faderift | closed.

WHO: Adrasteia + Ellis
WHAT: Coworkers, etc.
WHEN: Post-dream.
WHERE: The Gallows
NOTES: It's griffons all the way down in here.

As surreal as it has been to meet Adrasteia on the stairs or in the halls, it is somehow magnified this morning with the lingering memories of the dream rattling in his head. The recollection of Tony won't be dislodged, sticks in his mind despite having more than enough evidence that Tony's well enough now that they're all awake.

And Butterball isn't interested in leaving Ellis room to ruminate on the matter. His great head bumps at Ellis' shoulder, an aggrieved clicking of his beak underscoring the request, until Ellis lifts a hand to rub the griffon's head.

"The older ones came from Weisshaupt, as I understand it," Ellis tells Adrasteia, careful over the invocation of that fortress, all the baggage caught up with it lurking unspoken at the edges of the name. "And they've managed another set of hatchlings since. All large enough to ride, if you can get the hang of it."

If things had gone differently at Weisshaupt, maybe Ellis would have seen some of these griffons raised first-hand. Maybe Adrasteia would have met them there. But that's not how it happened. As it stands, he's undertaken the slow process of familiarizing himself with them over the course of his stay in the Gallows. He points up, where Potato has curled on a high ledge but deigned to peer back down at them.

"That's Potato," Ellis explains, with a moment's pause to allow the chosen name to settle. "She'll come down if you call for her."

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Potato turns her head to see what Butterball is fussing about, deems it unimportant, and places her beak on Adrasteia's shoulders so she can get more attention and affection. The elf chuckles a little, smiling at Ellis, though if that's at Potato or Butterball's continued croaking is unclear.

She can feel that the topic should perhaps change. She wants to ask how he keeps himself busy, how the average day shakes itself out for him, but she also knows there's a decent chance he won't answer that question. Besides, she needs to come up with her own rituals and routine here.

"I'll have to introduce myself to the group at large sooner or later. In the meantime, I plan on speaking to the spirit healer on deck, here, and seeing what may be needed."

There's to be no depending purely on the other Wardens to integrate her. Adrasteia has to do it herself.

"I'd tell you to see Isaac, but he's moved himself out of the infirmary."

For reasons Ellis can guess at but hasn't prodded Isaac about yet. It seems Ellis isn't the only one who woke up with regrets, and the reverberations of what everyone dreamt about is still echoing around the Gallows.

"They're kind, for the most part," he continues, breaking off as he abruptly ducks out of the way of a flapping wing. Butterball is a stubborn, lazy creature. Ellis should have brought a snack for him. "You'll not have a hard time settling in, it's sorting out what to do among them that tends to take some doing."

Or maybe that's just Ellis' struggle, trying to convince himself it's wise to be here.

"I've come at a strange time, haven't I?"

It seems obvious, to her; even though the dreams they all shared felt like little more than quietly observing from a distance for Adrasteia, people are quieter, more contemplative perhaps, less trusting it feels. Perhaps it's just her own low-level paranoia or a healthy fear of even just the socially unknown that comes with surviving the last decade as a Warden... but she doubts it.

Either way, she sighs and shakes her head a little. Don't feel as if you have to answer that question, Ellis, it's probably best set aside as rhetorical.

"There's an opening beneath the Seneschal for a Morale Officer." A one-shouldered shrug. "I think, once I've settled in, that I may apply."

No, Ellis doesn't answer that question. The expression he flicks back to her is tired, smile dimmed slightly.

Though in fairness, Ellis isn't sure there's ever exactly an easy moment to settle into Riftwatch. He'd even arrived on the heels of some scuffle, though it hadn't felt so all-consuming as this morning.

"Now, there's a good fit," Ellis answers, humor coming easily in the wake of that mental image. If there were ever a person more suited to the task of trying to preserve morale in this company—

"So long as you save some time to watch my back, next time I'm sent out."

Poor Ellis and his tired smiles.

"Of course. Is that even a real question?" She tilts her head at him. "I wouldn't sleep well at night if I let you get sent out without me there to protect the rear at this point." That isn't an overstatement; as invested as she is (or might still become) in the interests of Riftwatch, the other Wardens, and their safety, are going to remain tantamount in her mind. She considers them friends, even if she thinks Ellis would tell her that perhaps she shouldn't, but they're siblings in arms at the very least. Nothing will change that. Nothing has.

She'd do more for those who meant less. He probably knows this of her by now.

"You haven't changed."

His voice dips warm over the words. With all the world in flux, Adrasteia reappears just as she was. After everything, all that has gone wrong and all the time since she'd departed, she is still familiar to him.

And some part of it is for the reassurance of support in the field as well. It isn't that he's ever felt particular bereft of support, but same as Vance, known elements carry a different type of security along with them.

"The next dangerous thing I go to prod at, I'll make sure you're aware of it."

Usually when others bring up how little she's changed they aren't thrilled about it, inferring that she should grow up faster, achieve some gravitas about the way she looks at the world. It's nice, in it's own way, that Ellis thinks this is a good thing; a thing worth complimenting, even.

She smiles, and turns her face away and towards Potato again, because she's not sure what her expression is doing.

"Good. I promise to do the same." Should Riftwatch send her somewhere that they don't also send Ellis in the next breath.

There's a beat of quiet in the wake of that statement. A reaffirmation of old habit; Wardens looking after Wardens, something Ellis hadn't quite held out hope to benefit from again. (With no disrespect to Vance, who owes Ellis nothing at all.)

Butterball gives a creaky groan before scuffling to his feet and lauching, at last, through the window and into the air. Ellis chuckles.

"I should've started with the training yard," Ellis says around a small smile. "It's going to have a hard time standing up against this when you see it."

"Oh, but I'll be sure to be appropriately awed in all the right places," she says, eyes leaving Ellis' face in favor of watching Butterball take flight. It's beautiful and impressive, something of that size flying against the backdrop of the Kirkwall winter sky.

She gives Potato a gentle shove in the general direction of the nearest window. "Go on, girl, I know you want to fly with him." Potato huffs and leans in for another series of scritches before she, too, wanders over towards a window and takes flight. Adrasteia clasps her hands together in front of her and watches for a moment, before turning back to Ellis with a smile. "Let's go."

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put a bow on this y/y

a perfectly tied one 🎀