sumnery
way too much free time
between sumnery & marcola!
dnp if you aren't us, ofc. :-0
dnp if you aren't us, ofc. :-0
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Fantasy cursed to change.
- Thread starter sumnery
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sumnery
way too much free time
IOANNIS QUINCEY
BASICS:
Name; Ioannis Quincey.
-nickname(s); Yanni (or just Yan) is a nickname he uses pretty much exclusively, only his parents, authority figures, or his mentor used his full name & he doesn't hold them in very high regard.
-title(s); None. Will potentially be called a court mage when he's working for the royals, since he's seemingly the only person left with a shred of magical ability? Not sure if that will be an official thing though.
Age; 22 years old.
Gender; Male.
Sexuality; Gay.
Faceclaim; Colin Morgan in Merlin.
Ioannis is, by the accounts of most, rather unremarkable. He's of average height, around 5'10", though his posture makes him look shorter since he's usually trying to stay out of the way of others. He has dark hair that is cropped short, and olive green eyes. He's rather pale from spending much of his time inside, cleaning up, working in the kitchen, or running things from one side of the palace to another, but he usually gets a lot of freckles if he spends much time outside in summer. When engaging with magic, his eyes shift to a gold colour that can seem unnatural to others, which is why he avoids casting any spells around others. Yan is also usually seen wearing a red scarf, he doesn't like to go very far without it.
Key traits; Perceptive; Cynical; Empathetic; Adaptive; Honest; Curious.
Yan usually doesn't like other people, he's seen a fair amount of hostility and cruelty from others to expect kindness as a first action, though he's smart enough not to let his disdain for others show most of the time. He may not like them, but he's good at reading them, and good at shutting up and doing what he's asked so long as it doesn't pose a threat to his health - any pride he might have had has been long since crushed. Usually, he's quiet and keeps his nose out of other's business. That doesn't mean he isn't curious. There is still some of his inquisitive nature left, the bold curiosity that lead to him discovering his magic in the first place, it's just overwhelmed by his self-preservation and desire to not be the centre of attention. This reservation towards others isn't always there, it just feels like he's walking on eggshells around anyone who is his social superior. Another servant might still see his brash honesty and quick wit, since making friends is not beyond him and at the end of the day, Yan would rather make friends than enemies.
Family/Significant people;
- Anton Quincey. Yan's father was not an especially ambitious man, he was mild in character and content with his lot in life. So when one of his children began exhibiting power beyond anything he knew of, he tried to discourage it. Their relationship soured after Ioannis seemed intent on growing the power he had, even though he was little more than a curious child hoping to test the limits of the world. His fate is unknown.
- Cecilia Quincey (previously Seaver). He remembers his mother as being kind, and the least fearful of his powers, so he suspects it came from her side of the family rather than being random chance. The red scarf he often wears was made by his mother, given to him when he was taken away from home. Unknown if she's still alive.
- Silas and Elena Quincey. His older siblings were twins, five years older than him, and the three were close. Their fates are unknown to him, but he doubts they left the village they grew up in.
- Martin Quincey. His younger brother was only two years old when the plague hit the village, and was one of the first to die from it. Deceased.
- Hiram Argyris. Unknown age, suspected to be well over a century but appears in his 40s. Yan's mentor and the closest thing he had to a parent through his teenage years. Hiram enjoys lording over his apprentices, though he taught them useful magical skills he didn't see any of them as worthy successors, which resulted in a very tense relationship. Wouldn't call it abusive, but Hiram is not the kind of person you should be trusting to raise emotionally stable/well-adjusted people. Fate unknown, now in exile.
Ioannis had a relatively peaceful childhood, being raised in a seaside hamlet in a remote part of the country. His family knew about his magic by the time he was five, as the boy could sense a storm of the horizon long before even the most skilled sailors. Being from a family of fishermen, this was seen as a useful talent but nobody really aspired to teach him more than he could figure out himself. The skills of an archmage were inaccessible to the child of an impoverished family in a fishing hamlet, after all. His skill with magic improved slowly but steadily, and by the time he was ten Yan could manipulate air currents to steer small ships out to water even when the tides weren't favourable. Not exactly moving mountains, but for someone self-taught it was notable enough to catch the attention of important mages who tracked the ripples through the webs of magic to find him.
Hiram managed to track him down at a terrible time. Plague had hit the village, and the fish had been dying off, resulting in some dire times for Yan's family. With themselves and three children to feed, being approached by a rich man offering money and supplies in exchange for training their youngest in the ways of magic, it wasn't a deal they could refuse. In any other circumstance, they'd tell themselves, they wouldn't do it. But looking back Ioannis knew the fear his parents had of his talents - that one day raising their voice or refusing their son something he wanted might bring down a storm that would wipe their village off the map, or that others might covet his power and bring them trouble that way. In displaying any kind of power, he bound his fate to having to leave his home. At eleven years old Yan stepped through a portal with his mentor and hasn't been back home since.
