faderift | bullet with butterfly wings

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bullet with butterfly wings

WHO: Chloe Price and YOOOOOOOU.
WHAT: Catch all! One hyperactive, definitely ill teenage brat with way too much time on her hands is trying to do research and explore shit. Please stop her before someone gets hurt.
WHEN: From ~17/18 and onwards (I'll update prompts for Phase II when it comes about)
WHERE: Kirkwall
NOTES: I got nothing, I'll update if somethin' crops up

[ A ] One Through Three

Despite all her anger at arriving here, Chloe's starting to kind of sort of feel a little bit more at ease with the place. Maybe it's the sleep she got from the sleep aid that cut through the restlessness she was feeling from the withdrawal of cigarettes and drugs. She doesn't feel as shaky as she did before - the headaches still there, the restlessness definitely, but she doesn't feel bad, so it only makes sense she's on the mend.

Maybe she's a little more hyper than usual, but maybe she's just finally figuring out how to be happy drug free. Maybe she's been doing the opposite of what she thought was all this time - not numbing pain, but numbing joy, and now she can feel it again and there's something nice about it, something great, something addicting, because she hasn't remembered what it's like to feel happy and excited in ages.

It gets her ready to help out, to find some tasks, to research some shit, to figure this place out from the ground up. She can be found in various areas, trying to get to know the ways of Kirkwall, sticking out like a sore thumb most likely, and definitely getting horribly lost every which way, but hey! If you need some help carrying bags, or if you need someone to fix a wheel on your cart that's come loose, or if there's something you can teach her, she's more than happy to rush over, smile on her face, give you a hand because helping each other is what people are supposed to do, right?

And if she's not helping out with those, she's found herself in a library, or anywhere with books, anywhere she can sit down and start to read the history of this place - all of it she can get her hands on - about the science and the magic and every bit of knowledge she can find. It's the first time in years she's wanted to know things, wanted to learn, and it almost makes her feel like her old self, which is something that should have struck her as odd, but doesn't.

[ B ] Four Through Six

At some point, the energy starts to feel out of hand though. Way out of hand. Maybe this is withdrawal after all, she doesn't know. She's jittery and she can't sleep without help in the slightest and the fucking energy she was feeling is obnoxious now, but she just can't stop moving. She tries to tie herself down to the library, to focus on those studies, but the words blur and her mind can't focus, so she's up and running before she can even get through a single page. She's getting frustrated that the technology here isn't what she's used to because she'd fucking kill to play some video games or fucking sit down and marathon her favorite movies, but instead she's got to figure out how to make her own entertainment or bust. She wants to fix a car, she wants to feel oil on her hands, and she's got nothing for herself.

So she does the next best thing she can think of; she's drinking (probably stolen) booze in an attempt to knock herself out if she just gets enough, but it's doing nothing and now she's just hyper AND drunk and maybe stumbling about trying to find something to do, but not having too much luck on the latter. The stumbling's going real well, though. Better than expected, even, and she actually ends up steadying herself with the arm of a passing person, stranger or not, because it's the only way to keep herself upright for a second.

This might have been a bad idea.

[ C ] Seven Through Ten

"So if I begged you, would you kill me, because I'm pretty sure I'm already dying."

That's the best thing to say to whoever's listening, right? Totally normal. She's got a fever and she can tell, she's pretty sure her hands won't stop shaking anymore and the sleep aids are so much less effective than they were before; she always wakes up feeling ten times worse and she's just stopped using them because of it.

She was supposed to be dead anyway. Just bring it full circle. She doesn't want to deal with this anymore. She's still convinced it's just withdrawal, but fuck, was it supposed to last this long? Or was this the Zoloft and not the cigarettes? When did that stop? She doesn't know, and she can't exactly Google it.

So she's been settling on keeping up the drinking (because it was such a smart plan) and now it's at least gotten her to be sluggish enough to sort of curl up somewhere not entirely comfy and clearly way too public if she's talking to other people, but that doesn't matter to her anymore. "I don't want to feel this way anymore."

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Yay, attention! Closing in, Garahel sniffs at the hand and evidently it passes the test, since he licks it and leans in for some quality behind-the-ear scratching with a pleased grunt. He already loves this new person.

Returning to her table, Inessa places down her stack and glances around. "Garahel? Oh--he's not being a pest, is he?" She smiles a little apologetically at the blue-haired girl; even though she doesn't seem to mind, it's still not something Inessa wants to encourage. There's always the risk of him encountering someone who isn't a dog-person, after all.

She's already slid out of her chair and is kneeling on the floor for the best possible petting position. There's a grin and a quick head shake at Inessa's words, continuing to give some nice scratches. "Garahel, huh? What a nice name for a pretty boy like you." She's in love, alright.

She finally looks up though to the owner. "It's like the total opposite, honestly. I love dogs way more than I like most people, so don't even sweat it."

"It's the name of an elven hero of the Grey Wardens. I thought it fitting, considering." Garahel nuzzles his new friend, all wiggly and full of canine love to share. Inessa relaxes and smiles as his ability to win people over happens yet again. "Perhaps he should be permanently installed in the rifter welcoming committee, then?"

As Garahel wags his tail at this idea, she chuckles. "My schedule don't always allow for it, but he tries his best to make everyone feel welcome here."

Elven hero. She grins at that, though it's more of a personal amusement to herself. It reminds her of Steph and Mikey and of Calamastia, the Elven Barbarian that she'd so skillfully used in their table top games. She knows it's not fantasy here, which makes it both a little cooler and a little more terrifying all at once. "I dunno what the Grey Wardens are, but that sounds hella cool," she finally manages to say, going to return the nuzzle against Garahel's coat.

"It's too bad," she said with half-honesty. "I might've been in a much better mood when I got here if I'd had this guy to say hello to. I mean, I still woulda thought this was all some fucked dream, but at least it might've been a little cooler."

Garahel huffs in agreement, happily soaking up all the love Chloe has to share with him. "It's worth considering for the future, at least. Mabari are as capable defenders as they are sociable, even against demons." The mabari perks up a bit at that, all proud.

"I am Inessa, by the way. The Grey Wardens are my order, dedicated to fighting the darkspawn that strive to taint this world. For the time being, a portion of us are allied with the Inquisition."

"Adorable and badass. What a winning combination." She already wants one. A hundred of them, maybe. She's also got the energy where the idea of owning that many mabari seems like a totally rationally idea, but hopefully no one will let her make it a reality.

She finally goes to take a break from cuddling with Garahel to stand and offer a hand out to shake. People still did that here, right? She was sure they had to. "Chloe. It's nice to meet you, even if... all the stuff that's comin' out of your mouth still sounds like a weird movie plot or something." Inquisition at least was a thing she was getting down. Sort of. She'd never been good at this details thing.

Inessa promptly shakes that hand, her grip relatively firm for someone of her size. "I've been told something similar before, I think? But it's quite understandable that you would need time and help adjusting to a world so unlike your own. Doubtless the basics have been covered, but I can attempt to answer other questions, if you need assistance. We were not here on urgent business, anyway."

"Honestly, I've just been trying to learn everything I can." She motioned back to the pile of books. "I've been kinda wired and I thought that the reading might help. It's been a long time since I tried to sift through this much info though. Don't suppose you could help tell me the best place to start, could ya?"

"Oh, of course. That's no trouble at all." Glancing back over to the stacks, Inessa promptly heads over to a particular one, pulling out tomes. "Brother Genitivi is a Chantry scholar with a prolific body of published works: Thedas: Myths and Legends, Kirkwall: the City of Chains, Fade and Spirits Mysterious, among others. Despite his Chantry affiliation, he is a scholar first and foremost, and is respectful of all subjects researched. I keep plenty of his tomes on hand for my own reference, in my office."

Chloe's looking over the titles as she watches Inessa pull some out. She doesn't know what the Chantry affiliation means, but she's sure if she keeps reading, she might learn it somewhere, and hopefully can learn how to pick out the biases in the text as she goes. "Cool. Thanks a bunch. I haven't read this much since I was a kid," she says as though she's not still one really, "so it's helpful to not go in blind."

Inessa chuckles at that, as Garahel sits on his hind legs, watching them. "I have been surrounded by books from a young age, ever since I came into my magic. There were really only two things to do in a Circle tower; learn to control one's magic, and read. I read anything I could get my hands on, though it's only in the past few years that I was able to put it to use."

"Sounds about as exciting as Arcadia Bay," she said with a half-amused tone. Chloe had spent so much time researching as a child because there was such little else to do in her small hometown - at least that she knew of at the time. "I don't know how well I'll keep it up, especially if I don't fully have any idea if I can even read what's written in half this shit, but I guess we'll find out."

She nods, sympathetic. "Rifters who arrive often have to learn our script first; I don't know why it isn't common anywhere else. There are plenty of would-be teachers about, however." Her smile turns apologetic. "I would offer, but my time here is so limited and erratic that it would probably not be as useful to you."

When Garahel whines, she pat him. "That doesn't mean you won't see her, silly."

"I'm sure I can find something," she said with the confidence of someone who's probably going to take on a task she is completely unprepared for. Learning languages was not exactly her strong point, but she's still determined.

She goes to bend down so she can be on Garahel's level at the whine, though, giving a smile. "You are totally welcome to come find me whenever you want to, though. And that's not an invitation I've extended to just anyone around here."

Garahel looks up adoringly, wagging his tail. His mistress chuckles as she watches him soak up all that affection. "Now you've done it, he'll never forget you said that. Mabari are a very intelligent breed and understand quite a bit. You're also welcome to join in playtime, if you wish. He adores playing fetch with new people."

"Mm, just as planned. It just so happens that fetch is one of my favorite games." She pulled herself back up to standing, reaching out to give Garahel another gentle pat. "Thanks for letting me soak up the affection with him. My parents were never big canine people so I gotta get it where I can."

Inessa nods with an understanding smile. "I never realized how much of a dog-person I was until I actually had one, myself. There aren't any in the Circle, only cats that act as mouse-hunters. Afterward, I was teased -rightly- that I really was Fereldan after all, since mabari are so important to our culture." Garahel straightens up proudly at that, wagging his tail.

She smiled at the explanation, chuckling slightly at Garahel's reaction to it. "Sounds like a kinda culture I can appreciate. Cats are pretty cool, I had one when I was younger and I loved him to pieces, but there's nothing like a dog." Especially ones that looked like they could take you down with a single bite, but that was more of a preference than a blanket rule, she figured.

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bullet with butterfly wings

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