February Catch-All

[angel_of_death]

🧙 WHO: Walter C. Dornez and anyone!
⚔️️ WHAT: Closed and open prompts. Open prompts include training, healing ingredient collecting (nuts and poliwag grass), and (eventually) battle-oriented quests for February.
🕒 WHEN: Throughout February for most open prompts!
🗺️ WHERE: Red Spring (Training), Camelot, Brocéliande (gathering nuts), the hills southeast of the Red Spring (poliwag grass), Camelot -> south beach (Save a Beast, Kill a Man)
⚠️ WARNINGS: Allusions to WWII (an ongoing thing for this character), references to systemic cultural and religious homophobia in the closed thread/prompt 2, references to rape and related themes in the Save a Beast, Kill a Man prompt.

1. Red Spring’s Training Grounds (Open to All)

Even though he had trained rigorously before, King Arthur’s words have given Walter extra incentive to put his all into the effort. To not only regain what abilities were lost, but to keep what they have gained so long as they become ‘entrenched enough’… he wants to believe it is possible. If he could keep both, he would have a fair chance of overcoming the challenge that awaited him back in his world.

He runs the obstacle course, pushing himself harder, augmenting his speed, forcing his leaps higher; the usual routine. But, this time, he adds something new.

After running the course through ten times, he heads over to the target range. Though his weapons are the two lengths of wires Emet-Selch transformed his rings into, he picks up a handful of rocks, scattering them about and throwing a few so hard into the ground and targets that they become embedded into the soil and target faces. However, it is only preparation for what he intends to do next.

A few moments later, Walter is on the ground, palms and shoe-tips pressed into the dirt as he faces the targets. Then, in focused movement, he pushes himself up, from low against the ground and nearly a foot into the air. He repeats the act several times over, getting high enough into the air to bring his knees up and his feet underneath him before going back down—training for a quick recovery from a prone, face-down position. It’s strenuous enough work, but to this he adds one more manoeuvre. Clothes sticking to his body from the sweat on his skin, he focuses his mind, channelling his magic as he pushes off the ground to dislodge stone after stone from the assorted surfaces he drove them into before, sending each of them at a different target from their original position.

It is as he is nearing the end of this first test run of the regimen that he picks up on the presence of another—perhaps approaching, or perhaps finally taking note of someone who has been watching him. Either way, he stops, pushing himself all the way to his feet and coming to a proper stand to address the other person.

“Do you need to use the range?”

2. A Little Chat (Closed to Gu Yun)
Walter has had a lot to think about since the tournament. That little prank the clowns had done with those balloons had ended up bringing an aspect of his friend to the forefront of his attention. He hadn’t brought it up then, but having had some time to think over it, he is certain; Li Min is attracted to Gu Yun.

It was more than the prank that clued him in. Li Min’s demeanour has always been slightly different when it comes to Gu Yun. He is both warmer and gentler when speaking of the man, even for such a placid temperament such as his. Li Min had also asked Walter to look out for Gu Yun—or more precisely, to watch his back when he could, as the man was better at taking care of others than seeing to his own safety. And if there were any possibility for doubt with those two things, his words during the bravery trial they participated in together cleared them up entirely. There is a man Li Min fears harming—that he would rather die than come to harm.

’ I will choose to die before I hurt him.’ The phrasing reminds Walter so strongly of Mina Harker’s sentiments towards her husband that, in combination with all else he has pieced together, he can only conclude that Li Min’s sentiments towards Gu Yun are much the same.

But how does Gu Yun feel…?

The water in the kettle is hot enough now, he observes, not acknowledging the feeling of heat upon his cheeks as anything other than a product of standing over the stove. He takes it off the burner, allowing it to cool slightly. The optimal temperature for steeping green tea is lower than that of black tea, he has read. Due to the war, he hasn’t had much experience with preparing green teas, what with Japan having invaded China. Naturally, he’s trying his hand at one processed in the style more affiliated with the latter nation, and given that his friends are both from Great Liang, he very much wants to get this right.

“There’s an illness going around right now. It’s not listed among the top quests for people like us, but they’re asking people to help gather ingredients so the healers have enough supplies to cure all the patients coming in. I was thinking of going out and bringing some extra back here.”

He definitely wants to bring some back for them. Li Min has been working on his magic, but Walter thinks it could also be beneficial to branch out into multiple facets of the discipline. It might even help enhance his already-developing talents.

