RP:Enthralling Experiments: Nature Magic

Summary: With Kailani and Penelope's help, Khitti and Quintessa find out how receptive Xicotl's thralls are to nature magic.

Vigilanti Semper, Venturil

Khitti was busy poking around at a detached arm, one of many pieces Krice had gotten for her and Quintessa, aside from the actual “live” specimen. She used both shadowfire and shadow-ice on it, and then her acidic shadows as well, and for a time, it actually worked. Damage could be seen, but yet… the magical resistance eventually reared its ugly head. Khitti squinted at it, let out a ‘hm’, then dropped it on the floor. She summoned a decent-sized portal beneath it and offered Quintessa a half-assed salute. “Be right back,” she said, as she jumped through the portal, falling down after the arm. She could still be seen from within the lab, the portal like a window down into the Shadow Plane. Khitti first eyed the massive, ever-swirling sinkhole that housed a terrible, fanged beast within. It hadn’t gotten any bigger since the last time she’d seen it, thankfully. With a sigh, she turned her attention back towards the arm and set it alight with her shadowfire again. The skin cracked and peeled before the arm ultimately turned to ash, just like all the other thralls that met a second, unfortunate demise. Khitti grinned, almost like the creepy cat from that wonderland story she liked, then shadowstepped back up into the portal. “Well, if all else fails, it -does- look as if the resistance doesn’t carry over to other planes.”

Kailani 's knowledge of these thralls or this Xicotl was limited at best for her involvement in this entire affair has been largely minimal. While the druid had some vague understanding that they were running "experiments" on some creatures she has never seen before, her confidence in today's endeavor was shaky at best. Kailani did not exactly feel good about running "experiments" on creatures and she was not entirely too sure how much they would be able to learn given that magic was supposed to be hindered anyway. Even her own channeling had suffered and the druid was fairly seasoned in her learnings, she was a lot older than she looked. Still, she was here...on the date and at roughly the time that Khitti had asked. Perhaps a few minutes late as she had to stop and ask for directions as to where this lab even was. Either way, Kailani's arrival is hard to miss given the bright shade of blue of her hair...and everyone is greeted with a skeptical lift of the brow and a quick, "Hello."

Penelope :: It was easy enough to get Penelope to the semper after the note that travelled to Kelay. Times were low despite Xicotl, so maybe, times were high. The Ardelian was unsure, but what she was sure of was that she was going to be there on the side for assistance when someone needed her. So, Penelope Halifax travels to the tense halls of the semper until she finds herself in a lab with others. She is not positive she will be of any help, but the woman was curious by nature and observant, as well, so she agreed to be there. Not to mention, she might -actually- have something to offer being on the medical side of things and a novice with magic. Anyway, she might as well learn a thing or two about the dredged thralls especially the anatomy and if there were any magical properties. The healer shows up on time, coming into the clear where she runs into the group of experimenters. Did these creatures have feelings? Would it be alive? “Hey, what’d you find? Anything so far?” Might as well jump right into it, right?

Khitti offered a wave to both Kailani and Penelope, as she closed the portal in the floor for now and took the necessary steps to greet them. “Hey. So, before we get started, I just wanted to say that these things are not people. They’re basically just a form of undead.” She frowned a little, “If they were still alive, Tessa and I would likely be doing this on our own. It’s not something I’m entirely fond of, having been experimented on when I was a kid, but unfortunately it’s necessary to figure out what’s what with this magic resistance they’ve got. Otherwise, we could be really screwed if we head down to kill Xicotl and get ambushed by these thralls.” She led the two over to the runic autopsy table Quintessa had installed, where the thrall was now restrained. It thrashed about and gnashed its teeth at anything that got near it. Despite the fact that the restraints were digging into its greyed skin, it didn’t seem to be in pain at all. There was nothing there but the need to kill. “I haven’t really done much with this yet. I’ve been keeping to the spare parts Krice brought for us. It looked like the hypothesis of whether or not the resistance carries over into another plane of existence is fact. I tried my shadow magic on an arm just now and the resistance started showing up, not long after I started. But, then I opened a portal to the Shadow Plane and used my magic on it there and it turned to ash, just like the others when non-magical weapons are used on them. I was thinking that maybe we could not only use the abilities you have that cause damage, but possibly also those that heal. In that regard, I’d like to try both magic and herbal healing. We’ve a bit of ash, from some parts that disintegrated despite Krice’s efforts to keep them whole, and I was wondering the effect it might have in some sort of healing salve.”

