open ♔ september castle socialization

[wynn]

WHO || Everyone! [ota]
WHAT || Shenanigans.
WHERE || Anywhere in the castle, surrounding environs, London, etc!
WHEN || First half of September, any time between the September squiring ceremony and the War announcement on September 18th
HOW || Actionspam

[ The castle can be a happening place, even on more mundane days. This log is for random interactions over the course of the first half of the month.    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:
Drax @ the desk
Kate Bishop @ the desk
Sam @ the desk
Henry @ the desk
Kate Bishop @  roof/dining hall/library/grounds/bathrooms/desk/Dragon's Hoard/etc
Abigail @ Movie theater / library /firing range / training room
Francesca & Val'drin | closed
Penelope & Sam @ the woods
Emma Frost @ the library
Spike @ rec room
Lydia, Stiles, Astrid, Adam | closed

Comments

[olreliable]

Maybe wizards are just male witches, did you ever think of that? [She says, grinning- because she's teasing.]

Before the Veil, I did a couple things, but I think something short circuited on my way through. I can't even make a pencil float anymore. [She's determined to figure it out, though. Poor baby just needs another level to take the mage level. She'll get there.]

Have you ever heard of anything like that?

[pickyourbattles]

Making... pencils float, you mean?

[olreliable]

No, I mean people losing the ability to do that sort of stuff when they come through. I've tried and it's just not... happening. [She frowns briefly, then rushes to add.] Not that I plan on letting that discourage me. I mean, I was just barely starting to get the hang of it before.

...Actually, some might argue against that. I sort of jumped ahead a few chapters sometimes. Tried some thing that were way too advanced and--

[She catches herself, realizing that she's just sort of... taking him on an adventure with her rambling.]

Sorry.

[pickyourbattles]

Actually, it's not all that uncommon. Some people forget what they were capable of, and when they start to relearn it, are amazed by how quickly it returns. There might be a reason for it, although I certainly don't claim to know what it is.

[olreliable]

So you're saying I'm not hopeless, huh? [She gives a little grin.] Guess I just need to get to work with relearning, then. And I guess that might mean seeing more of you two.

[Which she doesn't mind. Nope.]

[pickyourbattles]

I'm relatively certain Rillifane wouldn't mind. [ he grins at the little owl, who lets out a grumpy bb hoot ] Nor I, for that matter.

[olreliable]

Well, I'll be sure to always have granola on me just in case. [She's going to win that owl's grumpy heart, just you wait. Turning her attention back to Aurelius, her smile doesn't fade, but possibly brightens.] And people snacks too! To help get us through the studying. Brain food.

[pickyourbattles]

Sounds quite pleasant, actually. I've always done most of my studying on my own.

[olreliable]

Same here. Up until recently, I mean. The last couple of years, my friends figured out that books actually have answers in them. [She gives a dopey grin.]

So... what are you studying today?

[pickyourbattles]

Well, er, Queen Embrae Aloevan and the Tears of Aloevan. Do you know it?

[olreliable]

[idk does she??? crit fail says noooope. not even close.]

Is that anything like Avalon? As in Mists of?

[pickyourbattles]

Oh no, this is a story from the Shadow World. Queen Embrae was a chosen of two goddesses: both Mystra and Sehanine, almost unheard of.

[olreliable]

Oh wow. What did she do to be chosen?

[She says while moving to the nearest chair while the owl keeps eating. Story time please?]

[pickyourbattles]

By Mystra? They actually don't say. But once she was, she, like all the other Chosen of Mystra, was constantly exposed to the silver fires of the goddess, which granted her great power - at great risk to her. The strength of that magic eventually drives its wielder to madness, and thus led to her death.

Or should have. Instead, she became trapped, in a nimbus of silver fire, and Sehanine took pity on her. She instructed some of her clerics to create a link between the pocket plane where she was trapped and their world, and work for centuries to bring her back some sense of who she once was, before the madness consumed her.

[olreliable]

Oh, wow. It's always so sad when power takes over like that.

[stares directly into camera.]

Were they able to do it? To save her?

[pickyourbattles]

In a manner of speaking. She resides now as the Court they've created for her - the Court of Silver Fire.

[olreliable]

Well... that doesn't sound so bad! It sounds like she became a princess or a queen or something...

[pickyourbattles]

Well, she still fights off the ever present threat of insanity. And doesn't exactly have anyone to be queen of.

[olreliable]

...oh

[Willow glances down, thinking it over.]

So how does that all fit in with your wizarding studies?

[pickyourbattles]

It's more than about wizarding, although understanding the power of silverfire certainly is important to anyone in arcane studies. It's about understanding cultures, and the stories and beliefs that underlie them.

[olreliable]

So what does all that tell you? [She leans her chin into the palm of one hand, super interested in basically all of it.] I mean... besides to be careful who chooses you.

[pickyourbattles]

Well, in a story like this, it's worth looking at how it's presented, and by whom. Do the elves write about it as a tragic story, fearing the god's wrath? Or do humans write about it, praising her for making such a sacrifice for her gods?

[olreliable]

Why not both? I mean... back home, we don't have elves but-- Different cultures still write similar stories, but the perspective changes. Little things are different. So maybe the story you know is one version but there's another one too?

[pickyourbattles]

Exactly! It's my responsibility to look for other versions, compare and contrast, see if there are divisions between people.

[olreliable]

I could help with that, maybe? If you don't mind me hanging around. I know some people prefer study buddies that are less.. chatty.