floor 3, room 4

[fellheart]

Robin

code

Comments

interior;

[fellheart]

[ the vibe, overall, is of a quiet corner of some forgotten, lost library somewhere, if libraries had grand views of the spaces outside them. somewhere one can pull out a book, curl themselves into a plush couch, rouse to alertness only after realizing they don't know what time it is anymore only to learn they've spent the entire afternoon and evening through early night engrossed in texts and thoughts.

perhaps surprisingly open in plan, and not lacking in creature comforts. the hearth burns steadily in front of a comfortable seating area, but overall the lighting is low, the atmosphere dark though not necessarily gloomily so. there's a writing desk tucked away along one of the walls, by one of the shelves, an oil lamp perched upon it. no personal writings left haphazardly upon its surface in case anyone wanted to be nosy though, sorry. even if there were, robin's handwriting is indecipherable chickenscratch.

as of a couple weeks in, there's woodworking equipment tucked away near the desk, on one of the shelves as well.

not necessarily inviting, yes, but also not an uncomfortable atmosphere to spend time in, should one choose to visit... but why tho. ]

wanderer event 1 overflow;

[fellheart]

(( cont. from here ))

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ginger, foci;

[fellheart]

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If there is a disparity between the two, yes. Sentiment has a way of complicating many things.

If it didn't, then objectivity would not so often necessitate the removal of the self from the equation.

[ confounding factors like opinions and feelings, all set aside in favor of looking at the facts... ]

Though I wonder ... [ he cants his head, resting it on a hand thoughtfully. ] Would you consider correctness to be the same as being right?

[lustro]

Hrmm...

[ Asking the hard questions here. ]

No, they can be different. Being right is more personal and being correct is more... societal? I've never really thought about it too much.

kiryu is truly a man of action;

[fellheart]

(( cont. from here ))

[ a short, amused exhalation of breath through his nose, his smile lopsided. ]

Ah, truly it is men like you who are needed whenever a realm needs saving, an evil needs slaying.

[ a war needs fighting, a dragon needs killing. ]

Has your life to date simply been you getting pointed at one problem after another? [ he did say he'd lived a storied life, more or less. ] I suppose that's one way to build an eclectic skillset...

[themanwhoerasedhisname]

Pretty much. I have a knack for landing in trouble. I don't know yet why and I sure would like to know.

[It's real unfortunate but it really keeps happening! Thankfully, everyone who has gotten him involved in their shenanigans against their will has come to regret it -- and if this world-saving thing was sketchy in any way, he'd make sure they'd regret it too, but with things as they stand...yeah, he's going to help!

Becuase his life really is a series of quests]

Do I look easy to dupe?

khun arrival overflow;

[fellheart]

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jing yuan incantation overflow;

[fellheart]

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kurapika foci overflow;

[fellheart]

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[ mildly: ] Am I to celebrate the fact that others are less fortunate than I?

[ or the two of them, considering. cultivating abilities, the way he talks about it, speaks of long practice and a mastery of the self. it might not directly transfer, but it certainly still implies several applicable traits.

he doesn't quite comment directly on it, though. instead he hums through a low note, a thoughtful sound. ]

The spirits may be the ... vehicle, I suppose, by which magic here is fulfilled and expressed... but even if the source of the power here is external, I suspect we'll see quite the variance in capability and skillsets all the same.

[revengier]

It's up to you whether or not you want to celebrate it.

[ Kurapika won't, but that's because he'd rather everyone be on an even playing field here. It would be a lot easier that way.

Even so, he can't help but agree with Robin's assessment too. ]

We will. Everyone picks new skills up at different paces, especially if some of us try to master more difficult spells first.

leo coffee run overflow;

[fellheart]

(( cont. from here ))

I'm not sure how much of a story these might actually make for, but I suppose you're welcome to make the attempt...

[ he's just going to shove one of the previous sage's accounts over at leo. the guy who wrote this apparently made friends with arthur. ]

While we're discussing this, though, do you favor having your coffee in any particular manner?

[ black? drowned in cream and sugar? ]

Re: leo coffee run overflow;

[discomposer]

Huh? I normally just have it black!

[ He's easygoing though and will have whatever. Minus Solomon's coffee, now. ]

cid languages overflow;

[fellheart]

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maya not the cheerleading;

[fellheart]

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Must I have a specific reason? I can reframe that and ask you a question as well, you realize: is there a reason it must be me who helps you in this, as opposed to someone else who is more willing to?

