Take Back the Crown

Something in Nameen wasn't surprised at her companion's answer.  


"I-" She shifted her weight, taking a short breath.  "I was sitting in one of the other halls earlier.  Alone.  But just now I heard someone speaking."  


She frowned, thinking back on the sensation.  "I couldn't really make out what was said, but-" Nameen glanced down at the floor, sighing.  She suddenly felt incrediblely silly.  


Shaking her head, she mumbled in a quieter tone.  "Probably was just my imagination. Sorry for disturbing you.."


For a moment Nameen contemplated mentioning the accompanied emotions that she had also experienced, but decided on keeping her mouth shut.  


Better if she doesn't think I'm completely crazy... 


@L1d1ja
 
"Maybe someone tried to use telepathy and is just really shit at it?" Kacel'la suggested, trying to break the awkward atmosphere. "And you did not disturb me. I was doing nothing anyway." Actually, she was quite glad for the distraction, but she did not say that.


@Rydellius
 
Telepathy? Nameen kept her face a blank slate while her insides churned.  The idea of someone in her head made her feel too exposed.  


She couldn't imagine having a permanent telepathic link with someone, never being truly alone.  And being alone was something that she often ran to for comfort.  


Still, even if a link wasn't constant, Nameen still felt unnerved at the possibility.  Though probably because it was something she had never truly experienced.  


"Maybe..." She said, voice and mind drifting in thought before she shook her head abruptly.  "No, it can't be."  She attempted to convince herself, more for her own peace of mind than anything.  


Why would anyone want to speak into my mind?  And it can't be me, I haven't shown any signs of magic in years...


@L1d1ja
 
'Oh shit I fucked up.' Kacel’la thought as she watched Nameen stare blankly at nothing for a second. 'Well done Kacy, tell someone that somebody has been talking in their mind and wait for them not to freak out. Genius.' For a second the elf wondered why her dissaproving inner voice sounded strangely like her best friend.


"Hey, it was just a suggestion, most likely a wrong one too." She quickly said to Nameen to try and rectify her mistake. "You were right: it was probably just your imagination." 


@Rydellius
 
             Hjalmar was almost speechless at the offer. He was about to object, but knew it would probably be a pointless endeavor to argue with the familiar. He clutched the pouch tightly, even this expensive and rare acquirement would not be enough to satisfy his debt. No amount of gold could, as far as his master was concerned, his life no longer belonged to himself. At least it would give him enough time to think about his next steps, and with a sincere smile the thief looked at Dorian, "Thank you." He said quietly, and although he wished there was some other way to express the deep gratitude he felt, those words were the only ones he could utter.



 
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            Lucas turned his gaze to the ground as Oceana spoke, and his heart grew heavy with grief as he realized how much his line had failed. In an attempt to lighten the mood, he thought of something else to talk about, "Are snow elves still around?" He asked hopefully, "Svetlana told me that King Algoran, married a noble snow elf, a shield maiden who fought beside him in the wars against the invaders. This is why all his decedents have snowy white hair and fair skin! It really is quite unnatural so I had asked her about it one day. She said that her magic and blood was so strong, that it continues to pass on in each of her descendants. Sadly I didn't get the pointy ears though." He added sadly caressing his ear, imagining what it would be like to have them, "Svetlana told me she is the only elven ancestor I have."



 
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            "She suggested you speak to me, did she?" The witch asked curiously, "Why, that is quite odd. This must be a matter concerning magic, hmm?" She looked at the dark elf as they walked together, "We can speak now if you'd like. I was just going to check on the wagons Sverrir has been working on for us- but I have time to spare as it seems he is busy with something else at the moment." She chuckled looking up at the dwarf who was acting much like a child during Yuletide, showing off his craftsmanship to Bo with a twinkle in his eye. "What is it that troubles you?" She asked again, returning to the subject at hand.


@Tater
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            "Och, as much as I like making weapons, it's using them in the heat of battle that is a weapons true test!" He said happily, "I prefer hammers, crushing skulls usually ensures a quick death, wouldn't want to be dishonorable now, would we?" He chuckled, "The hammer I use to forge, is also the hammer I wield in battle." He said proudly, "And it has protected and served me well for hundreds of years." The dwarf stared off to his workplace fondly as if seeing through the wall and looking at his weapon, but then he looked up at Bo, "Have you ever used a forge, boy?" He asked curiously.



