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[incaenstrix]

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[inkindled]

Yeah? Brilliant, all right.

[Whew.]

I'm off, in Kirkwall--in this house--and I think I'll be here longer'n I thought I would, right? So I have this cat. Her name's Biter. She roves, mostly, these days, but she comes round for food and I left some and she'll fend all right for herself 'cos she knows how. But if you could leave out some for her, just in case. And then check and see that she's eaten it, later, and let me know.

I know it's stupid.

[incaenstrix]

[ What! ]

That's not stupid!

[ Stop being mean to her friend, Matthias!! ]

It's really lovely. What should I put out for her? Milk? I'm sorry you're stuck out there, by the way.

[inkindled]

[Is it not stupid to care about a stupid cat that doesn't really care about you? News to him.]

S'all right. I mean, it's not. This place is a bit crap, no offense to what's-her-name. Mostly it's how many bloody animals there are, but I'd take animals over a Chantry mother. Bet that's crap as well.

But Biter likes meat, mainly. Chicken if you can. She gets ill off of milk, I learnt that quick.

[incaenstrix]

Really? Poor thing. I sometimes get a bit ill off of it, too, though, I guess.

[ She feels a little swell of affinity for Biter. She likes the cat's name, too. It's funny. ]

And the Chantry mother isn't so bad. I haven't talked to her or anything, but it's not like she's going out of her way to be awful. And she does seem to really be genuinely praying when she prays.

[inkindled]

Yeah, but she hasn't got to go out of her way to be awful. She can just be it.

[And is. They'll get back to Biter in a moment, first--]

What d'you mean, she seems to be genuinely praying? Is she praying in front of everyone, or what?

[incaenstrix]

[ With a little laugh - ] No. That'd be weird. No, at services. You know how - Well, sometimes people at a Chantry service are just looking around, not paying attention, or trying to spy on other people? She doesn't do that. She's really present in it. Do you know what I mean?

[inkindled]

S'ppose, yeah. I haven't been at a Chantry service in ages and ages. I was always looking out the window, secret-like. Honestly, I can't imagine wanting to be present in it like that.

Think it's almost worse for us if she's a true-true believer.

[incaenstrix]

Why's that?

[inkindled]

'Cos she'll be more critical, won't she. I mean, we're not exactly living in ways the Chantry would be keen on.

[incaenstrix]

[ She hums in thought. ]

I don't know. It seems to me like we're living in the exact ways the Chantry would approve of. I mean - we're mages, like Andraste, fighting to free the world, like she did.

[inkindled]

Well-- yeah. That Chantry would love us. I wish it were around, 'cos that isn't the way the Chantry thinks.

[incaenstrix]

Mm. Because they're - more about the traditions?

[inkindled]

Yeah, I s'ppose. Horrible traditions.

Did you say with or-- Andraste wasn't a mage. She was, y'know, the Maker's Chosen or whatever, and she had those dreams of hers and all, but she wasn't a mage, not properly.

[incaenstrix]

[ question mark bird dot gif ]

Yeeees she was. She was a mage. Very properly.

[inkindled]

She was not!

[incaenstrix]

[ Laughing, confused, unsure if Matthias is messing with her - ]

Yes she was. It's right in the Chant.

[inkindled]

Where in the Chant, read it to me.

[incaenstrix]

Well -

[ Hmm - ]

If it's not in the Chant, it's something everyone knows. Come on, stop joking around!

[inkindled]

I'm not joking around, you are! If it's not in the Chant and it's something everyone knows, why is it I don't know it--or anyone I know?

Or I don't think they do, leastways. No one's ever said it to me.

[incaenstrix]

You’re really not…?

[ Well, this is super weird. ]

Maybe it’s - because you’re from the South? Maybe they’ve covered it up down here? But honestly, how could she have done the things she did if she was just a soporata?

[inkindled]

Well--the Maker, I s'ppose. Hang on, covered up--so everyone in Tevinter thinks Andraste was a mage?

[incaenstrix]

Mm-hmm.

[inkindled]

Get out of it. I never thought of it that way before. Her, I mean. Andraste. And there's a whole country out there what thinks it. Mad.

[Thinking, processing, thinking.]

Why didn't she stop herself from being captured if she were a mage? 'Cos she could have burnt them all before she was burnt. Or at least she could've fought more. They didn't have Templars back then.

[incaenstrix]

Well, she was betrayed, wasn't she? [ Wisely: ] They had to take her by surprise.

[inkindled]

Oh. Yeah. Maybe.

[Thinking more, thinking more...]

Maker's balls. Maybe. I'd think mages would know more about it--mages outside of Tevinter--'cos that'd be a big feather in our cap, wouldn't it, if Andraste were a mage. The Chantry couldn't say anything to us if she was.