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 Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 8:35 pm
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Listen. Just because Ollie had been notified in advance, and then notified again upon arrival, didn't mean that he was like, ready for anything. Because he wasn't. He was sitting on the couch like a lazy a*****e, and then his phone went off, and then a few moments later the door sounded. Pascal boofed. Nosey shot across the apartment for no reason other than the fact that she was an easily startled baby. Chai continued to sleep in the sun. Oliver groaned.
He opened the door without much preparation, only to be immediately smothered in a hug by Nasir. This was not something he had to prepare for. This was something he sort of expected. The talking scarf was to be expected too.
"What, really?" He wasn't hugging back, he was just sort of deadpanned-accepting of the hug as he stood there, "I guess that means I might be able to shift again... I mean..." He shook his head, "That's good though." Ollie sounded half awake. He had definitely been snoozing a little on the couch. "Sorry, it's um. Hard for me to hug back right now."
His hands hung awkwardly at his side.
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Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 9:25 am
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Nasir would eventually let go of Ollie, mostly because- well, you know. The exuberance faded and his face was darkening with a faint blush. Also because ninja-attack hugs meant that he did not get hugs back.
"Really," he replied, giving Ollie one last squeeze and finally let go. Mostly because he was keeping an eye on the doorway to make sure no one was going to try for an escape.
"Sorry," he then said, though he did not look terribly sorry about the ninja-attack hug but possibly sorry that Ollie was mid-snooze. "I can just do some reading if you want to snooze a little longer?" Never mind that this was also Nasir and it was easy to tell, once a moment passed, that he clearly came baring fresh baked goods.
Probably cinnamon rolls that Trouble was peeking out of the scarf and wanting to steal some of. That mark was still there on his hand, though Nasir seemed to be doing far, far better at not focusing on things.
Besides, Ollie being sleepy was likely to make Nasir a bit sleepy too.
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Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 4:58 pm
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"No, it's alright, it's..." Oliver looked... frustrated. "Sorry, here just come inside."
Once he'd successfully corralled Nasir into his apartment, he started the slow process of closing the door. This consisted of trying to catch the edge with his foot to close it while simultaneously twisting the knob with... the back of his hands? It was a mess, but the motions were also decidedly practiced. Ollie did this a lot. Once that was squared away (and after Pascal charged over with Chai to inspect the new person, hi Nasir, hello Nasir, hi hello), Ollie waved him into the apartment.
"Eli's at work." Ollie took a seat on the couch, which was clearly his current nesting spot, because it was swathed up in blankets and pillows and soft things. He rubbed one of his eyes with his knuckle. "But you can sit down. What'cha got there? I mean, I smelled that you had something when I answered the door, but..." His eyes narrowed, "Sugar... icing? Cinnamon..."
His nose twitched. Then he seemed to explode all at once.
"I have all my crazy a** senses Nasir. I don't know what to do with it, it's—ugh." One week out of the month was terrible. With the Charter realigning itself, his powers seemed to dull... with the return of his shifting capabilities, he was left with <******** this.
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Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2017 10:58 am
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Pascal and Chai both got scritches and fingers wiggled at them as Nasir came inside. His brows were knit together in concern because of the way Oliver was operating things.
Nodding, he took a seat (and it was at the edge of the nest because Nasir liked nests and he liked Ollie so he would be near), and pulled his bag to his lap. When Ollie started to describe the cinnamon rolls and then further explain-
Everything clicked into place.
"Oh- That's- Your senses are on overdrive!" Opening up his bag, a pastry box of fresh cinnamon rolls were pulled out and set out on the nearby table (there was always a coffee table near a couch, right?) "It is cinnamon rolls, so your nose isn't wrong."
This time his hand reached reached for Oliver's wrist, careful of his hand because he suspected they were sensitive too (he remembered when they first met and the bandaged fingers), and squeezed gently. It was a warm, reassuring touch, Nasir somehow wishing he could help in this. "It's all the time, right? Maybe ... you might be able to adapt to it like you've adapted with your other preternatural senses." Let it be there but not let it overwhelm. It would take time but it could be done, right?
Then, as if realizing and his eyes widening slightly. "The sugar smell isn't too much, is it?" Suddenly worried Nasir who was not wanting to make his friend nauseated with smells.
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Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2017 2:10 pm
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"I'm sure I will." Oliver said with a curt nod, "I'm pretty good at dealing with it in my half-form, but... having to adapt to it twenty-four seven..." He didn't look too happy about that.
"Really though, it's mostly the touch. The smell doesn't bother me so much. My hearing is keener too, but I've always been used to sensitive sounds as a musician. I know how to hear and more importantly how to tune sounds out." He was eyeing the hell out of cinnamon rolls. Nasir's touch would receive a whirl of calm-but-still-exhausted, kind of a grumpy feeling, but also something a little like relief? Maybe because Nasir was there and he didn't have to be alone.