The magical communities thrived in the capital of Grastela, they generally kept to themselves but could be contracted for work from non-magical clients. As a result of quite frequently being called to work elsewhere, Hiram left the care of his shop - a terraced building in the magic quarter warped by fae magic to fit a palace's worth of rooms in it - to his apprentices. Ioannis was the youngest of the three, and the least skilled at the magic when it came to their lessons with their mentor, so much of his teen years were spent doing the chores nobody else wanted to do and keeping an eye on the shop. His magical lessons progressed slower than the others, and Yan came to hate the man who had stolen him away from his home. He was trusted with magical secrets the others thought he could never understand, could go places within the tower he might not otherwise have been trusted if Hiram thought he was a threat. Which was why when plague did hit the city and the mages were blamed, Ioannis saw a chance to escape a lifetime of being effectively enslaved because he'd never pass the trials to become a fully-fledged mage. Hiram had long since relegated him to being a servant in the tower, ignoring Yan's magical education in favour of newer apprectices and using the child prodigy turned manual worker as an example of what happens when you don't study enough. So when he was nineteen, he got up before dawn under the pretense of getting the place ready for everyone and stole away his master's spellbook and some valuable magical artefacts.
When he presented them to the royals, he had one condition under which he would tell them how to capture the mage - they should let him work a simple job in their palace, for his own safety of course, having betrayed a powerful mage. In reality, Yan didn't know where else he could go. He's spent the last few years doing the same servant work he always had, except now a book isn't going to explode into pure arcane energy if he knocks it over, and the people he's working for ignore him more often than not.
Other details;
- In terms of his magic, Yan has a kind of innate skill with the weather. Certainly not a useless type of magic by any means, but teaching him to do fae-style magic is kind of like teaching someone who's good with a mountain bike to ride a horse. It goes the same places, but is absolutely not the same thing. So he left his apprenticeship with his confidence in his own magic shattered & that paired with the fact that he's out of practice will make the task he's been given far harder than it needs to be.
- I had a potential plot point that his sister ended up being a travelling musician and visits the capital city & they get reunited at some point?
- Other servants are usually wary of him because of his magical ability, but he has a few friends among them. Had a short-lived relationship with another servant at one point in the last couple of years he's worked for the royals (he isn't exactly experienced with relationships, though).
- I feel like he would want a pet cat if he ever got his own place. Idk I just think it would suit him.
View attachment 1141083
ALEXANDER MARSEILLE
BASICS:
name; alexander marseille
-nickname(s); alex, allie (by his sister)
-title(s); prince marseille, your highness, prince of grastela
age; twenty-three
gender; male
sexuality; gay / demisexual
ALEXANDER MARSEILLE
BASICS:
name; alexander marseille
-nickname(s); alex, allie (by his sister)
-title(s); prince marseille, your highness, prince of grastela
age; twenty-three
gender; male
sexuality; gay / demisexual
faceclaim; Alexander stands at around 5'11, mostly lean and lanky with the posture of someone who has spent their entire life scruitinized by their peers. His mother in particular has always made him very conscious of his appearance, though he doesn't really care to think so hard over it. He doesn't think he's very attractive to girls but finds it probably best so there's no ill feelings on either side. He has pale, almost white hair, though both his parents have dark locks -- supposedly a by-product of the curse placed on him as an infant. Sunkissed skin and freckles from spending hours outside reading. Undergoes changes as the curse advances! ;-)
key traits; While Alex has always been sweet and considerate to the people around him, even as a child, his passionate personality and loud attitude has definitely faded over the years. Uncertain of what sort of future lies ahead for him, excitement has been replaced by worry and anxiety. He really doesn't know what to expect from his future -- whether or not he will be the proper heir and take the throne, marry someone he doesn't really love, expected to have children he doesn't want. He used to spend hours dreaming and wanting to explore pretend the world, countries and kingdoms he'd only read about in stories but as the years passed he's grown almost resentful of the curse, of magic.
He doesn't hate it in the way that most humans hate it, but he thinks magic is selfish, a short-cut. He thinks magic is destructive, is dangerous in the hands of most people. He thinks it has too much of a chance of ruining lives that it was better off being restricted, but in the truth of it, he really wishes someone or something would prove him wrong. He is very much afraid of not having control of his life, since that is very much what it's come down to and in his eyes, magic is the least of all controlled things. Alexander wants to genuinely believe in the good of the world, but has only been disappointed over the years. It's how he sort of lives these days, disappointed and listless. When the curse actually begins to take hold of him, he's more fearful and angry than anything else, thinking it's just ruining his life in the stead of things his family has done, even though he was just a babe when it happened.
subdued, kind, considerate, curious, quirky, passionate
family;
KING AESON MARSEILLE (60)
King Aeson is a glutton in most ways, for money, for power, for food and luxury. He has a strong knack for planning alliances and political advantages in advanced, having been a general before he took the throne from his own father after he passed. He was raised knowing he would have it, being the oldest of three and has an extreme determination to get what he wants. The Marseille family have strong ties with banks and the flow of gold from kingdom to kingdom and he well-known for using blackmail and bribery to swing things the way he wants them.
Hates magic and magic folk -- the hatred is mostly masked fear, paranoia that everything could be ripped away from him and his family if they were overpowered, so he is constantly monitoring, constantly trying to stay informed by his advisors and other noblemen as to what is going on outside of the city of Grastela. In his mind, he lost his son when he was a baby. He does not view Alexander as a proper heir, does not hold onto the believe that he could ever have the throne. He holds him at an arm's distance, even though he does still offer him luxury, it is without opportunity. He'd rather his son live spoiled and alone, stuck inside the palace, rather than outside and with political power.
QUEEN NARILLA MARSEILLE (formerly RISCION) (43)
Married off at a young age from her noble family, Narilla is an expert of the 'keep quiet and nod your head'. She adores her children with all her might and wants the best for them but doesn't have more power than her husband and often falls short, even when she has the best intentions. Alex loves his mother, but has a little bit of an awkward relationship with her now into his adulthood, especially after the birth of his sister. She tries to understand politics as much as she can but is more deft in socializing and keeping up appearances, since that is always what she's had to do.
