ABRAXAS MODS (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
abraxasmods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
abraxasooc2022-07-20 10:26 am
abraxasmods) wrote in abraxasooc2022-07-20 10:26 am
Entry tags:
TEST DRIVE MEME #8
TEST DRIVE MEME
Welcome to the eighth test drive meme for Abraxas! This meme is run a little bit differently than most in that you'll be asked to choose one of the three different arrival scenarios below for your character to take. If you have any questions about this mechanic or anything else related to the TDM, please take a look at the questions below or ask one of your own under the Questions header below. For general game questions please still use the FAQ.
Our Setting pages are full of information on the world of Abraxas, and an overview of the story so far can be found on our Game History page! Anything on that page - including information about the Horizon and the Singularity - can be assumed to be told to newcomers after they arrive, no matter which faction they are received in. For more information on Ambrose and the apprentice mages, Marlo, and Rowan, please see our NPCs page.
You can also find answers to questions asked on previous TDMs in their respective questions threads.
◎ Rumor has it that two emissaries - a werewolf and a vampire - visited from Nocwich in early July. With them came some wares distributed to shops throughout each faction. A few sparse items may remain for purchase, such as glowing flowers or fine ales, but much of it has now been sold.
◎ New arrivals in THE FREE CITIES may hear a bit of chatter around Cadens about art, politics, and recent performances involving its sister city, Libertas. It's all standard fare - the kind of topics spoken about over a beer or in line at the market - but there's a small stir in the air.
◎ Lately, locals in SOLVUNN have begun to approach the Summoned with a sort of awe and respect. New arrivals will find themselves treated much the same way and may be asked for advice or given gifts that seem like offerings such as wine, harvest bounties, or some delicious goat cheese. Your character is free to turn these down and should they turn down enough people, they will not be bothered further as no one wishes to offend them.
Arrival
You awaken suspended in the abyss, silent darkness stretching out in all directions. If you try to yell, you'll find that the sound doesn't carry. If you try to move, you'll find it's impossible to tell whether or not you're actually getting anywhere. If you reach for an item you were carrying last time you remember being awake, your hand will only touch bare skin.
You're naked and floating helplessly through the void, and what little air you have in your lungs is running out.
There's a pinprick of light that almost looks like a faraway star but as it grows it becomes clear that it's actually quite close. Through the opening you can see a bright room, but it's hard to make out any individual objects, as if you're looking from beneath rippling water.
Scenario One: Welcome to Thorne
A hand plunges through and you realize water is just what it is. Whether you take hold of the hand or not it will grab you and yank you up through the surface, lifting you out until you're sprawled on solid ground. Once you catch your breath, you can get a better look at the surroundings: tall trees and even taller stone pillars surround the platform you're laying on. Behind you is an ornate fountain, the base of which is so deep and so dark you might be compelled to scramble away from it lest it suck you back in to that endless abyss. Ahead of you are the walls of a large castle with several tall towers reaching up towards the sky.
If you had any powers, they feel unusually weak. Attempts to use magic or enhanced strength or powers of any sort fizzle out without any effect, but they don't feel completely gone, either.
Set into an indent on a marble slab behind the fountain is a card bearing the image of one of the arcana.
An apprentice mage - the one whose hand lifted you out of the fountain - brushes the water off on their robes and runs back to join a group of three others, who all stare intently at a mage with highly decorated robes and a large, heavy book. He peers up at you for a moment and starts flipping through the book.
"One moment," he says, not bothering to look up from the tome. He looks tired. "I am Ambrose Rhett, the High Mage of the Kingdom of Thorne. We’ll explain everything in a moment, but for now, please calm down. You’re completely fine."
Regardless of your response, he keeps flipping through the pages, until he stops on one specific passage, stares at it for a moment, and then sighs with relief:
"Finally!"
Ambrose's expression brightens, relief visible across his features. He waves one of the apprentices over with a fine silk tunic, pants, and some basic sandals and with a wave of his hand they reshape to fit you perfectly.
