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SENDING CRYSTAL
PASSING NOTES
IN PERSON
PASSING NOTES
IN PERSON
[It's not long after her arrival through the Rift and subsequent journey to the Gallows that Ness is approached by a tall, slender young man with a board and parchment. He inclines his head in greeting, offering a polite smile:]
Ennaris Tavane? I'm Benedict Artemaeus, Personnel Officer.
Ennaris Tavane? I'm Benedict Artemaeus, Personnel Officer.
[ ness was told to wait in the central tower for a mssr. artemaeus to meet her and explain her new situation more fully, andβwell, she would have waited, but the hustle and bustle of the gallows clean-up and rebuilding is vastly more interesting to watch than the interior walls and hallways of the tower. she didn't go far, at least, she's near the entrance to the central tower when benedict comes to meet her, and she turns to greet him with a somewhat guilty smile of her own. ]
Hi, yes, that's me! Ness, if Ennaris is too much of a mouthful, it's a pleasure to meet you Messere Artemaeus.
[ 'messere' doesn't sound quite natural on her lips yet, but she's been listening, she knows that's the polite address in this area of the world. ...at least, she's pretty certain it is. ]
[He doesn't seem bothered at all by the shift in location, in part because this one was on the way-- and knowing all the faces of his colleagues means identifying a new one is instant.]
Ness, [he repeats, making a note of it,] and you can call me Benedict. Or Artemaeus, whichever you prefer.
How are you finding it here? Settling in?
Ness, [he repeats, making a note of it,] and you can call me Benedict. Or Artemaeus, whichever you prefer.
How are you finding it here? Settling in?
[ people pleaser instincts don't like choices why have you done this to herβ ]
Yes, thank you! I've been trying to familiarize myself with the layout of everything, and I think there's a library I want to look at? I want to study the history here, it seems like a good place to start.
[ gotta figure out which nations hate each other and why so she doesn't put her foot in her mouth at any point, ey. ]
[He gives a little smile at her enthusiasm, straightening.]
The library is upstairs of the centr-- the tower, [oops,] and we've gathered quite a few resources over the years. If you can't find what you're looking for, you may be able to just ask someone. Just,
[there's a strange, frenetic look in his eyes-- don't fuck it up--]
be mindful of what you say on the network. Elves in particular have a complicated history, and I... would advise against calling anything a fairy tale.
The library is upstairs of the centr-- the tower, [oops,] and we've gathered quite a few resources over the years. If you can't find what you're looking for, you may be able to just ask someone. Just,
[there's a strange, frenetic look in his eyes-- don't fuck it up--]
be mindful of what you say on the network. Elves in particular have a complicated history, and I... would advise against calling anything a fairy tale.
[ fairy tale? elves have a complicated history? what?? many confused faces. although that does bring up, since ness by now has had an opportunity to notice she has experienced some, uh, changes— ]
Ah, on the subject of elves—I won't say anything about fairy tales, I swear—I... Well, this is going to sound ridiculous, but I seem to have... lost my ears?
[ she tucks her hair behind her very much existent ears, showing them off—them and their very rounded, blunt, human tips. ]
My father where I'm from is an elf, and my mother is a half-elf. This isn't the normal shape of my ears, [ and she is being very, very cool about it, she thinks, ] and I was wondering, does that... happen often?
....oh.
[He looks at her ears, then at her face, like he isn't quite sure what to say. Usually elves rift in as elves-- what an insane thing to think, how many different kinds of elves can there be-- never mind,]
I'm, [he hedges,] not sure. [He tosses his shiny hair, perhaps a grounding motion.]
I do know that people with mixed elf and human blood generally don't have the, ah, [he makes a pinching gesture,] points.
[He looks at her ears, then at her face, like he isn't quite sure what to say. Usually elves rift in as elves-- what an insane thing to think, how many different kinds of elves can there be-- never mind,]
I'm, [he hedges,] not sure. [He tosses his shiny hair, perhaps a grounding motion.]
I do know that people with mixed elf and human blood generally don't have the, ah, [he makes a pinching gesture,] points.
[ um. ] I... wasn't aware that was the case.
[ my dude half-elves are a whole ass thing, they've got the points, they've got the magic, what on the great fucking wheel are you talking about. ]
Perhaps that is a difference between your plane and mine, [ she allows eventually, rather than call this polite but nervous-seeming man an idiot to his face. ] It's, I mean, I'm not injured in any way, and it's not as though the points serve any, any function.
[ other than mark a physical marker of her ancestry and past and hoo boy we're not getting bogged down in being capital a Alone in an unfamiliar plane, nope. blowing right past that emotional turmoil, onto something that surely can't be worse! ]
A, erm. A complicated history, you said?
[oh Maker this is so awkward, why did he say anything,]
Perhaps, [he says weakly, quickly adding,] I'm glad you're not injured.
[He opens his mouth as if to answer her next question, and, realizing where he's put himself, has a full thought process first. Then:]
One of... significant loss, and subjugation. I'm not really the right person to tell you about it. [on account of not being an elf, mostly, but there are Other Reasons]
--I'd be glad to introduce you to someone who could do a better job of it, though.
