Dam-bi has been in Isola for a while now and I'd like to think that her character development is going pretty well. With that being said, she needs more friends or just more people to meet! By liking this post, I'll safely assume that it's okay to send memes, jump into DMS or IMS, or whatever platform we have each other on to scream or plot, or whatever. I also like making spontaneous random starters for people, so I'll assume that's okay to do too!
Friends: It's not as hard as it used to be to befriend Dam-bi. Though, she isn't just going to willy-nilly call someone her friend. Approaching Dam-bi can still be...intimidating. Still, she is definitely a little friendlier than at the beginning, so if you feel your character can open her up and be her friend, then by all means! PLEASE be her friend.
Enemies: Dam-bi doesn't have a lot of enemies. She just has...people where she thinks they're not worth it. She used to have enemies back in the past, but she's grown out of hating humanity. I'm not really sure if there is a way to become an enemy, but if you'd like to explore this, then let's go!
Sparring Partner: Dam-bi is always looking for ways to become stronger. Whether that is through the mind or physically by sparring with people. If you are looking for a capable sparring partner, Dam-bi is your girl. She may be 12, but she's pretty strong.
Mentor: Dam-bi currently has one mentor, Sukuna. Well, tech', she has two and that's the sapling . Sukuna and the sapling both teach her different things in life and they are one of the reasons why she's changed into who she is. She is of course always looking to learn more and if there's anyone who's willing to guide her in their own way and willing to teach her new things, she'll listen.
Crush: This....isn't really something she's looking for and it's also something we'd have to really talk and plot a lot on. Dam-bi is also 12 years old so I don't think I'd be interested in her having any romantic feelings for anyone, but a crush toward someone might be cute. She's liked someone back home, but you know...Well, maybe you don't, but a lots happened so...
Anyway, we can explore this if we're ever interested!
IF THERE IS OTHER IDEAS YOU HAVE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!
★ Olruggio nodded thoughtfully at the young girl. Her logic wasn’t flawed in any way. People did fear what they did not understand, magic included. Maybe even magic especially. Because it could be unpredictable, it could be complicated, and it could be destructive. The witch did not want to be near any of this kind of magic. It should not be used to harm others, ever.
For her supposed age, she seemed equal parts stubborn and surprisingly wise.
“Conquerin’ your fear of it is the first step to understandin’,” he concurred, scratching his beard absentmindedly, “at least that’s how I learned.” Fire was something life giving, warm, kind and gentle, but it also brought upon immense amount of destruction and suffering when used wrong or brash. “Not understandin’ magic you are afraid of, will only lead ya to mess up and in turn fear it more.” That was the conclusion he had drawn for himself a long time ago and was a philosophy he still stuck to to this day; for the most part at least.
“That’s why I try to bring positive and useful magic to the world. It should not be a tool of oppression and terror.” And yet…
“You seem quite talented with it yourself. The magic part, I mean.”
At least he understood. Still, there was magic he feared, even if he hadn't mentioned anything about such a thing. It was something she picked up on. Why else would he only bring magic he deemed was useful and positive?
All magic was useful and could be used in a positive light, no matter how dark the magic was.
"Magic is a part of my very being," she answers plainly. "I am also a witch." Though, she had many nicknames from home, a witch was more accurate, in a way.
Dam-bi moves her hand, fingers gently running along the fluffy creature with a soft smile. "I am sure Gwen will be the one to keep you safe as well as the next time danger arises." Though she's sure Vivianne would rather something like that didn't happen. Still, she knows Gwen would put herself in harm's way if it meant protecting her friends.
Gwen was strong like that.
"And you as well. You'll become stronger. For yourself." Her attention is back on Vivianne, the smile gone. "I must get back to work. My break time up." And then she stands, and Soft Elk follows her out the door.
Vivi doesn't flinch at Dam-bi's harsh words. "Not everyone gets a chance to learn everything about someone," she replies simply.
Vivi's eyes fall to the flower as Dam-bi speaks. Get strong? Right. She'd have a lot to work for that. Dam-bi, though, does speak truth that Vivianne isn't helpless if she has the capacity.
"Thank you, Dam-bi." Vivi says. She understands what the younger co-worker does not voice. "I will only use this if it is necessary."
"It will do you some good to do background checks." There were people out there who had different methods of figuring something out about someone else. Vivianne, of course, was only a mere human. She didn't have what those people had.
She did not wish to see Vivianne harmed again, if the woman could help it.
Soft Elk opens its eyes and walks over to Vivianne. It chooses to climb on her and rest on her shoulder as it nuzzles its fuzzy cheek against her's.
"Is it not wrong to be skeptical? I mean from what I know jobs are already rather difficult to come by in the first place. No less in a city where the vast majority of people don't know each other."
