ph_logs | [July/August] Dog Days

Who: River la Croix and YOU

What:
Getting a summer log up god fucking damn it
When:
July & August
Where:
Check prompts
Warning(s): Relationship arguments, potential violence and/or curses, bitching about the heat, and whatever you take with you (check individual posts/threads)

Dying In This Forge | Infernal Arms And Armor

The only mercy about running a smithy during the summer is that River has never had to experience air conditioning and therefore has no idea how much better it could be. The pace of the work here at Infernal Arms and Armor has slowed considerably; every door and window is thrown wide open, hydration and shade breaks are mandatory, and no less than twice a week River's apprentices and customers both arrive to find the forge locked up with a sign posted outside which reads:

Fucked off to go swimming If you need us, don't.

Still, if there's work to be done, here's still the place to order it. Just expect River to be pissy about it, she's a bit on fire, y'know?

Cooling Off | Beach

River's desperate to not die of fucking heat stroke and it's an uphill battle. While she usually enjoys the hot springs, right now the beach is a more likely bet, even with the crabs. Friends might be invited to an afternoon crab roast down by the water, or you might find her swimming in a soot-stained shirt too ruined even for forge work these days. Either way, it's not hard to spot River. Look for the steam coming off the water. No, really. It's not a joke. Look for the steam and you will find an elf and friend.

Fire Dancing | Nighttime

It may be hotter than a succubus's asshole from River's perspective, but that's no excuse to slow down her studies. A couple nights a week, towards the bridge over the river into the woods, one can find River practicing her pyromancy. She doesn't take much with her, just a brazier, some coals, and a MASSIVE stone jug that formerly housed whiskey and now contains a great deal of water with lemon juice mixed into it, for hydration. Oh, right, and an undead dragon. It hovers ominously near her, a passive protection against oncoming monsters while River strips down to her shirtsleeves and goes dancing amidst ribbons of tame fire, flickering in many colors while they shift and twirl, never quite kissing her skin, her arms smoldering coal-bright.

You'll never get her to admit it while the sun is up, because she's fuckin' dying in this heat, but these are the moments when the world falls away, and River can lose herself in her art. It feels remarkably freeing.

Blunt Love | Closed to Ruby

A hand on Ruby Rose's shoulder, during a work day. River's sweating buckets, panting like a damn dog, and if her ears drooped any lower they'd fall the hell off, but still the expression on her face is gentle concern. "Lunchtime," River says, with a little shrug. "C'mon, you're eating with me. We should chat, O Mine Apprentice. Plus I got those meat pies from Max that never go stale and girl lemme tell you, my ambition when I bought 'em? Vastly exceeded my grasp."

Wildcard

Fuck me up.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ruby is correct, River does not care at all except in the distant sense of caring, deeply, that something very painful and wrong happened to this girl.

"I've got all the time in the world," she says back, as gently as she can. "You're my apprentice, your well-being is literally my job."

"...I guess that's true." Not that she ever finds it any easier to believe it's someone else's job to worry about her, rather than the other way around. "I'm... I'm doing better than I was when I got here. Being in the farmhouse helps a lot. Working helps a lot. Therapy's been helping, slowly, I-I think. And I talked to Celestine? That— that helped. But I'm... I still don't feel right, most of the time."

"Nobody can just reverse feeling dead inside in an instant. I ought to know, the family's tried it, the results were disappointing." River sighs, and resists the urge to put a hand on Ruby's; their relationship as master and apprentice really ain't up to physical comfort just yet, now is it? "...I hope you understand that I'm available, if you need someone."

"...did they actually try to use necromancy to do that or are you joking?" She's been surrounded by so many levels and kinds of humour at this point, she honestly can't tell. Anyway. "I mean— I guess I do, in abstract? I'm— I've never been very good at actually... following through on it. I still struggle to even talk about stuff in therapy, heh. Neil said it's the sense of responsibility which— I knew that, I guess, but..."

Having an actual therapist say it to your face still kind of hits different.

"The fun part of oral traditions when you're from a hilarious family is never being quite sure."

Narrator note: they did try it, the poor bastard turned into a specter immediately.

"Ruby...you're my student. Your well-being is my responsibility. Hell, John's is too and he's just learning for fun. You know?"

"Heh. You should tell that to my old teachers," comes out with a fresh bitterness that anyone who met Ruby before the island would know to be far newer than even most of her other struggles. Anger has never come easily to her, before. Even now she flinches at herself, "...sorry, I just— I just mean I'm not used to it, I guess. You haven't done anything wrong."

"...Well, if you don't mind me getting all personal before this lunch, maybe we can start with something that's either small or soul-crushingly huge. Like..." She hrmms. "...You got any siblings?"

Ruby nods, a little slowly, "A sister. Her name's Yang. And there's a couple people here who are like siblings to me now, but... back home it's just me and Yang."

"...Okay so before I ask this, gonna put it on the table, I'm adopted - what's the deal there?"

All patient interest. River's steady, not trying to force eye contact, just kinda quietly enjoying her lunch while inviting Ruby to share.

And trying to get ahead of accidentally implying that being adopted is bad, her family has a whole complex there.

Ruby does keep picking at her food, even if slowly. "Yang's my half-sister, my mom basically stepped in and adopted her after her birth mom left my dad. The others... we just sort of grew that way while we were stuck together on the ship before here."

"Yeah...that's sounded like a bad time." River closes her eyes; the sheer amount of understatement there is almost painful for her. "I'm not gonna give ya the third degree. Just...remember that I'm here, yeah? I can't promise to make everything better, but I can promise my best."

"Also point out your old teachers if they show up, I haven't kicked a stranger in the nuts in a hot minute and it sounds like I've got an excuse."

"Heh, unfortunately it's kinda hard to get into kicking range with one of them. He's riding piggyback in another kid's brain. It's... complicated."

Which is also a massive understatement.

"I'm— working on it. Even not being able to hide how bad it got is new to me. I used to be so good at that."

River might kick a child, you don't know her life.

"Ain't that a mood though," River murmurs. "If you do your job and don't complain, people will praise you and the bad feelings go away on their own, right? And then they don't." She sighs. "...They really don't."

Please do not kick the child, River, he's suffered enough on Ozpin's behalf.

"...yeah. It used to be I could just be okay enough that no one had to worry, but... I don't know. Things just got worse. That's the problem with a world in crisis, I guess."

"Yeah," River agrees. "...I know. Come by sometime after work, ask me about the Lichyard, and the Dungeon. Might...I been there, y'know? But for now I think maybe we both need to go hit metal very hard."

Ruby lets out a little 'heh' sound. "Yeah, that... that sounds good."

[July/August] Dog Days | OTA

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TEAM RWBY SPOTTED

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Wrap, bounce to Brianna thread?

yes!