Court of the Fallen
moving on (open) - Printable Version

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moving on (open) - Oliver - 11-01-2019

The thoughts of LongNight yanked at him, pulled on him.

Despite how little had happened to him during LongNight, the thoughts still haunted him. Maybe it was the fact that he knew so little, that all he knew were the tales of what occured. He hadn’t seen any of the monsters, but he knew how horrible they were. The gods awful things that they would do to a person. Bastien had a limp. His wife was now missing her eyes. A man he didn’t even know was apparently partially deaf. Not to mention the countless names that had been listed, telling who had died. To hear familiar names was haunting. To never see those people ever again caused his heart to ache.

The idea of not knowing was terrifying. Oliver feared it.

It’s why these thoughts plagued him even when he tried to sleep. He was finally able to sleep in a bed, separated from others. This only seemed to be worse. He was all alone. Nightmarish visions of the monsters haunted him. They grabbed for him, chased him, tried to kill him. He couldn’t run fast enough and when he fell to the ground, he couldn’t move an inch. All he could do was watch the creatures surround him, eager to attack him. Then it ended. His eyes shot open he was greeted with darkness in the room, not a single sound could be heard from indoors. It scared him. To feel all alone in this world once more.

Slowly sitting up in bed, he ran a hand through his hair. There was no going back to sleep now.

Stumbling in the dark, Oliver pulled on one of his sweaters. The color? He had no idea, but he needed something to wear, something to make him feel warmth once more. The room was too quiet, too dark, and so he slowly made his way to the door, opening it just enough for him to slip outside. He tried to close it as quietly as he could before he started his journey down to the main entrance.

His feet lightly hit the steps as he walked slow and careful, making sure to not wake anyone else up but to also not accidentally get himself hurt.

Oliver took a seat on one of the couches, pulling his knees up against his chest. He regretted not grabbing a pair of shoes, maybe then he could venture outside. See that it wasn’t LongNight. Understand that things would be okay, that he wasn’t alone.


RE: moving on (open) - Loren - 11-02-2019

Loren still slept in the kitchen most nights. While he’d taken to occasionally actually using the bed in the room he’d claimed as his own, given that he was still primarily responsible for taking care of a household full of people, having a cot in the kitchen just made sense. And maybe, just maybe, he was still getting used to the opulence of a feather bed; for someone who’d spent most of his childhood in stone cells or fending for himself in an unforgiving wilderness, the luxury was uncomfortable.

Moreover, given all the trauma and threats he’d been through, the summoner was a very light sleeper. Which was why, as soon as the floorboards started to creak, he was fully awake. He was also fully clothed except for shoes. Sliding out of bed, he crept in stockinged and on silent feet to the main entrance.

It turned out to be just Oliver: immediately the Launceleyn relaxed and let out a huff of laughter. [say]”Couldn’t sleep?”[/say] Loren made sure to call out in a low and unthreatening voice, both not to startle the other man and to prevent waking anyone else up. [say]”Come to the kitchen, I’ll make you some tea.”[/say] Without even waiting for a response, the summoner spun on his heel and padded back to the kitchen, where he set a kettle to heat. It was warmer here, and the thicker walls would help insulate any sound they might make.


RE: moving on (open) - Oliver - 11-03-2019

Unlike Loren, Oliver hadn't quite gotten used to using all of his senses. While he could recognize certain things, in his exhausted state of being, Oliver failed to hear the footsteps that left the kitchen.

The voice was calm, but still startled him slightly. The moment he saw Loren, his shoulders relaxed. He hadn't even realized what he had been doing until he saw the familiar face. His heart started to relax and he gave a wordless nod, the faintest of smiles gracing his lips. He couldn't find the words he wanted to say, so instead he stood up and followed Loren back into the kitchen. Tea would be nice...yea. It'd help him somehow.

As he entered the kitchen he left out a small sigh of relief, happy to feel the warmth that the room brought to him. Without a word, he walked over to one of the stools and took a seat. Finally, once seated, he spoke up. [say]"Thank you for getting me tea...despite how late it is.[/say] He spoke quietly, just loud enough for Loren to hear him. He hadn't quite realized that the room was insulated and he could speak a bit more normally here.

[say]"Were...were you having troubles sleeping yourself?"[/say] Oliver felt a bit guilty, worried that he had accidentally woken Loren up. As much as he wanted company, preventing Loren from sleeping didn't exactly sound like a fun thing.