"Oh, thank heavens," he says, closing the book and approaching you with a sort of worn-out relief. “I was beginning to believe we’d never get it exactly right.”
Now that he's not hunching over the book, he doesn't seem quite so stuffy and inapproachable. The apprentices all seem to visibly relax, and the one that handed you the tunic stops to take the tarot card down from the marble slab. If you show any curiosity about the card, they'll let you take a longer look, but won't let you touch it.
"Please, come with me," he says, motioning for you to follow him towards the castle. "As promised, my pupils will explain your current situation. And, ah - if you had any magic of your own, or other special abilities you can't access right now, fear not, they'll return within the week. The summoning takes a lot out of you."
One of the apprentices steps forward and rattles on and on about the castle, Thorne itself, the names of a bunch of royals and nobles, and of course, your reason for being here. The Kingdom and the world itself is in great peril, and tales of your exploits have reached far and wide across universes. If asked about these exploits, the apprentice will simply smile and shrug. The High Mage was happy to see you and that's good enough.
Once inside the castle you're taken to the North Wing, which has been set up as living quarters for you and your fellow newcomers. There are four people to a room, but each generously-sized bed has opaque curtains that can be drawn around it. You can meet your roommates here and discuss your shared situation (those who were previously brought in may have a great deal of information to tell you), or you can wander around and meet the others.
There's also a dining hall stocked with a rotating 24/7 buffet in celebration of the new honored guests. Somehow, your very favorite food is part of the rotation (or at least an attempted recreation of it given the limited technology available to the Thorneans). The town surrounding the castle is all abuzz as well, with most shops and services willing to give free samples of their wares to the new arrivals.
You may also notice that your sign is embroidered on your tunic: the same image you saw on the card from before with the name of the sign itself beneath it. If you ask the castle residents, they'll tell you a little bit about your sign (and will mostly stick to the positives, although some might point out the negatives).
Last (and, if you ask anyone else in the castle, least) there is a worn stone staircase leading underground to the dungeon. You can go there, if you wish, but all powers are restricted in the dungeons and most of the cells stand empty.
Scenario Two: Welcome to the Free Cities
You find yourself pulled from the water by a pair of strong hands. Dry warmth hits you at once as you're set on a warm hard floor. As your senses return you realize you're on dull ruddy stone and surrounded by strangers. Men and women in unfamiliar uniforms of brown and red leather stand in a semi-circle around a small pool of water. The very pool you were just pulled from. The water is still now, rimmed in pale gold tiles with odd symbols etched into them. Across it on the far side is a raised pedestal with a card propped on it. The card bears an arcana symbol.
You feel weak. Drained. Any abilities or magical powers you have seem far away and impossible to access. You're in what looks like a cave lit by dozens and dozens of torches set into the wall. There's no furniture or decoration to be seen besides the pool. It's almost uncomfortably warm and there's the sound of rushing wind somewhere in the distance. Flickering shadows obscure the faces of the guards. A robed woman stands off to the side, looking at you anxiously and then to the authoritative woman standing before you. She's grinning, dressed in a fancier uniform than the others. There's a sword at her hip. A guard covers you with a blanket and returns to their place in the semi-circle.
The woman with the sword gives a nod of approval and smiles warmly.
"Sorry about the circumstances."
She gives you a good hard look before standing again.
"Take a minute, catch your breath, you've had quite a shock. Take it nice and easy. I'm Prime Minister Marlo Reiner and you're in The Free Cities. That nice lady over there will explain everything to you and get you settled." A nod to the robed woman off to the side.
Marlo Reiner steps back and the robed mage approaches to help you up.
"Come with me, please." She brings you out of the cave through a corridor that angles upwards until you emerge in what looks like some kind of storage facility. Shelves of wooden boxes and cloth bags line them, unidentifiable parts of what might be machines are tucked into corners and propped against shelving units. "This is one of the Free Cities' outposts," the mage explains as she leads you. "We're honored to have you with us, I'm sure you have many questions but please save them. You need to recover!"
