Ariadne's Chambers (public thread)

After breakfast, Ariadne led everyone to her mother's room, where she'd stayed the night before.  She seemed to be concentrating as she walked, and it was obvious that the leather clad woman had memorized the way back to the room, still being unfamiliar with the castle.
She opened the door  and stepped in.

"Here's Princess Deidre's room.  It looks a bit different than many here, because she did a lot of decorating based on Earth, it seems, especially the fancy hotels of 30 years ago."

And, indeed, Lance could definitely see the Earth influence, especially the Frank Lloyd Wright chairs, and other accessories that looked like they were off a movie set in a 1970s New York City hotel.
Still, it was, for all its eccentric design, as fancy and posh as any bedroom in the castle.  Perhaps knowing this, Ari didn't linger over the décor, but went right to the main wardrobe, opening it up to reveal the rack of fancy dresses (ones that might make even Jade pause in wonderment).  She pushed them to the side, to reveal a battle axe hanging behind them.


It was a battle axe.  Though, like the clothing, the word "axe" seemed almost hilariously inadequate.
 Streamlined silvery metal seemed to meld into a black handle of....was that even wood?  Ari wasn't even sure.  The handle and blade seemed almost like a single piece of material that decided on its own to look different in different places
 The blade, a double sided affair, wasn't so much a weapon as it was artwork.   It was a thing of beauty.

Jade looks around, "Your mothers room is lovely."

She draws her attention to the ax that Ariadne had mentioned to them in the dining room.
"Would you like me to see if it is magic for you ?"

Ariadne looked at Jade as if the green haired woman was kidding at first, but then blinked and shrugged.
"Um...yeah, sure, why not?"
She looked at the axe suspiciously, not even sure what she wanted to see.

Jade nodded and sung a haunting melody.

She then examined the ax more closely.


18:04, Today: Jade rolled 7 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 4,1.  Detect Magic.

I would like to go with some unexpected side effect.

This message was last edited by the player at 01:43, Mon 30 Nov 2020.

When the rich fabrics are pushed aside, Ballad inhales: slow, quiet, and because she is not shy, she comes close to get a good look at the axe Ariadne has inherited. She stays out of Jade's way when Jade offers to do some witching on it and find out whether it has other qualities, beyond those very evident. "It looks like it could cut water from air or light from the day," Ballad says.

She half-closes her eyes when Jade begins to sing (Rebman-specific sorcery?), all sea-nymph and river-siren, Ballad's eyes just a blue gleam under dark gold-tipped lashes.

Ariadne wasn't sure where to look, since she was curious about what Jade was doing and what might happen to the axe

Looks in Awe, because the style is not like anything he's seen before. "Your mother had very interesting taste in decorating." *Nods* "It does look like a fine weapon.  And in the right hands, fighting with that weapon WOULD be art." *smiles* "Ari, with practice, I think you would be the perfect person to mix the Artistic Skill with the Martial Skill."

Ariadne smiled at Jon.
"Thank you "
Part of her felt insulted by his insinuation that she wasn't a good fighter at the moment.    Her reflex was to be annoyed by the implication that "with his help", she could be good with the axe
But she realized that it was her brash ego talking again.    She kept forgetting that she was the proverbial "big fish from the small pond", and Amber was a frickin OCEAN.
She swallowed the words that wanted to come from her mouth unbidden, and just accept whatever help Jon, whatever his experience level, was offering

Yeah. This thing is magic, all right.

It's a lot more subtle than Jon's father's giant sword, but it's here, all righty.

Jade's spell does something strange, though... the emotional... intensity of the room increases... Everyone's feelings feel amped up to 10 and a half... Excitement, pride, curiosity, anxiety, admiration, awe, shyness, annoyance... everyone in the room starts fighting to not wear their heart on their sleeve, figuratively speaking...

"It is, it is magic !" Jade smiles like a child on their birthday when the presents are being handed out. She actually bounced with joy at discovering this about the Ax.

"I just knew it had to be, it's subtle trying to hide it's enchantment but it's there !"

  Lance admires the room, and when the axe is brought out he raises an eyebrow. "Such an amazing piece.  Beautifully crafted.  It would almost seem a shame to see it used in battle, but more a shame, I think, to not see it used so."

