Seventeenth Blight - text

[bryces_pup]

Who: Riona and you
Broadcast: Yes
Action: On the Blue Fish, if wanted
When: Backdated to last night, the 14th

[Riona disappears suddenly on Saturday. Anyone who was trying to contact her will get no response. And for most of Saturday and into Sunday, she's nowhere to be found on the ship.

Sadly, her disappearance isn't for a good reason. Not even remotely.

When she woke up on Saturday, she found her husband gone. And when she opened her communicator to message him, her worst fear came to pass: he was gone. Atroma snatched him away and she was left alone. Again. And she doesn't have the comfort of knowing that she'll see him when she returns home. When they fell asleep together the night before, tangled up and content as always, that may have been the very last time she'd ever see him. She left so much unsaid and now she'll never get to say it, and her heart shatters. Honestly, she doesn't remember much of yesterday after that initial moment. She screamed at some point, and somehow she got her hands on some alcohol. That's about all she recalls. Somewhere between the night before and this morning, she made it back to the ship. She holed up in their - her room, and hasn't come out much since.

Today wasn't much better, but somewhere in her overly drunk, numbed out mind, she realizes people are going to start wondering where she got to. They need to know. And poor Kiter is looking miserable. He's been at her side since she came back to the ship. Someone needs to take care of him. Riona knows she should, but Maker she can't. She just can't. She's not even sure she can stand. It takes a considerable amount of effort just to take out her phone and type out a few words.]

Alistair Theirin is left from the fleet.

[That's all she has in her. The messages will start coming, but she's not even sure she wants to respond. She just wants to stay in her miserable pile of blankets and empty booze bottles and never come out.]

Comments

[theirondragon]

[It isn't exactly often Bull makes his way over to the Blue Fish to see someone other than Dorian, but it doesn't take long for the Qunari to puzzle out what that means for their new Captain and head his ass over there. In Bull's experience, which is admittedly there are exactly two reasons someone uses text: they either can't talk or don't want to be seen or heard. That, though, wasn't a statement one would normally throw out if they couldn't talk.

He rapped his knuckles on her door.]

Riona.

[bryces_pup]

[Kiter lifts his head off the floor when Bull knocks. Riona doesn't move. She just closes her eyes, debating whether or not she'll be able to stomach more wine or if she'll just throw it up again. Bull - she's pretty sure that's his voice - shouldn't see her like this.

Kiter, however, disagrees. He gets up and barks at the door, pawing at it, trying to convey to the Qunari that he should come in. His mistress isn't saying anything, but he will, as much as he's capable.]

[theirondragon]

[Admittedly, Bull doesn't have much experience with dogs, but he's met Kiter a few times, and he knows a "hey buddy, come in, something's wrong" when he hears one. He opens the door, eyebrow raising at the scent of wine and bad decisions.]

Hey, Riona? You okay in here?

[There is only one correct answer to this question, of course, and it isn't "yes".]

[bryces_pup]

[Kiter's tail wags, glad to see someone else. He isn't his usual happy self, though. More just relieved.

Riona's got a full on cocoon going in the bed, blankets and sheets wrapped around her. Should she ignore him? Pretend she's asleep? Her head swims with the decision. And if she were sober, she'd remember to stay still to, you know, look like she's sleeping. But instead, she shifts and blinks because while she thinks about saying it, it doesn't connect in her alcohol-addled brain to actually look like it.]

'm fine. Sleepin'.

[...that's not exactly convincing, Riona.]

[theirondragon]

Right.

[And with that simple response, he takes a seat on the edge of her bed, which doesn't move it as much as his bulk would suggest it would.]

Then you go ahead and sleep. I'll be here if you wanna do something else.

[bryces_pup]

But I am- wait.

[Blink.]

Oh. That lie didn't work.

[theirondragon]

Yep. Didn't even need Ben-Hassrath training for that one, Queenie.

[veilstrike]

Your door better not be locked.

[bryces_pup]

don't know

[She honestly doesn't remember if she locked it or not.]

[veilstrike]

I'm coming over.

[bryces_pup]

[She won't get a response, since Riona's just too out of it to even argue. But she'll find when she comes that the door is, in fact, unlocked.]

[veilstrike]

[ Slipping in, Leilani moves across the room and crawls into the pile of blankets, reaching to tug Riona close. ]

Ir abelas.

[bryces_pup]

[Riona might, in a more sober frame of mind, recall what that phrase means. She's sure Velanna used it at some point. It sounds apologetic, sympathetic. But that's the most she can muster right now. Her head's still spinning but slowly growing less numb, allowing the pain to start creeping back in. Choking, gut wrenching pain that makes her reach for another bottle of wine.]

I'm so stupid. [She doesn't explain her statement, more focused on grabbing that bottle and yanking the cap off.]

[veilstrike]

You're not stupid. Saying you're stupid is stupid.

[ Reaching out, Leilani does her best to grab the bottle before Riona can, to put it down to one side and wrap her arms around the other woman properly. She's not as good at this as she had hoped she could be, but... ]

I'm here. You can cry.

Action

[whatisright]

[Justice has some unfortunate habits that will probably never be broken. Not only does he hunt her down without any warning, but when he gets to her door, he decides that doors are too much trouble and he just pops into existence in her room.

He has two bottles of wine.

He's prepared.]

Riona?

[bryces_pup]

[Kiter snaps his head up in surprise, though his tail starts wagging in relief to see another sober person. He gets up and sniffs Justice in greeting. Hey, any food for him in there?

Meanwhile, Riona's eyes just widen for a moment as she turns and stares at Justice. Wait, when did he get into the room? How long was he standing there? Fuck, did she really not notice? Had she fallen asleep??]

Uh-

[Maker she's so confused right now. She needs more wine. And oh look, he brought some.]

Wine. [She holds out her hand for a bottle. Somewhere in the back of her head it registers that Justice is back to normal and hey, it's an actual good thing that's happened. Maybe it'll catch up to the rest of her later....]

[whatisright]

[Justice opens the wine bottle and hands it to her.]

I will expect you to sober and go outside in time, but for now, I am here. Do what you must.

[Justice pets Kiter's head as he sits down besides Riona on her bed, offering him a treat usually reserved for Loyalty.] I am sorry, Riona.

[bryces_pup]

[Well at least he's not trying to drag her out now because it wouldn't have ended well. Riona takes the bottle with a murmured "thanks" before taking a long drink from it. It's good stuff... not that she overly cares about taste at the moment.]

I don't know what to do. I don't know what to think. All I have is feeling and it hurts so much. I just want it to stop.

[Kiter gets up and takes the treat, munching on it. But he doesn't savor it for long. In due time he has his head on Riona's lap, whining softly.]

[aspearing]

[ She may not know the person who's made this broadcast, but she does know that it's difficult to lose a comrade. ]

You have my condolences. Will you be alright?

[bryces_pup]

no.

but thanks

[Luckily even as drunk as she is she remember hers manners.]

[aspearing]

I apologize. At the least, do you have someone to keep you company?

[bryces_pup]

my crew. my friends. don't want them seeing me like this but they'll probably barge in anyway

it's what i'd do

[aspearing]

It sounds as though you have good friends.

[bryces_pup]

i do. i'm lucky

[aspearing]

Though... perhaps I may offer some condolences in my own way, as well. I know what it's like to lose an important friend here, though our losses may be different from one another's.