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Tweak says, "eww, MCR does not rock"

Jude Duarte (theseneschal) wrote in dunwichgame,
@ 2023-12-28 18:00:00

Entry tags:

∙ plot: 011 12 days of winter holidays, ◌ inactive: diana bishop, ◌ inactive: jude duarte

DIANA & JUDE

Consequences be damned.

WHAT: a chance meeting and magic
WHERE: the forest
WHEN: today
WARNINGS: nah
STATUS: Complete

It had been years since Jude had experienced a true winter for more than a couple hours at a time. She used to head to the mortal world with her sisters every few months, Taryn and her following Vivian on an adventure to the mall so they could pick up some necessities that mortals couldn’t get in Faerie. But they had always been in and out, the cold barely having time to seep down to her bones. Would she need to get used to it back home now that she was exiled? Would scarves and gloves become part of her wardrobe, the daggers and sword she always kept strapped to her body no longer necessary? Thinking that way left her feeling colder than the dropping temperatures. Cardan wasn’t allowed to win. The first thing she was going to do when she went back to her world was head back into Faerie and drive her sword through her husband’s stomach. It was the least he deserved from her. Consequences be damned. The dagger she’d been readying to let fly at the target nicked her finger, causing her to curse. A few droplets of blood dropped to the ground before she managed to suck on the cut. Tiny, white flowers bloomed where the blood had fallen, stretching up toward the sunlight flickering through the trees. Jude turned at the sound of footsteps in the distance. They weren’t Katniss or Eadwulf’s. She knew theirs.

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scholar
2023-12-28 07:42 pm UTC (link)

Diana didn't usually come out to Sidewinder, but there were a few flowers that only bloomed near the full moon that she wanted to collect. It took her a little while to find them, and she spent a half hour collecting them and some other items that might be helpful that she hadn't started growing in her garden yet. While they were making progress with Matthew's lab, she still hadn't done much with the shed outside that she'd hoped to turn into more of a work space.

She was on her way back toward home when she felt a small surge of magic in the ground. Pausing, Diana closed her eye and opened her third eye- she didn't sense any danger, and just..one person in the vicinity. Opening her eyes, she continued forward, slowing at the sight of Jude in the distance.

"Hello- Jude, isn't it?"

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theseneschal
2023-12-28 08:26 pm UTC (link)

"Yeah."

It took her a minute to place who she was looking at. Diana. She was one of the witches. And a friend of Jake's.

"And you're Diana."

Hopefully she wasn't as chatty as Jake liked to be.

"I don't think I've seen you out here much." Jude knew she hadn't. Not that she knew everyone who ventured into Sidewinder but she could usually recognize someone she'd crossed paths with more than once in the woods.

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scholar
2023-12-28 10:36 pm UTC (link)

"Yes, that's right." Diana smiled, but shook her head. "No, I'm not usually one for hiking in the woods. I'd rather be on horseback if I could be."

But that wasn't something she'd looked into here- there had been so much other stuff going on. Perhaps someday, but she imagined that she and Matthew had enough to think about for now. "But it's a few days after the full moon, so I thought I'd come out for a few potions ingredients."

Diana hesitated for a moment, then gestured to the flowers. "I felt your magic there. At least- I think it was yours?"

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theseneschal
2023-12-29 10:02 am UTC (link)

Right. Because witches would need to collect things from nature for potions. It made sense. Not that Jude had known many witches. Now hags? Oh. She'd known plenty of those. Nasty things. Always twisting their words. But the witches in Dunwich didn't seem to be the same. At least as far as she'd seen.

Jude glanced down at the flowers and slid her dagger back into its holder. "I'm not sure its actually magic." Though that was probably as good a word for it as any. "It's just what happens if I bleed now."

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scholar
2023-12-29 01:44 pm UTC (link)

"Is that new? The flowers when you do bleed?" Diana asked curiously, no judgment in her tone. She hadn't heard anything about Jude having powers, and couldn't recall for certain if she'd been around for any of the magic events. "What would you call it?"

She knew some people considered magic a form of undiscovered science. She did, too, but there was also a lot that she didn't know how to explain.

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theseneschal
2023-12-29 04:18 pm UTC (link)

"...sort of new. I think I've been able to do it since I got here, but the first time I bled was when Vecna was around." When she'd had to save Sarah from dying in the middle of the fight. And Sarah was gone now. Like Rose. Well. Not like Rose. But like Roy. She was just waiting for Jake to disappear next now that he'd chosen to be her guardian.

"I think it has something to do with becoming Queen of Elfhame but I can't really confirm that since we're stuck here." In the maddeningly small town.

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	scholar 2023-12-29 06:27 pm UTC (link)
	"I can confirm that you have some kind of powers. How's your cut?" Diana glanced toward Jude's finger. She could also feel Jude's gaze- it wasn't quite the same as she felt from vampires or other witches, but there was a power there nonetheless. "Is that something you'd want to explore?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	theseneschal 2023-12-29 06:33 pm UTC (link)
	Jude looked down at her hand and bent down, rubbing it in the dirt. It stung for a second but the wound had already started to heal. "It'll be fine now." Did she want to explore it? Maybe she could learn how to strangle Cardan somehow with it... "I probably should explore it. I don't really know how to." Cutting herself on purpose seemed like not a great idea. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	scholar 2023-12-29 06:45 pm UTC (link)
	Diana watched as Jude reached for the dirt. "Do you do that often? Have you noticed anything else besides healing?" she asked, then realized that she might be asking too many questions. "Sorry. I'm not trying to be nosy, just- I think I could help you, if you want. Without you needing to injure yourself." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	theseneschal 2023-12-29 06:48 pm UTC (link)
	"I try not to injure myself a lot but I noticed the dirt healed me during the Vecna fight." It was a convenient to get rid of any nicks when she was training though. "And..." Jude glanced over at one of the taller trees nearby. "I'm pretty sure the forest moves for me." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	scholar 2023-12-29 06:53 pm UTC (link)
	"Earth magic," Diana replied on a soft breath, almost more to herself than to Jude. While she didn't have as much affinity to earth or air, Diana could still see the threads of all four elements. "The trees themselves, or the earth beneath your feet? What kind of movement?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

theseneschal
2023-12-29 06:57 pm UTC (link)

"Both."

