deercountry | January Catch-All [Semi-Open]

Well, that's not very specific.

[Michael grouses lightly, apparently not at all aware that he's coming off as shady af! Isn't this just how people do?

Normally this would be where he brought out a notepad and did some sketches, but he didn't actually come out here to do this - he doesn't really have one close at hand. Sighing, he just waves one hand and creates, in the other, the first thing that comes to mind when he thinks of a fancy hat with a feather.]

What, like a pirate hat?

[If it was that simple, and Perell had his powers, he could have managed that feat himself-- along with conjuring his blue robes and a multitude of other matters. As it stood, all Perell could do was stare, wide eyed for a moment before he snorted irritably.]

Please. I may have associated with pirates, but I am not one. Maybe something more... dashing? Less gaudy?

At a certain point, I feel like associating with pirates just makes you a pirate. "Pirate accomplice" sounds boring, anyway.

[Own your piracy! But that wasn't a true attempt on Michael's part - frankly, he takes enough pride in his work that he wouldn't have parted with that thrown-off product anyway - so he just sets it aside.]

Come on, man, give me some actual colors and design elements. Can't exactly read peoples' minds anymore.

Does two weeks under their protection even count?

[It was a valid question-- but it doesn't change the implications that he was a wanted criminal. Seeking protection from a Pirate Queen isn't something ordinary people do.

And the continued commentary, he heaved a sigh. At least, he felt a little less alone at being bereft of his magic.]

Right, right. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but I don't exactly have access to my magic right now. And, before you say it? This isn't related to arriving here-- even if it didn't do anything to help, either.

[He shook his head. Without his magic, he didn't know if he could even rightfully call himself a Wizard for the moment. The shock of it was still too raw. Frankly, it still unnerved him to even fathom that aspect of reality...]

A floppy hat with a wide brim that you can pin up on the side, with a band that you can stick a feather or a flower in. It doesn't need to be too fancy, but I'd appreciate it if it looked nice.

Uh. You can use either blue or green for colors. And-- don't make it over the top, or there's three people who will never let me hear the end of it.

Sounds like you might just be friends with pirates.

[Michael doesn't actually mind this - he thinks pirates have a fun aesthetic!]

What blood type did you end up with? I could do this before, but other Darkbloods have developed similar abilities. Honestly, this is not as good as what I used to do.

[The end product is probably about the same, but back home, he really could have just made "the hat this guy wants" and it would've happened. Here, he's gotta form a good mental picture first. Michael listens, nodding along, looking into the middle distance as he visualizes. He likes blue, he'll go with blue, frankly he leans towards fancy himself but he can bring it back down to "nice"...

Once he's happy, he snaps his fingers to make the hat.]

How's that? [Also:] Not three people from your world?

'Warmblood.' I think that's what Vyng said.

[It looked like ordinary blood to him-- and it frustrated him to no end. The hat was certainly acceptable enough for Perell to nod gratefully, even if it was a little gaudy. There would be a chance to fix it later, but for the moment he was content enough to remove the knit beanie and place it on his head.

The whole ensemble, with his horrid looking knit sweater that failed to be colorful and his ridiculous flannel night pants, looked beyond silly. At the moment, Perell just didn't care.]

And yeah, three from my world. Somehow, we keep finding each other.

Oh! You know Vyng?

[Luckily this completely distracts Michael from making any other suggestions about this horrendous outfit!]

[Thank god!]

Yeah. He's one of the three I'm talking about. I'm sure you can guess who the other two are. They're very hard to miss.

[There was obvious affection mixed in with the sass, and it was clear that Perell thought the world of them despite his tone and words.]

Well, yeah, they live in my front room! I've seen so much more of Tuck than I really wanted to!

[Grinning, Michael moves to shake Perell's hand.]

I'm Michael. I met Vyng back in the dream, we've been friends for a while!

You, and I, and plenty of other people.

[The man was both massive and not shy about dressing in his loincloth-- or his frankly impressive pectorals that Perell had little choice but to stare at sometimes.

Perell accepted the handshake, glad for something that seemed a little ordinary in this world.]

I'm Perell. And, uh, sorry about those guys camping in your living room.

...And my breaking in last night to find them.

[Frankly, he was rather proud that he even got in. Without his magic, he was feeling very limited in his capabilities at that moment.]

Oh, you broke in? You're lucky Eleanor was out hunting last night!

[She won't mess with people Michael brings in, as long as they don't mess with her, but he doesn't imagine an actual break-in would go over great.]

It's fine, I invited them. Couldn't have them just camping out. It's wild out there.

And Eleanor is... a ranger?

[Who else goes hunting at night, that he would need to worry about in this place. He had heard stories about monsters, but felt reassured that the incense around town was enough to ward them off. However....]

Thanks for inviting them. Those three clowns are used to roughing it, and probably tried camping outside the town at first. And, with that tent? It's enough to make people a little overconfident.

