RP:Embrace The Madness

Part of the Dissonance Theory Arc

This is a Warrior's Guild RP.

Summary: On the way to and during a tour of the Warrior's Guild's laboratory, Khitti and Tessa discuss Tessa's newfound faith in Krice, Khitti's hesitancy around experiments thanks to her past, how to cage the thrall they'll be receiving, and the fact that Annette is pregnant and Tessa's want to shapeshift to have children as well.

Vigilanti Semper, Venturil

Khitti || Some time after the semi-aggravating Warrior’s Guild meeting occurred, Khitti realized she’d never actually seen the guild’s lab. So, she sent word to Quintessa asking for a tour so that it might help better prepare them for their upcoming work with the thralls. She half-wondered if she should send Khitt in her place, if only to give him more things to do within the guilds besides paperwork now and then that she so conveniently put off for anywhere between several days to several weeks, but as she was the more science-y of the two, she elected to go, leaving him in the back of their shared mind to continue to plan out Khitt’s new lounge/restaurant that was going to go underneath the bakery. As per her letter, she was waiting in the castle’s kitchen, downing a bit of whiskey and devouring a bit of stew and bread since she hadn’t had much to eat before she’d left Cenril. “I probably should not be voicing my doubts in the open,” she said, once Quintessa arrived to lead her elsewhere, “But I’m rather uncertain about whether or not Krice can actually pull this off, regardless of how… inhuman he is--and I don’t mean in the sense of him actually coming back from the mission. Dude’s about as stabby as you and I are; he’s just a lot more calm about it.” Khitti smirked somewhat, rolling her eyes at the thought of Krice’s abnormally cool and collected nature.

Quintessa had been busy trying to upgrade the Warrior’s Guild laboratory since being given the green light by Kasyr to include ‘living experimentation’. Typically this was an art the changeling practiced in the dark privacy of her Vailkrin home, the dungeons of her citadel providing more than enough subjects to perfect her technique, but here in the Warrior’s Guild? Such methods had been strictly prohibited under the former Imperator’s command. Now there had been a shift in leadership, and thus, a shift in her duties here. No longer would Quintessa’s involvement have to sit on the backburner- Her research could continue in earnest with proper funding from her own demesne. The Countess of the Dark Forest (or rather Steward Cladach) had organized a train of wagons escorted by undead guardsmen to deliver the supplies to the Warrior’s Guild HQ. The ginger vampire herself, Sarosa, had arrived with them, diligently making a check-list as Quintessa oversaw activities in the lab proper. Once she had been notified that Khitti had arrived, Quintessa nodded her head almost pensively. Given what she knew about Khitti’s past experiences, the young warlock wasn’t sure how she’d react to seeing a lot of the same instruments that might have been used on her. Necromancy was often a grim business. Meanwhile the changeling can only smirk in reaction to Khitti’s musings when she meets her in the kitchen, motioning for her to follow her to the new laboratory. “I’ve noticed his aggression levels are indeed quite high,” Quintessa throws a glance over her shoulder at the redhead, “But given the kind of things I get up to I cannot blame him for trying to stab me personally.” A light laughter escapes her, echoing through the halls of the keep. “But I have to agree with you- The thralls decay too quickly when fatally damaged and they almost force you to fatally damage them lest you lose your own life in the process.” Quintessa turns away, her hand lightly touching the scar left behind by the special variant thrall they had encountered over a year ago. “I have faith in Krice’s abilities, however…”

Khitti too wondered what might overcome her once she walked into the laboratory. For now, once she’d finished her meal, drank the last of her whiskey and followed after the changeling, the redhead seemed to be her ever stoic self. Perhaps this would help her get past those terrible memories. Everything had a purpose, and with the fact that she was quite aware that many aspects of her life were put in place by fate itself, Khitti could not argue that what the necromancers had done to her was madness alone. It -had- been foretold, after all. She would follow and she would listen to Quintessa’s remarks on the grey-haired warrior, a brow raised and a vaguely shocked glance spared in her direction. “You… have faith in Krice?” There was obvious confusion, like the idea of such simply didn’t compute in her head. Khitti.exe has stopped working. Please reboot. “Well… I suppose I’ll try not to worry too much if you’re so sure he can do this.” If only Krice could see the Countess’ actions and hear her words regarding him… Would he then quit with his own anger? It was a hard thing for him to get past, to be sure, and Quintessa likely had a long way to go in his book, but it was certainly something for Khitti to ponder over. That said, -Khitti- would continue to not be so trusting of the inhuman human. He was just too… something. Khitti could never quite place it.

