Prepare for the #LodanRespawn2024 Existing characters may choose to be displace from/have memories of different timelines, thereby allowing returning members the option to retcon their whole character. These changes are the result of the "Unnatural Fog" plot device that is running between now and the Respawn. The plot is simple: no matter where your character is, that place is shrouded in a thick fog that suspends time, but not thoughts or memories, so even if they're repeating the same day over and over again, they continue to remember, so each time feels like a new day. For those retconning OCs; this is where new versions of themselves have the opportunity to replace the old versions. Official lore and tree updates will be announced asap
Edelweiss returned from the kitchen carrying a tray of tea and fresh biscuits (with a little bowl of sugar cubes on the side), and set it on the table at the living room while being careful of the glass gear box next to it. Glancing at her redhead guest, she tried to guess what he might be thinking now before sitting across from him on the couch. She had expected Lasair's first visit to her place would have been more casual than that, just two friends hanging out, but in the end this was business-related. Interguild business, to be more specific, as of for what reasons Danny had not been present to fulfill their agreement in person... and of what might have happened to the blond MI leader.
"Here you go. Sorry for taking so long."
The logic side of her pointed out that at least for now there was nothing to be stressed over, but remembering Lasair's grim face from merely a day prior when she had asked about Danny... her heart felt tight in her chest. She served herself a cup of tea. The liquid smelled sweet and calming, although she wasn't sure their talk would be so. One could only hope.
"So, I guess we have a lot to talk now... I'll just go ahead and ask this first: is Danny alright?"
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Jan 4, 2016 0:31:06 GMT
“You’re fine,” he said in a comforting tone, reaching down for one of the tea cups. He eyeballed a couple of sugar cubes for it, and then sired them in as he thought about Edel’s question. He was still a little shaken from recent events, but he was still in one piece. Talking to mom and dad always calmed him down.
“I think so. He’s strong, knows how to take care of himself. I don’t see why he wouldn’t be alright.” From the interactions that Lasair had had with the late leader, he got the impression that the male pronoun was the more preferred one, so he stuck with those. Felt more respectful that way.
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Jan 4, 2016 2:28:20 GMT
She would probably refer to Danny as 'he' as well, if it wasn't for the fact the blond gal had once dated Edelweiss' second-in-command (whom is not gay by any means). While responding as Danielle. And they only broke up because Stephen made a series of minor and then a major mistake, not anything related to Danny's personal pronoum preferences. And there was no occasion while in each other's presence where Danny mentioned preferring to be referred as male, and due to that the redhead woman simply considered Danny's case was similar to her own - in which there were times when it was simply convenient to have people not know what label they fit or make their own assumptions. So she stuck with 'she'. First out of convenience to call Danny something, but also because no one else seemed to notice and she wanted to keep that little memory close even when everything else is not. She'd not correct Lasair's pronoun uses though - neither of them were wrong afterall.
"...Las," She set the teacup down with a soft tink. His answer was no reassurance to her. In other times it might, but now there was a war going on, and she'd seen far too many people who were also strong and well-kept be gone in a second. And Lasair had not spoke like someone who knew what Danny was currently up to, just an I think in place of something more concrete. "I'm not asking you where Danny is, but do you know where Danny is? Just know."
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Jan 4, 2016 4:25:24 GMT
He winced a little at her question, which would be answer enough, but he felt the need to answer anyway. “No. But that doesn’t mean that he’s in trouble. I just know that he won’t be back at the guild for a while.” That was all. The book had told him he were leader now, which meant that Danny wouldn’t be back right away. That didn’t mean that Danny was never coming back. It only meant that he wouldn’t be here for a while.
