deercountry | February & March Catch-All

[Finally confronted with the burden of honesty, Perell felt his tongue all but freeze. For a moment he contemplated his boots before he closed the door-- and, on an impulse, shoved his feet into them before stepping out into the cold.

He looked at Vyng, and there was no hiding the obvious nervousness and fear that was written on his face.]

I... uh.

[He swallowed, suddenly uncomfortable, and drew his blanket tighter around him while he sat down on the steps. Madame Generosity's tracks were a welcome relief, as was someone's foresight to make sure the stoop was shoveled clean. There was no snow on the porch to further freeze him.]

...I should have asked this when I first got here. The actual time I got here and stayed, I mean.

[Hemming and hawing aside, he shifted just enough for Vyng to sit.]

What is the last thing you remember from our world before you got here? Or, I guess, got to the Dream that lots of folks talk about.

[Vyng settles down next to Perell. If he notices his discomfort, he doesn't comment on it. Instead, he simply answers:]

Falling asleep at Hither and Yon.

Billie's from a little later. Tuck went back home for a bit, before we washed up on the shore together. The last thing he remembers is, like...four months after we got you back.

[A pause.]

What about you?

[A slow nod. That made his task somewhat easier regarding Tuck-- not that Tuck would ever do anything differently anyway. It was merely a relief to have the burden of saying all of this once again lifted from him.]

We haven't quite made it to Makaal, but we're heading there. It's only been a few days, but you three...

[He trailed, looking up at Vyng with a touch of awe in his usual bemusement at the trio of clowns.]

For a moment there, I thought you were going to break everything. But, you all somehow managed to do it.

You stopped that guy once and for all.

[If somebody praises Vyng for something he doesn't remember doing, it's usually after getting black-out drunk. And it invites all sorts of questions, like where he put his pants, or who the hell he's even sharing a bed with.

But not this time. It's pretty nice, actually. He'll take it.]

And we'll do it again, if we ever need to.

[Vyng places a gloved hand on Perell's shoulder, his voice warm.]

[The warmth of the gesture and the tone was welcome in the cold on the streetside of Crenshaw outside of Michael's home, and it was enough for Perell to feel like he could... perhaps... relax.]

Hopefully you won't have to. Pellar-- he took it all this time, Vyng. It's amazing I even got my body back. But, if it happens again...

[He shook his head, looking down at his feet in the worn boots on the cold concrete. Quietly, in a soft voice that quavered and rasped with the brittleness of the ice around them, he continued:]

I don't think I'll be able to help much at all.

[Gently:]

...Did you help the first time?

[It's an honest question.]

Well-- No.

Yes?

That, uh...

[He trailed.... and shook his head.]

You and Billie found me when I was out of my body. The two of you also weren't in your bodies, but you two somehow managed to work with Tuck to buy me a second to give Tuck his weapon.

Kinda.

[Groaning in frustration, he tugged the blanket up over his head-- looking like a pile of pepperoni and cheese that had been dropped on Michael's doorstep.]

It's Spirit stuff, and that's confusing. And cheating.

And not my point.

Excuse me?

[Creating a group of sentient frogs to be your lackeys is way more cheaty than making some goddamn friends.]

Whatever, just—

[Forget it. Not worth arguing over.]

Spit it out, pal. Rip the band-aid off. You'll feel better.

[Besides. Perell is likely confusing Vyng with extra details he's probably going to forget anyway.]

[Perell peeked out of the blanket, all nose and glasses, to glower at Vyng's indignation. Spirit stuff was completely cheating. Befriending everyone and everything took away from the sheer depth of calculations and study all Wizards needed to undertake to refine their craft.]

Whatever happened in that tower cut me off from my magic.

[A beat.]

I'm alive. I have my body.

I can't help if there's any problems..

And, the Pthumerians or something thought it would be funny for me to not have any magic here, either!

[Perell looks fucking ridiculous, but Vyng doesn't bat an eye. He's too focused on this new revelation to not want to be seen in public with him.]

Really? You sure about that? What's your blood type?

[Plenty of people come here with powers they never expected. Maybe Perell's just got swapped out with something beyond his expertise in transmutation.]

[The questions were met with a further frustrated look as Perell peered at him like some ridiculous trash goblin.]

