OPEN | I lost control

[dontgiveabuckland]

Who: Cam Buckland (dontgiveabuckland) & YOU
What: Catch all open log for May
When: May
Where: Flona Cove and in the forest
Warning(s): None


I. Get a job, like everyone else, Cam
[Cam is now the proud owner of three (3) daggers which means one thing: juggling!
There’s something nostalgic about busking for coin—feels like a lifetime since he left his life as a traveling entertainer, even though he spent 24 years of his 25-year-long life doing it. So much has happened since then; he’d gained no small amount of notoriety all over the Dawn Republic, fought giants and defeated medusas, inspired a (less than flattering) show detailing he and his friends’ adventures. Went from a nobody, to a somebody, and here he is again. A nobody.

And it’s harder to mooch free rent when you’re a nobody. JJ, Frederick, and Clair haven’t complained yet, but Cam isn’t entirely without shame. So here he is, on a more popular spot of Flona Cove, with his bandana upturned on the ground in front of him, silently beckoning for coins, as he puts on a show. The dagger juggling is a little rusty, and he occasionally has to catch them by the handle instead of the blade, but can you juggle daggers, anonymous reader of meta?]

(or Option B): [There are two Cam Bucklands, heaven help your soul. One of them is flawlessly juggling an impressive amount of knives, while the other one is being his own hype man, calling out to the crowd,]

Witness! Feats of daring like you’ve never seen before!! [Then, covering his mouth, and (poorly) throwing a falsetto voice,] He’s so cool and manly!

[Two guesses which one is the illusory duplicate.]


II. When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, (That's Vena Amoris)
[In the forest, there is a cry for help. Less mournful or spooky and more just… incessant and annoying. Just, heeeeeeeeeeelp, Help! Help-help-help-help-help! in a repetitive cadence. It echoes around the trees, disturbing any nearby wildlife, and altogether just bothering anything within a one mile radius.

At the center of it all, is Cam Buckland, helplessly and impressively tangled in vines, to the point that his feet no longer touch the ground. He’s hanging at a slightly skewed angle, arms and legs splayed into awkward positions as he looks at the world at an angle. He’s heard about some of the more… aggressive plants out in the forest, but that does no good for him now, hopelessly stuck and waiting for some kind soul to take pity on him.

Heeeeeeelp]

Comments

I-B

[flashystyle]

I've seen it before!

[Says a seated onlooker, one leg crossed over the other, not even bothering to look over his sunglasses at Cam as he sips from a martini. No one looks more unimpressed (and stylish) than Dorian.]

With much cooler and manlier men!

w o w

[dontgiveabuckland]

[Firstly, who asked for your opinion, Dorian. Secondly, there is no second point. Cam deadpans into the crowd, his dupe continuing to juggle flawlessly. It's not hard to find the heckler because there's not much of a crowd to speak of.]

How dare you besmirch the honor of that woman who said he was cool and manly!

[Yes, the anonymous woman in the crowd who definitely exists.]

And this is just the warm up! Watch—!

[The other Cam begins upping the ante, adding in trick moves like juggling behind the back and through the legs. Real Cam is staring at Dorian, eyebrows raised, daring him not to be impressed.]

it's what he deserves

[flashystyle]

[This is the moment where Dorian removes his sunglasses in shock, awe, and renounces his heckle, begging for Cam's mercy for his wrongdoing. This is the moment he throws money at his feet and claims he is the coolest and manliest. This is it.

Dorian looks between the Cams, then looks back at the real one while he sips his martini in silence.]

maybeso.gif

[dontgiveabuckland]

[Money at his feet would be pretty great right now but someone is being a spoilsport. Several beats pass as Cam waits for a reaction. Anything.]

Ladies and gentlemen! [Suddenly, he shifts to address everyone else in earshot who isn't Dorian,] I think it's time to take it... to the next level! You've seen the magnificent Buckland Brother juggle but can he do it... [Pauses for dramatic effect] while blindfolded?!!

[The other Cam (let's call him Cam 2) stops juggling as Cam pantomimes removing the bandanna from Cam 2's head and affixes it around his eyes. He largely uses his head and body to block visuals of what he's doing (since fingers going through illusions is a good way to give it away) but he's actually pretty good at faking it, moving skillfully with the illusion as it changes.

