faderift | I'm Not The Moon (Open)

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cosima niehaus

I'm Not The Moon (Open)

WHO: Cosima, Avery AND YOU
WHAT: Open log of goodbye to ~~all that~~ Skyhold; in which Avery may or may not try to help get Cosima a quality one-night stand and in which there will definitely be drinking
WHEN: Backdated to before the move (forgive my hiatus)
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: No warnings to start, but Cosima is fresh off TTT, so if you want a less shiny happy thread, those are also on the table.

Behind closed doors, Cosima had said very evenly that she needed to hug Avery once, and to please just let it happen. She was, in some ways, less shaken up than she'd been after getting captured by the Venatori; the things that had happened to her, specifically, hadn't been as bad by pretty much any measure. But seeing a future-that-might-be ... it had been enough to shake her up.

But that had been in private, and before they left Skyhold behind, Cosima was determined to enjoy herself a little. ("What would Ruby do?" she'd enthusiastically pointed out to her roommate when attempting to sell the idea of a night out.) Cosima had officially thrown her lot in with the Inquisition, was committed to making sure the future she saw didn't come to pass. But the world wasn't going to go to shit in one night -- probably -- and she wanted to dance and drink and flirt with someone.

(She wanted to look over and see Avery, right there and fine and looking mildly annoyed but not leaving her either.)

So a trip to the tavern seems well in order. Cosima's going to be enthusiastically greeting her friends from the start. She might be enthusiastically greeting glancing acquaintances later too, depending on how the drinking goes.

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Avery scoffs, "Fine. If I have to," then flips the coin with her thumb and handily catches it out of the air and slams it down on the table again.

There's a moment of pause for drama's sake, before she slides her hand away and looks down. "Shit. This is not on me. I am too skilled to be beaten by someone like this. Surely, it's the work of you damned gods that has turned the tide against me. But I refuse to be beaten, even by you. He has me bested for now, but what must I do to strike him down? Whatever it is, I will do it."

"There is a folk saying in my world: Fate's a bitch." ...that is not a folk saying, Cosima.

"Unfortunately for him, he's a gloater. He thinks his disarmed you, but that mainly meant taking your sword and gloating about how foolish you were to think you were his match. If you've got another weapon hidden somewhere, he wasn't very thorough, so you could probably go for it. On the other hand, he still doesn't seem to have placed you, so he doesn't know you have any way to know anything about him; you could try to freak him out that way."

"Oh, I'm sure I have a knife in my boot, for emergencies," she says, after a brief consideration. "It's not much, but it can do. Especially since I've also a well-trained warhorse with me. Once I give the signal for my loyal friend to create a distraction, I strike again while his back is turned. There's a time and a place for honor, and a time and place for survival. And if this poor sod bleeds out in the desert, there's no one to say I don't have both well in hand."

At that, she levels a slightly challenging look Cosima's way. "Does it work?"

Cosima pauses for dramatic emphasis. "Your cleverness takes the day. And he totally deserved it." She leans back in her chair. "So, what now? The merchant left his cart, but otherwise there's nothing of note around."

"I search both," she answers easily, after giving a confident nod to her foregone victory. "Maybe I'll find out what this was about, but even if not, I'll definitely find something useful for getting across this desert alive, I'm sure. What is it exactly?"

"So it looks, at first, like the cart is just fruits and vegetables. But assuming you keep digging a little, you'll find it's covering a bunch of gear - weapons, armor, that sort of thing. Probably salvage, but in decent condition."

A disappointed little tsk-ing noise is the first response Cosima gets.

"Not so useful, after all. Thanks, gods. None of this can serve me as well as what I already carry, so I leave it. Maybe the man will come back for his goods, or maybe some desert bandit will have it. None of my concern. I grab just a few pieces of fruit though and begin to eat one as I mount up again and ride."

Again, Avery has one of those moments where she has to pause and think about what comes next in this little game. There aren't many rules, but there's at least a general structure she's supposed to follow. If that was a wrap on act one, she thinks there's supposed to be one or two more? And the next is... "It's hours later when I see anything but sand and a few scattered desert plants. Some sort of building. But from here, I can't tell what exactly. Tell me, gods, is it the temple I'm looking for?"

