#but finally ch51 is here and i can rest | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

quazartranslates · 3 years ago

Text

Welcome to the Nightmare Game II - CH51

**This is an edited machine translation. For more information, please [click here]**

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

-----

Chapter 51: Purgatory Reunion (III) {cw: misgendering}

When he saw the oasis in the boundless yellow sand, Qi Leren shouted excitedly: "Look, there’s the oasis!"

The local guide smiled and said, "Yes, that's it. Go on, and you can reach a small nearby tribe in an hour. It's not far from the Underground Ant City."

These words inspired the tired Qi Leren. He rode his camel to this oasis, scooped up spring water, and washed his face. Only then did he feel that the heat covering his body had dissipated.

The Illusionist also jumped down from a camel, filled his water bag with the water, and then drank it.

Qi Leren glanced at his camel and found that it had picked up a piece of white paper from the water and chewed it up like a fresh vegetable. Qi Leren curiously grabbed this piece of paper from the camel's mouth, which was about to be dissolved away. The words and patterns on it had already been soaked and could not be identified.

It was just a blur, as if something had been drawn on it.

The soaked paper melted in his hand and broke into several soggy pieces. The camel picked up the paper from the ground and continued to chew it. Qi Leren sighed helplessly, took the camel's rope, and pulled it toward the Illusionist who had been calling for him to keep up.

The three walked on, and the local who was familiar with the desert talked more about the end of the journey, and chatted with the two travelers who had paid a lot of money to ask him to lead the way. From the local’s mouth, Qi Leren had a new understanding of the present situation in the Underground Ant City.

"The Dragon Ant Queen recently returned to health? Didn't she say that she had been seriously ill before?" Qi Leren recalled the contents of the data and asked curiously.

"She’s beginning to return to the light," the local said. "Every queen is like this, and this state can last for about a month, during which a new queen will be born. During this time, the situation in the Underground Ant City will be very chaotic. Demons flock from all over the world. The demon tide will be particularly turbulent this month. You must be careful."

Qi Leren knew about the demon tide, and that there would be such a catastrophe every month in the Underground Ant City. There was no rationality in this group, and it wasn't known where it came from. Terrible creatures gushed out from the rift, attacking the residents of the Underground Ant City crazily, but the Underground Ant City’s field couldn't isolate this group of creatures, so they could only fight with this group of creatures month after month.

The three walked the whole way, and the yellow sand finally turned into a desert. At dusk, the vast field of vision was only a wasteland, which made Qi Leren who had never been in a desert before feel deep emotion.

He was walking towards him along Ning Zhou's path, and every step was closer to him. He would find him, and that day wasn’t far off.

"Ahead is the Valentine tribe, where you can rest your feet. They’re very polite to outsiders," the guide said.

Qi Leren thought his words were a little strange, so he couldn't help but ask, "What about you? Aren’t you going?"

"Me? Forget it. I'm afraid they won't welcome me, and neither will our tribe. They’re foreign and different from us locals. We’ve never intermarried for generations and have no relation to them." The guide pursed his lips disdainfully. "You can buy some food there. If you don't need it, let's just go."

The Valentine tribe, Qi Leren remembered this name. Ning Zhou had mentioned being here in his letter. He had lost his camel in a storm and came to the Valentine tribe alone...

He hadn't said more, but even if it was just a name, it made him want to stay.

"Forget it, we’re short on time. Let's go directly to the Underground Ant City," Qi Leren said.

So the three walked on, crossed the neighbouring wind-eroded hill, and when they stood on the hill, Qi Leren looked down on the Valentine tribe in the distance. On the desert in the sunset, the Valentine tribe was quiet, as if it were deserted.

The Illusionist suddenly stopped.

"What's the matter?" Qi Leren asked.

"It’s dinner time, but there’s no smoke." The Illusionist squinted slightly and looked toward the distant tribe. "No one’s active either. I'm afraid something happened to that tribe."

Qi Leren's experience wasn’t as rich as that of the Illusionist. Just now, he hadn't thought of this question at all: "What happened?"

"Come on, let's go and have a look," the Illusionist said.

The three people walked down the hill and came toward the Valentine tribe. The closer they got, the more obvious the strange situation became. When they came to the village entrance, the scene before them made all three people fall into silence.

This tragedy was not human, but a hell on earth. There were gnawed bodies everywhere, and dried blood all over the ground. Carrion birds were startled by their approach and flew away reluctantly from the incomplete rotting bodies, landing on the wooden fence outside the tents, and watching them with malicious eyes.

The frightened guide covered his mouth with both hands and prayed repeatedly. The Illusionist and Qi Leren searched around the village, but they didn't see a single living person. The elders, children, men, and women had all become unrecognizable bodies. The sheep inside the fence were all dead, and only a little bloody wool was left.

