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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2015 7:47:37 GMT
She sensed the pull of the Fade around her and linked it to the qunari's tense reaction. The name clearly meant something to him, and if Calanthe had anything to say about it, he was in distress. She had seen her share of anxieties in the Underground.
Was he a mage? Cal glanced toward the entrance, where she had seen the halberd. Was that his then? What exactly was a qunari mage doing here, and on some expedition of a noblman's? This all seemed very strange...
She took the tea which was offered to her and exchanged it with what she had. It was much more to her liking.
"That's true," she said in reply to the elf's comment. "But it really wouldn't hurt to be in some company for a short while." Calathe gave Cato a warm smile. "If you'd like, I could join you on your expedition."
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Post by Hawke on Oct 3, 2015 8:35:14 GMT
Cato's nerves barely settle as he watches her - this Meraad - even though she doesn't look primed to strike. She even mentioned the Qun; leaving it, but that could scarcely be believed. Why else would she make it so obvious? It was a message, certainly, or perhaps a thread. He looks to Cal instead, human and sending him a friendly expression, and prays that she isn't secretly some agent as well. He tries to focus on the ploy he'd been playing at - after all, maybe she could help him with it. There was little love between mages (for surely, that was what she was) and the upper classes. She might not be opposed to working a little con and taking some money from rich nobles with thought of grandeur filling their heads.
If he lived past this evening.
"I wouldn't know. I've never lived under the Qun," He mentions delicately as if daring the elf to strike him down there. She must be Ben Hassrath. He adds, "I would be glad of the company. And a chance to see your healing skills - I must confess, I am most interested in studying the art myself."
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Momo
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Post by Momo on Oct 3, 2015 16:24:52 GMT
Amara nodded and sighed. Her gambit seemed to be working, he was on edge, and she had, for now, the upper hand. If he was Ben Hassrath he wouldn't be getting the jump on her. But if he wasn't, well the couple of Vashoths she'd run into were more willing to leave her alone when they knew. Looking between the two of them, she went back to sipping her tea. No, there was no immediate threat here, though he did seem set on having Cal join him. Odd, very odd.
She'd shut her mouth now, and just watch, speaking when addressed or when she felt the need. Really she was just hungry and wanted to finally give in and eat what smelled so good before her. Thankfully everything was tender enough she didn't need to pick up anything sharper than a spoon. Though still dangerous in the right hands, she would like to avoid shedding blood this day. She was up to three months already, and she wanted to make it a year. Something she never quite managed under the Qun.
"I heard some Mages in Orlais were offering good coin for people to round up books on Magic." She offered, it was something she needed to look into more. Maybe find the notice for it and go collect some books. At the very least she'd have a chance to read up on magic in theory.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2015 18:23:38 GMT
He seemed interested, and that made Calanthe feel warmer inside. She definitely did not consider herself to be an arcane expert, but a healer didn't have to be one, and the thought of helping Cato learn a little more about magic was more than welcomed. "That sounds like something you might want to take advantage of, if you're heading in that direction" she told the qunari. "I'm sure finding those books would help with your studies. And of course, a little coin doesn't hurt anyone."
'Yes it can' interrupted her thoughts, flashing memories of the past: "We're here for them," the armed men growled. "We've got a contract to keep." ... "Templars pay well for turning in lost mages," a woman crooned, sashaying her way toward the group Cal was leading, efficiently blocking them from their escape route. ... "Why did you do it?!" Cal growled, her teeth bared in a grimace. There was a man shaking before her. He had no means of protecting himself. She was suddenly very aware of how vulnerable he was; she was very aware of how the Fade vibrated against her skin.
He was pleading.
"Singe-"
"Don't! You have no right!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
...She brushed the images back with a hand, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Say, where would this expedition be taking us?" she asked as she finished off her cup. It was unwise to promise her help in a venture she knew so little about, and perhaps this was just her trying to avoid the inevidible. |
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Post by Hawke on Oct 4, 2015 4:55:08 GMT
"Why, it would mainly be centred in Orlais, which seems to align perfectly with the book collections," He concludes, feeling a little elation at the thought regardless of what he assumed a death sentence hanging ever present over his head. An uncomfortable thought, but one he could push to the back of his mind for the moment. Cato had more pressing issues - such as making this Orlesian scam into something half way believable.
"The main purposes of the expedition is to study lyrium mines - veins of the stuff have been being found troublingly close to the surface. And with all this tension between mages and templars, it is imperative that the resource it properly managed," Cato clears his throat, ticking off the things he would need in the back of his mind; papers, seals, all of which could be forged - he had an excellent hand for penmanship. What he would need was information on noble houses and political ties.
