[open]

[techmaturgy]

Who: Viktor and special guests and YOU
When: end of January/February pre-event
Where: Cadens, the Horizon
What: it’s canon update time baybe and things have become…weird…
Warnings: potential references to suicidal ideation, and also a manslaughter. arcane season 2 spoilers through episode 6.



[open and closed starters in comments! If you want a custom starter or something specific, just hit me up. Details on the canon update, including new powers are here. I’m on plurk at whitticus and on discord also at whitticus.]

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closed; kyle

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor knows, objectively, that this is a not-uncommon occurrence for the Summoned. That it is a possibility for him to sleep, and experience days or weeks or months or even years worth of time back home, sent to him as an especially vivid dream. He remembers Tony, wandering back into the workshop with new memories and new scars, and together they'd tried to piece together just what, exactly, the Singularity had done. He supposes it was always a possibility, that something like this would happen to him, but as time passed it always felt more abstract, than anything. He should not have let his guard down.

He awakens, slowly. It takes him a moment to come back to himself--to realize that the bed he's in and the room it occupies are both familiar. Viktor brings a hand to his chest and feels that it's warm and pliable, rising and falling as he breathes. The dip in the mattress next to him indicates the presence of another body, and when he looks over to seek Kyle, he realizes what must have happened.

Viktor breathes out. The implications are staggering, of course, but he finds himself too disoriented to make sense of it. Instead, he reaches out into the metaphysical space, the cosmos blossoming in his vision, only to find that he is alone. There are no other minds, no apparition. That in itself is disorienting, too, even if some part of him knows it's the logical conclusion, given the apparent absence of the Hexcore. He remembers where his corporeal feet are in relation to the actual floor, and slips out of bed quietly--Viktor is not so far removed from the physical world that he doesn't remember his crutch, even in this state.

The goal, of course, is to head down to the workshop, hoping that it will ground him further--that he can start to make sense of things. If he's lucky, he won't disturb Kyle as he goes.]

[ushiri]

[ Kyle's lived in barracks, with roommates, with a mutated raccoon under his bed - there's a certain threshold for nightly noise that his unconscious mind is able to ignore owing to the need to get rest in close quarters with so many other bodies. Movement has a much lower threshold.

He's not fully awake yet when he rolls over and slips an arm around Viktor's waist like he means to pull him back into bed, making a muffled, wordless question-like sound, eyes not even open yet. ]

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor is undergoing the slightly arduous process of lifting himself off the bed (what a strange feeling, after a dream of a new, stronger body, unencumbered) when the arm around his waist prevents him from going further. He pauses, momentarily, looking over his shoulder and taking in the sight of Kyle in bed next to him, wanting to pull him back in like his whole world hasn't been upended.]

Go back to sleep.

[He whispers it softly, gently moving Kyle's arm from its place. Viktor is not so removed from this life that he doesn't think this will work--but he needs to clear his head. To breathe for a moment, and sort through this before he drags Kyle into it.]

[ushiri]

[ He lets go easily enough. Rolled onto his side and slightly more awake, he watches Viktor shuffle out of the room before closing his eyes again. Nothing about this has him alarmed, he expects Viktor is only going to the bathroom and listens for the sound of the door - instead he hears the fainter sounds of footsteps on the stairs.

Even that doesn't get him to move immediately. He waits, maybe a half hour or so, for him to come back upstairs.

When he doesn't reappear on his own, Kyle slips out of bed and down to the workshop, barefoot and shirtless - and forcing back a sliver of anxiety that's been building off of the memories of that other life - an overreaction, he tells himself. This isn't like that. ]

[techmaturgy]

[He's at least aware that Kyle is awake, though when he hears no further noise from the bedroom, he continues downstairs. The workshop is exactly as he left it at the end of the workday, and objectively, he knows no time has passed. Still, it feels foreign.

Viktor makes his way to a worktable and starts paging through the notes and blueprints, re-familiarizing himself. More time passes than he intends, perhaps, but once he starts leafing through his books, it's difficult to stop as everything starts to come back to him.

