{ CLOSED } Ne me quitte pas

[aceso]

WHO: Christine Delacroix, Sam Gareth, Church
WHAT: Visiting Christine's mother to deliver some bad news
WHEN: backdated to early Kingsway
WHERE: Velun, Orlais
NOTES: The direct result of what she learned at the front in the civil war in Orlais.

The trip to Velun on the western side of Lake Celestine doesn't take terribly long thanks to the Imperial Highway being their route almost the entire way. The town is full of tightly packed houses with the Chantry being the largest building, looming in the background. Unlike Val Royeaux or Halamshiral, Velun is a place full of poorer folk, as well as an emerging middle class of merchants who send their wares across the lake or via the Imperial Highway, and from there across the Empire. The sight of two mages walking freely has some people a bit nervous, but being a trading town, they have seen mages pass through since the fall of the Circles. Most keep their distance and leave the pair of mages alone.

Which suits Christine just fine, until she says she may not remember the way to her house as it has been so long, and she needs to ask for directions. She stays calm and polite, hands limp at her sides as she asks a fruit seller where she might find the Delacroix residence. To her relief, the man doesn't make a scene and simply tells her the way. After twists and turns through narrow pebble and grass paths, the group finally stops in front of a yellow house with cheery window boxes of flowers and hanging baskets of the same out front. And now Christine finds she can't move, until she reaches one hand out for Church's and her other for Sam's.

"Oh, Maker. How do I even begin? How do I tell her? 'Hello. I know it has been over fifteen years since you last saw me, but I am here to tell you Père has died.'?"

Comments

[motherfucking_ghost]

"You could do both if you wanted. And, no, I don't think she'd be a squirrel, but I mean, I don't want to think any animal we come across might be...somebody."

Church sits up, awkwardly, brushing some dog hair off him. "Seriously, though, a shapeshifting knight."

[el_tybs]

"Even though it's known, shapeshifting isn't something that many or most mages will know seeing as it wasn't taught in the Circles. So it's a pretty safe bet that most animals are just animals." Hopefully that'll calm Church a bit on that.

His attention then turns to Christine. "I didn't know you were learning to become a Knight Enchanter. Finally got swayed by those fancy swords?"

[aceso]

"Indeed. Sam is special. Not every mage will surprise you this way." Her attention turns to Sam and she takes a swat at his stomach.

"Swayed by the regenerating barrier, thank you very much. But I see you are all ready for bed. I only wish to stay a minute to thank you both for coming with me." She looks between the two and gives a grateful smile before she looks back at Sam and gives a sigh of suffering.

"And tell you my mother is giving me her dog. I will need your expertise. Knowing how to care for dogs must be in your blood."

[motherfucking_ghost]

"...The little yappy thing?" Because at least dog he understands. He does not understand magical swords or regenerating barriers, but at least he can understand dog-dog and not person-dog. "I mean, so long as it doesn't get its furry little ass eaten by the big war dogs."

[el_tybs]

"Hey-!" he whines playfully at the swat, bringing a hand to rub at the spot for effect. "I wasn't the one moaning and he did say 'beast'." Not what Church meant obviously, but still.

He continues to rub at his stomach, nodding his head thoughtfully and giving a hum of agreement about the barriers. Those were rather nice. Honestly he was tempted to learn just how to do that considering the amount of injuries he's gotten lately.

"You're getting Ponce?" He remembered the dog's name correctly, right? "Well you need to make sure you feed and water it, and take it for walks." Christine you took care of patients on a daily basis, a dog wouldn't be that hard. Well, maybe annoying with how much that thing barked.

[aceso]

"Yes," she says with a sigh. "My mother trusts no one else to take care of him." She gives Sam a slightly pathetic look, because she really doesn't want to be a dog owner. Or... dog-sitter. Whatever she'll be. She's certainly not going to call the dog hers.

"Thank you. I am sure I will be begging you to watch him for me to give me a break from time to time."

But it's getting late and they have a big day tomorrow. She stands and reaches out to hug Sam in thanks. After everything they've been through together, all the times they've shared both good and bad, he feels more like her brother than he ever has before. Once she's shown her affections, she turns to Church and hugs him as well. He's surprised her in more ways than one on this trip, and though he can still be infuriating at times (see: calling out her mother on her husband hunting), he's proven himself to be loyal and caring, and that's all she can really ask for.

"Thank you again, Church. I shall let you both sleep now."