[positivize]

Well, for one thing, you seem like a pretty observant and level-headed guy. So I think that can lend itself better to handling certain personalities. I mean, not everyone's going to appreciate having someone shout "You can do it!" at them, you know?

joyous day and religion;

[fellheart]

(( cont. from here ))

... Yes, you don't have to be an adherent to an entire belief system to find at least a few scriptures and ideas one might agree with. And ...

Familial bonds would be an understandable reason for an item to possess enough sentimental value for this purpose, huh. Pity I didn't really get on with mine.

[ to say the least. ]

So those beads are important to you only because they are important to your sister, correct? That and the fact it was a gift, I suppose. Hmm...

[ this conversation is ... giving him an idea for what he can use as a focus, but truly, it will not be meaningful for so idyll a reason as a pleasant memory of family. ]

[troublereduction]

I kinda ended up in a different one. [ He guesses. Internally squinting at how he's adopted quite a bit of the Maidens' philosophy on things, even if it's largely because of work. ]

You getting ideas for yours now?

mikaela and sentimentality;

[fellheart]

(( cont. from here ))

[ he'll incline his head briefly, at the acknowledgment. ]

So it did.

[ though his tone is a little distant still, having gotten halfway lost in the rote patterns of analysis he'd fallen into when mikaela made clear his intent. it's strange, sensing the magic here. he is aware of all the wrong things, picking up on enough of the shape and flow of it purely out of previous familiarity with various forms of the craft to have a vague idea of what sort of spell is being worked, but not enough to truly tie to the end result. not even here, when he knew mikaela's end goal, was he able to completely track the progression from start to finish.

(supposedly they should be able to perceive the spirits here, if only they were better attuned. now, what would that look like...)

(a blade that feeds on blood, was it? the valentian school of magic forwent tomes in favor of using personal quintessence as well, spells paid for in blood and vigor. the method doesn't seem so common in either valm or archanaea's modern day, but...)

a moment's further examination of the two marks; only then does he allow himself a wry smile. ]

Well done. You appear to be a quick study. Rapiers aren't exactly made as slashing weapons, after all, and yet here we are.

[ a tree with two score marks in it, and evidence enough that even the less sentimental among them might still bend the spirits here to their will. ]

mikaela and the hungry hungry vampire;

[fellheart]

(( cont. from here ))

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ginger and caring (and or the lack thereof);

[fellheart]

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Idle curiosity, little more. You intend ... a lot of well-meaning, it seems, despite a lack of personal investment.

[ despite not caring for others... or rather, despite not wanting to, in order to not be hurt by it. he can't quite put words to it just yet, his idle curiosity wanting to tease out the nuances first. it is something he would not call naivete, per se, nor youth or idealism, but...

the one before him does seem young. young, and possessed of some interesting dichotomies. ]

Comparing how much you're willing to do for others even when you supposedly don't care, or try not to, against what you don't think others would be willing to. [ that's how this conversation started, after all. ] Weighing that against each other, and then against your defense of those who would meet the world not with apathy, but active antipathy instead ... It's simply a interesting picture, that's all.

You've been burned by caring before?

[ or is he simply afraid to let himself do so? ]

[lustro]

[ Has he…? ]

No, not by anyone else. Maybe you’re right and I’m burning, but it’s the fire I lit. I’m… the one burning through the wick - and if I care too much and burn all the way through, where does that leave me?

[ Hollow all the way through, with only a shell of wax to show the world there was once an entity called Ginger, who burned too much and too fast. ]

That’s what’s scary.

some time while they're in east, pre-easties going off on their mission- for ithaqua

[fellheart]

[ robin might have been hard to find for the last day or two, if one hadn't glimpsed him at the site where everyone's been told to work. a scar on the earth, the spirits agitated, the monsters active— certainly, he's lent his fair share of aid, but...

the east can't monopolize all of his attention. to that end, he pursues other projects, other subjects of note and interest. and one thing in particular has him seeking out ithaqua now, whether it be in their temporary lodgings in eastern territory or their slightly less temporary ones at the manor. ]

Ah, there you are. You certainly do take some effort to find ... though I suppose that might apply to a good number of us at the moment, all things considered.

[ it's wry, not reproachful. as ever, a smile plays faintly at the corners of his mouth, even if the accompanying warmth isn't quite reflected entirely in his eyes. he tilts his head, appraising. ]

I don't suppose you could spare yourself for a trip northwards today?

