RO > call me out; a forever open RP post, version 2

[midvalley]

NEW OPEN RP POST

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[lasaghilan]

[ He takes it with a nod of thanks. ] Well done.

[ He adds with a wry smile, ] The growling might have been a bit much, however.

[ He ventures further into the woods, the wisps trailing and preceding him, and when there is the soft rustle of movement -- the telltale whisper of leaves and dirt -- Solas again crouches. This time, however, he stalks forward silently, spotting another rabbit in the dark. It notices the wisps of light and tenses, ready to bolt, but Solas extends a hand, reaching into the Fade. He warps reality, shooting out a pulse of force, and the creature dies a quick and painless death.

He returns to Fedora, both rabbits in hand. ] Not quite as flashy as your hunt, I fear. Come -- we should return to your friend.

[wizardcop]

[ Fedora tilts his head in the canine approximation of a shrug. He wanted to chase the thing, okay?

Even to Fedora, a creature made of magic, Solas' magic is foreign, and he watches it intently. It's nothing like the power he knows or was born from.

But it's effective, and when Solas suggests they head back, Fedora smiles as only a wolf can smile, tail wagging. ]

[lasaghilan]

[ He pats the wolf on the head as he passes, leading the way back to their camp. Even after all this time, he still remembers these forests well, would wander them when he previously took up residence in Skyhold. He's heartened, at least, to know that not all things have changed.

Fedora dutifully guides him through the wards Jacob has placed, though Solas pauses here and again to examine them. When they return properly, Solas offers an approving nod. ]

The spells you have placed are fascinating.

[wizardcop]

[ By the time the wolf and the mage return to camp, Jacob had already disentangled himself from Fedora's senses and can be found sitting by the fire. He's certainly less anxious, though he's beginning to think Solas might be right about all the horseback riding catching up to him. ]

I deal mostly with things most people aren't supposed to see. I learned pretty quickly how to hide things.

[lasaghilan]

[ He takes a place beside the fire, pulling a knife from his pack to properly clean the rabbits. ]

Charlie had mentioned the magic of your world is kept hidden from the non-magical population. I admit, I find the need for secrecy appalling, though I do not pretend to know the ways of your world.

[wizardcop]

Truth be told, I’m a relative newbie to the whole magic side of things, but I could at least understand how coming to the forefront now would cause more problems than it solved. Why the secrecy started in the first place, I don’t know.

[lasaghilan]

Secrets and lies borne of necessity are the ones that have the deepest roots. It is unfortunate it seems to hold true of your home.

[wizardcop]

It works out well enough for everybody, at least. Well, provided that some of the more powerful communities get their heads out of their asses. [ coughwizardscough ]

[lasaghilan]

[ He chuckles quietly. ]

The same can be said for anyone in positions of influence. Unfortunately, those in power are easily corrupted.

[wizardcop]

I’m all-too aware. [ He cants his head towards Fedora. The Summon lay curled next to the fire, head resting on his paws. ] Fedora used to belong to my grandfather. His was not a pretty legacy.

[lasaghilan]

May I ask what your grandfather had done to earned that infamy?

[wizardcop]

[ He laughs, but it’s dry and without humor. ] Whatever he wanted.

[lasaghilan]

[ He hums, placing one of the rabbits on a spit. ]

I am sad to say I have seen the type, in my travels. Those with far more power than they deserve, who wield it like a blade to be used against everyone who would oppose them. More often than not, they thankfully earn their just rewards.

[wizardcop]

His hubris caught up to him, in the end, but now when people find out I’m a Randall, they’re liable to act as though I’m going to smite them at any moment. It’s been… an interesting transition.

[lasaghilan]

I imagine such a reputation could be an advantageous one, if awkward.

[ He glances down at Fedora as he sets the rabbit over the the fire to cook. ]

Is it safe to assume your grandfather did not treat your Summon with the same respect you do?

[wizardcop]

[ One of Jacob’s eyebrows slooowly arches. ] In some instances, but I try not to lean on it too much. I’d rather avoid being associated with my grandfather.

[ Difficult to do when they share a last name, of course, but he tries.

As for Solas’ question: ] I… well, he seemed to have respect for what he is, and what he could do, but a Summon is what their summoner needs them to be. My grandfather desired a killing machine, a magical strong arm, something to do what it was told. That’s what he got.

[lasaghilan]

[ He regards Fedora silently for a moment. ]

And you needed a partner. A companion. Am I correct in that assumption?

[wizardcop]

You are.

Though, at the time, I saw him more as a burden than anything. [ Thinking back on it, he was lonelier than he’d ever cared to admit. ] My grandfather had managed to hide him away, so initially I inherited him, rather than summoned him. He adapted regardless, but it still wasn’t quite the same as it is now.

[lasaghilan]

The greatest gifts can seem the heaviest burdens, at times.

[ He offers the first rabbit to Jacob, then prepares the second for himself. ]

Such a Summon would be greatly misunderstood, here, even by mages. They would see Fedora as a demon seeking a host, at worst. At best, they would see him as a simulacrum -- unfeeling and soulless.

Take care who you reveal him to, should your stay here extend beyond the time needed to retrieve your friend.

[wizardcop]

[ Sometimes Solas sounds like a fortune cookie. Or a movie trailer. It depends. But either way it’s both amusing and curious.

He takes the rabbit with a nod of thanks, offering a piece to Fedora first before having some himself. ]

No way I can convince them he’s just my pet? [ It’s a joke, one that has Fedora rolling his eyes. ] Oh, stop. I’m kidding.

[lasaghilan]

[ r u d e

Solas lets out a quiet laugh. ]

Aside from your companion's obvious distaste for the claim, I believe his dissolving into smoke may raise some concerns.

[wizardcop]

[ where is the lie tho ]

Don’t worry, I won’t go showing him off to everyone I meet. I was garnering my fair share of suspicious glances at Skyhold already, no need to add more.

[lasaghilan]

You are fortunate Lady Cassandra was made aware of your arrival beforehand. You would have been greeted by the wrong end of her sword, otherwise.

[wizardcop]

With the way she was glaring, I almost felt like I was, anyway.

[lasaghilan]

If it is any consolation, it took quite some time before she warmed up to your friend, Charlie.

She long suspected he had some degree of mental control over Dorian, that he was involved with the Venatori, somehow, and had used blood magic to turn Dorian into his puppet. It seemed the more likely explanation for Dorian's long absence, given that the alternative was his being shunted into another plane of reality.