AFTERMATHEMATICS

[sulahnan]

WHO: Athessa, Madi, and YOU
WHAT: post-Dream catch-all
WHEN: after part 2 of dream time
WHERE: The Gallows/Kirkwall
NOTES: tags will be slow, brain still bad

[ starters in the comments ]

Comments

athessa | closed starters only

[sulahnan]

[ hmu on plurk or disco if u want a starter, athessa's only gonna be around on an as-needed basis before her february hiatus ]

a. Byerly

Athessa has found her way back up to the Diplomacy office, as she is wont to do, and parked herself in the most comfortable chair. If that ends up being Byerly's chair, that itself is par for the course when she arrives and he isn't already occupying it.

Perhaps the only unexpected element of this visit is the dream that their company shared mere hours ago, but whether or not that happens to be the reason Athessa is here is yet to be seen.

b. Vanadi

Of course it's one of the nights that they aren't sharing a bed that the shared dream occurs. It'd be far too easy to have shared a bed and then been able to talk upon waking, and as she's learned over the past year, spirits don't do anything that make lives easier.

Except healing. But that's different, obviously.

Athessa doesn't mean to let the subject hang over her like a sword on a string, but for whatever reason she can't bring herself to message Vanadi via crystal to broach this topic, so hang is exactly what it does, looming over her consciousness until she sees him and makes a beeline across the courtyard to body him into a hug.

"I don't want kids. By the way. That was just...I don't know, spirit trickery or some kinda magic bullshit. I mean just look at me, I am the last person who should be in charge of a tiny person who can't even eat solid food! Or walk. There are so many stairs here."

c. Bastien

This time, Athessa is bringing Bastien coffee before their usual Bard training stuff. Listening games, people-watching, hand-eye coordination drills, and the newly adopted music practice.

After stepping in a patch of pristine snow because who can resist, Athessa falls in step beside her friendtor (that's a friend-mentor) and passes a steaming cup of coffee from her gloved hand to his. And then, a few crunchy snow-steps later, she says:

"You can tease me about Vanadi. If you must." She sounds resigned, but she doesn't look like she'd mind much at all if he felt compelled to make kissy faces at her the way he did when Deimos was around.

[bouchonne]

Byerly sighs when he comes in and sees her in his chair. He looks tired - partly because, to be fair, he's just scaled all those stairs after taking Whiskey out to do her business, but partly because that sleep had been rather...fitful.

"Do you mind terribly?" he asks. He tries to sound irritable; all he can really manage is exhausted.

[sulahnan]

She looks about as tired, though who can say whether Byerly keeps track of that kind of thing. Athessa's been tired for a whole year, it seems, and sometimes even she has a hard time differentiating between tired and stoned.

"Yep—" It's not a word as much as it's just an acknowledging grunt as she slides out of the chair and ambles around to flop into her usual, less-comfy chair. "Whiskeyyyy, c'mere darling baby doll-face honey."

Her arm just hangs limp over the edge of the chair, fingers waving at the hound to try and lure her over with the promise of affection.

[bouchonne]

Doesn't take much work. An outstretched hand, after all, holds the promise of food; and if there is no food, then it will offer pets, and that is good enough for Whiskey. So Whiskey goes and cheerily shoves her snout under Athessa's fingers (though Athessa is in for it now, because Whiskey demands energetic petting).

By, meanwhile, takes his seat, and then plants his forehead on his desk.

[sulahnan]

Energetic petting is not what Whiskey is gonna get, unfortunately. Athessa manages a few enthusiastic pats and scritches before Whiskey flops over to expose her belly for rubs, effectively removing herself from arm's reach.

"This place has too many stairs."

[bouchonne]

He grunts in acknowledgment.

"Perhaps next time a magic spell will send us back in time," he says, "to allow us to put a stop to the folly of this place. 'Just build more buildings,' we'll say."

[highborn]

Athessa will find, at some point, a stack of increasingly-worried messages waiting for her on her crystal. But until then she's got the sender himself, quick to meet that beeline with one of his own, and quicker still to wrap Athessa in a hard, tight hug. The heavy fabric of his cloak follows suit, closing around her with his arms.

