Barnaby Brooks Jr. (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hundredpower) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
aionlogs2022-06-03 12:47 pm
hundredpower) wrote in aionlogs2022-06-03 12:47 pm
(open)
WHO: Barnaby and OTA
WHAT: Event aftermath, plus some babysitting
WHERE: Lover Shrine, later Achamoth
WHEN: After the Cost of Innocence event and this post
WARNINGS: Mentions of death/loss, grieving.
1. LOVER SHRINE
[Barnaby wanted to be alone. That was the reasoning behind his decision not to take the boat back to Achamoth with the others, though he'd told any who asked that he wanted to go to the Lover Shrine to investigate. He thought, perhaps, there could be clues of what might be another powerful entity tied to his Legacy, in the same way the Innocent had appeared in Venera. If such a powerful being has the ability to bring an entire city to its knees, dealing with many of them inserting themselves into the conflict between the two sects could soon prove unmanageable. The quicker they learn more about them and how many there are, the better.
When he arrives, though, trying to commune with the Shrine or gain new information here is useless. There's power here, but little else for him to go by, just the uncomfortable memories of awakening here when all this started.
So he exits the shrine into the sunlight, and moves to the beach, looking at his reflection in the shallows. He has nowhere to go except back to Achamoth. He's tired, and he has a purple, ugly bruise on his cheek from where Gen struck him, a reminder that when he returns to the Citadel he'll inevitably have to face what he exposed of his past to the other Kenoma. Most of all, he dreads seeing a certain demon right now, and being reminded yet again of his heartbreak, of the one person he lost and thought he'd found, however briefly. Grief seizes his chest in a vice. Now that he's alone, he feels he has to say something.]
...I doubt you can watch over me here. But if you did, would you want me to keep fighting?
[The wind picks up, blurring his reflection into countless ripples on the water. He's had many conversations with the dead over the years, and now he has one more person to speak with. Finally acknowledging that aloud, the weight of it, feels like it could crush him.]
2. RETURN TO ACHAMOTH
[When he finally arrives back in Achamoth, days later, his bruising has mostly faded and he looks only a little worse for wear, retreating to his quarters. After cleaning up and reporting to Xishen, he throws himself back into his daily training routine with renewed energy. When he's not training, he can be found at the library, surrounded by books on the Legacies, still in search of any clues that might help avoid a repeat of what happened in Venera.
There's little to be found on the Innocent entity -- hardly surprising when the Regent themself didn't seem to know much -- but perhaps beings associated to other Legacies could be properly investigated. He's studiously taking notes in silence, and it's only after a few hours that he has to pause to take off his glasses and rub at his eyes. It's been a long day.]
3. BUNNY DAYCARE
[Or perhaps you can find him in the gardens outside the Citadel. Ciel had told him about the orphans when he'd first arrived, and so he'd offered his help to the Achamites in caring for them, today taking a group of the younger orphans out for the afternoon to get some fresh air and play. Some take to him instantly, simply because he's an adult, or because he's an Aion, or both; others are more wary, prone to talking back to him or sulking when they misbehave. It's all familiar to him and reminds him fondly of the orphans back in Sternbild, so he has plenty of patience in dealing with them, even if he's still unsure how to deal with the rowdier children.
In contrast to them, one girl, Cerys, has taken to following him around or sitting with him the entire time, to the point he feels like he has a little second shadow. She's sitting on the grass beside him with a stuffed bear in her arms when he gently tries to coax her to go join the others.]
Don't you want to go and make friends? [She shakes her head and scowls, half-hiding her face behind the bear. He smiles to try to reassure her.] It's all right. Next time, we'll bring something you can do by yourself, or the two of us can do together.
[It's barely perceptible, but her scowl seems to lessen. Progress, perhaps.]
4. WILDCARD
[Write your own starter, or pm/dm me at moonsilver#4734 and we can plot something!]
WHAT: Event aftermath, plus some babysitting
WHERE: Lover Shrine, later Achamoth
WHEN: After the Cost of Innocence event and this post
WARNINGS: Mentions of death/loss, grieving.
1. LOVER SHRINE
[Barnaby wanted to be alone. That was the reasoning behind his decision not to take the boat back to Achamoth with the others, though he'd told any who asked that he wanted to go to the Lover Shrine to investigate. He thought, perhaps, there could be clues of what might be another powerful entity tied to his Legacy, in the same way the Innocent had appeared in Venera. If such a powerful being has the ability to bring an entire city to its knees, dealing with many of them inserting themselves into the conflict between the two sects could soon prove unmanageable. The quicker they learn more about them and how many there are, the better.
