agentleooc | tdm 04

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!tdm

tdm 04

And I know when it cuts deep down
through your chest into your soul
that's how you know that's how
I know I feel it in my bones

► All TDM threads may be considered canon provided both parties agree and are accepted into the game.

► Canon threads may be redeemed for influence and reputation depending on how you solve the issue at hand or how you engage with the prompt. They also count toward AC.

► Feel free to switch up your character's Jewel from thread to thread. Get a feel for how a Birthright Jewel may limit or enhance your character's abilities.

WICKED WEAVES
The Blood of Draega have finally had enough with the amphitheater behind the Ebon Council’s buildings. It’s a wonderful place to perform outdoor plays in the summer, but its psychic reek of fear and death makes the Blood uncomfortable. The Queen and Lady Abigail have tenuously agreed to join forces for the benefit of the city.

One cool but comfortable April afternoon, Lady Abigail invites young Black Widows in training and any Strangers with an interest in the Craft to join her in front of the amphitheater. She sets up all interested parties with a simple wooden frame and the spider silk that the Black Widows use to weave their tangled webs.

“The natural-born Black Widows will find this easier than the rest of you,” she explains, glancing toward a group of teenage witches who have the sharp, distinct psychic scent of Black Widows born. “But the process is simple. Attach your thread to the frame of the web and pour your intent into your Jewel and from the Jewel into the thread. Focus on a web that draws negative psychic energy into it. The weave for this doesn’t matter. Do what feels right.”

Though she makes it sound simple, it is anything but. The mind must stay focused in order for the magic to work. A wandering mind can’t build a stable web—and your wandering mind will be more easily snared by the incomplete webs around you. There’s also that horrible psychic reek of death. Probing with the mind reveals a ghastly truth: though there are no ghosts and the feelings are easily hundreds of years old, people were publicly tortured and executed here.

For those who are truly helpless, Lady Abigail sets you to weeding the gardens around the amphitheater. She warns you to ignore the bright red flowers she identifies as witchblood. “Even if you pull them up, they’ll just come back,” she grumbles.

Should you be weeding the gardens when Lady Fayura comes by, she will briefly work with you and anyone you may be working with. She won’t join you in conversation, but before she moves on to another small group, she tells you one, simple truth: “If you sing to the plants the right way, each plant will tell you the name of the one whose blood nourishes its roots.”

ACID BATH
Dangerous rains sweep down from the distant peaks of Ebon Askavi. This poison rain destroys already rotting wood roofs, kills plants, burns animals, and scars skin. With the arrival of spring, these rains come more and more frequently, and everyone in the city suffers.

The farmers have come to Fayura’s Court, asking her to send the Strangers to help them. Locals need roofs replaced, and there aren’t enough hands.

So the Lady asks you if you would be so kind as to address any one of these issues. Repair homes so they are safe for their inhabitants. Assist the farmers in wrapping their livestock in thick, protective blankets or brave the fields to lay tarps or shields over the fragile, growing plants.

Storms come at night, bringing deluging rains. The farmers ask Strangers to stay out at night in pairs to fuel shields over the fields. But with the night come the hungry wildmen, slinking across the dusty plains and blasted forests in search of food. The night is not safe.

BETTING ON TROUBLE
Also with the spring comes trade. Draega is the safest city in all of Hayll in a general sense, but if you’re willing to follow the mercenary bands and commit unspeakable acts in return for protection then Draega isn’t your only option. Rough traders come into the ports as the weather warms and the Heartsblood River swells.

Allairavar doubles the guard around the docks, and enlists any willing body to help him. The sailors are mercenary males and keen-eyed witches, looking to make a coin however they can. Around the docks, they frequent taverns where moonshine runs freely, filling their veins with alcohol. They gamble—and when they lose, they get in fights that damage the docks and the buildings around them.

Some use this opportunity to steal goods stored in the nearby warehouses, and everyone in Draega would prefer they don’t. Whether you’re here at Allairavar’s request or just wanted some rough fun, perhaps you could lend a hand.