PRINCESS NAERA MARSEILLE (5)
Naera is rambunctious, loud and beloved by everyone. She is rowdy and easily excitable. Despite her father's views on where power should lie and her own position in the family, not even he can avoid bending to her cute disposition. She's allowed to go where she wants in the palace as long as her maids are with her and one of the king's guard. Endeared by just about anything, it's very rare to see her without a grin on her face or to hear her giggling madly down the halls, running from her servants.
other details;
- a sucker for pastries and smooth chocolate
- his room is full of candles because he often stays up late reading & has a horrible habit of letting them sit
- doesn't use his primary bedroom because the light and access to the gardens is better from the lower floor guest rooms
- mostly allowed to do as he pleases, so he's a little bit of a ghost, kind of wandering around the palace without purpose
- he once kissed a stableboy he thought liked him and never saw him again afterwards
- the crest of the marseille family is a knight sending a spear through a dragon -- hence the curse & the idea of the family killing itself from the inside
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sumnery
way too much free time
ALEXANDER MARSEILLE
"Your Highness, please," came a quiet voice beyond Alexander's bedroom door. The maids had been pleading with him for two days now and he had yet to open, only later in the evening to rush whatever silver platter full of food they had left for him inside.
There was something particularly gut-wrenching about being proven right (or wrong, depending on the perspective) by the assumption or fear everyone had of him. Why had he expected his life would go in any other direction? Why had he had true hope for anything but the worst? Alexander had been raised with luxury after luxury, at an arm's distance from his father but with the 'potential' of still becoming heir. With his parent's failure to produce any others, they were desperate to find a cure for the curse that had been placed over his head as a babe. Everyone around him was always glancing in his direction with pity, with feigned hope. Alexander had grown up trying to ignore it all -- to pretend the curse simply didn't exist or was some horrible joke to be played on his parents and himself.
After all, what would happen if it was time to take the throne, nothing had transpired, and he knew nothing of what to do? The Marseille's hold over Grastela and the rest of the kingdom would fall and they would inevitably be replaced by some other royal family, eager to change things.
Really, Alexander didn't mind that either. He wasn't a fan of his father's political beliefs, let alone the majority of the country's, but he also hadn't had enough outside experience to feel particularly strong about anything. He just... didn't know. He had a vague understanding of right and wrong but it felt silly to think about locked up in a luxurious palace tower.
The prince sighed against his silk pillow, wishing he could somehow suffocate on it. Two days and he had tried his best to brace himself for his mother's inevitable scream of shock, every medical professional in the city of Grastela poking and prodding at him. With a loud groan, Alexander pulled his pillow over his head. What in the world had he ever done to piss anyone off other than simply existing? Why was *he* the one meant to suffer for a curse meant to hurt his family?
"Come in," he mumbled, mostly muffled but loud enough that his head made, Arisa, still heard him.
"Oh thank heavens, what in the world is going on? I was close to going to your mother and --" Her rambling started quickly enough and Alexander moved to sit up, thin legs hanging over the side of his mattress.
"What? What is it?" Arisa paused, stopping short across the room and raising her hands. She spoke to him the least formally out of all the servants -- having taken care of him before he could walk.
His curly locks did plenty to hide what had been obvious to him in the mirror and to make it more clear, Alex pushed his hair away from his face, nostrils flaring in annoyance. On his cheekbones sat almost iridescent patterning of scales, white and dusting his skin. His ears appeared just barely tipped at the ends, clear that whatever was happening was likely only just the beginning. He was pink, feeling humiliated and even the slightest bit worried for himself. Arisa's eyes widened and her mouth open and closed like a fish, clearly uncertain in how to react.
"Alexander --" Came her hushed tone and he began to shake his head, trying to let his hair hide it all again.
He rushed at her, grasping at her wrists. "You can't say a thing," he pressed.
"I have to -- the Queen -- your parents will have my head," Arisa spoke quietly, hazel orbs scanning his face. She lifted her hands to his cheeks, hesitant but running her fingers along the scales lightly. It felt soft like his own skin.
--
Unfortunately, there was little for Alexander to do. Upon word, his mother and father came to see him, almost fainting at the sight of their heir and futures crumbling before them. His mother grasped at his cheeks, crying and petting down his hair while his father stood across the room, pacing. "Oh, my boy, my son," She held him as if he were a baby again, in his bed and fussing. "We'll have this fixed. No matter what it takes."
He would have loved to believe her promises, but Alex had little hope of anything going right for them now that it was all proven true. What would be next? Would he inevitably turn into some sort of monster, ruin his family and die alone? It might get him out of wedding a woman he hated, but what did that matter if no one would look at him to begin with?
"This must be kept a secret for as long as possible," his father began, all rational thinking as always. The old man looked exhausted now, cloaks heavy on his shoulders with fear. "Miss Arisa will stay your head maid but no other servants must know. Only the doctors will come and go. You'll stay here, you'll be granted whatever you need... we'll... we'll sort it out." He said unconfidently, nodding his head almost to himself. Alexander dragged a hand down his face, feeling a bit like he wasn't really being spoken to. His parents felt useless, though he knew their connections might at least help him in some way or another.
"There is a mage working in the palace -- that Ioannis boy -- perhaps he'd be able to find someone to help or could work with the doctors himself," the Queen spoke aloud, caressing her son's cheeks and crooning at him as if he were still a baby. "He must know something of it. Anything could help."
