faderift | open, catch-all

[ A light smile touches his lips. Many would follow with other questions - after all, Byerly's manner isn't that of someone who would fight for patriotism. The odd juxtaposition would perhaps draw suspicion from those with deep wells of curiosity. Perhaps Tsenka does not have those wells. ]

A few years now. The arrangement has suited us well enough. Given this group, oversight by an organization as disciplined as the Inquisition - [ ha-ha, low bar to clear ] was rather uncomfortable.

( byerly strikes tsenka as someone with the presence of mind to know that a world under corypheus' bootheel will be a world without dank, comfortable pubs to sing for liquor in—

probably there are deeper reasons. probably it's rude to push at them, after you've pushed someone away from your own. she doesn't imagine this will be the only time they ever talk (would be disappointed),

and there's always his dreams. )

Not many here who seem as they'd do well in an arm of the Chantry.

( there's some fondness in the observation, so whatever keeps tsenka at arm's reach of riftwatch, it isn't dislike. )

[ A short laugh. ]

You might be shocked to hear just how many of our number openly spit at the Maker's name.

[ Neither approving nor disapproving. It's just a curiosity more than anything else. ]

( the laugh she breathes out through her nose has smoke in it— )

Probably not, ( wryly. ) Though I wouldn't go so far, myself.

( tsenka isn't an atheist, nor an agnostic; she supposes she believes in the maker, but if he's turned his back to them, then everyone's ought to shift for themselves. the chantry, she thinks— that's a separate thing again.

like a verbal shrug: ) He's minding His business as I'm minding mine.

[ Likewise: ]

If every parent earned hatred for being neglectful, why, we'd have no love at all in this world.

( that makes her laugh, though she isn't sure how someone outside a circle would take the joke — if he were another mage, or she knew him better, she might have made a crack about how little she knows about parents,

but tsenka is au fait with the concept of making a joke and having someone ask, concerned, if she's all right. and he doesn't seem heartless. so maybe best not. though, that's quite a jest for him to make in the first place— +5 approval, relatability. )

Thank the Maker for witherstalk is all I've to say, ( is dry as hell.

she'd sort of like to be a parent, if it were ever possible, but the idea of being able to settle down somewhere with a little cottage and no fear of being dragged from it— maybe it's easier to imagine if you're already sleeping beside who you'd like to be in it. )

[ His smile turns a little more cynical - a little more honest - as he presses a hand to his heart. ]

His truest gift. His kindest benediction. Without it, there might have been wee Byerlys running about - imagine it with horror.

( a long, thoughtful, faintly amused look—

ah, probably wouldn't be so bad. but she obligingly feigns a quail, punctuated with a drink as if she needs it. )

[ A nod of approval. Correct reaction. ]

Circles technically forbid that sort of thing, don't they?

Oh, they forbade it very strictly. Nothing technical about the Circle's attitude.

Well. The technicality, I should think, is - Gather horny teenagers together, and they will do what they do. No preventing it.

( lightly, )

We're not drinking anything good enough for where that conversation leads.

[ A shrug; fair enough. ]

It is occasionally difficult to know what is or is not taboo to discuss with mages.

[ He's not being condemnatory there, nor judgmental. It can be difficult to know what's taboo to discuss with Antivans, too. ]

( her look is more thoughtful, )

It's not taboo. There's not much mysterious about it, is there? But—

( a shrug. )

Mate, ( with a laugh, rueful, tired, ) it's a fucking downer, isn't it? The fear, the loneliness. Taking babies away from scared girls still bleeding from their birth. Telling yourself not to love, as if that makes it stop.

Now, you want to hear about mages fucking on the road, I've got stories.

That was more what I was after.

[ But: ]

But there's much that's mysterious, in fact. There's much we don't know about your lives. We nonmagical folks. And the mages of our company... [ He gives a small, helpless gesture. ] They do not precisely appreciate prying. Understandably so. But it leaves a fellow rather in the dark.

( tsenka takes a breath.

she considers him, through the smoke, over the glass. a more serious look, not troubled precisely; measuring. how much she trusts him, how much she believes his interest sincere, what it means to answer those questions. )

I can tell you the good stories. I don't mind it. None of them come from the Circle. I can tell you about the Circle, too, but—

( she sucks her teeth. )

Hard not for it to sound... ( a spin of her fingers. ) You don't want to sit here and listen to some dreary old tale of mundane woes.

( does he? )

Didn't keep everyone in check, you're not wrong about that, but you did not want to be caught. And we all heard the rumors about what happens if you're fool enough to get pregnant, and unlucky enough to stay that way.

[ He gives a nod. Unsurprising, of course. ]

I don't want to force you to sit here and tell your woes. Of course.

But what is mundane to you is not necessarily well-understood by all.

( a hum, a quirk of the corner of her mouth hearing an echo of an ongoing realization out of a relative stranger's mouth, )

It's funny. All my life, everyone around me knew everything I knew.

( other than the secrets, but— )

Cared about the same things. Feared the same things. Knew their shapes, at least. I wanted a bigger world, ( ruminative, ) it only takes some adjusting to all this elbow room.

( to new people, who don't know. )

You imagine no one outside cares. You think, how could they leave us here, if they cared?

[ A tilt of his head. As if continuing her thought - ]

But it is, often, not lack of care. It is lack of knowledge. Sometimes lack of power. [ A small gesture of confession - ] Sometimes lack of care, from some corners. But not all.

( the tip of her hand toward him is agreement— )

But you don't know that, as children. And when you're grown and free, how to know the difference?

( when everyone feels like an enemy; when you are still under that same threat, only delayed. when strangers who sit down with you speak in the circles with the present tense. )

Growing pains.

All we can do is exhibit curiosity towards one another.

[ A shrug; easy, casual. He toys with his glass. ]

A pity, then, that curiosity is often the first victim of trauma and cruelty.

( tsenka smiles, over her glass— )

I'm curious about you.

( which would absolutely be a line if she thought he'd go for it, but in the absence of any real prospect of turning this into a shag, it's just true. )

Are you?

[ His smile is slow. Consider his earlier thought corrected. Perhaps. ]

Well, I'm curious about you.

Oof, not much to tell yet.

( that is certainly debatable. she leans an elbow on the table — if she were wearing something more salacious, it'd be an interesting move, but the oversized knit could generously be called 'chunky' and accurately called 'misshapen', so it's just comfortable. ) Expect you've been up to more exciting things than I have.

I've certainly been up to stupider things than you have.

[ He's cheerful as he says that. ]

Does that count? A few decades of nonsense?

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