Hello, darlings. You may call me Apollonia, Mage, or Nymph.
Part time tumblr mage & fairy, full time irl kinky queer polytheist. Any pronouns are fine, I don't have much of a preference in any direction, but I do love to be called pretty. ♡
☆ Traveling mage serving multiple locales, currently between work and seeking a new tower near a lake or river to inhabit. ☆
This blog is a mixture of role play, aesthetic, and pagan devotional posts. There will be posts here that are not strictly safe for tumblr, including (usually but not always tagged) kink posts. The blog owner is 35 years of age. Use your best judgement when deciding to follow.
I'm open to RP with any and everyone over the age of 18; DMs and asks are always welcome. This character and my interest in knightblr is new, but my experience with RP is vast and storied. Generally, I tend to follow the lead of whoever I'm writing a scene with in terms of formatting and what sort of energy we're going for. This is mainly because I will write Way Too Much unless I am matching someone's energy.
I always love to chat about plots and whatnot with scene partners, so please don't feel afraid to approach me if you've got something particular in mind.
In terms of content, I am fairly unflappable and will try just about anything, but I do prefer to have a conversation about boundaries and expectations before writing any scenes of the particularly "not-safe-for-tumblr" variety, especially if the scene will include kink. I'm not going to list out every kink I do or don't enjoy — just ask. 💚
Apollonia is a water nymph who has developed a love for wandering, and enjoys visiting new bodies of water. They have a natural affinity for magic, and selling those skills to the rulers of lands they visit helps to fund their travels.
Now, the character.
This nymph has a preference for lakes, rivers, creeks, streams, brooks (the babbling kind), and hot springs. Think of Apollonia as a freshwater fish.
They are most likely to be found in a quiet corner reading books on the arcane, strolling a garden path, or lounging beside a lake somewhere.
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The gardens at the keep are without a doubt some of the most beautiful Apollonia has ever seen. It is evident that the plants here are carefully curated, selected for a certain ambiance, but there is also a wildness to the place that reminds the mage of home.
Though they declined to join the other guests for the organized picnic event, the idea of sitting outdoors to enjoy a meal still entices her. And what better balm to the body and mind could it offer to the Lady Sierra after the lesson they intend to give?
After stopping by the kitchen where he trades the cooks some magic-infused ointments to soothe the burns, cuts, and dry skin earned through their work, the mage finds a peaceful spot beneath the shade of a large willow tree. A blanket of soft, cushioned moss grows beneath it as she sits, putting aside the basket of food and settling in to wait for their student.
Sierra's plain garb for the picnic event helped her to move freely around the grounds, drawing very little attention. From one of the servers she begged a pitcher of sweet tea and two cups to bring with her. Though eager to find her teacher, it was hard to speed with the beauty of the grounds continued to bring fresh joys to the eye.
But it was not terribly long before she spots the lone figure resting upon a blanket beneath the shade of a willow tree. Upon spotting them Sierra's steps quickens - careful to not spill the liquid treasure - until she is at the blanket's edge.
"Lady Sierra!" They smile warmly, startled out of their reverie of watching dragonflies dart between lily pads on the pond. "Oh, I'm so glad you came."
Thankful for the casual clothing it had chosen for today, he stands quickly to relieve her of the pitcher, taking it with one hand and holding the other out in offering to the lady, dipping into a shallow bow.
"It is truly a perfect day to be outdoors, is it not? We must be blessed with the best of luck to have such a quiet spot here. I hope you did not have trouble finding me."
Once they're both seated and comfortable, Apollonia pours a cup of the sweet tea for Sierra, then itself. She presents the basket of treats, small finger sandwiches and cakes, as well as fresh fruits.
Sierra takes the cue that ranks hold no place in this setting between the two outside that of teacher and student. And frees her from certain restrictions she had been holding onto. So it is with genuine enjoyment that she takes two finger sandwiches and a couple strawberries.
"Without argument I full heartedly agree. It is as if a purer nature has revealed itself to us today." Her smile is more unguarded as she looks to his eyes. "I wasn't quite sure where to find you, but I just.. I wandered and my feet led me to you." She bites into the strawberry as if to bite off her ramblings.
It is pleasing to see Sierra in a more relaxed mood today, with an air of liberty to her that only makes her smile shine that much brighter. Apollonia returns the gesture, the smiling reaching their eyes as they pluck some grapes from a bunch, cradling them in the cup of her palm.
"Your sense is working well today, then. I am glad to hear it. Did you have any trouble after we parted ways?" The lily should have warded the shadows away from her, but it is still polite and proper to check, to be sure their magic worked as intended.
He sips at the tea and chews a few grapes, giving the lady time to nourish herself before jumping into the lesson.
"The first thing I would have you do as we sit here is simply allow yourself to be. Feel the warmth of the sun, the breeze, the ground beneath you, and be present with it. Then, when you feel you are ready, close your eyes and match your breath to mine."
"I have noticed nothing unusual, and the night has been a grateful peace that I have enjoyed once again. Thank you, again." Sierra spends some time enjoying the refreshment with the mage and the company she provides.
When at last her belly felt full and she was restored she settles into a comfortable position, focusing on the words of her instructor. It takes time, to pour out the thoughts of "to-do" lists, of the army, of - is that an ant? Yes just an ant. But eventually, though at the moment very fragile, she finds that focus of being present. She closes her eyes, and begins the process of matching her breath to theirs.