Jude shrugged, trying to find the right words. She knew strategy, she knew swords, poisons. Whatever was happening to her now was completely out of left field. She'd seen fae use magic before but she'd never learned how they did it. For Vivi it was always so natural. Like breathing.

"Like the branches will shift to give me more sunlight or less, depending on what I need. The underbrush doesn't trip me up any more. The land dips when I need it to dip."

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scholar
2023-12-29 07:11 pm UTC (link)

Diana nodded. She set her basket down and stepped back, reaching for the water beneath them, deep in the earth. It appeared, flowing from her hands and down to the ground again in a steady stream. She turned her hands and it arced up like a fountain before she stopped, water disappearing like a faucet turned off.

"That sounds like something I could help you with- if you wish." She reached out above her basket, earth building up beneath it in a growing mound until the basket was within her hand's reach. Taking the basket, the dirt fell away until the ground was flat once more. "You seem like the type to prefer knowledge, but if I'm wrong, I won't say another word about it."

The magic she showed wasn't intended to show off, but to at least show Jude that she wasn't all talk. That she knew how to work with the elements as well.

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theseneschal
2023-12-29 07:16 pm UTC (link)

Jude simply stared at Diana for a long moment. She wasn't overly surprised the woman standing before her could do what she'd done. Jake did talk highly of her and boy did he like to talk. It was maddening at times.

She doubted that Katniss would be able to help her with whatever was now brewing beneath her fingertips. Ugh. It looked like she'd need to make another connection.

"Yeah, that'd be fine."

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	scholar 2023-12-29 07:20 pm UTC (link)
	Diana offered a smile. She could tell that Jude wasn't exactly thrilled to have run into her today, but there was power there- and neither of them were sure of how much or what exactly she was capable of. "Could you tell me more about becoming Queen? What would make you think that would bring on any powers?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	theseneschal 2023-12-29 07:32 pm UTC (link)
	"The King of Elfhame asked me to marry him. I did. Then he exiled me and I ended up here." Jude shrugged. It wasn't exactly a love story...even if she'd thought it might have been. Well, up until Cardan had exiled her. She'd been a fool but she wasn't about to be one again. "Before that I was completely human. Now I'm...still human but with whatever this is." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

scholar
2023-12-29 07:46 pm UTC (link)

"No, I mean- were there any ceremonies, anything about the title or prior queens that might make you think that would give you magic?" Diana was curious about her story, but didn't want to pry, thinking that would run Jude off even faster if she were to ask. "Have you noticed any other..strange happenings? Wishes coming true, other elements acting up when you didn't intend it?"

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theseneschal
2023-12-29 07:49 pm UTC (link)

"No, we just said our vows to one another in a room together." The rest of the Folk didn't even know they were married. Hadn't believed it when she tried to say so. Cardan knew though and he'd discarded her anyway. Her chest ached as she remembered his cruel smile. She never should have said yes, should have kept her own vow on him going for the remaining months.

"There's never been another human queen of the fae. But no to the rest of that either."

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	scholar 2023-12-29 07:55 pm UTC (link)
	Interesting. "Well, something about you is special, for you to have gained these powers. And I think you could wield them as easily as you do your sword, if you wished to. I'm sure it could be a great advantage if we end up in another battle type of situation again." They never knew just what Dunwich was going to throw at them. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	theseneschal 2023-12-29 08:01 pm UTC (link)
	There wasn't anything special about her but Jude wasn't about to turn down learning how to wield what she'd been given. "I'm sure we'll end up in something else sooner rather than later so I guess learning would be good." And if Cardan ever showed up she could use it against him. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	scholar 2023-12-29 08:16 pm UTC (link)
	"Do you carry dirt on you? In case you're indoors or somewhere without access to it?" Diana turned, motioning for Jude to join her. "Perhaps we could bottle some, or a jar of some kind. Do you know if you can use it to heal others?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	theseneschal 2023-12-29 08:27 pm UTC (link)
	"No." She probably should start doing that. Maybe a small vial of it that she could slip into one of her boots or in a pocket. She headed over to Diana. "And no, I can't heal others." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	scholar 2023-12-30 01:28 am UTC (link)
	"I can help with that. I wonder if there's a way to strengthen it for you, so you don't need as much to heal." Diana was quiet for a moment as she started forward. "We can start today, if you'd like? Or save it for another time, if you have somewhere you need to be." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	theseneschal 2023-12-30 09:13 am UTC (link)
	It would be nice to learn how to utilize whatever she could do more. Especially if it would give her an advantage in a battle. Jude glanced down at her phone to check the time. "I have to get to work so rain check? I'm usually free before ten or after three." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	scholar 2023-12-30 04:17 pm UTC (link)
	"Of course. Most of my schedule is pretty free these days, so just text me when you want to meet up? I'll send you my address." Diana offered another smile. "I should probably head back as well. But it's a pleasure to see you again." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	theseneschal 2023-12-30 04:22 pm UTC (link)
	Jude nodded. "That would be great." She didn't offer a smile so much as nod again before turning to collect her things and headed off. Jake was going to talk her ear off about this. She just knew it. (Reply to this) (Parent)