middaeg | [open] october catch-all | paperback dreams in their deep doze

[open] october catch-all | paperback dreams in their deep doze

Who: Andersen & you!
When: Post-Fright Night
Where: All over the place.
What: A spell gone wrong, an attempt to strongarm someone to do the heavy lifting, a discreet advertisement, and causing a scene.
Warnings: Possible references to body horror/injuries.

ONE | SLOW DOWN, IT'S A SCIENCE | THE COVEN

[For all his bellyaching, Andersen can be a diligent student when he wants to be. This month's focus is on enchantment - a form of magic that's closest to his original powers. But he never had to think to cast his spells. They were an intrinsic part of him, natural and fleeting, and he finds himself scratching his head over the formulas more often than not.

This weekend, he's testing an enhancement spell on his own book. He intended to strengthen the lock but instead the damn thing sprouts legs and begins running away!

Better watch out. A book may just try to hide behind you as its furious master skids around the corner, caterwauling:]

Seize it! Don't let it get away!

TWO | SNAKE EYED, WITH A SLY SMILE | PARLIAMENTARY RECORDS

[So you're looking for a book. As it turns out, there's a small gremlin who's camped out between two shelves, surrounded by tons of volumes. There's enough to surround him like a miniature set of disarrayed castle walls - books on Aefenglom's history, on politics, on geography - can he even finish all of these in one sitting? If you're close enough, you'll notice that Andersen's legs are tightly bandaged up.

He raises his head from the massive book he's got set in his lap and squints.]

I was beginning to wonder when they'd send an assistant to help me.

[He slams shut the volume with his thumb as a bookmark and gestures to the pile on his left.]

Help me carry these to the front desk.

THREE | WANNA PLAY CHEAT NOW | EVERYWHERE

[A message goes out on the network, simple and sweet:]

Name: Hans Christian Andersen
Date: Octeuril 21
Format: Text

Looking for a handyman for a long-term job. If you know how to use tools, you're a candidate. If you're the type who can keep their yap shut, you're halfway to being hired. Contact me and I'll set up an interview.

FOUR | WE CAN HOLD YOU | THE SHOPPING DISTRICT

A - This will be a three-way thread with Andersen & Dantes. One reply only please!!

[With some spare change on the side, Andersen figured he may as well see what the more fashionable stores were selling. If he was to mingle with the blue-blooded society surrounding the Coven, then he'll have to at least dress the part - even if he can't afford it at the moment. It's why he invites his Bonded to come do a little window shopping, so he may hear his opinions on what style would best appeal to the bougie.

Andersen's been to this particular shop a few times. He's never bought anything, though he's chat up some of the staff before. Only, this time, things have changed. The mist has left people jittery and it isn't long before the store owner shows up to stiffly ask Andersen to leave.

--that Dantes is not asked does not escape Andersen's notice. Though the mist transformed them all, his companion has the benefit of having no monstrous parts and his identity a secret. Andersen has made his status as a Mirrorbound known to too many people. He sets down the shirt he was looking at.]

Or what? You're a coward, without the muscles or guts to throw me out.

[Andersen speaks loudly so he can be heard. People stop to listen. The storekeeper retorts that he'll have his security throw him out for being a threat.]

A threat-- [Andersen looks about, incredulous.] Do you hear what this fool is saying! You--

[He picks the first person he sees, sweeps his arms at all of himself.]

Do I look like a threat to you?

[It doesn't seem like this situation is going to deescalate anytime soon...]

B - After causing a scene...

[What happened has pricked at his pride, though he doesn't have the courage to admit it. He wanders off on his own, squanders some money on (non-alcoholic) drinks, and sits by a fountain where he glumly sips his overly-sweet soda. At one point, he spots you and offers one, cap first.]

There's a fortune printed inside. [He says it with the joy of a man forced to kiss someone's boot.] Maybe yours will be better than mine.

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Then keep a leash on it, if you don't wanna die.

[ You're not the only person with dramatics, and Judar knows how to go along with them easily enough. Though there's a glimmer of irritation over the fact that this happened from an attempt at magic. If that were the case, why couldn't he even manage failed attempts?

Such is the way things go when you insist a coven's 'magic aptitude test' had a false negative. ]

So, you just taking a bunch of stories, or are you hoarding away some of the study material as well? You seem like the type to create structures out of piles of books you intend to read, but will take a while to get through.

[Andersen mutters beneath his breath:]

I wouldn't have to work if I was dead...

[It seems the book has finally accepted its fate and has settled down. Its feet dangles sadly, and it somehow manages to look forlorn without a face. Andersen heaves a sigh at Judar's question.]

Your assumption is correct. I look the part of the bookworm and perform its stereotypes perfectly. I built a chair of books in the library a few days ago, but I was told off for damaging the volumes. Hmph.

[........ where's the answer to judar's question]

I need money, since I've declined the Coven's amenities. So I've resorted to writing... [He opens the book.] ... romances.

[ No, no. He sees the answer to his question in all that, somewhere. It was just confirmation that this brat was hoarding away all the books to some sad little corner, making sad attempts at magic that lead to running books.

Why he ended up with extra information about the new writing career was... A mystery. ]

Even with the things they're providing, you'd need money anyway. Though... Do you even have any experience to work off of, or are you just lifting from things you've read?

[ In some ways, he doesn't care. If there's hoarded books, he'd rather steal from that pile for his own uses. This just seemed like an easy in. ]

[He slams the book shut and returns it to its prison. This time, he flashes Judar a cocky grin.]

Great thieves make excellent creators. My meager accolades mean nothing to you, seeing how you're from a different world, but I'm considered one of the great authors of my time. And any author worth his salt knows to build his repository of materials. I've been researching a fair amount into this world's folklore and history and it's all juicy.

[ What an annoying expression. ~~No shit. It's the same one you have with magic, Judar.~~ ]

If you're so great, you wouldn't have to brag about accolades or anything like that. You got anything written so far, for me to see?

[ Back up those words with your.... Words. ]

[In response to that he holds out his palm.]

Sure I do. Pay up.

I'm not giving you money for something someone's already paid for.

[ Said rather flatly, but it doesn't really look like he could pay for anything in the first place. He's still wearing the same exact thing from the last time they met, which includes the lack of shoes.

Though he looks back at the legs on the book. ]

You were trying to get the pages to move on their own or something, right? To keep your hands from having to stop doing whatever? Show me what you did on paper, and I'll show you where it went wrong.

[The chances of Judar actually coughing money up were slim, but Andersen had to make a big show anyway. He doesn't look put out by the refusal and takes it in stride.]

Oh? You could tell what I was aiming for? You're more observant than you look.

[He recalls from their last conversation that Judar was a high mage of some sort, someone who was incredibly well-versed in magic. Could it be he understood Aef's magical system just as well as his home's?]

I've done nothing but annoy you by babbling in your ear. You'd bestow such a gracious act of kindness upon me?

[andersen, you have to work on not giving backhanded compliments..........]

[ That compliment was so backhanded, could it even be counted as a compliment? Just because he doesn't have glasses? Though they weren't really a big thing in his world. Why would it be, when so much can be done with magic?

But if that's how it's going to be, he'll just run a hand through his hair, to smooth out some of the flyaway spikes. ]

I guess you have been annoying me. In that case, I take the offer off the table. You'll probably figure out where you went wrong eventually, right?

Are you kidding me? What I need in this moment of crisis is an editor. Much as I hate them, I'm not stupid enough to deny my manuscript the aid it requires.

[So... that's a long-winded way of saying yes.]

[ This sounds like a door opening to something insufferable and a lot more than what he was offering. ]

I don't give a shit about manuscripts or anything like that. I'm specifying magic, so you don't have books running everywhere.

Forgive me, my metaphors got the best of me. I was saying 'yes' to your offer.

[God! He misses Shakespeare sometimes - that man really got him on another level.]

I'm a shitty magus to begin with, anyway, so I'm sure you'll find much to improve upon.

Those metaphors don't really work when we're also talking about stories you were writing.

[ There's no way he's editing those. Judar cares too much about himself to even attempt something like that.]

Consider yourself lucky you've got me around. Magic's my specialty.

[ He's got the top minds in his head to have learned from. All he has to do is apply that knowledge and skill, and translate it, for this world's magic.

Which is why he'll gesture back the way Andersen came from. ]

Off to where you've got all this stuff, then.

[To be honest, Judar has the right idea. Don't take on Andersen's unreasonable requests!!]

You mean my temporary study? Brace yourself for a mess, boy.

[Which is to say, he'll trot off, expecting Judar to be right behind him. He leads him into one of the empty classrooms he was using and, true to his words, it's not too tidy. Papers are spread over the desks, books are toppled over. Andersen kicks a stack of papers nearby.]

This stupid tome-- [he emphasizes with a firm shake] --ruined my setup. Hours of organization and research, undone in an instant!

[ Yeah, he's following along. It's easy to follow at an easy pace, because his legs are longer and it's easy to catch up to the brat. Even if the brat is an old man, or however his whole deal's supposed to be.

And gee, no wonder the area is a huge mess of piles. ]

The book didn't just kick shit over.

[ But he'll pick some of those papers to see what's written up on them. ]

The tome is your fault, so you ruined your own setup. The easiest way is probably with something like gravity magic, tied to some kind of queue, like a trigger word.

[The papers Judar picks up are detailed notes on Enchantment spells - how to imbue limited sentience to an object so it can follow your orders and such. Andersen sets down the book on a nearby table, where it begins to wobble away.]

So you're saying I accidentally taught it a spell?

[ Yeah, he's reading through it all, and there's a bit of a gap because his most familiar magic is so different from this world's, but he's getting the gist. ]

I'm saying you loaded it with more than you needed. This is giving it enough of a mind to follow orders, but you're gonna have to be able to give it orders it'll want to follow. Maybe you don't have enough skill to carry out the order part...

[ But this is him spitballing more than anything. Maybe there's a weird jump in these notes, like conclusions, that'll highlight where things went particularly wrong. ]

This is more like... Making things servants, when all you want is something to hold up the book and turn the pages for you. It's like making a tornado to cool off an area, where all you need is a cool breeze. Think less of making the item follow orders, but set the spell so it acts and triggers specific steps on commands. You could probably anchor it into something, like a desk... That way it's not done to every book you're going through.

[ But because someone has been hoarding books, he hasn't exactly been able to look into some of these things. ]

[The more Judar talks, the more apparent it becomes that he knows his stuff. Not once does Andersen interrupt him or protest. If anything, it seems as if he's listening closely. At the end of it, he heaves a deep sigh, picks up the offending book, and tosses it to Judar.]

Hmph. It's as I suspected. I don't have the right touch for magic. The way you describe the process makes it sound like more of a pain than I'd like to deal with. Writing is arduous enough. Spellcasting on top of that? Ridiculous.

[ Well great, now he's got a book in hand, too. Was Andersen expecting him to completely fix all this...? Though he could see where the self-proclaimed 'shitty magus' would get that impression. ]

It's easier in the long-run, and I wouldn't be surprised if there's a pre-written spell for that kind of thing. This is still enchantment, but you're already putting the directions into the desk. It'd take less effort than what you're trying to do.

[ He should probably get the other thing out of the way. ]

And while I can look at your work to see where you went wrong, I'm not actually fixing it for you. Just saying how to do it on your own.

[ Because it's all he can do. ]

What, wouldn't you be the better Witch between us? It's as you told me back at the pub. You're one of the esteemed magi of your world.

[A beat. Andersen seems to study Judar a little closer.]

Unless... is it a matter of payment?

[ Ah... That would be the thought, for how well Judar was understanding things, and the conclusions he could make, on top of being a magi.

So Judar couldn't really admit that he hasn't been able to pull off any magic since he's arrived. It's aggravating to him, and humiliating to say to others. So he won't admit it.

So, he's got other reasons for not doing it. ]

You won't learn until you right your own mistakes. Think of it as practice.

[To think the kid he so boldly insulted in the pub was now here as a teacher. This may be a one-off occurrence, but the thought is still enough to make Andersen bark a laugh.]

How funny. And here I thought you'd relish the chance to have me jump at your every whim in the name of "learning."

I've got better things to do.

[ One of which was... Ah, one of those books in the stack. He'll help himself to that, thanks Shorty. ]

If you want someone to enjoy making you jump to their whims, get a Dom.

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[open] october catch-all | paperback dreams in their deep doze

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