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. ]
no subject
[This, as mild an observation from the man in the shade as the answer to his initial question had been. With that drawling air and idle temperament, one might almost be mistaken into thinking the man relaxed. Languid. Untroubled. But even in this shady alcove, there is some whiff of vigilance in the fixture of his attention on her. A pedigree hunting dog at rest is still an animal with sharp teeth and a keen nose.
A soft scrape produces a cane drawn from where it had been idly tucked behind the bench. With its assistance, he shifts to the far end of the stone slab. After all, it would be monstrously rude not to at least make some passing arrangements for the lady to sit should she wish to.
(Nevermind that Michael Ralston evidently has no compunctions about being ill-mannered, to young ladies or otherwise.)]
no subject
[ she supposes she could elaborate - with a kingdom like aidern, wealthy and strong, isn't someone always looking to take wasn't isn't theirs simply because others have it? nevermind the actual invasion she'd last left the continent in the midst of. nevermind the existence of magics that could do worse, even still. she supposes, if she wanted to be kind, she could explain herself and her meaning and give more information that she really cares to, for the sake of clarity.
but yennefer does not. instead, she lets the question hand, equal parts observation as it is explanation. her expression remains frightfully consistent, even in the face of (or possibly in direct spite of) the way something about this seems to shift. michael ralston brings a kind of complicated presence to his place on that stone slab, and especially so as he brings forth the cane that had been tucked behind him and slides very pointedly to one end of the bench.
there is no one else in any near-immediate vicinity of them, yennefer had noticed that before she'd even known ralston had been present - which means that there is no one for her to have to play appearances for. no one, other than the man in front of her, who had pointedly brought on this fairly innane discussion in the first place. yennefer considers remaining standing, one part because she is not exactly the type to play into polite niceties such as opening up space on the bench for the lady to sit if she did, indeed, wish to. and perhaps another part something else. something that may have to do with her preference of the angle of their conversation, of a sudden feeling she had to keep some space that sitting on a bench, no matter how separated, would not allow.
it is another couple of moments later that she makes some decision, and does turn to settle in the open space provided her, evidently choosing a different path and settling onto the bench like she had always intended to sit there. ]
Unless you come from a very different sort of place than I, I've found there is very little someone wouldn't do to take what is not theirs.
no subject
Avarice comes in every shape.]
No. That seems to be an entirely universal impulse.
[Ralston's smile is not strictly unpleasant, only half formed. It's all teeth and a secret (or at least selfish and unshared) kind of humor.]
Why, I believe I've even seen traces of it here in this very castle.
[Shocking, I know, says his playful sidelong look and the idle rotation of the cane between his fingers. Speaking here as stolen artifacts—]
no subject
and perhaps yennefer is acting a reckless with this. but ever since her connection to her own magic has been restored, she's felt a bit like she's unstoppable. which, perhaps, isn't the best place to be when trying to find a footing and station in a new court. especially one rife with mages of varying degrees. yennefer does not stand out here like she is used to standing out, and that had all sorts of effects on her.
like now - where she should probably be more cautious when dealing with someone with questionable reputation, and yet here she sits, leaning forward just enough to curl her fingers around the edge of the stone seat. she catches his not-quite-a-full-smile and lets one of her dark brows arch. ]
No. Here? In this castle? [ asked just as playfully as his sidelong look had been, though perhaps a bit heavier in sarcastic bite. even if her smile is less of pleasantry and more odd amusement. her attention turns back to the gardens around them, to the calm breeze. it's not a terrible place for a sit, she will admit to herself. ] It appears our many worlds may be made of the same cloth after all.
no subject
[High Mage Ambrose in all his finery before them saying, 'It is the life-force which sustains all other universes.' And what child is entirely dissimilar from its parent? What manifesto doesn't somehow resemble it's author? If all places are tied to Abraxas' beating heart, then it would follow that the blood all comes in a similar shade.
Her gaze turns back toward the gardens—toward the slant of sunlight which manages to overcome the castle's high walls to illuminate the centermost seedbed blooming rife with rich colorful things and delicate little trees whose blossoms, if they had them, have all faded. The point of Ralston's attention does not alter.]
You certainly appear to be concerned with constructing a shield. I don't imagine that would be the case if there were no danger. [Here, the faintest tip of his head. In the shaded alcove, his eyes are very dark.] Your friends in the Free Cities. Do they know you're protecting them?
no subject
[ high mage ambrose has his explanations for his actions, and yennefer is of course willing to take those into account. it's a large part of why she is here, after all - the singularity, the immense power, the threat to their own homes. but yennefer has never been the most trusting sort, and until she has enough time to delve into whether or not she believes it.
no matter his status or his learning, ambrose is still just a man. a man who has opinions, perhaps, and ideas, but yennefer has yet to be impressed with the knowledge she has found. she remains open to being convinced, perhaps, but for a man who makes so many mistakes (as evident by the population of the cells below), she's hesitant to believe his proclamations.
his gaze does not shift from her, and yennefer can feel that even as she watches the sunlight through the greenery, even as she considers the garden itself. but then he continues, and she finds herself almost smiling. ] There will always be danger, no matter where you find yourself. Only a fool would go about life without some sort of defense. [ when her eyes turn back to meet his, though, she meets his dark look with something still fairly amused. curious, in a crafted sort of way. is that why he called her over? to ask her about who she is protecting? ]
I wasn't aware I was protecting anyone, let alone I had friends who needed to be protected. [ she lifts a single shoulder, seemingly quite casual about the casual nature of his question. it gives her a moment t considering how it is she wants to present the facts. if he's tossing around terms like friends, he assumes she is close. assumes her connections. assumes, quite a bit, which is curious to her. something she wants to dig into. ] Though I suppose that would depend on your definitions. I had people I knew before being brought through the well who saw themselves more fitted to the Free Cities, but I'd hardly call them friends, and they hardly need shielding.
puts thumb over timestamp
(He can see, sometimes, the theoretical advantages behind the Taming of all magic things, even if its grander shape is repelling. Even a hound which dreams of chasing rabbits still fats itself from his master's plate.)]
Then why not tell our partners here of their whereabouts? You've traded Solvunn for pretty dresses. Imagine what they'd give you for the Free Cities. [A deft turn of the cane flicks up her hem by a scant measure.] New shoes, perhaps?
i do not see it
it's a dangerous game, ralston seems to be playing. potentially more dangerous than he realizes, if he makes too sharp a turn. ]
Oh, our partners are all quite aware of those who turned to the Cities. [ her eyes fall to her dress, as if in direct response to his comment, picking a seemingly invisible piece of dirt from the skirt in her lap and flicking it off towards the garden. the nicer things in life do suit her, she's found, and it is no different here. ] And they happen offer much more than shoes. But I suppose you would have to have been of help, to know.
[ it doesn't take effort to notice the icy looks that follow him among the halls. even less so, when yennefer herself has made companions of most of the mages, themselves. has heard of jolene's opinion of him.
yennefer's eyes drift back towards him, as if bored. ]
Though I may ask for shoes, next time, if the fancy strikes.