( closed; quest ) the long and winding road

[sorser]

WHO: Stephen, Thancred, & Yennefer
WHAT: Three individuals go on a quest to help perpetuate better magical monitoring of the Singularity!
WHERE: ALL OVER THORNE
WHEN: End of March into mid-April.
WARNINGS: Some eventual monster-related violence and injury! But nothing else for now; will add as needed.



(( quest info here ))

Comments

FIRST (1)

[sorser]

[funbreaker]

[ The time between when Stephen came to Thancred with his offer of a quest and them actually setting out had been rather short, but that's what he prefers. Traveling is such second nature to him that gathering the supplies and effects he'd needed for the extended trip had been a simple enough endeavor. They won't be able to get far without mounts, and so renting horses from the stables of Castle Thorne had been the first order of business.

Nor had he minded the inclusion of Yennefer in their ranks. For all that he's accustomed to solo operations, he's also quite used to traveling alongside others, whether it was someone he needed to protect or someone he could trust to watch his back. He'll now have the chance to see for himself how these two fare when not coddled within the castle with every need met.

Granted, he's already been curious about both of them, so the opportunity to learn more of them without having to worry about who might be listening or watching within the castle is also a welcome change.

In an interesting turn of fate, it's Yennefer who seems far more comfortable on horseback and traveling through the wilderness, and she hasn't flagged at all since they set out. Stephen, on the other hand, seems to be falling further and further behind...

Thancred pulls up on the reins of his horse. While he's far more used to riding on chocobos, he has ridden horses and amaro alike, and this particular mare isn't giving him much trouble either. She comes to a stop, granting him a chance to glance back over his shoulder at Stephen. ]

Are you all right back there? Do you need a moment to rest?

[ If they stop to rest too often they won't make very good time, but Thancred's also aware that this opportunity wouldn't have even been available to him were it not for Stephen. He has no influence, no clout within Thorne, and yet he had been confident in letting Stephen know that he was the right man to ask along for such a job. Hopefully he can prove that sooner rather than later on their journey. ]

[sorser]

[He's thankful that he isn't alone in this journey, have no doubt. Stephen knows where his strengths lie, and they contrast even more pointedly with his weaknesses; traveling out onto the open road, with stretches of wilderness couching their sides for miles at a time, belongs in the latter category. Though he is no stranger to taxing situations, at least he had the full capacity of his magic when he wanted to travel long distances; just summon up a portal and move across dimensions in the multiverse, no problem there.

This is different. This is far more mundane and yet requires an infinite amount of more effort all the same -- he is glad for Yennefer and Thancred's presence, who seem to take the lead on horseback so comfortably that he can't be but a little jealous.]

I'm fine. [He calls out, and he hasn't quite passed the threshold of being either snappish or impatient with the inquiry. Stephen nudges his horse forward. It trots ahead as requested, and he regrets it immediately, one hand gripping the reins, then other on the horn of the saddle as if steadying himself will ease the locomotive stride of the animal beneath him.]

Just- [He grits his teeth. He refuses to slow this party down, especially when the invite to go on this little journey had come from him.] Need some time to get used to this.

SECOND (4)

[sorser]

[The road southwest of Thorne, hugging the northern tip of Lake Circinus, is not exactly perilous, per se. Their next destination is close to the main road, according to the map, and that should technically make it one of the more straightforward ones to reach. On paper, it's simple. Too bad reality itself laughs at the very concept of simple, silly mortal construct that it is.

He considers this, tiredly, as he cranes his neck up to glare at an obstacle barring their path to the next spot. A high bluff looms well above their heads, the top of which the castle's mages have decided is where they should place the next thaumametor. Because of course they have. And of course the main road does not pass over it so much as beside it, leaving them with one terrible revelation: they'll have to backtrack and go all the way around, taking an incline upwards if they want to reach that very specific spot.

Well, it's a terrible revelation for Stephen, at any rate, who has become certain that riding a horse for an extended period of time must be a punishment in some circle of hell. His back and hips protest just by considering it, a dull throb that his brain translates as, Oh, hell no.]

No. We are not backtracking. It's just-

[He points at the top of the bluff accusingly. It has offended him]

Up there.

