мαlyeɴ oreтѕev (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
inthemeadow) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
abraxaslogs2021-09-12 08:27 pm
inthemeadow) wrote in abraxaslogs2021-09-12 08:27 pm
► OPEN
WHO: Mal Oretsev & OPEN
WHAT: reuniting with old CR but open to new!
WHERE: Horizon and Free Cities
WHEN: post-Thorne escape
( HORIZON )
[ What drives Mal the most to return to the Horizon is the opportunity to check on those who didn't choose to escape to the Free Cities. There were good people he met at Thorne, people whose lives he's worried about since going their separate ways. He'd like to know they're safe and okay, and with no other way of communicating with them, he has to put aside an unpleasant memory from his last Horizon visit and reacquaint himself with his domain.
He's made some changes since last time thanks to being influenced by others. It's not just a meadow anymore. Spending time in Sam's domain made him realize he wanted a roof over his head, appreciating the security that came with it, so he now has a cottage occupying the field. Visiting Geralt's domain and meeting Roach inspired him to have an animal companion of his own, a white horse to roam freely in his meadow by the name of Maleni (Ravkan for ghost).
Mal can be found sitting peacefully in the meadow when there's daylight, at night by a campfire, made to attract attention, wanting to be found.
When Mal isn't in his domain, hoping a familiar face drops by, he'll be entering other people's domains by horseback. As someone who's used to writing letters, he also has a mailbox for anyone who wants to leave him a note, labelled MAIL FOR MAL. ]
( FREE CITIES )
[ The Horizon has become somewhat of a resting place for him because when he isn't there, he's working hard to get money in Cadens. He's not just thinking about himself but Alina too, sharing whatever money he has with her to buy food and pay for where they're staying with Sam and Peter. Of course, hunting saves some money, using his tracking skills to set traps for rabbits, but it's a trek to the nearest woods so he's better off doing as much manual labor as possible for the locals to pay for food from the market.
He's just purchased some bread, headed for his temporary home, when he spots a young boy on his own by a street corner, looking thin and in need of a bath. Mal can't help but stop and crouch down to his height. ]
Hey. [ He keeps his voice soft, not wanting to scare him away. ] Where are your parents?
[ The boy doesn't reply but his silence says it all. He knows the look of an orphan when he sees one. He was surrounded by those looks growing up. ]
Here. [ He gets out a bread roll from his bag and offers it to him, and the boy looks at it like he's just handed him gold, Mal's heart clenching at his reaction. ] I'll be back tomorrow. And I'll help you work on your muscles. [ He gestures to his skinny arms. ] I'll teach you how to fight. Would you like that?
[ The boy nods eagerly before running off with the bread, perhaps before Mal can change his mind. Mal shakes his head after him with a sigh. ]
I know what Ana Kuya would say right now. [ He says to himself aloud. ] You're too soft, Malyen Oretsev.
WHAT: reuniting with old CR but open to new!
WHERE: Horizon and Free Cities
WHEN: post-Thorne escape
( HORIZON )
[ What drives Mal the most to return to the Horizon is the opportunity to check on those who didn't choose to escape to the Free Cities. There were good people he met at Thorne, people whose lives he's worried about since going their separate ways. He'd like to know they're safe and okay, and with no other way of communicating with them, he has to put aside an unpleasant memory from his last Horizon visit and reacquaint himself with his domain.
He's made some changes since last time thanks to being influenced by others. It's not just a meadow anymore. Spending time in Sam's domain made him realize he wanted a roof over his head, appreciating the security that came with it, so he now has a cottage occupying the field. Visiting Geralt's domain and meeting Roach inspired him to have an animal companion of his own, a white horse to roam freely in his meadow by the name of Maleni (Ravkan for ghost).
Mal can be found sitting peacefully in the meadow when there's daylight, at night by a campfire, made to attract attention, wanting to be found.
