[ semi-open ] my place amongst the stars.

[vixening]

Who: yennefer of vengerberg, various, and open.
Where: Castle Thorne, various locations therein, including the horizon.
When: post-jailbreak, month of september.
What: now that yennefer has been (rightfully) welcomed as a guest, it is about time she meets the rest of her peers within the castle.
Warnings: N/A, will add if needed

CLOSED STARTERS BELOW.

OPEN TO ALL IN CASTLE THORNE.

[ now that yennefer has been (rightfully) welcomed as a guest, she walks the halls with a kind of up-right pride. the castle is about what she expects it to be, grand and made of stone, filled with equal amounts of intelligent folk she needs to keep track of as well as idiots with whom she doesn't give more than a passing glance. it's actually quite freeing, really, to have her magic at her fingertips once again. to feel like she doesn't need to use what she can because it could be fleeting. it gives her a confidence and an ease that, perhaps, shouldn't come so quickly to her given that she has spent most of her time down in the dungeons below, and yet it does suit her as she becomes familiar with the halls around her - searching rooms, spending time in halls, learning where the great hall is compared to the library compared to her own quarters.

as her schedule is somewhat settled, yennefer finds herself spending some time in the library amongst the other mages, her reactions towards them ranging from mentor-ly to bored to at some times even cross, depending on how much they annoy her that day. she understands that they are still learning, but it becomes increasingly obvious to her how little ambrose has anything to do with their studies. at least, not directly.

her biggest goal, now, is to feel settled in this new court. it is not her first time, doing so, and it is with that experience that she approaches her involvement in it. to find out as much as she can, to become assimilated, to avoid talking about - in any way - how her time here began in the cells below.

yennefer can be found in the library, practicing and studying the magic of this realm compared to her own. other times she can be found conversing with the native thorneans in the main halls, coming across as curious and respectful as she finds her place among the many customs and rules. other times, she could even be found wandering the gardens, just for a breath of fresh air, every now and then seeming lost in thought. if approached, she will appear friendly, especially if approached by fellow welcomed guests. it is up to the conversation itself if it stays that way. ]

Comments

{ closed to ronan and kylo.

[vixening]

[ yennefer had been careful, after the interrogations with jolene and subsequent decisions made to allow the guests back to the rooms, or - in her case - to allow her up as a welcomed guest with only so much as apologies for a mistake. still, yennefer takes her time with it all, exploring and listening in, finding out what she can from the staff and people of the court (insofar as she can stand to be around them - thankfully, their conversations are brief). she tries to imagine what it all looked like with the higher numbers. more out of place faces among those native here.

granted, she doesn't really care, and she knows the energy and patience she has to expend here is limited and will most likely run out sooner rather than later, so she does what she can as soon as she can.

it's another day or so before yennefer decides that she needs to search out the other with whom she fought with. there was a long list of reasons for it, should anyone ask, but the truth of the matter is that she's curious. curious, what drove them to stand alongside ambrose. curious, what motivates them now that their numbers have all dwindled. she knows their names, by the time she gets to this point - ronan lynch and kylo ren. two close protectors, two figures that no one - not a single person yennefer has run into - is surprised they were included in the fight.

she finds ronan first, though from what she has heard, kylo will be close by. she approaches him in a moment where it makes the most sense - he's either finished an earlier conversation or simply appears the most approachable (as he can get, really). it's a specific choice to bypass the pleasantries, something about her expression actually curious, rather than whatever shit she's been pulling with the native people. ]

Your sword, from before. [ the magic is evident in the air around him, so much that she can feel it. can swear she can taste it in the space around him. there's more to him than just the sword, she's sure, but that is the point she starts with. ] I've never seen one like that before. Did you make it?

[nightwash]

[ Since the attack, it's become rare to encounter any of the other summoned guests wandering around the castle. Most of the people who approach him now are Thorneans fawning over him in gratitude, which was nice at first, but it's become increasingly uncomfortable. Compliments make Ronan edgy, and he's about to brush Yennefer off before he realizes she's not just another courtier. ]

Yeah.

