open

[bouchonne]

WHO: Byerly and Kitty and thou or even you
WHAT: Open post!! open post
WHEN: The month of KINGSWAY
WHERE: EVERYWHERE but mostly in Kirkwall and in the Gallows
NOTES: Warning: chatterboxes

[ Starters in comments!! Feel free to tag in or start your own thread it's groovy ]

Comments

[rathercommon]

Why?

[ She looks directly at him, not smiling. There's more than a hint of challenge in her. ]

Wasn't he a follower of Andraste?

[degenere]

Oh, certainly.

If he even existed.

[rathercommon]

[ Kitty's brows draw down in confusion. ]

Didn't he?

[degenere]

[He points at her.]

That is the topic of much debate and conversation. Or, well. Little. The suppression of Shartan's place in Andraste's legacy could arguably be justified. Not that I approve of the suppression of information. Knowledge is prized above all else, and the ruination of works of art and writings are to be disdained by any true scholar, no matter what they might imply. If truly Shartan is but an apocryphal conjuration, than faith should easily be able to stand against that. Though divisible scholarly interest is a difficult matter for the common man, certainly.

Now, Shartan, as a figure of legend, is an interesting consideration. Too often we see politics and other such passions standing in the way of such a way of thought. If he existed, he might have been legion, and not a single figure. What does this imply, we must ask. But how do we ask if we have no works to consult? There was but one mural by de Lydes that survived the purge after the Exalted March against the Dales. A wonderfully faithful replica exists at the University. Have you been?

[rathercommon]

[ Oh. Now she knows who this is.

And so, with a sigh - ]

No. Again. I've never been to the University. [ Then, propping herself up a little further: ] What d'you mean, he might have been legion?

[degenere]

[Again? And with such weariness! Val, who has no idea who is talking to, gives Kitty a polite ok mon petit sure kind of smile. He chooses instead to address the more interesting question.]

There is much that suggests that Shartan stands as a representative of many. That there was not one figure of his background and spirit, but several. Hundreds, dozens--theories, they vary here--and that he was written of in the singular for-- ah, well, theories vary here, too. Perhaps for the sake of ease.

[rathercommon]

[ She favors him with a chilly smile - though it's not him she's feeling cold towards. ]

Perhaps to utterly erase any history of widespread resistance so that the current elves don't get any ideas.

[degenere]

Perhaps! But then, why not erase entirely Shartan's name? This suppression was practiced in the widespread. It was the conservation effort of the University and her open-minded scholarly approach that allowed for the mural's existence. Really, you must make time to visit and behold it for yourself, if Shartan is truly to be a topic of your study.

[rathercommon]

[ Kitty's eye-roll is quite visible. ]

Sure, yeah. Anyway. Why do you think they wouldn't erase his name completely?

[degenere]

[Excuse. Val's smile hitches toward a smirk.]

I will confess that I do not know. I expect they did not want him to be more of a distraction to the teachings of Andraste than he was already proving to be. What was--

[And he does an exaggerated imitation of her eyeroll, with an embellished little hair-toss.]

--This?

[rathercommon]

[ She arches her eyebrows at him incredulously. ]

Me rolling my eyes.

[degenere]

Oh, yes. Thank you. Deeply illuminating.

And its motivation?

[rathercommon]

Its motivation is that yes, I understand, the University is brilliant. Doesn't mean I can take time off from all this to play tourist.

[degenere]

[Val takes a moment to survey, pointedly, the scene of Kitty laying on a mabari pillow in the sunshine of a courtyard, idly reading a book.]

"All this"?

[rathercommon]

[ Another extravagant eyeroll. ]

I'm doing research.

[degenere]

Ah, yes. Research. On Shartan. Yes?

[rathercommon]

On slavery.

[degenere]

That requires research? Interesting.

[Cute, is the subtext there.]

Your choice, that is, not necessarily its focus.

[rathercommon]

[ She favors him with a thin-lipped smile. ]

In my experience, when people assume something isn't worth learning about, it's more because they're not curious enough than it is because the topic isn't worthy.

[ She's assuming that's going to be a sick burn on this guy, given what she's heard him talking about before. ]

[degenere]

[It is a decent burn, which is why Val's smirk gets a little sharper.]

Ah, I see what you are saying. This is why you refuse to visit the University: a lack of curiosity, that restricts you to a single questionable text.

[He sighs, hugely, and turns his eyes toward the sky. Sanctimonious:]

I will pray for you, mademoiselle, that you might overcome this weakness and affliction.

[rathercommon]

[ Ugh. ]

If I show up at your precious university, they're not gonna teach me. They're gonna turn me away.

[degenere]

With that attitude? Certainly yes. But even if that were to happen, the University still boasts the finest library in all of Thedas, where you might learn for yourself.

Such an effort, I know. Your poor malnourished curiosity might not be able to stand to it.

[rathercommon]

And they'll just let anyone who marches up to their door into their library, will they.

[degenere]

Parts of it, perhaps. But of course one must submit to a test, to prove their worth. Can you guess at its material, this test?

[rathercommon]

[ With a sneer: ]

"Who were your parents? How much money d'you make in a week? Who do you know? Because we simply couldn't bear to let gutter trash dirty up our pretty halls."