It is a relief indeed to hear that the lady has been able to rest easily and feel secure in the nights again. If they have done any good in coming to Bloodhaven, she decides it has been in helping Sierra conquer the shadows that threaten her peace of mind.
When he is certain that their breaths match, they form a soft mote of light, just the barest wisp of magic in their fingers.
"Imagine your body and mind as a room with open windows and doors." Its voice is soft and soothing as it speaks, low and measured to keep from startling her out of her focus. "When the room is open, your energy is accessible to others just as you can sense these magics, you see? But if you shutter the windows and latch the doors until the room is closed, you close both your own sense and the ability of anything else to sense you."
She allows a moment for this to settle, for Sierra to process all of this. "Now, I would like you to practice closing the windows and doors of your mind. Picture yourself doing it as you would in your home. Close the shutters, bar the doors. Then tell me what you feel."
Sierra is able to follow the analogy that they provided - she had been afraid that the entire lesson would be outside of her understanding. She takes a few more breaths before she calls to mind her home. Where she feels the most safe, where she had first met the pet shade. Her fingers clench into a tight fist, shoulders tensing up.
[Breathe through, child]
She pauses within the mental picture of her home, each breath she adds another window - another door. Soon the home is accurate and she approaches the first window. The shutters do not match in her picturing - one has fresh paint on a rotten board. The other is old and beaten yet still without signs of rot. The shutters resist closing as if stuck to the walls.
Apollonia had worried that the exercise may be difficult, perhaps even distressing to their student, and hearing her denial only confirms that suspicion. A gentle hand takes Sierra's, holding it softly as he breathes, trying to draw her back to a calmed state.
"It is all right. Breathe with me." The softest trickle of magic flows from her fingers into Sierra's, just a push of encouragement. "It is normal to have difficulties with it at first, but I have seen your light. You can do it."
When it feels the lady's breathing slow again, they give her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Start by telling me what you see and feel with the windows open. What does the room feel like? What does is outside of it? Is there anyone — anything in there with you?"
Sierra had felt on the verge of toppling into a pit of despair. But the warmth and support from Apollonia's hands help steady her, and matching with her breathing brings a grounding back to her.
"The room feels warm, familiar - almost as if it is soothing me with its own way. Outside the room is a sense of danger, of being seen by... I am not sure what only that I know that to be seen is to be smacked down." With the last question Sierra pauses, she had not thought of that. She waits a few breaths to give her thoughts a moment to settle again so she can see the room without just answering in instinct. She wants to tell him the truth and not just quick answers.
"I feel like there is something - something very small and... spiderish?" Oh zounds, they're going to think she is not taking this serious. But the sensation that a spider in her mental room is glaring at her won't be shook.
Ah, so it is as they had begun to suspect. That indeed something is clinging on to Lady Sierra's energy, trying to keep her from closing that well off. She gives her hand another squeeze, breathing steadily to give her something to anchor to. Its concern now, however, is that this small parasite may be feeding something larger.
"You're doing excellently, Sierra." He assures, meaning every word of it. Most people would have folded at 'imagine your mind as a room'. "That spiderish something is an incongruence, it does not belong within the boundaries of yourself."
Through their connected hands, she pushes a bit of energy, raw magic to help bolster Sierra's own energy.
"You must tell the thing to leave, and do it with conviction. It may not attach itself to you any longer, it must return to where it came from." His thumb brushes the back of her hand, and their voice softens. "I am with you. You are not alone in this."
The gift of raw energy helps push back some of the strain of keeping the room fixed in Sierra's mind. Their voice encourages and her touch emboldens her. Sierra walks within her mind room, slowly narrowing down which side at least she should be telling - commanding - to.
Squaring her shoulders both in and out of her mind, she mentally stands in the middle of the room, facing the Northside. "Leave! You have no place here. You are banished!"
The mage can feel the reverberation of the lady's words through their skin, the ripple of power that flows back through its arms as the command strikes like a stone hitting water. There must be some effect, she knows, because there is a pulse of energy that flows outward from Sierra for just a moment, the quickest burst that displaces air, and makes the willow leaves dance.
Inside the space of the lady's mind, the entity melts out of the shadows between one of the window shutters and the wall, spindly legs skittering. It flees from one of the windows with a dissatisfied screech and vanishes, shaken from its host.
Sensing that something has changed, his thumb brushes the back of Sierra's hand again, reminding her that she is not alone.
"What are you feeling now? Try closing the room again."
Excitement quickens her pulse. She isn't sensing the spider! She watched it as it was banished, but not feeling it also was exciting. Her fingers dance excitedly on their hands.
"I feel lighter, hopeful!" The room starts to fade as her excitement grows and she refocuses on Apollonia's breathing. As the room comes into focus she approaches the same window as before. Though still different and showing signs of neglect, she is able to close it. The shutter had stuck for a moment, but with a heft she is able to close it. She begins to walk to the other window, only two more to go.
The lady's excitement makes Apollonia smile broadly, glad to see her looking as light and hopeful as she feels. He gives her fingers a gentle squeeze and keeps the steady rhythm of their breath, watching as she relaxes back into her focus.
It can feel the first shuttering even without seeing the mental room, the energy rolling from Sierra in waves dimming just slightly as she begins to close her mind.
"Very good." She praises, voice calm and soothing. "Keep going."
There is another presence. The awareness of it comes to him suddenly like a candle being snuffed, a darkness that looms and watches, something more than a spider. They stroke the back of Sierra's hand again, uncertain if she can sense the thing standing at the door of her mind.
