( 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

[funbreaker]

[ While Thancred could simply be straightforward and ask for permission to view the read-outs from the devices once they return to the castle, he remains unconvinced that he'll be taken seriously. He could insist that it's fitting payment for accompanying Stephen on this task, but he also can't be certain that will be good enough. It seems far more likely that Stephen and Yennefer will have their requests granted.

Despite that, Yennefer seems tightly wound about the entire concept. Thancred notes the stiffness of her body language as she holds onto the reins of her horse; he hears the extra sharpness in her tone. Much like with their conversation during the summit, he's saddled with the distinct feeling that there's far more brewing under the surface when it comes to her. ]

I know very little of this Ambrose beyond a brief interaction when I first arrived here, yet I did get the impression that he isn't exactly open with what he knows. [ It had been an educated guess more than anything else. Based on what Thancred's learned of Thorne, he would be more shocked if the castle wasn't filled with secrets. That may be his own paranoia talking as well, but he hasn't been proved wrong thus far.

Yennefer then asks about the logistics of setting up the thaumametors, and while Thancred is glad to assist in any way, he expects that Stephen has that part more or less handled. He's here for help with navigation and to handle any undesirables they run across along the way, whether monsters or bandits. He won't underestimate what's out here, not after his run-in with a mammoth boar during the eclipse.

The idea of finding a workaround to cut Ambrose out of the equation entirely is quite intriguing, though Thancred's also curious to see how Stephen might react to that. Does he feel any sort of loyalty toward Ambrose? This will certainly give Thancred a better sense of that. He's already gathering that there's no love lost between the high mage and Yennefer, at least. ]

That's a thought. [ He lifts one hand to tap a finger against his chin. ] Though if you decide to deceive him and you're uncovered, the consequences could be quite severe.

[ He's heard by now how Thorne has a propensity for locking people up. ]

[sorser]

[He can’t help but scoff. He wonders if he should be flattered he’s being asked these questions at all, like circumventing the High Mage’s authority and surveillance should be a walk in the park. Stephen has confidence in his own magic, but that doesn’t mean much in the face of a whole system of mages loyal to Thorne.

Still. He isn’t unwilling. That says something about his loyalties, focused less on the kingdom and more about how he can aid from his position in the castle.]

Ambrose can’t throw anything at me that I haven’t been through before.

[Death on repeat! Alien torture techniques! Experiencing millions of failed timelines via a magic stone! Being erased from existence! Before any of that, psychological despair wrought from purposelessness!

So, no. Threat of violence or intimidation wouldn’t be ideal, but Stephen considers these possibilities with tired caution rather than fear. (Lock him up, Thorne. He could use the nap.) He’s willing to take risks if they are required of him.]

Yes, they showed me how to set it up. And I know a few tricks. I could duplicate the watch with a spell and hide it away from prying eyes. But it’d be intrinsically tied to the original — which means if Ambrose catches wind of something off, I’m sure he’d dispel it without a second thought. Or trace it right back to me.

[He gauges the expressions on Yennefer and Thancred’s faces.]

Or more importantly, the two of you. It’s not like it would be hard to narrow down the list of suspects if Thorne wanted to investigate. Only the three of us out here, on this little mission.

[Risks regarding himself he’s willing to take. But he can’t—or rather, won’t—make that decision for others.]

[vixening]

[ thancred would be right to assume there is much more brewing under the surface of just about everything yennefer says about thorne. but that might just be something he'll have to wait to fully unravel - it's a good thing they've got a long road ahead of them.

his comment earns something of a snort from yennefer, if only because yes, he's not far off. and yes, she has her opinions. but that also comes from a long personal history she has with her own mages, her own politicians, and the strange way that even if she is in a completely different sphere, old men with magic will always be the least trustworthy in the bunch (thankfully she's older than stephen by a few decades, so he doesn't get to count).

stephen's scoff at thancred's mention of the consequences does assuage some worries that yennefer had been quietly uncertain about. loyalties, especially in situations like theirs, could be dangerous things. and while her previous conversations with stephen hardly pointed towards that direction, and his answer pushes that confirmation a little closer.

it's the anything i haven't been through before that does have yennefer turning to the sorcerer, one brow raised. curiosity begets from what is beginning to look more and more like extended experience than studies, and alright. now she kind of wants to know. but the conversation at hand is more important, and she shifts a bit in her saddle.

stephen isn't incorrect - tracing the magic back to the source would be simple enough, if he had any reason to check. and their association with stephen would immediately put under suspicion. still, yennefer's expression at this leaned more towards the line of yes? and? than anything. ]

Ambrose has locked me up once before, and it did not get him far. I'm hardly worried about his opinions or suspicions about me. [ there is something in her tone, something vaguely he can mcfucking try in her words. whether this is from her position in the queen's court, or just yennefer's own presented confidence, it's hard to say.

her eyes do turn to thancred, though, after. as if checking to see how worried he would be about it. ]

[funbreaker]

[ Well, this is all rather enlightening, isn't it?

