video

[blessedarethebookmakers]

[He is standing in one of the rooms of the castle, the one he was trained in actually, hands clasped in front of him and books stacked up the tables around him.]

As I'm sure everyone is by now aware, Dreamfinder is missing and we are tasked to go find him in some jungle or other. [he feels completely unprepared for this but doesn't show it] To that end, I will be at the castle practicing all day for as many days as we have until we leave. If anyone wishes for help, inasmuch as I can give it, or just someone to practice with, feel free to stop by. I am sure that if we keep our heads and put in the work, we shall succeed.

[he's not sure at all. But the important thing is that they are]

Comments

[smilingarmor]

You can count me in, darling. Something tells me we can't be too prepared for this excursion.

Also, I've been taking another look at this 'Apprentice Manual' they gave us, and it seems that 'Warriors' like myself can combine their own spells with those of others for greater effect. Might be worth trying out, hmm?

[blessedarethebookmakers]

Interesting! I hadn't heard that. [he wonders if it will work] I don't know if I have any formal spells, but I'd be willing to give it a try.

[smilingarmor]

I think anything magical we do here qualifies; I know that it's not quite like what spells are in Erdrea either.

Lydia did mention attempting to find a way to come up with an attack that both weakens a corrupted creature and takes advantage of a Prince or Princess's ability to heal. I'm not certain if it's doable, but it certainly seems worth a try.

[beancounter]

Ahh... I'm willing to practice a bit more, too. I can come by around 11 o'clock?

[blessedarethebookmakers]

Of course. I'll be here. Make sure to bring along anything you might need

[beancounter]

I don't think I really need anything except my wand... and I don't think I even technically need that. No one else had one, when we were training with Hades. It just helps me focus, a little...

[takeitsleazy]

I'll be there once I get out of work. I might be able to leave early if they know it's related to, uh, you know, saving their home.

[blessedarethebookmakers]

Thank you, Michael. You would think a lot of things should happen since we are saving their home. [not having to worry about a change of clothes for one thing] But I suppose they do what they can.

[takeitsleazy]

You'd think the last thing a bunch of refugees would do would be to say "hey, let's bring in MORE PEOPLE", but ... hey, it's their collective -- you know what. I'm not going to finish that.

[he breathes in. Humans = Good. Humans = Good. Humans = Good. Chidi would be breaking out the chalkboard, with extreme prejudice. he nods a little to himself]

Maybe if I word it as "important Apprentice business", they'll take it better.

[strangeandunusual]

I'll bring snacks. If we're going to train on our own, we're going to need them as much as we did the first time, I think.

[blessedarethebookmakers]

Good thinking. If you go to the candy shop and tell Crowley that it's for me, I'm sure he will provide a good selection.

[strangeandunusual]

That's helpful. I don't think he likes me much right now, I broke up a fight he was having with my roommate.

action

[bigbadrose]

[The whole thing left a bad taste in Rose's mouth. She wasn't one to hate mirrors, usually, but Aziraphale and Crowley had a knack for digging out the darkest deepest parts she wanted to blissfully ignore, unlike Eleanor and Michael who accidentally highlighted the fun parts of her adventures. Somehow.]

[She could ignore it. Should????]

[But she can't.]

[She wants to, sort of.]

[The most empathetic parts of her understand completely that Rose herself would in no way appreciate the angel or demon recognizing her actions for what they were and calling her out on it -- but this was easier for her because she was human. Her whole life had been spent being looked after by others who called out her bad habits, and adapting to the unlikely situations of being in a new universe and avoiding her best friends or conflict or...]

[There's no discreet or real way to do it on the mirrors, and she can't truly ignore it either. She wants to. She doubts anything she says can do much more than make it worse...]

[But it's about enabling other's decisions, isn't it??]

[Sure, in the moment, that was a pain in the ass, but the angel wasn't used to being outside of his rigid heavenly imposed "role" he said so himself.]

[She makes sure they're alone, sits on a chair backwards, leaning on the head, and quietly watches Aziraphale for a bit before speaking.]

You're going to worry him, you know.

I get it. It's so much easier to just focus on missions, yeah? To work so hard, so completely, that there's no room for anything else. And you can say forever that it's for the good of someone else, of everyone else, but in the end, you know if you're running away from something or towards something. And you can never escape yourself.

action

[blessedarethebookmakers]

[it is certainly not anywhere near the realm of her business; but he knows better than to argue or be drawn into the conversation. It's not one that he is going to have and certainly not with a human. So he just says:]

Mm.

[and continues arranging the books on the shelf. He'll have to start cross-referencing them soon and he can't say that the thought doesn't give him little thrills of pleasure]

action

[bigbadrose]

[She thinks about it. He's making the choice to ignore her, so that's fine then. So long as it is his choice.]

Find anything about Bad Wolf in there?