Perhaps, [he says weakly, quickly adding,] I'm glad you're not injured.
[He opens his mouth as if to answer her next question, and, realizing where he's put himself, has a full thought process first. Then:]
One of... significant loss, and subjugation. I'm not really the right person to tell you about it. [on account of not being an elf, mostly, but there are Other Reasons]
--I'd be glad to introduce you to someone who could do a better job of it, though.
[ what the hells kind of topsy turvy world is this, even, elves subjugated?? much reading and research to be done, goodness. ]
I would be very glad for the introduction, then. So, we've covered elves and fairy tales—is there anything else I need to know with immediacy, to avoid making an arse of myself?
(Continued from over here.)
[Cedric makes the introduction which, inevitably, feels a bit like a hand-off. Enchanter Julius, when he arrives is a tall man in his 40s, his initial expression concerned but sympathetic. (The air of a teacher, as promised.) He's dressed in trousers and a tunic, rather than robes, but he's brought his staff. He also has a a small bag of supplies slung over one shoulder.
After Cedric promises to stay close and excuses himself, Julius leans the staff close enough he can reach it, but out of the way as he settles next to her.]
Alright. So I've had a little bit, but if you feel up to it, why don't you tell me what's been happening? I think the more I know, the more helpful I can probably be.
[His tone is kind, quiet. There will be a lot to deal with in the morning, but right now, he can't help but be affected by a young woman in magical distress.]
[OOC: Happy to adjust if you want to approach this another way, just lmk.]
[Cedric makes the introduction which, inevitably, feels a bit like a hand-off. Enchanter Julius, when he arrives is a tall man in his 40s, his initial expression concerned but sympathetic. (The air of a teacher, as promised.) He's dressed in trousers and a tunic, rather than robes, but he's brought his staff. He also has a a small bag of supplies slung over one shoulder.
After Cedric promises to stay close and excuses himself, Julius leans the staff close enough he can reach it, but out of the way as he settles next to her.]
Alright. So I've had a little bit, but if you feel up to it, why don't you tell me what's been happening? I think the more I know, the more helpful I can probably be.
[His tone is kind, quiet. There will be a lot to deal with in the morning, but right now, he can't help but be affected by a young woman in magical distress.]
[OOC: Happy to adjust if you want to approach this another way, just lmk.]
[ some of the ease cedric had hard-fought to win out of her leaves with the hand-off, but not as much as could have: ness is accustomed to professorial types, and the presence of a familiar mien is calming, even if she's still nervous. it's difficult to begin, but it always would have been, no matter the circumstances or who she was explaining it to. ]
I didn't have magic before I came here, [ she starts, finding the threads of the story as she speaks. ] I was entirely average. Extremely so. The only interesting thing about me is my father's drowβa dark elf.
[ her fingers reach up, admirably still unless you look closely, and finger the point of an ear that isn't there anymore, replaced with the rounded cartilage of a human. lips purse, chin wobblesβshe presses on. ]
Before I woke up here, I was... kidnapped. Taken. There are these things, [ she shudders, ] mindflayers. They infect you with their parasite and seven days later you die, and something that isn't at all you anymore takes your place. They meant that for me, but there was
[ a breath, eyes closed, don't linger, ]
a disturbance. I avoided the parasite, but got a faceful of its brine. Now, here, IβI do things, entirely on accident.
[ that is very important, on that she opens her eyes and seeks julius' gaze, earnest and pleading. ]
I haven't hurt anyone. I don't want to. It's all out of my control and I didn't know what to do but I didn't want to die, I read so many thingsβ
Edited (gdi typos i'm so sorry i'm done) 2024-07-19 05:11 (UTC)
continued from.
Sorcerer, [ Strange corrects automatically, a kneejerk instinct; the verbiage doesnβt even really matter anymore, but he stands on the principle of getting it right. Naming things as they are. And the terminology might matter for a particular rifter universe, because he still remembers Wysteria being precise about the definitions between magicians, sorcerers, wizards, witches.
Seated beside this young woman, he peers over to look a little closer at the titles sheβd selected to read, thinking: Oghma, the god of knowledge. He doesnβt much truck with gods, but if thereβs one to follow, that sounds better than most. ]
It might be the same thing at the end of the day, however, and similar to what they call a mage here. Someone whoβs studied and practiced magic and is capable of harnessing its powers to cast spells, yes?
[ she opens her mouth to argue the point immediately, then closes it again just as quickly, rethinking her strategy. they're in a completely different plane, each from different worlds: perhaps sorcerer means something different to him than it does to her.
that in mind, she begins again, less immediately confrontational this time. ] Yes, though on my plane they're different. Those who have to learn their magic [ she nods at him, at the books in front of her—not magical tomes, but just to indicate the kind of study required, ] are called wizards, they have no innate magical talent and learn their spells by rote. Sorcerers, whether through birth or contact with intense magical energies later in life, are innately magical, they don't need to learn anything.
As you say, though, [ leaning back in her seat and smiling up at him, ] at the end of the day, the differences matter little here. A sorcerer is a wizard is a mage, whatever we called them in our previous lives.
