abraxaslogs | ❄ october catch-all

Then I am glad for you that thinks have worked out in your favor. ( She says, genuine in her kindness. ) The country I grew up in had a different perspective. There are... Bearers born with more power than others -- the details are complicated, I suppose, but there is only ever one of a certain aspected magic in a generation. And in Rosaria this individual leads the country, with marriages being made in order to ensure that they are born within the line of succession.

( A sigh, as she adds the meat to a hot pan, watching it sizzle in the oil. )

The eldest son of the Archduke failed to awaken any magical talent at all, and his mother turned upon him with a hate unlike any other. Her own son, her own flesh and blood -- she would have sooner seen him dead than love him. ( Oh, Anabella hated Jill, regarded her as a savage not worth keeping around -- not when Elwin would have had her marry either Clive or Joshua. But that was understandable. To hate Clive-- ) He still bears the scars of it even now.

"The Dominants being myself, the people that host the Eikons." What purpose do they serve to the greater plan of that individual? Jill frowns, considering it. "We are normally in control of the power within us, and you could argue that the Eikons are this power personified. But I am Shiva, and she is me, except for where we are not." Jill gives him an almost sheepish smile, aware of how strange it might sound to someone who hasn't seen multiple Dominants, or grown up around the concept.

"I do not know a better way to explain it, I'm sorry."

"No, it does make sense, in a general way." Not entirely, but Istredd doesn't have to understand something to accept it as truth. There are a lot of things that his mind can't fully comprehend as it is alien to him, and he shrugs and goes 'seems reasonable enough.' So the Eikon is bonded to her or a part of her somehow. He doesn't have an equivalent but he doesn't really need one.

"But that is why I'm curious what the purpose of the Dominants is in the world you have. If you said a person created all of it to use later, was this all planned? Or is it more random?" Istredd's curiosity can be impossible to sate and he does know that he's pushing into things that may be more private. Realizing that in the last minute though, he smiles faintly at her.

"If I'm asking too much, feel free to tell me so. I can be a little too interested." AKA he can be very, very intense at times on his search for knowledge and he knows that.

[ Jill's genuine kindness touches Hilda, but it isn't quite enough to dispel some of the lingering guilt that she feels as silly as it is to feel that. ]

Rosaria is starting to sound a lot like Fodlan.

[ All of the noble lines and ruling bodies had a Crest - Edelgard, Dimitri, Claude - there wasn't a leader that didn't have one as far as she was aware. ]

Although the place I'm from - the Leicester Alliance - is ruled by a governing body of the nobles families there unlike the other two nations in Fodlan. The families there decided that they didn't want to bend to a king or the emperor. But I guess it's sort of the same thing in that sense even if the power is meant to be spread out.

[ It was a structure she vastly preferred for reasons that weren't solely related to the fact that shared work meant less work for her when she was sitting on the Roundtables. Lazy tendencies aside, it seemed like a far better political system because it meant that other opinions and voices would be taken into account. Or at least, that was the hope.

Her brows furrow at Jill's account of a mother scorning their own child. ]

That's awful. Do you know them personally? Are they okay? Scars aside of course.

( Jill does not trust anyone in Thorne who isn't a Summoned. She's grateful for their use of magic, and has thrown herself fully into the study of it -- it takes no toll on her body, after all, and she still feels... useless without the full power of Shiva within her. So in that regard she has much to thank Thorne, but still--

There is a fear that the moment Thorne finds out what she can do. What Clive can do... they will be conscripted without second thought, forced to fight in wars once more. )

'Tricky' is a very good way to put it. I have much to be grateful for, not least the fact that Clive is there with me, and they've been most forthcoming with magic lessons. But it is hard not to feel that we are merely trapped in a gilt cage.

There are very few countries governed like that in my world, though I think from my time here there is more value in such governance.

