nysalogs | incredibly open....

Entry tags:

incredibly open....

Who: Merlin & yall
What: general catchall for January with some open prompts
When: allllll month
Where: around, possible Wyver bias
Warning(s): he'll probably make a bad decision somewhere

A. (WYVER) hangin out

[Merlin lives in Wyver in a tiny single room and works at the dragon stables! He spends most of his time out and about with his... pet....... which is a Duldrum he took home from the jungle, but don't judge him and his beautiful child. It's a little taller than knee high at its full height now and follows him everywhere, trilling pleasantly. Feel free to find him...]

I. [In and around town, with the Duldrum, which he has to occasionally lift entirely over his head to not lose it in crowds where it gets super distracted. This is probably when he'll bump right into someone else, with, you know, a bird-thing raised up in the air. Uhh.]

—Hi, excuse me, I'm just- just trying to get through, before— no no no, what did I tell you about that? [This last part as he looks up at the Duldrum, which is clawing gently at his sleeves with its clawed feet. Now, for you,] Can you do me a favor and roll up my sleeves? Or down, technically, from this angle if you want to be picky— please?

II. [At work! Where he tends to the dragons with affection and gentleness, and deals with many visitors with the complete opposite. He's probably yelled at someone for trying to pet a dragon when they aren't supposed to and it's probably startling. While he works, anyone he hasn't seen here before miiight be getting a suspicious look...]

Don't put your hands in their mouths, please. [Like, obviously? But still.]

B. (AROUND) aggressive helping

[When word starts to spread about deserters, Merlin is compelled not to desert with them, but to go out and see what's going on. Plus, he gets to borrow a wyvern mount, so the correct choice is obvious. He and his borrowed steed, a glittering blue wyvern that seems responsive to his occasional murmuring to her even if she doesn't understand (he's working on that), can be found exploring the land between Olympia and Wyver. What could he be doing?! Well:]

I. [Just generally exploring, he can be found doing anything from having a picnic with his beautiful wyvern friend to loitering outside the Edrathe Ruins, trying to listen to that spooky noise while also keeping his wyvern calm. If you approach him while he's havig a cool picnic he'll offer some food, and if you come up while he's by the ruins, he'll turn and ask,]

Do you hear that or am I finally losing my mind?

II. [Quite literally running around a camp of deserters he's wandered into, helping as many people as he can at once. He has healing magic, sure, and a ring affixed with a stone that calms people down, but it's still his habit to put most of his efforts into actual medicine: bringing water, bandages, helping make and apply simple potions and pastes for wounds... He will exhaust himself with taking on every task and occasionally slapping down some magic before long, but calming down and taking a break? What a concept. That's not happening. In fact,]

Hand me that canteen, will you? There's about six more thirsty people here who can't fetch water by themselves, so let's get a move on.

[So, you're coming? Yeah???]

C. (OLYMPIA) it's stupid

[It's hard but not impossible to get into Olympia after settling in Wyver these days, but thankfully Merlin has a solution! A passport? An excuse? No, a really good disguise of an old man who has definitely lived in Olympia for years, thanks a lot. Catch him:]

I. [Arguing with a member of the Guard about this very thing, something that involves Merlin getting louder and louder and starting to draw a few more Guards' attention, concerned that this old man is going to start making trouble...

He may actually use magic to smack two Guards' heads together, and at that point he's going to need a hand getting out of there. What he does do instead of looking around to help is shout, louder, and climb up onto an awning overhanging the gatehouse checkpoint at this entrance to the city. Oh. Oh there he goes.]

Can't catch an old man, can you?! What are they feeding you rascals that makes you so slow and lazy?!

[Merlin....]

II. [When he's not questionably being arrested, he's doing something even worse: standing between two debating civilian parties and making his own commentary, loudly and to no one. It seems each time one of the sides says something about how to best attack Wyver, this old man is compelled to pipe up loudly with something like "You think that will work?" or "Oh, yes, that's brilliant."

