abraxaslogs | Open Horizon Catchall

Who: Nadine and YOU! (One closed starter)
When: November
Where: Horizon/Nadine's Domain
What: Catch-all for the month
Warnings: Will add as needed

[Following Halloween night, Nadine's been spending a great deal of time in the Horizon. Her domain is familiar, comforting, safe. Or at least offers a very solid illusion of safety. Particularly the square. She's often sat on a bench outside the little church, watching the clouds or the fall of autumn leaves and just thinking.

She has a great deal to think about.

Since she was twelve years old, Nadine has known the path of her life. She'd known the rules, known what she had to do, and known where her future led. And she had, for the most part, followed the rules and did what she had to do. Yet here she was, alone - by a certain definition - in a strange world, with none of the things she's been promised.

There's anger left in the wake of Flagg. Anger and fear and a sense of loss she doesn't know how to navigate. Whatever joy there is in the idea of freedom, it's overpowered by all the rest. What would she even do here? What would any of them do? She isn't the only one who's had the rug pulled out from under her. How is she supposed to take care of Lloyd and Julie? And then there's Susan... She isn't even sure exactly how to take care of herself in this world.

And then there's those tantalizing thoughts that hover at the edge of her mind. The ones that do find joy in the prospect of freedom, and how close it truly is. She's already had a small taste of it. There's so much more to life than what she's experienced, the chance to just live is right here. If she's willing to take it.

Sometimes, to try and quiet the storm of thoughts in her head, she wanders to the edge of her domain to add a little something. A pond with geese here, a winding stream with a wooden bridge, a spray of wildflowers... it's just something to occupy her mind, to keep her busy...and maybe just catch the attention of anyone in a nearby domain. A part of her has no real desire to be alone.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Maybe. That's not a bad theory, honestly. I can't count how many books I've read where people didn't know they had powers until something really specific made it happen. And talents aren't that different...like how do you know if you're a piano virtuoso if you've never touched a keyboard?

[Who knows what the Horizon and the transition to this world has done to them. It's something to think about.]

But you're right, the Horizon offers some pretty great benefits. A whole little piece of world you can do anything with, be anything in. I used to imagine places like that when I was a kid.

Right? I mean, I dunno how they're supposed to figure it out, 'cept blind luck, but there's gotta be somethin'. Some kinda way to kickstart it.

[ Her smile wilting a little, Julie looks around again, fixates on a squirrel running up a nearby tree. There's worry in her eyes. ]

Them still bringin' in new folks makes me nervous, though. At least the ones I've talked too, a bunch of 'em seem to think they need to fight us. And what if they got brought here because these Abraxas people want someone to wreck up the Horizon, to fight us here?

I don't think that's Thorne's goal.

[Nadine's brow furrows in thought as she calls to mind what she heard around the castle.]

The Horizon's linked to the Singularity and the Singularity's too important to them, I can't see them risking it. I think they might honestly mean what they say, they're trying to utilize it and they need us to do that and think we're going to save the world. I don't know about any of the other places, but 'we want to use you' would be a crappy cover story. Whether it's true, I don't know, but I do think Thorne believes it. That's another good reason to try and find a job with a mage - I might be able to pick up some more information on Thorne and how the use magic in general.

Thorne, I don't think they wanna mess it up. I think they wanna spy on the rest of us. But the Free Cities, at least...

[ She shakes her head, recalling the times she's spoken with someone named Goro, who seems hellbent on not just fighting, but actual war, seems to relish the thought. ]

I talked to this person, I think they're in Cadens, maybe, and he -- I think it's a he -- was sayin' that war is inevitable and he looks forward to "combat" with people from other worlds.

If war does break out, it wouldn't surprise me if they want to use us to fight their battles. I...don't really have any desire to help them with that.

[Nadine has no loyalty to anything in this world. Maybe with enough time she might develop some, but for now...it's the place she's still trying to figure out her standing in.]

Maybe if we hang out here in Nott long enough they'll forget about us.

If there's a war, I'm gonna be fuckin' pissed. I can't go back, and I ain't about to die again just for these dipshits.

[ Her brow knits, and she thinks, biting the inside of her cheek. ]

Y'know, if we need to get away from their shit, their fightin', we should go to the Singularity. They can't get close to it.

There's no reason we have to get involved if war breaks out. We're not soldiers. We don't have any ties or loyalties to anyone here but each other. And they sure as hell can't scare us into anything, we're Flagg's people. They're not scarier than him.

[Thorne and the others...they're at least made up of people. People with magic, and people who she's sure can be very dangerous and morally bankrupt, but still people. That are at least trying to maintain a benevolent front, regardless of true intentions.]

But that's not a bad idea, if we need to get away from them. We'd be safe there...from them at least.

I don't think they plan to give us much of a choice, if war breaks out. They ain't ask us when they dragged us here. But nah, they sure as hell ain't scarier than Flagg.

[ Nadine has never watched the blood drip off his face. Never seen a man's chest torn open, emptied of its contents in only minutes. Julie's nightly dreams of terror, which were only of death and loneliness before that day, now often include wolves drenched in red. ]

Hey. We ain't gonna worry about the others. If we gotta fight 'em, we're gonna win.

[ She sounds so much more sure than she is. ]

Open Horizon Catchall

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