Truth or Dare: Side Party for Servants and Scoundrels

[faderifting]

WHO: Anyone!
WHAT: A party for people who might scare the nobility, are deathly afraid of chandeliers, or fled the soiree with cheeses hidden in their clothes and need to make a clean getaway.
WHEN: During (and after) the soiree.
WHERE: The valley beyond Skyhold.
NOTES: Drinking, revelry. People might make out or something. We're not responsible for your actions.

The soiree might be fun, if you're into that sort of thing, but that isn't what it's for. It's for impressing the powerful and opening their pockets—and, necessarily, some people aren't invited. In some cases that's personal. In others, it's just understood. When they're done helping to set up, most of the servants and workers who aren't needed to serve make themselves scarce. The usual trickle of refugees to and from the fortress slows. Some people used to sleeping in the stables may find their "beds" occupied by nobles' horses or the rooms they had been squatting in cleaned and prepared for someone else to stay in.

There's no resentment. (Or at least very little.) That's how these things go. And in the valley outside the fortress' walls, there are foot soldiers and refugees and a number of miscellaneous exiles who welcome the company with large fires, cheap but freely flowing alcohol, and whatever music can be wrung out of instruments exposed to such low temperatures. The crowd thins and dwindles as the night wears on, but even after the last person has left the Great Hall in Skyhold, there's still a sizable gathering near the river with no intention of going to sleep before sunrise.

No masks allowed.

Comments

[bookish_lioness]

"Other than the pirates, it sounds like my sort of place," Hermione replies with a smile. "Unless they're, you know, romanticized pirates. Swashbuckling attitudes and a set of roguish morals. Not the ones that actively pillage and murder and rape. Those aren't the sorts of pirates I'd enjoy having as neighbors."

She stares at him for a moment when he asks after the origin of her name, briefly wondering if he's asking if she's related to Anders. It doesn't make any sense whatsoever, but she eventually remembers about the kingdom called the Anderfels, and puts together that "Ander" is likely what one would call anyone from that area. It's nice to know that she can still use logic reasonably well, even after a few drinks.

"It isn't, no. Or maybe it is, in its own way. No, I'm not from around here at all. I...." She'd had to be guarded back at the other party, finding all sorts of people who'd thought all sorts of things about both rifters and anyone who could do magic. But she isn't going to deny her origins, especially when the glowing hand will probably give her away before too long. "I came in through a rift. My native country is called England."

[issala]

"Pretty sure we have those and the shittier kind," Kas admits with a little shrug. People were different, after all. Rivain was a melting pot of cultures and people, and with little Chantry influence, it attracted all kinds of characters. He wouldn't be surprised if it was full of apostates, even after the Circle was annulled.

(Fucking murderers.)

He pauses as she admits to being a rifter, and he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. Kas still wasn't sure what to make of those people. While he liked Araceli these days, they had started their acquaintance with an argument - that was honestly his fault. He had been utterly hurt and devastated by Samwise and there had been yelling there as well. That was not his fault.

No yelling here, so far.

"Really? England is a funny name."

[bookish_lioness]

"How do you tell them apart?" Hermione asks, as though it's the most serious question in all the world. "Do you avoid all of them, or just make nice with one and hope he isn't about to cut your throat when you're not looking? Or she, I suppose. There are plenty of women pirates in the history books."

She notices that nervous reaction when she reveals she's a rifter, and she looks down. Few people have outright disliked her for being a rifter - they're more likely to hate her for her magic - but that just means that the few times it happens always come as a little more of a surprise. It always tends to happen when she's getting on well with someone, too.

"It's not so strange. We speak English, so... England. It makes sense, in its own way."

She pauses for a moment before looking back up at him. "If you're bothered by where I come from, we don't have to continue this conversation. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable." Though she wouldn't pretend not to be incredibly disappointed if he does ask her to leave him alone, but at least she can make the offer.

[issala]

"Pretty much... but that's everywhere, and doesn't need to be pirates." Far too many people that seemed nice would cut your throat. All you could do was keep your eyes open. It had worked well for him so far, at least.

"Your people named it after the language and not the other way around?" That was odd, but okay. He'd heard weirder stuff.

Her offer and niceness about the rifter issue has Kas shaking his head quickly, eyes a bit wide. Shit, had he made it sound like a bad thing? "No, no! I'm good! I'm really good. I was a little unsure at first about rifter stuff and I kinda argued with people but now we're friends, kind of? So it's fine!"

[bookish_lioness]

"... that's true, isn't it? I suppose I've never thought of it that way before." Well, at least not when she wasn't in the middle of a war. She doesn't exactly need an added dose of paranoia.

"Well, England is part of Great Britain, which used to be called Albion. And people from Scotland still speak English - granted, the accent isn't always easy to understand - but the language isn't called Scottish, and they also have Gaelic... and that's to say nothing of our American and Canadian neighbors overseas. English is a very widely-spoken language, and European history is a bit complicated." Thinking about that for a moment, she adds, "Europe is what the entire continent is called, by the way."

Enough people have made assumptions about her status as a rifter (and as a so-called mage) back at that other party, and so Hermione is just hoping to nip any negativity in the bud. She's not sure if he's only being decent about things because he isn't the confrontational sort, and so she uncertainly murmurs, "Well... if you're sure. You should always give people a chance regardless of where they're from, but I won't hold it against you if you decide you'd rather be left alone."

[issala]

Paranoia keeps you alive, in Kas' opinion.

All her talk about Great Britiland and Scott-something makes the teen rather confused, and he tries to follow along without much success. It sounded like her language was a little bit like Trade, though. He could probably understand that part.

"Uh, yeah. That's great." Was that a good reply? He's honestly not sure.

Rifter stuff, on the other hand? That worked better for his somewhat drunken mind right now. "No, no! I'm good. I mean, I met a really shitty rifter but that doesn't mean everyone is. You haven't called me a bad person or said starving isn't real. At least not yet."

[bookish_lioness]

She's confusing herself, really, which is why people probably shouldn't discuss history and geography and linguistics after a few drinks. It just leads to confusion and misinformation, and Hermione isn't a fan of either of them.

"Why would I claim starving isn't real?" Hermione asks, frowning. "And who would say you're a bad person without getting to know you? I can't imagine people would say such-...." And then she pauses, frown deepening. "No, I change my mind. I can imagine it, but that doesn't make it any less ridiculous. You seem like a perfectly lovely person and I'd be happy to say so to anyone who disagrees."

[issala]

"You'd be surprised what kind of shit I've heard." He says with a small huff. "Korrin set him straight, though, and I know not everyone is the same. You seem really nice." Aw, Kas. You're drunk.

Her promised defense of him makes him oddly warm inside, and he could almost feel his cheeks getting darker. Right. Cute girl.

"So... um... what do you think of Thedas so far? Is it confusing?"

[bookish_lioness]

"Korrin's good like that," Hermione tells him. Taking a sip of her drink, she pauses for a moment to swallow before smiling and remarking, "You haven't given me any reason not to be nice to you. Like I said, you seem like a very sweet person."

She notices the darkening of his cheeks that time, but she didn't say anything about it one way or the other. Compliments can make most people blush, especially when alcohol is involved.

"I feel that Thedas would probably be more confusing for me if I hadn't already been familiar with magic and magical creatures. Not that there aren't stark differences or things I haven't encountered before, but at least I haven't locked myself away somewhere, having continuous panic attacks." Smile widening as her elusive playful side shone through, she added, "Lucky, too, or else I never would have met you."

[issala]

Oh no, now he's really blushing. He was sweet? Fuck, why could he never control his face... the drinking didn't exactly help.

"Um... y-yeah. Korrin is the best." That's a safe topic he can talk about forever. She was his closest friend, after all, and he really looked up to her. One day, he would be a Valo-Kas, just like her. If they managed to stop Corypheus.

The fact that Hermione knew about magic and such things made sense to him - he had yet to meet a rifter who didn't - even Samwise had seemed to know about things like that, from what he had noticed during their yelling match. "It's a good thing, yeah... I can't imagine how it would be if magic didn't even exist on a world. There's-"

Well fuck, did she have to say that? Pardon the teen, he's just gonna hide his face in his mug. "...s'nice to meet you too."

[bookish_lioness]

Hermione can agree that Korrin is fantastic, but rather than talk about that, she's more distracted by the way Kas is reacting. She can't help giggling a little, but she's aware enough to know that that might rub him the wrong way, so she reaches a hand out towards his arm as she offers him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, am I embarrassing you?" The smile is still on her face, but at least she really does look like she might be sorry, at least a little. "I don't mean to. It's just refreshing, really, coming from that other party where everyone is so careful and judgmental. And here you are, being so nice to me when you really don't have to, considering how different we are. I appreciate it, is all."

[issala]

He does his best to not blush more when she says that, but he fails completely. "N-no! Not at all! I'm good!" Kas wiggles his cup of ale to her. "I just had a lot of this..."

It was easier to blame the drink than his own inability to talk to attractive girls his age without getting tongue-tied.

"I...uh... you're nice. It's fine. You don't gotta be appreciating or anything, I'd be a dick if I wasn't nice t'you."

[bookish_lioness]

Luckily, she's friends with enough gingers that Hermione's quite used to blushing, so she has no aims to make Kas blush much longer than he already has. "I'd say you shouldn't drink so much, then, but there are worst things a person can do while drunk."

Not as thrown by the profane turn of phrase as she might ordinarily be, she replies, "You'd be surprised how many people here don't mind being 'dicks' at all. So I do appreciate it. Even if you're only being kind because of the drink. Which I don't think you are, but I wouldn't know for sure one way or the other. Either way, really: thank you. It's good to remember that not everyone will judge me for things beyond my control."

[issala]

"Uh... yeah. I'll... slow down." He puts the cup down and then tries to clear his head a bit, looking at Hermione as she speaks. Kas tries to imagine how she would look as a qunari, but it doesn't work too well.

Right, she was saying things. "Have people been mean to you? Y'want me to kick their ass?"

[bookish_lioness]

A little surprised by his offer, Hermione blinks before giving him a small grin. "Not mean enough that anyone needs to get violent. Besides, most of them were nobles back at that party. They either don't know better, or you really shouldn't risk getting yourself into trouble like that. I wouldn't want anything happening to you just because I ranted a bit much."

[issala]

"Well nobles are always shitheads so you don't gotta care about what they say at all." He smiles a little bit at that, stupidly tipsy but well-meaning. She was nice to him and didn't judge him for being qunari, so now they were friends in his mostly-drunken brain.

Just wait until you meet his pissy angry self when he isn't under the influence, Hermione.

[bookish_lioness]

It's lucky that she isn't her normal, completely-sober self, since the language probably would have earned him a stern look rather than the soft laugh it gets now. "I'll keep that in mind," she tells him. "Over the years, though, I've learned not to care what most people say."

Except for her pissy friends, of which she has many and isn't afraid to snap at them right back if the occasion calls for it.