"You are doing very well. Remember, I am with you."
Sierra approaches the next window, feeling lighter. Less burdened. The slight shadow coming from the next windows is natural, she feels. There cannot be light without it casting some cover of shadow and with so much natural light it is important to -
[Close the shutters. Let the shadow rest here. This is natural. How it is to be. How I make it to be.]
Sierra's grip in her hands slackens a little. The crisp attentiveness instinctively flinching away to make room. Dancing around the acknowledgment she touches the shutters and shudders instantly begin to ripple out from her starting from her shadows and working through her arms.
Apollonia feels it happen, the shift, like a fish slipping through a net woven too wide. It sucks in a quick breath, startled, and then the trembling begins. Their grip tightens on Sierra's hand, as though he can keep her from slipping farther into the shadows in her mind.
"Stay alert, my lady. You have the power over your own mind, your own energies. Do not let that thing in."
With her free hand, the mage pulls a small wrapped bundle of cloth from his pocket and unwinds it, revealing a plain iron cuff bracelet and a tightly tied bundle of dried herbs. Gripping the bracelet with the cloth to avoid touching it directly, they slip it onto Sierra's wrist, hoping to offer some protection from the entity trying to worm its way into her psyche.
"You are not welcome here, creature. Leave this woman in peace."
[Peace child. Calm. You cannot have light without shadows. And shadows must have light.]
Sierra continues to relax, her other hand coming up to pat their hand, unsure why she is concerned but wanting to show that she is okay. Everything is alright. Sierra sighs happily, knowing that things are turning out okay.
[Good girl. Close the window.]
She reaches out to the shutters of the southern wall, a sap coating them. She lets out a chuckle that would have sounded more natural coming from one who is inebriated. Silly sap, getting in the house. What a mess...
The mage watches as the woman falls into what can only be described as some sort of trance, a muted horror settling over the beauty of the day like a thick, suffocating blanket. Sierra's gentle pats to their hand feel wrong, just as the dazed expression on her face and the dreamy sigh that leaves her parted lips.
Whatever has the woman under its spell, it is not Apollonia. With concern knitting her brow, he raises a hand to the woman's cheek, brushing it gently. "Please forgive the intrusion, Lady Sierra."
It gathers their strength and, letting his eyes fall shut, focuses on the woman in front of her. Willing water to flow, seeping through cracks of her consciousness.
Drip.
They can almost see the walls of the house from outside, the shape of the woman reaching for the shutters, the shadowy thing behind her.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The sound morphs as they find the places that water can leak through, heavier beads of water hitting the floor and splashing upward when they land. One drop hits Sierra's hand, the one reaching for the shutter. The next lands on her cheek, like a raindrop.
Dripping gives way to a trickle, a quiet pour and then a rush as water seeps in beneath the door and through the roof, a gentle flood.
"She has suffered enough at your hands, creature. Release her."
The shade chuckles even as the gentle flood begins to sweep through, the purity of it twinkling in the humble room of pine walls and floors, empty inside except for the shutters and a long narrow table with different chairs pulled up to it in the center of the room. The ceiling stretches on overhead, but faithfully, the water comes in. Sierra has gone slack to their touch. Her face nearly slack.
[You are the outsider here, torpid mage. She-] here the Shade moves from reaching to pet Sierra's hair to gripping her shoulder, [belongs to me. Shall we tell this gentle victim to disrobe? You will be able to read the contract I have had cut into her skin years ago.]
As the drops continue to fall upon Sierra's hand and cheek she tilts her head up, searching for the water. Her hands close on the shutters, these of blackened wood from years of smoke staining them.
[You may stay in here with us, if you would like. Seep into the cracks I will allow you. But I will not release her.]
It leans closer to her ear, the urgings to close the window can be heard.
Met with the sensation of Sierra's hands going limp in theirs, the mage focuses in harder on the mental space and the shade commanding her. The being would have her shutter her mind with them both inside? So be it.
A whip of water lashes out from the downpour, slapping the woman's hands away from the shutter as pond weeds surge up between her and the shade, attempting to shelter her from its touch and influence.
"What is the nature of your contract with her, shade?"
Tell me what you are so I can tear you apart. It feels the prickling of sharpened teeth behind their presentable mage mask, her own hunger suppressed to fit this form.
"What is your nature? To strike fear and distress into her heart so that you may lap it up like some beast?"
If it is fae, it is stronger than they had thought. But something about it does not feel like kin, a prickling behind his eyes when she tries to gaze upon it directly.
[My nature? What I am is older than the waters of this planet. I who serve the Old Evils. What I am is beyond you. Stay. And be quiet.]
Darkness spears into the water and inks into it, attempting to pollute it. The temperature inside dips abruptly as the shadows gather.
[I am that which saw the awakening of the fae, the collecting pieces of humans. The body is marked with my bonds, it is to serve me however I desire. It pleases me to do with it as I please. This is a gift, my gif-] it trues to reach out and touch her but is unable to press through. Its form blinks briefly, a shadowy knight, face twisting in rage. Ozone, ash, vents of magma - the smells flash around the room. Its anger rising as his prize is untouched within reach.
The inky black shadows striking at and unfurling in the flood waters sends a shock through the mage, startling a gasp from her as icy energy knifes through them. Cold so deep it burns like hot iron, stinging nettles, sharp and painful...and then it subsides as quickly as it had come, soothed by the flowing water.
It is trying to frighten me.