Thancred can't help but indulge in a small smirk to himself as he realizes that both Stephen and Yennefer are willing to take on any risks associated with circumventing Ambrose. Whether their confidence is borne from foolishness or faith in their own abilities and cleverness, it's still quite difficult to say. They do both strike him as the types to have good heads on their shoulders.

What does surprise him is the revelation that Yennefer was locked up by Thorne in the past. He had assumed that wasn't the case based on their first chat, but this is why assumptions are so often dangerous. ]

Were you? [ He tilts his head toward her, a small inclination, as he spurs his horse along to ensure he keeps pace at her side. Stephen has fallen a tad behind again, but he's doing decently well all things considered. ] When you first arrived? Then your decision to stay was not made lightly, I see.

[ Yennefer must believe that she can carve out her own place in the hierarchy of Thorne despite where she started, and there is something commendable in that. Thancred merely wonders if she risks being burned in the process — but there are risks were taking, he knows that as well.

As for Stephen, Thancred slows up his horse slightly so that he can turn in the saddle to look back at him. The fact that he's comfortable enough to do that shows how experienced he is on a mount — even one that isn't a chocobo. ] You currently have Ambrose's interest, if not necessarily his trust. Were you to do this, you might burn a bridge and it would most assuredly be a setback. If it's traced back to me, I could at least play dumb — I don't have the ability to use magick, so that would be a simple enough way to claim my innocence in the situation. With all that in mind, do you think it's worth it?

[ Stephen's the one who cultivated this relationship and who secured this opportunity for the three of them. For that reason, Thancred believes the ultimate decision should come down to him. ]

[sorser]

[He's aware of Yennefer's history with Thorne. Mostly, she was one of the first Summoned to be locked away simply for being brought to an alien world without their consent. He had sensed a stubbornness regarding Ambrose when they had spoken before, but it had simmered under the surface, merely implied subtext -- this was understandable, all things considered, and it made her decision to stay within the kingdom more notable.

Now, with how she speaks about the High Mage, he can tell it's a little fierier than that. Her opinion of the man isn't just dismissive, it's challenging; obviously, her discontent runs deeper than she lets on as she navigates the political web of Thorne's halls. Well, if there's anyone who can play the game, it's her. She's already made a name for herself in the castle, whereas Stephen--even if he has turned a few heads, too--gets a headache just thinking about keeping his head over the waterline of political machinations.

Although, yes, that's exactly what he's discussing doing right now.]

Yes. [He squeezes his horse with his legs to encourage it forward. Thancred is being kind by letting Stephen catch up, but he really does refuse to slow this traveling party down, even if it means he'll come away with a newfound appreciation for all those Western films he hasn't seen since he was younger.] What's the alternative? That I continue being the most reliable errand boy for the kingdom?

[Yes, he could still help this world in surface-level ways, but only in ways that simultaneously benefitted the kingdom, the larger picture obfuscated from him through lack of information. He doesn't want that.]

It'd be a risk, but a calculated one. And a hypothetical one right now, too, but I'll take it if push comes to shove.

[And if they're all okay with that, then so be it.]

THATS A WRAP.

[vixening]

[ the thing is - it is a decision that yennefer makes to confirm what had either just been suspicions, or perhaps something more. a decision that she doesn't make lightly, either, but one she sees as worth it. if they're going to, at any point, have to decide what it is they want to do about ambrose and his potential mire, they should know why. and it's not like it is a secret - anyone around during that time, or anyone who asks after enough of the locals can figure it out.

but it hasn't mattered - she is where she is in spite of that. got to where she is in spite of that. thancred even looks back to her to confirm it, making note of her decision to stay, echoing their first conversation in many ways. yennefer doesn't respond, exactly, except to lift both her brows to him. yes, and?. it had not been a decision she made lightly, and looking back over her last few months she realizes it was the first decision she made that really broke things between her and geralt. now that she's on the other side of that second decision of hers, that second break, yennefer refuses (even if it's something as simple as this) to shy away from it.

when thancred turns his attention to stephen, to ask if this will be worth it, yennefer's eyes turn to him as well. she has no plans to show off her skills on horseback like thancred, but she is listening even from where stephen has fallen a bit behind. when stephens says yes, yennefer nods a bit to herself, likes the feeling of them all being on the same page. it's his next comment that has her snorting. ]

That's one way for Ambrose to show his power. To have the great Doctor Stephen Strange as his errand boy.

[ she says it with a shrug, very obviously joking. ] We will need to see if these devices even work before any of that, though. [ she resettles herself on her saddle, making a show of preparing to push her own horse a bit faster. they still haven't even arrived at their first location yet, they'll know more once they see what these devices do. ] But I believe we're all in agreement. Now, let's move, shall we? [ a glance back over her shoulder with a slight smile before she kicks at her horse and takes off. keep up, boys - because yennefer does keep this pace until they arrive at that first destination. does seem a bit impatient, even as stephen sets up the device (which she is taking special care to watch for every step), and then after a few tense moments of watching it settle and calibrate...

first device: set. only six more to go. ]