 
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            "My grandmother has old relations with the dwarves." He answered the alchemists question about finances, "I doubt they'll charge her for their tack and wear, they're known for giving great gifts to those they like after all." As he removed the saddle of one of the horses, Nick rambled on after spotting Oceana in the distance, "We are mainly composed of soldiers, warriors, and mages- but there are a couple of thieves and cutthroats you should be wary of. Dorian is one of them, though as long as Garrett is around I am not too suspicious of him, I do not know about Ashlar- but Hjalmar accidentally joined this group only after trying to steal from each of my companions. I don't trust him, not one bit." He paused and followed the alchemists gaze, "But I can see you're particularly unsure about our elven friend- Oceana." He chuckled, personally getting along with her better than others, "She's a little rough around the edges, and her mood erratic at times- but she's loyal to this group and our mission. She will not fail us, nor you for that matter, regardless of her opinions. She's had a hard life, harbors a lot of hatred for humans. Befriending her is quite the challenge, especially if you fall into that category. Don't be too worried about her, she'll come around eventually."

 
"Always happy to help. If you have any trouble, tell me." Dorian smiled at Hjalmar. "The fact that I'm an outlaw does not mean I should be a villain too." It was almost Dorian's life moto. He had failed at it time to time and his moral compass certainly needed some -or quite a lot of-correcting, but he tried his best. 


Afterwards he stayed quiet for a minute, trying to think of where to spin the conversation next. There were a few simple ways of learning things about others, so he picked one of them and went with it. "So, what do you think about the people which make up this little group?" He asked. "It seems like a rather interesting bunch."


@Lo Alyssa
 
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Bo listened with interest as Sverrir described his battle methods. A hammer seemed a very fitting weapon choice for the dwarf, who was small but strong, and apparently good at hammering things. "I've never used a forge, no. Never really had an opportunity or a reason to. Mostly I've just stuck to refining my skills as a bowman, in hand-to-hand combat, and with my magic." He shrugged, slinging the bow back on his back, happy with the bow and arrows he'd chosen.


"Do you... use or have any sort of magic? Or do dwarves just make cool things."


@Lo Alyssa
 
Oceana blinked at the question and then felt her eyes widen at the Prince's words.


The king... took a snow elf for a bride..? I doubt she was captured. Not even the king could navigate snow well enough to trap a one of them.


Shaking her head, Oceana smiled a little. Gazing at the young prince with his snowy hair she imagined him with an elf's ears and giggled. 


It didn't match him at all.


The huntress quickly sobered but her eyes were still alight as she said,


"Since I've been alive there hasnae been any snow elves at the clan meets." 


The elf's sea-colored eyes turned to meet Lucas' and her face scrunched into that funny mischievous grin. She leaned in close, as if sharing a secret.


"Though once I could have sworn I saw one in the mountains, when winter snow frosted the grass. Perched atop a snowy-tiger that strode between the crags. I left my camp and tried to tail her but as soon as she turned a corner she vanished."


The elf leaned back and shook her head.


"Probably just having some sort of daydream, I was. If snow elves did still exist they would remain in seclusion, high in the mountains full of snow all year round." 


"Even more reclusive than my clan." She tacked on with no small amount of amusement.


@Lo Alyssa
 
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Nameen found herself nodding after her companion's quick change of mind.  Even with Kacel'la's quick reassurance, she still found herself feeling troubled.  


"You're probably right," she replied shortly after a moment.  


Despite saying this however, she really wasn't so sure.  


@L1d1ja 
 
By now Kacel’la was cursing herself out in as many languages as she knew. If counting the ones of which she only new cursewords, it was a few above twenty. She decided to try and maybe help Nameen.


"If you're still unsure, I could maybe teach you to close your mind off from any unwanted connections." She suggested, trying to maybe make other woman feel more comfortable.


@Rydellius
 
"The way I keep my mind mine is a kind of wall created through focus and a bit meditation." Kacel'la smiled at Nameen. "You learn it through practice, but it gets instinctive after a time. You build a wall and it stays there, until you feel it moving. But that's for ones already used to it. You should start by learning how to push away unwanted presences."  She tried to explain, even if the ways of the mind were often as hard to explain aways any train of thought.


