spellbinders | [HUB ISLAND

[HUB ISLAND | ICE BREAKERS]

Who: Coven Members
Where: Coven Base Camp
When: Day 90
Open/Closed: OTA

You're not doing anything right now, right? Good. Genette's using some of the resources taken from Aimintas to create a little get together. Even if you do have something going on, she's not averse to using a little force to make the evening magical.

In fact, the magic is exactly how she's pulling this off. Genette is offering you to a little get together at the base camp, which may be all it takes for you to follow her. If not? Your hand is tethered (or some other part of you) quickly and you're led to the camp anyway. This is important, darn it!

What's so important? A little "party" of sorts. There's an assortment of foods, some of which have been hastily made since some groups have gone harvesting for new resources, and a large water basin that's acting as a punch bowl.

The true purpose of this little activity is a 'get to know you' exercise of sorts. Genette's got a glass container of a large quantity of Elto bones that can short-circuit the tethers, but the caveat is that you have to participate in a little, tethered sharing circle.

(It's honestly a good idea to know who you're stuck within your little makeshift coven, but Genette is the pushy sort when she sets her mind to something.)

The way to be released from your Elto shackles? Tell everyone your name, where you're from, your magic (seemingly left a little ambiguous) and something else about yourself. Discussions are encouraged! The more people know, the better!

After you're done sharing with the class, food and drink is yours to have -- or you can just run off, that's fine too.

OOC: Characters who would have absolutely nothing to do with this can of course escape, whether fleeing in the first place or using Elto bones of their own to circuit out their tether.

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Well... [how to put this.]

Let's say you had to make a decision between two choices. One of the choices is really, really dangerous — you're pretty much guaranteed to get really hurt if you choose it.

The other choice would mean doing something that really, really scares you.

How would you know which one to pick? [the dilemma of an impossible choice. running in place. she hates both possible outcomes, and Madoka isn't the type to hate.]

[gosh... this feels heavy. Geir is touched and awed that he got asked this -- a genuine question, with some heft to it, and Madoka obviously scared and confused about what to do. Geir can't help but breathe deeply, feeling the stretch in his suddenly aching chest. he's being trusted and confided in, like a person would be, and Madoka barely even knows him. he doesn't feel qualified to answer her question, but he'll certainly give it the respect it deserves.

he closes his eyes as he tries to think it through, keeping his breathing slow and even. the idea of pain doesn't put him off, so he wouldn't avoid it, but he isn't really sure what could hurt him much -- Madoka is human, fragile. he's sure pain would be awful for her, and maybe for the people around her who have to see her in it. the idea of Vern badly hurt makes him want to howl at the sky -- that's probably a bad choice.

on the other hand, can he really say, in all honesty, that he would pick the scary thing? doesn't he have things he's hesitating on, questions that terrify him that he hasn't acted on, even now? he feels like he's gotten a little braver about facing his own lack of an identity in the time he's been with the coven, but it's also made him much more aware of how much there is he can't yet touch. maybe bravery will be the right choice in the end, but that has its dangers, too.]

...that's a hard one. Is there something I'd be trying to do, by making this choice? Would the outcomes be different? Or is that not important to the question?

[she hesitates, not sure if she should just outright say it.]

[ah, well. full speed ahead!]

Well ... I guess it would be a choice between saving others, or saving yourself.

[Geir edges closer to Madoka instinctively. just because he's pretty pragmagic about these things doesn't mean that he doesn't dislike seeing her in distress.]

...I think that normally I'd say, do the scary thing... but why is saving yourself so scary?

[he doesn't want to get this wrong for her.]

[humans are stupid, Geir, especially when it comes to how they perceive themselves. in her actions, what might look entirely selfless on the exterior could actually be very selfish in motivation, and vice versa.]

Because it would mean changing myself in a way that I really don't like.

[at least Madoka is honest about her stupidity.]

So to save yourself, you'll have to change yourself in a way you don't like, and that scares you. But if you don't change, and save others, you'll get horribly hurt. That's the decision...?

[the tip of his tail twitches on the wet sand, making little patterns. the picture is getting clearer, but there's a couple of pieces still missing.]

I think I get it. There's someone I'd die or get hurt to protect, too. But he would hate it if I did that. If he was threatened, I'd rather protect him and be okay...

[his voice trails off, still musing; he'd die for Vern because Vern wanted him to, too, but that would be different. he doesn't have any inherent objection to dying when Vern didn't want him to, to his sake, but doesn't that go against their mutual promise to live...? maybe he should have one.]

Why are you scared of changing, but not of getting hurt? That seems... backwards.

... I don't know.

When you put it that way, it doesn't really make sense, does it? But, if I did choose to change, I wouldn't really be of much use here. I really want to help people, and I'm scared of losing that.

. . . I think I know what you mean. Kosuzu told me that she was scared of being useless. And I can fight, but-- there's someone who I would do anything to save, so I understand wanting to help others. My life doesn't even matter to me, next to his.

But-- I know he doesn't want that. He tells me that's not right all the time.

[he thinks of the anguished, narrow-eyed glare through his glasses that Vern would be giving him right now if he'd heard that last bit, and shivers.]

Is there anyone like that for you, who doesn't want you to get hurt? If you vow to die for each other, you'll both just get hurt or die, and that's. . . sad. I don't want that for you. You seem nice.

