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Topic: Fancy Seeing You Here [Complete] (Read 606 times)
nithu Guest
Re: Fancy Seeing You Here [Closed] « Reply #45 on Jan 18, 2012, 3:51pm »
Vaia explained how the collective worked, how mages and non-mages worked together to keep mages out of the clutches of the Chantry.
"Won't lie - risky work. Mages don't have the luxury of security. Suspect that doesn't faze you, though."
Aled grinned. ”If I was after security, I’d never had gone into my line of work. Like I said, I dunno if I’m staying round here. Probably not. There doesn’t seem much point now. I dunno if I could do the stuff Will did, all that wilderness, it’s not really my thing. I’m a city boy born and bred. I’ll probably head back to Denerim. Maybe travel with Will as far as Amaranthine.” He shrugged. ”Mebbe if you can tell me who to contact, I can help out.”
Aled sipped his drink, his mind drifting back to the stories of pirates and smugglers Nonna used to tell. He knew it wouldn’t be as exciting as it had sounded at five years old, but the idea of thumbing his nose at the Chantry had its appeal. Twenty years later, he was still looking for adventure. He knew Nonna would approve; his mam had always said Nonna had no time for the Chantry. He chuckled to himself at the thought.
”So, what are your plans? Get your tract printed, then what? Will you always have to keep running?”
Re: Fancy Seeing You Here [Closed] « Reply #46 on Jan 18, 2012, 11:14pm »
”If I was after security," replied Aled with a grin, "I’d never had gone into my line of work."
Vaia envied him - that he had a choice in doing that. The bitterness that might otherwise accompany that thought didn't come, though, her mood softened by the drink.
"Like I said, I dunno if I’m staying round here. Probably not. There doesn’t seem much point now. I dunno if I could do the stuff Will did, all that wilderness, it’s not really my thing. I’m a city boy born and bred. I’ll probably head back to Denerim. Maybe travel with Will as far as Amaranthine.” He shrugged. ”Mebbe if you can tell me who to contact, I can help out.”
Vaia nodded. "I can - Fiagaí can, too, should you accompany him. Let me know once you decide."
Aled sipped his drink, then chuckled quietly.
”So, what are your plans? Get your tract printed, then what?"
Vaia frowned for a moment, considering just what to say. It occurred to her she'd done little to plan ahead as she usually did. Instead she'd hurled herself in, as her strong feelings on the subject allowed her no less.
"Distribution," she said after a moment. "Engaging the like-minded, collaborating." She knew there were more radical elements in the Collective that would be amenable to her ideas, but hadn't tried to contact them as of yet. Drawing attention to herself might hinder her efforts to get it printed. "Lyrium's but one bar in the cell-door. I'm not the only one keen on breaking it."
In a perfect world, that wouldn't entail violence. But almost every other option was removed by the Chantry. A peaceful dialogue was next to impossible with the threats of imprisonment, Annulment, and Tranquility.
But she had to try - if only to prove to herself she wasn't the bloodthirsty monster she'd been labelled as. She'd been all-too-close to becoming that in her brush with possession.
"Will you always have to keep running?,” Aled asked.
"Yes," she said with a shrug. "Always knew I'd find no rest 'til the pyre. At least waking has purpose, now."
"Strange," she mused. "Year ago? Would've called it impractical. Waste of effort. Been going on, what, almost a millennia?" She shook her head. "Then I got a closer look. System's even more diseased than I originally thought."
"Isn't that I think it'll be any easier to change, now. But the alternative..." Vaia trailed off, eyeing the last few sips of mead in her glass before downing them in one go.
She could fight back, or give in and crumble before despair.
Pride made the latter impossible, now. Maybe it was good for something after all.
Re: Fancy Seeing You Here [Closed] « Reply #47 on Jan 19, 2012, 3:23pm »
Aled listened to Vaia’s plans for the future. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her to be careful, to warn her that her actions were likely to be extremely unpopular—to say the least—but he bit back the words. Vaia knew what she was doing. She wasn’t a naïve idealist; she was savvy and cynical. Even he could see his warning would be patronising.
"Will you always have to keep running?.”
She shrugged. "Yes. Always knew I'd find no rest 'til the pyre. At least waking has purpose, now."
That was a depressing thought. Aled sighed. ”That sounds so…tiring.
Vaia looked thoughtful. "Strange. Year ago? Would've called it impractical. Waste of effort. Been going on, what, almost a millennia?" She shook her head. "Then I got a closer look. System's even more diseased than I originally thought. Isn't that I think it'll be any easier to change, now. But the alternative..." Her voice trailed off.
