Can't stop won't stop

[justice_is_blond]

FORM: Sending crystal
SENDER: Myrobalan Shivana and Anders
RECIPIENT: All denizens of the Gallows
WHAT: At long last, a cure for Rifter Valley Fever.
WHEN: whenever
WHERE: wherever
NOTES: None applicable.

Good evening.

[Anders’ voice is tired, but calm and collected.]

As we set up to make sure we reach everyone, we have an announcement: we've found the cures. Myr?

[If someone can sound gently frazzled, Myr does.] Magebane first, to clear up the infestation. You should’ve gotten yours by now, but if we’ve missed someone, [all too likely they have,] you can stop by the infirmary for it. Serah Colin is managing our supply.

[There’s a too long-pause and a half-audible aside--something about “forgetting”--before he adds,] Rifters will want to speak to Madame de Cedoux since she’s not liable to forget you’re here.

That's the easy bit. [There's the noise of papers and then Anders continues:]

Rifters, we need you to bring an object you're willing to be bound to for a few hours. It's temporary, and it will stabilize your presence here for the other two stages. If you don't have one, we'll provide books.

The third step is a little complicated. Rifters need to experience and process a lot of different emotions, the more complex, the better. You're becoming like spirits; this will establish your… personhood, so to speak.

Non-Rifters, if there's something out of place in your living quarters, or things you can't remember getting, you may have strong ties to a Rifter and they may need your help for this third step. The binding should mean that you'll be able to remember them and their significance to you when you see them.

[There's a pause and a quiet huff of air.] It may take time and work. Patience will be key.

The Lady Thevenet, Enchanter Hawthorne, and Serah Averesch will be helping with the binding process.

And if that all weren’t complicated enough, [gentle sarcasm,] there’s one additional step, once you’re feeling like your old selves again. You’ve come loose from Thedas in all of this, and you’ll need to have one of our templars reinforce your being a part of the world and not the Fade.

I’m told the process can be disorienting, but it’ll also be very brief. Ser Ashlock has volunteered himself for that.

[Anders clears his throat.]

Potentially more than merely disorienting, as one who has… experienced that. But as you'll be bound the effects should be lessened, and know that we would not call in a Templar to do this unless absolutely necessary.

Once you're cured, Rifters, please check in with myself or Myrobalan so we can check your name off the list; we need to make certain no one is missed.

If you've any questions, please ask. We'll be here until the last Rifter is cured.

Comments

[dirth]

Of course. It will be no trouble.

[ And it might make the process easier and more comfortable for everyone involved. ]

I will be there shortly.

[laurenande]

[It takes some time to consume the poison that Serah Colin provides. His efforts masking it with food are...with mixed results. The sentiment is appreciated, certainly, but the effects of the magebane are immediate and intense and she feels worse, perhaps, than she has yet.

It is not a grand or comforting start to this ordeal and her fear creeps in as she moves to meet Solas in the hall. Fortunately she does not wait long and, for all that it counts, she is very grateful.

She looks terrible and, disconcertingly, somewhat transparent, but it is not so different from the other rifters.]

Solas. Thank you for this, mellon nin .

[dirth]

[ Solas is careful, and waits quietly for her to come. It's taken her some effort to find the strength to make her way here, and he knows that; he recognises that her fear is understandable, and that her determination is remarkable. Being forgotten, dying alone... Those are fears he can relate to.

Moving forward, he offers his arm, quiet and without words for a brief moment before he bows his head and resists the smile that would surely colour his features. ]

Len suilon. [ And then, quietly, afterwards - ] Aneth ara. Are you ready?

[laurenande]

[Galadriel takes his arm, perhaps less gingerly than is usually her wont, and smiles just slightly at his greeting.]

As I shall ever be, I expect.

[They begin walking and her nervousness is clear; fear has consumed her of late and she dislikes it, but doing this would have given her pause even if she were entirely herself.]

I should like to feel myself again, I am beginning to forget what it was like.

[dirth]

[ And so they move, together, towards the binding, Solas quiet and certain at her side. ]

Then we can proceed.

[ Hopefully, he thinks, he is a comforting presence. This kind of binding is something he knows from memories and time, and he knows that, while frightening, it is worthwhile and safe. ]

You will not forget. What happens today will secure you, and you will feel better for it.

[winterwinds]

[ Audra has done her best to set up a calming and welcoming room near the Infirmary where people can come to be bound in relatively low stress situations. She's done this several times with spirits, it's a well-practiced task, but doing it with living people is a little... unusual.

When the elves enter she gives them a warm smile, her staff in hand. ]

Hi, I'm Enchanter Hawthorne. Do you have your object to be bound to all prepared?

[laurenande]

[The human woman they meet is shamm but her face is welcoming. Galadriel regards her as one might regard a living serpent but she steels herself on Solas's arm.]

Yes, my notes. [She glances sidelong at Solas and the books he holds. This will be strange and she is abruptly glad that she doesn't need to hand those over, herself.]

[dirth]

[ Solas smiles gently, stepping forward with the notes in his hand. He offers them out, carefully, trying to school his features. ]

I hope you do not mind if I stay for the binding.

[ It's said with the tone of a man who will stay no matter what she says. ]

[winterwinds]

Oh, of course not. Just try not to think any spirity thoughts.

[ Audra smiles warmly at Solas, accepting the book of notes, holding it gently and with respect, because she knows how personal each item that the Rifters have picked must be. ]

I'll need the lady's name. Don't want to bind the wrong person to these!

[laurenande]

[That gives Galadriel some pause. She has no idea how structured this spell is, nor how this magic functions, not truly. It would not do to give them the wrong name and cause it to fail.]

My name is Artanis.

[That is a strange feeling, giving out her true name, but she has committed to this. There is no sense in withholding that information now.]

