[open] july catchall

[techmaturgy]

Who: Viktor and special guests and you
When: throughout July & August
Where: Cadens, the Horizon, Nocwich
What: ah oh no we were indirectly responsible for bombing the castle
Warnings: war crimes

[open and closed starters in comments! If you want a custom starter or something specific, just hit me up. full horizon details are here for any and all wildcarding needs. For everything else, I’m on plurk at whitticus and on discord also at whitticus.]

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[open] horizon

[techmaturgy]

i. the study

[Viktor spends more time in the Horizon than he probably should, but in his defense this is now the only place where his work is safe. He retreats to his study, which stays unlocked while he’s present there, though it’s nowhere near as neat and inviting as it usually is. Why he’s foregone his main laboratory is unclear, but even though he’s probably been here for like, an hour tops, every table and blackboard is filled with notes and schematics. For those that saw the Hexcore, the same geometric designs and sequences of arcana symbols have surfaced again.

He stands at a chalkboard, clearly deep in thought. Alongside his own schematics are diagrams of a mechanical bird, and what he remembers of the thing it was carrying. His concentration is thorough, only broken when he hears someone opening the door.]

Oh. [It seems surprising to him, that anyone might be looking for him here.] Did you…I must have left it unlocked.

[Don’t mind him, taking a step to cover what might be the most incriminating part of the diagram.]

[closed] kyle

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor keeps his promise. He comes the night after, and the night after that, as long as the situation in the bunker allows. Then, they're let out of the bunker and Kyle is imprisoned, and Viktor makes even more of a point to visit him in the Horizon, not knowing when they might have the chance to see each other in person again. Not knowing what Thorne's new king intends to do with him, Viktor doesn't want to miss a visit, only to have it be his last.

Perhaps that's pessimistic. From Kyle and Istredd's description of their detention, it seems more to make them sweat than anything else, though he can't help but worry.

Now he's got something else to worry about. He hadn't wanted to believe it, but the physical evidence is undeniable, and he can't hide it from those closest to him. Viktor has to defer to Kyle when it comes to when is safest to meet, but his request to do so is fairly urgent--indicative of bad news. When he makes his way to the temple, he tries to put on a brave face, but it's clear that recent events are wearing on him.]

Have they started torturing you yet?

[A weak joke, but perhaps a real concern, given that Kyle's current whereabouts. Perhaps, also, an attempt to avoid what he really needs to talk about.]

[ushiri]

[ Kahlil had altered his domain slightly in the days after they first laid together on nothing but pillows and blankets on the floor. There's a door that can appear for either of them against the curved stone wall that leads to a proper room with a bed, it could be a twin of the one in Nocwich at the inn. Useful, especially when it turned out he wouldn't be meeting Viktor at that real thing that next weekend. Missing that small window of time together in person had upset him more than he's been willing to show, and he can't even say whether or not he'll be released before the next time.

But it was his decision to stay and not flee, so, he is managing and trying not to make Viktor worry more about him unnecessarily.

He's waiting beneath the iron tree inside as usual, having asked Istredd to keep watch while he pretends to 'nap' for those just outside the cell. ]

Happy to report that every finger, tooth and toe are still attached. [ He raises one hand to wiggle his fingers as he says this, though his joke is more automatic than anything else. He was already slightly concerned by a meeting outside of their established routine, and now that concern is written plainly on his features as he approaches. ]

What's happened? [ After these weeks he's more confident with most casual physicality between them, although still sometimes mildly tentative when he first reaches out to touch him - like now. Especially sensing something wrong. ]

[techmaturgy]

[It's surprising, he thinks, how easily they've fallen into this routine to the point where Kyle has a little room for them in his domain. Viktor knows that it's his memories of the imagined future creeping back into his periphery again and making him feel at ease, but it's strange, how slow and fast it's felt all at once. Now, with the inevitable misuse of his technology dragging him back to reality, he feels as he did in the aftermath of Libertas' destruction. That he was foolish, to think he could simply have this, with nothing else in the way.]

Good. I prefer you with your extremities intact.

[And his face the way it is, and that he's not being tortured, though Viktor does not go so far as to say it. It's not lost on him that he's about to admit he did not tell the whole story, when he first talked to Kyle about the Hexcore, so he isn't sure where to begin. He takes a step closer into Kyle's touch, moving into an embrace even though he doesn't deserve to be comforted in this way--and that Kyle might not want to very shortly, depending on how he takes the news.]

