[open] who will go down to those shady groves

[eternalmagic]

who: Anyone
what: General CR building
when: September, post-Dragosta
where: Miscellaneous
warnings: idk are the Taaco twins gonna be there



.I. Waterbending
[Barring a few unfortunate incidents (no offense meant), he was able to avoid most of the chaos that took over the city during the Dragosta festival. Not that he has anything against festivals. He participates in plenty back home, albeit usually for ritualistic reasons. This one just happened to outpace his willingness to assimilate -- primary reason being that if his soulmate is here, he'd rather not know about it.

In any case, he only retreats for as long as it takes all the fuss to die down (especially for those damn fairy lights to dissipate), and then it's back to regular scheduled programming of trying to get Riverview's damn elements to let him play.

The weather's still nice. And water tends to be the most reasonable element to negotiate with. So he's swimming. If that seems weird, then joke's on you, because it's starting to work.]


.II. All-nighters
[Aside from classes, errands and the odd venture into the city, Mordred can typically be found in just one place.

Gramarye has swallowed him. He had high hopes for the resources available within the magical research facility, and so far he hasn't been disappointed. The opportunity to venture beyond the wall for a more thorough pass has yet to present itself, and Mordred isn't so dismissive of Bryn as his guide that he's prepared to risk her extreme displeasure by simply strolling out there himself. What that means is, he has to rely almost solely on Gramarye for information, and he has thoroughly devoted himself to the task of absorbing it.

It's been a few days. And nights. Requiring significantly less sleep means that a) he gets more accomplished, and b) his roommate Draco basically has an entire apartment to himself, minus one corner cloaked in darkness and stars.

This evening (morning? afternoon?) Mordred is three stories up in the library, balancing on a ladder as he selects the books he wants to work through next. Every once in a while, he'll toss a book sideways, whereupon it spirals down and settles delicately on top of a stack accumulating at one corner of a large table below. There are a few plants gathered on the other end of the table, like specimens, preserved in bubbles of what looks like shimmering glass.]


.III. Cocktails
[Through the graciousness of Millennial Loki, Mordred has acquired VIP access at the club Trixie.

However, he hasn't actually used it yet.

He's been sort of systematically trying out all of the places in Riverview that serve alcohol, not because he is often in the mood for a drink, but should the mood strike, ostensibly it's best to know exactly where to go. Trixie has turned out to be one of those places, not just because he gets along with the owner, but because the bartender likes to experiment and Mordred is not opposed to judging the results.

He's there tonight, leaning on the bar, distractedly nursing something that is three different neon colors and has a name he didn't bother to hear before he started drinking it.]

Comments

.II.

[inlaid]

[Bryn had already been with Taako when they discovered she had powers, so there wasn't any need for her to reach out to him to let him know what was going on. This accounted for one of the two people she felt like reaching out to on the matter. She and Mordred aren't close at this point, but she tends to be a good judge of character and knows that he's likely to be a good person to speak to about this unexpected change in her life.

Besides that, he's good company, period. It's not a hardship to get to know him better.

As promised, she arrives at one of the larger gardens at Gramarye with a bag of food. It's not complicated fare but it's delicious, with fixings for sandwiches, a few bags of chips and sodas. There isn't any alcohol in the bag but if either of them want to spike their drinks, well, she's rarely without a flask of some sort.]

You don't mind sitting on the grass do you?

[She feels the sudden urge to kick off her feet and feel grass between her toes.]

iii

[spellslots]

[Millennial Loki is not the Loki that Taako really knows, but other Loki had mentioned the club, so he's here to have a bit of a sticky beak and see what it's all about. Also: he likes dancing, that was a big draw.

He barely even notices Mordred at first, because that drink looks pretty great and he slides up to the bar to ask:]

Yo, hey, any chance you-- oh. [There's a split second of surprise with the recognition, before Taako grins.] Evening, pumpkin.

[So that's is still happening, apparently.]