A few of the traders with an aristo air and finer manners venture deeper into the city, into the Bazaar. They case shops from which they’ll later steal precious food and supplies. A string of burglaries plagues the city, and it might be nice if you could catch those thieves, too.

AIR TIME
Whether you catch the news on a Far-caster in the city or you're spinning the dial on your own device, you'll hear…

etiquette with evandra and aren
[Evandra's voice is a little bit rough and a little bit husky, the kind of voice that gives bad ideas to young men and headaches to fathers.] Lord Aren, this is very off-script, but I must ask: why is it that Blood males spend so much time insisting their ladies put their feet up and rest?

[Aren is silent for a long, awkward moment, because he knows that any answer he gives is going to end with him on the receiving end of feminine irritation.] Well. Er. That is…

[Evandra sounds exasperated.] My feet didn’t even hurt! I hadn’t been standing that long at all.

[Aren, with great hesitation:] It’s a male’s pleasure to serve? [He sounds like he’s been caught in a trap. He has been.]

[Evandra:] Well, how do you stop such behavior?

[In Aren’s silence is the very obvious answer: you don’t. Finally, he says:] Have you considered giving your lover tickets that entitle him to thirty minutes of fussing at a time?

the weather
[A soft-spoken man’s voice rumbles out of the Far-caster. He’s pleasant to listen to, with a soothing cadence to his voice.] …rains coming out of Askavi over the next week. Farmers are advised to cover their plants. When outside in the rain, Blood should shield and landens should wear heavy cloaks to protect their skin. Worried about lesions from the rains? The Medicos have a new salve that…

the news
[The man speaks at a brisk pace, hurried and harried as though he has too much to say and not enough time to say it.] The Tribunal convened by the Queen to assess whether or not a young landen man killed Councilwoman Vera in cold blood continues to meet today.

[Another man, nasally in tone. He doesn’t sound rushed so much as put upon.] That’s right, Garret. Three of the Blood and three landens meet every day in the Queen’s Residence to discuss this unique case. Many hope they’ll reach a conclusion before either the Guilds or the Council decide this is a delaying tactic and act out.

[Garret:] Well, Wilt, let’s hope that doesn’t happen. In other news, the Heartsblood River…

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's strange Craft, to be sure. It's a lot more delicate than I'm used to doing and in a different arena. I'm much more used to trying to heal with it.

( Sansa, too, has been working on the webs and while she's starting to get the knack of following the threads of them and linking one to the next, it is difficult to keep her own mind separate from the illusions. Would it be easier if she were familiar with magic back home? Possibly. Still, she has three moons of Craft under her belt and it is getting easier as time goes on. She wonders what this web will show when she's done with it. )

Yours looks better than mine, I think.

And you have finished more than me.

[She's working very deliberately and sacrificing speed because she wants so very badly to get this right. This isn't a battle and Lady Abigail is hardly Strucker looming over her shoulder. For once, Wanda has time.

(That, and she really doesn't want to find out if her own powers can react violently with Craft. This place is creepy enough, thanks.)]

Maybe it was not the best choice for one of my first lessons, but... [She shrugs.] No one is going to get hurt if I just make a tangled mess. I think.

Healing must be more stressful.

Healing is stressful. I like it, though. It makes me feel useful. I spent a lot of my life feeling quite useless so having something that feels important is nice.

( Sansa goes back to her web, moving this strand and that as she tries to weave it just right. She's getting more of a feel for it as she goes on and she imagines that later webs will look much better than this terrible one; then again, isn't the web just a reflection of her and her own thoughts? )

I sew and knit. You'd think I would be a natural at weaving like this but you'd be very wrong.

[Mistake one: The anchor threads don't have the same tension, but it's only becoming obvious as the weaving grows. Oops. She's just going to have to try to compensate as best as she can.]

We would all do much better if we weren't distracted. This place...it feels like the more I try to catch it, the more there is.

It's the same for me. I have learned to focus my mind somewhat but it seems I keep catching the thoughts of those around me, too, and they end up in my web in spite of my better efforts.

