense, really. Coven is made of mages and mages keep their secrets. "Name's Caster by the way"

It's probably good to know each other's name, even if it's temporary.

With an apprehensive grimace, Waver downs his bottle too. The tastelessness is oddly just as unpleasant as a bad taste might have been, and he makes another face when he's swallowed the liquid. With that, Waver... waits. He's not entirely sure what he's supposed to expect.

His temporary Bond partner's name makes his head snap back up in surprise, though.

"...Caster? That's your name?"

His eyes narrow, more thoughtful than suspicious, though it might look like Waver just doesn't believe him. It's been driving him crazy that he can't sense magic the same way here as he's used to. Of course, Lancer isn't a Servant here either, but he shouldn't be able to not be a Heroic Spirit (even though that is also the case in this instance). It had been very strange for Waver at first, but this is the first time it's occurred to him there may be other former Heroic Spirits who have experienced the same, and Waver would never have a clue. He's not a Master anymore. Not even a mage. Not even a sub-par one. He hates this.

Huh. The surprise that flows on their bond is... quite something. Enough to be noticeable. Sure, "Caster" is quite obviously not a name, but most people let it slide. On the other, better not to read too much into it. Not within the first minute at least. He lets out a hum before answering.

"Mhhm... not really. It's more like a title." Explaining the whole bullshit with classes and stuff seems like such a pain to go through. Plus ~~secrecy~~. "I'm a shy type, you see."

But he's looking at Waver with much more curiosity now. He understands being on edge because of the changes they all were thrown into (and some definitely got the shorter end of a stick, the whole "monster" surprise can't be a pleasant one).

Waver, oblivious to the fact he never even bothered offering his own name, presses on. There's a faint glimmer of echoing emotion starting to flow through the Bond, not dissimilar to the connection he'd felt as a Master to his Servant. He couldn't read this guy's mind or even directly pinpoint his emotions, but there's a hint there, if he focuses. Of course, it doesn't include wordless communication, but that's probably for the best.

He hands the empty bottle off to one of the Coven Witches who wanders by to see if anyone needs help or has other questions and waves her away, turning back to his companion.

"What kind of title?"

Weirdly, Caster might be able to tell he's not actually curious. He doesn't seem to be questioning out of a genuine desire to learn more about him as a person, but rather to confirm something he already thinks he knows. And while that sort of nuance may not be apparent through the weaker version of this temporary Bond, Waver's quickly ratcheting agitation certainly is. He's probably no fun to be connected to. He's always so high-strung.

Huh. Adjusting to this new connection will take time, who knows how long. But while Caster can't know from where the agitation comes from, he figures that— doing something about is probably a good idea. As much a benefit for his companion as it is of his own.

So that's when one (1x) hand onto shoulder pat comes from. Thank god he's no longer having Servant strength because he does not do anything to take away from the heaviness of the pat. It's absolutely meant to be friendly, just as the smile that shows on his face.

"One that describes the role you got assigned to play." One that you use when your name is off-limits. "You don't have to give me your real name either, but I'd like to have something to call you... or I'll make something up."

Not saying you need to chill kid... but you probably need to chill. Gotta find way to achieve exactly that. Nickname threats are the way to go.

"Y-you can't just make something up!" Waver protests, grunting at the weight of that broad hand on his shoulder.

Once again, he can't help but think how unfair it is that Lancer is here and this guy might actually be the kind of Caster Waver suspects he is, but Rider... isn't. Wrong Heroic Spirit. Wrong hand on his shoulder. All of it is wrong. And yes, he's still bitter about it, even weeks later. The reminder right now certainly doesn't help.

"I have a name. Waver Velvet..."

(Yes, it does sound made up. No, it is not and it is actually his real name. Don't laugh.)

A pause, hesitating a moment. He has no reason to hide it, but it's not as easy to say anymore either, for... well, there are several reasons. If he's wrong, it'll be more explaining to do. If he's right, actually, there'll still be explaining in order and potentially digging into memories he's not ready to confront in depth quite yet. And, mostly, it just makes him sad.

But he has to know, and he wants to establish his own authority here -- as little as it is, considering how little power he'd actually had overall in the War and how irrelevant at is here.

