wizardmanor | Floor 2, Room 3

[It's mostly Day's fault, Phil is an innocent bystander here, no]

Perhaps you and I should each hold one while he does? It might help add an extra boost to the magic to have our own feelings for Day in the mix as well.

[ Phil, weren't you the one who assumed they made that assumption first... ]

And I just have to concentrate on the memory while usin' my magic? [ Presumably? This is uncharted territory for Day (and, presumably, all of them to some degree). ]

It’ll be us with the magic. You just have to concentrate on the memory and believe in yourself - and in us. Can you do that?

[ Phil’s suggestion is a reasonable one, but… ]

Wouldn’t his feelings for you be stronger?

In a romantic sense, yes. But those aren't the only type of strong feelings there are.

[He's well aware of just how important Ginger is to Day, too, even if Day doesn't love Ginger in the same way he loves Phil.]

[ Well, Phil isn't wrong, even if Day had an Adventure getting his feelings to where they are now. He wouldn't say it anywhere outside closed doors (much like how he loves Tatara as a friend) but he still loves Ginger as someone dear to him, even if they aren't in love. ]

...I think Phil's got a point. [ And this isn't just boyfriend bias talking. ] 'Sides, you're plannin' on stayin' here. [ In a sense, wouldn't their bond also be a sort of anchor? So involving Ginger's own feelings too would make sense. ]

Valid, but Phil’s still the one carrying the other half of the memory.

[ But he shakes his head, if they insist… He gets up from his seat and kneels down. ]

Let me set up the circle…

[ It’s something he had done with Solomon, using a simple array of his own magic to amplify Solomon’s - and he thinks it’ll work here, too, since they’re doing some pretty powerful stuff. Not to mention, he doesn’t know how stable Phil’s magic is currently. The magic circle is written in red magic stark against Ginger’s very blue eyes, woven like thread rather than chalk. When he’s done, he gestures for them all to stand in it. ]

Tell All One’s Heart.

[Taking his own place in the circle, Phil raises his fingers to brush against his monocle.

Focus, focus.

He's no stranger to magic circles, and even with his magic still less potent than he would really like it to be, his feelings for Day are strong enough that he's confident in his ability to do at least this much. If there's one thing that he doesn't have any doubt in, it's this.]

Spectemur Agendo.

[His own magic flows out to support and reinforce that circle, weaving with Ginger's like threads in a tapestry.]

[ Day steps into the circle as instructed, and while he knows Ginger told him he only needed to concentrate on the memory for this ritual, he doesn't think it'd hurt to add a little support to the array. In the end, they're trying something powerful and new, after all. (It doesn't escape his notice that Phil is using magic for the first time in a month, either.)

He calls for his prayer beads, which are wrapped around his left wrist. ]

Amor manet.

[ Day's magic joins theirs, in it's usual, subtle way; knowable only because of how it gently fits itself in with the other two, like filling in the metaphorical gaps in between. ]

[ He waits for all the threads to come together, delicate lines of what normally would be data and power turned magic. Combined, they form solidly into rope, strong in their beliefs and further twisting and knotting into macrame. Colored by Ginger’s red, it’s reminiscent of the thread of fate - and even now, even focused like this, he has to smile faintly at the symbolism of it all. ]

… Almost…

[ And there - the moment where everything stabilizes, their combined magic thrumming in harmony.

He gives Phil a nod. Good, he’s glad the man has pulled through for Day. ]

This isn’t going to be anything fancy, alright? Nothing like your ritual. Next: we establish the connection between you and us and here - so. Whose memory are we going with?

[ Day’s? Moss’? He takes one of the vessels from Phil and places it in Day’s palm, curling his own hand over for what they do best together - hold hands. Since the other two had insisted, he’ll do what’s asked. He waits for Phil to do the same, then reaches out for Phil’s free hand. In his pocket, his amulet - dandelion wishes - pulse steadily. ]

Say the word, Phil.