Action

[az_shrimp_horny]

[Eleanor still isn't entirely certain she believes all this crap. Nor is she sure whether or not she's going to actually go on this "adventure" as Rose called it. But she doesn't have anything else to do so she might as well see what all this 'magic' is all about. Besides, everyone else seems to believe this crap so maybe there really is something to it, after all.

It takes her a while to find her way to wherever the guy on the video is but eventually she peeks a head through the door.]

Hello?

Action

[blessedarethebookmakers]

[he looks up from the book he's reading and spots the young woman. She is unfamiliar but dressed as she is, he takes it she's not a local]

Hello, welcome to the castle. Are you a newcomer?

[az_shrimp_horny]

[She steps in and waves at him]

Yup. That's me. The new girl.

[She sounds so pleased about this, though she's trying to plaster on a fake smile.]

I'm the one no one knew was coming. But that's okay, who needs a stupid welcome party anyway.

[She's not still bitter. No, not at all. Whatever gave you that impression.]

Uh, anyway. I'm Eleanor Shellstrop.

Action

[legacyofarose]

[While Rosabella was more than willing to help, she still really has no idea what she needed to do, or even how to help. She'd been told things here and there, but having just arrived meant that she didn't even know what kind of magic she was capable of here.

This is why she finds her way to the castle, which was easy enough to get back to. As she slowly entered, she kept a lookout for the person who had been broadcasting.]

Hello?

Action

[blessedarethebookmakers]

[oh another newcomer, this one quite a bit younger. Aziraphale gets up from behind the desk he was reading at in the main hall, tucking his wings behind him and smiles]

Hello, welcome to the castle. You're new as well, I take it. I'm afraid you've come at a bit of a difficult time.

[legacyofarose]

[With a small smile, she nods.]

I know. I had only been here a few days when Merlin announced that someone was missing. But I'd still like to help, if I can.

August 13 - Time to rescue the Prince from the Castle

[serpentinthegarden]

[ A dark winged figure slipped past the guards, who probably wouldn't have cared anyway, and deep into the halls of the castle. The sneak thief hadn't been here very long but... he found a cork board full of notes to jumble and turn around. That would cause some minor discord later on and he felt all the better for it!

Some where in this vast labyrinth there was a Prince being held captive by training and that just couldn't be allowed to continue. I mean, train, sure, if you wanted to, but too much was too much!

Crowley slipped around a corner, snuck past a few open doorways and FINALLY caught sight of a pair of wings occupying a chair. A glance to the left and right indicated the target was alone and that was absolutely perfect.

Coming up from behind it was likely he wasn't seen by the prisoner in the chair, not until a bottle of wine was dangled tantalizingly in front of the man's face. ]

You look like an angel who could use a drink.

Re: August 13 - Time to rescue the Prince from the Castle

[blessedarethebookmakers]

[he jumps a mile at the sudden appearance of the bottle, and then a complicated emotion squirms through him as he hears Crowley's voice, beautiful and horrible all at once. His face stings and he takes the bottle, wings pulling in though he hardly notices it.]

Oh, Crowley. I can't accept this... Not after I-- And then you-- And I'm in really no state to be seen by anyone let alone-- I... [he shakes his head] Thank you but I can't.

August 15 - Early Morning

[serpentinthegarden]

[ So it had become a thing to go to work, mostly on time, do things around town the rest of the day and then when the evening began to fall he would slip back into that hugely white castle to spend the rest of the evening floating on a cloud bed with an angel. It was a strange existence but he was so surprisingly content with it he completely forgot about all those ominous monster under the full moon warnings.

Curled in the angel's embrace he never noticed when those curls became coils. Nor, once he grew chilly during the night, did he wake up to wonder why, he simply slithered deeper into the soft blanket that was actually Aziraphale's PJ top. Coiled up on the angel's chest it was much warmer here and the rhythmic breathing kept him content enough to sleep clean through to the afternoon if anyone would allow him to. ]

Re: August 15 - Early Morning

[blessedarethebookmakers]

[Aziraphale stirs awake, noticing something odd he can't put his finger on. And it's a different sort of odd than being wrapped up in the lanky embrace of a demon. That's only been a couple of days and he's still getting used to it while at the same time feeling a sense of peace he hasn't known before.

Those thoughts aside, something is decidedly different. Crowley is no longer in his arms...exactly. But he feels more snug than usual. Also there is a dreadful tickling breath against his collarbone and a strange cool length against his chest and stomach-- and over his hip and coiling about one leg. The rest outside of his pajamas thankfully-- Pajamas which Crowley had so wonderfully brought.

He manages to open one eye and peeks down his top, a bit surprised to see the snoozing snake. It's a bit of a puzzle why, but he finds he doesn't mind it. In fact, he rather enjoys it. He strokes down Crowley's smooth back, rubbing his thumb over cool scales. He can feel the snake stir a little and closes his eyes once more, pretending to be asleep, but can't quite stop the smile from curling at the corners of his mouth]