It turned out that the quiet little tribe in the sunset was already a graveyard with only corpses left.

The horror here made Qi Leren almost afraid to stare at the corpses too carefully, and his heart was very heavy. He knew that such a tragedy occurred almost every day in the Nightmare World, but he couldn't let go of the horror after witnessing the slaughter of a tribe that existed only days ago.

"Such a large-scale death is unlike the demons. The demons usually won’t massacre an entire village unless they’re a low-level irrational devil, but such demons won’t be so destructive. It was probably the demon tide. When the monthly demon tide in the underground ant city ends, there will be many demons running to the surface to plunder nearby tribes. They’re like a group of beasts. They devour like locusts everywhere, more ferocious than regular demons," the Illusionist said.

"What should we do with the bodies?" Qi Leren asked with difficulty, nauseated by the sight of the bloodied mouths.

"There’s nothing to do. If this happens outside the Sea of Tranquility, the nearby Holy See parish may send people to investigate the situation and clean up the bodies, but here... This is the territory of the Dragon Ant Queen." Standing in the wind, the Illusionist looked back at the desert village that had turned blood red beneath the setting sun and said softly, "Let the sand bury them here."

"Could there be survivors?" Qi Leren asked.

"I don't know, maybe there is. But an ordinary person, even if they escape to the Underground Ant City, may not be able to live a good life... Let's go, we should set off." The Illusionist had already mounted a camel and urged Qi Leren.

Qi Leren looked at the dried blood that had already seeped into the sand beneath his feet, and his deep sadness and melancholy welled up in his heart, so that he could no longer speak.

The camel looked at him meekly and pressed its nose against his cheek. Qi Leren's eyes were slightly wet, and he leaned over and hugged the camel's thick neck.

"Let's go." Qi Leren also mounted the camel and walked towards the distant Underground Ant City.

　　&&&

The entrance of the Underground Ant City was shaped like a crater, but there was no magma under the crater, but a huge hole, which was 500 meters deep. It was impossible to climb into the hole, so it was necessary to parachute. In a deep darkness, the bottom of the cave illuminated by fluorescent plants on the rock walls was an underground lake. It was said that the water in it has existed for millions of years and that the water quality was pure, and there were also phosphorescent fish inside.

This cave was called the Dragon's Breath Cave, and the source of its name could no longer be tested, but what was certain was that there was no legendary creature like a dragon in it, but rather it was full of bats.

The guide split up with them at the mouth of the cave, and the Illusionist and Qi Leren jumped into the underground lake. After climbing up, they handed the parachute equipment to the masked men who were responsible for returning them to the surface, and took a boat to the shore.

The underground world was very different from the world on the surface. Qi Leren, who was here for the first time, looked at the surrounding environment curiously. There weren’t many light sources here, little more than the fluorescent plants on the walls. If his eyesight hadn’t improved a lot after he’d broken his shell, he would be very pitiful in this dark environment.

"What if it’s too dark for someone to see clearly?" Qi Leren asked, "Can you use an oil lamp or a torch?"

The Illusionist said with an amused smile, "Of course, but if you have to hold a torch and tell others, 'I am a weak chicken,' don't blame others for coming up to provoke you. There’s no Court here to maintain order."

Along the underground passage, Qi Leren judged his own position while comparing the map. He had a good sense of direction, but he didn't know the difference between the southeast and the northwest after circling in the dark. In the end, the Illusionist who was familiar with this place took shortcuts. He grabbed the map while holding his hair, and quarreled with Qi Leren about their route.

The Illusionist insisted that as an old hand who had been to the Underground Ant City many times, he could not get lost, while Qi Leren retorted that they had just walked through the same place three times.

At last, the Illusionist became angry and offered the famous "You can do whatever you want". Qi Leren was not polite to him. He pulled him along for ten minutes and walked back to the main road smoothly.

This headbutting incident caused the Illusionist to say nothing for the rest of their journey. After arriving in the Underground Ant City’s downtown area, the illusionist spoke in a weak and weary voice as though he was ill, saying that he would take Qi Leren to find a place where they could stay.

Qi Leren was in a hurry to find Ning Zhou, and didn’t refute. Under the Illusionist’s introduction, he met Celia, the Court’s contact person stationed in the city. The Trial Court’s contact person, who was stationed in the Underground Ant City all year round, gave him a lot of help, and he got the required information. He rushed in the direction of Purgatory day and night...

On the 28th day after the task of the Holy Nun, Qi Leren arrived in Purgatory, which triggered the second step of the mission.

At this time, Purgatory was under emergency martial law. The whole area was blocked and no passage was allowed.

