If she hadn't turned to pace toward him at just the right (wrong?) moment, she might not have seen Julius' expression change. For a moment, Ness isn't sure what she's done wrong—the look was too brief, her focus too far elsewhere to effectively connect cause and effect.
It doesn't take long to figure out, of course. Between Julius not wanting to replicate them and what she already knows about Circles...
"Of course not," she says softly, a weird mix of chagrined and angry. Can't one thing in this fucking plane not be horrible? Just one? And why did she have to say that so cavalierly, that was clearly a thought best kept to herself.
Her stomach rolls, and Ness forces herself to take a deep breath. Self-recrimination won't fix anything. She can't un-say the stupid thing she said. Dwelling won't help, and the point is to help.
She starts again, slower this time.
"There will have to be alternatives. No Templars, no Annulment, no Tranquility. There must be other ways of limiting magic's destructive ability—if nothing else, Circle structures must have been protected against errant fireballs? Barrier magic might be a place to start... Lyrium? Could it be worked into the walls, maybe? That could be dangerous if not done correctly... but is there a correct way to do something like that? Dwarves would know, probably."
It's only when she's paced away from him again that Ness realizes: she's gotten carried away again, and she visibly drags her focus back into the room, onto Julius, with a wince.
"I apologize, Seneschal. I'm—very passionate about this idea, obviously, but I know I'm getting ahead of myself. I don't mean to... I know it's complicated."
no subject
It doesn't take long to figure out, of course. Between Julius not wanting to replicate them and what she already knows about Circles...
"Of course not," she says softly, a weird mix of chagrined and angry. Can't one thing in this fucking plane not be horrible? Just one? And why did she have to say that so cavalierly, that was clearly a thought best kept to herself.
Her stomach rolls, and Ness forces herself to take a deep breath. Self-recrimination won't fix anything. She can't un-say the stupid thing she said. Dwelling won't help, and the point is to help.
She starts again, slower this time.
"There will have to be alternatives. No Templars, no Annulment, no Tranquility. There must be other ways of limiting magic's destructive ability—if nothing else, Circle structures must have been protected against errant fireballs? Barrier magic might be a place to start... Lyrium? Could it be worked into the walls, maybe? That could be dangerous if not done correctly... but is there a correct way to do something like that? Dwarves would know, probably."
It's only when she's paced away from him again that Ness realizes: she's gotten carried away again, and she visibly drags her focus back into the room, onto Julius, with a wince.
"I apologize, Seneschal. I'm—very passionate about this idea, obviously, but I know I'm getting ahead of myself. I don't mean to... I know it's complicated."