When he arrives, though, trying to commune with the Shrine or gain new information here is useless. There's power here, but little else for him to go by, just the uncomfortable memories of awakening here when all this started.
So he exits the shrine into the sunlight, and moves to the beach, looking at his reflection in the shallows. He has nowhere to go except back to Achamoth. He's tired, and he has a purple, ugly bruise on his cheek from where Gen struck him, a reminder that when he returns to the Citadel he'll inevitably have to face what he exposed of his past to the other Kenoma. Most of all, he dreads seeing a certain demon right now, and being reminded yet again of his heartbreak, of the one person he lost and thought he'd found, however briefly. Grief seizes his chest in a vice. Now that he's alone, he feels he has to say something.]
...I doubt you can watch over me here. But if you did, would you want me to keep fighting?
[The wind picks up, blurring his reflection into countless ripples on the water. He's had many conversations with the dead over the years, and now he has one more person to speak with. Finally acknowledging that aloud, the weight of it, feels like it could crush him.]
2. RETURN TO ACHAMOTH
[When he finally arrives back in Achamoth, days later, his bruising has mostly faded and he looks only a little worse for wear, retreating to his quarters. After cleaning up and reporting to Xishen, he throws himself back into his daily training routine with renewed energy. When he's not training, he can be found at the library, surrounded by books on the Legacies, still in search of any clues that might help avoid a repeat of what happened in Venera.
There's little to be found on the Innocent entity -- hardly surprising when the Regent themself didn't seem to know much -- but perhaps beings associated to other Legacies could be properly investigated. He's studiously taking notes in silence, and it's only after a few hours that he has to pause to take off his glasses and rub at his eyes. It's been a long day.]
3. BUNNY DAYCARE
[Or perhaps you can find him in the gardens outside the Citadel. Ciel had told him about the orphans when he'd first arrived, and so he'd offered his help to the Achamites in caring for them, today taking a group of the younger orphans out for the afternoon to get some fresh air and play. Some take to him instantly, simply because he's an adult, or because he's an Aion, or both; others are more wary, prone to talking back to him or sulking when they misbehave. It's all familiar to him and reminds him fondly of the orphans back in Sternbild, so he has plenty of patience in dealing with them, even if he's still unsure how to deal with the rowdier children.
In contrast to them, one girl, Cerys, has taken to following him around or sitting with him the entire time, to the point he feels like he has a little second shadow. She's sitting on the grass beside him with a stuffed bear in her arms when he gently tries to coax her to go join the others.]
Don't you want to go and make friends? [She shakes her head and scowls, half-hiding her face behind the bear. He smiles to try to reassure her.] It's all right. Next time, we'll bring something you can do by yourself, or the two of us can do together.
[It's barely perceptible, but her scowl seems to lessen. Progress, perhaps.]
4. WILDCARD
[Write your own starter, or pm/dm me at moonsilver#4734 and we can plot something!]
no subject
But just talking about it? That he can do. He's been asked about it all countless times in interviews already, so he can keep a cool head and talk through it for one more person.]
He did many things to cover his tracks, including taking me in and manipulating me so I couldn't piece together the truth, all the while pushing me towards seeking revenge. It was... convenient for his business model to do so.
[To put it in simple terms, anyway. It's a long story in itself, but that's an explanation for later.]
He almost got away with it. But I was able to learn the truth, and apprehended him myself.
no subject
A small coil of frustration twists in his heart, a reminder he'll never get his own chance if the Regent is to be believed and their worlds are truly gone.
He rocks back onto his heels, gaze drifting back to the children at play. He's pried enough out of Barnaby he thinks, even if the other man had been willing enough to answer. Time for a change of topic. ]
The kids here are lucky to have someone like you watching over them.
[ Even if it's only for a few days at a time, that's still so much more than so many in similar situations get. ]
no subject
[He only wishes he could do more for them, but who knows if the Regent would deign to grant them a place in the new world, as special exceptions to the Kenoma's drive for destruction? As it stands, he can't think of both their pasts and futures as anything but unbearably bleak.