[Phil nods and holds one hand out to Day, his own vessel clasped gently yet securely in his palm to fit between their joined hands. With the other he takes Ginger's offered hand, giving it a slight squeeze of thanks as he does, a silent show of gratitude both for Ginger's help in this particular endeavor as well as for the friendship he's shown Day during their time there. He may not know all of the specifics, but what he does know - the only part that really matters - is that Ginger has been there for Day even before he himself was in the picture.

The fact that their array has arranged itself into the beautiful interknit pattern that it has speaks volumes, he thinks.]

I'm ready whenever you are.

[ Maybe it's a sign of Day's poor sense of humor that even in these circumstances, some part of him is delightfully amused. Maybe it's because he didn't ever think he'd be in this situation where he's holding hands with two of the people most dear to him, but here he is.

Day carefully takes the vessel Ginger hands over to him and lets that hand be held by Ginger like they've done so many times before, while his free hand squeezes Phil's, filled with warmth. ]

...Let's go with Day's.

[ Because "Joyous Day" has gained so much more meaning here, especially for a name he'd picked simply because he liked how it sounded.

"May there be more joyous days for the both of us ahead."

"It's a name you picked? Well, it's a nice one. It matches you."

"Moss" isn't any less important, but it's for different reasons. Reasons that have more to do with home than anything here. ]

Edited (When I notice bad word choice hours later,) 2024-06-22 20:32 (UTC)

[ Once the circle is complete, the three of them are connected in a way Ginger usually shies away from. For all that he acts sociable, he’s not the type to let many close. It’s disinterest rather than any real social anxiety: he has his set list of important people and that’s enough for him.

So allowing Day, and thus allowing Phil in, even just a step through the door, is… new.

But Day has felt right from the very start - and he’s glad that Day is who’s chosen now. ]

Good choice. I’m not being biased at all.

[ The magic waits, settled comfortably, for words - for images - for feelings that are wholly of the Day who belongs to this world now, as much as his own. ]

[Phil hums his agreement, the sound quiet and warm. While he would of course respect whatever choice Day made, that particular name holds a deeper meaning to him than the other. It is, after all, the name he'd paired with the words "I love you," a phrase he finds himself hoping to be able to repeat many times in the future.

Even in the end, he's still a little selfish... but maybe this time that's all right.]

I agree... it suits you well.

[He's certainly brought no end of joy to Phil, something Phil has no shame in admitting.]

Definitely ain't biased at all.

[ Said playfully to the both of them. But...he's happy they think the name suits him still.

Day closes his eyes, and thinks of the memory he wants to put in this vessel the most: the night of the meteor shower, where he and Phil sat close next to each other with their fingers laced together. How he had felt so overwhelmed with cathartic joy he'd so rarely experienced that he had nearly forgotten what it was like when Phil said "I do" in all the ways it could mean, and for the first in a long time he thought serenity was within his grasp.

(Other memories also slip in, because Day can't help it when he thinks of things that make him want to be remembered. Drinking with Yamato in his room; Ginger and him sitting by the window with wine-filled mugs. Holding onto Tatara's hand as the sage guided him through the scenery of his home and they watched that blimp in the sky that made the city look like a birthday cake. Akira tucking the sunflower behind his air. The look Kurapika had when he told him he reminded Day of his sister. Little and not-so-little things that Day found himself wishing he could be remembered for, things that were only possible because fate brought him to this world.) ]

[ The memories fill both vessels, each one a dense drop of color that paints the ocean canvas in rainbows and permanence. Covered as they are, he can’t see if the earrings change color, and distracted as he is by the memories, he doesn’t think to look just yet.

It is, perhaps, these memories that alone seem small, almost mundane - that should weigh nothing to a long-lived life - that makes him appreciate… experiencing them, even in this secondhand way. Even pennies weigh heavy when one adds them up; and the loss is felt when a single one is missing.

In his hands, these memories are far more precious than anything, and he hopes he can keep them safe. And - he hopes - by doing this, Day will understand his importance to Ginger, to Phil. ]

Floor 2, Room 3

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