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Who: Lavellan
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: On the Red Fish
When: Now!

[ When the feed comes on, the woman featured mostly looks... Awkward, and unsure of herself. It takes her a moment to realise her pressing buttons worked, and then she brightens, leaning forward so that her face is in the camera a little more. She's trying, but modern technology is still a bit of a leap for her, despite knowing how to use it thanks to her augment. It's foreign, but she's doing her best. ]

Andaran atish’an. My name is Leilani of Clan Lavellan - I was told there were other elves here, from Thedas. I was hoping to meet them, if I could? It's not necessary, of course, but...

[ But she does rather want to be with her people right now, or some of them, if she can. She doesn't feel particularly comfortable and she thinks she has reason enough to feel on edge, all things considered.

Hopefully, no one will notice her lack of vallaslin. She's not in the mood. She seems to steel herself, at least, and something settles as she sits up. ]

I'd be glad to speak to anyone else, as well, especially if I can be given more information about this place. I would appreciate it. Ma serannas.

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[ It's hard not to be a little bit wary, all things considered, and her hand drops away carefully. ]

Something like that.

[ It's not that simple, and it's not exactly a piece of the Fade, really, as much as it is a link to it, but she understands the sentiment. Carefully, she shakes her head. ]

Is it upsetting you?

[He's disappointed when it drops out of view. He wants to keep staring at it. It's not enough to see it on a screen, but it's something, and it's better than he's had since he left Blackmarsh.]

No, it... [Words are jumbled in his head. It's taken him off guard to see it so suddenly, and he has trouble putting his feelings into words at the best of times.] It is home. I did not think I would see it again.

[ She doesn't want to keep letting him see it; she feels like an animal on display, and it makes her uncomfortable. ]

Home? [ Eyes widening, she stares at him. ] You're from Thedas?

[It's the kind of thing that Justice doesn't even consider. He doesn't quite understand etiquette at the best of times, and he doesn't think to consider how his staring and fascination with her hand might make her feel.]

No. Yes, but no. I am of the Fade. [And normally he'd be bracing himself for a bad reaction when he says that, but he's too distracted by how much he wants to see her hand again.]

[ That makes sense, then, she supposes, and she relaxes a little. It's not entirely nefarious, and she can appreciate it. ]

You're a Spirit? [ She softens, her face relaxing into something like a smile. ] Do you mind if I ask you what kind?

No, I do not mind. I am a spirit of justice. [It's good that she seems to know the difference between spirits and demons, judging from her reaction. Although if anyone would know the difference, it's probably the person carrying around a link to the Fade. He still has no idea how that happened and wonders how it's possible, but he's too distracted to question it too hard at the moment.] A demon's reckless blood magic pushed me through the Veil and trapped me in the world of mortals.

I have never met a spirit of justice before. It's good to meet one now. [ She's a mage and a little more knowledgeable on the Fade than most other people - thanks to Solas and her teacher. Rift magic was her forte now, and she had to do some studying to make it work. ] And are you comfortable? Do you want to go back?

Spirits of justice usually prefer to avoid speaking with living mortals. It does not surprise me you have not met one.

[Most of the benevolent spirits Justice has met in general avoid dealing with living mortals. He used to agree with their attitude and do the same, but that has changed since coming to the mortal world.

But does he want to go back? Is he comfortable? He cocks his head, frowning as he struggles to formulate an answer.] I... I believe that the waking world holds many wonders that I would like to explore. It is unfamiliar, but not unpleasant. If I could return to the Fade... [He struggles more. It's hard to formulate an answer in words if he doesn't even know the answer without words.] If I could, one day I would, I think. But not yet.

I don't blame them. We don't do much to endear them to us.

[ The things she had seen of spirits and demons - Wisdom, Pride, Compassion, Fear - had been a mixed bag. She had been more comfortable with them because of Solas' guidance, but she was still a mage at heart. She knew to be wary. ]

You're right, it does. There's an entire world waiting for us to see it, and the Fade only seems glimpses. That's how I felt when I was there. [ Hey, spoilers, she was physically in the Fade a handful of times. ] As long as you're happy right now I don't think you need to make any kind of choice.

