The Gym, Wednesday Morning

[seeks_truth]

Cassandra had been combing through books on magic and the island itself for days. No solution had presented itself, and it was starting to get on her nerves. So she had decided to pick up her training again so at least she wouldn't be falling behind while she was trapped here

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[spin_kick_snap]

A new kid! Kathy had missed the picnic, so other than the unfamiliar faces in class, she hadn't gotten to see any of this term's newbies.

"Hi," she said, giving a smile at the new girl from her place on the mats, halfway through her yoga routine. At least she was in a position relatively facing the girl, rather than trying to talk from between her legs or something. "You've probably heard this a million times already, but welcome to Fandom."

Maybe it would set Cassandra at ease to see that Kathy was also only wearing a sports bra, at least up top?

[seeks_truth]

"I have not," Cassandra said, "But thank you."

She had received very little in the form of formal welcome so far. Quite possibly because she always kept interrupting people before they got to that point, but oh well.

She looked towards Kathy for a moment and frowned. "What is it you are doing?"

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Good on Kathy, then, for jumping right in with it!

"You haven't?" she asked. "I'm really sorry to hear that." At least, she would be until the next time she ran into Anders or something. "Oh, this? It's yoga. A kind of exercise for mental and physical discipline. I mostly use it to stretch before I move into my gymnastics routines. It keeps me limber and flexible, you know?"

[seeks_truth]

Cassandra set down the dumbbells. "I am Cassandra Pentaghast," she said, with a curt nod that was somewhat formal, at least. "And I have never heard of it. Where did you study?"

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"Kathy Li," Kathy replied, giving Cassandra a friendly smile. "Well, technically Katherine, but no one calls me that except my parents."

It would just be weird hearing it from anybody else.

"Oh, my old gym back home in LA used to offer weekly yoga classes. My gymnastics coach suggested I pick it up to help me focus and train for future matches. They don't offer classes or anything on the island, but I keep in practice anyway."

She glanced at the dumbbells that Cassandra had been using. "Are, you training for anything?" she asked. Because people did not get Cassandra's physique just by weightlifting three times a week in a gym.

[seeks_truth]

"Yes."

That wasn't sufficient, Cassandra, and you knew it.

"I am an apprentice Seeker of Truth," she said, "we are, among other roles, warriors. Since I am currently unable to return to Thedas, I feel it is prudent to resume my training here."

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"A...Seeker of Truth?" Kathy asked. "I'm afraid I have no idea what that means. But, if you're looking for truth, wouldn't it make more sense to be a scholar, not a warrior?"

[seeks_truth]

"The truth rarely lies only within dusty tomes and scraps of paper," Cassandra said, with a snort. "One must often pursue it and interrogate what one finds. And when one has uncovered truth, one must act by it. These acts are not always without violence."

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Kathy frowned at that. "What kind of truths require acts of violence to be made on their behalf?" she asked. "If you have to convert people to your ideas of truth with violence, how can you be so sure it is true?"

[seeks_truth]

"You have an odd idea of what truth and violence mean in this context," Cassandra said. "If a chapter of an organisation under our jurisdiction turns out to be corrupt, and those involved refuse to bow to censure, should we not interfere? If our investigation leads us to a band of dangerous Maleficarum who are murdering children in the area, should we not strike?"

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"Well, I didn't have much to go on, other than you being called a 'Seeker of Truth', which could really mean anything," Kathy said. "I thought you meant a more...philosophical kind of truth, I guess. But, no, if you're more of a kind of watcher organization that tries to root out corruption in established power structures and protect innocents, then using force is sometimes a regrettable necessity."

She chewed on her lower lip before asking, "But who watches you? Who holds the Seekers accountable? Corruption can happen in any organization."

[seeks_truth]

"We serve the Divine," Cassandra said, "and trust Most Holy's judgement."

She'd get back to that question about thirty years from now...

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"That person is infallible?" Kathy asked. "Do they have a direct line to God, or something?"

She didn't necessarily believe that to be true, regardless of whatever someone might claim, but she didn't want to tromp around on Cassandra's faith. That seemed rude.

[seeks_truth]

By Andraste's holy blade, how long would this take? "No one speaks with the Maker." Cassandra said. "He has turned His back on us long ago. No, the Divine is chosen by the Grand Clerics of the Chantry. She may not be infallible, but her judgement is as close to perfect as mortal men can find."

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Soooo, pretty much Cassandra's world's equivalent of the Pope, then. Which meant Kathy was taking her 'as close to perfect' with a grain of salt.

One roughly the size of the island.

"So, a purely human woman..." chosen by a group of people with an invested interest in the status quo "...is the only oversight your group has? And you have the right to declare summary judgment and punishment over others?" Kathy whistled. "That's a lot for other people to take on faith. How do other people see your order?"

[seeks_truth]

"Hopefully, they do not," Cassandra said. "We come only when there is an emergency, and prefer to stay in the background."

She was getting the impression she was being judged.

"Surely your faith has its own investigators, those who pass judgment."