[OPEN] Catch-All Log

[fiddlestick]

WHO: Elliot Craig & YOU
WHERE: Various Spots around the City!
WHEN: All through the month of November!
WHAT: A catch-all for November Events.
WARNINGS: None. Will add if needed.

I. Violin Performances: Tribunal Terrace or the Mailbox

[Now that Elliot doesn't have to worry about any fog, it's time to make up for the time he lost with his street performances. Throughout the month, he can be found playing his violin at the Tribunal Terrance where the potluck is being set up, or near the Retrospec Mailbox (what? That waffle place is hopping with business. On days he doesn't have work or classes, he plays well into the evening. If you catch one of his performances after dark, he'll have autumn themed mason jars lit up by electric candles, courtesy of Haru.

This month, he's playing a whole line up of songs that fit the Thanksgiving season. From the classics, to covers, to originals- he covers a wide variety. Each one he plays with extreme talent and joy- you can feel the love of music in every note. If you're looking for something else, he's got a nicely painted sign next to his open violin case meant for any money:

Regular Requests - $1.00
Christmas Requests - $2.00
Tips Welcomed.
CASH ONLY.

He's got nothing against Christmas music honestly, but he's gotta make a living somehow guys. Listen to his performances, or maybe catch him during one of his occasional break times to talk.]

II. Music Collaboration: College Campus

[One nice thing about this city is that it's full of talented musicians. Elliot's come across so many talented musicians he's wanted to play with! So on some days, he can easily be found in one of the college's music rooms, practicing with his violin. He's easy to approach if you want to join forces in your musical practices. Otherwise, just pull up a chair and listen. It's free!]

III. Magic Practice: Recolle Woods

[Alas for Elliot, music can't be the only thing he practices. The fights last month showed him how much he needs to be on top of his game if he wants to live through all this. If you're the type to wander the forests of Recolle, you might come across the sight of Elliot practicing his magic. This seems to entail conjuring large masses of water, or sharply pointed boulders - and magically hurling them at other rocks. Watch him for awhile, and he'll seem to do it again and again. It's as if he's trying to make sure the magic he creates is absolutely perfect.]

IV. Intern Life: ReVA HQ

[The holidays are a busy time of year for volunteers. There's a lot of events going on in both November and December. So obviously, a lot of the annoying odd jobs get dumped onto the poor interns. Throughout the month, finds himself hauling around Thanksgiving decorations (the small ones), counting caught turkeys, making hand turkeys, folding paper napkins - basically every menial task that's thanksgiving related.

At one point for the other volunteers, Elliot brings in a batch of homemade cookies - some raspberry, some sugar cookies. They are pretty tasty! Except for some reason, they seem to be shimmering on their own and not by some trick of light. On the bright side, after eating them, any small cuts or bruises you've acquired recently will start healing up-- so yay?]

V: Wildcard

[Got another prompt for Elliot? Come at me! If you want to discuss anything, either PM me or hit me up at neutronstar!]

Comments

III.

[storytelleroftime]

[Magilou had been watching for a while at the point in which she decided to step in. Studying him intently, like a scientist documenting an interesting specimen. Because, in many ways, that's what this was to her. She had to admit she hadn't actually seen any actual, well, magic users anywhere outside her memories. She had seen weird Retrospec abilities before but this was new. And given what her other self's inclinations were... meant that observing magic would probably at least be fitting, if nothing else. But now she was going to be a bit more proactive. Observation could only take her so far, after all.

[Of course, she had bothered to hide her position. So now as she emerged, she decided to play dumb a little. She put her hands behind her head and smiled, not seeming surprised yet not exactly seeming like she knew what she was walking in on.]

"My my, what have we here? An aspiring wizard, hmmmm?" [The teasing was par for the course, at this point. She had no end goal for this besides maybe learning something interesting. This could go any direction she wished to take it, but given her normal inclinations... whatever direction it went was probably not going to end well for anyone involved.] "What brings you all the way out here? Don't want anyone seeing you practice?"

[fiddlestick]

[Magilou had managed to watch him while he remained unaware. While his hearing was good, he wasn't the best at sensing other people's presence. He'd been far too focused on working the spells, on focusing, on getting better at channeling-

So when she reveals himself, he's startled enough to jump a little. ]

Oh- S-Sorry!

[What is he even sorry about? He's not sure, it's just a reflex. He takes a second to breath when it's clear she's not some monster or mugger. Just some girl]

N-Nothing really...just seemed like a good spot to practice without disturbing anyone.

[So in other words, yes]

[storytelleroftime]

[She sighs a little as he freaks out. She probably startled him, but if he was startled at someone as unintimidating as her than that was kind of pathetic. Nonetheless, she decided to just continue this little venture.]