Kailani spares a look toward Penelope when Khitti explains the current state of these creatures, that they were not even living. It helped a bit to put the druid's mind at ease, but the woman still had her reservations. "I suppose...this is necessary. Without these tests, then we will not be able to defeat this creature that we have ignored for far too long." As Kailani speaks, the blue-haired woman makes her way closer to thrall that was restrained so that she can examine. Kailani was not reckless enough that she got -too- close to creature that snarled and gnashed at everyone in the room, just close enough to make a study of it. The druid explains, "This sounds like a reasonable plan of action. I believe I have heard talk that....Xicotl itself is plant-based? Which makes me skeptical as to how how effective room temperature water will be against it....but plants often are sensitive to heat and cold." Kai's mind was turning, a brief glance was spared toward Khitti just to confirm that she was not incorrect with her understanding of the thralls and Xicotl in general. "I can also run a test on healing, as you mentioned. Just let me know when you are ready for us to begin..."

Penelope watches the portal closed. She blinks because she is not used to portals. Or anything. Although strange occurrences happen all the time around her. The woman is relieved to hear that the beings are ‘undead’, but did undead have feelings? Because they were some sort of being before? Penelope is not going to get into the logistics because as she follows Khitti, she finds the resistant thrall strapped to the autopsy table trying to gnash at the three of them. “Uh…” Penelope was not scared, but zombie-like creatures were sort of new in her book. Maybe she was trying to purposely be naive. The time has come, Penelope. No more hiding and pretending. These ugly things were real. Was it rude to think they were ugly? When Khitti explains what Quintessa and her have tried so far, she squints and purses her lips in a nod. She is still fuzzy on it all, but when Kailani speaks, the language of plants and healing click. “I might have some different containers in my medical bag regarding salves, so I can help with that, at least.”

Khitti just stared at the thrall. Ever since her teenage years, she’d had an instinct deep within to kill undead like these things. The ones without feelings. Without thoughts. Without anything that would make them a person. She didn’t dislike undead--all of her bandmates were undead! But these ones… the shambling, ravenous undead that were clearly no longer people… Well, it was hard for Khitti to not whip out one of the swords she’d brought with her and sever its head from its shoulders. When Kailani brought up the temperature issues for undead, Khitti nodded, “Frost and cold water alone don’t kill undead, unless you’re using ice to sever parts, but it certainly slows them down -a lot-. Which will be greatly needed considering how fast they are. If these were normal zombies, without the resistance, fire would’ve been our best bet--especially with the fact that they’re plant-based thanks to Xicotl. We can still use fire as well, but we just need to watch out for the resistance building.” Khitti’s attention shifted towards Penelope, “That sounds good to me. Do you have any magical abilities? I’m sorry, you and I really haven’t had much time to get to know each other… But, if you do, feel free to use it on it after Kailani’s done.” The redhead grabbed one of the notebooks off the desk that Tessa had provided for her, then nodded to Kailani. “Alright, you can start. It’ll be noticeable once the resistance starts to take hold; you won’t even be able to see ice crystals on the damn thing.”

