therookery | II. OPEN.

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Dorian Pavus
RECIPIENT: All.
WHAT: Late night ponderings.
WHEN: Current.
WHERE: Wherever you are.
NOTES: N/A

I don't often speak of Evelyn.

[ This message comes at not too late an hour, but late enough that some will have retired for the evening, avoiding the daylight traffic of crystal correspondence. ]

I imagine that the Herald doesn't make for pleasant smalltalk, but as we're all cleaning ourselves up to play fancy dress with Orlais' finest, it seems timely. You see, we had an adventure, she and I, and I do wish she were here to bear the burden of recollection.

We were given a glimpse of the future. [ Pause, then; ] That sounds a little too esoteric, actually. We found ourselves arse deep in the future for several hours. It was no future you'd want for yourselves -- even the villains seemed unimpressed. It was a future in which Corypheus came out the victor. What we know of it, and how it came to be, is minimal -- we never left Redcliffe Castle. An army of demons. The death of an Empress. Red lyrium statement pieces.

Cheery thought to bear in mind while you grit your teeth and attempt to withstand Orlesian finery, good wine, and small pastries. Save me a dance.

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[Yeah, that's a sobering thought, and Korrin's usual disdain when speaking of Orlesian festivities is absent.]

I'd save you a dance, but it'll have to be in the Outer Gardens. For the sake of everything running smoothly, I should be nowhere near the ballroom.

[Her temper is too volatile a thing to have near all the racist comments that are bound to come.]

Maker, to see all that firsthand...it'd better just be you and Evelyn, I'll pass on viewing it for myself.

Wise decision. Let's all make a pact, shall we? No one else gets to see the dark future, lest it turn out to be the dark present.

[ Sardonic, but only in a friendly sort of way, in spite of the subject matter. ]

The gardens it is. Moonlight adds a certain je ne sais quoi.

And it will give the bickering Imperial guards and chevaliers something to stare at. I know how much you love an audience.

Did they at least keep the mabari statues in the dining hall?

Oh, yes, tucked between the massive shards of red lyrium and the torture devices.

Ah, my dear, I was just thinking of Evelyn myself. She was a most remarkable woman.

[Seldom is Vivienne openly melancholy, but mention of the Herald really does put her into a sombre and reflective mood.]

Never fear, darling. We shall do everything we can to prevent that future from coming to pass.

And if we have to do so in corsetry and masks, then so be it.

[ Dorian is capable of gentle melancholy too -- Vivienne has seen it. Tonight, his mood is more fickle, frustration kindled but casting cheery light. ]

[If only Dorian could see the very faint smile he's drawn out of the Iron Lady. Perhaps if he listens carefully, he can hear it. It's been a year and she does not disdain him quite so severely as she once had.]

It is a public service. The court must be given something attractive to look at while the nation's fate is being decided. At least I know you can be trusted in that regard, my dear.

[ His laugh, at least, is both shortlived and genuine. ]

'Stand there and look pretty'. I'd love to believe that that was all it took to divert the course of history. Perhaps there's hope for the Imperium yet.

If only it were so. I have a dread feeling we shall not get away from the evening without at least a very little blood being spilled. It's dreadfully rude, of course, but if executed well, could prove a thrilling tale for years to come.

Orlesians even find ways to murder each other with style.

[A deep and heavy sigh.]

Maker forgive me, but I've seen enough of red lyrium statement pieces to last me a lifetime. Best foot forward then, to save the world and all of us in it ...

And I shall raise a glass to the Herald, if I might be so bold, Dorian. Without her, we would not have gotten this far.

Evelyn told me something of what happened - of what became of - all of us. I am thankful that I do not remember it.

[ A quiet sigh. He's right, loath as she is to admit it. ]

Thank you, Dorian, for reminding us all that there are worse things than the Orlesian court.

[ if barely ]

All right. You're a noble, used to these sort of things. What should all of those who can't be in there trying to remind people of very important matters be doing?

The Empress has a fleet of trained chevalier surrounding her. She will not go down easily.

II. OPEN.

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