eswareinmal | And above all, no wishing for more wishes

Entry tags:

And above all, no wishing for more wishes

Characters: Rupert Giles and YOU!
Open? Oh, yes.
Where: All around Schwanheim and the surrounding farmland
When: All day 2nd of Rebirth's Decline
What: Giles is stuck in a bottle. Giles would very much like to let out of the bottle. Giles will grant you a wish should you let him out of the bottle. And if you don't want a messed up poltergeist throwing furniture around, you should probably take him up on that.
Warnings: PG - Mayhem and chaos, but probably nothing much worse.
A bottle catches your eye, as you go about your business

It might be sitting on the dresser of your room, on a windowsill as you walk down the street, or just laying in the grass as though carelessly discarded. It seems, in all aspects, to be a perfectly ordinary bottle...except, well, you probably know by now that it's never a perfectly ordinary anything. For one thing, it seems to contain something, a swirling white mist that seems to move throughout the bottle like a living thing, trapped and testing the walls of its prisons. For another, well, for those who can sense it there's an undeniable spark of power about the bottle, a sense of magic, something that just makes it stand out. And for a third, it's just quite a nice bottle.

Maybe it was left here just for you to find. How else can you explain how it wound up here, just where you happened to look at this very instant, sitting just where it needed to catch your eye?

Go on, pick it up. It will fit nicely in your pocket (even if you don't currently have any pockets) and a bottle is a useful sort of thing to have around, isn't it?

Well, once it's empty. Maybe you should uncork it and shoo that strange mist out, first. Can't tell what it might do to whatever you put inside, otherwise.

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Helios will wince at that flash and then blink a hand going above his eyes as he looks at the source of said light. He was not expecting that, not at all. An initial jump and a slight shake at that cracking glass.

"G-Giles?!" His voice is surprised, slightly jumpy and shaky too. Helios is standing in apparent bewilderment looking at the other with pity and apology. Definitely not the genie or pixie he was initially thinking of.

Giles looks up with a start, eyes wide and confused and lost. "Helios?" he stammers. Then, the moment seems to pass. Giles casts a look around the room, and sighs in frustration as he realizes where he is. "Oh, good lord. It just would to be you, wouldn't it?"

He casts a distasteful glance down at the bottle that was so recently his prison, before looking back up at Helios with evident annoyance on his face. Giles is coming more and more back to himself by the minute, and it's clear that he doesn't really like the situation he's found himself in.

"Just so I'm clear. All the magical research of an academy at your disposal...and you shake something you can't identify?"

Helios flinches a little at that hardened gaze directed towards him. "I-I didn't know...I was just...c-curious. And it, it didn't seem to be dangerous so I just..."

He'll stop his stammered reply and shake his head, sighing. "Who did this to you, Giles?" He looks so very unhappy at the moment all that excite due to his undying and damning curiosity lost completely at the sight of his best friend tethered to some bottle like a prisoner.

"What doesn't seem dangerous, um, can be the most dangerous of all, Helios."

As Giles turns his gaze back on the bottle, his tone is more of reproach than true anger. He can't really fault Helios, after all. The magic on the bottle knew its stuff, he'd felt as much during his captivity. And, well, there were moments when even Giles couldn't help himself, especially if it meant being let out for a bit.

"A witch. She, ah, she lives in the Two Faced Forest. You, um, you know I was...wandering about, yesterday, trying to get any signs of that roc from the new moon. Found her instead." A sigh, as Giles takes off his glasses to massage away a memory of a headache at the recollection.

"She...isn't terribly fond of trespassers. As...well, a-as I found to my cost."

"I-I know. But it-it felt like you wanted to be let out s-so..." so he really didn't have a choice, even not knowing it was Giles who was inside there. Helios would have let out whatever it was that was in there too. He knows it's not the best of ideas but he can't really help it.

Helios will sigh a little looking at Giles then the bottle. "Wandering about by yourself in a forest that's known to be dangerous." Helios doesn't understand you sometimes Giles. Bro if you wanted to go exploring you could have taken Helios with you.

"It's a-a strong curse. But I can possibly try to break it..." he'll come over then bending down towards the bottle and holding out his hand. Helios' eyes will glow then and an odd symbol will flash in a white light underneath the bottle and then there will be a loud crack and a flash of light as Helios yelps and falls back holding the hand that was outstretched to his chest. Not the best of ideas.

