[closed-ish] all you can do's try to know who your friends are

[eolasemah]

WHO: Sina and close CR
WHAT: Explaining an upcoming experiment. It might make her better, it might kill her.
WHEN: late August
WHERE: hither and thither
NOTES: Warning for mention of death/sickness, possibly body horror?

Sina has a lot of ground to cover, and has requested that Adelaide hold off on meeting Fenris until she can make sure she's gotten a chance to put her affairs in order, as they stand.

She looks deceptively healthy for the news she's about to give, and this is why now is the time: not after there's another accident or illness, but now, when she's at what is potentially her peak health with the shard present. They might have a solution, but if they should go through with it, it will be risky.

Each friend she approaches gets the same explanation, before they can interrupt or ask questions: she and Adelaide are going to meet Fenris, and explore the possibility of whether he can use his lyrium tattoos to extract the shard. There's no way to know how it will react, but if this works, she has a chance at a full life and the Inquisition will be armed with more knowledge on how to help the Rifters.
She could also just die from it, she concedes with shaking hands and a distant look, but they'll be conducting some tests first to lessen the chances. This isn't goodbye, or even approaching one, because goodbye means there's no hope, and hope is what brought her across the Waking Sea and half of Ferelden to meet all of you.

(variations in her approach:)

Nari is asked to be present for the meeting, having been Sina's constant companion and source of strength in all things.

Ellana is approached with some amount of awkwardness, but perhaps it's time to put all that aside.

Bruce, Anders, Vivienne, and Pel are told in the context of seeking additional insight or knowledge on how it could go more smoothly, or any other factors they might need to keep in mind.

Araceli and Samwise are told somewhat gently, and perhaps with additional reassurance, being that they are in general quite sensitive people who share Sina's fear of the shards.

Beleth, Korrin, and Jamie are told more directly, with the implication that she finds her own strength and humor in theirs. She feels safer knowing them.

Additionally, there is a note to Leliana explaining the purpose and potential of what they're doing. She is asked to be circumspect and not discuss it with any other influential figure until the procedure is completed, for better or worse. She is also thanked for her help and encouraged to continue fighting for the Elvhen, even if Sina should be absent in the future.


[if I missed anyone please speak up!! I definitely didn't omit you on purpose, I'm just doing this off the top of my head]

Comments

[serannas]

When Sina finds Ellana, she's carefully sketching something in her notebook, taking care to do the lines lightly so she can go over them with a firmer touch later once she's confident it looks all right. She's been focusing on the visual medium of elven history -- wall paintings, mosaics, statues, and architecture to name a few -- but her lack of art skills means it's been a struggle to reproduce what she sees.

Her gaze lifts from the page to see Sina, and immediately Ellana smiles, closing the book to ensure Sina doesn't think she's interrupting. This is the meeting she's longed for ever since the day Sina ran away. Ellana has tried several times to approach Sina, but with the latter spotting her and running off, Ellana let her be. There are some she would pursue and force to speak with her, but she could never put Sina on the spot like that.

However, what Sina has to say causes Ellana's smile to slip away. She reaches out for her, hoping she'll come sit with her. This plan sounds like it could be what her friend needs, but at the same time, it's the very thing that might take her away from all of them.

"How long have you known that this might be an option?" she asks gently. If it's been some time, Ellana won't waste words asking Sina to take time to think it over first.

[eolasemah]

Sina hesitates only briefly before taking Ellana's hand, coming to sit beside her with a sheepish but otherwise trusting demeanor.
"...not long," she admits, "not before I read Varric's book. And about the lyrium marks that can..." She shudders a little. "...push effortlessly through flesh and bone. It was used for violence, but perhaps, if the bearer agrees, it could be used for healing as well." She purses her lips. "Perhaps."

[serannas]

Ellana watches Sina carefully and sees how unsettled she is by what she's considering.

"It's such a dangerous thing to do," she says. "I do want a solution for you, but this doesn't seem like something that should be rushed into. At least not until you're sure there are no other options." She worries her bottom lip and squeezes her friend's hand. "The world shouldn't lose you."

[eolasemah]

"I'm not going to rush into it," Sina assures her quietly, looking down at Ellana's hand and, gently, squeezing it back. "You know me, lethallan. I don't take decisions lightly. Or consequences." She looks briefly up at her friend's face, then blushes and drops her gaze again. No, none of that right now. "...it has to come out somehow," she adds in a whisper.

[serannas]

The fact that Sina has lived with it this long is truly remarkable, but to assume she would always be this healthy... well, it's wishful thinking, isn't it?

