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WHO: Eirlys and YOU
WHAT: Eirlys arrives back in Skyhold
WHEN: End of Drakonis
WHERE: Skyhold's courtyard and throne room
NOTES: No warnings. Prose and brackets both welcome. So yeah, Eirlys is back, I have a CR meme comment for her here!

a) Courtyard
At first glance, it's not obvious that Eirlys has been away. She gets back into the routine of life at Skyhold easily enough, if for no other reason that she excels under the sort of pressure that the healers there - and everyone else, for that matter - are under. She's brought a fresh supply of herbs and poultices, and she's kneeling in the midst of the sick and wounded, attending to them as best she can. On looking closely, however, she's very pale and tired, and she's far thinner than she was when she left Skyhold, after months of scarce food over the winter in the alienage. While she remains the pinnacle of compassion with her patients, she doesn't seem too pleased to be back overall.

b) Throne Room
It takes her a few days to pluck up the courage to make herself heard. She dislikes being the centre of attention, preferring to focus her efforts on the wellbeing of others instead, but she knows that in the long term nothing will change unless she speaks up.

She makes her way over to anyone who looks important - or at least, anyone who looks like they belong to the Inquisition more than she feels she does herself. Clearing her throat, she asks quietly, "Excuse me, but I need to speak to those in charge."

c) Wild card
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"I've only heard a little of what's been going on." News filters through third or fourth hand into the alienage, usually some weeks after the event over in Gwaren, and it would be great to hear things from someone in the thick of things. "I've been very worried about you all, though."

Starting them off once Eirlys is ready, she glances over. "I won't say there's no reason to worry, but I also know how news can be exaggerated. What have you heard, so I know where to start?"

"I heard that you fought dragons, and that a rift opened up right in the middle of Skyhold." Her eyes are wide, but it's with worry rather than exhilaration. She's very glad she missed out on all that, though she regrets not being there to help with whatever healing might have been necessary.

Korrin nods grimly to all that, wishing she could confirm otherwise. Unfortunately, the rumor-mill is more accurate than she'd thought. "Yes to both. Sina -one of the Dalish mages- inadvertently opened the rift when she was practicing with her magic, somehow. The combined efforts of other shardbearers were able to close it, but it's left everyone shaken and now people are side-eyeing rifters again. Sina survived...barely, and she's been in recovery ever since.

All this happened while I was in Emprise du Lion, so I didn't find out until I returned for a supply run. The dragonslaying happened later, part of our effort to stabilize the area. Now it's only slightly less a hellhole."

"Tell me some good news," she pleads, quickening her pace to match Korrin's longer stride. "It all seems to be one trial after another."

"I won't lie, there's a lot of that going around. But there is some, as I said. We were able to stop the Red Templars at that quarry near Sahrnia, and free their prisoners. We destroyed as much red lyrium as we could find, and retook a keep overlooking the area, so they won't catch the region off-guard again. No one else will be worked to death while we're there.

On a much less dire note, our Lady Ambassador and Madame de Fer organized a soiree to curry favor -and funding- from visiting nobles. It was as stuffy as it sounds, but I didn't hear of any of them leaving in a huff, so we must have gotten what we needed from them. And yes, I was actually there. It was worth it, for the dancing and shocked looks alone." Korrin grins mischievously at that, actually having behaved herself but that doesn't mean she didn't take pleasure in defying expectations.

"Oh Maker, I am glad I missed that!" She grimaces a little at the thought of the soiree. "I mean, I'm sure it was wonderful and you all looked lovely, but I'm not sure I'd do well in that sort of formal party." Not least because the noble guests would expect her to be serving them drinks.

"I'm glad to hear about Sahrnia, though. It gives me hope that the Inquisition sees freeing people who were essentially slaves as a priority."

"Believe me, you didn't miss much. Obnoxious nobles and I couldn't misbehave with any of them. Where's the fun in that? Plus that one obnoxious noblewoman who kept trying to touch my horns, like I was some beast on display. Ugh." She knows well enough that elves get it worse when it comes to nobles and their bigotry, but what she has to endure sometimes is still demeaning in its way.

A smile touches her lips as she nods while heading up the stairs, keeping pace with Eirlys' shorter strides. "Likewise. I couldn't let that go, not after seeing that in person when we were scouting the area. If the Inquisition hadn't gone there when it did, I might have done something stupid and charged in anyway."

Eirlys makes a sound of disgust. "It's been my observation that the richer one is in wealth, the poorer they become in manners." It must be different for the Qunari, she reflects, being seen as a curiosity rather than the systematic treatment of the elves, but no less demeaning.

She looks up at her admiringly, though she wonders just what would have happened if Korrin had charged in there against the orders of the Inquisition. Something not too pleasant, no doubt, though without an Inquisitor to pass judgement she doesn't know how things would stand with meting out that sort of punishment. "Well I'm certainly glad it didn't come to that. It makes me feel a little more confident in asking the favour of the Inquisition that I came back for, too."

That observation is spot-on and Korrin nods, rolling her eyes. "Tell me about it. One of the things I like most about being here? Not working for any awful or at best condescending nobles. Not directly, anyway."

That last part gets her attention and she raises an eyebrow as they enter the Great Hall. "Oh? What favor is that?"

"I want to make sure the alienages get the help they need. I know I can't ask the Inquisition to lift the oppression my people suffer, as much as I long to, if only because they need the support of the shem lords in charge." She frowns, the weariness of the long winter showing in her eyes. "But when I returned to Gwaren in Firstfall, nearly everyone was sick with the fever, and of course food and warmth were as scarce as ever. I was so angry -- I said to myself, here I've been out there tending the Inquisition's sick and where are they when I need them?" She realises her hands have balled into fists at her sides and forces herself to relax. "That's what made me come back, to make sure we don't have another winter like that one."