Kailani :: What normally would have been a very simple task for Kailani actually takes considerable effort and concentration, yet the druid still manages it. A pool of water is summoned at the feet of the thrall, climbing up it's legs and encompassing its lower limbs completely. Shortly after, the temperature of the water dips to freezing and so that it's legs are trapped in a block of ice. There was the temptation to see what happens if Kailani were to remove her polearm from where it rests strapped to her back to see what would happen if she gives this block of ice a sound whack to shatter the ice. Would it's limbs shatter too? However, Kailani resists this line of thinking. She was not entirely sure how many specimens Khitti and Quintessa had, further experiments were needed. So the druid keeps the beast trapped within the ice until Khitti gives some indication that she is done making observations. Then Kailani moves on to the next step in her portion of the experiment. That block of ice shifts from solid, back to a liquid state, it's temperature increasing to the point of boiling until finally all of the liquid evaporates into scalding hot steam. While the water had been focused on the legs of the thralls initially, by the time Kailani is done the entire thrall is trapped in what would be a very painful steam bath, were this a living creature. Steam does rise after all. After another few seconds, the steam rises up past the thrall completely climbing higher toward the ceiling of the lab before dissipating completely.

Penelope nods to Khitti’s explanation on fire and ice magic. When the clinician is addressed, green eyes shift to the red head and despite the nasty undead trying to reach them from the straps, the girl manages a smile in some form. “No worries. None at all. Times are… busy for us all. But to answer your question, yes. I’ve been lucky that Kailani has been one of the ones in my journey that has helped me discover druidic magic… specifically fire and earth magic. With that being said,” her head turns to Kailani. “Let me know what I should do. I’ve come far since then and have a lot more control on things.” She looks back to Khitti. “And well, that includes you telling me what to do too. Obviously I’m a little new to all of this. I haven’t put a lot of my magic to the test in a while.” When Khitti suggests they can begin, Penelope nears Kailani while opening her medical satchel. The woman pulls out different jars with screwed on lids. She pulls out three different jars: one jar with a salve that contained echinacea, one salve was a gel filled with aloe, and the next jar was a ground up powder. “This third one has to be mixed with boiling water.” She places each of these containers on a nearby table, of course they could wait to try the herbal medicine last. Besides, Nel was not sure how long the herbs would take to heal, anyway. Then, she paused, watching Kailani play around with the magical test.

Khitti wrote down what was needed as she watched Kailani work her magic. The thrall didn’t cry out or writhe in pain, merely continuing its trend of trying to claw the hell out of them. Thankfully for the blue-haired druid, the resistance started to kick in well before her icy and boiling water would’ve turned it to ash. “Hm,” she said. It was clear that Kailani was using up a lot of her energy and going all out. “That went much further than my magic did before the resistance kicked in. Which makes me wonder if Xicotl has planned for my shadow magic, considering he sent his little henchmen to ambush me in Cenril months ago.” She squinted at the thrall, then smacked it on the forehead with her pen, “Your master’s a damn jerk. And you’re too bitey for my liking.” Quintessa likely had something better stashed away, but Khitti needed a bit of levity to go with this whole experiment business. She went to her desk, opened one of the large drawers, and pulled out a mask. It was just a plain white mask, like something actors would use during a play, except Khitti had drawn a smiley face on it. “Much better!” She turned towards Penelope then, offering a nod. “Your turn. Take all the time you need. We all know what it’s like to struggle with magic. It’s a real pain,” Khitti nodded again in understanding. “While you do that, let me go get that ash and a few bowls to mix it in, so you’re not contaminating your supply. I can get the boiling water too,” the mention of the water somewhat for both of them now. “That way Kailani can have a bit of a rest before we try the healing.” She went and grabbed what was needed, with one bowl having water in it, which Khitti soon heated up with her shadowfire. All the while, she made sure to keep a close eye on what was happening to the thrall, so she could write it down when she was done.

Kailani would not be resting or relaxing. There were few people that Kai considered to be friends, but Penelope was amongst them. For whatever reason, Kai was very protective with this one. Possibly just because there were not too many other druids in the land for Kai to consider kindred spirits...or possibly just because Nel was adorable and sweet as heck...Either way, since Penelope's part in this was going to involve salve, which meant the other healer was going to have to get closer to the thrall than Kailani did..Kai was not about to relax. Her ranseur is drawn and once Nel was ready to apply that salve? Kai would be pointing the tip of her polearm straight at the thralls throat. The druid knew that it would not care, that it would react aggressively regardless...fear was not an emotion it felt. But! Kai was ready to behead the thing, just in case. Mask or not, Kai was not going to take chances when it came to Nel.

