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entranceway2017-03-08 07:10 pm
chantes) wrote in entranceway2017-03-08 07:10 pm
( voice )
You could be happy here. Having anything you desire, or being given a second chance. You could be happy, or at least not faulted for wanting to believe the dream. Dreams can be powerful, or quickly become a nightmare.
( Three guesses as to what Leliana's considering and the first two are probably correct. She knows that this is not in fact the Fade but it's the closest base of reference that she has -- somewhere that isn't quite real, where magic is more powerful than you would believe, dreams, desires. Demons. There is some influence here, and something else -- what else would want them captive? )
It would be more unsettling if we are simply left to our happiness. They take memories, feeding from us. Is that power only to feed what they do or is there more to it? What else will come, even if some have been waiting for so long?
( Perhaps some of the memories were not powerful enough, only giving a fraction of the power another memory did. Was it happiness or sadness, perhaps fear or anger? )
Would you give up something to keep this happiness going, or does fear of what may come stop that?
( Three guesses as to what Leliana's considering and the first two are probably correct. She knows that this is not in fact the Fade but it's the closest base of reference that she has -- somewhere that isn't quite real, where magic is more powerful than you would believe, dreams, desires. Demons. There is some influence here, and something else -- what else would want them captive? )
It would be more unsettling if we are simply left to our happiness. They take memories, feeding from us. Is that power only to feed what they do or is there more to it? What else will come, even if some have been waiting for so long?
( Perhaps some of the memories were not powerful enough, only giving a fraction of the power another memory did. Was it happiness or sadness, perhaps fear or anger? )
Would you give up something to keep this happiness going, or does fear of what may come stop that?
voice;
You're back.
[Anders forgoes pitching in on the actual discussion taking place. He's participated in plenty of roundtables of heavy thought the last few weeks, he'll pass on another.]
We'd run up a deficit of nug-loving bards without you.
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I couldn't leave a hole for too long. Some might worry, or become suspicious.
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Too late for that. There's a Warden around here who was missing your company something fierce.
[He doesn't mean himself so much as Robyn, but he, too, had been worried about Leliana's disappearance. There are so few of them these days--he'd been beginning to wonder if Wonderland had lost interest in recruiting from Thedas, or had simply grown tired of dealing with a pocket of troublemakers.
After so long, Anders supposes Leliana's forgotten all that.]
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( And he'll be pleased to know that Leliana remembers her, even if she knows nothing of her stay here before. Thankfully Robyn had filled her in on a lot )
But I didn't know others had thought so fondly also.
( Robyn filled her in on some things but not everything. She doesn't know Anders own thoughts on her, or what else she should know about him )
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[Leliana had been one of Robyn's travelling companions, as he recalls. Regardless of whether Leliana remembers the same shared history, Anders can speak from experience that there's relief and comfort at seeing friends in one piece even if they don't remember things exactly the same.
As for himself, the spymaster had been more of a personal acquaintance than a friend, but it doesn't change that he's glad to hear her alive and as mysterious as ever.]
Do you remember this place? We've met once before.
[Just once, though, to Anders' knowledge. Kirkwall is still far away on his horizon.]
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( It was before the unfortunate trouble began. They'd met in Kirkwall, but she doesn't know that he's unaware of that )
I'd like to hear what we did, if it was memorable enough.
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[As soon she says that--as soon as she implies she has memories he doesn't, something that's happened before in this twisty-turvy pocket of time where 1 + 1 never seems to quite add up to 2 (and something he should've expected, given how often it has happened--he defly steps in to correct her while the assertion is still fresh.
Once it dries and sets and locks them into a mutually confusing timeline, it'll be harder to explain.]
That is to say, you and I haven't met outside of Wonderland. You and another version of me in a different time--that's probably what's happened. I'm sure I'd remember one of the Hero of Ferelden's companions if we'd crossed paths.
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( Leliana knows of magic that has affected time before, and given that Robyn is from ten years of the past-- she doesn't know whether it is something for his future or another version of him as he says, but she doesn't press it. He doesn't share her memories just as she doesn't share the memories of him from her last stay here )
It was not a meeting to worry on. Besides, here is where we both are now, no? It would be more fitting to focus on what we can do now.
