Abby's laugh is contagious, and Clarisse can see how the idea of being turned into a shrub is funny. Objectively. So she laughs, too.
"Uh, I wouldn't say it's common? But it's happened. More likely they'd just kill you."
"Uh, I wouldn't say it's common? But it's happened. More likely they'd just kill you."
"Because."
Clarisse blows air out of her cheeks, trying to think of the right way to put this.
"They have all this power over everybody, and once you have enough of that, you get scared someone's going to take it away from you somehow. That's the only thing you have to worry about anymore, basically. Losing control."
She's thought about this before, a lot. Especially during the years when Luke was trying to do exactly that, and overthrow the gods. That must have scared them shitless, knowing their kids could be a real threat to them.
Clarisse blows air out of her cheeks, trying to think of the right way to put this.
"They have all this power over everybody, and once you have enough of that, you get scared someone's going to take it away from you somehow. That's the only thing you have to worry about anymore, basically. Losing control."
She's thought about this before, a lot. Especially during the years when Luke was trying to do exactly that, and overthrow the gods. That must have scared them shitless, knowing their kids could be a real threat to them.
Sure.
(Means she can duck into the kitchen en route, fish a few floury apples out of a bowl to take down to the stables with her. She stashes most, meets Ellis with the fourth in her hand, rolling it in her palm like she's thinking of throwing it, but immediately stooping to great Ruadh the moment she sees him. She rubs the heel of her palm in against the top of his head, down his neck, worries him like a stone.
Whatever they're talking about, Ellis would not like other people to hear it. Abby's arms fold across her chest when she straightens.) Everything okay?
(Means she can duck into the kitchen en route, fish a few floury apples out of a bowl to take down to the stables with her. She stashes most, meets Ellis with the fourth in her hand, rolling it in her palm like she's thinking of throwing it, but immediately stooping to great Ruadh the moment she sees him. She rubs the heel of her palm in against the top of his head, down his neck, worries him like a stone.
Whatever they're talking about, Ellis would not like other people to hear it. Abby's arms fold across her chest when she straightens.) Everything okay?
Ruadh tolerates the contact, clipped ears flattening and head tipped away, remaining still throughout before circling away once released.
Ellis is seated on the lone stone bench beneath the bare-branched tree. The courtyard may be picturesque during the warmer months, but without any leaves and the grass scrubby and dull, it makes for a less than enticing location. Not that Ellis is overly concerned with it. His head tips towards the bench beside him as Ruadh scrapes a paw through the dirt, settles at Ellis' left.
"Aye," he answers. "I've an offer to put to you, if you'll hear it."
Ellis is seated on the lone stone bench beneath the bare-branched tree. The courtyard may be picturesque during the warmer months, but without any leaves and the grass scrubby and dull, it makes for a less than enticing location. Not that Ellis is overly concerned with it. His head tips towards the bench beside him as Ruadh scrapes a paw through the dirt, settles at Ellis' left.
"Aye," he answers. "I've an offer to put to you, if you'll hear it."
Abby takes a seat. There's a dark brown wool cap on her head that covers her ears, leaving her braid to trail out the bottom of it, marking out the length of her spine. She's glad to have it. There's some wind chill today, and cold air makes her ears hurt after a while.
She scuffs at the courtyard with her boot, dull earth breaking up underneath of it. "Came down to talk to you, didn't I? What's going on?"
She scuffs at the courtyard with her boot, dull earth breaking up underneath of it. "Came down to talk to you, didn't I? What's going on?"
"I'll be leaving to head north soon," is Ellis' chosen approach. "I mean to search the Hunterhorn mountains for Wardens."
This is not a small task. The Hunterhorns are vast. There's a reason Ellis had once told Tony it was where he would have hidden, if his exit from Weisshaupt was messy and indelicate.
"The Commander has given me leave to bring a few others, as I see fit, in case of trouble."
And therein lay the offer: he is not talking to her of this venture for no reason.
This is not a small task. The Hunterhorns are vast. There's a reason Ellis had once told Tony it was where he would have hidden, if his exit from Weisshaupt was messy and indelicate.
"The Commander has given me leave to bring a few others, as I see fit, in case of trouble."
And therein lay the offer: he is not talking to her of this venture for no reason.
Abby has always found Ellis to be very deliberate in both action and word; she's come to the same conclusion before he gets to the point, her attention pivoting toward him.
"Hunterhorn mountains," she echoes. Rings a bell. She's looked over maps of Thedas before, never obsessively, but enough to recognise the name. They must be big. No wonder he wants a few people along with him.
There are a lot of questions that need asking, and Abby will start with the biggest. "What are you doing with the Wardens when you find them?"
In case of trouble. She thinks she can guess...
"Hunterhorn mountains," she echoes. Rings a bell. She's looked over maps of Thedas before, never obsessively, but enough to recognise the name. They must be big. No wonder he wants a few people along with him.
There are a lot of questions that need asking, and Abby will start with the biggest. "What are you doing with the Wardens when you find them?"
In case of trouble. She thinks she can guess...
"We have common cause."
And he has brought members of Riftwatch for a reason. There is a chance he will not be so welcome. That he has not been forgiven.
"I am asking because I think you understand the importance of..."
A pause, uncertain of the correct word.
"Of discretion."
And he has brought members of Riftwatch for a reason. There is a chance he will not be so welcome. That he has not been forgiven.
"I am asking because I think you understand the importance of..."
A pause, uncertain of the correct word.
"Of discretion."
Oh. Abby's laughter fades off into little gasps and a sore tummy, and then she shuts up entirely. Cuz that's not funny.
"Shit."
She thinks for a moment, then says, "It- the leader of my group back home was like that. Scared of losing control. He was under the control of the military when everything went to shit right at the start, and then he broke away from them to make his own group." She's jiggling her leg restlessly right next to Clarisse, thinking, "In the end it was exactly like the military? We just ended up doing the same shit as them. For land."
"Shit."
She thinks for a moment, then says, "It- the leader of my group back home was like that. Scared of losing control. He was under the control of the military when everything went to shit right at the start, and then he broke away from them to make his own group." She's jiggling her leg restlessly right next to Clarisse, thinking, "In the end it was exactly like the military? We just ended up doing the same shit as them. For land."
crystal; post normal seattle | (places coin in slot) thread please
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notathreat
2023-01-25 01:02 am (UTC)(link)
Abby? You around?
Yeah, it's fine. [Less bitchy in whole than Ellie's been, generally.]
Do you... have a minute? To talk?
[And fuck her, that sounds like she's about to break up with her or something. Can they be normal?]
Do you... have a minute? To talk?
[And fuck her, that sounds like she's about to break up with her or something. Can they be normal?]
(Obviously she is now supposed to ask Ellie why she wants to talk, but Abby both thinks she knows the answer, and also wants to talk to her about a couple things anyway. Instead, she says,) Sure. Should I come to you?
(... Presuming she is in her room.)
(... Presuming she is in her room.)
Yeah. I’ll meet you at my room, just come in.
[Weird but fine.]
[Weird but fine.]
(Oh, no, she doesn't wanna do that, but Ellie cuts the connection before she can suggest they just meet up in the mess hall instead. You know, like normal people? Her protest dies in her throat. So she goes to Ellie's room, and she doesn't bring the dog along to diffuse the tension (it's tempting) because she has a feeling that if she avoids this now, Ellie will bring it up again later anyway. Or Abby will, because there's a pressure yet to lance and it isn't going to go away on its own. They do need to talk.
She knocks once on Ellie's door anyway before she opens it.)
Hey.
(She is trying very hard not to think about the fact that Clarisse has probably been in her more frequently than she has at this point... Abby doesn't make a point out of asking her for any details, obviously. But she still knows.
To gather a little control of the narrative she says,) I wanted to talk to you too, actually.
She knocks once on Ellie's door anyway before she opens it.)
Hey.
(She is trying very hard not to think about the fact that Clarisse has probably been in her more frequently than she has at this point... Abby doesn't make a point out of asking her for any details, obviously. But she still knows.
To gather a little control of the narrative she says,) I wanted to talk to you too, actually.
Edited (a single forward slash) 2023-02-02 07:41 (UTC)
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