Fear of pain is a strong motivator, but so is the sight of that darkness leeching into some of the pond weeds, a few of the plants withering up at its touch.
It is working.
Though he can feel his heart hammering from somewhere outside of this space, the mage stands tall as yet more water rushes in, rising to the level of their hips.
"You may command her for now, but you do not command me, Shade, and I will not be silenced." It raises a hand, long fingers splayed as more pond weeds grow, long tendrils of frilled leaves emerging from the water to weave a protective barrier around Sierra. He smiles with a mouthful of sharpened teeth, her human glamour peeling back a layer in the face of this entity. "I do not fear you, fiend. Contracts can be broken, and shadows cannot exist without something or someone to cast them. If you are so powerful as you claim, prove it without using her."
so my partner Gil ( @ass-dad ) and I have been doing a version of longform text-based roleplay with one of his d&d characters, Imbert ( @sirimbert ), for about 4 months now because the games i had been running with Gil and a couple others sort of fizzled out (mostly due to time constraints) and we didn't want to stop telling stories in the world i've built
our solution was to bring some of the tabletop mechanics to the text-based roleplay, where he still keeps a character sheet, rolls dice for ability checks, and has round-based combat like usual; the only difference is we take turns writing in an Ellipsus document, much like regular roleplay happens here. i still narrate the scenes, control NPCs, and organize combat, the process is just slowed down considerably by us taking the time to write everything out
anyway, all that is to say, please look at how much we have written together in the span of 4 months:
i am very proud of what we've made, and i think our agreed-upon goal is to (eventually) edit and clean up some of this story to be shared with more than just us
anyway that's all, i just wanted to tell someone about our developing masterpiece, lol. if you read all of this, here's a cookie for you 🍪 and thank you for your interest!
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The gardens at the keep are without a doubt some of the most beautiful Apollonia has ever seen. It is evident that the plants here are carefully curated, selected for a certain ambiance, but there is also a wildness to the place that reminds the mage of home.
Though they declined to join the other guests for the organized picnic event, the idea of sitting outdoors to enjoy a meal still entices her. And what better balm to the body and mind could it offer to the Lady Sierra after the lesson they intend to give?
After stopping by the kitchen where he trades the cooks some magic-infused ointments to soothe the burns, cuts, and dry skin earned through their work, the mage finds a peaceful spot beneath the shade of a large willow tree. A blanket of soft, cushioned moss grows beneath it as she sits, putting aside the basket of food and settling in to wait for their student.
Sierra's plain garb for the picnic event helped her to move freely around the grounds, drawing very little attention. From one of the servers she begged a pitcher of sweet tea and two cups to bring with her. Though eager to find her teacher, it was hard to speed with the beauty of the grounds continued to bring fresh joys to the eye.
But it was not terribly long before she spots the lone figure resting upon a blanket beneath the shade of a willow tree. Upon spotting them Sierra's steps quickens - careful to not spill the liquid treasure - until she is at the blanket's edge.
"Lady Sierra!" They smile warmly, startled out of their reverie of watching dragonflies dart between lily pads on the pond. "Oh, I'm so glad you came."
Thankful for the casual clothing it had chosen for today, he stands quickly to relieve her of the pitcher, taking it with one hand and holding the other out in offering to the lady, dipping into a shallow bow.
"It is truly a perfect day to be outdoors, is it not? We must be blessed with the best of luck to have such a quiet spot here. I hope you did not have trouble finding me."
Once they're both seated and comfortable, Apollonia pours a cup of the sweet tea for Sierra, then itself. She presents the basket of treats, small finger sandwiches and cakes, as well as fresh fruits.
Sierra takes the cue that ranks hold no place in this setting between the two outside that of teacher and student. And frees her from certain restrictions she had been holding onto. So it is with genuine enjoyment that she takes two finger sandwiches and a couple strawberries.
"Without argument I full heartedly agree. It is as if a purer nature has revealed itself to us today." Her smile is more unguarded as she looks to his eyes. "I wasn't quite sure where to find you, but I just.. I wandered and my feet led me to you." She bites into the strawberry as if to bite off her ramblings.
It is pleasing to see Sierra in a more relaxed mood today, with an air of liberty to her that only makes her smile shine that much brighter. Apollonia returns the gesture, the smiling reaching their eyes as they pluck some grapes from a bunch, cradling them in the cup of her palm.
"Your sense is working well today, then. I am glad to hear it. Did you have any trouble after we parted ways?" The lily should have warded the shadows away from her, but it is still polite and proper to check, to be sure their magic worked as intended.
He sips at the tea and chews a few grapes, giving the lady time to nourish herself before jumping into the lesson.
"The first thing I would have you do as we sit here is simply allow yourself to be. Feel the warmth of the sun, the breeze, the ground beneath you, and be present with it. Then, when you feel you are ready, close your eyes and match your breath to mine."
"I have noticed nothing unusual, and the night has been a grateful peace that I have enjoyed once again. Thank you, again." Sierra spends some time enjoying the refreshment with the mage and the company she provides.
When at last her belly felt full and she was restored she settles into a comfortable position, focusing on the words of her instructor. It takes time, to pour out the thoughts of "to-do" lists, of the army, of - is that an ant? Yes just an ant. But eventually, though at the moment very fragile, she finds that focus of being present. She closes her eyes, and begins the process of matching her breath to theirs.
It is a relief indeed to hear that the lady has been able to rest easily and feel secure in the nights again. If they have done any good in coming to Bloodhaven, she decides it has been in helping Sierra conquer the shadows that threaten her peace of mind.
When he is certain that their breaths match, they form a soft mote of light, just the barest wisp of magic in their fingers.
"Imagine your body and mind as a room with open windows and doors." Its voice is soft and soothing as it speaks, low and measured to keep from startling her out of her focus. "When the room is open, your energy is accessible to others just as you can sense these magics, you see? But if you shutter the windows and latch the doors until the room is closed, you close both your own sense and the ability of anything else to sense you."
She allows a moment for this to settle, for Sierra to process all of this. "Now, I would like you to practice closing the windows and doors of your mind. Picture yourself doing it as you would in your home. Close the shutters, bar the doors. Then tell me what you feel."
Sierra is able to follow the analogy that they provided - she had been afraid that the entire lesson would be outside of her understanding. She takes a few more breaths before she calls to mind her home. Where she feels the most safe, where she had first met the pet shade. Her fingers clench into a tight fist, shoulders tensing up.
[Breathe through, child]
She pauses within the mental picture of her home, each breath she adds another window - another door. Soon the home is accurate and she approaches the first window. The shutters do not match in her picturing - one has fresh paint on a rotten board. The other is old and beaten yet still without signs of rot. The shutters resist closing as if stuck to the walls.
Apollonia had worried that the exercise may be difficult, perhaps even distressing to their student, and hearing her denial only confirms that suspicion. A gentle hand takes Sierra's, holding it softly as he breathes, trying to draw her back to a calmed state.
"It is all right. Breathe with me." The softest trickle of magic flows from her fingers into Sierra's, just a push of encouragement. "It is normal to have difficulties with it at first, but I have seen your light. You can do it."
When it feels the lady's breathing slow again, they give her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Start by telling me what you see and feel with the windows open. What does the room feel like? What does is outside of it? Is there anyone — anything in there with you?"
Sierra had felt on the verge of toppling into a pit of despair. But the warmth and support from Apollonia's hands help steady her, and matching with her breathing brings a grounding back to her.
"The room feels warm, familiar - almost as if it is soothing me with its own way. Outside the room is a sense of danger, of being seen by... I am not sure what only that I know that to be seen is to be smacked down." With the last question Sierra pauses, she had not thought of that. She waits a few breaths to give her thoughts a moment to settle again so she can see the room without just answering in instinct. She wants to tell him the truth and not just quick answers.
"I feel like there is something - something very small and... spiderish?" Oh zounds, they're going to think she is not taking this serious. But the sensation that a spider in her mental room is glaring at her won't be shook.
Ah, so it is as they had begun to suspect. That indeed something is clinging on to Lady Sierra's energy, trying to keep her from closing that well off. She gives her hand another squeeze, breathing steadily to give her something to anchor to. Its concern now, however, is that this small parasite may be feeding something larger.
"You're doing excellently, Sierra." He assures, meaning every word of it. Most people would have folded at 'imagine your mind as a room'. "That spiderish something is an incongruence, it does not belong within the boundaries of yourself."
Through their connected hands, she pushes a bit of energy, raw magic to help bolster Sierra's own energy.
"You must tell the thing to leave, and do it with conviction. It may not attach itself to you any longer, it must return to where it came from." His thumb brushes the back of her hand, and their voice softens. "I am with you. You are not alone in this."
The gift of raw energy helps push back some of the strain of keeping the room fixed in Sierra's mind. Their voice encourages and her touch emboldens her. Sierra walks within her mind room, slowly narrowing down which side at least she should be telling - commanding - to.
Squaring her shoulders both in and out of her mind, she mentally stands in the middle of the room, facing the Northside. "Leave! You have no place here. You are banished!"
The mage can feel the reverberation of the lady's words through their skin, the ripple of power that flows back through its arms as the command strikes like a stone hitting water. There must be some effect, she knows, because there is a pulse of energy that flows outward from Sierra for just a moment, the quickest burst that displaces air, and makes the willow leaves dance.
Inside the space of the lady's mind, the entity melts out of the shadows between one of the window shutters and the wall, spindly legs skittering. It flees from one of the windows with a dissatisfied screech and vanishes, shaken from its host.
Sensing that something has changed, his thumb brushes the back of Sierra's hand again, reminding her that she is not alone.
"What are you feeling now? Try closing the room again."
Excitement quickens her pulse. She isn't sensing the spider! She watched it as it was banished, but not feeling it also was exciting. Her fingers dance excitedly on their hands.
"I feel lighter, hopeful!" The room starts to fade as her excitement grows and she refocuses on Apollonia's breathing. As the room comes into focus she approaches the same window as before. Though still different and showing signs of neglect, she is able to close it. The shutter had stuck for a moment, but with a heft she is able to close it. She begins to walk to the other window, only two more to go.
The lady's excitement makes Apollonia smile broadly, glad to see her looking as light and hopeful as she feels. He gives her fingers a gentle squeeze and keeps the steady rhythm of their breath, watching as she relaxes back into her focus.
It can feel the first shuttering even without seeing the mental room, the energy rolling from Sierra in waves dimming just slightly as she begins to close her mind.
"Very good." She praises, voice calm and soothing. "Keep going."
There is another presence. The awareness of it comes to him suddenly like a candle being snuffed, a darkness that looms and watches, something more than a spider. They stroke the back of Sierra's hand again, uncertain if she can sense the thing standing at the door of her mind.
"You are doing very well. Remember, I am with you."