They do not give mortals a chance to. [It's unfortunate that benevolent spirits tend to only meet mortals when they are distressed, spirit mediums, or up to blood magic. It gives them a skewed perspective of the mortal world, one that Justice didn't even realize was skewed until he was living in it. That said, now that he's living on the other side of the Veil, he realizes how unfair the judgment of spirits can be. It's not right to judge an entire world due to snippets of its worst qualities.]

The Fade you see in your dreams is not like the Fade I see. [He assumes that that's the only way she's ever been in the Fade, with perhaps a lyrium-fueled waking jaunt or two. No mortal has walked physically there since... well, everyone knows when that happened last.] I am... [Happy? He's not sure if he'd ever describe himself as happy, but what other word is there for that ever-present sense of wonder for each new discovery? That warmth of being close to people he cares for, and who care for him? The satisfaction in having fulfilled his purpose to the best of his ability, and the knowledge that there will be more opportunities to spread justice in the future?] ...I suppose I am happy here for now, yes.

No, not often enough. [ There's a reason why mages are feared, and surely that is one of it. Leilani is aware of just how dangerous spirits and demons can be, and she's aware of the threat - she had lived it as a mage herself. It is foolish to believe that all mages are dangerous, however, considering she had been raised with the Dalish and had never felt any threat to her mind and person.

She shakes her head, though, something sly settling over her. ] No. I have been to the Fade myself, not in my sleep. [ It's... A complicated story, and she's not entirely sure she can explain it properly, and her fingers wiggle a little as she hums. ] I stepped into the Fade with my physical body without needing sleep, though I have been many places in the Fade in Dreams, too. [ But that's not important right now. What is... ] I am glad to hear that you have some happiness.

You went to the Fade physically? [Justice squints, and he senses no falsehood in her, but his augment has been interfering with his power. Surely this can't be true?] And you are alive? Uncorrupted? The last time mortals walked physically in the Fade, they did not leave intact.

[And perhaps the important part is that he has some happiness, but he doesn't know what to do with it. He just folds it up and holds it in his chest where it's safe and it can make him smile when he considers it.]

Yes. I don't recommend it. [ It had been an incredibly uncomfortable experience and she'd had to abandon a friend there to die, which hadn't been particularly enjoyable for her either. She's obviously on edge about the topic, but honest enough, at least. ] I was a special case, I think, and I did not make it out without loss.

[ Would she go back? Perhaps, to see if Stroud was still there, to see if he could be saved, but... It wasn't something she would be comfortable doing, not with how unstable her Anchor was. ]

That does not surprise me. The Fade is an inhospitable place for one with physical form and needs, and demons would be eager to possess anyone powerful enough to enter.

[And spirits would be less likely to approach. No, he doesn't imagine the Fade would look like a great place to someone simply stumbling in.]

How did you get there? [Did it have something to do with her hand? Because he's really hoping that she didn't murder a ton of slaves to do it, because then justice would have to be enacted.]

It mostly seemed to be one demon. We were chasing after memories, and a Fear demon seemed to be particularly interested in us. [ And manipulating them, but they had pushed through that, for the most part.

No, she doesn't think she would like to go back there, not with how everything had changed. Last time it had been spiders, but now? She thinks it might be more lupine.

Still, at least his question draws her back and she focuses. ] I was falling off a cliff edge and I used the Anchor without realising it. I opened passage to the Fade and my friends and I had to find our way out.

You must have fallen into its realm. Demons are territorial, and hierarchy is important to them. If one can amass enough power to influence a part of the Fade, then others will avoid the area unless they are weak and only feed on scraps Fear leaves behind. [A powerful fear demon won't care about a mindless, weak rage demon nibbling on the anger that comes from a frightened human. It cares more when Rage is powerful enough to influence mortals on its own, or if it's another fear demon trying to cut into its feeding supply.]

