trans_9 | Roll away your stone... [ closed ]

Entry tags:

Roll away your stone... [ closed ]

The ship itself was full of many curiosities that Sandry couldn’t even begin to describe. Some of them were marvellous things--the technology, for example, was something she never would have dreamed possible, and the plantsuits... Well, she was one of only a few people who didn’t seem to mind the plantsuits at all. In fact, she rather liked them, even if she did wish for a skirt. All things in good time. There were other things that weren’t quite so wonderful. Sandry didn’t want to even think about her first experience with the slop, an embarrassment that she was sure she wouldn't get over for some time.

When Daja had told her about the other magics on the ship, though, Sandry couldn’t wait to see what others could do. But business came before pleasure, and so she put her plans to run amuck throughout the ship on hold, and instead walked with Daja to the Towers where Thom spent his time. His predicament sounded as if it had gone on long enough. The sooner they sorted him out, the better for everyone. It was quite the puzzle besides, and she always did love a good puzzle...

The Towers themselves were huge, to say the least. Several stories tall, with walls surrounding that gave off nothing but the idea of power. Sandry paused just outside the gate, carefully taking in the structures, before turning to Daja. “We’ll not find him if we stand out here gawking all day,” she smiled, the statement directed more toward herself than Daja. With a firm nod to her foster sister, Sandry stepped forward through the gates, taking special care to be nothing but respectful toward the guardian Thom had warned her of. Now they just needed to find him...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"No, of course not," Daja said, half smiling in amusement. Like Sandry, she also found the Tower a fascinating curiosity, but knew that finding Thom and ensuring that they did everything they could to treat the taint in his magic was their priority.

She just hoped that Thom would agree to what needed to be done.

"Did Master Thom mentioned whether he will be waiting for us?" Daja said, frowning a little. She did hope that they wouldn't have to go too far to find him - in a place as saturated with magic as this, wondering around needlessly without a guide was a potentially risky endeavor.

And he would agree, if Sandry had anything to say about it. A bleed in magic could be dangerous, as she very well knew, but having the full power of another mage within you? It was only a matter of time before he hurt himself or someone else...and she had to guess that it would probably be someone else. That said, she wouldn't take his magic if he didn't give her full permission first, but Sandry could be very persuasive when she had to be.

"He diiid...not." She clicked her tongue. Thom could have been anywhere, in a building this vast, and simply searching for him seemed like a chore in itself, but it seemed to be their only choice. She was certainly not about to put out a web of magic in a place that was not only guarded by a magical force, but also to seek out a magic that she knew nothing about.

Unfortunately, Sandry was about as eager to explore as Daja was. "Do we call, then?" There was a light amusement in her eyes. How very silly, that they should set up a meeting and not actually organize anything. "I don't suppose the Tower might carry a message..."

"That won't be necessary," Thom said.

He hadn't exactly been waiting for them, but the Tower was now familiar enough with him that it allowed him to place certain spells that alerted him to the fact that he had company.

"Lady Sandriline, a pleasure as always," Thom said, executing a nobleman's bow. The more people on the ship with blood, as it were, the better. "And Daja, I trust you've been well?"

Daja bowed in return, as fitting for a Trader. "I have indeed been well, Master Thom," she said, with just a hint of a smile. With her sister returned to her, Daja's spirits were higher than they had been for some time now. "I hope that your health has also been improving?"

The last time she has spoken with him, Thom had definitely been looking much better - but not returned to full health just yet. Not that she expected him to be in the best of health while he still had the taint in his magic, of course. Nonetheless, she hoped that he had managed some improvement, if only for his own comfort and well-being.

Sandry smiled and returned his bow with a proper curtsy that would have looked several times better had it been accompanied by a skirt.

"And an honor to finally make your acquaintance in-person, Master Thom," she replied, listening to the exchange between Daja and Thom while she surveyed the latter. He looked fairly decent in his coloring and how he held himself. Outwardly, at least, he seemed collected. It was entirely possibly he was making progress already, though she wouldn't truly be able to tell until she saw his magic and compared it to what she had heard. She wasn't about to start probing around while they were still standing in the doorway, though, and especially not before she had his say so.

"Do you have a room in mind for this meeting? I would like to make sure you're comfortable before we begin discussion of your powers."

"Ah, so that's the root of it," Thom said, his smile stiffening a little. "I see Daja is still the same well-meaning busybody as ever."