"Yes, yes, get him too, then." King Aeson agreed, waving a hand. He couldn't look at his son and that much was apparent to Alex at least. He had always been distant with his father because of the curse but now, it seemed the other was lost to him entirely. He sighed.
--
Just later the same day, the castle was alight with whispers and worries about something horrible happening to the prince. A mysterious illness -- the curse come to light? How his parent's thought they would be able to keep any sort of gossip at bay was beyond Alexander but he hadn't left his room and didn't plan to. He was tired, depressed, and frankly, bored. At least most other times he could wander the palace and lock himself in the library if need be. Arisa did well to grab him an assortment of novels and history books to keep him somewhat preoccupied but Alexander wasn't sure any of it would do him good. He didn't feel ill. His body felt fine. Nimble and lithe as always. Maybe a little peppier, if he was being honest.
The scales weren't only on his cheeks, but his shoulders and collar bones as well. The palace doctors had made him dress down to look him over and now he sat in his loose loungewear, feeling violated. As evening took over the day, Alexander laid back on a chaise in his vast bedroom, legs slung over the back and hanging with his hair near the floor. A book covered most of his face and he ignored the slow head rush coming over him, hoping anything would end him quicker than the curse was bound to.
Arisa was a stocky, short girl with curly black locks, usually tied back tight behind her. Like most female servants, she wore a muted, neutral dress, layered with a white apron. She had been instructed to find Ioannis, familiar with him because of his work in and around the palace. Despite the King & Queen's urgency, she knew it would take time to find him -- servants worked everywhere, though some were assigned to particular people or tasks. Ioannis could have been anywhere and by the time she had managed to find him, she was out of breath and red-faced. A good portion of the guest rooms were being cleaned from extended family that had just recently left and when she noticed his familiar face, Arisa sped over, bowing her head politely.
"I'm sorry if this is sudden -- Ioannis, you're desperately needed by the royal family immediately," she panted the words out and a few other eyes went her way at the mention. Sensing this, Arisa nodded her head towards the hall so they could at least begin walking to where they needed to be. "The prince is, er -- The King and Queen are searching for any doctors that might be able to help Prince Alexander. You see, he --" It was clear she was struggling to form the right words, uncertain of how to explain the situation.
She waited until it seemed there was no one else around, paranoid. "It's the curse," Arisa whispered furiously. "The palace doctors have already looked him over and they've prescribed their own medicines and such but -- the Queen thinks you can help. She'd like for you to offer anything new or if you can... I'm not sure how to talk about these things or how it works, you see, but whatever you need, just let me know. The prince is quite nice and won't make a fuss, but the King and Queen would like this kept quiet. No one can know and you are the only mage they can ask for help."
As they drew closer to the prince's room, Arisa stopped walking and turned to face Yan, pressing a gentle hand to his chest. "They're a paranoid bunch, I'm sure you know. They won't let the prince take the throne with his... condition. Maybe you might be able to give them some answers? Solutions? Remedies? They won't... they'll need some sort of answer, you see. I don't think they'll take well to failure, so we must do our best."
She opened the bedroom door then, bowing her head towards Alexander if he could see her and allowing Ioannis in after. "Alexander, the mage is here to look at you."
The prince let out a billow of warm air and finally pulled himself to sit up. "If I have to disrobe for another old man, I'll --" Alexander started and seemingly stopped when he first caught sight of Yan, blinking in surprise. Warmth hit his cheeks but he tried not to react too obviously, only clearing his throat and averting his gaze. He set his book down against the chaise cushions and stood. "I've seen you around," he hummed. "I didn't know my parents would've hired a mage at all to work here. Or maybe you're being forced?" Alex quirked a brow.
A little dramatically, he outstretched his arms. "Alright then. Tell me how long I have to live. Or perhaps how long my sanity will last, whichever comes first. Be honest, now. Everyone keeps being oh, so very reassuring and I'm praying for some bad news." Alexander wasn't a particularly mean person, but he didn't have many friends and knew most avoided him because of the curse and whatever his future might bring. It'd been a bane to him since childhood and as interested and curious as he'd once been in the world around him, everything felt too hopeless for him to feel that same joy again. He was cynical to a fault, but at least kind and generous enough. "I won't tell my parents, I promise," he gave a breathy laugh and roll of his eyes.
"Oh, Alexander," Arisa started and he shook his head.
"Hush. I'm only being honest," he shrugged again. "Mr. Ioannis, maybe there is some sort of magic to make it work faster? Magic to hide disgusting blemishes?"
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Marcola
New Member
IOANNIS QUINCEY.
Not many people actually paid attention to Yan, and he was perfectly content with that. He'd spent far too long being the focus of someone else's disgust to ever want to be in the spotlight again. His place in the palace - doing odd jobs in a perfectly average manner to never gain too much attention - had a carefully constructed balance to support his partial anonymity. He didn't actually believe that others didn't know who he was, since he did have a few friends among the servants and he figured someone was keeping an eye on the only mage in the palace, but he was relatively insignificant. Right up until this afternoon at least.
By the time he was being ushered towards the Prince's quarters, he'd completely forgotten what he had been doing before Arisa approached him. General cleaning, but had he just left a mop bucket unattended? Or had he been tasked with polishing the furniture? Yan generally had a good memory for such things, but the mention of his magical abilities seemed to have scrambled his mind. His reaction to Arisa's initial words would have shown that much, with mild confusion morphing into a split-second of panic when magic was brought up before he choked it down with a cough and locked it away in a special part of his mind. "I'm not sure what I could really do, I haven't practised magic in years... But I assume they aren't taking 'no' for an answer?" he replied in a whispered tone as they made their way along servants' shortcuts through the palace.
