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

Entry tags:

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

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.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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.

"...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.

"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.

"'Neat' wasn't quite the word that came to mind," he remarks dryly. Then smooths down the front of his shirt, because he really should be nicer. Caduceus hasn't really done anything to warrant ill treatment, and actually seems to be a pleasant enough guy.

"I've seen some bone artifacts before, mostly historical. A lot of jewelry and small decorations, the occasional bigger piece. It's definitely a craft." There, that came out better. Bonecarving is a valid form of art dating back millenia, and not all of the pieces produced are sinister.

He's still going to be a little uneasy, looking at the thing, and there's that itch to ask to hold it, to use his psychometry ability to discern just what kind of piece it is. But that's not a good idea here, and it's rude regardless. So he's going to quash down the impulse.

"I've only been in town for a few days," he says with a tip of his head, acknowledging the observation. "It looks like I'll be staying a while, though, so I'm getting familiar with the area."

"I haven't been here long, either," he says amicably. "It's... very different from where I was. But I think I'm doing okay."

Caduceus rests the flute in his lap again and runs his fingers through his hair, gathering it over his shoulder so he can braid it. Jaeger still seems a little on edge. Hm.

"I was going to head back to ADI for some tea. I know you said you were exploring, but I think I owe you a little something if I'm the reason you ran all the way here."

"It's good to be able to adapt. It's not very different from where I was before, but still a shock." A chill slides down his spine in the warm summer air at the memory of being on the ground, in the rain, at the feet of hired killers. He's not there anymore, had been mysteriously rescued, and that...well, he had to take that into consideration when he thought about things. He went from almost certain death, to being alive and many, many miles away from his would-be murderers.

A little gratitude for that was probably in order, and he shakes off the chill.

Jaeger pauses at the offer, a little surprised at the hospitality. He actually has to think about it. It might do him some good to talk to other people, to learn to relax at least a little around the townsfolk and his new co-workers.

"I think that sounds good," he finally says, and is a little surprised to find it's honest. "I've been out for a while now, it's a good time for a break."

Another brief pause, and then he says, "I'm Andrew. Jaeger."

Vivid eyes watch Jaeger as his mind drifts, then snaps back. There's a burden there.

Caduceus unfolds himself as he stands, definitely a little over six and a half feet tall by the time he straightens out. Standing up also reveals that he really is lean and long, and the clothes he's currently wearing make it hard to tell much else. He tucks the bone flute into a satchel slung across his chest.

"I'm Caduceus Clay. Nice to meet you, Andrew." He says it with an easy smile and he gestures toward a path not too far from them. It's the one he took to get this far, and even if this world is unfamiliar and a little overwhelming at times, Caduceus still has a pretty solid sense of direction. Most of the time.

Jaeger is used to dealing with people, but only in a very specific context and the last few years have wiped a lot of that away for him. It feels like starting new, here, and while that has its advantages, it also has its difficulties. It will probably be a while before he really relaxes into the person that he is, under the past years of hardship and isolation.

So in the meantime, have a very polite but watchful gentleman, feeling his way along the concept of social interaction.

"Likewise." Caduceus is noticeably taller than Jaeger, but Jaeger is built heavy and solid, broad through the shoulders and chest to fill out that height. He allows his wary stance to ease a bit at the other man's amiable manner, following Caduceus's lead down the path. There's only so much park to get lost in, and the directions seem to line up with a return to ADI. Jaeger figures he can trust that much.

"So, are you a recent arrival, too, or have you been here a bit longer?"

"Been here just over a month? About that."

Not long enough for the season to turn, and that's what he's been keeping track of more than the days. The walk is easy, and now and then they might get glances from the people who live here, if only because Caduceus is tall and his hair is pink and white and long.

"So, recent, but not as recent as some." He's been aware of the new arrivals, if only because he's taken up working in the medical and counseling centers in ADI. He hasn't had the chance to meet or talk to everyone yet, but he's certainly aware of their presence.

Jaeger is used to getting glances as well, so he pays little mind to the casual attention of the locals. He's carefully watchful, but that's not what he's concerned with and he's content to follow along next to Caduceus at a comfortable stride.