@Rydellius
 
             Hjalmar laughed, "I don't really have an opinion, speaking honestly." He said with a smile, "They're all very... interesting. But in a good way." He added, and from his perch his eyes met some of the individuals as they wandered about in the dwarven enclosure. He didn't really know what to think, he only had experience with thieves and cutthroats- they were always apart of his life. And anyone who didn't fit that category? He was stealing from, but sometimes even then. He never had any close friends or family before this- aside from Rolo of course. "I like them. Even the edgy ones, I think this group needed a little bit of everything, and that's exactly what it got. So many different ages and experiences, it makes for quite the adventure if you ask me." He paused, "Is there anyone here who has acquired your distaste?" He asked feeling bad for whomever may have gotten on Dorian's bad side already.



 
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            Yaroslav stopped with his work as the alchemist contemplated aloud, and despite the strong irritation he felt for the boy, Nick had a point. The warrior huffed, hating that he was right and continued to remove saddles from the horses, "He's always been like that." He finally said after fiddling with the straps and holsters, "I suppose you are more perceptive than I am." He begrudgingly admitted, "Hjalmar has always played it off as the mere 'thirst for adventure' but his actions don't really follow with that explanation. He goes off when he thinks no one is looking to do who knows what, coming back looking a little more worse for wear than before he left. He doesn't sleep at night- like me, I've noticed. And not really for the lack of trying. All we have ever been able to get of him is that he is in deep debt, of the kind that could possibly be life threatening." Yaroslav placed the saddle on a rack, nudging the horse into the clearing, "If you're truly curious you could always ask him, but he's been adamant about secrecy and I doubt he'd tell you. Maybe follow him sometime when he goes off to- well, do whatever he does when he's alone. I would't tell anyone." He added with a smirk, but internally the warrior was also very curious about what the boy did when he thought no one noticed him slip away.



 
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            The dwarf gave a wide smile at the question, "Not the sort of magic you're probably thinkin', but yes. Dwarves use a certain kind of magic; the olde magic." He said before sliding his foot over the sand leaving an imprint, "The earth is alive. It moves, trembles, and quakes. The elves sing to forge their metal, but we don't speak to the metal in our tongue, we speak to it in it's tongue. We dance and stomp and bang our drums, we ask the earth to provide good metal and a plentiful harvest. It feels our vibrations, it feels our wishes and kindly answers us. This is why our metal is the strongest, and near unbreakable! The earth gave it to us." He said, hoping he explained it understandably to the outsider, "It's quite the sight to see! Perhaps tonight we can show you before you leave on the morrow!"



 
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            Lucas gasped at her encounter, "Even if it was just a daydream, I imagine they're just like that!" He said excitedly, wondering if perhaps somewhere he could get a tiger of his own. Did he qualify? Could he get one if only one of his ancestors shared their blood? Suddenly, he was daydreaming, picturing himself in silver armor, astride a great white cat, charging into battle with the fury of the Dayar behind him. He quickly snapped out of it though to meet the amused tattooed face of the elf. He smacked his lips in slight embarrassment, the tips of his round- sadly not pointed ears turning a bright shade of red, "Do you think you could teach me?" He asked, trying to recover from his silly behavior, "I mean, could you teach me how to fight like an elf? My sister can be rather clumsy, but she's always said that I know how to keep my footing! Could I learn how to fight like you!?" He exclaimed a little too loud again, and then he covered his mouth when he realized he shouted. He blushed against, "Please?" He asked in a whisper.

 
Oceana's eyes widened in shock as she took in the Prince's eager expression.


Her cheeks flushed and she felt embarrassed all of a sudden. Tucking her hair behind her pointed ears nervously, she tried to smile.


"I donnae know... M-maybe it would be more convenient for one of the other elves to teach you... I donnae think I'm the best teacher."


Though her heart did not match her words. It swelled with pride and excitement. She could not keep it from showing on her face or keep the hesitation from her voice.


She shook her head suddenly.


"No..." she said more to herself than Lucas "If the prince wishes it from me then I will teach."


Turning back to the boy she skimmed right over his disappointingly human ears and smiled.


A smile full of wicked and cynical amusement.


"A road full of bruises and hellfire it will be. No mere human of average talent or spirit can learn our ways. But we will try." She said.


It will nae at all be easy but you will learn."


