agentlenet | psychic thread

[The gentle brush against the Strangers' minds comes in early evening. It is, as all mental touches are from Fayura, soft and unassuming, much like a polite knock at a door. Once as many minds are connected as she thinks will open the door to her, she speaks.]

I am curious, Strangers, what you would do with the young man who shot and killed Councilwoman Vera.

Many of you come from worlds where there are laws against murder. While we have no such laws here, when a Blood male in a Queen's Territory kills another without cause, she may demand a price from him. Sometimes, that is his own life if he was negligent enough with his temper and sometimes, it's something less.

My trouble is this: if I execute him according to the laws of the Blood, of which he is not one, the Guilds will rouse their people into a furor and attack not only me, but the people of Draega. If I turn him over to the Ebon Council, the Guilds will do much the same, and that will incite the Council to strike back. And if I return him to the Guilds for accolades instead of punishment for taking a life, the Ebon Council will have cause to rip apart the Guilds and anyone in their way to extract from him the price for murdering one of their own.

Were you me, what course would you take? And please try not to shout over each other; this is as many of you as I could reach.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ That flash and familiarity, no matter how brief, certainly catches Verim's attention. Even among Black Windows, the tangled webs woven for dreams and visions were hard to create and harder still to understand. And her frustration? That he understands all too well. ]

A web can be woven to almost any purpose, but they are used predominately for strong Craft that needs the anchor and structure. A Healer can infuse a brew to aid a cough, or ease illness, but a healing web is needed for broken bones.

[ By slow degrees, Verim takes them up through the layers of his mind, and psychic shields close behind as the ascend. The flickers of memory and emotion Piper has shown were not intentional. While keeping her where they'd been might reveal more to him, it would also be a painful betrayal of trust. But he does send to her another image that he constructs in pieces as he speaks. ]

Like a spider's web, you need a frame. [ And since he's literally speaking of spiders, he shows the branch of a tree. ] The anchor and bridge lines teether the rest and must be strong. [ A shimmer of Red Jeweled power begins to braid itself - one line between two of the twigs. Bridge, the thought impresses itself. Two more lines cord out and each one attaches to one of the twigs and then down to the branch in a V. Anchors. ] These lines give your Craft shape and you infuse them with the general intent you have.

If you want to protect, that is what you imagine. Then as you weave the rest of that web, you add the details - how you want to protect, protection from what. The web in my memory was [ he chuckles wryly ] one of my first attempts and crude. We all had to skip that step because I hadn't yet figured out how to make exceptions. Anyone who touched would have been trapped in the vision I wove into it unless their Jewel strength was dark enough to break it.

[ But of course, Piper knows from his memories that no one in Draega had been then. ]

You can infuse a web into an object or a person. It can be as focused as specifically as you have the skill weave and webs can endure long past the Blood who made them if they've the skill and power.

[ It was a strange feeling, especially as she was still slightly woozy, to ascend back up through Verim's shields. It was dizzying. But there was also a slow... release of pressure, or something very similar to it. She tries to focus on how he's doing it, but there's soon something even more interesting to focus upon.

She's never seen anything like this before. She's sure Annabeth would be able to take to it instantly.

But what he's describing... that doesn't sound so very foreign. Put your intention in the power, spin something. That's a lot like what she does when she uses Charmspeak. ]

So you infuse your power with your intention, and it somehow takes on physical form?

[ The anchor and the bridge lines must be strong. They're the framework... ]

[ Verim thinks for a moment. They've moved slightly beyond the basics descriptions of Craft and in particular webs and into the realm of turning descriptions into reality. ]

Physical form is often times the easiest to envision and create. A wooden frame that we can hold in our hands appeals to our tactile natures. But they don't have to be physical. Some webs can be sung and others... [ He falls quiet in contemplation. ] How serious is your interest Lady McLean? I don't mind indulging curiosity unless you're considering putting it into practice.

[ Piper considers fudging... for about a third of a second.

She responds honestly, and not because she's pretty sure he'll be able to sense a lie, that doesn't enter her consideration. She responds honestly because Verim took her into his memories, shared something that was precious to him with her, and did all that so she could understand: the Blood really are different. She responds honestly because she wants him to understand. ]

I want to learn everything that I can so I be of help here. [ I don't want to be useless. ] I want to be able to protect my friends, and I want to be able to stop things like what you showed me today, and I want... [ her lips compress for a moment, and she gives the mental impression of just - utter earnestness and determination ] ...I want to be able to use what I have as best as I can.

[ And that was the truth. And she knows by telling him that it feels to her as if he won't tell her anymore. And she doesn't want that, she wants to get better at these things, she wants to be able to navigate these new powers without feeling like a clumsy elephant or to be able to simply shield herself in situations like these.

He may also receive the impression that his refusal to help won't stop her. Maybe she won't be able to follow this particular path, and that's okay, but she still is going to do her best to learn as much as she can. ]

[ He says nothing for a long enough time that it might seem as if he'll not respond at all. The truth is that Verim debates how best to reply. The talents of the Strangers span as far as those of the Blood, easily, but they are not so easily quantified.]

The Lady, in her web, included knowledge of the castes to all of you. If you want to learn how to spin webs, then I would advise that you decide first what caste calls to you. A Healing web includes the same basic knowledge as that of a Black Widows, but the outcome is far, far different and the skill in weaving them similar but not the same.

[ He's quiet again, almost as if he's speaking to someone else on a thread that no one else can hear. It is on a thread that only Piper hears that Verim speaks.]

Do not rush your decision. There are many things that you can do that don't require delving into webs. There are many who can teach you basic webs, but if there is a discipline that appeals to you, come to me or Lady Fayura and we will find you a teacher.

[ Piper is feeling a little vulnerable and regretful after her confession. What she's said is tied in deeper to her than what Verim knows. Between the vulnerability and what she believes will be an immediate rejection, she starts getting ready to withdraw.

When he speaks, it's not what she expects.

Yes, knowledge of the castes had been included, along with a basic knowledge of Craft - and... she recognizes that this advice is meant to help. It does make sense not to rush - she doesn't know how long she's going to be here, but any one of these studies will take time. Picking her target carefully gives her a better chance of attaining it.

(Something else strikes her about how he speaks, but she won't reflect on it until later. It's the way he says the Lady, how the term is almost... reverential, how it could refer to no one but Fayura, despite the abundance of 'ladies.')

Her tone is still a little quiet, just a shade shy of subdued. She's thinking, and it's not easy to readjust when you've been expecting a blow and received a balm instead. ]

I'll think about it. Thank you, and Lady Fayura, for the offer.

You're welcome. Now, you should nap.

[ The word nap has a strong emphasis as Verim withdraws from the psychic thread. ]

For her bravery in walking Verim's memories and lack of protest (yet) at his fussing, Piper gets +2 Reputation with Verim.

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