Happiest Time of the Year?

[misplacedxsheath]

Who: Margulis, OPEN
What: The suffering of a fire user in winter.
When: Varies by prompt
Where: Mostly indoors, except for once...
Warnings: Nothing expected unless people poke at backstory. Mmmmmaybe violence in the form of sparring?

[Cabin Fever] (1/9-1/19)

[Going into the mountain was, honestly, a poor life choice on Margulis' part. The cold had worn on him, and left him sore and scarce for days as he recovered. Even now, the harsh weather makes it painful to go out and forcibly limits his training to the gym.

For someone like Margulis, this is a problem. As the weather grows colder, he gets more impatient. He can't use fire indoors, so his practice in the gym is swordplay and martial arts only...and increasingly frequent, to the point where people might wonder how he isn't wearing himself out. The library, usually when he's at his calmest, sees him tense and restless, tapping the fingertips of his clawed gloves against the table or shifting in place. A couple times, he even ends up taking over one of the kitchens to make curry so spicy it might make people's eyes water just from smelling it.

Winter is really not his favorite time of year.]

[Bah Humbug] (1/20)

[While most people are celebrating the holidays, Margulis...is not. He spends the day of the party in the library, sitting with an even larger pile of books than usual. For once, his usually difficult to read expression is visibly sour, practically glaring at what he's reading. Something, it seems, doesn't sit well with him...]

[One Man Snowplow] (1/31)

[After how bad just the cold was, you'd think Margulis wouldn't even be going to the annex while it's snowing, right? Well, you'd be wrong. With the snow piling up, he's out in a heavy coat and a scarf, creating a path between the station and surrounding buildings. Though, the fact that he's using controlled fire to do so might be helping him tolerate the cold a bit...except when the wind is blowing from the opposite direction.]

Comments

20th

[hairpincurves]

[Akira wasn't really going to stick around the party too long. She was there long enough for a couple of conversations, then she makes her escape... which happens to be into the annex and then into the library she goes.

She's... dressed remarkably light, considering the weather, and shedding her light coat as she approaches Margulis and sits down nearby.]

Not big on the holidays?

[misplacedxsheath]

[...He feels a chill just looking at you, Akira.]

I've never been much for celebrations, and this time of year in particular...

[There's...something in his tone. Somewhere between angry and morose.]

[hairpincurves]

[... She's going to pull some curry bread out of her inventory and offer it--a kind made with the curry that'd be horrifically spicy for anyone but Margulis.]

Um... mind if I ask, or...

[misplacedxsheath]

[He takes it with a nod of thanks, chewing thoughtfully on it for a moment before he answers.]

I've given you hints at the severity of the mistakes I've made...they weren't because I was a heartless man back then, but rather because I was blinded by both pride and faith. I followed an Abrahamic religion then, one supposedly striving for a return to the holy land that was humanity's birthplace.

For that end, and the good I thought it would do for the galaxy to be reminded of mankind's humble origins and the innovation that had brought us so far, I gave my all. It was a lesson in caution of who and what to trust...even ideals thousands of years old can be rooted and mired in deception, with none able to see the truth until it's too late.

[hairpincurves]

[She stays quiet as she listens, frowning in thought. Mistakes he'd made because of pride and faith, huh... It almost sounds like...]

Ah. So one of the holidays being celebrated being based in that religion... It's kind of poking at an old wound, huh?

[... This just makes her own dislike of Christmas seem even pettier. Whoops.]

[misplacedxsheath]

I've recovered significantly since then, but Christian holidays remain an uncomfortable topic...as much as I hope he doesn't have counterparts in other worlds weaving similar lies into an ostensibly benevolent faith.

31st! cw: PTSD

[coagmentatio]

[ He's dressed a bit lightly! He looks... almost like it's maybe late fall? Though, he is protecting himself with long sleeves, fingerless gloves, and the scarf Minato had given him, a while back. Said scarf is loosely covering his neck.

It's as he's heading to another building, he suddenly stops dead in his tracks, eyes widening as he sees a sudden burst of flames.

Just like that, he's right back in that warehouse, helplessly watching as his dad--.........

...

... He's not currently breathing. ]

[misplacedxsheath]

[As soon as he catches sight of Aiden's face, the fire vanishes. He approaches carefully, crouching down slightly to appear shorter than the younger man.]

Aiden. Breathe.

[His tone is firm, but...there's a gentleness to it that isn't normally present.]