Of the House of Finwë.

[dirth]

[ Solas stands at her side, careful and stern, but does not reach for her. He is there to carry her burden if she needs it, no more and no less. If she reaches for him then he will reach back, but otherwise he is content to be a bystander, for now. ]

I think she is ready.

[ He does not question the change of name, or the difference, only nods his head and takes a step back so he does not interfere. ]

[winterwinds]

[ Audra repeats the name several times, memorizing it, careful not to take her eyes off of Galadriel, trying to solidify it in her memory, as tenuous as that is at the moment. ]

Okay. Artanis, if you could come close to this table, please.

[ Audra moves over to what she's more or less prepared as an altar, a ceremonial skull adorned with purple stones sits far right of the center of the table, other fairly innocuous dried herbs placed evenly over the table. She places the book of notes in the center, placing her right hand over it as she focuses her magic, her staff held in her left.

After a stretch of silence the book begins to glow, imbued with Audra's magic, and she looks up at Galadriel. ]

If you could place your hand on the book, the binding will be complete. You might feel a little pinching, but it shouldn't hurt.

[laurenande]

[The table is, in a word, disturbing. It is not so haphazard as one might imagine a table with a bejeweled ceremonial skull to be...but that is not an encouraging feature either. Her notes are placed in the center of the table and Galadriel stares with mild horror as the mage imbues it with spell-work.

She has heard much encouragement about how simple and unobtrusive this procedure is and yet, staring at this, her fear has returned with some force. She reaches and takes Solas by the hand for a moment.]

I see...and that will be all.

[dirth]

[ Solas takes her hand without pause, squeezing her fingers against his own for the briefest of moments. It's not safe to continue to hold her for the long term, in case she is somehow bound to him rather than her books, but he can support her for the period in between, when her fear is captivating her just a little too much.

Voice low and soft, designed for her ears alone, he speaks, tender above all else. ]

I have seen and performed this binding before. You have nothing to fear, and I am here at your side. You will feel better once this is done.

[ Slowly, his fingers slip away from hers, freeing her for the magic. ]

[winterwinds]

[ Audra keeps her hand hovering over the books and her eyes on Galadriel, because if she takes her eyes off her she knows she could forget why she's casting this spell in the first place. ]

It only lasts a few hours. Once the spell wears off, you'll no longer be bound.

[laurenande]

[The reassurances are enough, which is fortunate for they truly must be, and without lingering, without giving doubt enough time to fester, she reaches out and sets her hand atop the books.

The sensation is strange, a tight feeling that draws her toward the notes and then releases, and for a moment she is uncertain if anything has been done.]

[dirth]

[ Solas softens, just a little, watching her. It takes great courage to step forward into the unknown, and there's a soft swell of pride as he considers how much she has given in the wake of her courage. She will be better for it, true, but as it stands she feels lost, no one recalling her at all.

Bowing his head, he breathes out a soft sigh, waiting for the magic to do it's work. ]

[winterwinds]

[ The glowing around the notes fades when Galadriel touches it, and Audra relaxes, smiling brightly. ]

Well, that's that, then. You'll need to keep those with you for the next few hours, but once the spell releases and you've done all the other things Anders suggested, you won't have a problem with people forgetting you anymore.

[laurenande]

That is truly all?

[Galadriel stares with no small measure of awe and lifts her notes. It seems impossible that so simple a thing could truly be a binding...and yet here they are and she has proclaimed it over.]

Thank you, thank you for your help.

[She offers the woman a short bow of her head and then turns to Solas, her notes clutched to her breast. Her expression is hard to read--flabbergasted, largely, but also some combination of relief and gratitude.]

I--will you stay with me a while? Just...so that I may be sure of this.

[dirth]

[ Solas watches the magic - and when it is done he nods, once, pleased with the outcome. He, in turn, offers a deeper nod, closer to a bow, to the mage that had helped his friend before he turns back to Galadriel with something softer colouring his expression. ]

Of course. I will follow where you lead.

[laurenande]

[Galadriel inclines her head to the mage who had assisted her, bidding her silent farewell, and leaves the room quickly. The sight of the skull still sits poorly with her, despite how unobtrusive that spell had truly been. Solas, true to his word, follows her and once they have reached the hall, she offers him a short, somewhat embarrassed smile.]

Thank you for indulging me; it is a great fear of mine, being corrupted by spell-work or by the will of another. This...was as you said. It is not that and...I wish I could have simply trusted you without reservation.

[She sighs, a bit tightly, but her shoulders seem to relax.]

Alas, I expect I have never been so easy going, but I am glad to have you with me, all the same.

[dirth]

It is an understandable fear, made only worse by the fact that this magic must be strange and new for so many of you.

[ Her embarrassment is not silly, he thinks. Unknown magic can be frightening - he accepts that, and does not shame her for it. Solas can only be grateful for the fact that she has chosen to go through with the spell to keep herself safe, in the end. He respects that. ]

I am glad to have been here with you. Are we going back to your room?

[laurenande]

Room? [She is confused a moment and then considers the hall they stand in.]

I had avoided taking one, out of worry should they recall who I am...I suppose after this, it matters not.

[She gestures, a bit stiffly, and leads the way with gradual, meandering steps. She has no desire to end their company, his presence is calm and soothing on her frayed nerves, but she will not demand he remain once they have arrived. Already he has done her many small kindnesses.]

Where I am sleeping is this way, though it is some walk from here.

[dirth]

It will no longer be an issue. You should make yourself comfortable.

[ Solas moves and steps up to follow after her; she's guiding him, and he stands at her side to make sure that she is healthy and that she is not met by anyone else who might say or do something to upset her. All he can do is turn his head to offer her a small, gentle smile. ]

Then we shall walk together. There is nowhere else I would rather be.