[With that very helpful assessment of their situation, Stephen twists his body to rifle through the large bag he had kept slung over a shoulder. He is absolutely digging around for a thaumametor, thank you.]

[funbreaker]

[ The concept of backtracking is not one that's nearly so horrifying to Thancred. Given the long journeys he's had to make back home, this sort of setback is to be expected and it's also something that should have been factored into their itinerary. It won't take them too long to circle back and find an incline that the horses can manage to get them to the correct spot for placing the thaumametor.

Stephen, on the other hand, seems to be vehemently opposed to such an idea. All of this horseback riding must have gotten to him.

As he begins digging through one of his packs, Thancred cranes his head to one side, then assesses the sheer rockface that's between them and their destination. ]

What, did you pack climbing gear?

[ Surely not. Call it a lucky guess, but if Stephen isn't used to travel by horseback, chances are that he's not practiced in rock-climbing either. Thancred might be able to manage it with the correct gear, but they hadn't been told that such a thing was required.

Either way, he's intrigued to see what Stephen has in mind. The man seems to always turn back to magick when he finds himself facing down an obstacle, meaning there's a good chance he's got a trick up his sleeve — or in his pack, as the case may be. ]

[vixening]

[ it does seem a bit like destiny spitting in stephen's face, all things considered. yennefer stands beside thancred and stephen at the bottom of the large bluff, the cliffside, and what has to be their next spot up at the top of it. she isn't nearly as upset over the idea of having to backtrack, as she's used to traveling as well, but she probably sits somewhere in the middle of the two of them - the idea of adding days onto their trip honestly disgusts her. but it isn't the worst thing that could happen.

no, the worst of it is that as yennefer looks up at the bluff - at their next location - she feels the loss of her magic like a punch to the gut. how easily it would be to get up there if she just had her chaos. that she could just get up there, herself. even with how much this place had messed with portals. how much it shifted her magic.

this feeling translates into a tension between her brows, a light edge to her jaw as she turns her attention back to stephen, who is now rifling through the bags. ]

Yes. [ she says, incredulous, as she crosses her arms across her chest. ] And you have to get up there. What are you thinking, Stephen?

THIRD (2) IN WHICH THIS BECOMES TOO MUCH HORSEBACK RIDING

[sorser]

[vixening]

[ in learning of the geography of thorne and the surrounding country, yennefer had found herself especially drawn to the descriptions and stories she'd heard of hayle. between the simple fact that it was the largest city, the center of arts, the home to the duchess (who was rumored to be of particular power and status, equal to that of the monarchs themselves), and happened to house the university. the university. if she'd been allowed the option, she would have chosen to stay within the city for a day or so, possibly more - sample the wine, look into the classes, perhaps do a bit of checking in on the political thought. but the truth of their arrangement was that they were given a task, a task that they had only just begun.

there were two spots with which they were to place the devices near hayle, but one of them was much further from the city. it was partially why they set out as quickly as they did - splitting errands and funds so as to track down the necessary equipment for the trip itself, as well as securing transportation. they would set off only a few hours after landing in the city, with hopes to make it to the location before nightfall, and go from there.

was it the most comfortable trip she's taken? unfortunately for her, she'd grown almost used to the elegance and comfort that her magic had afforded her in her travels. but she also knows how to travel without magic, knows her way around a camp site and a horse, and knows what journeys such as these generally ask from those on them.

thancred, as she soon came to realize on the other two location sets, also could handle himself on the journey. it was stephen, though, who seemed to be having the most difficulty. a difficulty both she and thancred noticed back when they first started all of this, and one she supposed would continue to be an issue as they continued on this quest. but, for all she enjoyed watching a man's hubris come back to bite him in the ass, they weren't even halfway through the quest, and many of these trips would be much more arduous.

which leads them to where they are now - thancred and her up on the front bench of a cart, with stephen in the back, settled amongst the bags and supplies. she's also fairly certain he took something of a pit stop to one of the university bookstores, but for now she keeps her mouth shut, instead checking back over her shoulder into the cart with a small grin. ]

Is this more to your liking, your highness?

