[ open ]

[vixening]

Who: yennefer + others
When: september
Where: castle thorne + the horizon
What: after the events of the nocwich, and the retaliation from all sides, yennefer keeps busy. ota unless specified otherwise.
Warnings: yennefer's bad moods, etc.

Comments

[funbreaker]

[ Even with Yennefer's body somewhat shielded under the bedding, Thancred notes that moment when it seems like she's halfway to getting up and trying to leave, as impossible as that would be with her given state. He also notes the moment that she gives up on that idea and there is a much subtler shift, as if a wall between them that was broken down long ago is being built up again, right in front of him.

Her eyes become impassive, her movements calculated (for the little that she can move at all, right now). He feels as if this is almost worse than if she had screamed and shouted at him, or if she'd demanded answers, or if she'd accused him of betrayal.

At the time, it hadn't felt like one. He'd done what he knew he needed to do, and he had assured that Stephen would have things in order. Of course, none of this could come down one person, as it turns out.

Had his sole decision led to Yennefer's injuries and Himeka's relative lack of them? He can't say for certain. This all seems to be a matter of numbers. Yet that doesn't stop him from taking it onto his shoulders again.

He folds his hands in his lap and stares down at them for a moment, neck bent forward as if someone were pressing down on it. ] I can't speak of what caused the backfire. That must have been due to someone else. [ It's not like he's opposed to the idea of sabotaging Thorne, given all that they've done, but not when someone like Yennefer is in the crossfire.

At her question, he looks up to meet her gaze again (still that same stare; she'll give away nothing) and nods slowly. ] Himeka's injuries are minor. And from what I hear, Jaskier's also sustained injuries, but will recover. [ It occurs to him that he doesn't know how much Yennefer has been told since she woke, his shoulders tensing as he straightens in his seat. ] Have you yet heard of the Queen's attack on the Free Cities?

[vixening]

[ it hurts, which yennefer has always known to be the worst part. it's the reason she doesn't do this, why she had always kept the wall up in the first place. the sharp, unyielding pain of knowing that what he did - what he chose - makes sense. and she doesn't blame him - if there is one thing about her tone that he can pick out of her words, it's that there is no blame to them. an understanding, maybe. a hollow feeling that she gets it, because she does.

but it still hurts, and she hates that it hurts, simply because it is thancred. other summoned, maybe. thorne is a castle, a kingdom of power and magic, of backstabbers and of two-faced liars. that is not to say she thinks thancred is either, but he is skilled in this, isn't he? ]

No, that's not- [ she presses her mouth into a line, lets out a frustrated breath, shaking her head. yennefer can't quite tell yet if it's the pain that is muddling her thoughts, her words, or if it's something else. ] There was a spell that was set off when the device, or whatever it was, first reacted. A protective shield that held off the poisonous gas. But even then, the gas itself wasn't... [ there is a small moment where yennefer just pauses, because even the movement of shaking her head has left her feeling a bit dizzy. she hates it, that feeling curling in her gut. weak. ] It was the protective spell itself that did this. [ she gestures to what are very obviously her injuries. the effects of it all. ] Something went wrong, and I'd thought it might have been interference, but it could have just been an unsteady spell, magic without the foundation.

[ a numbers game, is what she means. but it's not as though it matters - she survived, despite it. and at learning of himeka, yennefer nods at the information. good, she thinks. there's no telling what healing they would have over in solvunn. at mention of jaskier, though, yennefer very specifically doesn't react. in part because she is too exposed, even with everyone out of the room, here in the infirmary. the last thing she needs is the queen finding out about jaskier, how it might lead to geralt, to ciri, so yennefer just nods again. does not mention that yes, she did hear about jaskier, has already checked in with him - panicked, upset, worried for him.

instead, she somehow stills even further at thancred's words - because yes, she did know about libertas, but that had been from jaskier. a conversation that, if someone were listening, she isn't supposed to have had. so, whether or not thancred can tell she is lying, she still says in that same flat tone, ] I've heard rumors, but little else. [ a pause. a swallow. ]

What happened?

[funbreaker]

[ It's a bit simpler to have this conversation as they shift away from personal blame and instead focus on the facts. None of the other Summoned had been there to witness what happened to Yennefer and the other delegates, and so it's best to hear it directly from their mouths. They'd been told there were injuries, but little more.

So the spell that had been intended for her protection had in fact put her in this state, rather than the gas. There's a bitter irony in that, isn't it? And it does speak to some manner of sabotage, though the source is less clear. Thancred frowns, but this sort of tampering speaks to an inside job rather than to any meddling by the Free Cities. ]

It seems unclear, then, if the failure of the spell was through deliberate sabotage or a simple failing, as you say. [ He heaves out a sigh, trailing his fingers down the front of his face. Still so many unasked questions, and they have no idea who targeted the delegates in the first place. All three factions were threatened, after all. Could it have been someone loyal to Nocwich?

