( 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]

[ 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. ]