No party like an pope party??

[archboxer]

[That... that was a thing for everyone. There should be no celebration for Lif but, well, even if Rhea has a very cynical view of such things it's probably for the best that everyone stays together. Her first stop is the cafeteria, after all nothing better to keep people in one spot than free food. There she bumps into Mira, leaving the snacks to her Rhea ends up writing notes to everyone to come to the cafeteria in a few hours.

Some she hands personally and if she can't find someone she slid it under their door. Rin's she slides into her room regardless.

Fortunately, you won't hear a sermon.]

Comments

[precognit]

Oh, um—

[Alice is staring off into space when she hears a voice offering her wine. Her immediate instinct is to say no, but she really should have something, just to...keep people from being suspicious. All of a sudden, she finds it imperative that nobody have any reason to look at her strangely. People are dying, and she doesn't intend to be one of them.

She looks up, and smiles weakly.]

Sure, why not.

[She's pretty sure she can't even get drunk, but might as well give it the old college try!]

[bogwife]

[Zerinda gives her a warm smile and slides her a small cup of the wine. She doesn't take a seat but she does lean her hip against the table, letting herself get a little comfortable.]

How are you feeling, Alice?

[precognit]

[Alice sips from the cup as soon as she takes it, looking up at Zerinda with her gold eyes full of worry.]

I'm...I'll be okay. I will. But what about you?

[bogwife]

I'm...doing better than some of the others. I'm used to dealing with death but it's...different, what we just had to do.

[precognit]

Oh?

[Someone else who's dealt with more death than most...Alice tilts her head, curious.]

Do you mind if I ask you more about that?

[bogwife]

[She shakes her head, no.]

Not at all. You see, where I'm from, and it's especially bad in the bog I live in, the dead don't tend to stay dead. Now it's not their fault that they don't get to rest! It was nothing they did wrong when they were alive or anything like that.

It's just if their bodies aren't burned or properly entombed in stone they get a little...demonically possessed?

[precognit]

Oh! Wow, that's...actually fascinating.

[Alice's face is lit up like a Christmas tree. This is the most interesting thing she's heard all week, and weirdly...it's a good distraction from all the death.

She cocks her head at Zerinda.]

Is that common, in your world? The whole...supernatural thing?

[bogwife]

[Oh wow, she's not used to that reaction. It's kind of refreshing, as opposed to home actually.]

Mmhm! There's the demons, there's Fade spirits, the Fade itself, mages and darkspawn, Grey Wardens and Archdemons-! Are elves, qunari and dwarves supernatural to you too? I just want to check.

[precognit]

[Alice's eyes are wide and practically glowing with enthusiasm. Finally, she's learning something new. Most of the words Zerinda just said are completely foreign to her, and she loves that feeling.]

Geez, that's a lot. I'm not sure what a qunari is, but in my world elves and dwarves are just found in stories. Do your people have any other kind of beliefs...say, vampires or werewolves?

[bogwife]

Qunari are...hmmm. They're both a religion and a race of people, so that makes it a little complicated when talking about them and what I know about them isn't a lot. But mostly they're very tall, usually grey-skinned and have horns- [She mimes with her hands the shape of horns just at her hairline, straight and stretching toward the back of her head.] And they're very serious. Don't think I've ever met one who wandered through my bog who cracked so much as a smirk at my jokes.

Now werewolves... [She taps her chin in thought.] I know the folklore about them? Mostly they say they're wolves possessed by rage demons that spread and that one bite can pass it onto others. Never had the displeasure of meeting any though. As for vampires I can't say I've heard of them, at least not in any Fereldan lore.

[precognit]

That sounds...incredible. [Alice is a hundred percent genuine. She's seen a lot of things, but tall grey horn-people are a whole new thing.

And the werewolf folklore...Jacob would get a kick out of that one, she's sure. Alice grins.]

That's amazing. Vampires must not have made it there just yet. [She drops a wink!] So what else do you do, besides act as the midwife of death?

[bogwife]

Oooh, "midwife of death". I'm holding onto that.

Let's see...I have a business that I run, mostly out of my cave but I do go into town every couple of weeks to get supplies and sell my wines, salves, sometimes poisons. Lately I've been doing a lot of dabbling in beauty products. I've basically perfected hair colors and I'm slowly working my way through figuring out lip stains.

What about you, what do you do back home?

[precognit]

[Alice grins because Zerinda liked her witticism, but the grin slowly morphs into something like awed surprise. That is...the best...life summary she's ever heard. She's like a character in a YA fantasy book!

Alice waves her hand dismissively.]

Not much. I mean, I own a few multi-million-dollar companies, but that's low-commitment.

[bogwife]

You own what now? [It's mostly the "multi-million" that jumps out at her because oof, that is...that is a lot more money than she will ever see in her lifetime.]

[precognit]

W-well, one fashion label and an import company. It's nothing major.

[She's doing that Cullen Thing where they downplay all their wealth and talent because they don't need to stand out any more than they already do. It can't be helped.]

[bogwife]

Oh! My parents work in imports too! Not fashion unfortunately, that's more my dabbling department. What sort of imports?

[precognit]

[Alice sips at her wine, letting it wash over her tongue. She doesn't know if it's doing anything, but it tastes good at the very least.]

Oh, lots of things. Rugs, fabric, furniture, rarities...

[bogwife]

[She nods along, wide-eyed and keenly interested.]

So your family is sort of noble merchant equivalent. My family mostly deals in raw materials. Stone for building, precious gems, lyrium...

[precognit]

Ha! Something like that, yes.

[She quirks an eyebrow.]

What's lyrium?

[bogwife]

Lyrium is... [She purses her lips, considering what she says next carefully.] It's a very valuable sort of mineral where I'm from. Only dwarves are capable of mining it or even really handling it before it's been refined, it's terribly volatile. Once it's been processed it's used for things like enchantments, rune crafting, mages use it for spells and the Templars use it to guard the mages.

[precognit]

[Alice's eyes are a little wide. That sounds like....some serious business.]

Wow. That sounds super important, and a little bit scary, actually.

[bogwife]

Oh, it's terrifying. There's a reason none of them ever wanted me to get involved in the family business. But it pays well and they're very good at it.

[precognit]

[Alice laughs, leaning her chin in her hand.] I can only imagine. But it sounds like you found your own niche anyway. I think if we'd been born in the same time and place, we'd make for a pretty unstoppable business partnership.

[bogwife]

Selling wine, salves and the occasional poison out of a cave was an untapped market and I was right in deciding it needed to be filled.

Alice, we would absolutely dominate. [She laughs.] That's why we had to meet here, no world could handle two gorgeous women like us having that much power.

[precognit]

[Alice laughs, and ducks her head...and if she had the ability to blush, she absolutely would be.]

Well, I guess that's only fair to everyone else.