smartass_captain | Veilguarding - an open post for DAV AU shenanigans

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smartass_captain

It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it. Masterpost for Dragon Age Veilguard AU overflow + psls

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From:

smartass_captain

[Well, technically speaking, she's correct. The moment Rook realized that the Venatori were close to discovering her, he gave up on trying to catch back up with her. But not because he intended to leave her behind. With one of the magisters shot dead, the alarm's being raised. Panic is spreading up into the grand hall where Jim has plucked up what embers he could from the kitchen's fires and thrown them into the pantry and storage. The result is smoke billowing into the high ceiling of the main hall and throwing even more into a disarray. Eager to attract the magisters back up rather than down.

It's only a temporary fix. Sooner or later Germund may decide to deactivate the wards himself to use his gift on the miscreants who dare to strike his event, but for just a few moments more he must think it's safest right where he's left it.

Sooner or later someone will think to check the servants' corridors Jim has been darting between. Though few but the master of the house will even know where to look for them. They are designed to be out of sight. Out of mind.

He watches at a crack in one of the doors as the Venatori and other well to do churn and shriek demanding answers. He takes a deep breath and in his best attempt at the high born Tevene calls out,]

What?! Spies???? Here?!?!

[Just to let that worm brew contempt among the guests where it may. He has to stop to cover his face with a cloth the more the smoke begins to build and sting at his eyes and lungs. Come on, Neve... nothing for it. He has to double back down and hope he can find her along the way and take her toward the side door the servants had shown him.]

From:

coldjustice

[ the commotion outside is getting louder. either one of the servants stayed behind, or they missed getting one out or —

or somebody came back for her and she knows exactly who would be that reckless. if they make it out of this alive, she'll thank him later.

she knows where the stairwell is, how to get from this floor down to the servants' floor. she hears more shouting and the sounds of footsteps. it's really now or never. they'll come to get the relic sooner or later. if she moves now, she might get caught; if she stays, she'll definitely get caught.

taking a breath to steady herself, she touches the pouch at her side. it still bulges with the box holding the relic, but something tickles the back of her mind and she gives the room another glance, taking precious seconds to think over what's been going on. it was too easy to grab the container; even with this disruption and getting the servants out, this job has been too easy. something's not right.

and that's when she sees it. a ward on a small table off to the side. ]

Dammit.

[ more precious seconds pass as she disarms this trap, her fingers and arms straining. the voices are getting louder. neve grits her teeth and gives her wrists a twist and the ward fades. something fizzles at the edges of her awareness and she knows her already limited time just got more limited. but her magic tells her this item is the relic. for sure this time.

carefully, she tucks it into her pouch alongside the box. it looks like a glass shard, shaped like a piece of a dagger or a broken vase, which immediately makes her wonder if there are more pieces to the set. she's sure there isn't another one here; she hadn't sensed it all night and she would've. but someone else might have the companion. perhaps the one who was supposed to receive this one...

she hears the last three words shouted into the distance then and a small smile curls her lips as she recognizes the lilt of the accent. so he did come back for her. but that also tells her she doesn't have much time at all. releasing her ice barrier, she leans out of the room and when she doesn't see anyone immediately between herself and the stairwell, she makes a run for it, leaving a gentle trail of ice along the far wall, by the relic room's door.

all so rook will know she got out if he sees it.

for now, she heads down the stairs as quickly and quietly as she can, but at this point speed is her best friend and there's only so quiet she can be with her leg. so off she goes, magic at the ready, prepared to find any number of enemies ahead. ]

From:

smartass_captain

[As Neve leaves the relic chamber into rooms less well sealed and protected, smoke will assault her eyes and lungs and speak to Rook's tampering within this grand Tevinter Manor. Minimal for the moment given the level they're on, but unmistakable nonetheless. There are sounds of chaos and fighting above her at first. Time she needs to dart down the stairwell and get moving.

Jim skids to a halt outside the relic room not a minute later. Neve's not here. Fuck. He almost doubles back again but for that soft trail of ice that catches his eye. He halts in place. Glances from one hallway to the stairwell.

Makes for the stairs too. Which means Neve will hear footsteps behind her all too soon though the first shout of a Venatori gets silenced mid-yelp by an arrow in the throat. Rook dashes past her, swapping bow for blade.]

Fancy meeting you here. [A cheeky murmur, but his scratchy throat tells a story too.] We gotta move.

From:

coldjustice

[ it's that assault of smoke that tells her someone's really gone at "distraction" with gusto. someone like rook. so she's not surprised at all when he joins her on the stairs, her typical smirk curling her lips upwards, even though she's relieved to see him. she's not alone. he came back. ]

Could say the same about you. Any idea how to get out of here? [ something other than the front door. chances are, they won't have the opportunity to leave in any of the normal exits. too many guards, too many patrons. too easy to get caught and made an example of with the very relic she's smuggling out of here. ]

I got it, by the way. Took too damned long to find the real thing, but I've got it.

From:

smartass_captain

At the moment? No. Servant's exit by the kitchen is...kind of on fire. My working plan is find a window then join the crowd evacuating, or if that's too well guarded despite this chaos, sneak out through whatever hole in their patrols we can make since they'll Have to expand manpower checking every single one of the guests leaving.

[Rook brings up the collar of his jacket to cough into the fabric of. Ugh. His eyes are watering something fierce.]

They're gonna know the relic's gone any second now if they don't already. I really don't want to find out what it does for real. I heard the guests speculating while I was upstairs and I like my insides where they are.