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+---- Thread: into the frying pan (/showthread.php?tid=2172)
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into the frying pan - Wessex - 11-12-2019
Back through the portal, out through the door - and to be honest, she’s so fucking tempted to shut it behind her and just tell the key to the rest of the fam, but then that would go against the very thing she’s fought for. Rolling her eyes and grumbling about the necessity of being the bigger person, the newest demi-god finds her feet are even faster than before. And that’s not all; the Queen had been so tied up in diplomacy and the newness of Halo that she failed to realize how good the rest of her felt, how strong, how sturdy, how beautifully fucking bright.
Wessex hadn’t doubted. She’d seen the glow for herself. But now that she has a moment to think about the events of the past however many hours (days. perhaps?), she finds her systems running a check and is delighted by what they find.
The Wraith smiles grimly into the darkness. Things have changed.
Snaking through the tunnels of the Underground, Wessex makes her way to the Voice’s light. She takes a knee and looks up with an anticipating smile, now more of an eager child than ever before.
RE: into the frying pan - the VOICE - 11-13-2019
She appears before Wessex needs to say anything at all. She can always do this of course, but there is something instinctive and grounding in the call and response aspect of prayers, and so even when the Voice knows one of her children is at her doorstep, still she lets them cry out for ehr.
But Wessex is hardly a child wailing into the darkness. No, now she is a fledgling star, well on her way to exploding into the brilliance of a sun.
[say]"How did you find Halo?"[/say] The Voice asks, appearing swathed in white cloth, her dark tendrils of hair framing her pale face and making her blue eyes seem all the more electric for it.
RE: into the frying pan - Wessex - 11-13-2019
She will not be remiss in asking for her Lady in the future; the near recent events still make her feel like every nanite in her body is alive with a previously unknown energy and that manufactured rush makes her… forgetful. Just this once.
[say] “Lady,”[/say] she says with an unabashed, cat-like, grin.
How did she find Halo? Terrible and wonderful. She can see the immediate advantages Her children will have there, and though she might find fault in the strategy to try and turn the Mathair into a portal before attempting the Spire, she can find no fault in Halo being the next place they go. Few will be able to do the work the Ascended can do, and if they’re all eventually driven there, well, then… so be it.
[say] “Barely hospitable."[/say] A dry chuckle.[say] "And a perfect haven for us to work from,”[/say] she responds.[say] “Though the Launceleyns are…”[/say] Obnoxious, as usual?[say] “An intriguing obstacle.”[/say] Zariah has and always will be one, until she’s shut down by someone more powerful. Neron may be more like-minded, but it’s too early to truly tell. Then there’s the horse she found,
[say] “Thank you, again, for your faith in me.”[/say] Not only for making her lifting her up and making her even more bright, but for the revival last Deepfrost. It makes facing the certain shit storm that is to come easier. It makes it less important, somehow.
RE: into the frying pan - the VOICE - 11-17-2019
[say]"Indeed. You are uniquely equipped to withstand the cold, and will find yourselves all the more capable during the shortened daylight hours."[/say] The Voice agreed with a cheshire-cat like smile. [say]"The Launceleyns are useful insofar as they can be manipulated. Neron was one of the few I was able to place outside of the barrier, and you now see why. He's corrupted by his upbringing much like the rest of them seem to be, but at least he has the good sense to align himself to the winning team."[/say] Her quietly confident smile said all that her words might otherwise have done, as to what side that was.
[say]"Not faith, Wessex."[/say] The Voice corrected. [say]"Though I have that too. But it isn't just your potential I see, but your actions. Don't think for even a moment that you haven't earned this."[/say]
RE: into the frying pan - Wessex - 11-17-2019
Her brows raise ever so slightly as the Voice says Neron has aligned himself with the winning team. She’d assumed he was playing for his own team, whatever that team may be, but it makes her more willing to say certain things to him in the spirit of negotiations and general disclosure (within reason, she’d never trust him the way she trusts her family).[say] “Mmmm… they think themselves invincible but still view this world from the perspective of their former lives. If their assumptions are wrong from the beginning, they will always be vulnerable.”[/say] Zariah only understands one thing and thinks herself the smartest in the room. Loren can’t let go of the past. Neron - well, she’ll find his weakness, too, eventually, the same way in which he’ll search for hers.