So, after a brief hesitation and a sharp intake of breath, Waver continues to add:

"...Master of Rider in the Fourth Holy Grail War."

Master of Rider. Fourth Grail War--- if this world brought not just Servants but all kind of people, why not mages? Why not Masters, current and former. Caster repeats the pat, this time a lot lighter, without any force to it. It's like he was checking if Waver is real. His smile grows a tad bit more feral too.

"Fuyuki, I presume?" Who knows how many different Grail Wars in all different timelines happened, but the numbers lines up. And Fuyuki is such a repeated location, no wonder it went terribly wrong, tied itself into a pretzel of doom and death and become a singularity.

Cool stuff.

"I'm from Fifth." Kinda, sorta. "Memories" and "Servants" always being a strange thing, and Chaldea and their system is weird enough that he figures it's probably best to keep his mouth shut about that particular detail.

On the other hands, other Servants probably does not so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ time for the most important question.

"Did you win?"

"Fuyuki," Waver confirms quietly, and then... a pause, weighty and just a few beats too long.

Finally, he shakes his head, very slightly. He doesn't look upset, doesn't make excuses. He looks serious, and though there's a nostalgic sorrow in his eyes, his answer is matter-of-fact.

"No. But it was a glorious battle, to the end."

Till the very end.

For some, only victory matters, anything else is just means to an end. To mages especially. It's all about getting the desired wish, isn't it? Not many of them can recognize and understand what matters far more for the familiars they work with—

Looks like this is the rare breed that can.

Caster's expression softens and there is an echo of something like respect around their temporary Bond.

"That sounds like a victory to me." Glorious battles, fated meetings, and partings. Leaving a mark, something to never be forgotten. That is more than enough.

Waver can feel it, like a ripple on the surface of clear water. Something in him relaxes in response, that knot in his chest loosening ever so slightly.

"...yeah," he breathes, offering a nod, the faintest bittersweet smile. "I think he'd agree."

Rider wouldn't want him to make it sound as though he had any regrets.

Their Bond reflects his ache though, deep and persistent. It's something he carries with him -- a reminder, a bond of a different kind.

Waver takes a breath.

"And you... Caster? What sort of War were you summoned to?"

That Rider sounds like such a swell guy. Anyone who leaves an impression like the one Waver carries about him must be. But pressing about the details such as True Name is in a bad taste even though he is very obviously curious...!!

Then the question comes and makes Caster pause. It's not something he likes to talk about, but because of the Bond he'd be caught on deflection. So one longer hum later.

"Not like yours, I have to say..." Hardly could it be called a glorious battle. Battle yes, but not glorious. It turned the city into a place of death and fire. There are ways to get Servant tethered to the existence without a Master, they are there— but they ain't pretty. At least it got a happy ending in that it got to be wiped out from the corrected timeline, right? "It went sideways very quickly. Something was very wrong with that Grail."

They advertise you an awesome battle royale between heroes, and you get something like that.

[So far the duties outlined have been... pretty standard. Measure this, mix this, add some kind of reacting agent so it actually stops being inert... It's all stuff that Mikleo has some familiarity with, even if the reagents themselves are different. And judging by the way Waver has taken to this, he's a dab hand too. Some potions require actual magic to make, which Mikleo has in copious amounts-- but his coworker isn't quite so lucky. This also means that properly testing their skills against one another is made slightly more difficult by this handicap.

However, the main task of the day is to make some fire-breathing potions. The ingredients are magical and volatile enough that they don't actually need to jumpstart any chemical reactions with magic, so that's good. Mikleo reads over the recipe again. It's somewhat advanced from making the usual poultices and salves, but nothing that he can't handle.]

... Hey, Waver. [He holds up the recipe book.] Why don't we see who can make the better potion?

I want to see how much we've improved.

[ At first, Waver had been eager about the job as a whole, relieved to have found -- or, rather, been allowed into -- a position that he could still consider something worthy of a mage. Even if it was nothing luxurious, and even if it was sometimes strange compared to what he'd been used to, at least he could understand alchemy. He felt more himself here, and that feeling along with the distraction of having to focus on his duties was enough to ease the pervasive dread and anxiety that had been steadily building since their arrival in this place. Sometimes, it all still feels like a dream.

