Mat Cauthon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
a_better_man) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
abraxaslogs2022-05-26 07:37 pm
a_better_man) wrote in abraxaslogs2022-05-26 07:37 pm
Open Log - Thorne Castle
WHO: Mat Cauthon AND YOU
WHEN: Throughout the second half of May
WHERE: Castle Thorne, surrounding town
WHAT: Practicing magic, being the life of the party at the tavern, and running errands for Yennefer
WARNINGS: Will add as needed!
Magic Practice - Castle Thorne Garden
While Mat's still not entirely comfortable with his abilities, he knows he need to practice them. The more he practices, the better control he has, and the less of a potential danger he is. It's simple. But light if he doesn't still feel as though he's doing something wrong.
It's one thing when he has a mentor directing him and sitting right there. Behind closed doors. It's another to just...do it, on his own. But he has to. So here he is, in one of the relatively sheltered little garden spaces around the castle. He has a basin of water set on a bench in front of him, and he's practicing freezing and thawing it in turn.
Or attempting to, at least. There's a lot of holding his hands in front of him and glaring, and a good deal of cursing. Sometimes an icy little wind cuts through the garden, or the leaf of a nearby plant turns white and frosty. Getting frustrated, Mat waves his hands and growls in annoyance....
And a sharp spike of ice seems to leap from the basin, shooting out in a solid, tapering spear of frozen water.
"Shit!"
Tavern - Free Round
Mat has never outright, intentionally cheated at gambling. And certainly not here, where he's sure that every other tavern patron can detect that sort of thing. Oh, he's misrepresented himself and manipulated circumstances to place himself against the right opponents, but never at the game itself.
Still, he has a knack for it. And that's no different in Abraxas, where he tosses a pair of dice and cheers heartily as they come up in his favor. Half the table cheers with him, half curse and throw up their hands.
"Lady Luck is favoring me tonight!" Mat gathers his winnings to him with a grin. "Alright, alright, to celebrate such a fine evening of games, this round's on me! Everyone's drinking on Mat Cauthon's coin!"
He retreats from the gambling table and drops a pile of low denomination coins on the bar, takes his own drink, and slips off to the side for now.
There's such a thing as pressing luck, after all.
Around the Town - Running Errands
How, exactly, has this happened? Mat has spent the majority of his afternoon not lazing about the castle, not busking on the corner, not dallying with one of his handsome friends, not even studying. No, he's been running all over town with a list of things Lady Yennefer needs, and now he has shop satchels hanging off both arms as he tries to find the last stop on his errand list.
Light help him, but he's a goner for beautiful older women who order him about.
It's a race against the sun as Mat finally turns down the proper street, eyes peeled for a sign reading 'The Dancing Mirror'. This lane seems unfathomably long, and he hustles and hurries, muttering under his breath...aha! There it is!
Quickening his pace, Mat weaves between late afternoon shoppers and Thorneans on their way home from work, offering quick apologies. He reaches to grasp the knob of the shop....and it doesn't turn.
"Oh come on!" Mat steps back with a sigh, raking a hand through his unruly curls. "I've got ten more minutes...Light blast it!"
He kicks at a nearby pile of broken bricks, one of which cracks apart violently with a sharp, loud sound.
Wildcard
[Mat can also always be found in the baths or the dining hall, or busking in town with a sad little hand drum for musical accompaniment, or in his ever-changing Horizon domain. Feel free to throw a starter at me!]
WHEN: Throughout the second half of May
WHERE: Castle Thorne, surrounding town
WHAT: Practicing magic, being the life of the party at the tavern, and running errands for Yennefer
WARNINGS: Will add as needed!
Magic Practice - Castle Thorne Garden
While Mat's still not entirely comfortable with his abilities, he knows he need to practice them. The more he practices, the better control he has, and the less of a potential danger he is. It's simple. But light if he doesn't still feel as though he's doing something wrong.
It's one thing when he has a mentor directing him and sitting right there. Behind closed doors. It's another to just...do it, on his own. But he has to. So here he is, in one of the relatively sheltered little garden spaces around the castle. He has a basin of water set on a bench in front of him, and he's practicing freezing and thawing it in turn.
Or attempting to, at least. There's a lot of holding his hands in front of him and glaring, and a good deal of cursing. Sometimes an icy little wind cuts through the garden, or the leaf of a nearby plant turns white and frosty. Getting frustrated, Mat waves his hands and growls in annoyance....
And a sharp spike of ice seems to leap from the basin, shooting out in a solid, tapering spear of frozen water.
"Shit!"
Tavern - Free Round
Mat has never outright, intentionally cheated at gambling. And certainly not here, where he's sure that every other tavern patron can detect that sort of thing. Oh, he's misrepresented himself and manipulated circumstances to place himself against the right opponents, but never at the game itself.
