Floor 2, Room 6

[lustro]

GINGER

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[lustro]

Is it… really as bad as they say?

[ Day had said he was okay, but Ginger studies him closer - just in case he can tell if something malignant lingers. ]

Is it a calamity?

[troublereduction]

[ The good news is that he's fine. He luckily had the foresight to protect himself before handling the rock before they purified it, and the Southern wizards all cast protection magic to keep themselves safe from its taint. ]

It...was pretty bad. I dunno if this is a part of the Great Calamity they were talking about, but as far as we can tell, a piece of the moon ended up wreaking havoc in a town's crop field. The crops started turning black and dying, and everyone who was working the field or ate the wheat harvested then fell ill.

One farmer's leg was all...withered. Bad enough that we couldn't heal it.

[lustro]

Eh - what?! And they sent you out there?!

[ What if some of that had infected the Southern wizards? ]

And you’re absolutely sure you’re okay? Really? You’re not going to - wither or disappear?

[troublereduction]

[ Gently: ]I think if that was gonna happen I wouldn't be here talking to you.

We could tell the rock was radiating some kind of...nasty-feeling magic, and a lot of it, so we all cast protection magic on ourselves. We purified it once we managed to find it in the field.

I was the one who dug it up from the ground and... [ He pauses, like he isn't sure if he should say what he's thinking because Ginger is already in full-blown worry mode, but now that he's brought it up he can't not say it. ] Y'know, even though I didn't touch it myself, I could still feel something like...like a weird resonance from it? Then it was gone after we purified it.

[lustro]

That’s -

[ They weren’t even gone for that long? A short amount of time compared to the days since they’ve arrived here. Too short. It’s frightening to think that Day could have died in that amount of time. ]

I don’t like that. I’m… worried. [ Clearly. ] The next time you go out, we should go together - or, or come up with stronger protection spells.

[troublereduction]

Well, it's done and we're all safe. [ So there's no real point in worrying about what had happened, and it's only fair to worry about what could happen up to a point. ] Though, speaking about protection spells, I do wanna practise them more.

[lustro]

[ He’s glad they’re safe, but… nothing has been solved in the grand scheme of things… So… ]

… Will you teach me the ones you know? I’ll ask around and see if I can augment them somehow.

[ Signing up for overtime - ]

[troublereduction]

Never thought I'd see someone volunteering for overtime. [ He's joking. ]

But sure, I can teach you. Though, uh, I guess also explain how I've been...thinking of my spells.

[lustro]

[ The briefest face when Day mentions overtime.

He tilts his head. ]

Huh? What does that mean?

[troublereduction]

Oh, 'cause I've been trying to see if I could recreate something I could do back home here, with magic. Magic here is cast from the heart, but the stuff I could do back home is... [ How does he put this in a way that makes sense... ] Hmmm. Based on the constellations. Borrowing power from the meanings associated with them. So the protective magic I've been trying to do is more like... blessing someone in dodging danger, I guess you could say.

[lustro]

[ Huh. That sounds like it would be something easier to handle - for Ginger, anyway. He’s not taking too well to magic that’s reliant on his indecisive heart. ]

I think I understand. What constellation would that be?

[troublereduction]

The Ewer. Sign of romance, hope and smilin' at your troubles. [ He says this fondly, like he's talking about a familiar friend. ]

[lustro]

Ah, so you’re a romantic?

[ It does sound like a constellation Day would take to. What he’s seen of him anyway. ]

[troublereduction]

Haha, do I seem that way to you? [ Perhaps not in regards to his own relationships, because it's gotten complicated and will probably stop having a certain wrinkle. But he still believes in the value of love, even love that's since been lost. ]

[lustro]

[ He takes a sip from his mug, letting the tingle of wine draw out the words he’s searching for. ]

You’re kind despite the blood. [ From the first time they met. ] You smile despite the weight of your job. And you try, even as you think I might forget you.

Right?

[troublereduction]

[ ...

Day takes another drink of his wine too. Note to self, Ginger is more perceptive than he gives him credit for, at least some of the time. Maybe he shouldn't have asked that question that night. It gave away a little too much. ]

I guess if you'd consider making the best of things romantic, yeah.

[lustro]

It’s the hope that makes it romantic. Something… you can’t let go of.

[ Making the best of things, sure. But Ginger thinks it’s a little more than that. ]

But I don’t know. Maybe you’ll prove me wrong.

[troublereduction]

[ Funny that Ginger says that. And if Day ever were to prove him wrong, would it be a good thing or a bad thing? ]

...Did I ever tell you what my incantation is? [ He probably hasn't had the chance yet to heal Ginger after feeding Mika, given the mission happened so soon after that night. ]

[lustro]

[ He shakes his head and holds out a free hand, palm up, waiting for the incantation. This was how Tatara made him do magic, so he just figures… this is how it is when you show someone your magic. ]

[troublereduction]

[ Well. He was just going to explain, but when Ginger does that he may as well deliver, yeah? He brings out a string of prayer beads made up of five different colours, with 10 beads for each one. ]

Amor manet. [ "Love endures". A handful of sugar drops into Ginger's palm. ]

[lustro]

[ And Ginger, who understands all the earthly languages and doesn’t require a translation, quirks a smile. ]

So I was right.

[ He slips a piece into his mouth because sweet things are nice and this one is apparently - ]

… Made of love.

[troublereduction]

[ ...When Ginger puts it that way, it's a little embarrassing. ]

Took it from a bit of scripture. Just thought it was kinda funny how you were right on the money.

[lustro]

I’m keeping in mind everything you say when we talk, you know.

[ He does, genuinely, enjoy their conversations. Maaaybe even the teasing, but he can’t say for sure. It makes him feel weird in his stomach. It’s not the kind of teasing he’s used to.]

What’s the rest of it? The scripture.

[troublereduction]

[For some reason, that both warms his heart (Ginger is paying attention to him) and mildly terrifies him, bringing to mind the best and worst parts of working in the division full of socially savvy people. But at least Ginger is just one person. ]

"Once, there was a maiden…
...who fled a shadow, in the company of a friend.
They traveled through strange places, and among strange people.
'How can you trust me,' he asked, 'with such horror behind you?'
'Love endures,' she said."

[ So he said it was scripture, but it's also a poem? One which he recites from memory without hesitation. ]

[lustro]

Pretty…

[ But also complicated in the way all scriptures are. Is love the trust they share or the shadow that chases them - enduring the distance, the years? ]

So… are you the question or are you the answer?