Cosima's less familiar with the rules of the game, but she thinks it can't help to insert an element of chance. "Fate will decide," she says, grinning over the rim of her glass. "Heads yes, tails no, it's something else."

"Fine," Avery mutters, narrowing her eyes slightly, then goes to flip the coin again.

This time, when she catches it and looks, she scoffs, "Ugh, apparently the gods here are as cruel as I'd heard. This is not the temple, but I approach anyway, keeping an eye out for danger. Am I alone here?"

"There's not evidence of any other travelers as you approach," Cosima says, thoughtfully. "As you get closer it looks like it's some sort of small fort or outpost. Weirdly, though, there doesn't seem to be anyone in the guard tower. Are you going to head straight in, or do you try to scout around a bit first?"

Avery takes a moment to mull it over this time, eventually answering, "An empty fort is always a bad sign, especially in a place like this, and I hesitate at the entrance. I'm a warrior. I can fight a man. But there are stories of worse things in this land, and in places where soldiers once gathered and possibly died."

She drums the coin she's still holding on the table a few times.

"There may also be water though, and my horse is thirsty. Mustering my courage, I make a sign of warding against dark spirits as I enter and begin my search. What is it that I find living here?"

"At first," Cosima says, well and truly into the game now, "the only thing you see are a few rats. They're big and pretty bold, but not supernatural as far as you can tell. You can find a trough for your horse near a well that's still full of water, but it kind of feels like you're being watched."

"First the water, then the watchers. I fetch a pail and give it a close look and smell. Is it safe?"

"The water looks and smells normal. When you taste it, it tastes faintly of strawberries. It's pretty pleasant, actually. Your horse seems to drink it without urging, too." So clearly, nothing to worry about. At all.

"...why don't you flip your coin, though."

She narrows her eyes briefly and makes the flip.

"Well, well. Seems fate is on my side this time. But I'd best not press my luck, so I wait while the horse drinks and keep an eye out for trouble. What approaches while I'm there?"

"After a moment or two, you see a figure approaching out of the shadows. It's kind of hard to focus on, like it's not entirely solid, but you can definitely track its movement; it seems to be more or less human-shaped as far as you can tell. Do you wait for it to come closer, or call out to it?"

"Oh, I call out. I draw my sword as well and demand it stop and explain itself. Does it?"

Cosima sits back a bit. "The figure raises its hands," she demonstrates, a gesture that fairly universally means oh god, don't stab me with your sword. "It comes toward you, but even once it steps out of the shadows, it's hazy and indistinct as if you're viewing it through water, or intense heat. 'Good ser,'" says Cosima in a higher, breathier voice. "'I mean you no harm.'"

"I repeat my demand for it to explain itself," Avery enunciates very clearly. "Does it?"

"It sounds a little bit scared, but says, 'Please, ser, I need your help. We need your help. Our well has been enchanted and those who were not cursed have all fled.'"

"I don't know that I believe it, but my first thought is for my horse, and I spring back to pull him away before he drinks any more. I try to check on him and keep an eye on the creature at the same time. Is anything wrong with him?"

"Your horse seems to be fine, as far as you can tell. The figure stops near, but just out of your reach. This close, she's still hard to focus on, but you're pretty sure she's dressed like a woman. Even though you can't get a good look at her face, she still seems worried."

Cosima reaches for the coin, but instead of tossing it, she idly sets it spinning on its edge.

Avery lightly flicks the spinning coin in Cosima's direction as she responds, "I tell her to keep her distance and explain herself. Quickly. Do I get a straight answer this time?"

"You do," Cosima allows, "more or less. She's clearly a bit afraid of you, but explains that people started turning into incorporeal wraiths a few months ago. About half the population of the fort was affected; those who were not fled. The cursed can't interact with the physical world, though they don't seem to starve despite not being able to eat. They figured out, too late, that it was the well that did it, though as you've seen its effects aren't universal."

"And? I've no power to lift curses. I ask her what she expects from me, other than to leave before it has me too. What does she do then?"

I'm Not The Moon (Open)

there is an actual cointoss happening over here right now, i hope you know

excellent

i hoped youd be proud of me for that

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