But it seemed like that much was a given. At least in her eyes.
"That doesn't sound like the worst thing. Although the idea of making a mess of things in a job like that does sound a bit strange. Are all of you a bit unorganized?"
"No. It is well organized." How simple the answer comes. It isn't like Dam-bi could really tell this one about the Chorus. That was something only she could figure out on her own if she knew where to look.
"Please consider."
She bows her head.
"It may be difficult where you're from, but here on this island, jobs are easy to come by. There's one hiring right in front of you."
"D-Does it really benefit the both of us?" Maybe this really was that marketing tricks being used to the best capacity. Especially with the rather official looking business card on top of it all.
"How is this "Cecil" you work for? Do you like working underneath him?"
"I would say so, yes. I'm surprised you are skeptical." She would be, too. Regardless, a question is asked, and an answer must be delivered. "I wouldn't work under him if I didn't," she says simply.
"He gives me advice when it is warranted. I can do whatever I please, so long as I don't make a mess of things. He's simple."
Vivianne shakes her head. "Only what he told me, and I don't know if anything he said was fact. He could just have made it all up to get what he wanted. My guard down."
Vivi speaks plainly, aware that Dam-bi distasted being treated like a child. "I am, unfortunately, now even more aware of that fact. Even Cecil could kill me if he wished."
Vivi looks to the young girl. "I don't want to burden you with my shortcomings, Dam-bi," she says after taking a breath.
"You're a fool for letting your guard down and not doing your research before meeting with someone." Words are harsh, but she doesn't seem to mean it as an insult in any way.
She looks to her coworker. "Cecil is capable of many things. He will let you know when that time comes." He wasn't like Ilseong.
"My advice to you, though you do not need it, as I'm sure you are already aware, it to get strong. Learn to fight and hold your own. Even someone like you can protect yourself from someone like him and our boss." Dam-bi places a rose encased in a glass on top of the table and slides it toward Vivianne.
"You are my coworker....Therefore," She trails off. She doesn't want to admit it, but she'd rather Vivianne remain safe this time. It would suck to see her harmed again.
"The rose will let me know when you are in trouble. Until I arrive, it should keep you safe Please take it."
Vivi pauses after the breakroom door clicks shut. Dam-bi had turned off the cameras?
"Ah, well..." Vivianne clears her throat. "Cecil and I have already discussed my absence in private." She tells Dam-bi.
"I do still appreciate the thought, and I'd still like this to be off the cameras." Vivi takes a seat at the table as Gwen hops up to join Soft Elk. The Pokemon sniffs the fellow coworker as their usual hello while their owners talk.
And as Gwen sniffs it, Soft Elk does just the same. There was no point in being near Dam-bi while the two spoke, and currently, Gwen was better company!
"I'm glad the two of you spoke," Dam-bi starts off with a nod. "Vivianne, do you know anything about the man who killed you?" One could always count on Dam-bi to jump right into it.
"No matter how careful you are, you may meet the same fate. Not with just him, but anyone else."
Although he afforded her observation no response, he quietly questioned its accuracy. Based on the knowledge gleaned from his travels in this realm, he gained the sense that the all-seeing eye derived its immanence not from worldly, material powers, but a preternatural wisdom drawn from existence as a concept. Such a thing could not be measured and therefore could not be taken, and he wondered the reason for her interest in it.
Regardless, his lack of wisdom did not escalate her hostility, though the fact remained that she yet barred his path. 「I see. Well then, Dam-bi...」
「Now that you know I don't have the power you seek, what do you intend to do?」
If something like that was here---she's sure the Stars would have figured a way to take or weaken it. They always found a way to do something.
The giant creature shrinks into its smaller form and skitters up Dam-bi's shoulder.
"I was simply curious about the one who made way here." He may also be unaware of the rumors. They are foolish, she thinks. "You may not have the power I assumed, but you certainly have something else that I'm familiar with.
Still, I think I took enough of your time. Maybe next time, I'll ask about it?"
★ He had feared that someone might’ve spoken about their Forbidden Magic. It was only natural since here it could happen without repercussions - not that it was possible for either of them to cast it here anyway, at least from what he knew.
Even with her attitude, Olruggio only saw a child in front of him, watching her cast her spell with awe and curiosity rather than judgement. To some degree he agreed, but he would be a bad role model if he simply gave his controversial opinion a voice.
“Forbidden Magic is forbidden for a reason. If it has the potential to harm others or alter them in irreversible ways, it should not be touched.”
For some reason he felt like she wouldn’t see eye-to-eye with him on that statement; hell, he only said it because he had to. Part of him knew that it was the sensible thing to believe, part of him knew that it was more complicated than that.
