[Semi-Open] And With All Your Magic, I Disappear From View

[backwordscompatible]

Characters: Everybody who wanted in on the magic plot, particularly those who responded here.
Date: Mid-July
Location: Turtle's Head
Situation: Zatanna has a theory. With a little help from some new friends and some not-so-new friends, she's about to test that theory out...

Warnings/Rating: UNPREDICTABLE MAGIC



Note: This Log with be separated into three parts. First will be the Pre-Spell Mingle, which is exactly what it sounds like. Characters will be given the opportunity to meet and greet with one another, discuss their respective magics, theories as to what might happen, etc. The second will be the Spell Casting, where each character involved will be given the opportunity to show off his/her/their stuff.

The third part of the Log will be the Results/Aftermath. Basically, once I have word from the mods how the Spell Casting will go, the subheader will be edited to include every last detail. From there, characters will be given the chance to react accordingly.

For questions/comments/uncertainties, feel free to contact me over on plurk (hina_mun) or pop over to the OOC post.

Comments

[skeletonenigma]

"It doesn't have anything to do with what you deserve," Skulduggery said. "What you deserve is relative. Bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people. No one gets what they deserve. You can't help that. But you wouldn't have told me you were barely functioning if you didn't want to become more than that."

You couldn't fix what you didn't realise was broken. But even then, fixing what was wrong usually involved accepting that fixing it wasn't possible. Human beings weren't tools. They were layers upon layers of conflicting emotion, experience, and regret. It was a miracle Hopeless hadn't gone insane before he died.

"Solutions are simple," Skulduggery added quietly. "It's the distance before them which isn't. You can ignore that, and complain that things never change. I won't hold it against you. I've done it often enough."

[edgeoftheknife]

Simple. Skulduggery kept using that word, but Ravel couldn't see where it even began to apply in this situation. What could possibly be simple about trying to overcome so much? It had taken a mind-reader and a magic stone the first time, and even that hadn't been a perfect solution. Certainly not after Hopeless had been taken from him. Whatever progress he'd made by that point was washed away, paving the way for so much worse in the future.

Now there was Darquesse to contend with. Darquesse, and Anton and Ghastly and Corrival.

And yet Skulduggery wasn't outright rejecting the idea of Erskine getting help. Wasn't, by all appearances at least, insisting that Erskine's current mental state was punishment for what he'd done, as Erskine tended to suspect. More than any of it, that was the part that floored him.

It almost felt like permission to try to get help.

Now if only Ravel could figure out how to do that--Skulduggery's vague assertions aside.

"If the solution is so simple, where's that miracle pill you were talking about? I think I'd like one of those. Otherwise I'm afraid I just don't see it."

[skeletonenigma]

"See?" said Skulduggery. "You're still complaining, and I'm not holding it against you."

It was a joke, or at least an attempt at some lightheartedness. Reflexive, but no less for it. Skulduggery tilted his head to the side and watched the spellcasting, silent for a moment or two longer; then he spoke again. "Wanting help is simple, Ravel. Going through with it isn't. Fortunately for you, there's more than one person here who thinks you're worth it, so I'd start by listening to them. Anton, specifically."

Anton could very well count as a miracle pill. God knew the Dead Men had unknowingly done the same for Skulduggery, countless times.

[edgeoftheknife]

Fortunately for you, there's more than one person here who thinks you're worth it.

Erskine wasn't sure he believed that, and he really didn't believe that Skulduggery believed it. They'd barely spoken two words to each other aside from that short stretch of time when they'd been shackled together. How the hell would Skulduggery know what anyone thought of Ravel, anyway? Did he know that Raine still didn't trust him, even if she tried not to let it show? That aside from Anton, Valdis might be the only other person on the turtle that gave a damn about him, more than just to simply chatter with on the network?

Still, he nodded. He couldn't see how fighting this particular point would do him any good, not right now... and having Anton on his side was important. That, at least, he was willing to concede.

"I should get over to the other side," he said finally, this time with a good deal less rejection evident in his voice, in his posture. He paused, decided against thanking Skulduggery. It remained to be seen whether any of this was going to do any good. "I'll see you later."

[skeletonenigma]

Unfortunately.

Being willing to give someone a chance did not immediately equate enjoying that person's company. With time, that would change, and an awareness of that fact was the only reason Skulduggery didn't say unfortunately out loud.

So he simply nodded, and got back to what he was doing. The more time passed, the more he was sure Zatanna's spell was safe, but convincing himself otherwise was at least a productive distraction.