We're Back! A Gallows Tale

[sulahnan]

WHO: Athessa and YOU!
WHAT: Oh, you know. Getting back from the jungle and getting way too into her work.
WHEN: Now, Post-Jungle
WHERE: The Gallows & Kirkwall in general
NOTES: shrug.

I. Back on her Bullshit...or...not.

Athessa is quite possibly the best rested of the whole group that returns from the jungle, having found sleeping rough a lot easier than sleeping in a bed here. Weird. But in the few days that follow, she once again gets back to her habit of not sleeping well and prowling around in a cloud of root-smoke. She also has a small dagger strapped to her hip instead of going unarmed or strapping on her dual-wield blades, and an unusually heightened work ethic during daylight hours. Minimal antics, maximum...something else. Something like responsibility? Weird.

II. Can I Raas you a Question? (Closed to Raas, if that wasn't clear)

They don't know each other. They've never even interacted, at least as far as Athessa can recall. But where else is Athessa supposed to turn, when she doesn't know anyone else who speaks qunlat and doesn't want to snoop around unnecessarily before handing over what she found to the boss?

"'Scuse me..." She isn't timid, just a little awkward. It's not typical for her to introduce herself to someone just to ask a favor. "Do you have a minute?"

III. A New Kind of Office Visit (closed to Yseult)

Athessa knocks before entering, same as usual. But this isn't one of their scheduled check-ins or typical scout work that either of them expect from one another. They're barely settled after getting back from the jungle when Athessa is reporting to Yseult with a missive in one hand, and a qunari dagger in the other. Both are set on Yseult's desk.

"I...figured I should report this to you. I dunno if it even really matters, but I found these in De--in Sten's room."

IV. Wildcard

[ you know the drill ]

Comments

[keenly]

Colin grabs a biscuit and holds it to Bene's lips to get him to stop, looking slightly less comfortable than he was.

[sulahnan]

“Did...did ya have to use a spyglass to ffffff hahaha to find it?” It’s no wonder everyone thinks she’s a lot younger than she is.

[altusimperius]

It's been a while since he thought about all this stuff, and Bene's mind is such a lovely haze that it's difficult to interrupt it, but the biscuit does the trick and he takes it in his mouth. He tries to roll onto his back, smiling up at Colin, but the position isn't quite right and he has to readjust--laughing at Athessa's question-- so the other man's knee isn't driving into his back.

Then he flops down again, pleased as can be.

[keenly]

Excellent, the sex talk is over. Now Colin can come up with something completely different to talk about.

"I don't know what I like," he says instead of coming up with something completely different to talk about. "I don't even know where to start. Maybe I should just be one of those..." he makes a vague gesture with one hand that means absolutely nothing. "One of those, um. And always be celibate. I can barely even make friends, let alone, um."

[sulahnan]

"I could never," Athessa says of herself, knowing too well how frustrated she's been without a consistent sexual outlet for the past month. But that's not important. What is important, right now, in this moment, is that Colin just said something totally and unbelievably false!

She pushes up onto her elbows and looks at him.

"That's not true, you've got friends. Like me, and him, and Le--Alexandrie, and Sister Sara, and--" She pauses. Not at a loss, just stoned. "--And I bet Barty is your friend without you even knowing it. And Byerly, even if he's a lil shit about it."

[altusimperius]

Benedict is already wrinkling his nose in protest, but Athessa sits up and gets to the point first.

"Don't be ridiculous, Colin," he says incredulously, still lying cradled in his lap like an indolent cat.

tw: suicide mention

[keenly]

"Byerly's not my friend anymore," Colin sighs, idly petting Bene's hair again. "He won't be again, either. He's pissed off about what I tried to do to myself. Who's Barty?"

[sulahnan]

"I don't believe that for a second," she says, once again shaking her head. "The fact that he's hurt by it shows he cares a lot."

Flop, back down onto the blanket nest she goes. "And Barty is that dwarf Warden who's always talkings likes this, likes every others word is a plurals. Likes t' gives advices whens ya needs its."

[altusimperius]

Bene has fallen silent, looking up at Colin's face but also past it.

[keenly]

"He's not more hurt by it than I am," Colin mutters, reaching for a hose. "Brothers!" he says suddenly before pinching the hose in his mouth. "Chantry brothers are celibate," he mumbles around the hose. "'Cept I don't believe in the Maker."

Inhales. Glances down at Bene, sees that thousand-yard stare. Looks immediately guilty. Once he's done with the hose, he offers it to Bene.

"Shouldn't have brought it up. Sorry."

[sulahnan]

Athessa tops up her own smoke-o-meter before speaking again:

"Not more, just different. 'S like...you being hurt over what Devigny did to me, right? It's hurt caused by the same thing, but from another angle. Or something. I dunno."

[altusimperius]

Taking the hose and thoughtfully drawing from it, Bene is still silent until Athessa has spoken. Then,

"you've been my only friends." His eyes shift uncertainly up to meet Colin's above him, and then he cranes his neck to look back at Athessa. "You visited me."

[keenly]

Colin forgets what he was going to say to Athessa after Bene speaks. Maybe later. He smooths his friend's hair away from his forehead.

"I'm not going anywhere," he says warmly.

[sulahnan]

Seeing Benedict look at her out of the corner of her eye, she reaches as if to grab another cookie, then just plants her palm over the center of his face. Pat pat.

[altusimperius]

He makes a small sound of displeasure when she does this, but is too lazy to prevent or even really react to it.

"I thought I was good at making friends," he murmurs to the ceiling after Athessa's hand is gone, "but... I think I was just rich."

[keenly]

"The bringer of all manner of old friends and long-lost relatives," Colin says wryly. "All three of us know what it's like to be completely alone. Maybe that's why we all wound up with each other."

[sulahnan]

"Hear hear," Athessa agrees, raising the hose in a mock toast, then not even drawing from it. "As co-founder of this committee of Lonely Fools I hereby declare--something profound and heartwarming or what-the-fuck. Gentlemen: raise your biscuits!"

[altusimperius]

Bene's smile is sad, but it grows more sincere with Athessa's announcement. He raises a biscuit, as instructed.

"Dum vivimus vivamus," he languidly intones.

[keenly]

Colin has to lean over Bene to grab a biscuit to raise, but it's worth it because now he has a biscuit.

"As the man said," he intones, and crunches into the biscuit. "What did it mean?"

[sulahnan]

"Psst," she hisses, and reaches over to clunk her cookie against Colin's. "It's bad luck to drink without toasting."

[altusimperius]

"While we live, let us live," Benedict clarifies, in his best lofty aristocrat voice, then taps his biscuit against Colin's and Athessa's before crunching into it and resting his head back down.

"Colin, don't curse us."

[keenly]

"We hadn't already toasted?" Crunch.

[sulahnan]

"That was a close one," she bites down on hers finally. "Maybe we should toast again, just to be safe? Dum vim vum vam vimmer?"

[altusimperius]

Bene opens his mouth to correct her, then closes it again with a small sigh. He raises another biscuit.
"Dum vim vum vam vimmer."

[keenly]

"Dum vim vum vam vimmer!" Colin agrees cheerily with his replacement biscuit. He doesn't bite into it until the others bite into theirs.

"You know," he says around his mouthful, "we should look around for all those...you know. That mages find in every tower. Hidden spaces. Find one and make it our own."