( Sansa's web looks well-formed but she has no idea if it will show anything other than a garbled mess of thoughts. She's too easily distracted. )

[Wanda pauses her work to look at Sansa, opens her mouth, and hesitates. A thousand different questions choke her – is this really a good idea, can she actually trust a complete stranger after what happened at home, does it even work that way here?

But those aren't the questions that matter.]

Does it hurt?

[If the answer is 'yes,' then she has to offer to try.]

Sometimes it does, yes. I've gotten caught into dreams I shouldn't be and sometimes it's painful to relive them. I just need to focus a little more, certainly.

( Sansa gives Wanda a soft look; she's noticed the bandages around her neck and while she's too polite to ask, she wants to help if she can. )

[Well, if she's going to reveal her true powers, this is probably the safest place in this world to do it. Anyone who chose to attend the lesson is more likely to be accepting. And if someone's in pain and she has a chance to stop it...how could she not at least try?

Even if she hadn't made a promise to the Queen, Steve would expect no less. Pietro would expect no less.]

This might be easier if we worked together. I think...I think I might be able to help you shield your mind. If you want me to.

We'd make more progress if we worked together, I agree. Let's try that. I'll work on the web while you shield my mind from any distraction or pain.

( Sansa gives her a smile and tips her head toward Wanda's neck. Perhaps the bandages aren't overtly obvious but Sansa is observant enough to see them. )

And afterward, I might be able to do something about that injury, yes?

[Wanda pales but quickly masks it. Right. She really should have put that scarf on this morning, but she hadn't been able to tolerate anything else around her neck.]

Just...just try to relax. Tell me if you want me to stop.

[Wanda's looking vaguely at Sansa, but her eyes are unfocused as her attention turns elsewhere. With her own tangled web set aside, she can turn her full power to their mental shields and a protective layer of scarlet-Opal power settles around Sansa's mind like a soft blanket. It muffles the psychic noise - it's not that Wanda's made all potential distractions go away, just that she's given Sansa space to focus completely on her own work.]

Is that better?

( The shield seems to block out errant thoughts, the stray memories that Sansa keeps weaving in from the other people alongside her. It helps her focus on the web and helps her find the places to turn, the places to weave. It's a great help, truly, and she nods to Wanda quickly. )

Much better, actually. It's as if you silenced the room so I can only hear myself and focus. Thank you. I should be able to finish it soon and then we can see what happens with it?

I can hold this. You don't need to rush.

[This is much more familiar to her than the tangled webs.]

It is easier to learn when you only need to focus on one thing. But we'll get better.

[They have to if they want to survive here, just...baby steps.]

( Sansa slows down as Wanda suggests, focusing on her web and putting her entire mind into it. Without interference, it comes easier, and it seems natural when she weaves this thread and the next. She doesn't speak for a long while and when she pauses again, it seems the web is complete. )

I think it might be ready, if you'd like to look for yourself?

I am not sure I would know but...

[Her power recedes slowly from Sansa's mind as Wanda rises and turns her attention to the web. The Blood probably do this without physically reaching for it, and while she doesn't need to, it's easier to focus in with all the other psychic noise tugging at her awareness.

Her hand hovers over the web, not quite touching, while scarlet wisps lightly probe it. Wanda shudders and flinches away like she's touched something hot (impossibly cold, really) and the red light dissipates.]

--it is definitely catching something.

Good. It looks like we can at least work together even if my work alone leaves something to be desired. I've been told I'll never be as good at this as a natural born widow but at least I finished the web.

( Sansa looks to Wanda, examining her face a bit. There's the wound around her neck, too, and she wants to help her do something with it. )

Would you mind if I helped to heal you? I'm better at that than this.

You will get better. But I think it would be easier to practice somewhere quieter. Or with fewer people.

[Like the everyday webs the Blood seem to have to catch ambient negative energy.

Her hand hovers halfway to her throat, but she manages to keep herself from touching the bandages. She didn't feel anything troubling in Sansa's mind and if there was anywhere someone like her might be among allies if not friends, it was here.

And it isn't like she wants to hold on to the burns.]

Maybe...maybe after we leave. Not here.

No, we could deal with it privately. I wouldn't ask you to let me do something like that right out here in the open.

