Yes, well, call me thorough. I don't doubt your capacity for vigilance, but I prefer knowing the warning is superfluous.
[ he doesn't need anymore guilt. ]
But, since you mentioned it, I wondered about your wards. This might be a Magic 101 question, but do you know of a reliable way to prevent someone from being observed or tracked from afar?
[ because he's just going to forge ahead with business before he might leave an opening for anything more personal. that seems reasonable from his perspective. ]
Preventing scrying? [ She asked, the term perhaps not something that John might not know, or he may. It's half a test, and half an explanation. Preventing scrying was basic of course. At least for a person, though as he brought it up, she wondered... perhaps this was an opportunity. ]
Yes, I know how. Are you interested in only yourself?
[ Her eyes darted to the rest of the room, one of many rooms within the gardens, and they were all had sensitive tests and subjects within. As he said it, she wondered if there was not greater opportunity here. If he had the sensation that someone was watching, perhaps there was a need to do something more. ]
If there are those who can scry on us, we may be better served not only warding ourselves... but the Gardens here as well.
[ john has heard that word before, but better to confirm before he goes throwing technically fictional words around. akua probably wouldn't know any better, but still. ]
I was thinking the same thing about the Garden, not only to protect what's here but to make it more difficult for anyone to track movements in general. I doubt someone can be tracked after they use a cornerstone, after all. This place should be impenetrable.
[ whether or not he means that literally is debatable. ]
[ She said, outright. Her finger tapped at her lip, considering. ]
It is... not difficult, but the process is also not short. It is not a snap of the fingers, but I could have the foundation laid within a few hours. The real issue is finding enough power to maintain it.
[ She looked around the room, considering. ]
Normally, we engage in sacrifice for such things. [ Human sacrifice, mostly ] But I think if our fellow shard-bearers found out, they would likely... be uncomfortable.
[ Look. She knows how they be. ]
Perhaps we could siphon it from elsewhere and store it.
The efforts from Ryad, perhaps? Or from the offloaded energy with whatever it is that Bondrewd is doing?
[ john's nearly automatic response is to roll his eyes because he's had to deal with "uncomfortable" Shard-bearers for as long as he's been here, and their nitpicking remains a thorn in his side. turning a couple of souls into batteries would probably be the least terrible thing he's used a soul for, all things considered. ]
Aw, what they don't know won't hurt them...
[ but if akua didn't think it was worth the trouble, then she's probably right (so he's only half-serious). ]
But, fine. You'll have to refresh me, though. I doubt I'm up to speed on either of those things.
[ She snorted. ] Until they find out, and then there's another lecture. "My! Why would you do this, Miss Akua? Please, can you not try to do things without human sacrifice for once in your damned life?"
[ At some point, her tone shifts to sound like someone she knows, though it wouldn't be familiar to John. She's heard this lecture a lot, clearly. ]
I'm not sure what he is involved in, but I'm sure he has plenty of... creatures. He has so many experiments, I'm sure there would be something of merit. [ Bondrewd is a Producer. ]
And Ryad, well. Perhaps a few well-placed runes, and whenever someone dies, and we could find the energy pulled for other uses.
Hm, perhaps the owner would agree to an arrangement if we offered some of the energy toward them. I think there is no lack of deaths there on any given day.
[ he can't help but smile a little at that, a sad and crooked thing, as her words retrieve some memory from where he'd tried to bury it. that's what you do with dead things.
john dismissed the thought as quickly as it had appeared, his thoughts turning to the matter at hand, starting with bondrewd. ]
If we're going to lock this place down, it wouldn't make sense to exclude him from the conversation.
[ weak links bring everyone down. ]
As for Ryad: that's doable. [ and john can't help but think getting in good with the overseer of a place like that can't be a bad idea. ] Deaths generate a lot of energy. We should be able to cut them in and have plenty to spare.
[ and here he gives her a sly, conspiratorial look. ]
And that's not technically harvesting sacrifices for power. The deaths still happen whether or not we use them as batteries.
[ She says, knowing the power of her own blood magic. Her tone, teasingly, suggests: "of an enemy" but it is more than that. She is Praesi, and paranoia is in their bones, their very blood. She was of the first betrayal, and it was no small thing, to ask for enough biological material to see her, watch her, or kill her, with enough power.
