Inbox - Fade Rift

[nonvenomous]

Book/crystal/correspondence/action/whatever you desire.

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[nonvenomous]

Soon it will become routine.

[ The length of his pause could give one the impression that he is not an overly enthusiastic customer for anytime anywhere communication via crystal. ]

Being healed, that is. Hostile capture is typically more along the lines of a biannual affair.

[acreage]

[ unseen: he smiles, briefly drops his head, before answering. ]

I'll mark that off in my calendar.

[ one down for this year, apparently. there's less of a pause here than a one-two-three, just long enough for faint humor to bleed into sincerity. ]

I need to thank you for your help back there. [ he's not here to raise any specters, but he doesn't want that to go unsaid. ] It's because of you I got out of that thing.

[nonvenomous]

I suppose that’s -- technically true.

[ No point in giving the musclecrew that sprang in on them seconds later more credit than they’re due. ]

I’m certain you would have done the same for me.

[ Dead certain, after one day of working together. ]

[heirring]

[Something spark of victory lights visibly in her face. She lowers her voice to match.]

Not as of yet. But I am, as you must know, one of the Seneschal's assistants and a great many inquiries come through the office there. Were a likely candidate be reported, it is very likely it might be one of the first to know.

We would need to do some work prior to direct experimentation in any case. I might suggest, for example, the consultation of one of those aforementioned necromancers. Enchanter Averesch. Or Master Pavus and Mistress Thenevet. Or perhaps even Speaker Fabria, although I admit he would be my last choice. For entirely diplomatic reasons, I assure you. I am confident he is a far more appealing individual than one or two of our alternatives, [KOSTOS] but as lead of the Haven project he might find being in possession - if you will pardon the pun - of the idea somewhat difficult.

[nonvenomous]

[ He doesn’t have to look too deeply to see that she is serious about filtering through reports for Rifts to tamper with. The ambient wuah wuah wuah of her roster dims around his read. Time slows while he considers the extent of his duty as the mom friend in this plane.

All told he’s done very little work in that area since he arrived.

Wysteria could die. That would be upsetting. Mostly for other people but a little for him also. Distraction caught in his craw keeps his brow furrowed, and steers his eyeline to the brazier -- through the coals, into the earth on the far side of it. ]

Why is Averesch your first choice?

[heirring]

[The speed at which she wrinkles her nose in distaste is impressively reflexive. She must not realize the extent to which her distaste show on her face, for Wysteria makes no effort to smooth it.]

More than anything? Because I am most familiar with his work. We were in the field together on some business in Orlais—

[She pauses so abruptly that a thought must have occurred to her, so invasive as to yank her attention from the task of disparaging Kostos Averesch—a feat indeed. But after a moment's lapse, she continues.]

And because he is so argumentative that I imagine he can be trusted to raise the right sort of objections to see that the thing is done properly.

[acreage]

[ athessa and barrow would've, of course, helped; did help, with the immediate problems in the aftermath. but there had been a moment, spike digging into his stomach and richard still trying to free himself, when holden had thought, this is it, and — you don't forget who it was that saved you, without a moment's hesitation, after something like that. 

i'm certain, dick says, and he hums acknowledgement. he would've, but that's not really the point here. ]

Hell of a way to get to know someone.

[ well, at least: how they react in a crisis. ]

[nonvenomous]

Does he know either of us are capable of exerting influence over the Fade?

[ An important question, posed too hot on the heels of Wysteria’s distaste for him to be giving it much credence. Are their elbows still linked? He shrugs absently under the weight of her arm, adjusts the angle into something less formal. ]

We could approach it from a purely hypothetical angle of concern, [ he offers, after a beat spent steeped in deeper thought. ] Insinuate a belief that an unknown agent might be responsible for coaxing an increase in unusual phenomena from Rifts by engaging with and calling to them directly.

Reproducing a similar event under controlled conditions would prove it possible.

[ He looks back to her from the brazier with an arched brow, uncertain of the viability of his own bullshit. ]

[nonvenomous]

[ To know is such a strong word. Richard sighs to himself, focus drawn out into the middle distance while he takes stock of his own capacity for base minimum kindness. ]

You conducted yourself admirably for a man with a mortal gut wound.

[ An easy fact for him to derive from. ]

[acreage]

[ he wouldn't say so; all he really managed to do was survive, and that can be better credited to others' efforts. ]

Well, that wasn't my first time dying, [ as one says, i used to take piano lessons. ] Maybe I'm getting better with experience.

[ in response, maybe, to memory of "have you been tortured before?", the hazier recollection of dick answering the question for himself.

anyway, morbid humor? morbid humor. ]

[nonvenomous]

I’m sorry [ he says, ] we were complacent. This should have been a routine mission.

