faderift | { CLOSED } Seeking Out Missing Woman with an Anchor

Church's comment has Inessa eyeing their anchors before inspecting the mess that is Elsie's. She makes a doubtful noise, not daring to hope but it's an idea for another time and case. Perhaps it can save someone else, at the very least.

"It's very little, very late, but...."

Anyway, she nods to Tessa's request and summons some healing magic before summoning frost on her fingertips, careful where she applies it and for how long. Moments pass in silence as she works, peering anxiously at Elsie's face while doing so. That the poor woman seems to relax even just a little is something, but not enough to ease her guilt. They should have been here far earlier than this, when they could still save her.

And then she lifts her head and straightens, hearing Garahel's warning barks. "Here they come. We still represent the Inquisition, keep in mind...but I don't have to include everything in my report." Whatever they say to these mockeries of parents, Inessa will let it remain here.

"Like a few missing teeth?" Church rises to his feet and makes a motion of cracking his knuckles. They don't actually pop, which he's just gonna go ahead and figure is a good thing that means good things for his joints and bones instead of making him seem just a little like a weenie for it.

Hooves slow on approach, and a confused, muffled voice, deep but otherwise indistinct. "You want me to be in the doorway, big meaty man to intimidate them, or do we wanna send--no offense--one of you less intimidating ladies to play vaguely nice and lure them into a false sense of security?"

Tessa places a hand down on top her hand ax held in her belt and exhales a breath to steady herself. She wishes it was a lighter ax for flinging at people, because she kind of wants to do that the second either of Elsie's parents show their faces through the doorway.

"I'll go. Can't guarantee I can do 'nice' right now, but I'm sure letting them know that they're not touching her again."

She heads back into the front room, hand still resting on her ax. When the door opens, it reveals the flustered father, who's still focused on Garahel eyeing him and only notices Tessa after he turns his head.

"What are you—" he begins, but Tessa cuts him off.

"Hi there!" It's all faux brightness and light; completely the opposite of how she feels inside right now. Elsie's mother bumps into her husband's back, too preoccupied with watching the dog that's eyeing them. "So as you can see, we let ourselves in. Our big war dog out there could tell something was off, and we didn't want to make him angry. You wouldn't like him when he's angry." It's always a plus when she can quote movies here and sound like a total badass instead of someone following a lame meme.

"See, it's pretty well known that the Inquisition rescues people hit with that freaky green light magic." She holds up her hand to show off the glow, kind of wishing hers had that cool laser beam ability so she could melt these two. "So we came here to help and, well, it looks like you two tried to take care of it and got in over your heads, huh?"

The husband's gaping mouth snaps shut and his eyes narrow, but the wife averts her eyes in shame. For a moment there's silence, before he erupts in anger.

"How dare you! You come into our home and meddle in our affairs? You had no right! No right at all!" His wife, bolstered by her husband's yelling, is quick to shed her shame and join in.

"That's right! We were taking care of it! You're trespassing, and we're going to—"

"TAKING CARE OF IT?!" Tessa screams, shoving her hand forward into their faces so suddenly that they both leap back and the wife practically trips over the threshold. "Look at it! This is what it looks like in a healthy person, who lives around others with an anchor shard. Now compare it to your daughter!" A daughter who may not be conscious, but probably shouldn't hear this yelling even unconsciously. Tessa is mindful of that and lowers her voice.

"You can't get rid of it by cutting it off. The Inquisition could have told her that if you'd let her go get help. Her wound's infected and you've got to know by now that she's dying." And try as she might, she can't stop her bitterness from surfacing. "That you killed her."

Elsie's father knows it. It's written across his face, but at the same time he doesn't want to take responsibility. He wants to believe he was a hero, saving his girl from the evil energy infesting her. His jaw sets and he stands firm.

"I want to see her," he demands. "What are you doing to her?"

"We are providing the care and comfort she should have received long ago, if you had not utterly disregarded basic decency and your duty as parents. She has been suffering for a long time...and needlessly at that. Her blood is on your hands, both of you."

Inessa doesn't yell, doesn't even stand up while she's tending to Elsie. But her eyes are narrowed and her tone couldn't be more frigid. It's harder than usual to keep her control, to stop herself from directing a blast of frost at the pair instead of keeping it localized to her fingertips. But if something happens, they shouldn't be the ones to start it. That she won't be able to keep from the report.

"I won't tell you to stay away, as long as you don't touch her. You should witness the full extent of what you've done, in every last detail. But if your yelling rouses her--"

Elsie's mother narrows her eyes in turn, outrage flaring up anew. "How dare you?! Who are you to tell us what to do in our own home--" Knife-ear. Inessa can tell she wants to say it and if there weren't two aggressive human companions with her, perhaps she might have. But Garahel interrupts with a growl, stepping in closer after the couple. He won't act without orders from Inessa, but that doesn't mean he won't keep the riff-raff in line.