Lasair sipped some of his tea to distract himself, hoping Edelweiss wouldn’t mind if he asked for a second cup
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Jan 6, 2016 8:17:00 GMT
That wince was answer enough indeed. Even before his verbal reply, it was already clear he didn't know. Edelweiss felt that metaphorical knot in her throat tightening so much it was starting to get hard to breathe. She had been aware since the start that once this war advanced there were going to be things running out of control, and there would be a repeat of the scenes from the past one as well - probably in an even larger scale. People missing and people dying becoming common sight. But even though she held the possibility close to her at all times, it still didn't mean she had expected Danny to disappear. Not Danny, who had envisioned the vast majority of their whole plan (not counting the little agreements the redhead had made in exchange and was in control of). Not so early...
Edelweiss didn't reply to Lasair's words. She wouldn't have minded if he served himself of a second cup of tea either. She was too busy to care about tea right now, lowering her face and bringing her hands up to wipe the lines of clear liquid running down her cheeks. There was no noise, she should be fine, just give her a few minutes... And yet, the tears just didn't seem to stop flowing.
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Jan 7, 2016 0:53:44 GMT
He was stunned when he saw Edelweiss start to cry. Was it something he said? Or was it what he hadn’t said? A mixture of feelings rose up in him as he set his cup down, reaching over to grab her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. “Hey, hey. It’s okay. I’m sure Danny will be back. Danny’s left before and he always comes back. I mean, it’s Danny. He can take care of himself.” A small smile came to his face as he looked at her, trying to help. There really wasn’t a whole lot that he could say, but he tried anyway. People crying always made him sad. And he didn’t like being sad.
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Jan 7, 2016 2:05:29 GMT
Edelweiss shook her head slightly, and felt like she was sinking in her own seat. She took a deep breathe, and then another, but even then didn't manage to make that silent crying stop. She wanted it to stop, truly, and she knew she was making Lasair uncomfortable doing that but simply... couldn't. It was so frustrating, and at the same time she wasn't sure what was it she was feeling. But it felt sad, and a little empty. And a little cold. "This isn't like other times. If you don't know where, if- if no one knows where... We're not in normal times anymore, we're... we're..." Her voice started quivering, and she forced the air in an out in another deep breathe, shifting to toy with a lock of her own hair, distraught at that lack of what to keep her fingers busy. Her mind registered Lasair placing a hand on her shoulder, but it felt somewhat distant still. She didn't know why. Didn't know... "It's starting all over again, the same as last time. People disappearing, and not coming back. It's what war does, Las. I knew it, I knew it happens but knowing makes no difference... It doesn't matter how great one is, how precious they are... a person alone is just so, so small. Danny... I..."
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Jan 7, 2016 8:20:23 GMT
He listened quietly as she spoke, voice surprisingly level given the tears. She was a strong person, he remembered that much at least. His hand left Edel’s shoulder for a short moment as Lasair stood up, walking around the small table to sit next to Edelweiss. He lifted an arm up to rub her back gently, hoping it would help comfort her just a tiny bit more. “I’m sorry that you’re going through this again,” he said in an even tone. “I want to believe that Danny is coming back, so I am. I’m putting my faith in that. Because…” his voice got soft on the last word, trailing off a little. He bit his lower lip, clenching his free hand into a fist. The sentence remained unfinished as he lost the words.
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Jan 8, 2016 19:11:01 GMT
The redhead woman first shook her head, then gave a weak nod. She wasn't sure if he understood what she felt or not, or regarding Danny, those things had always been hard to tell about Lasair. His outer shell was thicker than her own. But she did believe him feeling sorry for her pain was genuine... Hence the nodding. "Just... give me a few minutes." To dry the tears and recompose herself. Easier said than done, she hated whining and sobbing and yet that's exactly what her throat was urging her to do. No. She just took a series of deep breaths to calm down, pulling the air in and out, in and out repeatedly until the methodical act settled her down back in better control of her lung faculties. That should have been 2 or 3 minutes of just sitting there with Lasair rubbing her back. This felt a bit awkward still, the contact, but this time because he seemed unsure of things himself. Faltering.