“But I assume she also told you lots about that already.”
"I guess there really is a first time for everything."
Or maybe she was just being forced to do such a job in the first place. Not that it'd dissuade her from trying to help out if things worked out well for her...
"Though if you do think I might do well I suppose you are better judge then I am. I said I never thought about it because I never did get the opportunity to try it in the first place. So you see the problem no doubt."
"Yes. If you do have any interest in trying, perhaps you can speak with Cecil." She's already pulling out Cecil's business card. "This benefits both of us, I am sure." With Dam-bi putting herself out there, and this lady doing something different. A new experience!
★ “That’s very impressive work,” the witch delivered his compliment with a crooked smile, both fascinated by the technique, but also cautious about her intentions. Her sentiment is not entirely unknown to him. Olruggio, who had always followed the Pact and adhered to its rules, had also been growing more and more suspicious about the rules of old. Fear should never be used to suppress anything or anyone, and magic should be a tool to help the bigger populace, not alienate it.
Back home a lot of commoners didn’t know how magic worked and in consequence filled in their own gaps of knowledge with fantastical illusions. Witches could not heal or cure, which he felt was somewhat contradictory.
Olruggio felt conflicted.
“I can see eye t’ eye with ya on that, but there is still magic that should be wielded with caution and respect. Fire magic is the best example for that.”
"All magic should be wielded with caution," she says indifferently. The flame that she conjured snuffs out, only to be replaced by ice next, within seconds.
Eventually, she has the ice melting and dripping out of her hands. The droplets of water are captured by the small sapling-like monster standing just by the child's feet.
"Coco told me about your world and what people think of magic. Even the forbidden ones."
Vivi pauses when asked about her next break. Mostly to think, but the shake in her hands isn't hard to miss for Dam-bi. "I believe in the next five minutes, Mademoiselle Dam-bi." The seamstress answers.
Certainly, Dam-bi wouldn't... the press of Gwen's body against her ankles breaks Vivi out of the though spiral she had about to go down. Vivi just gently smiles at Dam-bi instead - as if trying to hide her distress.
Dam-bi can smell distress from a mile away. There was no hiding the shake in the woman's hands nor the aid that came from Gwen to keep her friend upright.
"Yes. I will see you in the break room."
Dam-bi is already seated in the breakroom. She holds something draped in pink silk in her lap. Soft Elk waits on top of the table for Vivianne to show.
When the door opens, Dam-bi speaks,
"I turned the cameras off in the breakroom. With what I want to talk about, I have a feeling you have yet to tell Cecil."
"I never honestly thought about it before." Not because Mélusine didn't believe she couldn't do it. But more she didn't know how well she'd be at trying outfits in the first place. Even if nobody would deny her beauty to make anything "work"...
"Is that what you do around here? Or are you one of those talent researchers..."
"I am a part-time model here." She did other things as well, but that other thing was kept a secret. The Chorus was a secret work that no one really knew about.
"Though, I guess I am acting like a talent researcher talking to you."
✧ "Hey, Dam-bi? Have you ever been to the beach here? I've never been swimming in the ocean before..." Walking with her friend, Coco had stopped to look at the summer display in a shop window. There were children's swimsuits on display and it had gotten her thinking.
"Do you know how to swim? I could teach you if you don't! My mom taught me when I was small!" She was still small though!
"Yes," She answers simply. The beaches were nice during the sunset when it was quieter, too. "Hmm....My father taught me how to swim. Everyone at the village knew how to swim."
The child is already making her way inside the store. "Are you coming in to look at some swimsuits or will you stand there looking at them from the window?"
✧ "Haha... Well, we're all kids, right? I think it's normal for kids to make mistakes since we're all learning..." That was part of the reason she hadn't really been that bothered by Agott forcing her to take the first test in the end. Well, that and she was the one that had chosen to attempt it herself. Agott had made a mistake and had grown from it.
"Even if you aren't sure, I hope you can trust me! But of course if you don't get along, I won't expect you to like them for my sake either." Coco reached out and took Dam-bi's hand reassuringly. A common gesture of comfort she had been using lately!
"..." Dam-bi wanted to say something about being kids and it being normal for kids to make mistakes. She's sure for Coco, and for the rest of her friends and other children, they could afford the mistakes. Not Dam-bi, though. She couldn't. That was what she believed, anyway.
"I will not pretend to like them for your sake," she answers honestly. It's something Coco wouldn't have to worry about. Still, she knows that if she harmed them or if harm came to them, Coco would be sad.
"Coco...," She lowers her eyes to Coco, holding her hand. Though she says her friend's name, she just releases a sigh and shakes her head. "Never mind." And instead, "Show me those fireballs, again?"