When Kyle makes his way downstairs, Viktor is seated in front of the automaton, palm pressed against its chassis, looking up at it, studying.]

open; horizon

[techmaturgy]

i. orb temple (fine and normal)

[The first indication that, perhaps, something is different, is the state of the ravine. Most visitors to Viktor’s domain are likely accustomed to climbing the rickety metal stairs up the wall, to the overlook, then deeper into the laboratory. Now, the fissures are pleasantly lit, beckoning anyone who wanders in deeper into the gorge. The grotto appears unchanged, but instead of the wooden door leading into an ominous laboratory, there is a new passageway, an opening in the rock. Following the path eventually opens to the bottom of a fissure, light illuminating the cavernous space from above.

At the center is an orb-like structure, a strange mirror of the colossal Hexgate that is visible all the way back at the top of the cliffs. All around are clear pools of water, brought to the surface by enormous pumps with no discernible power source, and unoccupied buildings that seem to serve various purposes—one has an idle forge, another, baskets of supplies. And there are flowers, too, vast swaths of strange yellow blossoms

Perhaps you find him on your own, or perhaps Rio leads you there—Viktor is inside the central greenhouse, looking slightly out of place surrounded by foliage. He’s tending to the largest, most central plant, its large fronds nearly reaching the ceiling of the structure, and it seems he already knows you’re here.]

It’s beautiful, isn’t it?

[The plant. His gaze follows the curve of the leaves upwards, to the circular skylights, apparently not interested in explaining much more about what’s going on here.]

A marvel of bio-magical engineering.

ii. there is also an astral plane

[Or, perhaps you take a step forward only for the ground to dissolve beneath your feat, upending you into a vast expanse of stars. There is no gravity here, no discernible landmarks and no up or down, only the cosmos and what seems to be an endless fractal webbing. If you were expecting a (relatively) normal, corporeal Horizon domain, well. This is not it.]

Don't be alarmed.

[Says Viktor, who appears entirely at home here. He does, however, seem a bit solemn, as if he understands that all of this is very new, especially in comparison to the usual state of his domain.]

I suppose I should explain.

ii

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard has been managing his time in Thorne through extensive use of the Horizon and the knowledge that his friends are there for him. He visits Hilda almost every other day, and Jaskier twice a week or thereabouts. Viktor on a weekly basis at a set time, because there's something to be said for the frequency. All Alucard asks for is workshop updates and any important information about what is going on in Cadens. A window into normality and a way to keep abreast of any changes to things that impact Alucard's work.

Alucard expects the same Horizon as ever. To see Rio and give her a few gentle pats before they both amble off to find Viktor.

Except there's no Rio.

There's no ground.

There's no gravity.

There's....]

...Viktor?

[The wonder and confusion in Alucard's voice is soft and awed in the most true sense of the term. His friend's shape is celestial. Beautiful. And so deeply confusing.]

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor has complicated feelings about the events he now remembers--but he does enjoy this strange astral realm, the feeling of being unencumbered by a physical body, peering into the secrets of the universe. He's glad this has carried over from his strange dreams, even if recreating it in the Horizon is the only way he can share it with the others here.

Alucard, most notably. Viktor is glad to have him, though of course he understands that he probably has some explaining to do. For a moment, however, he wants Alucard to take it in--the wonder of it all.]

Come with me.

[He's next to Alucard, now, holding out his hand--in case he's nervous, of course.]

[cryptsleeper]

............?!

[Alucard would like to hope that Viktor will give him a few moments to process everything happening here. It isn't that a change to someone's Horizon space is a surprise or even unusual, but this level of dramatic change means that something else has happened. What, Alucard cannot even begin to process.

But all in due time. His mouth is still agape, and in all of it, he extends his hand to Viktor's.]

Lead on.

orbple

[wiedzminka]

[ As much as Ciri likes a change of pace, she has been experiencing something like a homesickness the longer she's been stuck in Solvunn, everyone scattered. It's a relief that Jaskier and Mog are here, but most of the people she's used to -- not to mention her horse -- are scattered elsewhere. The novelty is beginning to wear off.

She's grown soft and spoiled, used to living in one place for so long. Is this what having a home feels like, after so long without? She'd nearly forgotten.

Ciri takes Viktor's invitation to visit him in his domain without hesitation. If she catches anything odd about his explanation that there's something they should discuss, it doesn't really linger.

It's not until she steps into his domain that something feels different. Rio appears, as usual, and Ciri gives her the usual treatment of petting and cooing and a little treat, then follows her through Viktor's altered space to a greenhouse overflowing with strange and colorful foliage.

Her eyes follow the leaves up, lingering on the holes in the dome that reveal a sky above. ]

You've taken up gardening.

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor is glad to see Ciri here, even if he's not entirely sure how he wants to explain the things that have happened to him. There are the worries of the outside world, too--the earthquakes, the Singularity seemingly growing in power. As nice as it is to have Kyle in Cadens, it's come at the cost of many of his other friends, and until the territories make a move, things are in flux.

So, he knows that adding something like this into the mix is unfair--but he can't keep a change of this magnitude from his friends, and especially not Ciri. They deserve to know, especially given the looming specter of the imagined future.]

I dreamed of home.

[She'll likely know what that means, and Viktor offers her a small smile, attempting to be reassuring.]

I'm trying to recreate what I saw.

[wiedzminka]

[ It's never happened to her, but Ciri is quite familiar with what he means. She saw each other member of her family experience it, more than once; changes had appeared in their domains afterward, too. She knows what a difference it can make.

A dream that isn't a dream -- she does have context for it now, after their shared experience as gods.

Ciri steps closer, tips her head curiously. Her eyes meet his as if searching for a difference there. ]

What else did you see, besides weird ferns?

[ She knows enough from their conversations over the years regarding his work back home, what he'd chosen to share about the hexcore. The pieces of memories lingering from their godhood in another life. And the very real consequences his work had led to in Abraxas.

The question is careful, kept intentionally light. ]

i

[magicalarchaeologist]

[ Istredd rarely leaves his own domain because everything he could want or need is there, but he's feeling restless in Solvunn and that energy translates inside the Horizon too. He planned on walking to Lucifer's domain to see Dersti and sit there for a time, but ends up walking through what he knows to be Viktor's, and decides to let a detour happen instead. He's not been there frequently enough to know many differences, but he admires everything he sees as he goes. He does find other people's domains fascinating, he just doesn't get out much.

The lizard creature Rio does end up enthusiastically leading him in a direction and he assumes it's like his own creatures do within his library, they often lead people to him or to his private areas when he's distracted. He gamely goes along, glancing around as he walks, until he's in the greenhouse and spots Viktor. This must be new, he gleans. ]

Yes, it's very bright.

[ Istredd isn't personally big on gardens or plantlife but he thinks he might mention this to Lucifer. Lucifer's own domain is often a scenic and beautiful place too, it seems they'd have that in common. It's very nice. He wonders if Viktor would like the gardens at Thorne; maybe, if he didn't dislike the rest of the castle, which he thinks he would. ]

Bio-magical, hmm? When did you start becoming interested in that?

[ He's never heard of Viktor being so interested in magic in the first place, let alone in blending it with something like this. He loves everything magical so of course he's interested. ]

[techmaturgy]

[Rio leads Istredd here with purpose--of all the Summoned, Viktor thinks it will be important to speak to him. He's still piecing together the contents of his visions, but despite it being little more than a strange dream, Viktor still finds himself with access to his abilities. Istredd is a mage, and though Viktor is not certain how he wants to define himself, he imagines that there might be valuable knowledge to share, here.

He's always liked plants, but of course never exactly had the time to tend a garden. Here, in the Commune, it had become part of his scientific process. Using his magic to develop new hybrids, finding cultivars that cleaned the air and water. When his guest arrives, Viktor smiles, clearly proud of all this.]

I've dabbled, before.

[Well. Used plants as subjects for the Hexcore. He's glad to see that these are alive, the equations solved.]

But this, well. You could say it came to me in a dream.

[magicalarchaeologist]

I suppose you haven't had much time to use that in the desert.

[ Istredd doesn't know much about the Free Cities outside of that. There may be plants that do thrive in the desert as far as he knows, but probably not something like this. Solvunn could, it was very beautiful, although he's there during winter and not in full bloom. This reminds him a little bit of court gardens, he's seen a few in his time while wandering between libraries.

His eyebrows raise at that and he nods. ]

Ah, I see. One of those experiences. It happened to me too.

