eswareinmal | Action Log: 4th of RD

Entry tags:

Action Log: 4th of RD

Characters: JW and YOU.
Open: YUP.
Where: Anywhere!
When: Around mid-day.
What:JW is trying to get through his day after realizing just how good he magic'd that skull onto his face.
Warnings: JW's mouth idk.

"LADY! Lady, please!"

"Get out! Demon! Devil! Monster!" The woman in the spice stall threw spoons and heavy recipe books at James as he backpedaled out of range. And could you blame her? A tall, gangly, skull-faced creature busts up into her shop swearing about the price of a good pair of shoes, what else was she supposed to do?

It was rare that spells called for salt and there were only so many places a body could find the stuff. He'd been forced into town and hated it with every step. He wasn't wearing his masquerade skull to make a statement. He'd magic'd it into place a little too good. After waking from fitful dreams, he'd tried to undo the strap in the back and found that it did little good. The skull's jaws moved with his jaws. It frowned as he frowned, warping unnaturally. Every time sweat dripped from his brow onto his cheek, he feared it was the bone melding with his actual face.

He had to finish the spell unless he wanted to find a mob at his door with the next moon.

"Good God..." JW rubbed his shoulder and picked up his shoulder-bag he'd brought with him. That had been a pretty heavy book.

The ingredient list in his robe sleeve took him all over town. He needed salt, sheep intestine, wax...a few choice plants, a few flakes of steel...

He really wished he had a good pair of shoes.

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Bakura paused at the commotion, then blinked. "...Still wearing the mask?"

James huffed in the direction of the stall and turned to find the mage. His sorta-but-not-really rival. He flushed red under the skull. He wasn't about to admit what happened to some kid.

"Sure am. Not a huge hit with the ladies though."

"I wouldn't think it would be...." The obvious question was then 'why don't you take it off,' however...

But, Bakura, that would make sense!

JW just rolled his eyes. "You have any idea where I can find some salt? And somebody who won't scream at me over it?"

"The market should have it... you might have better luck taking the mask off, if you don't want to be yelled at..."

"These assholes are just gonna have to get used to it. What if this was my real face? Bunch of shallow bastards!" Grump grump grump grump. "I'll pay you to pick some up for me if you don't have anything to do."

Bakura blinked. "... but it isn't... " So why are you still wearing it? "And sure, I can do that."

"Alright." He dug in his sleeves and retrieved a couple of heavy coins. "Buy salt with one, however much it'll buy, and keep the other."

Bakura nodded, accepting both coins. "Be back in a few minutes."

While Flora had been a little too busy dealing with the plants about town and the castle, she hadn't heart of all the commotion that went on at the ball, she only knew through various types of gossip. But with the need for a few things to keep tending to them, she knew she had to go to the store.

Along her way though she came across the woman throwing stuff. So with wanting to stop the fighting, she made her way over "Excuse me, but may I ask what is going on?"

"Get away, child, that there's a demon right out of the wood!" The woman pointed at James and stayed firmly behind the small wooden counter in her stall.

The skull-faced man had already started skulking away from the scene. He'd just bother somebody else for salt. "Villagers being idiots. What's new?"

Flora watched the man curiously before following, brave enough to even attempt it even with the mask being somewhat scary.

"Excuse me?"

James hadn't expected to be followed. When Flora called out, he hunched his shoulders up, actually startled. He peered back at her, glad the mask hid his surprise. "Yeah, what?"

Flora just wanted to understand the situation. She didn't want to fight, nor argue, she just wanted to help in her own way.

"Is there a reason that woman was yelling at you before?"

"She thinks I'm a demon. Cause of this," He pointed to the mask. "You'd think if they saw it at the ball, they'd be smart enough to know it's not real." He fumed over that for a moment before letting his shoulders go slack. Getting all worked up wouldn't help.

"...You wouldn't have any salt on you, would you?"

"Ah, so it's something that happened at the ball. I wasn't there so I didn't know." She said before shaking her head slightly. "I don't have salt on hand, but if your having troubles getting some, I'll be glad to help."

"I'd appreciate it." James looked Flora up and down. He thought he'd seen her before but he was too frustrated with the world at large to rightly remember.

"Then I'll be right back" She said with a polite smile before making her way back in to buy some salt, after all she wasn't sure if she needed some herself anyway.

Once she had managed to buy the essentials she came back out and held it out "Here you go, I hope it helps."

JW thought about wandering off because he trusted the people in this town about as far as he could throw them (and with his noodle arms, that wasn't a very impressive distance) but he leaned against the edge of the town well and he waited.

