[ as she asks this, she bends to pick up the journal. it doesn't bite her. doesn't burn her. doesn't hurt. it just reminds her of when it had, when ianthe had.
Aside from a few doodled digits of a couple pages, nothing in that specific journal applied to that research project. I intentionally started a fresh journal for it.
The map is a very beautiful map. It doesn't make me think of anything but you... and the wall I crashed into.
[She picked up the sack, grabbing something small from it that she kept concealed in her left hand. The bone one held the sack out.]
Keep it. We have plenty of book covers and boxes at the store.
[ she gestures over her shoulder at the book shop. she already has some idea of what she'll do with it to keep it safe until she figures out a more long-term solution. ]
[ she doesn't like the idea of ever taking it out of storage, honestly. she shouldn't have asked about destroying it; she should have just done it. she still hasn't ruled it out, entirely.
but she also knows that ianthe is giving it to her out of trust, some kind of penance, and throwing that into the fire feels ... wrong. ]
Then we're all fucked because that's something I don't remotely understand. But. If they are aware of the risk and still open the pages, that's their choice.
[The goal was always worth the risks.]
I was not aware of the extent of the risks, and because of what happened, no one else walks into it blind. God compared me to some Pre-Res scientist that pioneered radiation research that went through something similar.
[ she moves to sit on the step beside ianthe, folding the book on her thighs, covering it with her forearms as she hunches forward a little, staring out at the street instead of ianthe. ]
But I'll say this. Your work, your ideas, are valuable. But it's stupid to do this alone. To not have anyone to keep an eye on you, when we all know what we're dealing with here.
[ she huffs out an annoyed breath, and adds, ] My arm feels better, by the way. Not that you asked.
I'm glad it's better. I wasn't sure how badly I hurt you or where. When I try to remember what happened while I was transformed, I mostly get colors, emotions, sensations, faces... scents all in a big jumble. It's a lot to sort through.
[Ianthe sighed. Alina was right to a certain point.]
I'll try to do better. Collaborate more. My new cavalier will probably help with that if she gets through her training. Regardless, I plan on staying away from Void research for a while. [Someone has forgotten about the Duchess' Void request.]
Oh... Here. [She offered her bone hand, a familiar friendship bracelet bloodstained and frayed, the floss ripped by the tie where it was weakest.] I found this while I was looking for the journal. I don't know if it's mine or yours. I... didn't check.
[ alina takes the bracelet, considering the frayed ends. the blood stains. it reminds her of the night. of the dead hunter, the dog. the fear.
she hands it back to ianthe. ]
It's yours.
[ slowly, reluctantly, she pulls up her sleeve. there, around her wrist, is a matching one. still secured, and unstained. she doesn't look at ianthe as she shows it, like she's mad at herself for still wearing it, given what ianthe had done.
[Ianthe took the bracelet back, carefully making sure she didn't touch Alina in the process. She entwined the bracelet about her bone fingers again. Seeing Alina still wore hers made Ianthe pause in surprise but decided not to voice it, not wanting Alina to rip it off and toss it in her face. Fuck, she almost wanted to get punched or stabbed or something. She HATED this feeling inside so damn much.]
Yeah. I don't know what the town's going to do with me yet, and I'm not going to fight it. Really hope they don't make me take care of the dog; it would've been kinder if I'd just killed it. Maybe I can get Ankari to heal it.
Anyway, I'm finding I suddenly have far more time on my hands than I did before now that I'm not...
I really should start outlining my test but I really just want to get away. From my own brain, my own body, just like... everything.
[ alina doesn't point out that it seems unlikely that the townspeople could make ianthe do anything. that she is stronger than all of them combined, that she is a saint, and that a dog is a dog, and ianthe wasn't in her right mind.
she needs to process things herself, first. decide what it means that ianthe was not in her right mind, and how that changes how alina feels about what she'd done to her. what it means that ianthe is ready to accept her punishment despite this, instead of fighting it.
Yeah. The Duchess presented me with a specific task to prove that my necromantic skill and aptitude are great enough that it's not a waste of her time to teach me Resurrection.
[Wasn't Alina there-- Oh wait. She hadn't gotten all up in her grill about being a cannibal. That meant...]
I believe you had been removed from the dining room by then.
[ alina, suitably abashed, reaches up to scratch at her brow on the side that's towards ianthe, giving her a moment of her hand covering her face while she bites back the shame. ]
I think resurrection and the Duchess is the last thing you should be worrying about. That's how all of this started. I watched you kill someone. His body's barely even cold. Can't you just ... rest? For a little while.
I said I should be working on it, not that I actually am. And I killed four people, including Junpei - who I actually do like. I prepared their bodies myself. I am a monster; I've never hidden that from you. I just never wanted to be your monster, and I'm sorry if that's what I am.
[Ianthe ran her hand through her hair before standing up, visibly wincing in pain as she reached her arms skyward to stretch.]
I'm not going anywhere. Just too tall to keep sitting on these steps. Regeneration is fucking amazing but it doesn't stop shit from hurting.
[She stuck the bracelet in her pocket so she wouldn't lose it.]
I want to rest. I'm trying to rest. But I'm also bored. Even in the best of times, my mind needs something to work on. It's what makes me a great necromancer. Also makes me a shitty person with no attention span. I don't know what to do with myself right now other than go over my 'safe' notes being as it's the only damn thing I can read here. So if you have a suggestion, I'm all fucking ears.
[ she's staring at the ground and not at ianthe. as understandable as restless boredom is, it's not quite enough to justify messing with things that caused the kind of harm that ianthe has caused.
but the talk of monsters does give her an idea. ]
While you were losing your mind, my monster was sneaking into my bedroom at the boarding house. There's a project for you: keeping him out.
[The casual offer to kill said monster thankfully never went beyond a thought. Ianthe was not going to fight Alina's battles for her. She'd told Nikolai that, despite having ripped into him in a case of outdated information. Okay, she was going to try not to unless asked. Like now.]
[ moving above the tailor's had been her first thought, but that was only a stop-gap — a temporary stay until he figured out where she and genya had gone. ]
[It was noticeable, how giving Ianthe something to put her mind toward, something she found enjoyable, changed how she carried herself. It wasn't paranoia or obsession, skulking over notes, but a light pacing with head held high with a bit of a smirk sitting in the corner of her mouth.]
Bone wards are best for keeping out physical threats. They last a long time - bone is ideal for storing thanergy long-term - and they can also be set up as traps. Blood wards, on the other hand, are best for spiritual threats or those with the skill or shear raw power to dismantle wards.
As you already know, I favor blood wards myself, but they need to be reapplied frequently. The fresher the blood ward, the stronger it is.
Both wards can be set at creation to allow specific people to pass through them. They have to be physically present when a bone ward is set. Same applies to a blood ward or they can supply their own blood to be part of the theorem.
Bone wards are visually hard to hide unless a bone adept creates them. Blood wards are easier to hide but will glow when activated.
[At least Alina had first-hand experience with the effectiveness of a blood ward. Ianthe stopped her pacing so she could look down at Alina for a moment. Then she eased herself down to sit on the steps again.]
Yeah. I'll ward any points of entrance, but you need to know that even if I attune the ward to you, it will never prevent me from passing through it. I will also be alerted anytime it activates. This also means you're going to have to remember to by physically touching anyone you want to pass through it.
...it does require arterial blood to craft. A lot. Lesser necromancers have sacrificed themselves to create wards. I'll be fine, but it won't be-- Some might call it gruesome. You seem to favor 'gross'.
I know you can, but I'll be opening my wrist to do it. I don't want anything to be a surprise. Genya is either going to have to be present when I craft it or provide me with some blood - a standard vial should be enough. And she needs to know the procedure when it comes to visitors. [Which could be a problem when it came to spur of the moment zadza sessions.]
How often are you going to want the wards refreshed?
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Is it going to hurt, if I touch that?
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[ as she asks this, she bends to pick up the journal. it doesn't bite her. doesn't burn her. doesn't hurt. it just reminds her of when it had, when ianthe had.
there are worse things, she reminds herself. ]
There's nothing in it to tempt you?
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The map is a very beautiful map. It doesn't make me think of anything but you... and the wall I crashed into.
[She picked up the sack, grabbing something small from it that she kept concealed in her left hand. The bone one held the sack out.]
You can have this to keep it in, if you want.
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[ she gestures over her shoulder at the book shop. she already has some idea of what she'll do with it to keep it safe until she figures out a more long-term solution. ]
Why didn't you just destroy it?
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I need it as evidence at my hearing with Mateus and the rest of the town. I'm not going to hide what I did.
Beyond that, it's valuable information. It could be useful in the future... to someone else. Someone who hasn't irradiated themselves with Void crazy.
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[ she doesn't like the idea of ever taking it out of storage, honestly. she shouldn't have asked about destroying it; she should have just done it. she still hasn't ruled it out, entirely.
but she also knows that ianthe is giving it to her out of trust, some kind of penance, and throwing that into the fire feels ... wrong. ]
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[The goal was always worth the risks.]
I was not aware of the extent of the risks, and because of what happened, no one else walks into it blind. God compared me to some Pre-Res scientist that pioneered radiation research that went through something similar.
I think he was just trying to cheer me up.
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[ she moves to sit on the step beside ianthe, folding the book on her thighs, covering it with her forearms as she hunches forward a little, staring out at the street instead of ianthe. ]
But I'll say this. Your work, your ideas, are valuable. But it's stupid to do this alone. To not have anyone to keep an eye on you, when we all know what we're dealing with here.
[ she huffs out an annoyed breath, and adds, ] My arm feels better, by the way. Not that you asked.
