Dome Sweet Dome

[tongueamok]

Who: Carlisle Longinmouth (tongueamok), OPEN
What: It's a log for the folks who expressed interest in Carlisle's latest gardening project! In short, he made a stupid dome of magic to protect the only two gardens he cares about, and is feeling very good about himself. Make him regret his hubris.
Where: Park
When: November 21st - early December
Warnings: Nothing yet! Heads up for anyone who has met him, but hasn't seen him in the past month: he's a lot more colorful now.


As the days without the gods add up and the city grows colder without power, there may be less and less people braving the outdoors. However, any of those who happen to wander in the vicinity of the park -- or what remains of it, as most of the trees have been removed -- might notice something odd: there are two, translucent domes covering a portion of it, their walls illuminated with a magical energy. Upon closer inspection, one can see the vague shapes of archways and leaves behind these glowing, blue barriers; they're connected to the ground via a stone curb, so any visitors might want to watch their step.

But should someone trip and fall into either dome, they'll find the walls won't keep them out -- they'll slip right through with only a tingling sensation, much like the shock of static, to accompany their passage, the magic wall remaining whole behind them. Within one dome is the memorial park, its various markers and tributes to those who have disappeared from Hadriel protected from the elements beyond the barrier; within the other is a garden, its rows of shrubs, vines, and greenery kept at a comfortable temperature within the magical ward.

And on most days, near the cottage at the center of said garden, one may find the man who conjured these domes, Carlisle Longinmouth. Sometimes, he's pruning away at the twitching, ivy-like vines of his coilers, tossing the trimmings to his pet, Rabbit. At other times, he's knelt near the barrier himself, inspecting the integrity of his magical walls. On more than one occasion, he may be over near a patch of dirt walled off with stones, within it the stalks of still-growing barley. Wherever he may be, there is one constant: he's generally not thrilled to find he has company.

Comments

[pocketspa]

"So you're not one of those people nice enough to broadcast it, but not selfish enough to hoard it. What's even the point then?" It's dubious anything he says is something he actually means by this point, but that's most conversations with him. "Guess you're not doin' enough to save that orchard Rosie was soooo workin' hard to get runnin' again. Did you talk to her?"

He's just idly looking at the plants now, starting to formulate a plan in his head of how he's going to get a certain plant into this biodome. "You can be mad at me all you want, but what has she ever done to you?"

[tongueamok]

If Taako is hoping to play upon Carlisle's conscience, he'll find the clergyman has more than enough guilt already; he'll have to get in line.

"She knows where my garden is," he answers flatly, his eyes narrowing just before he turns his back to the elf to head further into his garden, the coilers around his shoulders releasing him without much strain. He has work to do. "And should she wish to speak with me, she may do so herself. The orchard is not under my purview."

[pocketspa]

Look at these two. Assuming the other is better than they are. Wonderful.

Taako trots in after, because he'll be here until he's kicked out just for the sake of causing a scene, but isn't disturbing anything other than the other man. He has a certain fondness for plants thanks to his own cleric. "Look, my man, I'm just saying. What's all that uh, great power whatever? I'm not saying you have to get it all stocked, I mean, whatever on that right? but you won't do it for the plants?"

[tongueamok]

"They are plants provided as one would feed for livestock," Carlisle remarks dryly as he passes under another archway, the vines on the structure reaching slowly for him, then for Taako once he is past. "These are my plants, and I have a duty to them. The orchard has plenty who would look after it, and some of them no doubt magicians."

He might be a bit of a recluse, but Carlisle has no illusions about being the only magic user in town. His inferiority to most of them, given his proclivity for healing and nearly nothing else, is a knife constantly in his back, a blade twisting at his spine and feeding his embittered behavior. Save for his occasional feats of glyphcrafting, Carlisle is painfully aware he has very little to offer anyone in comparison to many of the casters in town.

But in truth, he does have much he could offer, and has long been blind to it for fear of failure. Proud as he may be of his ingenuity, he reminds himself — constantly— that it could fail at any time. That he could fail. If he ruins his garden, it's only his plants that suffer. People can't depend on accursed beings like him, he's told himself for years. Perhaps one day, he'll learn otherwise.

"You are a magician," he continues softly. "You handle it."

[pocketspa]

He's watching the way the plants move and reach as he goes with a degree of vested interest. Taako's never been this guy, but his cleric was. He misses the effect of seeing plantlife curled around him, the way he'd laugh and talk to them in... sometimes ways he'd like to forget. Carlisle is definitely the more composed of the two, but that just makes him want to dig in deeper, see where the man will push back the more he presses. Just waiting for a reaction. A sign.

So he sighs when Carlisle is so subdued, crossing his arms with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not just a magician, dude, I don't do fakey-fake stuff. I'm a wizard. Which you seem to take sooooo much offense to." He lets his words dig in again, gesturing with his hand as he speaks. "But I'm not a nature dude. I do transmutation. So I mean, if you want the plants to be not plants, I can totally make that biz happen, natch. But I don't do all this. Better left to you in your nerd dome."

[tongueamok]

Again, there's no real reaction to the obvious jab of 'nerd dome;' however, tension visibly mounts him at 'wizard' once more, his fingers curling as though he finds the very word more repugnant than Taako himself. Given the fellow was just sticking his rear in and out of the barrier, that is quite a feat.

"Fine," he bites back, still trying to hold his temper. Glacius is apparently fond of this elf and his sister, after all, and he can manage some manners if only for that reason. How long he will manage them is the question. "Then those with the orchard are welcome to plead their case to me if they so desire. Until then, perhaps you can transmute some not plants into plants for them."

[pocketspa]

Carlisle, the fact you are even attempting manners makes you the better guy here, full stop. But he still notices that reaction- what is with him and the term? Taako carries it like a badge of honor, a recognition of his accomplishments, everything he fought for to keep himself alive. It's hard to learn magic. Even harder without some kind of schooling. And while the twins eventually made it to an academy, being a wizard was always the goal. He's maybe taking it a bit more personally than he has to.

"Fine, gosh. I can maybe do that. Loooootta magic though." He raises an eyebrow at Carlisle and thinks about taking his leave, but then absolutely doesn't. "Which you know, I learned how to do. At wizard school. Which is for wizards. Because I am one. A wizard."