I’m a maker of fine graves // Open Log

[thatsreallygreat]

Who: Caduceus Clay thatsreallygreat and YOU
When: post event
Where: ADI, Bonnie's, Dogtown, random park
Summary: Open prompts; happy to match style
Notes: visual reference for Caduceus's human disguise when he's off ADI property; (source)
Warnings: instrument that makes a sound like a person screaming; general references to death/decay



Bonnie's

Helping Bonnie with projects around the house is one way to get a little extra earnings, and Caduceus is happy to do it. He's tall, so at some point Bonnie sent him around to change lightbulbs all around the house - including in rooms where people are staying. He'll knock first, of course, and hold up a lightbulb with a bemused smile.

"Come to add a little light to your life." He thinks he's hilarious, thank you. "It'll only take a minute, or I can come back when you go out."

Sometimes he can be found down in the communal kitchen, cooking relatively large meals for anyone who might want to grab something to eat. Everything he cooks is vegetarian, though if someone requests a meat dish, he might be willing to make it. He'll just need someone else around to do the tasting. When he can, Caduceus does both breakfast and dinner. And if anyone wants to keep him company while he cooks - or better yet, help him - he'd welcome that.

And when the house is quiet, Caduceus might be found in his room, all seven feet of him crammed into a bed that does not fit him. He doesn't complain... though he does tend to leave the door open, even when he's sleeping, to avoid feeling too closed in.

ADI

Medical
"I don't want to die--"

"Mr. Smith, you aren't going to die, but we do need to treat that injury." The nurse standing by the bedside is clearly trying not to sound too exasperated. Caduceus, for his part, stays placidly behind her. And towers over her. The man in the bed doesn't sound placated.

"I heard what he is. People say things he touches die."

"Well, that isn't exactly accurate," Caduceus chimes in, calm despite the roundabout accusation that he might be killing patients. "I am a healer."

The patient doesn't seem willing to budge, though, and looks at the pink firbolg like he might be Death itself. The nurse gives Caduceus an apologetic look, but he bows out, thinking it better that he not aggravate a somewhat hysterical patient. Instead, he finds another occupied bed and approaches, hoping that the somewhat loud conversation wouldn't put anyone else off.

"Hi, I'm Caduceus. What are you here for today?"

Counseling
He shares a room with some of the other counselors, though they are never in there at the same time, and Caduceus has added a few personal touches as he can. Plants, in particular. They brighten up the space. He also find a comfortable rug that matches absolutely nothing else in the room. He likes it and so far the other counselors that use this room haven't removed it.

He gets water heating for tea, tickled by the electric kettle and willing to admit its convenience. He sets out his own box of loose-leaf tea along with whatever ADI has on hand.

Caduceus looks up when he realizes someone is in the doorway.

"Hey, need someone to talk to?"

The Bone Flute

After checking through the bag that arrived with him, Caduceus is delighted to find his bone flute. He almost blows into it right there in Bonnie's, then thinks better of it. Instead, he heads outside and finds a relatively quiet park. There don't seem to be a lot of people around and he picks a spot under a tree.

He runs his long fingers over the flute, smiling at the memory of finding it. Keone had been strange, but he liked her. He liked the harp she'd made for Yasha, too, and in that moment he misses Yasha. It'd be nice to sit with her and play their weird instruments. He'll just have to do so in memory of her, and hope that she is will and safe wherever she is.

The trouble is, the flute... doesn't exactly make the sort of music that most people might recognize as music. He blows the first note, and it sounds like a person shrieking. Caduceus pauses and nods a bit as he gets comfortable holding the flute again. Actually playing it means the duration of the notes is shorter - and sometimes longer - and it creates the most eerie cacophony.

And if someone rushes into the park, worried that someone is dying, well... it wouldn't be the first time.

Dogtown

Caduceus is taking advantage of some decent weather.

He heads toward Dogtown at a leisurely pace and picks a trail that feels right. He carries his staff with him, though for the most part he's only been using it as a walking stick and... well... a whacking stick. The last time he tried to call on his spiritual guardians, they had swarmed him and he isn't eager to try that again just yet.

Now and then he closes his eyes as he walks, just sort of taking in everything without seeing it. Caduceus stops when he sees a boulder that strikes him as appealing. He stands for a long moment, considering it. It feels like the right place to stop. He leans his staff against the rock and runs his hands over it before climbing onto it. He arranges himself somewhere comfortable and takes his straw hat off, leaving it in his lap. Back straight, eyes closed again, Caduceus tries opening himself up, searching for the Wildmother.

He feels... something. It isn't her, but there's almost like an echo of her. An aspect. And a familiar one, at that.

He breathes in deep and exhales slowly. He can hear and smell the life all around him, but there's far more than that. There always is. Beneath fallen leaves there is decay and growth. He can smell the damp earth, made rich by death and able to sustain the living. Agents of change move and grow: insects, fungi, scavengers. In a moment, he is as aware of the inevitability of it all, the natural process that will continue whether or not anyone wants it to. No matter how much interference there is, death will always happen. It is grounding in a way that the understanding of that cycle always has been. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Clay to clay.

As his mind wanders, he thinks of the strange roots he's seen. Meditating like this, he becomes vaguely aware of them again. And he is vaguely aware that he has manipulated them in the past by casting Path to the Grave. He'd seen the dark tendrils wrap around the kelpie moments before Tak killed it.

Caduceus feels a faint, warm breeze and it brings a serene smile to his face. He tips his head into it, comforted by it, just as he is comforted by the cool of the rock beneath him. Life and death. One can not exist without the other. And he is content in knowing this.

Anyone approaching the rock along the path will certainly notice the awkward-looking human with pink hair sitting on it, apparently meditating. They might also notice the ring of mushrooms that have sprouted up around it in a spiral.

Wildcard

[Please feel free to toss a scene my way if you have something you want to play out! I'm also happy to write more specific starts, so let me know if you'd like one. You can PM me here or find me at givemedragons; also happy to exchange discord information. I will likely update this with event prompts as needed when that goes up.

When he is not on ADI property, Caduceus looks like a very tall, lanky human with pink hair and pierced ears.

Oh, also happy to match style! If you prefer brackets, go for it.]

Comments

The Bone Flute

[bloodalwaystells]

The park is supposed to be relaxing. Jaeger certainly had that in mind when he decided to go for a good, long walk around the town and get his bearings. He's trying to get used to being in open places, in keeping aware of his surroundings without his magical abilities. Part of that careful desensitization is getting to know the areas around his new home, and starting with the most harmless areas, well, that seems like a good idea. Something to help him unwind from the chaos of the past few days, all the strange and disturbing things that have been shoved into his head.

Then there's that sound breaking the tranquility of the park. The shriek is thin, whistling, and weirdly melodic, and it's enough to make him drop his coffee and sprint. Long legs cover the ground swiftly, and Jaeger sucks in a hard breath, not sure what he'll find at the end of his run. All current thoughts are forgotten in favor of whatever emergency this is.

At the sight of Caduceus sitting so placidly with his whistle, Jaeger stops and blinks slowly, staring at the man with confusion. Both out of surprise at the source of the noise, and the fact that here is someone actually bigger than Jaeger- not something he encounters much.

Also, very distinctly pink-haired. He doesn't see that very often, either.

Jaeger looks around the clearing, just to make sure that this is the source of the cacophony, before the panic drains out of him. Replaced with confusion and dismay, he opens his mouth to comment, then closes it because he really has no idea what to say to this. At least, not yet.

[thatsreallygreat]

Caduceus stops playing when someone bursts onto the scene, looking like he's run some distance. He blinks slowly.

"Oh, hey." He rests the very innocuous looking flute - which is most definitely made out of some kind of bone, for those who might recognize that kind of thing - across his lap. Caduceus takes in the person standing there, out of breath and looking both confused and somewhat disappointed. And speechless.

It takes a few more seconds for him to realize that this man might be responding to the fact that the flute sounds the way it does. He chuckles, but also has the decency to look sheepish.

"Get your heart going?" he asks blithely.

[bloodalwaystells]

"...you could say that, yes." He looks askance at Caduceus, even though really the man isn't doing anything wrong. Poor Jaeger's nerves are going to take a little time to accept that, though, and he lets out his breath in a rough huff, rubbing at his forehead as his heartbeat comes back down to something normal.

Jaeger recognizes bone craftsmanship, so he's not entirely reassured, but he can accept mildly unsettled over roaring panic.

Bone artifacts tend to attract a certain type of attention in his world, a certain vibe that appeals to some rather dangerous sorts. So he gives the flute a good, long look before he speaks again.

