faderift | [I: OTA, II: Semi-Closed] Finding Forever

WHO: Part I: Anyboooody!
Part II: Nahariel, Cade, and whoever's with Cade when he found
WHAT: I: Come get a free drink and tell Nari where you were when the Chantry blew up.
II: She has a cunning plan.
WHEN: A couple of days after the forest springs up
WHERE: I: Hanged Man
II: That good good new forest
NOTES: probable discussion of PTSD

Part I:

Nahariel spends a good day just... looking. Watching the general consternation of the populace that comes and goes, some of whom she'd seen come to leave items or worship at the crater before. They look unsure now. Something had happened here, something big and terrible. So she spends that night at the Hanged Man buying drinks--she hadn't much use for fine things, and her carvings had sold relatively well here--and asking for stories.

Word passes through the tavern pretty quickly that there's an elf at one of the corner tables doing this, and she greets anyone who sits down with a crooked smile, a drink of their choice, and a question:

"Where were you when the Chantry bombing happened?"

Part II:

The last person she spoke to that night was an off-duty Templar. The center of their faith, gone in an instant, their Knight-Commander in the grip of Red Lyrium fueled insanity, Abominations everywhere. The Templar looked harrowed, like they hadn't slept since--or not well, at least.

And Nari had seen that look before.

And she remembered what just a bit of her whistling a Chantry song had done.

And she got an idea.

The next day not too long after sunrise she put on her working leathers, divested herself of anything that could be considered a weapon--aside from her tools, of course--and set off to find Cade Harimann.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Nari's lips thin, remembering her own night-time flight from the carnage at their camp. Scars on the outside, scars on the inside--they pucker up and ache just the same. Saying 'I'm sorry' seemed stupid and hollow, so instead she just nodded sedately and refilled Korrin's tankard with the pitcher on the table.

"That day and that crater meant a lot of things to a lot of people, and now it's gone. I thought that'd be a good thing, a healing thing, but..." the elf trails off, her eyes searching out the knots and patterns in the wooden tabletop before returning to look soberly at Korrin. "You lost something then. If... there was a place to go to think and remember... do you think that would help or hurt?"

The refill is met with a flicker of a smile and a sip as she listens to her friend. There's a pause as she considers that, tapping her fingers on the counter. "Some of both, I guess? But it's not my opinion that matters, as much as those who actually lived through it. I've spoken to people who saw the destruction first hand, the debris from the Chantry raining down on Kirkwall. Wounds like that don't just disappear, even if the crater itself does.

It's like...back when we went to Halamshiral, to help fix up the parts that were roasted by Empress Bitchface's troops. No one stopped us from rebuilding, but not everyone seemed to happy about it, either. I got the feeling that they thought Orlais was using us to pretend it didn't happen. Remembering doesn't bring happiness, but having others forget -or seem to- can also hurt." She rests a hand atop Nari's, giving it a light squeeze.

"It's a tough balance, but from my outsider view, people have lived with that blasted crater long enough. They need something that doesn't remind them of the time an abomination took a massive dump on everything. But they also need people to know what was lost. We can always add something like the memorial we have for the Gallows, right? That shouldn't be too hard."

She nods slowly, and squeezes back with a light smile to match.

"That's actually what I'm thinking of doing. Rather than just rebuilding, or just having it be a forest, I want to turn it into... I don't know," she frowns slightly, "Something of both. A memorial and a place to think and a place to pray. A memorial for everyone. Mages, Templars, Chantry brothers and sisters, those who were just trying to live and got caught. A big thing happened here and we shouldn't forget it, but that scar didn't feel like a thing that could move forward."

Nahariel pauses for a decent amount of time, her brow furrowed in thought, then continues slowly, "There was something inside me that didn't heal until I went back to our old camp not to look and remember, but to plant something new.

"I know I don't have the right to decide how others should heal, but... the forest is here now. I'm just trying to figure out how best to turn it into something good."

"If it helps, remember that it's not all up to you. The people of Kirkwall will want their say, and the Inquisition higher-ups might have ideas about how to carry that through. Once they recover from the sudden forest out of nowhere." Korrin snickers, quietly amused at it from that perspective even as part of her is wincing and hoping that the Inquisition doesn't get any blowback from the incident.

"We have a diplomacy division, right? That should include local stuff, not just with abroad."

"That's a good idea," Nari responds with a nod, and then a moment later a sheepish grin. "Do you... uh... know where they're based?"

"Ah...in the Gallows, probably in the biggest tower? I've never had the need to go there myself, so I can't say exactly where. But it'd be a good place to begin." She pauses to take a swig, the tension within her easing now that she shared her story.

"Have you ever thought of taking a leadership position here? I mean, with Beleth in charge of the whole scouting crew, it's not as though there's a glass ceiling to break."

She snorts a brief laugh, and then looks thoughtful. "I'm enjoying my time with the crew, and the time I have to develop my craft. I might like to be Master Builder someday, but I want to spend more time working alongside the men and women of Kirkwall before I work above them."

"You'd be good at it, I think. You're thoughtful, are even-tempered, people like you." Korrin smiles and squeezes her shoulder. "I've thought about doing it, but leading requires a more detachment than I can usually muster. You have to be able work with anyone, even people you loathe. If I can't punch them, I want to be able to walk away from them."

Nari looks a bit embarassed at the compliment, but shakes it off with a chuckle. "I guess as long as someone can do good work and doesn't shirk their share, complain, show up drunk, or ruin anyone else's work, I can tolerate a lot. I don't care if they call me knife ears as long as they're doing it while laying stone solid, straight, even, and where I tell 'em to." She smirks, and takes a drink.

"As far as your leading? I think having you free to punch upstart idiots is just as valuable."

"The Inquisition leadership might disagree on that, you know. Probably." Korrin smirks and takes a sip, relaxing bit by bit. "Besides, I'm happy where I am now, helping Araceli with the naval stuff. There's there Northern Powers project, too, but I might drop that one. There's something to be said for focusing one thing instead of half-assing two."

[I: OTA, II: Semi-Closed] Finding Forever

Re: I

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject