+ Where Do Your Loyalties Lie? +

[vitaelamorte]

Who: Everyone
Where: The party
When: 7/21-7/23
Rating: PG-13 (warn if you go higher)
Summary:
The Story:
Orlais' current ruler, Lacie, has invited anyone of name, fame, and influence to The Winter Palace for three days of extravagant festivities surrounding the peace talks between her and Tillie, whose grasp for the throne has plunged beautiful Orlais into a dreadful civil war. Unbeknownst to both a third player, Elsie, has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to obtain her own share of power over the land.

Get ready for three days of fancy food, fine drink, good music, good entertainment, and just a little bit of murder, maybe? Your character has secured an invitation, and will join the illustrious crowd, become privy to the latest scandals and gossip, and observe as the struggle for Orlais' throne reaches its final chapter.

[OOC: This is an open mingle log for the Dragon Age event. The plotting post can be found here and event details can be found on the Bulletin Board.]

Comments

[kingtrousele]

Sans's greeting surprises Papyrus as he quickly covers his mouth with a free hand. Oh geez, caught in the spying act! At least it was his brother that spotted him - he's probably the least dangerous person that could catch him peeping at the guards. Thank god it wasn't a noble, he'd never hear the end of it...or worse.

"Sans! It's just you, you startled me. Yes...those swords are something...they look new, too! The queen must have graciously updated their weaponry!" He sighs again, longing to one day carry one of those swords.

Really, the only reason he likes the ruler is because maybe someday, though likely impossible, he may someday join the ranks and protect the queen. On the other hand, there was a much bigger priority on his hands: his brother's blood mage secret. He may feel down because he cannot join the royal guard, but he cannot bare to think about how he would feel if his brother was found out. What would they do to him? Whatever the fact, losing his brother would be a much bigger blow than not joining the guard. They're all they have, as far as family goes.

Still...he can dream.

"How has the ball been going for you? The nobles keep on asking me about things that I don't know..." he mutters, a bit frustrated. He's just a servant, he doesn't know about every single detail about the castle's architecture! He could tell them about where the most important and accessible rooms in the castle are, but that's about it!

[punful]

He honestly thought Papyrus would hear him coming. Sometimes he forgets how unobtrusive he can be without even trying. He's been told that it's almost like he can teleport or something.

"Sorry, bro, didn't mean to."

He pats Papyrus's shoulder and nods.

"I overheard some of them talking. They entire guard was given fresh uniforms and upgraded weapons just before the party."

Lacie can't exactly have her guards looking shabby with all these nobles here, not when she's trying to maintain her military hold.

He grins and leans against some storage containers. He has a few minutes to kill before anyone misses him.

"Alright so far. Been getting a lot of questions myself. Some of them as loaded as these nobles. The Inquisition in particular is kind of...odd."

Lots of strange questions from them, lots of forgetting pretty obvious facts.

"Actually, I..." Sans folds his arms and looks away. "...I wanted to talk to you about that. The Inquisition."

[kingtrousele]

Papyrus inhales deeply as he goes through in his mind where the old uniforms might have gone to. As much as he'd like to see if he can nab one, the consequences of doing so would be harsh, probably cruel and unusual. He'll just have to assume that the old uniforms have already been disposed of. Can't get your hopes up on that.

"It seems that everything is on par with the course, then," he remarks as he takes one more look at the noble that told him to fetch something. It seems that they are busy engrossed in a conversation with another noble while harassing another servant to get them more hor d'oeuvres. Yeesh, that'll be fun to get back to. In eithee case, he has a little bit of time to chat.

He turns back to his brother. "I noticed that the Inquisition is here at the party as well!" he says in a hushed, but excited tone. "They absolutely have been asking some strange questions. What on earth is up with that?"

[punful]

The old uniforms might resurface as cleaning rags at some point. If that's the case, Sans might snag a piece for his brother. Though hopefully if it happens, it happens soon.

He nods at the comment. "With any luck, things will actually go smoothly for the rest of the party."

Luck has very little to do with it, though. Elsie or Tillie, or maybe both of them, are bound to use this party to make their moves. Sans knows Lacie is already employing countermeasures. There's probably going to be at least one stabbing before all is said and done.

"Perhaps they're just...foreign? Or maybe messing about with those Fade rifts has addled some of them."

It's a common enough narrative, magic and the Fade and all of that messing with people's heads. Part of the reason Sans hasn't even tried to use his own magic in years now. It's not worth the effort or the risk.