She sighed a last time then picked back her teacup with both hands and took a sip from it. It was still hot enough, and she enjoyed the drink's sweet warmth spreading into her mouth and palms. It was soothing, maybe not enough, but something already. "Sorry for this... and thank you." She said a little lowly, still staring at her own tea cup. "About our guilds... The deal I had with Danny was an agreement between leaders. You've still coming in her place, so I don't consider it broken. But whom should I talk to now, regarding them." Who was in charge of MI now? Lasair? Someone else?
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Jan 10, 2016 3:24:10 GMT
Lasair stayed next to her the whole time, continuing to rub her back gently as she worked on her breathing. When she finally seemed to be calming down, he moved his arm around her and pulled her into a light hug for a few moments. Releasing her, he moved back slightly, but opted to stay sitting next to her on this side of the table. The way she recomposed herself was impressive, sipping her tea as if nothing happened. But Lasair knew, he had the same kind of mask himself, he knew she had one as well now. It caused a new sort of respect for her to form in his mind.
When it came to her question, he had to think carefully before answering her, a look of deep thought in his eyes. “I can explain things to you, and that would answer all your questions and then some. But I need to know that the information will stay with you, stay in this room.” He paused, folding and unfolding his hands a bit before adding, “MI doesn’t have much, but we do have our secrets. And I want to make sure those secrets aren’t compromised. I know I can trust you as a friend, but I don’t know if I can trust you as a guild leader. And I don’t know if I can trust you not to share the information with Amon either.”
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Jan 10, 2016 4:32:00 GMT
Hearing his response and comments, Edelweiss lifted her gaze from the tea in her hands back to look more directly at Lasair's face. "I wouldn't be CAEsAL's leader if I couldn't keep a secret, Las. My guild thrives on and treasures information, as you well know, even though our secrets aren't as plenty as yours." She placed the teacup back on the table for a moment. There would be nothing gained from betraying Lasair's trust... Nor Amon's reputation. Those weren't things exclusive of each other.
"Anything you tell me now will stay here, and only here." She pointed at her own head. "Not even in this room. And regarding Amon... I think you've misunderstood our relationship a bit. Yes, we're together, and yes I trust him (and I believe he trusts me), but that doesn't mean we go around telling each other everything that happens like overly honest kindergarten children. When it only regards me I don't mind, but I don't go around telling of my workers' doings and even less of another guild's to him. Every guild has their private matters. We're leaders first, lovers second, and I don't mix personal and business relations - if there's a day I can't dicern those two things I'll no longer be fit for my job."
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Jan 10, 2016 7:04:55 GMT
Her words were well composed, especially considering her flare of emotion just moments before. But they did help clear away his doubts. A part of him still told him not to tell her, to keep the secrets secret, but he made up his mind. He needed to share the secrets with someone, if only to ease the burden on himself. Taking a deep breath, he began speaking.
“Everything in MI is ruled by magic. Where we hold meetings, the people who join, our protection, even our leadership. The lifeblood of MI is magic and it’s those who are worthy of accessing it that are admitted into our guild. The magic decides who leads. And for a long time, it was Danny’s name that the magic chose.”
He leaned forward, reaching across the table for his cup of tea, sipping what was left of it. “But, rather recently, Danny’s name is no longer the one being read. For, now it is my name appearing, instead.” He set his cup down, empty of all tea now. Another cup would be appreciated, but he didn’t move for it just yet.
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Jan 10, 2016 8:20:45 GMT
Edelweiss blinked. Everything was decided by magic? As in, as if the magic itself was making somewhat conscious decisions and tasking specific members with specific roles? That was, indeed, quite a revelation. "That sounds hard..." Although it wasn't her place to judge. And in an only partially related matter, there was that thought coming back in the corner of her mind...