"It does," she agrees, studying Sina carefully. If she were in her friend's place, she would probably feel just as awkward confronting the object of her crush. It's brave of her to do it.

"What's the next step?" she asks, hoping to learn more about what's going to happen. Or, at least, what they hope will happen.

[eolasemah]

"I'm not sure yet," Sina says with a small shrug, "but you'll know as soon as I do." She smiles quietly. "Or at least... soon after."

[serannas]

"Good. I would want to know." Because if something goes wrong... well, Ellana wants a chance to talk to Sina one last time.

"I'll pray for you, if you would like me to," she adds. "To whichever of the Creators you would prefer. Or all of them."

[eolasemah]

Sina smiles. "That's good of you, lethallan," she says softly, "I trust your discretion." She's not going to tell someone else how to pray.

[serannas]

Her head dips forward a little, even as she contemplates how frightening all this is. This could save Sina, or bring about her death. What if another solution comes along, but too late for her? What if the other shardbearers are relieved of their burden after Sina risked her life and the plan failed? The world isn't a fair place, but Ellana looks at Sina and wonders why she of all people has to suffer.

"I tend to reach out to Mythal," she replies. "But you know, my mother had Ghilan'nain's vallaslin as you do."

[eolasemah]

This elicits a smile. "Ghilan'nain," Sina repeats quietly, "...who better to ask for guidance? I have navigated much of my life by her strength."

[serannas]

"Then I will pray to her too. I always like to think that even if they can't help us as they would like, that some of their essence comes through to guide us." A spark of an idea, a sign in the wild, or something like that could be the Creators trying to reach out from their prison.

[eolasemah]

Sina nods and smiles, the expression warm and less awkward by the second. Perhaps she made a social gaffe, but clearly Ellana is still her friend. Really, that's what matters at the moment.

[serannas]

Still and always will be her friend. That will never change. Ellana knows enough to not bring up that moment that led to months of silence. She's more than happy to move forward once more.

"We have so much to catch up on. Tell me, what has been going on with you?"

[eolasemah]

"Well," Sina falters, and smiles anxiously. "..mostly this. But we found some success in Halamshiral, I think." Never mind how that came about. "I admit I'm unfamiliar with the concept of a vhenandahl, but I'm happy to have been able to help."

[serannas]

"Will you tell me about it? I didn't go." And seeing how she has a wide variety of interests, elves don't always keep her abreast of elf-related news.

[eolasemah]

A sadness crosses Sina's face, but not too intensely. "It had been destroyed completely," she says in a hushed tone, "I wasn't clear on why. But I spent most of my time attempting to regrow what had been lost."

[serannas]

"And you did it?" she asks, sounding impressed, though concern shows in her eyes. For as strong as Sina has shown herself to be in carrying this shard, using Keeper magic must have taken a lot out of her.

[eolasemah]

"I think so," Sina says, smiling once more, though the expression is muted. "We did what we could."
Using what methods they had. She suddenly finds she wants to talk about something else.
"What have you been up to, lethallan?"

[serannas]

"Oh! Well, um..." She trails off and then takes up her notebook, flipping it open. "Back in Justinian I visited an elven ruin in Emprise du Lion. Would you like to see the sketches I made of the artwork there?"

[eolasemah]

"I do," Sina says at once, leaning in slightly to see. "What sort of ruin was it?"

[serannas]

"That I still don't know. It houses symbols of all the gods, even Fen'Harel, so I have some theories as to why, since temples and shrines are usually dedicated to just one god." She flips to a page with a sunburst pattern for Elgar'nan.

"These were mosaics on the walls on one room. They were in gold and in two corners there were statues of Fen'Harel facing in. It was odd."

[eolasemah]

"Really?" she asks, puzzled, and casts her gaze to Ellana's drawing. Fen'harel facing in? That seems... unlikely, and she wants to know more. "What else was in the room?" she asks.

[serannas]

"It was really just a large passageway to the next room. Decorated, but empty, except for the two Tevinters we found dead." She gives Sina a look that says Yes, really. "A master and his slave. They had been their awhile. They hadn't managed to disturb anything past that point in the ruin." Here she smirks a little. "I stole the Tevinter's staff."

[eolasemah]

Sina's eyes go wide. "You did?" she breathes, "...what will you do with it?"

[serannas]

"Use it, of course. It's very powerful, and there's an ancient spell wound into it: one that Arcane Warriors of old used to use. Korrin told me of it. It's called Fade Cloak and it protects me from attacks." She's really glad that in a spur of the moment decision she decided to liberate it. Imagine what the Tevinter would think of an elf using his fancy staff!