( But she is relatively certain no nation would survive what she and Clive hope to do -- what they have succeeded in doing -- and that no nation that would arise after them would be perfect. But that is part of the human experience, Jill knows, to never truly find perfection. Their flaws are what make them, drive them, just as much as their passions and bonds.

Bonds that tie her to the scorned firstborn son of the Duchess. )

I do. ( Unmistakable fondness creeps into her tone at that, though her face remains as neutral and as polite as ever. ) He is as good a man as any I have ever known.

( Something made far more impressive by what he has suffered, endured. Not just the hatred of his mother, but the years of slavery and war after. Yet Clive is not as different from that young boy she'd admired so much as a child, no matter how difficult he might find it to see the boy within the man himself. )

I understand the feeling. I don't trust any of them at all, not if they're complicit in anyone being brought here. I understand for some who've been Summoned here, this world is a vast improvement on their circumstances and I'm glad if that's true for them, but — no one had a choice in being brought here. People should always have a choice, and wherever they most want to be, it should always be safe for them.

[ That's all he would ever wish or want for anyone, and it's something he's committed to personally guaranteeing, the universe over. ]

Are you okay, all things considered, for the moment? Okay being...fluid.

I'm sure there would still be problems but – [ She shrugs. ] that's not something I'll have to worry about if I return home.

[ Because once this war was over, and she knows that it will be thanks to the headache that had come from the comparison of timelines amongst her friends, that Holst would be the one taking over. The thought of having free time to do as she pleased again was something she had dreamed and hoped for when she was in the thick of war. But now, the thought of having the days stretch endless in front of her as her friends all moved onto things they wanted to do and strive after filled her with an odd gnawing sense of anxiety.

Jill's fond voie is enough to pull her from her thoughts. It's a stark difference from how she had spoken before and has her glancing over curiously. ]

Oh? [ A teasing tone creeps into Hilda's voice. Familiarity or lack of it will never stop her from sniffing out stories about love and affection. ] Do you maybe like this man too?

She gives him a reassuring smile -- he hasn't pried too far, though Jill will be careful to keep Clive's name and involvement out of it. Not because she doesn't trust Istredd, but because she doesn't trust Thorne. Clive still has all of the eikons within him even now, and Thorne cannot be trusted with the two of them if they were to find out how easily they can become weapons.

"The eventual evolution of mankind to produce Dominants was always required for the plan to come to fruition, as far as any have been able to discern." For Clive to take in that power, to become Mythos -- to become Ultima's vessel.

( It's one thing for all of the Hideaway to know of her affection for Clive, as it was back in Rosaria -- where workers in the castle would grin and smile at the both of them, making remarks about betrothal feasts and marriages to one of the Archduke's sons. It's another for someone to ask her plain as day, about liking Clive Rosfield.

Jill's cheeks pink, her gaze focusing on the work at hand rather than Hilda in order to hide her embarrassment a little. )

Quite a lot, yes.

( She feels as if this is an understatement, but she's unsure of how much Hilda wants to know about her love for a man she hasn't met. )

[ Up until now Hilda had been given the impression that Jill had been rather reserved. There was nothing wrong with that of course; some people were shyer upon first meeting and didn't really open up until you got to know them more. But there were always other things aside from time and familiarity that showed a person's colours. Affection for another is one of them. And if there's one thing Hilda Valentine Goneril loved more than all the sparkly accessories in the world it was seeing others in love.

Keen eyes spot the telltale pink against pale cheeks and a squeal of excitement comes from Hilda's lips as she immediately latches onto Jill's arm. That should tell Jill all she needs to know that she does, very much, want to know about her feelings for this amazing man. ]

Jill - tell me more! Does he know? Does he return your feelings? He must. I mean you're so lovely he'd have to be stupid not to.