[ it's not the first joke they'd made on the topic, but after traveling with stephen and thancred for just under a week now, she finds it just as entertaining. ]

[sorser]

[Stephen had not considered himself a spoiled traveler, having left those days of all the excess comfort money could buy long behind him. But that was before he committed himself to a weeks-long journey trekking across the terrain of Thorne. Before he had to endure the reality of riding horseback from point A to point B, distances that were rarely short, with the roads always uneven. It isn't so much that he wasn't made for it, rather that his body simply wasn't acclimated to it, each bump and jostle making his bones feel like cracked porcelain. He already had begun to ache, and though he knew there was still a long way to go, his pride is no longer bloated enough to not request a wagon ride when the opportunity presents.

So, yes, he sits nestled among the supplies at the back of the wagon, legs outstretched and ankles crossed. He holds open a book as they ride, one that he indeed picked up at Hayle; though it had been a shame they couldn't stay longer, there was little to no chance Stephen would not indulge himself in the university bookshop, expanding his knowledge of their theories and practice of magic, if even by an incremental amount.

Yennefer's little barb, though, still pierces through his focus. Stephen rolls his eyes, unseen, both unashamed and resigned to the jokes that were fated to follow.]

Ha ha. Laugh it up.

[Sarcasm. He turns a page of his book.]

I lived in New York City. I know that doesn't mean anything to the two of you, but we didn't travel by horse anywhere. Our modes of transportation were much more terrifying, but at least I could walk the day after.

[He will never complain about public transit ever again.]

FOURTH (3)

[sorser]

[vixening]

[ the trip out to their next location takes just nearly two days, and as they come up upon the next location, it is just an hour or so before dusk. they'd planned during their ride (because, yes, alright stephen. the cart became incredible helpful, and made this leg of the trip more leisurely than anything) to set up camp just outside of range of the device. yennefer found herself actually quiet curious, as they got closer, to have more time to observe the device, and she's sure stephen and thancred are also at least partially curious as well.

this will be their seventh night, and yennefer can't help but notice the patterns they've already started to create with each other. the routines they've made and what they can expect from each other. stephen and her conversations on theory and magic during the longer hours of the various things he's discovering in the books he brought from hayle, the way thancred was much more in tune with the road itself, the upkeep of the horses. it was nice, in a lot of ways, to be out in a place where they could all find ways to count on each other's strengths - without the worry of the castle, without thorne breathing down their necks.

as they arrive at their final location, the dark shadows of the mountains to the west and the rolling plains to their east. it had been decided already that thancred and stephen would start setting up camp - far enough from the device's location but close enough they could still keep an eye on out - while yennefer set up the device itself. and as thancred pulled the cart to a stop in a place he deemed good enough for camp, that is exactly what they did, with yennefer jumping down and setting off with the device. thankfully, this particular time comes with no surprises, and yennefer is able to get it set and calibrated and even watch it whirl in place for a few minutes with no complications at all.

roughly half an hour later she returns to camp successful, just as the sun has disappeared behind the mountains themselves. she steps in close to the fire and holds out her hands, warming them over the flames. it would be a cool night, but the wind is nothing compared to the unforgiving gusts from their last location. ]

One more complete. [ the watch is tied to her belt, and she'll offer it back to stephen in a few more minutes, once her fingers are a bit warmer. ]

[funbreaker]

[ Yes, there is no denying that the wagon has proven itself useful, particularly when they have to resort to setting up camp for the night. They're too far out from Hayle to have had any hope of making it back there before nightfall, and traveling after dark is not something that's done lightly. Were Thancred by himself, he might have been able to manage that, but a group of three was something else entirely. Especially when Stephen is not used to this sort of journey.

He's learning, though, that much is already proving true. Thancred's taught him the basics when it comes to setting up camp and while Stephen's hands might make some of the defter work more difficult, he has his magick to rely on. That's a question that's been sitting at the back of Thancred's mind for the past week now, yet there hasn't truly been a good time to ask. Those scars are extensive, indicating a severe level of damage that has rendered Stephen's hands troubling to manipulate.

Between Thancred's experience and Stephen's ability to move things around with relative ease using magick, they get camp set up with little trouble — and in record time. By the time that Yennefer returns, the campfire is healthy and the bedrolls have been laid out. The horses are resting and grazing and her little sandpiper has found a low branch to perch on and preen itself. Thancred's also pulled out rations for them to eat at their convenience. He's opted not to hunt tonight, not wanting to disturb anything about the process of setting up the thaumametor.

