OPEN

[dragonmount]

WHO: Rand & you!
WHAT: Event aftermath
WHERE: Greentruth and Godsblood
WHEN: Late Soviseri to early Firaseri
WARNINGS: Will add as needed

GODSBLOOD

[ he lays low.

after vaeka's execution is prevented, after things start to quiet, he risks one trip to the building where he'd been living. he isn't there long: enough to check on eleanor (and dodge questions about the fading bruises on his face), enough to speak to the person he rents from, and enough to vacate his apartment. he doesn't return there. he doesn't visit any of his usual haunts, before or after the kenoma leave the city, nor any of the handful of places that'd gotten used to giving him odd jobs. the idea is to effectively vanish, and he does a decent job of that.

if asked, he isn't totally unavailable, especially to fellow aions. he's avoiding the kenoma, yes, but he's just as much avoiding the godsblood locals who know him. so: if asked, he'll admit he can be found at ernesto's. and he's not unwilling to meet people in the city, either, so long as they avoid some of the more populated areas at busy times. caution isn't his native language, but it's one even he can use sometimes. ]

GREENTRUTH

[ once things settle further, once the kenoma envoy finally leaves godsblood, he starts chancing trips back to greentruth. carefully, of course; after however vaeka was found out, they have to tread carefully. and the safe haven in the forest is more important than ever, now that the regent has seen fit to remind them that godsblood is technically under their domain. he'd never do anything to jeopardize it.

more saliently, after getting stabbed in the leg by a surprisingly strong girl and her huge magic scythe, getting around isn't as easy as it usually would be, even with healing. those with an ability to use or see magic predating their arrival in horos might notice, at moments, the faint glow of a weave wrapped around his bad leg. he only uses it while standing still, mostly — the logistics of getting this small magic to move with him when he walks aren't currently in his skillset — but it helps him be more stable on his feet than he really is. and he's here, after all, to work.

he still offers instruction in archery and related skills, can be easily found carving bows and fletching arrows (sitting, usually) or else correcting stances and generally providing advice for anyone who wants to learn. his own lessons in swordplay unfortunately likely have to wait till he's better, but that doesn't mean he never wanders over to borrow a training blade and...you know, start getting ideas. recent experiences in godsblood might have made the prospect of becoming a swordsman more painful, but not enough to stop him.

but maybe the real difference is that now, not infrequently, he practices channeling. usually some safe distance from more populated areas, but not impossible to find, he'll find somewhere to sit and — those aforementioned with an ability to see the Power will be able to notice a swirl of light and darkness around him. those who can't will only be able to see the effects of his channeling. he likely looks strange, often frowning at his hands before,

an orb of light appears between them, floating through thin air,

or a gust of wind blows around the area, (though hopefully not too violently? but also: no promises. weirdly, no matter how violent the gust, his hair and clothes stay completely unruffled),

or thunder seems to rumble overhead, briefly,

or, just maybe, he accidentally shoots off a fireball in your direction.

in any of the more dangerous cases, he'll scramble to his feet hastily, wincing, and dispel the magic with frantic apologies. see: ]

Sorry! I'm sorry. I didn't see you there.

WILDCARD

[ hmu if you'd like to plan something! the intent is for this post to be a catch-all for the month of august. ]

Comments

[locumstudentesquire]

Oh! So it's a fairly new ability for you, then...

[Oddly, this seems to bring some fresh understanding to Ryunosuke's perception of things; why he hadn't mentioned it before. It makes sense to him that Rand might be uncertain about showing off an ability he hasn't had much practice with yet.]

It certainly seems powerful. I bet that came in handy for you in Godsblood. [He grins encouragingly. Practically glowing with pride, even.] I was so glad to hear that you all succeeded in rescuing that poor girl from the Kenoma.

[A lot of bad had come of the clash between sects; he's hung up on what happened to Abel and Himeka, a continuing tragedy which he still quietly shoulders some blame for, but he's doing his level best right now to be positive and celebrate one of the few things that actually went right.]

[dragonmount]

[ ryunosuke's assessment isn't far off the mark.

while rand has a lot of cultural hangups around his channeling — aes sedai and the like aren't very popular, especially in the two rivers, and every child knows to revile a man who can channel for the inevitable insanity, and that doesn't even get into the dragon reborn being the most hated man in history — some of his secretiveness really was oriented around the more practical. why claim to power he barely knows how to use? he can't even reach saidin reliably; it's been improving, but for every time he manages to channel there'll be one or two times he reaches for the Power and nothing happens.

which...makes it a little hard to accept his friend's praise. the Power was helpful in helping vaeka escape, thank the light, but he was forced to confront his own failings before that. the fact that the kenoma could capture and hold him, however briefly, had been humiliating. and the brevity of the experience had nothing to do with his own strength. the experience left him feeling raw, and that was even before finding out the much worse losses they suffered since then.

(and would that have happened if ernesto and akua hadn't come for him?)

so his return smile is fainter, offset by how he looks down at his hands first, pensive. ]

It was useful, [ he allows. ] Thank the Light that our plan worked. She deserves better than what they would've done to her.

[locumstudentesquire]

[Ryunosuke doesn't miss the rather awkward reaction Rand has; he tends to have a pretty good sense of people, reading reactions being a pretty important part of his old job... He decides not to press on the matter for now, though.]

You'll have to tell me the full story some time... Or. Now, even, if you like, I suppose. [He hesitates, expression growing similarly pensive.] I only wish I could say we had the same level of success in Venera.

...Not to devalue the efforts of all the other, I just... [He sighs, ears drooping.] There were many civilians we couldn't get to in time... And the ones we did save have now had their entire lives uprooted...