wiedzminka | ❧ IC INBOX: Abraxas

I know you are. But that doesn't make it right.

[No one should have to live their life in fear--not that Ciri exists in such a state, but he can imagine how it must be, to always be looking over one's shoulder.]

Who was the first person who spoke? The one who wasn't Geralt.

[That voice, he knows. The other was unfamiliar to him. If she doesn't want to tell him, he doesn't necessarily blame her, but she did assume that he has questions. And she recognized what it was saying.]

[ The questions she expected were around her conversation with Geralt. The one involving him, implying she hadn't shared everything she knew about what had happened to them at the Singularity--

It visibly takes her by surprise when he asks her about the other voice. She doesn't tell him whose it was (her own, though younger). But she does respond. ]

...it's a prophecy. Supposedly involving me.

A prophecy too many powerful people put too much stock in. People who would do anything to see it realized.

[He'll get there, eventually--but his own feelings with regards to the way she withheld information seem negligible, in comparison. And he can't deny that he isn't curious about this, even if he doesn't necessarily put stock in prophecy.

Even if she doesn't either, it might not matter. Not when others fight so hard for it, as she says.]

Do you believe it?

I don't know. I believe the prophecy exists. Maybe it has something to do with me. But these things aren't clear cut--

And besides. [ She shakes her head sharply, unable to help the note of agitation rising in her voice. ]

It doesn't matter what I believe, or what I want. That's the whole point.

There are those who will act on it, regardless.

[He nods, understanding. Viktor has never felt beholden to some sort of destiny—-if he did, he might have just given up and accepted his inevitable death and obscurity as the logical conclusion of his upbringing. He has fought for everything he has now, and he knows that Ciri is the same.

So perhaps being here has afforded her some amount of safety, from those who would use her to their own ends. It follows that Geralt would shelter her from that, in a new world where she’s not beholden to this prophecy, but that doesn't really sit right with him, either.]

And…what about Geralt?

[Their relationship has always been professional, but it certainly soured after their disagreement about the trackers. Viktor had a similar point of contention with Jayce—-that his partner would not be able to protect him from everything. At a certain point, everyone needs to make their own choices.]

Edited 2024-02-10 18:17 (UTC)

What about Geralt?

[ She doesn't know that Geralt had spoken with Viktor about it, specifically, but she does remember well how Geralt felt about their risky plan with the trackers. She has some sense that Geralt finds Viktor someone to be wary of. In a way, she doesn't disagree; Viktor's capabilities make him just as dangerous if he put his mind to it as they make him beneficial to the community, in the same way anyone with significant skill and willpower could be. But she knows Viktor well enough, she thinks, to trust that his goals are never going to involve harming others, especially not people he cares about. She knows he fears the Free Cities trying to weaponize his work, and that is a fear she identifies with on a personal basis. ]

Does Geralt believe any of it? The answer is the same. It doesn't matter, so long as he thinks I'm in danger.

You asked me once what I would do if the people I love most are taken from me. If Geralt disappeared, like so many others have. [ Like Jayce. ]

I answered: anything.

That's what Geralt would do for me, to keep me safe.

[What about him? He wants to ask about the snippets of conversation he heard, and what Geralt was implying about her abilities, but it's likely they have a more pressing issue, given their shared desire to prevent further disappearances of fellow Summoned.]

And if he believes that I am a danger to you?

[Not enough of one to act on, maybe, though he'd made his displeasure about the trackers clear. Understandable, Viktor admits, but he hadn't exactly enjoyed hearing Viktor's thoughts on the matter, at the time. He stands by what he says, regardless--Ciri deserves to make her own choices, especially with regards to the life this place has afforded her.]

[ Ciri holds his gaze. ]

Do you plan to be a danger to me?

No. Of course not.

[They're familiar enough by now that she must know he would rather die than cause harm to another person. But he understands, too, that not everyone is thrilled by his designs to reverse the Summoning ritual. If Ciri is to be protected from threats both within...and without, it follows that any opening of the gates, so to speak, might expose Ciri to those threats once again.]

But it doesn't matter what I think.

[Just like her prophecy, the truth of it matters less than how others act on the information. Ciri has power, the extent of which Viktor is not certain, and at this point he's not sure he's supposed to know.]

Indeed, it matters far more what you do and say.

[ Her gaze softens, and Ciri leans forward, her hands atop the table lightly touching her teacup, though she hasn't had any to drink yet. ]

I don't want to put you in any danger either. And I don't mean only Geralt.