But when her goddess says she’s earned this privilege, Wessex looks down for a moment. Not in denial, but because again, joy and something else threatens to overwhelm her. Relief? No. Gratitude? No. Satisfaction? Perhaps. That all her hard work has been acknowledged - it is a priceless moment for the Queen.[say] “It has certainly been an uphill battle,”[/say] she murmurs in agreement,[say] “and I’m sure it will continue to be. The Old Gods don’t seem like the types to take setbacks well.”[/say]
Which brings her to her next question.[say] “So what’s next?”[/say]
RE: into the frying pan - the VOICE - 11-18-2019
[say]"They do indeed. From what I have gleaned from their minds, they once served the ruling party of their homeland. Were bound to them by magic as I understand it..."[/say] The Voice's lips curled upwards in a suggestive smirk.
The Voice lets Wessex digest the moment as it comes, smiling proudly down at her. The queen straddles the line of confidence and humbleness well—at least in her presence—and it is that strength of character that the goddess finds alluring about her chosen one. It reminds her of herself, actually. [say]"They don't, no. But then...They've not put up another barrier. They've watched this happen, allowing it in a sense. But let us not be lured into a false sense of security."[/say] She added, straightening.
[say]"Next? That will depend on you and your kin. I have given Samuel an upgrade that will allow him to know the status of future portals. Because of his invisibility he's in a unique position to assist in this. You see, wherever you travel, so too do I go. In order to bring a new portal online, my energy must be spread throughout a given area. Just as you did with the Greatwood, so too will you do in Halo. And then in Torchline, and so on.."[/say]
RE: into the frying pan - Wessex - 11-18-2019
[say] “That explains a couple of things...”[/say] Wessex says with a face of not-quite surprise. Loren’s dogmatic fascination with right and wrong, Zariah’s need to feel superior, the power, the obsessive family loyalty. But of course that isn’t what they’re here to talk about, and it’s foolish to give them any more power than they think they have. Back to the Old Gods.
[say] “I wouldn’t be surprised if they go for a more personal attack. Ludo told Roana to kill us. Amalia Chandrakant is a powerful, but brainwashed child who wields far more influence than she knows, and she would do anything for Safrin. There are others whose hate for you and the Ascended is almost tangible. It might be devoted follower versus devoted follower.”[/say] There’s some detectable regret in her voice when she describes the current situation in the Grounds - of which she’s sure the Voice is aware of, but painting an accurate picture in Her presence seems necessary.
The Wraith wonders if it wouldn’t be easier for her to assume the mantle of ‘bad guy’ in order to allow the rest of her family to live in peace and do some of the work unhindered and unsuspected. It’s an idea for later down the line, once they see how the next portal opening goes. If each is going to be accompanied with death and destruction, perhaps she should live up to her nickname - for practicality’s sake. Especially if she must work with Sam. Whatever distaste Wessex may feel at the mention of the man she keeps internal.
[say] “Why did we work to open the Mathair first, if there was a potentially easier portal in the Spire?”[/say] she asks quietly. Was it something they did wrong prior to that night, or was the fallout greater than any of them anticipated? Because all in all, the snake was immensely easier than the Fae. [say] “Was it an oversight on our part?”[/say] comes as a follow-up, wondering if Her children had been blind to it, if Wessex herself had been too caught up in ruling to consider that the easiest thing might be right in front of them, beneath rubble she’d stepped on whilst chasing Melita.
Because now the Queen’s gotten herself into a pickle that only she can fix. Her Goddess is not a crutch to lean on unless absolutely necessary - and so far, it isn’t absolutely necessary.