"It's just a little fight." Church is soft, for Elsie only, rubbing the back of her remaining hand. "What would you call it? A row? A tiff? That's all it is. It's gonna blow over."

But it's time to join said little fight. He can only deescalate when he's trying very very hard and has time to consider his words. Like the Rifter uproar. Trying to keep the peace because he doesn't want his people to die. This is not that kind of scenario, and Church is gonna feel wholly and completely justified at being very Church at these people. He comes sauntering into the room, much larger than the two ladies in several ways and making certain that that is clear.

"Who are we to tell you?" His eyebrows shoot up, like he's genuinely surprised at the question. "Who are we? We're two Rifters and a mage, aka people who know what they're talking about. We're also members of the Inquisition. Maybe you've heard of them. The people in charge of saving the world from pure evil. That involves," he continues, louder, over the protests of the father, "helping people in need. That involves making sure people who happen to have magical shards in their hand understand how to use their abilities. Spoiler alert! These babies close the hellish rifts that shit out demons in your backyards! And THAT," with a point to Elsie's newfound room, "is what I would call pure fucking evil!"

Inessa had the control to not raise her voice, and Tessa to reel herself back in. Church does not. If his yelling rouses her, then that's on him.

The father licks his lips, considering in the silence that follows. To remain indignant and argumentative, or-- "We were...we were trying to help her. We burned the evil once we removed it, prayed for her--" It's not an admission of fault, per se, but it's not another 'how dare you'.

Church takes a page from Garahel's book and growls, closes the gap and shoves a finger in daddy dearest's chest hard enough to make him rock back. "You chained her up in your BASEMENT like a couple of redneck lunatic psycho killers, you disgusting fuck!" He punctuates with more pokes. "You two are gonna go in that room, you're gonna apologize to your daughter, you're gonna say your goodbyes, and then you're gonna pray for forgiveness for the rest of your natural lives after we take her with us. Or so help me god, your god, my god, fucking Odin for all I care, she won't be the only one dying from a brutally severed arm today."

It isn't everyday you get to pick a fight, and especially not a fight where the other party is so clearly in the wrong that you can hold that over their heads. But today is that day and if this was any other situation besides the one they're in with a girl currently expiring in the next room, then Tessa would be giving out high fives to Inessa and Church.

But the situation is what it is, and if word spreads that the Inquisition set loose its Rifters and a mage to harass local farmers, then they'll all be in trouble. Reaching out, she sets a hand on Church's arm. She considers them decent acquaintances who are always up for shooting the shit with one another, but she knows they aren't good enough friends that her touch alone can bring him down from his anger. He might jerk away, he might not, but at least she's trying to hold him in check so they all don't get a big fat F on their mission report or thrown in the stocks and pillory.

"You guys left her in agony down there. She doesn't have long left. So we're gonna take her with us and keep the pain at bay so she dies peacefully. And if you don't like that, then this guy's gonna rip cut off one of your arms and that mabari's gonna tear off the other." Tessa moves aside and jerks her head towards the bedroom. "You've got five minutes. Make it snappy."

Neither of them move forward. The father is swallowing nervously in the wake of Church's threat and the mother has lifted her arm to wipe under her sniffling nose with her sleeve. But then she moves around her husband, a tremor running through her as she heads towards the bedroom.

Having said her peace -and gratified that her companions took the opportunity as well- Inessa lapses into silence as she tends to Elsie. Church's yelling does rouse her a bit, but the elven Warden is quick to soothe her and darts him an understanding glance. She may have kept her temper -barely- but won't at all fault him for losing his, not even a little.

As the couple slowly enter, she keeps note of their proximity and positioning. Garahel, following them in, moves to act as a barrier the moment either one steps too close, a low and quite unfriendly rumble coming from him at that. Don't test him, bad humans. But they seem to have enough sense not to provoke the mabari, if nothing else. The mother bows her head after a moment and starts to mutter a prayer, most words aside from 'Andraste' and 'Maker' unintelligible except to her husband. Inessa picks up on the flow of it enough to remember the prayer for the dying, though it's not enough to soften her heart towards them. Far too little, far too late. They can choke on their prayers.

He doesn't shake Tessa off, to his credit. Nor does he follow them into the bedroom. His nostrils flare, huffing a little like maybe he does have some mabari in him, but his anger fortunately seems to be flash in the pan. Bright and furious for a few moments before it dies off.