When Mal isn't in his domain, hoping a familiar face drops by, he'll be entering other people's domains by horseback. As someone who's used to writing letters, he also has a mailbox for anyone who wants to leave him a note, labelled MAIL FOR MAL. ]
( FREE CITIES )
[ The Horizon has become somewhat of a resting place for him because when he isn't there, he's working hard to get money in Cadens. He's not just thinking about himself but Alina too, sharing whatever money he has with her to buy food and pay for where they're staying with Sam and Peter. Of course, hunting saves some money, using his tracking skills to set traps for rabbits, but it's a trek to the nearest woods so he's better off doing as much manual labor as possible for the locals to pay for food from the market.
He's just purchased some bread, headed for his temporary home, when he spots a young boy on his own by a street corner, looking thin and in need of a bath. Mal can't help but stop and crouch down to his height. ]
Hey. [ He keeps his voice soft, not wanting to scare him away. ] Where are your parents?
[ The boy doesn't reply but his silence says it all. He knows the look of an orphan when he sees one. He was surrounded by those looks growing up. ]
Here. [ He gets out a bread roll from his bag and offers it to him, and the boy looks at it like he's just handed him gold, Mal's heart clenching at his reaction. ] I'll be back tomorrow. And I'll help you work on your muscles. [ He gestures to his skinny arms. ] I'll teach you how to fight. Would you like that?
[ The boy nods eagerly before running off with the bread, perhaps before Mal can change his mind. Mal shakes his head after him with a sigh. ]
I know what Ana Kuya would say right now. [ He says to himself aloud. ] You're too soft, Malyen Oretsev.
►alina (cadens)
Not that he's actually beside her in a bed because the one bed is Alina's. And they've had many arguments about this. Alina wants them to take the bed in turns but Mal says it's fine, she should take the bed every night, and Alina has gotten annoyed at his reasoning because it sounds like it's because she's a girl, and Mal insists it's not because of that, but it probably is because of that - and Sam has had to step in and tell them to pipe down because they're bickering like an old married couple, and that immediately shuts them both up.
So Mal sleeps on the floor by Alina's bed. And it's fine, he's slept worse places. But on this particular morning, he wakes up beside Alina - on the floor, pressed against her back with his arm around her middle. At some point of the night, she joined him and he took it upon himself to spoon her.
How the hell did she get here? How did he?
He should remove his arm from her as soon as he's awake, but he doesn't think she's awake yet so he just... continues to lie there, warm breaths into her hair. It's nice, and his hold on her gets that little bit tighter, like he doesn't want to let her go but he's going to have to at some point.
Five more minutes, though. ]
no subject
And she does, sort of. Guilt itches at her skin, like an infection starting to take root from the smallest offenses of taking the bed to being reminded of her transgressions at the silent shift of shadows that catch her eye. And when that doesn't occupy her mind, it finds itself roiling with uncertainty. Mal had been so quick to follow Sam through the portal to the Free Cities, and in the chaos Alina didn't think to consider the true extent of what it means to so easily select the faction that seeks to destroy the Singularity.
Magic is not the small sciences and the mages in Thorne are not Grisha, but the Singularity is the source if Ambrose is to be believed. Her stomach turns sour at the thought of a light blinking out again. Her thumb runs over an ugly gash of skin at her collar. To have it stolen is bad enough. To have it destroyed makes her stumble into an echoing ache she can't fully comprehend.
So she doesn't. Or at least she tries not to, turning uselessly in the bed, kicking at the scratchy blankets, and rolling over to see Mal, sleeping soundly at his post and suddenly Alina feels a new wave of guilt that she thinks Mal would want to destroy the only other thing that has ever rung true to her.
But then again, sometimes she yearns for the Alina she used to be. Who is to say which version he would pick if he had the choice.
Sleepless and guilt-ridden and her already low stores of good sense depleted, she stares down from the mattress. She reaches down, brushing her hand against his, and it feels like the warmth of a hearth in a home she never had coming in from the cold. She slips out of bed, settling next to him, like she might have after a nightmare in Keramzin. She just wants to lie here for a few minutes. She'll return to bed shortly enough.
