crystal;

[voidtransport]

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Allumin
RECIPIENT: Everybody in Riftwatch
NOTES: gay panic in a couple threads (kinda spicy)

um, hello? [the voice is very soft and nervous at first.]

Pardon my anxiousness, I'm, ah, not used to this kind of communication being so... open?

I was told I'd need a staff and some guidance in order to use my own magic properly here. The general outlook on mages, however, has me doubting if devoting the time is a good idea or if I should focus my efforts elsewhere. However, if it's not as bad as I'm making it out to be in my head, and someone were interested and able in assisting me, I'd be happy to discuss fair compensation for your time.

Also, upon some recent reflection, I suppose I should offer myself up to one of the divisions of Riftwatch - not Diplomacy though, I'm not equipped for that.

Comments

[armd]

(buddy)

You know there's no way to tell whether you're lying or not, right.

I'm Abby. You just get here?

[voidtransport]

Not here, maybe. [Back home? Zone of Truth, bane of liars.]

Yes? A few weeks ago - I sort of just spent the quarantine time reading with the occasional conversation with someone should I have an encounter.

I didn't really feel confident in the whole crystal communication thing until, um... someone encouraged me to be better than who I am at the tournament.

[armd]

... What's that supposed to mean? (is the gallows the best place to do a lie or something. is this to do with magic, because she's still wrapping her head around all of that, and also what he just said,)

Yeah? Who?

[voidtransport]

Oh - there's an enchantment where I'm from that alerts the caster if anyone in the area is lying.

I did not get his name but he was the well-armored bridge guardian.

[armd]

Fuck. But there's nothing like that here, right.

Did he explicitly say that using the crystal communication would make you better than who you are, or was that your interpretation?

[voidtransport]

There could be, who's to say? [He says that in a way that's somewhere between super serious and obviously teasing. Honestly, he has no clue.]

No - no, that's not what I meant at all, um - hm. If I'm being candid, I am a bit [a lot] of a selfish coward, and so I was challenged to put others and their well-being before my own. This was a very awkward attempt at discerning the best path for applying myself and being useful to others.

[armd]

It's cool, (abby adds, dry and sarcastic,) I suppose we'll find out along the way. (because that does seem to be the way of things around here.)

That's– (relatable) interesting. Is... it working out for you so far?

[voidtransport]

Well, should I happen to enjoy experiencing every emotion within the spectrum all at once, I would say so, yes.

I've had some assurance that I shouldn't be afraid to be what I am at least, and some direction of what division to join. It's fine if some people hate you as long as there are people you can trust, right?

[armd]

... Yeah. (please ignore that she sounds like somebody coming to a swift realisation,) Yeah, I guess you're right.

Can't make everybody like you anyway. And– where I'm from, you can't survive for long without having people to trust.

[voidtransport]

Oh? You also come from a world with unspeakable horrors? [I mean, Thedas is also that kind of a place, there really is just that sort of thing anywhere you go it seems. Still, his attempt at a joke.]

[armd]

Yup. (the zombie apocalypse isnt a joke allumin,)

[voidtransport]

Ah. [oops.]

S...orry...

[armd]

(he's so serious...)

If it makes you feel better, it was like that before I was born. Haven't known anything else.

(until now, that is. weird thought.)

[voidtransport]

[Mmmm. He cannot say the same for himself, his dumb ass made some bad decisions that led to his own troubling circumstances. Does always living in a harsh world make dealing with terrible things easier or more difficult...? It seems like it would be hard to keep going if everything is awful.]

I can understand why you said what you did about having people you can trust. [The specifics are probably Something, but her reaction is enough to establish a ~vibe~.]

[armd]

It's probably a pretty general sentiment around here, (abby points out, providing an unseen shrug along with her words,) don't read too much into it.

(she can be secretive too, after all.) We're in the same faction now anyway, (she adds, trying to coax the conversation into lighter waters again,) so we have to trust each other.

[voidtransport]

[He's fine not going further into it, it's a relief that there's no ill will at least.]

But Abby, [he says with sudden seriousness] what if there are spies? What if I'm a spy and the nervous little rifter elf act is just a cover? [He probably shouldn't joke about this, but.]

[armd]

(abby lowers her voice conspiratorially, even though there's literally no purpose considering all of this is public,)

Well, you're almost doing too good a job then. That bit with Astarion was too much.

[voidtransport]

[oof, yeah it still hurts]

Oh yes, one must be willing to weather any shame for a mission. [He tries to be casual about it, but his voice cracks a bit, betraying the still-lingering anxiety at the fringes of him.]

[armd]

(aw, no, okay.)

Hey, don't– beat yourself up over it, or anything. It's busy around here, there's always something happening. Nobody is going to remember it a week from now.

(except astarion, most likely, and there's nothing anybody can really do about that.)

[voidtransport]

I should hope so. [Adopting a very serious, militaristic sounding affectation that you'd expect from someone who Definitely has a mustache:] There's a war on, after all.

[armd]

(there's a soft snigger as warning before abby starts to chuckle. that was out of left field, but in a very good way,)

What?

[voidtransport]

[He continues with his silly impression.]

You heard me, squire! There's no time for dilly-dallying about!

[armd]

(and it makes her start to laugh again, confused and delighted,) Wait, wait– if I'm the squire, who are you?

[voidtransport]

[he does his best not to also start laughing but a couple giggles sneak through his resolve to stay in character.]

Well, I'm you're- [oops, lost the voice a second there. ahem, hm, hrm, huff, hrmph]

I'm the-- [nope, the illusion has been broken, he just starts full-on laughing with the occasional "sorry, I'm sorry" wheezed through his giggles.]

[armd]

You're a goofball, (abby tells him but it's with an air of unbridled glee,) Where did that come from?