"Should we find Wardens in the Hunterhorns who have departed Weisshaupt Fortress, I would like to know what their intentions are. If they have not come south yet, there will be a reason."
Maybe not necessarily one they care to share with Riftwatch. Maybe not necessarily one they care to share with Ellis.
He does not say this.
"If they are working against Tevinter, we may be of use to each other. Allies."
“And it sounds like we could do with as many of those as we can get.”
The severity of the war has been drummed into him, over and over. This has been going on for years. It’s attrition, not one giant fuck-all heroic battle and then calling it a day.
Strange’s gaze drifts down to that dog, still snuffling around by Ellis’ feet, then back up to the other man, considering.
“Alright. I’m in,” he re-affirms. Partially because he likes to meddle, likes to be in the room where it happens, can’t stand to sit on the sidelines, and partially because this guy seems to matter to Tony — “I’m probably missing a lot of the context, but whichever way I can help. It sounds like there’ll be time to catch me up on the necessaries while we travel, anyway.”
A thinning of the mouth, and: “Also. If it turns out that they’re still a threat, or their motivations remain antithetical to our own. What’s the plan of action?”
A brief, measured pause. Ruadh stills in turn, pausing in his circle around Ellis to look up at Strange from Ellis' hip.
"You should understand, there is little chance of that. If their motivations are as you fear, they would not have fled, much less hidden themselves."
Though the question deserves an answer.
Ellis has to wind his way towards one, because it is not so simple. Harder, for a rifter, perhaps.
"But if it is so, then I will try to convince them otherwise," is a steady, quiet assertion. "And if not, then we will need to decide whether or not we can leave them be."
Makes sense, to punt the decision further down the road. They don’t have to make it now — and shouldn’t, with so little information at hand yet. So Strange just nods, crisply. Accepting that interim answer, for what it’s worth.
“Just wanted to hear if you were open to the notion that they might not be friendly, and hard decisions might have to be made. Sometimes old loyalties can get us into hot water. Sometimes the loyalty helps. Sometimes it’s not worth for shit.”
There’s something brittle there, a faint touch of speaking from experience.
There’s an uptick to the corner of Strange’s mouth: a twist to his expression and something a little nostalgic, fond. “Not at all,” he says. “I used to fly everywhere back home, with my Cloak of Levitation. Got used to seeing everything from a birds’ eye view. I miss it. So a griffon ought to be a nice change of pace.”
Having to consider managing one rifter with a fear of heights, Ellis is still thinking on what that will look like long term. It's somewhat reassuring, to know that he won't have to consider doing the same for a man he knows less well.
"You might see about making friends with some of the griffons, in the meantime. I'll let you know when I've finished making arrangements for us to go."
He’s making mental note of it, another item to the to-do list: griffon riding just soared a little higher in the priorities. And if he can’t win one over in time, at least someone else could take him as a passenger.
“Alright,” Strange says, and there’s the sense of their conversation winding down: an agreement made, a promise for the future done. The dog is staring attentively at him, and the sorcerer looks back, quirks another smile.
“Keep me posted. And the mountainside vacation will just have to be another time.”
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portalling) wrote2022-04-02 01:17 pm
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no subject
Maybe not necessarily one they care to share with Riftwatch. Maybe not necessarily one they care to share with Ellis.
He does not say this.
"If they are working against Tevinter, we may be of use to each other. Allies."
A specific choice of word. Not recruits.
no subject
The severity of the war has been drummed into him, over and over. This has been going on for years. It’s attrition, not one giant fuck-all heroic battle and then calling it a day.
Strange’s gaze drifts down to that dog, still snuffling around by Ellis’ feet, then back up to the other man, considering.
“Alright. I’m in,” he re-affirms. Partially because he likes to meddle, likes to be in the room where it happens, can’t stand to sit on the sidelines, and partially because this guy seems to matter to Tony — “I’m probably missing a lot of the context, but whichever way I can help. It sounds like there’ll be time to catch me up on the necessaries while we travel, anyway.”
A thinning of the mouth, and: “Also. If it turns out that they’re still a threat, or their motivations remain antithetical to our own. What’s the plan of action?”
He has to ask. For clarity.
no subject
"You should understand, there is little chance of that. If their motivations are as you fear, they would not have fled, much less hidden themselves."
Though the question deserves an answer.
Ellis has to wind his way towards one, because it is not so simple. Harder, for a rifter, perhaps.
"But if it is so, then I will try to convince them otherwise," is a steady, quiet assertion. "And if not, then we will need to decide whether or not we can leave them be."
no subject
“Just wanted to hear if you were open to the notion that they might not be friendly, and hard decisions might have to be made. Sometimes old loyalties can get us into hot water. Sometimes the loyalty helps. Sometimes it’s not worth for shit.”
There’s something brittle there, a faint touch of speaking from experience.
“But we’ll have we see when we get there.”
no subject
Old loyalties indeed. There is a chance that Ellis will not be so warmly welcomed. He knows this.
"I've others to speak with, before we go. But once I've answers from them, and we can be reasonably certain we can be spared here, we will go."
And then, almost as an afterthought—
"You've no fear of heights?"
no subject
no subject
Having to consider managing one rifter with a fear of heights, Ellis is still thinking on what that will look like long term. It's somewhat reassuring, to know that he won't have to consider doing the same for a man he knows less well.
"You might see about making friends with some of the griffons, in the meantime. I'll let you know when I've finished making arrangements for us to go."
& closed probably
“Alright,” Strange says, and there’s the sense of their conversation winding down: an agreement made, a promise for the future done. The dog is staring attentively at him, and the sorcerer looks back, quirks another smile.
“Keep me posted. And the mountainside vacation will just have to be another time.”
(Har, har.)