For now, he still looks himself, not really any different from any of the other human employees at the apothecary. For now, he can almost even pretend nothing will actually happen.

It's just those reminders of the fact he has no control over mana anymore that really get to him, though. Waver had never been much of a mage in terms of raw power, but he'd worked hard for what little he'd had. He'd meticulously stoked that tiny spark of his own magical potential, pouring all his efforts into bettering himself as a mage, and now--

All that was gone. As if to add insult to injury, this place had taken even that from him. Learning he was no longer quite human had been a terrifying, surreal revelation; learning he was no longer and could never be a mage was somehow even worse.

Not that he's told Mikleo any of this, of course, at least not in any detail aside from muttered whining here and there throughout the day, the way he grumbles to himself that he's supposed to be able to do all this, magic potions included. Even if it's only in the spirit of a fair competition, it's a good thing Mikleo was sensitive about which potion to choose for a contest like this.

Waver is just finishing shelving the bottles he'd been organizing when Mikleo speaks up, and when he puts away the last item, he turns, leaning over to look more closely at the recipe book. ]

You want to have a contest? [ His lips purse thoughtfully, though that habitual furrow between his brow makes the expression look more sour than it really is. ] Did they order two or more potions of this type? I'm not keen on wasting ingredients on a whim.

[ ...but he's certainly not saying no, now is he? ]

[Mikleo is unaware of all Waver's existential angst, but they'd had a conversation about maybe being tested. Sorey was also unable to do magic when they'd first arrived despite all the studying and Mikleo along with him, so... it's something he's prepared to deal with. But he doesn't know Waver is having all this trouble with it, and he's not the type to pry unnecessarily.

He doesn't see Waver as weak. Waver's a keen mind, like his own, and a coworker here. A little friendly competition never hurt anyone, and he wants to push his own limits; he knows he needs to work on his alchemy.

His smile turns a bit sly. He thought Waver wouldn't turn him down, and he was right.]

They ordered four. Apparently it's going to be a longer trip outside the wall, and they wanted to be prepared.

So, what should we judge on? Effectiveness, stability, and um... appearance?

[ Now that's a good number to get some practices in and have a competition. Waver has no reason to argue now, does he?

He nods, smirking a bit in reply to Mikleo's smile.]

That sounds fair. To keep appearance from getting too subjective, though, let's break it down to consistency and color. Compared to the guidelines on the recipe, of course.

How are we going to test effectiveness? Someone would need to try it.

[It's on.]

I'll accept that. Consistency and color. We can't do much about presentation since it's not a meal, but we can at least grade those.

[He curls his hand beneath his chin.]

It only seems fair that we would try our own potions, correct? I can put out any accidental fires with a spell.

[ Waver looks a bit leery at that. He doesn't really want to breathe fire, and frankly thinks this type of potion is a bit ridiculous, and out of the scope of the usual alchemy he would be interested in dealing with. It all seems a bit... fantastical, rather than practical. But it's what the customers ordered.

...and maybe he's a little curious, on top of being skeptical. He purses his lips, considering, and finally shrugs. ]

Sure, fine.

[ ... ]

You don't think it matters if the user is a mage-- er, a Witch, I mean? Or not? The instructions here don't mention it.

[ He's still getting used to the sort of magic he can and can't interact with, as a... Monster. He hates that word. ]

[Sometimes people just really want to breathe fire!!! Not Mikleo, though, he's good. But it's for SCIENCE, so he's fine with testing it out. As long as it's temporary.

He arches an eyebrow at that, but shakes his head after.]

If it was something that was meant to augment one's natural spell strength, then maybe, but this essentially bestows a temporary enchantment. One of the best things about potions is that they're accessible to people who aren't gifted with magic. We can't depend on magic all the time.

[He starts grabbing ingredients out of cupboards.]

Now where's that drakeroot... [It's the middle shelf and he can just barely reach it if he stands on his tiptoes.]