And gold. A mountainous pile of gold. The figures swim muddled and insurmountable yet surely he could work this to his advantage. He was, if nothing else an excellent performer. He would use it to his advantage.
"I am obviously no mage, simply an avid scholar, but I believe I am a little out of touch with the lay of the land, if you will," He watched as Meraad picked at her meal and wondered when his own would arrive - he'd seen someone else given a whole grilled fish to pluck at, and the thought makes his mouth water. In Minrathous they had had fish everyday, right on the coast as it was. He missed it, even if thinking of the city made him think of his old home and his parents.
"My studies took me deep into the hundred pillars, then down through the silent planes. Mostly through Tevinter, and with little news of the world beyond."
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2015 5:47:27 GMT
So he wasn't a mage? Could she have imagined... Must have.
But, she considered, Maybe he could help the Underground too. If he was a scholar, then Calanthe could have more resources open to the Underground. She would have to observe him if she really wanted to consider recruiting him. Maybe testing him. Fonder memories emerged as she recalled her experience with her training in spirit healing. Convincing spirits to bond with you was hard enough if they were Compassion or Sincerity. The spirit that had bonded with her was Loyalty, and did she remember the amount of times it tested her in a similar manner.
That was fun.
In addition, it would benefit Cal to look into how lyrium was being managed during the conflict, especially in Orlais. She had heard rumours about the Circles there being a bit more unwilling to obey the dissolve. In fact, she may have to give Cato the slip if she was needed in the Underground there. She would hate ditching him permentantly, though, so if anything was to happen...
As Cato described his travels, a single word made the pendant under her shirt feel like it had hit her hard in the chest: Tevinter.
"You've been to Tevinter?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "What is it like? You know, I heard about some scandal that occurred there a few years back."
She might as well try. If Cato could give her some satisfaction, maybe she wouldn't want to travel there on her own. Or at all.
"Have you heard anything about it? Something about a family's social status?"
Such a description would probably be too vague with the events that happen in the country, but Calanthe had so little to go on. If she were more daring, she would have said the family name, but she didn't want to scare her newfound acquaitances. They already knew she was a mage,
Let's not have them think I'm from Tevinter.
"You hear so little about that place," she added with a shrug. "I wonder if it's at all like I heard."
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Momo
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Post by Momo on Oct 4, 2015 7:24:43 GMT
Picking at her food, Amara just sat there, content to watch for now. There was something, just under what they were both saying. Maybe if she listened long enough, she'd figure it out....
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Post by Hawke on Oct 5, 2015 1:49:04 GMT
Cato has to snort a little at that, though not cruelly.
"Scandal? In Tevinter? Involving social status and possible political intrigue? Why, perish the thought," He has to give himself another little moment to revel in his joke, before with a polite cough, continuing. She hadn't asked for his sarcasm, after all. Best to play things safe - better to lie about how much he knew.
"I've heard scandals are rather common place, in Tevinter, but as a simple travelling scholar I had few audiences with few and didn't wish to disclose their dirty laundry to me. My apologies."
'Though,' He thinks, just to himself,' Her interest was a curious thing. Perhaps a mage longing for what the Imperium could offer? ' He could prod her for details later.
"I lived in Tevinter for many of my formative years, so I could tell you of what I know. I've seen the port of Minrathous where they auction slaves and fish side by side as if they have the same value. I have seen the halls of Magisters, seen the amphitheatres filled with faces eager for the next performance. I have walked past pillars of marble, whirled and ancient and seen shrines to Dumat that lie decrypt and crumbling from disuse," He pauses a moment to take a breath, before sweeping a hand to the side, " And mages. The Imperium is full of mages, walking around in robes of silk trimmed in gold, though not all are so lucky. It was.. an interesting place," If his throat is a little thick with homesickness, he tries not to let it show in his face. He was no longer the qunari boy who had grown up in the docks by the fish market, who had lived in his travelling troupe and, at one point, been big enough to taste the riches ladden on the table of the Imperium's most important. He was a simple scholar.
Finally, a server bustles over and places some food before him - a roast leg of something thick with meat, a serving of vegetables and a small loaf of bread, all of it covered in a thick brown sauce. It smelt wonderful. Daintily, he tears off pieces of the bread and dips into the brown sauce and bring it to his mouth - it had been a few days since he'd eaten, seeing as fleeing the country he hadn't wished to stop, but he wouldn't drop his table manners.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2015 2:38:44 GMT
It sounded as whimsical as it did terrible--the concept of slavery always left a bad taste in her mouth--but Calanthe couldn't help but be in awe of his rather passionate description. He seemed alive, and she couldn't help notice something akin to nostalgia. Maybe it was in the way he spoke, or maybe it was that sort of confident air that came with his sarcasm (which, she noted, was not bad at all). The way he held himself was striking, too; it was almost like an art form. His movements were so smooth, and there was a brightness in his eyes that mimicked the gold adorning him, and his hair. Cal had never seen hair like his...
