abraxaslogs | [ CLOSED ] tooth and nail, tooth and nail

Oh yeah? I...avoided the Horizon, once I knew something was going wrong. I heard about some pretty awful experiences though. Beyond Julie's.

[There'd been no temptation or impulse there, at least.]

Most of what I went through was in the real world. It was like...every impulse, every little 'I kind of want that...' feeling was really strong. I bought all kinds of things I didn't need and kept saying the things you usually only say in your head...

[Luckily little of it had caused any damage, dismissed as stress and nerves making themselves known. Even her uncharitable thoughts, on the whole, weren't that bad. At least the ones that had passed through her mind while afflicted.]

And...it also manifested in encouraging other people to give in to temptations.

[ Geralt, too, watches the dog. Uncertainty colours his expression. He's not unsettled by the creature. He's seen stranger. It's more—all of it. The oracles, the bones, the children. The fact that Kyle has seemingly used a dog as a vessel for his sister. Who is...not dead. Caught between worlds? Without a corporeal form?

He glances back at Kyle. Does Kyle mean that literally? Is that possible? He pauses, but it feels like a point that's not worth belabouring. ] Things often do.

[ Memories or people. They've haunted him from the moment he set foot in the Horizon. And yet. Here he is. Still visiting.

In any case. A promise is a promise. ]

What is it you wanted to know? About Thorne?

[ He thinks of his conversation with Wanda. Of memory, of home, of the dangers in losing touch with reality. They're all drawn to Horizon, one way or another. He might've put if off for longer, if not for Jack, but eventually he would've succumbed to his curiosity.

Kahlil's yet to hear of a Summoned who refused the connection entirely.

At the question, he frowns in thought. What does he want to know? Probably more than Geralt has time or will to explain. ]

What was Thorne like when you arrived? [ A beat. ] And what made them change?

[ He's only gleaned bits and pieces about the first question. He knows nothing about the second. Another pause. ]

I'm used to being able to go wherever I like, unseen. [ As Geralt noticed back in the hunting grounds. ] But the castle is magically protected in a way that makes that frustratingly impossible at the moment.

[ He suspects there are many secrets in the castle. It's something he's talked to Lucifer about, but neither of them have had any luck breaching them. ]

[ He remembers Kyle asking why he was chosen, and answering I wasn't. Beyond that, he'd said little of his time in Thorne. Including the fact that the first of them were never given the option to refuse the connection. ]

We were divided. Those unwanted were sent to the dungeons. The rest were guests. As you are. [ No changes there, in how they treat the Summoned they approved of. ] Some months in, the castle was breached. Interrupted an execution. I don't know who they are but—they opened portals. We fled through them. Others chose to stay.

[ He's never seen Oliver again. With so much going on, the question of the mage has truthfully been pushed aside for more pressing matters. But he can't help wondering where the man vanished to. Why free the prisoners, then disappear? For what purpose? ]

My time was too restricted to identify Thorne's protections. [ He leans forward. ] But their reach is enough to have taken me a second time, outside their borders.

[ Interrupted an execution. Something about that makes him think of the Fai'daum. The memory scratches at the back of his mind, but here with Geralt he's too unsure to reach out and open that door. He doesn't need to stumble through that maze right now.

His mouth forms a line, then pulls down at one side. ]

When the dead were rising - there was whispers that some mangled bodies crawled up from beneath the castle. [ The dungeons or below. He doesn't know if that's related to anything with Geralt's time there - he hopes not, but it feels worth mentioning.

His brow furrows. ]

A second time? [ His eyebrows knit further together. ] And they've never contacted you again?

[ His head tilts. That's new. Not surprising, but new. The truth is, his experience in the dungeons wasn't awful. Not the first time. He's been held in worse conditions. Thorne's formal policies appear to be one thing. The decisions of the queen is—something else.

He pauses. This is information he's shared with almost no one. He's been uncertain what use it even is. ]

Queen Ellya once sent guards to retrieve a prisoner. I spoke to the girl after. She said—the Queen conducted an experiment using her. It resulted in a man's death.

[ Which leads him to— ]

They weren't seeking contact. The Queen had...certain ambitions. I'm lucky I heal fast. [ He's skirting, a little, the reasons why he was captured. Even now, Yennefer's position is precarious. And he didn't earn those scars for nothing. ] If you ask me, Thorne has not changed. Not while she sits on the throne.

Is the king that spineless? Or are they in agreement? [ Even so, the situation would be unheard of in Basawar. No gaunsho would allow any of his wives to openly hold any kind of power. He understands it's different in other worlds, but it still seems. Odd.

At I heal fast, he gives Geralt a curious look. Another side effect of his mutations, he thinks. How he survived his youth. Healing fast is a lucky thing in some ways, but he imagines there are unfortunate ways for such a power to be exploited, especially by anyone with cruelty in mind. ]

Then they seek to oppose her, or Thorne. [ If they weren't seeking contact. Why else cause what must have been chaos? Another frown. ] What was this experiment?

If they're in agreement, it's only because she has his balls.