Quintessa found much amusement in Khitti’s reaction but she could understand why. The changeling rarely spoke on issues such as faith, and when she did it was never a pleasant discussion. Whatever resentment that had been bottled up before simply was no longer present when she spoke of Krice. Quintessa was more apathetic than anything. “I fought Krice,” she tells Khitti, “Once by myself and then again with the aid of my Living Dead Girls. His abilities far eclipse my own, this is clear, so if there is anyone who can accomplish this task by himself, it is him.” They finally arrive at the laboratory door and Quintessa places a hand against the metal knob, a slight hesitation as she looks back over in Khitti’s direction. “I warn you, I did not hold back when designing this lab. There are devices in here that are normally reserved for baleful purposes- mithril hooks and scalpels, arcane heat bores, a flaying table, etcetera and etcetera. You don’t have to do this y’know, and if you need to walk away I’ll understand. Are you certain you wanna come in here?”

Khitti tilted her head at Tessa, but ultimately nodded. “That’s fair, I suppose. I -have- seen him in battle as well. In Larket, during the battle on the bridge, and also during that whole gods awful thing with the bugs. He had been a friend to Dominic’s predecessor--the one I’d mentioned at Thorne Manor--in the past and even had intended on helping me with my vampirism cure until he found out that we had to go to the Shadow Plane multiple times.” She still didn’t know what the deal had been with that and never felt like asking. “It is what it is, I suppose. The scales are tipped in his favor when it comes to people that have faith in him, so I’ll deal.” There was somewhat of a smirk before her attention shifted back to the task at hand, Quintessa’s warning, and the door that separated them from the lab. “I think… I’m mostly worried that I’m going to go too far. Is there such a thing as ‘too far’?” Her olive-green line of sight settled on the changeling, looking for answers. “I think that’s where most of my fear comes from now. It’s a wonder I’ve avoided it all this time… Do I continue to keep a door in between me and the inevitable? Or do I embrace it, with the risk of becoming like those necromancers? There’s so much research I’ve put off because of experimentations like this. It’s hindering and yet, I know myself well enough to know that I could get drawn in further and further.” Her attention slipped back to the door, squinting her eyes in thought at it. “I suppose… if things go too far, Khitt can pull me back from the abyss.” After another moment or two of thought, Khitti nodded, steeling herself for what lay on the other side. “Alright. Open it.”

Quintessa stares at Khitti in silence for a moment, contemplating what the redhead had said. “I’m perhaps not the best person to ask if there is a ‘too far’ with these things,” she admits, her fingers tightening around the doorknob. “It comes too easily for me to inflict harm without wondering why, so I let my friends and family tell me when I’ve crossed that line. The only problem is I keep hiding the really awful things I do from them… so I suppose in a way I -do- know when I’ve crossed that line, but only when it’s too late.” She offers Khitti a weak smile, “But if you ask me I say embrace the madness. Only then can you truly understand it- understand why they did what they did to you. It can never change the past but perhaps it can offer a small comfort. They stripped you of your autonomy and choice back then, but now you can reclaim your autonomy by crossing the threshold.” Quintessa turns the handle and pushes the door open, letting it swing on its hinges. “The risk of learning something you never wanted to always exist - of things so horrible you want to unlearn them, but that only makes it that much more exciting, don’t you think?” The smile that follows could only be described as dreamy as her heeled boots clicked on the stone floor leading inside. The new laboratory wasn’t finished being set up, but all the equipment was here, including Quintessa’s newly designed runic autopsy table that could be fixed with supernatural restraints. Her pale fingers gently trace over the cool black stone, mismatched eyes exploring the room once more. “I was thinking about installing a cage over there,” she points to a vacant corner, “But I wasn’t sure how effective it would be at holding them- I know they are resistant to magical damage but perhaps if we hinder them by affecting the environment instead of directly it will work better- I don’t know- that’s what these experiments are for.” The young warlock was perhaps too excited about all of this.