”It isn’t the same everywhere. Nonna—my grandmother—was from Rivain. My mam told me that they don’t have the Chantry there at all.” Aled shook his head in wonder at the mere idea. ”I’m not sure what they do have, but I know she said that they don’t believe in the Maker or Andraste.” Aled lowered his voice to utter such blasphemy. Not because he believed, but because uttering such words could bring unwelcome attention. ”I wish I’d known her better, when I was older, I mean. I’d love to be able to ask her about things like this. As it is, I barely remember her.” Aled swallowed the last of his mead, lost in the few memories he did have.
Re: Fancy Seeing You Here [Closed] « Reply #48 on Jan 19, 2012, 5:40pm »
”That sounds so…tiring."
"...it is," Vaia confirmed quietly.
”It isn’t the same everywhere. Nonna—my grandmother—was from Rivain. My mam told me that they don’t have the Chantry there at all.” Aled shook his head in disbelief; he lowered his voice as he continued. ”I’m not sure what they do have, but I know she said that they don’t believe in the Maker or Andraste.”
"More common than the Chantry would have you think," said Vaia with a nod. "Chasind, Avvar, Dalish... all have their own gods - ones that let magi" - she corrected herself - "most magi run free, even become leaders."
”I wish I’d known her better, when I was older, I mean. I’d love to be able to ask her about things like this. As it is, I barely remember her.” Aled downed the last of his mead, getting a faraway look.
"Rivain has seers - mages who guide the people," said Vaia after a moment. She knew a little about the place, precious few details gleaned from the hearsay amongst apostates, but Aled might still be interested to know. "Your amulet's their work, I suspect."
Re: Fancy Seeing You Here [Closed] « Reply #49 on Jan 21, 2012, 5:31am »
Vaia reeled off a list of peoples that, like Rivain, didn’t believe in the Maker. Chasind, Avvar, Dalish. He blinked. That was a lot of people. It was something that hadn’t occurred to him before. Of course, he’d known about Rivain, but had never really thought about it. Furthermore, Vaia pointed out that these people didn’t imprison their mages.
"Rivain has seers - mages who guide the people," Vaia told him. "Your amulet's their work, I suspect."
Aled’s hand went up to the amulet around his neck, his eyes wide. ”It is? You mean its magic? That is really is lucky? Can magic do that?” The thought was rather unnerving. He laughed at himself as he dropped his hand.
”S’funny, I’ve always liked to wear it, been a bit superstitious about it, but really, I think Mam had the right idea; we make our own luck.” He paused, trying to get his thoughts in order.
”I mean... look at you. Cullen turning up when he did was the worst luck. You were so...so vulnerable. When you said you were going to Lothering with him and Dev–I thought that was it for you. Yet you escaped, you and Dev made it happen. You saw an opportunity and took it. You made your own luck. I suppose, for you, it was truly luck that put Devlin there, not some other templar that would have been happy to see you locked up. Aled shrugged. His thoughts were getting all tangled up and he wasn’t sure what he was trying to say any more. He felt his face grow hot.
”Ignore me. I’m probably talking bollocks.” He looked at the bottle of mead. Probably best not to have any more; he was talking too much as it was. If he didn’t stop now, things might start to smell purple. He sniggered at the thought, then tried to turn it into a cough.
Re: Fancy Seeing You Here [Closed] « Reply #50 on Jan 22, 2012, 8:21am »
Aled goggled at Vaia, his hand brushing across the amulet. ”It is? You mean its magic? That is really is lucky? Can magic do that?”
"Yes and no," said Vaia. "Isn't enchanted in a strict sense. But it calms you - brings focus and clarity under fire. Can be as potent as a spell."
"Magic, emotion... children of the same mother." She wasn't drunk enough for her accent to slip in, but her speech was looser, less clipped, less purely utilitarian. "Good mages control both. Tranquil are cut off from the Fade, so they experience neither."
”S’funny, I’ve always liked to wear it, been a bit superstitious about it, but really, I think Mam had the right idea; we make our own luck. I mean... look at you. Cullen turning up when he did was the worst luck. You were so...so vulnerable."
Vaia toyed with her empty glass, grimacing uncomfortably at 'vulnerable', but said nothing. It was true, wasn't it? And that vulnerability - that weakness - nearly destroyed them all.
"When you said you were going to Lothering with him and Dev–I thought that was it for you. Yet you escaped, you and Dev made it happen. You saw an opportunity and took it. You made your own luck. I suppose, for you, it was truly luck that put Devlin there, not some other templar that would have been happy to see you locked up." Aled shrugged, an embarrassed flush creeping up his face. ”Ignore me. I’m probably talking bollocks.”
