therookery | Sending Crystal

FORM: Sending crystal
SENDER: Korrin Ataash
RECIPIENT: Anyone who has positive CR with Korrin (along with Inquisition leadership)
WHAT: The mystery of the missing people in Sahrnia is uncovered.
WHEN: At some point during her scouting mission
WHERE: Emprise du Lion
NOTES: Imprisonment, death, moral dilemmas.

Those with her on the scouting mission are welcome to overhear her making the message instead of responding to it over the crystal.

[Korrin hasn't interacted with others that much over the sending crystal while away, mostly because she's too tired to be social by the time there's a free moment. But after a particularly trying day, she needs a friendly voice and an outsider's perspective. For all that she's seen so much in her time as a mercenary, this still leaves her shaken.]

Fucking Red Templars. They have huge red lyrium mining operation to the south, which would be disturbing enough all on its own, just for deliberately messing with that shit. But of course they had to make it even worse. So many of the villagers have been captured and forced to work for them, kept cages when they're not being useful. Hell, some of them have already died from exposure or overwork and just...left there.

And it's not going to stop, from what we've seen. Sure, we can get to those on the fringes and free them, but if that keeps happening, they'll catch on and there goes any chance of truly stopping this. For all we know, they could kill all the rest if they realize we're onto them. And we can't get anywhere close to those at the center; they're too well-guarded and we'd be overwhelmed in a heartbeat. Fuck.

...tell me we're doing the right thing. Or at least give me news that isn't completely horrible.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

When the words die off, the others communicating back to Korrin either reaching conclusions or needing to go off on their own errands, Krem finds an opportunity to step in, in the form of laying a hand on the mage's shoulder and holding out a bottle that was gently steaming from its open top.

"This'll work," he says quietly, stepping over to take a seat beside her. "You're worrying yourself to death won't help us or the workers being kept caged though. We have the intelligence. Next step'll be made soon."

As Krem sits down beside her, Korrin leans into him a little. She heaves a sigh, unable to refute what's said though it's difficult when images of what she saw during that scouting trip with Katniss and Christine keep resurfacing. It was so much worse than what they'd thought.

"It'll still be too late for some, though. By the time the rest get here and we have the numbers to take on the quarry, a good chunk of those people will be gone. And there's nothing we can do about it." Either through exposure or starvation or overwork, their lives are already hanging by a thread. It won't take much for the Red Templars' mission to finish them off.

She stares at the bottle, unable to resist a swig but pausing after that. "You'd better take this away from me before long. Much as I want it, if my sobriety goes out the window, what restraint I have will be next. I can't promise I won't go charging off into the quarry, suicide mission or not."

Krem's arm wraps around Korrin as she leans on him, his head nudging against her shoulder gently. "Drink what you like, arna," he murmured. "I'll hold you down to keep you here if necessary."

Not that he thought she couldn't fight her way out of his grip if she really wanted to. Korrin could do any damn thing she wanted and he probably wouldn't be able to do a damn thing to stop her short of physically crippling action. Still, he didn't want her to simply wallow here looking and feeling miserable.

A weak smile twists her lips at that and she takes another sip, though still paces herself. "There wouldn't be a camp left afterward, you know. That blows our cover and defeats the purpose of our mission, doesn't it? Fucking mission, keeping our hands tied...."

She knows there's more to it than that, but now isn't the time to appeal to reason. Heartsick as she is, Korrin just doesn't want to hear it. At least Krem's voice and arms manage to keep her mood from further spiraling downward, a much-needed thing right now.

"Then you find another outlet. Something else that's useful to the cause here that doesn't involve loud noises and fire. Like...maybe helping me prepare the men for the upcoming fighting." That should at least expend some of the energy as well as getting her mind off the nastiness they'd witnessed here so far. "We've both seen more of what these monsters can do than most of my company, so who better to help them shape up to fight back?"

Thinking that over, Korrin can't deny such a sensible plan. She always hates wallowing anyway, and would much rather be useful somehow. Krem's idea would at least give her that opportunity. She nods slowly, brow furrowing. "You have a good point, of course. I can do that. It's better than sitting around hating everything, but unable to throw a proper tantrum about it. I'm not going to burden anyone on this mission, not while I still have some sanity left in me."

Better than wallowing, more productive than milling around the camp quietly, gives Korrin the chance to not only work with his men, but to hit something and help her break this funk or at least turn it toward something more useful. He couldn't see a flaw in the plan. "Good. Come with me and we can at least get together what we know."

"Alright, if my legs remember how to work. Time to see if they've locked up...." Setting aside the bottle for now, Korrin sighs as her body is slow to cooperate but she manages after a moment and offers a hand up. "Let's go, Krem."

"Remind me later, I'll grab one of Bull's heat packs, see if that doesn't help your legs." He knew the Iron Bull had joint problems in one of his legs at least, so there was always something around to help relieve that, either drink or potion or poultice or any number of things that could be easily nicked from his commander's belongings. Not that he didn't think Bull would know if someone had pilfered a pain reliever, but it wasn't so bad if it was one of his own men doing it.

Krem knocked off the train of thought and took the hand offered to him, standing up on his toes and slinging an arm around Korrin's neck, giving her a brief squeeze. "I don't know about you, but I'm already considering you an honorary Charger."

"Damnit, Krem...." Korrin's voice wavers slightly, not exactly in a position defend herself against the onslaught of feelings that brings. It's not like she hadn't thought about joining, at least before a certain revelations. And even afterward, there remains the vague hope that circumstances would change. Hearing that from him means more to her than she can say, so she gives up trying to respond other than to give him a squeeze in turn. She's relatively gentle but not too much, knowing what he can handle by now.

Krem knows that Korrin still has her hesitations about getting any nearer the Chargers than this. Still, he doesn't just want to give up on the hopes of her ever joining at all. For now though, he doesn't push it, just taking advantage of her squeezing him and how it lifts him up just a little more, his lips pressing to the hollow below her cheekbone. "Come on, let's go find them before they decide it's too cold and go set something else on fire."

That takes Korrin by surprise and she blinks back any forming tears before responding, not wanting to approach others in this state. Clearing her throat, she nods and offering a small but genuine smile. Somehow, he managed to make this terrible moment a little better. "Alright, lead the way."

Sending Crystal

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