When are they letting you out of here?

[ushiri]

I do have very pleasing extremities.

[ He manages a playful grin in spite of the overall mood of this hurried meeting, and lets his arms slide around Viktor's waist to pull him closer in case he tries to push away over the sly comment. His actual question goes unanswered, though, Viktor offering his own instead. Kahlil frowns slightly. Normally he'd assume Viktor was avoiding something, and immediately try drawing it out of him. But there's guilt prickling at him over the worry he's causing. ]

I don't know yet. I answered their questions. [ His frown deepens. ] It sounded like they're trying to decide if I have ties to Hayle - which I don't.

[ Not to any useful degree, at least. He skims his fingers over the back of Viktor's shirt, shaking his head. ]

This is, for me... annoying at worst. Sidwell isn't going to do anything to us, he can't afford to stir up more trouble at home. I'm surprisingly well liked around here.

[ This is all a rehash of things he has been saying since he first got locked up. Only there's a worry now that maybe this has been too much, too soon for Viktor. A month ago neither of them could have expected tensions across the factions to escalate. ]

[techmaturgy]

Your face isn't so bad, either.

[There--he manages it, leaning in and raising up on his toes so that he can plant a kiss on the aforementioned not-so-bad face, right on the frown that indicates Kyle isn't buying Viktor's attempt to dodge the question. He supposes he should be glad that the news from the dungeon is good, considering, though every day without news of release feels increasingly unbearable.

He should be glad to have this, even though he's fairly certain he's about to ruin it. The more logical part of himself knows that it's not his fault, not really, and that the alternative was to die--but what else can it be, when he's the one who brought the technology into this world?

Viktor ducks his head against Kyle's chest, both out of relief for the news and guilt for what he's about to say next.]

I have to tell you something. [In the interest of being honest with each other--Viktor hasn't forgotten that promise. ] It's about the bombing.

[ushiri]

[ Given the odd mood of this meeting the kiss takes him by surprise, playful and sweet as it is. His eyes close with a small bloom of warmth in his chest, at least one half of his worries momentarily soothed by how Viktor leans into him rather than pulling away. He presses his face against the crown on Viktor's head, placing a small kiss here and there as soft hair tickles his nose and he prepares again to ask what's wrong again, why he needed to meet so urgently. Not that he minds any of this in the meantime, clearly. In his life, for all the time spent in solitude, he's rarely craved affection and physical contact as badly as this past month since they last met in Nocwich.

He doesn't need to ask his question again, though. ]

You found something? [ His hands shift from where they've been trailing up Viktor's back to either shoulder, and he pulls away just enough so that they can look at one another. ]

[techmaturgy]

[He nods, keeping his head tilted slightly down, even as Kyle pulls back so that he can meet his eyes. There’s clearly some amount of shame here, and some amount of effort when it comes to voicing what is essentially a confession.]

I have a piece of one of the devices.

[How he got it is not necessarily important, though he’ll elaborate if Kyle asks. What’s important is the nature of said piece, and the things Viktor realized about the description of the bombing.]

I recognized the idea of it. The way it used inscribed arcana symbols.

[ushiri]

[ Kahlil thinks that first detail is important. He doesn't particularly like the idea of another Thorne Summoned put at risk for something he could have taken care of, if not for his current imprisonment. It's a kind of agitated curiosity that he sets aside for the moment, more concerned about Viktor's behavior, his body language. ]

Like your work?

[ The Hexcore comes to mind, obviously.

There's a pause, brow pinched as he processes that, and then his expression goes neutral along with his tone. His hands remain where they rest at Viktor's shoulders, unmoving. ]

They were able to get a hold of it?

[ Somehow. He doesn't necessarily phrase it like an accusation. Viktor told him he destroyed it, but Kahlil never asked for details. He only took him at his word - which, in hindsight, was incredibly stupid of him. ]

[carmesi]

( this place is familiar.

even with the changes that the horizon accrues over time, and even with how they themselves—the summoned—have changed, this study still remains one of the very first places wanda visited when given the chance to walk into the horizon. she expects to see viktor in, and is not disappointed to find him here.

yet, as she pushes the door open and sees his quietly surprised reaction, trying to peel whatever focus she can place onto the diagrams on the chalkboard, wanda figures she's stepped in when he has got something on his mind. )

...would you like me to come later?

( one of her hands remain on the door handle, the other curved over its width. )

Give you some time to hide away your secrets.