This one might take a little more time, but he's not ripping off arms right now, so, plus?

"It shouldn't have to be like this." He paces back and forth a little. "Think this little show is gonna do any good for the whole 'rifters do not equal demons' thing?" Anger and threats aside, creepy spooky green tendrils growing out of an arm don't exactly scream safe and sound.

He won't pressure the parents to take exactly five minutes. He just wants this done with, that's all.

"Probably not," Tessa mutters, crossing her arms and looking over the scene in the bedroom with disdain in her expression. "But at this point scary Rifters are safer for her to be with than her own parents. Maybe they should think on that."

Husband and wife continue murmuring their prayers, neither touching Elsie or getting too close. Whether that's because of the giant watchdog, the Inquisition breathing down their necks, or the parents being too frightened by what their daughter's become to get near, Tessa can't say. What she can say is they definitely don't take five minutes, and if there were any apologies, they're too faint to hear. The two file back into the front room, eyes downcast.

"We're done," the husband announces with a note of finality to his voice.

There's a lot Tessa wants to say to that, but she knows it'll do nothing but make her feel like a badass for a moment and what good is that when you've got a dying girl on your hands that you can't save? It'd be a hollow victory. So she moves past them and into the bedroom to tuck a blanket around Elsie's body, so she has a bit of a barrier against the rain when they head out.

Inessa lets out the breath she didn't realize she was holding, relaxing a bit as the couple exit the room. When Elsie stirs, she renews her magic and afterwards searches in her bag for some lyrium bottles. It would probably be more practical to keep them for battle, just in case, but the poor woman has been through so much that Inessa can't bring herself to care. If she spends her time ensuring that her end is as painless as possible, it's magic well-spent.

When Tessa re-enters the room, she glances over. "We should go, sooner than later. Staying here won't do her any favors, she deserves to be somewhere more comfortable." And anywhere away from abusive parents would be more comfortable, guaranteed.

"C'mon, boy. Job's done." To Garahel, and he doesn't really want to use any identifying names even if the themselves are perfectly identifiable just because if word gets round, if something happens, then that's just...on them specifically.

Oh, sure, he's Inessa's preternaturally intelligent warbeast, but Church has bonded with him well enough to be comfortable with the biggest goodest boy.

Even through the blanket, the anchor tendrils give off a glow, and she still feels so hot like they just put her under an electric one, but...it is what it is. He could say something else to mummy and daddy dear, as their once daughter is carried away, something about how they're not going to burn her body right away, or they'll never know where she died only how, or...something that's not going to do any good.

It's just time to go, and that's that. "We've got you, 's okay, we're gonna take a nice and easy ride, get you as cozy as possible..."

"Yeah," Tessa replies, agreeing with Inessa that they should go. As she stands, she glances around the room. If these were normal circumstances she'd take a moment to find something familiar to take with them for Elsie. But they aren't moving her to a new location where they'll treat her and she'll be in tip top shape again. At this point, she's not sure they'll make it back to Kirkwall before Elsie dies. So she forgets that sentimental notion and heads out to give room for Church to scoop up Elsie.

Stepping outside, she finds the sky a darker shade of gray than before, with the gentle patter of rain against the roof. If the sky could express emotion like a person Tessa would say it's crying for the life that's slowly being snuffed out. A life that could have gone on, had fear not dominated the situation. Tessa looks down at her hand and the familiar glow it gives off along with the slight sting that's not so bad because Church is near. How could she have forgotten how powerful the anchor is? It can help close rifts. Just yanks them closed with an almighty crackle. Now she's reminded how strong it is. So strong it will keep growing and reaching out even without the body part it shines through.

She slides her glove back on and tries not to dwell on it anymore. There are more immediate matters to tend to. They'll be heading straight back to their camp to spend an uneasy night watching over the subject of their search. And then... well Tessa doesn't want to bring it up while Elsie's still breathing, even if they're all thinking it. They've got to tell Jacob somehow, and transport a body back to Kirkwall. This is gonna suck.

Garahel, still a bit tense, looks up and whines at Church, but listens well enough and pads away from the two older humans to follow the rest. Inessa quickens her pace to keep up with Church's longer strides, trying to keep an eye on Elsie as best she can...and the overgrown anchor that's now killing her. Granted, she can't see more than a glow through a blanket at this point, but that's not stopping the determined elven Warden from being at her side regardless.

The trip back silent, at least when it comes to Inessa. The heatrbreaking present and near-future is enough that she doesn't have the strength to voice it aloud, now that there aren't parents to chastise. Besides, she's in the presence of two other anchor-bearers, and that Elsie is a horrifying peak into a possible future can't possibly have escaped them. So, she'll remain focused on Elsie as long as she's breathing, respectfully giving the others space unless they bring it up. And after the tormented woman breathes her last...well, there will be another issue to address.

