Deliver us from evil (Jaela)

[Corwin]

It's cool to skip, just give us the highlights!

[Anastasia]

Celebrations ensue. Most everyone shows up - Canderella and Hanna don't for obvious reasons. Mirajane passes to spend time with Hanna, and Ebony to do the same for Canderella. Baleruk's also a no show for whatever reason.

Soon enough that's all wound down, and with a buzz going from good wine and finer spirits, you see Prince Westwind walk up. The courtyard's mostly cleared and cleaned up now as he says, "Splendid party," he says, "Absolutely splendid."

[Corwin]

"It was a great time for one," Jaela agrees.

[Anastasia]

"It's always a great time for a party," Prince Westwind declares, "We'll have a wonderful one when we're back on...Lifasa, isn't it? Your stolen homeland."

[Corwin]

Jaela nods, drawing more solemn. "Seeing Benfal freed was inspiring." She's silent for a few moments, before musing, "Once we're on Lifasa, huh? I bet the party would go for a year."

[Anastasia]

"I'll hold you to that," Prince Westwind says, still smiling. "So you have some skill with arms, do you?"

[Corwin]

Jaela snorts at the question. "You might say I'm in that rare situation where I have few equals. The regular opponents don't stop me even if they swarm, but I'm still not a match for the big names across the planes. Still, throw in magic and I can hold my own in most situations."

[Anastasia]

"Good enough! I know, it's maddening. There's such a gulf between this level and the level of the true powers. Bah, I think they all collude sometimes to keep us down," Westwind says.

[Corwin]

"Probably," Jaela muses. "I think I heard something like that, an actual barrier in place, similar to temporal magic. Then again, the stronger you get the more limitations you receive. There's that, too. For example, I can't even set foot on a Prime now, and deities have even more rules about what they can be involved with. Then, there's the powers who can't even leave their posts. I ask you, what's the point of being strong enough to make Glasya quake in her boots if you can't take a step away from the mountain path you're guarding in Celestia?"

[Anastasia]

"You tell me, because I don't know," Westwind agrees as he says, "Every so often a rising djinn breaks away from djinn society entirely. If they don't end up dead, they usually end up serving one power or another. You get strong enough and you're unaffiliated, people will be trying hard to get you on board with them."

[Corwin]

Jaela snorts all of a sudden. "Can't say I don't understand the feeling, though! I've got a really scary fighting style and no one wants to learn it from it. I swear, there are times I really understand what it's like to want followers to blaze down your trail."

[Anastasia]

"What's your fighting style?" Westwind asks, chuckling, "If no one wants to learn from it, you're merely asking the wrong people!"

[Corwin]

"It relies on my winning personality! You invite attacks, drawing the enemies to yourself as you enrage them beyond conscious thought while dancing around their blows and striking back!" She grins at him. "Weaponized arrogance, with a dash of really sweet armor!"

[Anastasia]

"Ahahahahahaha!" Prince Westwind throws his head back and laughs, "I knew a mortal who fought like that! He followed Ilmater and saw it as his duty to be the one suffering rather than his comrades. Quite the style, but a difficult sell for most."

[Corwin]

"Yeah, I was suffering, alright. See, that's where the armor comes in!" Jaela tells him excitedly. She taps her breastplate with her knuckles. "The more audacious you are, the better it works until the entire thing with painting yourself with a target is actually keeping you safer!"