Penelope sucked in her cheeks as Khitti talked about the shadow magic. Khitti had been invested from the beginning which might have been an inference on if Xicotl had been prepared for shadow magic. A smirk is given to Khitti’s pen smack toward the creature. Perhaps it added a comedic flair to Penelope’s book. In grim situations, the healer preferred humor, so the mask also did the trick to keep a smile on the Ardelian’s face until it vanished when Penelope was up next. “Right.” Before she would use her magical properties, she would add, “Thank you.” Then, there was a furrow in her brow and the woman stood at the top of the head of the thrall looking down over it’s twisted body. Eyes close to focus for a brief moment to take some breaths to calm herself by the lashing sounds of the undead below her. Suddenly, a fire ignites upon the arms of the thrall the orange-blue flame trickles down each arm before the resistance kicks in. Would there at least be burn marks to try to place aloe on the arms? If there was she would let the flames die out and attempt to reach for aloe, if not, she would still let the flames die with a furrow in her forehead. She takes a few breaths with that intense, focused stare. “I’m going to try if I can sense any earthly qualities…? I don’t know if anything will really happen.” The healer would then inhale deeply before looking towards Kailani. A hesitant hand lifts as she is not as strong in earth as fire before closing her eyes to sense any sort of mineral or plant within the creature below. Were they made out of plants because of Xicotl or was this just a regular old zombie-like body?

Khitti || Just as Kailani’s magic froze the thrall solid and then steamed it like a lobster, Penelope’s too would burn away at the greyed flesh, leaving burn marks of varying degrees here and there along its body. Khitti watched it carefully, jotting down more notes, as the resistance to the fire magic began to take hold. “We’ll have to definitely compare this to Magik’s fire. His fiery arrows did seem to make an impact that day we were attacked, but we didn’t stick around long enough to find out why. This is good though. I wonder if Xicotl expected this many varieties of magic users in a guild of warriors.” Khitti smirked. “If it didn’t, then it shows how smart the “demi-god” is.” But then, Penelope tried to sense anything earthly about the thrall, and Khitti watched, crimson brows furrowing. The thrall seemed to calm somewhat and Khitti was quick to remove the mask she’d put on it, even if briefly. After a moment or so, it almost seemed to go dormant, though its raspy breaths were still there and it’s attention shifted between the magic users. “Uh. That’s new.” She thought things over for a moment, then unlatched one of the creature’s arms. Khitti gave a nod to Kailani to continue to be ready, before she turned towards Penelope, “Try focusing on that arm. See if you can move it.” The gears were turning in Khitti’s head, her pen at the ready to write down more.

Quintessa || The doors of the laboratory swing open slowly, the sound of Quintessa’s boots clicking on the floor as the changeling enters in a hasty fashion. “Hello, ladies, excuse me for being late.” She was already wearing her necromancer’s robes for these experiments, the black silk hiding the numinous bloodstains that adorned it. She was used to messy work and she expected no less from today. “So, what have I missed?” Quintessa removes her satchel from around her shoulder and places it on her desk before approaching the autopsy table, her gaze locked on the thrall held thereon. “I see our friend is comfortable…” She pulls her tinted goggles over her eyes, a quick tap on the lenses causing them to glow with a faint green, giving her the ability to watch the magical reactions on an ‘aura’ level. “Don’t let me stop you. Please continue.” She moves away to grab her journal so she could take notes on the thrall’s reaction, the tip on her charcoal pencil resting against her bottom lip. “Has the thrall been in this dormant state the whole time? It was quite lively the last time I checked up on it.”

Kailani gave Penelope a smile of encouragement any time she caught the younger druid looking her way. While Penelope felt like she did not have as deep of a connection with the element of earth as she did fire, Kai was of the opinion that it was just a matter of the girl's on faith in herself. Time and practice would build that confidence that Nel needed. Outside of the occasional smile to Nel, Kailani was determined to keep her focus on the thrall, ransuer remaining steadily pointed at it. The only distraction the druid would allow herself is when Quintessa enters. The changeling would be given a quick greeting of a smile. While Kailani was familiar with and felt comfortable with all of the women in the room, she would for the most part let Khitti bring Quintessa up to speed. This meant that Kai could keep her mind on the thrall, so that she can be ready to chop it's head off should things go awry with Nel's part of the experiment. "No, that just happened. It seems as though it might be responding to Nel's connection to the element of earth..." There was still plenty for Khitti to inform Tessa of, Kai was still not much for talking....especially when she could get someone else to use do the bulk of the explaining.

