Insanity Clinic: Season Two

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

2 minutes ago, Edema Rue said:

Tal nodded. Head bowed, he started speaking, and then the words tumbled out, too fast and yet not fast enough. “On…on my world, magic isn’t a secret. Everyone knows that it exists. It chooses its servants young; never older than 15, sometimes as young as five or six. It usually manifests as little tricks, at first. Magic gives before it takes. You can suddenly light a fire without matches, and it’s wonderful, and then all at once your town is in flames and you can’t stop it and-” He stopped. “That’s not how it was for me. It took a while to understand, but it feeds on two different kinds of destruction. Internal, and external. The magic it gifts you with is based on the kind of destruction you’ll be able to do more thoroughly. It only wants the most efficient servants, see.” Eyes closed, Tal fell back into another time. Into a sturdy cabin in the woods, into a place where, just for a while, all was well. The only time he’d ever tried to understand the magic that had ruined his life…and Ace’s. 

“My magic was always more internal. At first, it was wonderful. I was so young…I didn’t realize what was happening…I could ask my parents for anything, and they’d listen. They’d do what I said. And then I started to hurt them, and I didn’t want to but I did it anyway. When they realized that I had the magic, they took me to the city and left me. That’s how it works. Magicians, sorcerers, witches, we had hundreds of names. I survived. When I got older, I started working as a mercenary. That’s what most of us do. Find a place where you can feed the magic, try to survive. And then…” he blinked, remembering where he was. “I met Ace.” A faint smile danced across his lips, a sparkle returned to his eye. For a moment, he looked more alive than they’d ever seen him. 

“Her magic was external. Fiery. She…she destroyed her town. Killed her entire family. For years, she couldn’t even remember her own name. I met her on a job. She was trying to kill the man I was working for. I caught her. Then let her out. We met on various other jobs, now and then. Then all at once we started working as partners.” A bitter chuckle. “I should have known better than to get close to someone. Sometimes it worked. We were almost people…but we were always puppets.” Tal’s eyes were wet. “Always dancing to the tune of this thing that lived inside us. I hurt her so badly…I tried. I tried so hard, but when she was at her weakest, it would overcome me. I broke her heart, again and again. But we kept trying.”

“We shouldn’t have.”

Tal stood up abruptly, pounding a fist into the wall. “A friend of ours, someone we met on jobs, it overcame him. He started to love the destruction. He looked for more power and he found it. I don’t know how. He was killing so many people…I would have let him. I’m no hero. The magic was letting us be, it didn’t need us so much anymore. But Ace was…she always thought so much of everyone else. She insisted that we save them. He was too strong for either of us, so…she passed her magic to me. I told you that you need to know someone better than you know yourself for the magic to be passed between you.” He shrugged. “I knew her so well. We went, but he…he caught her. She was fatally injured. I was so full of magic. I could have saved her. But she…she just begged me not to waste it on her. To use it to kill him.” Slowly, Tal sat back down. He blinked rapidly. “I don’t need your pity. But…there it is. I have two types of powerful magic inside me, and so it can control me completely.”

 

Jar Man is awake now. "uh... wow. can you get me out of the bars please?"

[Through the Living Hope]

5 minutes ago, Edema Rue said:

Tal nodded. Head bowed, he started speaking, and then the words tumbled out, too fast and yet not fast enough. “On…on my world, magic isn’t a secret. Everyone knows that it exists. It chooses its servants young; never older than 15, sometimes as young as five or six. It usually manifests as little tricks, at first. Magic gives before it takes. You can suddenly light a fire without matches, and it’s wonderful, and then all at once your town is in flames and you can’t stop it and-” He stopped. “That’s not how it was for me. It took a while to understand, but it feeds on two different kinds of destruction. Internal, and external. The magic it gifts you with is based on the kind of destruction you’ll be able to do more thoroughly. It only wants the most efficient servants, see.” Eyes closed, Tal fell back into another time. Into a sturdy cabin in the woods, into a place where, just for a while, all was well. The only time he’d ever tried to understand the magic that had ruined his life…and Ace’s. 

“My magic was always more internal. At first, it was wonderful. I was so young…I didn’t realize what was happening…I could ask my parents for anything, and they’d listen. They’d do what I said. And then I started to hurt them, and I didn’t want to but I did it anyway. When they realized that I had the magic, they took me to the city and left me. That’s how it works. Magicians, sorcerers, witches, we had hundreds of names. I survived. When I got older, I started working as a mercenary. That’s what most of us do. Find a place where you can feed the magic, try to survive. And then…” he blinked, remembering where he was. “I met Ace.” A faint smile danced across his lips, a sparkle returned to his eye. For a moment, he looked more alive than they’d ever seen him. 

“Her magic was external. Fiery. She…she destroyed her town. Killed her entire family. For years, she couldn’t even remember her own name. I met her on a job. She was trying to kill the man I was working for. I caught her. Then let her out. We met on various other jobs, now and then. Then all at once we started working as partners.” A bitter chuckle. “I should have known better than to get close to someone. Sometimes it worked. We were almost people…but we were always puppets.” Tal’s eyes were wet. “Always dancing to the tune of this thing that lived inside us. I hurt her so badly…I tried. I tried so hard, but when she was at her weakest, it would overcome me. I broke her heart, again and again. But we kept trying.”

“We shouldn’t have.”

Tal stood up abruptly, pounding a fist into the wall. “A friend of ours, someone we met on jobs, it overcame him. He started to love the destruction. He looked for more power and he found it. I don’t know how. He was killing so many people…I would have let him. I’m no hero. The magic was letting us be, it didn’t need us so much anymore. But Ace was…she always thought so much of everyone else. She insisted that we save them. He was too strong for either of us, so…she passed her magic to me. I told you that you need to know someone better than you know yourself for the magic to be passed between you.” He shrugged. “I knew her so well. We went, but he…he caught her. She was fatally injured. I was so full of magic. I could have saved her. But she…she just begged me not to waste it on her. To use it to kill him.” Slowly, Tal sat back down. He blinked rapidly. “I don’t need your pity. But…there it is. I have two types of powerful magic inside me, and so it can control me completely.”

 

Quote

And you "oh, poor baby"ed my character. Well, now it's MY turn to cry inside, Eddie

"I... I'm sorry. My idea about trasfering it was so insensitive... I wouldn't have suggested it if I'd known. But if it can have multiple people, it wouldn't have worked the way I thought it would anyway."

2 minutes ago, TheRavenHasLanded said:

Jar Man is awake now. "uh... wow. can you get me out of the bars please?"

"No. At least there, you'll stay out of trouble."

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

Just now, Spark of Hope said:

"I... I'm sorry. My idea about trasfering it was so insensitive... I wouldn't have suggested it if I'd known. But if it can have multiple people, it wouldn't have worked the way I thought it would anyway."

"No. At least there, you'll stay out of trouble."

"Rude!"

[Edema Rue she/her]

Just now, Spark of Hope said:

"I... I'm sorry. My idea about trasfering it was so insensitive... I wouldn't have suggested it if I'd known. But if it can have multiple people, it wouldn't have worked the way I thought it would anyway."

"No. At least there, you'll stay out of trouble."

“It’s all right,” Tal said quietly. “I…don’t talk about it much.”

[Through the Living Hope]

Just now, TheRavenHasLanded said:

"Rude!"

"Am I wrong?"

Just now, Edema Rue said:

“It’s all right,” Tal said quietly. “I…don’t talk about it much.”

"Well... we're all here to help each other, right? And it won't happen again." That does explain why he cut himself off earlier...

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

Just now, Spark of Hope said:

"Am I wrong?"

"Well... we're all here to help each other, right? And it won't happen again." That does explain why he cut himself off earlier...

"No"

[Through the Living Hope]

Just now, TheRavenHasLanded said:

"No"

"Exactly."

[Edema Rue she/her]

2 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

"Am I wrong?"

"Well... we're all here to help each other, right? And it won't happen again." That does explain why he cut himself off earlier...

“It-it will, though,” Tal said. “That’s the problem. It’ll keep happening until we find a way to destroy it, once and for all.”

[Through the Living Hope]

Just now, Edema Rue said:

“It-it will, though,” Tal said. “That’s the problem. It’ll keep happening until we find a way to destroy it, once and for all.”

"I... meant about me saying something that made it worse. But you're right with what you thought I meant. Do you have any ideas for how to get rid of it? Or would you knowing about a way to do so tip it off and ruin the whole plan?"

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

2 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

"I... meant about me saying something that made it worse. But you're right with what you thought I meant. Do you have any ideas for how to get rid of it? Or would you knowing about a way to do so tip it off and ruin the whole plan?"

"OH CAN WE THROW THE CULT AT IT?"

[Through the Living Hope]

1 minute ago, TheRavenHasLanded said:

"OH CAN WE THROW THE CULT AT IT?"

Quote

Hmm, maybe we could combine those plotlines...

"Possibly, before we lock them away. But that would depend on whether the source of Tal's magic is physical or not." She turned to him. "Do you know if it's something tangible?"

@Edema Rue

Edited April 5, 2024 by Spark of Hope

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

1 minute ago, Spark of Hope said:

"Possibly, before we lock them away. But that would depend on whether the source of Tal's magic is physical or not." She turned to him. "Do you know if it's something tangible?"

@Edema Rue

Quote

precisely.

"I can get Eyes in on it!"

[Through the Living Hope]

Just now, TheRavenHasLanded said:

"I can get Eyes in on it!"

"Do you have to?"

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

Just now, Spark of Hope said:

"Do you have to?"

"Likely. But we can do that later."

[Through the Living Hope]

Just now, TheRavenHasLanded said:

"Likely. But we can do that later."

She sighed. "Fine." Her tone was terse and stiff.

[Ookla de los Cuervos he/him]

29 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

She sighed. "Fine." Her tone was terse and stiff.

He smiles apologetically.

[Edema Rue she/her]

1 hour ago, Spark of Hope said:

"I... meant about me saying something that made it worse. But you're right with what you thought I meant. Do you have any ideas for how to get rid of it? Or would you knowing about a way to do so tip it off and ruin the whole plan?"

Tal frowned. “I…didn’t even think about that. You’re right, though, it probably would.”

1 hour ago, Spark of Hope said:

"Possibly, before we lock them away. But that would depend on whether the source of Tal's magic is physical or not." She turned to him. "Do you know if it's something tangible?"

@Edema Rue

“I’ve never seen any sign that it is.”

[Through the Living Hope]

2 minutes ago, Edema Rue said:

Tal frowned. “I…didn’t even think about that. You’re right, though, it probably would.”

“I’ve never seen any sign that it is.”

"Then we probably shouldn't plan with you around. Sorry, but that might be the best way to go about this."

Ask if he knows the dimensional coordinates to his world.

"Um... do you know the dimensional coordinates to your world?"

[Edema Rue she/her]

13 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

"Then we probably shouldn't plan with you around. Sorry, but that might be the best way to go about this."

Ask if he knows the dimensional coordinates to his world.

"Um... do you know the dimensional coordinates to your world?"

Tal nods. “Don’t be sorry. It’s the best way to do it.” He frowns. “Ah…” he says the dimensional coordinates. “That should be right.”

[Through the Living Hope]

Just now, Edema Rue said:

Tal nods. “Don’t be sorry. It’s the best way to do it.” He frowns. “Ah…” he says the dimensional coordinates. “That should be right.”

She stood up. "Alright."

With Tena's voice in her head, she went into the hallway. She reached into a pocket in her jacket and pulled out the shimmering dagger.

Quote

I'm planning on her exploring Tal's world a bit for some recon, if someone wants to go with her and also start planning that would be nice. At least one person should stay with Tal, but if Eddie wouldn't mind DMing that would be great!

@The Aspiring Archivist (Lerac) @RoyalBeeMage @TheRavenHasLanded @Cash67 @Weaver of Lights

[The Aspiring Archivist any pronouns]

Just now, Spark of Hope said:

She stood up. "Alright."

With Tena's voice in her head, she went into the hallway. She reached into a pocket in her jacket and pulled out the shimmering dagger.

@The Aspiring Archivist (Lerac) @RoyalBeeMage @TheRavenHasLanded @Cash67 @Weaver of Lights

Quote

Uh what should I be doing?

 

[Cash67]

4 minutes ago, Edema Rue said:

Tal nods. “Don’t be sorry. It’s the best way to do it.” He frowns. “Ah…” he says the dimensional coordinates. “That should be right.”

 

Just now, Spark of Hope said:

She stood up. "Alright."

With Tena's voice in her head, she went into the hallway. She reached into a pocket in her jacket and pulled out the shimmering dagger.

@The Aspiring Archivist (Lerac) @RoyalBeeMage @TheRavenHasLanded @Cash67 @Weaver of Lights

Aventine standing up an leaving snaps Pic out of his focus on the space between. 

"Where are you headed?" he hums. 

[Through the Living Hope]

1 minute ago, The Aspiring Archivist said:

 

Quote

Either be Tal's not-alone-buddy or come to his world

1 minute ago, Cash67 said:

 

Aventine standing up an leaving snaps Pic out of his focus on the space between. 

"Where are you headed?" he hums. 

"Tal's world."

[The Aspiring Archivist any pronouns]

Just now, Spark of Hope said:

"Tal's world."

Quote

Want Lerac to be Tal's buddy?

@Edema Rue

[Cash67]

10 minutes ago, Spark of Hope said:

"Tal's world."

"Now?"

@shortcake

Quote

He's gotta make sure Lundyn is safe. He wants to go with her, and if they would drag Lundyn that'd be cook

9 minutes ago, The Aspiring Archivist said:

@Edema Rue

Quote

That would let Pic leave with Aventine without being grumpy