'Tis rather inconvenient like this. +

[vitaelamorte]

Who: You! !oot ,uoy dnA
Where: Wonderland, both Real and Mirror side
When: June 3 to June 10
Rating: PG-13, will vary by thread, warnings for higher ratings appreciated
Summary: A catch-all log for Mirrors and Reals during the reverse espionage event. Anything from Mirrors leading their daily lives, over Reals reacting to the show, to Reals and Mirrors exchanging messages goes here. Just label your locations and sides accordingly!
The Story:

Your own medicine is worth twice the sweetness in the bush, that is what they say! Here is my plan, now make sure you listen well, or you get it wrong, and then I would need to pair you all up, for only two even wrongs set my head back on right, and we've no time for such things, no time at all, do we?

As mighty as the sharpest blade, as stout as the hardest shield, a spool of thread woven from hearts of gold. It must exist, and I must have it! She'll do worse to my head if I search, but you'll help, won't you? I will let you see, and you will be my eyes! All good things come tomorrow - then I'll let you see, and you'll be my eyes, and when it's all done you'll use your own mouths to tell my personal ears all you know, won't you?

All of Wonderland's mirrors are suddenly working in reverse. The Real side can see everything, and the Mirror side is left with nothing but their own reflections. Details of the event can be found here.

Comments

[animositas]

No, but it--... I was only making conversation. [ She withdraws a little, becoming increasingly more surly as his response goes on. ] Don't they teach manners in the order?

[ He's stoic, not polite. ... Still, it's preferable to animosity and flat-out ignoring her. As such, she keeps up with him again.

His next question has her flinch, recoiling visibly, with spots of color rising into her ghostly cheeks. ]

Of course not. [ She says sharply, but quietly. ] The Grey Wardens did this to me; I didn't choose it. Do you think anyone would want to go from a life of nobility, living happily with their family, to-- to this?

[ The Mirror almost vibrates with the injury of it all, eyes blazing. She actually reaches out to snatch his arm, turning it over, crossing her own over top for comparison. Her forearm is chalk white, but crisscrossed with inky black veins. ]

I'm not happy. [ She snaps, gripping him tightly as she makes her point. ] But neither are you.

[ She doesn't have all the fight and passion of her Real, though, and so she eventually deflates, mellowing out as she releases his arm and looks away again. ]

They wouldn't. [ She answers herself, mumbling darkly. ] No one would want that. I didn't, but it happened anyway.

[unconscripted]

[There's the tiniest prickle of guilt when she recoils from him. He'd wanted to upset her, to hurt her to distract from his own frustration, but now that he has he doesn't feel any better. It just adds to the unpleasant feeling bubbling away in his belly. Not an unfamiliar position for him. He's perfectly capable of doing whatever is required of him but enjoying it is a lot harder.

Yet it's still easier to continue to push his ill-temper onto her rather than admit to his guilt. His voice is cold when answers, staring ahead and refusing to look at her.] They held you down and made you become one of them, did they?

[Who knows, maybe they did. He knows little enough about the Wardens and what exactly they did to the former Lady Cousland. He certainly doesn't care to know more, when he gets a good look at the corruption crawling through her veins.

Ser Alistair yanks his arm back when he's released and continues up the stairs, seemingly having abandoned the conversation. He finally speaks again when they arrive on the tenth floor, still resolutely not looking at the woman beside him.]

So neither of us got what we wanted and neither of us is pleased with our lot. [Tellingly it comes out more resigned than angry but he's hardly revealing any great secret there.] It still doesn't change anything.

[Stopping he nods at a door.] There's your chapel.

[animositas]

[ Either he doesn't know the secrets that the order holds so dear or he does and he's needling her anyway. Either way, the corrupted young woman glares up at him, milky stare hard and accusatory. ]

They force you to drink darkspawn blood. [ She says, low and dire. ] I saw another recruit killed by the Warden-Commander just because he didn't want to risk death from the drinking. He just wanted to go back to his family and the man slaughtered him. I had no choice.

[ Duncan would have killed her too, surely. But, wouldn't a death like that have been easier than this? Than the corruption?

None of this matters, says a small voice. ]

No, [ she agrees, dully, ] it doesn't change anything at all.

[ She's still alone. Bitter, tragic, and alone. Still, the fact that he'd brought her to the chapel at all is surprising, and she can't help but feel curiosity as he stops and gestures to it. The Mirror approaches tentatively, pushing it open and stepping inside.

It's not like chapels she 'remembers,' bearing no signs of Andraste, but it's enough. It's gray and simple and maybe spending some time here will make her feel better. ]

You did know about it. [ She says, turning slowly. ] You said you weren't sure, but you did. [ Robyn watches him, still feeling anger and indignant at how he'd addressed her, but: ] Thank you.

[ Maybe she can be alone here without any of the others bothering her. ]

[unconscripted]

[Oh. The startled look he shoots her should be proof enough that he hadn't known what the Wardens did to their new recruits. A choice between drinking darkspawn blood or being killed directly isn't much of a choice at all. Perhaps he should be grateful he never had a say in his future. And yet he's heard talk of what becomes of old templars after years of taking lyrium and he can't say that appeals any more than dying of the darkspawn taint.

Staring at the floor rather than Robyn he mumbles-] I didn't know.

[It's as close as he's getting to an apology. And one wouldn't change what happened to her anyway.

He looks up to watch her examine the chapel, not sure if it's absurd or tragic that it seems to mean something to her. Either way, seeing it again he's doubly sure it won't yield anything to do with the Chant of Light but he's done what was asked of him.

Shrugging off the gratitude he hesitates, unsure how to respond.] It's fine.

[Another moment where he's caught between bowing and saluting and ends up just nodding curtly before turning and marching off again to... do something. And put the whole encounter out of his mind.]