acatalepsy_logs | [OPEN] Well. That Didn't Go Quite As Planned

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[OPEN] Well. That Didn't Go Quite As Planned

Who: EVERYONE
Where: The Temple of Beginnings
When: Immediately After The End.
Rating: PG-13, may vary by thread
What: You fall, you pick yourself back up and you move on. Or at least, you try.

Fished Out Of Water
One minute, you are witnessing the fabric of an entire world implode as it is literally ripped apart by powers unknown. The next, that tell-tale twist somewhere beneath your sternum, before you are bodily YANKED away from Akvos, away from the ocean and the Queen and the King and the Princess.

And land back on (mostly) solid, dry ground.

Welcome back to the Temple of Beginnings. Don't worry, there's no hurry for you to get back up just yet.

Hey, Howya Doin'?
Once you do get back up, now is the time to be taking stock of the situation - yours, your friends, and even those new merfolk neighbours (who may need a hand getting their fins back into the water). There is also the missing members of the Circle to consider: people who disappeared on the journey to Akvos, and those who never made it back..

(There's also that small matter with a certain 'witchess-san' that may be a cause for concern to some more than others.)

Whatever the case, it's a lot to process right now. Take the time you have, because you don't know if it'll be enough for what you need.

[[ OOC: Here's an open post for threads reacting to the end of the Akvos world hop. Feel free to use the above prompts, and/or make your own! ]]

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I mean... the door was open. And smoking.

[That's all Keith has for an excuse. He thought something was on fire. But now that he's peeked inside and caught sight of Morrigan, he's inclined to linger. So he lifts a hand and knocks on the doorframe.

Better late than never?]

To let the smoke out, yes. T'would be unfortunate to suffer smoke inhalation while working on-

[Wait. The voice is familiar. Morrigan blinks and looks at him just as he knocks on the doorframe. She must be more tired than she thought, because for some reason that tickled her funny bone and she laughs. Well, at least it wasn't the creepy bark-like one she ordinarily gives.]

That... makes sense.

[Keith cracks a faint and brief smile as she laughs. Laughter is good. They've all gone through a bit of hell, after all.]

What're you smoking? [Wait. That came out wrong. Keith frowns at himself, but leaves the question to stand anyway. She knows what he means.]

[Morrigan calms, nodding to the small cauldron set on the floor. The scent of wildflowers emanates from it. before continuing to grind what looks to be soaked then air-dried seeds of some variety. Some still sit in a tray elsewhere on her bedside table if he decides to take a look; he'll find that they're sunflower seeds. Cheese cloth and another pot, unused, sit on the table beside her as well.]

An old concoction that did wonders for one who had to wash their hair in boiled swamp water. [She answers, finally.] 'Tis a lengthy process, but I highly doubt the basics in the baths will do anyone's hair justice after how long we were...

[Her voice trails off and a hint of anger flashes in her yellow eyes before she stomps on it flat.]

[He does step in closer to take a look, though he makes an effort not to get too close or in her way. Whatever she's doing it's over his head.

But oh. Huh. That is actually a really useful idea.

He recognizes that anger, and boy does he get it. He's pissed off too. But he's trying to keep a handle on it, at least until he has a chance to hit things with his sword to blow off some steam.

So he'll nod at her assessment.] It sounds really useful. My hair was a tangled mess. I wouldn't have even been able to untangle it if I hadn't had help.

[Damn salt water.]

[So is she, but being outraged for others is still new to her. So instead she frowns, concentrating on something that she can still do despite not having her magic to speed up the process.]

You and anyone else who has hair longer than a bob cut, I would bet.

[Yeah, let's not talk about how her own still is a tangled mess, just tied back? That'd be great. Damned salt water.]

Probably.

[He agrees, still watching, trying not to distract her too much. He should probably not be intruding, right? Except here he is.]

It's nice to be on dry land. ...everything else about winding up back here was messed up. But.

[Dry is nice.]

[Luckily for him, she has grown accustomed to someone being nosy while she's brewing something or another, that she doesn't even pause in her work. At least, not enough to be noticeable.]

On that, we agree. [It's very good to be on dry land again. She frowns.] ...It could have gone better, had we figured out a way to close that blasted rift. Yet "what-ifs" seldom help anyone. Choices were made, and now we must live with the consequences.

[However heavy a toll they may bring.]

They don't. We not going to be able to change the outcome with hindsight. But we might be able to learn something from it in case we come across anything similar in the future.

[Heavy toll is right though. He knows his team is reeling from it pretty hard right now. He's concerned about them.]

It would help if Astoria could give us straight information about things too.

[Keith is really done with their witchy kidnapper. In fairness, he's been done with her since he met her.]

[She adds the last of the soaked-then-air dried seeds to the mortar and begins crushing them as he speaks, her jaw setting. Learn from it... Right. Like that will keep her mother's voice declaring that they failed at the very thing she was taught to do since she could read Elvish from her dreams.]

Are kidnappers ever straight with their captives?

[She asks, both bitterness and brutal honesty lacing her tone. Keith isn't the only one who is done with Astoria's shit.]

Probably not. But if she actually wants us to do... anything...

[He really would love to find something to swing his sword at right now. The anger and frustration are going to get the better of him once they build enough to outweigh the exhaustion in him.]

And she hasn't shown any signs of stopping.

...then she better be more clear, I agree.

[Rather than leave them in the deep end. She finishes grinding the sunflower seeds, places the paste on the cheesecloth, and squeezes it so tightly into a bowl that it's a miracle that she doesn't tear it with her nails and ruin the sunflower oil. She frowns, shaking her head.]

I have done all I can until the next batch has air dried overnight.

[She eyes him. Someone looks akin to a cauldron that is about to boil over and blow their lid off. A sigh escapes her.]

