Because he's a terrible liar and he made a dumb mistake that they might treat as a crime and they might call him in because of me which is completely unrelated to what he's actually done
I've earned a plus one so we'll see how your warding on the room is
Or there's always the Horizon, which frankly might be better. Regardless Lucifer returns to their room, makes fingerguns at his guard now on duty, and spins into the room like a rock star that quickly dissolves once the door is closed.
He just looks at Istredd and holds up his arms in the worst approximation of a shrug. "Ehhh. So that was fun."
Istredd really bristles under the appearance of a new guard although he is impeccably polite, understanding that it is hardly a soldier's problem what else is going on in the situation. He is surrounded with his notes currently, sitting cross-legged on his bed. His plans on going to the Singularity have gone up a step but this is annoying. All of the pages of his work are actually illusions to eyes outside of his, he's been somewhat secretive about it, even though there is nothing particular special about them.
"My wards are already very strong, if I add anything right now they'll suspect we are being particularly questionable. If we go into the Horizon, they'll also think you're hiding something."
It is his instinct, to protect them further from whatever is going on, but he knows it's unwise if Lucifer is under close watch at the moment. Anything additional will throw a flag, and they have to assume he is being watched by more than a guard. Istredd frowns and raises his eyebrows at him.
"We'll have to assume they hold. What in the world is happening?"
"Apparently dragging another Summoned in distress through Thorne isn't a wise thing to do if you don't want anyone to ask questions," Lucifer says, with a touch of irritation because what else was he supposed to do? Just leave him?
Well.
Six months ago he would have, actually.
"And I may have ahhh... tweaked a nerve when they were questioning me about maybe if they had just given us actual information on the gods then maybe things like this wouldn't have happened." He knows that was a bad play. He is very much aware that the comment was what sealed his fate because in order to scramble back up out of it he had to go heavy-handed with the truth. He claps his hands together and presses them tightly, tapping them at his pursed lips. "Soooo I told them the complete and whole truth and now I'm on house arrest for three days with a guard outside."
Can he leave it at that? No, unlikely. Is he going to try? Yes. So sue him, okay. He isn't purposely trying to be difficult it's just not exactly easy for him and he's already had a lovely conversation with Wilhelm on the way here so he's just a tad off-balance on top of the interrogation. Getting back to their room is the first chance he's had to actually breathe and he still hasn't even done that, not really.
"They're being extremely sensitive right now. Anything is suspicious."
Not only because of the start of the war but followed by the Heralds. Although he feels as if claiming the gods were to blame was reasonable enough of an excuse or any sort of odd behavior, it's not as if the Summoned alone experienced the effects. He puts his papers into a pile, in an order that only he really understands, and shrugs at Lucifer's confession.
"It may surprise you to know that back home I have a bit of a reputation for not shutting my mouth when frustrated by people in power spreading ignorance. My former mentor Stregobor really hates when I'm around to call him a liar in public."
Stregobor, who has been haunting him a great deal recently. Istredd means surprise in terms of him seeming so calm and centered at all times, and he mostly is. Especially in an unknown place surrounded by unknown people. He is playing the quiet game here.
"That being said, I do that in my home, surrounded by mages that I know. Not the precarious situation we find ourselves in. We're not going to get any information that way, Lucifer. The only way to get anywhere here is to suck up and earn their trust. Not something that I think either of us will excel at."
"I am typically good at keeping my mouth shut when I know I need to!"
Apparently not when he's concerned with the safety of others. What's up with that? Why are people so up in arms about connections when it provides them with such weakness?
"Their new brand of sensitivity is why I'm worried. They might pull the kid in to corroborate our story and he definitely doesn't have a handle on his emotions on a normal day. He's got... Other things he needs to keep from them." A sharp look, reminiscent to when he talked to Wanda. Lucifer will not elaborate on that any further. "And I talked to him before I talked to you. For all his hatred for me, I think I got him to listen to what was important, which is to focus and lean into what I did."
And worst case throw Lucifer to the wolves. He gave that weapon to a timebomb and the kid might lob it off even if he doesn't need it. He likely should warn Istredd about that, but it must be better not to know. Safer for Istredd's reputation, anyway, right?
Istredd sighs and gets to his feet, noticing the sharp look and mostly ignoring it because he doesn't care about stepping on toes. Whatever is going on, he will eventually get to the bottom of it, one way or another. For better or for worse they really are in each other's pockets and he has no intention of getting out of it.
"Lucifer. Listen to me."
He puts his hands together in an almost prayer gesture but he is not praying so much as really hoping he can get his friend to shut up for a few seconds. They are in a high-pressure situation but he seems as calm as ever. This is close to how he handled Wanda in an emotional state too.