It is an extension of trust, even for an ally, and not one that she would give readily. ]
May I watch it, at least? I do not enjoy pieces leaving my sight.
[ Paranoid.
She plucks a small, fine hair from her head, and held it up. ]
Lest your wards be destroyed when I step in next.
[ Because she would test their power with hers, and see which came out the victor.
The loser, presumably, would be the Gardens themselves. ]
[ a dumb little science joke, given what dust is made of. ]
That really is a thing, though, isn't it? Luckily for you, I have no interest in making love potions.
[ because that's what usually happens in movies?? ]
In any case, to alleviate your concerns, the piece is less important than what it tells me. Souls are all a little different, which affects the body, but it's very subtle.
[ the kind of thing you'd only pick up on when you've been in contact with enough individual souls to notice a difference. all unique snowflakes impacted (literally) by their experiences and in some cases, other souls. ]
The easy way would be to use some physical signature that's uniquely yours, but that's actually not very secure. What if someone hijacked your body or something? We had to stop using biometrics because it's too easy to grow identical body parts.
[ it could happen. ]
I figure this is much less invasive than asking to examine your soul, at least.
You're welcome to put them to the test later, if you like; if they're unravelled that easily, they aren't good enough.
[ She laughed. ] I sear every surface multiple times a day. There is a ward I have, that carefully scours anything I touch periodically.
[ Praesi paranoia was legendary after all. Multiple moving parts, scaffolding of paranoid caution to protect against subtle knives launched from behind while one smiled at their opponents at the front. ]
Though I appreciate the caution. My soul is not...kind to interference.
[ The girl had made a phylactery at 13 years old, and used sait phylactery to extend her existence after her heart was ripped out. The girl whom had placed it in a new, regrown body, and continued her life. Her soul was, perhaps, not as finely crafted as John's โ she did not have ten-thousand years of experience, merely twenty or so โ but it was still constructed in such a way. ]
One of these days, I should like to see what Wards we could craft together. My sorcery and yours.
Perhaps we'll find something worthwhile of the task eventually.
[ john is careful, but that is thorough even by his standards โ he'd been joking, after all. still, he gets it; she came from a place where she had competition. different methods for a different game. john had only needed to bury his secrets. ]
I'm sure I could've managed with little fuss, but Shards complicate things more than I like.
[ which is to say the risk of any contact with someone else's soul becoming a two-way exchange of information is more than he's willing to take without a very good reason. ]
I'd be interested in answering that question myself. [ he imagines a joint effort in that area would result in something horrible (affectionate). ] If you come across something suitable, let me know.
Bored? Never. Even if I get to the bottom of the essential problem with this place, there's a whole other set of questions that could stand to be answered.
[ but first, john needed to know what the factions weren't telling them because that's a problem that is considerably more dire and time-sensitive than the things he's merely curious about for curiosity's sake. ]
Don't forget you get more bang for your buck if any deaths are involved. Dissipation counts. It's one way to brute force the interference problem.
[ external thanergy to boost the efficacy of his theorems because his Shard marinating in Zenith energy seems to dampen what he's able to draw on internally. Meridian had felt like trying to pull thanergy out of something too rich in thanergy to be effective. either way, it's a headache. ]
I'm also sure no one else will appreciate it. [ except maybe bondrewd. ] But, I'm sure that won't discourage you.
No, they do not. You saw how they protested when we were curing the Blight, and that was their very lives on the line.
[ No, she does not think most will be ok with it, but between John and Bondrewd, she knew she had good company between the two of them. ]
And... no it certainly will not discourage me. I have been using blood sacrifice since I was but a girl. If I had qualms with it, I would not have been able to stomach the very food we ate.
[ Catherine, the Warden, had hated it though. Mass ritual bloodletting was certainly off the table these days. At least non-consensual. If some wanted to give their lives for the cause, though... ]
Although, for now, we have the wards, hm? Would you like me to let you get back to work?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[ he doesn't need anymore guilt. ]
But, since you mentioned it, I wondered about your wards. This might be a Magic 101 question, but do you know of a reliable way to prevent someone from being observed or tracked from afar?