But he doesn't want to dwell on that too much, not here, so he gently touches Cerys on the shoulder to let her know she can stop counting; they're done talking about serious adult things. Then he looks back at Eustace, the girl now peeking curiously at them both over his shoulder as if trying to puzzle out what they'd been discussing. Fortunately, Barnaby has a good poker face, and moves the subject right along for Eustace like they'd just been talking about the weather.]
What brought you here, out of interest? Were you just taking a walk, or were you heading somewhere in particular?
no subject
[ But....speaking of ears. He looks back at Cerys, having not forgotten the way she'd so blatantly stared at them when he'd approached, and deliberates for a moment before addressing her this time. ]
Did you want to pet them?
[ He doesn't usually go around offering complete strangers the opportunity to touch his ears, but he'll make an exception today for this girl who is surprisingly thoughtful for her age, and who deserves more than to have her short life ended if the Regent ever succeeds at their plan. ]
no subject
Ah-- please try to be gentle...
[He has no idea why Eustace was cooped up in his room, but if his ears were causing him problems, he probably doesn't want a little kid getting too excited and yanking on them. Thankfully, she doesn't need to be told, and is just petting them.]
no subject
There is a little bit of tension as Cerys makes a mad dash for him (or more accurately, his ears), his shoulders twitching upwards before relaxing again when the little girl starts petting his ears in a nice, normal fashion instead of trying to pull them off. It's—more than a little strange, admittedly, to have someone actively touching his ears after he's kept himself physically separate from others for so long, but the touch isn't unpleasant.
And if it brings her some amount of joy, then he doesn't mind so much. ]
It's fine.
[ Surely a little girl petting his ears is nothing compared to the far worse dangers he faces on a regular basis. ]
Have you managed to settle in at Achamoth?
[ This directed towards Barnaby. ]
no subject
I'm trying. But even with keeping up my training, or research, we have far more free time than I'm used to, so I've been trying to keep myself occupied.
[Back home he rarely had days off, so free time was a luxury to squeeze in around his many commitments. Here, it's more like a struggle trying to find commitments to take up that free time.]
So I'm grateful to have found other ways I can help. [The struggles of a workaholic...] What about you? Do you have any plans, now your, ah... ears aren't causing you any problems?
no subject
There's the training camp that needs to be set up, and then I'm hoping to travel to a few cities outside of Achamoth in order to... [ he trails off here, gaze shifting back to the delighted Cerys ] do some sightseeing.
[ Read: do a little bit of recon and maybe try and dig up some information that wouldn't be so readily available in Achamoth. They'd been cautioned before to remain close to Achamoth, but after being allowed to travel out to Venera maybe the Regent will take a little more kindly to impromptu field trips to other major cities. ]
What are you researching right now?
[ Assuming it's something appropriate to discuss in front of small children. ]
no subject
Still amused at her antics, Barnaby answers Eustace's question. The topic's not exactly child-friendly, but she's too young to understand what he'll mean, so he'll mention it anyway.]
I've been trying to research the Legacies so we have a better idea of what to anticipate, but I don't think Achamoth is the best place for it. If you find anything useful on your travels, I don't suppose you could let me know?
[He's too tied to his own commitments in Achamoth for a research trip, at least for the time being.]
no subject
I'll look into it. Most cities outside of Achamoth seem to be more [ hm ] open to discussing the Legacies.
[ For various reasons that he probably doesn't need to elaborate on. Barnaby's a smart man, surely he can put two and two together on why there are so few materials regarding the Legacies available in Achamoth. ]
Any in particular, or just in general?
no subject
[For the simple reason of curiosity, and definitely nothing to do with avoiding talking about assessing potential threats in front of a little girl. Catching her eye, Barnaby distracts her by smiling and saying,] You should study hard too, Cerys.
I don't want to. I want to go with Fluffy. [Evidently she can't remember his name, but she's looking up at Eustace as she says it. Someone definitely has a fan...!]
no subject
Eustace is in the middle of nodding agreement when that nickname blindsides him out of nowhere and his head jerks back a little, eyes widening in surprise. It's not an unreasonable nickname for her to give, considering where her attention has been for the past five minutes, but usually the nicknames he gets are more of the insulting variety. ]
That's...it's Eustace.
[ Is she even going to remember or care? Debatable. He looks at Cerys. Looks at Barnaby. Looks back at Cerys. Says, very very cautiously: ]
If you study really hard, I'll take you with me next time.
[ Next time, and also in like fifteen years when she's older. But she doesn't have to know that. ]