By the breath she takes, and the way she exhales it, he is probably expecting the answer by the time she says, “Badly,” because it feels the only honest place to begin.
Gwenaëlle leans her hip against the balustrade, pursing her lips as she considers the best way to elaborate. She isn't the person who teaches rifters the important things, at the beginning, for a lot of reasons — not least of which being the decided lack of delicacy with which she does most everything — and presented with the opportunity she isn't unwilling, only uncertain.
How does a fish describe water to an axolotl?
“The war isn't one conflict, with one side. Corypheus is a clear threat to everyone, and some conflicts have been set aside — temporarily — in the wake of that. But it's all still politics and trade agreements and how much of someone's own blood has to be spilled before they care. It's still every other conflict in Thedas having to be navigated to get any fucking thing done. We've gained ground, but so has he. And Riftwatch has specific...we will never fight a battle like you described. The Inquisition might. Orlais has already had to defend encroachment into its territory and Starkhaven's been under siege a year, now. I suppose we're trying to lean a finger on the scales, really. And we're the only ones able to close the rifts you come through. But nothing's happened fast, there's been no heroic moment out of a ballad where every nation in Thedas rises up together. We had to persuade Antiva not to trade with Tevinter any more.”
Her lip curls. “And if the gods of old come, they won't be fighting on our side.”
That sounds awfully awfully personal for what she's talking about.
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Gwenaëlle leans her hip against the balustrade, pursing her lips as she considers the best way to elaborate. She isn't the person who teaches rifters the important things, at the beginning, for a lot of reasons — not least of which being the decided lack of delicacy with which she does most everything — and presented with the opportunity she isn't unwilling, only uncertain.
How does a fish describe water to an axolotl?
“The war isn't one conflict, with one side. Corypheus is a clear threat to everyone, and some conflicts have been set aside — temporarily — in the wake of that. But it's all still politics and trade agreements and how much of someone's own blood has to be spilled before they care. It's still every other conflict in Thedas having to be navigated to get any fucking thing done. We've gained ground, but so has he. And Riftwatch has specific...we will never fight a battle like you described. The Inquisition might. Orlais has already had to defend encroachment into its territory and Starkhaven's been under siege a year, now. I suppose we're trying to lean a finger on the scales, really. And we're the only ones able to close the rifts you come through. But nothing's happened fast, there's been no heroic moment out of a ballad where every nation in Thedas rises up together. We had to persuade Antiva not to trade with Tevinter any more.”
Her lip curls. “And if the gods of old come, they won't be fighting on our side.”
That sounds awfully awfully personal for what she's talking about.