( 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

[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. ]

[sorser]

[The fire flickers warmly, its flames dancing upwards in the dark of night. With Thancred's help (though the routine itself is becoming more and more familiar to him with each passing night they spend on the road), the camp's been set up without much of a fuss. While his hands are weak, his magic well makes up for it, and everything is properly laid out by the time Yennefer returns. Stephen's perched himself in front of the fire, leaning in with his hands out to keep himself warm. It seems upon Yennefer's return, she has the same idea.]

Making good time overall.

[He glances up at her from where he's seated; he's tired, but that's expected by the end of the day. Stephen draws his hands back in, flexing his fingers, then rubs them together to keep the warmth lingering.]

You know, I didn't ever think I was suited to all this camping business, but I have to say... after a day or two, it isn't as bad as I thought.

[So far, at least.]

[vixening]

[ as thancred nods his greeting to her, and stephen seems comfortable enough in front of the fire, letting her know by their movements alone that setting up the camp had also been relatively painless. she doesn't want to get too hopeful in thinking that perhaps they won't find any obstacles in their way during this attempt, so yennefer simply nods. ]

Perhaps, if we're quick enough, there will be time to explore the city before our next portal.

[ she rubs her hands together a bit, now that the feeling's returned to them, and goes to settle at another spot around the campfire as thancred takes out his weapons for what she assumes is his cleaning routine. with her ration close she looks over to where stephen's settled, laughing once at his comment. ]

Do you think you'll feel the same way once we're on horseback again? [ just a little light teasing, as she takes a bite into her jerky. part of her wants to go and find that last bottle of wine they brought with them from hayle went, but now that she's settled and getting warmer, she's not sure she really wants to get up. ]

[funbreaker]

[ With all of them here, safe, the device set up, and food out for them to eat, it does feel as if Thancred can ease up just a bit. He is well aware that their campfire and the smell of food, even if it's dried meat and nothing fresh, could attract creatures to them. Yet he's quite used to keeping an eye and an ear open for such things, and they've already sorted out sleeping in shifts when they have to camp.

It's comforting to have a routine, if nothing else.

He takes some rags and cloths from his pack and sets them to the side of him, then opens up the cylinder on the gunblade. He begins to drag one of the small cloths through each of the chambers, making sure that it's cleaned out and well-lubricated. ]

It would be good if we could find some time to explore Hayle a bit more. [ He's quietly amused at the little tease that goes back and forth between Yennefer and Stephen, but is kind enough to not gang up on him this time around. ] This may be one of our only chances to visit, unless we can leverage doing Ambrose this favor into earning more options for traveling within Thorne.

[ It would be nice to return when they're not on such a schedule. ]

And Stephen, I will concede your magick has been quite helpful with making camp. [ He glances up from his work to eye him across the fire. ] There's another request I might make of you, regarding that.

[sorser]

[He laughs a little, barely there, but notable in that it's graduated itself up from a scoff. It's proof of the ease that's settled around them during nights like these; the three of them around the campfire, their work done for the day -- and dawn far enough away that they needn't worry about what needs to be done in the morning just yet.]

I did say camping and not horseback riding. How long before I'm supposed to get acclimated to that, anyway?

[It's half a rhetorical question because, regardless of the answer, he has a feeling he won't quite get used to it within the stretch of their journey. Well, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, he thinks; at least he'll be prepared for any future treks where horses are required, knowing the sort of dull aches he can expect.

Stephen draws his legs in, sitting cross-legged. It's a comfortable, familiar position. If he weren't humoring company with Thancred and Yennefer, he'd only be a few steps away from a stint of meditation. But the mention of a request has him curious, raising a brow at Thancred.]

And what request would that be?

[vixening]

[ yennefer's eyes do roll at stephen's rhetorical question, choosing not to answer that at all, though she does almost feel herself join him in laughing. it's thancred's mention of ambrose, though, that catches her attention - as any mention of that man usually does. ]

I doubt they're going to want to send more out into the country any time soon. Ambrose hasn't let most Summoned away from the castle. We're too valuable. But who knows- we come back victorious enough, he might not be able to tell us no.

[ it is an interesting concept - one that she would enjoy having at her disposal, if at all possible. the limits placed on travel, even within the same kingdom, have always felt restricting. more so, now that her magic is...the way it is. access to more regular portals that allow them across the kingdom as a whole...

she doesn't really let herself get too hopeful with it, and instead she feels herself settle a bit more comfortably in place. pulls her coat more tightly around her. she expects this routine of theirs to continue - for stephen to meditate or pull out a book, for thancred to finish cleaning his weapon.

the question he asks, though, cuts through what she'd been expecting - effectively drawing her attention, even if the question is directed to stephen. ]

[funbreaker]

It depends on how determined you are. The soreness will become something like a difficult friend, eventually.

[ It's not that Thancred doesn't also get sore after days of riding, but his muscles are certainly more accustomed to it and so it doesn't slow him down overly much. Yennefer is much the same.

While Thancred may not know Ambrose as well as his two companions, he won't count out the possibility of greater freedom just yet. ] I think we should at least attempt to bargain with him. They've let us out once, what's the harm in doing so again? [ Yes, there's plenty of harm, Thancred's fully aware of that, but they can certainly try to spin their argument a different way.

For now, back to his request. He nods down to his gunblade, lifting up one of the cartridges that fits into the chamber so that Stephen can take a look. ]

While I haven't had cause to put this into action yet, I'll have you know that these can do quite a bit of damage. They'll be even more effective if they're imbued with aether, however. [ He pauses then, remembering that different stars have different terms for such things. ] With your... magical energy, if that makes sense. It's not something I can do myself, and until now I had companions who would do it for me. [ He can't stop his gaze from flicking over to Yennefer in that moment. He'd already admitted his lack of ability to her, and while it's hardly a secret, he does take care with who he tells. Now Stephen will know. ]