abraxaslogs | [ open ]

[ yennefer's eyes do narrow at his explanation, because there is something both familiar and entirely unfamiliar about what he's trying to say. willpower has always been, and will always continue to be, an active and important part of control where it concerns chaos and the magic created from it.

she intends to ask more about it, the details and what about it made it so interesting, but there are more pressing matters here and they involve, very specifically, each of the summoned's apparent involvement in her near-death. because she had her own theories pieced together from what she's learned - the corrupted protection spell, thancred coming to apologize for not taking part in their piece of the magic, the delegate from solvunn untouched. she hadn't been told the details of said spell and what each of the summoned had to actually do. there is a flash of a kind of...not anger, exactly, but bitterness at how easy their part had been and how little it had actually done for her when the shift in lucifer's volume pulls her attention back again.

her classroom is of course warded, but it is not nearly as safe as somewhere such as kylo's study room (if lucifer ever gets bored and wants to drop in a few more protective wards, she won't say no). but it is safe for now, or at least safe enough, though her eyes flash to the door - which remains closed - before turning back to him. ] The notice has a larger impact that you might think. The retaliation- [ he can read the sarcasm in her voice how he wishes, but if he's good enough at it, he may be able to pick out just how she feels about being used as a martyr to start a war. how she feels that the queen would wait for this before launching what she has very obviously been planning for some time. ] -would require an excessive amount of time to prepare, and would have been ready for whatever first strike would be made. Anyone can collect power to that degree with enough time, but it does not surprise me that Ambrose's mages were unable to come up with something more concrete in terms of protection.

[ yennefer lets out an annoyed sound, clearly picking up on lucifer's meaning. of course thorne is to blame for what happened to her, of course the officials aren't to be trusted. for all that yennefer knows how to play these games, she gets so tired of the repetitiveness of this.

but then yennefer seems to have an idea, as she blinks and something else settles over her features. she turns and puts out any open flames, anything she was working on, and picks up a stack of notes and a book, much like she's preparing to leave. ] Walk with me. [ she states, not exactly giving lucifer the option to say no as she walks passed him towards the door and out into the hallway. ]

Edited 2022-11-30 21:40 (UTC)

[He's hardly going to tell her no, especially with whatever she's decided. He likely wouldn't have ever told her no since their first meeting. He's worked with enough people that have a certainty about their power--and while at the time many were still nothing compared to him, there was an accuracy to how they felt settled in it.

He follows without another word, a deference few people are allowed, and won't speak again until she's taken them to wherever it is and she continues with their discussion.]

[ as they walk, yennefer retains the same kind of presence as she normally would around the castle - no matter the topic of their talk, she smiles and greets those she recognizes in the hallways. makes comments to lucifer like they'd been discussing something mundane and altogether unimportant.

it is noted, though, that he does follow without question. something yennefer remembers.

the whole facade drops as soon as they step inside kylo's study, a place that is the safest and most warded in the castle. when the door is shut and the wards return to their position, she turns back to lucifer. ]

What do you know about the first few groups of Summoned who arrived here?

[It's interesting to observe her in her element. He understands that more than anything, the masks they were in different environments, different people. It's how he's operated under the radar so much in Thorne, but if that's the topic she's leading with then it's likely a bad sign.

He should know more. But digging too much is dangerous and he hasn't been able to settle into as safe as a network as he would prefer. He needs better defenses before he pokes into Thorne's closets himself, hoping instead to encourage others.]

Not much. Many got put unceremoniously in the dungeons.

[ there is a flash of her anger that shoots across her eyes, then, equal parts in relation to the dungeons, and the way he says unceremoniously. her arms cross. ]

Ambrose claims he made mistakes, in those first few Summonings, and those mistakes were to remain in the dungeon, where any and all connection to their abilities - magic, chaos, anything about them that could make them a thread - was cut off from them. Many of the Summoned who were not imprisoned were working to change this decision, lobby the Crown, the High Mage, the people of the court; but there was no implication this decision would be changed. After all, why would the High Mage want reminders of his failings to be walking amongst the castle walls?

[ yennefer's tone, usually, has always taken an unimpressed, angry tone whenever she's mentioned ambrose in the past. this time, though, there is something of a shift. something much sharper, much angrier, curling beneath the surface of her words.

it probably won't take much for lucifer to put the pieces together, if he hasn't heard it whispered around the castle before now. how yennefer was one such imprisoned, how she remained in that dungeons for months.

she lets out a breath of air, as if to push herself out of that mood, as she continues. ]

That was, until we were broken out. [ she'll pause here, briefly, as if to check to see if this is new information, or if it's something she can skip through. ]

[So then she's about his same level of doesn't take well to being caged.

Good to know.

He's starting to think he needs to stop finding similarities between them because turns out that may not ultimately be a good thing, for either of them.

For Yennefer, caged as she was, to be in the position she is now, so close to the queen...

It was an impressive feat. And meant that she would do anything. Anything. To survive.

Hm.

From moving locations and her sudden... openness... he assumes they can talk freely here. He holds back the question on the tip of his tongue for later, because this is new information for him, and only inclines his head for her to continue.]

[ in seeing that he's listening - that he understands what it is she's saying in its full - yennefer lets out another breath. it's annoyed, angry in a lot of ways. it is a new wound for her, no matter how long ago it might have taken place. just so lucifer can have a small taste of the truth of yennefer's ire - she does not forget.

still, there's quite a bit of ground to cover, so yennefer doesn't spare much time to this. ]

Two beings - Oliver and Elizabeth - were able to place a hold on the entirety of Castle Thorne, all but the Summoned. They were able to create portals from the castle to the other factions of the continent and we were all given a choice to leave or stay. Once the natives were freed from the spell here in Thorne, those of us who chose to remain were given a pardon by the High Mage and the Queen, as well as a personal apology by Jolene. [ another brief pause, where yennefer waits to see if lucifer makes any mention of already knowing jolene, before she lets out another sigh. ]

I won't make assumptions of you Lucifer, and frankly I don't care. But it's worth making sure you understand that Thorne has never been of a single mind; there are separate factions within these walls that have vastly different goals where it concerns us, and even more ideas on how to accomplish them. The Queen herself has made it clear she will use Summoned to protect her own people, even at the cost of our lives. [ yennefer is in enough control of herself not to let her own tone change at that mention, no matter whatever other knowledge she might carry about it. ]

Thorne was never going to protect any of us.

[At first he thinks I know before her words truly sink in. Any of us. He'd known for the most part that they were all fodder, but he had believed that those like Yennefer had enough value that they'd be protected as an asset. Even Lucifer isn't someone to bother losing his best assets; isn't going to start over again every time when he could have just spent a little extra effort.

But then that was in Abraxas, wasn't it? Before here, before his power cut, he'd operate the same way as the crown.

It meant even if he got himself to Yennefer's same level of recognition, he'd still be someone to throw away. There was no level of value he could provide that would be worth more than the Queen's people.

He knew Thorne would always be a stepping stone; he had just hoped maybe he could lose some of his extra caution eventually.

She's given him a lot. A lot that matters; her words have notably made an impact, if by a shift in his eyes alone. The different factions within the city is incredibly important and something to poke into at some point. But he focuses on one part.] This Oliver and Elizabeth--what of them? Executed or escaped?

[ open ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

hilariously I didn't know Yen was thrown in the dungeons LOL but he prob did

HE ALSO MIGHT NOT HAVE it's not something she shares/that she likes being shared around the castle.

TRUE ENOUGH