middaeg | Intro Log: October 2020

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Intro Log: October 2020

Intro Log: October

I. ARRIVAL

something

The Looking-Glass House is rather nondescript two-story cottage made of grey brick, sitting at the edge of The Coven's courtyard; stones which glow as you step on them mark the path to and from the two buildings. While fairly small and plain on the outside, the inside has been enchanted to be the size of a large library, with hundreds upon hundreds of mirrors hanging, standing, and resting inside its walls. Some are broken, some are cracked, and some seem completely uninjured - but all of them are just as plain as the cottage itself, showing age in the silver beneath their glass and in the greening of their metals... Well, all except a character's personal mirror; to characters, one mirror - the one they came through - will be decorated lavishly with metal-and-wood-wrought reminders of home, and the surface will be as clear as a brand-new mirror.

II. THE WELCOME PARTY

pull

older woman

wolfish companion

those which feel to resemble yourselves in a world-traversing sense

NOTE: If you wish to handwave interaction with Nessie and Mhairi, please comment here. All responses will be summarized answers rather than an IC thread. For those that'd like a more player-based interaction, Aefenglom has its own Welcome Wagon! These are players who've volunteered for the role, and those that didn't sign up may assist as well if they'd feel their character would -- have fun, and make friends. Additionally, those with notable injuries or sickness will be attended to ASAP by Coven-based witches, and should anyone be curious about what they are -- namely, if they have magic potential or not -- then this can be done during this and the general hour or so the new arrivals are within the Coven's grounds. There are ongoing classes on magic, monsters, and Bonding as well, though they take place more during the day than at night. Feel free to have your characters attend them at any time!

III. THE HAVEN

peculiar-looking device

The Haven

the barracks,

roommate finding service

reads aloud

the information you've offered up yourself

Welcome to the intro log! While mingling on the log itself is highly encouraged, feel free to make your own logs if you prefer! The network system is free to use once characters have their watches as well; information on that can be found at the bottom of the Setting page, while any extra questions about it can be found in the FAQ index. Quests can be picked up throughout the month as well! While new characters will have to get settled in, you can go ahead and put your name on some by replying to the October's Quest Pickup thread on the Quest Board. Finally, if your character is getting into any Shenanigans or if you have any other questions, just let the mods know here!

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[It worked. L's grateful to something unnamed and almighty that it's equal and two-sided, because as he feels a sense of desperate and clinging awe in the face of what's been established, here, he can only think of how fully Mello's heart must have broken when it blew his mind, but L experienced nothing even close to the same, on his end.

Such a thing could probably drive someone slowly crazy, especially if they weren't precisely stable to start with. L has a new appreciation for his tormented successor and how their involvement only caused him further pain with every rejection, no matter how great or small. Some things are still unforgivable... but perhaps less so, now that L has a better idea of what he'd be willing to do to Light if this wasn't returned.

He nods his shaggy head briskly, but there is an almost dazed quality to it. He feels better, too, for having Bonded, but not exactly grounded. Conversely, it's like something he could get drunk on, and behave accordingly.]

...the cottage.

[Reality exists. It's here, waiting, and with it there's another Bonded and another successor to worry about. He'll bring them around to the new status quo; there's no other option, really.]

It's small, but comfortable. There's a spare room, a puca is often in and out to clean.

[His tone affects something softer as he says so. She'd done even more for him, during the time he was trying to adjust to life crippled without his fingers and rarely leaving the house at all. It had been a dark and discouraging time, and she'd remained bright, optimistic, and cheerful through all of it. Myr really knew how to pick hired help.]

I... suppose you've not been here long enough to acquire possessions. You can borrow some of my clothing in the meantime and tomorrow, I'll give you some money to buy a few sets of your own.

[His savings have dwindled pretty rapidly since he's been out of paying work. Generally, he only eats what's brought to him, and Myr has subsidized the cottage, both of which help, but L doesn't have many liquid funds at present. In spite of this, the offer is one that comes naturally, that he doesn't hesitate for a moment to make. Light will probably find quickly that though L has a spectacular mind for numbers, and earns money as well as anyone who excels at so many things, actually handling that money consciously and responsibly is something of a challenge for him. At any given time, he only has a vague idea of how much he has, as what he acquires tends to get tossed into a drawer and removed as it's needed.]

