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WHO: Teren and you
WHAT: Wardenmom is consumed by secrets, as usual
WHEN: the first half of Wintermarch
WHERE: Kirkwall
NOTES: will update as necessary

I. The Hanged Man

Sometimes found perched at her table by the window with a hot drink of some kind, Teren likes to sit and do her mending where she can hear nearby conversations but is out of the way enough to not appear too approachable.
Which isn't to say she won't talk to someone who sits with her, but, as usual, whether or not she's feeling sociable is a gamble for the person approaching to take.

II. Out and About

Provisioning for the Wardens is a busy job, especially when Teren has also been lending some assistance to the Kirkwall alienage through the worsened weather. Throughout the day she can be found escorting workmen both on foot and in the teetery little ferrying boats from the docks to the Gallows, all of them generally laden with various foodstuffs and other supplies necessary to keeping the Wardens alive.

Perhaps it's the cold ever-creeping into her bony frame, or the ugliness of the weather, but she seems more standoffish than usual. Not angry per se, but pensive and distracted.

III. Her Quarters

A very limited number of people are welcome to call on Teren at home, but they know who they are. Though the door is only left open when she's waiting for Wardens to drop off their uniforms for mending, often a light can be seen through the crack beneath the door, and the faint sound of her speaking to someone, low and gentle.

IV. The Stables

Boots needs feeding and brushing. She visits her druffalo at least once a day to make sure he's being kept well, and often stays to clean his enclosure and yell at anyone she perceives to be bothering him. Boots, for his part, is fine with whatever.

V. Wildcard!

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Inessa is content to work in efficient silence, going through the packing list thoroughly as Garahel yawns and dozes. Trying to be as thorough as possible, she double-checks it all just to be certain. Satisfied, she stands up to give Teren the packing list back...and that's when it happens again.

Suddenly, the world spins around her and the strength leaves her limbs, prompting her to sag to her knees. Garahel, stretching, lets out a whine of alarm as he gets to his feet and heads over. She ends up clinging to him, her gaze unfocused.

Teren spots the strange motion out of the corner of her eye, and Inessa has hardly reached the ground before the older Warden is there and trying to help her up. "Inessa," she breathes, "what-- come on." The girl has been working herself too hard, and this is the obvious result; Teren takes one of Inessa's arms and loops it over her shoulders, standing with a bit of a stoop so she doesn't become too tall.
"Watch the cart," she tells Garahel, "I'll come back for it shortly." And whether or not Inessa can walk, Teren helps her forward, holding her tightly so she can't fall, and steers her toward their dormitories in the old Templar tower.
Quickly digging under her shirt collar to find her sending crystal, she clears her throat and holds it to her mouth. "Anders, meet me in my room."

Garahel lets out a grunt of understanding, though he doesn't look too happy about being parted from his mistress. Not daring herself to glance back at her pacing mabari, Inessa does make an effort to walk on her own. It's more wobbling than anything else for a few seconds, but past that and she seems to be much more capable. The world ceasing to spin and turn upside down helps considerably, and her eyes regain some focus.

"...I'm sorry. Everything just went...sideways."

"You'll have a lie-down and Anders will take a look at you," Teren informs her, not allowing Inessa to walk on her own in case she might fall again. She brings them to her room and doesn't let go until Inessa is sitting on her bed, which incidentally already has one of Anders' damn cats on it.

"Shoo," Teren mutters, picking up Purrelden and setting her on the floor.

"Of course." Inessa has no thought of protesting, even if it wasn't Teren being insistent. She does gain a little color back as she sits straight, the dizziness clearly on its way out. She smiles at Purrelden, but doesn't trust herself to bend down and pet her, not after

"I did go to the infirmary when it happened last week, but it passed so quickly, there really wasn't anything for them to do." Inessa sighs, rubbing her temple. She's not pleased at causing an inconvenience, especially when nothing is actually solved.

"Shoo?" he asks, coming into the room. "Call me to help and then shoo my cat?" If Inessa wasn't pale he'd be teasing a little harder, but Teren doesn't tend to hover over people and he's rather sure she's not got Inessa in her bed for any fun sort of reasons.

"What happened last week that passed quickly?" His pack of emergency supplies gets tossed onto Teren's table. Nobody needs bloodflow stopped or a potion tilted down their throat today, by the looks of it. Purrelden hops back up on the bed and takes a position right next to Inessa, looking up at Teren in challenge.

Inessa strokes Purrelden now that the latter is back on the bed, trying to sit up a little straighter as Anders joins them. "A sudden dizzy spell, and this bout of exhaustion that followed. It only lasted a short while, but it was...intense. I was told to curtail my schedule, so I did. I didn't think this would happen again."

Anders' expression gets serious then, and a little closed off. Before saying anything he starts casting.