[coagmentatio]

[ It's after a moment, he takes in a sharp breath, eyes widened before he blinks rapidly, jawline tightening as he swallows thickly.

After that, he's letting out a tense, quiet... slightly bitter laugh. Looks like he might need another moment. ]

[misplacedxsheath]

[He'll just stay there, lowered in a clear effort to look smaller and less intimidating. His voice stays gentle, even reassuring.]

Whatever it was in the past, it isn't here now. You're safe, I can promise you that.

[coagmentatio]

[ The reassurance that he's safe helps a little... but it isn't enough to get an unsteady smile to rest, tense, on his lips. ]

Yeah...

[ Swallowing thickly, he holds a blink... and then looks away. ]

... I was six. I've only had that memory back for-... [ quiet 'heh' ] It hasn't even been a year, even if time's never mattered when it comes to my memories.

[misplacedxsheath]

Time doesn't necessarily matter to severe enough trauma, regardless. Eighteen years, and the shadows of my former home still haunt me.

[But without the heat from his fire, the cold is starting to bite at his skin...his scar in particular is already turning a painful looking red.]

Let's go inside. You'll likely feel better sitting.

16th, gym

[have_hat_will_travel]

... You've been at it a while, it seems.

[A certain succubus blinked.]

I'm kind of surprised. Most people hit their limit after a while, but you...

[misplacedxsheath]

[He lowered the dual swords he was using, solid black save for a name written along the cord connecting the two by the pommels and looking almost as if they were made of some sort of chitinous material rather than metal. Depending on Pidonus' familiarity with swordplay, she might notice that the swords move far too easily, as though an actual part of his body.]

Even I have limits, but spending a lifetime honing one's abilities and training for battles that could stretch for hours tends to extend them. And this one...

[He tilts one of the blades to the side. The matte finish extends to the cutting edge.]

Helps, as well.

[have_hat_will_travel]

... Some kind of special blade, I presume?

[misplacedxsheath]

Something of the sort. He responds to the will of compatible wielders, allowing for much more natural movements and reduced effort spent compensating for inertia.

[have_hat_will_travel]

... Huh. That sounds... Kinda like a psychic weapon maybe?

[misplacedxsheath]

He's one of twelve ancient artifacts, supposedly divine in origin...though, they're certainly unlike the divine being I know of. A psychic basis for the mechanics of their power is possible, I imagine it could work on the same principles as telepathy...tapping into the thoughts of the user via the collective unconscious to react perfectly to their desires.

There's even some specifics about how they function compared to ordinary weapons that supports such a theory, though that delves into structures I've yet to see evidence of existing outside of my own world.

10th

[stavros]

[A short teenage girl walks into the library, frowning as she goes down a row. She pauses and looks over to Margulis, adjusting the cross-emblazoned scarf she is, for some reason, wearing indoors.]

It's a strange selection. You haven't found what you need?

[misplacedxsheath]

[He glances over, tensing as his eyes fall on the scarf...but he won't say anything. So long as it's not an Ormus cross, he can't be certain his own issues even apply.]

More that my interests present a strange selection. I study not out of need, but out of a desire to learn about the worlds I come into contact with.

[stavros]

There should be plenty of books on this one. I'll agree, though, it does seem difficult to get something on any of the realms from which others hail. Seriously, they should, like, label them.

[misplacedxsheath]

Given the way objects arrive here, it comes as little surprise. There's no way to actively seek material on specific worlds, and it's similarly difficult to distinguish what world each history represents without input from a native. And given how few have a thorough familiarity with even their own culture's history...

[stavros]

That's true enough, though it is more depressing. Truly a sign of the hurdles one must face... anyway, what were you trying to look into?

Cabin Fever! Whenever he's making a Curry

[makejapangreat]

[Shido's actually coming to the kitchen, himself, recipe book in hand, with the intention of trying this baking thing for the twentieth time, now... But, when he gets into the kitchen, he feels the sting immediately and blinks a few times as he looks over at Margulis.]

Feeling a bit chilly?

[Like, Shido could relate before he became an upgraded A/C, but what the hell, Margulis...]

cabin fever, gym

[matchmakes]

[Robin doesn't really mind the cold--he's dealt with worse temperatures in Regna Ferox, after all--but he's still at least aware there are people with... not so great tolerances. Like this guy.

Robin's been watching for a while... actually, this is probably the third time he's stopped by to watch within the week, and it's got his eyebrows raising.]

Being stuck indoors is really wearing on you, isn't it?