"We are not going to let anything happen to the boy. If we can't help him, I will ask Yennefer and Stephen for help."
They have the power to do so and Istredd sounds very confident in his ability to get at least one or both to be willing. Yennefer is far more difficult to get, it's unlikely she'll stick out her neck, but he knows angles for that. Stephen is far more empathic. Either way, he is focused on calming his friend down.
"The Summoned will not sit there idly while they put one of our children into a dungeon. If the worst happens, we'll handle it."
Edited (OUR not YOUR jeez dee) Date: 2022-12-01 10:44 pm (UTC)
Getting Lucifer to shut up is something that would usually take prayer of a high order. He puts his hands on his hips and very much looks like he wants to do anything other than shut up and listen, but the restraint is there, if barely.
At least one of them is calm, though he thinks he's only really seen Istredd out-of-sorts once. The growing number of people who have seen Lucifer out-of-sorts, more than once, is rising at an alarming, uncomfortable rate.
Yay Abraxas.
The boy is hopefully going to do the selfish thing and help himself before he gets thrown into the dungeons and then Lucifer is going to be the one who's screwed. He should have worded things a little differently so that he didn't also get himself shot in the foot in the process, but it isn't as though Wilhelm would use a kinder option.
Wanda can't split open reality to another of his cells when she's all the way in Solvunn.
"He'll be fine," Lucifer says, but he doesn't sound at all like he's successfully convincing himself.
He remembers Yennefer in her alchemy lab. He thinks of them as similar people. He thinks of how he would be, unchanged, significantly injured because of a defensive spell gone wrong. Doesn't matter that Wilhelm didn't mess it up on purpose. He would have previously let the kid rot for his it.
He'd like to think Yennefer wouldn't, but he's not so confident in that. Stephen was supposedly the kid's teacher; how does that failure reflect on him? Would he allow it to?
It's cute that Istredd thinks they'd come to the kid's aid but Lucifer is only beginning to have sparks of trust in others. Asking him to, what, bank on faith in others? To do the right thing? What a joke.
Lucifer is easier to read than he probably thinks. Istredd doesn't need to be a telepath or read minds to see through him. They may not know one another perfectly, but they do know one another a little. And like many quiet people, Istredd is very observant while keeping to himself. He understands it is a hard sell, but that is mostly because the Summoned are a small group, and they have been thrown in the dungeon before. Their influence no matter what the size is still that of outsiders.
"We'll figure it out. There is nothing we can do until we know if he is taken in or not. I sent him a message and will try to reassure him."
Istredd wonders if it would be best if he at least attempts to play the game at some point so he can have some sway. But it simply is not his best skill. Yennefer and Stephen are good at it, he can see that easily. So is Rhy. They have key people who are trying and succeeding. He has to focus his attention on where he believes it matters, the big picture. So most of this concern is on Lucifer's behalf.
"It would be helpful to know what he did outside of be upset in public, as that seems hardly a big enough deal for true difficulty." Lucifer did give him a look but Istredd does not actually care for looks in search of logical truth.
He finally wanders fully into the room and thumps down on his bed, rubbing a hand over his face. The spelled logs have significantly improved his life, a comfort even now.
Is he really about to do this?
"I can't tell you that," he says, more to his hand than Istredd. He can't trust the warding that far. His hand slides away and he leans back and meets, and holds, Istredd's gaze. "But."
This might be a very bad idea. Whatever minds Istredd is used to actually dipping into, they still aren't the minds of an archangel.
But, he slightly reaches up and taps a hand to the side of his head in indication, continuing to maintain that eye contact. Lucifer knows exactly what he's offering.
Istredd's eyes widen at the implication as this is a clear line they made between them and he has not crossed in the slightest. A sign of wary trust or at least understanding no matter what there are ears here. No one would be able to listen in on his telepathy, it is the most warded skill that he has. His mind is the toughest part about him.
He inclines his head in understanding and sits on his bed. Eye contact actually helps since it requires him moving past Lucifer's defenses and doing that through the eyes makes it very smooth. It's one of the very first magical lessons he had.
Depending on how Lucifer's mind conversations or telepathy has gone before, he'll find this is just as gentle as he would expect from the quiet mage. Gentle but strong at the same time, wielding it well, although he knows little of what he'd find, but Istredd is as steady as he seems.
It's through the static of Lucifer's basic protections that Istredd hears: "It's not so simple as that."
Because this is more of a show versus tell scenario and for Lucifer to do that he has to pull Istredd in; those memories are far too fortified for anything else.
It'll prove just how tough Istredd's mind is.