"Sorry to interrupt you, but that is. A very. Distinctive sound." He gestures, being too polite to straight-out call the sound awful.

[thatsreallygreat]

"Oh yeah, it's pretty neat." Caduceus picks up the flute again to blow a shrieking note. As he lowers it, he looks absolutely delighted. "Got it from an enchanter in Rexxentrum. I think she was an enchanter. No clue actually."

And it doesn't sound like he's bothered by that. He turns over the flute absently.

"Nothing special about this, though. Just how it's made."

Caduceus turns his full attention to the man standing there, noting the way he's catching his breath and his general sense of unease.

"I don't think I've seen you before," he says after a moment. Something about the man makes Caduceus think he might not be a local.

Bonnie’s

[guildmastermind]

Surprise, Caddy, there’s someone else walking into the room with mild confusion written all over his bespectacled face.

“Uh, hello, I think this is the room that I was assigned.” That pleasantly befuddled comes from the guy Caduceus sat with in the canteen a while back. Still dressed like he comes from Exandria, or someplace more like it than here.

[thatsreallygreat]

Caduceus looks a little different since the last time Shiroe saw him: now that he's not on ADI property, he looks... human. A very long, lanky, pink-haired human. He looks up from his book when someone appears in the doorway.

"Oh, hey. Yeah, welcome. Make yourself at home."

There isn't a lot of room, but Caduceus is doing his level best not to take up too much of it.

[guildmastermind]

Shiroe slinks into the room, taking off his bag and setting it on the unoccupied bed. “It’s...cozy. I haven’t shared a room with anyone in a while, though. Please tell me if I’m annoying you at all, Mister...?”

His cloak and his over seven foot long staff are fed down into his bag, which seems to accommodate them without even stretching.

[thatsreallygreat]

"Caduceus Clay," he answers with his name. "And I don't think it's going to be a problem. I'm used to sharing tight spaces. We're not even on top of each other, this'll be fine."

Between the early days of sleeping in the small dome with the rest of the Nein or sleeping with his entire family growing up, this isn't so bad. Caduceus looks curiously at the staff as it disappears into the bag. His own is propped against the wall near the head of his bed.

"Bag of holding?"

bone flute!

[marmoron]

[ you know. all keith wanted out of this walk through the park was a bit of peace and quiet. something to take his mind off of sinister happenings and the possibly evil organization they've all gotten roped into working for. of course, that's way too much to ask for, huh?

the unmistakable chorus of shrieking grabs his attention immediately, and instead of doing what the more rational person would do -- call for back up, calmly assess the situation and so on, keith just runs full tilt in the direction of the screams. and because he's gotten ambushed and caught off guard just enough times, he's given up entirely on civilian clothes and is instead wearing paladin armor.

when he comes crashing through the clearing where caduceus in his disguised human form is playing some kind of instrument, keith squints. he realizes the sound is coming from the flute looking thing, but surely that's not right? ]

What's going on? I heard screaming.

[ he does a 360 degree spin, obviously tense and definitely overly vigilant. ]

[thatsreallygreat]

[As a human, Caduceus is still tall and lanky. His hair is still pink. But the rest... definitely passes as human. He blinks when someone bursts into the clearing in armor. He lowers the flute and tips his head as Keith looks around.

And he cracks a smile at the mention of the screaming.]

Oh yeah, that was me, [he announces, sounding pleased.] Or rather this. The flute. I got it from a woman called Keone. She was neat.

[He turns the flute over, and for the knowing, it is absolutely made out of some kind of bone. There is no real mistaking that if one looks at it long enough.]

[marmoron]

[ if that explanation was meant to be reassuring it misses the mark by a mile. though keith's seen caduceus around adi, he hasn't actually met the guy while he's being disguised as human. of course, shiro had mentioned him before -- something about burning his hand on a mission, though shiro hadn't exactly seemed keen on giving details for whatever reason. point being, whatever favor caduceus had going in his favor as a result of being in shiro's good graces, it only extends so far as: ]

Is that a femur?

[ one eyebrow raised eye, the incredulity seems to have only intensified. cool, nobody is dying or hurt or whatever, but apparently there are people making screaming instruments out of bones. lovely. ]

[thatsreallygreat]

You know, I hadn't thought about what bone it might be, [he admits as he starts to examine the flute more closely.] If not a femur, possibly a tibia or something like a radius or ulna.