Shortly enough turns out to be past the sun rising. She has learned to love the light like a friend, but not when it peeks through the window, shining right onto her eyes. Sleepily, she raises an arm to block it, groaning when she isn't very successful, and instead opts to roll over and retreat into the warm mass behind her. Mal's chest is the perfect spot for for burying her head. ]
no subject
Alina decides for him what he should do next by suddenly turning in his hold, tucking her face into the warmth of his chest, making her look that much smaller against him. He's powerless to do anything but let her hide from the light in the cocoon of his blanket, to let her bury her face against his beating heart.
(The fact that he's seeing a sun summoner hide from the sun makes him smile as though he's in the presence of two phenomenons.)
He notices some of her hair tangled up in her collar and uses the same hand that was holding her to unravel the strands gently from the bone. It takes some time because of how careful Mal is. ]
Alina? [ He's just noticed the time and they've definitely overslept, not that either of them has anywhere to be on time but they have somewhat of a routine by now, and sleeping in isn't part of it, at least not for Mal. ] I think we've missed breakfast...
[ Cooked by Sam, of course. He seems to enjoy doing that. ]
no subject
His voice rouses her, she stirs softly with a grumble of protest. Her body is a bit stiff as she comes to. She rolls her shoulders and neck as she slowly joins him in the land of the awake. The mattress is bad but it isn't that bad so why does she—
And then all at once, it is clear she becomes aware of how she had fallen asleep, and the awkward, sudden jolts make her embarrassment obvious. She pushes away to sit up with her legs crossed underneath her. She compulsively smooths her hair back just so she has something to occupy herself with. ]
Sorry I— I must have fallen asleep.
[ After she climbed down to lay next to him on the floor. Just platonic things. ]
no subject
There are enough inappropriate thoughts swirling through his mind to cause his face heat up, but maybe yawning and rubbing his eyes will make it look less obvious. ]
Once you rolled off the bed next to me? [ He wonders if it's too early in the morning to be calling Alina out and decides nope, it's never too early. ]
Did you have a nightmare? [ It's been years since she's mentioned one to him, but it's the only explanation he can think of as to why she left her bed to be with him. ]
no subject
[ Sniping back at Mal is as natural as breathing. Then, more seriously: ]
I couldn't sleep.
[ A childish nightmare might have been easier to deal with, something to explain rather than the tumultuous and ugly thoughts that burned in her brains. ]
I thought it would help just to lay next to you, like when we were younger.
[ Alina chews on the edge of her thumbnail, watching him. She knows him well enough to see that he's hiding... something in his expression. He must feel awkward about her curling into him, she decides. It was her mistake for pushing, looking for something where there wasn't anything to be found. ]
horizon
Amos isn't sure why he's here. Just, he doesn't know what he's doing in Solvunn. He's figured out how to make it back into the Horizon. Spending time in his own empty domain — and it should be empty — is pointless when he could be productive in the real world, and he hadn't really ventured out the first time, so. He's exploring, apparently.
Maybe it's the night sky from a different, grounded perspective. The way the campfire seems. Inviting? Warm? ... Homely? Cap had talked about camping before. Amos has never been. Not in the traditional sense, at least. The sense in which you do it for fun, not out of necessity.
Maybe he's just a moth, and this is a literal flame.
Or maybe it's friendlier than that, when Amos gets closer, sees whose space this is. He pauses when he identifies Mal, then moves to sit by him. After another moment, ] Hey.
[ It's been a minute, hasn't it, kid. ]
no subject
And it works, of course, he just doesn't know who to expect. And he expected it would work because just like how he knows how to lure an animal to be trapped, he knows what bait to use to draw people to him. Someone who's an expert at tracking knows exactly what to do to be found by others.
Sensing someone approaching, Mal looks up from the fire, a smile forming on his lips. He doesn't need to gesture for Amos to sit - there's already an unoccupied log for him. ]
You made it. [ Not just to Mal's domain but he survived whatever path he chose at Castle Thorne, and he sounds relieved. ]
We probably shouldn't be here. [ He voices a thought Amos has likely had about none of this being a valuable use of their time, but he'd choose to reach out to friends over being productive any day. That's just who Mal is. ] But it's quicker than exchanging letters. [ If letters are even still a thing where Amos is from. ]
How are you holding up?
no subject
He doesn't hate it.