Unfortunately, it appeared that she would not be receiving the answers she was hoping for.
Drat.
"It sounds like a whole other world," she says. "Did you like it there?" The mage toyed with the now-empty plate in front of her, feeling a pleasant heaviness. It had been too long since her last filling meal, and now she was ready for some long-awaited rest as well.
"So, were you planning on leaving later on today?" Calanthe inquires. "I rented a room here, but if you're on a tight schedule, I can leave with you whenever you're ready."
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Momo
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Fight for our rights, we may just start greatness for the ages, remember the Mages
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Post by Momo on Oct 5, 2015 3:02:57 GMT
It seemed a little..too good. This expedition. But who was she to say whether or not it was real. Maybe it was, or maybe he was a slaver. Who knew? Finishing her food, Amara dug in her bag and pulled out a journal, noting down the days events, and kept busy and out of their business for a bit of time, before pipping up.
"Which Orleasian Lord? Is he working for Empress Celene?" She asked, head tilted slightly, eyes on her notebook. It seemed like basic questions, after all what sort of noble would go digging around without the Empress' say so. Well, a lot, actually. A lot of them would. That was the sad part. "I do have some skill with a blade. I'm sure he has hirelings to guard his interests, but who's to keep the hirelings in line?"
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Post by Hawke on Oct 5, 2015 3:58:11 GMT
Cal was thoroughly captured, that much he was certain of - Meraad, a harder sell. The shrewd questions cut through the air of grandeur he had whipped up, like a knife through so many delicate strands of thread. He answers Cal's excited questions first though.
"I enjoyed some of my time, in the Imperium. I was raised there after all," He hums thoughtfully as he pops a morsel of his food in his mouth, and pours himself a cup of tea.
"I also booked a room for this evening - and there is no sort of hurried pace. If I can count on your assistance, I've made some considerable short cuts all things considered. Half of my time was devoted to finding an appropriate team for the investigation."
He turns to Meraad fixing her with his most confident and easy sort of smile, as though this information isn't being formulated as he sits there. He had read plays from Orlais - his troupe had never been the kind to perform them, really, more acrobats and feats of danger, but he had seen them. He had glimpse some Orlesian culture through them or so he liked to think, so his answer seemed easy enough.
"The lord for whom I work would like to keep his name spoken only amidst those accompanying the expedition, and as you can assume has gone ahead before awaiting consultation with the Empress. He is affiliated with the University of Orlais, however, so this sort of thing does fall within his jurisdiction," He sups at some tea, unflappable and unfazed or so he hopes to appear.
"Unfortunately, I had initially been dispatched to study nug.. mating habits, in the hundred pillar mountains of Tevinter, but then received word of this new project. Since I was already away in the field it fell to me to organize a party. He has full confidence in my ability to operate such an expedition," He swallows just the slightest bit uneasy. He was certain she must be of the Ben Hassrath but there could be no polite way to deny her service. Better to stick to his scholar persona and perhaps she would leave him be.
"As much as we require healers in the field, they would not be necessary if we did not also require blades. I have yet to find any though."
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2015 4:23:35 GMT
As Cato answered Meraad's questions, Calanthe mulled over what she had learned about the qunari. If he was raised in Tevinter, he might have been familiar with the Merulus family name. Could she ask him about that more in depth later? And about that...wasn't there some sort of conflict between the qunari and Tevinter? What was his life like in that kind of enviroment? Qunari were not even known to be scholars either, much less ones employed by Orlesian nobility...
Calanthe was indeed enthralled by the man at the table, her head filling with questions. He was interesting, and she was genuinely curious.
Cal's eyebrows knitted as she turned to Meraad, her expression displaying mild confusion. "You're offering to join us?" she asked as her mind caught up with the conversation. "But, what about your mother?"
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Momo
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Post by Momo on Oct 5, 2015 5:26:27 GMT
Looking at Cal, she shook her head and sighed. She glanced back at Cato, and tilted her head again. "My mother might be dead, she might not. I haven't seen her since I was six." she started, folding her hands. "When one is expected some place in a certain time frame, it is easier to deter potential harm. After all no one wants to potentially be stumbled upon by concerned family mid-act. What I want to know is how a Vasoth Qunari from Tevinter got a position at an Orleasian University?"
Finishing her second cup of tea, she glanced at Cal and sighed. "Though if he's trying to hire you for something, at least I know he isn't here to kill me. I hope." Shrugging, she spun her cup lightly against the table and glanced back at the Qunari.