You'll learn you're in the Cadens Desert Outpost 003, a military outpost on the outskirts of Cadens city. You're brought to a room in the barracks that's been prepared. Each barracks room is rather sparse and utilitarian. Six simple beds set against the wall, three on each side of the room, each with a trunk at the foot of it. You're told the world is in a delicate and dangerous times and you're needed to help. You're important, you're told, and they're very grateful you're here.
You're asked to stay close for the time being, but to make yourself at home. The outpost is more a proper military base than the name implies, with full facilities. The barracks have a communal bathing room at the end of the hall, with curtains that can be pulled around the individual raised round tubs for privacy. There's a mess hall that has food available from sun up till a few hours after sundown. You're even encouraged to make use of the training grounds, if you'd like, with non-lethal training weapons available for use and obstacle courses set up. And the city of Cadens is only a couple of hours away by wagon - though you're asked initially to please be back at the outpost within a few hours of the sun going down.
For your own safety.
Scenario Three: Welcome to Solvunn
The feeling of floating is the first sense that comes to you as the edges of unconsciousness start to ebb. Sunlight filters through the rippling water as you open your eyes, making you squint. Before you have the chance to panic and inhale, firm hands grasp your arms and pull you to the surface of the water. Moments later, soft warmth is wrapped around your shoulders as you're guided on unsteady legs out of a pool of water. You're lowered to the soft grass. Men and women in simple garments with lavish embroidery stand by, waiting with bated breath, glancing seriously at an old man in an ornate robe. He holds an old leather-bound book in one hand and in the other is a card bearing an arcana symbol. His eyes move quickly over the page, and he mumbles idly to himself.
Any strength you may have possessed feels as though it has slipped through your fingers. Any abilities or magical powers you have don't come to the surface no matter how hard you try. You're in a grassy clearing in the midst of a circle of large stone slabs stacked to look like doorways. In the middle is the same glimmering pool you were just pulled from. A gentle breeze blows through, carrying the scent of flowers and herbs from an ornately decorated altar set off in front of one of the stone doorways. The mage closes his book and steps out of the water, addressing a matronly old woman. Behind her are two younger people, a rough-looking man, and a meek young girl, both of whom are also watching the mage.
“I detect no ill will from the gods, it seems we've been blessed with success.” Those that had gathered all breathe a sigh of relief and now seem pleased.
The old woman smiles and steps forward, offering to take your hands and help you stand. “Any gift the gods give us is one we will happily take. I'm certain you have many questions, and they will all be answered in time. For now, rest and know you will be taken care of.”
She pats the top of your hand and steps away with a serene smile, letting one of the others come forward with some clothes that seem to fit you perfectly. Once you're dressed, someone approaches to drape a delicate-looking charm depicting a long-horned creature with large wings on a thin chain over your neck. Ask around later, and you may find that it is a symbol of Vielehauffe, the God of the Herd.
The rough-looking man from before steps forward once you're decent and motions with his head outside of the stone circle. His speech is informal, his consonants harsh.
“Hold your horses, I can see all those questions coming about! Rowan March, at your service. I'm one of the council members of Solvunn. There's a lot to discuss, but it's best talked about over a hot meal.” He leads you to a horse-drawn carriage and helps you up into the back. He talks the entire ride to the settlement.
You find out you are in the Primary Settlement, the first of three that make up Solvunn's great territory. The settlement is situated between two lakes and is humming with life. You're brought to the center of town and escorted to an apartment above one of the establishments in town. Rowan explains that the living conditions are temporary if you'd like them to be, that local families would also be happy to host you in their home. That there are others like you who have also taken up residence within the three settlements. You're told that the world hangs upon the brink of disaster and that there are those in this world that are happy to see it fall to ruin with their meddling.
You're important. The gods have graced them with your presence. They're delighted you're here. Welcome to Solvunn.