Unless Dorian interrupts, Cam 2 begins juggling blindfolded, which earns a spattering of applause from the handful of people who stopped to watch. Eh? Eh?]

when you swim in the creek and an eel nips your cheek, that's a moray

[bravette]

[ She's learned her lesson about following voices, for sure, but there's something about this one that strikes her as... well, not particularly enticing at all. Familiar, yes, vaguely, she's only got one word repeated ad infinitum to go on here... perhaps that's what stops her in her tracks on the path and has her head swiveling for its source. ]

[ Once her ears lead her off the beaten path, Beverly unearths the modest kitchen knife she's taken to carrying in her bag on her woodland walks (for all the good it would do against another giant spider, it's better than nothing) and creeps forward. Around a tree, it really is a sight impossible to miss. ]

Oh, my god, [ she breathes, taking in the sight of the young man she'd had a mutual unwilling grilling about sewers with back on the space station, where he appears to have been dragged quite a ways from the path and strung up like a tangled marionette. ] Hey! Are you okay? How on earth did you—

[ She makes a weak gesture at it all, but she does skittishly keep her distance for the moment, half shielding herself with that tree a handful of yards away. Please say you fell cartoonishly out of a tree, not that something (or someone) tied you up... ]

When your chocolate graham, Is with marshmallows crammed, That s'more, eh.

[dontgiveabuckland]

[Cam's face brightens immediately when Bev steps through the brush. Even if she's hiding behind the tree.]

Hey!

[He sounds far too cheerful for someone gently swinging from side to side, tangled in the vines.]

This is... I was trying to collect a sample, yeah? But these plants have a mind of their own and—

[He splays his fingers out, palms open in a "here I am" gesture.]

nvm I hate this

[bravette]

[ Well, kudos to this guy for keeping a positive outlook. Is it positivity or terror? The two look so much alike sometimes. Beverly's eyebrows jaunt up incredulously at the suggestion, but unfortunately, at this rate... she's wont to believe him... That doesn't mean she wants to, though. ] You're kidding me, they just grabbed you?

[ Her eyes rove over the knotted greenery. She has a knife, in hand, she technically has the advantage here... Technically. She doesn't move. ]

How long have you been here?

[ Is it trying to eat him? That takes quite a while for carnivorous plants, the bare minimum she knows about them anyway... Could she come back with a longer knife or a stronger friend? ]

;3;

[dontgiveabuckland]

[She has a knife, Cam has 3 daggers and look at where he is now.]

Uhh... [He makes a show of counting on his fingers, though his arms are splayed out to the side,] An hour maybe? It's been awhile.

[It's a surprise his voice isn't getting raw from all of the yelling. Then again, maybe it's kind of sexy-husky. (Nah, Cam is used to being loud and annoying for long periods of time).]

Listen, I have a dagger in my trousers, but if you get too close it might grab you too.

[bravette]

[ It's not about size or quantity, it's how you use them! ]

Oh god, [ she mutters again, sympathy panging at the thought of him hanging around for so long, but at least he doesn't seem to be worse off for it... yet. ] And you've just been yelling your head off all this time?

[ That's some admirable stamina, she'll give him that. What's also admirable is how quickly he can gain and lose points with every other sentence. Her lips purse to a thin line as she shifts carefully out from behind the tree, knife of her own brandished and knees bent, ready to bolt back to her hiding place. ]

I thought you looked real pleased to see me, [ she scoffs, before dropping her eyes to the ground in search of tendrils as she takes a step forward. ] Just how fast do these things move?

[dontgiveabuckland]

[It’s a talent, making people love and hate him at the same time.]

They’re not lightning fast, but the vines are really tough. That’s how they get you, you stop to cut one vine and by the time you’re done— [Bev takes a step forward,]Wait-wait-wait-wait!