Yet in the end, it’s also a means of broaching conversation and transitioning into what he really wants to say.

“…I… also wanted to talk to you about something. But I’m a little embarrassed to ask.”

3. Ingredients Three: The Second Ingredient (Open to All)
This isn’t the first time Walter has been in the Brocéliande by a long shot. Nor is it first time Walter has gone out for the star-shaped nuts. But he has a friend with healing magic that has taken on clinic work, so he’s more than happy to go out to gather supplies. Yet, having frequented the Broceliande, he is familiar with the threat posed by the Bear Firs. Which is why, when another appears to join him in his task, the first thing he does is give them a good look to see whether or not they are someone he knows.

OPTION 1:
If they turn out to be a new face, he asks: “What sort of magic do you have?”

OPTION 2:
If, indeed, he does know them, and knows them to have elemental magic, he asks: “How comfortable are you with fire magic?”

OPTION 3:
If, as it turns out, he knows them, and knows that they possess something other than elemental magic, he comments idly: “It’s a pity they specified that magical fire was necessary for fighting off those Bear Firs. If only normal fire would do the trick…”

4. Ingredients Three: The Third Ingredient (Open to All)

House and yard work is nothing for Walter. He’s a butler, and he is more than accustomed to doing the simple tasks the trolls request in exchange for their assistance in acquiring the poliwag grass. Dusting the house from top to bottom? Done. Washing dishes? Done. Stripping the floor of wax and rewaxing? Done. Sweeping, mopping, trimming trees and shrubs? It’s all in a day’s work for him, and he progresses through each, save for the waxing, which simply requires time, at an impressive speed.

He’s in the yard tidying up the trimmed branches when he spots another person approaching. He calls out to them while picking up sticks.

“If you’re here to find the grass for the healers, be prepared to work for it. I’m guessing they’re not friends with any Brownies here.”

5. Quest; Save a Beast, Kill a Man (Combat Quest, Open to All)
Once again, Walter is checking the listing of quest, and once again he is greeted with the description of something not quite right.

I'm a selkie. Years ago, my husband stole my pelt and forced me to marry him. I would like to go back to the lake, but can only do so if my pelt is returned. If you have to kill him to get it back, I won't complain. He's on his own quest right now to slay a fresh-water kraken that's been hanging around the south beach. It's making people nervous, but hasn't harmed anyone, so I'll double your pay if you get there before the kraken is slain. 

The quest for the pure of heart and the call for the testing of Cupid’s arrows had both rubbed him the wrong way, but this one leaves him angry in a completely different way. A stolen pelt, a forced marriage; he’s familiar with the lore, and while he doesn’t have definitive proof that the quest-giver is speaking the truth, he has every intention of finding out what that truth is.

“So he’s headed to the south beach, hmn? Isn’t that where those little elves have been parading around lately?”

Comments

[shiliu]

Low-angle winter sunshine streams through the window, lighting up a spot on the sofa in their shared house, where Gu Yun is stretched out, cat-like. He is pretending to be lazy, but the truth is, the warmth seeping through to his skin is soothing to his body, worn down, beaten, and injured beyond his years. But when the aroma of tea wafts past his sensitive nose, Gu Yun props his head up on one hand and gazes at Walter, whose lips he can’t quite see clearly. Through his monocle, however, he’s able to detect there’s something up with the boy, cheeks flushed and reticent, as if he wants to talk but also doesn’t. Gu Yun, naturally inclined to mischief, sits up fully and pats the space next to him.

“Hm? What is it? Come over and talk to me.”

[angel_of_death]

Halfway through the process of pouring the water from the kettle into the teapot, Walter glances over his shoulder just in time to see Gu Yun's gesture of invitation. Though he sees the man in a friendly light, it is nevertheless a rarity for Walter to be invited so close to someone. Thinking on the particular subject matter he intends to speak about, his quiet fluster deepens. Yet, he doesn't raise objection. He can handle cutting down Nazis and ageless, blood-sucking vampires. He can handle a little conversation like this.

He just hopes that he can handle it well.

"Just a moment. I'll bring the tea over."

Water poured and kettle returned to its position on the stove, Walter gathers the tray on which pot and cups are set and brings them over to the sofa. There's a third cup in case Li Min returns, but he intends for it to remain unfilled until such time as his friend appears. It wouldn't do to serve tea gone lukewarm.

"Let me know how it is. I'm used to preparing black tea. I've never had much opportunity to try green."

