abraxaslogs | ❂ open!

Who: river & you!!
When: over the first week of december!
Where: nocwich and castle thorne
What: exploring nocwich for that good cross-faction CR and then a week later when river's canon powers return with a suckerpunch
Warnings: possible mentions of human experimentation, torture, and child abuse. there are content warnings for canon themes and an opt-in/opt-out post for her psychic abilities over here, please check it out!

☾ backdated - nocwich

[ being new to abraxas - alarmed and terrified at being stolen away, having spent the first day traversing castle thorne in a daze as she tried to accept the reality of this world - there is no small amount of trepidation as she steps through the portal to nocwich. as far as the theoretical physics of it all, a portal is more outlandish than teleportation, which makes more sense from a logistical standpoint. although she's not a fan of the molecular deconstruction of her body just to be reassembled elsewhere, so maybe a magic portal won't be so bad...

anyone by the castle thorne portal might hear her mumbling about this for a long while before she finally takes a deep breath and steps through.

more than the notion of magic being real how is magic real, river's main curiosity is the fact of being allowed to go to nocwich at all. she isn't used to her captors being willing to let them leave, even if it's on a tight leash. nowhere close to freedom, but it falls to the back of her mind the moment she finds herself in the bright and lively nature of oleuni square.

with no money to spend and no inclination to buy anything in the first place, river spends her time just wandering around looking at everything with eyes the size of saucers. with a staunch lack of propriety, she'll pick up anything she's curious about and may or may not put it back where it belongs. she watches the performances on stage with rapt attention, stares a little too long at any non-human folks walking about, and otherwise seems to float about in a happy daze as she wanders alone through the streets.

might be best she's not left unattended for too long, lest she overstay her welcome and disturb the locals. ]

☉ current date - castle thorne

[ despite her early misgivings and intense mistrust of those what brought them to this world against their will, there is so much about the castle that excites the childlike wonder that encompasses river in her entirety. it's stunningly beautiful, and she spends a lot of time aimlessly wandering around ( generally barefoot ) as she takes in the architecture, hangs out in the gardens, and puts her fingers all over anything that even remotely looks magical.

more often than not, it looks like she's having fun. she might get shy or suspicious when people approach her, especially any of the thornean mages, but she does well enough to explore with a brightness to her features.

in many ways, it's a blessing of her eyes being closed, her mind shut to the influx of noise and chaos that ordinarily floods her senses. river knew better than to hope the silence might stay forever, but it still catches her by surprise when the moment comes during breakfast on her eighth day. like a tidal wave crashing over her, the thoughts and emotions and worries and fears and secrets and everythingeverything around her overloads her senses.

anyone in the dining hall might hear a loud scream and the clatter of dishes as river flings herself out and away from the table. she winds up on the floor, eyes wide and shaking like a leaf in the wind, ready to be blown away by the slightest breeze. she rambles in distress, seemingly without seeing anyone in front of her even as she sees everything. ]

No, no no no. No! You can't - you can't be here, you can't! Qǐng shàngdì liánmǐn - stay away!

[ tears in her eyes and screams in her ears, river may be hard to console as she tries and fails to fight back the rising tide of panic. let's just hope nothing sharp or pointy finds its way into her shaking hands... ]

[ ooc: as a reminder, hover over any chinese text for a translate, and please hop on over to her opt-in/opt-out post to let me know how you'd like me to play her psychic abilities around your character. feel free to reach out to me at ragemarshmallow on discord or

varooooom if you want to plot anything out! 💚 ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ a big festival with a gift exchange? it is winter, so she wonders if he means christmas. it's not as widely celebrated by her time and they certainly haven't had any presents in longer than it's worth contemplating. but perhaps it makes sense people might want to share that piece of their culture here, in this nether place between worlds.

river scans everything on the cart in front of them once more before looking up to sylvain again. ]

Rate of intrigue is subjective. You have to know your audience. What do you like about them?

[ He's going to assume so. They don't have anything like that back in his world, other than acknowledging the Solstice being the longest night. But as it's a fun tradition, he's not really complaining about it, either. He'd rarely turn down another excuse for some fun parties.

He hums thoughtfully as he eyes the things arrayed before him, as if giving that considerable thought. ]

Well. One is far too clever for his own good and can talk circles around most people without them even realizing he's doing it. He's deadly as an archer, but he also has a kind heart and a wicked sense of humor. And he's ridiculously hard to shop for, because he'd probably like anything, which narrows my options down not at all.

[ she smiles at the way he describes his friend. wonder what he looks like, where he came from. what kind of face he'll make when he gets a present from sylvain. ]

Seems the type that might be happy just to know you thought of him.

[ river doesn't quite understand why that would make him hard to shop for - but she's never had to buy presents before, so this is all purely theoretical to her. she cocks her head as she contemplates it. ]

Clever and funny. Would he like something fun? Something he has to figure out, like a puzzle or a game or clothes with too many pockets and a hidden treasure.

[ ofc she would think of games first she's just a child forgive her :( ]

[ She's a brilliant genius, that's what she is.

He blinks at her a moment before his expression lights up with the possibilities there. ]

He would like that, actually. He loves puzzles, they fascinate him and he will sit and try to figure them out for way longer than I'd ever have patience for. But hiding pockets with unexpected treasures in it... that's something I can manage. Besides. There's no such thing as too many pockets, right?

[ oh! she blinks, genuinely surprised it was a good suggestion. maybe she would be proficient at this present thing after all! ]

Can't speak for arbitrary fashion standards but more pockets means more stuff you can carry. Like treasure...

[ her gaze flickers back to the fine jewelry in front of them for a brief moment before she looks back to sylvain with a smile. ]

Or presents from friends.

[ just another form of treasure! ]

I'm pretty sure presents from friends do count as treasure. Especially here.

[ He doesn't realize he maybe mirrored her thoughts, but it's a concept he fully believes anyway. Then again, he's never been one who put that much stock in possessions unless they had a sort of meaning like that. Not a typical outlook for nobles, where he comes from.

He reaches out, tapping on one of the trays she'd been perusing. ]

In which case, is there a treasure here you'd like to keep? As a thank you. [ He offers her a playful wink, smile warm. It might not be useful, but they were pretty and he remembered all too well, how hard it was to arrive here with nothing familiar, nothing of your own. ] Or if not here, we could go look somewhere else? There's a stall for just about everything here, whether it's something you can take back with you, or something to just be enjoyed while you're here.

[ Memories and new experiences could be just as precious as treasures, after all. ]

[ as a thank you? for what? river looks back down at the displays in front of them; she has an affinity for shiny things but she has no use for jewels or finery. they're objects to her, mot something she would hold close or cherish.

maybe if it was a gift from a friend - but he's a stranger, and she's more interested in him anyway. ]

Do you have a favorite? Something you enjoy about being here.

[ that seems much more valuable to her. ]

[ He seems to pick up that there's nothing here that might really hold her attention, but her question sparks another idea, so he steps back and gives her a playful bow before offering her his arm in invitation. ]

I think I know of something you might like. Come with me? The stand's not far.

[ should she go off on wily adventures with strange men she's just met? who knows. as it is, river just giggles a little, gives a short curtsy, and takes him by the arm.

( somewhere in the multiverse, simon is probably having an aneurism. ) ]

Xièxiè nǐ, I'll follow your lead.

❂ open!

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