Everything you need has been provided in this humble apartment, and if it hasn't, there are shops that line the streets and a marketplace in the center of town. Owners of some establishments or stalls are more than happy to give out samples or barter with your time for their goods. Babysitting can be a very lucrative business. You're told of the other settlements, that they'd like you to stay here for now, but if you can find a family to host you, the secondary and tertiary settlements are best to get to with an escort.
There are tales of travelers visiting the secondary settlement without invitation disappearing without a trace. The gods are as hungry as they are protective, young traveler.
You’ll find that there are more than enough activities to throw yourself into to better settle into your new life in Solvunn. Work is done in the first part of the day so that families can spend the rest of it together in leisure and work on their crafts - whatever those may be. For those children who are not of school age, they need nannies or storytellers, and there’s always a gaggle of them running about unsupervised. Families with livestock can always take a spare hand, especially since farms are so spread out, they have a tendency to wander. Whatever skills you may possess can always be of use to the community or to honor the gods.
If any of these options are no good for your lifestyle, the main roads between settlements can always use a bit of monster clean-up… just make sure you don’t go alone.
How many slots are open?
Please check the Taken page for how many player, franchise, and canon slots are available. Activity check will be processed before applications open, so the count may change between now and then. Existing players can apply for a second character without restriction.
How do I choose a scenario for my character?
Pick whichever situation appeals to you most. Which faction your character is drawn into has nothing to do with their personal morality, beliefs, or how highly they regard themselves and their own accomplishments. Anyone can be put into any one of the situations.
Can I try out more than one scenario?
You can! But please keep in mind that only the one you eventually choose can be game canon, if you decide to keep any of your TDM threads.
What happens if my character refuses to comply with the NPCs?
They will be forgiven for their moment of panic or anger if they have one, and the faction leaders will try to calm them and persuade them further. If they put up too much of a fight and/or start actively attacking anyone, they will be warned once that everyone is willing to put them back in the well where they came from (see below), and if they continue to fight they will make good on that promise.
My character intends on causing a lot of trouble (destroying parts of the cities, murdering the NPCs, etc.), what would happen to them?
Characters who make too much trouble for the mages and other NPCs would be thrown back in the well (which will mean drowning in the void, not returning home). Brawling with other PCs and causing minor damage is fine and will be greeted with a cranky attitude and intervention from various NPC guards, and there will be plenty of opportunity for destruction and murder later, but for now the Abraxans have no desire to keep huge liabilities around.
I want to wildcard a prompt or use one of the prompts from an earlier TDM that isn't on this one (eg. the library), can I do that?
Yes, in terms of the settings. As Thorne is no longer imprisoning any newcomers, that option is no longer applicable.
Is the power loss for characters permanent?
No, but it does take a week or so for their powers to be back in full, and certain powers (determined on a case-by-case basis) may require nerfs. If your character has world-breaking powers, please discuss with the mods what modifications may be necessary.
Can my character leave the bounds of the faction?
In Thorne, characters can leave the castle but not the city. In Cadens, they can take a trip from the outpost to the city. In Solvunn, they can explore the entirety of the Primary Settlement.
Can my character eventually change factions?
Yes. While the faction borders are currently closed, there will opportunities in the future for characters to relocate. For the time being, they are stuck where they are.
How much will my choice of scenario affect my character's plot later on?
This choice will determine where your character initially lives as well as the bias of the information they receive from NPCs (although other PCs can and most likely will give it to them a bit more straight). This decision - and every other major decision you make in game! - will also be used to flavor some mod surprises that will be coming down the line.
Don't get too anxious about this choice, though; this is just one choice you'll get to make in a game that has a lot of them, and every character in every scenario can work their way towards many, many individual goals and outcomes. You're not locking yourself out of anything in the future via the choice you made on the TDM. It will primarily impact the immediate future with the far-reaching effects being up to each player.
Are TDM threads mandatory for my application?
No, you may use other samples, but we encourage you to post to the TDM and get a feel for this game and its mechanics before you join. If you do not have a TDM thread you will still need to choose one of the three scenarios on your application.
What if I haven't settled on a sign yet?