[shiliu]

Though as a child, he was raised as a young master in the capital, that way of living was swiftly cut short. He's lived most of his adult life in a state of privation, eating golden sand in the Northwest; or, more recently, racing back and forth across the country, lucky to have time to drink even a bowl of plain water. A cup of tea, conscientiously prepared like this, is a luxury regardless of its preparation. Naturally he mentions none of this, instead simply lifting his cup and smelling the aroma. After a moment, he takes a careful sip as if he were a connoisseur. Then he lifts his eyes and smiles.

"Mm, good."

It's all he can do, to keep from chuckling. The boy really does seem flustered. Curiosity piqued, Gu Yun is certainly not going to let Walter get away until he finds out what's going on. He takes another, longer sip, and sets the cup down.

"So, what's on your mind?"

[angel_of_death]

Taking the seat offered before, Walter, not having rehearsed his words beforehand, starts off haltingly.

"Well… I haven't… been entirely immersed in social matters for the past few years." Having been isolated from much of the human world, focusing on sharpening his skills in combat against the undead, and his primary source of socialization also being undead sort of put the damper on normal human interaction even within his own organization. "I didn't have much of a social life before, to be honest."

Even as a young child, he hadn't gotten along with his peers, for reasons he isn't about to veer into thinking about, lest he lose his train of thought in the sobering mess of his past.

"But here, I've been speaking to people, and hearing and reading about their thoughts and lives." Because with the network their phones are connected to, it seems to be a lot of what people are sharing; thoughts that would not normally be broadcast to the immediate world, where and when he is from.

"That angel fellow, for example. Broadcasting a confession of love and all that on the new year. I mean, there's some story somewhere about angels lusting after human women and falling from heaven's favour because of that, but what he… at least I suppose he is a he…"

The voice seemed masculine enough, even though Walter has a vague memory of angels being portrayed as genderless somewhere. Yet whenever they're depicted as having a gender whilst traversing the material world, they're usually depicted as male, so perhaps it has something to do with that… yet, that, too, is beside the point.

"Whatever the case, what he said seemed different. More that whole… romantic, lovey-dovey sort of love. Towards a demon that also seems very… male."

He clears his throat, trying his utmost to keep his composure, distracting himself a little bit with taking up the cup he’d poured for himself and holding it.

"Angels and demons aside, the only sort of things I've heard about men being attracted to other men are insults, and how it's nothing more than sinful lust." The social attitudes of his time towards such things, in his culture, are far from kind. In fact, acting upon said lusts and being found out are rewarded with criminal punishments in his era. "It never occurred to me that a man might love a man in the way people always depict a man loving a woman."

He brushes his thumb against his cup — a small gesture of nervousness. This is infinitely more nerve-wracking than being confronted by a vampire. He's probably going to get himself into a dreadful mess. He will never live this down. But he's come this far, and he wants to know.

Staring into his cup, into his own muddled reflection, he at last asks a question he sincerely hopes he won't come to regret. "…Do you suppose people of the same sex can fall in love?"

1/3

[shiliu]

"Xiao Hu's" story starts off heartwarming. Gu Yun's eyes soften. It had been clear to him from the outset that the boy has had a difficult life, and heartening to know that, like him, Xiao Hu has had a chance to try to live normally. So he sips his tea without a care, relaxing into the sofa.

[shiliu]

...until he chokes on it.

The boy going on about romantic love between men and then blushingly asking his opinion on it???

3/4

[shiliu]

He's been down this path before and made a mess of it, not understanding the nature and depth of Chang Geng's feelings until it was too late. He'd tried to reject Chang Geng, as kindly as he could, but somehow that only made the young man bolder...

Now he knows better. If Xiao Hu is straying down the same path, he needs to somehow swiftly nip this in the bud, before things spiral out of control.

[shiliu]

Gu Yun finally swallows his mouthful of tea and sets the cup down. Then he turns to Xiao Hu and says with a grin:

"Xiao Hu, can it be that you've fallen in love with me?"

Quest: Pure of Heart

[kiss_it_better]

Something about this whole thing didn't sit right with him. He had stared at the potion for a little while, considering the way Morgana had talked about it for a moment.

Then he pocketed the bottle and texted Walter, explaining briefly the request and the way it was described to him and added.

There is very likely some sort of trick at play here though I am uncertain what it is at this point. What do you think?

[angel_of_death]

The sound a of a message being delivered to Walter’s phone wakes him up.

