September Catchall - Counteraction Rising

[guildmastermind]

Who: Shiroe and you!
When: Between September 12th and the start of the September Event
Where: ADI Library, Bonnie's (kitchen and bathroom),
Summary: Catchall
Warnings: Discussion of burn scars in third (bathroom) prompt, may also tie into self-esteem/depression discussion


ADI Library
Shiroe's been doing research into the folklore and legends of Gloucester, ranging from haunted places kids dare each other to go to the historical rumors of witchcraft. It's been long hours of work, squinting at books and articles. However, he's been neglecting himself a little in the process, leading to him falling asleep at his seat in the library. Someone might want to wake him up before he drools on that historical newspaper clipping, perhaps...

Bonnie's (Kitchen)
A small collection of energy drinks has been accumulating in the fridge in the kitchen at Bonnie's. For someone who's new to America (and perhaps a few years behind the present day), all the varieties and flavors are exciting. Regardless of your reason for entering the kitchen today, you find a certain Enchanter, trying to find room in the fridge for a couple more, including a Reign White Gummy Bear and a Bang Cotton Candy.

"I doubt it actually tastes like cotton candy. Which is good, I think the circus might have soured me on it." He hasn't looked up to see who's in the kitchen with him, just heard footsteps and decided to engage.

Bonnie's (Shared Bathroom)
The burns from Pyre's slap have mostly healed, but it seems there will be some scarring, three small puckers from where Pyre's fingertips first made contact before hot wax hit the rest of his face. Shiroe's leaning into a mirror, examining those scars quietly, trying to figure out how he feels about them.

He's never taken particular pride in his appearance, so it shouldn't be a big deal, right? Riiight?

If that's the case, then why can't he stop looking at the scars, even when someone else walks into the bathroom?

Wildcard
darkersolstice or darkersolstice#9463 to discuss any closed prompts you want or any questions you have!

Comments

bonnie's bathroom

[cacophonish]

Jeff's pretty sure he smells like a bar right now, all booze and sweat and smoke. So here he is, drifting into the bathroom in nothing but sweatpants, a towel draped over his shoulders. He peers over Shiroe's shoulder, glancing at his own reflection (normal), before his gaze shifts to Shiroe's (also normal?). The mirrors are being withholding today, reflecting reality, as far as he can see.

"What's up? See something you don't like?" he asks, his a little too casual, bordering on indifferent. He isn't referring to the scars, so much as the recent complications when it comes to reflections in general, but his remark can certainly be interpreted any number of ways.

[guildmastermind]

"Just myself." He realizes how that sounds after a second and winces slightly. "I mean, not like that. I haven't seen any weird mirror stuff in this one yet today."

[cacophonish]

"Oh." Now it's Jeff's turn to wince a little. If Shiroe was experiencing some weird mirror shit, it'd be something Jeff could get. The actual context is... messier, even if it's a lot more mundane than curses in reflections.

"You look fine to me," he offers.

[guildmastermind]

"Ah, thanks. I don't really pay attention to what I look like, most of the time, anyway. It's not really a big deal." He forces a bit of a laugh, trying to seem casual and failing completely.

[cacophonish]

Ouch, dude, it's bad when even Jeff can pick up on things. Maybe it's because he's so used to trying (and failing) to pretend things are fine, too.

"It's okay if it is a big deal, you know," he shrugs, in an attempt to help. Insecurity is normal! "I mean, I don't always like what I see, either."

library

[rearranger]

No drooling on the newspaper clippings! Ranger would normally be content enough to leave well enough alone, but in this case he's a little curious about the subject matter. He raps his knuckles against the table.

"Hey. D'ya mind?"

Re: library

[guildmastermind]

Shiroe startles awake, sitting upright and grabbing for his Enchanter's staff (which is leaned up against the table he's working at), as if he's expecting an attack. But once he realizes where he is, he relaxes slightly.

"Sorry. What time is it?"

[rearranger]

Well, he made the right decision to not go for a more direct method of waking the guy up. Not that he'd want to go around shaking some stranger anyway, but people around here are pretty twitchy. He watches the staff, tensing a little before relaxing himself.

"Think it's getting close to midnight." Or at lest 11. It was well after dark. "Got caught up in your research?"

[guildmastermind]

"Yeah. I've been reading newspaper clippings and books about local folklore. The places kids dare each other to go to prove they're not scaredy-cats, stories of witchcraft in Dogtown. Things like that."

Shiroe pulls off his glasses to rub at his eyes, before replacing them and giving Ranger a bit of a smile. "I don't think I've met you yet. New arrival?"

[rearranger]

"Sure am! I guess this has been going on for awhile, eh?"

They'd already told him that, and everything he'd seen did seem to suggest the same, but it doesn't hurt to get confirmation from another person. The fact that it keeps reoccurring, though, and they can't even begin to pin down an explanation is... disconcerting, to say the least. But he shakes off those thoughts for now.

"Name's Rio Ranger."

Library

[bloodalwaystells]

It's somehow not a surprise to run into Shiroe exactly where they first met, poring over piles of paper and notes. Jaeger is here to look up a few things on his own, and it's only a momentary pause before he recognizes the young man faceplanting over his files.

