Blood is stickier than water

[baldrshand]

Who: Ethlyn and Ye
Where: Mostly around the Willow Clinic but potentially anywhere in Aldrip.
What: Open log for Ethlyn's glitches! As a result of the state of things, images of Ethlyn's brother Sigurd, husband Quan, daughter Altena, and/or her son Leif will be showing up around her.
Warnings: Sigurd is literally on fire.
Note: For each prompt, you'll be interacting with that person from Ethlyn's life for a bit before she actually arrives to the thread. However, since they're glitches and not the real thing, it will be a bit like interacting with an NPC in a video game. After a while Ethlyn will show up herself, since these glitches revolve around her.



I. Brother

[Sigurd is visible first by his light.

He's on fire. Strangely, he does not seem to be behaving like a man being immolated. Instead, the pain he is in seems to be emotional--his head clasped between his hands, face twisted in grief and rage. His majestic sword fallen on the ground in front of him.]

How did this happen... how could I not have seen?

II. Husband

[You turn the corner to see a tall, handsome brunet dressed in dark finery. He's holding a spear of uncommon quality and style.

The look on his face is one of supreme self-confidence.]

Hail there! You should be careful wandering around. This place seems quite dangerous if you're unarmed.

III. Daughter

[You don't see Altena first--you see the shadow of her wyvern, a magnificent green-scaled beast that towers over her. Resting on her shoulder is an equally magnificent spear.

Her magnificent chestnut hair frames a face that resembles her mother Ethlyn quite closely, save for the brown eyes. Those look up at her dragon sadly.]

I wish you could tell me what I should do now.

IV. Son

[Leif is the spitting image of his father Quan, but not quite the same--younger, not grown into his full height, a little softer with the features he's inherited from Ethlyn.

And the expression on his face couldn't be more different. Although his face belongs to a fifteen-year-old, his eyes are so much older.]

What are you doing? It's not safe to be out here on your own!

Comments

( iv )

[nilhilistic]

— Lord Leif.

[ well that's surprising. rafal hadn't expected to see him and thus, a little stunned to move. ]

What are you talking about?

[baldrshand]

[Leif approaches Rafal, no hint of recognition in his eyes.]

Don't you know about the battle, sir? The soldiers have no mercy on civilians. You should get back home and lock your doors--the bandits hereabout are taking advantage of the chaos to loot.

[nilhilistic]

I beg your pardon.

Who are you calling a civilian. I am a dragon.

[baldrshand]

[Leif stares blankly for a moment, as though he doesn't comprehend, and then seems to focus again.]

Excuse me? You look like a man.

[nilhilistic]

This is merely my human form.

You don't recognize me, it seems. I am Rafal.

[baldrshand]

I'm sorry, I don't. [Leif shakes his head, looking remorseful.] Did you know my parents, perchance?

[He's met no small amount of people on his campaign who he last saw as a mere babe, too young to form anything but a vague impression at best.]

[nilhilistic]

Your parents?

[ leif doesn't mention his parents much, from what rafal can recall. ]

Who are they again?

[baldrshand]

[Leif looks down. He wasn't old enough to remember anything about his parents. He can remember his grandfather the king, armed and armored on the walls of his castle, ready to fight a losing battle against the Thracians... the castle growing smaller as Finn rode away with Leif in his arms.

He only knows the faces of Ethlyn and Quan by being told that he looks like them.]

...Quan and Ethlyn of Leonster. Do you know anything of them?

[nilhilistic]

[ ah. so that's it. ]

I do. At least, I know of your mother. She is here somewhere.

[baldrshand]

[Leif's eyes widen. What this man is telling him is sheer impossibility.]

What? How can that be? My mother--my parents--they were killed by Travant when I was a mere infant!

Maybe you met someone who claimed to be her, but it's impossible for her to be alive!

[nilhilistic]

[ rafal rolls his eyes. ]

Why not see for yourself?

Surely you are curious, are you not?

[baldrshand]

[Leif hesitates. This is something he ought to be suspicious of. What happened to his parents was no ambiguous missing-in-battle. His mother and father were murdered in the desert by Travant. Surely there is no possibility... it's far more likely that this is a trap, a ruse by his enemies to lure him onto the point of a knife.

But he doesn't see any lie in this man. And he has his mother's sword, so surely he could fight if it came to it...]

Very well. Lead the way, if you please.

[At the very least he won't expose his back.]

[nilhilistic]

[ of course, he doesn't know where she is but. hm. he does have a spell for this. a simple tracking spell should help. ]

Follow me then.

[baldrshand]

All right... I still do not understand how this is possible.

[After a moment of cautious consideration, Leif nods and prepares to follow Rafal.

As for Ethlyn herself? She's out buying stationary a couple of streets away, blissfully unaware that a facsimile of her son is walking around the city.]

[nilhilistic]

[ rafal scoffs lightly. ]

You should know by now that the line between possibility and impossibility is thin unless you've seen it for yourself.

[baldrshand]

[Leif hesitates. It's true. How can he deny it, when he saw Mareeta turned to an enemy and Evyel become a statue?]

...I have seen dark magics before. But I would never have thought my mother would be subjected to them.

[nilhilistic]

And you would be right. She is not.

A different magic is at play here.