[He’s eyeing the ground too, at the vines hanging out on the ground near him. There’s plenty of talk about the various effects of the plants around Olympia, and one of them is much more famous than the others. He takes a deep breath, teeth gritted into a lopsided smile,]

There might be another way.

ii why are all thier encounters cursed

[insist]

[ What luck for you, Cam, because the only person in the vicinity happens to be this asshole, who's always exploring the area for new creatures to learn about. Rohan emerges from the bushes, dusting himself off and investigating the scene. Rather than rush to Cam's aid immediately like a ... nice person would, Rohan stops in front of him, rubbing his chin. ]

I was following what sounded like the wails of a trapped animal ... [ Though, much more annoying. Actually, no, he was pretty certain those were the cries of a human, but he's going to be an asshole anyway. ]

I see it's just you, Cam Buckland. [ just pretend he somehow knows his last name now from idk .. .listening around...... ]

90% of it is your fault

[dontgiveabuckland]

[If Rohan knows Cam's first name, he absolutely would know his last name.

And Cam may be entirely strung up like the most unfortunate marionette, but he still has dexterity in his fingers. Dexterity that he uses to casually flip Rohan off. That's the kind of friendship they have now, clearly.]

Yeah yeah. Why don't you make yourself useful and cut me down already?

i only give you wholesome tags for wholesome boys and girls

[insist]

[ So rude. Being flipped off really annoys him, but rather than get huffy, his smirk seems to widen. ]

I remember you claiming to be a hero of the city. Are those the kind of manners a hero should have? [ He will help, since he doesn't actually want to leave someone to get strangled by some vines, but he'll do it at his ... own pace. ]

Then again, it's rare to find a hero stupid enough to get trapped by vines. [ rohan pls, you got trapped by vines last month ]

[dontgiveabuckland]

Well. Since I am a hero, wouldn’t it go without saying that whatever I do… [Ah, the way he’s gently swaying in the vines made him slowly turn to not face Rohan. He waits until he sways back,] …is what a hero would do?

[It makes sense to him.]

[insist]

[ Technically true, and Rohan also doesn't care enough to argue the technicalities of what a 'hero' means. He moves on. ]

Luckily for you, I happen to know the way to subdue these vines. You should be grateful that I'm here, and if you're smart you won't disrespect me with that gesture again. [ Still a bit offended that he got flipped off. ]

Do you know anything about behaving properly at all?

wildcard

[almaredemptoris]

[As strictly as he avoids entangling his life with the lives of others, Jean Valjean has come to regard Cam as a reliable man, one who despite a veneer of occasional outlandishness does not capitulate to capriciousness. As such, he readily accepts him as a partner in this endeavor that takes them into the wilds surrounding Olympia. Behind them, the imposing walls of the city shrink smaller, or else vanish from sight behind the crest of a hill or a screen of foliage. His keen eyes scour the landscape for the unique flora in which the Wyverns may be interested. For the labor at hand, he is dressed in a manner less fastidious than what Cam may have come to expect from him. Gone are the tie, waistcoat, and jacket, and the remaining shirt and trousers are of a coarser make.] What of those over there? [He gestures to a swath of the surrounding meadow, where he spies within the common grass clusters of stalks bearing thin leaves.]

[dontgiveabuckland]

[Reliable is a generous way to describe Cam, at least right now, when his hands are full with the starting of a small daisy chain. They'd already dismissed the flowers as nothing unique or unusual to Olympia, but Cam figured it doesn't hurt to grab a few. He can always ditch them if his hands get full.]

Huh? [Cam looks up from his busywork, following Valjean's outstretched arm to a stretch of grass that looks different from all of the other stretches of grass that they've been walking past.]

That looks like... something. We should get a closer look.

creakily creaks

[almaredemptoris]

[He would not place his trust in an unreliable man. His trust he holds close to himself and dispenses only in pittances, illiberal in measure equal to his liberality with his purse. If his heart and mind are fortresses that guard his past, then even the smallest breach leaves him feeling vulnerable. Cam, having so breached, has the singular power to destroy him with the secrets he has learned. Yet his nature convinces Jean Valjean that he possesses no such desire, no such pettiness, and so he trusts. He hums in assent, turning from his current course to cut across the field. Trod in the grass are the suggestion of trails where others have ventured, but here there is none to guide his step.] I have studied the flora of these lands some, but I do not recognize this grass. [As the breeze sweeps across the grass, the swaying stalks and leaves produce a faint whistling sound. Unbeknownst to Jean Valjean and Cam, the wind has also upset the plant's fine seeds, which spread as an invisible veil of dust through the air. Are you ready to become a bard, Camulus?]