Hunger. There was hunger too and something a little more primal. A little more animalistic. Those emotions were complex in their incredible simplicity. Ollie was a wealth of emotions.
Fingertips wiggling, he reached out towards the delicious desserts before snapping one up in his hands. It was kind of funny to watch—like a dog with peanut butter on its nose—with the way his fingers were flailing and his hands were fumbling, the icing getting ******** all over his palms. Apparently the craving for sweets was far outweighing any sort of innate disgust with his touch, because he was tearing into it like it was the single most divine thing he'd ever had in his life.
With increased senses came an increased sense of taste too. The look on Ollie's face showed he was practically melting.
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Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 8:37 pm
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"Like I've attuned myself so much that I can access my other-form's magic even while unshifted?" He looked over, his mouth smeared with icing. With his hands how they were, it just couldn't be helped. He'd clean up later. "I've thought about that, I guess. It just makes sense as a natural progression of things... perhaps any Moonwalk who was coming into the full throes of their abilities would reach this point. Eve had mentioned it being a thing when I first met her, anyway, though it was relatively brief."
"Though should that be the case," For as serious as the conversation was, Ollie sure was making a mess of himself and didn't seem too keen on looking serious. Instead he licked some goopy syrupy cinnamon off of his hand. Talk about an animal. "Then it means I'll have to adapt to it. I'll likely be living with it for a very long time. There's no other option."
His brow was knitted, the sweet treat now gone sans the stickiness all over his hands and his face. "Shiloh mentioned to me once a while ago that... moonwalkers had specific purposes as protectors of this world. Wargs used their abilities as seers to forewarn potential dangers, and Nobles ruled the Otherworld." He sniffed, "What do you think about all of that? I know we've changed things largely with the new Charter, but..."
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Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2017 12:40 pm
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Oliver was rather adorable at the moment, in that kind of way someone enjoyed seeing their food eaten but also because he was entirely covered with sugar icing. A napkin and wet nap were placed onto his knee without a word said because Nasir was totally covert like that.
He nodded in agreement about the attunement and natural progression of thing. Nasir was quiet as Ollie listed off the things about the moonwalkers and the wargs, as well as the Nobles. "Well, I've never been a fan of the Nobles ruling but the rest? It ... makes sense, I think. Like that's what the Charter is supposed to do? Enable us to do the things we're supposed to do. We probably would've been more like that if not for the purge that happened last cycle."
A dire topic if there ever was one but he pushed on.
"I think, once we really attune and come into our powers, that's what we're meant to do. I can, um, ... sense Trouble pretty easily now, actually, and when we were casting on the Charter? I felt as if I could tug on his energy a little bit." It was weird to explain. "Either way, all these powers and learning how to handle them? It's so that we can make sure stuff doesn't affect this world. Like your ability to feel magic with all your senses? Or my ability to hear emotions? They're all things that will help us do that but ... it's kind of weird to say 'moonwalkers can only protect' and 'wargs can only forewarn'. You've got a lot of abilities for forewarning, you know?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2017 1:31 pm
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Ollie nodded, his eyebrows raising at the sudden touch on his knee. He went about cleaning his hands off, still very meticulous, very... awkward. It was sort of like watching a cat or a dog with paw-booties on, his movements were all jagged and weird and tentative, but he was persevering. He scowled at the mention of the purge.
"The purge, yeah." There was a sigh there. "That whole thing sounded like a mess..."
But that was beside the point. "I only ask because... with the induction of the new Charter, there's likely going to be a resurgence in our positions within the Otherworld. I assume anyway. Everyone wanted there to be more of a balance between all of the classes, and with everyone wanting the Nobility removed from their status as a ruling class... that means—figuratively—that the moonwalkers and wargs will have to pick up some sort of slack for it. I disagree with a single body making all of the decisions within the Otherworld like the old Court once did, but in the same breath, we've removed a very powerful body." He looked over, "From that aspect, what happens next will be crucial. There may be some other creatures that see this as an opportunity, what with everyone trying to settle into their new positions..."
Oliver sighed. "But I agree. It's dumb to lock anyone into any single position like that..." His lips pursed, "My abilities are far more suited to being a seer, and yet I'm not one, not that I ever had a choice—but I think a large reason for that could be..."
...
"I mean, the wargs and the moonwalkers were once the same thing, right? The spiritbond. I was largely against becoming one myself, but..."
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Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2017 4:55 pm
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Nasir was trying to not picture Oliver as a raccoon doing the same thing he was doing now and was failing. It was adorable and endearing and- No, he stopped and instead focused on what Ollie was saying and was in agreement.
"I've never liked the idea of the Nobles ruling. It's ... I'm glad it's changing. If they're meant to help us and offer guidance? Yeah, that's fine but not rule or have say in what we do and how we do it and-" Nasir's nose wrinkled up before he sighed. Ollie was right that something would probably try to rise up with all the changes.