Penelope eyes open as she can hear the thrall steady itself calmer than before. There were a few blinks and a shake of her head in a ‘whoa’ of discovery. She looks at Khitti and then Quintessa who strides through the door in spectation. “Hi,” it was a breath, for Penelope had been using energy that she had not used consistently in a while. Then her gaze moves towards Kailani. “You might be able to help with this?” Now that Nel was adjusted to the source of magic, she moved her hand over the arm of the thrall. Not knowing what lingered beyond the grey skin of the thrall, tingles reach her fingertips. With what came insecurity at the beginning, turned to determination right now. The woman was calling on the earth to keep her own earthly balance and hope. Penelope keeps her energy on the arm that Khitti directed toward as the Ardelian tried to sense anything that would cause the arm to move. If there was a calmness about the thrall, there might be a slight chance of hope of movement.

Khitti smiled at Tessa when she appeared. Her attention slid back to the thrall, but her words were for the changeling as she continued to take notes. “The natural magic responded well. There was still a resistance after a time, but it seems to take longer than, say, my magic for the resistance to take hold. Kailani used both cold and hot water magic, and Penelope, her fire. It did quite a bit of damage as you can see.” She pointed out the various burn marks and even spots where it seemed like the skin had boiled or had been frostbitten. “Also what Kailani said, about the earth magic. -That- is something I’ve yet to see. As I told them, I don’t think Xicotl was prepared for this much magically-inclined people in the guild. And just before they got here, I confirmed that the resistance does not carry over to another plane of existence.” As Penelope focused, the thrall’s arm lifted somewhat. It wasn’t much, considering Penelope’s lack of skill in that particular magic, but it was certainly something. “That is good news.” And if Kailani assisted her? Well, that would lift it just a tad more. Regardless, the effect the earth magic had on the thrall would soon wear off and it returned to its usual thrashing and gnashing state as the resistance finally kicked in. “Right then. Back to mask time for you, buddy,” she said, replacing the mask over the thrall’s face. “This is definitely good. I wonder…” She tapped her chin with her pen a few times. “Let’s try the healing portion now. Even if it doesn’t heal, it may sense some sort of kinship with it, because of the plants in the mixtures you’ve got. If we add a bit of ash to each one, it could maybe strengthen the bond a bit, and the two of you might be able to have better control over it?”

Quintessa nods her head, scribbling down what Khitti was saying about what had been tested so far. “So it seems natural magic is an effective tool against them… this further necessitates our need to repair the Eternal Tree in the Sage Forest. Perhaps once we restore that balance their druidic magic will be even more effective.” Quintessa pauses for a moment to examine the thrall’s wounds before recording the description in her notes. “Earth magic?” She looks up from her notes to Kailani and Penelope. “Interesting… I noticed that before the thralls’ bodies break down into ashes they go through a crysilist phase- they harden and become like a crystal. Perhaps this is linked somehow…” Quintessa makes note of her hypothesis before she nods her head at Khitti’s suggestion. “Yes, let's try the healing potion next. This should help us surmise the true nature of these beings.” She motions to a mortar and pestle sitting on one of the tables. “If you need ashes I have plenty available.”

