logs | (open) just a plain and simple chapel

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(open) just a plain and simple chapel

WHO: Bruno Madrigal and whoever wanders out his way.
WHERE: Barrens, an abandoned chapel amongst the ruins.
WHEN: vague hand waggle over the month
WHAT: Bruno, unable to not be some local cryptid, has taken up residence in a ruined chapel rather than living in the city like a regular person.
WARNINGS: n/a

clean-up.

[ In the first week of wandering into the chapel and deciding that may as well be where he remained for the time being, Bruno's time was split between sitting in a dusty old pew and staring blankly at the wall ahead and, then, picking up refuse scattered around the place and tossing it out the east side of the chapel, right off the edge of where the Barren's most abandoned Vestige curls downward towards the chasm that the rest of it collapsed into.

It was an easy way of getting rid of, well, a lot. The place was cluttered with broken wood and stone and overgrown with weeds and scratchy thorn bushes, not to mention vines. While the broken wood would be kept, the rest? The rest could go.

It would not be unusual to come across him trying his best to rip out a thorn bush that's grown through a window with his bare hands, with plenty of pauses to mutter and grumble or for him to cringe away when he got a particularly nasty poke from a thorn. ]

...y'know, one of those scythes would actually be useful right now...

[ Or some gloves. Gloves would work, too. ]

ruins are for looting, every adventure novel says so.

[ But once he — and perhaps a little help — have tidied the chapel up enough, it was time to find a way to make it more comfortable. Bruno hadn't gone looking for a job just yet. To be truthful, he wasn't sure how one did that, as his only job had ever been overwhelmingly unpopular oracle and that sure didn't look good on paper. That meant he would have to source his home goods from somewhere a bit more, uh, left behind.

It does mean rattling around the other abandoned ruins of buildings that litter the Barren, however, and that isn't necessarily safe, now is it?

To anyone else happening by, they'll hear a large crack of something breaking, followed by a startled yell and the telltale thud of someone landing heavily in one of the ruined, haphazardly leaning buildings nearby. ]

festive.

[ And last but not least, decorating. For the holiday, in fact. By the third week of the month, the chapel is looking... a little better? As in it doesn't have garbage and infinite overgrowth clogging up the floor and windows and Bruno's managed to dust it enough so he isn't constantly sneezing. Holes in the roof have been patched. They could use some work still, as some of the rain does leak in now and again, but hey, he can worry about that later.

What's important now is that some kind Restless lady in the city offered him her leftover decorations for Respite after he helped her put them up outside her own residence. Gleaming gold-toned ornaments that catch and reflect the moonlight, and other little baubles that give off a marigold and ginger-colored glow; they were a treat to put up back at the chapel and add a splash of color to an otherwise dreary place. Better yet, speaking of treats, he'd picked up some on the way back out of the city. It'd been a surprisingly nice day, this day, to end up with any of this at all.

So it might be the spots of bright orange light that draw the eye or the drifting scent of the little campfire within, boiling up firstdawn tea to go with the sundrop cake he managed to get his hands on, that beckons you closer to the little chapel. It's no trap. It's just Bruno, merrily humming in a rare good mood as he works on stringing up the decorations along one of the windows. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Viktor isn't one prone to long walks. It's physically cumbersome, and in a place he's unfamiliar with, it can be outright dangerous to do. But the melancholy of the season struck something within him, and he finds himself heading down a series of paths he never tread before. Just as regret for such a long journey was starting to hit him, there's a chapel, looking and smelling inviting. First instinct is of course, to think this is a trap of some sort. The world is cold and unforgiving, why would something like this exist?

Curiosity gets the better of him, along with some strangely foreign thought that... an approach wouldn't be unwelcome?

Odd.

Still a good dozen feet away, as he approaches he notices someone outside, hanging up more decorations. A familiar green poncho. Is it...?]

Bruno?

[ Considering where he's decided to hole up for the time being, one might think he'd be more alert, at least enough to notice someone prodding their way through the rocks and rubble towards where he is. He does notice, though, only seconds before Viktor says his name. He's already turning to look when he does but that doesn't help his surprise.

Of all the people he'd expect to come wandering out this way, Viktor didn't make the list, and yet his surprise melts swiftly enough into a gladness to see, well, someone he's at least familiar with. ]

Uh, yeah, it's me. [ He turns back quickly to finish hanging up the last bit of marigolds on the windowsill before stepping away from decorating to go walk over to Viktor instead. ] What are you doing out here? Kind of a far walk, isn't it?

