hadriel_logs | I'm just a few thoughts, fragments of memory (open)

Entry tags:

I'm just a few thoughts, fragments of memory (open)

Who: Atem and you (open, mostly)
What: Catch up log for all your needs!
Where: Places.
When: Backdated to the start of November to somewhere around the middle.
Warnings: Annoying card games references maybe! Will match format.

around | early November | open

People were gone, Gowther was gone and everything Atem used to remember of this place, gone as well. Not that Atem actually ever noticed that Gowther had never been in this place before the influx of people.

Now, that might an exaggeration, he remembers people, but not all of them, he's not sure who knows him or not anymore. It turns out it was probably not the so called gods messing with his head, but it probably didn't matter now, did it? It's like Kaiba would say, 'Just ignore it and crush it under the weight of your future', literally... He spent so much time trying to get his memories before coming here, it sure doesn't feel like something he wants to do here as well. He knows himself, he knows Kaiba, and others, and they know him. That should be enough.

He cannot help but wonder, who else did he forget? So far he hadn't found many who claimed to know him, maybe he shouldn't worry that much.

But as much as he wants to move on, he finds himself staring at people's faces, wondering if he's met them before or not. Either you may feel someone watching from where you're sitting down at the Speakeasy, and when you turn at the counter, there he is, this scrawny young man you might or not talked to before looking at your face as if it had something on it. Maybe you're just passing by as he's sitting down at the sidewalk or just as he passes by you, stealing glances from under his umbrella—were it a rainy day—or just as you're trying to find a new pair of pants at the stores, there is this pair of amaranthine bright eyes staring curiously, maybe a little worriedly even..

What do?

( ooc: A gentle reminder Atem was given a hard reset during the fourth wall event, which means he's forgotten most of the people he's met in Hadriel. Send me a PM if you wanna plot around that, otherwise please assume a clean start with your character. )

the orchard | open

「After how things went down with the first tree he grew, Atem has been taking things a little more calmly, after all, he doesn't want to pass out again from using too much energy to turn a little seed into a full grown tree, if anything he's trying to make them grow to his knee or so. And that's what he's doing at the moment, flattening the dirt around a recently planted seed, as much as he possibly can. Then he can be seen drawing some circles and markings around it, it's not that easy to make the glyphs as perfect as he wished he could, but he keeps on trying. 」

There must be an easier way...

「He mutters under his breath.」

carlisle's garden | idk the muffin man

「Just as Carlisle had cut the communication, Atem hurried down to the piers, jumped on a goddamned boat and hurried towards the North Island as fast as the winds allowed him to. It was amazing how good he had become at this sailing thing after a while, still, dreaded it—the sea was not his element, it was so wet—but not even this time he cared to get his shoes and pants wet if it meant to get to his mentor as soon as possible.

Finally, he knocks on that familiar door, perhaps a bit more obnoxiously than he should.」

Carlisle! It's me! Open up!

「He sounds really excited at least!」

butterflies also like living in pretty houses | sal

「Atem did promise he'd help beautify whatever little house Sal decided to build for his little new friend. He's been practicing in fact! Trying to build something more spacious and fireproof for his fiery salamander. Meanwhile, he waits for his friend to arrive as he writes some notes in his notebook, anything that comes to his mind that could potentially help with creating new things, or just transmuting them into something else.」

the sewing shop | margie

「Still a little unsure of what the future will bring them, Atem decides to act on it anyway, he could use a new jacket, the one he's got, even if it's from home, has seen better days. He remembers being at the sewing shop before, but everything aside of that comes as a blur to him, he pokes his head into it, expecting some kind of magic to happen and suddenly remembering everything.

He doesn't.」

Hello?

「Is anyone there?」

wildcard

( You know the drill! PM me if you want a starter for your character or just hit me up with anything you want. )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[she smiles tentatively]

Yes. I'm back.

[the place may be peculiar, but thus far the people (and dogs) have been kind. she's grateful for every kindness.

she looks a little confused] Glyphs? What are glyphs?

I hope you had a safe journey. 「Not that anyone ever remembered it, even.」

Symbols, basically. I'm trying to put together a written spell to help this sapling grow. The catch is writing it around or over the object that will be on the receiving end of that enchantment.