"Maybe. Aren't many opportunities," she muttered. "Always a mage."
A more pious woman might called Devlin a blessing. No distant god sent him, though. Just purest chance - a rare bright star in an uncaring universe.
"Happenstance," Vaia said finally. "That's what it was. Didn't even see an opportunity - escape was his idea." She shook her head. "I refused. Could feel my... myself slipping away. Just wanted to die human, not a monster. But he wouldn't let me just... give up." Disbelief tinged her voice. She never expected such support, least of all from a templar, rogue or no.
Vaia glanced up at Aled, realizing she was beginning to ramble - by her standards, anyways. "Could've chosen better company," she said with a self-deprecating snort. "I'm a moody drunk."
Re: Fancy Seeing You Here [Closed] « Reply #51 on Jan 22, 2012, 9:59am »
"Maybe. Aren't many opportunities," Vaia muttered. "Always a mage."
”No, you can’t change that.”
"Happenstance, that's what it was. Didn't even see an opportunity - escape was his idea. I refused. Could feel my... myself slipping away. Just wanted to die human, not a monster. But he wouldn't let me just... give up."
”Okay, so this time, Dev made your luck, but what about in the past? Yes, you’re a mage, but look around you. Most mages are in the tower. You’ve never even been in the tower. There must have been lots of times over the years that you could have ended up in there, but you didn’t. You’re a mage, but you’re not powerless and certainly not passive.”
Aled shook his head. He’d had too much mead and wasn’t sure what point he was trying to prove any more. It was all getting muddled up. ”Call it luck that Dev was with you, or call it happenstance… I’m glad he was.”
"Could've chosen better company." Vaia snorted. "I'm a moody drunk." ”It’s been so long since I was well and truly drunk, I can’t remember what type of drunk I am.” Aled smiled at her. ”I am a little tipsy though. It makes me talk too much, muddles my thinking. I tend to make stupid decisions when I’m drunk.”
Like the last time I was tipsy, going to bed with Dev—that probably wasn’t a good idea, in hindsight.
”I’ve had more than I should. I should probably call it a night.” Aled pushed his empty glass away.
Re: Fancy Seeing You Here [Closed] « Reply #52 on Jan 22, 2012, 10:11pm »
”Okay, so this time, Dev made your luck, but what about in the past? Yes, you’re a mage, but look around you. Most mages are in the tower. You’ve never even been in the tower. There must have been lots of times over the years that you could have ended up in there, but you didn’t. You’re a mage, but you’re not powerless and certainly not passive.”
Vaia echoed him incredulously. "The past?" She could feel frustration and indignation rising. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she took a moment to steady herself against it. When she spoke again her voice was carefully restrained and stiff.
"I was ten. Ten when the magic... happened. Lot of mages get it younger."
"Only reason I didn't make it to the Tower? Rebels picked that day to harass the templars. They took me with them. When I was old enough to make a decision myself, I'd been on the run for nearly a decade."
"Choice between surviving and not is... no choice at all." She sighed. "Forget it. I shouldn't have brought it up."
Aled shook his head. ”Call it luck that Dev was with you, or call it happenstance… I’m glad he was.”
Vaia agreed with him on that point, at least. "...me too." More than I can say.
Vaia's alcohol-fueled moodiness was bothering even her, and she said as much.
”It’s been so long since I was well and truly drunk, I can’t remember what type of drunk I am,” he said with a smile. ”I am a little tipsy though. It makes me talk too much, muddles my thinking. I tend to make stupid decisions when I’m drunk.”
”I’ve had more than I should." He pushed his empty tumbler away. "I should probably call it a night.”
Vaia looked up at him. "I'm not very good at..." She trailed off, searching for the right word. "...people." She grimaced - it sounded lame even to her. She gestured to the lyrium sitting on the table. "But thank you. This is a choice. A future."
Re: Fancy Seeing You Here [Closed] « Reply #53 on Jan 30, 2012, 11:58am »
”I’m not very good at...people” Vaia pulled a face, then gestured at the lyrium. "But thank you. This is a choice. A future."
Aled shrugged, turning his face away to hid his embarrassment. He wasn’t used to doing anything useful, much less being thanked for it. He wasn’t sure how to respond. It occurred to him that he wasn’t much better ‘with people’ than Vaia.
Aled stood up. His chair scraped along the floor as he pushed it back. ”I’ll be getting off then. I’ll catch up with you before I head back to Denerim. Mebbe you can give me a name or two for when I get there... you know, to help out.”
He headed to the door and pulled it open. He turned back to look at Vaia before he stepped outside. ”Good night.”
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