abraxaslogs | OPEN MINGLE: Welcome to Thorne

WHO: OPEN to all Summoned in Thorne
WHAT: A party, info dump, and magic study session all rolled into one! Eat, drink, mingle -- make some friends!
WHEN: a couple days after the newest Summoned start appearing
WHERE: a ballroom in Castle Thorne

NOTES: This is an open mingle log where everyone can tag one another!

Rhy will have sent a written invitation to all Thornean newcomers within a couple days of their arrival, inviting them to meet their fellow Summoned. Otherwise, there will be fliers posted in the dining area that anyone can see. If your character has CR with Rhy (or Kell), you can assume they were told and got an in-person invite -- and you can even assume your character helped with setup if desired (decorations, helping set out food, etc.), since he definitely needed the assistance. Up to you!

Kylo Ren will also be hosting a group meditation to allow newcomers to access to the Horizon (and network). New Summoned who wish to learn how to step into the Horizon have an opportunity to have their connections to the Singularity activated. If preferred, they can also get one on one help from those who've been around for a bit.

Party people.

The large ballroom is bathed in warm, golden light from dozens of chandeliers above, reflecting off the gleaming inlaid floors and brass light fixtures along the walls. It is at once neatly sectioned, yet naturally open, allowing the length of the room to flow from one potential activity to another with ease.

In the center, a circular area has been left clear, and every half hour or so during the first half of the evening, two native Thornean (apprentice) mages come up to offer magic demonstrations -- mostly flashy elemental magic, adding sparks and atmosphere. If any of the Summoned who've been around longer wish to show off as well, they are welcome to do so.

Along the walls stand narrow refreshment tables and bar carts, where one can serve oneself with wine from large glass carafes. Water with seasonal fruits added is also available, as are a smaller number of bottles of brandy and mead. For those looking to eat a more substantial meal, large dining tables have been set out toward the center of the room, with plates and utensils and large platters of food in the center kindly provided by the kitchen staff (trying to use up ingredients they need to get rid of, mostly, but they always turn out delicious food so it really is a win-win situation). Both the handful of large tables and the smattering of small, taller tables for standing at are in full view of the demonstrations so the show can be enjoyed with food and drink, whatever your desire. Bright summer flowers garnish every table, freshening up the space.

Of course, there's plenty of space to stand and mingle, walk around and see what everyone else is up to. In the back of the room, the folding screens offer a quieter area, for more private conversation and meditation as desired.

Study buddies.

You may have attended one of Kylo Ren's group gatherings in the past, usually hosted in the privacy of his study. You may have heard about such gatherings, at least. In any case, the rumor around the Castle following the latest wave of Summonings is that Kylo Ren (the Venerable Kylo Ren, something of the Abraxan equivalent of a mysteriously broody Byronic hero, if the locals are to be believed) is offering his knowledge and assistance in another gathering of sorts -- this time as part of a welcoming celebration for the newly Summoned. As before, only the Summoned are invited, and encouraged to discuss their situation, exchange information and ideas, while the more settled among them can help newcomers reach the Horizon and access the Network for the first time.

To ensure some level of privacy, wooden folding screens have been put up around the back portion of the large ballroom, delicately carved with images of birds and flowers and enchanted to provide some insulation from the sound of the party beyond. Inside this sectioned-off portion, there are thick, soft rugs and a good number of large pillows for sitting on; a couple of chaise lounges and low tables line the perimeter, and another long table against the back wall holds drinks and light finger-foods and sweets, should anyone get nibbly after a group meditation or deep conversation.

(( ooc: Welcome to Team Thorne! Feel free to make your own top levels and tag around. If you have any questions, please PM this journal or catch me @ belleteyn on plurk! ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Eh, who knows what their master plan is? But...I've been doing pretty well, actually. Trying some new approaches to training. Getting the hang of freezing things, at least. Not just bowls of water, either.

[While Mat's progress is slow, it's begun to be noticeable. Better control, more ways to apply the one trick he's comfortable with. Of course he's experimented a bit with other spells, but he isn't confident in them yet.

Still. For a change, he actually has something new to say, when asked about his channelling.]

It's all coming a bit easier, since last time I was whining about it.

See? Practice does make a difference. Who would have thought.

[Kell can't hold back the snicker. Not that he even tries to.]

So, now that you've got two parts of elemental magic covered. [Almost. Let's be honest, that's a very generous assessment.] What's the next step? Any grand goals to achieve in the future?

Oh, I'm happy to maintain where I'm at. Not that I'll be allowed to, but whatever I move on to will be at the choice of my teacher.

[She's already had Mat branching out a little bit. Exploring different sorts of elements, though nothing he's worked on in his own time yet. He may not be the quickest of students, but he's attentive and diligent.]

No real goals, though. I only wanted to control it, really. But...I find myself a proper apprentice these day, so who the fuck knows. I have been thinking about how it all can be used...and used together.

[What an appalling lack of ambition. Kell can never understand people who not only are unwilling, but even uninterested in learning more. Letting others decide their pursuits for them.]

You don't have any preference yourself? There must be an area that interests you more than others.