"Something would probably want to test the changes," another sigh, "make sure we're on our toes or just to see what they can get away with or ..." It could be anything really. Nasir smiled a bit, however, as Ollie mentioned being better suited to a seer. Then he was blinking, as he realized what he was getting at.
"Oh ... That ... makes sense!" Nasir was quiet then, working through his thoughts before he finally spoke up. "I wasn't exactly sure either because ... I didn't want to, you know, be infectious or worry about hurting people if I don't make it over but I bet that's not a problem for the spiritbond ..." This time he was fidgeting a bit. "Like what if the spiritbond makes it where I don't have to worry about Trouble dying because he gets too old?"
He looked up from his fidgeting hands and up at Oliver. "You know how we've talked about attuning and adapting and coming into our powers, you as a moonwalker and myself as a warg, but what if ... becoming a spiritbound is the way to do that? Fully realizing our potential and all that. Being able to do things and maybe being more capable to prevent things like what happened," the Burning Man, "from occurring."
Nasir didn't just want to look for potential threats he wanted to do what he could to stop them but he did not think, as he was now, entirely capable of that.
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Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2017 8:41 pm
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"And I'd want to put my talents towards scrying." He was glad Nasir seemed to understand his trail of thought. "As it stands currently, I think becoming spiritbond is... definitely a way of highlighting your talents in both classes, but there's a lot we don't really know about it other than... how powerful it is. We'd have to find some resources to learn more." He sighed.
"Even if I'm not entirely interested in becoming one, I think I'd be... suited to it? I'm not much of a fighter, even as I am. A wolf maybe, or a bear, but... a raccoon seems more covert, don't you think? And while I think it makes for good balance to have people like that—sorry, let me elaborate." He closed his eyes, "Having individuals with a wide range of skills in different positions, I also think it's a waste of my capabilities when I could be so much more. You know?"
"Besides, it's what we once were, and it's because of that creation that the Charter even exists. Maybe it's petty, but I almost want to reclaim that from spite and nothing else." He laughed darkly.
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Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2017 8:58 pm
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"I kind of hope it's ... the best of both worlds. Part of me thinks that it being split is why there's so many issues with being a moonwalker? The pain of transforming here during a full moon and the infectious bite ..." At least, it made sense to Nasir. When you changed something so much, broke it apart, clearly there were going to be problems like that.
"I know what you mean," he replied, smiling a little bit. "It's better if we played to your strengths- you have seer abilities, your form lends to things being done covertly. Never mind make your weaknesses not so much weaknesses but another strength as well. There's so much potential and sometimes it feels like there's too much focus on this aspect and we could be more." Nasir clearly understood and agreed as he, more and more, was feeling as if there was more he could be doing.
A laugh escaped, Nasir leaning and nudging Ollie lightly with his shoulder. "I ... kind of agree with that. What was so bad? Why did they take it away? We would have not dealt with so much fallout if the spiritbond existed as it did instead of split. So why not take back what they took from us?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 5:12 pm
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"I'd think so." Oliver replied, "Insofar that... the spiritbond was apparently a very powerful tool, capable of threatening the cage and so forth. It would make sense that—upon severing it—that even more things would be put into place in order to... control it, I suppose. Nobles were supposed to be the end all be all, so it makes sense..."
He sighed.
"That being said, I guess there's also something to be noted about the... creation of moonwalkers and wargs, I guess. Nobles were made and trained, but they also persisted through the cycles. There had to be other ways for Moonwalkers to quickly replicate, and I think that might be where the infectious bite comes in. Though there's also the magic surrounding the... spontaneous aspect of it too. The full moon keeps us tethered to the laws of the Otherworld. Wargs in that respect seem to be only bound by the responsibility of their familiar... but it's far easier to kill a bird or a squirrel than it is to stop a human. Either way it's dangerous."
Ollie trailed off again. "Can I get you some tea? I have to get up to throw these away anyway." He waved the used wipes, "You're welcome to come with me if you want though."
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Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 4:18 pm
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"Nobles were probably meant to do too much, at least on their own. All that power, no one else as an equal ..." Nasir rubbed his cheek. "I mean, they took away the spiritbonded - made moonwalkers and seers - and put the Nobles in place to keep things 'balanced'. Except that it just seems like ... it is unbalanced still."
He was nodding a bit as Ollie went on, especially about the replication of moonwalkers. There was a small frown at all of it but it also did, truly, tether things. "I suppose when you put it that way, that is also why the geas existed. Otherwise the Nobles could just do ... anything and, really, they could've until we all learned the geas." A sigh escaped. "Balance is important, I guess, is what I think and ... I think where moonwalkers and wargs balance each other out, I think the spiritbound could balance out the Nobles."
Nasir was thoughtful at this, fingers tapping a moment before he looked up at Ollie. He was immediately pushing himself up, obviously going to come with. "Sure, I can help carry things too, if you want?" Since Ollie's hands were sensitive. "Just point and instruct." A warm smile was given.
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