For a time is not a cure, [ he says without pause, because nothing comes as easily to him as cynicism. But in case that cynicism sounds too dismissive, it's accompanied by the sound of whatever book was distracting him until now being snapped shut. ] That is why the First Enchanters were called to the White Spire. They believed they had discovered a way.
[ And then they were imprisoned. Or murdered. Whatever the Tranquil elf discovered died with him. None of that is relevant now, perhaps, except as the root of Kostos' hesitance to trust anything not to end horribly. ]
It's not a cure, but it points toward one--a place to start from.
[Reasons for cynicism aren't lost on him, adamantly hopeful as he often is. Doubt has its place, is useful, protective--doubt asks the questions that need to be surmounted for a thing to work.
It also acts as a warning. They hadn't heard about the disaster at White Spire firsthand, leaving it to trickle in as rumors long after their First Enchanter never returned to see what had become of Hasmal's Circle in the first violent act of the rebellion. Word never reached them of reasons, and Myr takes in a sharp breath at the implication.]
I take it they didn't--or we'd've heard of it by now.
Best something undertaken out of the sight of our resident Seekers, then.
[ A start. An undertaking. Kostos, unseen, rubs his forehead and plays a brief game of what would a good Loyalist do? It’s his least favorite exercise, but one he inflicted on himself fairly often. Even when Kostos knew him, as a teenager, Casimir made him nervous at times. Even the best case scenario may be a new kind of disaster. And hiding it from the Seekers—
But the Divine wanted to know. The Divine wanted them to know. (The Divine also would have let them try their freedom, if the Seekers and the Templars hadn’t disobeyed her—so until there is a new Divine saying otherwise, Kostos can make all of this work without having a total breakdown of identity.)
The pause is long enough that it possibly becomes awkward. ]
[It's only after the words are out of his mouth that Myr realizes exactly what it is he's proposed, under exactly what conditions.
Start carrying around a secret or two that can't be told for the sake of a friend, for the sake of the Inquisition, and suddenly you're eager to pick up more; no matter the justice of the thing argues it be done openly so the knowledge can't be suppressed. When did you develop a taste for skullduggery?
(He'd had some hand in what happened to Casimir. Justice also dictates he set that to rights. Whatever "to rights" was.)
He hardly notices how long the pause stretches on, thinking about that and rolling his sending crystal between his fingers uneasily.]
No. He-- [A brief hesitation as he refers to the memory of the conversation; ground floor, sunburst brand, there,] said the spirit of Justice that possessed him came to the forefront and the Tranquil he knew was himself again for three minutes, or four.
[ Kostos answers with a noise first—a disapproving one, directed not at Myr but at Anders and his posession. And they can’t very well rustle up another abomination to try again, and it isn’t as simple as summoning a little spirit. Tranquil have been in the proximity of wisps, they’ve been in the presence of the more grotesque abominations that occur when less powerful demons half-destroy their hosts, and nothing has happened. At least not that anyone else knew.
He's not able to want things that way. [It sounds callous, Myr realizes, and qualifies:] I'd asked him before; all he could say is he didn't know how, that--a cure is something he'd have been interested in studying, once.
I've not asked him about this in particular. Silly as it is to say, [knowing Tranquil,] I didn't want to offer any hope without knowing it was a certain thing.
No one will. [There's steel behind the words for all their mildness.]
If it comes to it we think we've a solution and need someone Tranquil to test it on, I'd sooner go under the brand myself than subject him to it without his consent. [He does not believe it would come to that. Nor would it solve the ultimate issue of whether someone currently Tranquil could give meaningful consent to a cure.
But his own guilt pricks at him, and guilt drives men to do foolish things.]
--Better we do that. [And what if Casimir says he'd rather be Tranquil, all things considered? Don't think about that too hard right now.]
If the Warden's up for giving a more detailed description of what happened, I'll ask him for it.
Edited (when u have "i wrote this at 3am what was i thinking" remorse) 2018-01-04 21:27 (UTC)
[ Kostos nods. The problem with crystals is that the nod isn't visible—but it wouldn't be if he were speaking to Myr in person, either, so maybe the quiet would be weird either way. ]
It can't be as simple as the presence of a spirit. Tranquil in the Circles would have been exposed to spirits—to wisps, at least, and barriers—and nothing like that was ever reported. It may be something unique to possession, or it may be that need a stronger spirit than generally exists on this side of the Veil. The spirit might have to actively want the Tranquil to reconnect to the Fade and facilitate it, or—
[ Too many hypotheticals, not enough facts. ]
Talk to Anders. We aren't possessing anyone for this, but if we only need to control a spirit for a time, I'm a medium. I can help.