As Yennefer approaches, Thancred looks up from the fire and nods to her, relieved to hear that there had been no hiccups this time around. ] We're over halfway done, in that case. [ He's not going to rest easy, but he must admit they haven't had too many obstacles thus far.

He takes his gunblade and rests it in his lap, then reaches out to drag his pack toward him. While he hasn't had to make use of the weapon beyond hacking through thick brush, he still wants to give it a proper clean. ]

FIFTH (5)

[sorser]

[sorser]

[Time fluctuates on the road, stretching the hours longer or shortening them to disappear in the span of a single, engaging conversation. And though their ride has been uneventful so far, the latter seems to apply today, Stephen nearly loses track of how close their destination is until they ride across the crest of a hill, and a vast spread of land awaits them below. A distant line of trees stand as sentinels further along the road, and mountains jut up from the horizon line, a rugged display of the Thornean landscape. Picturesque, as many of the vistas they’ve traversed have been, and Stephen leads his horse further along at a trot. His bones still ache, but he should like to think of himself as slowly acclimating by now, less prone to random bouts of complaint.]

Just down here.

[He instructs, and a few minutes later and he’s crouched down, installing the thaumametor with the sort of half-practiced ease that comes from having done so before. His companions make small talk behind him; he remarks every once in a while, distantly, and rifles around in the bag slung over his shoulder, intent on unearthing the watch-shaped alignment device when—

He isn’t entirely sure what happens at first. He only knows he hears the sound of something darting across the ground, something snarling, and Stephen is upended by an unknown force slamming into him, forcing him to careen to the side. He lands hard, disoriented, sees what he can only describe as leaf-lined fur in his vision, then the angry maw of a wolf, snapping at him as he tries to shift away.

Instinct forces him to conjure a small shield in his palm, thrusting it at the creature’s head, and he watches as the wolf(?) knocks its fangs into his magic, letting out a sharp whine and reeling back. All the while, he hears movement all around, and his brain desperately tries to make sense of this new situation: How many are there? What did they do to provoke the local wildlife? (Doesn’t matter now.) Are Thancred and Yennefer all right, or are they ensured against the teeth of an angry canine attacker?]

[vixening]

[ yennefer has never had much issue with travel, had done her fair share of it in every possible way over her decades of life. it is an understood fact, though, that no matter the distance, good conversation makes all distances manageable. and yes, stephen is right, the path they have taken out from nott has gone by quite quickly. so much that yennefer has barely noticed the ride itself that day, too caught up in the comfortable way that they've built up a kind of conversational routine.

when they make it to their next location, thancred and yennefer stay back as stephen goes to set up the device, deciding to rest their horses for a little bit before they head back to the city. yennefer knows a little of nott, and isn't exactly excited for their time there, but if everything goes well they can portal on to borrel quickly after and won't have to remain for long. she and thancred are still mid-conversation when they all come to a stop, as stephen heads off to actually set it all up. he makes some remark over his shoulder, and yennefer finds herself laughing, turning to her horse and finishing tying it to a tree while thancred does the same for his and stephen's horses. ]

Yes, but the issue isn't the wine. As soon as you start to enchant liquid, the potency might increase but the taste will-

[ it's a stupid conversation, something about potions and making alcohol stronger without changing the makeup, something silly and all together not that important but it has kept them entertained.

her eyes are on her horse when she catches movement out of the corner of her eye. it cuts her off from whatever part of her thought she'd planned on moving to next, drawing her attention to the trees around them. something in her tightens, that sense of danger, of something, but she's only just recognized that when she hears the snarl off in the direction of stephen and the device. she grabs for the set of daggers she has sheathed on her saddle and turn just in time to see three, four, maybe more wolf-like creatures stepping out of the roots of the trees around them.

she'd take the time to count them if her attention wasn't immediately drawn to the sharp whine in stephen's direction, the sight of him on the ground, one of the creatures knocked back from where it'd been above him. he seems alright, at least. able to protect himself. but before she can discern much more there is a low growl off to her right, and her hands tighten around the hilts of her weapons. ]

There's too many of them. [ she says under her breath to thancred, her eyes tracing the trees, looking for the source of the growl. waiting for...what, exactly? ]

Stephen? [ she calls out, though she doesn't turn to look for him. ] Are you harmed?

