tevinteriscoming | private to Bull;

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private to Bull;

[After the trial lets out, he's tired, but not ready to go back to his room and fall asleep. Instead, he takes his several bottles of wine left over from ordering at the trial and will go find a place to drink in privacy. Before he departs, he notices Bull, and considers maybe speaking to him - but, instead, cheerily suggests he might be amenable to sharing a bottle, and then leaves without telling Bull where he'll actually be.

The place he winds up in is the chapel. Why not, it's quiet, and no one is in here, and the idea of it tickles his subversive streak.

It's decent enough wine but he didn't get any cups, so he's drinking straight out of the bottle as he lounges on one of the pews.]

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Yeah, pretty sure they do something with dog spit mixed into theirs. Still, had worse.

[Obviously, it's expected.]

You think you got a problem with those rooms being cramped? Feel like I haven't been able to lie down for a week. Think one thing in this place could be Bull-sized.

[Seems a good enough reason to Bull. It's a bit like being stuffed into a sardine can.]

Clearly any consideration on the part of our hosts is too much to expect.

[You set him up for a fat joke and he didn't take it. That's called respect. That or there'd just be no way to get out a joke about something being Bull sized without it backfiring.]

So. Today was eventful. Imagine, being so desperate as to commit murder over the most ambiguously worded motivation I could imagine. I'm beginning to think I must be the only one who can read.

Some horn balm might be nice too.

[Damn straight you can't. Once you start thinking about Bull-sized you will never be able to stop.

Bull has already downed half this bottle of wine already, and shows no signs of slowing down.]

Eventful. Sure. Not surprised someone took them up on though - desperation, bad judgment. Lot of it to go around. People kill each other for less: ran out of ale at the tavern, your sheep are on my pasture, you looked at my wife's tits. And yeah, might have something to do with not being able to read.

I wouldn't be surprised if these motives are tailored, frankly. I don't think what they're after is something done in the heat of the moment. The key is the exchange - a blood sacrifice for the sake of something deeply desired. Powerful stuff; I can only imagine what they're using it for.

[Damn, Bull. You're not getting any of his bottles.]

Perhaps I ought to have warned them. It seemed futile; why should anyone care to listen.

Yeah - they already know shit about us. That much is obvious, already in our heads. Probably no point to warning anyone, there's always going to be someone desperate enough, who hits all the right notes for the kill. If they're going to murder each other, you're not going to stop them with just words.

[Even just the simple mention of "blood sacrifice" sets Bull's skin on edge. Honestly, demons are the worst. The idea that they're already in his head, that they know what he wants, what can make him act. That he no longer has control. It makes the whole idea of this place even harder to accept.]

Would you kill for anything?

[Laughs. Maybe a little bit bitterly.]

Hypothetically, I hope. Yes, I'm sure. Nothing comes to mind at the moment, but it would be a sorry thing indeed if I imagined myself to be of such noble character as to be above any temptation. I'm not certain there's anyone like that, but if there is, I am not he.

A more pertinent question is whether they're good enough to find it, whatever it is. The thing that will cause me to forget this is all an illusion.

[ This conversation is getting a little Real, wow. It's interesting - he knows Dorian is principled, a good person, but the frank and honest admittance of faults is actually refreshing. ]

They're only going to get stronger from here on out. They've seen us working, trying to solve something. Says a lot about a person. [Maybe not anything good coming from the guy who kept stabbing the dead body.] Fucking demons.

[Another deep swig.]

[He doesn't fail to note that Bull doesn't exactly volunteer whether and what he would kill for. But it seems a little ridiculous to ask a mercenary if he can be bought.]

Sorry, which of us did they see working? It can't be the vast majority. Running about scratching rings on doors and demanding instantaneous proof of a negative.

[Yeah, maybe we were getting a little too real there for a second.]

[ If Dorian would like to be lied to, he's free to ask. He seems smarter than that. ]

You can admit it might have been a little fun to tear through some guy's shit just because he appeared on a list provided by a bunch of demon kidnappers.