You've kept certain things about our misadventure all those months ago to yourself, and I'll thank you to keep anything we've talked about today similarly in confidence. [ She knows she hasn't said much, that she hasn't explained enough for him to understand, but even this little -- for his own sake -- isn't something she wants brought up in idle chatter. Not that Viktor is the type, of course. ]

I only want to be left alone. I don't want to give them any reasons to look for me. Not the forces after me from before I came here or the military or the mages or whoever the fuck.

I want to protect the life I have here. The people I have here. That includes you, Viktor.

[ Realizing it's gotten a bit intense, Ciri leans back again with an awkward laugh, finally picking up her tea. ]

Don't worry. Geralt won't come after you in your sleep or anything.

[Viktor knows that if Geralt really thought him a danger, or wanted him dead, it probably would have already come to pass. That's not really what he's afraid of, just as she shouldn't be afraid of this conversation leaving the room. He's always respected her privacy, knowing full well that the government could capitalize on her abilities, just as they have seized his own technology.

But there is no guarantee of her safety, not as long as they exist here at the whim of the Singularity.]

The life you have here...everything we've made for ourselves, none of it is really ours. Not as long as it can simply disappear.

[She knows he's learned that the hard way. It's what drives his research now, and he tells himself it's for all of them--so that each person brought here against their will can make a choice.]

I want to protect you, too.

[In the way that he knows how, which he understands by now is not palatable to everyone, despite his intentions.]

Edited 2024-02-15 03:36 (UTC)

[ She closes her eyes a moment, letting out a slow breath. ]

...I know.

[ Ciri sets her cup back down, fingertips drumming against the porcelain. Anxious, restless. It always comes back to that.

The weighing of her choices, how much to tell, how much it would help versus how much danger it would put everyone in, how much it could hurt her and those she cares about. But can she prevent them being taken? Can she do anything preemptively, instead of waiting and hoping?

She's always reacting. Looking over her shoulder, running, responding to what happens to her.

If there's a chance to take action first, shouldn't she take it? ]

Have... you made any progress?

[Viktor can't possibly imagine what's behind her thoughtful expression. There's still a great deal about her that he doesn't know, and he doesn't know about what she's running from, either. What he's sure of is that she deserves to have the life that she wants, and that won't be possible until they control the ritual.

She seems to understand that, at least, though when she asks about his progress his gaze drops to the table between them.]

It's all theory. [He and Wanda and Strange have a plan, sort of, but they're fumbling in the dark with so many details of the ritual under lock and key.] I'm starting to think I may need to engineer it all myself.

[Which is daunting, to say the least, but he's done the impossible before--at least twice. He just needs to do it one more time.]

Edited 2024-02-17 16:22 (UTC)

It's magic, not mechanics.

[ He knows this, of course. Ciri shakes her head, torn -- it's a terrible idea, probably, but for a good reason. She agrees they would all be better off with control and understanding over the Summoning ritual, whether that's for a chance to reconnect with those lost or to keep dangers out.

The thought that anything can come through is nearly as unsettling as the knowledge anyone can vanish without warning. Still... ]

It's chaos, and clearly none of them can actually control it. Maybe that mage in Thorne had a plan ages ago, but even that went awry from the beginning. He called half his summonings failures and threw them in prison. Now, every major power just summons people to... what? Stockpile us?

And how did the Free Cities and Solvunn got their hands on the ritual? How was it supposed to work in the first place?

There are still...rules. Parameters. Even if they're not obvious.

[Even if they don't seem like rules, or anything that might make sense to a layman. If magic is inherent in nature, however, then nature has patterns. Viktor has found them before, and he can do it again. Perhaps it's chaos, but there must be some reason to it, underneath it all.

Or maybe that's just the physicist in him, looking for something that isn't there. What they can agree on is that the territories don't know what they're doing.]

They must have stolen it. The knowledge of it. [Which is what gives him hope, in the end--surely he can puzzle it out, if they managed to make it work.] I don't think the ritual as it exists lets them see exactly who they're bringing before they do it. They search for broad strokes. Desirable occupations, or personality traits, but not much more than that.

[Suffice to say, he thinks he could improve it.]

Edited 2024-03-04 00:54 (UTC)

No. It surely doesn't.

The strokes are too broad, if you ask me. Who's to say they won't open doors for things that would wreak havoc on their world? I suspect they've gotten lucky more than anything else, so far.