( and yes, she would be teasing. )

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor is distracted--that much is certain, and it's probably true that he overlooks the security of his Horizon because he is far too accustomed to being overlooked. Why would anyone be interested in this? In him? Though he knows none of that is true here, some of it still lingers.

The truth is that Viktor wants to tell people want he knows, if only because it feels like the right thing to do. The unfortunate part of it is admitting how selfish he was, to create something like the Hexcore in the first place--even if it was to save his own life. Wanda intrudes and his shoulders sag under imagined weight.]

No. You can stay.

[She's not unwelcome, and Viktor gestures for her to find a seat.]

I've had a lot to think about lately, that's all.

[Normal. Innocuous.]

[carmesi]

( even if viktor had sent her away, wanda would have not been injured by imagined insult, but would have continued on her merry way to find somewhere else to keep herself entertained. his invitation to step in further is one she takes, though it comes with seeing what he doesn't portray in the horizon; the way he feels, the weight on his shoulders, the expression on his face betraying the idea that he is resting easy at night.

what's eating you up? she wonders, as she walks around the tables, fingers lingering on the wooden surface as she makes her way to a chair.

propped on one, wanda looks at him for a moment before clicking her tongue and speaking. )

Sometimes burdens of the mind are easier to make sense of if they are shared with a friend.

[techmaturgy]

Yes, many people are telling me this.

[Over two years in, and everyone continues to insist that Viktor needs to accept that people care about him. He thinks he's doing a fair job, considering he never throws anyone out of his study.

But he does have burdens, at the moment. That, he won't deny. Viktor knows he needs to tell his friends what's happen, but there's shame in it. This is a failure, on his part--everything he's feared, and confessing that to the people he cares about has been difficult, to say the least.

She can probably tell that he looks and feels tired, not necessarily keeping up with the more healthful appearance he maintains in the Horizon. Viktor will let her settle, before he continues.]

It's the bombing. The Free Cities broke through Castle Thorne's wards.

[carmesi]

( many people tell him this, and yet he seems to find himself lacking in remembering that it's worth a shot. still, wanda waits, quietly, taking calculating, quick glances about herself, at the notes and schematics, them hardly making any sense to her.

and yet it clicks when he speaks, somehow, of the bombing. wanda feels the guilt in his words, keeps a polite distance from prodding into his thoughts to dig out the truth.

she leans back, crossing her legs, hands resting atop her knee. )

I wouldn't go as far to say it was your fault.

( the circumstances of what has come to pass, between thorne and the cities, are somewhat expected. the kingdom pushed a disease towards the desert, and the military retaliated; this same song and dance from before, just that the steps are reversed. )

...but that hardly eases the guilt, I know.

[techmaturgy]

[Well, at least he doesn't have to spell it out for her. Everyone is telling him that it isn't his fault, but it's hard not to feel that way, even if the alternative was to not build the Hexcore, and succumb to his illness. Still, he can't help but think he could have safeguarded it better. He could have found another way.]

It was my fault. I built the device, and it didn't matter that I destroyed it. They stole what they could.

[He should consider himself lucky it took them this long to crack it. Doesn't make him feel any better about the situation.]

I knew this would happen.

[carmesi]

( there was a time when she had done what she thought was necessary, to save others, in her role as an avenger, and yet it was her actions—her inability to do better—that scorched the lives of many and started the untangling of a group that was already fraught with differing ideas.

it's hard to not see oneself as a monster, no matter how much reassurances there are about never intending to cause what has resulted in pain and loss. )

Even if you did know, you didn't guide their actions. If not your device, they would have found another way; another device to use, another Summoned's ideas, but all for the same result.

( despite her words, wanda knows this isn't exactly helpful. )

Who else knows?

[techmaturgy]

I chose to do it, knowing the dangers. [He conveniently leaves out the part where he only realized the Hexcore to save his own life.] I need to do what I can to mitigate the damage.

[Even if it's already been done. He can stop them from doing worse, if he plays his cards right. Viktor just has no idea how to do that. Everyone tells him he isn't responsible, but it certainly feels that way. Maybe they would have found another device, but Viktor is keenly aware of how revolutionary the Hexcore was. There's no limit to what they can build, provided they know how it works.

He hasn't told as many people as he'd like to--part of him thinks he should come clean to the whole group of them, but it's been recommended to him by certain parties that he should remain discreet.]

Alucard. You. Some contacts in Thorne who deserved to know.

[sophos]

[ it's not her fault she gets distracted. ]

[ but it's a giant wall, and annabeth can't help taking in the sight of it and the way it envelopes the set up of the rest of this domain. she tries very hard not to just burst into strange domains, but the design is fascinating, with the way it's built into the nature and ravine around it, functionality abound. she forgets manners and just takes to studying the layout and architecture and before she knows it, she's inside. just as distracted, just as fascinated. ]

[ she meanders into a massive lab after wandering down the hallway and does her best not to stick her nose into too many of the projects, but in some ways the all-encompassing nature of it makes her think of the athena cabin. ]

[ absently, she pulls on the door to viktor's study, but upon seeing someone inside, annabeth startles out of her stupor quite suddenly. ]

Sorry! [ she freezes immediately, because she knows she'd hate someone wandering into her space. ]

I was just - looking at the outside, and then I realized I was... inside. Here. [ in her defense, she really has no memory of the physical process from point a to point b. her eyes flash briefly to the chalkboard, draw in by schematics and numbers, but she hastily looks away. ]

[ ooc: let me know if this is ok!! i can change it. ]

[techmaturgy]

[Despite his apparent intent to lock the door, Viktor is not necessarily opposed to visitors. He just needs a moment, to remember that other Summoned can simply walk in and observe what he's working on.

This is a new face, so his curiosity overrides any potential offense at the interruption. His facial expression softens fairly quickly.]

Don't--don't apologize.

[There's nothing for her to be sorry for--it was only his own carelessness, though his eyebrows furrow together when he realizes she's a stranger.]

You could introduce yourself, though.

[sophos]

[ he doesn't seem too annoyed about it, which relaxes some of the stiffness in her shoulders. she doesn't take back her apology, but nor does she push it, only offering a little nod instead. ]

[ she doesn't recognize him either, but it's not a surprise - there are still plenty of people she hasn't met yet, thorne or otherwise. her gaze absently wanders again, this time flickering to the books, before she regains focus and turns back to the man. ]

I'm Annabeth. [ a beat. ] Hi. I suppose the nature of the Horizon means we all can kind of end up anywhere.

[techmaturgy]

[In truth, Viktor has too much else on his mind to be annoyed. If anything, this could be a welcome distraction, even if he's not necessarily the best at introductions. He watches her look around, as if he can gauge what she might be interested in from the way her gaze lingers on one tome or another.]

Viktor.

[Just Viktor. She says hi, and he nods.]

It takes some getting used to.

[sophos]

[ truthfully, annabeth is not great at introductions either. she's finding a lot of her experiences in abraxas have ended with sharing her name at the very end, so she's already ahead of the game here. ]

[ unfortunately, it's usually easier to go by pictures than letters in her case, so the books with images draw her attention longer. she's not judging a tome by its cover! a cover should give clues regardless! ]

I'm working on that. [ getting used to it. ] Trying to create different spaces in it for different reasons and different people, I guess. Your lab is so big. I got distracted.

[techmaturgy]

Easy enough to do.

[Viktor had spent some time, upon arrival, wandering the domains of others, impressed by both the capabilities of the Horizon and the level of technology available from other worlds. He understands the distracting nature of it--but she took an interest in his lab, specifically, so he of course wants to know a little more.]

Do you have an interest in engineering?

[Because that's what happens here, apparently.]

[sophos]

Yeah. I think I'm getting the hang of it.

[ annabeth likes learning as a mere concept. engineering is included, if only for the physics and creative nature of it - she loves a good invention. it's not like it isn't part of architecture too. ]

It depends on what for. I'm good with ideas and schematics - I like math and physics. Numbers are easy. I'm most familiar with it when it comes to infrastructure. I'm an architect.

[ she might not have the actual degree yet, but she has the credentials! ]

[techmaturgy]

It will come more naturally with time.

[Viktor had relished the boundless creation right away--but he does understand it takes longer for others to wrap their minds around.

He seems to perk up as she describes her interests--it's no secret that the territories do not necessarily summon those with inclinations towards math and science very often. If they arrive in Cadens, Viktor tends to snap them up, but at present his workshop is populated with individuals with other skills, working for him because they need a job, and not necessarily because they want to make things.]

I am a mathematician and physicist by education, though my work has...expanded, since I began my studies. [She seems a little young, though, to have a full-fledged career.] Is that what you do, where you're from?