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 walked back into the living room, crouching down in front on the couch to look at the blanket cocoon that was Lasair. She observed his sleeping face for a couple moments, but as the seconds turned to form a minute and she couldn't see any signs that he was awake and just pretending to sleep (no gulping, normal slow breathing, etc) she let out a silent relieved sigh and pused herself back to stand on her feet. It was beyond her how the commotion by the door earlier on didn't wake him up, but it was a good thing he didn't. Mainly not to wake from (hopefully) deathless dreams just to face a death scene in the real plane. No one deserved that. But miraculously, it was fine this time.
"Thank heavens..." A barely mouthed thought, and she gingerly (hah!) tucked a stray strand of hair away from his face before walking away towards the kitchen. There was blood in the entrance hall that was better cleaned off before it fully dried, and she needed some coffee to work on it through (what lasted of) the night. And a small bowl. No water or soap in it, just the bowl. She took quite a while to find an adequate one in the drawers of the counter, and there was sunlight starting to sneak into the windows as she moved to work on the cleaning.
That's where she'd be found anyway, sitting on her own knees by the hall, the bowl placed by her side and a hand occasionally bringing the coffee cup to her lips while her free palm hovered over the bloody carpet.
"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 Nov 20, 2016 18:56:33 GMT
Lasair had woken up from the commotion, but he felt like it wasn’t a time when he should get up. No, this was something he shouldn’t be present for, shouldn’t even witness. Yet he was, eyes closed and ears wide open as Edel brought someone back from the brink of death, the other doomed to an eternity of whatever lay beyond the release of death.
He tired to go back to sleep, but the concept was hopeless now, especially as he felt Edelweiss herself stare at him, gauging as to whether he was awake or asleep. In that moment, he was very grateful for picking up the ability to appear asleep. Very grateful. The last thing he needed was to get up and talk to Edel about yet another kind of stress he didn’t quite understand. But the gentle touch of his hair was appreciated, even if the meaning behind it was something he wasn’t sure of.
But as the sunlight drifted in, resting on his face, he decided it might as well be time to get up. As quietly as he could manage, he pushed the blanket off himself and sat up, fluffing out his hair a moment while he looked to Edelweiss, confused about what she was doing. The blood stain on the carpet was easy to see, but the empty bowl was confusing, as was the way she just sat there, a hand resting above it. He inched himself off the couch and sat beside her, careful to avoid the blood, and wordlessly watch to see what she was doing.
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Nov 20, 2016 19:09:24 GMT
Scanning the carpet for organic residue, that was what Edelweiss had been - and was currently - doing. A very basic tier of Health still, although maybe used in an unusual fashion. Of course the large stains could be seen by anyone with properly-functioning eyes, there was enough to fill half a human wetting the floor. But there was more than that too. The fainter marks and blood that trailed from the doorway, almost forgotten. Traces of sweat and tears, and drops of transparent stomach fluid. Search finished, lock on.
She turned her hovering hand around so that her palm faced upwards rather than the carpet, and all that, the signs of life that once were, started slowly dripping upwards to congregate atop her fingertips. Lazy little drops of red floating up, forming liquid threads that dandled in slowmotion to form a small crimson globe. It was a very slow work, mainly as restoring the clean state of her carpeted floor lacked the sense of urgency restoring an actual life within a limited timeframe carried to her.
"...Morning, Las." She greeted with a bit of a sigh although didn't intend to. When one is focused on locating and managing any traces of life left on the floor, it would be hard to not notice the steps of a very living person walking closer. The bowl was just there as a container. After all, she'd need a place or vessel to drop the blood back down after it's fully gathered.
"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 Nov 20, 2016 21:06:39 GMT
“Morning…” he greeted in a whisper, eyes fixated on her as she cast the magical spell. It was certainly a creative use of the spell, he could tell that much. And it took a lot less effort than he would have initially thought. However, he didn’t dare say a word to her until after she had deposited the contents into a bowl, not wanting to cause her to loose any more focus than he had already. When it was clear for him to speak (in his mind at least), he asked a simple question, his voice coming out a little hoarse now that it was at a normal volume. “What kind of magic is that?” he asked with inquisitive eyes. Learning a spell like that would certainly make all forms of cleanup easier in many, many ways. He wished he had known of the trick back when the demonstration with Ratna occurred..
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Nov 20, 2016 21:32:08 GMT
"Health. Tier I or II, depending on how much there is to clean." She responded simply to his question of what magic had she just used. Since it was a low rank of the branch too, and Lasair had once before mentioned that he knew the more basic ranks of all traditional magic branches, this was a spell he already knew - albeit judging from his reaction also likely one he never thought of that creative use in particular. "It only works for organic residue though." So unfortunately, the redhead man's thoughts of it making all forms of cleaning easier wouldn't apply. Stains that weren't made of organic matter couldn't be wiped off that way, although it was possible to follow the same foundation applied with Health here to other spells, like Cryomancy to remove inorganic liquids and such.
