I'm one card short of a full deck, I'm not quite the shilling [open]

[hattergonnahat]

WHO: Jefferson and YOU.
WHAT: The hatter's settling in at Skyhold. Well. As settled as he can be. The guy's kind of twitchy.
WHEN: Latter part of Solace
WHERE: Skyhold and all associated locales.
NOTES: Will add warnings as needed.

They've been shepherded to this keep in the middle of the mountain range with the promise that they aren't the only ones. That they're working on a way to send them all back home again. It's more than he expected, the courtesy and hospitality, even if some of the people in the keep give them wary looks. There have been incidents. The extent of which he's not sure, but it's not a surprise. Traveling between worlds is tricky at the best of times.

And it's never left him with a souvenir like this one. The mark feels like an invasion, like corruption, and it makes his skin crawl. Occasionally he's taken to rubbing at the green mark on his hand, sometimes without noticing that he's doing it. It's done nothing to improve his already rather nervous temperament.

Still, best thing to do for the moment is try to adapt. Don't draw too much attention, observe the goings on in the castle. He keeps his distance from the soldiers and the training ring, though he does on occasion stop to watch. He flits into the tavern and out again, able to overhear some decent bits of gossip.

There's also a library, as it turns out. It's doubtful there'd be anything of use as far as getting them home, or surely they would have found it by now, but it can't hurt to have a look on the sly. He's not quite sure if 'Rifters' are allowed to go poking through their things, so he does so when there are relatively few people around.

This isn't quite the prison he expected it to be. But that doesn't change the fact that once again, he's been torn away from his daughter. That's a bitter pill to swallow, no matter how scenic the vistas or friendly the people.

Comments

[hattergonnahat]

It certainly was an easy way of identifying the people who had the most to gain from getting those Rifts to send them back home again. Always useful to know. And this woman seemed the open, friendly, helpful sort. Also useful.

He nodded once, teeth raking over his lip. "It must have been difficult, being away from your home for so long." His eyes flit back towards the children playing in the courtyard. "Did you leave family behind?"

[demonicbeauty]

"Not really," Ariadne replied gently.

There was Aunt Lysia, of course. And Uncle Tahafra. But their time as family was a bit like wet sand, slipping through fingers. There was never any knowing where any of them would be at any given moment. Every day, at least one of them was risking their life. And they'd all made peace with the notion that every last goodbye might well be a last goodbye.

It was lonely, but it gave Ariadne a sense of peace, too. She knew, at least, that they weren't going crazy trying to find her.

Her eyes slid under the lashes to her new companion. "You did," she said. And it wasn't a question.