"Hmmmmm. Well, I don't see what you're practicing for. You see to have this down. Unless of course, you're looking for something a bit more than just 'down'."

[Might as well further assess the situation before... trolling the fuck out of him or something she has no idea what to do here.]

[fiddlestick]

[ Yeah he's just...easily startled. It's a thing. ]

Aha, not really. There's still room for improvement. I want to make sure I'm as good as possible in case something like last month happens again.

[Perfectionist for lyfe]

[storytelleroftime]

"Well, no offense, but practicing on your own can only get you so far. You have no way to test your full capacity without say... destroying a few things or facing an actual opponent. And I am a witch, so if anyone can gauge your skill, that would be me."

[She's lying she has no idea what she is doing here but you know what? She'll try it anyway. Fake it till you make it, as they say.]

[fiddlestick]

Really? [He looks a little surprised lowering his staff] You're a witch?

[He looks a bit skeptical at that, but politely so. He doesn't know this lady, so he's not going to let himself be completely gullible. He grew up in New York man, crazy people claimed crazy stuff all the time there]

iii + vvvvvvvvvvv 😩

[usurpers]

[ eren’s been a busy bee once he’s found his things. elliot probably knew already, with his sheer amount of enthusiasm to constantly chatter at him, but any actual show and tells beyond his clothes were put on hold. “still working on it”, he’d say. he wasn’t about to show elliot a front row seat to disaster central when it came to the maneuver gear. he’d just worry him, drain him of his healing and prove his amazing lack of capability even further.

if he got tended to for every single scratch, it’d leave him badly accustomed. he’d have no tolerance, no resistance— it was in no way associated with elliot, but with his own self-strengthening mantra. he needed to know how to walk on his own, these weren’t even emergencies. just scratches, cuts, sprains, scrapes, bruises (minor fractures??). everyone gets them, and everyone grows with them. he did this before, he trained for it through rigorous and dangerous regimes, people even died going through them. and at 13, 14, 15— he mastered it.

how the hell could he not do it again, and even better, at 18? it made his thoughts stubborn and his vision tunnel, almost obsessively. the more they meet, the more elliot would notice the underlying exhaustion. “just working hard”, he’d try to reassure. clothes covered anything bigger, and eren made a valiant effort to keep pain under wraps. so much that he’s probably gotten this far.

he’s also a complete dumbass to let it get this far. he knows a thing or two about natural pain remedies thanks to mother, but avoiding painkillers would only take him so far when it was a little more serious than muscle pain and bruises.

eren meets elliot at recollé woods today, maybe a little later than intended. he’s stiff like bamboo, avoids moving— in fact, he stays seated at the bottom of a tree the entire time to watch him perfect his magic. what about the thing he had to show him? maybe in a little bit, it’s still tucked away into a rather large bag at the back of his bike. he just needed to catch his breath.

after no exercises

maybe the whole reason why he’s so quiet is because of the red flags going up enough for even eren to see, and feel when he tries to breathe in, no matter how small he tried to make it, and it kept panging his chest like a knife. dad’s a doctor. mom’s a nurse. he knows this is not a Good Thing, and he knows what’s worse than that: the fact that he’s had something fractured for days and kept walking around instead of staying put. nono, even worse, walking off fractures when the bae’s a healer.

now there’s no u-turn point, and when elliot turns around from his last casting, the grimace in the smile eren attempts to get by with is just a little too deep. ]

That was great—

[ ruh-roh. ]

Couch for Eren

[fiddlestick]

[Eren had been busy, and other than being shown once the clothing he got- Elliot wasn't sure what was going on. Which, he had been curious, sure. But he also respected Eren's privacy. He fully understood wanting to practice a new skill to an acceptable level before showing others. He did it all the time with is own skills. It was part of the reason he'd go way out into the forest to practice his magic: when he showed people his magic, he wanted it to be perfect. He didn't want to be seen as someone who would hold others back.

The only reason Eren was seeing his magic at all today was because they'd agreed to catch dinner after. By now, he'd been doing it enough that casting magic was becoming more and more natural to him. There's less delay, and the spells were becoming more potent and more precise. He was starting to feel a little winded from all the casting, so it was a good time to call it quits. There's a smile on his face when he hears Eren and turns around.

But that smile quickly fades when he sees just how pained Eren looks. He was no medical expert, but something was wrong]

Eren! Oh no, what's wrong?