With all the blood and other minor substances removed from the carpet now in the basin, Edelweiss stood up again to take it to the kitchen and drop it all down the sink. "...This must be an odd sight to spot first thing in the morning. Sorry for that." She commented with a bit of a resigned smile. Yes, she had realized that. Even if Lasair slept through the 'medical emergency' of the past night, he still woke up to her cleaning a lot of blood on the floor. That must not have looked normal in the least.
Post by Lasair Landevier Lupen on Nov 23, 2016 2:30:59 GMT
“I’ve seen some odd things in my days. This is just a new one for the book,” he replied, standing up to accompany her into the kitchen. Health one and two were in his personal book of spells, so this would definitely be a use to keep in mind for the future; just as her trick of using deceit as a temporary painkiller had come in handy. After she finished pouring the messy contents down the sink and rinsed the bowl, Lasair cleared his throat, dispelling the hoarseness that had been in his throat a moment before. “How are you doing?”
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Nov 23, 2016 5:49:00 GMT
"... A tad dull, I guess." She replied after a short pause to choose her words. "Using tier V spells tend to leave my fingers numb for a little while. ...Well, you were sleeping so you missed it (thankfully), but still. And it was so early, so I guess the aura drop hit me a bit harder or something."
She rinsed the bowl quickly, but let it filled with soapy water in the sink still, just for a 'just in case' extra disinfecting before moving to start her day. No pancakes today though; it was early enough she might as well bake a cake or something else long just to de-stress. "Other than that, just the usual stress. Mortar fire hit the street and a couple of my workers were hit. Have to find a way around it; I can't just tell them to stay inside home, but... I'm tired of seeing innocent people die. And of having to choose who will stay dead or live."
"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 Nov 29, 2016 3:40:46 GMT
He stepped forward and rested a hand on her shoulder, offering some amount of comfort. “I can’t imagine what that stress is like,” he admitted honestly. He didn’t want to mention that he didn’t have the same worry that she did with this. After all, he could sleep (or at least study) soundly at night without fear that the place would burst into flames and destruction.
If he knew how to cast the spell protecting MI, he would offer to do so with her, but that was a learning endeavor he hadn’t taken the time to pursue, at least not yet. He would have made an offer, but thought better of it then. Silence was the choice he decided continuing to stand near her, in hopes it would help.
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Nov 29, 2016 7:49:35 GMT
"I'm glad you can't, it's not something--- wait." She had started, but interrupted herself as a different thought derailed her line of speaking. Lasair was also a Guild Leader, and as a guild leader it was his duty to protect his workers and guild quarters as much as it was hers. And the danger of mortar fire affected all guilds, not only CAEsAL - Mingos, EIRAL and even BoR were under the same risks the mortars presented... but, Lasair's lack of concern on the matter, added to how devoted Edelweiss knew he was of his own guild... Did that mean MI not only avoided intruders to walk in, but also escaped Sveden's long-ranged attacks?
"Seriously? Your guild can repel mortar fire?" How? And suddenly she's looking at Lasair like he's the light at the end of the tunnel, and not only because his hand-fixed bedhead was looking a tad like a candle at the moment.
"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 Nov 29, 2016 7:59:37 GMT
To put it lightly, he was taken aback by her speedy inference. To put it honestly, he actually took a half step back, shock painted on his face as he stuttered somewhat. “I, will um, repel isn’t the right word. And well, I never said anything about that.” He took another half step back, hand resting behind his neck as his face turned red, ashamed that he had given away the very information he was trying to contain, because with it was a special kind of hope he really didn’t want to crush. But he had to.
“I don’t know how the spell was cast,” he said in a hushed tone, knowing it should deflate her hope before it grew too large. And it was the truth; he truly didn’t know what spell it was or how it was cast. He didn’t even know if the spell was housed within the library or if it was something known only to the person that had set it up. There was a chance, however small it was, though. Simply for the fact that Lasair had come across a book detailing the other two wards put in place on HQ. If that book was present, then perhaps more were too.
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Nov 29, 2016 18:51:09 GMT
"It doesn't matter if you don't know still." She stated quickly. Ok, it actually did matter since if he already knew that would fasten things a lot, but even then, it was like Lasair had just lit some sort of nerdy fire in the redhead woman's eyes right then and no, that hope wasn't dimming in the least. "If it's there, it exists. If it exists, it can be found out."
She took a step forward for every time he stepped back and then a couple extra, till she could reach out her hands to touch his shoulders, and that hopeful look of hers gained a bit of a pleading tone. "Las, there are people -dying- in my guild. I'm not hoping you'll just open your doors to me for nothing. If you want anything for it, and it's within my reach, ask it and it's yours - but I need to find out about this warding spell. Please."
"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 Dec 1, 2016 6:48:16 GMT
Lasair continued to stumble backwards until he bumped into the wall, and yet Edelweiss was still right there, in front of him, that pleading look in her eyes. He knew that people were dying, he knew that some age-old spell could help lessen the deaths. Not remove them, but just lessen them. He also knew that figuring out the spell itself would take time; time he wasn’t sure he’d be able to give and time Edelweiss physically couldn’t give. Not unless she was within MI, at least. His mind came to a blank, the pressure quickly accelerating his heartbeat and making his head grow foggy. He wanted to help her, but he needed to protect the guild. But protecting her guild was important too. Standing there, against the wall, her amber eyes staring up at him, pushing him to say yes and agree.
