Tweak

InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Let's have some fun this beat "

Alistair (gryphonshield) wrote in theconsolelog,
@ 2018-05-27 20:52:00

Entry tags:

alistair theirin, elissa cousland, morrigan, status: complete, status: open

WHO: Alistair, Elissa, & Morrigan (followed by Bastien & Kieran)
WHERE: Acorn Plains Way
WHEN: Right now
WHAT: Arriving in the Console and thinking it's a practical joke
WARNINGS: None
STATUS: Complete

He doses off, gets a legitimate doze, and wakes up in what he can only guess may be a practical joke. Not everyone thought of the Wardens as people but especially in quiet times or that of extreme hardship--they were just as hardy and close of a family as one could get. And just the likes that would put Alistair in the middle of the Forrest while he was sleeping.

"Oh, guys, c'mon. I know I said we'd have to start rebuilding the fort and not just with haystacks but.." He muttered as he got to his feet. But wait. They had the sense to put him in his armor and--who dressed him? That was. A complete violation of personal privacy.

At least they had the good sense to leave him armed. With a small box of? What was it? "Maker's breath, where am I?" A slight rustle from a nearby bush and the longsword at his side was unshiethed, aimed pointedly at a walking....turtle. "Oh. Sorry." He'd never seen one of those before....

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elissa_cousland
2018-05-28 02:19 am UTC (link)

Morrigan wasn't exactly a surprise, given that she did what she wanted to. However, the last time Elissa had seen her, Morrigan had disappeared through the Eluvian. Of course, given the ring she had, it was possible to explain why she was here. Perhaps not for what purpose, given it seemed unlikely that she knew of Elissa's quest. Giving a slight nod, she turned back to Alistair as Bastien bounded off to watch Kieran. Maybe the boy would like a rabbit?

"You know very well I was traveling out of Thedas, Alistair," she replied. "And you still haven't explained why you aren't back in the palace."

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swampwitch
2018-05-28 01:52 pm UTC (link)

That flea-bitten mongrel, ugh. Morrigan didn't protest though, when Bastien went to Kieran - he loved dogs, and puppies, and secretly his mother liked ~~Alistair~~ puppies as well. But at least the boy was distracted for the time being - though occasionally he gave inquisitive glances toward the other two adults; he recognized Alistair as his father though they hadn't spent much time together. And he didn't know who the other lady was, but obviously his mother did.

"What are you talking about?" she asked Elissa. "Why would he be at the palace - we were most recently at Skyhold, and furthermore, he's not even King." Was he? Oh dear. Last she heard, that power-hungry priss who wouldn't lift a finger to defend Ferelden was the sole ruler. There was a whole Landsmeet mess to determine such a fate, was there not?

But no sense in dwelling on that right now. "Corypheus was just defeated. I left Skyhold with Kieran, and...we ended up here," she explained. "Previously I took the Inquisitor through my Eluvian to the Crossroads, but I certainly don't remember doing it again." Not to mention this place looked nothing like the Crossroads - turtles wandering about, blocks suspended in mid-air, a castle in the distance (which Kieran noticed too, and was looking toward with interest). "Nevertheless, it is good to see you, my friend," she added to the Warden. "And you as well, toadstool."

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gryphonshield
2018-05-28 02:54 pm UTC (link)

Alistair shrank back a little from his fellow Warden as her question was just as confusing as it was accusing. What had he done now?

He was about to open his mouth to answer but Morrigan had beaten him. He didn’t know what all the Inquisitor was doing traveling with Morrigan and her magically portally mirrors that led to..Maker knew where, but he personally had other responsibilities. One both the Inqusitor—and what he thought—Elissa had given him in her absence. “It’s just lovely.” He muttered in response to the witch’s comment.

“As she said—the Wardens finished helping to aide the Inquistion. Or the other way around. Remember that thing you couldn’t help with because you were venturing? With the blood magic getting introduced into the Wardens and I said “bad idea” and they started throwing the beloved “traitor” word around again. No? Well, last we talked I told you I was helping what was left of us clean their wounds back in Ferelden. Why would I be at the Castle? Or anywhere near Anora? No thank you. We dodged that mess years ago.”