[eternalmagic]

[Despite his offer, prying himself away from the library took some doing. But it's probably a good thing that she's getting him out here, because next to the library, the garden is his second favorite thing and how long has it been, exactly, since he's seen the light of day? The fact that it's even a question is telling.]

Never. [Would have suggested it if she didn't, in fact.

Mordred takes some of the burden from her, helping her to lay out the spread between them on the soft grass. The garden of Gramarye is more tame than the wild jungles of Riverview, but there is a gentle thrum of magic all through it, like it has soft thoughts of its own, and likes peace and quiet. A good place for a picnic, provided everybody cleans up after themselves.]

Mmm... A-minus.

[eternalmagic]

[Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world...]

Hey, watermelon.

[Let's not start this again please

Mordred shifts just a little so that he's turned a bit more toward Taako, still leaning against the bar and paying a fair amount of attention to his drink (which, yes, it is pretty great).]

Causing trouble?

[inlaid]

[Bryn doesn't bother with a blanket but sits right down in the lush green grass and begins unloading things. It's beautiful here, and not a place she usually comes so it feels like the escape she could use right now.

His grade, however, earns him a lifted eyebrow.]

A-minus? Even when I've brought you this...[she reaches her hand into the bag again, and then pulls out a perfect, ripe...] pear?

[Because apples are a cliche even in her world and pears are so much more juicy and delicious.]

How can you give an A-minus to this?

[eternalmagic]

[He will return that eyebrow, miss, and he will also be taking that pear thank you very much.]

Nearly perfect. But I don't see dessert.

[Points taken for lack of cupcakes! Maybe most professors wouldn't care about that sort of thing, but he likes to be thorough, and also he's never really been able to escape having a faerie sweet tooth.]

[inlaid]

[Excuse you Mordred.]

That's because dessert is a surprise and we haven't had the meal yet. Unless you're a dessert before person in which case I could adjust my plans...

[Look these things are not set in stone so she'll adapt but you can't grade her when she hasn't even taken everything out of the bag yet mister.]

[eternalmagic]

[WELL THEN. Not that he isn't very easily a dessert before person, but. He holds up a hand in polite surrender.]

I stand corrected. Don't let me disrupt your picnic agenda.

[In the meantime, then, he's going to take a nice bite of this pear and set up a sandwich to go with it. Don't mind him if he conjures up a couple glasses (with ice) in delicate wisps of smoke.

He gives her a chance to put together something for herself before he finally asks.]

Seems like you've got a lot on your mind since I last saw you.

[spellslots]

[It can't start again if it never ended in the first place.]

I would never. [A hand on his heart to show how sincere he's being.] Unless breaking hearts is trouble, but that's like, my daily life.

[He's so full of it.]

[eternalmagic]

I'll bet it is.

[Since Taako doesn't appear to be making a swift getaway, and despite being a smartass sometimes Mordred is not actually rude, he straightens up to face a person with whom his primary bond lies in dressing him up in slutty lingerie. Ice = broken.]

You haven't crashed any more of my classes. Should I take that personally?

[spellslots]

Is this your way of saying you missed me?

[His grin is a little sharp but he's mostly just teasing. The reason he hasn't been around much is because his personal life exploded quite messily, which is why he doesn't give an actual answer.]

[eternalmagic]

[Yeah, about that.]

I'm saying it was noticeable.

[Any absence of Taako is noticeable, honestly, he kind of draws attention just a little bit. That display with Lucretia certainly did. Mordred obviously has no idea what that was about and doesn't think it's his place to ask, but it turned out that he cared enough to... well, care. He'd never have bothered to send that herbal remedy otherwise, even if it ended up getting lost in the shuffle.]

Seems like you healed up all right. [That telltale little shimmer doesn't look any stronger than normal, at least.]

[spellslots]

[The change is subtle, but noticeable if someone's looking for it; a little tension creeps into his shoulders and when he smiles, it's a little forced, more than a bit of a front.]

Totally fine, bubbale, Lulu just tends to worry, you know how sisters can be.

[eternalmagic]

[Off limits, then. Fair enough.]

