therookery | { OPEN }

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{ OPEN }

FORM: Sending crystal
SENDER: Tessa (and Ignis in the background)
RECIPIENT: Everyone in the Gallows
WHAT: ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL? Also a Rifter mixer?
WHEN: right here, right now
WHERE: The Gallows

[ There's the sound of movement and a fancy voice (aka Ignis) talking with someone about food. But he's obviously at a bit of a distance from the crystal. When a voice speaks, it's way less fancy. It's Tessa. ]

Heeeey, Tessa here. And Ignis. So I'll bet the Tourney got us all pumped and ready for more sports, right? [ Tessa sounds pretty energetic right now, as if she's had a few coffees, or is just really, really pumped to bring this idea into being. ] Well, I hope so, because I've got a sport from home I'd love to introduce here. It's called football.

[ A pause. ]

American football, before any of you Rifters think I mean soccer. Anyway, football is super cool. You have two teams face off trying to throw or carry a ball towards a goal. They get four attempts to make it at least 10 yards, and if they don't, they have to kick the ball away to the other team so they can try to do the same. There's tackling involved, but I figure if we get a real diverse group together, we should do flag football rules. That's where you wear a sash tucked into your pants, and if the opposing team grabs it and pulls it off, it counts as a tackle. Anyway, there's a ton of rules to explain, but I wanna see if there's genuine interest first. [ From behind her, Ignis adds in that they still need to find someone to construct these footballs too. ] Right, we have to do that. And if any other Rifters wanna help me explain the rules if you know them? Like I'd watch every season on tv, but I'll bet I'll forget stuff.

[ Now she takes a second to gather her thoughts, and Ignis takes the opportunity to lightly say: And tomorrow? His tone is teasing, but he's reminding her to stay on track with what else she wanted to say. ]

Right. Speaking of Rifters, I was wondering if we all shouldn't meet up. Casually. Not as anything political, but because we all share one thing in common and we're all so diverse. I think we could learn a lot from each other, and nobody knows what we face in getting settled here like people who've been through it before. Like if we want to integrate into this world, it'd be nice to know people it's okay to turn to and ask questions. And I get it: we're all so different and some of us are loudmouths, or jerks, and you don't wanna associate with them. That's fine. I can't force anybody to turn up. But if you do, then let's meet up and all hang out. How's tomorrow night sound, in the main courtyard? [ That way anyone can see they're literally just hanging out, not making evil demon plans to overthrow the Inquisition. ] Ignis and I are working on the food situation now, so there'll be stuff to eat. It'll be sorta like a party where we all mingle; not some weird group meeting where we all sit in a circle and talk one at a time.

[ Ignis's voice carries over one last time: Not to disparage sitting around in a circle, but let's skip the formalities for now. There'll be plenty of time for that later. ]

Heh, yeah. This is just hanging out and getting to know each other. Anyway, let us know what you think!

[ ooc: a mingle log will go up tomorrow for just this thing! ]

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That's a great idea.

[ Er... ] The meetup, I mean. I'll definitely come, we absolutely need to know each other better. Especially if a few of us intend to speak for all of us.

[ Aw, not the football? Football's fun, man! ]

Thanks! That's just what I was thinking. I'm Tessa. What's your name?

[ He's a ranged fighter, okay, this does not sound ideal for him. ]

Arohaerd. I haven't been here for very long, and honestly I don't know that many people. I'm not even sure who all the rifters are, honestly.

Dude, same here! I've only been here two months and I heard there's only like, thirty of us. Or thirty-something. Some have apparently been here years. And I figure if everyone else is gonna clump us up into a group, we may as well know who we all are.

I'm learning that some of us are real assholes, though. Still, better I know who they are.

That's not surprising. People of all kinds have a knack for treating people badly, and rifters are all kinds of people.

[ Beat. ]

I'm sorry, though, if someone's giving you a hard time. That doesn't help any of us. Did you arrive in the snow, out of interest?

Eh, it's fine. Either I can handle it, or I can hang up. That's the nice thing about these crystals.

[ Plus after going through the sort of things she's gone through, she's not going to sit politely and let people walk all over her. Which is definitely why she hasn't volunteered to be the fourth diplomat going to Skyhold. Knowing when to say the right things and when to acquiesce isn't her strong suit. ]

Nah, I arrived in that city. Um, Amaranthine? I think that's what it's called. You got the snow, huh? I heard about that.

I got the snow.

[ That was not a fun time. The city was better; at least it got him out of Kirkwall for a while. ]

I went to Amaranthine, though, I remember that. I know which one I'd prefer, but I don't suppose exchanging worlds is easy in any case. Is your world very different? Aside from the unusual sports.

