trusthell | And it's the stars, the stars that lie to you.

[This week, Varric opted to take a page from Vanille’s book. Gathering everyone together after the roller-coaster that the first trial had been proved to be somewhat cathartic for himself. He hoped that it would prove to do the same for the others.]

[He wasn’t alone, of course, having found himself blessed with the most ragtag team of chefs and party-planners. He might have had words for and thoughts on Elda and Kimbley, Mikazuki was welcome company, and he wasn’t about to turn away potential allies, even in a fight as simple as cooking dinner.]

[Once everyone’s set to a task, baking a cake, brewing tea, or stirring stew (the only task Varric could think to assign Elda to), Varric excused himself to his room. His first task was writing up cards, each personally titled and signed by Varric.]

Food in the Library. 5 p.m. Don’t spend the night alone.

[Each note was slid under a door and accompanied by a single rap on the wood.]

[With his tasks completed, Varric returned to the kitchen to put out any potential fires and, with luck, set the food out. A table in the library would be adorned with plenty of tea, cake, pancakes courtesy of Viktor, and stew thanks mostly to Varric (sorry, Elda).]

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[That's...genuinely very nice, she appreciates that. ...A small smile rises to her face, though.]

It's...it's okay. I still... It was ten years before I felt recovered and...mentally ready enough to return to the village. And it was very peaceful, while I was gone. [She almost wonders, still, if...she brought the trouble, herself-

No, not right now.]

I'd recovered enough so that...Ouka could see me, interact with me. Only her, and...I felt too- too foolish to tell her...that I was her mother, after I had to leave her like that. [She...squeezes Elda's hand.] But she knew. I don't know when, but...she figured it out, my...very smart girl. Ouka, she...I trained her, and stayed with her, for ten years, until... Until I died, in a...difficult battle. [Which is...a part of the story she is not ready to tell again.]

She told the people of my...heroism, and my sacrifice, and they already worshiped me, though...fearfully. Their belief in my strength grew tenfold. It was...that belief that made me a god.

[There's...a finality in that. It's not the end of her story, because obviously, there were centuries more to go, but. It sounds like all she's able to say.]

[ It was their belief that made her a god? She died? Elda... Elda doesn't know what to make of all of this again. She really, truly does not. But she ignores the intellectual questions to squeeze Hanyuu's hand back and once it's all over, once she's said the final thing, Elda laughs. Not at her, of course, nor at her story. But she, squeezing Hanyuu's hand replies, ]

God or gods have never been kind to me, [ dislikes: the church ] and I've never known a god I could probably squeeze out the hand of. [ She already agreed to friend, to equals. It'd be redundant to go into that again. But... well. ] Humans'll really believe anything when they're confronted with some grand hero though, won't they?

[ She is, by proxy, affirming Hanyuu's heroism while denying her divinity. ]

[Everything Happens So Much, the Hanyuu story

She lets out a deep breath and lets her shoulders relax. That's...so much, between Elda and Watanuki, she's talked about so much that she hasn't in centuries. (Not like she had anyone to talk about it with-)

A little laugh, filled with a small snippet of humor.] It does have some basis in reality, you know. It's like I'm a kami or something of that nature, just a little subset of Shintoism. [...but...she's not really in the mood to argue, and it really does feel nice to be seen as a friend, instead of a god. It's like if Rika were older.] If gods haven't been kind to you, then...I'll be the first.

[ Haaah. The knows about Japan and it's whole little gods thing. she'll never not think of gods as being again to the monolithic European God of her youth. She knows that. But she won't press the point, ignoring it in favor of brushing her hair a little ]

I can't promise we'll always end up agreeing. I think you've scolded me at both trials.

[Ha, she can't help but laugh once more.]

I didn't expect we would. Besides, I think a friend you disagree with sometimes is better, anyway.

Yeah, probably.

[ She... laughs a little herself ] You know, I've not actually had a lot of friends in my life, if I think about it.

Nor have I, really. Though...I've always wanted more.

Well, you're friendly? You could probably befriend a lot of these people.

[ Unlike her........ ]

I've been trying... [...but then we come back to Alani and, Well.] I just give everyone what...aah, what attention I'd want. That seems to work.

I don't see a point in bothering, myself.

[ But then, Hanyuu isn't her.

... And tbh Elda might not be the most healthy ]

[...hahahaha, well-]

I...admit I'm taking this as an opportunity I thought I didn't have before. Aah, it's...unsettling, but meeting new people wasn't an option back home.

Well yeah, I'm sure ghosts don't get out much.

[ Too soon? It feels too soon the moment she says it so she just moves on, ]

I don't blame you though.

[Elda that is the definitely of #TooSoon]

H-haa... Yes, that is...mostly why. [...] Do...you want to go get a new set of clothes, at any point?

[Elda's been naked for most of this thread]

[ . . . ]

Yeah, and I also need to fix my hair.

[ . . . ]

You going to be okay?

I'm...

[...]

I'm doing much better. Yes, thank you.

Good.

[ . . . And she'll smile too, before standing, wrapping the towel a little tighter (man, this is going to be some walk back to her room) and going to get her school uniform ]

I am too, I think.

...I'm glad to hear it.

[It's been...an eventful night, but... This was good.]

[ Exhausting, more like.

She's going to bed, actually, and she's going to not bother to get up after the damn clock demands her. ]

[Good, but also exhausting yes. Necessary? Necessary. She'll close the door after Elda and...

Well, she does have to go clean up the laundry room, and clean her own clothes, but. For now, she's going to shower.

A nice, long time to submerge herself in water. Alani would like that, wouldn't she?]

And it's the stars, the stars that lie to you.

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