"I've only been here a couple of days," he says with a nod. "So this is all new to me in some ways. But familiar in others, oddly. Mostly the type of work that we'll be doing, that falls very much into my area of expertise."

Which is reassuring, even if he doesn't entirely trust his new employers yet. At least he has a purpose to keep him focused.

"Yeah? What's your expertise?"

He can't help but be curious, kind of wondering if there's a rhyme or reason to the people who appear here. ADI says they can't control it and that it's random, but Caduceus isn't inclined to completely believe coincidences. So, in his own way, he's wondering if there's a pattern. A design. Even if it isn't ADI's.

They end up on a main sidewalk for the rest of the trip back to ADI. Caduceus will tend to fall behind Jaeger if they have to walk single-file to let other people pass.

Jaeger does cast a brief glance back at Caduceus to make sure he's still there and not doing anything menacing. He can't help but be watchful around strangers, especially in new surroundings, and while Caduceus has been more than pleasant enough Jaeger has a hard time letting his guard down completely.

"Security and investigation," Jaeger clarifies as they walk. "I have quite a few years experience in the private sector, so I suppose it suits me. Convenient, at least." If that's what you want to call it. Jaeger doesn't particularly trust coincidences, either, but on the other hand he's sort of grateful to be doing something that he's familiar with. That he knows he's good at. It helps occupy his mind, and frees up his attention for more important things like learning his surroundings and keeping on the alert for danger.

"I also have a degree in Psychology, though I don't use that quite as much as I wish I did. It's been helpful to have, just not my main focus." That last is added almost as an afterthought.

"Oh, that's helpful," he says as Jaeger offers more details. "I don't know what psychology is."

It's obvious Jaeger is well-educated, though, and as long as no one is wielding their knowledge to be an unrepentant asshole, Caduceus generally respects learned people.

As they cross onto ADI property, Caduceus's appearance... starts to change. The first thing Jaeger might notice is the height. It becomes apparent that Caduceus is, in fact, just about seven feet tall. The human visage melts away, revealing the firbolg he really is, tail and all.

"Ah. It's the study of the mind, of how people think and react to things, and how to help them be healthier in the way they manage things mentally."

It's one of the benefits of being a little older than many of those he's run into so far: Jaeger looks to be somewhere around forty, far enough in life to be more educated, more grounded, more experienced. Granted a lot of those experiences were the worst possible kind, but that helped shape him, too.

The tail is the first thing Jaeger notices, and it's enough to make him slow and blink. The other details become clear, and isn't that a surprise...though the pink hair now makes a lot more sense.

He wants to comment, to ask, but he's already aware he's staring and he glances away again, focused on the path ahead of them again. He's confused but not frightened by the change in Caduceus's appearance, and he's sure if the man wants to tell him, he will. Jaeger has already run into a talking cat, there are non-human species in his own world, no matter how hidden, and this isn't much stranger.

Just with a lot more pastel.

"I take it where you're from is fairly different from here, then," is what he finally settles on. It's polite and even, tinged with curiosity but no malice.

Caduceus nods at the explanation. It makes sense broken down that way and he can appreciate the creation of such a specialized field. Minds are... complicated.

A smile creeps across his face when he notices Jaeger noticing the change. He's surprised there isn't a more direct question and makes note of that, wondering if that's how Jaeger responds to surprises in general. He chuckles at the observation.

"Yes and no. Some things are apparently universal, but I'm the only firbolg here, if that's what you mean. ADI thought it was best if I don't confuse the locals, apparently. That disguise appears whenever I'm off the grounds."

Studying something has common threads whether it's for scientific or magical purposes. Jaeger's done both, which puts him in a good position to explain the idea.

Jaeger is too polite to ask outright, but having Caduceus address it is a bit of a relief, and he nods at the explanation with another long, thoughtful look at the...firbolg. Okay. He can deal with that, it's not so terribly strange compared to some of the things he's seen.

Jaeger tends to be fairly non-reactive unless it's something really impressive- years of experience with awful things has helped with that. A pink giant with a tail is notable but not especially alarming.

"That does explain a few things, yes." He nods, gesturing slightly to indicate that he has no issue with it. "And I'm glad you're finding it familiar enough...hopefully that makes the adjustment a bit easier."

