Not Quite Damsels, Definite Distress

[justice_is_blond]

WHO: Anders, Alistair, Zevran, Nathaniel, Teren, Merrill, Ciri, Jamie, Cyril, Velanna
WHAT: Rescuing two princesses who went into the wrong castle
WHEN: Around Haring 10th
WHERE: A village handwavily somewhere around Skyhold, on the Fereldan side of things.
NOTES: Minor violence warnings for now. Signup Post.

Sometimes people vanish. Sometimes there's a trail to follow, and luckily for these two, there's some information about where they were going.

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[justice_is_blond]

"I don't want any innocents caught in it," Vidal tells Rhiannon. "If the Templars don't come at mages, then I won't come at them. But I can't stand still and let my people be hurt. They've spilled the blood of my family and my friends, and I won't feel bad about making them pay the same way. It's their call." She shrugs, but there isn't pride in her voice. To her, she's simply stating facts.

Meanwhile, Purrelden lives up to her name by accepting the scritches happily and purring in return, licking his fingers before catching sight of Merrill's offered hand. When Jamie doesn't pander to her cat-sized ego more with any noises, she leaves him and goes to Merrill. She holds up a paw, fully aware that it's cute and it often gets her picked up and petted more. There's some fur missing from the side of her tail as if it got caught in something but she pulled it out.

"I want revenge," Aleigh says bluntly, glaring at the cat. "I want them to know the fear that we did. I want them to apologize and never come after another mage again because once it's happened to them they can't ignore how wrong it was. It's not like we chose to be mages, but they did choose to be cruel."

Vidal sighs before kneeling down and making her own noise for the cat. Purrelden doesn't notice. She's too busy getting affection from familiar people. "The world's complicated, everyone has a different opinion, hear the latest from the town crier here."

[chainlightning]

"You must understand, then," starts Merrill, as she scoops up Purrelden and gives her a little kiss right on the head. "That's why we're so worried about our friends. As far as we know, they've done nothing to harm you. They wouldn't, unless you were collaborating with Corypheus."

One hand goes to gently touch Purrelden's tail, to make sure nothing broke when she yanked it free from- somewhere.

"And we're quite certain that, if they defeated any Darkspawn, they would have sent us a message. They would have come back. And they haven't, but you say the Darkspawn were defeated, which means- they're missing. And this village was the last place to see them."

Purrelden is carefully bundled close, in case Merrill needs to move and move fast, though she gives the cat another kiss and a little coo of "what a good kitty".

"None of us want to hurt you. We want to make this world better -- for mages, too. We want there to be justice when people are wronged. We want to make sure it doesn't happen again." Just not exploding building justice. "But we also want to find our friends."

Merrill looks up from the cat now, eyes wide and earnest. "Will you please help us? They came here to help. Please don't prove to them, to us, that we can't help you again."

[wontforgetyou]

There's more that Jamie could say about revenge and how it wouldn't do anything but cause more pain, but he chooses not to bring that up. Instead, he nods along with Merrill's words, his expression one of someone that's completely in agreement with what she's saying. He wants the same justice for those who are wronged, the same chance to make the world better even if it's not the world he came from. While he'll fight if he needs to, he doesn't particularly want to, not if they can avoid it.

Beyond that, though, he doesn't comment. Merrill's much better than he is at convincing people, as far as he's concerned - and given that, it's probably best if he keeps his mouth shut without having to be prompted to actually close it for a change.

[ichaer]

"And I also know what it is like to fight to stay free and for the freedom of others. Weisshaupt was not a kind place to mages either before the Inquisition helped us." She murmurs, a bit softly as if she was far away and in thoguht for the moment.

"You say you do not wish to harm innocents but that is impossible in the way the world is now. Someone always gets hurt when ask for fairness with blood on your hands and knives held to the throats of everyone else even if you believe it the only way. The Wardens tried that and look at us now." But ultimately she sighs. "There are many other things you can do so we can all hopefully reach a world like that. We need to find our friends and after that we have to save this world before the sky eats us. You could help us do both of those things like our friends came to help you."