[It hasn't escaped Asra's attention that there's a number of alchemists and apothecaries that deal in magic - in fact a number of the shops around the city seem to be willing to use magic to some extent, which he imagines is due to how most people seem to have some skill in it. It's both similar and different to what he knows from Vesuvia; there were more magic users and more magic used in some places than most people realised, but it wasn't quite as widespread as it is here.

It also presents him with some curious options to look into, both to see what is common and expected here and what ingredients people tend to use.

That's why he's wandered into one of them looking both as though he's wandered in off the street (he has) with no real direction and intensely curious about everything around him. Taking note of what appears to be a young alchemist here, he reaches out to catch his attention.]

Can you tell me what the active ingredients are in the luck potions?

[ Waver looks up from where he'd been organizing some bottles on the shelf, watching the customer walk in without any sort of appropriate customer-service smile. He straightens though and meets his eyes politely enough, head cocking very slightly as he listens to the question. ]

All right. Let me see...

[ Waver reaches over to grab one of the indicated potions off the shelf to place on the counter between them for the potential customer to examine if he likes, and begins to list off the main active ingredients used in its creation, some of which are plants and magical components that had been utterly unfamiliar to him before coming here, but seem common enough, like hair or other minor parts of Monsters and plants that only grow in the Wilde. He finishes with a shrug, waving one hand at the little vial dismissively. ]

It depends on what you're expecting you'll get out of it. Honestly, it's not so much a luck potion as it is a ward against negative energies that might affect your supposed 'luck' in an adverse fashion. A counter-curse for minor or involuntary sorts of curses. Luck in the real sense is still luck and no amount of chimera horn shavings are going to change actual chance.

[ ...yeah, he's really not a salesperson. at all. ]

Hmmm... [Asra cocks his head, listening to the list of ingredients and taking note of similarities he's noticed. The list seems a little overly complex for his tastes, but it seems that it's like other stores; the pricier ones tend to have less complicated and higher potency ingredients while cheaper places seem to have more longer lists. He's not really intending on buying anyway, just absently drags his finger around the stopper of the bottle while focusing on the younger man working here.]

Oh? You don't think it would actually improve my luck? Why wouldn't I just make a warding charm if that was all this did?

[ The question catches Waver off guard, and he seems to realize belatedly that this is a terrible way to sell potions.

Listen. He was hired as an alchemist, not a sales clerk. Who left him alone out by the counter?? ]

Er... Well. Maybe you should try it and find out.

[ nailed it. ]

In any case, this is an easier and faster catch-all for that sort of thing than a warding charm would be, without needing the sort of specificity you'd usually be looking at. And it works for non-magic-users too.

Do you want to buy one or not?

[ please when will the customer service representative come back from lunch... ]

Hmm, why don't you?

[He pushes the bottle back and grins, amused by how out of his depth the younger man seems to be.]

You should try your own stocks, shouldn't you? Then you could sell them better. It sounds like you're not entirely familiar with what it does.

Or are you better with other kinds of potions and charms? What here have you made?

I'm familiar enough.

[ The truth is, he's not used to the way magic works differently here quite yet, the way it's actually more akin to the real magic of old rather than the magecraft Waver practiced back home. True luck potions are nonsense, the sort of manipulation of reality that would be considered miraculous and therefore out of the scope of modern magecraft. Here, though? Things aren't as cut and dry as that.

Waver scowls, snatching the bottle back up and placing it onto the shelf where it came from with an air of finality. ]

I'm not the sales clerk. I'm an alchemist.

[ It's not his job to sell them better, okay? This guy's attitude is starting to annoy him... ]

I've made plenty. Sleep potions, poultices and healing draughts, potions to boost strength, speed or vitality...

[ He shrugs, listing off a few more and pointing at a couple of rows on the shelves that house them. If Asra knows how the potions here are made, he might notice that the ones Waver points out are all the kind that don't need actual spellwork or charming, just the proper mix of alchemic ingredients. ]

[ OPEN ] June Catch-All & Quest Log

bonding.

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aaah so sorry about the delay!

ahhh don't worry, it's all okay (I was slow too)

phew, thanks :>

Re: phew, thanks :>

part timer quest!

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Apothecary

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