You can ignore sign-related prompts if you're undecided (or try out different signs in different threads).
Can my character go to the Horizon?
First time visitors to the Horizon must be taken there by other characters, through either shared meditation or a physical journey to the Singularity, and all first-timers experience memory loss. For the purposes of the TDM, we suggest against using the Horizon.
What about making use of the network?
Much like Horizon they would need to be introduced to it by another PC, as no NPCs would be aware of the network or be able to access it. Because of this we would advise against using this mechanic for TDM top-levels.
return to main navigation
no subject
The last thing Kaz had known was Jesper and Wylan starting their life, and Inej heading out for her revenge. She had given him years for his own. He knew it had been time for her to have her time as well. He hadn't wanted to let them go, but he hadn't been able to ask, in no uncertain terms, for them to stay. Now they're here. Together again.
More than that, he's finding, in a place where Jesper can be all he was meant to be. Speaking of the small science he had been born with and denied, made to fear so that he didn't end up dead. Just the thought of Jesper conscripted into the Second Army leaves Kaz cold to imagine. How dead he would be compared to the lively and wildly energetic man he knows.
Yet he is now showing what he might have been capable of had he been given that chance to learn about all he could do.
Kaz is quiet, watching as the coins change, conjoin, and then separate into their parts once more. He rolls his lips under for a moment, lifting his gaze to Jesper's face.
"Six months. She tells me you've been here about six months." It isn't a question, nor does he wait for a response. "In six months you've become that skilled? Do you have any idea how much we could have used that?"
His voice is low but there's a quality there that isn't flat, nor is it angry. There's nearly even a compliment in there.
no subject
Jesper has learned some common spells here for himself, so he knows the difference between the magic here and the small science, but it feels like it comes from a similar place. He doesn't bother to explain the difference to people. Supernatural abilities are what they are.
He nods when he says six months, and he has the good grace to look chagrined at where Kaz takes it. It's true, Jesper could have become an incredible Durast in the past few years, but he's always had his reasons, and none of them are truly rational. It comes from a real place of fear and also of self-hate, and he's been set free from both of them.
"It wouldn't exactly be safe, being a skilled Durast free from the Second Army. Not even with you." It isn't that Jesper doubts Kaz would have done anything to protect him, as would the others, but they know how dangerous things still are. In Ketterdam, Grisha could be sold just as easily as they did any other person.
"Free Cities doesn't love magic, but they all can use it. So can you."
no subject
To walk into this place and have Jesper offer him that box without a second thought, just putting it in his hands, it means a lot to Kaz. From their world, it showed a respect and understanding that he appreciates.
"I would say bribery normally doesn't work with me but coming from you it's another story," he says. Because this money won't be just for him. The moment he had learned they were here, he hadn't been thinking of things in term of himself, but for them.
He listens, and he understands Jesper's fears and why he hadn't. It's still almost painful knowing he had someone that could do work that had cost him a minor fortune and from someone that had trained most of the life.
Yet his pride won't make him react to anything else but one thing.
"Do you think I would have let them have you?"
There's a fierceness in those words. Kaz did not give up what was his. He held on with an iron fist in those leather gloves.
He pauses, considering how to do this and then, because he knows Jesper needs to hear this, he strips the words down as much as he can.
"You'll show me."
It's not worded as a request, and every one of those three words was.
no subject
Do you think I would have let them have you?
Jesper used to not be certain. He and Kaz have been close for awhile, he relied on Jesper for a great many things, even with his deep and serious personality flaws. But Kaz is hard to read and he was always hesitant to hope for more feeling than he should. He didn't start to believe it because of everything they went through, it was one specific thing. Jordie. Someone who he reminded Kaz of, someone that mattered.
Someone I didn't want to lose.
"No, I don't, but I wouldn't let you die for me." And die he would, if he got between Jesper and the Fjerdans, or Jesper and the Ravkans, or you know, Jesper and any gang or person who wanted a pet Durast under their control and didn't plan on asking. It was never going to be safe. Even if they tried to be secretive about his abilities, it would have gotten out.