"Wandering about by myself in a forest that's known to be dangerous in a state where, um, quite literally nothing can happen to me."

Giles sees the sense in it. Yes, he could have brought Helios along, but if the roc had decided to put in a reappearance Giles couldn't have done a damn thing to help. Just like what happened with Olindra last night. He was utterly helpless to assist her, and it's a good thing she'd been able to assist herself.

It's not a feeling he wants to repeat any time soon.

"Helios, w-wait..." But, too late. He winces in sympathy as the curse reacts with a violent backlash, and kneels down beside Helios with an expression of evident concern. "Dammit. Are, are you all right?"

Aside from his hands shaking a little and the dazed look in his eyes he's perfectly fine. He blinks when Giles comes over still staring at the bottle.

"Wh-what? Oh. Oh, yes. I-I'm fine." He sounds winded and out of it but only for a moment as he shakes his head. He'll rub the bridge of his nose with a forefinger and thumb.

"I-I can't break it like that. It's, it's a very powerful I'll give her that." He sounds mildly impressed.

"If you say so."

If only because Helios seems too dizzied to actually remember to lie about the state he's currently in. Otherwise, Giles knows better than to believe him when he says that. Even so, he stays sitting beside the other, even if he's in no state to do anything to assist.

"Yes, it, um, it certainly is. Never knew she, ah, had quite this much power. She, she never did, not in the story."

Helios shakes his head as get unsteadily to his feet. "I never knew her t-to have that much power either."

He'll just rub the back on his neck then. "How do you break it then?" Maybe he did have to make a wish which seemed utterly ridiculous to ask of his friend.

Oh, he did. Giles knew the script quite well. He'd had plenty of time to look it over.

...but he also knew how that was liable to go, and he didn't want to put Helios through it. Giles shakes his head. "Um, y-you can't. Not now, at least. You...y-you might as well, um, put me back in the bottle, for safe keeping."

It's a lie, of course. But Helios might be distracted from the lie by the sound of splintering wood. A glance will confirm that one of his bedposts has just splintered down the middle. His bed sheets are also twisting themselves up in a tangled mess. Giles takes this all in with a look of dismay.

"Oh gods, no, not already..."

Helios is about to reply in protest when that splintering gets his attention. Way to draw away his fire, Giles. He'll gasp and step back a little from his bed. His green eyes are filled with worry as he looks back over at Giles noting the other's look of dismay. That expression in his friends eyes does nothing to alleviate his concerns and Gile's lie about him helping goes completely out the window.

"What's wrong? What's h-happening? Giles, please, let me help you. J-Just tell me what I have to do." He almost sounds pleading as he looks back over at the bed again and the splintering bed posts. He is not going to stick you back in that bottle, no, that prison bro. So you might as well tell him or trash his room some more, either or works.

It's not like Giles wants to trash the room. It's his room as well, after all, and it's not even theirs' and he doesn't want to stick Helios for damages on top of sticking him for an impossible wish.

Giles looks around desperately for some way out of causing the property damage. He finally focuses on the wall.

"Um, meet me outside," he says, looking back at Helios. "I'll, um, I'll explain out there. Promise."

And with that, he's going to phase through the wall to the outside world. the fact that it's a second floor wall doesn't seem to cause the slightest hesitation. But, indeed, he'll be waiting for Helios outside the front door of the inn. Giles is hugging his shoulders and looks quite distressed, obviously trying to make himself look as small as possible, looking at the people around them like they're something small and breakable and he's wearing greased mitts.

"...make a wish," he says softly, as Helios joins him.

Helios will hold up a hand about to say 'wait' but Giles is far too fast for him and has already phased through the wall. Helios will blink and sigh, rubbing the back of his head as he looks around at the room and the splintered bedposts. He'll bend down and pick up the bottle with a glare. He wasn't even strong enough to break this curse he felt oddly helpless, useless even, because of it.

And so without anything else to muse on he'll go and meet Giles outside. It's several minutes before he makes his way out and when he approaches the other Helios looks rather shocked by that statement. "A...wish? I-I mean you're serious about this?" Helios will look away clearly distressed by Giles' disposition.

