open ♔ may castle socialization

[wynn]

WHO || Everyone! [ota]
WHAT || Shenanigans.
WHERE || Anywhere in the castle, surrounding environs, London, etc!
WHEN || Any time during May/June [ forward dated]
HOW || Actionspam

[ The castle can be a happening place, even on more mundane days. This log is for random interactions over the course of these few months. Because not everyone is into parties, ok.

You are encouraged to start your own threads and tag around, and feel free to threadjack into any on-going threads that aren't specified as 'closed' in the subject lines since people can enter into rooms even in the middle of what's going on. WE ARE BIG ON THREAD-JACKING HERE. You can also specify 'single thread', meaning you want only one response for all participants, rather than multi-thread, where a number of different scenes/threads can be done as replies to the top prompt.]

On this log:
Vi @ the desk
Klaus @ the desk
Maxwell @ the desk
Aurelius @ Dragon's Fire wing
Gar @ the library
Dovan @ 2nd floor pub
Mark @ castle grounds
Lila @ the firing range
Abigail @ library/grounds/kitchen/training rooms
Spike (Kyp) @ people's rooms
Mars @ the library
Sebastian @ front steps
Alaric @ Dragon's Hoard wing
Myri @ cleric's wing, etc.
Spike @ infirmary/kitchen/outside/etc
Elena @ her room
Buffy & Kyp (and Fred) | Closed
Jack @ the cleric's wing
Kyp @ the dungeon
Spike, Buffy, & Helen | Closed
Rose @ various
Lila & Hook | Closed
Han @ the firing range
Brantley & Andrew | Closed
Vi & Des @ the garden
Failboat @ pancake brunch | Closed
Faye @ the library
Alanna @ the firing range
Jaina's induction party
Alex & Abigail | Closed
The Doctor @ the castle grounds
Elena & Helen | Closed
Dumage & Damon | Closed
Lila, Sylar, & Helen | Closed
Damon @ the bar/various

Comments

[trebond]

I'll settle for your name, if you're giving it.

[theminotaur]

I'm Abigail. [ she smiles slightly, tiny and fragile, but she knows how it's done, being polite. ] Abigail Hobbs.

[trebond]

Beautiful name, Abigail. I'm Alanna. [ she returns the smile with a beaming one of her own. alanna does nothing by halves. ] Of Trebond, though it's not quite a last name so much as a fief. [ there weren't really last names in tortall. that's the closest she had, so it had become her legal name in this world. ] How long have you been with us?

[theminotaur]

[ all of the color drains from her face and her pale eyes grow huge at the sound of the redhead's name. she knows alanna has said something else, but she can't quite get a grasp on it, hands starting to tremble. alana. all she can see is the familiar dark hair, confusion and betrayal etched across her features. alana. the bullet tumbles out of her hand and clatters against the floor as she reflexively backs up. ]

[trebond]

Abigail?

[ she takes a step forward, reaching for the girl's arm, brow furrowing. ]

Are you okay?

[theminotaur]

[ swallowing, she shakes her head before it turns into a nod. after a deep breath she manages to get a handle on herself, stooping to retrieve the bullet to fluidly get out of alanna's grasp while she schools her features into something more neutral. a for effort kiddo. ]

I used to know someone with that name. Sorry. [ she stands and pockets the bullet. ]

[trebond]

Used to? I'm—I'm sorry, did she not come through the Veil with you? [ alanna doesn't really know what else to ask; abigail is obviously shaken, no matter how she tries to disguise it now. alanna drops her hand to her side, pressing her lips together. ]

[theminotaur]

No, it's not that. [ she shakes her head again. ] No. I've... I've been here a couple weeks. [ that's what she'd asked before, right? even if it's not, abigail is struggling to claw her way to something she can talk about. ] Nearly three. I'm supposed to be squired on the first.

[trebond]

Oh, you haven't been squired yet? Well, you should be the one asking me questions.

[theminotaur]

I don't-- I can never think of anything to ask.

[trebond]

Well, if you do think of anything, you're free to come find me. There's no hurry.

[theminotaur]

Thanks. [ she manages to lift her lips in a semblance of a smile. she's trying, son. trying so hard. ]

[trebond]

You are more than welcome.

[ she watches abigail for a moment longer, then glances back at the lane she'd been firing down. ]

I'm all but ready to wrap up here, if you'd like to show me how that one works, or we could go to the kitchens for some tea.

[theminotaur]

I can show you how this works. [ delicately edging closer, still pale and trembly, she hefts the rifle up to face the target. it's plain that even while she's tremblepaling, the weapon is second nature to her. ] It's not very hard once you get used to it.

[trebond]

Oh, I'd imagine there's some talent that factors into this sort of precision as much as familiarity.

[ though alanna will never be the one to underestimate the importance of familiarity. the gun looks like it weighs more than the girl, but then, so many of alanna's weapons and even her shield could have the same said for them. ]

[theminotaur]

Maybe. [ fumbling the bullet out of her pocket, she loads it with quick careful movements before taking and exhaling a deep breath. her eyes stay trained on the target and between breaths she pressed her finger against the trigger. (atk 18) the recoil makes her jerk back a step, but nothing too out of control. ] That's all. [ she peers over the weapon to the target and when she's satisfied with what she sees, she lowers the gun. ] It's kind of self-explainitory.

[trebond]

I see. [ she moves closer once abigail sets the gun down, glancing down range and then turning the rifle over to examine the top. she arches an eyebrow in question at the younger girl. ] How much ammunition can it hold at once?

[theminotaur]

Just five bullets, but they're easy to load. [ she motions to where and slowly pulls back on the bolt handle to slide it back, both so she can eject the spent casing, plucking it out with still trembling fingers, and to show alanna the empty chamber. she's still a little ill at ease from the unexpected onslaught of emotions and memories that came from hearing the woman's name, but she's trying her hardest to pretend it didn't happen and carry on. c+ for effort. ]

[trebond]

[ ok she wanted to give the girl some space and drop it, but shaking hands near sliding metal chambers and ammunition makes a girl nervous. she purses her lips, raising her eyes to focus on abigail. ]

You're shaking. [ she notes it, taking the cartridge from her. ] Abigail, if I've done something —

[theminotaur]

No, it's not you. I-- [ she licks her lips, twisting her now free fingers together in front of her and trying to coax herself into calm. she can do it. she stood up to jack crawford. she stood up to freddie. she lived through... everything. she can deal with one woman named alanna. ] I'm fine. I just miss her. [ she figures the "her" is obvious. ]

[trebond]

I understand.

[ she's not the type to dwell and mope—feeling sorry for herself is the surest way to get alanna up and moving and distracted so she doesn't deal with it. but she knows it'd be a sting to meet any other prince jon. ]

Would it help to talk about her?

[theminotaur]

[ her mouth twists in an uneasy, weak smile. ] She was my psychologist. [ so it's kind of hilarious, in a bittersweet way, that alanna is asking a question alana had asked her before. ] She sort of looked after me.

[trebond]

It's lucky you remember her—it sounds as though she meant a great deal to you.

[theminotaur]

Sometimes I wish I could forget. [ her fingers untwist and she reaches up to tuck her hair behind her ear like a nervous habit, nearly blunt nails scraping against the shell of skin, a silent reminder. ] I wish I could forget a lot.

[trebond]

Sometimes the Veil is kind, in that way—sometimes it isn't. You're in good company to find kindred spirits, at the very least. We've all got things we wish were taken instead.

[ the ordeal of knighthood, for instance, is one memory alanna could do without. ]