Stone's Throw

[Adonis Naodi]

Do you want me to join you? He shakes his head. Pervert. she's just been molested, of course she doesn't. "Have a good bath."

[NPCs]

"Thank you," she replied quietly, gaze lowering again. Snapping her fingers softly, she added, "come along, little protector," as she left the room, her dino following close behind. 

[Helene Dakesh]

There are advantages to marrying an alchemist. 

Helene would not have normally slept the night before an occasion as grand and important and nerve-wracking as this one. But a little help from ner husband and ne is able to wake rested and refreshed, as prepared as ne can be, ready to tackle the day. Ne wears Alydra's colors, having gone nowhere without ner customary robes in black and white, but in place of the nebula belt buckle ne wears a stylized oak tree buckle, ner nebula instead mounted in a place of honor at ner throat on a tight necklace. As ne waits alongside ner husband at the entrance to the root complex, there is no grand flash of light, no showy explosion. One moment there is no-one there, and then the next...

"Ancient One!?" blurts Helene, having never imagined that the Herald himself would appear on the material plane, even for a gathering as important as this one. Ne quickly bows, a deep, subservient bow. "This one is at your service."

[NPCs]

The tulwath coughed lightly, eyes sliding to the sides in quick darts. "I am rather ancient yes, but please, call this one Sage's Curiosity, or simply Sage in general conversation." Behind him, the two elven shaped beings made from millions of crystal and gem chips, exchange confused glances.

[Varric Thedas]

Well, isn't that interesting, Varric thought to himself even as he smoothly replied, "of course, honored Sage's Curiosity. I also extend my greetings; I am Varric, Seeker Helene's assistant in these proceedings."

[Helene Dakesh]

"And I am Seeker Helene, your host for this conference. Well met once more, Sage's Curiosity." Helene rises, backing towards the door. "Please, follow this humble one to your lodgings."

[Varric Thedas]

Still smiling in welcome, Varric rested a hand on Helene's shoulder. "Seeker Helene arranged for both shared quarters and separate rooms, as you prefer." As he spoke, he subtly pressed his fingers against Helene's shoulder in a complex pattern.

Not many in the world know how to 'speak' Arcant, a pattern based silent language developed by a sect of Seekers that run the Sleeping Knowledge libraries. Given that they hold the kind of knowledge that can kill, mutate or summon horrors-- or worse, create them outright-- merely by being spoken, the librarians had been forced to be creative. They'd tried telepathy at first, but that had been made taboo after the entire staff of a library had their minds hollowed out thanks to a memetic parasite. 'Hypothesis: subject is working undefined from peers.'

[NPCs]

"The individual lodging, please and thank you," Sage replied without hesitation. 

[Helene Dakesh]

Yeah, I got that, Helene thinks in silent frustration, not a twitch of which shows on ner face. "Very good. Right this way, then, if you please." So saying, ne leads them through the root complex to three very well appointed rooms, each with the most comfortable goose-down bed, a desk with plenty of writing utensils, and a small library of books about the material plane, mortals, and trees. 

[NPCs]

Polite yet genuine murmurs of appreciation and interest are given and received with polite yet sincere gratitude. Both attendants are tucked away first, leaving Helene and Sage alone as ne showed him his room; Varric, reading the cues, had excused himself at the door.

[Helene Dakesh]

"You have my deepest apologies if I upset any aspect of your designs here," begins Helene, bowing again. 

[NPCs]

The seeming human quickly waved his hands in reassuring denial. He smiled at nem, nut-brown skin wrinkling along well worn laugh lines as he does, and replied, "no, no, Seeker. It was I who erred in not changing my form sufficiently to prevent such easy recognition."

Even squinting with focus, Helene can't see any changes aside from perhaps a couple more wrinkles on his forehead and temples.

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene hasn't seen the Ancient One since ne was a little child. And yet, every line, every wrinkle, every bit of his eye is burned into ner memory, bright and unforgettable. 

As Helene rises, ne is instantly able to pick out the physical changes -- but they don't matter. His aura, His essence, that invisible thing that lets those who are sufficiently divine know when someone is twice-lived or a devotee... it's identical, swirl for swirl. There's no mistaking who this is. Not one bit. 

"But how can you be here? Do you not have important Herald business to conduct on Alydra's behalf?" A small gasp. "Is this your important Herald business?!"

[NPCs]

Something that would utterly flummox the tulwath, as he had done a remarkable job hiding his metaphysical identifies. Strange, that.

"Every task I take on for <THEY-WHO-ARE-ALYDRA> is important," he replied automatically, but added, "but this one is, admittedly, one I could have easily allowed another to handle with confidence."

[Helene Dakesh]

"Then... then forgive my impertinence, but this one does not understand why your august personage is present at this one's poor excuse for a conclave?"