All rifters have a lot to cope with when they arrive, but it sounds as if you've more than your share. [He doesn't have to feign the sympathy in his voice.] It's not something exactly like I've run across before, I confess. I know that some rifters have different abilities here than they do where they come from, but in general they had some sort of magical ability. Other than the powers that come from the anchor shards themselves, most rifters who didn't do magic before don't do any in Thedas. But let's walk before we try to run.
I take it that one of the things you've read about is how the Templar Order and the Circles dealt with mages who couldn't control their magic. Is that right?
I take it that one of the things you've read about is how the Templar Order and the Circles dealt with mages who couldn't control their magic. Is that right?
It's not unheard of, where I'm from, [ in explanation, still a little miserable about it. ] Contact with magical energies can give one magic, in certain circumstances. It may be that I acquired my magic there, but there was no opportunity to discover it before I woke here.
[ seeing as she died there minutes after she might have acquired her magic—but we're not thinking about that. done is done, no use crying over spilt blood. ]
Yes. [ whispered, somewhat ashamed for reasons she can't quite articulate. ] Death or, ah, the other thing. Tranquility?
That's right. I won't tell you that there's no danger in the larger world; I grew up in a Circle myself. But I can assure you that Riftwatch isn't in the habit of putting anyone to death or forcing Tranquility on them. We may need to take some steps to keep you or others safe. But within Riftwatch itself, you're not in danger of those particular steps.
[He's not technically a Division head, to promise such a thing. On the other hand, they've been dealing with arguably worse rifter problems for a while now.]
Can you describe to me what you've experienced, since you've come here? Don't worry about any technical terms, just how to feels and appears to you.
[He's not technically a Division head, to promise such a thing. On the other hand, they've been dealing with arguably worse rifter problems for a while now.]
Can you describe to me what you've experienced, since you've come here? Don't worry about any technical terms, just how to feels and appears to you.
[ hearing is not believing, and ness' expression doesn't quite clear up, even with the enchanter's assurances. she wants to believe him, she really does, but wanting is exactly why it feels so hard to trustβit would be so easy to tell her exactly what she wants to hear, and then turn around and betray her as soon as she let down her guard. that's what all the smart villains do, and even the well-meaning heroes who don't know who they're working for.
still, the conversation goes nowhere if she doesn't take him at his word, at least for now. so ness nods her acceptance of his promise and stares at her hands, considering. ]
It begins in my stomach, [ she says slowly, hushed, ] a squirming feeling, like I have to vomit. It gets more intense, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, but it feels less like illness and more like... like there's something inside of me writhing to get out. It presses at, at the walls of me, so much that I think there must be some distention in my skin but there never is. It travels up my body and to my anchor and when it frees itself it's these... I don't know how to describe them.
[ she inhales a shaky breath and flexes the fingers on her anchor hand, unable to look julius in the eye anymore. it sounds bad. it sounds really bad. she knows. ]
Whips, maybe. Vines, or... tentacles. Tendrils of some kind of concentrated darkness that reach to beat at anything near me. They don't last long, but they can be destructive, even so. The writhing stops as soon as they're free. It doesn't feel like anything, after that.
Well,
[he thinks,]
we were recently attacked. As you may have noticed by our facilities being in some state of... disrepair. It's fair to say we're all still rather sore about that.
[FAIR]
You don't seem the type to joke lightly about misfortunes, so I imagine you'll be all right.
[he thinks,]
we were recently attacked. As you may have noticed by our facilities being in some state of... disrepair. It's fair to say we're all still rather sore about that.
[FAIR]
You don't seem the type to joke lightly about misfortunes, so I imagine you'll be all right.
—ah. [ taken aback, ] No, I didn't plan on making light of your collective tragedy.
[ she might have wondered if this was a purposeful aesthetic, but she wouldn't have asked.
probably. ]
Have people done that? Made light of the destruction of your home?
Not intentionally. Rifters arrive out of sorts, in a new place, grasping for some kind of familiarity. People say things without thinking first, on both sides.
[such is life]
But I don't imagine that'll be a problem on your end. Do you have any other questions to get you settled in?
[such is life]
But I don't imagine that'll be a problem on your end. Do you have any other questions to get you settled in?
Many, [ questions, ] but they can probably all wait, I'm sure you have more important things to do than answer a few hundred questions about your home. I can fend for myself otherwise.
[ she gives what is hopefully a reassuring and grateful smile, but then, a thought: ]
Oh, for sleeping arrangements, is there... I've seen tents, do I get one?
Edited 2024-08-01 03:37 (UTC)
As you think of them, feel free to ask.
[Her question about the tents gives him pause, and he falls silent a moment, thinking it over.]
You'll probably be placed in an empty spot, since we haven't got enough for everyone to be alone. You might... want to ask if anyone's got space.
[Her question about the tents gives him pause, and he falls silent a moment, thinking it over.]
You'll probably be placed in an empty spot, since we haven't got enough for everyone to be alone. You might... want to ask if anyone's got space.
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