RE: moving on (open) - Loren - 11-03-2019

Thankfully, Oliver followed along without requiring additional wrangling from Loren. Kettle heating, he scouted around until he found some chamomile, which he added to the teakettle. It would do them both some good. [say]”You’re welcome.”[/say] To be honest, their sleep schedules were all out of whack, given the week of total darkness. Although that probably wouldn’t stop the Launceleyn from rising with the dawn, he didn’t get as tired as easily as he used to. A few fewer hours wouldn't hurt him too much.

While he waited for the tea to brew, he turned to regard the other man. [say]”I’m a light sleeper.”[/say] It didn’t exactly answer Oliver’s question, but it was also the truth: the summoner had been trained to react to pretty much everything unusual as a threat. While that helped him in actually dangerous situations, it was a pain in the ass the rest of the time.


RE: moving on (open) - Oliver - 11-03-2019

Talking wasn't really a requirement at this point, at least in Oliver's mind. It was weird how he felt right now. He seemed perfectly content with how things were going right now. To just be around another person, to hear anything other than complete silence. It felt...nice. Amazing, even. No talking was needed, really. All he needed was to be around someone and to be greeted with something that wasn't silence. So, he watched as Loren started to prepare the tea.

His happiness faded away when he found out he had woken up Loren. With a slight frown, Oliver ran a hand through his hair, both out of nervousness and to fix his very terrible bed head. [say]"I'm sorry that I woke you up."[/say] He felt bad for even being in the kitchen, noticing the cot of to the side. Was Loren doing this because he wanted to help? Or because he felt like he had to? If Loren hadn't already done so much, Oliver would have offered to simply go back and attempt to sleep, but the chamomile had already been used up, so there was no going back now.

Tapping his fingers anxiously against his knee, Oliver bit down on his lip. He needed to say something, right? Things were going to be okay. [say]"I'm...I'm happy to be back here, you know...away from the temple...so I guess, thank you for letting me stay here?"[/say] Oliver was a bit awkward, clearly a bit off after finding out he had woken Loren up.


RE: moving on (open) - Loren - 11-03-2019

At the worried look on Oliver’s face (and the gesture, one the summoner was very familiar with), Loren smiled gently. [say]”Don’t worry about it. I probably would’ve woken up soon anyway.”[/say] Even though he was mostly over many of his traumas—though he’d never be completely free of them—he was still plagued by nightmares. Luckily, he’d gotten used to operating on too little sleep. Nowadays, it didn’t even bother him when he didn’t get a full night. Besides, after LongNight he was filled with a great deal of energy.

The water had heated enough, so the Launceleyn took it off the stove and poured them both a mug. He slid the other man’s over, before Loren blew on his own. At Oliver’s nervous chatter, the summoner gave another soft smile. [say]”You’re welcome.”[/say] It was nice to have others staying at the Manor. When he’d first returned, it had been terrifyingly empty, and the loneliness had gotten to even Loren before too long.


RE: moving on (open) - Oliver - 11-03-2019

Okay...Oliver would accept that for now. Maybe Loren really was going to wake up soon, he couldn't exactly call the other man a liar. This was especially true when he knew how fucked over his sleep schedule probably was thanks to LongNight. Really, he'd just sleep when his body was tired, so he had no idea how accurate it was. Same thing could easily go for Lorne.

The tea was placed down in front of him and Oliver was going to reach for it when something dawned upon him. [say]"Do you have a spoon? There's something I think I want to try..."[/say] It was going to be a massive longshot, but Oliver had been practicing his magic a bit on his own time. Maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to use it to help cool down the tea. There was no reason for him not to try and Loren had advised him to practice using his telekinesis.


RE: moving on (open) - Loren - 11-04-2019

Of course they had spoons. It would be a sad kitchen indeed if it didn’t have spoons. Loren could’ve easily reached into a drawer and pulled out a spoon. However, he was feeling a bit tired and lazy—unsurprising, given the hour and the stressful time they’d just been through—plus he wanted Oliver to see that magic wasn’t all bad. So instead the summoner called upon the barest smidge of his power. A spoon popped into his hand and he floated it over to the other man with telekinesis, leaving it to hover in the air before Oliver.. [say]”There you go.”[/say] It was quite a small display in the grand scheme of things, but the Launceleyn hoped it helped.


RE: moving on (open) - Oliver - 11-04-2019

With keen interest, Oliver watched as a spoon seemed to appear from nowhere. Looks like someone else had the ability to magically make objects appear. Loren then proceeded to use another type of magic just to get the spoon over to him.