"Have you had any other symptoms?" Is it coincidence? There's been a lot of work on both of their shoulders. It could be entirely unrelated. "And it's just been this last week?"

She notes Anders' expression with concern, wondering if this is worse than she'd thought. "I believe so, yes. I've had no other symptoms...though this last bout seemed to last longer than the previous one. Not by much, but still enough that I took notice."

He finds nothing wrong. At any other time that would be comforting, but right now? Anders meets Inessa's eyes as the green glow goes out.

"I'm not detecting anything," he says slowly. What do they have in common? Mage, warden, Kinloch Hold, Skyhold, Kirkwall? Maybe some sort of combination of those? Anders shoots a glance over at Teren before leaning against her table.

"I've... I've had the same symptoms. And found nothing wrong there either. I'd thought it overwork because no one else had reported similar." Now he has to wonder if it's something else, and something that doesn't leave a trace.

Inessa's eyebrows raise upon hearing that news, concern and curiosity deepending. "Yes, that's exactly what I'd thought it the same. But the same symptoms at the same time, that's...less of a coincidence." She frowns in thought, likewise running over the list of commonalities in her head. "I haven't spoken to anyone else, but from what I have seen so far, Ciri is fine. If she wasn't, I'd know it. Kain as well."

So maybe it's not a Warden issue, at the very least.

"I've not seen anyone else afflicted until today. I need to find out if Bethany is afflicted," he says after several moments of pause. Warden, mage, Skyhold, and Kirkwall, she overlaps with them there. If she doesn't... when was even the last time he and Inessa were working on something away from others? Or could Kinloch be a part of it?

Teren stands off to the side, arms folded, lips pursed, concern rising in her despite her inscrutable expression. This is a recurring thing, between multiple people? Perhaps...
...no. She'll wait until there's more to know.

"I'll be back," she says, stepping toward the door. She left Garahel out by the cart, which she needs to finish dealing with and send him up to Inessa.

"Teren, wait!" He can't help but feel a sudden spike of fear. She won't sell them out, he's certain, but he feels vulnerable anyway.

"This can't, I can't have people knowing this is happening, please." He has too many enemies in Kirkwall for that to go well.

Teren stops when called to, but she shoots Anders an incredulous look. "Not a word," she says back to him, gives a curt nod, and steps out. They've known each other to the point where, hopefully, this is enough to convince him she has no intention of selling anyone out.

Inessa watches the two, relaxing a bit as Garahel will not want to be left alone for too long. As Teren leaves, she looks over to Anders, fairly certain as to his line of thought. A small understanding smile forms. "I won't share such information either, though...yes, asking Bethany would be a good next step. I haven't spoken with her since the mage gathering."

He wishes so very much that he could stop being afraid, but Teren's response at least tells him his faith there is well-placed.

"I'll call Bethany now," he says, and does so. "We need to get to the bottom of this, and hopefully quickly."

At least it means this probably isn't a delayed side-effect from possession.

With that, Teren departs. Garahel likely returns to Inessa a few minutes later, though Teren stays out to finish her work for the time being.

As Garahel pads in, he notes his feline friend though first goes to check on Inessa. She strokes his head, reassuringly. "It's alright. Say hello to Purrelden." Turning her gaze back to Anders, she nods. "I'm willing to quietly gather information; it's better than waiting and wondering when this will happen next. Whatever I find will be shared promptly. I hope a pattern emerges sooner than later...."

Purrelden stands and stretches before coming over so she can hop onto Garahel's back and sit there, trying her best to drive him nuts apparently.

"If I'd had reports of others dealing with this I'd have a better start, but..." He shakes his head. "It's not related to the gathering, because there'd be more. It's not the food in the Gallows for the same reason. It's something with no trace, and what has no trace?"

A beat as one thing that doesn't tend to leave a trace comes to mind, and then: "Other than someone using blood magic on us. I was in the Warden offices with Nate alone when my spell happened. Where were you and Teren?"

Recoiling at mention of blood magic, Inessa shakes her head. "It's unlikely, at least in my case. I acquired a rune to specifically ward against blood magic. And Teren and I were by the ferry boats from the docks; I was assisting her in counting incoming supplies. The last time it happened, I was in the roost with Carver, checking on Potato."

Garahel keeps twisting and turning to look at Purrelden, then moves out of the way of Anders and Inessa enough to run in a circle.

Runes aren't infallible, but he really doesn't think someone could have been sneaky around the ferry boats, the griffons, and the Warden offices except another Warden, and they don't have a blood mage in their ranks. Anders sighs and rubs the back of his neck.

"We need to figure this out, but we need to figure it out quietly. Mages falling down..." He doesn't need to explain to another mage how vulnerable it makes them, especially not in this city which might hold some former Templars of the worst sort.

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One day in and I'm already doing this...

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