It's... oddly different and yet not? Like, okay, my world? Was way more advanced than here. My world was like this one maybe seven hundred years ago, minus the magic. But less than a year ago, this huge plague broke out and killed tons of people and turned others into... really terrible things. So society collapsed and all our advancements didn't mean anything anymore. So weirdly enough, this isn't a huge difference because I was surviving however I could, but there's still enough going on here that I need to learn about. Especially since I don't ever want to go back home. It's really not a home anymore.

[ A pause. ]

And I realize that's really heavy and I just sorta threw that all on you, but I'm really okay moving on from it and not talking about it if you'd rather not.

[ Well, that. He really wasn't expecting that. ]

That's...I don't even know what to say. That's really terrible, I'm so sorry you had to go through that.

I think you might be the first rifter I've met who really doesn't want to go home. Not that I blame you, I just worry about how unwelcome we are here with so many people. I don't think that would make this an easy life, longterm. Or short term. But considering what you've come from...

Thanks. That's nice of you to say.

[ And she knows she kind of pushed him into a corner to say that, because in explaining her world, it's unavoidable that she'll hear "I'm sorry" because there's really not a lot that can be said. So she's always down for rolling past it quickly and not getting bogged down in it. ]

I've met one other, though she didn't really go into detail, and another guy suggested that I might find a way to another world instead. Seeing how people still know so little about these rifts, I can't see using them to jump ship to another world any time soon. And yeah, I get we're definitely not the world's favorite people here, but I've gotten use to making do with what little I've got. "Still alive since '85." That's my motto.

[ Since 85 what, Aro wonders? What a strange saying. ]

Considering the rifts seem to open to many worlds, I should like to think we could do better than one that's convinced we're demons. Not to mention there's the things in our hands.

[ He would like that gone, please and thank you, if he hasn't mentioned that yet. ]

We have to believe we'll one day have a choice. Otherwise, this is nothing but a very nice prison. Even if it is better than where you came from.

[ She's a strange woman. ]

Yeah. [ She's silent for a long moment. ] Like, I agree with you. It sucks. We have to stick together because of the anchor things, and we don't have true freedom... but I can say it's better than what I was going through before I came here. Or at least it is for the moment.

[ That might change, and things might turn out to be as bad as the medical staff she was trying to help treating her not so great back home. ]

[ Aro nods. The lesser of two evils. It's not a position he'd want to be in, and he feels great sympathy for Tessa. ]

Honestly, I shouldn't at all like to think it would be worse. I hope we're never at that stage. Can I ask if you've actually joined the Inquisition, one of the Divisions?

Yeah, I joined Forces. Base Operations falls under that and I joined up to do random upkeep stuff around the place. Not really sure I can specialize in anything, really.

Oh! So you work for Salvio.

[ Says Aro, brightening considerably. He likes Salvio, though he doubts that feeling is mutual. ]

He seems all right. Genuine enough, anyway. I haven't joined any part of it, at least not yet. Are you happy there?

Yeah!

[ She likes Salvio too, but that's probably because she finds his neurotic nature endearing. One of these days, she'll get a whole sentence out of him where he doesn't sound like he's going to faint by the end of it. It's her new goal. ]

No one can file paperwork like that man. [ Which she's sure he'd take as a compliment if he heard her say it. ] And it's all right. It's probably where I belong since I either don't find the other projects interesting or don't have the talents to make any impact there. I'm used to doing the grunt work.

[ Aro personally finds teasing him a lot more entertaining. It's all in good humour, though, he promises! ]

I'm sure the work's all important. You don't have to be putting a sword to demons to be useful. Anyway, I'm glad you've found something stable? I think perhaps you deserve it after all that.

Yeah, but putting a sword to things sounds cool. Oh, well. I'll bet none of these guys have beaten a zombie to death with a shovel, so at least I've got that. But stability's good. I'm all for it. Not saying I wouldn't like a rift to drop me into a world with phones and cars, but it is what it is.

Personally I'd use fire instead of a shovel, but you know. Use whatever's on hand.

[ Kill them all with fire, Tessa. ]

Um, can I ask -- what exactly is a phone?

Well I'd need a lighter for that.

[ Not everybody has magic, dude. :| ]

Oh! It's like these crystals, only the ones I'm talking about have video too. And the internet. Basically things to keep you connected to the world at large. Pretty advanced stuff.

[ Suffice it to say, much of this concept is over his head. ]

You use...a little device, to connect to the world?

[ Is he the only one who thinks this sounds crazy?! This sounds crazy. ]

Connect to it how, I mean. Talking to someone at a distance is all very well, I know, but you're not really meeting people that way, are you?

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