bring out your dead

[degenere]

FORM: Sending Crystal
SENDER: Baroness Frédérique Durfort-Lacapalette, Brother Jehan Mercier, and Valentine Nicasius Maxence Mérovée Olivier de Foncé
RECIPIENT: Everyone
WHAT: CHASSEURS DE FANTÔMES
WHEN: Early Cloudreach
WHERE: From Kirkwall, listenable anywhere
NOTES: Your favorite people!

—will come try to stop us, [ Jehan is whispering when everyone's crystals come to life, but it's capped off with a sigh as he realizes it is too late, too late, alas. ]

They must know [Val, in a stage whisper. He hardly cares about being heard.] Inquisition. We have been in Kirkwall for how long now? Long enough that some of us have seen shades. Spirits. Ghosts.

Inquisition, these are but exaggerations. Do you know how we know this to be true? [He’ll tell you. In a second. The dramatic moment is slightly spoiled by a sudden sharp intake of breath, and a loud SPLASH.] Sacre-- the oar!

Careful! [ Freddie is there too, naturally. ] Keep it in the lock-- there. Inquisition [ she begins again in Val's place ] we have heard your tales of supposed hauntings, but we three have spent countless hours toiling in these Gallows and have not seen a thing! Not one spectral wisp! And so, you see, we cannot help but doubt. We are women--and men--of the sciences, after all. It is merely our nature.

Men and woman of the sciences, [ Jeannot corrects, because who doesn't like being corrected ] and of faith, merci, and we do not mean that anyone is lying. Of course the Veil is thin here. But surely not so thin as the stories.

And so, we have returned at night--which I am sure we can all agree is the most appropriate time for ghosts--to give the spirits the chance to prove all of you correct by revealing themselves to us.

Do not be afraid for us! This is not even the tenth most foolish we have ever been, particularly Freddie and Val, and so far as I can tell they yet survive—we would welcome advice, however. Where have you witnessed these spirits reaching through the Veil? Were you doing anything to attract their attention?

And how do we attract their attention? Tell us, so we can try for ourselves! Must we cause a great scene, and commotion? Must we SHOUT? We are willing to shout-- O, SPIRITS! HEAR US, AND APPEAR! WE WOULD WITNESS YOUR--

[ muffled muffled something like a hand has been clapped over his mouth. ]

Comments

[apologist]

No, we do not use magic. [ Breezily: ] Before this war, you realize, many people lived entire lifetimes without even seeing a mage in person, yet somehow managed to survive without their constant assistance.

[el_tybs]

A mage looks like any other person, people could have very well have met one without knowing they could use magic. [Yes, he's very aware how things were before the war.]

And I'm very well aware that you don't need magic to survive, but you are looking for spirits, yes? They have been rather active around those who do have magical abilities, which would have increased your chances.

[degenere]

Aha! A volunteer.

[Triumph to business--]

I shall determine our position straight away, my friend, a position that we shall attempt to maintain as we await your expertise with great anticipation. But do try to hurry. We grow bored so very easily.

[el_tybs]

That wasn't-

[Of course Valentine would think that as volunteering.]

Your position...? Being that of in a boat, on the water, at night, waiting for ghosts? That is hardly productive seeing as the happenings are in the building.

[apologist]

Then you shall accompany us to the building, non? We can wait here for you to find a boat. We are very patient.

[el_tybs]

[A sigh.]

Do you have to go looking tonight? I'll be in the building tomorrow when there is plenty of activity.

[judgemewhole]

Sam don't you DARE.

[Oh no, the spirits in that place are more than Sam could handle on his own.]

[el_tybs]

Dare which one? Getting on a boat or going looking for ghosts?

[judgemewhole]

Well I wouldn't wish sitting in a boat with the three of them on anyone - but do not go looking for ghosts! We both know that spirits are real.

[apologist]

We do not doubt that spirits exist, Ser Templar. We only cannot believe that they have such power here as everyone claims. And [ an Important Pause ] as a man who has been sitting in a boat with Freddie and Val for hours, I can say that they are the most entertaining company I have ever had, for hours, in a boat.

[judgemewhole]

Well since the three of you seem to agree with everything the other one says without argument, I am not sure I am going to trust your rather biased opinion on the company.

[Dry.]

Also, did none of you hear the accounts of those who actually traveled through the Veil itself?

[apologist]

Of course we did. And that is one thing. Spirits moving things about and dashing trough the corridors on this side of the Veil, in such force and such number, is either a story told to scare people away from the island or something so remarkable that we must witness it ourselves.

And we do not always agree.

[judgemewhole]

Why in the name of - no. No. I will not ask.

I will ask that you keep people out of your madness. If you want to kill yourselves, fine, but do not drag Sam into it.

[apologist]

I had just said that we need not need a mage's assistance. It is his idea that we do.

[judgemewhole]

That doesn't mean that he is volunteering - he is saying you should have brought a mage.

[aventuriere]

Are you suggesting apostates run amok in common society? Wandering among us at the market, sitting beside us in the Chantry? You should work for the Chantry, monsieur for I have heard that line most often from them.

[ more seriously (to the extent that it's ever possible to tell whether she's serious): ] That is a helpful note regarding frequency of occurrence in proximity to mages, however. We shall make a note for future efforts.

[el_tybs]

Yes, I'm sure they do. Course I'm not suggesting they run amok in society; they just live in it. Hard to imagine? Mages knowing how to live in society?

[degenere]

Monsieur, we are in Kirkwall. We find it to be a constant surprise that anyone here knows how to live en société.

[el_tybs]

If you're surprised you obviously are not used to living in this kind of society. As you said, this is Kirkwall.

[degenere]

What society?

[el_tybs]

It might not be what you're used to but it is a society.

[degenere]

Let us define the word itself, 'society'. Let us break that definition into very small pieces, grind it down to a fine powder, and then perhaps, yes, some small portion of that powder might apply to this place. A thumbnail's width of powder, perhaps.

Monsieur, since I have arrived in Kirkwall, I have beheld a man eating jellied spider.

[el_tybs]

[Valentine cannot see it but just hearing that makes Sam shudder. Still he presses on.]

Did you ask him if it was a delicacy?"

[degenere]

You cannot really think that jellied spider meat is any sort of delicacy?

[el_tybs]

I would never consider spider anything as a delicacy. But that's me.