"Or he could have defected and managed to convince someone he's worth the time and gold to sponsor for study. It's not completely unheard of. People defect all the time, from Tevinter, the Qun. But it is a big stretch to go from nugs to Lyrium. Word gets out you'll have mages and Templars swarming. And I don't doubt the Carta will want to get in on it."
Observation was always key. This Cato fellow was very smooth, a good actor. Whatever was going on, it wasn't just lyrium and unnamed nobles. Amara wasn't even sure that sort of thing happened outside of crappy serial novels like, Maker's balls what was that one called? Hard in Hightown? But if this was all just a set up, she couldn't in good conscience let Cal walk into a situation where she could end up a slave, or dead. She looked like she could handle herself, but who knew.
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Post by Hawke on Oct 5, 2015 6:29:35 GMT
Cato tried very hard to hold his expression pleasantly in place but possibly ends up looking a little like a stunned fish, expression slowly shifting into panic. Maybe the lie had spiralled a little out of control but Cal had been willing to buy it - Meraad far less so.
"I thought you were going to kill me!!" He manages to blurt out in shock, shade of grey turning just the slightest bit paler. His expression slips from confidence to manic, and once again he feels magic crackle through his core, like a bolt of lighting down his spine waiting to surge forth from his finger tips.
The creeping voice, quiet as a whispers dogs him, digs at him, murmurs, ' I can make her stop. I could keep you safe,' haunting and hollow and very sorely tempting. He doesn't act though - just wilts a little under the force of Meraad's gaze.
"I-I just thought it sounded somewhat plausible," He manages to babble, looking drawn.
"I-I've read plays about Orlais, some at least, so I thought I could, uh, I don't know," He hangs his head, fringe flopping across his face a little miserably. He thought he had held it together so well and now she was most certainly definitely going to kill him, which, in a roundabout way did not seem particularly fair seeing as he had never once in his life done much about the Qun (except, he supposed, for all those inflammatory plays his troupe had played throughout Tevinter which had made them so popular with the Vints) but he supposed it couldn't be helped. What could he do against a trained Ben Hassrath? He had heard all kinds of terrible stories from his troupe, all of them Vashoth and all of them having defected from the Qun and Par Vollen in a myriad of ways. Cato had the luck of simply being born outside of the Qun - he'd never set foot in Par Vollen in all his life.
"I'm not. Really a scholar, or an agent of any Orlesian anyone I just. There was a Magister in the Imperium and I'm, uh," He pauses to brush some of his fringe behind his pointed, earring heavy ear and tries not to look too sheepish.
"A runaway, effectively, I suppose. Also I would appreciate remaining alive, maybe, if that is negotiable."
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2015 13:35:38 GMT
Okay... so perhaps this little tea house was more like the Hanged Man than she thought. Both her hands slowly made their way back to her staff as she looked on.
To be quite honest, Cal was a bit shocked at the elf's quick turn of character, as well as how sharp her call-out was. If Cal were working the Underground, focused and ready for anything, a thousand alarm bells would have been ringng in her head for sure. But Cal was not focused right now. And she willingly, blindingly, accepted whatever Cato had told her, if that was his real name. And Calanthe felt the same about Meraad. Was Cal the only one not blantantly lying about her identity? Well... She didn't count. That was different.
"Fucking Maker," she groaned at the initial confession, clearly annoyed. But when her eyes turned back to the two, Calanthe recognized Cato's sense of panic. And the Fade stirred...this was more noticable than before. She couldn't be wrong; he had to have lied about being a mage. And...he was a runaway? From a Magister of the Imperium? Runaway mages were her area of expertise... To the Void about him lying. He was scared.
"I don't understand if I was interrupting something or not," Cal begins, glancing between the two. "But I'm not going to allow any killing, alright? It just seems that we are all under some sort of...misunderstanding." A major understatement. She was serious now, her bright blue eyes slightly narrowed in focus...which might have looked a bit threatening. She didn't quite want that. Sighing again, Cal leaned forward onto the tabletop with a more relaxed expression (or maybe 'tired' was a better way of describing it), threading a hand through her dark hair.
"Maybe we should just start over. I have nothing to hide-" Lies. "-and you already know most of it. I mean, I already told you I'm a healer. What mage would be throwing that around in this day and age?" Her head was perched on her hands as she addressed them both. "Sooo, what I'm getting is that neither of you want to kill each other." A great way to start.
"You have a Qunari name, but don't follow the Qun?" she posed to Meraad, recalling a quip from earlier about leaving it.
"And you're on the run," she said to Cato, "but, is it in more ways than one?" She would have asked him directly, but outing mages in public was not her style. Cal was curious, but if he wanted to talk his way out of it again, she would accept that.
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