[ It took quite a bit of coaxing to convince Bruno to go along with the whole ball thing — and feel free to claim to be part of that coaxing, it would have been a team effort — especially after returning from such a tiring adventure in the South Country. Similarly difficult would have been making him stand still for measurements and fittings and inevitably dressing up in something fancy. It's weird. He can't bring his ruana. It's like having to leave a safety blanket at home.

In any case, likely surprising no one who's spent any amount of time with Bruno thus far, he tends to pick a corner with a little plate of food and watch the happenings going on across the ballroom floor, and when he thinks no one is looking...?

He'll give a quick, almost shifty look around before sneaking a bit of that food into his tailcoat's pocket. What has he got in there? ]

Wow, that did not work well at all.

[ Given the chance to return to the South, Bruno's scurried off there as soon as possible. It feels like home and not only because of the spirits being so welcoming here. He's set up next to the Southern tower rather than the town itself, working on a project there. Why he would do that instead of working on it directly in the village becomes apparent to anyone with eyes, actually.

He's set up several raised beds of local soil, all contained by wooden boards nailed together to avoid any bleed-over to the ground itself. One will look perfectly normal to both magical and non-magical senses; no plants have yet grown there. The second will feel distinctly like Bruno's magic, gentle yet sad, only there's something... wrong, very wrong.

The plants in the second one are blackened and withering, and that's the one Bruno is fretting over. ]

What the heck happened? I thought we purified that thing!

[ When Bruno isn't busy with helping the South, he's back in the manor and has yet again staked out a spot in the library. Before him are an array of broken items. There's a broken glass, a ruined pan, a lute with snapped strings, and a series of old and rusty gardening tools. Some of these are from the kitchen here, others picked up from the garbage around the city... when no one was looking... in the night... because he's Bruno, of course, he would rummage through trash, just not when anyone could spot him.

He's doing as the Wanderer wanted and for good reason, too. This worked when he was healing someone so why not other things, too? ]

Su futuro espera.

[ He murmurs his incantation quietly, holding a hand over one of the rusty hoes, and he focuses, brow furrowing and lips set into a tight, thin line. The rust slowly begins to recede, bit by bit, until it vanishes completely, leaving behind shiny metal and an unworn handle, good as new.

Bruno leans back in his chair with a big smile on his face. ]

Man, I think I was meant for fixing stuff like this. I should open a repair shop or something.