He couldn’t take it. “I need a minute,” he said in half a breath and ducked away from Edel, fleeing to the other room (the only room he felt was okay for him to enter) and leaned against the far wall, taking a few steady breaths to slow his racing mind. He needed to think, and to do so quickly. This was serious stuff he was getting involved with here, and it was impossible to back out of it now.
Time to think on this in terms of basics. Edel wants to protect CAEsAL. CAEsAL is made up of mostly anders. MI is a guild to protect anders, yet has safeguards to protect against traitors and spies. Edel’s group may not have that, but they did have a larger population compared to quiet little MI. So in that line of thought, offering protection would also be protecting a large group of anders.
There was also the personal aspect of it; Lasair wanted to help ease Edel’s suffering. Her suffering mainly came from stress, and as he saw last night, a lot of that stress was coming from the mortar fire. Giving her guild at least one building to remain safe would ease that suffering immensely. As for the downside, Lasair would have to try and find the details of the spell on his own; in a library where he found something new every day. Translating a text only to find out it wasn’t what he was looking for would take a large portion of time as well, and it would also mean putting a stop on all the research he was doing on the side as well. There was an alternative to that, which involved having Edel do the research herself, but that would involve a breach in MI secrecy that he could only do so much to protect for. But, to counter that, she did offer up the temptation of anything in exchange for it. And that became the deciding factor in the decision making process.
Taking a clear breath now, he returned to the kitchen where he had left her, looking her in the eye for a moment before returning his gaze to the ground. “…I think we can work something out. But. There’s a lot to discuss to set everything straight.”
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Dec 1, 2016 6:51:43 GMT
First there was the vocal request for having a minute alone, followed immediately by Lasair ducking away from her, and Edelweiss figured those were more than obvious signs it'd be better to not follow him. It didn't take a genius to see he was overwhelmed - while to a degree that could work in her favor it wouldn't be right to pressure him further, and there was also the risk it could backfire on her face by him growing annoyed at the insistence and denying her request altogether. So as he made his way back to the living room and out of her field of view, she could only stand there and wait.
He returned after a moment anyway, and at hearing his reply she couldn't help but grin. That was already better than a 'no'. Actually, it was already -infinitely- better than a no. Of course he'd want to discuss it, it already proved he was thinking it through and being reasonable, instead of stupid or whimsical (not that she thought he is either anyway). "That sounds fine to me." Again, it was reasonable, and she nodded for emphasis. Even though she isn't sure what terms he might require from her still. At the very least, listening to them can't hurt. And it was a hope she didn't have in a long while.
"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 Dec 1, 2016 7:18:57 GMT
Nodding, he turned and waved for her to follow him back into the main room so that they could sit and talk without the awkward standing around. He took up his usual seat on the couch, sitting forward and attempting to get comfortable.
“Before we go into the deeper stuff of what your request includes, I figured we should start with whether or not a deal can actually be made. What I wish to receive, and that I think would be worth the exchange this is turning into, is something simple: information. I asked once before about your ties to the assassins and back then, I respected your secrecy. But what you have asked of me is going to jeopardize some of MI’s secrets, and for that, I think it’s only fair if you explain this to me; honestly and without skipping things. Explain the situation, your relation, the guild’s ties, and anything else you believe needs to be shared. Do that, and you’ll be permitted to try and uncover this ward you seek.”
Post by Edelweiss Fjäril on Dec 1, 2016 7:22:54 GMT
Edelweiss felt her shoulders tensing up. Yes she remembered very well when he'd first asked about the assassins and her guild, not all that many nights ago. She couldn't answer him then. It was both a breach of security and a breach of the rules - from a very small set herself imposed on all members and therefore was also subjected to. Do not compromise the association. However, was telling Lasair of it now really breaking it? He had a point in that it was exactly the same she was demanding of him - to know a secret of his guild, to preserve her own. If this can be benefitial for them both, somehow, then it was still reasonable to consider as an exception.
But he was asking for this information beforehand, in a moment where her own request was still out of reach. To counter that, the place they were now was her personal apartment, where only the two of them are present, and the lower floors filled with her own workers like a beehive. This was more than anything else a treaty of trust. If it is a mistake - if this, instead of helping, ends up endangering everything she stood up to protect, would she be willing to make up for it or even lay down her life for her guild? By all means, yes. "....Do I have your word?" She asked first, just for reassurance and peace of mind, and after waiting a moment and seeing no signs of the contrary from him, she sighed and took a deep breath, slightly sinking on the couch cushion but doing her best to still sustain his gaze with her own.
"I'm their leader." That was all. All ties within CAEsAL, anything and everything he once asked and now wanted to know were truly resumed in that little sentence.