"I guess should have left that book with you afterall..." She retook her own tea for a last sip and took a single biscuit, then stood up. "I'll be back in a minute, feel free to serve yourself another cup if you want." She came back a minute later bringing that same packet she'd been carrying before during that last collective magic lesson in the Outskirts, and reached it out for Lasair to take before sitting down on the couch once again. Within the simple wrapping was a volume of leather cover - handwritten text and drawings rather than mass pressed. Rather thick too. The frontpage only repeated the cover title: Aura Log - A Guide on Andersweltler Magic and the following pages formed a detailed compilation of notes, graphics and research on Anders, their magic, its basic properties and relation/effects towards technology, multiple pictures illustrating examples throughout the paper sheets.
"It was meant as thanks for that book on Shadow Beasts and for helping me teaching the kids... But I guess the last part applies to you too. You keep mentioning a 'library' too, so I'm not sure how much will be news for you, but I hope at least part of it is handy."
There were only 3 copies of that book in existence, and she had no intentions of ever producing more. The first one was her own original manuscript, in which she was constantly adding notes throughout the years whenever she learned anything useful. The second she was intending to give someone, as a special gift - as much as one could bare their soul without casting a rank of Projection. And the third (and last) copy should be Danny's, or her guild's, as a little token of personal friendship and thanks for the magic lessons to the children of CAEsAL - although now Edelweiss had the grim thought the blond gal might never get to see those pages with her own eyes. At least she could trust Lasair might take good care of it instead...
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Jan 10, 2016 8:55:55 GMT
He wanted to say ‘it’s not’ but he opted against. She didn’t need to know any other details, the ones he gave were probably already strange enough. In the chaos of the lesson, he had forgotten about the package, and now he nodded as she stood up to retrieve it. He leaned forward and poured another cup of tea for himself, stirring some sugar into it before sitting back and sipping from it.
Setting the cup down when she returned, he looked over the wrappings before pulling them off. He only needed to glance through the pages to understand what they were about. “I’ve seen this information before, but never so neat and in one place. It looks very easy to read and understand too, something the older books lack.” Closing the book, he chuckled lightly as a thought came to him. “There one other thing about MI that I can share, that I thought was common knowledge but I suppose it’s turned into one of our many secrets.” Directing his attention to the book, he continued. “MI is a guild of magic yes, but more so than that, we are a guild of knowledge. CAEsAL may cover information on events in the present. But if you want to know the past, what once was and what can be again, MI is the place where you’ll find it.” He didn’t mean to brag, and yet, a smile of pride was on his lips. He was proud to be a part of this guild, a pride he wouldn’t find anywhere else.
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Jan 17, 2016 21:29:29 GMT
Edelweiss watched as Lasair browsed the first pages, seemed content with that, and closed the book again. She faintly wondered if his reaction would have been different if he kept reading till the next pages, when there were more descriptions on magic's behavior for different spells.
All those figures pictured there were real afterall. As with everything in that book it was dangerous to identify anyone too much in case it ever falls in wrong hands, and she made sure to never list in names, nor draw faces, specific clothes or hairstyles. But traces were still there, like ghosts on paper. She wondered if he'd have recgnized the irreverent stance in that small drawn figure, the lithe yet retorted design of the blade of bone and tendons they wielded, or the purplish - eery and yet beautiful - aspect of the aura envelopping them. Or the warm red apple aura that flickered in wisps of the figure using Health on the side. Or anything else. Would he have recognized it? Recognized them? But in the end it didn't matter now.
"So together we cover all periods of time, huh?" She chuckled. Though if MI's books were of the old kind, he might still find something new there by the end. From that description she doubted he'd have read much about the effects of spells casted on newer technology. "I'll keep that in mind."
"On an unrelated note though, there will be some movement from the population soon. EIRAL will be taking groups of civilians and taking them to safer areas deeper in-land, and they've requested aid from my guild. It's still not our planned goal - they're not requesting Ander help, just help in general from workers and volunteers - but I thought to ask if you'd be interested in tagging along with some of your own."
"All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." - John Dalberg-Acton
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