It is. Too lost in thought.

[And then his feet led him here. At least with this new cane, it wasn't as cumbersome to wander so much, and the smile would indicate he doesn't seem to mind the detour much either.]

Do you live here?

Sort of dangerous to lose your thoughts out this way, isn't it?

[ And yet Bruno chose to live out here, where it's supposedly a little more dangerous than actually in the city, so that'd definitely be him being a hypocrite. He shoots a glance back over his shoulder at the chapel. ]

Oh, but yeah? I just kind of ended up here, I guess. I wasn't sure where else to go. It's been alright so far.

I tend to go unnoticed.

[Aside from the tap of his cane, he can be pretty quiet when he needs to be. Useful only in the areas he suspected people would be around. Otherwise, there were not much for encounters on his journey.]

Most people pick a house.

[But it's not a criticism, as Viktor approaches the chapel to get a closer look.]

I suppose the rent's cheaper.

[Given that it's, you know, out here.]

Rent? [ The joke misses and Bruno stares for a second, two seconds, and then— ] Oh! Oh, right, people... people here pay to live in... somewhere.

[ It's a strange concept for someone who's from a village where everyone had their own home and people came together to build new ones when they were needed. There were a lot of ways that life had been restricting, but certainly not on that point. ]

That's still really weird to me, so I guess... this is better... [ Yes, better live in a dangerously remote chapel that's kind of falling apart than figure out how to pay rent. Sure, makes sense. ] Sort of. There's definitely a lot of work to do on it.

[Viktor arches an eyebrow, but it's otherwise not worth chasing down. How does he not know of renting? Is Bruno secretly some sort of well-off prince?]

At least it is in decent condition, enough so to spend time decorating it. Surely the roof is in good enough repair.

[He has no idea how much repair work Bruno's put into this already. It does look a bit patchy in terms of construction, some parts much better than others. Actually, by comparison to the rest of the buildings around here...]

... Did you fix this?

[ Don't need to pay rent when everyone has their own home, taps forehead. Also when... when you live with your mom or in a literal hole in the wall, so, uh, right. ]

Welll, I'm only decorating because it's a nice distraction but, yeah, it isn't too bad. There aren't really any leaks in the roof and enough of the windows are intact.

[ As for fixing it, though, he turns his attention back down to finishing up adding the little bright orange and yellow flower decorations to the windowsill and then stopping there for the day. ]

Most of it has been clean-up so far. Jonas has helped a bit, uh, he's this young guy? We met on the boat across. I don't know if you know him, though. I did fix the doors. That wasn't tough to do without actual tools, just needed to be reset and have new pins in their hinges.

[No leaks and mostly intact windows are more than you'd see in some houses in Zaun, so. Honestly, not a bad deal at all in Viktor's eyes.]

Yes, Jonas. We've spoke before. He seemed kind.

[And clearly proved as much, since he helped Bruno out with this.]

Offered to teach me young people's slang. Like this-

[Viktor leans forward a little, almost conspiratory-]

El oh el. It means laughing out loud.

First woodworking, now door repair. You're more of a handyman than I thought.

I think he'd like to argue that he isn't but, y'know, kids.

[ Contrary as possible at every turn. Although the part about slang earns Viktor a squint like he's not so sure about that. El oh el? Laughing out loud? Hmm. ]

Though I think I'll leave slang to them? Because I am definitely not a young person. [ Older than Viktor, too, he's sure. As for the rest, he shrugs and deflects, once again unable to take anything even slightly resembling a compliment. ] Oh, it's not much. Anyone can do what I can if they fiddle with stuff long enough and I, uh, I just had... time to fill.

[ And there's a melancholy note to that before he nods towards the front of the chapel and motions for Viktor to follow him as he sets off. ]

C'mon, let's get inside.

[Ah yes, teens. Can't be kind or it means losing face. He understands.

He heads inside along with Bruno, the shelter cutting out any wind chill from being outside.]

Fiddling is the precursor to experience. We would not be human if we didn't fiddle.

[Viktor's eyes wander to the rafters, the patched up structures, and how despite the bareness, it's pretty pleasant.]

Mm, sure, but fiddling is all I got.