"Papyrus, what would you, uh...what would you think about maybe...joining the Inquisition? The two of us, I mean?"

oh god how do i dragon age AAAAAAHHHH

[kingtrousele]

Papyrus quickly peeks out of the door again, this time looking at Lacie. It would be nice if it were to turn out that way, but this is The Game. He already knows someone’s probably not going to live through the night, which he really doesn’t want to think about. He should…just concentrate on pleasing the nobles and doing his job instead.

“It’s probably both,” he mulls over. “Foreigners playing around with Fade, that is. Don’t they know that’s dangerous??”

His eyebrows raise up at his brother’s next question. “Wowie. The Inquisition? That’s…”

He glances back at one of the guards, in their sparkling new uniform, before quickly turning back to his brother.

“That’s a real game changer. I…wowie.”

He can understand where this question is coming up, though. If anyone were to find out about Sans’s true potential as a blood mage…well. It’d be better to get as far away from the kingdom as possible. And there’s no question about following him if that happens - he’s not going to leave him behind.

“If we’re going to do that, then…how exactly are we going to be able to get into the Inquisition in the first place? Don’t get me wrong, this sounds super interesting but…how do we go about doing this???”

honestly same i'm riding a bullshit wave here

[punful]

"The Fade, magic, demons...not something people should mess about with."

He knows what happens to people who are caught doing any of those things. At least in Orlais. He's always told himself that he's willing to use his blood magic in an emergency, but then again, there's never been an emergency that dire. It's bad enough just knowing how much damage he could cause.

He watches Papyrus's reactions carefully, trying not to fidget or look as worried as he feels. He doesn't want to drag his brother down, but that was a given as soon as Sans realized his powers. It would be better to just...disappear from Papyrus's life, but he knows if he did so, someone would question Papyrus. Lacie might try to demand answers from him. Papyrus could be executed simply for knowing what Sans is and not reporting him.

Sans isn't going anywhere without his brother. He won't leave him alone. He needs to protect him.

"I've had the idea since I heard they'd be coming to the peace talks. And I'm finally going to have enough money to get us both out of here. Just one more sale. And I know someone who's buying."

Papyrus seems interested, but Sans doesn't know if it's genuine or if Papyrus is doing it for Sans's sake.

"We can't just ask to join. Not yet, at least. Not when someone could overhear or try to stop us. So I was thinking...on the last night, we sneak out early and stow away in one of their wagons. It's perfect, right? By the time anyone notices we're gone, we'll be to the border. And if we're careful, the Inquisition won't find us until then, either. Either way, when they do, we'll have enough money to convince them to let us in. I'd stay a servant, but...but you could finally learn how to use a sword and everything. It'd be like joining the guard. Right?"

He watches Papyrus's face hopefully.

"Or...if not that, we could always strike out on our own. Hire horses or a carriage or something. Maybe..."

He's about to say they could head to Tevinter, where mages and magic are actually respected, but...what would there be for Papyrus there? Tevinter was always in the back of his mind, but the Inquisition makes more sense. Papyrus might even be happy with the Inquisition.

He'd be happier without Sans in his life, but he's not gonna say that out loud.

"Just...if we're going to leave, I think it should be soon. On the third day of the party. It'll be easiest to slip away then."

[kingtrousele]

Papyrus raises his eyebrows in surprise as Sans start talking about the logistics of actually running away from the castle. This is clearly something that he has thought about for a long time now, especially if he almost has enough money to get them both out. He's curious about this sale and who's buying, but this isn't the time nor place to ask such things. He's not even sure if he'll get a straight answer out of his brother. He's always been one to not tell anyone anything, after all.

The plan seems sound as well. There are a ton of servants residing in the castle, how long are they going to notice that two of them are gone? It'll most likely take a long while. He has to hand it to him, this plan really does seem perfect.

But what really cinches it for Papyrus is when Sans brings up the idea that he could be part of the guard for the Inquisition. He can just imagine himself now - wearing a fancy uniform, learning all of the different sword techniques properly, sparring with others in a friendly fight...

"It...it really would be like joining the guard, wouldn't it? They'd really let me..."

His dream could actually come true. It's hard for him to contain his emotions, but he can't help but beam and bob up and down on his feet in excitement over this very thought. He can't make a huge scene out of this. This has got to remain a secret between the two of them.

"I'm in. I wish this wasn't so short notice, but you're right. We're going to need to leave near the end of the Game in order to get out without someone noticing. And I doubt they'd be putting up wanted posters for a couple of servants like us..."

Although they'd definitely have to stay far away from the city for the rest of their lives, that's for sure.

"But, are you going to be all right with staying as a servant?" he can't help but question. "I mean, the Inquisition will definitely need a great guard member like myself, but I'm willing to bet that you could be an important figure too!"

