crystal; semi-private.

[cozen]

FORM: Crystal
SENDERS/RECIPIENTS: Adrasteia, Edgard, Ellis, Matthias, Bastien, and maybe some guest stars
NOTES: Conversation catch-all for this plot!

[ If the team fanning out across Ferelden and Orlais doesn't periodically make some noise to let him know they're all alive, Bastien will break the silence with a laidback, ]

Ça va?

[ But they're more than welcome to talk without prompting. ]

Comments

[heorte]

Furness can be crossed from your list. There was no attack.

[cozen]

No?

[ Chair creak, paper shuffling. He’s looking for a letter just to make sure he didn’t make a mistake. ]

Someone said… Well, I am sorry to have made you go all that way.

[heorte]

You needn't apologize. There was a fire, just not one we need concern ourselves with.

[cozen]

Ah. I suppose that is good news. Or... news, at least, instead of bad news.

[heorte]

Say it that way, and you'll have bad news meet me at my next stop for certain.

[kantikoy]

I'm outside of Vitroluçon and I think I've found something. Do we know anyone who can translate Tevene? I can write what I've got, or at least spell it out.

[heorte]

Madame de Cedoux would know if we have someone on hand. Or might be able to do it herself.

[cozen]

Ouais—or if it only Tevene, [ rather than encrypted, ] then Madame d'Asgard—

[ They share an office. So there's a change in volume while he leans away from the crystal to say, ]

If you aren't too busy, Alexandrie.

[muckspout]

Do you think rich people worry about their appearance all of the time or do they just really really like to look at themselves?

[kantikoy]

Oh I'm sure it's a little of both, honestly.

[cozen]

I think everyone would like to look at themselves all the time, if they could afford to dress that way.

[kantikoy]

[ Adrasteia gives a small snort. ] True enough.

[muckspout]

Even when you were reading? Shouldn't someone reading be...looking at the books?

[A small huff.]

Don't understand it.

[kantikoy]

Wait, you've found a mirror in someone's library?

Could it be an eluvian?

[muckspout]

a what now?

[kantikoy]

A magical mirror.

[muckspout]

[With a quaver in his voice.]

What sort of magic?

[kantikoy]

Moves you from one place to another, but I think you'd have to walk through it for that to work.

[muckspout]

Can I touch it?

[He's gunna touch it.]

[kantikoy]

Be careful!

[inkindled]

More that only rich people have got the time to be looking at themselves so much, isn't it.

[muckspout]

Suppose so. Not enough time to think things through though. If I had a great mirror like this, wouldn't put it in a library!

[inkindled]

Where would you, then? Garderobe?

[muckspout]

[With disgust.]

Garderobe? Who calls it a garderobe? But--yes. Or where ever their too many clothes are. Makes sense to look at those in a mirror, not so much books

[inkindled]

Suspicious mudslide in Alnwick. Which wouldn't sound like anything, only mudslides can actually be caused, right, and besides, I think there might be good reason for that suspicion.

[heorte]

What makes you think that?

[inkindled]

'Cause there was a camp made up where it started and empty lyrium bottles lying about. I reckon natural occurrences don't leave those sorts of traces.

[heorte]

No, I expect not.

Did they leave any tracks?

[inkindled]

Some. I can follow for a bit. I don't know how far I'll get, s'not exactly my specialty.

[heorte]

Might be better to leave it be, until you aren't on your own.

[heorte]

You can mark down that Holmfirth was razed by darkspawn.

[kantikoy]

Courciennes as well. There's Deep Road access here, I think.

[heorte]

We should come back with Vance, and a few others, to see if there's any tunnels in the area that needs to be sealed.

[kantikoy]

The local townspeople won't be excited about it but I think that's a good idea.

[heorte]

We can remind them that they're likely to share the fates of the people of Holmfirth if they try to ignore the possibility.

[kantikoy]

We can also remind them that I dealt with their tainted dead.

[heorte]

You had no help?

[kantikoy]

They were too afraid to handle the bodies themselves.

[ Much in a tone of 'it's unfortunate, but fine'. ]

[heorte]

How much of the village survived?

[kantikoy]

Roughly one out of every ten of them.

[heorte]

Holmfirth was empty.

[ a specific choice in word. they both know what it is when a darkspawn leave behind an absence of bodies, rather than a trail of corpses. ]

[kantikoy]

Maker's breath.

[ She hates this. ]

[heorte]

Aye.

[ He knows. ]

[muckspout]

[Out of breath.]

Report from Cafort. The report is dragon!

[kantikoy]

What kind, do they know?

[ Is it Corypheus'? Hopefully not. That dragon has proven difficult to kill. ]