bruno madrigal (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fallingsand) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
lunaecalamitas2024-05-10 12:41 pm
fallingsand) wrote in lunaecalamitas2024-05-10 12:41 pm
the beach episode (dated before the east mission)
There's a small slice of sandy beach between mountains and wasteland, where the South meets Central, only an inlet of ocean between them, and that is where Bruno has decided to set up camp.
Literally.
He only had a simple tent and supplies for two initially. Tatara had asked if he could join him on his little trip out and how could he say no? Unfortunately for him, Tatara may have decided to invite everyone else, too, so, welcome, everyone, to the beach episode and a chance to relax after a potentially rough week in the City of Rain.
The sand is warm and fine, the water isn't too chilly, and scrubby little palm trees and plant life dot the dunes. Sea birds are the most active wildlife out here, not counting whatever fish can be found dwelling in the depths of the inlet between South and Central or further out into the ocean. It's comfortable enough... unless you hate sand, that is! You don't hate sand, right?
Since Tatara's arrival, more than Bruno's humble setup can be found.
And, of course, anything the other wizards have decided to bring! Bruno wasn't expecting a party but now that it's here, he sure can't tell them not to have fun however they want.
Literally.
He only had a simple tent and supplies for two initially. Tatara had asked if he could join him on his little trip out and how could he say no? Unfortunately for him, Tatara may have decided to invite everyone else, too, so, welcome, everyone, to the beach episode and a chance to relax after a potentially rough week in the City of Rain.
The sand is warm and fine, the water isn't too chilly, and scrubby little palm trees and plant life dot the dunes. Sea birds are the most active wildlife out here, not counting whatever fish can be found dwelling in the depths of the inlet between South and Central or further out into the ocean. It's comfortable enough... unless you hate sand, that is! You don't hate sand, right?
Since Tatara's arrival, more than Bruno's humble setup can be found.
- There's food fit for a picnic and enough bottles of wine for the evening.
- In the evening, a (non-deadly) bonfire will be built and there'll be pillows to sit on for those who don't want to sit directly on the sand.
- A few colorful rough wool blankets laid out under umbrellas meant to provide shade.
- There's still only one sad-looking tent... However! Bruno's gone ahead and enchanted it so that, when one pushes the cloth flap aside and enters, they'll find a much more comfortable setup inside.
And, of course, anything the other wizards have decided to bring! Bruno wasn't expecting a party but now that it's here, he sure can't tell them not to have fun however they want.
no subject
It was better than I'd ever thought. Books can't describe sensation as well as being there. How warm sand feels under your feet. How the salt smells and tastes, how far it goes across the horizon... watching the waves move to and fro from their own momentum. How some places can be clear as glass, while others are so dark that no one has ever been able to descend to them.
I was still very fresh to my profession, and I poured myself selfishly into being able to explore under the waves. I found ways to swim and breathe without risking my life. I went to coastline after coastline on my own, seeing what depths the world of the ocean had to offer. I craved it to satiate my curiosity, and so I could share something I loved with the world someday, with knowledge I'd forged all on my own.
Thinking through it with magic was something I'd been doing since before I was old enough to understand. This wasn't any different.
[His expression pains slightly, if only because he knows Ahito's opinion on his next point.]
But I was inexperienced, and I didn't think through my actions. I took thousands of samples and performed millions of tests with the natural ecology. With the water, the the wildlife, the land itself. I was so excited at what I learned, at what I could learn, that I stopped looking at what it was doing to the life around me.
And I was punished harshly for it.
no subject
A magic user indeed.]
Sounds to me like you deserved it.
no subject
I was confined to the deepest parts of the ocean until I had fixed every wrong I'd done.
no subject
[All those lives touched and changed, rippling outwards.
It sounds... impossible. So much so that by all rights Solomon should still be held captive for his crimes.]
no subject
[He'll let that sit for a while as well.]
Even then, there was plenty I could no longer take back. I could only reverse what damages were still left, and hope I wasn't drowned for my crimes.
When the spirits finally let me go, the sun felt too bright, and the sand felt too hot. I no longer knew what year it was. No one I had known from my time before my capture was even alive, nor were their children,
or their grandchildren. And the spirits placed a curse on me, to make sure I would never go back.
It's why I say you need to enjoy this day. I remember how precious it was to me at the time to experience it, and my own mistakes were the only thing that led me to now hating something I used to love deeply. Maybe if I'd had a second chance, I would have approached it with more caution. Appreciated it for more than it was, if I knew what my foolishness would have brought. But I can't take that back.
[His smile is thin.]
So you can let this sorcerer bask in the consequences of his crimes. Just do better than him.
no subject
...To be honest? It sounds like you were let off easy. Still... that's more accountability than any other magic users tend to get.
Guess that goes to show how royally you screwed up.
[He can't even find it in him to be surprised at it all.]
There's nothing to worry about. I'll never be like you. Not even a little.
The sooner I can be rid of magic for good, the better. One way or another.
no subject
You've got your answer, then.
If you do choose to do that to yourself before we have finished our time here, just let someone you trust know. Even if you do not wanted to be treated by your magic any longer, I still won't ignore if you choose to become a liability. And I can, and will, prioritize the betterment of the people.
By your character, I don't think that will be an issue. But if you want me to be clear, then I will be clear. Stay responsible for yourself as a person, regardless of how you choose to do it, and we will not have a problem.
Understood?
no subject
Don't you dare talk to me about not being a liability here.
[He doesn't tend to his scars and get up to work his ass off every day for this.
And he certainly didn't bait that stupid ghost into discarding him, the liability, to free up everyone else's actions - just to be called one anyway.]
Enjoy your beloved ocean.
[It's practically spat before he turns on his heel to leave.]
no subject
It's for the better. Maybe Ahito will continue to find motivation to make it through all of this out of spite.
It just won't be from him.]