It's red like normal. It smells normal too-- so that's Warmblood, right?

[He huffed.]

You're missing the point; I wasn't able to access magic before Chimes took us to shore. It's... new. I was still figuring it out before I got stuck in the bottle.

Yeah. That's Warmblood, alright.

[A small frown tugs at the corners of Vyng's mouth.]

And since you came back? It's been the same?

Edited 2022-02-28 03:17 (UTC)

...Yeah, I think.

[Perell tugged the blanket off of his head, and just looked like nothing more than... himself. An average looking man who had taken a hard turn and was looking ragged from the cares of life.]

What I'm trying to say is that I'm not able to use magic back home either. Don't get me wrong-- I'm grateful to be alive and in my body. But, whatever you all did?

Cut something people aren't ordinarily supposed to be able to touch.

[He shook his head, and took his glasses off to nervously buff at them with his blanket.]

I know, I know. You're the Spirit Walker, and Billie is a Spring Fairy. Tuck... is Tuck. But, this is probably why Billie couldn't find me when I got stuck in that bottle, and I don't know what this means for living in this town.

Vyng, I--

[Realizing he was babbling, Perell cut himself off and replaced his glasses. Taking a brief moment to just breathe, he regarded Vyng with full honesty.

There was no hiding the wild, glassy-eyed expression of someone who had come face-first with the perils of the unknown.]

I-- [he stuttered...]

--I'm really scared.

Edited 2022-02-28 03:32 (UTC)

Aw. Buddy...

[He moves closer, slinging an arm around Perell's shoulder. Stupid pizza blanket be damned.]

I know you probably feel real vulnerable right now. Everything's gonna be okay, though. You've got us watching your back. We saved you before, right?

[Never mind the fact "saved" apparently meant severing Perell from his magic. But even Perell admits he's still grateful to be alive, so...]

[Alive was one thing.

Perell hadn't felt that level of fear and lack of control since he came into his power-- and how he had destroyed everything he knew of his life in one moment of horrible happenstance. It had taken him weeks to even calm down enough to discuss it in Trench, and perhaps his recuperation within Michael's home had helped facilitate his return to rationality after allowing his nerves and depression entrap him at the bottom of a bottle. It was a cold comfort for Perell regardless-- and under Vyng's supportive arm Perell could only sullenly hang his head.]

I know, Vyng. But...

Is it?

I'm pretty sure I've been in the world longer than you, Vyng. Most of that time was as a Wizard.

...It's hard thinking about the last time I was this... this vulnerable.

Edited 2022-02-28 04:12 (UTC)

It is hard. I know, buddy. I know...

[Vyng's words are quiet and gentle. Because he remembers how he frightened he felt after his own body got hijacked back in the Dream. Remembers the yawning void in his soul after waking up from that terrible sacrifice at the Summoning Stones.

He offers a soft, encouraging smile.]

Think about the flip side, too, though: You're in this world now. There's a whole 'nother school of magic here. Just waiting for you to get your filthy, froggy little fingers on it.

[His words are punctuated with an affectionate jostling of Perell's shoulder.]

Also? Archives spanning the entire multiverse? Pretty fucking cool.

[The yawning void that he stood on the precipice on within his own soul was made somewhat more bearable by the fact that he was within his own body. Perell hadn't lied when he relayed that he felt as if Pellar had taken it all from him-- his body, his magic, his autonomy...

Out of everyone he knew, even with his recollections from their short time together, Perell had figured Vyng would be in the best position to even understand what had happened. It was a relief to find that his suspicions had indeed been correct.]

I know there's another school of magic to learn, Vyng. That's why I've been in the archives the few times when I've left the house. Maybe there's something they know that the rest of us don't. But-- it's harder to use even the local magics as a Warmblood, isn't it?

[He looked up, clearly frustrated by what he had been learning.]

... and we've got to tell Billie somehow. Tuck probably already knows if Chimes has already dropped us off in his memory, but Billie is another story.

[A beat passed, and he recalled some of Billie's uncomfortable squirming early on, when he was trying to discuss what he knew with the boy. It was so hard to guess the truth sometimes, but he had a few ideas...]

I know that the tent's gone, Vyng. At least, in the Sea of Graves. I don't know what happened, but I don't want Billie to feel like any of this is his fault.