[ The situation isn't as unusual for Geralt, but the lack of a united front is. No matter who truly holds power behind the curtain, the crown tends to appear together. But he's rarely seen the king stand by his wife's side, nor she his. He has to wonder how much of that is to do with her uncle. There's undeniable value in having the army in your pocket. ]

Likely. [ If Kyle is referring to Oliver, then. Yes. At the very least, they were there to stir shit up, and they succeeded. The other nations had not summoned anyone of their own until they realized Thorne was successful.

He shrugs. The precise details are vague. Relena disappeared soon after. Among others. Now there are...what. Five? Six? Who were there at the time? As far as he knows, only he and one other remain who spoke to Relena about what happened. ] She tried to transfer our connection to the Singularity into one of her own. It failed. Spectacularly, I'm told.

[ Whatever he might've guessed, it isn't that. His eyes widen slightly in surprise at the description of the experiment - then immediately narrow again.

The queen's desires are putting them all at risk on multiple fronts. She will need to be removed, somehow. A big somehow. He has no doubt he's far from the first person to come to this conclusion. If it could be easily accomplished, she wouldn't still be breathing.

He switches gears for a second, thoughtfully: ]

Do you have any reason to believe the ones that helped you escape might've been involved in what happened at Nocwich?

[ He blinks. Somehow, that question catches him off guard. It isn't that he doesn't care what happened. He's close to the three injured. Jaskier spent a week recovering; Yennefer longer. But it'd been about politics. A catalyst for war. It almost didn't matter who was responsible because to him, the point isn't who did it or why. It's that it happened at all.

The dam's broken. It's too fucking late to undo the flood. Even should they uncover the truth, then what? Will Libertas forgive Thorne's hasty decision to burn their city to the ground? Will Thorne forgive the Free Cities for a starved winter? ]

I don't know. [ His brows furrow. ] They protected Thorne's people from harm even while intervening. If they've decided to instigate bloodshed, I couldn't tell you why.

[ Does he trust Oliver? No. It's more that—nothing quite adds up. They're missing too much. ]

The castle was also compromised. What's Thorne said about that?

[ That had to be someone on it inside. Or someone powerful enough to get in and out without been seen. ]

[ The damage is done, but identifying those responsible still matters. Retribution for all those lives would only be a personal reason, there's more than that. It's information that can potentially be used, whether in the form of the truth or manipulated in a way to get the needed outcome. And it helps him figure out where this person or people stand.

Geralt doesn't have much of an answer, but the detail about protecting the natives gives some context to consider.

At the question he raises an eyebrow. ]

You mean the queen's mage? As much as you expect. [ Which is, next to nothing. ] They said his protections failed or backfired. [ He shakes his head. ] If they suspected anyone still within the castle...

[ They wouldn't have escaped the queen's rage. Maybe it's cooled since then, but he remembers her eyes that day she burned a city. ]

[ For a minute or so, Geralt doesn't answer. Talk of Thorne has taken him back to matters he'd largely left behind. Or tried to. Moving on seemed the better choice, the thing he's always done through the years.

Eventually, he sits back. ]

There's a woman. Himeka. She shared a cell with the girl. They escaped to Solvunn together.

[ Geralt only knew Relena in passing. But she and Himeka were friends, and he knows Himeka's chatty nature means she might've learned things about Oliver he may not have.

And unlike Geralt, Himeka will confess to a dozen things at the drop of a hat. ]

Tell her you spoke to me.

[ His intention had been to avoid the Horizon, until Julie's disappearance. He's glad she's safe, but that they don't truly know what happened to her bothers him. He had not rescue her from anything or anyone. And it unsettles him, how little they understand of the Horizon and the Singularity. ]

Jaskier was similar. When I spoke to him briefly.

[ How much of this even has to do with the Singularity? He glances over (down) at Nadine as her pony plods along. He knows better than to ignore dreams and omens, no matter how absurd, but it's hard to know what to even make of all this. What now, after the these figures have retreated? Will they return? Have they been fed? ]

In your Horizon, afterwards—have you found something strange? Like a... [ He searches for a fitting word. ] Fucked up keepsake.

Yeah, looking back, that makes a lot of sense. I think we were amplifying each other's curse, it got...uh...intense when we were around each other.

[But ultimately still benign. Weird and intense, but benign. And at least they'd had fun.

Still. Looking back, Nadine can see how it was stronger. Not a hint of resistance, no questioning impulse and want. It hadn't been that way with Geralt or Dean or anyone else she'd exerted some kind of influence over.]

And....yeah. Yeah, I did. And it won't go away.

[ Intense, hm? Geralt does not ask, but he imagines he can guess. Nadine doesn't sound bothered by it, though, so he assumes whatever occurred, it was not something either of them regretted. ]

I'm not sure what it means. [ Can't be good, though. He regards her thoughtfully. ] I know you might want to hide it away. But try to keep an eye on it.

[ Better to know if it changes or vanishes, than to bury it and pretend it isn't there. He's kept his in his room, in a small box. So far, it hasn't moved nor altered its state. ]

Mmm.

[Nadine is quiet a moment, considering. She idly pats Dumpling's neck and glances up at Geralt.]