[say]"Show off."[/say] Oliver said with a clearly playful tone, even throwing in a very small eyeroll. He may have had a nightmare, but that didn't mean he was fully out of commission. All the nightmare had really done was make it so it'd be extremely hard for him to sleep that night. As well, his resistance to being alone only really added to this feeling. Unlike before, he didn't feel a need to drink alcohol to forget his problems, things would be okay and Oliver knew it. He just needed a little bit of company and some time to relax, then he'd be better.

Grasping the spoon from the air he placed it down in front of him, rather than putting it directly into the mug. Focusing on the object, he worked towards lifting it off of the table using his telekinesis. He guided it to slowly move towards the mug before trying to get it to properly land in the mug. Fortunately, it landed the proper direction and let it relax.

With a small laugh Oliver looked up at Loren. [say]"I can do stuff too. That was pretty graceful if you ask me."[/say] The only hard part was figuring out how to get the spoon to stir without touching it. He had worked on lifting objects, but hadn't tried such a complex idea. He paused and looked towards Loren for a response, waiting to see if maybe the man would speak. Oliver would happily take all the time he needed before making a possible fool of himself.


RE: moving on (open) - Loren - 11-04-2019

It really hadn’t been showing off, at least not in the way Oliver seemed to be implying. Still, Loren quirked an eyebrow at the playful tone in the other man’s voice. As Oliver used his own telekinesis to lift the spoon and place it in the teacup, the Launceleyn smiled briefly. [say]”Very graceful.”[/say] Indeed, it was excellent progress. Still, there was room for improvement. And if the other man wanted a show, Loren would be happy to oblige.

Taking a sip from his teacup, the summoner called upon some of the many magics within him. It had grown, recently, and he was more powerful than he’d ever been, with more abilities at his fingertips than he’d ever expected to have. Water lifted from every nearby source—as well as appearing from nowhere, lifting from his skin—and came together in a small orb. Loren directed it into a shape, and it flowed towards one end of the table.

Then it started moving forward, his will shaping it as it did: a miniature herd of watery horses was soon galloping across the table. When it reached the two of them, he froze it briefly, before dismissing it with a thought and causing it all to flow back to where it came. Except for the water he’d created, of course. That was deposited in a nearby water barrel. [say]"If you keep practicing and keep growing stronger, you'll be able to perform remarkable feats."[/say] Again, the Launceleyn just wanted Oliver to see his powers as a gift.


RE: moving on (open) - Oliver - 11-05-2019

It wasn't too bad of an attempt, the tea hadn't splashed out of the cup and burned him so Oliver would call it a success. Plus, seeing Loren smile in response to his magic was reassuring. Loren had seen him when he first found out so it made Oliver feel like he was being successful in his attempts to learn more. To understand how his magic works and how to deal with it.

Still, he had no idea what his other magic was.

He would've worried about this if not for the little show Loren started to put on. Oliver's eyes widened with wonder and amusement as he watched the horses gallop around, clearly amazed by what he could do. It was fantastic and simply beautiful in every way. It made him feel a lot better, not as upset as he once was after the nightmare. As well, it gave Oliver motivation. He wanted to do something like that someday, use his magic to create something spectacular and beautiful.

[say]"Loren...that was so beautiful..."[/say] It was hard to put into words how he felt now after seeing what Loren could do. Truly, it was amazing.

Now that the show had ended, Oliver knew what he had to do next. Looking at the cup, he worked towards slowly lifting up the spoon ever so slightly and then trying to get it to turn in small circles. At first, it was barely anything, then he tried to quicken the pace and caused the spoon to hit the side of the cup. Luckily, he hadn't use enough force to cause it to knock over or really spill anything, just caused a loud sound, but this was enough to make Oliver rest the spoon once more.

He blushed and laughed nervously, looking back at Loren. [say]"Guess I still have room to grow?"[/say] He let out a shrug, showing that it didn't really bother him too much that he had failed to achieve his goal. It would be fine. [say]"How do you practice? You know...safely?"[/say] The other magic still bothered him.

Reaching forward, Oliver took the cup in his hands and started to manually stir the spoon, working towards making it so he could actually drink the tea without scorching his mouth.

[say]"Do you...do you think my new magic will be helpful? You know, with making things better here in Caido."[/say] The question wasn't worded correctly and it was said softly, almost like he didn't know if he wanted to know the answer. Yet, curiosity was getting the better of him. Oliver wanted to know if he could help others using his new magic. He wanted to help Loren, if he could. Make it so Loren wouldn't be so stressed running an entire household all alone.


