Open: Nerva has feelings about Mages

[keeperofmagi]

WHO: Nerva and Open
WHAT: Nerva storms back into Skyhold following the Abomination
WHEN: Before / During the Mage Council meeting
WHERE: The Tavern
NOTES: Nerva is her own warning. Alcohol.

Before the Council meeting, Nerva was nothing but a ball of rage. She had not been in Skyhold when the Abomination struck - sent on a quick escort mission down to the crossroads - and had returned to the remnants of destruction and chaos. Destruction and chaos that should have been prevented. Destruction and chaos that she should have been there to prevent, not out gallivanting around the countryside.

Once the meeting itself started, Nerva had attended despite the fact that she had absolutely no vote in the outcome. She had no power, here - though that was not a difficult thing to reconcile. She'd had no power in the Circle, either - too vocal and distrustful to ever be promoted beyond being a mere grunt. She'd gotten used to the fact that she had no say in policy decisions.

Which was why she had to be as loud and as vocal as possible if she was going to influence the council's decisions at all. That she disagreed with the council existing at all was beside the point. It was reality, and she had to face it. But she didn't like it.

However - she didn't stay for the whole meeting. Once she had said her piece she left - fuming and white knuckled - and stalked straight for the tavern. She usually was careful about her alcohol intake, mostly because she disliked being out of control of herself, but today was a good day to drink until she could at least have a conversation without burning holes through someone just by looking at them. Her rage and grief - a grief old as time but torn open anew with astounding regularity - were almost physical presences around her, hunched over the bar and nursing the wine even as she looked at it in disgust.

Comments

[fleurdesel]

Merde- this was precisely what she needed before the meeting. Some of the other templars she's managed to relax around, to put some of her fears behind her, to work with. Nerva would never be one of them.

She took a slow breath and reached for placidity. For Compassion. For the mask that she'd become more and more familiar with since the incident. Once she was settled and certain she turned, brow faintly lifted. "I am well. What do you need?"

Nerva would not come to her unless she needed something. Or if she wished to yell. Honestly Adelaide assumed this to be the latter- everyone had so many opinions and for some reason or another, despite the rather large number of other mages (some with more experience than her in a great may things) a good deal of them came to her.

[keeperofmagi]

She didn't answer the question immediately - eyes narrowed as she checked over Adelaide herself, not content that the woman would tell her the truth, and only once she'd decided that she didn't need to herd Adelaide to the healers did she nod - once, firmly - and get on with her business.

"My first issue is that of an apology," She said, incredibly stiffly, and still managed to look incredibly angry about it. "I was not present to deal with the Abomination, and failed in my duty." Her own guilt set aside, however, she got to the point:

"We must resume Harrowings immediately, and untested mages need to be sequestered until the point they can be. We don't have nearly enough templars to ensure the safety of the castle."

[fleurdesel]

"Oh?" A beat, and the rest came and that? That was no surprise at all. That Nerva would hold herself accountable for that which was not her duty in the slightest. Adelaide was almost willing to argue the point, to offer some manner of concession in the interest of civility and sanity when the templar shoved right along. Any civil or sane words were stuck in Adelaide's throat.

"No." Well that was neither civil nor sane, but it was true. Rallying Adelaide shook her head subtly. "No, we must not do anything of the sort."

She could explain- would, in fact, explain to anyone else but-

Why speak logic to a wall? It would not listen.

[keeperofmagi]

She wasn't surprised. Of course she wasn't - they'd already decided against it, which was why the tragedy had happened in the first place.

Unfortunately, Nerva was not a good enough politician to keep her lips from twitching, though she managed to keep her voice even.

"Something must be done." She said bluntly. "Unless you intend to sit by and wait until abominations destroy all hope that Thedas has of defeating Corypheus. The Harrowings are the best and most effective way to ensure that the mages are able to fight against demons, and it is only going to get worse as the stress of the war makes demon possession seem more and more tempting. This is not a circle, Councillor. Your mages are not the soul lives on the line. If Skyhold falls--"

[fleurdesel]

"And something shall be." Anything more wasn't hers to say- nor was it something she means to waste her time discussing with Nerva for it wouldn't be a discussion in the slightest. It'd be an argument at best and Adelaide had migraines enough from every other damned thing in the world. This she did not need.

In the interest of at least making an attempt to be civil Adelaide let Nerva speak on for a moment more before holding a hand up to stop her. "Is that all?"

As though it were a simple enough matter. As though any of that was something she wasn't already aware of, as though it hadn't been running through her mind every hour of every day since Lauren.

[keeperofmagi]

Something hot flashes in her eyes, makes her bristle, her hands drawing into fists.

She doesn't recognise the difference between being dismissed personally, and the subject being dismissed, and the idea that something so important would be so clearly shut away--

"No, it is not all," She snapped - the words incredibly crisp, though the Orlesian accent was slipping slightly. "If you think you can simply - simply ignore the situation, or pretend that you have it under control, then you are doing nothing save signing more death warrants for both innocent people and your mages."

[fleurdesel]

"Nerva, what in the Maker's name gives you the impression that any of us are ignoring the situation? Simply because you are not privy to the concerns and discussions of the Council does not mean that they do not exist." There was a glimmer of something cold and hard in Adelaide's eyes as her civil mask grew a positively saccharine smile.

It was not kind. It was not entirely polite, either. But she had more than enough of this templar and her temper and being seen as a thing.

"Take it on faith." As any good little Andrastian ought.

[keeperofmagi]

Nerva didn't reply immediately. Strangely, the blunt, not-exactly-polite words actually managed to land, and perhaps not in the way that Adelaide expected.

Instead, she nodded, firmly.

"Very well. But I would still like to firmly request that such concerns and discussions be made public as quickly as possible. Time cannot be wasted, on this matter, regardless of politics."

[fleurdesel]

"The Council's discussions have always been public regardless of who is making the request. Undue secrecy is a large part of what started the war." Which they were attempting to rectify. To be better than for all that she feels years being drained away from her future self from the stress.

"Now." A beat, her hand dropped back to her side. "Is that all?"

[keeperofmagi]

"Then I will make myself present at the next one." A firm promise. She would have herself heard, even if Adelaide refused to listen. She would ensure she was not ignored.

"I will dismiss myself," She replied, tightly, offering the stiff bow and fist to her chest that made up her salute. She was still furious, but at least now she knew where to spend her energy. She didn't appear to offer anything else as she turned to leave, until she paused - looking back over her shoulder.

"Work swiftly, Councillor, before fate makes your decisions for you." And then she disappeared back the way she'd come.