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.

[veilstrike]

Your door better not be locked.

[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.]

[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.

[bryces_pup]

Yes I am. Stupid stupid stupid stupid-

[She balks when Leilani takes the bottle away. No no no, she needs that. There's the childish impulse to squirm away and find another, but she freezes when Leilani's arms come around her and she invites her to cry.]

No. [It's a raspy burst of noise that comes out of her.] It hurts too much, it's too much. I just want it gone, I don't want it in me and eating at me.

[veilstrike]

You think I don't know?

[ She knows exactly how it feels to be left behind and abandoned by the person that you love. At least Alistair didn't want to leave; Solas had been given a choice. ]

Drinking isn't going to help and I think that you've had quite enough of it. The next part is letting yourself be sad.

[bryces_pup]

It is helping because I don't have to feel anything and that's the only thing stopping me from screaming this fucking ship down.

[Her fingers dig into the bed as she drunkenly tries to consider how badly it'd go if she went for another one. Lei's got a good grip and has magic but Ri's determined and drunk. Not a good combination.]

Leilani, please. [It's too much to look at her, and maybe it makes her a coward but she keeps staring at the wall because she's pretty sure if she looks at her she's going to break and she's trying so hard to avoid that.]

[veilstrike]

Then scream.

[ Leilani reaches, not letting Riona get too far away, frowning. She's dealt with Dorian before - come along, she can handle this. She reaches, bringing her close. ]

Scream. Shout. Tear the room to shreds.

[bryces_pup]

I don't - they'll hear and-

[Riona's been trying to keep her grief and heartbreak contained, to not let it spill out to the rest of her ship. And she's so tired. So, so, so tired and she knows people aren't going to know why she's so upset and why she's melting down-]

I had him and I didn't say what I should have and he's gone and I'm - I'm- [It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts] I'm never going to see him again.

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?

[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.]

[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....]

[veilstrike]

So? Let them hear, Riona. You're allowed your grief.

[ Leaning forward, she frowns. She doesn't know what is happening here, but - ]

He could come back. You can't just give up.

[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?

[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.]

[bryces_pup]

That's not what I mean. [And this is what she gets for hiding so much from people. If she had just been open about things in the first place, she wouldn't have to be explaining this now, when her heart's ripped open and bleeding.] Even if he comes back here, when I go home... I'm not going to see him. More than likely I'll hear the Calling and die in the Deep Roads. I'm - [Her breath hitches, the words caught in her throat. The weight of her fear and heartache presses on her, making her freeze and yet shake like a leaf all at once. It hurts so much] I had to leave, I had to find a cure. I couldn't stay and watch us wait for the Call. But I haven't found it and it'll come any day now. I'm never going to see him again.

[And with that, she breaks. The tears come in a sudden onslaught, heaving sobs shaking her frame as she tries to curl up and shut out the world.]

[bryces_pup]

no.

but thanks

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

[veilstrike]

[ Oh. Oh, of course.

It's what she had learned from her brief interactions with Wardens. She hadn't spent much time with them, not real ones, since Solas had disapproved so much and she hadn't wanted to bind an order of such magnitude to the Inquisition when they could do good elsewhere. There's something tight in her chest, but she reaches for Riona all the same, fingers lifting to the woman's cheeks.

The world might not last long enough for Riona's Calling. Perhaps that would be a mercy, perhaps not. She can't say. ]

Riona. I'll find it. I will find a cure. I'll find a way for you to get back to him.