"It'll be alright Giles. I don't suppose I could...wish to have you break out of that bottle, could I? O-Or maybe have something or...someone take your place?" Helios covers his mouth with his hand. Oh. Whoops. He didn't mean to say that out loud. But he would take the other's place, in a heartbeat, just because Giles looks so distressed that it's painful to watch.

Take his place? Giles stares at Helios in suspicion and outright surprise. That doesn't sound like Helios to suggest, willingly putting anyone else through this...

...unless that someone else was Helios itself. Giles delivers a perfect facepalm without even bending his glasses.

"Perhaps you could wish away your frightening tendency towards self-sacrifice."

That said, there is not a blessed thing Giles can do to stop Helios making a wish to that effect, and he knows it, and that scares him. Even so, he holds up a hand:

"Before you say anything preceded by those two words, s-stop and think. We're, um, in a fairy tale. More or less. Anything you wish is, um, going to have a tendency to go wrong.

I, um, I know how to break this curse, f-for what it's worth. So...um, rest easy on that, at least."

Edited 2012-05-18 12:44 (UTC)

Helios winces at that reprimand. He didn't mean to say that out loud! He looks entirely embarrassed and beside himself as he looks back at Giles.

"I-I didn't mean it like that. I. I just want to h-help, you know." And he knows by going this route would be a double edge sword. Having the wish backfire in who knows what manner would be just as bad as not helping at all. Helios just sighs rubbing his arm as he does so.

"You know how? I-I suppose it has to do with wishing, doesn't it?" Most stories typically with genies usually do.

"...I know you do. I, um, I never doubt that. But, Helios...um, be practical about this. The curse was, um, cast on me. We have no way of knowing whether the, um, the same conditions will carry over if you were to take it on yourself. No, it's, um, it's better if I just sort this out. If she turns out to have been lying...well, then, um, then we'll examine other avenues."

With a bit of care, Giles leans against the wall next to Helios. Here, in the shade of the inn, he looks almost tangible in doing so. Then Giles stares thoughtfully up at the sky and starts turning over possibilities.

"Yes, it does. I, um, I have to grant the wishes of a certain number of people, a-and then...well, my time in the bottle is at an end. If you make a wish, and it's within my power to grant it, I will." He has to.

"I think, um, I think her intent was to bother as many of we heroes as possible. Nothing more. She, um, she really only wants to be left alone. The words 'get off of my lawn' were actually spoken around, a-and it's not as though I can actually stand on her bloody lawn in any case."

"S-Sorry." It's just mumbled and he looks down at the ground as he says it. He knows Giles is right and has a few good points, he knows he should listen and heed the warnings. Curses made for a specific person are usually impossibly hard to break just because they focus so much on the one subject they're targeted towards. It would take him and possibly two more people to ever truly break something like the curse placed on Giles. Having himself replace him wouldn't make the curse go away of course.

Helios will shrug and run a hand through his hair. "I-I can understand her reasoning. I-I don't think putting, putting a curse on someone would be the first choice I'd take though. But, well, wishes..." a pause as he paces.

"I-I don't even know what to wish for." It's said softly and quietly. He's never had the opportunity to wish for something for himself. He doesn't even know what to ask for there's really nothing he would want...except. And then he'll look back at Giles a small smirk touching his lips.

"What do you want? M-Maybe I-I could wish for you to be corporeal or-or lots of tea so we have enough when we get you fixed." A smile. "I think the first one is better though, really. There's plenty of more chances to get tea."

Needless to say, Giles looks a bit taken aback, at this. He blinks, looking startled and, briefly, at a loss. For a second, he wants to chide Helios again...but, no. Wishes made for the sake of another...they seem to go wrong a bit less often, if he remembers his stories. And no one remembers stories like Giles does.

"...I'd, um, I'd like to be...corporeal, again." Even he's surprised by the sound of his own voice, soft and faraway and sad. The possibility is one Giles tries not to dwell on, but, well, Helios had asked...

"It, um, probably wouldn't make a bit of difference, t-to the curse, at least, but...well, I'd, um, I-I'd at least have a, um, a better chance of cleaning up the mess."

Helios isn't sure whether to laugh or not at the other man's expression. Was it really so strange for him to wish something like that? He would do it in a heartbeat because he knows Giles would do the same. Wishes made for the sake of another...those usually turned out well enough, didn't they?

