Darkest Timeline AU Flashback Meme

[faderifting]

DARKEST TIMELINE AU FLASHBACK MEME
Did you work out something for your character's darkest timeline AU that you love so much it would be an absolute crime not to be able to write it out for real? WHAT LUCK! This meme is here for all your flashback-from-the-future needs. It's also the place to display sad single-character vignettes, letters that were never sent to dead friends, and anything else your dastardly little heart desires. Go forth and suffer.

The contents of this meme do not count for AC. For AC, you must participate in the real logs for the event, which will take place in Cloudreach 9:48, or else continue your normal non-event RP in the present (Guardian 9:43). However, you can count log threads in this meme toward your rewards points for the month.

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{ 9:45 }

[serannas]

Ellana waits to hear news about the rescue mission, but no message from the crystals comes. For days she's balanced on a knife's edge, thinking they've all been captured by Tevinters too; forced to work as slaves for the Imperium. But when she hears of the elves' return, she rushes to find Cyril, almost missing him completely because her eyes pass over the bandaged face. But the white hair has her doing a double take and she runs to him, hand outstretched.

"What?" she asks breathlessly on hearing the news. "No, that-- How did she betray us?"

[samahl]

"She's working for them," he responds and his voice is venomous, though, of course, it's not directed at Ellana. "She refused to fight to return with us and she let that dog Cade do this." He gestures too his face and then growls a bit.

"Fenedhis lasa," he spits on the ground in frustration, something he's never done before - it's too crass. "She's still alive too! She's still there to translate elvhen ruins and pass on any uncovered secrets of The People. I'm sure her mother is so proud to have insisted on those lessons now."

[serannas]

Her hands fly over her mouth -- not at his language -- but at the news he's bringing her. How can this be? Beleth, whose Dalish pride never tucked itself away in favor of getting along. Beleth, who always had a condescending word for those who weren't good enough at being Dalish. She chose to stay with them, and let that crazy Templar ruin Cyril's face?

Hands lowering, Ellana's face has shifted from shock to pure anger. "That bitch," she hisses lowly, feeling a flame burning hot and angry in her chest. It takes considerable willpower not to ignite her hands in flames. "Turning up her nose at us for not being willing to sacrifice everything for the People and at the first obstacle she gives up completely? The coward!" Remembering something from years past, she suddenly barks out a bitter laugh. "Oh, yes. She had the gall to call me selfish once, but now we see who really is. Hypocrite!"

[samahl]

"She did that to me too!" Cyril responds quickly. "When I turned down marriage in favor of staying with Taas and Sam!" The mention of Sam makes his heart ache but it's been a while since his disappearance and they've lost so many people since then it's difficult to show that grief and seem relevant. Still, his hand moves to the chain where he wears Sam's silver ring.

"She went on about how she was the only one willing to sacrifice for The People." He barked out a bitter laugh. "I used to feel so sorry for her and Sorrel. I used to worry that she never gave herself enough credit and that she was too giving and too willing to let herself bend backwards for others. I used to worry so much about her well being and... and now I just wish I had told her to fuck herself."

[serannas]

Now here's the opportunity to let it all out and Ellana nods, letting out a "Right?!" but otherwise not interrupting until he finishes. It feels like her blood is boiling, she's so angry with Beleth.

"Oh, she was only willing to bend over backwards if it meant her mother would give her a pat on the head for it. I would be happy to write to the Keeper and tell her all about little Beleth's new friends." Maybe it will give the woman a heart attack and she'll die. Ellana can't say she'd be sorry to see her go, but maybe some of that is her anger at Beleth transferring over.

Ellana wraps an arm around Cyril's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "So do I. But she always found a way to worm her way out of things. She told me 'Dirthara-ma,' once. I think she's the one who needs to learn a lesson. If I ever see her again, I'm scratching her eyes out, after I put her Templar dog down."

[samahl]

Cyril leans a bit against her and nods at her words. He wants to see Beleth and Cade pay for what they've done. He wants any traitors to be taken out.

He can't believe that he once tried to make up things with Cade.