[ The interior of the chapel isn't too bad, though. Dilapidated still, certainly, but the floors and walls have been cleaned up, and the pews have been arranged as one might expect, even though only half of them are still intact enough to comfortably sit on. The altar has a series of candles set up on it, not lit yet, since daylight still filters in through the windows that haven't been covered or boarded up.

A rope ladder of sorts hangs down from the balcony that overlooks the rest of the chapel from above the entrance and since the first floor itself lacks anything that looks like a living space, that must be where Bruno stays. Without any stairs leading up there anymore, it was likely the safest spot to set up camp. ]

I've had to keep a place from falling apart before, though, so I have some idea of what to do, only, uh, stuff kind of falls apart no matter what, I've found.

[ Anything not soulforged, he supposes, and he certainly can't soulforge a whole building. In any case, he'll wave Viktor towards the nearest pew. ]

Take a seat, I have some tea that I can make us.

[ He won't even ask if Viktor wants any tea. He's now a guest, he's getting tea. ]

[A place from falling apart before. A house perhaps? Like the one from that glass panel?

He doesn't mention it, of course, but the thought crosses his mind.]

I have noticed that as well- the endless decay. To acquire something... sturdy enough to last, is expensive- and requires sacrifice.

[That's something that tends to get glossed over, isn't it?

He won't fight the tea offered, because something to warm him up is exactly what he needs right now. There's plenty of seats to go around, but he picks the one closest to the kettle, sighing as he sits his fairly flat ass against the hard wooden pew.]

Thank you.

[ A thought that crosses Viktor's mind and right over into Bruno's. He pauses at the kettle, which sits on a little camping stove he had bartered for back during the festival — and wonders why he's suddenly thinking of Mirabel's future.

That it's weird is his own thought on it. It was very abrupt but, then again, maybe because he was thinking of repairs and that could have made him think of the house, and... He gives his head a shake and focuses on checking the kettle's heat. It had been left on for awhile but it seems hot enough still. Next to grabbing some chipped but usable cups and a little metal filter he's been using to catch the leaves. ]

Y-yeah, I can't say I like the whole... soul... thing... Like, is it just me, or do even the coins here seem to, uh, really faintly scream sometimes? That's just. That's creepy. I don't want everything I have around screaming at me, y'know?

[Bruno pauses like a sudden thought comes over him, but whatever that was about, nothing comes of it. Hm.]

I would suppose most tune it out with time. Those in Radiance must play their music loud enough they never hear it, hm?

[After all, currency is tossed about the same way it was in Piltover. Money is money, and money is necessary. It screaming doesn't mean it's worth any less. A miserable thought, but a practical one.]

I'm sorry. This is unpleasant to talk about.

Well, sure, but it's... kind of necessary, too, isn't it?

[ Bruno pours the tea and sets the kettle down again. With the leaves already in the kettle, it's steeped more than enough already, and any that poured out has been caught in the filter. He picks both cups up and joins Viktor over on the pew, where he offers one over to him. ]

I've managed to get some stuff from just ransacking the ruins out here and trading away anything I don't need for stuff I do but all of it is pretty worthless in the end, right? It's all gonna fall apart.

[Viktor takes it graciously, letting the heat of it warm up his hands before taking a sip. Another sigh of relief, it's the small comforts like this. The world has always been a stress, and it seems death is no different, but something about Bruno radiates a sort of ease. Strange...]

Do jobs or steal, save up, buy more things that won't break, climb the ranks. The same struggle it has always been. The only difference now is time. Do we have more of it?

...Do we still age?

[ That in itself is an oddity. Bruno carries the air of someone who happens to be constantly anxious and yet that sense of ease doesn't quite match the energy he typically exudes. That he feels the same ease simply from Viktor never even strikes him as strange, though. Perhaps that's just what it feels like to have an actual friend, one that isn't small and fuzzy... ]

Okay, but that struggle doesn't exist where I'm from? We're just a small, really small village, middle of nowhere kind of thing. No one ever had to buy anything or save up or... well... I mean, kids will knick stuff sometimes but...

[ He trails off into a shrug. Kids doing kid stuff, he supposes. Admittedly, he probably did the most stealing to get things into his hole-in-the-wall haven, and yet he balks at really calling that theft. Was it, really?

But the question of aging distracts from thoughts of home and he pauses, thinking. ]

Hm, I'm not sure. Considering this place just went through a harvest festival, I guess that probably makes me fifty-one now, only it was still summer when I... y'know. Can't really say I feel older, so you might want to ask someone who's been here longer.