[It's the sort of silence he's used to, whether it's filled with a nod or someone trying to gesture at him otherwise.]
I'll defer to you on this; I've never worked with anything bigger than a wisp myself. [This all makes him deeply uncomfortable to think about but it's easy enough to hide when he's got a reason. A damn good reason.
He tucks away what Kostos has said, to recompile in a tidy list during the evening's sojourn in the Fade.]
I'll speak to him and get back to you. He might want in on it himself--hopefully, unpossessed. [A sardonic note graces the word, there and gone again.]
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[ And then they were imprisoned. Or murdered. Whatever the Tranquil elf discovered died with him. None of that is relevant now, perhaps, except as the root of Kostos' hesitance to trust anything not to end horribly. ]
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[Reasons for cynicism aren't lost on him, adamantly hopeful as he often is. Doubt has its place, is useful, protective--doubt asks the questions that need to be surmounted for a thing to work.
It also acts as a warning. They hadn't heard about the disaster at White Spire firsthand, leaving it to trickle in as rumors long after their First Enchanter never returned to see what had become of Hasmal's Circle in the first violent act of the rebellion. Word never reached them of reasons, and Myr takes in a sharp breath at the implication.]
I take it they didn't--or we'd've heard of it by now.
Best something undertaken out of the sight of our resident Seekers, then.
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But the Divine wanted to know. The Divine wanted them to know. (The Divine also would have let them try their freedom, if the Seekers and the Templars hadn’t disobeyed her—so until there is a new Divine saying otherwise, Kostos can make all of this work without having a total breakdown of identity.)
The pause is long enough that it possibly becomes awkward. ]
Did the Warden explain what happened, exactly?
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Start carrying around a secret or two that can't be told for the sake of a friend, for the sake of the Inquisition, and suddenly you're eager to pick up more; no matter the justice of the thing argues it be done openly so the knowledge can't be suppressed. When did you develop a taste for skullduggery?
(He'd had some hand in what happened to Casimir. Justice also dictates he set that to rights. Whatever "to rights" was.)
He hardly notices how long the pause stretches on, thinking about that and rolling his sending crystal between his fingers uneasily.]
No. He-- [A brief hesitation as he refers to the memory of the conversation; ground floor, sunburst brand, there,] said the spirit of Justice that possessed him came to the forefront and the Tranquil he knew was himself again for three minutes, or four.
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But he’s thinking. ]
Does he want anyone to try?
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I've not asked him about this in particular. Silly as it is to say, [knowing Tranquil,] I didn't want to offer any hope without knowing it was a certain thing.
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[ That’s overly sharp, and likely unfair, but his cynicism means believing the worst of people, too, until proven otherwise.
Still, after a pause he continues under the assumption that Myr won’t argue. ]
If we can recreate what Anders did somehow, temporarily, I suppose we could see how he feels about it then.
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If it comes to it we think we've a solution and need someone Tranquil to test it on, I'd sooner go under the brand myself than subject him to it without his consent. [He does not believe it would come to that. Nor would it solve the ultimate issue of whether someone currently Tranquil could give meaningful consent to a cure.
But his own guilt pricks at him, and guilt drives men to do foolish things.]
--Better we do that. [And what if Casimir says he'd rather be Tranquil, all things considered? Don't think about that too hard right now.]
If the Warden's up for giving a more detailed description of what happened, I'll ask him for it.
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It can't be as simple as the presence of a spirit. Tranquil in the Circles would have been exposed to spirits—to wisps, at least, and barriers—and nothing like that was ever reported. It may be something unique to possession, or it may be that need a stronger spirit than generally exists on this side of the Veil. The spirit might have to actively want the Tranquil to reconnect to the Fade and facilitate it, or—
[ Too many hypotheticals, not enough facts. ]
Talk to Anders. We aren't possessing anyone for this, but if we only need to control a spirit for a time, I'm a medium. I can help.
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I'll defer to you on this; I've never worked with anything bigger than a wisp myself. [This all makes him deeply uncomfortable to think about but it's easy enough to hide when he's got a reason. A damn good reason.
He tucks away what Kostos has said, to recompile in a tidy list during the evening's sojourn in the Fade.]
I'll speak to him and get back to you. He might want in on it himself--hopefully, unpossessed. [A sardonic note graces the word, there and gone again.]
Can you work with him, if it comes to that?
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I will see what I can come up with.
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And thank you.