More than anything, he's a big reason I'm here at all. All three of you are, in different ways.

You can teleport around with the Lamp Pals. You've got enhanced durability and stamina. If you get hurt, you can literally take a nap and be fine. Oh yeah, and people don't fucking die anymore? That's a thing.

Point is, you've got some latent magic keeping you protected. So at least there's that, right?

[All things Perell already knows, maybe. But Vyng tends to skew more toward the silver lining, mainly because he chooses to. If you've gotta go through the shit either way, you may as well take whatever victories you can find.

As for the tent getting lost in the Sea of Graves, well...Vyng opens his mouth to ask about it. Thinks better of it. And closes it again. The exact how of it all doesn't matter nearly as much as the emotional impact, and he doesn't feel like getting lost in time-travel weeds right now. Instead, he focuses on the present and simply says:]

I can talk to Billie about it if it's too uncomfortable for you. I don't mind.

I guess...

[He held back his nothing commentary about how none of it was the same as being able to transmute a broken arm whole again. Vyng was only trying to help in that foolishly optimistic way of his.

They all needed someone to help them see the small positives in life.]

... I'll follow your judgement about Billie. You and Tuck are his parents. I'm just that weird guy trying to teach him how to use his own magic.

It would be good if I were able to tell him, though. It's... Important.

[He can tell Perell isn't convinced.]

Look...

[Vyng sighs.]

I know your magic is a huge part of your identity. You're gonna need time to adjust. You probably don't even know how, or what any of it means. And that's okay. Nobody expects you to have everything figured out.

Hell, most Sleepers don't even have it figured out. We're all adjusting to this, together. Taking things one day at a time.

[He's certainly still trying to sort himself out in Trench. But that's not what this is about, so Vyng emphasizes his point with a warm shoulder pat.]

If you wanna tell Billie yourself, we've got your back. This is your deal. How you wanna handle it is up to you.

[It was an odd relief to hear those words spoken out loud, and Perell felt some of the tension that had wound him so tightly start to ebb.]

Thanks, I needed to hear that.

[He sighed, for once leaning into the vulnerability that was so terrifying to a person who relied upon their secrets. They were all Trenchies, and all in the same storm with their little individual boats. They could link up and support each other regardless of what their boats were capable of, and there was an odd comfort in that.]

Wizards usually kept to themselves, [He commented wryly, knowing how getting more than a handful of them in the same region was akin to herding cats.] So this... this having a team thing is strange for me. But...

I feel better knowing you three are there.

[The headaches and frustrations were so, so worth it.]

...I feel like I should tell Billie myself, but we can work together on it. It needs to be done right.

I don't want to make him cry again.

You're welcome. I'm glad it helped.

[Vyng often tells himself the same kind of stuff, especially over the past couple of months.]

We'll do whatever we can, Perell. No matter how bad things get, just remember: You're not alone.

[As for Billie...well.]

Does that mean no more hats?

[The commentary earned a stubborn frown from the Wizard-- and he tugged his knit hat down tighter over his head.]

The hats stay. You know what I'm talking about!

[It was all bluster, but no actual bite.]

The rest of my wardrobe stays too. It's not a lot! [But the little there was featured an assortment of bold patterns, leather garments, and a variety of accessories that a man who had been wintering indoors in his own depression absolutely did not need.] It's the... the other stuff I'm talking about!

[Like hitting the bottle so hard he evidently squidded himself.]

...I always maintained my own tower with the Bullywogs, but it's not the same thing as companionship with others. There's been a few over the years before I was in the Box, but we liked our space.

It's just how we did things.

For once, though...

[Calming down, he took a breath and just listened to their surroundings-- the birds chirping in the trees, the sounds of distant conversation, Billie's laughter from inside...]

It's nice, not being alone.

Killing people, then. No more killing people.

[Is he fucking with Perell? Or is he being serious? Who can say. Vyng did tell him off for disappearing. Awfully (in)convenient for him to somehow forget about that now.

Still, his face softens. Sharing in the silence with Perell, he takes a moment to reflect on his own journey too: How his reason for waking up in the mornings changed with time, until he realized the love in his heart was so much bigger than any bitterness or anger toward his father.]

Yeah. [His words are quiet. He shifts his gaze toward the gloomy sky.] ...It is. You're right.

February & March Catch-All

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