Once past the entrance and maneuvered around exiting nobles, Korrin steps in closer and rests a hand on Eirlys' shoulder, expression softening. "I'm sorry you had to endure that, and your alienage. Look, I'm no healer, but my company is coming south again. I can make sure they have supplies to pass on, at the very least. Maybe it'd be better coming from them than humans, anyway." Her people don't have the same checkered race relations, after all, at least those not part of the Qun. (Or in it, but good luck getting her to admit that.) Besides, maybe some extra muscle supporting the local elves would make anyone think twice about seeing them as easy targets.

Edited 2016-04-06 22:53 (UTC)

Eirlys brightens a little at the offer of support, feeling herself physically relax and straighten up a little. "You'd really do that? Thank you." She knows it could quite literally be the difference between life and death for them.

"I don't say what I don't mean, Eirlys. It'll happen; enough people owe us, anyway. It'll be no trouble at all, trust me. Besides, maybe the healers that were with my company before stayed on. Most of what they deal with is battle wounds, but still, it's something." Poultices and elfroot can go a long way, even without healing magic.

She rolls her eyes as they pass an Orlesian couple, one she knows often speculating about Skyhold's various romances. This time is no different, and she smirks and shakes her head as they talk about her dance with Dorian at the soiree. 'Scandalous', indeed. "I wonder if they'd faint if I told them I'd flirted with the other magister who was here some time ago, too. It'd almost be worth it to endure their silly gossip for a minute."

"It's far better than something. With me gone and Wellow dead, they've precious few places to turn for healing at all." She felt the knot of guilt inside her again, the divided loyalty between this place and her home. "Thank you, Korrin. I shan't forget this kindness."

Her eyes widen at the mention of a Tevinter Magister, knowing there were a couple around Skyhold and feeling very relieved that she hasn't run into any of them yet. "I'm surprised they didn't turn you into a toad, or something else nasty."

"Mae? Nah, she's nothing like the stereotypes. No toading whatsover, but she did have exquisite wine from up north. And she talked about wanting to reform her homeland, somehow. They need more like her." For a moment, Korrin's almost wistful, but her slight crush on the magister was replaced by something deeper and enduring. Still, the lady Maevaris was good company.

Heading downstairs, Korrin relaxes as they no longer have curious nobles as an audience. Below the great hall, there's no need to put on a show or deal with political crap. It's just the dusty library, a wine cellar and of course the kitchen. "Just speak up if it's not enough, alright? You shouldn't have to wear yourself out like that again, not if we have the resources to spare. And we do, I know it."

"I'll try," Eirlys promises, though it's far easier for her to come back here and advocate for help on behalf of everyone else than it is to accept it for herself. Her stomach rumbles loudly as the smell of the kitchen hits her and she realises just how hungry she is. "I wasn't too sure about that part of it, actually -- how our resources are supposed to be shared out. After all, it's not because of the holes in the sky that things are bad in the alienages, I was worried they might not count as the Inquisition's responsibility."

If Korrin hears those stomach rumbling, she doesn't make Eirlys self-conscious by pointing it out. Nor does she leave her behind, keeping pace and then holding the door open for her. Stepping in after, she pauses to take in the fragrant scent stew and fresh-baked bread. Between that and some tea, it would be a filling respite from hunger. "Well, they should. 'Restoring order' doesn't mean that much if it just goes back to a crappy status quo, does it? You might try talking with Leliana; of the advisors, she's the one most interested in helping elves, mages and other marginalized people. If she can't directly help, I bet she can point you at someone who can."

Eirlys smiles weakly. "I'd say 'restoring order' means exactly trying to go back to the status quo. Anything more than that, and who knows what the shem leaders of Ferelden and Orlais might do to stop any change the Inquisition tries to put in place." She seats herself at the table, one foot hooked under the leg of her chair. "Leliana. I'll see if I can get an audience with her."

Making sure the tea kettle has water in it, Korrin sets it over the fire and gets out some cups and bowls. "The shem leaders aren't in any position to do much about it, not right now. Especially in Orlais, with that civil war. They're too busy fighting each other there to notice that we have a real threat. And meanwhile, the world is changing; people arriving from rifts with glowing hands will do that. When said rulers finally look up, that change might have too much momentum for them to hold back."

Eirlys knows Korrin's right, and the prospect is more than a little daunting. "Then how lucky we are, to be in the eye of the storm, as it were. Here and now, there's so much we can do to influence the change. I never thought that possible for someone like me."

Knowing exactly how that feels, Korrin nods. "Or me. Tal-Vashoth and Vashoth are always on the fringes, never accepted like this. And mages? Well, that's what the whole damn war was about. But no one's tried to put me in a Circle here, and mages are allowed self-determination. If it works here, that's proof it could work elsewhere...and not just for mages, either."

"I've been more than a little worried about magic," she admits. "But I'm glad to have had the chance to see mages work up close, that you've been allowed such free reign here. It's opened up my eyes."

Not offended at that first part, Korrin nonetheless smiles warmly at the admission. "It means a lot to hear someone say that, honestly. I've always thought we had more to offer by being a part of society instead of separate. The more people see us, the more they can realize we're like them...just with something extra. That's not to say that magic can't be dangerous, but that's what teachers and training are for. It's what I had, just not in a Circle."

And with that, she moves to pour the tea for them.

Eirlys smiles shyly over at her, pleased that her sentiment is appreciated rather than having offended. "I've never liked the idea of Circles. I just didn't think there was any other way, with them being so established."

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