"Well then that's what I'll wish for. I wish that you, Rupert Giles, were corporeal for as long as possibly allowed." He's not sure how long it'll be but it's better than nothing. And while he's at a lost still on how to help the other at least with this he can...actually be of some use. Because up until now he has been nothing but unhelpful.

Giles opens his mouth to say...something. Something that he never gets to say, because then the wish takes hold and he doubles over with a gasp.

Something happens, either to the world or to Giles. One slides into proper focus with the other. And for a second it hurts, having a body again. It hurts, and it's heavy, and it's far, far too loud as his lungs take in air and his heart beats and his pulse pounds and his mind races to juggle all these things, to manage a body it hadn't had ten seconds ago.

But then his mind returns to dealing with these unconscious processes, like a paperboy late on his rounds and getting back on his bicycle for the first time after a long illness. And then Giles smiles. Because they're also sweet, these signs of existence, they're sweet and they're his and Giles laughs in utter happiness.

And then he'll do what he's wanted to do for days, which is step forward and hug Helios tightly. He doesn't thank him. He knows what Helios would say. But, for once, just this once in this strange fairy tale city, actions can speak louder than words.

Helios lets out a small gasp when Giles hugs him tightly like that. He was not expecting that bro and, really, he should by now because he knows the other so well. He should learn to expect these things at times like this but he's always been hard on himself and he knows that his self esteem isn't the greatest, especially when it comes to helping his friends and the like. He is just trying to blink back that stinging in his eyes before he returns the hug. Because he has wanted to do this since the other had left all those months back in Luceti and now that he can...it's nice. It's a wish that if he could make it happen everyday even if only for a few hours he would do so.

"You don't have to th-thank me for this either." It's a mumbled reply from him because he knows Giles will try to find a way to do so or want to in the future and it's really not needed. He just wants the other to know that.

"If you say so."

But, really, it's too late. This is his thanks. This is all the love he has for Helios and all his gratitude at being given even these couple of hours to really, truly be alive again. Cold skin be damned, Giles is going to spend a few seconds more just holding the other and basking in the moment.

Finally, as the precious seconds tick away, Giles pulls back. He takes off his glasses, swipes away the beginnings of tears from hsi eyes, and replaces them before looking back at Helios, still looking so very simply happy.

"So. Um. You, y-you mentioned tea?"

"I do say so." Because it was true. This was a wish well deserved and well used in Helios' eyes and for the moment? He's glad that he was able to help Giles in someway other than what's happened before this. He doesn't honestly mind the lingering hug not like he would use to. No awkward shifting or shuffling to move away no, not with Giles, he just lets the other man basking this moment warm skin be damned.

He looks away sheepishly as he tries not to notice the other man wiping at his eyes, his attention diverted to the surrounding area.

"Tea yes. And maybe if we can find the ingredients I was thinking...steak and kidney pie too." A smirk. He knows how you love that dish bro might as well go all out, hm?

Helios should know how much Giles loves steak and kidney pie. If he didn't, the expression on Giles' face when Helios mentions it should be plenty of confirmation.

"Y-Yes, well," he says, fidgeting with his glasses. "In a place like this, I, um, I can't imagine it should be, um, terribly hard to find the right ingredients. We, um, might not have our own oven, anymore, but someone should be willing to prepare them properly."

Having share taste buds with Helios once or twice, Giles even knows a couple of chefs around town that he'd trust to do so.

Giles turns away, shading his eyes as he stares down the street, into the bustling crowds. "I...I think the market is this way, from here. Should probably be our first stop. Shall we?"

Oh he knows. Helios knows all too well especially back in Luceti when times were rough and experiments not kind to them both. He knew the other's fancy towards the dish and that's the reason why he suggested it. Helios will look out towards the mentioned market a smile as he nods and motions for the other man to lead. "I think you're right. C-Could always use a bit of magic too if need be. But I don't think anyone would really say no to cooking it for us, would they?" Helios at least has been making some money taking odd jobs here and there and actively trying to help out in the terms of this place. Even if it's just a small little fixing up of someone's house. He's trying to get on better terms with the locals see things from their perspective and whatnot.

"I think the market is a good place to start. I-I haven't really been there very much. This will at least get me out a bit more and seeing the sights." And he gets to do it with his best friend so that's a plus too.

And above all, no wishing for more wishes

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