And to his surprise, she returned. His brows rose and he stood up to meet her. James held out a hand for the salt warily.

"What do I owe you?"

She made sure she handed it over, the smile placed firmly upon her lips still.

"You don't owe me anything at all, juts use it wisely, okay?"

That put him on edge. Where he came from nothing was free. He squinted behind the mask he wore and accepted the salt. "I insist."

With his free hand he dug around in one sleeve. He didn't have a lot of gold to throw around, but he did have...no, he needed that. Aha! He withdrew a single, battered daisy from his robes and looked a little surprised at finding it. He didn't remember putting it there. James offered it to her. It wouldn't do for him to be in debt to anybody. Not in this place.

Flora had not been expecting anything in return, she just wanted to help someone out, but upon seeing a poor battered daisy he withdrew from his robes, she couldn't help but look a little sad and concerned over the poor plant.

"Is it okay if I treat that daisy? I don't know what I can do honestly, but it makes me sad seeing it in that state."

Her fingers reached out for it slightly, gently touching the head and using a little of her magic to change it from a poor battered flower into a beautiful blooming one.

"There we go, it looks much better."

"Do what you want, it's yours." James handed it over and waved the idea away. He'd given her something and that's what counted. However, when she worked her magic on the sickly little flower and brought it back to life, his brows drifted upwards. He was impressed.

"Yeah, it does."

She smiled, glad that it was in a good bit of health again as she carefully for now put it in her hair.

"Thank you for the flower, it really is beautiful"

"Don't mention it."

If she liked that...maybe he could get other favors from her in the future. Less running around for him! But later. He had a spell to cast. He gave Flora a weak wave and turned to shuffle off into the crowd.

Don't mind Helios taking a stroll through the town. He's honestly not sure what the commotion is about but he'll certainly be heading over towards the woman and James now. He recognizes the man's mask as he only just talked to him during the ball after all.

"Th-that man isn't, isn't a d-demon." Helios might say evenly even if the woman might not believe him. He's kinda wondering why the other hasn't taken the mask off yet. It could be multiple things, really, magic a curse something else entirely. Too many variables to account for and at the moment he's not sure if doing so, while things are being thrown and shouted in broad daylight, is a wise idea.

"She won't believe you." James actually circled around and ducked somewhat behind Helios. "We'd better beat it before she thinks you're a fleshpuppet or something. I swear to God these people..."

He remembered that stutter. He was surprised he remembered as much as he did about the ball considering the mindmush he'd been dug out of after the fact. He motioned for Helios to follow him out of the spice woman's throwing range.

Good lord Helios barely dodges a canister of thyme as he looks sheepishly back at the other. Right yes of course. It was almost disheartening to see this man being treated this way just because of how he looked. Helios was a strong advocate of not judging someone based on appearance. It was the whole goal of his school in the long run.

"I-I don't understand...y-you didn't any wrong." He is just going to put up a barrier around them just to, well, protect the other more than anything. The townspeople nearby might back away as Helios' eyes glow a bright green and then a iridescent bluish globe will flash around them before turning invisible. He'll look over at James with a deep frown.

"Are you alright?"

James backed away as well when Helios lit up like a 7-11 sign. He almost dropped his back and bumped against the edge of the safe barrier the man had put up around them. He tried not to look as startled as he was.

"I'm fine! All I wanted was a damn pinch of salt."

A simple barrier spell but the townspeople knew well when to keep away. Helios didn't do it to frighten anyone but more or less to protect the man they were claiming was a demon. He looks apologetic as he turns his eyes towards James. The other's actions at his own magic make him shift uncomfortably as they both walk a little further away from the stand.

"S-Sorry I-I didn't mean to startle you. I just thought it might be a good idea t-to be cautious." A sigh. They could find salt elsewhere at least.

"I can, ah, probably get you some from the market if-if you'd like..." he'll look James over again noting the mask and how the other had worn it during the party. Vague remembrances of it aside, a mask like that is not something you forget so easily. And yet...why was the other still wearing it then? Something wasn't right and Helios frowns as he comes to a few conclusions in that instant.

"Could you warn a guy, first?" James rubbed his shoulder and watched the townspeople pass. He reached out to prod carefully at the surface of the invisible bubble that had been put up around him. This shield thing could be useful...he wondered how much he could get Helios to teach it to him for...

"I'd appreciate it."

Helios looks apologetic as he rubs the back of his neck with a cool hand. "I apologize I'm just...a bit used to, ah, u-using magic more openly in L-Luceti. M-Magic was a common thing there." And of course the fighting and war going on made him a bit more on edge when it came to acts of aggression. Even if he knew that such thoughts about the people here and them being at all related or on the same level as the third party was completely untrue.

