deercountry | September & October Catch-All

Oscar doesn't owe him anything. Vyng would be the first to tell him as much. But if the boy wants to spill the tea or drop some lore? He isn't going to discourage him. He's too curious to do anything except listen.

Vyng is, in fact, familiar with the distinction between magic and Semblances. Qrow and Ruby both told him as much, and Vyng had no issue believing them. Shapeshifting and Elementalism aren't traditionally considered magic back home, either...though plenty of Sleepers would disagree.

"So, 'do as I say, not as I do'?" Vyng snorts, a small shower of sparks floating into the scorching-hot air just above him. "Seems like a convoluted way to go about it. But that's wizards for you, I guess."

Lore was something Oscar had in spades-- if he bothered to access the interminable library of experiences and memories from other lifetimes that existed in his unconscious mind. Whatever was missing from that archive...

Only Jinn, the ever wise, ever mischievous spirit of Knowledge, had.

And she wouldn't tell, not without the right questions at the right time.

"Is it really only Wizards?" Oscar asked. After all, he was ostensibly one himself, and he liked to think that he wasn't a hypocrite. "Most adults on Remnant who have any power seem like that. Then again... what's that phrase I learned in Deerington High? 'Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.'"

"I meant the needlessly convoluted part," he clarifies.

Wizards back home were notorious for creating complicated systems nobody else could hope to maintain without their help. That's why society fell into ruin after the Exodus — with broken technology scattered across the land, and turf wars being waged inside shopping malls.

"Anybody can be an absolute asshole, you're right. Power-hungry people are everywhere. You've learned your school lessons well."

"...I hope I don't get like that."

Oscar said, a sour frown on his face at the very thought of potentially becoming more like Ozpin. The fact that the various adults in his life had already felt like they needed to ask exactly who was talking before he left Remnant was uncomfortable enough. Having had friends in Deerington call him on not being himself had also been frustrating.

Not for the first time, he was glad that the merging between their two identities had halted. But, there was no undoing what had already been done.

He huffed at the thought, and recollected the multiple adults with too much power that he had met even before he had made the transition into the Dream.

"It's not just school lessons," He sighed. "Sometimes, the most well meaning people can be the cruelest. One day, that person can give your team a big cake with lots of sprinkles... and then the next day list you wanted for treason."

Broken technology and turf wars inside shopping malls would have been a breeze beside some of the chaos he had witnessed in Remnant. Turf wars inside shopping malls at least sounded entertaining.

"You won't."

A simple assurance, spoken with as much conviction as the fire merged into Vyng's essence. Considering Remnant's special brand of fuckery, he probably has no business saying it. But from what he's seen of Oscar — an unpretentious farmboy who's happiest getting his hands dirty in a garden or humming in front of a kitchen stove — he's clearly got a strong enough heart to hold onto anything that truly matters to him.

"School of hard knocks, then," Vyng amends. "Qrow mentioned an ally turning on you guys. Sounds like a real rough time for everybody."

Oscar watched the flames flicker in the growing twilight, somehow feeling heartened and encouraged by the words. Remnant was far from the kindest place to live, even with it's peculiar bright points. Many nights even had Oscar wondering if their rag tag little team faced the brunt of it... but, then he thought of all of the impoverished and marginalized living in the crater of Mantle, of the fraught streets in the cities of Mistral, and remembered the reasons why they struggled as they did.

Somebody had to try to make it better... and Oscar only hoped that the versions of them who stayed behind in Remnant would be able to do so.

...The ones who remained, anwyay.

"From what I heard, that part of our... our challenges doesn't turn out well. I haven't seen that yet, though-- so all I have is Ruby and Uncle Qrow's word. I trust them, but--"

He heaved a sigh, and shook his head.

"If anyone can survive the impossible, it's everyone who went to that tundra together. But... it still sounds pretty impossible, and I'm glad we've got a chance to live together and without any worry here in this place."

"Me too," Vyng quietly agrees.

Deep down, he doubts the "without any worry" part will hold up for too long. But a little optimism never hurt anybody. Especially for all these Remnant folks, who could really use a break (that...doesn't involve fucking anybody, preferably, because he's seen where that goes).

A small gust of salty air makes Vyng flare brighter for just a moment. Thankfully, Oscar heeded Vyng's earlier warnings. He's far enough away that the small shower of sparks fizzle into nothing by the time they get anywhere near the kid.

"You wanted a place to start over, right?" he adds. "Been thinking about what you're gonna do with your second chance?"

The warmth from the sudden flare was a strange comfort even from the safe distance he had adopted-- for an instant, it almost felt akin to a hug. Oscar gave Vyng a crooked little grin, both embarrassed and shy about being asked that question so suddenly.

"Besides the gardening? I'm not sure."

He felt no shame at the admission. Wizards and ancient legacies aside, he was still a teenager with a lot of growing and learning to do.