[ Sort of, yeah. He did make this one. Arguably he made the original, too. Not that she needs the particular details. She probably just wants to know if he can make one for her, too. ]

I don't think most people have seen anything like it.

[photophobic]

[Looming is a term generally applied when you're significantly taller than everyone else— but somehow, despite there being little more than an inch between their heights, Kylo manages to loom in a vaguely ominous fashion behind Ronan. Perhaps it's the broad span of his shoulders, or the particularly intense lock of his gaze. Or, possibly, his vague annoyance that no-one's mentioned his magnificent enchanted blade (also a gift from Ronan, a medieval fantasy spin on the laser sword original).]

Ronan is an exceptionally capable swordsmith. Among other things.

[Behave, Ronan, he didn't mean that. He didn't not mean it, but still. Behave. He examines Yennefer's face curiously.]

You must have arrived in the second wave of summonings. I'm glad to see our hosts saw fit to release you for your service.

[vixening]

[ not another courtier, no. definitely not. rather than a compliment, there's something heavier and more distinct about her. no, ronan, she is not another thornean looking to fawn over his great deeds. she wants to know how, instead. there is a kind of intense curiosity to her, though her expression remains comparatively neutral.

she is about to ask about it, too. the sword, the craftsmanship, the magic, but that is when her attention shifts to the second figure - kylo ren, imposing and significant in his own right. yennefer remembers them both from the altercation, and if either of them are paying close enough attention, they can make out to an excited flash that crosses her eyes. less from them as people, really, and more from the sudden feeling that shifts in the air. the distinct edge to the chaos around them all.

it's power, pure and simple. ]

Apparently. [ her eyes do shift then, just for the span of a moment, to kylo's own blade. because alright, he has every reason to be annoyed that no one has given his the attention it deserves. she remembers seeing it at work, remembers the feeling in the air around it. ] And I find the average person's understanding of magic to be dull and not worth my time. [ which is said in direct reply to ronan's most people comment as she waves dismissively towards the great hall. she doesn't really enjoy being lumped in with most people, but she can hold her pleasant smile all the same. ]

Ah- yes. Well. I was in something of a state when I first arrived, and as Jolene explained it- mistakes can happen, though unlikely. [ there is a gentle shrug of her shoulders, at that. things she could say about how she feels about their hosts and what they saw fit, but she doesn't so much as let herself feel frustrated. it's not worth her effort or time, when there are other things holding her attention. ]

My name is Yennefer. It's nice to officially meet. [ she gives them both a nod, in lieu of any other formal greeting, before her expression shifts to something a bit more genuinely interested. she looks between them, making it obvious her following question is for them both. ] Your abilities. Did you learn them during your stay here, or have you both always been able to access them?

[nightwash]

[ Ronan casts a glance at Kylo, although he behaves himself and doesn't make the obvious joke. Certainly not in the presence of a lady. But there's more to that look than suppressed amusement. He takes that moment to gauge Kylo's reaction to Yennefer, whether there's any suspicion there. It's not quite a silent request for permission to speak, although it might look like one. Whether he means to or not, Ronan always assumes a deferential position in Kylo's presence.

Apparently he decides there's no danger here, because when he turns back to Yennefer, he answers frankly: ]

I was born like this.

[photophobic]

[Kylo, quite unaccustomed to having his own face available for reading, isn't making much if any effort to hide his own interest in Yennefer— her attitudes and indeed her power. He's an intensely curious being himself.

He acknowledges Ronan's glance, a barely perceptible flicker in the weight of his attention that somehow forms enough of a bridge for communication without a word being said.]

We call it the Force, where I am from. I was born with a sensitivity to it. An ability to reach it. The rest is... refinement.

[His head tilts slightly.]

Is it different? For you. The magic here.