I'm an only child. [Consistently across all lives, which is sort of weird, objectively. But, since Taako provided a topic shift--] She's a hell of a fighter, though. No wonder you two can't agree on who's a better wizard.

[Nyahaha.]

[spellslots]

[He kind of figures that Mordred is giving him a distraction here and he's very grateful for it.]

That's me, for sure, I've got at least a few levels on her, and like, three- four? No three, it's three decades.

[Most of the time, Taako sounds pretty braggy, when talking about his magic, but he says this very matter of fact, because it's true. Give it a few decades and they'll be on even ground again, but right now Taako is more powerful.]

[eternalmagic]

[He gives Taako credit for not immediately turning it into a joke, but that doesn't mean he's prepared to offer the same courtesy yet.]

I don't know. [He eyes his glass critically, twirling the straw a little to make the colors blend.] Like I said, she's pretty impressive.

[spellslots]

You think I'm gonna show off just cause you're casting aspersions on my skills?

[He absolutely will, he just wants Mordred to know that he sees what's happening here.]

[eternalmagic]

Well, I could always show up where you work and demand it.

[He smirks a little.] Show me something interesting, and I'll buy you a drink.

[spellslots]

I work from home, my man, and if you can get into my place without approval I'll be real impressed.

[Since it's warded pretty heavily, although abjuration isn't Taako's specialty.

But a drink is a much better offer than playing at his jealousy (he's never been jealous of Lup, despite playing up the sibling rivalry) so Taako makes a quick gesture in the air, and everything goes grey and a little fuzzy. The club is still visible around them but faded and immaterial, unable to be touched. Mordred might notice himself feeling a little lighter, because gravity doesn't exist here, though he won't float away. It's complicated. Magic.

Taako casts a quick glance around for the Hunger's scouts, out of sheer habit, but it's quiet here.]

Welcome to the ethereal plane. This your first visit?

[eternalmagic]

[Even as the world around them changes, Mordred keeps his eyes on Taako. For as much as Mordred is interested to see what he'll do, it's more about how he does it; everyone here uses their magic a little differently, and that means there's something to learn from everyone. A simple point of focus, a gesture -- changing the way of 'speaking' to the magic can make such a difference.

Taako's magic is different from his own, but familiar. Mordred enjoys the ripple in the air as magic takes over, and a cloak descends... one not altogether unfamiliar, but still not quite the same.

He doesn't glance away until Taako does.]

Let's say it is. [Another slight smile, and he nudges the drink away.] Treat me like a tourist.

[spellslots]

Well, over here we have a big ol' stretch of fuck all, and behind us I think there's another swath of emptiness. [He's gesturing as he talks, tone wry but amused.] If you look to your left, you might catch a glimpse of the vast nothingness of space.

[Annnd he shrugs.]

The ethereal plane is a filter, between the material plane and all the others. Not a whole lot happens here, but I do not know this reality well enough to go sticking my dick into the elemental planes.

[eternalmagic]

[His smile grows, and this time he does look away. Lifting his hand draws faint wisps through his fingers, like running them through a cloud. A subtle shift of the atmosphere.]

Best not, unless you know for certain what's going to come back with you.

[He looks down at his palm for a moment, at the glimmering beneath his skin. His own magic becomes more visible in places like this. But in short order his attention comes right back up to Taako again.]

There are many between places like this where I come from. But they're never this quiet for no reason.

[spellslots]

There's things that can live in here, sometimes ghosts get stuck on their way to the astral plane, or other creatures that fuck around with the in-between places. I got kinda used to it being full of scouts for the cosmic terror that'd been hunting us for a century, but we kicked its ass, so....

[So now it's empty again.]

[eternalmagic]

The cosmic terror, hm? [Cue a very expressive eyebrow.] What kind of trouble do you get yourself into, Taako?

[spellslots]

All sorts. [He winks, and with that gesture drops the spell, pulling them back into the material plane because honestly: the ethereal plane gives him the heebie-jeebies a little.] But you can blame Lup for that one, she's the one who wanted to join the institute.