Come on, then. I hope you do not mind playing with fire.

[Did she just..? Yes, she did just offer to spar. Just not in her human form.]

[Now it just remains to be seen if Astoria is even capable of more clarity. Or willing to be. Keith still doesn't know which it really is.

He blinks in surprise at the switch of subject. His eyebrows lift. Is that... were those fighting words? Because Keith is absolutely down for sparring. There's just a moment where he hesitates over the fire bit, but he manages a grin anyway.]

Pretty sure I can handle it.

[Fingers crossed that she is. Because this is getting ridiculous.

She glances over her shoulder, looking at him as she steps out. Did she fucking stutter, boy? She needs to get out of her makeshift lab and back into the wilds and the skies.]

Well, good. [She smiles. It isn't a pleasant one; more of a smirk, really.] For 'tis not simply in dreams where I can fly.

[The moment they're outside? She shifts into her dragon form.]

[Morrigan, he's just a bundle of issues, the borders of which are often jagged and unexpected. Fire is a complicated one.]

Right. Dragon.

[Wow. But hey. He grins now and rises up off the ground, hovering to be a bit taller than said dragon.]

And same.

[He'll fight you in the air, Morrigan. Or the land or the se-- no actually screw water for a while.]

[She's making a note of the jagged and unexpected bit, but she lacks any sort of context about the fire thing. It will be interesting to prod him and see just what those issues are, but she'll be more relenting with him. It's almost as if she's developing some sort of "conscience" -- ugh.

She huffs a bit of smoke from between scaled lips, almost as if blowing up to puff at her nonexistent hair or asking just what he was expecting after she said the word "fire". She is, after all, a fire-aspected high dragon like this.

She shows a bit of teeth when he starts hovering. Oh, now this will be interesting.]

Land, or air? [She asks, because seriously. Fuck any body of water that isn't a bath or shower right now.]

Whichever you prefer. Or both. Mind my blade?

[Because she's got him beaten in the tooth and claw department. But he wouldn't want to put her in the position to wind up injured. Not on his account. He has a feeling the dragon is probably fairly well armored though.

Still, it's better to ask, right?

That's just polite.]

Both, then. [She really, really wants to spread her wings in the air as opposed to the sea. She's missed the feeling against her face. Granted, it'll be weird against scale instead of feathers, but she'll deal.]

Not at all. T'would make it even, at the very least. [She lifts one of her claws and waves her "fingers" as she says it. Plus, she can tend to any wounds with her poultices after. She's dealt with similar injuries before. The hazard of dealing with mage-killers.

+3 approval though for asking.]

Got it. Then... let's go.

[Keith draws his swords. He's ready. Hell, he's excited. It's hard not to be. He's never gone head to head with a dragon, so this is definitely new. Besides, a good challenge of a spar in general always gets his heart beating.

He hovers a little higher, ready, but waiting, to see what Morrigan will do.]

[Morrigan stretches her wings and takes off into the sky. Ah, yes. This is much better. She flashes her teeth in what is likely a grin before turning to face him, hovering. A high-pitched shriek of a roar announces the start of their little bout, echoing with her own excitement.

She feels powerful. Were she home, she'd be feared. It's practically singing in her bones.

She dives back down at him, opening her mouth as if she's going to spite a trail of fire, but it's a feint- she lifts in time to try and smack him with her tail.]

[What a charming and intimidating grin. Keith likes it. He braces, ready to dodge if there is indeed fire coming at him. But that isn't what comes, and instead the tail is coming around.

He grins and surges up, body arching in a quick loop as he swings back in, sword up to follow the direction her tail had moved, chasing the momentum.

He's coming at her full throttle, but he's mindful enough that he'll pull his strikes should he connect. Friends are for sparring not actually slicing up.]

[Somewhere in the temple grounds, Shiro is likely introducing his forehead to his palm. hard. She doesn't care; only thinking that sword of his is starting to look like a toothpick in comparison.

Oddly, this gives her an idea.

Morrigan chuckles, though it sounds weird coming from this form. Ah well, think on it later. She turns just enough to see the movement and her tail to meet the strike, protecting her stomach. Clever. Not quite clever enough.

She cartwheels backward in the air, moving to bop Keith in the small of his back with her snout and a bit of smoke as she twists. Long necks, for the win.]

[Probably. But this is aerial combat training. It's a valuable skill. Also it's fun.

He blinks at the sound of a dragon laughing.]

That's an unsettling sound.

[He informs her, but there's a grin threatening his face anyway, even as he finds himself suddenly faced with a surprisingly flexible dragon. So. Big but also shockingly quick.

Keith squawks in surprise at the feeling of that touch to his back. He drops in the air before sweeping back up, sword first, coming for her from below and to the right.]

[Morrigan only snickers more.]

Good to know. I can use that.

[Says the Witch of the Wilds trained since she could walk to play on man's fears and use them as a tool of self-preservation.

Come now, Keith; if this was her world she'd be as big as a Lion--and we aren't talking about a certain someone. Point being, of course she's fast.

A grin threatens her face as she rolls onto her side in midair and tucks in. The blade nicks her right wing and she hisses, falling before spreading them and catching herself mere inches off the ground before soaring up

And up...

...and up...

If he follows, a spark is his only warning. She turns and spits a fireball near him. It'll disappear into the horizon; it's simply a warning shot.]

Yeah, you definitely can.

[Keith agrees, but Morrigan is too fast for continued chatter at the moment. Keith needs to focus. There goes the dragon up and up, and Keith realizes that chasing her is probably exactly what she wants.

But he follows anyway.

He sees the fireball as it comes. Warning shot or not, it has him banking hard in the opposite direction before righting himself and flinging himself at Morrigan as fast as he can.]

C

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