[Stepping closer to check on him. What happened?]

cone of shame for eren

[usurpers]

[ sweats

he sits up straight, gives an uhh, and holds his breath. at least it doesn't hurt when he doesn’t breathe. fantastic, he’ll have to stop breathing (you can’t do that eren). taking in tiny breaths to avoid expanding his chest, it— still moves, and it still sears into his torso. maybe he moved wrong and it chipped out of place entirely, and now. he rubs his face with the front of his cloak, the survey corps uniform he hardly took off this evening, tiny breaths. tiny paused breaths with a grimace. he’s got this impending sense of dread, and more than ever didn’t want to spill, but— it’d be worse if he didn’t. it was already going to worse. god, damn it— ]

I, can’t breathe.

[fiddlestick]

[Can't breath? That's bad. Eren didn't have any health problems that'd cause something like that, he wouldn't be able to join the air force if he did. Nor did he think there was any allergies that'd trigger it either. And he didn't sound sick. So it- it had to be an injury.

But why didn't he say so earlier? He could've--

Not this second. If Eren can't breathe, he needs healing stat. So Elliot will rush over to kneel next to him, still holding onto that staff of his. He closes his eyes and concentrates. He's tired from already casting all day, so he has to focus more to draw up the energy while he sings. What was that song Eren asked him to sing once? Oh yeah-]

♫ And then I heard you
You made me long for
To be a part of
Something that I can't see
A life that is beyond
Something that I can't fear
To be a part of
The story, It belongs to you ♫

[As he sings, there's a glowing light that surrounds them. Small glowing feathers appear as well, falling gently on and around them. Eren's most serious injuries will rapidly start to heal up. It won't take care of everything though- Elliot is already too tired for that.

In fact whenever he finishes his singing, he'll downright look drained and even a little pale(er).

You probably should've come here before he used most of his magic energy dude.]

[usurpers]

[ that’s new. eren blinks widely at first when he hears the sweet sound of elliot’s singing, holding his breathing and ultimately gasping when he feels a cough come and chokes it back, because that hurt a lot. like ribs were splitting in two. it brings on a chain of wanting to take a deep breath and being unable to when expanding his chest hits more than the limit and it sears again, and again, just as feathers fall. feathers.

eren stays completely still, and just as fast as the pain had come, it dissolves. no more. the immediate danger of an untreated set of fractures mends itself with the power of his voice alone, leaving eren dumbfounded. he takes the breath he had been struggling to, and does so with success. no pain.

even more at a loss of words, after a moment of awed staring, eren immediately rushes to elliot’s aid, chest already drumming with a different sort of pain that shows in his eyes like flashing neon lights. already holding him, he shifts to his knees to throw his cloak from his head, pull it free from him to put it over elliot instead. it was chilly and it looked like he needed to lean on something, or at least rest his head on something comfy. ]

You’re—

[ eren feels the nippy autumn wind biting at his skin, left from his shirt hitched up when he pulled his cloak off. and there had been the more than apparent bruising of his torso, both sides— ugly blotches of purple, brown and red that leave the mark of his ribs and the hemorrhaging over the bone in perfect evidence. there are thin, paper-like cuts peppered about where wire bit into him, although those seem to be nearly closed, just a little red. the rest is just bruised now, just tender to the touch and nowhere near as painful as it had been on the inside, no matter how it looked. he gives it a look over, to see the extent, then like a dog who had been rightly accused of eating a shoe, lowers it with guilt in his eyes. it’s real.

for elliot to have treated it, looking drained and not getting everything . . . eren begins to see the deeper hole of shit he had dug, pressing his lips together and steadying the other upright. ]

You’re okay?

[fiddlestick]

[Of course Eren starts immediately fretting over him. A cloak gets draped over him, which is pretty nice and warm. Working with water magic all day is a good way to make you feel chilly. But he'll still shake his head and try to calm Eren down from his worrying]

I-I'm fine... [he sounds a little out of breath] Just tired from--

[He stops as he notices the skin that is revealed from Eren's hitched up shirt. Bad bruising, cuts, hemorrhaging ... all these were injuries. What more, they weren't new injuries. Some of them looked like they'd been healing for awhile. He can feel his chest tighten and his breath suck in, fear and worry springing up inside him.

He looks at Eren's face with wide, surprised and confused eyes, only to see a look of guilt. Elliot...pulls back a little, straightening up as he looks at the other.]

What's...What's going on? Eren?

III

[thole]

[John has a habit of taking walks in quiet places. As much as he likes surrounding himself with the noises and voices of other people, every now and then he likes to be alone as well. Alone in nature, that is. He would prefer staying away from his quiet, lonely little apartment or his quiet, lonely little office at Recolle University (off-hours, that is -- he gets all sorts of visitors during office hours). It's easier to have a think without dwelling on the negative when communing with nature. And John tries to ignore the negative in his life whenever possible.

