XXIII. [Video]

[leaporfall]

Well. I suppose it goes without saying that this place is up to its old tricks again.

[That Marian is one of the people caught up in the latest trick is also fairly evident - her usually fair skin has turned slate grey, and her dark hair has lengthened to brush her shoulders and gone white-streaked. Slender horns curve up and back from her

Comments

[video]

[vampiringly]

I suppose I'm not.

[ she's been out of the loop for too long it seems. ]

If you could tell me what you're experiencing, maybe I can be of some assistance.

[video]

[leaporfall]

[Marian laughs, oddly rumbling, as though it belongs to a frame larger than her own.]

I sincerely doubt it.

[She lifts one hand to rub the base of one of her horns, as though it pains her.]

Transformation, in its most obvious aspect. Usually, I'm a human woman.

[video]

[vampiringly]

[ she merely looks the woman over, oddly not perturbed by this image. ]

I specialize in supernatural research. I might be able to find something that could help.

[video]

[leaporfall]

These events reverse themselves in time. So far, none of us have been able to find a way to force them to do so early.

[Video]

[uthergtfo]

[Having only seen Marian once before she barely recognizes her... and she can't help staring. At least she also manages to look concerned.]

What is happening to you...?

[Video]

[leaporfall]

[Marian wouldn't blame her for just staring, really. It's just that strange.]

Transformation of a most unwilling sort. [She grimaces, though the expression is cramped by the presence of the stitches.] At times, the powers governing this place choose to toy with our identities.

[Video]

[uthergtfo]

Does it cause you pain? [She means in general, but she's staring right at those stitches now.]

[Video]

[leaporfall]

Some. I've had worse.

[She touches one finger to the stitches, and shakes her head, flinching in surprise as the too-long hair slides over her neck.]

I'm just grateful that so far, my mind has remained intact.

[Video]

[evokemydread]

I'm unaffected.

[Looks at Marian, curious.]

[Video]

[leaporfall]

Noted.

[As is the curious look, which is promptly ignored.]

[Video]

[evokemydread]

Will you be alright?

[Video]

[leaporfall]

I'm uninjured. I'll be fine.

[video]

[spiritessence]

[If it weren't for the voice, he would've thought she was a qunari woman. Wow. So that's how they look. But the stitches...]

Marian, are you all right? Let me take a look at those stitches.

[video]

[leaporfall]

No, but I doubt you can heal these gods' whims.

[She sighs.] I'm not wounded. They're just - trying to stitch my mouth shut.

[video]

[spiritessence]

[He frowns.] That's...terrible. I think I can at least do something about them. [The stitches. That's just not right.]

[video]

[leaporfall]

What about this place has ever been anything other than terrible?

[Video]

[hellsbellsharry]

[Have a Harry. The smile on his face isn't his smile. In fact it's anything but friendly.]

No, really.

Few of us I think. You alright?

[Video]

[leaporfall]

[Marian does not like that expression. At all.

But it's kind of hard to tell because Qunari expressions are annoyingly hard to read if they're not some variant on 'angry' or 'judging you hard'.]

I'm fine, just anticipating trouble. Yourself?

[Video]

[hellsbellsharry]

Oh, I'm fine.
[The smile doesn't reach his eyes as he studies her.]
Never better.

[Video]

[leaporfall]

Is that so?

[Qunari don't do raised eyebrows well, so she just studies him in turn, eyes unnaturally bright against the slate-grey of her skin.]