crystal ||

[degenere]

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Valentine Nicasus Maxence Mérovée Olivier de Foncé & Kostos Averesch
RECIPIENT: Everybody
WHAT: This is fine
WHEN: Shortly after this

Inquisition. [Very somber, very Orlesian.] Especially members of the Scouting Division. We must demand your attention. Our beloved Head of Scouting, Beleth Ashara, has been tragically and most temporarily laid low by an ill-founded and frankly poorly researched experiment. In these coming weeks, please, join us in offering sincere prayers to Andraste for Beleth’s healing and recovery.

But tragedy must not forestall the work of the Inquisition! Beleth Ashara, eternally professional and aware of the solemn charge of her most important position, has temporarily assigned the duties and tasks of leading the Scouting Division to me: Valentine Nicasus Maxence Mérovée Olivier de Foncé.

[A pause, to properly savor the announcement--and then, as a small but gracious afterthought, he goes on--] And to her other dear friend--or at least, I imagine they must be dear friends, as I am with Beleth, for who better to trust with important work and secrets of the Division than friends--her dear friend, Kostos Averesch. You cannot see his face, of course, but he is quite thrilled.

Don't. [ --misrepresent his expression, which is distinctly not thrilled? address him? talk anymore at all? All of the above, maybe. Also: ] It is very temporary. [ If the Maker has any mercy at all. ] If you acquire information of immediate, war-changing importance, direct it to the remaining division heads. If you have questions about your pay or routine responsibilities, direct them to--him.

[ The one with the long name. He refuses to learn it, or at least to admit he's learned it. ]

[Very helpfully:] Valentine Nicasus Maxence Mérovée Olivier de Foncé. Val. And if you acquire any letters of well-wishing for Beleth Ashara, or come across any woodland creatures that need taming, you might direct either to Averesch, who is followed around by a large raven and might, possibly, be able to speak with animals. And if you acquire any interesting gossip you might direct it to us both.

[ Unseen, and unheard, Kostos' head lowers into his hands in defeat. ]

Above all, do not worry, Inquisition! Do not worry, scouts! We are more than capable of handling all that is asked of us. And we are, of course, treating this temporary but quite important reassignment with all due solemnity. In the name of the Inquisition, and of Beleth Ashara.

Comments

[aenseidhe]

For the effect is has after, of course. [ which is half the reason people drink alcohol, come on, man. ] The man is a Witcher - warriors in my world gone through mutations and trials to become strong enough to face the monsters and demons that plague our Continent. They are not so easily dispatched at the demons come from Rifts here.

[ some take some pretty specific solutions, and near all require silver. ]

Ah, the one with strange hats and the penchant for masks, is it not? An eccentric folk, your people. They likely need nothing stronger than sugar water.

[degenere]

I see.

[Okay but hear me out maybe try getting drunk and still enjoying it, wild but give it a shot]

I think that there are some demons more difficult to defeat than others, yes? There is a small variety. Unless you have met each demon that might tumble from a rift, in which case, please, excuse my assumption. I have only seen the illustrations of some more rare. They are something to behold. But perhaps if we all drank wormwood, we might find ourselves so spurred by the shit taste in our mouths. Or its other properties that might commend it. 'Mutations'.

[Like maybe it causes mutations? Who knows!]

But, yes. That is Orlais. Though your accent rendered that last part strangely--wine. Orlais is known for its wine. And its fashionable hats, and the masks, which, personally, I will confide to you, I detest.

[aenseidhe]

Had wormwood caused mutations on its own, I'd be a Witcher already. Nay, all it causes are hallucinations and bizarre dreams. Which can be incredibly fun, or deeply disturbing. The gamble of substance abuse.

[ clearly you have not sat in trenches with dudes trying to out-dude each other by gulping down gross stuff. Okay, but demons though - ]

Clearly not, nor have I met even most demons of my own land. I know I lack the qualifications for dealing with them. It's not so much a question of strength and endurance, though it's certainly part, but more of tactic, knowledge and professional ability. Such as Noonwraiths - most power at the noon hour, and require pieces of the life that created them in order to permanently dispose of them, as well as a silver sword. I believe something of a trap must be used to keep them corporeal enough to cut into. I wouldn't say for certain. [ Because, again, not a Witcher. He hasn't trained a lifetime to know these things. ] Many of our demons are of that kind of nature.

[ a snort of a laugh pulls from him, and yeah, okay, a few minor respect points for finding the masks fucking stupid. ]

No matter the people of origin, I doubt I will ever truly understand the values of fashion.

[degenere]

So it is the inspiration of shit taste. Very interesting.

[Like ahhhh it all makes sense now.]

But the way you speak of demons is interesting. Almost as if they are a species, and not monstrosities. Unnecessarily complicated, of course, full of strange specifics that might seem only superstitions. Are they creatures of study as well as a scourge, in your land?

[aenseidhe]

Taste in fashion is not the same as taste in alcohol.

[ he'll admit to having zero taste for fashion, sure, but fight him over alcohol. though, wormwood isn't the best example of that, as it's kind of like punching yourself in the throat for the sake of having a good time. ]

Can they not be both? [ monstrosities and species. just more complicated than big gross demons. because most life forms are complicated like that, so why should demons and the like be any different? ] Were that all they required was a lot of stabbing, we'd have plenty of armies for it and no need for Witchers to be created. They're studied for the sake of vanquishing the scourge, and I guarantee you, superstitions have nothing to do with it. I've seen villages leveled completely due to fools thinking they could chase something with a pitchfork or an ax to end a problem without needs of a Witcher's employ.

The monsters came to our world much like your rifts - from beyond our walls of reality, yet on a much grander scale. A dimensional bleed of multiple realities, and onto our lands they came all at once.

[degenere]

I suppose they might be both. This would require some adjustment of thought, to consider them as much--though we are nearly there as it is. Knowing little of it, I can speak only by educated assumption, but I would imagine there are tactics employed to defeat the different sorts, depending on their sort. Certainly we know that Rifters such as yourself are well-equipped to assist in the destruction of demons, and the closing of rifts, and so on.

[Actually--]

What project is it that you work on?

[aenseidhe]

I know nothing of rifts or demons in particular, aside from stabbing usually makes most things dead. Even if I were familiar with them where I came from, these are all different.

[ a pause, squinting at his crystal suspiciously, not that Val sees it. ]

What concern of it is yours?

[degenere]

Professional curiosity, of course. And a distaste for seeing talents wasted. If you have methods for dealing with your sorts of demons--as different as they might be, you could still be a valuable source of consultation for the Rifts and Veil project, yes?

Certainly you could innovate or offer alternatives to some of the thoughts that at present dominate the project. It is healthy always, to inject some-- what would it be called. Life, we will say. Lively contention.

[aenseidhe]

[ professional curiosity, you butthole. ]

Inessa seems to have it in hand well enough. We've met and she knows well enough how to reach me if there's topics she thinks I might have valuable input for. [ which is his way of saying, nah, too busy, sounds too magic, sounds like nope. ]

And I seem 'lively' to you? [ s q u i n t. ]

[degenere]

[Val heaves a sigh.]

A pitiable waste. But I will not try to convince you if you are so determined. We have a saying in Orlais. It does not translate very well, ah... "stubborn ass with a stubborn brain". Something along that. Like how an ass is stubborn, yes? The pack animal. Not the human ass.

[Kindly, helpfully, he edits:] Elven.

But you do seem quite lively. You would argue, with this?