[the answer to that question is yes, but unfortunately, it's never helped much in the past. not even Madoka's own mother could stop her from glitching herself out of all the universes.]

[but she's never heard of a vow like that before.]

I ... well, yes, but ... you sort of make it sound like you've made a vow like that before.

. . . um. Sort of?

[his promises with Vern sort of even out to that being the result -- if you're not willing to live without the other person, there's not much else to do but die together, if one of you sacrifices themselves. the main difference is that their mutual promises center around the end of the world, which would kill both of them.]

I don't mind talking about it, but every time I tell people lately, I get in a fight.

[that sounds so lame, but it's unfortunately a recurring problem now...]

You don't have to tell me, Geir. [pretty sure she'd lose a fight against a dragon, but Madoka's more interested in sparing his feelings.]

But it sounds like you have a lot of people who care about you, too.

At least one. No-- two. I made a friend, too.

[he takes a breath, thinking about how best to present the case.]

...I'll just say this part. Someone really important to me and I both thought about doing something that would get both of us killed, together. And-- we couldn't do it. Not without thinking more about it first. So if it sounds to you like I'm talking about something on my mind, it's probably that...

For something like what we were thinking about doing, there's no going back from that. Either we do what we wanted, and it's all over, or we don't, and we have to think of something else. I don't... I don't know if what you're thinking about is the same. Would you really be useless if you changed? No matter what else happened? A lot more can change than we can think of from where we're standing. We're all here. I couldn't even imagine something like this a season ago.

[he's painfully honest, giving her the muddle of his own thoughts in all their unclear logical loops and whorls...]

I don't know the answer to your question, but those are the kinds of things I'm thinking about while you're talking.

[there's no going back.]

[there won't be taking back either choice she makes — whether it's staying as she is and accepting the ending all magical girls have eventually, or if it's finding a way to return to how she was (enough people here seem to think it's possible, to put a soul back in a body, that she's entertaining the idea). whichever road she takes will be the final one. that's what really terrifies her most, truthfully.]

[Geir's given her a lot to think about, but there is one thing she's certain of.]

You can make that three people, if you want? I'd like to be your friend.

Edited 2017-10-09 00:50 (UTC)

Oh!

[Geir ducks his enormous head under one of his coils and peers at her from underneath it, radiating pleased embarrassment and shock. what? what?! where's this coming from all of a sudden?!]

Y-y...es?! Okay?!

[IS THIS HOW IT HAPPENS? ARE PEOPLE JUST ALLOWED TO WALK UP TO YOU AND BE YOUR FRIEND?]

Are you sure--?

[YES, THAT'S EXACTLY HOW IT WORKS; DON'T LET ANYBODY ELSE TELL YOU OTHERWISE, GEIR.]

I'm definitely sure! You're really nice, and sincere, and I think we could be really good friends.

A... all right...

--come here then!

[HE'S DETERMINED!]

Eh? All right —

[Madoka pushes herself to her feet, and walks on over! what is Geir planning?]

[he is planning-- to curl his claws around her to draw her in, then slide a jealous loop of his tail around her in an absurd dragon hug, apparently. his scales are warm and smooth, and he's careful to be very gentle, even though the wall of tail is nearly as tall as Madoka. you need to be delicate with humans.

he puts his chin on the coil to look at her, confidingly.]

You looked really serious when you came over here, so if we're friends, you should try and feel better...

[she ... she is getting hugged by a dragon. she almost can't even see past him?? the perils of being tiny. but somehow, despite the absurdity of this situation, it doesn't feel much different than getting a hug from any human. the sentiment is there. that's what's important.]

[and so, she beams, and offers his tail a friendly pat.]

I'll try my best, I promise. Thank you.

You're welcome.

I don't think you have to be useless, you know. Whatever you decide.

[a mere human summoned Geir, and might have changed the whole history of their world in the process. Geir will be the last dragon to underestimate them.]

You really think so? Maybe I'm just looking at what I think is useful the wrong way...

[if it's even possible to somehow undo the contract she's made, it would mean she would go back to being human. it would mean she'd be in a lot more danger in a fight — and she wouldn't have magic to back herself up. Madoka would likely have to stay behind.]

[of course, it would also mean unraveling an infinite number of universes, but details.]

What do you think is useful? Having the power to fight?

[it's what he remembers a similar conversation with Kosuzu being about. it's an interesting perspective to Geir -- as someone who's always had the power to fight, he's never thought about the perspective of someone who might not have it. he can see why that would become an obsession. still, it's one that feels very far away from him -- in the wars of the gods, where death isn't a feared consequence and everyone has considerable power to simply destroy each other, subtler forms of strength are key. the power to make the results you want happen, either through your own strength or someone else's, is always what it comes back to... at least, that's what Geir's father always told him.]

That's exactly it. Fighting is something that's really important to be able to do here, right?

[they're friends now. Madoka doesn't mind telling Geir.]

That's what I'm afraid of losing.

I don't know if it's going to be important in every world. Maybe some places we'll go will be peaceful.

[it's unlikely, from Geir's experience, but he supposes stranger things have happened.]

...anyway, I know that there are lots of people who don't fight even in worlds where there's fighting all the time. Are they all useless? Or do they just find other things to do?

[it's an honest question. he has no experience with living among craftsmen, or laborers, or normal people in general. what do they do with all their time? how do they survive when they can't show strength? clearly, they have to somehow.]

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[HUB ISLAND | ICE BREAKERS]

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