Amos looks away from him, gaze drawn back to the fire. He almost seems to address it instead, though his voice is still soft, still meant for Mal. He likes him, after all. ]
Alright, I think. Better.
[ Amos hadn't stayed long at the execution site. They had an hour; nothing about that hour was guaranteed, and he just wanted to get away from the possibility of being imprisoned again as quick as he could. He doesn't think he's seen Mal since... shit... the last time they were here, when they didn't know who they were, when Mal was lost and clearly uncomfortable out in his pseudo re-creation of space.
He looks back at him. They're on Mal's territory now, and though it's foreign to him, Amos thinks he can see the appeal. And Mal looks happy, at least. Or comfortable. Something like that. ]
Here's alright. [ Maybe it's possible to be productive here, too. Seeing Mal, talking to him again seems pretty productive. ] Who knows how long letters take to get places out there, anyway. Kinda seems like light delay, but way worse.
[ Shit, if the Horizon is how he's going to have to bypass living in a low-tech world, fuck it, he'll take it. Way better than nothing. ]
no subject
[ He's assuming Amos didn't choose to stay a prisoner. Only a madman would do that (or someone with a gameplan) and he seems relatively sane to Mal. ]
It's better now we remember who we are. [ There were moments during his first trip to the Horizon, without his memories, where he felt lost and without a purpose. And to someone who likes to know where he roughly is on a map and where he's headed next with an objective in mind, it was an uncomfortable feeling for him. He may not have had the best childhood, but his memories have shaped him into the young man he is today, and some of those memories - mostly with Alina - are precious to him. He's glad to have them back. ]
I have a mailbox if you feel like dropping me a line here. [ He points to it in distance. ] But I've had my mail intercepted before so I wouldn't leave any valuable information for me.
[ Given past history of stolen letters by the very man who has access to this place, it's any wonder why Mal even has a mailbox. But if the letters aren't from Alina, maybe the Darkling won't be interested. ]
Where are you in the real world? [ If that's what they're calling outside of here. ]
no subject
[ To being free now; to remembering who they are. There had been something nice about not remembering his past. It's nothing he'd want to remember. But... he still turned out the way he did. Still carried that with him, even without his memories. It's not like knowing why really makes a difference, but. At least now he remembers why he is the way he is.
Not like he could do anything about it, anyway. Not like forgetting really solves an unsolvable problem.
Amos looks at the direction Mal points in, sees the white mailbox standing out against the night sky. It's... quaint. Kinda wonders if he'd just leave a terminal with the message on it, or what. Paper's not really a thing where Amos is from. Or at least, he was always too poor to ever have any. Not that he'd do anything with it if he had. ]
We got terminals, where I'm from. Electronic screens. [ Oh, wait — there aren't any rules here. Amos conjures one up, shows it to Mal. Screen's off, because there isn't anything actually on it, but still. ] They're biometric, so they'll only respond to you. Someone could take it, sure, but they wouldn't be able to see anything on it. 'cause they're not you. [ He pauses. ] Dunno if I'd ever have anything valuable to share, though.
[ It's not like he's the kind of person who collects information like that. Or might not even recognize it if he did — not somewhere like here, not in this world. He barely cared about politics back home; the ones here are even more meaningless to him. ]
I'm in Solvunn. Out west, by this place they call the Hydra Gulf. Bigass body of water. Not a whole lot of people around. Seemed like the best place for me. [ He shrugs, a quiet acceptance. Staying away from people is a pretty good way to protect them from him. Not like he really needs to be around anyone, anyway. His people still aren't here, likely never will be. ] Where'd you end up?
no subject
Sounds quiet. [ Which is exactly how he remembers Amos' domain. Mostly silent until Mal came along. ]
I followed Sam to the Free Cities with Alina. He convinced me it was the safest place for us. [ Not that he needed much convincing. Sam had supported him since day one and earned Mal's trust. He probably would have followed Sam anywhere, though only if Alina had agreed, but fortunately she had. He doesn't know if Amos and Sam know each other, but he can only assume if they haven't met yet, they will at some point. Sam seems to be on a mission to know everyone - not to be liked by every person but to make sure everyone is okay. ]
We're somewhere called Cadens with a desert to the north. Lots of people. [ And he smiles because of how much it sounds like they're in polar opposite places. ]
Oh - [ His face perks up, remembering something he's eager to share with Amos, exciting news. ] Remember when we talked about learning magic? Somehow after that first Horizon trip, I gained an ability.