Edited 2020-10-20 02:57 (UTC)

Which means I'll find out what a puca is. I recognize a lot of monsters from our world, but that's not one I know.

[ His knowledge is limited to popular media. As intelligent and studious as Light may be, he's never studied a monster dictionary. Of all the things that seemed useful, it wasn't high on the list. ]

I'll need to accept your offer. You're right; I don't have anything but the clothes I'm wearing now. I have long term plans should I be here a while, but I also have short term plans. I've signed up for classes already. Tomorrow, I'll look for a way to earn money on the side so that I'll be bringing in income, too.

[ He remembers L mentioning that his work at the orphanage was volunteer work. If he had to make a guess, Light would assume that someone who went from having unlimited money at his disposal to having little and working without pay would be having financial difficulty. ]

In the meantime, I can help in other ways.

[ He gestures to the elbow of L's shirt. ]

If you have the supplies, I can fix that for you.

[ That would be useful for them both if they were sharing clothes, even if for a short while. ]

But I'm also asking more of you. There's a lot of magic to learn and while I was cautious when choosing my classes, I want you to teach me, too. What magics have you learned?

You'd know, if you were up to snuff on your Celtic folklore, but...

[Far from both Light's geography and his interests, L is aware. No matter; such familiarity is practical and necessary in this world, and Light will certainly adapt.

He nods, confirming that he's on board with Light's plan to start looking for a way to earn wages. Through the Bond, Light possibly can feel his own resolution on the matter; the time for cowering inside and healing in scraping increments is past, now that he's whole.]

In truth... most witches would be able to mend things like this with magic. While I'm at least basically proficient in most branches, by this point... my particular weak points seem to be mending and healing spells.

[No small wonder, perhaps, for one who has witnessed the way L's willpower exceeds his constitution, keeping him awake and lucid and functioning long after he should have dropped.

So, no, he has no supplies. He picks at the frayed patch compulsively as he continues as a sort of self-soothing measure; Light might feel a paradoxical mixture of his own annoyance at the continued destruction, and L's own comfort through the Bond.]

I'm happy to supplement your learning in the ways that I'm capable. I dabbled in transmutation but only ever mastered one spell. I've focused on divination, for reasons I'm sure you can imagine, and illusion.

[Finding the truth, and concealing it, according to his nature.]

My medium has generally been runes... some incantation, and I supplement with blood.

[A mixture of techniques, a bit scattered and cobbled together. But they get the job done when used and combined creatively, an ability L has never lacked for.]

It's also beneficial to know how to defend yourself, or go on the offensive, if need be, and my elemental affinities are lightning and ice.

[It's a lot of information. Now it's Light's turn.]

What are you interested in, and what have you signed up for?

[ Light won't apologize for not knowing Celtic lore. Time is a limited resource, and there were topics better suited for his studies. That will change now, obviously. A lot of things will. Species that were once myth are now reality.

Curious. Was the finger trauma recent? It's not the time to ask and surprisingly, while Light is always curious, asking isn't high on his list. The bond has elated him, created a high that he doesn't want to crash by asking the wrong question. For the immediate moment, he just wants to bask in an emotion stronger than almost any he's ever felt.

Blood magic, hm? It's fitting. ]

Abjuration and Evocation, for the reasons you named: defense and offense. It may not be as good as a spell, but I still have confidence in my ability to find information the old fashioned way. I know any physical skills I have can't compare to magic. That's why I want to focus on gaining the ability to protect myself.

I'm glad to hear you know divination. It's where my interests really are, even if I can justify putting it off until I'm in a better place.

[ Mending will come soon for Light. He won't waste money on fabrics, needle, and thread when he has so little — when he has none, but magic is free. ]

I don't plan on leaning very heavily in blood magic, but I want to learn to scry and uncover hidden information.

[ It's less of a concrete feeling, but L might feel things shifting, like a fluid adapting to it's current. He'll need to plan out his days so that he can know what kind of jobs or quests he can handle. He and L also have a different way of living; Light won't say standard as L had much more money than Light can ever dream of having. Still, he focuses on health and assuring his body has what it needs to be at its best. Judging by L's still-thin frame, that isn't a habit he's picked up while here. Once he has money of his own, Light will probably have buy food for their shared home at the least. He'd known more once they arrived.