( However she got such an injury must be traumatic and Sansa wants to take away the physical hurt even if she cannot comfort the fear that must go along with it. She taps her fingers a bit, thinking about the web. )

I think we work well together. Perhaps it isn't as efficient as us each weaving our own web but it did get the job done, did it not?

[Wanda glances down, a shadow crossing her expression. This place tugs at that particular memory, but so far she's lucky that no one else has been caught in it.

But not allowing the Raft to scar her physically is a small victory and one she'll take if she's able. All she has left is her pride.]

One good web is probably better than two all right ones. I'm glad I could help.

[When she manages a smile, it's small but it doesn't feel forced.]

I'm Wanda.

I'm Lady Sansa. It's good to meet you, my lady, and hopefully we can work together again soon.

( Sansa reaches her hand out toward her, lightly touching her fingertips. She wants to convey friendship and warmth, if she can, and hopefully garner enough trust that Wanda might let her heal her wounds. )

You don't have to tell me how those wounds happened but please let me try to heal them for you?

[Wanda allows the contact at first before deciding that it’s welcomed and fully taking Sansa’s hand for a moment. She wonders what Sansa’s expecting to find under the bandages. Bruising? Maybe a few cuts? Certainly not electrical burns.

If her heart didn’t almost stop looking at them - and if she wasn’t so terrified of failure - she could have tried to fix them herself. Wanda’s tried to steel herself to do it several times, but she’s never gotten farther than taking the bandages off. She just can’t, and there’s no logical explanation why. It just is.]

I don’t want to talk about it, [she says softly, almost too softly. Something haunted comes into her expression before Wanda quickly masks it. She’s always been a good actress, at least.]

But I can let you try.

Edited 2019-05-02 19:51 (UTC)

There's no need to talk about it. Your secrets are your own and I'm hardly one to pry. Come on. There's a few rooms off from this one that will give us more privacy.

( And, truly, such wounds deserve privacy. It seems Wanda received them in some sort of battle she doesn't wish to discuss and Sansa will hardly embarrass her further by forcing her to reveal them in the open. )

[Wanda feels bad leaving her own web, but there's something to be said for having one less thing to distract her. And Sansa doesn't seem like she's going to let it go. Wanda follows, but she's visibly tenser when they reach the room Sansa's chosen, fidgeting with her rings.]

...you'll need to see it, [she says after a minute, almost to herself. The urge to run for the door surfaces, but Wanda forces it down while she undoes the bandages.

It takes a minute, but soon it's done. Wanda turns back to Sansa with a bruised look in her eyes, like she's expecting Sansa to take one look at her and realize she's gotten more than she bargained for. There are two burns on either side of her neck, and no easy explanation for how they got there. Someone has treated them with a salve, but that had been all the prodding Wanda had been able to tolerate at the time.]

If it's too much...

Edited 2019-05-03 23:27 (UTC)

( The wounds are ugly, thick around the pale skin of Wanda's neck, but Sansa forces herself not to react. She's seen much worse on Theon. She's seen much worse on herself. Wounds don't frighten her and there's nothing to do but roll up her sleeves and do the healing. )

It's not too much, Wanda. I've seen much worse in my life, I assure you, and what is this Jewel but a tool for me to help others? If you'll trust me to help you with it, I want to heal it. I cannot heal what caused it, that's in your mind, but I can heal this physical manifestation.

[She is pale and tense, and after a moment she nods. It might not have been so bad for her if she hadn't fought so hard at first, but what else could she do? Clint and Sam and Scott didn't deserve the Raft and she was the only one with even a chance of freeing them. She could have accepted it, if it had only been her. But not them.]

Just...just keep talking to me.

[She really hopes Sansa doesn't have to touch it.]

I'll keep talking, I promise. I find distractions are often helpful. Did you want to talk about your home? Your friends? I want to find something that won't be painful or upsetting.

( Those things are painful and upsetting for Sansa but, for others, they can be a comfort. She uses Craft to unwind the bandages so she doesn't have to touch them and the wounds are bruised and bleeding. It almost looks like a burn, in a way. Who would do this? )

wicked weaves 1

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