[vixening]

[ yennefer watches carefully as looks are passed between them. a good portion of her wants to know what sort of communication is happening, silent and understood, but at the same time she can at least pick up on what she assumes is interest, though in varying degrees. it's something she can work with, something she mirrors in her own way, back.

so it is their own magic, then, which for whatever reason she finds she prefers. her studies of the thornean magic have only just begun, but her interest lies instead in what they can do. separate from this place.

so yennefer nods, apparently (for whatever reason) pleased with the answer. ]

We call it chaos. Some are born as conduits, and...with refinement, can learn to harness it for themselves. [ she uses the same language as ronan and kylo, if only to make sure what she is saying is understood. the truth is, it's not all that different from her home. from the way it works there. she's just curious if that's the same for everyone else, too. ]

The magic is not different, so much as their understanding of it and experience with it appears to be...basic, in a lot of ways. [ freezing bodies, portals through large spaces. she's seen it all before, though on various different scales. thorne had not been prepared for such an attack and yennefer isn't exactly sure why. the worst of the event had been magic from the guests themselves, which is why yennefer finds herself more interested in kylo and ronan, specifically, than anything she might have found in that library.

she eyes them both again, tilting her own face to the side. ] I'll admit, I'm more curious about the Singularity itself than anything I've found in these halls. [ a beat. ] You two came with the first wave, have you found the magic to be different from what you're used to?

[nightwash]

Way different. Shittier than I expected.

[ Maybe he shouldn't say that so loud, but it's true. Ronan also can't figure out how a place filled with this many mages was so vulnerable to an attack method he and Bryde had developed for dealing with ordinary humans in Bumblefuck, U.S.A. Good news for him, as someone tasked with creating a countermeasure, but it sure does make Thornean magic seem a lot less impressive than it had when he'd first arrived. ]

I don't think these guys have figured out how to use the Singularity right. It feels wilder than they want it to be. Too big for the cage they're trying to put it in.

[photophobic]

[Kylo's mouth twists with amusement at Ronan's blunt assessment, or perhaps the audacity of saying it aloud. It's certainly a shift in sentiment, for Ronan— but not exactly an unwarranted one. Thorne has certainly made its fair share of mistakes lately and shown a disappointing lack of ability to learn from them at the upper levels of government. Still.]

Thorne's wards were strong enough to keep all of us in check, and they've demonstrated no difficulty in cutting us off from our own abilities whenever they want. Imagining that two powerful, native magic users finding a way to break through Thorne's defenses long enough to pull off a heist is proof that any of us could overpower them just as easily would be a mistake.

[That reminder delivered, Kylo turns his attention to the Singularity, and his gaze slides coolly back to Yennefer's face. He remembers her power, feels it humming in potential within her even now. The three of them tapped directly into the power of the Singularity might well be a different story entirely.]

You haven't touched it yet, have you? The Singularity. Our ability to reach it where the people of this world cannot is our true strength. [And, Kylo's expression suggests, he might be willing to share the keys to the kingdom. He continues:] It seems those of us who have crossed the Horizon before have the ability to carry the uninitiated with us, if you would like to taste it for yourself. I'm considering offering the opportunity to anyone willing to help us investigate its power and protect it from... unwise interference.

[You know, like people who think it's sensible to try murdering the one person who knows exactly how they were summoned here and might be able to send them home. Or the dozens of people who decided two complete strangers with an unexplained agenda should be trusted blindly simply because they busted open a dungeon that only held people who hadn't taken any of the numerous opportunities they were given to earn release through cooperative behaviour. Kylo's contempt is palpable.]

[vixening]

[ the snort that yennefer gives in reaction to ronan's words is genuine, so much so that it she almost hadn't realized she'd made the noise at all until kylo continues. she can appreciate the way ronan describes it, because it is the truth, isn't it? that it's shittier than expected, that it's a lot like this place, these people, are trying to hold a thunderstorm in a box. the smile is still there, too, even as her attention shifts to kylo's near-careful readjustment of their assessment.

it's very...political, of him, she thinks. which brings into considering the general state of his opinions. of their opinions. her eyes go back to ronan, if only for a brief moment's consideration, before they return to kylo's. ]

It's not a matter of overpowering, though, is it? [ she knows he's making a point, with those reminders. and she's not exactly arguing with him. ] Magical blocks are one thing, yes, and while inherently annoying, not unheard of, at least where I'm from. [ yennefer tilts her head a bit, holding kylo's cool gaze. ] But if they are interested in understanding a power they don't know the first thing about, why should any of us let them build the cage at all?

