New Plan, Step One: Provide For My Community [open]

[summerdude]

Magnus needs something to change, so when a Mansion calendar helpfully informs him that it's International Falafel Day back on Earth, he goes to the library for some cookbooks, and then to the kitchen.

He lays out ten different falafel recipes. He gathers the ingredients they list, as best as he can understand them. He has canned chickpeas and fresh chickpeas and dried chickpeas and chickpea flour and box mixes of falafel that say 'just add water!'

Cripes.

"I can do this," he says, peering at the assorted recipes intently for a good ten minutes, and then takes the dried chickpeas over to the sink to rinse and soak.

Comments

[summerdude]

Magnus's shivering slows with his breathing, but it's not because the clawing feeling in his chest has abated. It's because his bone-deep exhaustion overtakes him now that his hindbrain has registered that he's somewhere safe, and he's fallen asleep.

[onthewillowsthere]

And although the vibes remain very, very bad, Galahad stays there with him, cradling his body like a kind of pieta while he sleeps.

[summerdude]

It's one of Magnus's now-visons, that much is clear. He hasn't had one since Alex got here -- he hasn't tried to pass out in the way that typically generates them, because if he wants to see her, he just has to roll over and open his eyes.

Late-morning sunlight is dappling through the leaves of a copse of birch trees, in a far reach of the garden that Magnus rarely goes. But there are three people there. He moves in closer, and realizes: One of them is Galahad, his hair an aurora, intermittently gilded and shadowed by the pattern of the shafts of sunlight. In his lap is Magnus himself, asleep.

"Wow," Magnus remarks, leaning in close. "Do I really look that awful?"

Nobody answers, obviously -- only Loki can consistently tell when Magnus is there -- so Magnus turns to inspect the third person.

It's clearly Shen Yuan -- he's wearing the clothes he was when he died -- even though he looks... different than he did when he was alive. Closer to the body growing under the pavilion. He's approaching Galahad-and-sleeping-Magnus, and as Magnus watches, he settles down next to them, leaning in like he's about to start chatting. He slips one arm around Galahad's shoulders, and joins Galahad in stroking sleeping-Magnus's hair with the other.

Magnus's heart pounds. "Buddy?" he says. Shen Yuan's ghost doesn't answer. "Shen Yuan?"

As he watches, his sleeping self's mouth forms those words, too. Shen Yuan's spirit stiffens, then looks around, but when Magnus waves, he doesn't show any sign of seeing him. His mouth moves -- Magnus can't hear what he's saying.

It's okay. Magnus has other ways to reach him. He settles in to watch Shen Yuan's ghost for as long as this vision can last.

[onthewillowsthere]

There's nowhere else more important for Galahad to be, so he doesn't think of trying to wake Magnus up. He just stays here, with his best friends.

[summerdude]

Late morning burns its way into early afternoon before Magnus stirs. His vision has long since faded away, but between it and the much-needed sleep, when Magnus stretches, then opens his eyes, the knot of anxiety in the center of his chest has faded somewhat, replaced by a fragile sense of peace.

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad has kept his vigil, as he did for Percival outside the chapel. He pats Magnus' head.

[summerdude]

It feels like his mouth is full of cotton balls. "I fell asleep?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"Yes."

[summerdude]

He struggles to sit up, squinting at the sun. He's definitely on the verge of missing secret practice today. There's a little jolt of guilt, and another of anxiety, but he swallows it down. Leaving now feels like a terrible idea. Lancelot will understand, probably. "Sorry."

[onthewillowsthere]

"It was nice to be with you."

[summerdude]

There's another stab of guilt. Magnus pushes it aside. "Shen Yuan was here too."

[onthewillowsthere]

Warmth diffuses through Galahad. "Good."

[summerdude]

"Yeah," says Magnus. He's sitting up now, but he leans back against Galahad, slipping an arm around his shoulder the way Shen Yuan had it, leaning his head against Galahad's shoulder. Things feel a little less dire, like this -- rested and warm and buoyed by his vision -- so he says, "I'm sorry about my, like. Vibes or whatever."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Will you tell me the truth, please?"

[summerdude]

"About what?" It's not in a hedging way, not anymore. He genuinely wants to know what Galahad means.

[onthewillowsthere]

"What haven't you told me? It's not just that you're spending time with Luo Binghe. You're tired. You don't want to talk. Why not?"

[summerdude]

"It's not -- it's just -- Galahad, I'm so tired."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Why?"

[summerdude]

"Because," Magnus gestures loosely. "Because of everything? I -- back in Valhalla, the quests only lasted for, like, a week or two, tops."

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad waits. This is not nearly enough talking.

[summerdude]

"And this is... indefinite? I have augmented stamina but I don't have that much stamina."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Is it taking care of Shen Yuan's body?"

[summerdude]

Magnus considers this, slumping further against Galahad's side. "That's part of it, yeah. It's -- like, I'm used to a lot of responsibility, but that doesn't mean it isn't a lot of pressure."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Can I help?"

[summerdude]

Magnus blinks. "Can you -- what?"