Your Mark can tear open the Veil? [That sounds amazing and horrifying. He's not sure how to react to that.]

It can. It's... To be honest, it's a very long strong and I'm not sure you'd really like to hear all the details. [ And it's a little bit too close to home right now, with the memories of Solas and his touch still fresh on her mind. The distance has helped, as have the conversations with faces familiar and foreign, but it's still a concept she's going to struggle with for a long time.

Maybe one day she can write it all down. Maybe Varric can publish it. ]

We managed to best the demon and escape, but it was not without cost.

[He would actually like to hear all the details, and he almost says so, but he has a rare moment of awareness and realizes that she does not look like she wants to talk about it. It's hard to confirm without reading her mind, which he can't do when she's so far away and the Mark swallows up all the noise mortals are supposed to make, so he just confirms the other way he knows how.] Do you not wish to speak of it?

[Justice is not quite aware enough to realize that he's not supposed to ask even that much, but the fact that he was able to pick up on a cue at all is progress.]

[ It's not her favourite story, and her hand cracks and splits as she forces herself to breathe, to get more comfortable, to be at ease. This is a spirit and he would understand, better than most, what the Fade is like. Justice will have empathy for her situation, even if he might not understand it wholly. ]

It wasn't the most pleasant adventure I've ever been on. I had to leave an ally behind to fight the Fear demon as the rest of us left, and I was the one who had to choose who stayed to die and who came with me to live. Before we even got to the demon I was reliving memories of how I received my Anchor while also reading about all my friends' greatest fears.

[ And Solas'... His had been dying alone.

She understands, now. ]

[She's right. He does have empathy, and the corners of his eyes soften as he listens. He can't intuit how to make people feel better the way Cole can, but that doesn't mean he's without any compassion.]

Demons of fear are wretched creatures. They prey on an instinct intended to keep mortals alive, and they will happily goad people into such horror that they become paralyzed. The fact that you escaped should be commended, and the courage of your companion will forever mark that place.

I am sorry that you had to make that decision.

I hope that our courage left something nice behind, then.

[ Solas had loved the Fade, being there physically - she understands why, in hindsight - but Cole and Iron Bull had loathed it. Even she can admit that, through her curiosity and interest, it had been an awful, uncomfortable place. She'd been glad to get out, but the price had been steep. ]

It's my job. I make the hard decisions so no one else has to.

I am certain that it did. [He doesn't always understand how the Fade works--he's not a spirit of wisdom nor knowledge, and many of the questions he may have asked are unanswerable without one--but he knows this much. The Fade responds to important actions, feats of extraordinary good or evil. And those things linger, and they produce more of its kind.] If the demon is not dead, then perhaps one day the courage you left behind will lead to its downfall.

Someone must make these decisions, and it is good of you to make them. Even so, I am sorry that you must.

That's a nice thought.

[ She has very little idea of just how the Fade works, beyond what Solas had told her, and she's still not sure how much she can trust that and how much is true or memory or what the Fade had once been. ]

I'd like to think that it'll come to its end, somehow. It might not be me, but someone will handle it.

[ At least she manages a smile. ]

Thank you, Justice.

I believe that it will die. Courage is poison to a demon of fear, and you left behind much of it.

[And, as usual, Justice is being entirely honest. It's not every day that a demon in the Fade has to put up with a bunch of fully flesh and blood mortals barreling through its best weapons and fighting against it directly in the heart of its realm. It can't have gotten out unscathed, no matter how powerful it is.

Justice dips his head in acknowledgment of the thanks, looking even graver than usual with the topic at hand.] Think nothing of it.

That is a thought I will hold on to.

[ It'll certainly soothe her rattled nerves and her uncertainties, which is something that is creeping up on her now. She knows that, despite the peace she is forcing on herself, her thoughts and memories will come back to her sooner rather than later. She has a duty to perform now, just as great as closing the Breach; she has to save the world again.

And this time she has to do it without almost dying. Again. ]

Would you like to see my hand, Justice?

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