#markburdened

      It  was  only  a  question  of  time.    The  little  oddball  was  out   &   about   —  showing  everyone  in  sight  her  newest  project.

 (  someone's  tongue  well-preserved  in  a  jar.  )

She  stopped  a  moment  when  eyes  fell  on  Evelyn.  Stopping  not  for  long,  though.  Wide,  theatrical  steps  ;  the  jar  behind  her  back  as  if  she  didn't  already  expect  her  seeing  the  annoying  assault  on  other  people  earlier. 

    ❝  EVIEEEE,  There  you  aaare  .  .  . ❞     Did  Kiki  really  look  for  the  woman,  or  was  she  only  unfortunate  enough  to  fall  into  the  taxidermist's  peripheral  view   ?   Anyway,  the  macabre  work  was  now  held  close  to  the  other's  face.  Wanted  her  to  get  a  good  look  at  it,  after  all.

      evee had always assumed it a flaw for someone in her position. she was too compassionate, even to those who maybe didn’t deserve it. she was too soft for debates and arguments. too tiny and DAINTY for someone named inquisitor, a position better suited for someone like the hero of ferelden or hawke, perhaps even cassandra. she’s wasn’t a war hero by any stretch of the meaning, but she was branded as one and she needed to do her best to play catch up.

      ‘ i… playing WAR MONGER is far from everything i’ve ever wanted to do with my life but it often feels like it’s what i need to do to satisfy everyone. ‘

      “No matter what, you’re going to disappoint someone. It’s a hard truth but you gotta know it. So instead of trying to satisfy everyone-already an impossible task-just make the choices you want too. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of mercy or consideration. ”

FIEND at least i got u back 

       ❝ev—evee ?!❞ again the mark FLARED, as it had been for quite some time, green trailing up her arm in a horrifying display. the way she dropped with it made vic’s stomach churn, worry  & fear festering within him,  &  he was beside her in seconds ; holding onto her for any sort of comfort he could provide. ❝its alright, i’m here, its alright, you’re alright …❞

       they were so close. she’d figured it out, even told them so——she was always so smart. from haven until now ; evee was always the wisest of them. it’d be fine, of course ; the pain would blow over, as it always did, she would SUFFER  &  carry on as she always did, the smartest  &  the strongest of them. vic would merely be there, help her through it. then solas could fix it for good.

           only … it didn’t stop. it kept crackling, crawling further up her arm, every sound it made wretched  &  sickening, bringing forth BLOOD to drip amongst the green. she struggled, seethed from the pain,  &  vic began to truly panic, looking helplessly at the other party members as they rushed to help her——but all their efforts fell null. 

         after rushed attempts at healing, arguments over whether to take the arm or let it be,  &  questions evee couldn’t answer asked in rapid succession ; it seemed she was drifting, her life CHOKING on the fade itself——who could have known that evee’s tool to save the world would bring her end in return ?

        vic clung to her, hoping to help her even now, though his panicked, babbled nonsense of fear  &  despair likely didn’t help her any. ❝its okay, evee, hold on—don’t you leave me too, alright ? i can’t lose you too.❞ the last thing she’d see would be his tears, the mortification that came with the realization, the AGONIZED cry bubbling up from his chest.

         she was gone. inquisitor evelyn trevelyan was gone, evee was gone, his sister was GONE. another family member called to the void. silence fell over the party as shock gripped each one of them, hands reaching to pull vic away, to poke  &  prod at evee, trying helplessly to nudge her back to life. but she was gone, truly torn away from them. 

         when vic finally pried himself away, he remembered what she’d said——her revelation, what they’d discovered about solas, about that orb, her mark ;  &  a newfound anger came to his eyes, a RAGE like he’d never worn before. hands still stained with evee’s blood reached for his daggers, unsheathing them with confidence he’d never had before,  &  he looked forward in the direction they’d been heading ; the direction of solas.

meme !

                           ❝ LET GO !❞

        lee had forgotten ; not all dragons were shape-shifters, like them. dragons were creatures, large  &  beautiful beasts often attacking by nature——not friends, like when they were the SAME. this dragon in particular was already under attack, herself ; spears  &  spells chucked at her from a random group of mercenaries. 

          they’d rushed forward to help her, to shoo the others away ; but evee stopped them, earning an immediate, child-like ANGER. ❝i want to help—i can !❞

         their shouting continued clear up until the dragon breathed her fire, burning the mercenaries before her into a crisp. one was an ELF, once dalish ; lee laid eyes on them  &  stopped pulling——arm going limp in evee’s grasp. i am not like her. i look like them again. she would have hurt me, too. 

     Be prepared to set out early; that was the advice she had given him. Early was relative, but he had done the best he could. Not having much to prepare; hardly another set of clothes if you added it all together, no shoes or boots to be see, a few herbs taken from the garden for the party, and with the help of Cole, some extra snacks and such had already been waiting for him when he had awoken. Not for Quarth, of course, but ... gentle gifts of bribery for whomever else might be joining them today. People liked gifts. 

Kiskra the Iskra || Accepting! 😊 😊 || @markburdened