The young man wasn't surprised that he was the only mage the royals knew of, he was baffled that they had actually asked his help. They knew he'd only been an apprentice and not a particularly valued one at that, he hadn't spared the details when he'd given them his story. Were they that desperate? Or had they not listened? Not that those options really changed anything. He relied on them for work and a place to stay. If he said no then he'd probably also be exiled for his magic, thrown back to the community that he'd betrayed. Yan had no doubt that if that happened, he'd be dead in a week. So he just had to try his best with what he was given. Easier said than done, since he was far from what someone might call an optimist. When they stopped in front of the door he was sure there would be some relayed message including a thinly veiled threat, since it was hardly a secret that the royal family hated mages and were incredibly protective of the Prince. Instead came an almost pleading series of suggestions. Any servant involved would surely feel the wroth of the King and Queen if they should fail. Not that it was a problem of their causing at all. "No promises, but I'll see if I can't at least give a different perspective." he said.
He'd only ever seen the Prince briefly when he was busy with his chores, and Yan had done his best to not stand out at all, so he was surprised to find out that the young man recognised him as he made his way into the room. He could hear the solid clunk of Arisa closing the door behind them. Well, he was stuck in this situation now. Might as well actually try to do what he's been tasked with. A frown came over his features and he drew his arms to be crossed in front of him, rather without fully knowing he was doing it, when the matter of his working in the palace was brought up. Since Alexander wanted honesty, he'd give it. "I asked for my magic just as much as you asked for your curse. I'm not a mage. I just have talent in magic." he said, his words dressed in a cool tone. That was a distinction lost upon most people, and one he'd be very happy to never have to explain again. "But I've been asked to see what I can do. Without any other resources I could perhaps identify the school the curse belongs to. From there- Well, that depends on what I find." Yan said, not wanting to outright admit that he'd never really had to reverse-engineer any spell before (let alone a powerful curse) and he was wildly out of practice in general. A simple probing of the spellwork was all he could do right now, and he estimated even that would run the risk of exhausting him.
With that in mind, he had to try something, anything, in order to keep his place here. "If you don't mind taking a seat? I can cast a spell and see what I can find out about it." he suggested, with a gesture to the sofa facing the fireplace that was built into the wall. He was being vague about the spell on purpose, since he wouldn't be casting one at all, but connecting with magical energies often looked to the outsider like casting and he wasn't about to give a class on 'magical metaphysics 101'. To be honest he couldn't remember all of the mechanics himself. Magic had been more of a 'feeling' when he was young, but the correct way to cast was with understanding of the systems and prediction of mechanics, treating spellcasting as a science above all else.
Glancing about the room it hit him again that the opulence of the palace was more than Ioannis had ever seen before he'd come here, even Hiram hadn't had half this amount of gilding in his tower, and it had amazed him when he first started working here. Crossing over to the sofa and taking a seat, he figured it might be better to try and placate the Prince than encourage his negative thinking. "Even if I can't do anything about the magic, I could enchant some cosmetics to hide it. If that's what you want." he offered. Yan did want to try and help -not even solely so that he could keep his job- but because Alexander hadn't done anything to deserve the curse, really. It wasn't so much pity as an odd sort of kinship, tinged with Yan's reluctance that stemmed from his inability to help. He'd never been anything more than a famous mage's failed apprentice and he didn't imagine that would change now.
Not many people actually paid attention to Yan, and he was perfectly content with that. He'd spent far too long being the focus of someone else's disgust to ever want to be in the spotlight again. His place in the palace - doing odd jobs in a perfectly average manner to never gain too much attention - had a carefully constructed balance to support his partial anonymity. He didn't actually believe that others didn't know who he was, since he did have a few friends among the servants and he figured someone was keeping an eye on the only mage in the palace, but he was relatively insignificant. Right up until this afternoon at least.
By the time he was being ushered towards the Prince's quarters, he'd completely forgotten what he had been doing before Arisa approached him. General cleaning, but had he just left a mop bucket unattended? Or had he been tasked with polishing the furniture? Yan generally had a good memory for such things, but the mention of his magical abilities seemed to have scrambled his mind. His reaction to Arisa's initial words would have shown that much, with mild confusion morphing into a split-second of panic when magic was brought up before he choked it down with a cough and locked it away in a special part of his mind. "I'm not sure what I could really do, I haven't practised magic in years... But I assume they aren't taking 'no' for an answer?" he replied in a whispered tone as they made their way along servants' shortcuts through the palace.
The young man wasn't surprised that he was the only mage the royals knew of, he was baffled that they had actually asked his help. They knew he'd only been an apprentice and not a particularly valued one at that, he hadn't spared the details when he'd given them his story. Were they that desperate? Or had they not listened? Not that those options really changed anything. He relied on them for work and a place to stay. If he said no then he'd probably also be exiled for his magic, thrown back to the community that he'd betrayed. Yan had no doubt that if that happened, he'd be dead in a week. So he just had to try his best with what he was given. Easier said than done, since he was far from what someone might call an optimist. When they stopped in front of the door he was sure there would be some relayed message including a thinly veiled threat, since it was hardly a secret that the royal family hated mages and were incredibly protective of the Prince. Instead came an almost pleading series of suggestions. Any servant involved would surely feel the wroth of the King and Queen if they should fail. Not that it was a problem of their causing at all. "No promises, but I'll see if I can't at least give a different perspective." he said.