Khitti watched Tessa as she spoke, taking in the shifts in demeanor and the words that were being said. Crimson brows knitted together as the things the changeling pointed out struck home in Khitti’s mind. She -could- use it as a way to understand. Khitti blinked once, then twice, then nodded in agreement. “Yeah. That sounds like a good idea.” As things shifted back to the lab, Khitti caught that look on Tessa’s face as she walked in, a smirk finding home on Khitti’s own. “You look like I do every time I walk into a new library. Or one I’ve been to before. Or… I guess any in general,” she said with a faint laugh. Khitti took a look around and was quick to notice the differences between this lab and the ones the necromancers had used for her and the rest of the unfortunate experiments back home. “I think a cage is a good idea. Maybe instead of magical damage, it could be runes or something that weaken their strength and speed? It could be tested out anyway. And even if we didn’t use the cage for them, it could be used for something else in the future.” With another slow spin around, Khitti nodded. “It looks great, Tessa. Good job.” Her words were sincere and there didn’t seem to be much apprehension about being in such a room. “I was thinking that it might be better for us to split up our experiments, that way there’s less people crowded in here flinging magic this way and that. I could send out word asking for confirmation on who wants to assist and then we pair people off from there? It’d likely also help us keep a better eye on things with regards to their resistance if we only do a couple types of magic at once.”

Quintessa turns to give Khitti a cheeky grin, her hands moving to rest on her hips. “I love libraries too,” she chimes in, “If you think about it a laboratory is a lot like a library, only the books here are being written in real time. With my scalpel in hand I can create art like any other brush stroke. My hand directly affecting the material realm- unlocking its secrets…” she sighs as if she is a hapless waif swooning over a knight in shining armor, a hand over her heart. “Anyway… thank you. I’m glad it is up to your standard. I could easily craft a cage with cursed bars that inflict a slowing hex of some sort. I’ll have to use adamantite bars but I might be able to convince Kasyr to pay for them…” Her eyes that were drifting as she thought out loud flickered back to meet Khitti. “Oh? I didn’t realize this research was so interesting to the other warriors- I’d love it if they took part!” She claps her hands together like a child, “Splitting up into teams is a perfect plan- gives us a chance to check each other’s work as peers instead of on the same side. Keep us unbiased. Plus more eyes looking at the same thing is always good.”

Khitti smiled and nodded at Tessa, “You’re right. It is. And hopefully delving into it will help my own research, like with the black tides and whatnot. Talking with Ernest before about curses and fear magic sort of made me want to dig into those too, but those would definitely take uh… a few victims.” Khitti smirked, then reached over and gave the changeling a headpat. It probably looked a little silly since Tessa was several inches taller than Khitti, but the redhead still did it anyway. “There’s always Ghroundium too, if the cursed bars don’t seem to work. They -shouldn’t- be able to get out of that. You’d probably have to portal your way into the cage itself though. Or hire an ogre to open the cage, heh.” She looked pleased that Tessa was happy with her own plan. The two were so similar that things in the lab would likely go rather smoothly--so long as Xicotl doesn’t interfere. She took another look around and let out a ‘hm’. “Well, things are more or less in order here it seems. I best get to gathering some of my own stuff together in Cenril for when Krice is ready. If he’s as capable as you think he is, I expect he’ll be back within days. If there’s any other supplies you can think of that you don’t have and might need, just let me know. Plenty of unsavory plants to use in my garden, and then that idiot Callum left me the key to his house, so we can pilfer his greenhouse too. I would also try to offer up Brand and Annette’s new illusion magic, but uh…” She paused, side-eyeing the ground. “You’re… going to be a big sister again.” Khitti coughed awkwardly. “Annette’s pregnant.”

