OPEN

[sulahnan]

WHO: Athessa and YOU!
WHAT: Catch-all because I need to stop exclusively inboxing
WHEN: Whenever but mostly now-ish, post-dream meme
WHERE: Around, Kirkwall and the Gallows, maybe in the field who knows
NOTES: NSFW threads will be marked and/or moved to my NSFW inbox, CW as needed, blah blah blah

Specific starters in the comments!

Comments

[sulahnan]

[ She doesn't flinch at the door closing, too interested in why anyone would have a jar of spiders to worry about being trapped by who is, by her estimation, a rather nice man. ]

Is there a tea that wards off dreams? After what happened last month I haven't actually been too keen on sleeping.

[ Probably a heavier statement than her tone suggests. She reaches under her collar to produce a key on a leather strap from around her neck. ]

I figured you'd want this back.

[libratus]

[ With a sympathetic wince, ] There are several that claim it, but none I've found speak truth.

[ Trust Me I've Tried™ He extends a hand for the key with a grateful dip of the head, however. ]

Thank you. I'd nearly forgotten about it, if I'm honest, you might have had your pick of cobwebs.

[sulahnan]

Eh, breaking into some super secret room is hardly fun if you have the key.

[ The key is handed over with an affable shrug and a lopsided smile. ]

Actually I forgot I had it, too, and said to myself: "Oh, I gotta return that," and then forgot about it again, which is why I put it on a necklace.

[libratus]

A sound strategy, apparently.

[ He gives an appreciative nod. ]

Thank you for your help with the matter as well. I do not know Mistress Kint well, but I am quite glad you and young Matthias were able to keep her safe while the situation settled.

[sulahnan]

It seemed like the right thing to do, [ another shrug. ] especially with that messenger being so undiplomatic about it all.

[libratus]

She was a bit-- presumptuous, yes. [ From Ilias, practically an insult. ] But even if she had approached us on more equitable terms, I mislike the idea of handing our agents over to any else for judgment.

[sulahnan]

Especially someone who's just a kid, too. Or at least, was a kid when all that shit went down.

[libratus]

[ His hand pauses partway to tucking key and cord into robes; a thought for another time, of another youth. ] Quite.

May I ask, have you a sense of how she is settling in the aftermath? It can be difficult to feel-- [ how to put it, ] at home again, in a place where one's secrets have been laid bare.

[sulahnan]

[ Athessa frowns, thinking about it. ]

I dunno. There haven't exactly been many dull moments since then so... Could be that she's just had enough distraction since then to keep from thinking about it too much.

[ She might be talking more about herself than Laura, here, but who can say. ]

[libratus]

Could be, [ he agrees, the colloquialism landing just a bit off in his accent. ]

A full workload is both a blessing and a curse for many of us, I suspect.

[sulahnan]

[ She doesn't really notice the off-ness of the phrase. Just like whenever she talks with Kostos, she enjoys listening to the accent too much to care. ]

Yeah I guess so. I'll-- [ Thinking back to the dream shared between herself and Laura, she realizes that there's less reason now to ask anyone else to do it. ] I'll check on her again, soon.

[ A beat. ]

Okay I can't ignore it anymore, why do you have a jar of spiders?

[libratus]

They were Enchanter Isaac's.

[ --is not an explanation; were, several generations ago besides. He gives a self-conscious sort of wince, reaching for the jar as if to scoop it away from scrutiny. ]

It is for my research. Spiders are very sensitive, you know -- to places where the Veil is thin.

[sulahnan]

That explains a lot. How do they react to it?

[ At least Ilias told her what the spiders were for, which is more than Isaac ever told her about toxic toads he made her hold onto while he did something-or-another. ]

[libratus]

The bigger ones make their nests and lay their eggs nearby, but the little ones-- Well.

[ He can show her. Ilias places the jar on the table nearest them, palm to the glass. ]

Normally they do not do much of anything, but I have been trying to encourage them.

[ A faint green light begins to emanate from his palm; as he moves his hand across the surface, a few of the spiders skitter after. ]

[sulahnan]

[ Her eyes light up, both with the reflection of that glow and with interest. ]

They're drawn to it... Huh! I wonder why? Do you think it might feel the same to them as a bug getting caught in their web or something? Vibrations or...a sound we can't hear?