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elissa_cousland
2018-05-28 05:28 pm UTC (link)

"He's not king?" she asked Morrigan. Turning back to Alistair she asked again. "You aren't king? Because I remember killing Loghain personally at the landsmeet and appointing Alistair as king and me as queen. Then I convinced both you to..."

She paused, glancing towards Kieran. "Well, that seems to line up the same. As for the Inquisition, I know very little, having just gotten and replied to their missive. Along with a letter to the Inquisitor asking to watch over Leliana for me."

Shaking her head, she turned back to them both. "Last I saw of you," she addressed Morrigan, "was when I caught up to you at the Eluvian. Last words I said to you, Alistair, was after I told you I was leaving, because I'm hearing the Calling."

Maker's balls, it was nice to have friends around, though with them being from different words apparently? That she didn't know about. Morrigan might know, given her fondness for searching out lost and old magics.

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swampwitch
2018-05-28 06:02 pm UTC (link)

"We seemed to have come from different points in time, then. The laws of this universe must be similar to those in the Crossroads - a pocket of reality beyond the world we know, beyond the Fade. Its own rules of time and space," Morrigan said - her mouth twisted up in a slight smirk at the thought of Alistair being king. It wasn't quite a smile, no, there was something sharp about it.

But there was a spark in her eye too, the burnished gold treacherous and reminiscent of a bubbling amber pit. Eventually, she would tell the Warden what happened with the Inquisition. She would tell Alistair that Flemeth was now in possession of an Old God soul (not to mention the incident at the Well of Sorrows). "I suppose since we're here, we ought to figure out what to do. Kieran, come - " She beckoned her son nearer, and he shyly approached along with that dumb, furry creature. After facing off with Flemeth, when she took his Old God essence but left him unharmed, Kieran had felt strange - lonelier, as he told his mother. Perhaps being in a new world would help him open up a little more.

"This is Elissa Cousland," she introduced the Warden. "Your aunt." It was like that to Morrigan, anyway - the Warden was her close friend, her sister. Closer than any of her 'potential' siblings, witch daughters mothered by Flemeth throughout the years. Daughters she had stolen life and essence from too. "And your father, of course."

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gryphonshield
2018-05-28 07:21 pm UTC (link)

Well. What a lovely means to an end he was!

At least Morrigan seemed to have an answer for it. One that almost made sense. By this time, Alistair was done being overwhelmed or surprised by the utter atrocity that would or could possibly happen. This, just happened to be a little bit 'weird'. Definitely not as bad as a hole in the sky or Wardens doing blood magic.

"It wasn't a real calling. It was a fake darkspawn part old magister who thought he could try and be a god. You know the deal with folk from Tevinter and all that." That hardly mattered as she wasn't even from the same 'time'.

"Of course." Alistair wanted to glare at Morrigan, so matter of factly, like it was so la-de-da, not letting him see his son for ten years. Who knew what the poor thing really thought. At least she had the decency not to say he was anything short of a 'good man'. But those were her words. In any case, he would save face, for Kieran's sake. And for the sake of figuring out where they were. "Looks as though there's a castle in the distance. Do we want to try and see who it belongs to? Maybe the people of this land can point us in the right direction."

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elissa_cousland
2018-05-28 07:57 pm UTC (link)

It was a good explanation as any, and certainly made some sense. While Elissa was considered educated, there was much she didn't know? Even the part about it being a false Calling, though she still had doubts on that, since Alistair, the one she knew, hadn't felt it. But that was a discussion for another time.

Bastien dropped some odd looking coins on the ground, glancing up at Morrigan and giving his usual whine. Elissa just pocketed them, since he often found odd things that turned out to be useful. Kneeling, she smiled at Kieran. "Pleased to meet you, Kieran," she said. The introduction as aunt was touching, given that since the Joining, Elissa had given up all ties to her family and was unable to have any children of her own.

