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A familiar kite-shaped package is waiting for Abby outside her door when she returns to her room after mid-day. There is an accompanying note tucked into the twine securing the burlap covering in place.
I've business to complete outside the city, and I'm limited in what I can strap to my horse. I would consider it a favor if you would put this to good use in my absence, rather than letting it sit idle in my room.
I'll return to collect it after my business outside Kirkwall is complete.
— Ellis
[ Several items are at Abby's mail cubby when she next checks it, boxed and wrapped in a dark blue wrapping paper with birds on it.
One is a peacoat with a hood, made to Abby's specifications (someone memorized her measurements after the party shopping spree) with room for her arms/shoulders to get larger, just in case.
There's also set of opal collar pins with a chain in one of the pockets.
Other people got her things he was considering, such as gloves and a new mace, but there's also the card to a local armorer in one of the pockets, who informs Abby, should she ask about this card, that he's received payment to cover the deposit needed for any armor of her choice. ]
One is a peacoat with a hood, made to Abby's specifications (someone memorized her measurements after the party shopping spree) with room for her arms/shoulders to get larger, just in case.
There's also set of opal collar pins with a chain in one of the pockets.
Other people got her things he was considering, such as gloves and a new mace, but there's also the card to a local armorer in one of the pockets, who informs Abby, should she ask about this card, that he's received payment to cover the deposit needed for any armor of her choice. ]
Finding Abby in the training yard is, actually, an accident.
At least, he didn't come out looking for her, evidenced by the throwing axe at his belt. It gleams in the way of new, unused weapons; he'd had the thought of learning how to use it right, practicing, even as he'd received it, and the recent attack of the undead has only further convinced him of the necessity.
That, and the sense that spending some time throwing sharp objects at dummies can only help his mood. Sometimes you just need a metaphorical punching bag.
Regardless: he pauses when he sees her, approaches with a wave.
At least, he didn't come out looking for her, evidenced by the throwing axe at his belt. It gleams in the way of new, unused weapons; he'd had the thought of learning how to use it right, practicing, even as he'd received it, and the recent attack of the undead has only further convinced him of the necessity.
That, and the sense that spending some time throwing sharp objects at dummies can only help his mood. Sometimes you just need a metaphorical punching bag.
Regardless: he pauses when he sees her, approaches with a wave.
Abby is there for very similar reasons that he is.
New weapon; Satinalia; recent attack of the undead; this isn't the first outing that the mace has been on, but Abby is still keen to practice with it. Hitting skeletons had been very rewarding, assured her of how much more suitable a weapon it is, but she still has a few creases to iron out before it feels completely at home in her hands.
There's a dummy limp at her feet. The face has caved in.
She pauses with the mace held high over her head in both hands, and brings it down into the chest of her target with a great slam. That's the cool thing about using a weapon covered in spikes: it stays right where you put it. She returns Holden's wave.
"Hey." She recognises him from around the towers; they've spoken once, or twice.
New weapon; Satinalia; recent attack of the undead; this isn't the first outing that the mace has been on, but Abby is still keen to practice with it. Hitting skeletons had been very rewarding, assured her of how much more suitable a weapon it is, but she still has a few creases to iron out before it feels completely at home in her hands.
There's a dummy limp at her feet. The face has caved in.
She pauses with the mace held high over her head in both hands, and brings it down into the chest of her target with a great slam. That's the cool thing about using a weapon covered in spikes: it stays right where you put it. She returns Holden's wave.
"Hey." She recognises him from around the towers; they've spoken once, or twice.
"Hey."
Watching her fairly murder that dummy, it's hard not to remember Ellie's assessment of good at fighting. On a purely tactical level, they're lucky to have her here. On another level, there's the question of whatever bad blood she may have with Ellie; but since they're, apparently, able to handle it, he doesn't dwell on it now. On the level he's currently approaching her about, it feels shitty to look at her and think well at least we have another fighter for this war. He crosses his arms loosely, says,
"There's something I want to talk to you about, if you've got the time."
The yard's private enough for this purpose. There's no one else around, either to eavesdrop or interrupt.
Watching her fairly murder that dummy, it's hard not to remember Ellie's assessment of good at fighting. On a purely tactical level, they're lucky to have her here. On another level, there's the question of whatever bad blood she may have with Ellie; but since they're, apparently, able to handle it, he doesn't dwell on it now. On the level he's currently approaching her about, it feels shitty to look at her and think well at least we have another fighter for this war. He crosses his arms loosely, says,
"There's something I want to talk to you about, if you've got the time."
The yard's private enough for this purpose. There's no one else around, either to eavesdrop or interrupt.
Abby eyes him, trying to judge exactly where this conversation is about to go. He doesn't have any righteous, offended air about him to indicate whether he's another friend of Ellie's who is suddenly in the know, but that doesn't ease her for a moment. She's had several of those unpleasant conversations, and all have started this exact same way.
"Sure," she replies, and straightens to her full height. He might be taller than her, but only just. "What's up."
"Sure," she replies, and straightens to her full height. He might be taller than her, but only just. "What's up."
Not exactly a warm welcome, but he hasn't done anything to merit one either. He doesn't back down, exactly, but there's something a little gentler in his tone, just this side of apologetic. Whatever she thinks this is going to be, what he has to offer may not actually be better.