[leewards]

[Ithaqua hates the east so much, because it's as dreary as the rainfall that's so common in it. Too many laws, they have clearly choked the life out of a settlement-- not even the Plateau of Leng was this terrible. So when he's offered a chance to get out and go somewhere else? Ithaqua perks up and hops out of the tree he'd been loafing in.]

You've come just in time, I've nothing to do.

[He's playing hooky, so why not just leave?]

before the northie mission

[leewards]

[For once, Ithaqua has knocked on a door... but disappears immediately, leaving behind a hint of his magical signature and a small paper bag with half a dozen buns of freshly baked sourdough, each one slightly smaller than a fist, perfectly bite-sized. There's also fruit jam inside, nice and sweet, and with not a lot of that overly processed sugar Ithaqua dislikes either. How did he get it in there? Magic, of course. What flavors are there? Strawberry, blueberry, peach, lemon marmalade, and orange marmalade.
In contrast to the sweets, there are two vials of leafy green potions as well, with "healing" very clearly written in Ithaqua's overly formal script.

Enjoy, silly fellow Northie. Let's not murder each other when the mission is underway.]

before the north mission

[dadsandals]

[ Yo, Robin! Yamato doesn't know him too well but he will leave something at Robin's door: A small coin that has Yamato's emblem on it. It comes with a note: ]

I put a seal on it to try and protect you from any moon curses. Good luck, whenever you go.

- Ymt

before north mission!

[lustro]

[ At some point before the North wizards get called away, there's a small gift bag hanging on Robin's doorknob. In it is a small glass bottle filled with dandelion wishes and petals - from lilies, from roses, from all the new and familiar flowers Ginger has encountered while he gardens. The bottle feels warm to hold - and warmer still the longer it's held. At its peak, it will burn the frost away from the inside out for whoever holds it. The duration doesn't last too long, perhaps an hour at best if used all at once, but here is some small assistance offered, not requested. Here is a wish that in the face of some great and dangerous power, Robin's words and wit will remain as sharp as ever with the cold held at bay to open the way for all of his possibilities.

The bag waits patiently for the room's owner to find it before they leave - or when they return. ]

post-north mission

[foresightis2020]

[ Following his talk with Robin and a day or so after the North mission, he decides to come by his place.

So, here is a knock at Robin's door. ]

...Robin? Are you in?

[ Hopefully, he's in human form, haha. ]

[fellheart]

[ quick question what time of day is it ]

Post-North mission

[troublereduction]

[ So like, one morning about a day or two after the Norths are back, there's a knock on Robin's door. ]

[fellheart]

[ ........................ question, how early in the morning is it ]

[promittere]

[ Robin will wake up on Monday to a very peculiar scene. They will see who they saw when they stepped into the mysterious circle a week ago...but the visage of who it was before scatters to the wind, and reforms as someone new. The thread of fate severs, and who you were one fated to be with matters no longer, as a new person takes their place with pink petals.

Who Robin sees is someone who carries themself casually, as if he were looking at an old acquaintance -- an old friend, perhaps. Despite this, they seem to be casually spinning a knife in one hand. When the petals shift, however, what's left is the same figure assuming a more aggressive, battle-ready stance that seems ready to strike at any moment, with the knife held out threateningly in front of them.

The vision fades as fast as it came, however, and before they know it, Robin is grounded back in reality once more. ]

[fellheart]

[ this is, hm. something to wake up to, and still he is not entirely sure what to think of it. can the spirits quit being so insistent with their fated one not-shipping agenda,

he will not be controlled, he will not cast off the yoke of his own world simply to be bound by the chains of another...

(still, a knife held in the hands of one who would present themselves as a friend; now that... do the spirits know how apt an image that is?

hahaha.) ]

right before western mission

[lighthaus]

[ it's finally time to get some things settled, khun thinks. he had a guess after the whole switcharoo, one that was only solidified after talking to ahito. while he's not someone who buys into fate, despite all the airs he puts on, he's a creature of both support and treachery and those are things you can't do alone.

not that he would ever allow himself to be bound to someone because the spirits said so, but if there's a benefit to it and nothing really required between them, khun's happy to take advantage.

so that's what finds him here, pretty late at night, outside robin's door.

knock, knock! ]

[fellheart]

[ the knocking echoes into nothingness. maybe there's nobody home?

okay, just kidding. there's no audible response from the other side of the door for a good several moments at first, but eventually it will crack open to reveal robin, arching an eyebrow at the late-night visitor.

(soundless movement or simply decent soundproofing? who can say.) ]

... Well. I suppose you might as well come in and make yourself comfortable, hm?