And, seeing him up close, there was little doubt as to who his parents were, given the strong resemblance to his mother and slight features from Alistair. And there was slight guilt, given that she had been the one that agreed to keep the child from Alistair, something she hadn't mentioned during that long debate in trying to convince him to go through with it.

"It's as good a plan as any," Elissa said. "Bastien, go." Giving a bark, the mabari bounded off, scouting ahead.

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swampwitch
2018-05-28 08:41 pm UTC (link)

Kieran was especially thrilled to be heading in this direction - and to meet family members, since for so long it had been just him and his mother. Morrigan just wished for him to be a boy, play games, and for him to get the chance for a childhood she never had. While at Skyhold, he got to know many of its occupants - Cole played hide and seek with him, Sera would steal sweets from the kitchens with him, he would receive carved toy horses from Blackwall, have tea parties with Josephine, and feed the pet birds with Leliana.

"Can we stay in the castle, mother?" he asked, and she knew he was hoping to have as much fun in this one as he did in Skyhold. Morrigan would rather take up residence in a forest hut, but for the sake of appeasing her son she could be persuaded to go with castle life once more, even if Skyhold was more of a fortress.

"'Tis not our castle, my darling, it might belong to someone else," she replied. "But perhaps. Go on, then." He wanted to be by his father, so short legs carried him forward to walk beside Alistair - even if the boy was quiet, somewhat reserved. He'd warm up.

Morrigan hung back by Elissa for now, keeping the mutt in her sights and her staff within her grasp, should she need to use it. "He's right, it was not an actual Calling. Corypheus attempted to remake the world - and let us just say that he's not the only one who will try. Take one out and another pops up, 'tis quite...annoying."

Perhaps they would actually get a break from that, being here? Whatever would they do.

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gryphonshield
2018-05-28 10:07 pm UTC (link)

Oh they were going with his idea? This was a nice change of pace. At least from those two. Alistair wasn’t used to so much protest from the Wardens anymore, he wasn’t the new recruit anymore. Ah. Time and blights and all that.

He did notice the odd space that was the Mabari in he lead, him, and then Kieran. While the two women were conveniently in tow. Alistair looked down at his son curiously. There was so much he didn’t know, too much in fact, that made him all the more hesitant to make approach to a given topic. How much did the poor little thing know? Why did he think his father wasn’t there all this time? And the boy was quiet which made it worse. Alistair was left to wonder in his head, watching the dog ahead of them for a moment before glancing back down at the boy. “Have a fancy for castles after staying in Skyhold? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one quite that large.”

It was a fortress indeed. This, looked about as typical as a castle could get. But the further they roamed the more..creatures appeared. More turtles. Flowers? Pipes? And we’re those..mushrooms with eyes. “Stay close.” He regarded and kept a hand on the hilt of his sword.

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elissa_cousland
2018-05-29 12:25 am UTC (link)

Female talk, Alistair. You likely don't want to know. Plus, Morrigan still doesn't like Bastien despite his like for her. He didn't bring just anyone a half eaten rabbit, after all. As for the plan, there wasn't a better alternative at the moment.

"That is possible, though neither here nor there," she said. "When I left, I was the only one that heard it. But unless we happen upon darkspawn and an archdeamon, it's likely irrelevant."

She glanced ahead at the two. "Kiernan isn't quite what I expected, given the circumstances. Does he know about everything?" From what she could tell, he seemed normal. And... motherhood suited Morrigan. It was perhaps a bit early, but Alistair was talking everything in stride, no witty jokes to hide his feelings.

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swampwitch
2018-05-29 12:48 am UTC (link)

"No darkspawn thus far - let us hope it stays that way." Morrigan had her staff, wooden, the old and comfortable choice - but it was the only one that had arrived here with her, oddly enough. She wondered how that worked - if there was a library in these lands, or other magical creatures, she would be keen to talk to them to gain a better understanding of things. "As for your question, he...used to know nothing," she said. "I preferred to maintain his innocence, but then Flemeth intervened." Kieran still didn't know all the details - he just knew that after meeting Flemeth, something was missing from him; his destiny now was quite literally in her hands.

