driftfleet

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001

Who: Cassandra Pentaghast & YOU!!
Broadcast: Fleet-wide
Action: SS Marsiva
When: week of April 12-18

[When Cassandra wakes, she goes from sound asleep to alert in just a matter of a couple of seconds. She's out of bed immediately with a reflexive reach for weapons that aren't there. Naturally, this merits a frustrated growl, but no matter. She doesn't need a sword or shield to do some damage if she must to get out of...wherever this place is.]

[She scans the room with a little more scrutiny with a scowl before she notices the communicator and picks it up. Enjoy your new view of the ceiling, network, while she looks the device over in her hands because she doesn't understand why she has some vague sense of familiarity with it without ever having seen it before in her life. It's at least something to take her mind off the fact she has absolutely no idea how she got here in the first place.]

What is this?

[Answer her before books start getting stabbed, you guys.]

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[Oh thank every single elven god there is. By now Jove should know better, she should remember that not everyone comes from the same version of Thedas she does, but her immediate joy and relief just from seeing Cassandra, hearing that grumpy voice, it drives those thoughts away.]

I'm afraid you aren't in Thedas anymore, Cassandra. Even so, it's so nice to see you again.

[Hey look, a new post on the network.

Oh, it's-- it's Cassandra. Andraste's flaming tits. He hopes this isn't going to turn bad, but he's sure it will.

He really ought to just shut up and leave her alone but this is Varric. Since when does he ever leave well enough alone? Especially when it's people he dislikes.]

Looks like Atroma's pulling in anyone now.

[He takes a sip of his drink, watches her calmly, but with an edge of defensive bitterness.]

[He was joking when he said it was a matter of time before all of the Inquisition arrived, but now he's not so sure...

Either way, he's relieved to see it's Cassandra.]

Cassandra. Welcome aboard.

[Cassandra balks for a moment before she is immediately and quite visibly suspicious. She doesn't trust anyone who knows her name and yet she does not know theirs. Even more so when there isn't anything about this woman that she immediately can recognize with even a hint of memory.]

Again?

[There's a reserve of questions milling about in her mind. Is this elf responsible for why she's here? Where is here exactly if not in Thedas? Is any of this even real? How did she get to be here even if the elf is not responsible for it? Why doesn't Cassandra remember her? Where is her sword? But she bites back the barrage of questions for the moment, exercising a little bit of caution and not acting on impulse. In a single word, she's asked at least a few of them anyway.]

[Things between Varric and Cassandra have never been perfect and certainly not always friendly, but they have been better lately. Some of their mutual grievances had at least been smoothed over even if not entirely forgotten. That's why when he addresses her like that, her hackles are instantly raised.]

[As far as she's concerned, she's done nothing to deserve that. Recently, anyway. But if Varric wants to sign up as her punching bag and take the heat of her current anger and frustration, that's fine by her.]

Start talking, Varric. Now.

Cullen. [Aaaaaaand that's about as much as she's willing to exchange in terms of pleasantries right now.] Where are you?

Or what, you'll run another dagger through my book?

[It was her book, but he wrote it. Details. He leans forward, giving her a pretty good view of the chest hair.]

How does it feel to be kidnapped and dragged into something you never wanted to be a part of? Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Anyway. I didn't have anything to do with this, Seeker. If I had a choice in it, you would be about as far from me as physically possible.

The Huntress, a different ship. Soon you'll be assigned to one as well.

[Does it sound crazy? Yes. Cullen's smile is a little strained.]

The small device you are apparently turning over in your hands is a communicator.

[And if she does flip it over, she'll find a golden-haired elf looking back at her with a sympathetic smile.]

The rest will require a longer explanation. I would assume, my lady, that you have arrived aboard the Marsiva, a ship which sails among the stars. [Yes, he knows it sounds mad. Very little about this situation won't sound mad.]

[Oh for the love of... Varric. Put your chest hair away.]

[Her grip on the communicator tightens with audible creaking from the device itself. He hardly explains anything, instead taking the time to antagonize her as though he has some claim to superiority or advantage in this situation. But that's just it, isn't it? If he's not involved, then that means his situation isn't all that different from hers.]

[This might be the point in which someone relents in their anger, recognizing that it's out of Varric's control, but not Cassandra. She's only more agitated with him dredging up the past, drawing attention to anything even remotely related to the idea she's not in control or comfortable with what's happening. It's just easier to get angrier.]

Then perhaps you could do us both a favor, explain what you know, and you might get your wish.

[It sounds insane. Were it coming from anyone other than Cullen, she'd probably think it was insane without a second thought. But she's willing to give it that second thought and... Okay, it still sounds really crazy.]

For what purpose?

[She hopes that asking more questions will give this whole situation more clarity, but it's a weak hope. At the very least, she can expect Cullen to give her facts without the emotional commentary others might. If they need to get that part later, they will.]

[Somehow, Cassandra finds it in herself to be a little irritated with "my lady," but she won't comment on it now. She is entirely cognizant of how little that matters in comparison to everything else right now.]

[She turns the communicator back over.]

A ship among the stars? [Maker's breath, what has she gotten herself into?] How is that even possible?