Truth be told? I think I took four steps between the time I was here first and the time I came here again. I suppose the citizens of Ferelden can wait to greet its Hero. And her Mabari. [she pats the head of an enormous war dog at her side]

Enchantment? Like a mage uses? I've never seen that done before.

For real? 「He cannot hold a little chuckle, it does sound a bit ridiculous to be back home for a couple of steps.」 I'm sorry about that.

I guess you could say that, but I am no mage. Instead I have to use these symbols to channel whatever magic is in me to activate them. Real mages don't need that. 「Never in all his life he would have thought he'd become some kind of sorcerer, despite of his deck being mostly full with them. It's a bit ironic, in a good way.」 In truth, I probably shouldn't be doing this, my mentor warned me about it—you need at least three or four people to activate this kind of glyph, otherwise it would dangerously drain a single person. It did knock me out for days when I helped grow that one.

「He gestures at the tall tree behind her, one of the very few that is still standing. It's but a few weeks old, but it appears to be a few years old instead.」

But, I am still here, so might as well use that power while I can. 「He's honesltly lucky to be alive, according to Carlisle. Turns out that being an ancient pharaoh might actually have its perks.」

You can sit with me if you want, I'll show you when it's done. Who is your friend? 「He jerks his head at the dog. Can he talk?」 He wasn't with you when you came first, was he?

Truly, yes. [she doesn't mind the chuckle. she's well aware of how ridiculous her circumstances are] As am I.

I suppose not. It's still impressive, though. Where I'm from, either you're born a mage or you're not. And dwarves can't be mages at all, they're blind to the Fade entirely. [and never in her life did she think she'd become a Grey Warden, much less the Grey Warden who stopped the Fifth Blight, but here she is] Then perhaps you should get some help? You shouldn't risk yourself unnecessarily. Especially if it had such an ill effect on you before.

[she turns her head to see the tree. it does look older tha the others, more robust]

But be careful? [she remembers how Wynne would strain herself to keep using her magic past the point of advisement, relying on her Spirit of Faith]

I would like that, thank you. And this [she strokes Chance's chest and side] is Chance. He's a Mabari war hound and no, he wasn't with me the last time.

I'll be fine. 「He says flippantly, not giving much regard to it—but he's always been like that.」 I'll just try to make it grow about... here. 「He gestures in the air, nothing too tall, perhaps twice the size of the already small sapling.」

Actually, if you could tell me to stop when it's reached there it'd be really helpful, I tend to go overboard and overestimate myself.

「That's an understatement.

He, then, takes a better look at her doggie.」 Chance... good name. He looks very much like a race we have where I come from, but it's way smaller.

If you're certain? [she didn't have any lyrium potions on her when she came here to revive his magic] All right. That seems high enough.

I'll be sure to watch carefully for you. [she says seriously.

she continues to pet his side] Thank you. [she considers a moment] We'd actually went to the Mabari breeder to find one for my elder brother, but one imprinted on me instead. That's why I named him "Chance." What are your dogs like?

Thank you. 「He gives a little smirk at the seriousness. Surely he should be the one things more seriously, truth to be told.」

I... don't know the name, but they are smaller and their ears are larger and fall on the sides of their faces. What do you mean... imprinted?

You're welcome. [that's okay, she's serious enough for everyone]

They sound very cute. Did you have one of your own? And Mabari imprint on their owners. That means that they're very devoted to one person and one person alone, serving as a bodyguard, a fighting partner, and a best friend. I don't know what I would have done without Chance during the year of the Blight.

Ah... that sounds very convenient. It seems you made yourself a friend for life. But, no, I didn't own a dog like that. I did have other type of hounds, they had long legs and perky ears. Nothing alike Chance, they were breed mostly for speed if you wanted them for hunting. But they were good company either way.

「He takes a small pause from perfecting a particularly detailed glyph on the ground.」

What's that, the blight?

I'm sure they were. A dog is always a good companion to have, in good times and in bad.

[she watches him work his magic curiously.

she takes a deep breath] A Blight is what happens when the Darkspawn manage to corrupt an Old God--a dragon--into an Archdemon to lead the Darkspawn army. During a Blight, the Darkspawn all surge to the surface from underground. The Darkspawn spread corruption wherever they go, to land, to people, even to the sky. A Blight can only be stopped by a Grey Warden.