Then again, he realizes, maybe someone stocks the shelves for L, too. ]

[Departing the circle is difficult. Furthermore, the impulse that Bonds often create to seek physical contact is, predictably, powerful. L wants to relent and reach out, judging that with this Bond's symmetrical energy it's likely that Light feels the same, but... ah, he doesn't want to seem clingy. He doesn't want to be the first to admit a desire to be close to Light physically, as well as mentally.

He won't, however, discourage Light when the time comes for him to succumb first, whether it's in minutes or months. L trusts himself to be capable of holding out for every arbitrary thing he would judge to be a victory, by their strange and stringent standards.]

Your instincts are correct; as a Witch, magic is always going to be your advantage, no matter how strong you are.

[A dark tinge eclipses the Bond, because while Light doesn't want to taint the high of its recency with the wrong questions, the answer floats relatively near the surface: it was recent, the reattachment practically fresh. Something stronger bested L, or at least managed to get to him when he wasn't at his strongest. Judging from the way his health seems to ebb and flag even when he's under someone's constant care and vigilance, even Watari's, the latter is a likely bet. He let himself go, then lived to regret it and repeat it.]

Admittedly, because my greatest strengths are also not physical... I've gravitated toward the more cerebral branches, which is why Divination appealed to me from very early on. I have a scrying basin you'll probably become familiar with, until you can acquire your own.

[Not mandatory. L is not materialistic, doesn't care about objects in his possession. Light's welcome to any of it, all of it, so long as he doesn't stray far from his side.]

Perhaps it's a selfish inclination, but I do hope you become a very good healer. It would be complementary to my own skills.

[Which is to say that it could mitigate L's tendency to damage himself in the interest of doing greater damage elsewhere. A skilled healer is something he rather requires when he's in action, in any capacity; otherwise, he rather is relegated to sitting at home with his scrying basin and his projected illusions.]

[ Human contact is rarely something Light seeks. It's easy to initiate, and he often does so with confidence that hides his true feelings on the act. It isn't normally actively disgusting so much as he doesn't feel the same thrill that would come to other 18-year-old boys. It's also true that Light's never been bonded. The connection feels almost tangible, almost as if he could see a string connecting them if he catches it at the right angle. The oddity is that it wouldn't feel odd to reach out and grab L's hand. That alone is unnerving.

For now, Light focuses on the magic. That's...not more interesting exactly, but more in line with his usual thought processes. Not that he'd honestly admit it, but the desire to heal and protect comes from self-preservation, but that doesn't mean it can't useful even if applied to L. If they're allies here, if L's so prone to blood magic, that means he could be the extra power boost while Light doesn't have to put his own body at risk. It's a practice L established before Light arrived. Light's just going to make it safer for him. ]

Probably, my healing abilities will progress faster than my others. Both classes teach healing. If what I've been told is true, Evocation allows for stronger healing that Abjuration.

I have reservations about blood magic, but if you need to be healed, of course I'll heal you once I've learned how.

[ It's true enough; Light isn't someone who killed for the sake of murder. If L dies here, Light won't get pleasure, especially as L is his greatest defense at the moment. ]

This isn't how I imagined we'd end up working together.

[It looks like a string, from some angles; from others, the metallic gleam of a chain catches the light in the corner of L's eye. It's nostalgic, in so many ways one of their personal signatures, and L admires it like so many other humans might admire fine jewelry. But he's not other humans, and while a price can be put on silver and gold, he wouldn't sell his soul or risk his life for either of those things.]

It would mean entrusting so much, to you.

[He speaks softly and thoughtfully. Kira might relish the kind of opportunity where L was on his knees already, with an ashen face and an open vein. Many opportunities for happy accidents and convenient (if horrific) circumstances.

Then again, perhaps Kira wouldn't. A victory doesn't mean much if it's handed over by one anemically unworthy of the fight.]

Your reservations aren't unique, or unusual...

[L's own Bonded hates it, hates that L practices it to the point where he feels the need to omit mentions of it in their dinner conversations. It's only kind, he reasons, considering Myr has had the distinct displeasure of wearing more of L's blood than anyone who cares about him should have to.]

Blood magic is powerful. I judge it to be worth the cost, in 99% of cases.