[she was just in that situation herself, so Polly has so much sympathy.]

You're holding it the wrong way up. I can't tell you how it works, but it's for communicating with people.

[She'll get it the right away again after a moment or two. She also appreciates a direct answer like that to her question.]

How many people exactly?

[She figured. Unfortunately it just gets more confusing from there!]

I'm not sure. Everyone on the ships, at least.

[CAN'T BE TAMED!!!!

Seriously though, he knows he's antagonizing her and that's bad, but he's comfortable where he is. He has people he wants to protect. He has people who Cassandra absolutely cannot fuck with in any circumstance, even if she's not the mustache-twirling villain he pretends she is.

If he was alone without a friend in the world, dragged by swordpoint across the ocean? Yeah, he might be a little nicer. Or at least terrified. And he is a bit terrified, regardless. But mostly he's peeved because this is yet another person who might know more than he does and she still doesn't see anything wrong with what she did to him. And Hawke.

Hawke.

He sighs in resignation. The least he can do is give her a layman's explanation.]

Supposedly we're entertainment for a bunch of people we can't see. If you've ever been to one of those fancy Orlesian plays, it's a lot like that. The actors are us, the clothes are crap, and we can't leave the stage. We get paid for it, at least.

[He rubs his chin.]

You ought to have something in the back of your neck. It... kinda puts books in your head, as far as I can tell. Makes sure you know how to turn the lanterns on and not to shove your head out into space. [What a weird name. Space is full of things, so why do they call it space? Unless he's understanding that wrong.]

Do you at least know how many ships there are?

[Something specific and concrete would do Cassandra a lot of good right now.]

[Feel honoured, Cassandra. Cole will very rarely use the communications because he hates seeing people and not being able to see them.]

Cassandra!

[Then he pauses, the excitement dropping away to wariness.]

... do you know me? Are you the you that I know, or that someone else knows?

[At the mention of Orlesian plays, Cassandra makes a small noise of disdain. Being paid doesn't incentivize engaging in what Cassandra considers to be frivolous behavior. If she didn't already hate being taken against her will in a place she doesn't know, she really hates it now.]

[She reaches up to feel the back of her neck, ready to dismiss what Varric is saying as a fanciful lie until she feels the small bump. Her attention is immediately off the dwarf and she's only vaguely aware of the words that are continuing to come out of his mouth. She could make quite a long list of things she doesn't like right now, but the discovery of something being put into her like that ranks right at the very top.]

How is that even possible?

[The question is more rhetorical than actually directed at Varric, muttered under her breath. She's not worried. She's not. It's just maybe a little more difficult to hold onto that anger at the present moment because what is going on here? She snaps herself out of it quickly.]

Who is responsible for this?

Sixteen, but there's only a handful of people on each.

[She has an impression of ships usually having larger crews than... four, but her home country is landlocked so she has zero experience with it.]

[Wary as she was at first about Cole, Cassandra went from not minding his presence to something resembling friendship. So, she's glad to see him in her restrained sort of way. She just doesn't know he is adjusting to all of this. Both for his sake and the sake of others. It's not something she thinks she needs to really spell out for him, however. It's always been an understanding between the two of them even if it came as a bit of a surprise to Cassandra that Cole would or could see the necessity.]

I know who you are, Cole. I haven't forgotten.

[Cole relaxes again a bit, face disappearing from view as he ducks his head before looking back at her.]

Varric is Varric, but he's not our Varric. He hasn't been to the Conclave, he hasn't even been across the ocean yet! It's confusing, but he's still Varric inside, with his words, wooing, watching, waking, wandering...

[He trails off again, rocking back and forth slowly.]

Solas is here. He doesn't hate me. I like that. Dorian is here, but I haven't seen him. He spends a lot of time with the little wolf and the lyrium burns, brands, burnishes the pain white hot and he roars and rages and I cut him to the quick. I stay away now.

[Have you missed this, Cassandra? Have you missed Cole's inane and often unhelpful rambling?]

[Depending on the size of the ship, a handful may be all it takes for a ship to function. But these aren't exactly like the ships Cassandra is at least vaguely familiar with.]

I trust the crews know what they are doing then if they must rely on so few people.

[Which Cassandra realizes might be providing too much credit to the crews of the ships if everyone found themselves here the same way she did.]

Who am I speaking to now?

[So much, udek.]

[Cassandra tries to keep up with Cole's tangents, but he often loses her quickly because, frankly, she doesn't always have the patience to try and decipher what it is he's saying. Other times, she just doesn't have whatever it takes to make sense of it. And sometimes she understands it perfectly and wishes that she didn't.]

What are you talking about, Cole?

[...Not that...she really expects a straight answer. But when she can grasp at a little of it, she'll try for more.]

[Yeah, she's... Not going to comment on that. She's the pilot and captain, and she'd never seen a ship of any kind before this. On the other hand, she's confident she can handle it.]

Polly-- [except whoever she's talking to is wearing armour, which means military to her, and anyway, sounds like a soldier, so she'll correct herself.] Sergeant Polly Perks. Currently Captain of the Windrose.

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