[ He woke up one day to something truly terrible and it shook him to his core for weeks afterwards. Sometimes, it still comes to him now. It seems that Viktor may have gotten something good out of it instead though. He's made this beautiful garden and he seems calm, comfortable. It's good that people can find beauty in their futures. ]

I didn't know that magic was prevalent in your sphere.

ii. 600 years later...

[judgmentbolts]

[ Cid hasn't really visited Viktor's domain before, though he's seen it when walking through the Horizon. When they worked in such close quarters, there had never really been a need to enter, but now that they're in separate territories, he doesn't have much of a choice if he'd like to 'see' the man.

He could send a message of course — he had done so briefly, when all of the switching around had happened — but it's been a while since they've chatted, and he figures he might as well take a walk and see if Viktor is in his domain and willing to be roused. He's got an equation or two he can wave about as an excuse.

Something is odd from the moment he gets into the general vicinity of Viktor's domain. Cid barely has time to place it before he takes a step, and the world about him is enveloped in the soft blackness of the night sky, glittering with stars. It would be beautiful — if he was looking up at it. A wave of inertia sends him to his knees and he makes a somewhat embarrassing sound. Before he can make any sense of it, he hears Viktor's voice. ]

What makes you think I'm alarmed? [ He says, sounding alarmed. ] What's all this about? Something tells me you're not just having a laugh at my expense.

[ As Cid adjusts to his surroundings, he finds that he doesn't like them one bit. This isn't like Viktor. This isn't right. ]

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor seems glad to see Cid, though of course he'd never admit out loud that his presence in the workshop has been missed. Now that he's here, they can catch up, and he can explain a few things in the process.

He's not proud of everything he dreamed of--but he is glad, to be afforded the clarity of mind that the arcane has bestowed upon him.]

You sound alarmed.

[He says, unconcerned, and appearing entirely at home floating in the cosmos. Viktor will offer a stabilizing hand, if Cid needs, and he'll find that resisting the urge to drift away will simply make everything worse.

Viktor does, at least, understand that this is an inadequate explanation.]

I dreamed of home. Of how things might progress, were I to return to the point of my departure.

[judgmentbolts]

Just about pissed myself walking in here. That might be why. [ Cid grumbles. He wrestles with his pride for a half-second, but he takes the proffered hand up. He needn't worry about putting a strain on Viktor; he's not entirely certain that he weighs much of anything in this strange domain.

He does his best to keep track of Viktor, if nothing else. ] You dreamed it?

[ Now that he thinks of it, this reminds him a touch of The Doctor's domain, in that dream they had all shared as gods.

Viktor seems nonplussed by the whole situation. Cid tries to keep the concern out of his voice — but it's there, pinched into his expression. ] How — what happened to you?

don't @ me for the timestamp

[theidlemaiden]

[ A literal galaxy is the very last thing Hilda expects when she arrives in Viktor's horizon. So caught off guard by this new change she begins to float, the hem of her dress floating up so that she has to pull a slow motion Marilyn Monroe to stop it from rising too far.

So enchanted and bewildered with her surroundings she doesn't notice Viktor's approach and his voice startles her making her yelp in surprise. Eyes wide she takes in the appearance of her friend who is now very incorporeal and ethereal all at once and after a beat her cheeks puff up. ]

...Yeah I'd say! I can literally see through you!

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor understands that this might be distressing, though he can't help but smile, slightly, at the sight of Hilda joining him here. He offers his hands, and she'll find his grip steady.]

You're safe here. I won't let you fall.

[Not that one can fall, in this strange astral realm, but he'll say what he needs to put her at ease, even if what he's about to say is worrying, to say the least.]

I had a dream about home.

[theidlemaiden]

[ Distressing isn't quite the word that she'd use. What would be more apt is confused. And maybe a little bit concerned that this is somehow permanent. Not that she's seen him in other less than organic states before but that had been a dream. This definitely isn't.

Even in her confusion though she reaches for him, taking a hold of his hands so that he acts as an anchor of sorts. ]

Did it involve you being see through? Vikky, what's going on?

open; cadens

[techmaturgy]

i. the workshop

[Despite everything, the workshop is open. Viktor himself seems to be going through the motions when it comes to dealing with customers, but he does understand that there is still a need for his services between the damage from the earthquake and the relatively new arrivals. His reputation may precede him—if any recent arrival asks about where to go if they want something built or fixed or improved, it’s likely that veteran Summoned will point them in his direction. You might hear of his exploits involving his business, his various innovations, the one time the government raided his lab to seize an illegal experiment. All of that feels very long ago.