The cautious witch then returned the weapon into its holder on her back when they approached the castle gates (with Kieran chirping about how much he loved Skyhold, yes, and how much he loved Orlais in general - his mum had been an advisor to Empress Celene for awhile). Why did she return the weapon to its holder?

Because standing guard at the castle was a toad. Of all things.

She quirked an eyebrow curiously. "Alistair, it's for you." Morrigan lacked the patience for talking animals, that was just a simple fact.

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gryphonshield
2018-05-29 05:21 am UTC (link)

Alistair took everything in stride these days. He’d learned it was best to just do so...the sarcasm and one liners came with further probing if necessary, and should one go far enough to strike a cord with him. Now, for the sake of the son he hadn’t been able to see, the last thing he wanted was for any of those comments to be misplaced about Kieran himself. The boy was too curious and Alistair was too honest. He wouldn’t let a drop of sarcasm slip on accident...

At least Kieran was open about his adventures and interest. Alistair had his own opinions of Orlais but swallowed back any of those thoughts. Least of all the bits on Morrigan being an advisor to the Empress. She was clever, he’d give her that. And at least the boy wanted for nothing and enjoyed himself.

He frowned at the small..creature thing before them and the castle. With the squeaky voice greeting them, he moved to stand in front of his son long before Morrigan deemed him in charge of speaking to the mushroom..thing. Named Toad? “Princes Peach’s Castle you say..and this is..Acorn Plains Way. I see. Erm. The coins? To stay?” Turning back to the women, the Warden sighed. “It says the castle is vacant and open. Those coins we’ve magically gathered are apparently accepted currency to stay inside.”

Back to the mushroom thing. “And the threats? The catch?...please, don’t squawk I can hear you perfectly..Just the other creatures who aren’t Toads. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but, you don’t look much like a toad at all. Not a single wart.”

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elissa_cousland
2018-05-29 06:34 am UTC (link)

Flemeth? Surely she'd misheard, given Flemeth was dead. She had seen to that herself and retrieved her grimoire for Morrigan. Clearly, there was a lot for Elissa to catch up on. "You have to tell me that tale," she said.

"Vacant? Where is this Princess Peach, another castle?" No matter, they needed a place to stay, the other questions could wait. Patting Bastien, she retrieved the coins he'd found. "Very well, Queen Elissa Cousland of Fereldon and company shall be staying until further arrangements are made."

"Probably a good idea not to inadvertently antagonize them, Alistair," she whispered as she walked past him. But that was why she was queen, having been raised in a noble lifestyle. And at least Kieran would get to stay in the castle.

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swampwitch
2018-05-29 11:31 pm UTC (link)

Flemeth, Mythal, whomever she was - apparently an empty shell of a home for the old one, the protector and goddess. A powerful entity when it was merely a wisp had merged with a human like it was a pottery vessel, cracks forming, and who knew which end was up anymore.

"Many tales to be shared," Morrigan concurred smoothly, stepping into the castle once the toadstool let them pass - she'd given up her coins, of course, but could always come by more if need be. They needed a place to stay and this would do for now. "Once we...settle in."

It wasn't her home, but then again, did she want to be back in Thedas? That was the question. Right now, no. She wanted safety for her and Kieran, and it seemed relatively quiet in a castle guarded by whatever that thing was. "It does not seem so bad, does it?"

The scenery was picturesque, at least. Green grass, a moat, all those quaint things. And were those old books she smelled? This castle had a library.

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gryphonshield
2018-05-30 12:32 am UTC (link)

Someone had no problems throwing their titles around..or being a little on the bossy side. This Elissa was definitely much different than the one from his “time”. Commanding the Wardens certainly didn’t hold the same air as commanding a kingdom, he was sure, and there was a reason he’d wanted to stay out of it. Thank the maker he had.