Ciri prefers action in the end but she knows that would just lead to a pile of bodies on both sides. If they truly wishes for peace (talks of revenge aside, right now) and she leans slightly Kelpie with a look toward where the others had vanished earlier. Just what was taking them so long? It shouldn't be so long for them to look around should it?

[justice_is_blond]

Aleigh's glare at the cat in Merrill's arms fades away as she talks, something not missed by Vidal. But Vidal's not complaining. Instead, she's listening too.

"Aleigh..."

He looks at her, a little bit of the irritation returning to his face. "It's a fucking moot point, Vidal. Do you think they'd care about a stray cat?"

Vidal looks at the cat, confused, as Aleigh continues. "You would. Most wouldn't. That's the cat that got out, and half of them know it." Realization dawns on her face and they share a look for a moment before Vidal sighs.

"It was supposed to be a rescue." She crosses her arms a little defensively, looking down at peoples' feet. "If he was really Anders, his message had changed. It didn't make sense." She knows what she's saying, but they hadn't really prepared for people coming after him to help him; they'd figured only their people actually wanted him around.

"And if he wasn't, we'd eliminate the fake before he did damage," Aleigh adds without any remorse. "We're scattered and divided enough as it is. We didn't need that. But, before you get stupid, more stupid than coming into a camp where you're outnumbered, they're alright."

Purrelden, in the meantime, aside from twitching her tail away from Merrill and giving a warning dig of her claws, is settling in and purring up a storm.

"Have you considered going one conversation without calling someone stupid?" It's asked as if she doesn't expect an answer.

"No. There's too much stupid."

[ichaer]

"Wait, what?" Her eyes narrow slightly as they speak but does not comment on anything further that is said as Vidal speaks. It was a questionable plan at best and she can't imagine how it would help anyone, especially them, in the long run. Was it so long that Anders' changed?

She would have figured getting your point across by not blowing up Chantry churches with little old ladies instead would be a welcomed change of pace. Maybe they had something against little old ladies they didn't realize?

"What was your plans after you 'eliminated' the fake? Or rescued him? Because if the answer has anything to do with the Inquisition not learning of it or that you'd somehow hide yourselves then I have a pamphlet to give you about our Spymaster for your reading pleasure."

She frowns. "Her birds would tear everything apart before you could get yourself off about your brilliant rescue and damage control plan."

A hand goes to her temple, sighing deeply through her nose. Right, okay. "Either way, you must know we're going to ask to see them."

[chainlightning]

"I would care about a stray cat," Merrill interjects, even as she scratches Purrelden under the chin in an apology. Anders will have to look at it, though she imagines that might lead to yelling. Not at her, at everyone else, for hurting his cat.

"And we did all sorts of stupid things back in Kirkwall involving being outnumbered. It worked out."

Not everyone sounds half as chipper when being called stupid. But the fact that they wanted to help Anders- well, they panicked. And there's a chance here to get their friends back without having to fight.

"He'd been possessed by a spirit of Justice before I met him. Justice had changed, was now Vengeance instead. We were actually able to pull Vengeance out of Anders, at his request -- something I'm sure you realize has huge implications for the future of anyone possessed, or even at risk of it." Like mages. "And he'd been on the run for years. He looked awful when I saw him again. He was so alone. Other mages hated him for what he'd done. Of course his message had changed. People like us changed him."

Her head tilts.

"You're changing him again now, as we speak, with this. So please. Let us see them." Let her have her friends back.

[justice_is_blond]

"We didn't think anyone would give a damn," Aleigh replies to Ciri. "Anyone looking for him seems to want him dead. If he was fake, no one would care. If he was real, no one should care. Your spymaster can be the best in Thedas, but why would she want him back? Like you're acknowledging, a lot of people hate him."

Vidal at least looks a little ashamed by that, looking over at Aleigh. He gives her a look that basically says he doesn't care what she thinks before she looks over at Merrill.

"We knew of him through his network in Kirkwall, I've seen his writings in the last five years. The change was drastic. We didn't know..." She exhales, glancing back at the house as the rest of the party re-emerges. Ashton jerks her head angrily in the direction of the jail and Vidal nods. "We'll let you see them. They came to some sort of agreement in there."