Considering the last person to root around in his head was Apocalypse Michael, this is way better at least on Lucifer's side.
Istredd though... The problem is there's too much there, even with Lucifer allowing this to happen. Drawing down his own mental defenses further than he would like, but the information Istredd needs is so ungodly layered that they have to crack through the membrane of his mind.
This is not something Lucifer would ever do under normal circumstances.
But Istredd's right, and those words? Cannot be spoken aloud, cannot be written down, and the Horizon is still too risky.
His usual obfuscating white noise rises up like thousands of insect wings buzzing before that layer draws away to impossibly molten heat, the white-hot fires of Hell crumpling to the ever-expanding, ever-twisting unholy nebula. Neurons firing off, sparking radiance, so much contained power and yet everything is just a little dim, like some of the lights had burned out.
He's so far from what he should be in power.
From there, after getting deep into the alien mind, the rest is easy. A memory swept out of a cosmos and brought forth in offering. Murky at first except for Thorne's gardens, the other figure blurred, but rapidly coming into focus as his irate mood grows with a fire Lucifer feels a kinship towards.
And then the memory becomes crystal clear. It plays through the scene, death threat and all, and breaks away after Kell says 'He lit it on fire, that's what happened to it' and then it too burns away from hellfire, quickly replaced with a clipped second one.
Istredd will be able to recognize Wanda easily standing before Lucifer. There's no more than a hum of exhausted thoughts directed towards her. But the man sitting in the background that Istredd would not recognize... he has dozens of unrealized, incomplete thoughts circling him.
'He did something. A mistake, but it's Thorne. Age doesn't matter to them. A Summoned is a Summoned. They'll destroy him.'
And that memory falls away, not on fire like the first, but simply fading, accompanied by the slow roll of distant thunder.
It's very clear that Lucifer has no belief that being seventeen and making a mistake will offer Wilhelm any protection, and that's emphasized by the last, also brief, memory.
This is a strange one, as it's Lucifer talking to Istredd himself, the simple sentence that's been fished out encapsulating all of Lucifer's... concerns: 'Thorne was looking for any excuse real or fabricated.'
They don't need much to hang a Summoned out.
All they need is a scapegoat, and a narrative to spin. Lucifer's favorite kind of story.
That memory remains as simply an echo between them as Lucifer pulls back into himself, the layers all packing in nicely. If Istredd doesn't take this unusual opportunity to "weigh in" Lucifer will pull around the final layer, that faint droning nothingness, and take to rubbing at his temple, quiet.
Istredd is very strong and controlled in his mind but this is certainly different from anything he's had to do before. Usually going through minds or communication is a smoother experience for him, but he has never experienced a mind like Lucifer's, and it is startling at first. He already knew his roommate was not human, and that should have been a concern from the start as he's never directly gone into inhuman minds, but in this case, he steels himself for it.
His mental shields are what spares him the real danger that could happen because they've been in place and fortified so consistently that it would take a lot to chip them away entirely. His personal wards are protection although he does experience the white noise, the confusing heat and visions, but he is wrapped up and parses through. Slower than he would a human mind, though, but still managing.
In fact, once he gets to the memories, that is far easier. The other parts are confusing and curious, but memory sharing is familiar to him. Even under this amount of pressure, as he continues pushing power into his shields. He'll likely have a headache after this, to say the least, but he manages to balance.
The memory with Kell at least gives him the clearest answer, he picks up on the suggestion that Wilhelm set fire to the card instead of using it. So he accidentally led to Yennefer's shield not being as strong as it should be. It was unintentional, but the consequences still happened, and that leaves him with the understanding it won't matter. The queen's lover died after that situation, which led to the start of the war. Lucifer isn't concerned about the heralds, it's about what could be revealed after further questioning.
Istredd doesn't take advantage of the moment to go deeper or hold them there, he can feel Lucifer pulling back, but what he does do before he retreats is use his own telempathy to push something back at him. Not a memory, not thoughts, but feelings. Understanding. A shared concern for Wilhelm now that he saw. And something he gave Wanda before: support. A warm unconditional and undefinable sensation of care that is similar to the hand on Lucifer's back from the wall that day.
And then he pulls back and he's back to his own mind. Istredd does wince after a moment and rubs his temples, mostly as his mind rights itself and adapts to what was surely an alien and bizarre experience. He's shared memories and feelings easily his whole life, but it is different this way. Blue eyes fix on his friend, pensive.
"I think it may be a wise idea for more of the Thorne Summoned to meet not in a public ballroom, but in a warded space that exists." He means Kylo Ren's room, which still stands even without the man here. The only space he knows of that is protected.