RE: moving on (open) - Loren - 11-06-2019

Loren shrugged, not exactly accepting Oliver’s praise, and not needing to hear it from the other man. After all, the summoner’s houseguest was new in Caido, and hadn’t seen the feats of great magic that many in this land were capable of. [say]”It’s just a cantrip.”[/say] Something to delight, sure, but nothing of real utility. And certainly not close to the brilliant spells that the Launceleyn was now capable of.

As the other man lifted the spoon with telekinesis a second time, Loren watched while taking a sip of his own tea. Nodding at the spell, he gave Oliver an encouraging smile. [say]”We’ve all got room to grow. But you’re already making progress.”[/say] As the other man continued to express fears about hurting someone, the smile slipped away. [say]”Well for starters, you stop worrying so much.”[/say] The summoner’s voice came out gently. [say]”Sometimes you might hurt someone. Either yourself or others. It’s just a fact of life.”[/say] He knew that better than most. [say]”At the moment, though, your magic is weak enough that I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Besides, people in the Hollowed Grounds are used to facing threats. They’ll get out of the way, and if they don’t, again, bring them to me.”[/say] The Launceleyn was the strongest healer in the region.

At Oliver’s question, Loren shrugged and took another sip. [say]”All magic is helpful, depending on how you use it.”[/say] The second question was a bit stranger though, and the summoner gave the other man a considering look. [say]”What things?”[/say] Caido was complicated, and some things were bad, some things were good, and very few of them could be made better, especially by one person. Especially one who asked such a vague question: specificity was key when it came to making improvements.


RE: moving on (open) - Oliver - 11-07-2019

The blonde shook his head, confused on why Loren was belitteling his acts. [say]"Don't sell yourself short. I mean...you could probably use your magic to create a performance...yeah, it's not protecting anyone, but the power that entertainment has is just...incredible! We all need some happiness and joy in our lives..you could bring that to Caido."[/say] Maybe he had been around Bastien a little too much, but Oliver genuinely believed that they needed arts in the Hollowed Grounds. It would bring everyone happiness and joy, show them that good things could come.

Loren had a point, but then again, he was almost always right when it came to stuff like this. He simply seemed to know exactly what to say to make him feel better, to know that things would be okay. [say]"Yeah...I guess you're right."[/say] Oliver didn't want to admit that he had once again gone off on one of his little tangents where he only thought about himself.

[say]"I want to do something that changes Caido for the better...makes life easier for others or somehow makes them happier. Like...like you can heal, you can make things better in that way. I just need to find my place, figure out what I can do to contribute to Caido."[/say]


RE: moving on (open) - Loren - 11-08-2019

Yeah, Loren could put on quite a show. He just had very little interest in doing so; seeing as his idea of a good time was a cup of tea and a good book, maybe with a person he loved or a pet by his side, he wasn’t going to be entertaining people any time soon.

On that note, he took another long sip of his tea, which was now cool enough to drink safely. [say]”If you think people need more entertainment in their lives, then go provide more entertainment.”[/say] It wasn't a bad idea, and his voice came out kindly enough. But not form him. He could plan a mean party and dance with the best of them and could even sing passably well. However, he’d always hated the constant stream of meaningless balls and soirees back in his old world, and had no interest in starting that sort of thing up again.

That didn’t mean Oliver shouldn’t or that others wouldn't appreciate the effort. [say]”You should talk to Bastien. Or Amalia. She put on a puppet show in Leafchange that even the gods attended.”[/say]  The baker also knew the traditions and festivals of the Hollowed Grounds better than anyone.

He took another sip of his tea as the other man admitted that the summoner was right. There didn’t seem to be much else to say to that. As Oliver kept talking about making Caido better and making people happier—something that had come up in the earlier conversation about the distinct lack of entertainment (at least that the newcomer had seen)—the Launceleyn smiled gently. [say]”A noble goal. But you can’t force people to be happy, and things aren’t that terrible in Caido.”[/say] In fact, in a lot of ways they were better than the world and life he’d come from: he was free from his family’s curse and free to love who he wished.

[say]”Regardless, you can’t make a difference if you don’t get a full night’s sleep.”[/say] Unlike Loren, he very much doubted the other man could get by on too little sleep. Better up that endurance stat stat. [say]”You can take the tea with you if you’re not done. Just bring the mug down in the morning.”[/say] The Launceleyn, at least, would like to get a couple more hours before his overtrained body inevitably woke him just before the dawn. He still kept farmer’s hours even though he hadn’t been a farmer for years. Draining his own mug, he used his telekinesis to place it in the sink, then his water to rinse it. He’d wash it fully in the morning.