crystal; new phone who dis

[aberratic]

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Ness Tavane (aberratic, on behalf of The Forgotten (Julius, Bastien, Clarisse, Viktor (and Isaac)))
RECIPIENT: Everyone
NOTES: Player plot info! Basically: As far as everyone in the Gallows is concerned, the people Ness is talking about just straight up do not exist and never have.

[ the voice that comes over the crystal is a soft, somewhat frazzled soprano. other voices can be heard arguing behind her, but only the tones of frustration and suspicion are audible; the content of the discussion is indistinct. ]

Good afternoon, Riftwatch, this is Quartermaster Ennaris Tavane. We—that is, myself, the Seneschal, Griffon Keeper La Rue, and Messeres Bastien and Viktor, we are being barred from use of the ferry to re-enter the Gallows. Is there anyone available to vouch for us, please? We're all very tired from our return journey and have quite a lot of work to get back to.

Comments

[aberratic]

Captain?

[ again, a voice that sounds genuinely caught off guard, and more than a little distraught. ]

[elegiaque]

( that doesn’t seem relevant to her. )

I didn’t stutter. You have the length of time it takes me to get to the other side of the harbour to consider how you want to explain yourself.

[grindset]

Miss Tavane has done nothing out of the ordinary, I assure you—

[elegiaque]

You understand that a different stranger with a crystal vouching for the first one is not helping either of you?

[grindset]

[Viktor turns a disconcerted look on Ness. Something is... not right, here.]

action

[aberratic]

[ primed and ready to accept that she can never keep anything good, ness has already accepted that somehow, bizarrely, everyone seems to have forgotten her at the very least and maybe the entire group in specific, and the look she returns viktor is one of abject misery. ]

We should turn in our sending crystals. If we don't cooperate, this will get worse.

[grindset]

[—Whereas Viktor refuses to accept this, either at face value or as something that cannot be changed. He nods to her suggestion; the crystals neither grant nor prevent them access to anything, anyway.]

Agreed.

[After a mild double take at her miserable expression, a little closer, quieter,]

Whatever this is, we will figure it out.

[aberratic]

[ viktor's words don't quite reach her, distraught as ness is—she's somewhere else in her mind, wounded in a way that is separate from but worsened by this forgetting. she takes her sending crystal in hand and breathes in, fortifying and shaky. ]

We can start over. We're rifters, we already did it once, we can just... do it again. And again, and again...

[grindset]

[Viktor's already frowning brow briefly deepens its creases. He, for one, did not make that choice without giving the alternatives—including the worst among them—deep consideration. Accepting the last resort as an inevitability? Pass.]

I understand your distress, Miss Tavane, and sympathize... but, ehh... you're skipping the part where we try something else first. Just... give it some time to unfold so we can make some informed decisions.

🎀

[aberratic]

[ explaining her absolute, irrational certainty that no one will remember them—her—them, that no one will even care to try, is... more than anyone has time for at the moment. if viktor is so certain this can be fixed somehow, he's welcome to try; ness just nods doubtfully and turns her attention back to the brewing fight between clarisse and cedric. ]

private

[armd]

(She heard what that woman just said to Abby, right?) They know our names.

private ∞

[elegiaque]

( and ‘tavane’ had called her captain from her voice alone— )

If they have anchor-shards, ( a sound like she’s sucking her teeth, ) we know the Venatori have shardbearers now, and we don’t know where they came from or what they use them for beyond the obvious.

[armd]

Fuck. This is too obvious though, it's drawing too much attention. (But maybe that's the point, maybe they're acting crazy to get everybody to drop their guard? She's frowning at nothing right now.

Finally,) What's the plan? I'll come down to meet them with you, if you need back up.

[elegiaque]

I’m thinking we secure them in a dock apartment and confiscate their crystals, but I’m expecting Commander Rowntree to have an opinion and I’ll defer to that, when it happens. This is where we start, though.

( gallows security is her job. abby’s right, it feels like a distraction in a way that makes her teeth itch. from what? for why? fuck’s sake. )

[armd]

(She mutters,) How did they get them all...? (It doesn't sound like multiple people sharing a crystal that was forgotten, left behind or lost, they definitely have more than one.)

I don't get it. I don't like it. (It's disarming.)

[elegiaque]

We need to know if there are crystals not spoken for, but that alarming new woman pointed out the Venatori have their own. If they know how to make theirs resonate with ours, bigger problem.

( but why would they tip their hand that way? what the fuck. )

[armd]

Didn't even know that was possible. (Cool cool cool cool cool)

private;

[boeric]

Research should see crystals. Venatori have their own.

private;

[elegiaque]

Recommend it to Niehaus. I’ll do the same.

( private )

[pathlit]

Captain Baudin, a word. The man with the thick accent—he knew information about me I haven’t shared. From my life before Thedas.

( private )

[elegiaque]

Don’t volunteer or confirm anything you haven’t already. If he seems willing to listen to you, advise him that cooperating will go a long way to giving us reason to look for an explanation for that outside of blood magic.

And report what you’ve just told me to Niehaus. I'd like as detailed a report of your movements for the past month as you can recall on my desk as soon as possible— note anything strange, any lost time.

private.

[exequy]

I am on my way down from Hightown. We can make sure to rule out demons, at least.

private.

[elegiaque]

Do you know how to tell if someone practises blood magic? Or which mage I should ask if not you.

Talis says one of them is telling him his own secrets.

∞

[exequy]

If it's significant any one of us might be able to feel it. If it's subtle—I don't know. One of the Vints?

[ Sometimes stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason.

And he's not outing Nell (today) (yet). ]

[elegiaque]

( no, no, ... maybe. a sigh, )

And it wouldn't make sense to be that obvious, which is what I'd have said about something like this two hours ago. Alright.

Merci.