Yawning, the boy stretches as his limbs emerge from the covers on his little cot bed, fingers feeling underneath the light, movable frame for the elusive phone, snatching it up once they detect that tell-tale texture of a warmed, smooth surface.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes with one hand whilst holding the phone above him with the other, Walter reads over the text. He has to concur; Morganna is definitely up to something.

Rolling over onto his side, he quickly types a reply.

Morganna has something of a mixed reputation in the stories I remember.

The bridge and crystals are the same ones the pure of heart were encouraged to gather before, are they not? The pure of heart are the only ones who can cross that bridge, yet the suggestion to slip something into an unsuspecting man’s food presents a test of morals, don’t you agree?

Given the size of that reward, perhaps she stands to gain something by corrupting one pure of heart. I assure you, if harming someone was her goal, she would be more than capable of doing it herself.

[kiss_it_better]

That's a possibility. Or perhaps there is something to be gained from having the pure of heart succeed in this little test.

It makes me wonder what she might gain from doing either of those things.

[angel_of_death]

It would not surprise me in the least if Morganna has rigged things to go in her favour either way.

Whether that might mean tricking someone into being corrupted either way to get what she wants, or being able to obtain something of value from someone who isn't corrupted by the test, as you say, I don't know.

[But Walter is very curious about her motives. So, after another good stretch, he peels away the covers and swings his feet over the edge of his cot.

Soon after, he follows up with another text.]

I'm getting up. Just let me make a nice strong cup of black tea and I'll come help you out.

5 (Lucy); CW: forced marriage

[scarredhorns]

Lucy just happened to be near him when he wondered that thought aloud. The selkie quest has also captured her interest, not just because of the (claimed) forced marriage, but because the selkie didn't mind if her husband died. And Lucy didn't mind getting her hands dirty if need be. The thought that the quest giver could be lying doesn't cross her mind upon first glance.

"I think so? I didn't volunteer for that elf quest, though. I'd probably be too short."

At 5'1" she is not the tallest person around. Not that it makes her any less dangerous when she wants to be, albeit she no longer has her original powers.

[angel_of_death]

Not expecting a reply, Walter glances towards the woman when one is given. She's only a few inches shorter than him — he hasn't hit his growth spurt yet — but that hardly concerns him.

"I'm not much taller, but I can't say I'm one to go out of my way just to stoke someone else's ego."

Walter prefers his good deeds to be a little more on the productive side.

Speaking of productive, it sounds as though the woman has been browsing the quest board herself.

"Are you interested in the selkie's situation as well?"

apologies for the wait! on hiatus this month, but still trying to tag older threads

[scarredhorns]

"Yeah, that's another reason I didn't sign up for that one," she says with a snort.

Plus the selkie quest sounds far more interesting carrying some elves around.

"Yes." She lowers her voice so that only he can hear her. "I'm not bothered by having to rough someone up either, which sounds like it might be necessary to get the job done, if the man's as pigheaded as the selkie makes him out to be."

No problem! Also, CW: references to rapists/rape

[angel_of_death]

Pig-headed. That's a a kind way of putting it. A man who forces a woman into marriage is nothing short of a rapist in Walter's eyes.

There's a sharpness to the boy's smile as he responds. No, he doesn't mind roughing a man like that up, either. He doesn't mind one bit.

"If he refuses to relinquish her pelt like a good and proper gentleman, then I am all for disciplining him until he talks. We should also keep him in our custody until we confirm the pelt is indeed hers. We can't have him passing a fake on us, after all."

3. (MoM AU)

[cantgetanyworse]

It's actually been kind of nice to feel like she can do something useful with the powers she has this time around. Though she has missed the general chatter of animals around her, the silence and simple joy of actually hearing animal sounds for what they are is something she missed far, far more.

In hindsight it would have been wise to find someone to go out here with her, but Jane doesn't know anyone here yet to ask... and she hadn't been able to resist the urge to just get herself out into nature again. City life was just not her cup of tea.

"Oh--" Snapped out of her thought, she looks Walter's way. "Healing, I suppose. I haven't used it too much yet."

Does she still have the same accent? I'm not familiar with MoM's setting.

[angel_of_death]

Well, it's good that she's enjoying herself, though getting immersed in distraction in this particular locale without a proper means of defending oneself against the Bear Firs isn't something Walter would advise.

"Healing magic is good. However, if you want to relax out here, you should consider bringing someone along who has elemental magic at their disposal."

oh yes, she's still very English.

