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[Imagine the beach. Okay, don't imagine the beach because the video, it's definitely of the beach. Of the waves hitting the shore, of feet buried in the sand, of strong legs too, but the angle doesn't continue far up them, mostly because the video is looking over them, at the ocean.]

Gonna be frank here. All that shit with the 'Calibrations' junk? Total fucking horrible bullshit. Too quiet. Too weighty. Too fucking enclosed and tense. We need something else. We need to be something more than what they inflicted on us.

Least, that's what I think.

[The view panned from the sea off to the right, where someone had built a large stack of felled wood. Sorta fresh, so maybe it wouldn't burn the best, but it was there. This was clearly bonfire territory.]

I'm thinking it wouldn't be bad to fucking chill a little, you know? Like, not entirely. Don't trust whatever did that to not fuck with us again. But beaches can be relaxing, and with enough of us, maybe we can enjoy ourselves a little but still keep a watch. So, maybe we do it. Maybe we come here and make our own memories we don't gotta sit through and watch.

Memories we can be a part of.

Back home, at the start of summer, we've got this thing to do. It's meant to be a celebration of identity and self. Okay, I'll be honest, it's called 'Pride', and technically it's for, you know, celebrating gender and sexual identities and all that. Never really went to one back home, but feels like the concept is right. Celebration of identity. The ones we build for ourselves now, not all the fucking baggage they dredged up.

So, uh... who might be in?

[Gladio turns the camera's view around so that it's on him fully. Of course he isn't wearing a shirt. It's fucking Gladio. If you know the man and haven't seen him shirtless yet, do you really know the man?]

So anyone down for making some good memories about ourselves? Doesn't have to be today. Might take some time for the wood to be good to burn. Doesn't have to not be today either. I'd say I'm flexible, but come on, muscles like these are for strength, not for bending. But I can work with what people want. What they need.

And I think we might need this.

[OOC: Feel free to have people come find him in action. Or start your own logs of partying at the beach because of this]

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_{[When Gladio reaches out for him, Lerith's already snuffed out the magic and shoved his hands under his arms with the device still held in one. He could've hurt someone, and that someone was Gladio! There's a flinch at first before he settles. Hands come back into view, still pale and long fingered.]}

'New to magic. Still... very scared of it. My owner was a mage, and he used his magic to hurt.'

_{[Which probably explained all the scarring on the elf's face as he looked to the broader man.]}

'You are a mage too?'

[Like Gladio hasn't been burned plenty before anyway. Hell, the elemental flasks tended to be all or nothing areas of effect and so he got burnt a lot.]

I'm not a mage, but Noctis, he's got this special power. Lets him draw elemental energy from certain things in nature and put them in these special containers. And I'm trained to use them. Not everyone can.

_{[The last thing Lerith ever wants to do is hurt someone with magic. Even if it would've been an accident! But he listens to Gladio. Focuses on that.

Fumbles with the device in his shaking hands.]}

'You put magic in containers? Sounds like a potion. Noctis is a mage?'

_{[He finally pulls his hands free. No fire. No hurting anyone. Good.]}

'I don't want to accidentally hurt someone with my magic.'

It's not a potion. There were potions. Flasks weren't like that. And no, he's not exactly a mage.

[Just blessed as the focus of the magic of the Crystal.]

Then don't. Learn to control it. That's the only way to protect people from it.

_{[Lerith frowns, trying to figure out how a potion was different, but it didn't matter. Fingers wiggle but no magic comes forth. Even better. He breathes out and calms, finally settling.]}

'I hope you're not thinking that I'm not trying to learn. Because I am. But magic is terrifying to me because of how I know it from my world.'

_{[It was a tool of cruelty, used to keep insubordinate slaves in line. Lerith was a prime example of that cruelty in his household.]}

'It is a tool for punishment.'

I'm not sure how it works in your world, but I'm sorry it's something to be afraid of. Maybe people here who are good at magic can help you some? Train you?

[Punishment? Yeah, he looks very upset about that. Would be a horrible thing to inflict on anyone.]

_{[For a horrible moment, the upset look on Gladio is thought to be towards Lerith himself. But the words seem to counter that, so the mute relaxes. People weren't here to hurt him in this city. He had protection. And if Gladio did for some reason, well both of them would definitely get burned.]}

'I am trying to train myself. It is work, but I don't want to hurt someone else trying to train me if I'm scared of my own abilities. I could really hurt them that way.'

You could. But if there are other magic users here, they might well be able to protect themselves from what you do. Protect others too. So maybe that's what you need.