  Then Jade's spell hits him, and tears silently wind their way down his cheek.

  He looks around the room at his cousins, bites his lower lip, turns to Ballad and blurts out, "Oh my God, Ballad, I am so in love with you and so afraid that you will never feel the same about me.  I'm not worthy of you!  You deserve someone better, someone like Jon!"

  Realizing his public admission, he blushes as the embarrassment hits him.  He turns to rush out the door.  He had never meant to say it quite so suddenly, and so publicly.  He didn't know what had come over him.

Jade's jaw drops and so does the Ax from her hands.

Eyes going from the fleeing Lance to Ballad then to the door.

So surprised she is struck silent by the admission and stands there stunned.

He was about to speak, when Lance bursts out.  Stunned he blinks, then looks at Ballad and cocks his head in a questioning manner. "I'll be right back, let me go talk to him." he then gives Ballad a wink. "Jade, good job on the identify." he then heads after Lance.

The idea rhat this beautiful weapon, so filled with sentimental value because it was her mother's, was actually....magic??  Ariadne was filled with emotion, whoch was ramped up by the odd but alluring and enticing singing from Jade.
She was suddenly feeling so lost without her mother, so bereft of guidance and connection, despite her father's efforts.
Tears fell from her eyes freely, as she realized what she'd lost.  What was taken from her in whatever war her family was involved with.
Then she saw the axe fall from Jade's hands.  She was vaguely aware of Lance saying something, but she was too distracted.
She saw her mother's magical weapon, one of her only connections to a mother she'd never met, falling toward the hard floor, and just reacted .  She launched herself like a soldier falling on a grenade, and attempted to catch the axe before it hit the floor, like a distraught mother catching a baby.
OOC: 22:30, Today: Ariadne rolled 9 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 1,6.  Dex catch

Jade blinks when Jon says her name. As if coming out of a day dream she notices Ariadne diving for the Ax. How did that happen she thinks then realized she must have dropped it.

"Oh !"

Jade tries to help not wanting to damage such a beautiful weapon.

Ariadne started crying uncontrollably
Not the wracking sobs of uncontrolled emotions, but just someone whose eyes just sprang a leak, tears running down her cheeks
She struggled with her emotions and memories, shaking her head as if to shake out the emotions.  As if trying to distract herself, she looked at the others
'What....what happened to Lance?? Is everyone okay??"

Ballad’s emotional response to the axe is complicated. Whatever strangeness is in the air sharpens it: dread is there, and the quickening of anticipation. Resignation, too, which feels an awful lot like gravity at work—and she is worried. And she is hardpressed not to pace, so not paying very close attention to her cousins at all when Lance and Ariadne are both moved to tears, or Jade to jubilation, or when Lance turns to Ballad and begins his confession. Around 'you,' she blinks. "What?" she says, and the wary expression of deepening bewilderment is not probably the best case scenario for Lance. He mentions Jon. Jon? Like - that Jon right there? Ballad can, it turns out, look more bewildered. "What...?"

Lance runs out now and Jon winks and Jade drops the axe and her heart leaps in her chest, but she's not going to try and catch a magic axe. That's how one's fingers get chopped off and replaced by thorn stems. Nope: Ballad wrestles with her emotions, folding one arm over her chest, resting elbow on her forearm and balling her fist, behind which she hides her unhappy mouth, though her wide blue eyes are unhappy too. "Well &*@#*!~*.[1]"

"Am I intoxicated?" she wonders. "What did that servant put in my coffee? Should I have asked? Did they put it in everybody's coffee?" Ari, crying uncontrollably as she hugs the axe, brings back that initial dread and worry, so full circle here with bonus upset. Ballad doesn't know what to do. A rare occurrence, indecision heightened. She half-turns toward the door. "Are- are you okay, Ari...? Jade...?"

[1] This curse has been censored. It's a good curse, though. Poetic, visceral, extremely inappropriate. A sailor's curse, the kind to strip varnish from an old ship, to put the fear of water in a fish. Even now she's an adult, Ballad can still kinda taste soap when she says the satisfying syllables, because her parents certainly washed her mouth out with the harshest, most foul-tasting soap they could when she cheerfully said it to them. Her mother wanted to know where she learned such language but her dad had a guess.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:51, Mon 30 Nov 2020.