[ But they can go in circles with this conjecture forever, without answers. It's a discussion Ciri has had before, and probably even with Viktor on other occasions too. Most of the Summoned, she'd guess, have come to a similar conclusion if they've been paying attention.

It's just that most of the Summoned, like her, are probably just trying to get on with their day to day lives. People are very good at setting aside problems for the future in favor of tackling the matters of the moment.

Ciri sighs, turning her teacup around in her hands. ]

Those who would come after me for that prophecy--

They have their own ways of moving between worlds.

The ritual does have some constants, at least. Water as a vector, the presence of an arcana symbol. It seems to happen at a pre-determined time of the month.

[But even that is barely anything to go on, and he knows as much. He might be better off simply finding his own way, perhaps using the existing ritual as a guide to invent something entirely new.

Which is why he's interested in hearing about the ways others, from different places, might travel across other worlds. Ciri goes there before he has a chance to ask, and it's easy to see him perk with interest, even if the people in question are likely less-than-friendly.]

How do they do it?

[ Ciri shrugs, glancing away. ]

Oh... the usual. Magic.

Think of the portals that take us to Nocwich, say. Some of them have that kind of magic innately.

Obviously, magic.

[For all that the Free Cities has dabbled in the confluence of magic and technology, there are some things that can only be accomplished by the former. Having an innate ability to travel between worlds isn't even unheard of, at this point.]

And they either haven't thought to look here, or they can't get in. Perhaps the Singularity makes this world uniquely impenetrable, outside of the ritual.

Edited 2024-03-18 18:09 (UTC)

That had crossed my mind as well. I told you before about the monoliths in my world.

They had some similarities, but the Singularity is unique. I don't know that I believe Thorne that it's the source of all magic-- but it's certainly got a connection to worlds and magics beyond this place.

[ She fiddles with her cup again, then goes for a refill from the teapot. ]

But... If the Singularity is a door of sorts that's uniquely difficult to open, that doesn't make me any more inclined to think the city officials who keep trying to bring in more Summoned aren't consistently at risk of opening... too much. Not only letting in dangerous beings, but creating rifts between worlds.

Like those that let in the monsters. Except perhaps less temporary.

Yes, the fact that it can reach across the boundaries of different worlds is evidence enough of that.

[What to do about it is still the largest question. It could be that the continued use of the Summoning ritual is straining the Singularity beyond its own capabilities--that would account for its fluctuations, and the rifts that seemingly opened of its own accord.]

I think it's only a matter of time before we see a more significant breakdown.

I'm inclined to agree with you.

But do you really think there's anything you can do? It's not like there's clear access to the Singularity to conduct your studies, and even if there were, you wouldn't have the freedom to do whatever you liked -- not without eyes on you.

[ Ciri knows she's not saying anything Viktor's not already keenly aware of, but the situation feels so... hopeless. Even if she could do something, it would be more dangerous to everyone involved than actually useful. She doesn't know if she could open that door. She wouldn't try. Not unless she had to.

And it wouldn't actually give anyone control, except over her. ]

You've heard about the experiments Thorne did back when they held us prisoner. Trying to... replicate our connection on their own people.

Any of the territories' leaders would use us as fodder for their research, if the consequences were deemed worthwhile, or easy enough to sweep away. I worry about those whose connections with the Singularity would be exploited. About those whose interests are deemed too dangerous, or too useful to the wrong people.

Especially when I know the leading governments of Abraxas aren't the only forces in the many spheres who seek to open those doors for their own means.

I think that...lacking access to the Singularity and knowledge of the ritual, I will have to...create my own.

[The situation is discouraging, yes. The lack of progress makes it feel increasingly impossible. But Viktor has never let similar roadblocks stop him before. Yes, it's more difficult to do this without a framework, though maybe it's for the best that he can't draw on what the Free Cities has already accomplished. Maybe he'll fly under the radar better.

Because, of course, everything Ciri says is true. This is all dangerous, and could be used against them. He does not yet find that reason enough not to try, however. He'll be careful. He'll do it right.]

There is no innovation without risk. But your fears are mine as well. I'll do everything in my power to prevent this.

Viktor. [ Her voice takes on a sharper tone, more one of alarm than outright chastising. ]

That's precisely why I brought up the Wild Hunt chasing me, and what they can do. You risk drawing the attention of forces far beyond this sphere.

What would have me do?

[He sounds defeated. Viktor doesn't want to outright say that his own breaching of the fabric between worlds would be worth whatever damage it might cause, but he knows that it's dangerous. He knows that he might hurt people, to get what he wants.]

I can't stay here.

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