Kailani assisted as Penelope asked, just not in the way that the younger druid was likely expecting. If Nel had remembered past lessons the two had, the ones where she thought Kai's explanations were quite perplexing, then she probably knew that there was a high probability that Kai could in fact connect with the element of earth. However, rather than trying to manipulate those energies directly, she would channel it through Nel directly. This should amplify Nel's own abilities and allow her more control. Once the thrall seemed to build up it's resistance, Kai would cease the flow on energy that she was pushing through Penelope. A nod is given to Quintessa, as the druid as long believed it urgent to repair the trees. Just as urgent as figuring out how to defeat this Xicotl. When Khitti and Tessa indicated they move on to the healing portion to see what the response was? Kai would do just that. Khitti already had knowledge that Kai could heal magically, and that was the route the druid would take. She would focus this healing on the parts of the thralls body that she had scalded with the steam, rather than the area Penelope burned with fire. This would give the other healer plenty to test the salves on, once their preparations were finished. A soft blue glow would radiate from Kailani, showing her efforts to magically heal this thrall, and when the light subsided...? Kai was very curious to see how effective her efforts were. Sometimes "healing" the undead caused only caused the damage to increase, rather than to mend.

Penelope's fingers twitch as the arm lifts slightly. It was something, and Nel was content that it was, in fact, something. She was still a novice regarding the earth, afterall. Kailani, Kreekitaka, and her brother had taught her a few things, but she was still learning to practice on her own. Then, the thrall began to gnash and resist against the straps again which caused the healer to back up a bit. Her stare addresses Quintessa about the tree in Sage Forest. “I can help, if you need me too. I don’t want to speak for Kailani, but… she would help in the grandest of ways. Since, afterall, I look to her as a guide. And of course, a friend.” She pauses as Quintessa talks of chrysilists. “Like a butterfly?” The Ardelian listens and then turned and nodded towards Khitti. “Perfect, let’s do the healy dealy stuff then, shall we?” At this point, Penelope was fascinated by the discoveries, herself. The druid had a knack for knowledge and discoveries. She let’s Kailani go forth with her portion of the thrall while she sticks to mixing each salve into a bowl with the ashes they intended to use. Each different portion of the thrall is marked. On the lower arm of the thrall is marked of aloe for the wrist burns, the upper arm marked of a purplish salve of coneflower. The other arm is mixed with a paste of water and the powder of elm bark which is slathered acrossed grey skin. Then, the clinician steps back to let, one, Kailani’s magic step in, and to patiently wait, of course. Who knew what the salves would actually do.

Khitti felt like she was gonna keel over from the suspense. If she was right? And Kailani and Penelope could control them, even to an extent? That would surely turn the tides in their war with Xicotl. She had another theory though, one that might shed some light on things for Penelope, regarding future events that will no longer come to pass. Khitti nodded in agreeance with Penelope, “I think the tree would be in safe hands with the two of you and anyone else you’d need to help you. Kailani helped me heal a large area of the Shadow Plane, so I don’t doubt her abilities one bit.” Both Kailani and Penelope went to work with their healing and the thrall’s injuries responded well to both. The plant and earth matter within the thrall desperately cried out towards the druids in its own way (and not, you know, a literal one), drinking in deep of Kailani’s magic and Penelope’s poultices, allowing them both to heal where healing was needed. When they were finished, Khitti couldn’t help but grin. “Alright. Now try your earth magic again, Penelope. After that, I think we’ll be finished with these experiments for today.” She hesitated, then shifted her attention fully towards the Ardelian. “If this actually works, I think we’ll finally know why you were one of the ones to survive that other timeline.”

Quintessa lifts her goggles from her eyes to rest on her head before giving a nod to Penelope. “Of course! Healing the Eternal Tree is a matter of global importance- everyone should be allowed to help however they can.” She purses her lips at the question about a butterfly and she shrugs. “Somewhat- as if the thrall is trying to go through one last metamorphosis to prolong its life before its insides turn to dust. A failed butterfly- one that died as a pupa and never met its true potential. Perhaps that is how those two rare variants came to be; Evolved thralls.” She sighs and focuses her attention on the task at hand. “We will never truly know unless we capture one of them, and that is likely easier said than done.” Quintessa watches the thrall down the draft with an amount of greed that surprised even her, taking note that the potions and magic worked as expected. “Interesting, so that -can- be healed with divine magic. A troubling breakthrough if not an important one… Perhaps this is how Xicotl can amass so many of them- literally feeding them from its own pool of natural plant magic…” Quintessa would continue to muse to herself any speculation that came to her mind about their foes.