Not particularly polite, but Thom's issues with his Gift were his business. "I have been been making a great deal of progress," he added, to Daja specifically. "I am picking my Gift apart slowly but surely."

In other words, the Trebond stubbornness was out in full force today.

"Would you prefer that I hope for your health to decline instead?" Daja said dryly, her polite tone tinged with enough amusement to indicate that she wasn't serious. By now, she didn't particularly expect politeness from Thom.

But at his refusal, Daja leveled a stern gaze at him. "You are aware of Sandry's abilities, Master Thom," she reminded him. Daja had spoken to Thom of how Sandry could weave magic herself - he could not feign ignorance in this matter. "She will be able to separate your Gift quicker and more effectively. Considering the adverse affect on your control, I would imagine you would prefer to solve this issue as soon as possible."

Sandry's own smile never faded. If anything, it grew slightly more natural, almost entertained. "I assure you, of the two of us I am ever the bigger busybody."

She carefully reset herself, nodding to Thom in some form of apology. If Thom didn't feel the inspection was being forced on him, perhaps it would go over better and they would all gain what they needed from the meeting. "I do not wish to intrude, Master Thom. I have no intention of doing anything without your complete permission. We don't necessarily have to settle on anything, and I certainly don't expect you to accept any proposal right this moment, but I would like to take a look, if you will let me."

"For what purpose? I'm fully aware of what the problem is and I'm working toward a solution. His Grace's Gift seems to have... tangled with my own. I'm picking it apart. It just takes time - which, thankfully, Aibghalien and Celena have bought me with their crystal storage method. I no longer require assistance, though your offer is noted and appreciated."

If by appreciated one meant rejected out of hand.

"Sandry has valuable experience with pulling apart magics," Daja said politely, resisting the urge to grit her teeth in frustration. Why must he be so stubborn! "At the very least, even if you do not allow her to pull apart your magic herself, if you let her look she may have valuable insight that will assist you in the process."

Letting some of that pride go would assist him even more, she said privately to Sandry. If you like, I could give him a quick hit on the head, she added, her magical voice tinged with amusement. You'd have plenty of time to look then.

"Exactly as Daja said," Sandry replied calmly. "A look might also give you a better clue as to how far along you actually are. Crossed magics can be...elusive in nature, to say the least. However, if you positively do not need additional aid, I will not push." Best to leave the discussion on a somewhat decent level, and not close all doors immediately.

Is he always so stubborn? came Sandry's reply to Daja, her face staying perfectly neutral. If only, though. Having Tris here would make all of this so much easier. Even with all of the power Thom seemed to radiate, Sandry doubted there was anyone who could last very long against Tris.

The years Thom spent at Court had given him a little more control over the way he presented himself, so he didn't cross his arms and hunch like a sullen child, as he would have years before. Even still, his tone was cautious when he asked, "What do you require?"

Probing his magic hadn't proved very wise in the past.

"A small sample of something you have magicked, just for mapping and observation." It would probably be best to be completely honest with him now instead of later, should they continue to work on the issue. It didn't mean Thom would take the second half very well. She paused, and with the mental equivalent of chewing on the inside of her cheek, added, "Actually separating anything would require your lending me your magic, and I would be loathe to request such a thing. The sample would suffice for the mapping."

Thank goodness she had continued her lessons. A mapping before, such as the one she had done of hers and her foster siblings' magic when she was ten, would have required all to lend the entirety of their magic for the process. The sample was a much simpler and friendlier solution.

Thom curbed his first impulse, which was to tell Sandry exactly where she could put her hopes of ever borrowing the entirety of his Gift. That was even ignoring the fact that the sheer weight of his magic had ravaged his health for the past few months he had carried it, and he hardly wanted to subject a noblewoman to that kind of spiritual torture.

"I have been storing some of the excess away," Thom said. "It's too much to carry at once, and the full weight makes it unbearable and impossible to do any kind of... untangling." The power Thom carried now, although it was more than any human had carried before, was still not the entirety of the magic bound to him. "I can take you to see it." As loathe as he was to give anyone else a view of what was plaguing him, he did want to see what Sandry made of the crystal and the merging of his and Roger's Gift.

Daja raised one eyebrow slightly. Thom was awfully quick to dismiss Sandry's ability to untangle his magic, and she was not impressed with the way he made assumptions about her capabilities. Her sister had weaved unmagic itself, and she had untangled the magics of four mages. If anyone could do this, it was Sandry.