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Well, I hope other me was well-behaved and wearing his Sunday best at the time.
[Anytime someone says not to worry, it usually means there's something worth worrying over, but... you know... spilled future milk and all. Moving on...]
You just got back and you're already in a hurry to leave. I see you've gotten the full story on what's going on here. [Obviously. There are good reasons to want out in a hurry.] Hoping to turn something up by polling the audience?
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( That and she's also a little conflicted herself. She doesn't appreciate just being dragged places, even if the world was about to start calming down again, but then it did bring Robyn back to her. Of course this place wouldn't be simple )
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[He's not at all surprised by the cryptic data mining. Leliana's a spymaster; it must come as part of the job. Assuming, of course, that's still her career path, but already Anders is getting the feeling those skills are doing her some service.]
As for the last time you were here, meeting you in person was memorable for me. We put our heads together during a few events. Nothing earth shattering.
[Nothing Leliana need worry about, in other words. Because it is a little worrying, having others remember time together that you don't, isn't it? He doesn't want her to feel as though he's holding onto info that might come back to bite her in the arse later.]
I don't suppose you'd believe if I said you told me I was the most handsome man you ever laid eyes on?
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( Which is to say she's not going to actually answer that, but there's amusement to her tone. It's a good effort, Anders, though he may be correct. He may be the most handsome man she'd ever laid eyes on )
But at least your memories are pleasant. ( Simple and true ) I am glad for that.
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[Stuck together in an alternate dimension, yay. Everybody's dream come true.]
Was there a chance they could have been unpleasant?
[Perhaps Leliana isn't an Anders fan and had just been good at hiding it the last time she'd been in residence. Stranger things have happened. The mere mention of his name seems to send most people from home into fits, and not of the pleasant variety.]
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( Or what they may have spoken of. Had she previously brought up the matters in Kirkwall when he had yet to even be there? She'll have to get a measure of him from this time before drawing more conclusions )
I would not be opposed to getting to know you better.
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Would you prefer the mystery?
[Anders pointedly doesn't ask how Leliana remembers them meeting outside of Wonderland. For him, the mystery is welcome to remain as is. It's not his future, just as what happened in Wonderland isn't really this Leliana's past.]
That warms the heart to hear! I don't think I'm so bad to get to know. And you seem a woman well worth acquainting with. Robyn has certainly vouched for you.
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She has? ( Oh dear. Leliana isn't quite certain she wants to know quite what Robyn has said, but how true it may be... or what impression it gives (gave? It had been ten years) of her she doesn't know ) Hopefully the truth matches up to it.
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[Anders, at least, has never had any problems with Leliana. She'd been as interested in learning about Wonderland as him, and an asset to have during dangerous events.
Not to mention she'd adopted some cats from him, which immediately put her on his good list.]
How's the settling in going?
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( The fact that she tells him that means there's not going to be a real answer )
It is unusual what there is here. So much that I haven't found before.
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It is quite a far cry from our world. Though I could say the same for the state of Thedas in some of the futures I've heard about.
[A strange and unrecognizable world with darkspawn magisters and Inquisitions and abominations with a social conscience.]
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( She doesn't expect that it'll randomly spit you back out )
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["Too many" is the answer.]
The mansion similarly defies all laws of physics. You can hike for miles down a hallway and never seemingly reach the end. A side distortion or a hefty illusion--either way, this place runs on a freakish amount of magic power.
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( And one she's already had. Leliana knows it's not the Fade but there are similarities -- the distortions, people coming or going, the lack of proper physics... It's a place to worry about )
Is there a source to the power? Something buried deep?
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My guess for a long while was the Core. Have you been told of it already? But after an unknown entity left a series of cryptic riddles last year, I'm not so sure. A popular theory is that Wonderland is possibly sentient.
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( And with how much magic this place would need to change as people say... )
It would not be so surprising if it were sentient. It changes, and it takes from us. Magic cannot do that without a will behind it.
( As he should know )
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[Between his experience and her deductions, the theory is one with merit.]
You've got a knack for information gathering, don't you? If any of us is likely to dig something up, when I knew you here before my sovereigns would've been on you.
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