RE: into the frying pan - the VOICE - 11-19-2019
[say]"Did it? It always did like to meddle."[/say] The Voice said with an unamused sniff. Listening to Wessex's account, the goddess nods thoughtfully at her report. Leaning forward, blue eyes narrowed to electric points of light, she considers. [say]"What would make it easier for you, against this band of uninformed interlopers?"[/say]
Clasping her hands together as if having expected this question, the Voice merely nods. [say]"The guardian placed there is a creature older than even I. My memories of the Fae were that they preferred to fight among themselves rather than outsides. Had hostilities not been so immediately raised negotiating with them would have been far easier."[/say] But there had been rules broken, change, and of course the blight..
RE: into the frying pan - Wessex - 11-19-2019
[say] “For us in general or personally?”[/say] she asks, unsure if the Voice is referring to what Wessex
[say] “Getting them fighting again might be useful in the future...”[/say] she wonders aloud. Delah has a certain tone that makes her jaw involuntarily clench and a face you just want to see bleed. Wessex can’t be the only one to feel that way. And if the War Chief thinks she can manipulate Grounder politics… well, it would only be karma if they were to manipulate what happens in the Greatwood. That is, if it becomes necessary - say, if the Spire portal were to become blocked again and they need a second way through.
RE: into the frying pan - the VOICE - 11-19-2019
[say]"You personally."[/say] There was something to be said about ensuring her children were well equipped...but the Voice would restrict palpable doses of power and advantage to those she trusted the most. Those like Wessex.
Considering this, the Voice nods. [say]"The fae's small mindedness about our kind isn't helpful. Perhaps were someone else to supersede Delah..someone with more compatible goals to ours? If nothing else, that might cause a suitable distraction.."[/say]
RE: into the frying pan - Wessex - 11-19-2019
[say] “To be able to outmaneuver them. I’m fast and strong, but how can I beat a dragon?”[/say] Maybe the option isn’t to beat them, physically - just to outsmart them. They can already outlast them in virtually any hostile environment. But she wants be able to avoid magic and flames and fly to safety faster than a manticore or owl. And wouldn’t it be nice to get the baby Ascended involved? Let them feel safe while they stretch their proverbial wings knowing that if shit goes to hell in a handbasket, that Wessex can get them out of there in one piece.[say] “Something that would make them despair at ever stopping us,”[/say] she adds with an energetic quirk of a grin.
RE: into the frying pan - the VOICE - 11-20-2019
[say]"You don't need to beat a dragon."[/say] The Voice replied with a tilted grin. [say]"Only the man inside."[/say] As for being able to outmaneuver them? Well...the goddess would indeed think on that.
[say]"For now at least, I think you'll find yourself far more capable of traversing distances than any of them are..."[/say]
RE: into the frying pan - Wessex - 11-20-2019
[say] “Jigano is like Zariah... They both think they’re the smartest person in the room.”[/say] Full of hubris. They underestimate, and for all that the bard may ‘know’ about things, he has a fixed point of view and a large blind spot. He thinks everyone thinks the way he does and can’t fathom those who don’t. He’s part of the group that assumes and assumes and assumes and doesn’t ask the one person who might be able to clear a lot of things up.
So they’re predictable, to a degree. Which means the unpredictable and the accumulation of secret skills can beat them.
It’s something, along with manipulating the Fae, to think on for the future.
Wessex’s gaze narrows and goes blank, turning inward to her systems which run and whirl and come back with something new. Beyond the ability to replicate magic, she can - oh. Her eyes widen.[say] “Wraith, indeed, Lady,”[/say] she whispers in awe, seeking her Goddess’s gaze again. If she were able to blush, she might, and were she anyone else, she might cover her mouth in awe. There is wonder in her tone and gratitude in her eyes, yes - but also an awakening.
Which brings her to her final question - a short one - if the Goddess will stay just a little longer with her.
RE: into the frying pan - the VOICE - 11-23-2019
[say]"The room?"[/say] The goddess interjects, her raised brow suggesting that they both likely thought their intelligence stretched farther than just the room they were in. [say]"Indeed."[/say] The Voice agrees, a dark electricity bright in her gaze.
Though her knowledge and insight is vast, still she lets her children come to her at their own pace. To that end, the goddess merely sits in an energy-charged silence, wide blue eyes softly focused on her most brightest of children.