[ because he's just going to forge ahead with business before he might leave an opening for anything more personal. that seems reasonable from his perspective. ]
I'm sure you can imagine why I ask.
[
it's trouble.]no subject
Yes, I know how. Are you interested in only yourself?
[ Her eyes darted to the rest of the room, one of many rooms within the gardens, and they were all had sensitive tests and subjects within. As he said it, she wondered if there was not greater opportunity here. If he had the sensation that someone was watching, perhaps there was a need to do something more. ]
If there are those who can scry on us, we may be better served not only warding ourselves... but the Gardens here as well.
no subject
[ john has heard that word before, but better to confirm before he goes throwing technically fictional words around. akua probably wouldn't know any better, but still. ]
I was thinking the same thing about the Garden, not only to protect what's here but to make it more difficult for anyone to track movements in general. I doubt someone can be tracked after they use a cornerstone, after all. This place should be impenetrable.
[ whether or not he means that literally is debatable. ]
How difficult would that be to accomplish?
no subject
[ She said, outright. Her finger tapped at her lip, considering. ]
It is... not difficult, but the process is also not short. It is not a snap of the fingers, but I could have the foundation laid within a few hours. The real issue is finding enough power to maintain it.
[ She looked around the room, considering. ]
Normally, we engage in sacrifice for such things. [ Human sacrifice, mostly ] But I think if our fellow shard-bearers found out, they would likely... be uncomfortable.
[ Look. She knows how they be. ]
Perhaps we could siphon it from elsewhere and store it.
The efforts from Ryad, perhaps? Or from the offloaded energy with whatever it is that Bondrewd is doing?
no subject
Aw, what they don't know won't hurt them...
[ but if akua didn't think it was worth the trouble, then she's probably right (so he's only half-serious). ]
But, fine. You'll have to refresh me, though. I doubt I'm up to speed on either of those things.
[ what is bondrewd up to these days anyway? ]
no subject
[ At some point, her tone shifts to sound like someone she knows, though it wouldn't be familiar to John. She's heard this lecture a lot, clearly. ]
I'm not sure what he is involved in, but I'm sure he has plenty of... creatures. He has so many experiments, I'm sure there would be something of merit. [ Bondrewd is a Producer. ]
And Ryad, well. Perhaps a few well-placed runes, and whenever someone dies, and we could find the energy pulled for other uses.
Hm, perhaps the owner would agree to an arrangement if we offered some of the energy toward them. I think there is no lack of deaths there on any given day.
no subject
john dismissed the thought as quickly as it had appeared, his thoughts turning to the matter at hand, starting with bondrewd. ]
If we're going to lock this place down, it wouldn't make sense to exclude him from the conversation.
[ weak links bring everyone down. ]
As for Ryad: that's doable. [ and john can't help but think getting in good with the overseer of a place like that can't be a bad idea. ] Deaths generate a lot of energy. We should be able to cut them in and have plenty to spare.
[ and here he gives her a sly, conspiratorial look. ]
And that's not technically harvesting sacrifices for power. The deaths still happen whether or not we use them as batteries.
no subject
There's no reason to have the discussion without, after all.
And I think if Bondrewd would offer enough to power this, we need not even worry about Ryad.
Well.
[ A pause, and her smile turned a touch sharp. ]
Prematurely, at least. If we want sufficient power, it may not be unwise to plan to...farm it at a later point. It's such a waste, after all.
no subject
[ thinking ahead is how he stayed one step ahead of his enemies for a very long time. ]
I'll need material, by the way. Something of you.
[ john knows he should elaborate, but it takes a moment sometimes to circle around to definitions for things he doesn't usually need to define. ]
I'm going to be setting up more elaborate wards internally. I'll need the material of anyone who intends to come here so they'll recognise you.
[ she can probably use her imagination for what would happen to people who aren't recognised because it's nothing good. ]
no subject
Quite the ask.
[ She says, knowing the power of her own blood magic. Her tone, teasingly, suggests: "of an enemy" but it is more than that. She is Praesi, and paranoia is in their bones, their very blood. She was of the first betrayal, and it was no small thing, to ask for enough biological material to see her, watch her, or kill her, with enough power.