[dontgiveabuckland]

[It is time to become what he always has been in his heart.

The wind sweeps across the land. It's warm and comfortable and the whistling from the grass is pleasant. Cam is not the type of person to ruminate about the beauty of the outdoors, but there is something peaceful and calming about it. It makes him miss all of the time spent traveling with his friends.

The dust tickles his nose and he sneezes.]

♪~♫~Iiiii think I might be allergic~♫~♪

[Snaps his mouth shut. What.]

[almaredemptoris]

[He gives Cam a curious look which seems to say: what in heaven's name?] Are you quite all right? [What began as an ordinary question ends in a distinctly melodic lilt as the dust infiltrates, and he frowns sharply for this peculiarity. He shakes his head as if to clear his senses, for surely he must have imagined it.] How strange. [And he frowns again, because those words definitely flew out as a song. Is this the big musical number in which they sing about their feelings?]

ii

[larsenist]

[ It is impossible not to hear Cam, with all his hollering and constant rustling of fleeing creatures, though from where Akira is the voice is as indistinct as any other. He blinks up from his current plant specimen as a woodland critter bounds past him, and a minute or so of investigation brings him to the distraught captive. ]

...

[ Hmm. He keeps a healthy distance, though it's not because Cam has 1) puked on his shirt; and 2) knifed him in the leg since their first meeting. (It's a long story.) Rather, he has a good idea what sort of flora he's looking at, if only because he's worked in the Institute greenhouse for so many months. ]

You look like you're in a bind.

[ Ha, ha, hilarious... ]

[dontgiveabuckland]

[There's not much for Cam to do but just hang around and sway a little bit. His hair, and the beads tied into it are hanging awkwardly in his eyes and he pffft's them, trying to blow them out of his face with mixed success.

Ah... it's that guy. Cam at least seems to be in somewhat good spirits for his situation and he actually cracks a grin (although it falls somewhere between amused and sardonic).]

Haaa... That's a good one.

[He swings back and forth. He'd ask what's the big hold up, but in this case, he interprets Akira's hesitation as due to their... last interaction. That whole mess was still largely a blur to him, but Sandra managed to fill in some of the missing details.]

Listen, would you help me out if I promise to let you stab me later?

[Fairs... fair?]

[larsenist]

[ He muses on that offer with a blink, before returning his own, slightly-lopsided smile. ]

Not a bad deal.

[ He's not actually looking for Cam's blood—he understands the extenuating circumstances he'd been under, which were 1) too much booze; and 2) being hypnotized by a group of extremists.

...But he does have reason to pause, again. ]

You sure you want my help...?

[ Does... Cam even know what 'help' actually means...? ]

[dontgiveabuckland]

[Cam has some vague ideas of what plant this might be. He's no botanist but word gets around and some plants are more famous than the others. In any case, it's not foremost on his mind, and he nods,]

Yeah, I mean it's only fair. I stabbed you. And I can heal myself so you can get me really good if you want.

[He is awfully cheery about offering blood to the Akira-gods.]

I have a dagger in my trousers you can use. To cut the vines, that is. And... stab. I guess?

[larsenist]

[ Alas... Cam does not seem to know what 'help' actually means... (Also he is maybe a little too chill about getting stabbed with sharp objects...??) ]

I'll think about it.

[ (No. Your blood sacrifice is DENIED, please find an alternate and acceptable form of supplication. Signed, Akira-gods.) ]

...I have a dagger in my trousers too. But that's not going to help.

[ At least, not for this plant. He takes another step back as a tendril curls toward him, poking it rebukingly and drawing away before it can curl around him. ]

Have you heard of vena amoris?

[ That's not an insult, and he's legit not trying to sound like an ass; it's quite possible Cam's heard gossip somewhere, just hasn't seen it in person or picture yet... ]