He'd only ever seen the Prince briefly when he was busy with his chores, and Yan had done his best to not stand out at all, so he was surprised to find out that the young man recognised him as he made his way into the room. He could hear the solid clunk of Arisa closing the door behind them. Well, he was stuck in this situation now. Might as well actually try to do what he's been tasked with. A frown came over his features and he drew his arms to be crossed in front of him, rather without fully knowing he was doing it, when the matter of his working in the palace was brought up. Since Alexander wanted honesty, he'd give it. "I asked for my magic just as much as you asked for your curse. I'm not a mage. I just have talent in magic." he said, his words dressed in a cool tone. That was a distinction lost upon most people, and one he'd be very happy to never have to explain again. "But I've been asked to see what I can do. Without any other resources I could perhaps identify the school the curse belongs to. From there- Well, that depends on what I find." Yan said, not wanting to outright admit that he'd never really had to reverse-engineer any spell before (let alone a powerful curse) and he was wildly out of practice in general. A simple probing of the spellwork was all he could do right now, and he estimated even that would run the risk of exhausting him.
With that in mind, he had to try something, anything, in order to keep his place here. "If you don't mind taking a seat? I can cast a spell and see what I can find out about it." he suggested, with a gesture to the sofa facing the fireplace that was built into the wall. He was being vague about the spell on purpose, since he wouldn't be casting one at all, but connecting with magical energies often looked to the outsider like casting and he wasn't about to give a class on 'magical metaphysics 101'. To be honest he couldn't remember all of the mechanics himself. Magic had been more of a 'feeling' when he was young, but the correct way to cast was with understanding of the systems and prediction of mechanics, treating spellcasting as a science above all else.
Glancing about the room it hit him again that the opulence of the palace was more than Ioannis had ever seen before he'd come here, even Hiram hadn't had half this amount of gilding in his tower, and it had amazed him when he first started working here. Crossing over to the sofa and taking a seat, he figured it might be better to try and placate the Prince than encourage his negative thinking. "Even if I can't do anything about the magic, I could enchant some cosmetics to hide it. If that's what you want." he offered. Yan did want to try and help -not even solely so that he could keep his job- but because Alexander hadn't done anything to deserve the curse, really. It wasn't so much pity as an odd sort of kinship, tinged with Yan's reluctance that stemmed from his inability to help. He'd never been anything more than a famous mage's failed apprentice and he didn't imagine that would change now.
sumnery
way too much free time
ALEXANDER MARSEILLE
Alexander knew he was being a brat, but it was hard to help it when dealing with the sort of situation he was. His life felt like a joke of sorts, a horrible, miserable prank. He knew he would've never had the guts to off himself, but there were days where he wished the curse could have just been some sort of eternal sleep. Woken up to true love's kiss, and all of that. His parents would never have their heir, their family would be overthrown by another and what would become of him? Alex inspected his nails, anxiously pushing back his cuticles. He saw the flash of scaling across his thin wrist and his nose wrinkled in disgust, prompting him to look away again.
It wasn't the mage's fault. Or Arisa's, or anyone else who had to deal with his irritation.
He drew a level breath and gave a short nod to Yan after he explained the specifics of his own abilities. Of course, his family wouldn't have known who or what to bring to help him, they were just frantic and running around hoping that anything would save their future. Alex knew his mother cared, but he knew his worth still came largely from what he could avail his family and less from himself.
"Right, then. Thank you for that, I suppose." Alexander nodded and followed Yan's request, sitting down carefully at the sofa and staring at the dull and unlit wood in the fireplace. It had only started to get cool outside the last week or so, but the weather still couldn't seem to make up it's mind -- it was a particularly warm day. He didn't have visitors often as it was, let alone cute, young men around his age, so Alexander consciously didn't stare or look at Yan to often, self-conscious as it was. When the pair seemed to be a bit more settled, Arisa bowed her head by the door. "I will come by later to see how you are and bring food along. Good luck to you both." And with that, left them alone.
It wasn't often people were willing to get close to the prince and he felt keenly aware of their distance. "It's like trying to hide any other illness, isn't it?" Alexander asked, but was genuinely intrigued. "It'd be useless, but I'll keep it in mind. Who knows what ugly thing I'll become. Do you have any experience with curses anyhow? How would you learn about it through magic?" He smiled just a tad at this, squinting at Yan for a moment in playful suspicion. More than anything, he just didn't trust his parents to be particularly deft.
He was tired from the last few day's events and was sure he could've just continued sleeping through the rest of the day, even with how early it was. "You've been around some time, haven't you?" Alexander asked, looking down at his pants and toying with a loose thread. He felt oddly eager to speak to Yan, if only because it was someone new, someone with something *interesting* to do. Someone he'd probably be seeing a lot of for days to come. When Yan had first come to the palace, Alexander had been quick to notice the new face amongst the servants, especially one around his own age. He'd tried to learn more about him through Arisa and other maids that frequented his room and heard all sorts of things. He's a mage. He's odd. He's got no family.
Whispers had to have some sort of truth to them, didn't they?
Marcola
New Member
IOANNIS QUINCEY.