[The 1% is all Myr, all the Faun's misgivings and concerns. L desperately wishes it was more, that he could empathize with Myr's horror surrounding the practice. Considering how strongly he feels about it, it should mean more to L.

The Leviathan is a part of him, just as much as something to be battled. He considers it as less of a weight and more of a reassurance, tonight. Of course he's selfish; of course the impulse to devour will be irresistible sometimes, and surely, he can have this one?]

Had you accurately predicted this, I'd have likely doubted your sanity. I'm sure we're of a like mind, in this regard.

[In many regards. The Bond only confirms it as they make their way back to the row of cottages. L's is the one with a lovely garden, one of the many perks of living often with a Faun.

When they step inside, Light will find the furnishings sparse and simple. L's careful about keeping things out of the way out of consideration for Myr's blindness (though it looks as though a cellar is under construction in a weirdly central location), but there's a kitchenette and a table. L will have to get a third chair. A hall snakes off to the left, leading to the bedrooms and the bathroom; there's a cupboard in the hall with towels and linens.]

Edited 2020-10-21 20:56 (UTC)

You've been using blood magic even before I came. You'd keep using it, even if I hadn't. Using it isn't a sign of trust in me but having me here will be useful.

[ Light already takes it for granted that he will be good at healing magic. At all magics, really. Before Kira, nothing challenged him. He sees no reason why the magics of this land should be different. ]

You said 99%. That means there's 1% that isn't worth it.

[ But it's a percentage that L adds anyway.

As for his safety with Light, L's right in some regards. He has more reasons to keep him alive than he has to want him dead. For one, they're bonded. For another, ironic as it may be, and in some ways it isn't ironic at all, L is a useful ally. In this world where everyone else is a stranger and Light must start at the bottom, he needs that alliance. Probably, L realizes who holds the power here. Light will be living in his home, borrowing his clothes, using his money. It won't last long, but that's the current situation.

The cottage surprises him. It's a far cry from what was expected. It's hard for Light to imagine L spending time nurturing the garden, but he also didn't expect the orphanage. Things have changed. It's going to be a process to learn what. ]

I didn't know you had a garden. Did you develop a green thumb?

[ The question is asked with a faint smile; L likely understands why Light wouldn't have thought that to be the case. ]

You said you have a scrying basin? Do you have magic books?

[ It's a nice house. Small, but while Light's family had been well off, they'd never been excessive rich. ]

You're wrong... it is a sign of trust. While it's true that I'd continue to practice, whether or not you were here... it renders a user more vulnerable than many techniques. Someone who would wish me harm could take advantage if I let them get close.

[But Light doesn't, at least not at this point. It's curious and exhilarating, even as L inherently gets it; they are, after all, Bonded.]

I would consider that vulnerability the 1% that is inconvenient, incidentally.

[Along with the mournful way Myr responds to his knowledge of its use. It's a personal kind of twinge, and falls into the category of what Light can likely feel to an extent, but L will not voice.

Once they're inside the rustic and humble cottage and Light has asked about the garden outside, L raises and lowers a thin shoulder noncommitally.]

Hardly... my other Bonded is a Faun, and they have an affinity for the natural world. Anywhere he spends enough time will probably flourish in some way.

[And Myr is still trying to get L to broaden his narrow and childish dietary choices. A basket of freshly picked squash sit near the stove, in fact.]

You can, and in fact should look at the basin. The books I keep here will be beyond you, at this point.

[Spoken without judgment, matter-of-factly.]

I'll pick up something more skill-appropriate for you tomorrow from the Coven library, but in the meantime... you should focus on settling in, at least for this evening.

[Quite a lot has changed, after all.]

This is one of Myr's nights for his other Bonded, so you should have ample space and privacy. You can take what you want from the wardrobe in my room, but... don't disturb anything else, please.

[There's scarcely anything to disturb, or even suggest that a human being lives here aside from an unmade bed, but notably, there is a corner that is shrine-like with runes etched into the wall and a candle that burns brightly and without heat. It isn't real.]

[ For a moment, impatience shoots between them. Light wants to get started. Unlike L, he doesn't push himself past safe boundaries, but he's uneasy knowing nothing in a world where knowledge translates into power more literally. For a moment, he hesitates before nodding. By the sound of things, his other bonded is over quite often so it's probably a good night to allow himself to settle in.

