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.

Comments

[pinprick]

Nathaniel looks at Vidal, then Kian. His eyes hold the boy, though the boy won't look back.

"You see now?" he asks gruffly. "It's all harmless when it's only ideals, talk of hypothetical sacrifices made for an elusive greater good, but now people are dead who didn't want to be. When you play this game, you pay for your mistakes in lives. This one cost you two lives, and believe me, you got a bargain. Are you ready to help instead?"

[failedfirst]

Velanna had almost managed to escape from Javion's stone hands, although they grazed her leg and tripped her. She fell unfortunately on the side where she already had ice sticking out from under her rib cage and lodged it deeper, incapacitating her long enough that she missed the rest of the fight.

She pushes herself up as they're surveying the dead, Dalish curses being muttered in a steady stream under her breath as she leans back against the wall in a sitting position, not really feeling like she wants to stand right this second.

"We can kill the rest of them if we have to. But that isn't an ideal solution to this situation."

[wontforgetyou]

Out in the hall, Jamie still doesn't make a move to draw his sword. He does take a few steps of his own, enough to put him in view of the door and the people inside - and possibly in earshot as well, now that things've gone quiet. After all, Aleigh did say that that he could do anything other than stab him.

"Are you that certain that you'll be locked up again, then? That there's nothing for you here but that or death? Look, taking our friends wasn't the best way to start off, I'll admit that. But it doesn't necessarily mean that we're going to throw you in a dungeon or turn you over to some Circle or whatever you think we're going to do."

Maybe that's not everyone's opinion - he doesn't know. But as far as he's concerned, unless Aleigh does something more direct, he's not as culpable as the mages that were fighting against them. Maybe there's some compromise to be had here.

"There's other options...and not just running away, either. If you'd be willing to help, I think the others would be willing to talk, see if we couldn't come to some sort of agreement."

[justice_is_blond]

"By the sounds of it, we've just had a decisive leadership change. I don't know who made it or didn't, but I'm guessing your friends won because I'm not hearing anyone yelling for me to get in there and help clean up." Aleigh shrugs, still taking steps backward. He's nearly to the treeline now, balancing on the balls of his feet and ready to bolt. That doesn't keep him from chuckling, though. "I'm not much of a talker, and since I doubt I'll be keeping my position here, it's best if I go."

Inside, Vidal takes the potion from Merrill slowly, stopping with it just short of her lips when Velanna talks... for a moment. Then she's gulping it down quickly, eyes still on Velanna. "We, I helped you. I distracted him and he's, he was deadly when he could focus. You won't..." She trails off as her eyes dart around the room at everyone else. "You won't?"

Kian's glance at Velanna is tired. He doesn't say anything in his defense or try to pick his staff back up. Instead, he looks at Nate with defeat in his eyes. "There are always mages who are dead who didn't want to be. I've paid for mistakes and for doing the right thing. It always goes the same way. This was a mistake, so kill me or don't. But choose and don't drag it out. Please."

[pinprick]

There's a pause between them. Nathaniel's look of anger cracks. He's a kid. It's hard not to see Thomas in him. As soon as that name gets associated with this face, Nathaniel won't have a chance.

He takes out a flask, opens it, and drinks to prove it isn't poisoned. Then he offers it to the lad.

"Fereldan whisky. You can have the rest." Whether it's taken from his hand or not, he is headed to Anders' side, crouching beside him. An arm goes around his waist.

"Can you stand, love?"

[justice_is_blond]

For a few foggy blissful moments, Anders is out of the cells. The bars aren't keeping him back and he can take a full breath. And then he's hauled back in and still useless as people are being hurt, and the guilt and fear spike high enough that he almost wishes the crossfire was hitting him instead.

He's still stuck in that frame of mind when Merrill suddenly appears in front of him and hands over a potion like some sort of fairy of lyrium and blood magic. That brings more guilt due to their past and it's almost crushing. Almost. There's still enough presence of mind left to him to drink it down and summon a healing mist before Nate's then in front of him instead.

"I..." He needs to get out of the cell, but more importantly he needs to help the people who have helped him. Teren's closest. Velanna's stabbed. And triage is too complicated to get his mind around right now. "Help me to," Teren's closest, his mind helpfully resupplies. Less work for Nate. "Teren. She's right there."

[doneisdone]

The potion is still working its way through Teren's system when she notices that someone is entering the cell, and instinctively jolts upward because that's the opposite of what she wants. Her dagger is out and held at the ready, her eyes narrow and every damaged muscle poised to ruin the shit out of anyone who tries to mess with the cell's other two occupants.
But then Nate just kind of walks right by her, and she recognizes that it's him, and realizes she feels like garbage, and sinks back down to rest on one elbow. Breathing as deeply as she can, she angles her head to see Alistair behind her, and notes that he looks no worse for wear. Perhaps they'll be all right.

[byblow]

As if to confirm he, for his part, is in fact all right, Alistair briefly snore-sniffles and twitches one foot. Like a puppy having a dream, only less cute and more on a dungeon floor.

[ichaer]

Teren isn't the only one feeling like garbage. Ciri is aware there is a lot going on around her, many serious and super extra serious things. Instead she simply sniffs though, pulls her sword free and promptly slides down a nearby wall with closed eyes. Her shoulder hurts, broken perhaps but nap time calls.

[chainlightning]

"We won't," Merrill confirms to Vidal, taking a moment to look around the rest of the room, eyes flashing. The message is fairly clear: if you want to get to her, you have to get through me.

Jamie's presence outside the door, however, has her attention pulled there. She steps over, leaning on her staff, and peers past him toward Aleigh. She's missed most of the conversation, but she calls out nonetheless. "There's money to be made and Red Templars to kill, if you work for the Inquisition."

She thinks that might be about the only thing to convince him to stay, and she's not sure it'll be enough. Either way, there are injuries to tend to; another potion is dug out of her pouch, this one for healing, and offered to Velanna, along with a murmured "lethallan".

[justice_is_blond]

Aleigh pauses, considering. That speaks to him far more than she knows; he likes killing Templars. After a moment he shrugs. "I'll think about it and be in touch." With a waggle of his fingers goodbye, he summons ice and fire and creates a mist right around him that he slips away in.

Kian takes the flask, sniffs it, and his eyes water. After a tentative sniff, he's coughing as well... but that doesn't mean he's not trying it a second time because he's had an abysmal day. The second is enough, though. He closes the flask.

Vidal breathes out, nodding. There's the noise of people gathering outside and she takes another breath, steeling herself. "They don't... They don't know what's going on. They know we had prisoners, but they trusted that we had reasons for it. They didn't know who. I'll... I'll talk to anyone gathering out there? Unless one of you," she looks down, "thought you would be better talking to them." The village isn't large, but it doesn't have to be when you've got mages who can put up with crowding if it means being outside of the Circles.