Sierra approaches the next window, feeling lighter. Less burdened. The slight shadow coming from the next windows is natural, she feels. There cannot be light without it casting some cover of shadow and with so much natural light it is important to -
[Close the shutters. Let the shadow rest here. This is natural. How it is to be. How I make it to be.]
Sierra's grip in her hands slackens a little. The crisp attentiveness instinctively flinching away to make room. Dancing around the acknowledgment she touches the shutters and shudders instantly begin to ripple out from her starting from her shadows and working through her arms.
Apollonia feels it happen, the shift, like a fish slipping through a net woven too wide. It sucks in a quick breath, startled, and then the trembling begins. Their grip tightens on Sierra's hand, as though he can keep her from slipping farther into the shadows in her mind.
"Stay alert, my lady. You have the power over your own mind, your own energies. Do not let that thing in."
With her free hand, the mage pulls a small wrapped bundle of cloth from his pocket and unwinds it, revealing a plain iron cuff bracelet and a tightly tied bundle of dried herbs. Gripping the bracelet with the cloth to avoid touching it directly, they slip it onto Sierra's wrist, hoping to offer some protection from the entity trying to worm its way into her psyche.
"You are not welcome here, creature. Leave this woman in peace."
[Peace child. Calm. You cannot have light without shadows. And shadows must have light.]
Sierra continues to relax, her other hand coming up to pat their hand, unsure why she is concerned but wanting to show that she is okay. Everything is alright. Sierra sighs happily, knowing that things are turning out okay.
[Good girl. Close the window.]
She reaches out to the shutters of the southern wall, a sap coating them. She lets out a chuckle that would have sounded more natural coming from one who is inebriated. Silly sap, getting in the house. What a mess...
The mage watches as the woman falls into what can only be described as some sort of trance, a muted horror settling over the beauty of the day like a thick, suffocating blanket. Sierra's gentle pats to their hand feel wrong, just as the dazed expression on her face and the dreamy sigh that leaves her parted lips.
Whatever has the woman under its spell, it is not Apollonia. With concern knitting her brow, he raises a hand to the woman's cheek, brushing it gently. "Please forgive the intrusion, Lady Sierra."
It gathers their strength and, letting his eyes fall shut, focuses on the woman in front of her. Willing water to flow, seeping through cracks of her consciousness.
Drip.
They can almost see the walls of the house from outside, the shape of the woman reaching for the shutters, the shadowy thing behind her.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The sound morphs as they find the places that water can leak through, heavier beads of water hitting the floor and splashing upward when they land. One drop hits Sierra's hand, the one reaching for the shutter. The next lands on her cheek, like a raindrop.
Dripping gives way to a trickle, a quiet pour and then a rush as water seeps in beneath the door and through the roof, a gentle flood.
"She has suffered enough at your hands, creature. Release her."
The shade chuckles even as the gentle flood begins to sweep through, the purity of it twinkling in the humble room of pine walls and floors, empty inside except for the shutters and a long narrow table with different chairs pulled up to it in the center of the room. The ceiling stretches on overhead, but faithfully, the water comes in. Sierra has gone slack to their touch. Her face nearly slack.
[You are the outsider here, torpid mage. She-] here the Shade moves from reaching to pet Sierra's hair to gripping her shoulder, [belongs to me. Shall we tell this gentle victim to disrobe? You will be able to read the contract I have had cut into her skin years ago.]
As the drops continue to fall upon Sierra's hand and cheek she tilts her head up, searching for the water. Her hands close on the shutters, these of blackened wood from years of smoke staining them.
[You may stay in here with us, if you would like. Seep into the cracks I will allow you. But I will not release her.]
It leans closer to her ear, the urgings to close the window can be heard.
Met with the sensation of Sierra's hands going limp in theirs, the mage focuses in harder on the mental space and the shade commanding her. The being would have her shutter her mind with them both inside? So be it.
A whip of water lashes out from the downpour, slapping the woman's hands away from the shutter as pond weeds surge up between her and the shade, attempting to shelter her from its touch and influence.
"What is the nature of your contract with her, shade?"
Tell me what you are so I can tear you apart. It feels the prickling of sharpened teeth behind their presentable mage mask, her own hunger suppressed to fit this form.
"What is your nature? To strike fear and distress into her heart so that you may lap it up like some beast?"
If it is fae, it is stronger than they had thought. But something about it does not feel like kin, a prickling behind his eyes when she tries to gaze upon it directly.
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The gardens at the keep are without a doubt some of the most beautiful Apollonia has ever seen. It is evident that the plants here are carefully curated, selected for a certain ambiance, but there is also a wildness to the place that reminds the mage of home.
Though they declined to join the other guests for the organized picnic event, the idea of sitting outdoors to enjoy a meal still entices her. And what better balm to the body and mind could it offer to the Lady Sierra after the lesson they intend to give?
After stopping by the kitchen where he trades the cooks some magic-infused ointments to soothe the burns, cuts, and dry skin earned through their work, the mage finds a peaceful spot beneath the shade of a large willow tree. A blanket of soft, cushioned moss grows beneath it as she sits, putting aside the basket of food and settling in to wait for their student.
Sierra's plain garb for the picnic event helped her to move freely around the grounds, drawing very little attention. From one of the servers she begged a pitcher of sweet tea and two cups to bring with her. Though eager to find her teacher, it was hard to speed with the beauty of the grounds continued to bring fresh joys to the eye.