"I will," Jesper says, his smile going from bright to softer, more sincere. "It doesn't work the same way as the Small Science, but it is very useful."
He looks at Kaz and knows he wants to say something, but how to say it is difficult. It should be obvious, considering all the money is in that box, and he said there was more. And Jesper using his gifts more only proved Inej right, like she usually is, that his Grisha sickness showed itself differently. He thinks about the chips in his pocket she made for him.
"I haven't gambled since I got here." That sounds so triumphant, and Jesper is always harder on himself than he should be. "I ... came close a month or so ago, but I didn't do it." That is something not even Inej knows, because he was so ashamed that he almost ruined her gifts to him. That he would have to tell her he failed. The only person who knows is a new Summoned, who probably has no idea what he saved Jesper from. (He does. Jesper doesn't know he does.)
no subject
That doesn't stop him from narrowing his eyes at Jesper.
"Please tell me you don't say that to anyone else but me." He knows he doesn't, but he can't help himself.
Even if he fixes Jesper with a look, all bravado and arrogance in the next moment. "You assume they could kill me." There's almost a sparkle in his eyes at that, even if his expression doesn't change.
"I don't know the small science in action personally so that shouldn't be an issue. It's learning anew and not a different form.
But any of the rest of that is gone with that pronouncement. His head cocks to give Jesper a look as if he can examine the truth out of him. Except, there's no reason for him to tell Kaz that unless it was true.
"In all that time, not once?" A brow arches. "I would ask if there's no dens here, but even then, you would find a game of some kind if you wanted it." Which is showing he knows Jesper could, even if he hasn't.
"That's a good choice on your part," he says, edging very close to a true compliment with that. "Inej has made a point of telling me that this is a place for new starts. She was speaking for my choices but I can see why she sees it as such."
no subject
It's mostly a joke since of course Jesper would only hand all of his money over to Kaz. Well, also Wylan, but one of the two of them. He has made a lot of money for him and Inej, but he always is a little on edge about it, like one day he might do something stupid. He'll never stop being a gambling addict. This will keep it out of his hands, a relief to be sure.
"I would never underestimate you, Kaz, but it wouldn't have been safe. Even if I go back, I won't be this open with my abilities. Then I'd just be dangerous to Wylan next."
Saints, he misses Wylan. He's been trying to detach himself from the merchling he loved, it's been half a year now, but he still thinks about him too often. The point is that Jesper hates being a burden, and he already felt like one due to his addiction. It's safer for everyone if no one knows what he's capable of.
"Even here I use them, but I'm not too obvious about it. They're not anti-magic but they do hate Thorne, which is where all the major mages live." So they're a little bit anti-magic. In the way that everyone uses it, Kaz will see for himself how often it's used in small ways around the city, but not in dramatic big ways. There's a lot more science and technology here, with magic backing them up. "They also trap all their Summoned in a castle, so be glad you're here."
He has no doubt Kaz would hate that as much as he does.
"There is gambling, I've managed. It helps that if you go to the Horizon, you can do whatever safely. I have the Crow Club there." It is a bit of a cheat, that Jesper can gamble safely in the Horizon without losing any money, but it has kept him sane, so it's a worthwhile cheat. It does warm him, this implication of Kaz's approval that he's always seeking. He raises his eyebrows at that and smiles.
"Funny, I told her the same thing about being the Wraith. You two have always been wrapped up in your titles. It doesn't have to mean anything here."
no subject
"Supernatural? As in gifted with this small science of theirs or is there more to it?"
The basics of this place, of it's attitudes and businesses and even the army are familiar in a way like he's taken a singular step to the side, or all of the furnishings were rearranged slightly to the left. The more he looks into things though, the more he is starting to realize just how different things are.
He nods though, not liking the argument much as he knew it made sense. He hated underutilizing what could help so much. Though there is mention of the merchling and he he gives Jesper a look, watching him closely. "No sign of our little demolitions expert then, I suppose?"
