[open] // do what we must because we can

[fionnuisce]

Characters: Waver and open
Setting: Floor 27, cafeteria, dorm floors
Format: Either
Summary: Tea, science, and sleep are Waver's priorities. In that order.
Warnings: None yet.

[floor 27]

[Waver had spent the majority of his time in the laboratory; being the leader of the group researching the clear collar fluid, he might have felt obligated even if it didn't fascinate him. Luckily (for some value of the word), he was a researcher that often became utterly absorbed in his work to the point of forgetting everything else. 'Minor' things like sleeping and eating, for example.]

[Though he hid it the best he could, if the ponytail-wearing magus looked exhausted that was likely no one's imagination. Today he was looking over his own hastily-written notes and narrowing his eyes at the container of fluid itself as though it had perhaps insulted his mother, thin cloud of cigarette smoke hanging in the air in front of him.]

[cafeteria]

[It was a remarkably simple thing, tea. Last time it was available, Waver had taken quite a bit of it to store in his trunk (along with a whole lot of alcohol.)]

[Then, glamour failure. If asked for one petty thing Waver would never forgive the administrators for, he would always answer with that.]

[Needless to say, he'd finally dragged himself away from his work long enough to enjoy the shift in provisions. Today in the cafeteria one could find a magus in a black and green suit sitting by himself, looking over near-incomprehensible notes with a cup of tea in his hand.]

[And if one happens upon him in the evening, it's likely he's minding his own business and leaving with a bottle of wine or two, liquid mercury maid trailing a step behind him.]

[dorm floors]

[Only at some ungodly hour did Waver finally give up for the night and leave the laboratory, Volumen Hydragyrum behind him carrying two bottles of wine. If he was willing to stop at all, it was likely he'd reached his physical limit or damn near to it. Sure enough, it had been several days since he slept a full night--or slept, period. As a result Waver was pale and walking just a little unsteadily, but at least he didn't seem ready to drop dead.]

[Drop into a coma when he got to his room, sure. But not drop dead.]

Comments

[bashfulshifter]

[Rick makes a silent "oh" and ponders for a moment, massaging his chin. Then he smiles rather wryly.]

...Y-You're not g-going to d-drink all that y-yourself, are you?

[fionnuisce]

My best friend is Irish.

[waver that explains so little and yet so much]

Either I'm going to save half of it or between the two of us it'll be gone by the morning.

[bashfulshifter]

[That gets a laugh.]

...I g-guess that m-means...y-you're not w-willing to share?

[With him, he means. Yes, Rick is propositioning Waver for alcohol, why is everyone so confused]

[fionnuisce]

...Well, I imagine I could certainly spare a little.

[bashfulshifter]

[That doesn't get a direct answer--just a grin.]

...S-So, ah...where a-are you h-headed? If y-you d-don't mind the c-c-company.

[fionnuisce]

I was going to head in the general direction of my room, but I could just as easily linger around here if you'd like.

[bashfulshifter]

Wh--Wherever is b-better for you. I--I m-mean, if you h-had o-other things p-planed, I-I d-don't want to b-be in your w-way.

[fionnuisce]

I didn't have much planned at all. Don't worry so much, I don't mind sparing some time for you.

[bashfulshifter]

[Yes sir.]

I-If you say s-so...here, then?

[It is getting kind of late...if the monsters sneak up on them, best be on a floor where they can escape into the elevator.]

[fionnuisce]

Very well. If anything tries to sneak up on us, I'll be sure they regret it.

[bashfulshifter]

[Rick starts wandering back to one of the cafeteria tables, though it wouldn't do him any good to stray too far ahead from his companion, so he sticks close.]

I-I'd say I n-need the p-practice, b-but...heh. [Wouldn't be wise to tempt fate, would it? Of course he does anyways.] I'm s-sure we'll be f-fine in h-here.

[fionnuisce]

I can assure you of that. I'm far tougher than I look.

[As he walked, Waver made a vague gesture with his right hand to display the bright red Command Spells inscribed on it.]

Besides, I can call Diarmuid here in a matter of seconds, if that. There's no need to be concerned.

[bashfulshifter]

[Rick leans in a little to get a better look at the mark, eyebrows arced high over his glasses as he peers over them.]

Huh!

[Is that where the magic comes from, because Diarmuid is made of magic? Rick's reasoning is flawless.]

...S-S-So there's the, um...m-maid, and D-Diarmuid...what else c-can you do? With m-magic, I m-mean.

[fionnuisce]

[honestly, not entirely inaccurate]

Well...my elemental affinity is water, so some control over liquids isn't impossible. I'm also a passable alchemist.

[bashfulshifter]

A-A-Alchemy?

[Isn't that just...early chemistry? Of course, Rick's idea of alchemy is the unsuccessful sort, so he has to do some mental backpedaling before the implications of a magical, professional alchemist become apparent to him. Even then he's rather narrow-minded.]

...S-So you can t-turn s-stuff into g-gold?

[fionnuisce]

[Waver laughed, shrugging at the idea rather than mock what was admittedly a rather extreme view of the matter.]

It's a little less fantastic than that, in practical application. Think of it more as magic-based chemistry.

[bashfulshifter]

[Rick grabs a pair of narrow wine glasses before taking a seat. This is all based on the assumption that Waver doesn't grow tired of the blonde man's questions and take his wine to more interesting company.]

Eh...s-sorry, that's n-not...s-something I can i-imagine, e-easily. [Cue embarrassed chuckle.] ...Like the m-maid, I guess?

[fionnuisce]

I'm afraid it's a little difficult to explain past that. But I suppose it's not completely different.

[bashfulshifter]

[He shrugs.] Th--That's fine. I m-mean, I h-have a hard e-enough time u-u-understanding my o-own p-powers...

[Rick reaches for one of the wine bottles, though he gives Waver a quick, questioning raise of his eyebrows to make sure he's allowed before he decides to open and distribute it.]

...even if you c-could e-e-explain it, I...p-probably wouldn't f-follow.

[fionnuisce]

[He pushed the bottle a few inches towards Rick as he spoke, indifferent over whether or not his companion drank any. It was hardly irreplaceable.]

Considering I make a living out of explaining the kind of things I can do, I might like to hear someone else elaborate on their own abilities for a change.

[bashfulshifter]

--Th--That's r-right, y-you're--a p-professor, yeah? S-Sorry, I...didn't mean to o-offend.

[He pauses sheepishly; then the implication hits: ]

...w-wait...you mean m-mine?

[fionnuisce]

You didn't, don't worry about it. And yes, of course. If you're willing to talk about it, I'd be interested in hearing what you can do.

[bashfulshifter]

[As should be expected, Rick is very bashful about the amount of attention he's receiving, blushing bright red and scratching the back of his neck.]

A-Ah, well...I-I'm a sh--shapeshifter.

[fionnuisce]

A shapeshifter? That's certainly something different--is it magical in nature or were you always able to do that?

[Waver was at the very least making a conscious effort not to make Rick any more uncomfortable, but he had to admit the concept was an interesting one.]

[bashfulshifter]

[At some point during this transaction, Rick has distributed the wine and pushed one glass towards Waver. He takes the opportunity to sample his own and is quite happy with the results.]

[In any case, he shrugs.] ...N-Neither? I m-mean...my s-scientist f-friend never s-said a-anything about m-magic. [And Rick never would have had the nerve to call the genius wrong.] B-But I w-wasn't a-always able to sh--shift. It's...k-kind of a l-long story.