[open] // watch me stumble over and over

[fionnuisce]

Characters: Waver and open
Date: December 25th, 26th, and 27th
Location: mailroom, laboratory, dorm floors
Format: starting in brackets
Summary: The wonderful thing about Nasuverse magic is nothing. Nothing is wonderful.
Warnings: None yet.

[floor 78; 12/25]

[It had been a disappointing holiday, to make a hilariously extreme understatement. Waver had hoped to at least make an attempt at exchanging gifts with the few people he actually liked, but then things went all pear-shaped. A Christmas invasion of plague doctors seemed a strange thing to accept as quickly as one would accept poor weather, but that was just how this place operated.]

[Today, his minor concern was sorting out a few sheets of neatly and carefully folded notebook paper, placing a few letters written in the infirmary in their designated place. A more major worry was the strange sensation of pins and needles that occasionally spread through his body like a shiver. Assuming it was the start of a cold brought on by the miserable weather, the lecturer settled for making careful note of it as well as the oddly sore feeling in his shoulder. Slept at a wrong angle, maybe?]

[The idea that either could have been a symptom of something more pressing hadn't yet occurred to him. Whether that was due to exhaustion or just being outright done with the Tower's nonsense for this month was hard to tell.]

[floor 27; 12/26]

[Some people probably thought their work was done with this latest breakthrough regarding collar fluid. 'Some people' were not Waver. Now that things had settled down somewhat, he again returned to the laboratory to carefully look over his notes, spending hours reading over them like he expected to find something previously missed.]

[Those hours passed with Waver persistently disregarding the growing ache in the back of his shoulder. Yesterday's odd pins and needles sensation was for the moment something he could ignore, but whatever was wrong with Waver's shoulder grew steadily worse as he tried to concentrate on working.]

[Eventually, the thoroughly irritated magus stood from his chair and looked around--maybe he could go find some ice to put on it. Whatever injury he'd sustained, it was starting to feel as though it was burning-]

Fucking hell, don't tell me.

[The problem with being a magus (one of many problems, Waver would often argue) was that the ability to use magic was something unnatural on a biological level. To begin with, Magic Circuits were something like a nervous system in operation, but at the same time they were something a normal human body would essentially reject. Activating them caused even the best magi some level of pain.]

Shit. Shit, shit, shit, this isn't good-

[But far more problematic was the issue of a Magic Crest. They acted as another form of Circuits, engraved into the body of a magical family's heir when that heir was still young. Waver's own was of no considerable size or strength, but his current state of genuine fear came from a number of problems that now presented themselves.]

[A Magic Crest was meant to be passed down little by little, while the heir was still young. The older one was when it was implanted, the more likely their body would be to fight and attempt to reject it.]

[Waver recalled three things: one, that he was currently twenty-five years older than he'd been when he inherited his mother's crest. Two, if this was indeed what was happening now, he severely doubted whatever process the new collar fluid was taking would be able to replicate the process correctly. Three: When it came right down to it, he had very little tolerance for pain.]

[There may or may not have been a half-restrained scream emanating from the laboratory about five minutes later, followed by the dull sound of someone falling back against a wall to stay standing.]

[dorm room 03-10; 12/27]

[Waver was not in good shape. The worst of the pain in his crest and circuits had begun to subside, but 'a little less than absolute torture' wasn't much improvement. He was honestly feeling better about the situation, however. He'd doubted for a moment this experiment would have favorable results, but if this was happening now then they'd made real progress.]

[Lying facedown on his bed with a pillow clamped over his head as if trying to shut out all of existence didn't look like 'optimism', but appearances could certainly be deceiving.]

Comments

[fionnuisce]

It'd probably be safer to leave it up for now...I don't want my circuits overworked any more than they already are.

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid nods and settles for just giving Waver's hair a stroke instead.]

That is why I didn't let it down before. I remembered how the air around you changed when you let it down during the fight, and while I don't know the details, it doesn't really take knowing them to figure out that it had something to do with your circuits.

[fionnuisce]

Hm...it's complicated. Magic Circuits run through one's entire body, and if a magus has longer hair, usually they'll w...wear it up to restrict prana flow. Untying it is rather like allowing oneself a marginally larger amount of energy to work with.