Thancred is eager to get Yennefer up to speed now for what she missed while unconscious, but both of them need to take great care with what they say. He clears his throat, takes a moment to gather his thoughts. ]

You're not the only one who ran afoul of a spell that backfired. Grigory suffered the same face — a worse one, in fact. He did not survive. [ Yennefer is no friend of Grigory, far from it, based on a few offhanded remarks she's made during their chats, or simply expressions she's pulled when his name has come up in conversation. He suspects she won't lose sleep over this information. ] Queen Ellya drew the conclusion that the Free Cities must be responsible, based on a device that was found planted on you. [ Does Yennefer know aught about it? ] As a result, she sent meteors raining down on Libertas in retaliation.

[ The damage and casualties are extensive, but he bites his tongue on that, focused on keeping his tone neutral. She'll be able to fill in the blanks, he's certain. ]

[vixening]

[ yennefer's mind is in the same place as thancred's where it concerns the source - an inside job, yes. something, or someone, who has tampered with what should have been a relatively simple protection spell. if thancred looks into it, he might also find a similar situation led to grigory's untimely demise as well - a lack of foundation, of an inside influence causing the effects of this.

she doesn't smile, but there is a kind of sardonic look that crosses her face at his comment, if only because a good part of her is becoming more and more convinced that it was deliberate failing, rather than anything else. she still is not comfortable with the concept that her fate had been in the hands of her fellow summoned, less comfortable with how it played out. she won't let herself feel betrayed, exactly, but it does feel...well, almost fated. a reminder of what she had started to let slip. jaskier would have been safe if he had not put himself in harm's way to save his guard, and himeka herself was unharmed. only she had been in such danger, and only she had suffered to this degree.

well. her and grigory, who had not survived. thancred carefully crafts his words as he delivers the information, and while yennefer does try to hold back the smile, he probably can see the twitch of her lips. ] He didn't survive? That's...awful. Is the Queen alright? [ which is yennefer's way of - if anyone is indeed listening - expressing her awareness of the castle's worst kept secret. but it is the next bit that fully has any semblance of humor dropping from her face. ]

From the device? Have you had chance to see it? [ she is able to fill in the blanks, and it roils angrily in her gut. that she had been used as a chess piece for the queen to use to finally let loose her attack on the cities. she would be much more panicked if she hadn't already made certain of jaskier and ciri's safety, but still, the realization of what it means sits heavy in the air.

yennefer exhales, and all of a sudden looks much more exhausted than she had moments before. ] Our Queen is quick to act. [ another layered comment - an observation that she had already been ready to strike, even before they had gone to nocwich. something both she and thancred would be aware of. ]

[funbreaker]

[ That small twitch of Yennefer's lips passes so quickly that most would miss it. Thancred's staring her right in the face as they speak, however, and he's used to looking for such tells. He doesn't think anything will come of it, especially as Yennefer does a decent job of acting concerned. She doesn't have to overdo it, as no one would expect any dramatic reactions given the physical state she's in right now, her whole body wracked with exhaustion. ]

I believe Stephen was going to see if he could examine it, but I'm uncertain what came of that. [ If their suspicions are correct and there might be evidence of foul play, then chances are that none of the Summoned will be allowed to take a close look. It's possible the device has already been disposed of, even.

They're going to be left with far more questions than answers, he suspects. And he understands how frustrating that must be for someone like Yennefer, who had suffered the consequences of any plotting going on behind the scenes. ]

She is. [ They've been on the brink of war for weeks now, so in some ways this isn't a shock. That the Queen would resort to such a blatant attack on her enemies is what he hadn't been prepared to see. ] The question now is how the Free Cities will respond. I can't imagine they have no retaliations planned, but I suppose the castle is well warded for such things.

[ Meaning that there's a good chance some other part of Thorne will be targeted. One of the cities the two of them visited some months back, perhaps. ]

also this is so so old i am happy to handwave the rest of the thread etc! whatever you wanna do!

[vixening]

[ knowing that stephen is the one looking into it does make her feel a bit better, if only because if anyone would be allowed beyond the restrictions of the castle, it would be him. though, truthfully, she's not sure anything at all will come of it - not because she has any concerns about stephen's capabilities, but rather she doubts whoever planned this far would leave any trace of information behind.

there is more to be taken from the series of actions themselves, but at the same time she's not so sure. but that is hardly a conversation they can have, so instead thancred turns to what they can. yennefer finds her head shaking. ]

The castle is protected from all manner of attacked, but I can't see the Cities being caught off-guard either, no. But even then, how do you protect an entire kingdom?

[ well, yennefer has some ideas, but she is playing the part of a shocked supporter of the crown, of a normal member of the court. it makes her head ache, even now, and the next time she exhales it is a bit heavier.

it feels a bit impossible to think that this is it, but then again, war is never really that simple, is it? ]