His heart is racing, threatening to beat its way out of his chest. It hadn't mattered how many times he'd told himself this rising panic was ridiculous, it was only a dream (a strangely involved dream, an accurate dream — but still just the false tale of a dream), and furthermore proven useless by everyone today knowing him who ought to know him. His wandering search through the Gallows had, like the messages, grown steadily more frantic, culminating finally in this desperate, clinging hug.

Despite all that, though, the slightly-breathless words sound otherwise calm enough, if slightly tight: "Good morning. How are you?"

[sulahnan]

"Exhausted. You?"

Judging by the thudding of his heart, felt through her cheek where it's resting against his chest, the answer isn't likely to be well-rested and calm. She can't imagine what must've plagued his mind between waking and now, the fear he must've felt at being thrown forward and backwards in time by some fickle spirit.

Athessa's been through this once before, she at least has that going for her.

[highborn]

He's reluctant to release Athessa, so — he doesn't. He keeps hold as he gathers himself in, reeling in the distress and agitation, talking himself back into reason before he can say or do anything truly embarrassing. Everyone else seems to be managing all this well enough, there's no reason he shouldn't.

It takes him a moment, but he answers eventually. "Better now," he says, like it was just some matter of an unpleasant night and not a crushing, panicky despair that's been dogging him. "Possibly hungry. Have you eaten?"

[sulahnan]

She shakes her head, or the closest she's able to without letting go. More of a rocking motion. Colin had made breakfast for the both of them once they were both awake, but Athessa hadn't any appetite.

"I haven't. Let's go hide out in the kitchens, I can make us some coffee."

And they won't have to climb four flights of stairs to get there.

[highborn]

It takes him another long moment to answer; he's busy with a hand to the back of her head, feeling the soft bounce of her curls, the brush of the tip of an ear. The solidity of her forehead against his chest, and the weight of her arms around him. Little pieces of evidence that Athessa is here, and real.

"Right," he finally says, and only then does he at last, reluctantly, let his arms fall from around her. But he's not quite willing yet to step away entirely, and both hands instead lift to cup her face. The smile that falls onto her is tired, and lined with worry, and warm.

"It's somehow been both a day and several years. I really did pick the wrong night not to stumble into your bed."

[cozen]

Bastien lifts his head from where he’d bent it over the mug, nose very nearly inside it to breathe in the steam, and smiles like he’s not at all tired or troubled.

“Ah ouais?”

He’s not quite enthusiastic about the idea. The fellow is very handsome, seems perfectly nice, and could disappear into the ether any day without so much as a wave goodbye.

But however resigned she sounds, she did offer, so after sticking his nose back into the coffee steam he makes some quiet, less-obnoxious-than-possible kissy noises into his cup.

[sulahnan]

"Ouais," Baz may have his reservations, but somehow the danger of a Rifter being spirited away at any moment is preferable to being forsaken by choice. But since they're not addressing that yet, Athessa just laughs at the sound of kissy noises made into a mug of coffee and and takes a sip of her own drink, its bitterness undercut by cream and sugar.

"There, now your duty has been fulfilled. On a scale from one to ten, with ten being practically dead, how tired are you?"

[cozen]

“Mmmmm... three?”

He’s a five at least. But he doesn’t look like it, and the coffee is helping besides.

“What about you?”

[sulahnan]

Athessa's at least a seven, since the coffee isn't actually doing much for her other than offering warmth.

"Hmm...maybe a four," Pause to almost take another sip of coffee, only to lower the mug again and hrm quietly.

"D'you think that kind of bullshit, fucking with our dreams and making us believe fucked up shite...d'you think it's fun for spirits? Or d'ya reckon it's like... in the rules that they can't just fuckin say what they want without a little torture first?"

d. sidony

[sulahnan]

Industrious clumps of snow are still clutching at the tread of Athessa's boots when she returns to the Gallows one evening, satchel of winter herbs in tow. A fresh delivery of supplies for the infirmary and adjacent apothecary. This has always been the elf's most helpful contribution as an infirmary assistant, since her healing abilities are limited to field dressings and the like. Stitches and twigs.