Sometimes I wonder if he's so determined to not have any help that he even invents reasons why healing his magic is so impossible, she said to Sandry. He doesn't even know the limits of your magic yet!

Out loud though, she kept silent. Instead, she politely replied to Thom's offer. "That would be wonderful."

He wouldn’t be the first, came her reply to Daja. Thom clearly underestimated what she could do, which was all fine and well for Sandry. She was rather used to people doing so. All too cheerfully, she added, It means there is still plenty of room to impress.

“I would very much like to see it, if you’re sure.” Once she had a better idea of what they were dealing with, it would be easier to plan a course of action. Maybe, if they were lucky, Thom would grant her permission to attempt the experiment on the excess power first. A test run would be beneficial for all of them.

Thom didn't want to appear like he hesitated, so he said, "Come with me," and turned to lead the way.

He would take them around the long way, though - just so he had enough time to really think it over. They had rather put him on the spot, and he didn't know how he felt about someone else examining his power that closely.

"Weaving magic is an unusual talent," Thom said. "As unusual as the living metal. Are all mages of your world as... uniquely defined?"

Well, this is a start,at least Daja said to Sandry, as she followed Thom.

Out loud to Thom, she said, "Not all mages. I believe your magic may be more similar to what we call Academic mages. We are both Ambient mages, which means our power is rooted in ordinary things. Our power is less broad, but more focused. We are naturally able to specialise, if you will. But waving magic and living metal..." Daja turned to look at Sandry, uncertain as to how exactly to approach this topic. She wasn't a fan of boasting. "They are...less common, even amoung Ambient mages," she said finally.

With a mental nod to Daja, Sandry fell into step next to her sister as they followed Thom down the halls. She wasn't about to crowd him now that they had gotten this far. If he needed space, he could have it.

Sandry was grateful for Daja's definition of their powers. Boasting was not something that came well for either of them. Sandry could only remember even mentioning the strength of her powers when it had been absolutely necessary, and even then it had been an uncomfortable subject. It was part of the reason her mage medallion was kept safely tucked away in her small trunk at their house in the City. Besides, bragging over an ability that had been developed through necessity and accidents rather than hours of meticulous study didn't seem like something they should mention right off to Thom.

If he had known how modest the pair of them was being, he would have laughed. Thom was not one to hide his skill or his power - his Master's robe was the first thing he recovered from Possessions for that reason.

Sandry's silence didn't go un-noticed by him, though. He was curious of her, more than anything. So far she was the only personage of nobility he had met on the ship, and he naturally gravitated toward that attitude. He could see it in the way she carried herself. "Ambient mages," he said, latching onto that small distinction. "I have never heard the term before. On my world, magic is either the Gift or the Sight. The Gift is the more powerful of the two." He paused for a moment. "And if you believe some of the dustier scholars, there is a third branch of Wild Magic, but nobody has seen that particular magic in decades." He turned specifically to Sandry, pulling her into the conversation. "What is an ambient mage? You say you draw power from 'ordinary things,' do you mean to say your power is not internal?"

Thom did not have the Sight - he couldn't see magic. He had no way of telling how their magic functioned and he was powerfully curious.

"The Sight? What kind of magic is that?" Daja asked, curious. Perhaps it was something like Nico's magic? Although he was an Academic mage - his was not a whole, separate kind of magic. This 'wild magic' also sounded interesting, but if Thom had never seen it...

"With Ambient magic...we do have our own internal resource of magic, yes, but our power is strengthened by the objects and natural things that we work with. The strength of the thread-craft or the metalwork because part of and adds to the strength of our own magic. It is why it is so important for us not not just learn magic, but the skills and tools of our trade. I can use my magic on weak and poorly crafted metals, but it will not have the same strength as it would have if I used strong, well-forged metals."

Sandry smiled, peering curiously at Thom. "And what do they say about Wild Magic, do you know?" Wild Magic sounded like something Tris would have jumped at the chance to learn about, if there was such a thing. And why not? They were in the middle of an alien craft, aboard which there was magic from several different worlds and cultures. Just because it was ancient and unheard of in Thom's world didn't mean it wasn't someone else's primary form of magical practice, right?

She listened carefully as Daja spoke, and nodded in agreement with her sister's definition. "They work as a vessel for our powers," she added. "We draw from these objects, as well as work through them and store magic in them, much like the crystal you've described to us. Because our magic comes from such basic things as stones, plants, cloth, metal, or even the weather, we spend a good portion of our time learning to control the flow between ourselves and our craft and materials." It was a lesson they had learned early on, especially in Tris's case.