People are starting to get annoyed.]

D. WILD CARD

Hit me up on plurk at jojoveller if you want to plot something! Or you can just hit me with whatever!! Merlin lives and works in Wyver, so he's around... chillin... if u wanna adventure with him, let's DO IT!!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Merlin crunches a cracker a little more obnoxiously in turn. He's not starving, so he's fiiine.]

Antiseptic is the one that stings, isn't it? I've got plenty of stinging stuff fresh from the Institute. [He may have, actually, stolen these. It's up in the air. Thanks for that list of food, because he doesn't know what any of those vitamins are.] Cheese and milk aren't going to keep for very long out here, unless someone packs them in a lot of snow...

[She gives him a rather suspicious look. Robert has no reason to suspect ill of this boy, but Ros sure does. Not that she honestly cares if the Institute gets stolen from, but. Still. Squints a little.

Anyway!]

Then they'll eat those first. It's more to replenish blood lost than anything, so frankly, they ought to eat it first. Have you been using the stinging stuff? It's the difference between losing a limb or not out here.

[The real question is not did Merlin steal these, it's does Dorian still leave a back door propped open for him to sneak in and do whatever he wants?! The great mystery.]

I'll write them a meal schedule, shall I? [He won't, but he will feed them cheese and milk for breakfast if he comes back early enough.] And I have! I know how to clean an injury— I can do more than make tea and collect water.

You used to live in a time when people would smack each other with sticks when they had a land dispute. Forgive me if I'm a bit suspicious of your time period's medical expertise.

[But he's right: he does seem to know how to care for people.]

[Wow how does this complete stranger know that.........]

Swords are much more modern, even for me. I don't think that has anything to do with physician... practicing. [physicianing, he almost says] For one thing, physicians aren't idiot brutes concussing each other for fun.

[truly a mystery for the ages.......]

They are, however, under the mistaken belief that the body is composed of four humors.

[Still, though, she waves a hand.]

But that idiotic practice was still in fashion when I lived, so I can't blame you too much. At least you're not going around with a leech.

[It must be obvious from the everything about him..... that usually gives him away.]

I don't like leeches. [This is the only reason.] The physician I know isn't an idiot.

[He's defensive... but everyone he knows from home has stayed in stasis for six months now, so it's not like anyone's going to come back up his arguments anyway. Oh well.]

Edited (okay) 2018-01-02 04:08 (UTC)

[ah yes that Medieval Brand Scarf]

And who is that?

[Touchy, touchy . . . but though her view of medieval medicine is absolutely dismal, she won't be nasty and exploit that obvious weakness.]

[Six months and he still staunchly refuses to dress well, it's telling.]

Gaius, he's— he's like a father to me, and he's the king's physician at home.

[Which in Camelot is all the resume you need, but actually he's just fucking lonely.]

. . . ah.

[Well. That certainly explains the defensiveness, then.]

I assume he was who taught you all of this? Or did you learn more here in his memory?

[His gaze snaps up from his crackers and he says quickly:] His memory? He isn't dead.

[Please... Merlin wouldn't survive. But he relaxes easily enough after that tense couple seconds.]

I helped him back at home, but I've been picking up a few things here and there these days.

[She waves a hand impatiently again.]

He's asleep, though, and that's almost as bad. People here tend to indulge in familiar activities to remind them of their loved ones. Ergo: you learning more about medicine to remind you of a man who's as good as your father.

["As good as your father"; that makes him frown as it nudges at a few more painful, lonely memories. But this complete stranger doesn't need to suffer his life story, so never mind...]

You don't have to make it sound so cold. I'm doing what I've always done because of him, sure. That's true enough.

I'm a cold w-- person.

[She shrugs, not particularly sorry about it. She's not particularly intent on getting him to admit to anything, either, so:]

. . . in any case. This is an admirable venture, but do watch yourself. I'd hate to come back out in a week and find you sick.

[hmm that's not suspect]

There has to be somewhere better for them to go than camped out in fields out here. I should hope it wouldn't take a week to find.