"A little," he says with a nod. "There's--hm. Accessing magic is different, so far, but I think I'm getting the hang of it."

Caduceus doesn't know how much he should talk about that. In Exandria, he'd never think to hide his connection to the Wildmother - he doesn't here, either - but this other thing... It's different. And while he doesn't think it's necessarily bad, it is taking some getting used to. He wonders if this is what being a warlock feels like. An exchange rather than a gift.

Once they're inside, Caduceus heads to the space where the counseling center is set up. There's no one there right now, so he doesn't feel bad using the electric kettle he has in there. He takes a wooden box off a shelf and sets it on a table. Inside are bags of loose-leaf tea.

Jaeger is content to follow Caduceus to the counseling center, looking around and taking note of things as it's mostly new surroundings.

Counseling is probably something he should think about. At some point. Eventually. Caduceus is not wrong about the big man having some stress-and-trauma-related responses, and while he's eased up a bit, there's still that steady watchfulness.

"As far as I understand it, there's a price for using magic. These...entities that act as patrons for our powers, whether it was that way at home or not." The corner of his mouth twitches, unhappy. He was familiar enough with the price of his magic at home. Having to re-calculate here to account for Cosmic Fucking Horror is a new aspect and one he doesn't appreciate.

Not that he hasn't borrowed power from Bad Things before, but these rank considerably further up the scale. He blows out a breath as he thinks about all that, then returns his attention to the conversation.

"ADI seems to make it clear that they disapprove greatly of magic use. So I'm still deciding how I feel about that."

"Magic always has a price," he says as he sets down a pair of mugs. "I have a patron goddess and I don't believe that she isn't here."

The connection feels different and he--he is aware of the other entity asking to be fed. But he doesn't really need to try that hard. His entity, he thinks, is fed all the time, one way or another. He doesn't bring that up, though.

"I've been trying to limit my use, but it's a major tool in my box. I'm a cleric. Clerics use magic." Caduceus shrugs and begins looking through his loose-leaf bags. He frowns thoughtfully. "Supply I arrived with is running low... I'll have to see if there's anything good growing in the graveyard."

And, if there isn't, maybe he can start some things going.

Jaeger nods as he watches Caduceus go about his preparations.

"It's that way in my world, as well. Though, magic takes its toll directly on the user." He pauses, then adds quietly, "I don't know about patrons, here. The spirits I'm used to interacting with seem to have been replaced by something more...wild, more destructive. A small experiment nearly turned out very, very badly for me."

He considers that all for a few moments, then adds, "I'm a mage, myself. Though that covers a lot of different sorts of power. More aligned with natural forces than the divine." Jaeger isn't even sure he believes in a higher power, not really, so he's probably qualified to comment, but he's not going to knock someone else's belief system, either.

People find all sorts of things that appeal to them personally, and some of those things only speak to them. That, Jaeger does have experience with.

"It might be worth seeing if there's a good natural goods store in town. Given how much it caters to tourists, I'd think there would be at least one good tea shop here."

"The Wildmother, my patron, is nature." In so many words, anyway. But she is also a goddess, not just a personification. Natural and divine.

"I'm sure there is, I've seen a few places. But I like to make my own, and there are enough graveyards and cemeteries here that I think I can find enough to work with." He pauses, then adds," Or start cultivating things and harvest them later. It's not the Blooming Grove, but I can make due."

Besides, he wouldn't mind getting to know the places where the dead are put to rest better.

"That must be a powerful connection to have," Jaeger observes quietly with a nod. "I know a little bit about patrons in my own world, and what they've told us about Powers in this world. My work with spirits is more...basic, but I do have a great deal of respect for the powers in general."

He watches Caduceus moving around the space, then after a moment settles himself in one of the chairs. He's going to be here for a few minutes so he'll be friendly, though it's sort of a strange sensation not to be looming over everyone else in the room.

"You grow things specifically in cemeteries, then..?" That is an odd twist, and his gaze goes speculatively to the tea being made. "I would say that a small gardening plot wouldn't be so difficult, but that might be a bit more trouble."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject