yennefer of vengerberg. (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
vixening) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
abraxaslogs2021-09-12 10:52 am
vixening) wrote in abraxaslogs2021-09-12 10:52 am
[ semi-open ] my place amongst the stars.
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.
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. ]
{ closed to brad.
no subject
It's certainly a lot quieter since most of their ranks left. More spacious, and more time left to oneself. There's also the knowledge that those who are here actually want to be; the evening gathering not long before had made it clear that wasn't necessarily the case. But it is now... in theory.
Brad hadn't had a lot to offer up to Jolene in the aftermath. It's not like he'd brought a sword with him down to the execution yard; it's not like he had a means to fight. All he could do was enjoy himself while watching the goings on around him — including a certain kiss in front of a portal, wherein one participant left and one stayed. So of course he'd shared that tidbit with the apprentice mage. It's not like he particularly cares if anything hurts Thorne, but for now this is where he lives, so this is where his allegiance lies. And there wouldn't be any advantage to holding onto any information just for himself; not when he needs to show the people in the castle that they can trust him, so they can nudge doors further open for him.
It's only a little surprising to see one of the participants of said kiss still out and about, roaming the halls. So. There's a long con going on here on somebody's end, huh.
He's into it.
Brad had been on his way to the library — hey, when you're just a regular guy from a regular world you've gotta practise magic at some point, don't you — but that can wait. This is far more interesting. So he stops, gives her a nod in greeting. ]
Hey. Yennefer, right? [ He's also very, very good at learning people's names. ] Don't think I've seen you up here before.
[ His overall demeanour is pleasant; friendly, even. She's freely roaming the halls of the castle; she's clearly done something right to get in Thorne's good graces. The time to be antagonistic has certainly passed — now it's about establishing connections.
Or at least trying to figure out what's up with her. That's something he's interested in, too, though this time more for himself than Thorne. ]
no subject
all this to say - she did not know who the guest was who approached her in this hallway. a guest, certainly, but her time feeding and learning from the thorneans had not told her much about him, and she doesn't recall seeing him near the platform on that day, either.
still - as he nods to her in greeting and starts the conversation, yennefer slows to a stop. her mind is, of course, trying to parse out what he actually means by all of that, if he actually intends to allude to the fact she was not welcomed as a guest versus they just haven't run into each other yet, but she chooses a more neutral response. ]
I don't believe I'm come across you, either. [ a friendly enough smile, for now. ] But it's a pleasure to finally cross paths, ...?
[ she actually doesn't know his name, or at least doesn't know his face to attribute his name, so she'll do the semi-polite thing and give him an opportunity to fill it in. ]
no subject
Especially when chances are pretty good you'll be seeing a lot of one another. His smile broadens ever so slightly, stays relatively warm. ]
Brad. That it is.
[ And why wouldn't it be? The mere fact that she's out and about suggests that she's important on some level. Who's to say whether or not they'll get along in the long run, but in the meantime — on a surface level, at least — they're on the same side. He'd prefer they get along now. ]
It's been an interesting week, hasn't it? [ That's pretty neutral ground. Small talk, really. Might as well be commenting on the weather. ] Can't say I'm used to dramatics like that where I'm from. And not a whole lot of us stuck around here, did we?
[ But we did. He's certainly interested in finding out what that means. ]
no subject
of course - she can understand the need for some. can see where it would be useful, to keep eyes off of your work. but that felt too much like political subterfuge for her own liking, and more often than not, she found it boring.
he offers his name with a smile - brad - and yennefer considers this, considers him, for just a moment longer. those who chose to remain in thorne were of a specific bunch, and yennefer had been efficient in figuring out their reasonings, their motivations. knowing now that there is this brad, someone she did not see on the platform that day - opens up an entirely new set of questions.
yennefer gives a small chuckle at his clear attempt at small talk. she supposes she can see where this will lead. ]
It has been an interesting week, yes. And I don’t think the people here in the castle are used to such magics, either, given the castle’s reaction. [ she inclines her head a bit. ] Where are you from, if I may ask? [ her tone is light and curious. ]
no subject
[ But not for him. That's the advantage to coming from a magic-less land — every fantastical action bleeds into the next. Stopping time and creating portals is a great deal more impressive than the elemental pittance that can be offered to beginners, but when it all falls into the realm of this shouldn't be possible, even the advanced stuff loses some of its lustre. He knows enough to know that what happened was a massive deal; it's also beyond him to care to the extent a regular resident of the castle would. As far as he's concerned, it's just all untapped potential.
Maybe he can get there one day.
Speaking of how it's easy for him to loop right back around into being unimpressed — or at least undaunted — by the magical fortitude of that day. ] I'm from a planet called Earth. Los Angeles, specifically. It's a highly populated coastal city. [ He's pretty sure they're not from the same place, so might as well add context right out of the gate. ] A place like this — castles, portals, magic — it's the stuff of fairytales where I'm from.
[ There's no sense in hiding the fact that where he's from is nowhere like this world. It's better to just get out in front of it. Yennefer, though, seems more at home here than he does, at least if her performance the day of the failed execution is anything to go by (and it is, and is likely a major reason as to how she got released from the dungeons in the first place. That had to be a calculated move on her part).
This feeling one another out is rather formal, but that's the environment they're in, isn't it? Everyone's got their reasons for being here. Everyone's probably got a self-serving agenda, too. At least, he'd be surprised if that wasn't the case for those who decided to stick around.
Gonna be about seeing whose agendas best help one another's, isn't it. He matches her gaze, her tone. ] What about you? You looked like you knew what were you doing that day.
[ Okay, that one actually is a compliment. He can offer a little sincerity. ]
no subject
When you believe your defenses to be impenetrable, it can create a false sense of security that airs on the side of arrogance.
[ a shrug - the magic they used is not surprising, and yennefer had told jolene as much. the scale was impressive, yes, and yennefer is still curious as to how someone could keep freezing magic to that calibur, that strong, for as long as they had, but she is not surprised. if the singularity is really meant to be a source for all of this magic, then all that really means is that those two have a closer, more direct connection to it, doesn't it?
his description of los angeles pulls a kind of curious look from her. she's not entirely certain she's heard of that place, but that wouldn't be all that surprising. castles and portals and magic. the stuff of fairy tales. yennefer snorts, once, at the idea of it. a world with magic is almost as ridiculous a thought as a world without castles. but she supposes that is simply part of it - these different paths, these different places. ]
You have no magic at all, in your planet? [ being a conduit of chaos was not a normal thing for her, back home, either. mage numbers dwindled, and the great establishments found other means to keep going. but whether or not there were conduits, there would always be chaos. and the idea of a place without magic at all...
her brow arches at his question, as if she hadn't quite expected his attention to turn to her. they are being polite, though, aren't they? keeping up with all the pleasantries? ] Magic and chaos are not foreign concepts where I'm from, no. And there are castles, and portals, as well. [ there is a hint of a smile that curls at her lips, then, only slightly teasing. testing waters. ] Now the Singularity- we do not have something quite like that where I'm from, no.
[ that i know of. for half a second, yennefer's mind goes to ciri. to what she told her, about her powers, about what she can do. it does not cross yennefer's expression in any way, but the thought is there all the same. ]
no subject
He raises his eyebrows at her observation about Thorne's arrogance. What gave it away: their overly flattering account of their own history, the part where they currently reside in an actual castle, the part where they successfully pulled people from other worlds? This place has riches and power galore. And when you've never been small, it's very easy to forget that chances are pretty good there'll be someone stronger lurking around the corner.
It's a silent agreement with her. Brad will never go into detail about why, just that yeah, she's correct. An entire kingdom got a little too big for their britches. It's a fun place to be.
He tilts his head slightly, his body posture settling into something fully relaxed at her confirmation that they're from different worlds. He's still smiling, too, thoroughly unfazed through all of this. ] Oh, we've still got chaos where I'm from, though it's probably different from what you're used to if yours is tied in with magic. Extreme weather events, earthquakes — things like that, though most of it is caused by humans. [ Sometimes he's one of those humans. It's not anything grand; he just likes fucking with people in mundane ways, winding them up and letting them spiral out all on their own. He'll probably do it here, too, once he's secure in his position. ] But nope, no magic. My world went the whole science and technology route. I guess you could call it a kind of magic — just the kind in which there's an explanation for everything, and everything is bound to certain laws of the universe. But nobody really labels it something it's not.
[ Well, some people do. Hippies or whatever. Nobody anybody takes seriously.
The way she smiles slightly, though; the teasing tone. The words that follow it, about the Singularity. Now that's interesting. Brad keeps his demeanour as pleasant as it was before, but it's slightly sharpened now. He's just that little much more attentive. ]
The Singularity is supposed to be that much more powerful, isn't it? I'm willing to buy that, since I don't know of any other place that allows for dimension-hopping. [ He pauses, as though contemplating whether or not to continue. Lowers his voice just a touch, as if this is conspiratorial now. Is it? Who knows; could be. ] Whether you have something like that where you're from or not, you're more familiar with magic than I am. So, expert opinion. Can something that powerful be controlled?
[ It's what Thorne wants, and it's certainly an appealing prospect. And one reason — albeit not the only one — to want to stay in Thorne. Still, he's not greedy beyond reason; there's no point in getting too invested in something that's likely to blow up in your face. The actual, unspoken question is more like how committed to the cause should any of us be. ]
puts thumb over time stamp..........
she snorts a bit at his description of chaos - extreme weather, earthquakes. she supposes, in some places, those would still account for chaos. it's just an interesting experience to meet someone who does not quite understand how those exact things can be harnessed, channeled. lightning in a bottle, to be held and then used.] Humans do tend to be the cause of death and destruction, no matter in which kingdom you find yourself.
[ she could, if she felt the need to, go into that line of thought - how there can be science and magic, alongside each other. how, where she is from, there are studies that create, fix, and destroy, that have nothing to do with chaos at all. but it's a curious factor, thinking that there could be a place with no magic at all - or, as yennefer almost wants to believe - magic, still, but no one to harness it.
she chooses not to go down that route, if only because it doesn't exactly excite her - theory, history, studies. those are interests of the academics. she is much more interested in the act of it all. ]
That is what we have been made to believe, yes. [ the singularity, the source, the power pulsing through it that powers all of the magic in these halls. that connects each of their worlds in a wider web of fate. yennefer is still deciding on what of that she plans to believe, if any at all, but it's the working understanding that she moves forward with.
and, as brad lowers his voice just a touch, conspiratorially, yennefer feels herself lift a shoulder in a small shrug. that small smile from before lingers, but she doesn't seem either concerned nor unsure when she answers. ] That depends on the strength of those who wish to control it. Harnessing and conducting magic are the entire basis of understanding where I'm from, no matter the extent or power of the source. [ it's at this next comment that brad may be able to see a bit more light behind her eyes, an excitement that she keeps held inside, but allows briefly to break through. can something that powerful be controlled?. if brad was at all sensitive to the feeling of magic itself, the air might even begin to crack - with anticipation, with the chance at something that could be bigger than them both. ]
With a powerful enough conductor, and with the right process from which to do it, anything can be controlled. [ can it be controlled? yennefer's eyes brighten, if only marginally. ] I don't see why this Singularity should be any different.
rip
We're an ambitious species.
[ He knows his ambition lies in climbing the ranks here, at least; how that's gone about — how many are dead and how much is destroyed when all is said and done — will be a problem for another day. It's a long game. He can wait.
His expression smooths back out, attentive and curious, as talk turns back to the Singularity. Even as he's clearly hit on something here — judging by that brightness in her eyes, the way her words seem to suggest something she wants to be true — he maintains that academic interest, if focused that little extra bit more on Yennefer. He's hit on something she cares about. A potential in, or a potential weapon. Either or. It's not really important right now; what is important is that her logic is sound. ]
That makes sense. [ He angles his head back, taps his chin thoughtfully before re-engaging her. ] The trouble is in finding a powerful enough conductor, then. I doubt any one person or thing would be enough, but that's what teamwork is for, isn't it?
[ A potential explanation as to why they're all here. And Brad's all for teamwork, with the right people — but it's so easy for one cog to just wreck the entire thing, isn't it. Though he doubts Yennefer will ever be that cog. And, at least for now, he doesn't intend to be that disruptive of a force — certainly not when the opportunity to be a part of something this powerful is on the line. ]