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[Ianthe sighed. Alina was right to a certain point.]
I'll try to do better. Collaborate more. My new cavalier will probably help with that if she gets through her training. Regardless, I plan on staying away from Void research for a while. [Someone has forgotten about the Duchess' Void request.]
Oh... Here. [She offered her bone hand, a familiar friendship bracelet bloodstained and frayed, the floss ripped by the tie where it was weakest.] I found this while I was looking for the journal. I don't know if it's mine or yours. I... didn't check.
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she hands it back to ianthe. ]
It's yours.
[ slowly, reluctantly, she pulls up her sleeve. there, around her wrist, is a matching one. still secured, and unstained. she doesn't look at ianthe as she shows it, like she's mad at herself for still wearing it, given what ianthe had done.
she drops the sleeve again. ]
You're staying close to town, then, I take it?
cw: references to violence against animals
Yeah. I don't know what the town's going to do with me yet, and I'm not going to fight it. Really hope they don't make me take care of the dog; it would've been kinder if I'd just killed it. Maybe I can get Ankari to heal it.
Anyway, I'm finding I suddenly have far more time on my hands than I did before now that I'm not...
I really should start outlining my test but I really just want to get away. From my own brain, my own body, just like... everything.
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[ alina doesn't point out that it seems unlikely that the townspeople could make ianthe do anything. that she is stronger than all of them combined, that she is a saint, and that a dog is a dog, and ianthe wasn't in her right mind.
she needs to process things herself, first. decide what it means that ianthe was not in her right mind, and how that changes how alina feels about what she'd done to her. what it means that ianthe is ready to accept her punishment despite this, instead of fighting it.
so this is what she focuses on instead. test. ]
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[Wasn't Alina there-- Oh wait. She hadn't gotten all up in her grill about being a cannibal. That meant...]
I believe you had been removed from the dining room by then.
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[ alina, suitably abashed, reaches up to scratch at her brow on the side that's towards ianthe, giving her a moment of her hand covering her face while she bites back the shame. ]
I think resurrection and the Duchess is the last thing you should be worrying about. That's how all of this started. I watched you kill someone. His body's barely even cold. Can't you just ... rest? For a little while.
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[Ianthe ran her hand through her hair before standing up, visibly wincing in pain as she reached her arms skyward to stretch.]
I'm not going anywhere. Just too tall to keep sitting on these steps. Regeneration is fucking amazing but it doesn't stop shit from hurting.
[She stuck the bracelet in her pocket so she wouldn't lose it.]
I want to rest. I'm trying to rest. But I'm also bored. Even in the best of times, my mind needs something to work on. It's what makes me a great necromancer. Also makes me a shitty person with no attention span. I don't know what to do with myself right now other than go over my 'safe' notes being as it's the only damn thing I can read here. So if you have a suggestion, I'm all fucking ears.
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You're not my monster.
[ she's staring at the ground and not at ianthe. as understandable as restless boredom is, it's not quite enough to justify messing with things that caused the kind of harm that ianthe has caused.
but the talk of monsters does give her an idea. ]
While you were losing your mind, my monster was sneaking into my bedroom at the boarding house. There's a project for you: keeping him out.
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You want blood wards or bone wards?
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[ moving above the tailor's had been her first thought, but that was only a stop-gap — a temporary stay until he figured out where she and genya had gone. ]
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Bone wards are best for keeping out physical threats. They last a long time - bone is ideal for storing thanergy long-term - and they can also be set up as traps. Blood wards, on the other hand, are best for spiritual threats or those with the skill or shear raw power to dismantle wards.
As you already know, I favor blood wards myself, but they need to be reapplied frequently. The fresher the blood ward, the stronger it is.
Both wards can be set at creation to allow specific people to pass through them. They have to be physically present when a bone ward is set. Same applies to a blood ward or they can supply their own blood to be part of the theorem.
Bone wards are visually hard to hide unless a bone adept creates them. Blood wards are easier to hide but will glow when activated.
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[ she nods a little. ]
He'd destroy the bone. Can you put them up? [ a beat. ] Will you, I mean.
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Yeah. I'll ward any points of entrance, but you need to know that even if I attune the ward to you, it will never prevent me from passing through it. I will also be alerted anytime it activates. This also means you're going to have to remember to by physically touching anyone you want to pass through it.
...it does require arterial blood to craft. A lot. Lesser necromancers have sacrificed themselves to create wards. I'll be fine, but it won't be-- Some might call it gruesome. You seem to favor 'gross'.
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[ she thinks of her arm, of the dog, of the hunter. she has seen a lot of blood, lately. she rubs at her shoulder, thinking of it.
then, ] I have a roommate. Genya.
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How often are you going to want the wards refreshed?
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[ she nods, steeling herself a little, drawing careful breaths. ]
How quickly do they start to deteriorate?
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