Yan was grateful for having less of an audience for his magic, and he gave a wave to Arisa as she left. The questions from Alexander did put him on edge a little, he didn't like having to talk about himself - certainly not about how he came to be in the palace - but he supposed he owed the Prince some kind of explanation. Most people's reaction to magic was one of outright fear or disgust, so talking about the mechanics was something Ioannis generally refused to do, lest it seem to the royals that he'd kept practicing it after he joined them. There was a moment of silence as he tried to figure out if he should tell the prince anything at all, and if he should how carefully he should word it. "I- I dealt mostly in illusions and elemental magic, but I could probably figure out some details about the curse. Even if I can't do much about it, I could find a starting point for someone more skilled with long-term magic like this." He said, not catching until it was too late that he'd openly said he wasn't very good at magic. That wouldn't inspire much hope. "It's like..." he trailed off a moment, trying to find a good analogy for how analysing spellwork functioned. His glance around the room - since he was trying not to look too closely at the Prince, despite sitting in rather close quarters, as something in him didn't really feel 'worthy' enough after spending so much time trying to be obscured from the view of others - caught upon a painting on the wall. Not a perfect analogy, but perhaps something the Prince could relate to. "Like a painting. Each spell is made of many brushstrokes that form the whole picture. Someone who doesn't know how to paint might only see the end result of all the work, but someone who knows what to look out for can see the techniques behind it and maybe reproduce it. In theory, I need to see the spellwork before I can start working backward to understand it. Does that make sense?" he said. The question at the end was more of a rhetorical one, honestly it didn't matter if Alexander understood or not but Yan hoped that if he was processing that explanation he would be less likely to panic at the sight of his magic.
Despite his willingness to briefly explain how magic worked, that was only because it would directly impact the prince, so the next question being about himself meant that it didn't go over quite as well. There was a half-frown that formed on his features and he fixed the other young man with a stern look before he remembered that any outright hostility might mean he'd be kicked out of the city gates before nightfall, so his expression shifted to a more neutral one and he resolved to answer as bluntly as possible without being completely rude. "I've been in the palace two or three years now." he replied with a shrug, since he hadn't thought it awfully important information. His emancipation from his apprenticeship was surely an important day to him, but everything after that was run of the mill, slightly boring work punctuated by having to go into the city at times to pick up supplies for the kitchen or carry a message or some other inconsequential task.
"Do you mind if I cast the spell now? I can't estimate how long it might take to unpick the spellwork. An intial glance might take a few minutes, but for any detailed analysis I'd need longer, not to mention something to take notes with." he said, trying to keep his tone as business-like as possible. The last thing he wanted to do was cast any spells without warning, and if the prince wanted some time to prepare mentally for it, Yan could allow it. They didn't have all the time in the world due to the nature of the curse, but he could afford Alexander some time to process his answers and understand what was going to happen first. It was the least Ioannis could really offer him, since it must have been tough enough having to suffer the curse in the first place, let alone have people treat you like some kind of anomaly or experiment in the course of trying to find a cure.
After seeing some sign of affirmation - a nod, gesture, or a word, something to tell him that it was alright for him to start - he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried to tap into his magic. He hadn't used it in years, though sometimes on muggy summer days he'd felt the itch to reach out into the stormy weather with his powers, so it felt an awful lot like stepping into one of the rooms in the palace that hadn't been lived in for years. In his imagining of it, the corner of his mind that he'd locked magical knowledge in was dark and cold, and sounds seemed muffled by the thick layer of dust. Yan took familiar steps to raise power he'd felt many times before, and for a moment he thought that the surge of power might be too much. Nobody was around to channel the magic, so it built up and when he opened his eyes he could see the air crackle with energy. He was glad he didn't try to demonstrate his power, since trying to light a candle might end up blasting a hole in a wall with the overflow of energy here. Yan couldn't tell if that was some kind of side effect of the curse or a longer-term problem with there being no mages in the city, but he filed the potential problem away for later. If they did want to cast any actual spells or tamper with the curse, he figured the excess energy would need to be taken care of first to save the whole thing backfiring. For now he was just looking at things with a sense unavailable to most other people, so he didn't need any rituals or speech or components, and he wasn't creating a point that the magical energy could be converted into something else. It was starting to give him a headache before long, though, all that light and sound on a spectrum he wasn't used to.
Anyone without magical ability would only see the change in his eye colour, his eyes looking like molten gold except for the pupil, and his gaze seeming distant as though he was looking through objects rather than at them. A frown crossed his features as he turned to examining the actual spellwork. He couldn't recognise the script which ruled out a few different possibilities, but left more questions still unanswered. Not only was it unfamiliar but it was powerful, more than anything he'd ever really seen. He'd known plenty of mages, but the most powerful among them had been banished first. His own master had been a speck of dust compared to the original archmages that had taken residence in the city, and if Yan had to guess, one of them or their direct apprentices had something to do with this.
What was clear to him even from such a brief look was that he was far from equipped to deal with it.
Blinking several times as he released the magic, noting that he had no clue exactly how long he'd been in that almost meditative state, he cleared his throat to buy himself some time while he decided what to say. Nothing too technical and nothing too scary, he decided. "It doesn't seem- I mean- It could potentially be neutralised. If someone knew enough about it and was powerful enough to unpick the spell. I can say what it definitely isn't, but that still leaves a lot of possibilities." he admitted, being careful about what word he used to describe unworking the spell. He had no clue if it could be reversed or if the progress of the spell's transformation would just be stopped, leaving whatever changes had already happened. Yan had no clue about a lot of things, but his outlook right now on the Prince's chances wasn't good - if the royals didn't know what the curse was, where its origin lay, the chances of combatting it successfully were next to nothing.
