I'm headed straight for the castle

[make_my_mark]

WHO: Lara Croft and Open
WHAT: Lara has made the journey from the Emprise to Skyhold and is looking to get more acquainted with all this Thedas Inquisition Rift Fade stuff.
WHEN: Late Guardian, after the dragon mission
WHERE: Skyhold, Various
NOTES: None, though spoilers for Rise of the Tomb Raider are possible if that's a thing you're trying to avoid

So this was definitely real then.

Lara had allowed herself a small measure of denial, but it had been weeks, with the cold sinking in her bones; with the strange mark on her palm glowing and tingling unpleasantly. She'd met elves, and dwarves, and qunari. She'd fought a dragon and had a piece of it's skin, a shimmering shade of blue she could barely describe let dream up herself, hanging from her belt.

She'd really traveled across unknown time and space through something called the Fade to this world called Thedas.

It was terrifying, and as she'd come realize the truth of it there had been a few moments of panic. Of a fear stronger than any she'd felt even on Yamatai. A fear for herself, for Jonah, for her world, left with Trinity still operating. Still capable of great evil, and with her gone....

But this was real. And falling apart would get her nowhere.

With Leliana's map and her offer echoing in the back of her mind, Lara set out for mysterious Skyhold.

She wasn't quite sure what she expected - another village, perhaps - but the great, towering castle was certainly more than that and despite everything, her heart skipped, excitement and wonder swelling in her chest as she moved down the bridge.

It was terrifying; but it was also amazing.

Walking through the entrance, her head tipped back, mouth parting on a little gasp of wonder. She couldn't stop herself from drifting toward the nearest wall, fingers running over the stone curiously.

~.~

The castle was even bigger on the inside, she discovered, with so many people.... It was dizzying, but in a good way. It was hard to get swept up in darker thoughts and worries when there was so much to see and learn.

She lingered at the bulletin board, smiling at the familiarity of it even if so much of what was actually posted went over her head. Though she did note the message about rifters, rubbing at her gloved hand absently as she read the details of looked like a support group of sorts.

Turning, she called to someone passing, "Excuse me. Sorry, but can you tell me where the-" She glanced at the note again, "Herald's Rest is?"

~.~

She wanted to see Leliana again. She was one of the people she'd met first after coming through the rift, and she'd certainly seemed to know a great deal about what was going on. And while she'd been - difficult, to read, she had also been kind. And Lara didn't know anyone else at Skyhold.

Talking to Leliana would be as comforting as it was practical.

Though it took some questioning and some searching to finally find the right tower. And then there was the library, stacks upon stacks... She stopped at the top of the stairs, mouth agape, eyes widening.

It a sight as thrilling for her as that of the dragon.

Comments

[make_my_mark]

"History is written by the victors," Lara murmured with a breath. "That's not true just for Thedas. But a - non-native, must start somewhere. I'll take any recommendations, and directions, if you have them."

A beat.

"To the libraries, and to Leliana, if you can tell me that."

[arcaneadvisor]

“Even the phrasing is the same.” Her meetings with rifters have been few but it still surprises her at the number of similarities, or things that might be glimpsed as if looking through a mirror. “You will find soon that there are those much like you would expect in any place so you should find some to answer your questions.”

And if she puts all the pieces together, she’ll understand just what a mess Thedas is.

“Head in the main doors, take the first door on the right. If you go up the rotunda then the second level is the library, and the level above that the rookery where you will find Leliana when she is present. And if you go down close to the kitchens or the wine cellar, you will find the smaller library.”

[make_my_mark]

"I hope so," she replied, with a slight smile that had little to do with humor. (Acceptance, of a her wild, impossible predicament.) "Thank you."

She looked toward the main staircase, winding up to the wide, open doors of what appeared to be the main hall. Then she glanced back at Morrigan.

"Perhaps after I've done some reading you can tell me how wrong all the books are."