( She makes a soft sound when Hilda squeals and grabs her, reeling slightly. The gesture isn't unwelcome though, just-- it's enough to make Jill turn a deeper shade of red. It's not something she's ever talked about; not really. Well, besides with Clive -- and even then there was always the way they understood that they were in love, and never needed to speak the words until later. )

He does, on both counts. ( She shakes her head, however. ) And I am... lucky beyond words that he feels the same.

[ Jill's pale complexion only serves to accentuate the blush on her cheeks and briefly Hilda can't help but think that it suits her. A woman in love never failed to send her heart beating a little faster like she was the one experiencing it.

Of course that being said, she knew when to back down if it seemed like it was getting a little too personal for Jill's tastes. But until she got the sense otherwise...

She lets out another gasp of delight. ]

Oh, I'm so glad to hear that! And is he here? You haven't been separated have you?

[ She hadn't been so certain about Viktor's plan to rip open the universe but she'd do it for Jill, this person she had just met, if that was the case. There was truly nothing worse in her mind than separating two lovers. ]

"That's what I thought." Istredd makes leaps in logic, but he likes to make certain with people. He's very thorough as a historian and makes careful notes. It seemed like the evolution of power like that would make more sense if planned, if one person was in control of what was to come.

"I'm happy to teach you how to feel good about your own magic, and also any native spells here you're interested in learning, as they're all over the spectrum. And quite easy to use." Academic magic is so simple, even children can do it, and they can. Memorization, pick of spell, results. Istredd prefers using his own but he's learned a lot of helpful new ideas from the books they have.

"And you don't have to worry about any behavior that is against magic. Every person has magic here from the moment they're born. It is native across the land."

( It's strange, but not unwelcome, to have the attention of someone so firmly on her relationship with Clive. But Jill adores Clive, and will never tire of talking about him. Besides, the other woman has a way about her that seems to make her want to talk. )

No, we haven't. He's in Thorne -- the same as I. ( Jill snorts with amusement, shaking her head as she finishes cooking the meat and moving onto adding the potatoes and vegetables that Hilda has prepared. ) Had he have ended in any other faction, you would have doubtless heard of his efforts to either come to me or bring me to him.

( Not because Clive is possessive or controlling, but simply because after all they have been through there is nothing that would ever stop him from returning to her side. The only thing that would is death, and even then Jill isn't convinced he would not do his utmost to find a way around that particular problem.

They have spent so long denying themselves the love of the other. Now that they have it, both of them are as committed to it as they are breathing. )

[ Relief releases the momentary bated breath that Hilda held waiting to hear from Jill that if she was here in Abraxas at least she was here with someone that she adored. The release makes way for the bubble of excitement to begin anew.

Jill's anecdote doesn't paint Clive as possessive in the least; in fact, swoons. ]

That's so romantic! Can you imagine? I mean, not that I would want that for either of you, but the thought of anyone going to rescue someone they love or be with them is truly a testament to how they feel about one another.

[ A childhood being fed fairy tales and stories of heroic gestures, love stories and more had left Hilda with an insatiable hunger for love stories whether they were her own or not. And lately, well, hers was turning out nothing like what she had ever imagined. Better to fill her belly with other people's stories.

That being said, she hasn't completely forgotten what they've been doing. ]

Will you tell me more? Once we're done that is? I can even make us some tea if you'd like some.

I'd rather him not end up imprisoned for it.

( She says, though a small smile chases across her face at the idea. But Clive has certainly come to her rescue, in more ways than one -- it is part of the reason she adores him; he is everything she could ever need and want.

As long as Jill has Clive, she has enough. )

If you'd like, yes. I would enjoy that greatly.

I hope he never does. [ Her smile turns a little goofy. ] But you have to admit that would probably only lend to your love story.

[ Her grin softens out into something warmer. ]

I would love that, Jill.

[ A random wander into someone's domain has turned into what she hopes will be a blossoming friendship. ]

❄ october catch-all

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Maybe wrapping on this one soon and we can start something new?

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wrapping this up, start a new thread soon?

🎀 consider it wrapped!