[No such thing as the endless struggle? A village so small that hardship was barely a consideration? Viktor's eyes widen, searching Bruno's expression for anything at all that would imply that was an exaggeration, but... no. Viktor considers himself a good judge of assessing underlying truths, but he doesn't have anything to assess in that. It seems... honest. Somehow.]

Are you from paradise? Some sort of angel?

[It's a joke, despite how dryly it's delivered, but he can't disguise his astonishment at how impossible that seems. A village so small there's no need for trade, and still self-sufficient enough to survive. Thrive, even? It's at odds with the desert-like cliffs he had seen before. Bruno is... so much of a mystery to him.]

This new world shift must have been more jarring to you than most.

[The introduction of capitalism for one.]

Edited 2022-11-27 18:03 (UTC)

Mm, sure, paradise.

[ A 'but' hovers dangerously on the end of that agreement. Bruno won't say it, though. Still, there's something deflating about the idea of home being a paradise for the man and it's only furthered by how ending up in the Netherworld has been jarring. His shoulders slouch and he looks down into his cup of tea. ]

Yeah, this place is... it's been a lot. I don't exactly have normal job skills or. Or any idea what to do with money or any of that stuff in the city and there are so many people and... [ He sighs, spiraling back into his usual misery. Oh well. ] I used to imagine what it would be like to get out of the valley and see a real city but this hasn't been... great. Well, except for meeting you. That's been nice, I guess?

[ Which is a weird thing to say to someone you've met all of twice now and yet, it feels true, somehow, in some way. ]

[Once that spiraling begins, Viktor nudges his shoulder (just a smidge) into Bruno's.]

Drink your tea before it goes cold.

[He waits half a second, and then savors a sip of his own.]

I'm grateful we met. Not just for the earlier assistance.

[The barest of nods in the direction of his cane, still the same one Bruno helped him construct. It's in a little better shape than before- he's managed to find nails and more reinforcements to keep it together. But the pieces of wood that show are from the same frame he had taken from Bruno's space.

He opens his mouth, intending to say more, closes it like he thinks better of it, and then decides against that too. It needs to be said.]

I feel... in no small measure, at peace when with you. Had I found nearly anyone else's home here, I doubt I would have stepped inside, no matter the favor they had done.

[He's keeping his expression level, worried that anything too expressive could come off as emotionally vulnerable.]

[ Bruno does as he's told and sips his own tea a bit while listening to Viktor. An idle glance is given to the cane and he can't help but be glad he'd offered the help all over again. It's holding up, the additional effort put in afterward nice to see. If only it would last forever but as they both knew, nothing down here did, not without a soul being forged into it.

Would Viktor ever replace it with a cane like that? Would it make eerie sounds the same as the coins here did? He wondered... and then have a faint snort when Viktor admitted that he wouldn't have entered anyone else's home. ]

Sounds a bit unfriendly, if you ask me, but I guess I get... it... [ He trails off. What even made him different, though? Why did Viktor feel at peace with him? He's so used to people avoiding him and yet. Oh. He slowly lowers his tea and stares off ahead of himself for a moment, turning a thought over in his head. Dread bubbles up following it. ] The tablet was a tether, wasn't it?

Yes. I believe so.

[Viktor says quietly, but without much hesitation.]

I didn't know at the time, but when the conversations arose about soulmates...

[Like symptoms to an illness, it lined up. The explanations others had, the mentions of connection. The emotions that happen so suddenly, as well as the tranquility from seeing Bruno at all- what other explanation is there?

Viktor looks away, still holding his cup but running his long fingers along the bottom edge of it. The barest anxious movement.]

There may be a way to undo it.

[ Bruno doesn't even want to imagine how awful it's been being connected to him of all people, the jumpy guy, the one that's always getting frightened or feeling anxious or miserable or... nothing good, never anything good, right?

Viktor brings up there maybe being a way to undo it and it takes every ounce of control to not deflate right there at the thought. He tries to stifle that emotion now that he's pretty sure Viktor can pick it up. ]

Oh, well, I... guess, yeah. If. If you want that and I'd definitely get it if you did. I mean, I wouldn't want to be my soulmate, either, y'know?

[He picks up on it, even without the help of their connection.]

Not because of you, Bruno.

[That's said easily enough. It's the rest of the explanation that gets stuck in his throat.]

Being tied to me without knowing everything... You will want a way out.

(open) just a plain and simple chapel

festive

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