[oathshackledbird]

I see...

[A twinkle enters Diarmuid's eyes.]

And is there something in all of that complication that explains why you like letting me play with it?

[fionnuisce]

Of course not. I just...rather like you doing that.

[oathshackledbird]

Oh, do you?

[Diarmuid carefully runs his hand through Waver's ponytail.]

Just one more way we are a good pair then, since I like doing it so much...

[fionnuisce]

...It's calming, somehow. So don't stop just yet, alright?

[oathshackledbird]

Don't worry. I hadn't planned on it.

[Diarmuid continues stroking Waver's hair, a gentle look on his face.]

It's calming for me too.

[fionnuisce]

Thanks. I'm s-sorry I'm so fucking helpless right now. Hopefully I'll be f...fine in a couple days--honestly, getting my crest the first time wasn't nearly this annoying.

[oathshackledbird]

Mo Stór, please stop being so hard on yourself. I don't mind taking care of you for a little while. You said it yourself. Crests weren't meant to be obtained all at once. It wasn't so annoying before because you got it a little at a time.

[Another kiss finds its way to Waver's forehead.]

Just relax the best you can and let me take care of you, okay?

[fionnuisce]

At least my mother knew what she was fucking doing with it. [Waver's shoulder and arm twitched, the lecturer consciously trying to keep his composure.] This is just r-ridiculous.

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid frowns when he notices the twitching, seeing it as an obvious sign of how hard Waver is trying to hold himself in check and how close he's coming to failing.]

Would it help just to let go and cry and scream all you want? I won't tell anyone...

[fionnuisce]

I would j-just feel foolish if I did that. It's not remotely worth it.

[oathshackledbird]

There would be no reason to feel foolish. Not if it helps you handle the pain easier...

[fionnuisce]

It w-wouldn't, so just forget it.

[oathshackledbird]

As you wish, though the offer remains open if you change your mind.

[Just in case things get worse before they get better...]

[fionnuisce]

Look, all I want is for you not to go anywhere just yet. That will at least make me feel a little more secure despite miserable circumstances.

[oathshackledbird]

Mo Stór, rest assured I am not going anywhere for a very long time. Nothing could make me.

[He rests his head against Waver's again.]

Not even you.

[fionnuisce]

I-I know. [Waver closed his eyes, clearly aware both of how exhausted he was and how unlikely sleeping actually seemed.]

At least we can say th-this experiment's probably going to work, right?

[oathshackledbird]

Yes, if it helps any, focus on that. It worked. All that research has paid off.

[Diarmuid continues to stroke Waver's hair. He knows it's a long shot, but he can't help but hope that maybe he will be able to get Waver to relax enough to doze even if he can't sleep because of the pain.]

[fionnuisce]

F-for now, yes. I'd say that's better than nothing.

[oathshackledbird]

Indeed.

[Diarmuid gently rubs Waver's arm with the hand that isn't stroking his hair.]

So, any ideas on what our next step will be now that we have our powers back?

[fionnuisce]

I'm not sure...this isn't really a good time for me to work on strategy. But I would probably say we should spend the next month preparing; if nothing goes poorly, see if we can switch everyone over to this collar fluid with as f-few incidents as possible.

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid smiles gently.]

I'm not asking for strategy, just a few ideas. What about those who don't wish to take the new fluid? Do we just let them stay with the old even though that means the Administrators can still control them?

[After all, considering the range of powers people here have, it only makes sense that there are some people who are better off with their abilities limited as they are. Diarmuid himself is better off with his curse's...

He swears softly under his breath.]

I really hope this doesn't mean my curse will go back to being active all the time. I don't want a repeat of before...

[fionnuisce]

We can't really force anyone to do it--otherwise we'd be no better than Jason. Whether they decide to take it or not should be their own choice.

[Waver hesitated at Diarmuid's next remark, thinking carefully. If that did happen, they'd have one more problem to deal with on top of all the others. With barely a word the magus took his sunglasses and placed them on Diarmuid's face as though that was the obvious solution. (Never mind that it wasn't a pressing issue just yet.)]

There.