[punful]

He should have brought this up sooner, much sooner. He's floated the idea of leaving before, but never anything concrete. He never wanted to tell Papyrus his plans because...

Well, there's a lot of ruins. Fear of being overheard or caught, fear that Papyrus might say the wrong thing to the wrong person. He didn't want to get Papyrus's hopes up, either. Or the opposite--he didn't want to have to know that Papyrus had no intention of ever leaving Orlais. Sans would have stayed with him, but it would have changed things.

But Papyrus's face is starting to light up now as he thinks it all over, and Sans almost lets himself be hopeful. Almost.

"Yeah. The Inquisition's gotta be hard up for able-bodied fighters, right? With all that Fade nonsense happening..."

It means Papyrus would be fighting literal demons, or even dragons, but...Sans has confidence in his brother. He's untrained, but got a natural talent. He's shockingly dexterous.

"Y-Yeah...I know. I should have brought this up sooner." Sans lets himself smile for real. "But I'm--I'm glad you're on board. I could never leave without you."

Logically he knew it might be the safest and wisest thing to do, but screw that. He'd be more than willing to risk his life for his brother. They've always been together.

"Pssh, I don't care what I do, as long as it's not in Orlais. I can...look after their horses, or clean that big ol' castle of theirs...anything."

Sans has no real delusions about his usefulness. He's smart, and literate, but that doesn't count for all that much. But everyone in power needs someone willing to do the menial tasks.

"I just need to make one last sale. Then we'll be set. I'll keep you updated as much as I can, okay? But we shouldn't talk about it too much, just in case."

[kingtrousele]

Papyrus’s eyes brighten, if only for just a moment. If he managed to become a member of the guard for the Inquisition, then he could /actually/ make a difference. It could be even better than becoming a member of the guard here in Orlais! His name could go down in history!

He was getting swept up into his own fantasies about becoming a hero that he didn’t care that this was still a stretch. They haven’t even left the castle yet.

“They’d be crazy not to enlist me as a member of their guard!! I have what others lack: a natural talent for fighting!!”

Never mind the fact that he’s never held a sword in his life (unless you count the times he’s pretended to be a knight with a stick as a sword when he was a kid).

Papyrus smiles wide and gives Sans a nudge. “Of course!! I wouldn’t go anywhere without you either! Besides, someone has to make sure they don’t start pulling pranks or engage in tomfoolery.”

He folds his arms. “Well, if you’re certain…” There wasn’t much time for him to argue about other potential job opportunities. Sans was right, they’d REALLY have to keep this on the down low. There would be plenty of times to nag him about choosing a more respectable job once they are out on the road.

He nods. “Okay. Rest assured, brother, my lips are sealed!!” He wants to shout it out with his usually grandiose tone, but he quickly stops himself before he just starts yelling in the storage room.

He peeks out the door again, this time looking at the man he was serving. He was tapping his foot impatiently. Eeeesh.

Papyrus grabs what he needs from the room in a hurry. “I think I need to get back out there, I’ve dilly dallied for long enough. Let’s talk about this more later. See you soon, brother!”

He holds out a fist for his brother. Fist bump??

[punful]

He grins. "Hehe, exactly. You're basically guaranteed a spot."

He can't imagine the Inquisition would be against the idea of training Papyrus. He does genuinely have some natural talent, and the rest he makes up for with enthusiasm. Plus he believes fiercely in doing what's right. He's the perfect fit.

"Heh, yeah. Who knows what I'd get up to without someone to keep an eye on me."

He's just so damn relieved that things are working out for now. But he can't relax completely, not yet. Not until they're at least a few leagues away from Orlais.

"Okay." He grins and gives his brother a fist bump. "I should get back out there too. Just try to keep your head down with all these nobles and such, yeah? This is gonna work, bro. We're gonna be free."

[kingtrousele]

Papyrus is already pretty energetic, but he feels a wave of newfound hope and enthusiasm just thinking about this new prospect. He’d already accepted that he would forever live as a servant, and that he would make do with that and, hopefully, become a member of the Queen’s guard. But, now? A new door of opportunity has shown itself and they’re going to take it together.

“Of course, brother. My lips are sealed. For now, let’s just survive through these next few days,” he says, his confidence boosted.

Before he exits out the storage room door, he grins and waves back at his brother before returning to the social battlefield known as The Game.

There’s a little skip to his step when delivering the items to the thoroughly annoyed noble, and as he takes the verbal assault from the noble in stride, all he’s thinking is about his new life in the Inquisition. This life of servitude will not last forever. They’re going to join the Inquisition. He's going to join their guard. His brother is going to be much safer outside of Orlais.

They’re going to be free.