[cantgetanyworse]

"I'm not doing this to relax," she replies with a small, easy smile. Even with some other kind of more offensive magic she's sure she'd still have some trouble defending herself from anything, having been here for such a short time. But this is someone who happily walked out into the jungles of the Congo without much concern for her own safety, and much the same attitude is being applied here.

"But I do appreciate your concern. Perhaps we can watch one another's backs, so to speak?"

Walter is also very English.

[angel_of_death]

Walter is not entirely certain they mean the same thing by the word relax. But it matters little in the end. He's out there to accomplish what he wants to do. She's out there to accomplish whatever it is she wants to do.

He plucks another star-shaped nut from the branch above the one he's standing on, dropping it into his basket. He has already filled a small jar with them, the sealed glass half-submerged in the mound accumulating in said basket.

The animals may or may not be starting to give him dirty looks.

"Are you familiar with the Bear Firs of this forest?"

Red Spring's Training Grounds

[itsmypower]

What's he doing?

How it's appeared, or what Shoto's imagined, is "Aizawa-style training". And while his memories leave him winded, he's missed his months of being in class, filled with pride, and bruised growth. Enduring the Hell his mentor's known for.

But the magic's unfamiliar. His accuracy with stones, mixed with arrow-like precision, makes it seem like an illusion. He's seen Quirks with comparable actions before, though without his same grace.

He wonders. If he's asked to become his opponent, could he raise his skills too? Unavoidably, too often, the fastest route to strength is force, and so he's sparred a lot with others to win, since he was 5 and still fragile. He doesn't mind bruises; the injuries he's sustained completely ignored in favor of giving. Though in truth, he feels soft. He's known worse through competitions before, and through particularly contentious fights, he's learned to seek rivals.

But his rival seeks him. He thinks of shadows, and of bright, blue flames; how there's precious little time to spend, to prepare his own counter. That he'll need to start, here.

Without as much as an introduction, he's moving before his mind's caught up. And then, before he's thought his words completely through, he's showing the starts of crystal.

Blooming frost across his cheeks.

"I don't, but, would you train with me instead?"

There's something almost shy, but nearly urgent beneath his asking.

1/2

[angel_of_death]

It makes an interesting picture, the frost on those cheeks. Walter finds his attention drawn to it immediately. An elemental magic user, his mind supplies. Is he having trouble controlling it?

Walter doesn't sink too deeply into thought over it, or over the other boy's appearance, unusual though it is. All are beside the question.

2/2

[angel_of_death]

But the answer intrigues him.

Posture relaxing, he shifts his weight to favour one leg, a single loose fist settling on his hip. His lips stretch into an easy smirk; assured, entertained, inviting.

"Do you have anything in mind?"

Since the other boy is the one who approached him, it's only fair that Walter gives him the chance to specify the sort of training he's looking for.

[itsmypower]

Creeping ivy, bits of frost.

Because his Quirk was such a presence, once, his magic creates the allusion. Blending ice, and old habits; crust and armor fused to cooling skin—which he hides beneath his fingers.

He keeps his eyes on scattered stones, and then he's watching the one who's left them. At the least, he's not hostile.

His posture sets his mind at ease, and so he's drawn in steps closer.

"I haven't used magic in combat before. But it looks like you can..."

Vaguely, gesturing to his "ammo".

"I don't know what I'm capable of, anymore. So I thought I'd find out." Then, as if he's embarrassed at just the thought, he casts his look sideways. "I thought fighting you could show me. If you don't mind that..." A little crackling interrupts this, and the youth sighs exhausted.

"Sorry. It's been like this a while, now." Worse, recently. "My flame's not like this at all."

[angel_of_death]

The stones remain where Walter has left them; some embedded, some hovering in the air. Such light objects only require the smallest of attention.

He listens to the meandering explanation unperturbed. While it seems like the other boy is having some confidence issues, there's still potential in this arrangement. He doesn't have much experience in fighting against elemental attacks. Worn-out and sleep-deprived at the start of the previous month's tournament, he'd even had trouble against an elementalist in the magical melee being bested as an indirect result of his exhaustion; his sleeve even sports a minor distortion where he'd had to stitch it up after the fabric had been burned.

Besides, there's something thrilling about the thought of sparring with someone actively seeking to improve on their skills. If he sticks to it... it could prove to be useful for the both of them.

It might even prove to be interesting.

"Like what?" he prompts, not a trace of hesitation in his tone. "Show me."