I think it followed me out of the Horizon, at least for a little while. I kept seeing those flowers...they'd pop up in my herb garden, in my window boxes...

[Elsewhere that don't need mentioning. But it didn't escape her notice it was the same flower. Again and again. Obviously it meant something, but she hates to dwell on these things.]

I really don't like all this dark magic stuff. I really feel like I should be done with it at this point.

[ His eyebrows raise and there's a brief look of recognition at Himeka's name. He doesn't know her well, but he's spoken to her once now about the gods. He didn't know she'd been here that long. After a second he gives a nod. ]

I will, thank you.

[ He cocks his head slightly. ]

If there's anything I might be able to do for you here, please let me know.

[ Geralt has given him something to work with. He'd like to offer the same at some point, even though he isn't sure how. ]

[ Ah. So they've met. That makes it simpler.

He inclines his head. ] I will. Thorne's of interest to me.

[ An implicit request, that he'd appreciate any information about Thorne Kyle believes is worth noting.

He straightens up. ] Be careful.

[ He's sure Kyle will, but it bears repeating. Then he's gone, out the door without a glance back. ]

[ Out? Jaskier has not mentioned that. He'll need to ask, though he isn't sure the bard is inclined to talk about it.

His eyes linger on Nadine for a second more before he looks ahead again. When he asks next, it's gently prodding. ]

Because of Flagg?

[ He does understand. He's seen—felt—the demon through Julie's eyes, when they'd been trapped in her dream together. There is an influence to him. One that he imagines that would've reminded Nadine of. ]

Yeah.

[Of course, it always goes back to Flagg. Everything she is, it all goes right back to him.]

He could do that. Influence people, make them give into dark impulses and all those little nasty thoughts we have but never intend to act on. And just generally make them do what he wanted.

[It didn't always work on everyone, she knows that much. But it worked on plenty. Nadine has the feeling it's a power he used very often, and was greatly skilled in. She doesn't even know how much he'd worked it on her, just that he surely had. She can tell by it's absence, how different things looked once he'd gone.

But it hadn't all been his influence. Plenty of it had been her choices.]

You weren't him. [ Geralt offers that quietly. ] And magic is magic. It only turns dark in the wrong hands.

[ Chaos, controlled or corrupted. That's all it is. Which begs the question of what exactly grew so corrupted that the Heralds, the blights, spread across the land. Given the amount of destruction, the continual summonings for the past year—could be anything. Who the fuck can say.

But the important part is, he doesn't want Nadine worrying about what this means for her. To Geralt, it doesn't mean anything. She had magic she didn't understand nor intend to use, and she was seeking to defend herself. ]

[Nadine's eyes stay forward, fixed on the space between her pony's ears. It's easy for Geralt to say. He doesn't know. No one does, but Julie, and Nadine's not even certain if the other woman remembers.

Maybe that's stupid, and dangerous. Or maybe it doesn't matter at all, she doesn't know. But she trusts Geralt.]

I could have been. Really easily.

[She doesn't think it's so simple, when it comes to magic. Some magic is dark, and twisted, and wrong. Hadn't Flagg implied as much, when he'd gifted her a bit of his own? Talking of the price, and how his magics changed a person.]

And I'm not talking about the powers the local god gave me the other month.

[ At first, Geralt thinks she's referring to what she did under Flagg's direction. But it sounds like more, the way she refers to powers. Doesn't it? ]

What do you mean?

[ Nadine's held secrets for a long time. Since he met her, in truth. Geralt's uncovered more than most, he imagines, but by and large, he's allowed Nadine to be. She's been good to Jaskier, to Ciri, to all of them. Who she was before that...

It's not that her past doesn't matter. Everyone's past matters. But it also doesn't change who she is now, to him. ]

If he hadn't disappeared, when he did.

[It's the safest version of the truth, Nadine thinks. Or at least the easiest way to lead into it, if it seems she should.]

I don't think it's any surprise to say that what he was and what I am aren't exactly compatible in the long run. And I knew that. When he was the entirety of my world, that was okay. The idea that I could....become like him. Because we'd be together and then I wouldn't care about what was good or bad or anything like that.

[It had seemed just a necessity. To be with him, to be able to be with him like that, as man and wife. She'd agreed to it, not tacitly but clearly and directly before he'd gone from this world.

How different things would be, had he remained. What would she be now? Who would she be? Something terrible, probably.]

[ It's a difficult thing, isn't it? To have to ask what shapes you? Geralt hasn't got an answer. Flagg found Nadine incredibly young. Even if Flagg had no magic, no power—he would hardly be the first to prey on a child to do his bidding. It doesn't take a demon for that. Just a man. ]

He did disappear. [ In the end, what-ifs are only that. A path not walked. ] You aren't like him. And I believe, were he to return, you'd no longer want what he has. No matter the mark he left behind.

[ That, Geralt does know. She isn't the same person he met. Who she may have become is not who she is now. She can't forget the past—nor should she—but he doesn't think she should let the weight of it continue to anchor her. She deserves more than that. ]

[ CLOSED ] tooth and nail, tooth and nail

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject