thehometree | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

| characters | Fenris & Open

| date/time | Evening, April 19th

| location | Entrance

| rating | Some warnings of scars and abuse.

| summary | Fenris does not approve of this place.

The wooden floor of the tree was hard, the wall uneven and rough. Yet he still leaned to it, his lkarge green eyes following the bright light in the middle of the room as if it could give him any answers. He was tensed, uncomfortable all the way down to his core, and there had been no lies to avoid, no battle to fight.

Just a ray of light... and that gem.

Wings. A dream to some, an enhancement worthy of a magister, to conquer the skies the sky itself. Not to him. To Fenris, it was nothing but a joke, a cruel reminder from someone with lousy humor. He had been so disgusted, seething in silence at the mockery of those markings. There might be no lyrium in them, but the pattern was a perfect match.

You're still flawed, scarred, branded.

Anger was easy. Rage was comfortable to turn to, and he had sent the gem flying towards the wall of the room, hoping it would shatter; maybe release the illusion from his mind. It proved quite impossible, however, and it didn't matter how many times he threw the gem away. It somehow returned to him again, and it was more than a little disconcerting.

It made his skin crawl.

Whoever put him here weren't showing themselves, which had the elf even more on edge. He didn't like being alone. Not any more. Hawke had already been gone for a long time, and he didn't want to be trapped in this illusion when the mage came back.

He wanted to be free.

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What else would it be but an illusion?

[He almost snaps at her, quickly reeling himself in. It had to be an illusion, because the alternative was too hard to accept. If this was the Fade, he must be dead.

If he was dead, Hawke would come back to a rotting body.]

...and you could just as well be the one responsible.

Because I am clearly the most talented mage around who has nothing better to do then cast illusions on people to mess with them. People whom I have never met before especially.

[There's a statement that was dripping with sarcasm. It was unintentional but she always had a hard time keeping it back when faced with such an obstinate attitude.

Again she realizes a moment later that it isn't the best way for her to approach the situation. She needed to reel it back but Light help her. What did she walk into? She pinches the bridge of her nose. She takes in one deep breath and slowly exhales.]

It's another world most likely. It's the only thing that makes any real sense.

I've seen worse things done for the sake of boredom.

[This was almost cute compared to that. His voice is cold, the large elf eyes narrowing as he looks at her again. It was still a rather... odd demonic behavior.

Another world, she says, and that isn't as hard to imagine.]

I thought it could be the Fade.

[She would retort that so had she but that would start digging into a subject she didn't want to bring up. Instead she shakes her head. Why she was even bothering was something she had to ask herself. When the only response she could think was "because it's the right thing to do" she was disappointed in herself. She wasn't disappointed enough to just fly off and let him seethe.

Perhaps a tad less sarcasm and a tad more honesty would help.]

I'm not sure what the "fade" is but I am familiar with other worlds. There are more then a few very magically inclined races and worlds throughout the galaxy. Portals to them or on them aren't unheard of. Maybe this all happened because of an unstable portal.

[The more the strange creature spoke, the more Fenris doubted that she was a demon. It does nothing for his trepidation, however, and he wonders, similar to her, why she even bothered.

Everything she said just sounded like magister research. Things he had picked up when serving drinks; promises of old, forgotten magic and lore.

It leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.]

You seem far too used to this.

[The fact he hadn't decided to outright attack her or didn't continue to yell as a good sign, as far as she was concerned. She wasn't out to get his trust. She was out to make sure stubbornness didn't impede someones ability to survive.

He was right in a sense. She couldn't contest that even if she wanted to. A lifetime of running the Legion made that impossible. Her expression falls from neutral to weary. Tiredness that came from too much running and fighting. A moment later she sighs.]

My people have been traveling to different planets for over twenty-thousand years. It is easy to adapt to new worlds by now.

[Stubbornness was how he survived. It didn't go well with living, but he survived. He'd manage this, too.

Fenris just wanted to go back. Kill some slavers. Wait for Hawke. (That idiot.)

Still, she spoke of things far beyond his understanding. He was a bright mind, and had seen a lot of weird things... but her words were stranger than any story he had ever heard.]

Then I suppose you have an advantage to the rest of us.

[Valamia doe a small shrug and shakes her head. Advantage wasn't the way she'd put it. Disadvantage, honestly, was more fitting.

She knew all the ins and outs of survival but she lacks the distinct reactions of most people to new environments. No bursting emotions, no morbid sense of curiosity.]

I would hope it would be incentive to consider listening to me or a bit of advice.

Freely given, I'm sure.

[Fenris, calm down. Not all weird horned almost-qunari with tails and... no, do go on, this was weird as hell.]

[Seriously. One world where she didn't run into people that could give her headache. One world. Light, help her and give her patience befitting of her age.]

It's that or fly off, let you proceed to throw your gem against the wall and whatever else you would do in frustration. Which one do you think sounds like the lesser of two evils?

I'd rather deal with advice than magic, true.

[He pauses, a slight sigh escaping him.]

I apologize. My anger is not directed at you.

[For now. He can... entertain the idea that she's a prisoner, just like him. At least until he had a better understanding of what was going on.]

[That's a welcome minor change and admission. She nods at him, her expression softening.]

It's fine. You aren't the first person I've ran into whose done it and you won't be the last.

[Her admission comes in a light-heart nature that isn't bothered by the fact it's happen multiple times in her life. More then she could count.]

Mind if I ask you a question first?

[He tenses again, grinding his teeth in that way that always gave him a headache afterwards.]

I'll keep my right to not answer, if the question doesn't suit.

[That wasn't a 'no', exactly.]

[That was agreeable to her. It wasn't as though she wouldn't say the same thing were the situation reversed.]

Do you intend to stay down here forever? I don't know why you dislike magic as a whole, but the reality is that the wings are needed to get to the other floors. I suppose you could attempt to climb the walls but I doubt you'd get very far.

[Her concerns weren't strange, per say, but they were unneeded. Fenris frowns, having to stop himself from pacing.]

It is folly, I am aware... but magic always comes with a price. Those wings... they're make a cruel mockery of me.

[Why is he talking about this =( ]

It could bind us to something. Force out hands, addle our minds. I will not.

[Hm. His stance on the whole situation was not an easy one to try and work with. Curious as she may be as to what he means by a mockery of himself, it probably wasn't he right time to ask about it. She'd have to figure it out later.]

I would say there's a price already paid, if you wish to think of it that way. None of us are on our the worlds we were living on. We are removed from any comfort and life we had back home only to be faced with whatever this place has. That to me seems like a relatively heavy cost. Beyond that, if fel magic were involved that means there are either warlocks or demons hiding somewhere around here.

[And that was an idea she didn't want to consider.]

Demons do not have to be involved for magic to be dangerous.

[It helped, sure. But it was the desire for power that caused that. Those who wielded magic could just as well be playing, putting them in something like this.]

I acknowledge your... concern for me, but I will not expose myself to this until it is the very last choice.

[Maybe not even then.]

Fel magic exists because of demons. That magic is dangerous sure.

[Rotten demons and the Burning Legion to start. Twisted magic that it was. All it ever did was cause destruction. It was a shame that she had seen people too easily be content with its use.]

You can't live in the bottom of the tree. I'm also fairly confident when I say that the walls on the inside are not climbable.

Edited (well forgetting a whole sentence is a thing I do sometimes) 2015-04-21 21:13 (UTC)

All magic leads to demons!

[Why is he even arguing this? She was technically agreeing with him, but it seemed she thought only bad magic would stir demons.

It was more twisted than that. If it was the truth, far fewer mages would become abominations; even he, for all his mage prejudice saw that.

(It's still too much for him to think there are worlds that work differently.)

As for her other comment...]

I'll make due. There is water.

No, it doesn't. Arcane magic and its subsets do not promise demons.

[Her tone shifts temporarily to stern. Her people had been so gifted in magic back on the home world, long before the Legion showed their face. Her little sister, her dear little sister, was not a mage who could ever be swayed to using fel magic.

Her tone barely shifts away back to anything remotely casual. It's hard for her to be casual when someone was implying something like 'all magic leads to demons'.]

There's more suitable places to stay on other floors.

You're not making any sense.

[Mages.

He sighs, shifting his stance again and glancing upwards to follow the line of light. Everything here seemed engineered to force them into binding themselves into these magic things.

He had to find a way out.]

I'm sure there are. That is the point of temptation.

[She feels like she makes sense but then again she has a hard time remembering different worlds may have different perceptions of magic. She folds her chest with a sigh. Okay. She could settle her slight protective streak over her little sister. She was old. She's had conversations...sort of like this one before.

She could explain things properly as best she knew them even if she was sure it all sounded like nonsense.]

What I mean is that demons are not attracted to mages alone. Magic is not the root of demons either. Stray demons may perhaps try to lure in a mage and twist their magic for their purpose but anyone can be tempted by power and become corrupted regardless of their talents. ...And if a possible bed is all the temptation this place has to offer it's not doing much in the way of tempting anyone.

Very well. I'll have to agree to disagree.

[His voice is surprisingly calm when he says this; he had been forced to hold back his opinions before, and he could deal with overly optimistic mages that thought they were above possession.

It was Anders all over again.]

[She shakes her head. Nothing about why mages alone attracted demons made sense in the grand scheme of the things. The Legion never cared of a person was magically inclined or not, just usable. It didn't make sense at all...unless...]

Fine. Although I do have one more question. No it doesn't relate to magic nor your own desire to avoid it and live down here for however long.

I suppose I can allow it, then.

[He's kind of irritated despite his outward calmness, but hecan entertain a last question from this... not-demon mage thing.]