"If I had my choice, I think I'd want to learn other ways of how all this... this magic works. The few times I've done anything that's stronger and more dramatic than the owl form I had help from Julia learning, it's always felt-- I don't know. Kind of forceful? And it doesn't really fix anything."

Sighing, Oscar shook his head.

"Fighting off everything is one way to solve problems, but it breaks things. And people. Cooperating with the people involved with the problems, though? It gives us a better chance at actually fixing what's broken."

And a chance, in Oscar's opinion, was better than not having one at all.

"A real communal way of looking at things," Vyng observes with a mild tone of approval. "You're right, though. Collaboration helps you do all sorts of things. Not necessarily stuff a wizard couldn't do on their own...but you're still much stronger working in tandem with the world, than you are fighting to bend it to your will."

Which isn't intended to be a dig at people with other types of magic. But there's no denying the philosophical differences between Druidism and something like wizardry.

"Does that mean you're interested in learning blood magic, then?" he asks, crackling with curiosity from the pile of logs.

...

"Would you believe me if I said that I wasn't that used to blood?"

The question was asked in a tone that was both soft and shy while Oscar sat up, giving the question the respect and attention that it was due. It was no secret that, out of the group from Remnant, he was the least experienced.

"My Aunt's farm did grain and vegetable crops, and not really any livestock. We had a horse to help with the work... And chickens for their eggs. It's a lot different. And, even after the farm..."

He trailed with an uncomfortable frown, hand straying to his chest where, just underneath his clothes, was the dramatic looking scar from where Salem had tortured him with her magic.

"Even though we fight, out Auras keep us from getting hurt too badly. Even if something does make it break, it speeds up our natural healing while it regenerates. I've not had much reason to work with or around blood... So it makes me a little nervous. It's kinda the stuff that keeps people alive, you know?"

He chuckled uncertainly, hand one again dropping down to dig through the sand. This was quite a bit more to think about than he had planned...

"But, if learning the bloodmagic here is what it takes to maintain the balance we had in Deerington? I'll do it... And just keep doing what I'm doing now, I guess."

Having the capability of using magic but avoiding it unless necessary had served him well so far. There was no reason that couldn't continue.

"You know, I could see it going either way."

On one hand, Remnant sounds like a brutal place. On the other, Oscar's I'm-but-a-simple-farmlad vibe paints a picture of a quiet, peaceful life...before getting caught up in an ill-timed adventure with a bunch of grown-up fuck-ups, anyway. (Sometimes it's just like that, though!)

Vyng can't see the frown on Oscar's face (being a fire and all). But he senses the boy's discomfort. It's hard not to. Vyng can relate to it a bit himself.

He hadn't realized Auras and Semblances or whatever managed to keep everyone from getting too cut-up, though. That's convenient.

"Do what feels right to you," Vyng says, flames steadily licking the air. "That's the important thing. I'm not too jazzed about blood stuff either, so...I guess we're both figuring it out as we go, huh?"

"Yeah. I guess we are."

The gentle words were enough to help Oscar set his worries aside and smile-- even if Vyng the Bonfire couldn't see it, he hoped that the warmth of it was enough of a clue, like the warmth of the flames were for Oscar.

"...I'm planning on enrolling in the school to see if there's anything I can learn from the books, but I don't know of that's all this place is about. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine... I guess called to me? It's hard to describe, but I was able to enter his dream and help him with his troubles."

He shook his head.

"If that kinda thing is possible, I doubt that the books have everything. They're having trouble understanding some of the problems here, too. So, I can't help but wonder if there isn't a different way of looking at the whole picture here?"

School doesn't sound like such a bad idea. Too bad Vyng doesn't have the patience or aptitude for formal classes — which is pretty funny, considering his patron is Never Mind. Still, he foresees many hours spent at the Archives. Given the time and resources, Vyng is perfectly capable of sitting down with a stack of books and learning...a cool thing.

"Dream-walking, huh?" The fire crackles, intrigued. "Sounds like your blood connects you to people on a spiritual level. With enough practice, you might can do it at will. It's just a matter of finding ways to strengthen those bonds."

The familiarity of the description piqued his interest, and Oscar shifted so that he was sitting up more attentively-- like a student at a lecture, at least for the moment.

"...That sounds kinda like how a friend's telepathy works," he commented, thinking of Fox and all of his seeming whimsical ways. Although they both hailed from Remnant, Oscar had never met Fox or any of his teammates before their time in Deerington-- although, with what little he knew of his future and what he knew about the people he associated with, he suspected that this detail would be changing very soon.

"He's needs to be bonded with someone before he can engage in spontaneous conversation with them on the fly. I think it might be a way his Semblance protects him from being overwhelmed all the time, and it might also help him be more precise with how he uses it."

And, with their current arrangement, Oscar couldn't help but chuckle.

"I've already asked for his help with other Paleblood things. It'll be too funny if he ends up helping with a lot more of it, too."

