Stone's Throw

[NPCs]

He got a nod and thus Bahram got his chicken. Contrary to what Charon expected, Bahram doesn't scarf the meat down in a single gulp. Instead, he hunched down to the ground so he could use a wing tip to pin it in place, then started to pull of slivers of it at a time.

"They are very neat, very careful eaters," Nyessia explained. "Their throats are narrow and flexible, so it is easy for them to choke."

[Charon Tethras]

"Huh. Should I have broken it up more?"

[NPCs]

"Either a large chunk he can pull apart or a thin shred. If small but not shred, idiot sometimes tries to eat it all in one, then chokes. I do thin shred for training session and chunk for actual work. And at end of training."

[Charon Tethras]

"Neat. What else can he do?"

[NPCs]

"Ah, easy, safe for indoor, tricks? Hmm. He can fetch, wait, sing, hide, threaten, come here, leave something alone, settle, and fuck off. 

[Charon Tethras]

Charon snickered at that last one. "Sing, huh? Let's start there."

[Helene Dakesh]

Varric hadn't seen Helene this excited and eager in a long time. No sooner has the flying carpet landed in Raplin's Oak than ne is off, having agreed that Varric would book their hotel rooms while ne seeks out Dau for the consult. Ne knew, of course, that Dau might be busy, or might not be available for some time, but the sooner ne arrived the better. Ne really wanted to get to work.

Ne returned to the inn later that evening, after dinner's been eaten and Varric was lingering over some whiskey. There's an odd look in ner eyes, something far away and starry, as ne grabs a glass of mulled cider and slides into the booth beside ner husband.

[Varric]

Okay, no, that's not just distracted gaze, Varric decided after a minute of letting nem settle in. He shifted closer, pressing his side solidly against Helene's. "Hey," he murmured. "Diamond for your thoughts?"

[Helene Dakesh]

"Might need an Astral," ne warned, shaking ner head to try and focus. "Sorry. Raplin has asked for a favor in exchange for the consult and I'm thinking of accepting. But it's kind of a big deal."

[Varric]

For just a consult? "Okay," he said slowly. "Talk me through it?"

[Helene Dakesh]

"Well on the credit side, He's offering Dau's full partnership plus some material components I was lacking which, made from His divine body, will help tune and focus the ritual far beyond what I was coming up with. I'll sketch it all out for you later. On the debit side, however..."

Helene sits back, sipping ner cider thoughtfully. "He wants to create a new Daughter. Not with me! Or anything. But He wants Alydra's help, through Her factors, and that means holding an official Conclave of Deities. And traditionally, when such takes place, a local to the plane it's being held on serves as a guide and interpreter -- sometimes it can be hard for Outsiders with very different core Concepts to understand each other and come to an agreement.

"He wants me to be that guide."

[Varric]

"You'd be great at it," Varric responded instantly, even as his mind churns through the new data. "I'm not overly familiar with Conclaves. Impacts of them on Nyra, yes, but not the events themselves."

[Helene Dakesh]

"Well, it all starts with some kind of gathering, traditionally with food -- it depends on who is hosting, they're meant to show off something either theirs or local or both. Dau said they're already planning a vegan feast centered around acorn meal and maple sap. The nice thing about it is you only really have to feed the mortals and a little bit of each thing for the Outsiders to taste politely -- they don't usually eat much, unless they're Cirenite or Sirenite, the one getting out of control often at these things and the other tending to abscond with entire dishes for whatever reason. Though I'm not sure the latter is accurate, it sounds apocryphal. Anyway that's already being planned -- they'll be arriving on Alydra's day, of course, which is uncomfortably soon. Housing arrangements have also already been made, though I'm to see to their furnishings and ensure they feel comfortable enough for beings that don't need to rest physically but may desire a rest mentally after several days of grueling talks. Books, puzzles, brain teasers... Alydra's Tulwaths relax with the sorts of things you or I enjoy. So that's easy. But Dau said something about Dream, so maybe I do want beds?"

Another sip. 

"Then there's the scheduling of talks. I'll need to ensure everything goes smoothly, and that everything that needs to be covered is hashed out and signed and set in stone. On bark, I should say. Dau hasn't even begun with that, because he doesn't understand childrearing, not really, and that's the crux of the matter -- how the child will be reared, a child of Alydra's creation as much as Raplin's. I don't really understand how this works, and I'm going to need to do so much research to make sure I cover everything a new godling -- Outsider, I guess, not a full deity, though Alydra could make one -- will need growing up from both sets of parents. 

"And then there need to be recreational events. This is a great chance for many higher-up Outsiders to see the material plane, which they might not have seen for millennia, not in person. They're going to want to relax and sample everything and speak to mortals and so on. But they won't want to be interviewed or badgered, so we have to be careful about which mortals we let near them. We'll be borrowing the entire root complex, He can apparently pull back His domain so it's comfortable for the Tulwaths to reside there for long periods of time. He's clearing out the trainees from there and letting me redecorate it for this purpose. And again, it's Dream and Inspiration they want, not Science and Knowledge, so I'm way out of my depth."

Another pause, another sip. Varric knew his spouse very well -- well enough to know when ne is using rambling on about fine details to hide something. 

[Varric Thedas]

"That provides sufficient context, thank you." Varric turned in his seat so he was facing nem directly. "But what's the thing that's really worrying you about it?"

[Helene Dakesh]

Helene glanced down at ner glass. "...Eden apparently ran a Conclave before."

Another, longer pause. 

"...it went badly," ne whispered.