"At least as far as public spaces go it could be worse," he says. Enough bodies, enough moving around. Keep things low, keep things quiet, under the guise of a fun little shindig. "But it may be wise. Even if it was further down the road, after they've settled in." Lord, he's actually going to say--"Team Meeting. They can't fault us for that, right?" Can't be mad at their right to assembly.
... problem is, Thorne very much could.
He hums, shaking his head, already partially dismissing that. For all intents and purposes he's loyal to Thorne, only out of necessity, and only until they no longer serve a purpose to him. "A meeting to make sure everyone is on the up-and-up." Doesn't have to be what it is, just what they say in case any officials ask; and they don't need any officials present because everyone would be much more likely to "fix their mistakes" if it was Summoned Only.
He just wishes he knew if there were any other "untrustworthy" Summoned other than, well, himself. He doesn't care if someone is going to sell them out to Free Cities or Solvunn; he just needs them to be safe from Thorne.
"I am not thinking when the new people all arrive, no. There is no way of knowing at first if they are potentially loyalists. But those of us who are trustworthy to talk in one space."
Istredd is daunted by the public meetings of course, and he knows they are very carefully watched and spied upon, which is simply expected. They have the study that Kylo Ren created, and it would be possible for a group of them to meet there as one. Not only in their quiet side talks. There is too much fear and threat hanging over this place.
"The Horizon is an option, obviously, but I am not thinking of a situation where other factions should come. Respectfully, there are topics very Thorne-centric, given our circumstances, that only we would understand."
They are the ones more or less being held under close capture. He knows in the other locations they can move around freely, easily go to other cities, and even if they are watched, it isn't the aggressive way it happens here. It also wouldn't be wise to concern the other factions while they still have yet to talk about it.
"I feel as if unity would be very useful among the Summoned here. The boy should not be your sole concern, he should be all of our concern. But we are disconnected more than from what I've heard of the others."
Which makes no sense as they are all living literally next door to each other, not spread around. But they cannot meet safely. That is a major part of it. Istredd sighs and rubs his hands over his face, that migraine definitely starting. Lucifer's mind was strong. He feels heavy.
He picks and pulls a thread out of the blanket beneath him and wraps it around his fingers as he fidgets with it, unaware he's even doing so as he thinks. The Horizon is certainly a problem. As much as he doesn't want to risk Thorne officials getting suspicious, he'd rather that than other factions eavesdropping about their shit.
"I don't think the other factions really understand the trouble we have here." Wanda didn't. He could see it on her face when he explained his concerns about Wilhelm. For as much as Lucifer acts he's quickly come to terms with needing whatever he has in Thorne to be stable. One wrong move from a Thorne Summoned could be catastrophic for the rest of them.
Even Lucifer can't afford that.
"There's still many of the Summoned here I haven't," bothered to, "interacted with." He'd like to think he has what he needs. But then... while Lucifer isn't exactly loyal to Thorne himself, there's a time and a place for disloyalty. And if he hasn't interacted with all their Summoned then he doesn't know where any of them stand.
That's dangerous.
"Unity would serve to do us well. Trust is a problem though." And Lucifer knows he's just at fault for that. "It'd be nice to think that even if we all had different goals that we wouldn't get each other killed." Look, he hasn't tried to kill Jack outside of a nightmare space! And he's very, very much wanted to!
"No, they can't understand. They've been captured, we're trapped." It is an important distinction in his opinion. Yes every one of them has been taken from their worlds, but from what he hears from the others, they can have jobs of their own, homes of their own even. In Free Cities they can make actual businesses. They can live peacefully in the farmlands. They aren't caught in a castle with an increasingly unhinged and distrustful royalty.
He rubs at his temples, there is a lingering ache from Lucifer's mind. It reminds him of times he's pushed himself too much that way, so it's interesting to feel like he pushed to a breaking point with a single mind. Fascinating, really. He would ask more about it, but the whole reason they had to do it that way was to avoid eavesdropping.
"Gods, I really don't want to have to start becoming social, Lucifer. Logically it is a good idea, we should move to align goals and to find a page we can all survive from, but I am not built for this."
Istredd rarely is this blunt or honest about his shortcomings although that's because he rarely has anyone to talk to about it. He has been in his own company too long, with no one really to answer to, and he finds himself in a situation where he should've paid more attention in his court classes. Yuck.
"You're charming and charismatic, could you tone down the attitude?" One of them can maybe be functional!
'No, they can't understand. They've been captured, we're trapped.'
That will stick with him.
"No."
It's a whine. Hundred-percent a whine. He drops his hands from their fidgeting and for a moment looks like the most petulant child, not a billions-year-old entity.
His "attitude" is what keeps him sane.
"I socialize strictly out of necessity to get what I want from people." He's told Istredd that people are easy. That they're a game. He'd stopped himself from saying more on that branch, but he doesn't feel like he has to anymore if pushed, even at risk of being overheard. Thorne knows some of what he is now; they shouldn't be surprised by his methods. "I don't do small talk."
Istredd rolls his eyes at the whine. It is fine to say no, it is a big ask for Istredd to try and force his friend into being the social one because it's uncomfortable for him to do it. So that's perfectly reasonable. It's the petulance that makes him wonder if he shouldn't have said charming at all.
There is a pause after that and he stares at Lucifer for a few long seconds, the wheels in his head turning. "What is it precisely that you want out of me?" Istredd is not asking if this started because he does want something. He assumes that he is not the exception. Lucifer wanted something so he tolerated the quiet nerd living in his space. That's fine.
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Date: 2022-11-28 08:38 pm (UTC)1/3
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Date: 2022-11-29 01:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-11-29 10:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-11-30 08:50 pm (UTC)Or there's always the Horizon, which frankly might be better. Regardless Lucifer returns to their room, makes fingerguns at his guard now on duty, and spins into the room like a rock star that quickly dissolves once the door is closed.
He just looks at Istredd and holds up his arms in the worst approximation of a shrug. "Ehhh. So that was fun."
no subject
Date: 2022-11-30 09:11 pm (UTC)"My wards are already very strong, if I add anything right now they'll suspect we are being particularly questionable. If we go into the Horizon, they'll also think you're hiding something."
It is his instinct, to protect them further from whatever is going on, but he knows it's unwise if Lucifer is under close watch at the moment. Anything additional will throw a flag, and they have to assume he is being watched by more than a guard. Istredd frowns and raises his eyebrows at him.
"We'll have to assume they hold. What in the world is happening?"
no subject
Date: 2022-11-30 09:30 pm (UTC)Well.
Six months ago he would have, actually.
"And I may have ahhh... tweaked a nerve when they were questioning me about maybe if they had just given us actual information on the gods then maybe things like this wouldn't have happened." He knows that was a bad play. He is very much aware that the comment was what sealed his fate because in order to scramble back up out of it he had to go heavy-handed with the truth. He claps his hands together and presses them tightly, tapping them at his pursed lips. "Soooo I told them the complete and whole truth and now I'm on house arrest for three days with a guard outside."
Can he leave it at that? No, unlikely. Is he going to try? Yes. So sue him, okay. He isn't purposely trying to be difficult it's just not exactly easy for him and he's already had a lovely conversation with Wilhelm on the way here so he's just a tad off-balance on top of the interrogation. Getting back to their room is the first chance he's had to actually breathe and he still hasn't even done that, not really.
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Date: 2022-12-01 01:56 pm (UTC)Not only because of the start of the war but followed by the Heralds. Although he feels as if claiming the gods were to blame was reasonable enough of an excuse or any sort of odd behavior, it's not as if the Summoned alone experienced the effects. He puts his papers into a pile, in an order that only he really understands, and shrugs at Lucifer's confession.
"It may surprise you to know that back home I have a bit of a reputation for not shutting my mouth when frustrated by people in power spreading ignorance. My former mentor Stregobor really hates when I'm around to call him a liar in public."
Stregobor, who has been haunting him a great deal recently. Istredd means surprise in terms of him seeming so calm and centered at all times, and he mostly is. Especially in an unknown place surrounded by unknown people. He is playing the quiet game here.
"That being said, I do that in my home, surrounded by mages that I know. Not the precarious situation we find ourselves in. We're not going to get any information that way, Lucifer. The only way to get anywhere here is to suck up and earn their trust. Not something that I think either of us will excel at."
no subject
Date: 2022-12-01 05:40 pm (UTC)"I am typically good at keeping my mouth shut when I know I need to!"
Apparently not when he's concerned with the safety of others. What's up with that? Why are people so up in arms about connections when it provides them with such weakness?
"Their new brand of sensitivity is why I'm worried. They might pull the kid in to corroborate our story and he definitely doesn't have a handle on his emotions on a normal day. He's got... Other things he needs to keep from them." A sharp look, reminiscent to when he talked to Wanda. Lucifer will not elaborate on that any further. "And I talked to him before I talked to you. For all his hatred for me, I think I got him to listen to what was important, which is to focus and lean into what I did."
And worst case throw Lucifer to the wolves. He gave that weapon to a timebomb and the kid might lob it off even if he doesn't need it. He likely should warn Istredd about that, but it must be better not to know. Safer for Istredd's reputation, anyway, right?
no subject
Date: 2022-12-01 10:43 pm (UTC)"Lucifer. Listen to me."
He puts his hands together in an almost prayer gesture but he is not praying so much as really hoping he can get his friend to shut up for a few seconds. They are in a high-pressure situation but he seems as calm as ever. This is close to how he handled Wanda in an emotional state too.
"We are not going to let anything happen to the boy. If we can't help him, I will ask Yennefer and Stephen for help."
They have the power to do so and Istredd sounds very confident in his ability to get at least one or both to be willing. Yennefer is far more difficult to get, it's unlikely she'll stick out her neck, but he knows angles for that. Stephen is far more empathic. Either way, he is focused on calming his friend down.
"The Summoned will not sit there idly while they put one of our children into a dungeon. If the worst happens, we'll handle it."
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Date: 2022-12-01 11:20 pm (UTC)At least one of them is calm, though he thinks he's only really seen Istredd out-of-sorts once. The growing number of people who have seen Lucifer out-of-sorts, more than once, is rising at an alarming, uncomfortable rate.
Yay Abraxas.
The boy is hopefully going to do the selfish thing and help himself before he gets thrown into the dungeons and then Lucifer is going to be the one who's screwed. He should have worded things a little differently so that he didn't also get himself shot in the foot in the process, but it isn't as though Wilhelm would use a kinder option.
Wanda can't split open reality to another of his cells when she's all the way in Solvunn.
"He'll be fine," Lucifer says, but he doesn't sound at all like he's successfully convincing himself.
He remembers Yennefer in her alchemy lab. He thinks of them as similar people. He thinks of how he would be, unchanged, significantly injured because of a defensive spell gone wrong. Doesn't matter that Wilhelm didn't mess it up on purpose. He would have previously let the kid rot for his it.
He'd like to think Yennefer wouldn't, but he's not so confident in that. Stephen was supposedly the kid's teacher; how does that failure reflect on him? Would he allow it to?
It's cute that Istredd thinks they'd come to the kid's aid but Lucifer is only beginning to have sparks of trust in others. Asking him to, what, bank on faith in others? To do the right thing? What a joke.
no subject
Date: 2022-12-02 10:02 am (UTC)"We'll figure it out. There is nothing we can do until we know if he is taken in or not. I sent him a message and will try to reassure him."
Istredd wonders if it would be best if he at least attempts to play the game at some point so he can have some sway. But it simply is not his best skill. Yennefer and Stephen are good at it, he can see that easily. So is Rhy. They have key people who are trying and succeeding. He has to focus his attention on where he believes it matters, the big picture. So most of this concern is on Lucifer's behalf.
"It would be helpful to know what he did outside of be upset in public, as that seems hardly a big enough deal for true difficulty." Lucifer did give him a look but Istredd does not actually care for looks in search of logical truth.
no subject
Date: 2022-12-02 10:08 pm (UTC)Is he really about to do this?
"I can't tell you that," he says, more to his hand than Istredd. He can't trust the warding that far. His hand slides away and he leans back and meets, and holds, Istredd's gaze. "But."
This might be a very bad idea. Whatever minds Istredd is used to actually dipping into, they still aren't the minds of an archangel.
But, he slightly reaches up and taps a hand to the side of his head in indication, continuing to maintain that eye contact. Lucifer knows exactly what he's offering.
no subject
Date: 2022-12-04 11:22 am (UTC)He inclines his head in understanding and sits on his bed. Eye contact actually helps since it requires him moving past Lucifer's defenses and doing that through the eyes makes it very smooth. It's one of the very first magical lessons he had.
Depending on how Lucifer's mind conversations or telepathy has gone before, he'll find this is just as gentle as he would expect from the quiet mage. Gentle but strong at the same time, wielding it well, although he knows little of what he'd find, but Istredd is as steady as he seems.
What happened with Wilhelm?
no subject
Date: 2022-12-04 06:04 pm (UTC)Because this is more of a show versus tell scenario and for Lucifer to do that he has to pull Istredd in; those memories are far too fortified for anything else.
It'll prove just how tough Istredd's mind is.
Considering the last person to root around in his head was Apocalypse Michael, this is way better at least on Lucifer's side.
Istredd though... The problem is there's too much there, even with Lucifer allowing this to happen. Drawing down his own mental defenses further than he would like, but the information Istredd needs is so ungodly layered that they have to crack through the membrane of his mind.
This is not something Lucifer would ever do under normal circumstances.
But Istredd's right, and those words? Cannot be spoken aloud, cannot be written down, and the Horizon is still too risky.
His usual obfuscating white noise rises up like thousands of insect wings buzzing before that layer draws away to impossibly molten heat, the white-hot fires of Hell crumpling to the ever-expanding, ever-twisting unholy nebula. Neurons firing off, sparking radiance, so much contained power and yet everything is just a little dim, like some of the lights had burned out.
He's so far from what he should be in power.
From there, after getting deep into the alien mind, the rest is easy. A memory swept out of a cosmos and brought forth in offering. Murky at first except for Thorne's gardens, the other figure blurred, but rapidly coming into focus as his irate mood grows with a fire Lucifer feels a kinship towards.
And then the memory becomes crystal clear. It plays through the scene, death threat and all, and breaks away after Kell says 'He lit it on fire, that's what happened to it' and then it too burns away from hellfire, quickly replaced with a clipped second one.
Istredd will be able to recognize Wanda easily standing before Lucifer. There's no more than a hum of exhausted thoughts directed towards her. But the man sitting in the background that Istredd would not recognize... he has dozens of unrealized, incomplete thoughts circling him.
'He did something. A mistake, but it's Thorne. Age doesn't matter to them. A Summoned is a Summoned. They'll destroy him.'
And that memory falls away, not on fire like the first, but simply fading, accompanied by the slow roll of distant thunder.
It's very clear that Lucifer has no belief that being seventeen and making a mistake will offer Wilhelm any protection, and that's emphasized by the last, also brief, memory.
This is a strange one, as it's Lucifer talking to Istredd himself, the simple sentence that's been fished out encapsulating all of Lucifer's... concerns: 'Thorne was looking for any excuse real or fabricated.'
They don't need much to hang a Summoned out.
All they need is a scapegoat, and a narrative to spin. Lucifer's favorite kind of story.
That memory remains as simply an echo between them as Lucifer pulls back into himself, the layers all packing in nicely. If Istredd doesn't take this unusual opportunity to "weigh in" Lucifer will pull around the final layer, that faint droning nothingness, and take to rubbing at his temple, quiet.
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Date: 2022-12-04 08:13 pm (UTC)His mental shields are what spares him the real danger that could happen because they've been in place and fortified so consistently that it would take a lot to chip them away entirely. His personal wards are protection although he does experience the white noise, the confusing heat and visions, but he is wrapped up and parses through. Slower than he would a human mind, though, but still managing.
In fact, once he gets to the memories, that is far easier. The other parts are confusing and curious, but memory sharing is familiar to him. Even under this amount of pressure, as he continues pushing power into his shields. He'll likely have a headache after this, to say the least, but he manages to balance.
The memory with Kell at least gives him the clearest answer, he picks up on the suggestion that Wilhelm set fire to the card instead of using it. So he accidentally led to Yennefer's shield not being as strong as it should be. It was unintentional, but the consequences still happened, and that leaves him with the understanding it won't matter. The queen's lover died after that situation, which led to the start of the war. Lucifer isn't concerned about the heralds, it's about what could be revealed after further questioning.
Istredd doesn't take advantage of the moment to go deeper or hold them there, he can feel Lucifer pulling back, but what he does do before he retreats is use his own telempathy to push something back at him. Not a memory, not thoughts, but feelings. Understanding. A shared concern for Wilhelm now that he saw. And something he gave Wanda before: support. A warm unconditional and undefinable sensation of care that is similar to the hand on Lucifer's back from the wall that day.
And then he pulls back and he's back to his own mind. Istredd does wince after a moment and rubs his temples, mostly as his mind rights itself and adapts to what was surely an alien and bizarre experience. He's shared memories and feelings easily his whole life, but it is different this way. Blue eyes fix on his friend, pensive.
"I think it may be a wise idea for more of the Thorne Summoned to meet not in a public ballroom, but in a warded space that exists." He means Kylo Ren's room, which still stands even without the man here. The only space he knows of that is protected.
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Date: 2022-12-06 01:46 am (UTC)"At least as far as public spaces go it could be worse," he says. Enough bodies, enough moving around. Keep things low, keep things quiet, under the guise of a fun little shindig. "But it may be wise. Even if it was further down the road, after they've settled in." Lord, he's actually going to say--"Team Meeting. They can't fault us for that, right?" Can't be mad at their right to assembly.
... problem is, Thorne very much could.
He hums, shaking his head, already partially dismissing that. For all intents and purposes he's loyal to Thorne, only out of necessity, and only until they no longer serve a purpose to him. "A meeting to make sure everyone is on the up-and-up." Doesn't have to be what it is, just what they say in case any officials ask; and they don't need any officials present because everyone would be much more likely to "fix their mistakes" if it was Summoned Only.