[ No one was really in charge, per se, to assign blame. Still, near death over the dissolution of a single rift would be a lot for anyone to contend with, and humans in particular are always wanting to talk about the things that happened to them. ]

There are more exciting and terrible ways to die in Thedas.

crystal, post-murderhaus

[sulahnan]

[ At some unimportant time of the day when there's not much going on. ]

Richard, are you busy?

[ Athessa doesn't sound upset, agitated, sad, or anxious. At most she sounds tired, but mostly she sounds bored. She's not yet at the end of her mandated week of not using her shoulder. ]

[acreage]

To be fair, I don't think anyone could've possibly seen that coming.

[ unless murderous innkeepers are more common than he's been reassured, in the aftermath. it'd take some impressive paranoia to look at a kindly old man and think, that's definitely a guy who taxidermies people for fun.

(and on the topic of more terrible ways to die — there's a question mark, privately, isn't there. he's not entirely sure he isn't dying right now, won't be until months pass and he still isn't. but that's a problem to be dealt with by letting it sit at the back of his mind, and leaving it there. a question of what did and didn't accompany him into thedas.)

and on the topic of more exciting ways to die — ]

Speaking of. I'll take that story about the ice cave demons, if you aren't busy.

[ is he partially calling because he's bored in here? maybe so. ]

[nonvenomous]

[ Richard jolts, tipping lit incense into leaf litter that he has to stump out with his satchel before he can reply, evenly: ]

I’m in town.

[ This isn’t strictly true, but the poo-tee-tweet of songbirds in the tree cover overhead isn’t likely to carry over. ]

Is everything alright?

[sulahnan]

Oh. Yeah, fine, I'm just bored.

[ Does the fwumph of her falling back to lay on her bed carry over? ]

Do you wanna play cards with me when you get back?

[nonvenomous]

[ Richard pauses partway through prying tight-packed clothing from his pack, splinted hand hooked in at an odd angle for leverage. It occurs to him that this might be less strange if he stopped what he was doing and walked over to where Holden is.

But it would also be less efficient. ]

...Of course.

[ Of course. ]

A Rift opened beneath the frozen surface of a lake near the village of Erith, last winter. As I am sure you experienced upon your arrival, Rifts -- as points of free entry into this plane -- are often utilized by demons seeking to sow discord.

[ He did warn that Loxley was the superior storyteller. ]

[acreage]

[ he. he sure did. there's a slight pause before holden realizes he is not elaborating on that. ]

Did someone come through that Rift?

[ that'd be a pretty shitty introduction to thedas, jfc. ]

[nonvenomous]

No. Or, [ he unrolls a folding knife from its binding within a folded scarf, and tucks it away into a pocket, ] if they did, we found no identifiable remains.

[acreage]

Like the Rift at Ostwick.

[ and, actually, here's a thought he would've dwelt on earlier if not distracted by. the house full of murder. ]

What's the difference between Rifts that spit out Rifters, and the ones that don't?

[nonvenomous]

You know I’m a terrible player.

[ He plucks up fragments of incense, some of them still smoldering, and scatters them back into the brazier, plink plink tink. ]

Have you considered keeping a diary?

[sulahnan]

I have a diary. And you know full well that I'm also a terrible player, so clearly the stakes will be as low as they can get.

[heirring]

Of course not. I gave you a most solemn oath, Mr. Dickerson. [--is her immediate response, mitigated almost immediately with--] Although I have sometimes been in his company and made mention, in a most indirect fashion, to certain instincts that I might or might not have. I doubt he has taken any notice whatsoever, however.

[Anyway. How closely Kostos Averesch may or may not being paying attention to her is, clearly, immaterial in Wysteria's opinion for she vaults smoothly to:]

That said, I agree entirely with your suggestion that we approach this in a purely hypothetical fashion. Let us be seen as overly cautious, and I suspect that any number of people within Riftwatch might indulge our... paranoia, let's say. If only due to an abundance of caution that such suspicions might escape the Gallows and reach the ears of the general populace or, Maker forbid, the Chantry.

[nonvenomous]

This is a polite way of me signaling to you that I would prefer not to play cards.

[ The idea of pretending not to be able to read Athessa’s every hand after the week he’s had is challenging enough for him to drop the pretense. ]

But I am very interested in familiarizing myself with Dalish constellations by sight, if you’re available.

[sulahnan]

[ That’s rather unexpected. ]

Sure. I can wait ‘til you get back or I can come meet you, whichever you’d rather.

[nonvenomous]

[ https://media.tenor.com/images/fda0bc0a82dd6754c66113a2b4dfa2e5/tenor.gif ]

I'm -- not actually sure. We're notified of an imminent arrival and dispatched to collect them.