No, Eleanor's my warg. I'll introduce you sometime, so she knows you're supposed to be there. She won't bother you if you don't bother her. Also, not sure if Vyng told you, but don't touch the hat in the front hallway.

[Don't worry about it though!]

Yeah, of course. Vyng's done a lot for me, before. I'm glad to help him out.

[And, just like that he was invited in by a stranger. No questions asked. Suddenly, Michael's aura of a sleezy, reality bending salesman didn't matter. Perell found himself touched by the odd benevolence.

Destruction and pandemonium tended to follow in their wake, and even before encountering Vyng, Tuck, and Billie, Perell had been a Wanted Man.

After all, Wizard Crimes had broken his own reality.]

I-- I don't know how to thank you. But, I'll remember that. Vyng... has done a lot for me, too. All three of them have.

[He owed them a great deal, and he was quietly glad that they had fought against the impossible to keep him by their side.]

Edited 2022-01-05 11:07 (UTC)

Yeah, I'm just getting to know Tuck and Billie. Billie wasn't even there, in the last world.

[He likes them well enough? But Vyng's the one who's his friend.]

Are you gonna be staying with them? I just assumed you were - gotta grab onto that, if you've got friends from home around. [He wishes he did, sometimes. But he's okay.]

The Dream, right?

[He had heard things, and was already making mental notes to eventually jot down in a physical notebook-- for proper archival and storage.]

I haven't heard much about it. But, I have heard that it was a problem a lot of people here had to deal with. I'm curious to know more... but, getting settled is more important right now.

[For a nerd, he at least knew what the essentials were.]

I'd like to stay with them, if there's enough space. I hadn't realized that other people were living in that house. Pitching a tent in the living room is completely the kind of thing they'd do, so I didn't question it.

Oh - well, we can work it out.

[There's a slight hesitation there, because they have got an empty bedroom. It's Amara's. Everyone has sort of wordlessly agreed to leave it untouched...but if she's not here, how long do they keep it that way? Do they really think she's going to show up, or is it just a sort of memorial - something that possibly should be put to use for someone who's here?

They'll talk about it later. He'll deal with that later.]

It's just Manabu and I, outside of the tent. And I'm really not home that much. I've got a shop I run here, and I don't really eat or sleep. [Two of the main activities one goes home for!]

[Whatever the reason, he caught the moment of hesitation and quickly backpedaled.]

I can sleep in the tent.

[He added quickly. Then:]

Vyng has never shown you the inside, has he?

[The commentary about not eating or sleeping was noted, but he would follow up on that later. Honestly, he had run into enough oddities that this wasn't terribly unusual.]

He hasn't, but he did mention that it's bigger inside.

[Which Michael did take to mean some extradimensional shit, because that's hardly out of the usual for him!]

Quite a bit.

[Perell nodded sagely, torn between his own complex feelings on the matter. There was hurt and bitterness there... born from affections that ran deep.]

I know the man who created it. He's a pompous ass-- but, don't tell Vyng and the others that I said this-- he really was a brilliant craftsman.

Oh, yeah? I just sort of assumed that was a...thing they had, back in your world. Lucky it washed up here with them, I guess.

[Man. He really barely got to bring anything with him.]

'Course, the whole house is something from the dream. It was just sort of there when I got here. All the furniture and everything.

Definitely lucky. It didn't look like they had it the last time I saw them in our world.

[Which wasn't long ago for him-- but, he had been separated from them for weeks, and he had no idea what had happened in the interim. Given his own trials, and what he knew was kept inside that tent, he could only assume the worst.]

It's not common at all back home. Not for the last several decades, at least. That's part of the price everyone paid after the Exodus.

[A shrug. He was trying to act nonchalant, but it was clear that he was trying too hard to seem casual about it. This was a touchy subject.]

Edited 2022-01-06 04:18 (UTC)

...right.

[Michael's not always the most socially aware, but he's picking up on these vibes. And yeah, now he's curious about this Exodus - most of what he knows about Vyng's world is just about Vyng's personal past. But maybe he just shouldn't ask.]

Well! Were you looking for anything else here? I know the market pretty well - honestly, they should really be more willing to bargain with new Sleepers, they all know how it is.

[One of these days, Perell would discuss it. For that moment, the recollection of decades spent sealed in a box with only his conscious and his magic-- not even his body or his senses at his disposal-- was still a touch too raw.

He was already feeling vulnerable. That level of vulnerability was too much.]

Some people just like to take advantage of the newbies. [Perell shrugged.] Besides the basics, like clothes and getting my bearings, I think we're good.

...Is there anything you wanted me to bring back to the house?

[It was only polite to ask!]

I can do clothes. That's what I do - I can make a lot of things, actually, but you can't have a store where people just request anything.

[Well, you probably could, but there's other Architects who can do the same. It seemed better to specialize and become known for one thing.]

But no, no. I'm not really the guy to ask about groceries. [All he buys is raw meat in bulk, and he'll get that himself!]

January Catch-All [Semi-Open]

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sorry for the delay!

np!