But it was not terribly long before she spots the lone figure resting upon a blanket beneath the shade of a willow tree. Upon spotting them Sierra's steps quickens - careful to not spill the liquid treasure - until she is at the blanket's edge.
"Lady Sierra!" They smile warmly, startled out of their reverie of watching dragonflies dart between lily pads on the pond. "Oh, I'm so glad you came."
Thankful for the casual clothing it had chosen for today, he stands quickly to relieve her of the pitcher, taking it with one hand and holding the other out in offering to the lady, dipping into a shallow bow.
"It is truly a perfect day to be outdoors, is it not? We must be blessed with the best of luck to have such a quiet spot here. I hope you did not have trouble finding me."
Once they're both seated and comfortable, Apollonia pours a cup of the sweet tea for Sierra, then itself. She presents the basket of treats, small finger sandwiches and cakes, as well as fresh fruits.
Sierra takes the cue that ranks hold no place in this setting between the two outside that of teacher and student. And frees her from certain restrictions she had been holding onto. So it is with genuine enjoyment that she takes two finger sandwiches and a couple strawberries.
"Without argument I full heartedly agree. It is as if a purer nature has revealed itself to us today." Her smile is more unguarded as she looks to his eyes. "I wasn't quite sure where to find you, but I just.. I wandered and my feet led me to you." She bites into the strawberry as if to bite off her ramblings.
It is pleasing to see Sierra in a more relaxed mood today, with an air of liberty to her that only makes her smile shine that much brighter. Apollonia returns the gesture, the smiling reaching their eyes as they pluck some grapes from a bunch, cradling them in the cup of her palm.
"Your sense is working well today, then. I am glad to hear it. Did you have any trouble after we parted ways?" The lily should have warded the shadows away from her, but it is still polite and proper to check, to be sure their magic worked as intended.
He sips at the tea and chews a few grapes, giving the lady time to nourish herself before jumping into the lesson.
"The first thing I would have you do as we sit here is simply allow yourself to be. Feel the warmth of the sun, the breeze, the ground beneath you, and be present with it. Then, when you feel you are ready, close your eyes and match your breath to mine."
"I have noticed nothing unusual, and the night has been a grateful peace that I have enjoyed once again. Thank you, again." Sierra spends some time enjoying the refreshment with the mage and the company she provides.
When at last her belly felt full and she was restored she settles into a comfortable position, focusing on the words of her instructor. It takes time, to pour out the thoughts of "to-do" lists, of the army, of - is that an ant? Yes just an ant. But eventually, though at the moment very fragile, she finds that focus of being present. She closes her eyes, and begins the process of matching her breath to theirs.
It is a relief indeed to hear that the lady has been able to rest easily and feel secure in the nights again. If they have done any good in coming to Bloodhaven, she decides it has been in helping Sierra conquer the shadows that threaten her peace of mind.
When he is certain that their breaths match, they form a soft mote of light, just the barest wisp of magic in their fingers.
"Imagine your body and mind as a room with open windows and doors." Its voice is soft and soothing as it speaks, low and measured to keep from startling her out of her focus. "When the room is open, your energy is accessible to others just as you can sense these magics, you see? But if you shutter the windows and latch the doors until the room is closed, you close both your own sense and the ability of anything else to sense you."
She allows a moment for this to settle, for Sierra to process all of this. "Now, I would like you to practice closing the windows and doors of your mind. Picture yourself doing it as you would in your home. Close the shutters, bar the doors. Then tell me what you feel."
Sierra is able to follow the analogy that they provided - she had been afraid that the entire lesson would be outside of her understanding. She takes a few more breaths before she calls to mind her home. Where she feels the most safe, where she had first met the pet shade. Her fingers clench into a tight fist, shoulders tensing up.
[Breathe through, child]
She pauses within the mental picture of her home, each breath she adds another window - another door. Soon the home is accurate and she approaches the first window. The shutters do not match in her picturing - one has fresh paint on a rotten board. The other is old and beaten yet still without signs of rot. The shutters resist closing as if stuck to the walls.
Apollonia had worried that the exercise may be difficult, perhaps even distressing to their student, and hearing her denial only confirms that suspicion. A gentle hand takes Sierra's, holding it softly as he breathes, trying to draw her back to a calmed state.
"It is all right. Breathe with me." The softest trickle of magic flows from her fingers into Sierra's, just a push of encouragement. "It is normal to have difficulties with it at first, but I have seen your light. You can do it."
When it feels the lady's breathing slow again, they give her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Start by telling me what you see and feel with the windows open. What does the room feel like? What does is outside of it? Is there anyone — anything in there with you?"
Sierra had felt on the verge of toppling into a pit of despair. But the warmth and support from Apollonia's hands help steady her, and matching with her breathing brings a grounding back to her.
"The room feels warm, familiar - almost as if it is soothing me with its own way. Outside the room is a sense of danger, of being seen by... I am not sure what only that I know that to be seen is to be smacked down." With the last question Sierra pauses, she had not thought of that. She waits a few breaths to give her thoughts a moment to settle again so she can see the room without just answering in instinct. She wants to tell him the truth and not just quick answers.
"I feel like there is something - something very small and... spiderish?" Oh zounds, they're going to think she is not taking this serious. But the sensation that a spider in her mental room is glaring at her won't be shook.
Ah, so it is as they had begun to suspect. That indeed something is clinging on to Lady Sierra's energy, trying to keep her from closing that well off. She gives her hand another squeeze, breathing steadily to give her something to anchor to. Its concern now, however, is that this small parasite may be feeding something larger.