Even for someone as mouthy as Church, he feels the mounting pressure that is watching someone die. He's rarely had to deal with something like this. It's much more common here. Back home, much less. Bullets are clean enough that, even if you survive, you'll either die pretty quick, or you'll heal. He doesn't like this, any of it, and they do have to tell Jacob eventually, and this could be them in the future--not specifically this, but...something like it. Something like Sina.

Elsie lingers on (and it is lingering, that's exactly what it is) for a good while longer. Makes it to camp. Makes it until the rain peters off and the twinkle of stars just barely come through the clouds. And even makes it almost to morning. Almost.

"You guys know a good way of preserving a body?"

It sounds rough, but he doesn't mean it in an insensitive way. It's just...time is of the essence.

Tessa spends so long that evening just staring into the flickering flames of their campfire that she could swear she sees images moving there. Images of her with the anchor spreading up through her arm unchecked and of people running from her as green light pours from her mouth and eyes. She hadn't considered the anchor to be like an infection before, but it is, isn't it? Or some parasite that's taken control of a piece of her. What if one day it takes over her brain like the zombie virus does to people?

She thinks way too long on all this since none of them are feeling too chatty, and it's only the need for sleep that turns off the constant questions in her brain, but rest is short lived and she's up again to bear witness to Elsie's last moments. The question isn't a surprise since the thought's crossed her mind too.

"Can you, uh, pickle bodies? Like I know it sounds gross, but that's a way to preserve food so... thought I'd ask." She feels kind of stupid for asking, but it's not like she knows the intricacies of mummification here.

Garahel, noting the mood, doesn't pester anyone into playing fetch with him, though he does take turns leaning on people to give and receive comfort. Inessa, having lapsed into silence while keeping vigil by Elsie, finally speaks up though she doesn't take her eyes away from the poor woman. There's no more need for the frost at her fingertips now, but she looks at them thoughtfully.

"...I could encase her in ice; Winter's Grasp is a simple enough spell. I would have to renew it every so often, but it's not a high price as long as I keep lyrium potions on me."

Garahel's assistance hasn't gone unnoticed, and other than hugs and rubbing and squishing that good face, he'll get more attention later for his duties. Church rubs the back of his neck.

"Just let us know if you get too tired, okay? We don't need to drag two--" He winces and doesn't finish the sentence. "Sorry. Soldier humor. Not funny."

Normally Tessa's kind of wary of magic. She's not pigheaded enough to ignore that it's been magic that's been keeping Elsie from hurting too much in her final hours, but she's just not a huge fan. Magic's one of those things she'll never understand. Inessa may as well be speaking Greek to her.

"Sounds good. Are we gonna have problems with getting a ride with her that way? Like I dunno all the laws about transporting dead people here." Hell, she doesn't know the laws about transporting dead people back home either, but she figures you've got to have a license or paperwork for that kind of thing.

"Local laws are not my area of expertise, to be honest. But if we say it's Inquisition business -which it is- I suspect they'll let us pass." Inessa shrugs, not sure what else to offer there. As a Grey Warden, she's used to more or less the same approach and not being overly bothered. No one wants to interfere with Warden business or get conscripted.

Nodding to Church, she manages a ghost of a smile. "I will, but I shouldn't need to rest longer than it takes for the ice to hold after each renewal. We'll make this count."

Edited 2018-10-24 15:51 (UTC)

"If anyone looks like they wanna arrest us, they're gonna have to deal with the Inquisition, and also, y'know, a mage, two spooky demons in human guise, and a borfy wardog. So I mean." Try and stop them, honestly.

"Who's best at words here, between us? Cuz...someone's gonna have to write Jacob. About all this."

"Inessa," Tessa answers without even having to consider it. She knows she isn't the right person to provide comforting words. She could try, but she'd probably make a faux pas or unintentional say something unfortunate.

"I think you'd be the best person."

Nodding slowly, Inessa stares sadly at the inert form of his fiancee. Tessa and Church have helped plenty, and she wouldn't want to put that task on their shoulders anyway.

"...alright. I'll start drafting something now, I think. The longer I put it off, the harder it'll be to write later."

"We'll take care of the heavy lifting, literally, if you do the magical lifting and the...wording." Yeah, nobody was ever going to suggest Church write anything. "And Garahel can do the barking. All right, let's get this show back on the road. Before mom and dad get some fellow farmers together with pitchforks and shit."

{ CLOSED } Seeking Out Missing Woman with an Anchor

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