[That is an interesting concept. One that Kell is already somewhat familiar with. But that's his experience. Back home, people rarely were able to wield more than one element. No one but him was able to wield all of them. Well, almost no one.]

Of course, it can. Even if it's more in the Academy style to put everything in neat, little boxes, clearly separated from each other, they have to admit that sometimes different disciplines just naturally work well together.

Kell, my greatest area of interest is not being able to do it at all. But as that's not an option, I am doing my best to accept what I am and what I can do. That doesn't mean I'm going to be excited about it. I'm not pursuing this because I want to, but because I have to in order to control it and make myself less potentially dangerous. I'm just lucky I have teachers who understand and are willing to work with me.

[Mat's getting better and more at ease with what he can do, but he hardly has any desire to become some great mage, as they call Aes Sedai here. This is all purely practical. It's a precaution. Like getting a wildfire contained. It has to be done, so he's doing it.

And while he can find moments of pride and satisfaction in mastering - to an extent - the few things he has, it still comes with trepidation and that impossible to shake fear that he's going to lose his mind. Not helped by so many instances where he really does feel as if he's going mad.]

I've nothing against magic. Magic has saved my life, I'm not an idiot. But light, I've spent my life terrified of the possibility of being able to do it. That sort of thing doesn't just vanish in a handful of months. And I appreciate how many folks in my life are supportive and encouraging, but it's really not something I can get that excited about or start looking to the future on. I'm still trying not to look over my shoulder for White Cloaks or Red Aes Sedai coming to take me away.

Woah, woah, calm down. I am not trying to attack you here. I was just curious, that's all.

[Kell takes a step back and lifts his hand even before he has a moment to think. True, he should have remembered. That's not the first time he hears it. But, and that's an important but for him, it's also unfair from Mat's side to go full on explosion on him for one, well-meaning question. They come from such vastly differing backgrounds that sometimes Kell wonders how are they even able to communicate at all. It's honestly a small miracle such incidents like this one do not happen more often.]

I've never called you an idiot, Mat. But alright, no love for magic, I get it. End of story, won't pester you about it ever again.

[That leaves them kind of short of topics, given how much of what Kell does revolves on magic.]

No, no, I'm sorry. It's not you. It really isn't. It's my own shit.

[Mat waves his hand in apology. It's not Kell's fault, it really isn't. Nor is it ever Anakin's fault, or Rhy's. They're all of them from places where these powers don't hold the same dangers as him. And light knows he's piss-poor at explaining it. Beyond that...Mat again, is not an idiot. He knows damned well what the problem really is, underneath the general 'going mad and being gentled' threat that exists back home.]

I have what I believe is referred to as 'baggage'. Ah...

[He glances around and drops his voice as he leans in a bit closer. Kell...he's known the fellow long enough. The broad strokes can be shared.]

Right before I came here, I had a very unpleasant experience. With magic. It...did things to me, and it almost killed me. And a part of me keeps thinking...what if every time I use my power, I'm inviting that back? What anger I've got, it's only at myself.

[And whatever exists inside him that the dagger's dark power tapped into and fed off of. Whatever that thing is that made everyone terrified he could be their prophesied savior, afraid he would oh-so-easily give in to the dark.]

I'm a very fucked up fellow, is what it all comes down to.

A baggage? Interesting turn of phrase.

[The expression is unfamiliar to Kell, but he's got no trouble understanding. Actually, it's pretty neat way of saying you have some shitty stuff in your past. It's what follows that makes him pause.]

Damn, that sucks! No wonder you don't want to touch it now. I get now why you're so fixated on controlling the thing. That's the reasonable action to do given the experience.

To be honest, I had something close to an opposite experience. Just before I got summoned, I've been stripped of my magic, and it almost killed me.

[What worse: not only him. So for that part he's slightly grateful for the summoning.]

Yes, exactly! I've got a baggage about magic, and for good reason. Makes me a bit of a prick about it sometimes.

[Mat lets out a breath he didn't realize he's been holding. But Kell is perfectly accepting of his vague overview, and doesn't ask for any details. It's a relief. The details...they aren't anything he likes to get into.

And his apology's been accepted, which he's also grateful for. He does quite like Kell, and would hate to strike a chasm between them. He simply loses control of himself sometimes...

Which goes right back to his original problem.]

But I am sorry, that you went through that. I know your magic's damned important to you, for a number of reasons.

And light, that sounds just as bad. So we're both a bit fucked up!

Quite understandable.

[Kell himself has very many things he'd rather have never seen the light of day. Things he's not proud of, stuff that still gives him nightmares. Sometimes literally. So he is not going to push, when it's obvious that Mat doesn't want to go into detail.

As much as he always complains about not being understood or acknowledged in his torment... when he is, Kell doesn't know how to react. So he just shrugs.]

It happened. I'm just glad it wasn't permanent. [He chuckles.] Yes, if think you could say we are. A toast to being fucked up by magic. Let it never happen again. [Because sarcasm is always the answer.]

OPEN MINGLE: Welcome to Thorne

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

a good place to wrap here?