"You're doing excellently, Sierra." He assures, meaning every word of it. Most people would have folded at 'imagine your mind as a room'. "That spiderish something is an incongruence, it does not belong within the boundaries of yourself."
Through their connected hands, she pushes a bit of energy, raw magic to help bolster Sierra's own energy.
"You must tell the thing to leave, and do it with conviction. It may not attach itself to you any longer, it must return to where it came from." His thumb brushes the back of her hand, and their voice softens. "I am with you. You are not alone in this."
The gift of raw energy helps push back some of the strain of keeping the room fixed in Sierra's mind. Their voice encourages and her touch emboldens her. Sierra walks within her mind room, slowly narrowing down which side at least she should be telling - commanding - to.
Squaring her shoulders both in and out of her mind, she mentally stands in the middle of the room, facing the Northside. "Leave! You have no place here. You are banished!"
The mage can feel the reverberation of the lady's words through their skin, the ripple of power that flows back through its arms as the command strikes like a stone hitting water. There must be some effect, she knows, because there is a pulse of energy that flows outward from Sierra for just a moment, the quickest burst that displaces air, and makes the willow leaves dance.
Inside the space of the lady's mind, the entity melts out of the shadows between one of the window shutters and the wall, spindly legs skittering. It flees from one of the windows with a dissatisfied screech and vanishes, shaken from its host.
Sensing that something has changed, his thumb brushes the back of Sierra's hand again, reminding her that she is not alone.
"What are you feeling now? Try closing the room again."
Excitement quickens her pulse. She isn't sensing the spider! She watched it as it was banished, but not feeling it also was exciting. Her fingers dance excitedly on their hands.
"I feel lighter, hopeful!" The room starts to fade as her excitement grows and she refocuses on Apollonia's breathing. As the room comes into focus she approaches the same window as before. Though still different and showing signs of neglect, she is able to close it. The shutter had stuck for a moment, but with a heft she is able to close it. She begins to walk to the other window, only two more to go.
The lady's excitement makes Apollonia smile broadly, glad to see her looking as light and hopeful as she feels. He gives her fingers a gentle squeeze and keeps the steady rhythm of their breath, watching as she relaxes back into her focus.
It can feel the first shuttering even without seeing the mental room, the energy rolling from Sierra in waves dimming just slightly as she begins to close her mind.
"Very good." She praises, voice calm and soothing. "Keep going."
There is another presence. The awareness of it comes to him suddenly like a candle being snuffed, a darkness that looms and watches, something more than a spider. They stroke the back of Sierra's hand again, uncertain if she can sense the thing standing at the door of her mind.
"You are doing very well. Remember, I am with you."
Sierra approaches the next window, feeling lighter. Less burdened. The slight shadow coming from the next windows is natural, she feels. There cannot be light without it casting some cover of shadow and with so much natural light it is important to -
[Close the shutters. Let the shadow rest here. This is natural. How it is to be. How I make it to be.]
Sierra's grip in her hands slackens a little. The crisp attentiveness instinctively flinching away to make room. Dancing around the acknowledgment she touches the shutters and shudders instantly begin to ripple out from her starting from her shadows and working through her arms.
Apollonia feels it happen, the shift, like a fish slipping through a net woven too wide. It sucks in a quick breath, startled, and then the trembling begins. Their grip tightens on Sierra's hand, as though he can keep her from slipping farther into the shadows in her mind.
"Stay alert, my lady. You have the power over your own mind, your own energies. Do not let that thing in."
With her free hand, the mage pulls a small wrapped bundle of cloth from his pocket and unwinds it, revealing a plain iron cuff bracelet and a tightly tied bundle of dried herbs. Gripping the bracelet with the cloth to avoid touching it directly, they slip it onto Sierra's wrist, hoping to offer some protection from the entity trying to worm its way into her psyche.
"You are not welcome here, creature. Leave this woman in peace."
[Peace child. Calm. You cannot have light without shadows. And shadows must have light.]
Sierra continues to relax, her other hand coming up to pat their hand, unsure why she is concerned but wanting to show that she is okay. Everything is alright. Sierra sighs happily, knowing that things are turning out okay.
[Good girl. Close the window.]
She reaches out to the shutters of the southern wall, a sap coating them. She lets out a chuckle that would have sounded more natural coming from one who is inebriated. Silly sap, getting in the house. What a mess...
The mage watches as the woman falls into what can only be described as some sort of trance, a muted horror settling over the beauty of the day like a thick, suffocating blanket. Sierra's gentle pats to their hand feel wrong, just as the dazed expression on her face and the dreamy sigh that leaves her parted lips.
Whatever has the woman under its spell, it is not Apollonia. With concern knitting her brow, he raises a hand to the woman's cheek, brushing it gently. "Please forgive the intrusion, Lady Sierra."
It gathers their strength and, letting his eyes fall shut, focuses on the woman in front of her. Willing water to flow, seeping through cracks of her consciousness.
Drip.
They can almost see the walls of the house from outside, the shape of the woman reaching for the shutters, the shadowy thing behind her.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
The sound morphs as they find the places that water can leak through, heavier beads of water hitting the floor and splashing upward when they land. One drop hits Sierra's hand, the one reaching for the shutter. The next lands on her cheek, like a raindrop.
Dripping gives way to a trickle, a quiet pour and then a rush as water seeps in beneath the door and through the roof, a gentle flood.
"She has suffered enough at your hands, creature. Release her."
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