Thom absorbed the information on their particular brand of magic as fast as they explained it. So their power was rooted in the mundane objects they manipulated, but those objects also served as focus and amplifier for their power. Almost like focus stones, only more unique to the person. The idea that there was magic - powerful magic - to be had in the mundane was not new to Thom, as his first teacher had been a hedgewitch of middling power who could still do stunning things with a piece of thread in her hand.

"The Sight is a peculiar brand of passive magic. Some people are born with it, some aren't - much the same as the Gift. It allows those who possess it to see any number of hidden things: magic, lies, poison... people with exceptionally strong Sight have sometimes claimed to see shades of the dead, although such claims are unsubstantiated. Wild Magic, on the other hand, is said to allow those gifted with it to communicate and control animals. But as I said, no-one has heard of someone with Wild Magic for several decades."

"That sounds like Niko - he was a teacher of ours," Daja said to Sandry, before turning to explain to Thom. "He is an Academic mage, but his speciality is scrying, and seeing hidden things. He was the one who discovered our magics, and taught our sister Tris - well, all of us, in a way - how to see magic." Daja frowned. "But I don't think he's ever been able to see the dead." She wasn't sure anyone would want to see the dead. The idea sounded entirely unnerving.

Wild magic, on the other hand, was unheard of. "Communicating with animals? That's really possible?" But the idea wasn't that strange, was it? After all, Briar speaks with plants. Sandry speaks with thread. Tris speaks with the wind and the earth - and Daja herself spoke to fire and metal. And yet somehow the idea of being able to speak with animals, with living creatures who were not human, was...alien.

Remembering their purpose, Daja looked up ahead. "Is it far from here?" she asked Thom.

Sandry nodded in agreement with Daja. "If it weren't for him, we may never have learned of our own powers." Among other things. Sandry would still be locked away in a locked and hidden cupboard, Daja would still be drifting at sea... The noble grimaced and shook the thoughts from her head, hand drifting toward the pouch at her neck where her light crystal was kept. Niko had found them, and that was all that mattered now. There was no dark to worry over.

She was just as surprised as Daja to hear of the possibility of communication with animals. "I don't see why it couldn't be," she said, after several moments. "Some people would consider communicating with plants odd as well, but we hear of that every day. It would take some marvelous form of talent to actually speak with animals, I would think, but it could very well be possible." Just think of all of the things Little Bear or Chime might have to say.

But they were here to work, and Daja's mentioning of their destination drew Sandry out of her thoughts about Wild Magic. "We must be getting fairly close now, yes?"

"Yes, in fact, I've taken over this chamber - it appears to have been a workroom at some point, so it was easy to lay down the foundations of personal wards." Thom indicated a door to their right. He reached out, placing his hand on it, and blood-brown fire surrounded both the door and his hand briefly before it swung open. Protecting the crystal that housed his excess magic was essential - if anyone got hold of it, then it wouldn't be difficult to do a host of nasty things to him.

The crystal was about as long as Thom's forearm and sat on a pedestal in the center of the circular room. It glowed with a steady pulse of light the same color as Thom's Gift. "Don't touch," he said, although it was probably unnecessary.

Daja didn't need the warning - if there was one thing they had learned as young mages, it was that one should never approach something so clearly magical without great caution. And the magic of the crystal blazed - she winced, and had to turn away from the glare of the light.

Coming forward, she stopped about a metre away from the pedestal. She turned to look at Sandry - crystals weren't something that either of their magics had a connection too. Well, it's not quite like your light crystal, she said to Sandry though their magical link. How are we going to approach this?

Neither of them had Niko's skill in observing and diving the nature of magic, but they needed to find some way of interpreting how Thom's magic was mingled with the taint.

Despite the glare of the magic, Sandry watched carefully as Thom opened the door, and peered into the room beyond with a firmly set jaw. As blinding as the magic was, she wasn't about to show any sort of hesitance when they were this close to actually getting somewhere.

There was a lot to take in, just from that small crystal. Sandry observed the color of Thom's magic as best as she could without touching. It's similar, but I don't think I would be as happy with it in my room as I am with the one you made me, Sandry replied to Daja, stepping to circle around the pedestal. There was something about the crystal that made her slightly uneasy. We'll have to return tomorrow, no matter what we do. I don't know what your schedule is like, Daja, but I might need you to stay the entire day while I work. I'm not sure that I entirely trust it.