Well. Jaeger wishes he'd brought coffee, now. It probably would have done them both good. Instead, all he's got is coversation, but he figures Shiroe would appreciate the wake-up in any case.

"Anything interesting?" He approaches only so far and no further, choosing to speak without looming over Shiroe. Giving him a chance to rouse without being startled.

[guildmastermind]

Shiroe definitely appreciates not being startled, sitting up and stretching his arms over his head.

"Local folklore and legends from over the years. The circus was a thing with history--I thought by looking into other local history, I might find things we could be dealing with in the future."

And then he got sucked into the research, lost track of time, pulled an all-nighter...what must his roommate think?

[bloodalwaystells]

Jaeger can sympathize, because he's spent a couple of nights burning the midnight oil and missing curfew. Nothing that large amounts of black coffee and a nap in the break room didn't fix, but it's a workaholic tendency that he really should learn to curb.

Someday, maybe. It's just there's so damn much to be done here, so much to find out.

"It makes sense. As sparse as the library is here, at least some things should show up in the news and local lore." He nods thoughtfully, casting his glance over the scattered files and paper clippings. "Dogtown alone has to have plenty of local legends, given how strange it is...I'd be interested in hearing the root of some of those."

[guildmastermind]

"Well, witchcraft's apparently been a thing in Dogtown since the 1800s. Spinsters and widows went inland to Dogtown, men to the coast. And there's at least one still said to be out there, Thomazine 'Tammy' Younger. The Queen of Witches. She's near Fox Hill."

He shuffles papers to read the quote verbatim. "It's said she takes a toll from those who end up there. Liquor from those who have it, blood from those who don't."

[bloodalwaystells]

"Very interesting. So I suppose carrying a flask might be a good habit to start." He certainly doesn't intend to part with any of his blood, especially to a witch. That's just asking for trouble. But tribute in the form of libation? That's a pretty well-established tradition, and one that he's far more comfortable with.

"I can't say it's surprising, though, given the history of the area. All the way down the coast, really, and Salem isn't terribly far from here either. Magic and witchcraft is often steeped in family lines and traditions, so it tends to be tenacious."

A faint smile touches his lips. It's a serious topic, but Shiroe has turned up some good, useful information and Jaeger has taken a pretty sincere interest in Dogtown. Knowing these things means not going in blind, and that's valuable.

"Speaking of tenacious, let me know if you want some coffee. It's good to take a break now and then, stretch and clear your head."

Shared Bathroom

[aelwyn_aberration]

[Aelwyn leaves the door open as she raises her eyebrows at him.]

Wow. I suppose our dear Pyre really left a mark. [She squints looking closer.] It's not too noticable, though. Don't worry about it.

[See, she can be nice. She closes the door behind her as she goes to wash her hands.]

[guildmastermind]

Not a big deal--I wasn't going to win any beauty pageants before this, either.

[Is it weird, for him to be in the bathroom at the same time a girl is? Well, she's not showering or using the toilet or anything, so it's probably not that weird. But he's still awkward over it.]

[aelwyn_aberration]

Well, certainly not with that attitude. [For shame, Shiroe. Forfeiting before the first round...

She's completely clueless to whatever awkward crisis he's having in his head, or maybe she just doesn't care.]

Does it hurt beyond what would be expected of a normal burn scar?

[guildmastermind]

I'm not sure. I don't think so. It twinges when I open my mouth too wide.

[His points of reference are all experiencing video game attacks.]

[aelwyn_aberration]

That'll happen with a burn scar. [She frowns.] Maybe go to Caduceus Clay about it. He's a cleric, he can probably get rid of it.

[Not that it particularly matters, really. It's the tiniest scar.] Next time... probably just try to leave the getting hit to the uhm... [Gives him a onceover.] ...sturdier people. Or else you'll probably just die if you keep going with that strategy.

ADI Library

[abrightboy]

Malcolm has seen him here more than once this week. This time, when he spots him slumped over a table, he walks over and sets a cup of coffee near his books.

"Here. You look like you can use this." He gestures to the mess. "Is this... official ADI business?"

[guildmastermind]

"Not...exactly. Originally, I was hoping to find personal journals and handwritten accounts of past situations, but it doesn't seem like ADI have any. But there's some interesting tidbits of folklore or stories that have gone around which might develop into work for us later."

But it wasn't assigned, per se, and no one in the higher tiers of the organization was getting reports on what he learned.

Shiroe picks up the coffee and takes a sip, letting out a bit of a sigh.

[abrightboy]

"Just your own interest, then?"

He slides into the seat across from him and picks up an article, examining it briefly before putting it down.

"Does this have anything to do with people in town getting killed by a shadowy blob?"

[guildmastermind]

"Shadowy blob, no. Witchcraft, ghost dogs, children's tales. None of it seems to be deadly yet, though." He shakes his head slightly. "I'm wondering if 'yet' is the operative word, or I just haven't found the right articles for that, though."

[abrightboy]

"Have you found anything about people with superpowers or magic powers feeling compelled to hurt people?" he asks curiously.