「Oh... That sounds like, kind of very bad. Her story is met with interest and somewhat wide eyes that lead to a slight frown.」

Does that happen often?

「The way she spoke about it, it's like if did.」

[there are areas of countries like Orlais where previous Blights happened that still refuse to recover, the Blight was so severe on the land]

No. The Fourth Blight was four hundred years ago. So many Darkspawn were killed in the course of that Blight that it was thought that a Blight would never happen again. They were wrong. And with so much time between Blights, the Darkspawn had ample time to replenish their forces.

I see.

「Sounds like a real problem.」

This Grey Warden... what can he do?

...it takes a Grey Warden to slay an Archdemon, the leader of the Darkspawn. If anyone else does, the soul of the Archdemon will travel into another Darkspawn and create another Archdemon in its place. [she's not going to mention that in all cases but hers, the soul tried to attach itself to the Grey Warden who slew it, but both souls were obliterated in doing so]

Sounds like a terribly tiring job. I'm really sorry your world is going through such hard times. Maybe you... should take this as a bit of a holiday.

「That's the lamest attempt of a joke that he's ever made but, there is not use to worry about that for now. Not that Hadriel was any easier sometimes.」

It was. . . exhausting! I'm only sixteen and I didn't expect this to be my life. But my parents were slain and a Grey Warden rescued me. [bitterly] However, he required that I join the order as payment for my life.

I miss Alistair. I miss my friends. I would that they were here or I with them, but perhaps that cannot be. Without them, it will be a poor holiday.

[she tries to not look as dejected as she feels, but it's difficult to maintain a brave face all of the time. she could manage it with the help of her lover and her friends during the Fifth Blight, but here she feels very alone]

「Ouch, that's not exactly what he expected to hear.」

You're still sixteen and you're still alive. You still have a place to return to, you friends will be there, waiting for you. But go ahead if you want to complain all the way until the day you leave, it's your choice.

「Harsh? Maybe so. Get a grip, girl.」

[somewhat stiffly] I wasn't complaining. I was simply being honest.

[and her melancholy tends to make her focus on the negative side of everything]

So was I. Life is hard, and life here is even more so. You cannot go home, you're separated from your friends and family and forced to make allies with unthinkable individuals. And even so... There is no other option but to go on. Not even they let you rest when you die, Hope makes sure of that.

「Not a single moment has he changed his amiable tone towards her, perhaps it's become a little more serious and detached.」

Do you think you can do it?

I am no stranger to life's hardships, I can assure you of that. Nor am I one to having to go on, despite the obstacles in the way.

[while she seems to be drawing into herself just a bit]

I've done it before.

["and I will again" goes unsaid]

「Atem keeps his eyes on her for a moment. He probably shouldn't be so hard on her but... It's for the best. He's seen people struggle way too much at times.」

You'll be fine, even without them.

「Doesn't he know it...」

[she meets his eyes without flinching. her expression is terribly serious, too serious for a sixteen year old girl, but the Blight forced her to grow up far too quickly]

I will be. I may miss them terribly, but. There will be others. Friends.

[as long as she drops her guard a bit]

「He can recognize that stare, it's like looking at himself in a mirror. He remembers how much he missed his friends too when he recently arrived to Hadriel, knowing that he would never see them again. Hopefully, she will.

Atem gives her a little nod regardless, and for a silent moment he examines his work before placing his hands right over the circles he drew, the glyphs immediately start glowing and a gentle golden light envelops the little sprout. It starts growing at alarmingly fast rate, for a plant; like a movie in fast forward it starts sprouting little new leafs and new branches, its stem tickens into a thin trunk. How far can he get this time without feeling that his vital energy is fading? He doesn't seem to want to let go just yet.」

[she has little hope of it, there are only two others from Thedas here and both of them are from the future. she will have to depend on her plesant memories and try, try as hard as she might to let others in. to trust others again.

she watches him with wide eyes as the sprout grows and grows, as it sprouts branches and leaves and begins to look like a real tree, not just a little sprout. but this is a magic unfamiliar to her, she's unsure of how it works. mages back home had to consume lyrium potions when their mana grew low and she does not know how safe his endeavor is. concern for him moves her to speak]

...perhaps it's time to move on to another one?

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I'm just a few thoughts, fragments of memory (open)

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(cw: mental illness)

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