He would assume that Jesper, or Inej, would have mentioned him, but he would rather have clarification.
"Of course they are suspicious if there is a place that is containing their Grisha and likely as much like the Little Palace from the sound of that. Are they the enemy in all this talk of armies and war?" Because that would definitely make things different. A more physical army against one that focuses on magic. He's seen how this plays out and just how pays the price.
A world where Grisha are scrutinized a bit less is still new to them and even this idea is going back in time.
"If both sides can do magic though, focusing only on those who do it seems limiting."
There has to be things this magic can't do, though if this magic can do what Jesper is saying... His eyes fairly sparkle at the work around that the other has found. And how. Where even. "Given all this magic and Horizon can do and you choose the Crow Club?"
He falls quiet though, considering him with that dark, silent look for a long time.
"Not everyone can walk away from who they have been so easily. Or even have a desire to." Or know how to. More importantly is not knowing how. "Those titles kept us alive. It kept people at bay and made them think twice about trying for what was ours. Consider this. Consider how hard it is to have all of that suddenly mean nothing here."
It's honesty and rough at that, even if he works hard to keep his tones level and even.
no subject
"There's not a whole lot of us, but we could make a mark, if they ever gave us a reason." He says that in a way that he knows Kaz understands. The Crows were only a handful of dangerous teenagers and they upended their entire city. Even if there's only seventy or less Summoned, thirty-ish here in Cadens, they could do damage. He doesn't think they want to, but it is one of those 'fuck around and find out' possibilities for the people in charge here.
"No, Wylan's not here." Which is, of course, agonizing. Or it was, in the start. Although sometimes he thinks it's even worse with time, that he forgets he misses him until he doesn't. It's so very stupid but it hasn't stopped him from moving on in other ways. "But ... Saints, Kaz, Matthias was here. Before me, Inej talked to him. By the time I arrived, he was gone." But he was alive, briefly, again. Something worth mentioning for certain.
"Thorne is the enemy, yes, although some of our Summoned are trapped there and not the enemy. I've been trying to find a way to get them out if war happens, but it's locked up tight, no portals in or out." Jesper can tell Kaz that when he's held it back from most people, as Jesper is very good at seeming like he has no plans at all ever. But he has been very anxious about his friends in Thorne. If they go to war, they might be in danger.
Jesper smiles faintly at him. "I've been homesick, Kaz. Of course it's the Crow Club." And Wylan's mansion, actually, but he hasn't mentioned that because it's technically being redone now. He just hasn't chosen what to do with that space as a way to force himself to move on.
"Your titles have done that, but they've also trapped you. Put you into a box where everything you do has to meet the checklist of what Dirtyhands requires, not what Kaz Brekker does." Jesper is also being very honest and direct. He's always respected the Wraith and Dirtyhands, but they're not the people he loves, that's Inej and Kaz. "I know it's difficult they don't matter here, but it means you can start a new reputation."
no subject
Yet there is something to be said about a new place with things they've never experienced or heard of before. There's something about a place wherein he might learn what they consider magic and to experience things he hasn't ever had a chance for. Not that he was bored with the Barrel and his life, but that there is something to be said about the excitement of new things. Was it not part of what delighted him about the things they did? A chance to challenge himself and prove what he is capable of? This place seems ready to do that again for him. In spades.
"Seems it may come to that," he says, his voice already naturally low but careful to keep his words from carrying nonetheless. "Nothing good comes from a push to join an Army for a country you don't know and who just drew you from your own world for their battle," he points out, already suspecting that will end up turning ugly, one way or another.
Maybe it's focusing on that which lets Jesper's words catch him off guard so badly. There's almost a look of regret that Wylan isn't there, for their sake as much as for Jesper's alone. He can't stop though the look he gives when he mentions Matthias. A few months difference is one thing. Dead is something else entirely.
"How? Is she certain and it wasn't a game they were playing?" Yet he knows, even as he asks, that it's a stupid question. It's Inej. If there had been doubt, she would have said as much. "They bring us here to fight a war and they can bring the dead back to life somehow?"