[He doesn't actually know what kind of creature the bone came from, and honestly hasn't thought that hard about it. It's a bone. Whatever it belonged to is no longer using it.]

Definitely a mammal or bird, though.

Medical

[eyeknowyou]

Even though his Knowing was not as readily available as it had been, that hadn’t stopped Elias from the pull of his nature that felt comfortable. Secrets, whispers, knowledge were the fundamental pieces that existed in this world: it allowed for privileges and fear. Curiosity had been with him at a young age (a reason he enjoyed Rosie so), and now as he had lost some of his position, it had become even more necessary.

So the fact he was listening instead of Seeing? Not a surprise. Other senses worked as well, and even if they were inferior, they were still useful.

People say the things he touches die.

There was a slight raise to his eyebrow before he shook his head, feeling the slight coil of familiar concern sliding down his spine. Would—

No.

Perhaps?

Another set of words jarred him, letting his eyes slide up…someone interesting. Different than Oliver.

“I am looking for Ms. Graves,” he said, his voice careful not to hint at the unnerved feeling under his skin. “But I believe I can find her on my own.”

[thatsreallygreat]

"Sister Mercy?"

Caduceus tips his head, curious if only because he's taken a liking to Mercy. And he will continue to call her sister because she feels like one. And he's pretty sure that's what people call nuns.

"She's not here. Something I can help you with?" He glances over his shoulder at the still-hysterical patient. He's at least calmed down now that Caduceus is across the room, but is still apparently nervous about the firbolg's presence. He has a spell for that, but... maybe now is not the best time.

He turns his full attention back to the well-dressed man in front of him. Something about him seems a little. Off.

[eyeknowyou]

“Ah, no, I’m afraid. I think it best I speak with only her.”

About Dread Watchers. About sleep aids. About all the things hinted at. But this person didn’t need to know about that. For all that Elias cared about the secrets of others, he cared about his own even more.

At least, until it was convenient.

His gray eyes slid around this …Caduceus and looked to the rather distressed patient behind him. How interesting.

“It seems that you have not made a friend. May I ask, what has him so rattled?”

[thatsreallygreat]

He doesn't look back this time, vivid eyes more interested in the man standing in front of him.

"A misunderstanding," he answers evenly. "Regarding my uh... expertise."

Caduceus smiles, small and knowing, and shrugs one shoulder. "Not everyone is comfortable with acknowledging that the other side of healing is tending to the dying and the dead. And he misunderstood that, as a grave cleric, I do both."

It's also possible that someone on ADI grounds has seen him cast his decompose cantrip at least once, which is unfortunate. Then there's some things that happened while trying to figure out what was going on with the kelpies and the seals, though he doesn't think anyone would understand what he was doing when he cast Path to the Grave. Nor would they be as attuned to its immediate effects the way that he is. At least, he doesn't think so? Tak didn't seem to notice. And he doesn't think Sister Mercy would have, either.

Bone Flute

[worthallthis]

The thing which is not James Buchanan Barnes does visit the quieter park in town fairly regularly. The sound of the wind in the trees combined with the distant traffic is pleasant. Plus, the fewer people are around, the less he feels like he needs the mask on, needs to be hyper vigilant for potential attack.

Which means his face is naked and his guard is as down as it ever gets when someone starts screaming. He whirls around, a gun suddenly in his hand, pointed in the direction of the sound.

[thatsreallygreat]

It's the sudden movement that gets his attention. Caduceus lowers the flute and looks placidly at the person pointing a weapon at him. The lanky human sitting there has pink hair streaked through with white, currently loosely braided over one shoulder. And, despite looking human, his irises are a similar shade of pink.

"Easy there," he says evenly. "It was just me."

He keeps his eyes on the young man and slowly lifts the flute again. He blows just one, brief note - not nearly as loud as he had been, just to give a sense that this is definitely where that sound came from - and he lowers it slowly.

[worthallthis]

The gun comes down after a beat, but he's still staring. "Why." It doesn't sound like a question, though it clearly is. It sounds flat but kind of incredulous.

Why would anyone have an instrument that makes that noise. Jesus Christ.

gotta do bone flute

[lowficharm]

Martin's had a little bit of a time trying to settle in to everything since they all arrived. Besides the active trauma of last month and the generalized background anxiety, there hasn't been a lot of time to relax. He's at least attempting to sort out his head, go for a nice walk, and it's possible he's finally got the first moment of tranquility when--

Shriiiiiiiek--

Oh holy hell.