Kailani finds herself nodding first and Penelope and then at Khitti's suggestion that she help. Despite her propensity to remain silent, the druid finally speaks up on her willingness to help. "I believe that fixing the trees is of importance and I would be more than willing to assist with this endeavor. Who better to invite along than some druids? It is sort of our calling..." And then silence, this time so that she can devote her attention back to channeling energy through Penelope, who has just been asked to try her earth magic again. Would it be as effective this time around as it was the first? Or would it's resistance demonstrate itself much sooner? The group of women would soon find out, and once they do their experiments would be drawing to a close. Or at least so Kai hoped. Being around the thrall was entirely unpleasant and the sooner she could leave it, the sooner she could return home to her much more pleasant family/mini-zoo.

Penelope eyes danced along the grey, gooped skin of the thrall. An intrigued trance was what the healer was in at the sight of the ‘experiment’. A new discovery of response and healing. Quintessa speaks, and the Ardelian keeps a note of the words from the scientist. Whenever it came to medical discovery, Nel was entrigued to see the process of healing… work. “You’re kidding me,” there was a gasp of a smirk at the discovery and a little sing-song tone escaped her lips before Khitti directed towards her again. The timeline. The future Penelope. She was the one to discover events with Rilla. Why Penelope? Not Kailani? Was it because Kailani came later after the archipelago? She frowns for a moment before nodding securely at the request. Nel begins to focus on the arms again of the thrall with Kailani’s assistance to help the woman’s magic become stronger. Could the salve that contains the ash from the thralls before contain the earth matter they need? Natural magic protrudes from her fingertips which sense below… Is this it? Is this the discovery that future Penelope was able to grasp after time of study?

Khitti nudged Quintessa a little with her elbow. “Once we’ve got the trees taken care of, maybe we’ll be able to capture them. They both seemed to take an interest in the two of us. Probably wouldn’t be much to set a trap for them. I do wonder though if their makeup is different from these thralls. Something had to have been retained in order for them to have their sentience.” She shrugged. “Something to ponder over for now, I guess.” As Penelope worked her magic and Kailani channeled through the Ardelian again, the dormancy returned and the arm lifted much more than it had before. Khitti was half tempted to fully unleash the damn thing just to see what Penelope could do, but… she opted for the safe route. “You guys did wonderfully. Thank you, both. I’m certain your control over it will be much stronger when the trees are healed,” she said, allowing them to leave when they desired. She made sure to secure the thrall’s arm again before the druids would turn away, then looked towards Quintessa once they’d gone. “Sounds like I need to try my own divine magic then… Maybe once we’re done with the other experiments.” Khitti scrunched up her nose a bit at the thought, then turned to head to her desk to finish adding any more notes or hypotheses that she could think of for now.

Quintessa gave a dangerous grin to Khitti when she mentioned that the variant thralls had taken an interest in them. “I would like that. Give me an opportunity to pay her back for the scar she left on my face.” The changeling touches the long scar on her left cheek with the tip on her pencil. Turning to Kai and Penny, Tessa gives them a polite bow before also heading over to her desk. “Yes, thank you very much for your participation. We would not have been able to make these discoveries without your expertise.” Once they had both left, Quintessa would look up from her notes to respond to Khitti one last time. “I agree- And lucky for us since our little test subject here is responsive to healing magic, we can keep it around for a very long time.” With that said the warlock would focus on her research, only pausing to ask Khitti a question or two about her own notes while she too stuck around. Who needed sleep in the face of scientific discovery anyway?

Penelope ’s hand lowers to her side, and the magic fades. Kailani’s reflecting so. Nel’s breathing is uneven, but she knows she is out of slight practice. She sways and a hand is placed on a side table out of her own comfort. “I know there’s more to discover, but now… I’ll try my best to practice. Regarding the tree and… this.” She bows her head, and continues to let the others take the notes and observations they need.

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RP:Enthralling Experiments: Nature Magic

Vigilanti Semper, Venturil