With a slight roll of his eyes he waited until the others hid filed in, taking one last glance behind them before going inside what was an impressively clean castle. Big. Open, quiet, but resourceful.

“You say that now, until we open up the pantry door and find snakes. And rats.” Though this certainly didn’t look the place. Alistair just didn’t believe in jinxing anything. There was too much they didn’t know and the rather large paintings of a princess, the fellows with giant mushrooms on their heads, and turtles were in a abundance. “Right. So I guess this is “camp” until we figure out what all this is, then.” He still had no idea about the strange box with knobs and coins he’d been given meant.

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elissa_cousland
2018-05-30 12:29 pm UTC (link)

Yes,many tales to share. And at least they could do so in comfort. And some dealing with this odd convergence of different realms, if possible. Someone somewhere knew at least a little bit of what was going on, and Elissa wanted to know as much about the situation as possible.

Which necessitated the tossing around of titles. This was not a situation for subtlety.

"I'd rather not have rats in the larder," she said. "Last time that happened things didn't turn out too well." Though she did agree about it being a camp, at least temporarily, while the figured things out. "I don't know about anyone else, but I rather look forward to an actual bed and bath."

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swampwitch
2018-05-31 02:24 am UTC (link)

"Bed and bath? How luxurious," Morrigan smirked, though she supposed that sounded nice as well. "Very well, then. Camp it is. I, personally, would not mind the snakes." But she adored all creatures of the animal kingdom - animals and plants, this witch held an affinity for both. Humans were rubbish, essentially.

Though she quite enjoyed Alistair's pessimism. It warmed the cockles of her ice cave of a heart.

Kieran had taken the funny device with buttons from Morrigan, and was studying the contraption, since she obviously hadn't a clue what it was. But she just let him, since it wasn't like she was planning to figure it out anytime soon. "Be good, mutt," she spoke to the Mabari - who was far too drooly for her liking. Alas. It too was a lifelong companion and friend, much like these humans she'd gotten stuck with.

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gryphonshield
2018-05-31 03:00 am UTC (link)

“A bath? What’s that..” He knew he was the only one who’d find that little bit funny but he didn’t care. He’d gotten too used to being with the other Wardens who knew all too well that “bed” and “bath” for weeks on end meant the ground, a lake, or the rain. Skyhold was probably the last luxury he’d seen in some while.

But a real bed? That was about as rare as a bath. Maybe there would even be soap.

Now that they weren’t out in the open and Alistair didn’t have to look out for walking turtles or mushrooms who might come for his curious little son. He felt the slightest less tense. Slightest. He bent over to pet the Mabari, who was still ever bit all he’d remembered. Sometimes he was envious of the constant, unconditional companionship. “He’s a good boy, he’ll make sure there’s nothing in the larder, won’t you boy?” Seeing Kieran mess with the odd device Alistair stood to pull his from his back where his shield rested. Along with the odd coins they’d been given. “What do you suppose these are? I wonder what’s inside.”

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elissa_cousland
2018-05-31 03:20 am UTC (link)

Bastien gave an exciting bark, Morrigan was giving him attention. The slight tilt of his head indicating he always behaved. "Something better than an old bedroll and a cold river," Elissa replied. "And something I haven't had the luxury of for far too long." As Warden Commander she was used to making do, but it was nice to have comforts on occasion.

Given the others had their odd device, she pulled hers out as well. "I'd venture a guess that it's something important, given that we all have one. Perhaps we'll learn more about them, assuming that anyone can answer questions here."

It was a better chance than trying to figure them out on their own, especially if Alistair decided to try to take it apart. She remembered well his fondness for playing with dolls. Or... figures, whatever he called them. She watched as Bastien lavished in the attention that Alistair was giving him. Spoiled thing. Especially since he had been her only companion the past months. She'd forgotten that he was a trained warhound, and at the moment, it seemed he had as well.

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