{ CLOSED } Seeking Out Missing Woman with an Anchor

[zombra]

WHO: Church, Inessa, Tessa
WHAT: A mission to find a missing shardbearer ends badly
WHEN: sometime in Harvestmere
WHERE: Ferelden
NOTES: CW: body horror

The journey so far has led them here, to this grassy bank opposite the farmhouse under investigation. The three are hunkered down, waiting and occasionally peeking over the edge to keep tabs on the occupants of the house. The stakeout is hardly exciting work, but from the clues they'd had from Jacob and the suspicious way these people have been acting it's pretty clear that the subject of their mission is being held inside.

Finally, just as the gray clouds overhead part to reveal the autumn sunshine, the door opens and the two exit. The horse is hitched to the wagon, the wagon is loaded, at the husband and wife take off down the road at a decent clip.

"About freaking time," Tessa mutters, glancing up at the sky. "Thought it was gonna rain for sure and they wouldn't go out. But now's our chance."

Comments

[zombra]

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.

[circleprodigy]

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."

[motherfucking_ghost]

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."

[zombra]

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.

[circleprodigy]

"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."

[motherfucking_ghost]

"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."

[zombra]

"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."

[circleprodigy]

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."

[motherfucking_ghost]

"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."