[Maybe the more isolated outposts are friendlier to civilians who don't want to be involved in violence? Surely, someone out there...

This is notably not his word that he won't overwork himself again, but never mind.]

[She hears that, buddy, but she's not his mother. She won't bully him too much, not yet.]

Is there something better, or simply blind hope steering them all?

[Have mercy. He shrugs, anyway, shaking his head after with a short sigh.]

I don't know. There's a place I know of that's a few days' walk from here, but it's still Olympia's lands, so I can't be sure.

[Maybe he'll go on a field trip and find out.]

I wish you the best of luck.

[Hey, Ros, why don't you offer to teleport him to that place? That'd be nice of you. It wouldn't take much effort and it'd be a real great thing to do for this poor exhausted twig, so--

Oh. No. You're just reaching into your bag to set the apple core down and get some water. That's . . . fine.]

And when they all get there . . . do they have a plan for what they'll do, these defiant refugees?

[No, it's fine, he has days to spare... getting all the way there from his home in Wyver, which is even farther.]

Live? Be happy? [The truth revealed: Merlin is a plucky idealist.] I can't say I blame them for not wanting to be in the middle of a war.

That's a very nice sentiment, but I more meant structurally. Does this location have running water? Electricity? Do any of these people know how to build homes, lay down pipes, grow food, stitch themselves up . . . it's all very well and good not to want to be caught in a war, but there's a difference between fleeing towards something and simply running blind.

It's one of those outposts— not the one they had the gala at, another one. It's further out, so maybe they'd be out of the way there. I've been there— they had enough room for two hundred or so of us, a while back.

[So it's... a maybe, on the space at least.] You'd have to ask them about what they know how to do.

[Well, that's far better than she thought, frankly, and she nods in grudging approval. They've something of a chance in a place like that, or at least more so than she thought they would.]

I hope it's enough.

[Both the outpost itself and whatever talents these people have among them.]

. . . I've been around when a city is founded. It's trickier than most people realize. That's why I question it; it's nothing to do with morality. I don't blame them for wanting to dodge a war, but . . . I simply hope they realize what they're undertaking.

[...Hm. Well, that's a good point. Merlin hasn't experienced the founding of a city but he's been around for the near-collapse of a kingdom more than once, so he at least has that frame of reference for what it's like to be caught up in it all.]

I'm not sure... [He hesitates, looking back at the rest of the campsite because he is about to doubt them a little and doesn't want anyone else to be listening.] I'm not sure they know how these things go. Some of the younger ones think they'll be going home sooner rather than later. I can't help them with that.

[He can pass out water.]

[God, he's so much nicer than Rosalind "just straight up talking and fuck em if they hear me" Lutece.]

No. You can't.

[That might sound negative, but she's simply affirming it. Truth be told, this idealistic boy reminds her a little too much of Robert-- not in mannerisms or speech, god, no, but simply the way he seems so eager to look on the bright side. It'd been Rosalind who'd had to bring him down time and again, much in the same way: by firmly telling him the facts of the situation.

Odd, to be in disguise as Robert and doing it.]

. . . though I hope for their sake that they're right, those younger ones.

[Rosalind glances back over at him, then sighs heavily. Uuuugh. Ugh ugh ugh, damn this stupid boy and how she's basically conditioned herself to be reminded by Robert about anything, this is the worst, she's so inconvenienced . . .]

Stand up and give me your hand. The outpost is few days travel from here, you said? Towards Olympia?

[The abrupt response makes him frown, but not because he's surprised; he knows he can't pick all of these people up and move them somewhere that will definitely be safe. War doesn't work like that, unfortunately, but he'd still like to try. There isn't even a guarantee that this outpost will take them, being as they are still deserters...

But, ah.]

—West, towards the coast. Not where the beaches are, north of there... [At least his mental map is sound. He doesn't know where this is going at all, but he obliges, standing and holding his hand out. Sure, why not.]

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