(Almost) Everything Is Comin' Up Chase [closed post]

[summerdude]

Magnus, triumphant, has finally managed to make some old bamboo sprout. With Drosera fed recently enough that she's not complaining of hunger and resting in her new favorite perch (lounging on his shoulder tucked right against his neck, her beak tangled in hair that is once again getting long), he sneaks it into the Mansion, hides it in a large gift-bag a closet gives him, and hangs it on Claudius and Galahad's doorknob with a quickly-jotted note that reads Claudius, What next? - MAGNUS CHASE.

Then, since he's already inside, he figures, why not wander around until he finds someone to talk to?

Comments

[onthewillowsthere]

I know. I told Claudius -- I want to choose different. I don't want to be a weapon in God's hand.

[summerdude]

Magnus leans his head on Galahad's shoulder. I know, man, he says. We're Choice Guys now, not Fight Guys..

[onthewillowsthere]

He could choose something different here too, and as much as he thinks himself indifferent to Lancelot, there's something a little hopeful in it.

[summerdude]

I healed him during the zombies, Magnus says, which is his way of promising that he's not going to attack Lancelot unless the situation changes.

[onthewillowsthere]

He nods. I'm sorry I don't feel the way you want me to.

[summerdude]

Magnus looks at him, surprised. How do you think I want you to feel?

[onthewillowsthere]

Angry? With Lancelot.

[summerdude]

Magnus takes Galahad's hand and threads their fingers together. "Well, I don't," he says. "Dude, I care how you feel but I don't care what it is that you feel. Like, I do, because you're my best friend and I love you. But you can feel whatever it is that you feel and that's fine. If that makes sense."

[onthewillowsthere]

It does make sense, but in a way that makes Galahad feel like he might cry again the way he did during the talent show, and he doesn't want to cry. He nods quietly and squeezes Magnus' hand.

[summerdude]

"I'm sorry I don't like your d-- um, Lancelot." Magnus scratches Dro's rump with his free hand. "It doesn't help that his vibes were awful even before I knew who he was to you. Um, sorry."

[onthewillowsthere]

"You don't have to like him." He pauses. "What are vibes?"

[summerdude]

"Like," Magnus says, and pauses, thinking. "You know when you walk into a room and you're like, 'oh gods, I just know I'm going to regret getting up this morning and coming here?' That's a feeling you get when the vibes are off. They're kind of like, I guess, an emotional resonance? Or, like energy? Something you can't really quantify or define but you know it's there. Like-- when we were helping Shen Yuan pick out his date outfit, and different things had different, like, feelings to them? Each one had its own vibe. Like the one that gave off, um, extremely horny vibes, and the one that gave off 'I'm a fine upstanding gentleman who would never think of, um, screwing on the first date' vibes. Or like, in other uses of the term... Loki is low-key kind of hot, but his vibes are atrocious. Very 'I'm extremely evil and will destroy everything you love.' And me and you, we vibe. We get along and we get each other and it's pretty easy, right? And our birthday party had great vibes. Sagramore and Laertes's wedding dance had good vibes, too, but they were a lot more intense." He twists to look at Galahad's face. "I don't know if I'm explaining this right."

[onthewillowsthere]

"It's a feeling, but -- a feeling that can be around a person. Or a place or thing."

[summerdude]

"Yeah! That's it."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Your vibe is like Percival's."

[summerdude]

"Oh yeah?" This warms Magnus. "How so?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"You both chose me. You talk a lot because you know so many things, and you didn't mind that I was shy at first. You're always teaching me. You know me, and you're easy to talk to, and I'm happy with you."

[summerdude]

Magnus leans his head against Galahad's shoulder. "I feel the same way about you," he says.

[onthewillowsthere]

"If you weren't here, I think I would be-- it would be much harder."

[summerdude]

Yeah. Magnus could deal without Galahad, maybe, if he didn't know he existed at all. But now that he does, he's pretty certain he'd struggle a lot more without him. "I'm glad we're both here," he says. "This place would suck without my best friend."

[onthewillowsthere]

"The vibes would be awful."

[summerdude]

"So bad," Magnus agrees, nudging Galahad.

[onthewillowsthere]

"Are you ready for tomorrow?"

[summerdude]

"You mean the, uh." What was it they had called it? "Feast thing?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"Wanderers Gather. I think it will be better than the dance because it will be outside."