SIXTH (6)

[sorser]

[funbreaker]

[ While their journey is nearing an end, they're not quite there yet. The ride out from Borrel has been a quiet one, not littered with their usual chatter. Thancred imagines it's because all three of them are beginning to tire after so long away from civilization. He may be used to long periods of time on the road spent camping out most nights, tending to horses, and subsisting off of rations, but even he is beginning to miss the comfort of a warm bed.

The good news is that they're coming up on the designated spot to set up the sixth device on their long trip, and the ride has been a scenic one, with the Hydra Gulf to their right and lush fields of farmland to their left.

He's well aware this is the closest they've come to Solvunn. It would take little more than a boat ride across the gulf to reach those lands, and he does have that in the back of his mind. If he ever needs to escape Thorne to join Himeka, this would likely be the best place to arrange safe passage.

Like a few of the other thaumametors they've placed so far, this one needs to be quite close to the water's edge. Thancred stops up his horse to consult the map one last time, comparing it against the landscape in front of him. At least unlike last time, there seem to be no monsters in the area. He gives a final scan to assure himself of that. ]

It should be right around here. [ As he finds the other's faces, he can see their weariness plainly. He lets out a little sigh and hops off his mount. ] I can handle this one, if you'd like? [ He paces over to Stephen to take the thaumametor from him, if he allows it. ]

And just remember, following this we do have accommodations waiting for us back in Borrel.

[ That does still require riding all the way back, of course. ]

[vixening]

[ not littered with their usual chatter is certainly one way to put it. and yennefer knows there are plenty of valid sources as to why they've come to this place. the placement of the thaumametor outside of nott had been an experience that yennefer would rather not live through again, and her mind is still unable to pull itself completely from it. the creatures are bound to be different this far south, and the open farm land has given her some solace - if anything, at least they would see them coming.

but stephen wasn't completely healed (another thing she can't stop thinking about - how if she just had her chaos, how simple that fix would be) and was slower moving because of it. how the city itself had been one that put yennefer on edge, and how that edge hadn't really been eased since. she's exhausted, she knows thancred and stephen are too, and gods. they're so close to being through with this cursed quest, and she would give just about anything to eat something that wasn't rations.

and yes, alright, she would easily and quickly admit that her temper is fraying and quick to spike. the last few days and nights haven't been the most comfortable. she feels moments away from something, but she doesn't exactly want to focus on what that something might be, so instead she just. grinds her teeth. does her best (though her success is arguable) to hold back every biting comment she wants to make. she's just so tired, so so tired, and she's ready for this to be done with. ]

Get on with it then. [ she snaps, and then sighs afterwards in a sort of apology, getting off her own horse as they come to a stop. ] The conditions seem calm enough, we shouldn't need to worry about any extra steps. [ and then because it has become something of a habit now, stepping in to take the reins of thancred's horse while he goes over to take the device from stephen. ]

SEVENTH (7)

[sorser]

[funbreaker]

[ This is it.

While they did in fact return to Castle Thorne, it was only briefly. After arriving by portal they'd set out almost immediately on horseback in order to make their final leg of the journey, out to the east in the direction of the Singularity. It's no surprise that this is their last destination, as this may in fact be the most important of all of them. These devices are meant to measure energy fluctuations as caused by the Singularity, so it stands to reason that the one set up closest to it must be placed perfectly. By now they have plenty of practice.

Their ride takes them alongside yet another wooded area, and while Thancred has a general idea of where the Singularity is located ahead of them, it's not as if they can see it from such a distance, especially with the dense forest that lies between them and it. Yet knowing it's out there and understanding their deep connection to it is enough to make him contemplative all the same.

He nudges his horse along, his energy picking up a little now that they're so close. ]

We're almost there.

[ Then it will be three more days of riding back to the castle, but that will be the final stretch. Castle Thorne is not home, not even close, but it is a gathering place for the Summoned. There are hot meals and soft beds. Thancred would be lying if he said he wasn't missing it a little by now. ]

I don't mean to jinx us, but I do wonder how the device will respond, being placed so relatively close to the Singularity.

[ It's a massive source of magical energy. It's hard to imagine that they won't run into something unexpected. This is just him being a realist. ]

[vixening]

[ their brief stop in the castle had, almost against yennefer's best efforts, set her a bit on edge. after the mess that had been the borrel device, but then the subsequent night in the city, she'd almost been calm. tired, yes, they all had been, but there was a kind of easy, companionable satisfaction about her. about how close they were to finishing things, about how soon they would be back to the castle, back to whatever routine it was they might have had. it was a somewhat strange feeling, that things could be so different over only a couple of weeks, and how they were so close to the chance it would all go back to before. the danger she was in at the castle, the way she would have to go back to overtly hiding her lack of magic.

she did not look forward to it, to say the least.

still, something about this last leg of their trip seems to have them all in some state of contemplation, which means she just very nearly jumps when thancred's voice cuts through the forest noises. we're almost there. yennefer blinks, taking another look around them, and then allowing her eyes to fall to the direction of the singularity. of the mountain tops lining it. she remembers, briefly, her trip there with ronan before shaking herself back out of the memory. ]

After our last try? What more could go wrong? [ she means the creature bursting out from the sands, the pearls currently in their bags. there's a small smile to her words, only the lightest amount of teasing. all in all it had hardly been their worst go at setting up the device, but still. she doesn't have high hopes that this will go well.

she does look over to stephen, who does still have the watch with him, as if waiting for him to answer regarding any new readings. thancred did have a point - they were much closer now. ] You would think the Singularity's influence would at least do something.

BONUS THREADS: MEMSHARE EVENT

[sorser]

[All of which take place the day before they return to the castle!]

— yennefer (dreamwalking)

[funbreaker]

[ They're almost done. Only a day's ride and they'll be back to Castle Thorne, their mission successfully accomplished. Thancred does not yet know what will come of their efforts, but he has learned a great deal about this world he's been abducted to, and that alone was worth it. What they may uncover through the thaumametors remains to be seen, but they have discussed it at length by now and Stephen seems confident in how to handle such things.

It's midday now, and they still have to ride until sundown before they'll reach the castle. With that in mind, it's tempting to simply push through, but the horses need rest as much as they do. Stephen has been forced to accustom himself to the aches and pains that come with so much riding, and his complaints have lessened over the weeks, but it would not do for them to overdo it either.

Thus, they've found a clearing a few yalms inside the tree line of the forest where they can take a short rest. Thancred dismounts and ties up his horse first, then moves over to where Yennefer's doing the same. ] Need a hand? [ His hand finds her shoulder without him truly thinking about it. It's been three weeks now, and the familiarity between them has grown.

The scenery around them changes in an instant, the temperature rising a few degrees and the forest flashing into an entirely different place. Not just any place, either. This is the Crystarium, the large central courtyard the leads up to a stairwell to the Ocular. It's a beautiful city, bathed in light, with the looming presence of a tower made of crystal that extends far into the sky overhead. As if Thancred could ever forget this place. His stomach drops toward his feet — has he been transported somehow? Has someone seized control of the Crystal Tower to abuse to their own ends? How—

Then he realizes that Yennefer's presence is still at his side, and that there's a group of people standing before them. The Scions as a whole, including himself and Ryne. Thancred's breath catches in his throat, his grip tightening on Yennefer's shoulder before he can think better of it. When he realizes he might be digging in too hard, his hand falls limply to his side. ]

What? This is— [ The words come out, near to breathless, and he shakes his head in disbelief. ] This is one of my memories. [ He tears his gaze away from Ryne to look at Yennefer, to assure himself that she's present in the moment as well. He can't begin to understand how or why this is happening, and a grounding presence would not go amiss. This is something only those with the Echo should be capable of, so why is it happening to him? ]

for thancred; cw; various mentions of death and dying

[sorser]

[It's difficult to say what's actually happening when the first exchange of memories incites between Thancred and Yennefer. Being so far out from the castle, they can't hope to have any further instances to compare to; no idea that this is a wide-spread event that is afflicting more than just the three of them. As far as Stephen knows, it isn't the three of them, but only two -- it's partly why, when he reaches out to try to analyze, with his own magic, what could be happening, his fingers brush against Thancred's shoulder, and that's all it takes for-

The memory erupts in a whirl of color, disjointed and in fragments that seem to repeat as though on loop. Stephen stands in some strange, cosmic domain of lurid hues and a backdrop of infinite darkness, facing off against a being so much larger than him, so much more powerful. Dark magic rolls off of it looming before him in waves, lording above, its face tilted down at disgust at the sorcerer.