It would seem he also has a habit of crossing the paths of young magicians at practice, or at least that seems to be what he's coming upon now, as he watches the younger man conjure water out of thin air.]

Impressive. [He comments, once he's certain it's safe to do so without getting water (or a boulder for that matter) thrown at him in the process.] You have quite the talent.

[fiddlestick]

[Elliot, wasn't good at noticing other people approaching. Not when he was in the middle of practice. So hearing someone comment startles him a little, that he jumps a bit and makes a surprised sound.]

S-Sorry!

[Sorry for what? Who even knows, it's just habit for Elliot honestly. But then he realize what the guy said and respond, holding onto his staff still]

Oh, uh, Th-thank you. Sorry if I disturbed your walk...

[thole]

[John shakes his head at the apology. If he isn't surprising people in the middle of their practice, he's confusing them with his accent -- he's hoping that it isn't both in this case. It's rather thick and from an area of northern England that not everyone might be familiar with hearing.]

Not at all. I was the one who interrupted you. I hope you don't mind. It's just that I find myself fascinated with everyone's abilities here. Whenever I should happen across them, I find myself interested to learn more.

[He inclines his head.] If that is alright with you, of course. I can just as easily move along, if you'd prefer.

[fiddlestick]

[It's okay he's from New York. Deciphering a thick accent is just a daily thing there. But at John's request, he hesitates a little, worrying his lip as he tightens his grip on his staff. ]

...C-Can I ask your name? Sorry, I'm a little worried about my powers with strangers...

[Considering it was a retrospec user that kidnapped and tortured all those people...it seemed better to be cautious]

[thole]

[John smiles and shakes his head at the question.]

Don't apologize. It's good to be cautious. I'm sorry if my curiosity frightened you in any way. It certainly wasn't my intention.

[He holds out a hand towards the younger man.]

My name is John. John Lyall. Well, technically Professor John Lyall. I teach English Literature at the University.

[Perhaps you've heard of him, he's got something of a reputation for being rather unorthodox in his teaching methods. Or perhaps not. He's not quite certain just how old this young man is, perhaps he isn't attending the university just yet?]

III

[wordcarvings]

[ By now he's not entirely unaccustomed to strange things like people practicing music, but he also knows better than to suddenly start to talk or do anything that'll startle a person who's practicing their magic, so instead of trying to cut across the area while the other is still throwing around rocks and water, he decides to wait for a while, to see if he'll take a break, long enough for Koutarou to approach without risking harm. ]

[fiddlestick]

[He's still new to magic, having only regained it last month, so breaks are a rather frequent thing for him. Eventually after slinging a few spells, he'll stop to sit down for a bit on a nearby stump to take a breather.

He hasn't noticed Koutarou yet]

[wordcarvings]

[ Okay so.. He’s not been noticed but the many breaks are useful.

Koutarou approaches, still a little carefully since magic can be unpredictable. ]

Ah, hello.

III

[maskreant]

[ And so we have followed up with Akira tailing Elliot to training. For the most part, he hasn't done much, but instead watches his friend do a couple of skills. Sitting against the tree, it's pretty entertaining at first, but then he notices how it's the same thing over and over.

He tilts his head while stroking his chin. ]

What are you trying to do? Just curious.

[fiddlestick]

[It feels a little weird having someone watch him do this, but at least Akira's a friend so it's not too bad. He'd just finished another spell, and when he speaks up, he'll lose his staff some]

J-just trying to get my control over it to be as perfect as possible, so it's more effective and versatile.

[He'll look back at Akira, giving an apologetic look]

Sorry. I'm sure it's boring to watch.

[maskreant]

No, it isn't boring, but I think you can try out other things now.

[ He gets a feeling that Elliot is trying to perfect this One Move and Akira is the type to rely on instincts. That doesn't mean he thinks that Elliot's way is wrong, but... ]

Sparring would be good.

[fiddlestick]

[Akira's not far off on that one. Elliot was a perfectionist about the things he cared about. And if magic was his way to make sure he and his friends lived through whatever got thrown at them? Well then he cared a great deal about it.]

A spar? You mean like a magic one. right?

Because a physical one would not last at all, haha...

[maskreant]

You'll have to learn how to skirmish since you'll never know when you'll have to physically engage with something.

[ Akira is going to cover Elliot's basis so that he's prepared. He doesn't need to be the best at clashing blades, but being able to hold something off will be important. ]

But we can start with a magic battle... Though I only have two skills that are similar to magic. If you don't mind gunshots, that would be three.