faderift | A man and his dog

FORM: Tacked onto the Bulletin Board & Over Sending Crystals
SENDER: Malcolm Reynolds
RECIPIENT: All
WHAT: Mal's look'n for work. And his Mabari.
WHEN: Current
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: Dog shenanigans

This is Captain Malcolm Reynolds of the Freighter Serenity and I'm look'n to find some work in and around Skyhold. You need somth'n found, somth'n lifted, somth'n delivered? I'm your man. Wanna wander around outside all casual-like for any reason and want a guard? I can do that too. Most any job that needs do'n I can see to long as I get paid.

...And I'm also look'n for a dog.

So here's the thing- I mighta misplaced somth'n that's liable to wander a li'l bit. Big, brown, kinda fat for a Mabari- answers to Jayne or Salaud depend'n on what he's after. If you got valuables that smell like food or herbs or whatnot I'd double check 'em as he's got a habit of digg'n around, gettin in what ain't his, and eat'n it. Don't be fooled. He ain't a starv'n waif, he gets fed plenty. You see him and he's in somth'n he shouldn't be? Whap him and he'll wander off. You see him and aren't all that inclined to give him a smack? Come find me. I'm the mighty tall fellow wander'n around with a long brown coat and a staff that ain't a mage. Point me in his direction and I'll get it all sorted.

[ On the Bulletin Board: ]

[ Will work for pay. No job too small. Contact Cpt. Malcolm Reynolds with inquiries.

Also: Dog Missing. Goes by Jayne. Contact Cpt. Reynolds if found. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Korrin just shakes her head, some of that grin fading.]

I can't say how; it's been a hell of a month, and not in a good way. I just got back from scouting Emprise du Lion, which is a fucking mess. Don't be surprised if we all get sent there soon.

Do I wanna know what kinda mess or should I leave it as some surprise?

[ He steps back, hands still on her arms. Seems like she needs a little ground'n, solid woman that she is gett'n rattled? Don't speak all that well of what she saw. War's never easy. He keeps need'n to remind himself that she ain't waded through it quite like he has. ]

Oh, no. This is not a surprise you want, trust me. Better that you know ahead of time.

[Korrin sighs, glancing down and looking at Jayne a little enviously. His biggest concerns are meals and bellyrubs.]

Red Templars have taken the quarry, and enslaved a lot of the villagers to help them mine it. We saw were they keep them; in cages all along the place, no protection against the elements. If they aren't being overworked, they're freezing to death. We were able to get some of those cages open, but any more risked drawing attention before the Inquisition can get their in force.

Andraste's ya flaiming petits oncles et tantes qui dansent sous la lune de sang- what? How many of you were up there forced to watch this horse shit?

[ Watch and do nothing- scouts are scouts, but still. That it's even something they have to consider before sending out-

It figures.

Might not be a king or a country but it's the same bureaucratic, tactical bullshit that saw him and his damn near skinned alive a decade ago. ]

[She just nods in solemn agreement with that Orlesian flung her way, crossing her arms as she continues.]

The core scouting group consisted of myself and half a dozen others, not counting a couple of the Chargers and extra scouts in the area. Anything more and we would have attracted attention. There were far more of those Red Templars, though without being able to venture too deep into the quarry, getting accurate numbers was impossible. Let's just say 'too fucking many' and leave it at that.

It's gett'n awful crowded in my wilds. S'why we came out here to work. Not a lotta this bullshit roll'n around. And it keeps right on spread'n.

[ He could go back north. Wants to go back north more than anything- but he's stuck here. ]

Gonna haveta go out in force, give it a clean sweep. I been by those quarries before, make for a nice hidey hole when you're smuggl'n- last group I heard of head'n that way didn't say boo about Templars. Probably wound up got.

It'll keep spreading until we deal with it, you know. Nowhere's safe.

[Korrin knows that much, after seeing the Breach with her own eyes. It may be absent now, but the damage is done. And for all she knows, Corypheus could just decide to do it all over again. Hearing that Mal's been there brings out a smile again, small though it is.]

Good, we'll need you. I passed through Sahrnia before all this mess, but never made it to the quarry, so I only know what little I saw from this last time.

Nice little maze if you don't know what you're look'n for. Easy to get lost. Consider'n they're mining down there again a lotta it has probably changed, depend'n on where they're do'n the work.

[ He scrubs his face with a hand, wincing. ]

This ain't my idea of a good job. Even with an army. Especially with an army. Armies muddle things up, can't keep anything quick and clean, can't keep anything quiet. They're gonna see us com'n.

[Korrin nods, then pauses, frowning in thought.]

What about an advance force? One more prepared than for a simple scouting mission. We might not be able to make it quick and clean, but there has to be something we can do to save as many as possible.

I don't like the sound of a maze, though. My sense of direction is still the same as ever, but if we get separated -and that'll happen- it will be harder to round up people and guide them out.

Could work. Keep 'em small and tight, well armed and sneaky- you got enough rogues here you could probably-

[ He catches himself with a shake of his head, a clenching of the shard in his fist. It's easy for him to forget, with just him, without Zoe or the others, that he's out. He doesn't do this anymore. He ain't a soldier. He an't a leader of anything more than him and his. Mercs? Sure. Soldiers? A real movement? No.

Never again. ]

...I'm sure your commander and crew's got all kindsa ideas to sort it out. They'll muddle through just fine.

[Korrin darts a small sympathetic smile at Mal, nodding in agreement to that even as her eyes stray toward the shard.]

They'll manage, and we don't have to spend your time here talking in circles about it. I just couldn't keep that to myself, not if opinion helps sway where we go next.

...how does that feel?

Like I got a bit of magical rock lodged in my foutu</> hand what I didn't ask for.

[ He shakes it out, trying to ignore the tingling. ]

This is what I get for tak'n work around Haven. Place is cursed. Shoulda known better.

[She still eyes it out of caution and concern, despite that flippant comment. Even though all the marks she's seen have remained stable, Korrin remains wary.]

I'd say it is, no doubt. Between all the mess with the Breach and it being overrun, plus its rift being the first to spew people from beyond? Andraste's tits, I can't think of a better cosmic sign for 'don't live here'.

Even before that, heard tell during the blight? Some kinda dragon worship'n cult there. Whether it's just a rumor or it's a little true, I dunno. But that's reason enough to never spend all that much time there.

There isn't much left now, anyway. Just tons of snow from the avalanche and ruins that are half-buried/half-charred. It's nothing anyone who was there needs to see again.

[Including herself. Her lips form a thin line just thinking about it.]

I can try to focus away from that, though. Let me get you a round and you can tell me what you've been up to. Hopefully it makes for a better story than mine.

You know I could do with a round, specially if it comes free.

[ He cracks a smile and stops think'n about the damn hand for a little bit and all this strangeness. A drink with Korrin? That's practically a guaranteed good time. ]

Of course it does. You're new, I'm buying.

[That tends to happen anyway, new or not. Korrin likes buying drinks for her friends.]

And I know it's tempting to leave Jayne here, but the kitchen servants will never forgive us if we do. I'd like to stay on their good side.

But tomorrow I won't be new, so I'll have to buy? What if I go on a run and swing on back in- will I be new again then?

[ Is it a one off or are there multiple opportunities to cash in on this 'fresh blood free drink' business. Because that's a good business for everyone what isn't paying for the drinks. ]

He'll follow. C'mon, mutt.

A man and his dog

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