[ she may have had a different direction she'd meant the conversation to head in, with that, but kylo brings up something else and her focus is immediately shifted. you haven't touched it yet, and yennefer's eyes spark with something a bit hungry, and a bit more excited. that flash passes quickly, though, as she pulls herself back together again, taking a slow inhale and straightening a bit. ]

No, I haven't yet had the chance. I have heard that Ambrose led a party of us to the Horizon, but it must have been before I was brought through the well. [ at the offer, that is when yennefer gives a more honest smile - less at the expense of anyone, but instead in promise. to touch the singularity. to get closer to the source. she hadn't imagined it would be this easy, and some part of her feels a bit guarded because of that, but she has to find a way to the horizon in some manner, so why not this? ] With an offer like that, how could I refuse? Especially considering my immense concern for its protection. I haven't known these others as long as you two have, but...

[ their meeting had, technically, been against that very same individual, after all. it would make logical sense that intent and motivation of that sort would only grow. dissent, rebellion, anger - there was more brewing, and in sensing kylo's contempt, yennefer simply finds herself nodding. ]

I'd be happy to offer whatever I can.

[photophobic]

[Good. Pleased with her response and recognising Ronan's decision to hang back and listen for now, Kylo decides to loop back to the question of cages and just who might be constructing them. The slight curve of his mouth might not quite qualify as conspiratorial, but it is fairly evident Kylo considers Yennefer worthy of an invitation to thoughts he wouldn't necessarily speak aloud to just anyone.]

It will be easier for you to understand once you've experienced the Singularity for yourself, but our hosts... they don't have the ability to affect any kind of change on the Singularity itself. They can't even see it. All they can see is the effect it has on this world, and, they claim, other observable universes.

[This part, Kylo sees no reason to doubt. Ambrose had successfully summoned individuals from other universes somehow, after all. The next is less certain: Ambrose's conclusions, drawn from those observations. His tone shifts slightly as he continues:]

From his studies of its connections, the High Mage believes the Singularity has begun to weaken and has turned to consuming other realities to sustain its existence. Our task, our purpose, is to go where he cannot, identify what might be causing this instability and correct it.

[Now, his lips quirk.]

And if what we find leads Ambrose to believe the solution is a cage, he will have to convince us to build it for him.

WOW I GOT /NO/ NOTIF FOR THIS dreamwidth wtf

[vixening]

[ the slight quirk to kylo's mouth gives yennefer all the assurance she needs to know that she is in the right company. she gives one last glance to ronan, as if taking that second to confirm for herself that ronan doesn't have anything more to add, before her attention all but fully falls onto kylo. she has spent long enough at court to know the look of someone who has opinions that they are not speaking aloud, and she respects the awareness of it. appreciates the silent agreement they seem to have made - there is more, here, to discuss. more that they can see eye to eye on.

yennefer can be patient, and does appear to almost lean back into herself at that. another time to discuss, perhaps, but also likeminded individuals. there is also something about these two that she wouldn't mind unraveling herself. for now, she simply finds herself nodding - agreeing with kylo's assessment. ]

Given the High Mage's ability to collect us as he has, I don't doubt his ability to observe these...connected universes. [ universe. now that is an interesting word.

and that is when yennefer notices the subtle shift in kylo's tone. she is able to realize that he, as a person, is more the type to carefully choose words than to toss them around. knowing this much, and then applying that to what he says...yennefer feels herself smiling, ever so slightly. ]

I can see the urgency and pressure the High Mage is under, though. It's no wonder he's requested our help. Knowing the possibly consequences and being unable to actively do more about it... [ she shakes her head, a specific tilt to her words if they care to hear it. nevermind how it is you want to go about defining 'request'. yennefer will have that conversation another time, or perhaps not at all. but kylo's lips do quirk, and yennfer feels something else fall into place during this conversation. another thing aligning. her lips quirk back, in agreement and in match, because however it is they've found themselves in this conversation - they at the very least have the same idea where it concerns what to do with the singularity. with that power. yennefer nods, a bit to kylo and ronan but mostly to herself. ]

It appears I'll have to hold off on any further theories until I've had my chance to experience the Singularity myself.