Dormammu, I've come to bargain. The phrase appears to be the crux that everything hinges around, circles around, repeats itself. Because Stephen dies by the hand of this awful thing; Thancred would see it clearly every single time. Blasted by energy, impaled by spikes of magic, crushed under a giant fist, suffocated when the floor beneath his feet devours him whole. It happens again, and again, for what seems like forever, and resetting always with the same utterance.

Dormammu, I've come to bargain.

Until, finally, the bargain sticks. The threat of time on repeat causes hesitation from the thing called Dormammu, and there's a pause of consideration, one in which so much relies upon. The fate of Earth itself.

And the memory ends. As swiftly as it had crashed through the other's mind, it recedes.]

stephen. tw; mentions of self harm

[vixening]

[ it's disorienting, more than anything; waking up on the ground with a piercing, pounding headache. she tries to sit up and the pain alone almost causes her to get sick again. it takes a few moments before she steadies herself again, before she's able to get to her feet. she hates that it's not a totally foreign feeling, hates the way that this part of it, too, reminds her of aretuza. of tissaia. of information getting out. it takes her those few moments for her head to stop pounding, a few more before the pounding in her chest slows.

she supposes that there is very little, here, she should be worried about. supposes she should be grateful that most, if not all, of her secrets are already out. because the feeling of knowing she wouldn't have been able to stop it, that she wouldn't have been able to stop it. yennefer takes stock of her location, of where thancred kneels not far from her, and where stephen now stands, unsteady of his feet. she doesn't remember stephen in the memory, doesn't recall seeing him anywhere near, but then why...? ]

Stephen. [ her voice is a bit hoarse when she speaks, reaching out because he hasn't yet put it together - that the touch is what did it. that this is something happening to all of them. instead, she does reach out, sets a hand on his elbow, tries to get his attention because maybe he might have an idea of what this is, if it's singularity or if it's something else. there's something tight in her throat thinking ronan might be behind something like this again, but then her hand settles on stephen's elbow and they're somewhere else.

Stephen runs, or it's not quite Stephen, is it? Because the sign etched along the hem of his tattered cloak is that of the Chariot. And he knows he's not Stephen, knows that he's never been here before or seen any of this, knows that he's not really even choosing what steps he's taking at all.

But Stephen does run - he runs through the underbrush, through the rain. There are thoughts on his mind that aren't his, panicked fragments of sentences, of facts. It's gone and you're alone and then someone else's voice, a lower voice, a voice he knows saying you, me, and her. Stephen runs faster, more desperately, trips over the roots and shrubbery of the Continent. There was a woman, an older woman, and she'd promised him the chance to have it back. A chance he turned down. And he remembers her voice. I want your desperation crisp. You will beg me to take it from you, and I will. Blood, pouring down his palms.

Fringilla had offered for him to go with her, had shaken her head at him, as glib as ever, and he'd turned that down too. Instead, he runs through the countryside, through the rain and the forest. He screams words that should respond to him, chaos that should be his. But nothing happens. He just wants to go back, he just wants to be home, but over and over again no portal appears. Eventually, whether it's the mud or the exhaustion or something else, he falls to his knees - he falls, and he lifts his face up into the sky. The rain.

He feels the frustration and helplessness catching up with him. He knows it's happened, knows that it won't work. It's gone, his magic, his chaos. Everything.

He screams.

yennefer squeezes her hand on his elbow, tries to shake him out. she doesn't know why but she doesn't let go of him, her eyes searching his face.

whether she knows it or not, she's going to be able to ease that headache for him, when he comes to. he just has to come to first. ] Stephen.