[ He did at least one thing he set out to do, even if it seemed almost like he was being compensated for an upsetting experience he had in the Horizon. ]
no subject
Though he probably won't have anything useful to share with Mal anyway, so it's probably not an issue. ]
It is. [ Quiet. He hopes it stays that way.
He inclines his chin at Mal sticking with Alina; good for you, kid. ] I dunno any Sam, but as long as where you are is safe, then that's good. [ Can only assume Mal's smile is about exactly that: that he's somewhere safe with his childhood friend. It's as good a reason as any to be happy. Amos kind of misses it on his own end; doesn't have it; stops thinking about it. Doesn't matter.
Especially when Mal brings up having an ability. He remembers their conversation out in the prison yard, when they'd talked about just being normal, especially in a land that is apparently anything but. The when of it is... interesting, though. Amos is silent for a moment, turning it over in his head. ]
Yeah? After the first time here? [ Another pause. ] Think I picked something up, too, though not until after I got out of jail. Don't really know a whole lot about it. [ Possibly being able to manipulate gravity isn't exactly something he's been inclined to touch. Too much shit can go wrong, especially since he's, well, him. But also, there just hasn't been a whole lot of use for it, anyway. Amos brushes it aside, focuses his attention back on Mal. ] What'd you learn?
►sam (cadens)
But today he has a few hours to spare and practicing his magic on his own just isn't as fun or worthwhile. He needs help and maybe he should have gone to Alina, but when he mentioned learning magic back when they were imprisoned, she seemed concerned he was trying to change who he was for her. And at the time he wondered if she was right, if the Darkling had gotten under his skin and made him want to be more like Alina so they could be equals the way the Darkling claimed he and Alina were. But the magic he obtained had developed much more naturally than he expected it to, and there was no denying Sam's influence involved.
In the morning, Mal leaves a note for him in the kitchen inside the mug he usually drinks out of, and hopefully he doesn't pour anything into it before he notices.
Sam,
I need help with something. Meet me on the roof at 12.
- Mal
And so Mal waits on the roof of where they're staying where the only way to access it is by a ladder on the side of the building (which is something Sam is going to have to figure out by himself if he hasn't already checked it out). The space isn't too big but big enough to work with, open and private. He's currently sharpening a wooden spear he's made (he knows that's going to raise a brow from Sam) and he also has a bag of rocks with him that was damn heavy to carry up, but there is a purpose behind them he'll get to later. ]
no subject
mal had immediately set off and found a job, and sam has been going pretty non stop since they arrived - between checking in on the people who came through the portal with him to keeping odd jobs around the city going to conversations with the prime minister... it's been a lot. and he'll be the first to admit, he hasn't exactly been available short of trying to make everyone breakfast in the mornings when he can. but even then, their schedules have started to differ, and he's seen mal and alina and peter less and less.
so when he catches the note in his mug right before he'd poured coffee into it - well, sam pretty much makes the decision that he's going to make it, no matter what. jobs, responsibilities, whatever be damned - he is going to be there.
which is why, at roughly 12:06, sam is making it right up the top of the ladder to the roof. ]
You could have told me about the ladder. [ he mutters, though it's obviously a joke, as he steps his way over the top and lands with a quiet thud. it feels good up here, heights always feel good, and as sam looks out over the rooftops for a moment, red comes swooping in, making a circle around mal before landing on sam's shoulder. when sam looks back, there is definitely a raised brow as he closes the distance. ]
Alright, spill. You gonna tell me what all this is about?