It is an extension of trust, even for an ally, and not one that she would give readily. ]
May I watch it, at least? I do not enjoy pieces leaving my sight.
[ Paranoid.
She plucks a small, fine hair from her head, and held it up. ]
Lest your wards be destroyed when I step in next.
[ Because she would test their power with hers, and see which came out the victor.
The loser, presumably, would be the Gardens themselves. ]
no subject
[ a dumb little science joke, given what dust is made of. ]
That really is a thing, though, isn't it? Luckily for you, I have no interest in making love potions.
[ because that's what usually happens in movies?? ]
In any case, to alleviate your concerns, the piece is less important than what it tells me. Souls are all a little different, which affects the body, but it's very subtle.
[ the kind of thing you'd only pick up on when you've been in contact with enough individual souls to notice a difference. all unique snowflakes impacted (literally) by their experiences and in some cases, other souls. ]
The easy way would be to use some physical signature that's uniquely yours, but that's actually not very secure. What if someone hijacked your body or something? We had to stop using biometrics because it's too easy to grow identical body parts.
[ it could happen. ]
I figure this is much less invasive than asking to examine your soul, at least.
You're welcome to put them to the test later, if you like; if they're unravelled that easily, they aren't good enough.
no subject
[ Praesi paranoia was legendary after all. Multiple moving parts, scaffolding of paranoid caution to protect against subtle knives launched from behind while one smiled at their opponents at the front. ]
Though I appreciate the caution. My soul is not...kind to interference.
[ The girl had made a phylactery at 13 years old, and used sait phylactery to extend her existence after her heart was ripped out. The girl whom had placed it in a new, regrown body, and continued her life. Her soul was, perhaps, not as finely crafted as John's โ she did not have ten-thousand years of experience, merely twenty or so โ but it was still constructed in such a way. ]
One of these days, I should like to see what Wards we could craft together. My sorcery and yours.
Perhaps we'll find something worthwhile of the task eventually.
no subject
[ john is careful, but that is thorough even by his standards โ he'd been joking, after all. still, he gets it; she came from a place where she had competition. different methods for a different game. john had only needed to bury his secrets. ]
I'm sure I could've managed with little fuss, but Shards complicate things more than I like.
[ which is to say the risk of any contact with someone else's soul becoming a two-way exchange of information is more than he's willing to take without a very good reason. ]
I'd be interested in answering that question myself. [ he imagines a joint effort in that area would result in something horrible (affectionate). ] If you come across something suitable, let me know.
no subject
[ She said, with a smile. ]
Your magic and mine are different enough that we may find ways to compliment each other, and use our workings in tandem.
It is something I'm interested in. To use them together in concert to do something great.
[ A smile that was a touch wry. It was almost... almost the power of friendship, though she's not cheesy enough to say it. Here. Now. ]
Between this, the shards... we have enough subjects that I do not think we will become bored, thankfully.
no subject
[ but first, john needed to know what the factions weren't telling them because that's a problem that is considerably more dire and time-sensitive than the things he's merely curious about for curiosity's sake. ]
Don't forget you get more bang for your buck if any deaths are involved. Dissipation counts. It's one way to brute force the interference problem.
[ external thanergy to boost the efficacy of his theorems because his Shard marinating in Zenith energy seems to dampen what he's able to draw on internally. Meridian had felt like trying to pull thanergy out of something too rich in thanergy to be effective. either way, it's a headache. ]
I'm also sure no one else will appreciate it. [ except maybe bondrewd. ] But, I'm sure that won't discourage you.
no subject
No, they do not. You saw how they protested when we were curing the Blight, and that was their very lives on the line.
[ No, she does not think most will be ok with it, but between John and Bondrewd, she knew she had good company between the two of them. ]
And... no it certainly will not discourage me. I have been using blood sacrifice since I was but a girl. If I had qualms with it, I would not have been able to stomach the very food we ate.
[ Catherine, the Warden, had hated it though. Mass ritual bloodletting was certainly off the table these days. At least non-consensual. If some wanted to give their lives for the cause, though... ]
Although, for now, we have the wards, hm? Would you like me to let you get back to work?