Yan was grateful for having less of an audience for his magic, and he gave a wave to Arisa as she left. The questions from Alexander did put him on edge a little, he didn't like having to talk about himself - certainly not about how he came to be in the palace - but he supposed he owed the Prince some kind of explanation. Most people's reaction to magic was one of outright fear or disgust, so talking about the mechanics was something Ioannis generally refused to do, lest it seem to the royals that he'd kept practicing it after he joined them. There was a moment of silence as he tried to figure out if he should tell the prince anything at all, and if he should how carefully he should word it. "I- I dealt mostly in illusions and elemental magic, but I could probably figure out some details about the curse. Even if I can't do much about it, I could find a starting point for someone more skilled with long-term magic like this." He said, not catching until it was too late that he'd openly said he wasn't very good at magic. That wouldn't inspire much hope. "It's like..." he trailed off a moment, trying to find a good analogy for how analysing spellwork functioned. His glance around the room - since he was trying not to look too closely at the Prince, despite sitting in rather close quarters, as something in him didn't really feel 'worthy' enough after spending so much time trying to be obscured from the view of others - caught upon a painting on the wall. Not a perfect analogy, but perhaps something the Prince could relate to. "Like a painting. Each spell is made of many brushstrokes that form the whole picture. Someone who doesn't know how to paint might only see the end result of all the work, but someone who knows what to look out for can see the techniques behind it and maybe reproduce it. In theory, I need to see the spellwork before I can start working backward to understand it. Does that make sense?" he said. The question at the end was more of a rhetorical one, honestly it didn't matter if Alexander understood or not but Yan hoped that if he was processing that explanation he would be less likely to panic at the sight of his magic.
Despite his willingness to briefly explain how magic worked, that was only because it would directly impact the prince, so the next question being about himself meant that it didn't go over quite as well. There was a half-frown that formed on his features and he fixed the other young man with a stern look before he remembered that any outright hostility might mean he'd be kicked out of the city gates before nightfall, so his expression shifted to a more neutral one and he resolved to answer as bluntly as possible without being completely rude. "I've been in the palace two or three years now." he replied with a shrug, since he hadn't thought it awfully important information. His emancipation from his apprenticeship was surely an important day to him, but everything after that was run of the mill, slightly boring work punctuated by having to go into the city at times to pick up supplies for the kitchen or carry a message or some other inconsequential task.
"Do you mind if I cast the spell now? I can't estimate how long it might take to unpick the spellwork. An intial glance might take a few minutes, but for any detailed analysis I'd need longer, not to mention something to take notes with." he said, trying to keep his tone as business-like as possible. The last thing he wanted to do was cast any spells without warning, and if the prince wanted some time to prepare mentally for it, Yan could allow it. They didn't have all the time in the world due to the nature of the curse, but he could afford Alexander some time to process his answers and understand what was going to happen first. It was the least Ioannis could really offer him, since it must have been tough enough having to suffer the curse in the first place, let alone have people treat you like some kind of anomaly or experiment in the course of trying to find a cure.
After seeing some sign of affirmation - a nod, gesture, or a word, something to tell him that it was alright for him to start - he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried to tap into his magic. He hadn't used it in years, though sometimes on muggy summer days he'd felt the itch to reach out into the stormy weather with his powers, so it felt an awful lot like stepping into one of the rooms in the palace that hadn't been lived in for years. In his imagining of it, the corner of his mind that he'd locked magical knowledge in was dark and cold, and sounds seemed muffled by the thick layer of dust. Yan took familiar steps to raise power he'd felt many times before, and for a moment he thought that the surge of power might be too much. Nobody was around to channel the magic, so it built up and when he opened his eyes he could see the air crackle with energy. He was glad he didn't try to demonstrate his power, since trying to light a candle might end up blasting a hole in a wall with the overflow of energy here. Yan couldn't tell if that was some kind of side effect of the curse or a longer-term problem with there being no mages in the city, but he filed the potential problem away for later. If they did want to cast any actual spells or tamper with the curse, he figured the excess energy would need to be taken care of first to save the whole thing backfiring. For now he was just looking at things with a sense unavailable to most other people, so he didn't need any rituals or speech or components, and he wasn't creating a point that the magical energy could be converted into something else. It was starting to give him a headache before long, though, all that light and sound on a spectrum he wasn't used to.
Anyone without magical ability would only see the change in his eye colour, his eyes looking like molten gold except for the pupil, and his gaze seeming distant as though he was looking through objects rather than at them. A frown crossed his features as he turned to examining the actual spellwork. He couldn't recognise the script which ruled out a few different possibilities, but left more questions still unanswered. Not only was it unfamiliar but it was powerful, more than anything he'd ever really seen. He'd known plenty of mages, but the most powerful among them had been banished first. His own master had been a speck of dust compared to the original archmages that had taken residence in the city, and if Yan had to guess, one of them or their direct apprentices had something to do with this.
What was clear to him even from such a brief look was that he was far from equipped to deal with it.
Blinking several times as he released the magic, noting that he had no clue exactly how long he'd been in that almost meditative state, he cleared his throat to buy himself some time while he decided what to say. Nothing too technical and nothing too scary, he decided. "It doesn't seem- I mean- It could potentially be neutralised. If someone knew enough about it and was powerful enough to unpick the spell. I can say what it definitely isn't, but that still leaves a lot of possibilities." he admitted, being careful about what word he used to describe unworking the spell. He had no clue if it could be reversed or if the progress of the spell's transformation would just be stopped, leaving whatever changes had already happened. Yan had no clue about a lot of things, but his outlook right now on the Prince's chances wasn't good - if the royals didn't know what the curse was, where its origin lay, the chances of combatting it successfully were next to nothing.
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