(open) look what remains

[scholiast]

who: Lucretia & you
what: open/catch all
when: before & after the chalice event
where: a bunch of places!
warnings: n/a, will add if necessary

01 gramarye magic research institute

(You might have heard about the researcher who has been asking around her colleagues about the different ways they cast and use magic.

Lucretia is working on a personal project, one that she's been heaping her free time on lately. This is what she loves to do: ask questions, gather information, write everything up at her desk for hours at a time, eyes darting between her notes and the page as she transcribes everything she's learned so far. She's even put up a general message on the Gramarye network to ask around: a simple message, asking politely for anybody to seek her out if they would like to talk about spell casting methods, and how they obtained their powers.

You can find her at her desk with a pen in each hand, writing in two books simultaneously- or leaving a lecture theater, several heavy books in her arms- or perhaps in the library, checking her phone for responses to her message board.)

02 the river

(While Lucretia has often admired the river running through the middle of the city, she has never thought to follow it before. It's with this objective in mind that she sets off on what she hopes will be a long, distracting walk out from the center of the city; her morning has been far too quiet and reflective for her liking*.

She walks for what feels like a good two hours in silence, enjoying her unorthodox method of touring the city via the twists and turns of the river through the middle of it. The sheer greenery of the surroundings is startling to her: she can't remember the last time she saw so much foliage on a world before. She even stops to take a couple of pictures on her phone, for future reference.

Eventually, she stops walking when she comes to the edge of the first wall and finds a small cove along the riverline that opens up into a beach. She finds a place to sit that borders on the sand, pulling the strap of her bag off her shoulder and dumping the whole thing unceremoniously down beside her. In it, she has her phone (now switched off), some food and water, and a book taken from Taako's shelf that she's still half-way through.

If you're in the area, you'll find her with her elbows propped up on her knees, staring contemplatively out over the water in somber silence. Anybody who knows Lucretia even a little bit might find it odd that she isn't taking notes, or sketching; she's left her notebook at home, tucked underneath of her pillow so she doesn't have to look at it.)

*((ooc: big ol spoilers for the adventure zone in corresponding thread, take care!))

03 future prowess (chalice event catch-all b/c i forgot to do one earlier hwhoops)

(While the chalice pitching her abruptly into the future might have revealed a lot of things about her that Lucretia isn't exactly sure how to even begin processing, she is at least happy with one thing: the big increase in power. Turns out she's mastered spells she'd never dream of knowing, and her knowledge feels almost limitless, like there's nothing in the world she couldn't do. It also gels with her appearance: she's a bit taller now and her body has finally been allowed to age, released from the stranglehold of the IPRE's mission. If she had to guess, she'd think she looks around about sixty years old. Her hair is white, cropped close to her skull. In Lucretia's opinion, she finally looks every inch the powerful wizard she has grown to become.

It's hard, warring with the guilt of knowing what the future brings and wanting to be excited about this, that she's been learning how to defend her, how to keep people safe. It's all she's ever wanted to know.

Today she's trialing her magic in a wide open, grassy area on the fringes of the city. Unfortunately, she doesn't have her staff, but she's borrowed a spare wand from a friend that is working out just fine. Of all the new spells in her arsenal, her favourite is a shield that she can conjure like a wide, arcing half-bubble.

She's playing around with it now, and there are several small shields rippling and shimmery in the air about her, as if she's trying to seal herself off from the outside world.)

04 inbox

(You know you wanna be the first one to post on this sweet, sweet ic contact thread.)

05 wildcard

If you'd like to plot out something/want me to write a specific starter for ya hit me up at blisters

Comments

[scholiast]

Quite a while.

I mean, I've actually– I'm actually old. (In appearance, she means. She's quite pleased with that.)

[signifies]

And better at magic, it looks like.

What were you practicing?

[scholiast]

You are correct.

It's called prismatic wall. Neat, huh.

[signifies]

Very.

[ She and Taako are going to make him enjoy magic. ]

Can I help you test anything out?

[scholiast]

Well–

(She considers him for a moment.) You don't know any magic at all, correct?

[signifies]

I don't.

You could throw things at me, or levitate me. However this works.

[scholiast]

I don't- really want to throw things at you, per say.

But my school of magic is primarily abjuration. I could cast a protection on you for example, or, uh, dispel a curse; these are not offensive spells.

(Gods, Taako is having a good laugh where ever he currently is, she can tell.)

If you wanted to help test, you could throw something at me.

[signifies]

Oh, I see.

[ He's invulnerable. The protection is nice, but a waste of energy. ]

How big should it be? I know an abandoned site here. No one would disturb us there.

[scholiast]

Sounds good to me.

(She would really love to give this shield a good run for its money.)

[signifies]

Let's move over there then. Towards your left, about half a mile. Do you mind the walk?

[scholiast]

No, not at all.

(She falls into a comfortable pace beside him.)

You seem unaffected by the chalice thus far.

[signifies]

I got lucky, I think. Almost everyone else has been changed.

[scholiast]

Seems like it. Have you see Taako at all? I think he's about eight.

[signifies]

I haven't, but that sounds like it could be a lot of fun.

[ He'd love a tiny Taako, but he might want to hand him off to Lucretia afterwards. Clark's still not used to being an authority figure. ]

[scholiast]

It was fun. He was impressed with my magic.

(Altogether a very different interaction than the one she had had with Taako before the chalice got to him. Sigh.)

Still, it will be nice to have things go back to normal.

[signifies]

It'd be a lot more fun if it was a voluntary change.

[ He wouldn't mind being a kid again if it meant he'd be able to control his powers. ]

Here we are.

[scholiast]

Do you think many people would change if it was?

(Experiencing this increase in power has been exciting, but if Lucretia had known the future would be this complicated, she would have opted out entirely.

Well, no point dwelling on it. Clark's large empty lot is pleasingly desolated, as promised.)

You know, I've never seen you use your powers before.

[signifies]

Provided it was temporary, why not?

[ He can see pros and cons. ]

I try not to use them much.

[scholiast]

Well– I mean, in this hypothetical would you be allowed to know what your future would be like before you chose? Some people might be worse off in both.

(She shrugs.)

I noticed. Is that for any particular reason?

[signifies]

That's a good question. I wouldn't want to know too much.

[ He pauses to consider his answer to her other question. ]

I'd prefer not to break anything around me.

[ Taako would say Clark is the least terrifying person on Earth, but that is after years of knowing how to behave and temper himself.

A man who can fold a car with his bare hands is a scary thought for an ordinary person. ]

[scholiast]

No... neither.

(Though it's too late now, for such sentiment.

His admission makes her raise an eyebrow, and she glances pointedly out across the deserted lot.)

Well, everything out here is already broken.

[signifies]

Yeah, and people here are different.

[ A lot of them are stronger and more durable than he's used to. ]

What would you like to do?

[scholiast]

I want to try– honestly, could you throw something at me, Kal?

(She really wants to give this shield thing a good go.)

[signifies]

Here we go.

[ There are rocks everywhere. He selects a medium sized boulder and picks it up with ease. ]

On your mark?

[scholiast]

(Oh, he just, uh. He can just go right ahead and do that, huh?? Lucretia blinks, a little thrown by the sudden show of power, but nods.)

Go?