He almost trips over himself looking for the source of the noise, and it takes him a few minutes to figure out what he's hearing and where it's coming from. When he finally skids in and lays eyes on Caduceus, he thinks first the other man might be hurt, and runs within about 5 feet before he realizes that is not the case.

Martin stands there, waiting for a break in the music, before he finally chokes out some words. "You... is... are you alright??"

anyway here's wonderwall

[thatsreallygreat]

Caduceus blinks owlishly when Martin appears, staring and flustered. Then he breaks into an easy smile.

"Oh yeah, I'm good. Isn't it neat? Didn't think I had it anymore, but it was in my bag when I arrived."

He remembers giving it to Calliope for the express purpose of tormenting Colton, but he can't say he's unhappy to have it back. He loves this thing.

hjsdlkfjas; CAUSE BAYBAAAAAAAAY

[lowficharm]

It takes him at least 2 more seconds to verify that Caduceus is not, in fact, bleeding everywhere before he lets his shoulders drop along with the rest of his torso in a big sigh. Oh, that probably wasn't good for his blood pressure.

"Okay, okay, it-- it does that... on purpose!" Deep breaths, Martin, deep breaths. After a few moments to center himself, he gets a moment to actually look at what the other man is holding. "Is there... a reason for it to sound like screaming? Or is it just, uhm... for fun-- actually, where did you even get something like that?"

Dogtown

[graveyounglady]

Mercy's injured heel is finally feeling well enough that she's been able to get out. And while Dogtown hadn't been a very nice place on her first jaunt, she knows it's likely to be an interesting one, and one of the places she can see about gathering herbs and mushrooms. She doesn't take anyone with her this time, though. No, that's where the danger lies, isn't it? Instead, she brings a book that should help her in identifying those things that are safe to touch and eat in this world. Better to familiarize herself if the comfort of the shops and ADI's cafeteria is taken away. And it feels frivolous, buying food all the time when there's so much of it freely available with the land.

It's a warm day, and she keeps to the shaded paths for the break from the heat that they bring. She spots a trail of mushrooms that look a little different from the others she's been seeing and, cocking her head, follows along the line, picking them and stowing them in a pouch inside her haversack as she goes.

She comes around a bend in the trail and sees... well, a very strange-looking man. Mercy blinks a few times, watching him as he sits atop the boulder, within a ring of the mushrooms. "Um... begging your pardon, sir, but are you using those mushrooms?"

It seems rude to go picking around him.

[thatsreallygreat]

His eyes open slowly and a lop-sided grin grows when he sees a familiar face.

"Hey, Sister Mercy." Would she recognize his voice? He hopes so. Caduceus runs a hand over his pink hair (some of which is fading to white) and looks at the mushrooms growing around the boulder. He puts a hand down so he can lean forward to look at them.

"Huh, look at that. Didn't even cast a cantrip." He wonders if that's a sign from the Wildmother or from this new entity in his life, the one that calls to him. Caduceus knows there is good reason to be wary of things like that, but... death is death.

He eases down off the rock, all long limbs and lean lines. He's wearing some clothes that Bonnie found that fit him. ADI's disguise makes him look like he's under seven feet tall, but not by much. Caduceus finds himself grateful for that: he's disguised himself in smaller shapes, but the illusion can't keep people from feeling what he really is if they touch him too much.

The straw hat stays behind as Caduceus crouches down to look at the mushrooms. What delights him is the variety that has appeared.

"This is sheepshead," he says as he picks a cabbage-shaped one that's tucked near the base of the rock. He grins and walks himself forward without actually standing up to get to some black mushrooms. "Trumpets of the dead. These are great for stew and soup."

Now that the mushrooms have his attention, it doesn't occur to Caduceus to make sure Mercy actually recognizes him.

[graveyounglady]

She does recognize his voice, and her brows jump up as her lips quirk up. Of course, she's aware of the odd effect that changes people's appearance outside of ADI. It had been the same on the boat. Seeing him in the broad daylight is a little different than the dead of night while blind with panic and pain.

"Caduceus! I ain't used to this looking one way, then the other when you're in different places. Sorry I didn't recognize you." She's crouching down with him, though. "I was thinking the same thing, though. Found a bunch of different mushrooms walking along this path, almost like they were leading me to you." But that would be silly, wouldn't it?

She does eyes the man to see how he reacts to that, though.