Quintessa cannot help but tilt her head when Khitti’s hand moves to pat her head, already somewhat trained to assist shorter people when they want to do this to her. She was always a sucker for headpats. She was about to speak on the subject of her further plans for Project Dissonance Theory but something Khitti said sapped her concentration from her. “Pregnant?” All at once a hundred conversations Quintessa had with Karasu about their infertility played through her mind. A thousand proclamations that it didn’t matter to her that she was a halfbreed because she didn’t want children anyway. None of that eased the dull ache in her heart however as she felt her abdomen and leaned back to sit against her autopsy table. “Annette is… but how? Is the transformation magic really that powerful? What happens if the body shifts back into Brand? Will he then be pregnant?” She puts her hand on her head, grasping a clump of her fringe. “Could it work on me too…?” that last part came out as a whisper, not intended to be said out loud. After a second she chuckles at her own reaction and gives Khitti a smile. “Congratulations… though perhaps I should be saying this to Khitt instead. Wow, a baby- I’d say it’s a hell of a time to get knocked up but when is it ever the right time in Lithrydel, huh?”

Khitti || Things suddenly started to click as Quintessa wondered aloud if it’d help her too. “Wait… is that why you wanted to talk to Camina? About transmutation?” She smiled a little. “There’s still a lot we don’t know about Brand and Annette’s type of shapeshifting magic. Viera’s very powerful and gets her magic from Cire. I’d rather not see her for some time but…” Khitti tapped her chin. “Perhaps we should look into not only transmutation, but magic from Cire as well.” She put her hands on her adopted daughter’s shoulders, offering another reassuring smile. “We’ll figure this out, okay?” Soon Tessa was released and Khitti shrugged. “Honestly, we didn’t want to find out what would happen if Brand shapeshifted back fully. When the four of us were on vacation in Elimdor for the Spring festival some witches were holding there for fertility rites and whatnot, we would switch back and forth. That was also before the four of us were a lot more distinct from one another. It’s a little more complex because of it being two people in one body, so Brand basically shapeshifted everything but this area,” she motioned to her stomach and pelvis area,” and illusioned the rest of it. The aim wasn’t to get me pregnant so it was fine. Annette really wanted to be a mom after all of the stuff Viera put her through, so Brand has been gracious enough to let her use their body for it. She’s still Dominic’s mom too, but she wants to experience it for real this time, instead of just having the memories given to her. I think any shapeshifting for you would be far less difficult to figure out.” How strange it was that within a short span of time, both Rorin and Quintessa expressed interest in shifting to a different gender, whether permanently or not. Khitti smiled again, “Like I said, we’ll figure it out. I’ll check into some stuff at the Devout’s Guild and speak to Camina. Her area of expertise is with metals, but things’ll sort themselves out.” She looked like she was about to head out, waiting to see if Tessa needed anything else from her.

Quintessa ‘s cheeks turn a brilliant shade of red when it becomes clear that Khitti had put two and two together when it came to Quintessa’s curiosity about shapeshifting. It had always been something the changeling marked as ‘impossible’ when thinking about it, so being confronted with the smallest glimmer of hope had hit her harder than she thought it would. “Cire, the Many-Faced God of Chaos? Of course… that makes perfect sense…” Quintessa brushes her hair in front of her eyes, a futile attempt at hiding her embarrassment from Khitti as she takes hold of her shoulders. Still, it felt good to actually tell someone about this feeling for once, even if it was sudden and fleeting. “Fertility rituals? You sure know how to have a good time.” The changeling does her best to mask her feelings with humor, but it was mostly out of habit; she knew she didn’t need to hide these things from Khitti of all people. She was perhaps the one person who understood her the most even if they didn’t always agree. “It’s probably for the best that Brand does not transform back completely- I don’t want to imagine what it would be like to transfigure organs while a separate being is relying on them.” There was a slight pause before Quintessa blew her bangs from her eyes and gave Khitti a look of gratitude. “I- Thank you for understanding all this even if I don’t completely get it myself. I need to think about it some more and bring it back up to Karasu again, but still, I’m glad to have your help.” Quintessa opens her arms to give Khitti a tight hug, a small show of vulnerability. “Anyway, I should finish setting up the lab. Krice could come back at any moment with those thralls.” There was nothing else that Quintessa had to say, “Be safe Khitti, and give Annette my best wishes.”