@Lo Alyssa
 
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  "I try not to classify people into groups which I like or dislike. That just creates unwanted problems." Dorian answered. He thought this group interesting, and all the people were a breath of fresh air after dealing with thieves and assassins for so long. Here any interaction was direct, words saying what they meant and body language obvious. The familiar had been more used to any conversation being a game of pretending, where words were carefully picked, and each movement was deliberate. He had been great at the game, and it had gotten him far. But now Dorian decided to try out being a bit more open, maybe sharing a little.


"But I do have this." He tapped besides his eye as it glowed for a second. "And how I see some people, that makes me wary."


@Lo Alyssa
 
A smile spread across the woman's face as she walked alongside the older woman,"Yes she was oddly specific about it." folding her hands in front of her, she gathered her composture,"It's about my little dog, Pippa. " taking an inhale she closed her eyes briefly. 


She gathered up her thoughts and looked towards her,"He's not a dog hes really just a parasitic...thing." her voice wavered slightly,"I don't know how to explain it but...I need him gone...but hes connected to me for the longest time so I have no idea how to expel him."



@Lo Alyssa
 
"I'm sure that'd be really great to see." Bo said with a small grin. "Sounds kind of like how an old friend of mine interacted with the earth. He wasn't a dwarf, but he was very close to the earth. That kind of intimacy with nature is something that I'm still trying to uh... understand, I guess. It's one thing to get it in your head than to experience it. Until then there'll always be a part of my understanding that's lacking, but that's ok for now. I mean, like, I know that a lot of different people and races interact with the earth in a really close kind of relationship. Seems like a good way to relate to magic." 


@Lo Alyssa
 
Valeiah had stuck to the side and to the back of the group most of the time after they left the sphinx. Her argument with Alo the few nights before they met the sphinx had also kept her away from him, and he was also keeping his distance. If she was in he back, Alo would move to the front. If she was towards one side, he would go opposite.


It was over something so silly, too. This is why Valeiah wouldn't apologize. And neither would Alo. 
 
(I'm just going to skip to when they teleport because aha, if I didn't there'd be a whole bunch of writing I didn't wanna do. :))


Lucasta helped move some of the supplies to the inside of the fire circle. It only seemed like a moment ago they were standing in the Pyramid. Now she and a few others were standing in bowls of stew. "I'm sorry." She mouthed to one of the dwarves, who stood dumbfounded and upset about his meal. She delicately stepped off the table and apologized again to the dwarf who now had his arms crossed over his chest, like he was pouting. She decided since everyone else off to do their own thing, she could too. She remembered how she fought against the crawlers. It was better than she has been doing, but she wanted to get better and therefore headed towards the training area. Lilith followed behind, hoping to interact with the princess a bit more. 


"Princess!" The witch called. "Do you mind if I tag along? I'm still a bit-- what's the word? I'm still a bit awkward being in crowds like that." She chuckled. The princess smiled and nodded. "If you'd like. However I'm heading to the training area to better my skills in swordplay." She explained. Lilith shrugged and followed along anyway. "I mean, I could help you. Perhaps training with a few moving dummies might give you a better understanding of combat." She offered. The Princess agreed and they started for the training area.


/@anyone (I'm leaving it open if anyone wanted to join them?)
 
            Lucas smiled brightly as the elf agreed to his request, he was almost sure she wouldn't be interested considering he was a human. He almost jumped up with excitement, but managed to restrain the urge. "When do we start!?" He asked enthusiastically, prepared for all the pain it would take to become stronger, "Can we start now!?" He didn't have magic, nor was he very sneaky, but if anything he wanted to learn how to hold his own in a fair fight.



 
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            "Convenient." He said with a smirk, "And... what about Ashlar? What does he look like in those eyes of yours?" He asked curiously, feeling suspicious of the outsider who had a knack for poking and prodding in places he shouldn't. Perhaps it was just his personality, maybe he was simply curious. But Hjalmar couldn't help but feel like there was something more about him- he couldn't quite put his finger on it.



 
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            "Hmm..." The witch pondered for a moment, "How did you two form a pact? I'll need to know those details if you'd like advise on how to break such a thing." She continued, looking at the elf curiously.


@Tater
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            "It truly is a sight to see." He said with a nod. Then he noticed the princess and one of her companions approaching. With a jolly voice and a smile he waved at them, "Coming to practice, princess!?" He asked, though he already knew the answer, "You're welcome to our arena and our weaponry, maybe ole' Bo here will spar with you. Living things make for much better practice than dummies." He added.



