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

[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?