A SURVEY

[aventuriere]

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Baroness Frédérique Durfort-Lacapalette, Brother Jehan Mercier, and Valentine Nicasius Maxence Mérovée Olivier de Foncé
RECIPIENT: Everyone
WHAT: Important questions
WHEN: Now
WHERE: Everywhere
NOTES: Please threadjack

Inquisition, we have a question for you.

[ DO NOT SILENCE YOUR CRYSTALS. That is an Orlesian voice, but it is not Val de Foncé's voice. Instead, it is the voice of a woman, which makes it immediately superior. You are probably safe. Maybe. Keep listening. ]

You see, we are scholars. The best of scholars! And this Inquisition, it offers the most magnifique opportunities to learn more of this world and we, my friends, we are here to take on that most noble challenge!

We are conducting a study. [ From the tavern. ] Which of Thedas' nations is your favorite? Le plus fantastique? [ A pause, some murmuring reminder while the crystal is covered with a hand. ] You may not say Orlais, and you must explain why, pour l'étude.

[ HERE is Val’s voice. Please keep listening. ]



You may not say Orlais because we already know that it is Orlais. We have been to Orlais, many times. [ A voice cuts in, dry: ] We are even from Orlais, in case you had not guessed. [ From, you know. The really obvious accents. ] For this, we seek other answers. Answers that are more diverse. Perhaps it is better to say second best? Second favorite? With, naturally, Orlais being the favorite. We are, you see, all in disagreement.

It is threatening to tear us apart, when we have only just been brought back together.

Yes, because you are wrong. If you would cease to be so wrong, we would not be torn apart!

No, you are-- Ah, courage, my friends! We must not be torn apart. [ There is some shuffling and oofing. It is possible that arms are being thrown about shoulders and necks are being squeezed. ] Inquisition, we turn to you, on behalf of our reunion, and the great Baroness Haut-Brion.

If you answer our question we will permit you to call her Freddie.

You will permit nothing, but I may permit it, if your answers are particularly clever.

Also, for a bet-- [ Should Chantry Brothers make bets? Shh. Should Chantry Brothers pause while speaking to drink wine? Shhhhh. ] How many times per day is it reasonable to pray? Suppose that you are also reasonably faithful.

Suppose that you are a madman, a holy madman--

And that you desire nothing more than to be Andraste's second husband and like Maferath to be cuckolded by the Maker himself--

[ Should Chantry brothers dump wine over the heads of their friends? Shhhhhhhhh. ]

Comments

[goodforsaken]

No. [somehow thoughtful and deadpan at the same time : ] Although I think there's a wing of something named after me.

[aventuriere]

Indeed? [ You can almost hear the brow arching. ] And what name might that be?

[goodforsaken]

Alexander Luthor. [ he blithely leaves off 'jr'; you definitely can't hear the beat for daddy issues, except here in these brackets ]

[aventuriere]

Luthor, I have heard that name. Did you publish a paper about the potential for a pan-Thedosian culture?

[goodforsaken]

[ well, this is exciting. really! it's better than being recognized because ~i knew your father~. ]

Yes. And here we are in a conversation about nationalism. That's probably ironic, or some similarly literary word.

[aventuriere]

No doubt. And also fortuitous. Perhaps you could refresh my memory, serah, you argued that unity is not the present, but the necessary future?

[goodforsaken]

Stripped down to essentials, yes. I don't think it takes a particularly clever mind to observe blind devotion to one's country lends its name to some of our [ - sardonic beat for effect - ] current problems.

[ really, what else is corypheus ]

Where did that paper turn up, for curiosity's sake?

[ not here ]

[elegiaque]

( someone is taking notes. please keep talking, people she admires. )

[aventuriere]

It might have been mentioned at a salon or by a colleague at the University? There are so many papers about, it's impossible to recall where they all came from.

What is your proposal for how to create this single nation? Even if I were to agree in theory -- and I am not sure yet that I do -- surely in practice it is near impossible?

[goodforsaken]

I don't propose the creation of a single nation, at least not in the ah, legal sense. 'Near impossible' would be a generous way to put that. Just a point of view that asks 'what is good for Thedas,' not as a for instance, 'what is good for Orlais.' Or Ferelden, or Tevinter, or Ravain, insert the country a person feels the prickliest about, the specifics aren't particularly salient.