The inventor himself is currently perched on a stool, hunched over a worktable piecing together something complicated and delicate. The buzz of the soldering iron in his hand disguises the noise of someone entering, but Viktor is not so absorbed in his work that he doesn't notice. He sets down the tool, momentarily, and pushes his goggles up his forehead. His eyes are strange, shifting through different colors like an oil slick—or maybe it’s just a trick of the light.]

Do you have something for me?

[A project, a request, anything. He needs to busy himself—needs to work.]

ii. sarstina

[Things are beginning to settle in Cadens, though he doubts anything will ever go back to normal, not with the way the Singularity is acting and not when so many of them are still displaced. There’s still no word from the various governments about how they plan to solve this, which is fine by Viktor, because he has enough to handle.

It’s a day or two after he awakens from a new dream of home, with new abilities and a greater understanding of the arcane. His own future had been given to him in fragments, first by the few days’ time by which he and Jayce were separated, and then Violet’s account of the attack on the Council. At the time, Viktor had only been worried about Jayce’s involvement—why would he have been in the room? Now he knows how wrong he was. He may only have dreamed it, but knowing how things progress back home is enough. He needs to find a way to return, even if what awaits him feels more uncertain than ever.

When he goes to the Sarstina in the evening, it’s not to occupy his corner table with a notebook and a mug of hot tea. Viktor makes his way upstairs, all the way up to the roof where he can have some privacy, gazing out over Cadens. He has a scrap of paper in hand, and scrawls something on it before folding it almost reverently.

Set alight, the paper sets aloft as glowing red embers, carried away by the desert wind.]

ii.

[ordinar]

[Wilhelm had come to the tavern to fourth-wheel through dinner with Jesper and his brood of partners. Not that Jesper makes him feel like an unwelcome, unnecessary addition — just the opposite. But after one final round of drinks, Wilhelm decides that it's time to let them have the rest of the evening to themselves.

As he pushes in his chair, gaze already moving toward the door, his attention snags on the familiar figure of Viktor. He calls out his name, but it gets lost in the din of the room. Viktor slips up the stairs.

He hesitates a moment. On one hand, whatever his host has come here for, it's none of his business. On the other, the man has seemed...strange for a few days now. More trapped in his head than usual. Wilhelm wonders if something happened between him and Kyle.

In the end, impulse wins. He follows at a distance, until suddenly he can't see where Viktor has gone — he can't hear his uneven gait anymore. It takes him another minute to find the narrower stairs leading up to the roof. By the time he pokes through the door, Viktor is setting something on fire. Whatever it was, it scatters as embers and ashes on the breeze.

Wilhelm pipes up:]

If you needed something burned, you could've asked me.

[techmaturgy]

[As always, Viktor relies on the assumption that no one particularly cares to pay attention--an old habit that's hard to break, even as he's gained notoriety in the Free Cities. He's surprised, then, when he hears someone else on the roof, and his expression says as much.

He still feels like he doesn't know Wilhelm very well, even if he's been a guest for the last few weeks. The effect is slightly akin to a startled animal in the headlamps of an oncoming vehicle.]

Ah, no--

[He collects himself, and offers a smile. If Wilhelm wants to join him, Viktor won't object, though this does appear to have been a moment of quiet reflection.]

Just a remembrance.

[ordinar]

[Belatedly, Wilhelm is hit with the sense that he has interrupted something profoundly personal. He hesitates again, hands knotting together behind his back, before stepping out to join Viktor at the roof's edge. From here, Cadens spreads out around them in a grid of dark streets dotted with light from lamps and windows.]

For who?

[He ventures to ask, not knowing if he should. But he's also stumped for a way to change the subject without coming off as rude.

No, despite the weeks he's spent as a guest in Viktor's apartment, he doesn't know very much about the man. Viktor is deeply curious about the inner workings of things, and he seems to get lost in his projects. That's about it. The main thing is that he cares deeply about Kyle, and Kyle about him. Wilhelm trusts Kyle's opinion.]