"You've got a friend helping you? Are they actually your age, or is it another sad old man? You're very good at collecting those."

The question is punctuated by the collapse of a glowing piece of wood, which sends a faint shower of amused sparks into the air. It's a blunt question, but he's noticed a pattern here.

"I'm kind of going through something similar myself," Vyng admits after a momnt. "Not with people, though. I'm trying to connect with the land...and the spirits that inhabit it."

"Don't go calling Fox old," Oscar teased, a sassy smirk on his face. "He's only a little older than Ruby's sister!"

Mid-20s versus Just At 20, if his recollection was correct. Unstated, however, was the fact that Vyng was still partly correct. Fox did seems sad, without his team that he had left behind in Vacuo.

Perhaps it was a pattern, but Oscar didn't see a problem with it.

"Is that why you're here just... Be-ing a fire?" Oscar asked in reply to Vyng's question. He had never heard of taking spirits as a teacher before...

"I've never heard that kind of thing before," he admitted, intrigued. "How does that even work?"

"People can still be old souls," Vyng points out. "I've met a few folks like that here."

Mako. Shiro. Oscar himself, albeit for different reasons.

He's not surprised Oscar hasn't heard of his brand of shapeshifting. Most Sleepers assume it's transmutation magic — as if Vyng could change himself into fire, simply because he wills it. But the truth is more complex than that.

"Well, how does your owl stuff work?" he asks. "It might be easier to explain if we've got something to compare my spirit stuff to."

"...You've got a point. Fox is way smarter than he likes to let on."

And he was also uncannily perceptive for a blind man. Oscar had found his friendship with Fox a relief because he didn't need to explain the depths of his Oz-Bin problem from the very top; Fox perceived the differences and similarities immediately, and was one of the few people from Remnant who accepted Oscar as his own person right away.

Even parts of Ruby's team needed patience and encouragement-- like Jaune, whom he had come to think of as a goofy older brother.

To the question, Oscar shifted and hummed in thought. He hadn't considered the how of becoming an owl before.

"Uncle Qrow described it as almost like reaching for a star, when I asked him about it." Oscar ventured, searching his memories for a good explanation. "Kinda like reaching for his aura, but going further. It's just..."

A sigh.

"The magic was given to him, so it probably would be like that. For me, that first time I did it on my own? I just knew I needed to-- to reach beyond everything I dreamed possible. For me, the magic is like some kinda endless stretch of sky. There's so much of it, and there's no end to see...

"But even Remnant's skies have an end. Some worlds with tools even like that have been able to touch their moon, but nothing on Remnant even works once you reach the end of that sky. So... I guess even the sky has a limit."

"Okay..."

Vyng doesn't fully understand what touching the moon has to do with this conversation, but sure. He''ll roll with it. All he needs is the basics here.

"So, if your shapeshifting is like reaching past your dreams and into the sky, my spirit stuff is...kind of like the phone-a-friend option."

"Phone a friend?"

That piqued his curiosity.

"What kinda friends are you phoning in?"

Edited 2021-11-25 03:12 (UTC)

"Spirit friends," Vyng answers brightly. "I'm not changing my body to look like anybody. I'm embodying them. Sure, it might look the same on the surface, but trust me. It's got a totally different vibe, pal."

"That--"

Eyes wide as a watchful little owl, Oscar inched closer in his rapt attention.

"I've never even heard of that kind of thing before. H-how does it even work?"

The fire flickers with a thoughtful hum. How does he explain this without getting too mired in the technical details?

"Well, there's usually a get-to-know-you phase..." Vyng says. "You know...what do they like? Dislike? What do you both want from life? Stuff like that."

(Is this starting to sound like dating advice? Maybe.)

"If you gel," he adds, "you spend more time together. Go out for picnics, play some games. And then if you're both feeling it, you check in with each other and see about taking things to the next level."

"Is... this a spirit friend, or a date?"

He asked in a knowing tone, recognizing the suggested activities as ideas for things he had in mind to do with Dipper. 'The next level', in this case, meant something closer to tag teaming an exorcism rather than anything more... intimate.

Oscar laughed.

"How do you find them to talk to, though? How do you know if they're even interested?"

A simple "yes" is Vyng's answer to that first question. For a druid, few things are an either-or situation.

"Anyway, you don't go looking for it," he patiently continues with the air of an experienced older brother. "If you want it too badly, you'll give off the wrong vibes. You've gotta just...be open to different possibilities. Instead of grabbing for the stars, you reach out with an open palm and wait."

Sometimes you make a genuine connection. Other times, it's a "right one, wrong place" kind of deal. Occasionally, you don't find anything at all. That's the worst feeling, and not something Vyng likes to contemplate too much.

"You'll know if they're not interested, because it won't feel right. It's about listening to your instinct, meeting them wherever they're at in the moment, and understanding that things can change in the future."

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