"My face hurts," he says lamely. It takes some of the fire from their bitching, but he feels exhausted now and having someone touch him and move to comfort him makes me realize how lost he feels about what happened.

[serannas]

"Come on. Let's see what the healers can do for you." She gently steers him in that direction and his voice has the flame flickering down to embers. She's still angry, but it's a quiet anger that can be pushed aside in order to focus on helping Cyril right now.

[samahl]

His fingers on the chain tighten a bit because it used to be that seeing a healer meant seeing Sam. He sighs a bit.

"It's too late," he says. "It's been too long to heal completely. That means there's going to be a scar..." He sighs deeply. "At least Taas is already in too deep." He tells himself that Taas won't care, will still love him, but there's that vain part of his mind that sneaks in doubts.

[serannas]

Her steps slow a moment, but then she picks up the pace again. "Some elfroot, then? For the pain."

If he doesn't want it, he can lead them away from this direction, otherwise she'll keep going forward.

"It won't change who you are. Taas loves you for all of you, and there is beauty in adversity. You survived this; that is what's important." She just wishes Beleth and Cade hadn't. Which reminds her...

"Are Merrill and Merrick all right? You didn't say they weren't, so I assumed they are."

[samahl]

He nods at that. Relieving the pain is a good idea. Merrill had helped as much as she could but the healers here would be comforting at least.

"They weren't injured. I think Merrick is more shaken than he wants to admit. He... he loved her." He probably didn't love Beleth the way Beleth wanted, but there was still a devotion there.

Then, after a moment, he adds. "Merrill tore off her vallaslin. She's barefaced now."

[serannas]

Ellana feels her stomach drop for Merrick. He loves people in different ways. He'd loved her once too. "I wonder what outlet he'll take to express how he feels." It's hard to say with him. She just hopes no one gets hurt.

But Beleth doesn't have her vallaslin now? Her head whips to stare at Cyril with wide eyes. "She did? She can do that?"

[samahl]

"I don't know... He hasn't been the same since Pel..." He trails off, not wanting to ever give that loss words. He really doesn't know how infant Sina will handle seeing him with bandages. He'll deal with that once he finds Taas and the baby and lets himself be home.

"Apparently she can. It was... pretty badass." He probably shouldn't call blood magic 'badass' and yet it was pretty badass.

[serannas]

"Well, good." Because it is. Beleth doesn't deserve to wear a symbol of the Creators if she's handing over their culture to the enemy. "Did she rip the ink out? Did Beleth bleed?"

[samahl]

"I... I don't know about that point. Merrick was already pulling me away and I was pretty blinded by my own blood. Merrick filled in some of the details I missed. You might want to ask him..." He shrugs a bit. "I hope it hurts her every time she looks in the mirror."

[serannas]

"I hope she can't look in the mirror without seeing the word 'coward' written on her face." She pauses and frowns. "Though should it be written backwards so she can read it forward in the mirror or... ah, never mind. Stupid idea."

[samahl]

Cyril grins at the idea though. "Maybe we could figure out a way to sneak into her camp and write it." Although if that was even possible he'd actually try to slit her throat.

[serannas]

The same thought occurs to Ellana. She really does want to scratch Beleth's eyes out.

"No going back there. Leave her to her fate, and when the Inquisition finally dismantles the Imperium, you and I can each take an arm and take her on a little journey to the past, where we remind her of what she said to us once. And then we get our revenge."

Merrick is obviously not invited.

[samahl]

"Well have to send Merrick on an errand when we do," he points out, clearly thinking along the same lines as her. "He was pretty clear about wanting to protect her, even after her guard dog ruined my face."

It's strange to hear him talk about Merrick and sound annoyed.

[serannas]

"That can be arranged," she assures him, leading him into a healer's tent and asking for elfroot. It's a strange thing indeed to hear Cyril talk this way, but then again, Ellana never thought Beleth would be the type to value her own life over keeping elven secrets out of enemy hands and it turns out she was wrong.

"Should we go have a drink?"

[samahl]

"Yes," Cyril said. Another thing he tended to avoid doing was drink heavily in front of others, but right now he wanted to dull the pain in his face and the frustration in his chest. "Yes. Let's have several, in fact."