Helios nods and smiles then, though, "of course. Is there anything else you needed?" He'll look inquiringly over at James as he turns to walk off towards the farmers market.

"Well...I do need to go by the slaughter house." He cringed a little. It was the same slaughter house he'd found the skull he was wearing behind.

"I gotta see a man about some intestine...but you could save me time by finding bee's wax? Do they even have bee keepers in this place?"

What if they were horrible mutant fairytale bees...

"Ah." Intestines. Helios just...looks a bit put off by that information. Not that he has anything against it. Slaughter houses just...make him a bit squeamish. Most things like that do. So when the other brings up bee wax he can't help but blink and nod.

"B-Beeswax. I-I can certainly look around for that..." He'll look around the town for a second. "Maybe they h-have some hives outside of the town. In, in the fields you know? I-I know they have honey from somewhere." He used it in his tea just this morning after all.

"I'm sure there's one around at least."

"Sounds like a plan. Slaughter house is that-a-way." James nodded his horns behind him. "Meet back here when we find what we're looking for?" He didn't give the poor man time to answer. "Great!" And then he turned to walk, forgetting the force field Helios had so kindly put up around them.

Sif followed the cries of the townsfolk with some interest. It had been a slow enough day, and demons were always a treat to vanquish. She had to admit -- the longer she waited to find the monster, the more she built him up as something terrible in her mind.

As so often happens, the reality was quite disappointing.

“He’s simply missing his skin,” she said, hoping to calm some more on edge villagers. “Accidents do happen.”

James paused in his retreat and actually snorted. That was the first time he'd heard that excuse made for him and after all the yelling and being buffeted by spoons and small rocks, it was kind of welcome. He stopped to look back at who'd spoken for him.

Had he met her before?

Hnggg couldn't brain. Too angry over salt.

Sif had a memory for faces, but not for faces that she had only met briefly, that were currently obscured.

She holds out a hand.

"I am Prince Sif." A false title, but there were villagers present, with expectations. "Can you speak?"

Prince? Well, alright. He wasn't about to argue with the only person around treating him like a human being. He turned to face her and slouched, hands in his pockets. "Yeah. I'm the wizard by the woods. It's been a crappy day."

Again, with these mortals and their analogies to feces. She shrugs it off, all the same.

"I can see that. Tell me, wizard: how did you come to wear such a face?"

It was a monkey thing.

James's shoulders fell. He wasn't about to admit his own failures. "Something must have happened at the ball...they forced everyone to wear a mask of some kind."

A frown crosses Sif's face, at mention of the ball. She has in no way forgotten that the responsibility for the dream curse falls entirely on her shoulders.

But that, as far as she was aware, was the only curse. She looks at him, eyebrow raised.

"They did. I wore such a mask. But it was not charmed to my face the next day. I have heard of no similar events."

JW ran his fingers along the mask's blocky teeth. "Lucky you. Don't happen to know where some grease is, do you? I know I'm no Snow White under here, but I don't feel like wearing a helmet and football pads every time I have to pick up sugar."

Ah.

"You are a mage, are you not? What use would grease have against enchantments?"

She is happy to help, once he places the blame where she highly suspects it belongs.

James cringed. She had a point. He hated that. "I'm kinda...new to all this magic business." He spread his hands as he explained. "Doesn't seem to work the same as it does back home."

“Magic is the best weapon against magic. Even I know that.”

Sif, who has no magic at all, despite her brother’s gifts. She had tried a spell once, in her youth, and nothing came of it. She smiles.

“If the mask had been bonded to you by means other than magic, I could offer my help quite handedly. If you know the spell, I can point you towards sorcerers more than competent enough to do away with it.

James was silent for a short time. He was on a small quest to collect the ingredients himself...but would a sorcerer's help cost more than doing it himself? Probably. He shook his head.

"If it isn't any trouble, I could do with some little flecks of metal?" He rubbed his thumb and forefinger together as if somehow that would illustrate what he needed.

"Are you referring to currency?"

That, at least, was a fairly universal magic.

The wizard shook his head. "Nah, I mean real flecks of metal. I'm not so sure the Blacksmith likes me...or anybody. At all.

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Action Log: 4th of RD

...as it occures to me that I have NO IDEA if Bakura knows JWs name or not.

Re: ..XD HAHA I DONT THINK HE DOES.

This happens so often.. :D

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sorry for the delay ;-;

No worries!

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;-; sorry for the delay

no worries!

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