_{[That was all true. Other magic users here probably had a better handle on their magic, knew spells to throw up barriers or anything to keep from getting burned by an out of control fire made by Lerith. The elf is calming and listening to Gladio's logic.]}

'I want to help and protect others with my magic. I'm not going to be like my owner.'

[Gladio could be wrong of course. He doesn't know. But if he's right... Well, that matters, if it can give Lerith some peace.]

Then I believe you'll succeed. You've got that will, kid.

_{[It was always easier for people to see Lerith's potential than the elf himself. But that was probably from years and years of abuse. Such habits were just so hard to break.]}

'I suppose if a big strong human like you says so, there's not much for me to lose.'

_{[Nothing that hadn't been in danger since escaping in the first place back home, anyways. He watches the fire catch and build with the wood.]}

'Are you a warrior where you are from? You have the same kind of... look that Iron Bull does.'

[Big strong human. Gladio snorts over being called that.]

Don't buy it because of that. Believe in it because I'm your friend, and I have faith in you. My species doesn't matter. My size doesn't matter. My faith in you should. And yeah, I was raised to be a body guard.

[Iron Bull. Gladio... blushes at the memory of the big guy.]

He's definitely a warrior.

_{[Wow. People make friends fast here in the city. That was probably one of the things that was still surprising for him despite how long he's lived here. Lerith gets to his feet.]}

'Yeah Bull is a warrior. He's from my world, and goes with the Inquisitor to fight demons and bad mages. You are Noctis' body guard since he is a mage?'

_{[Lerith wonders for a moment if Noctis uses his magic for fishing.]}

[Why wouldn't they make friends fast here? There really, you know, isn't much other option. They've got time on their hands, and he figures making friends isn't a bad choice.]

I'm Noctis's bodyguard because that's what I am. Him being able to use elemancy isn't the reason.

[He guards the guy because Noctis is his royal. And that being the royal means he gets magic is a whole other thing.]

_{[Look, Lerith's just a little slower on making friends usually, vetting them out to make sure they weren't a danger before warming up. He was getting better at it though. The warming up part.]}

'But mages like having body guards.'

_{[A pause before the metaphorical candle lights up over his head.]}

'Right. Mages here aren't like the mages in my world. Different social class and all that here. Mages like having body guards in my world in the Tevinter Imperium because of assassins.'

[Well, that's not a bad point. There just aren't a lot of inherent mages back home. There's Noctis, and the Oracles and their line. Otherwise every magic user has their powers derived from a bond to the royal line.

And everyone that has the power to do magic but the line of Kings itself, are soldiers and guards for the kings. So it's not something Gladio knows.]

Well, there are assassination attempts back home, but mages are rare.

_{[If mages were like Gladio's in Thedas, Lerith would probably sleep a lot easier. Less chance for magical abuse.]}

'I wish that were the case in Thedas. Almost everyone has mages. I think the only ones who do not are the Dwarves, but they thrive in other areas.'

_{[That's only what he's heard, but if a lot of people say it, surely it's true, right?

The fire starts growing, drying the wood out and catching it.]}

'So you are a warrior, Noct... is a mage? Is someone from your group not here a rogue then? Arrows? Knives?'

"Noctis is a warrior too. Prompto uses guns, so I guess he's that. And Ignis uses knives, but also polearms."

So they try and vary things up quite a bit.

What the hell was a gun? Maybe it was Gladio's word for bows or something. Same amount of letters, it worked. He's heard of polearms, but never seen them.

'Polearm? Those are like a lance, right? Just a big long stick? I've heard of them, but never seen one. I like Noctis though, even though I've only met him the one time when he was fishing.'

"I mean, some of them were called lances, but they aren't like old fashioned chocobo lances for jousting. Long haft, some sort of metal head for stabbing or slashing. Dude was fucking bad ass with it."

The acrobatics Ignis could perform using one had been rather good.

"You should meet him again. Noct's a good guy, and he likes making friends."

What the hell was a joust? Or a chocobo? There were words coming out of Gladio's mouth that were new and strange. He brushes the sand off of him and nods. 'That is a good idea. Since I have the fire started for you, I think I'll try to go find him. Maybe he'll be fishing around a place that has good herbs again.'

With only a slight shake in his hand - but Lerith is trying because he's learned how to be far better with socializing - the elf holds his hand out in a gesture he's seen others do. Both in this world and Thedas. A hand shake at the wrists or something like that. Something comrades do? The elf isn't sure since he's obviously not soldier material.

"Go ahead. Have some fun, if you can," Gladio said with a smile, waving the guy off. "If you stick around here, I might jsut bore you. Go have some fun."

Because it's right for the guy to be seeking something else out, something fun and just for him.

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