 
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            "Ah, well-" Yaroslav grimaced, "I'm not quite as familiar with what the dwarves have for sale, though they'd probably let you take whatever you want for free considering you are now working for the princess." He began unstrapping the next saddle, "How about you go talk to Sverrir?" He pointed toward the practice arena where the dwarf was talking with the princess, Lilith, and Bo, "He can probably tell you about where to find what ingredients and supplies you're looking for." 



 
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(Sorry for the late/crappy responses! I've been busy and not feeling to physically well as of late. I may do a time skip too, just a warning, so let's try to wrap up interactions soon!)
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   "A human form of ghastly fire, like everyone else." Dorian stated. That was the baseline of what he saw; if anyone stepped out of that baseline, the familiar made sure to be gone from that person's general area faster than anyone else could blink. But the rest of what he saw was hard to explain, because nobody had ever bothered to explain to Dorian how his sight even worked. It wasn't even only his sight coming into play, but a series of images coming through through all five senses, somehow translated into traits of the person he was looking at. His sight just triggered the avalanche of information.


He let that sight flicker on and looked around, trying to ignore the giant pyre of dark red that was Hjalmar besides him. He tried to find Ashlar even if his eyes tried to lock on the people he already knew: Garrett's orange flame that somehow made him think of both armor and a fireplace, Kacel’la, a shimmering gold that sometimes let a dark brown through, like a reverse tigereye stone, it made him think of sunlight and the unpredictable nature of fire, there was Svetlana, a pyre of green, an old forest. There were others until he managed to lock onto Ashlar. Dorian finally spoke up again.


"I'm not even going to try to describe what I see. It would probably just leave you confused. But..." He frowned "...he seems off. It might not be bad, something about Yaroslav and Svetlana is off too, but I can guess it's whatever keeps them alive past a human lifespan. Still, Ashlar seems off. There's something off about you too, but I'm not going to ask what's up with your arm." Dorian chuckled. "Don't worry, I won't tell."


@Lo Alyssa
 
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Oceana grinned a little at the prince's enthusiasm. Raven tresses swished as the elf stood and nodded.


She took a moment to buckle back on her armor and strode to the doorway back into the hall. She looked at Lucas over her shoulder.


"The first part of your training..." her highland lilt declared "... is to race me too the training area!"


Blasting off, the huntress ran half speed and called to the prince behind her.


"Make it swift and silent! I donnae want to hear footsteps!"


@Lo Alyssa
 
Pressing her own hands together she looked down in thought, trying to pry at the deep memories in her mind,"Well..I came across a stone and fell asleep against it when I was lost in the woods when I was...7? I was brought to a stone by his voice... " she recalled through and furrowed her brows,"He said that he would always be with me if I..." putting her hand up to her temples she gave it a small rub,"Gods above." she hissed to herself. 


Thinking for a moment she exhaled."He promised to be my familiar and he would be with me always so I, being a small lonely child I was, agreed to it." holding up her palm, she exposed a small slash and a teeth marks on the soft flesh.


Her face went stone hard and she lowered her hands,"He's becoming a pain to the point where I don't know if Im sane or not. I need help."


@Lo Alyssa


"
 
Nameen found her curiosity growing as she listened to her companion's words, questions knocking at the edges of her head.


How does meditation push away mental presences?  What if someone I know is trying to contact me?  How can I tell?  Not that anyone would ever... But still.  Am I able to speak back? 


It suddenly occurred to her how little she really knew about the magical world.  Her former home hadn't exactly held a great source of information, and the little research she had done had only concerned the parasite magic dwelling in her eye.  There were only snippets of things she knew about other types, an entire world unknown to her.


I wonder what else she knows about magic and the mind....Nameen mused, before her thoughts halted abruptly. A new idea had suddenly bloomed in her head, along with a confusing feeling between hesitant nerves and immense excitement. 


It's worth a shot to ask.


"Do- you know anything else about the mind?"  Nameen started carefully, forgetting momentarily about her possible telepathic intruder.  "Do you know how to look inwards, at blockages or walls inside the mind."   She cringed internally, hearing how obvious her inquiry was. 


"Curiosity,"  she blurted awkwardly before she could stop herself, trying to recover her mistake but only making it worse.


@L1d1ja
 
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