There's many things in their world that others could call mystical. Time travel was not among them and his mind could do some fantastic gymnastics but that is not in the loop at this moment.
"So the enemy calls people as well, those who would align with us given a chance. Or be used as bait or blackmail by them," he notes. It would make sense. How do you stop a summoned force who owe no allegiance to anyone really? Find leverage over them. "Everything has a crack someone might get through. We'll figure one out."
Almost off handed but he can tell Jesper would want to consider that and he shall once he knows more about his new home.
A home that contains the past as well.
"You'll teach me this as well. How this Horizon works and how we can use it. Do they have bearing on the world here?"
He sits back. Inej had spoken of this. Now Jesper as well. He folds his bare hands carefully in his lap, just beneath the table where the pale skin is hidden. "If I didn't know better, I might think you both ashamed of the man I've been." Which he doesn't believe, even if he wonders what might happen if that is all the man he is. He became Kaz Brekker when he lost Jordie and maybe they truly were just one and the same, anyone else he might be dead and gone along with the Reitveld name and his brother.
no subject
"I think it will. I think it's only a question of when before they tap into us. So I suppose all we can do is wait and see if we can sell ourselves in a way we can live with." Or, you know, run away. Jesper is more than happy to run away, as Kaz knows, although he would call it more of a strategic retreat. But if they want their skills, and they aren't asking too much from them, maybe a hired gun is better than that. Jesper's sold himself before.
"It's Inej. Of course she's sure." Jesper shakes his head. "I don't think it's bringing them back from the dead, I think it's when they're taking people from. The last thing I knew there, I was in Wylan's house, we were talking about new papers. Then I was here. They must have taken him before he died." So it's not as much of a miracle as it was good and smart timing. Jesper is surprised they don't take a whole lot of soon-to-be-dead people. Then they have reasons to stay.
"Come now, Kaz, it's me. I have plenty of bearing here. I'm already the guy who knows everyone and people come to for information." That is one of the things he did for Kaz, although Kaz's iron trap mind meant he didn't need someone else to think for him. But Jesper's an excellent second, being the warm exterior good at making people like him.
Jesper looks genuinely surprised at the turn with Dirtyhands, although maybe he shouldn't be. "No. We wouldn't have followed you if we felt that way." Or been so intensely loyal. Jesper would do anything for Kaz, and he feels like he deserves it, that his loyalty has been earned. "But you are more than the title. You've always been. We know that intimately well."
no subject
But instead they have to work on that as well as prepare for a war they have no hand in and likely want no part of. "We should try and find out what we can about it. Do we have contact with those they've Summoned in the other cities as well?"
He wants to know more. About how it might fall if two cities sided against the third and information on just how many other cities might be out there, but that will come with time. For now it's focusing on this city as his own and what they'll do from there.
He gives that soft quirk of the lips that is nearly a smile. "If one could not be fooled it is Inej." He sighs, a put upon sound. "Not sure I would say time travel is much better, though its a nice thought." Just to see those they've lost again, but it's not a dream he will let himself live with as if he might one day see Jordie wet and alive as he's dragged from that pool.
"Jesper, it was not insulting you. I know all too well your charms and skills. I was merely wondering if we make changes on this Horizon is there spill over here in the real world." There's definitely verbal quotes around those words.
In truth Kaz knows deep down that Inej and Jesper both accept him as he is. That he isn't always sure why is on him and not them. Not that he's ever been good about not turning that around on them. Just as he's done now.
It only hits him though that he might have insulted Jesper with that question after seeing the expression on his face. "I am not questioning your loyalty, Jesper. As I said to Inej though, none of us know the man I might become. Which is not saying I'm not considering exploring the possibilities. I'm just... making an observation."
It most certainly isn't that he's still, in the end, a seventeen year old kid despite the crochety old man he can also be. A kid who has made his family and will do whatever he must to hold on to them. Even if, as it was back home, in letting them leave.