He just wishes he knew if there were any other "untrustworthy" Summoned other than, well, himself. He doesn't care if someone is going to sell them out to Free Cities or Solvunn; he just needs them to be safe from Thorne.
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Date: 2022-12-07 10:30 pm (UTC)Istredd is daunted by the public meetings of course, and he knows they are very carefully watched and spied upon, which is simply expected. They have the study that Kylo Ren created, and it would be possible for a group of them to meet there as one. Not only in their quiet side talks. There is too much fear and threat hanging over this place.
"The Horizon is an option, obviously, but I am not thinking of a situation where other factions should come. Respectfully, there are topics very Thorne-centric, given our circumstances, that only we would understand."
They are the ones more or less being held under close capture. He knows in the other locations they can move around freely, easily go to other cities, and even if they are watched, it isn't the aggressive way it happens here. It also wouldn't be wise to concern the other factions while they still have yet to talk about it.
"I feel as if unity would be very useful among the Summoned here. The boy should not be your sole concern, he should be all of our concern. But we are disconnected more than from what I've heard of the others."
Which makes no sense as they are all living literally next door to each other, not spread around. But they cannot meet safely. That is a major part of it. Istredd sighs and rubs his hands over his face, that migraine definitely starting. Lucifer's mind was strong. He feels heavy.
"Not that I know how to fix it."
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Date: 2022-12-16 12:26 am (UTC)He picks and pulls a thread out of the blanket beneath him and wraps it around his fingers as he fidgets with it, unaware he's even doing so as he thinks. The Horizon is certainly a problem. As much as he doesn't want to risk Thorne officials getting suspicious, he'd rather that than other factions eavesdropping about their shit.
"I don't think the other factions really understand the trouble we have here." Wanda didn't. He could see it on her face when he explained his concerns about Wilhelm. For as much as Lucifer acts he's quickly come to terms with needing whatever he has in Thorne to be stable. One wrong move from a Thorne Summoned could be catastrophic for the rest of them.
Even Lucifer can't afford that.
"There's still many of the Summoned here I haven't," bothered to, "interacted with." He'd like to think he has what he needs. But then... while Lucifer isn't exactly loyal to Thorne himself, there's a time and a place for disloyalty. And if he hasn't interacted with all their Summoned then he doesn't know where any of them stand.
That's dangerous.
"Unity would serve to do us well. Trust is a problem though." And Lucifer knows he's just at fault for that. "It'd be nice to think that even if we all had different goals that we wouldn't get each other killed." Look, he hasn't tried to kill Jack outside of a nightmare space! And he's very, very much wanted to!
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Date: 2022-12-16 03:16 am (UTC)He rubs at his temples, there is a lingering ache from Lucifer's mind. It reminds him of times he's pushed himself too much that way, so it's interesting to feel like he pushed to a breaking point with a single mind. Fascinating, really. He would ask more about it, but the whole reason they had to do it that way was to avoid eavesdropping.
"Gods, I really don't want to have to start becoming social, Lucifer. Logically it is a good idea, we should move to align goals and to find a page we can all survive from, but I am not built for this."
Istredd rarely is this blunt or honest about his shortcomings although that's because he rarely has anyone to talk to about it. He has been in his own company too long, with no one really to answer to, and he finds himself in a situation where he should've paid more attention in his court classes. Yuck.
"You're charming and charismatic, could you tone down the attitude?" One of them can maybe be functional!
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Date: 2022-12-16 06:09 am (UTC)That will stick with him.
"No."
It's a whine. Hundred-percent a whine. He drops his hands from their fidgeting and for a moment looks like the most petulant child, not a billions-year-old entity.
His "attitude" is what keeps him sane.
"I socialize strictly out of necessity to get what I want from people." He's told Istredd that people are easy. That they're a game. He'd stopped himself from saying more on that branch, but he doesn't feel like he has to anymore if pushed, even at risk of being overheard. Thorne knows some of what he is now; they shouldn't be surprised by his methods. "I don't do small talk."
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Date: 2022-12-16 06:20 am (UTC)Istredd rolls his eyes at the whine. It is fine to say no, it is a big ask for Istredd to try and force his friend into being the social one because it's uncomfortable for him to do it. So that's perfectly reasonable. It's the petulance that makes him wonder if he shouldn't have said charming at all.
There is a pause after that and he stares at Lucifer for a few long seconds, the wheels in his head turning. "What is it precisely that you want out of me?" Istredd is not asking if this started because he does want something. He assumes that he is not the exception. Lucifer wanted something so he tolerated the quiet nerd living in his space. That's fine.
why are you like this lucifer
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From:wrap here or the next?
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