"I'll need to leave some thread with you," she said to Thom softly as she pulled a spool from her bag and offered it to him. "If you do want the mapping, that is. It's simple cotton thread, no magic--you can check it, if you like. It needs to get a feel of your magic. When I do the mapping, I will draw it from the crystal instead of from you, but it means you won't be able to store anything during the time I'm working. It shouldn't take me more than a day to map and return the magic."

"I must insist that you treat this process with extreme caution," Thom said. "The Gift is so intrinsic to each sorcerer that it absorbs a great deal of the sorcerer's personality. Duke Roger was powerful, intelligent, cunning, and did not suffer any intrusions."

He took the thread, furrowing his brow as momentarily the sick aura of his magic flared again. There was nothing magical about it, it was true. "Must I carry the whole spool, or will a bit of it around my wrist suffice?" he asked.

He glanced sidelong at Daja. It was her insistence that got him to bring Sandry here in the first place. "I don't know what kind of skill you have with warding, but I would suggest it. I would place wards but..." he indicated the crystal with a frown. "I'm not sure if I can ward you against what is effectively my own magic."

Thom's words were just confirmation of Sandry's own distrust of the magic - which meant that even if Sandry hadn't ask, Daja would certainly have made sure to stay with Sandry. Of course, she said back. I must admit, it makes me feel uneasy as well. This Duke Roger certainly sounds like a man I am glad to have never met.

She would allow Sandry to explain the necessary amount of thread herself, instead focusing on the issue of warding. "I can set up the wards," she said, considering the issue of the crystal. "For most of my magical workings I just use a simple ward, but...in this case, I think it would be best to prepare something more substantial. In fact, to be safe several wards would be best."

She already had a few possibilities in mind - wire would be best, and she could imbue it with her magic and encircle the wire around Sandry as she worked. But she wished that Tris and Briar were here - with the three of them all combining their magics, there would be nothing that could break through their wards.

Edited 2011-10-10 22:40 (UTC)

"I wouldn't treat it in any other way," Sandry assured Thom. "I have learned nothing but respect and care when it comes to magic, especially when it comes to the magic of others. I would remind you that this will not be my first time handling other magics." It was as close to cocky as Sandry was going to get. Thom didn't really need the details of her simultaneously handling four magics at the age of ten. Then again, where facts like that and others about her foster siblings might have unnerved many, she doubted Thom would be so easily impressed.

Through their connection, Sandry smiled at her sister. I shouldn't like to meet him either, though if I did I would have a good, long list of things to speak with him about. To Thom, she continued, "The whole spool, please. You can keep it in a pocket, where it would be out of the way." She almost mentioned that he didn't need to worry if the thread got dirty, but Thom didn't seem like an individual who would get his hands too messy.

She nodded at the mention of wards. "Several wards would be preferred, and Daja, I trust, will also stay close at hand in case something does go wrong. We will take no chances, Master Thom, of that I can assure you."

Thom put the spool of thread in his pocket and tucked his hands into his sleeves, gripping his wrists tightly where they couldn't see. At this point, all he could do was hand the project over to them and hope that whatever happened, they would not come hunting for him accusing him of putting them in danger.

Somehow he doubted that would be the case. These two... they were different than the mages of the City. Those had been too interested in theory and construction of delicate spells that would never have a practical application. These two were all about the practical application.

"Then I shall leave you to it," he said, and even saying that was a herculean effort. Anyone else might have said 'thank you,' but Thom simply said, "Be cautious, and good luck."

Then he turned and left the room.

Well. So much for the courtesy of a polite goodbye - although by now, Daja had learned that expecting courtesy from Thom was ridiculous.

She turned to Sandry, just raising one eyebrow to indicate exactly what she thought of Thom. Then she sighed. "I suppose we should get started," she said.

[[ooc: Shall we wrap the thread up here, guys?]]

Somehow, Sandry wasn't surprised at all by Thom's abrupt departure. He was closed off, to say the least. Gaining any sort of thanks from him would be the showing of weakness, and that wouldn't happen until they got to know him better, if it ever did.

Sandry shook her head, forcing herself to focus less on Thom's manners and more on the tasks they would have to complete before tomorrow. They could work on the wards, to be sure, and she would have to form a portable loom for this particular project. "Yes, let's," she agreed. The sooner, the better.

((OOC: Sorry that took so long guys))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Roll away your stone... [ closed ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Skipping Daja with Blue's permission :)

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

And that's a wrap!