"I want to be sure you know about the danger Tevinter poses to anchor-bearers." His hands are in gloves, the weather brisk enough to merit it, but he still briefly lifts his own shard hand. "I've found out recently it wasn't exactly a part of the new rifter orientation."
"I want to be sure you know about the danger Tevinter poses to anchor-bearers." His hands are in gloves, the weather brisk enough to merit it, but he still briefly lifts his own shard hand. "I've found out recently it wasn't exactly a part of the new rifter orientation."
Oh. She really had been expecting that he'd ask her about Ellie.
Abby blinks and loosens up, vaguely embarrassed by her surly reaction. He's only trying to warn her about something, and she's caught up in a feud. What's going on in Thedas is so much bigger than her and Ellie.
"... Right. Thanks."
Awkward pause, in which she loosely folds her arms across her chest, shrugging a shoulder. "What's the danger?"
Abby blinks and loosens up, vaguely embarrassed by her surly reaction. He's only trying to warn her about something, and she's caught up in a feud. What's going on in Thedas is so much bigger than her and Ellie.
"... Right. Thanks."
Awkward pause, in which she loosely folds her arms across her chest, shrugging a shoulder. "What's the danger?"
If he notices the change in attitude — and, admittedly, it's hard not to — he doesn't draw attention to it. There's no need for him to dig into whatever fight she thought he was going to pick. Besides which, he's done this enough times by now to not be surprised at her answer, but still be, you know, disappointed about it. If only John Silver hadn't picked a legitimate gap in knowledge to set in his hands, and then give him the choice to do something about it or not.
"Kidnapping, for one thing," he says, and frowns. "It's likely they've been keeping an eye on rifts to find people with shards. They seem to be interested in finding out what makes us tick, what we're able to do, and what happens when they do shit to us."
Kidnapping, for one thing; human experimentation, for another.
"If you're going to be part of the fight, you should know the risks."
"Kidnapping, for one thing," he says, and frowns. "It's likely they've been keeping an eye on rifts to find people with shards. They seem to be interested in finding out what makes us tick, what we're able to do, and what happens when they do shit to us."
Kidnapping, for one thing; human experimentation, for another.
"If you're going to be part of the fight, you should know the risks."
Kinda buried the lede on that one didn't you, Riftwatch.
Abby hasn't got a poker face. Her expression shifts openly from surprise to an exhausted version of resignation.
"I'm already part of the fighting," she points out, and wrests her mace out of the dummy with an efficient yank, "Bit of a moot point by now, right."
It's not as if she can defect, is what she's saying. She's already got the shard, and, as she understands the current feelings toward Rifters, nobody else will have her. It's Riftwatch or trying to make it on her own, and the shard won't even let her do that without wounding her for it.
"Are they targeting new Rifters?" That would work much better than trying to snare people out of the Gallows. When she first arrived she was disorientated and weaponless and it would have been easy to kidnap her if Laura hadn't been there. "What can we do about it?"
Abby hasn't got a poker face. Her expression shifts openly from surprise to an exhausted version of resignation.
"I'm already part of the fighting," she points out, and wrests her mace out of the dummy with an efficient yank, "Bit of a moot point by now, right."
It's not as if she can defect, is what she's saying. She's already got the shard, and, as she understands the current feelings toward Rifters, nobody else will have her. It's Riftwatch or trying to make it on her own, and the shard won't even let her do that without wounding her for it.
"Are they targeting new Rifters?" That would work much better than trying to snare people out of the Gallows. When she first arrived she was disorientated and weaponless and it would have been easy to kidnap her if Laura hadn't been there. "What can we do about it?"
She's quick on the uptake, following through the implications. He doesn't know her well enough to have expected that on experience; he did, but from Ellie. He has an idea of the kind of Earth they both came from. He has an idea of how it's shaped its young people.
He considers, briefly, saying no one's going to make you fight. But he knows she has to have heard that by now. He knows how little difference it made for him. There's no real point to the repetition.
He nods, and says, "We're working on it. My division has worked out some of the commonalities between where rifters are likely to show up, and we've been setting up a network to tell us when that happens. If you're interested, you should ask the Provost about it."
He considers, briefly, saying no one's going to make you fight. But he knows she has to have heard that by now. He knows how little difference it made for him. There's no real point to the repetition.
He nods, and says, "We're working on it. My division has worked out some of the commonalities between where rifters are likely to show up, and we've been setting up a network to tell us when that happens. If you're interested, you should ask the Provost about it."
Abby mulls this over for a moment, glancing down at her weapon, where her hands fit side by side on the grip. She thinks of how Laura received her, answered the questions that she had one by one, and gave her something else to grip tight to keep from falling in over her head. It was helpful. She's grateful to have had that.
She could provide that to somebody else.
"Okay," she says. Shrugs a shoulder. "I'll get in touch."
And then, because she needs to know the answer to this, "Why am I only finding out about this now? Somebody higher up have a guilty conscience?"
She could provide that to somebody else.
"Okay," she says. Shrugs a shoulder. "I'll get in touch."
And then, because she needs to know the answer to this, "Why am I only finding out about this now? Somebody higher up have a guilty conscience?"
If you've died then I invoke the right to hold a proper funeral for you; these people burn their dead, which is sensible, but they do it on a pyre on the ground, which is ridiculous. A boat, on the harbor, is how it should be done.
Let me know where the body is so I can come claim it, oh spirit.
Let me know where the body is so I can come claim it, oh spirit.
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