[He's had enough to drink that he laughs a little at that.]

Guilty. He was the only mage on the list; I wanted to see what he had.

[Definitely laughing at that.]

Was it worth it? That note I dug out of the garbage teach you a lot?

Only enough to confirm what I already suspected. No one else here is any good. It's almost disappointing.

Yeah, no one else here had all that time put into Staff polishing. Really see you working that thing a lot.

[Ugh!!]

And we were doing so well. It was almost a conversation, briefly.

[Listen, they have to work up to real, long conversations. You can't just jump into the deep end with a few staff polishing jokes.]

If you want to talk shit about the other mages, go ahead. I'm not stopping you. I know your kind loves to get all snappy with each other - like watching cats try and puff themselves bigger. Guess the passive aggression is an intimidation tactic?

Precisely. We must act snappy and puff ourselves up, or how would anyone know to be intimidated? I can only raise the dead and electrocute someone with my mind. I can't do anything truly impressive, such as hitting something hard.

Oh, and speaking of tactics, you know, in my experience, bad lines don't actually improve with age.

Just suggesting a way to let off some steam.

And I can do more than hit things hard. I can spin around really fast and hit them hard at the same time.

Yes, quite.

As though you don't wish to know my opinions on the other mages, considering that any one of them may try to come after us. It would serve you right if I decided I'd keep my thoughts to myself. [He doesn't want to, though.] The only one who might be a threat is Judar, and I imagine he can be distracted the same way you might a dog. The rest are subpar. Well, Adam will be good someday, and perhaps Kazuma as well.

Adam's a nice kid.

[ Seems to be sincere? Adam was a nice kid. Honestly. He could use some training, but he doesn't hold the same opinion of mages as many of the Qun.]

Judar do anything to seem like a threat? Kid has got some bad jokes and bad lies, but yeah. Easily distractible.

He is that, and he has the thoughtful and inquisitive mind that makes for a good mage. [Good to see that we're agreed, we're adopting him.]

Likewise, my comments on Judar. His card shows more variety in disciplines than the others, and from brief conversations, he is attuned to the theoretical side more than one would suspect given his general, ah, demeanor. The others are, in varying degrees, students and apostates. I suspect Judar is actually trained.

...Though, I ought to warn you. I haven't exactly advertised this fact, but I am far from full power.

Turns out that my "hitting things really hard" skill turns out to be hard to suppress after all. Pretty useful in the long run.

So, point is, none of them really that dangerous anymore in a fight. Except maybe Judar. Good to know. And would recommend continuing to not advertise that - they probably know, but you can make 'em wonder. Let them speculate, people always overestimate this shit.

Oh, is that what you recommend? Thank you, that strategy never would have occurred to me on my own. And I've been referencing my magic constantly merely for my own health. [Well is it that far fetched.]

Believe me, I've thought it through. I only thought to warn you not to expect a barrier any time soon. I need some time to assess my capabilities while it's safe to do so.

Wasn't exactly expecting one. Managed without barriers before too. [ Is that a jab at Dorian's barrier skills or just a statement of fact. Who knows. (Dorian everyone knows you barrier everyone else first) ]

I see anything about the mages, I'll pass it on.

[Raising an eyebrow.]

I should hope so. [Since it's of no use to you on your own.]

[ You're getting an offer of a direct line to information from a literal spy, and you're not even a little grateful. You're welcome, Dorian!!!!]

Only because we're friends.

[Yeah, but you were being shady about it, offering to pass on mage related information. He had just assumed they were obviously sharing information from the get go. But that's a lot better.]

Oh, are we? I must have missed the announcement.

Oh, sorry. You want an official announcement?

[Enemy of my enemy and all. Holding out his bottle.]

To friends.

[Well, obviously he's supposed to be an asshole about this, but he smiles a little despite himself, and his cover is blown. Nothing for it, sighing resignedly.]

I suppose I've had worse friends. Well. A few, at least.

[Clinking his bottle against it!]

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