Still, he has a knack for it. And that's no different in Abraxas, where he tosses a pair of dice and cheers heartily as they come up in his favor. Half the table cheers with him, half curse and throw up their hands.
"Lady Luck is favoring me tonight!" Mat gathers his winnings to him with a grin. "Alright, alright, to celebrate such a fine evening of games, this round's on me! Everyone's drinking on Mat Cauthon's coin!"
He retreats from the gambling table and drops a pile of low denomination coins on the bar, takes his own drink, and slips off to the side for now.
There's such a thing as pressing luck, after all.
Around the Town - Running Errands
How, exactly, has this happened? Mat has spent the majority of his afternoon not lazing about the castle, not busking on the corner, not dallying with one of his handsome friends, not even studying. No, he's been running all over town with a list of things Lady Yennefer needs, and now he has shop satchels hanging off both arms as he tries to find the last stop on his errand list.
Light help him, but he's a goner for beautiful older women who order him about.
It's a race against the sun as Mat finally turns down the proper street, eyes peeled for a sign reading 'The Dancing Mirror'. This lane seems unfathomably long, and he hustles and hurries, muttering under his breath...aha! There it is!
Quickening his pace, Mat weaves between late afternoon shoppers and Thorneans on their way home from work, offering quick apologies. He reaches to grasp the knob of the shop....and it doesn't turn.
"Oh come on!" Mat steps back with a sigh, raking a hand through his unruly curls. "I've got ten more minutes...Light blast it!"
He kicks at a nearby pile of broken bricks, one of which cracks apart violently with a sharp, loud sound.
Wildcard
[Mat can also always be found in the baths or the dining hall, or busking in town with a sad little hand drum for musical accompaniment, or in his ever-changing Horizon domain. Feel free to throw a starter at me!]
no subject
"You don't look especially lazy to me, practising diligently as you do."
There are only a couple of things his blood magic can't achieve here. For those, and for his own curiosity, he studied the local spells. For most, he doesn't have enough practice yet, but understanding the process has helped every time.
"I am not a fan of endless repetition. Understanding the process just makes everything quicker."
no subject
He thinks she does...but not quite the way he'd like. But he's charming and patient!
Besides, uncontrolled power is dangerous power, and he will not be a danger to the people he cares about. That alone would be motivation enough.
"I think that's what's got me dragging my feet. It's the same, till I get control over a thing, repeating it over and over."
no subject
Kell suppresses the urge to sigh and roll his eyes, barely. It does come out in his tone of voice, though.
"If that's under strict orders, then there's really nothing you can do but practice diligently. I bet she wouldn't like the explanation that you are lazy."
It's not motivation that would ever work for him, but he's not out there to impress the girls. On the other hand, not that he had to try. The only one that ever really caught his attention was an annoying brat, so doesn't count.
no subject
And still he fears it, even as he's learning to control it. But the lingering fear, all the implications...they're difficult for Mat to fight against.
"Still feels like something I shouldn't be doing at all, least of all out in the open where anyone could see."
Back home...that would get him hauled off and thrown in a cage until he could be taken care of. And then he'd never be the same.
no subject
Does it help? Maybe, probably? Kell doesn't know. He tried. While the concept of being prosecuted for practising magic is not entirely alien to him, it's not something he's ever experienced. The opposite is true. Not being able to do it was considered a problem.
"One good thing about this place is that you can. Actually, you even should. People here are more likely to help you than frown at you, if they notice you struggle with your practice."
He means the academy, but it's most likely true for the rest of the castle. Kell hasn't experience much animosity towards him, other than maybe a surprised glance here and there. But that's more from his status as a Summoned, not magician. Frankly, for him, it's refreshing not being treated like a big deal all the time by all people.
Once he stopped being cranky about it, that is...
no subject
Some. But not much. It's a hell of a thing to get over, a belief held for one's entire life.
"But it still feels...like something to be ashamed of. Like I'm guilty of something awful. Suppose I just have to give it time." And see if any dire consequences befall him. None have, yet, and it's been months. Surely that's a good sign.
But he remembers what Moiraine had said. About how strong he is, how he can resist things others can't. Maybe he can just hold out longer than most. But either way, it's not as though it's up to him.
"Anyhow, you didn't come over to hear me whine about my troubles. I'll spare your ear any more of my bitching."
no subject
It's not a dismissive one. As difficult, as it sometimes is for him to convey it, he understands. He can get the uneasy feeling of doing something very, very wrong, born out of conditioning that should no longer matter here, but is so ingrained it's close to impossible to get rid off. Or catch yourself doing it even. That, and he could possibly get a degree in whining himself. What Matt is doing is not even close to his own levels of complaining.
"Can't say I had some grand motive to stop by. Mainly curious what you were doing. So if you need to get it off your chest, go for it."