Does Myr cook? Has L learned? The squash hints that there's fresh food in the house. Light hardly expects a stranger to feed him, too but it will be good to know where to allocate his funds. He's broke at the moment, living in L's house, soon to be wearing L's clothing. As someone who's still in their first year of college, he's used to living in a house he doesn't actually own, but he doesn't like feeling this dependent. If L hadn't been here, he'd be living with a stranger. ]

Then, I'll get changed. My clothes stand out here.

[ As normal as they'd be at home, they're very obviously the clothes of an outsider here.

Ah. Laundry would probably be done by hand. That was also something hard to imagine. It seems like they both will or have experienced a learning curve. ]

Don't worry, I won't go through your things.

[ L's left to his own devices while Light grabs a simple outside from his wardrobe — choosing the most put-together outfit — and heads into the bathroom to freshen up. It also gives him time to think. Through the bond, L may feel more than one emotion. Frustration is followed by resolution, a sense of fatigue followed by confidence. It's a lot to take in, a lot of adjustments. He really is in a new world, away from his family, his work, and everything he's been building for 18 years.

He's also Light Yagami. ]

[The wardrobe's options are sparse and all fairly worn. The best that can really be said for these clothes is that they're fairly clean, though they smell like L's typical aura of stale coffee and seem wrinkled in places. Half of the pieces are very stylish and tailored to L's strange and scrawny dimensions, but only by the standards of about a year ago when the SQUIP was still dressing L. The rest are fairly basic and boring, but at least somewhat classic and timeless. White button-up shirts, black and grey jackets, trousers in dark plaids and houndstooth. They also appear to have been purchased off the rack and unaltered, so the fit will be more universal (though L relies heavily on suspenders to keep cloth between his ass and the world.)

While Light is freshening up, L has a moment to himself for the first time since they met up at the Coven. The Bond is ever-present now, but easier to relegate to the background, especially when they're further apart, and he has the time and capacity to reflect on what, exactly, he's done by agreeing to Bond with Light Yagami.

He was wrong about the danger, perhaps. In Myr's nightmare, L had been chasing Light into a darkening sky, but the Sun rises in the east, now, enough to both smudge out some stars and melt some of the ice. A worthwhile trade, a welcome change from the darkness and frost, anyone would think so. And when they're above all of it, the stars and the answers are clearer than they ever were from the ground anyway. There's no immediate drawback or catch (though in time, perhaps that Leviathan could notice that the ice crust is thinner, and begin to dream of legs to walk the earth.) He's wanted this, even prayed for it in his way, but he can't shake the nightmare where his baffled Bonded had just wondered why.

It's not a question he can easily answer, or even parse for himself. But there's a sense that he doesn't need fixing or redemption anymore, that the problem was always that he was just missing a piece, and now, all can be revealed, and all can be well. He'll show Myr, through the gentle process of time, that this is a good thing.
He'll be stronger for this, need less, have more to offer both his Bonded. Before, there was only one way to truly unburden Myr, and it was a tunnel with no light at the end littered with crumbs of failure and inadequacy, but now, he can be good in the ways he's truly the best. Those crumbs can be swept under the rug, because Light Yagami is in Aefenglom, and they never mattered to him. He's flawed too, also fatally so, just doesn't realize the extent of it. It's why he'll lose in the end, just... not yet. Not while they both demand the same grand things to the abandonment of lesser matters.

Is Myr one such "lesser matter?" The answer, at this moment in time and at this table, is an emphatic no... but Myr never deserved to be the sole focus of L's obsessive and inherently destructive attention. Myr can divide his time between multiple people he cares about, genuinely with no thoughts of favorites or preferences in spite of what L believes about his own capacity for being loved. This is just his opportunity to prove that he can do it, too, that he doesn't have to waste and exhaust and destroy everything he enjoys like a soft, sweet slice of cake that can only be eaten, or kept in a pastry case behind a protective pane of glass.

It represents the promise of balance and, at least in some way, self-sufficiency. L's worked through it to the point where he feels a wash of relief and triumph, assurance that it will be fine, though it's telling that he reached the conclusion with Light a room over, and not Myr.]

Edited 2020-10-23 16:20 (UTC)

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Intro Log: October 2020

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