( 002 )

[dirth]

Who: Solas and you!
Broadcast: Text; universal
Action: On the Pathstone
When: Early morning of the 20th

I am looking for drawing tools. Charcoal, parchment, paints, anything of the like. I have credits I am willing to trade, but I find myself running low on my personal supplies.

[ Having left, his limited supplies of paints had been left to the Pathstone and Cole. Now he needs something to do with his hands and he feels almost... Twitchy with too much time on his hand. ]

Otherwise, I may offer artwork itself in trade. Any visitors to the Pathstone will have seen examples. Thank you.

Comments

[princessia]

Why? Is it because people are afraid of the hostile spirits?

[ She and Mikleo aren't of the same world, but from what she has learned of seraphim, the elemental spirits of Rieze Maxia and the seraphim work similarly. Symbiosis with spirits is similar to what Mikleo would call armatus. ]

Very well! I have some of Cole's drawings hanging on the walls of my room. He drew a nug, the Iron Bull, Rhys, Shale... oh, and I've seen him paint the walls of his room before.

[ But that was when they were both feeling upset. She couldn't very much make out what it was that he painted. ]

[dirth]

Spirits have a rather negative reputation in Thedas. Many do not understand them or their nature and fear them for it.

[ To Solas, it's entirely different. He lived in a world where the Fade and the physical plain were connected and joined by more than just mage links - the idea of being entirely separated from spirits didn't sit well with him and he was beyond uncomfortable.

Still, he manages a soft, fond smile. ]

He has drawn you many things, then. Perhaps I ought to catch up with him.

[ Because he can paint gifts now, for her, in return for her kindness. ]

[princessia]

He also tells me about a lot of things. About Thedas and his friends in the drawings...

[ Some of it has been not-so-happy things, like the Blight and the treatment of mages. The latter she had to get Cullen to further explain to her, much to his discomfort. But she insisted for both of them to tell her.

She frowns a bit. A lot of what's accepted in Rieze Maxia sounds to be the opposite in Thedas. ]

I don't think people in Thedas would like a Rieze Maxian very much...

[dirth]

That is good to hear. Cole would be a very apt storyteller, given the chance to have an audience.

[ No, some things in Thedas would never be nice, but Solas does not think that he is going to dwell on that. He isn't there right now, and when he has his way, back home, things will change swiftly.

For now, he nods his head for a moment, considering. ]

No, perhaps not. But the world can change.

[princessia]

[ She looks up, her expression suddenly perking right back up. Well, that just makes her think about Jove's duty as the Inquisitor. ]

The world can change. And I'm going to visit someday!

[ Her tone is confident, as though crossing worlds is something simple to do. ]

[dirth]

I think that if anyone would be capable of it then it might well be you.

[ She's certainly determined enough, and he can see a streak in her that reminds him of Jove, of Cole, of people from Thedas. It makes him soften, ever so slightly.

The Fleet is changing him, little by little. He's not as set as he once was, and he fears that. ]

And I am sure that Thedas would welcome such a charming young woman.

[princessia]

[ She'd been on the fleet for close to a year already. Without Milla, Jude, or any other of her Rieze Maxian friends, she had to turn towards others to look up to as role models, guardians. Many of them were and are primarily from Thedas.

Being called a "young woman" gets her to smile, makes her feel like she's on the right track growing up. ]

I know how to write some words in common and Elvish now. Jove has been teaching me.

[dirth]

[ Solas feels a strange warmth that settles over him - there's a fondness building, the same kind that he feels for Cole but certainly not on the same level. Elize is a sweet, gentle girl and he appreciates that - and appreciates that she is here and not in Thedas.

He is losing too much there already; he need not learn more. ]

Ah, I see. Perhaps that is something you and I can work on together as well, to surprise her?

[princessia]

[ Cole tried to warn her against visiting Thedas, should it ever become possible for her. But she hasn't changed her mind. The thought of crossing over to other worlds, even dangerous ones, is all for the innocent goal of keeping the friendships that she formed. She misses the friends that she made. ]

I would like that! I want to get much better at reading and writing!

[ She sounds excited to further advance her learning and to make Jove proud of her. ]

[dirth]

[ Solas is uncertain if it will ever be possible for her, but at least she will make the attempt. She is willing to try, and that is acceptable. What is the point of trying to change the world if you put no effort into it? ]

Then we shall work on it together. I am sure Jove will be delighted.

[ Over the moon, more like. ]

[princessia]

[ Milla was rather headstrong and intimidating, but she always encouraged Elize. If seeking out her friends is what she wanted to do, then she should just do it. It's probably what her friend would tell her.

Elize nods. She's already eager to get started learning, but first... ]

Oh! I was supposed to show you how these markers work, right...

[ She takes one of the pink markers in her hand. ]

[dirth]

[ It is good to see her interested, and Solas is glad to see someone that is not Elven take an interest in their lives and their culture. It is not a trait commonly seen in Thedas or in the humans that populate it, so perhaps this can be a spark of change.

Would it be enough to change his mind? Not likely. But it is something, nevertheless. ]

Yes. Please, feel free to use my paper.

[ He passes her some, with no hesitation. ]

[princessia]

[ For her demonstration, she carefully draws the outline of a flower and quietly fills it in with pink ink. She's doing more show than tell.

As an afterthought, she writes out mamae, the Elvish word for mother since Jove was on her mind. She felt like showing off one of the words she learned. ]

There. The ink dries faster than paint, but you still have to be careful not to touch it.