"Oh, hey there, Sid," she greets Lady Rutyer with easy familiarity and informality, as she always has when not outright play-acting.

"Got a pretty decent haul this time; even some felandaris, if you can believe it. What're ya working on?"

Sidony is almost always working whenever Athessa sees her, sometimes even when they meet at her house in Hightown. The woman needs a vacation.

[indissection]

Sidony has been nothing but productive over the last few days, if only because she has no interest in dwelling on her thoughts for longer than she has to. There's a sense of escapism about preparing things and treating patients - it means she doesn't have to dwell on whatever is going through her mind at the moment or any of the knots of anxiety inside of her.

The familiar voice is definitely a welcome distraction all the same, however, and her head lifts; if it was anyone other than Athessa or Byerly she would have words about the nickname, but it seems as though those two have a special pass.

"Wonderful," she nods, looking down at the supplies and feeling some kind of excitement about the creation of something new. She's been practicing, experimenting, and that means that she can produce things that magic can't. That will always be a point of pride for her, no matter what.

Hesitating, she leans on her desk and frowns for a moment.

"The usual potions and poultices. How are you?"

[sulahnan]

"Oh, I'm not—" She stops, realizing that she hadn't been about to answer what had actually been asked, and has to laugh at herself for it. "Sorry, I thought you said how about you, not how are you, must be some ice in my ears still. I'm...yeah, I'm fine."

Whether or not it feels true, she's set her mind on acting like it is. She grins, starting to unpack the herbs and roots so they can be sorted and prepared however they need to be.

"How about you?" It's only funny because it's silly, because it's what she misheard moments ago. "How long's it been since you took a break?"

[indissection]

"Perhaps we ought to purchase you a hat." Sidony lets her eyes drag over Athessa for a moment, drinking her in and trying to assess if she's well or hiding something. Tilting her head, she lets herself gaze, just for a moment, before she seems to come to some kind of conclusion and focus on sorting out the things she's been given.

Clearly she is spending too much time with Byerly. I'm fine - a mantra she is well acquainted with.

"Not that long," she says, without pausing to even think how many hours she's been hunched over her desk already. "There's still a great deal to do, I'm afraid, and if I don't do it then there's the risk it'll simply never get done, darling."

mado.

[sulahnan]

Athessa sits on the edge of the low wall beside Mado, legs swinging loosely and rebounding every time her heel bumps against the stone. Their training for the day is finished, and as they are wont to do after such things they're taking a little break and eating lunch before returning to the Gallows.

And if Mado's been talking, Athessa has only barely registered it, too lost in thought to do the whole active listening thing. So when she speaks up, abruptly, she might be interrupting him — she hopes she isn't, but hey, what can ya do — but might be isn't enough to stop her from asking:

"What does it feel like? When you, ya know...are a dog."

Re: mado.

[lumelume]

Mado has been talking idly about something or another, but he's between sentences and doesn't seem all that upset by the interruption.
He does look askance at her, however, his smile giving way to a look of mild trepidation as he glances around. No one is nearby, at least.

"Rather like being a man, but smaller," he answers, the corner of his mouth quirking up with humor, "and easier. People are kinder."

[sulahnan]

"A smaller man, huh," she echoes, contemplative. She takes another bite of her food — some kind of hand-pie full of...whatever, meat and vegetables — and sorts through the myriad questions she has about man dog dog man dog to pick which one should be asked first.

"Makes sense that people'd be nicer to a dog than anything else. Do you still think the same? Or is it different? I mean...you can understand people as a dog, but you can't speak, but...do you still think in words? Do you think in words as a person? I guess I never thought about whether or not I think in words or if I just think and...the thoughts become words..."

[lumelume]

Gently knocking his heels against the wall, Mado smiles to himself, and has to take a moment to think hard about her question.

"It's sort of like a music, I think," he decides wistfully, "when there's no need to use words, you sort of stop thinking about them, and just imagine what you want. Warmth, food, a scratch behind your ear.
When you're hungry, do you think out the sentence 'I want to eat something?' Or do you just go find something to eat?"

madi | open starters

[filotimo]

[ this is a placeholder ]

madi | closed starters

[filotimo]

[ tbd ]