-----

The author has something to say:

PS: Many settings for the Underground Ant City refer to some remote tribes and natural landscapes on Earth. The ancient lake is from the first episode of the BBC documentary Africa; The inspiration for the entrance cave to the Underground Ant City is the Cave of Swallows in Mexico; The inspiration for the Dragon Ant Queen is honeypot ants from BBC’s Power of Life documentary and Natural World: Empire of the Desert Ants. I'll write down the other parts I remember, but I have a poor memory and forget some documentaries after watching them.

-----

[<<< Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter >>>]

21 notes · View notes

inkdemon-whore · 3 years ago

Text

a bit of both. i feel like when teacher finds her, she should talk and wander around a bit while teacher's frozen stiff, like--

"mm? this isn't home. where am i?" shiva touches a tree, confirming to herself she's not dreaming, just not saying it, maybe sighing a looking upset.

shiva calls out "auntie! are you here? auntiiieeee!" she get's no response, then she mutters to herself, upset "... oh... so... that wasn't a dream either?..." implying that she might have been a little awake while listening to her aunt talk with the soldiers about leaving her on the outside. (also at this point, teach would turn and run like in the manga)

with the conversation on the bridge, it would just confirm it to her that there's something "wrong" with her, because in the movie, after the bridge scene is when she starts WANTING to tell teacher she's cursed, but failing or wimping out.

now that i'm on my putter, i can show pics :3 (so long as my video player doesn't crash my entire pc)

(i can understand him accidentally talking over her ^^^^ but i do not vibe with him dropping books, when she's trying to tell him a second time)

mmmmmm :) i have thought way too much about the many ways to end this.

i've thought about him talking to her through the door, sittin on the bed n them havin a little chat, maybe take her out on a lil stroll under the stars, all the set dressing for what's basically the same conversation. "i don't want to leave you, but it feels like what's best for you"

i'd imagine in this re-write he'd actually bring the locket with him, planning to give it to shiva as a farewell gift, having written her name in it and put a flower in it like in the manga. (very tiny detail, but in the manga, it actually has shiva's name in it when he first hands it to her, of course we can't properly see it, and shiva doesn't seem to notice it, but it's there)

but along with giving her the locket, he talks about giving her the rest of his soul, saying he doesn't want to be a burden on her, and that maybe it'll keep her from getting cursed all together if her soul was more complete.

i'd imagine he'd have told the old man to come back in the morning to get them, but if all goes well, the old man would be taking shiva into the village, with a full soul, and no way of getting cursed, because she's finally "complete". so long as she takes teachers soul of course.

we'd see teacher opening up his chest, talking to shiva, saying she should take it to be happy, and maybe we get another almost touching scene, when teacher offers his hand to her, shiva reaches out hesitating, but before we even see if they touch, we cut to the next day, shiva talking or looking shy with the old man, maybe him asking about her "father", and if he's coming with them, and she just shakes her head. and here's a lil manga splicing to get the vibe across, but i'd imagine as she's walking to the village with him, she turns back and it's like--

and we have 0 clue if she took the soul he offered or not

until we cut to the old house, and get something like vol 11, ch51, pages 14-20 (imma just share two pages for context)

and we get confirmation that, no, shiva didn't take the rest of his soul, and that he's back where he started in being alone, even when he was trying to help. maybe at this point he's looking around the house, and sees the picture frame on the fireplace finally, now realizing shiva must have seen in and set it up. frankly, i want him to break, but he'd probably cling to where his heart should be like in the manga...

for the lake, i'm still not entirely sure, maybe he goes back to darko and ask about it, follows him, sees the hole at the bottom of it, and jumps in. maybe he just ask if he's done the right thing, or questions why the god at the bottom of it wants souls anyway, because their "horrid things that only hurt, even when kindness is shown."

and then maybe we get something cool, i have no idea. maybe he jumps in and that's the end of the movie, maybe he comes out of the lake, and shiva is there, out of breath, seemingly haven run away from the village, surrounded by other outsiders saying "there he is. the stranger called 'teacher'. so he didn't return his body to mother." and not really listening to what the outsiders are saying, she just hugs him and starts crying... and then he breaks /j haha unless

idk, the movie could have also ended at the ambiguous "did she take his soul and leave him" part. how it could end is all just kinda up in the air for me, but the ideas are all kinda in the same realm. these ideas can defiantly be a bit more polished, but i like what i've come up with so far.

if anyone has any input in this, hit me up, or reblog/reply with your additions :V ya don't gotta of course, no pressure

@emmynette alright, here's the thing, I like the progression of the movie. Very simple, I don't think you can really shorten the manga any other way

Here's the goal of the movie, or the "want" for both shiva and teacher. Teacher, finding shiva in the forest, wants to get her home safe, and Shiva wants to go home. That's it, that is the "want", both basically agree on it out the gate, there's no dilly dallying

The general themes i'm thinkin is fear of opening up to others, loneliness that comes with feeling like an outcast, and "I'm just trying to help you, I didn't mean to hurt you"

When it gets interesting is the "need", but I'll get to that later, this might actually be a long post, and I'm on mobile, buckle in

(long post ahead)

OK, start of the movie, it starts the same way the meet in the manga. Teacher is walking around, looking under blankets, no soldiers, you just hear him say "not her either" while lookin at corpses under bedsheets in the woods, maybe some black splotches on a limp arm, ya know show don't tell. Then he gets to Shiva's blankets, tries to touch her while talking to himself, then freezes up when her hand tritches and she rubs her eyes

Like in the manga, he runs from her, but like in the movie, she springs her ankle and he helps her hobble along by holding the handle of the axe

He teachers her how to put on the bandages, but makes a note that the medication might sting, or hurt. (he's a doctor, and I am fuckin love that for this, you can probably already see why) anyway, he ask her if she's scared of him, Shiva says no, but when shiva ask if he's scared of her, when he says no, she ask why he ran away from her in the woods. He doesn't say anything, only petting on his coat and moving along similar to the movie, but he's more apologotic about snatching the locket, and makes a better point for her to rest, as being on her foot might not be good for her, even offering to bring a pillow and sheet for her to sleep on the couch instead, which she declines. And when she ask if he's leaving, he says he's going to find food, and that he'll be back that night to make her dinner, rather than him being gone all night and coming back in the morning.

The cleaning scene!!! It's cute but now I'm realising the waisted potential here, so instead, maybe we cut to him cooking eggs and giving shiva bread, Shiva comments how messy the house is, in a cuter, childish "bro you live like this" sorta way, and then we cut to them cleaning

Here, in the cleaning scene, which is now a montage of their time together, do we get some quick character development. Maybe there's no conversation here, or at least very few words. It starts with them cleaning, maybe cuts to them doing laundry or cooking, Shiva hurrying teacher to her room to prey together, but one, REALLY important thing that I want shown is the picture frame on the fire place. Shiva is dusting, finds the picture of the old couple and thier grandson, and she looks to teacher, as if wanting to ask him something, but he's gathering up books or something. Shiva, looks to the photo, maybe glances at teacher for a moment, dust of the picture, sits it up right on the mantel, and smiles at it.

It's been a while since I watched the movie, I'm p sure the village scene is next. This one I would only change the bridge scene, I love their lil hide and seek, it's very cute. Anyway, on the bridge, "dawny darko" is there, head attatched to his body, note this time teacher has the axe with him, and darko ask "aren't you going to bring the soul to mother?" a quicker info thing than the movie, teacher ask what he's talking about, and darko says "you're an outsider, like us, and you've yet to remind them of where they've come from" teacher, maybe not focusing on the last part, says he's human, and darko says "hmm? Human? That can't be right, there's not a soul in you... Unless, is that your soul you're following around? Are you trying to take it back?" this actually gets teachers attention, asking what darko's talking about what gripping the axe. Darko clarifies to teacher, but we don't get to see it, instead, we see darkos decapitated head fall into the river below the bridge, panning up, we see teacher staring down, and the body jumping in to get its head back. The rest of the scene plays out as normal.

Back at home, teacher is reading the book shiva picked out (ngl, there might be an info dump/story book opener at the start of the movie, to make up for the soldier not bein in this version, and to avoid info dumping here), and like in the movie, teacher let's shiva take a look at his locket. In this version, because I like lil story telly things to be on characters, teacher has a ring, so... :)

Teacher looks at the locket for a bit before giving it to her, looking at his reflection in it. When shiva looks inside, and ask "who are they? Are they your friends?" she looks to teacher, who's touching his face with his left hand, letting us, and Shiva, see his wedding ring, telling us everything without him needing to say a thing. Shiva looks to the locket again, asking if they're not with him because he's cursed, and he nods. Now, instead of dick head doubling down on "ewe I can't feel things and I'm sad I'm not hooman", he REASSURES shiva, that she'll be reunited with her family, and says right then and there that there might be a village with people in it, but that it might be some distance away. As an outsider, he can only take her to a village, and hope the people there will be kind enough to help her. And he says "you should keep the locket to remember me by". Shiva declines, saying it's important to him, and that he should keep it. He reluctantly takes it back, looking at the photo inside, before closing it and wishing her good night.

In that scene, he might refer to her family as her auntie, or maybe ask about her mother and father, which would leave shiva either silent, or putting on a smile, pretending she knows who they are. This could lead into the dream scene.

Here's the thing, I like the dream scene in this, it's nice n simple, but with the re-write, I'm not entirely sure if it should be changed or not. For now I'm just going to give an alternative, and that either dream scene can be added to this lil fan re-write I got goin

Anyway, dream scene stars out similar, but instead of Shiva being surrounded by shadows, she finds a blanket in the forest, takes a look inside, and se don't see the face, but we see the hand and sleeve, and hear the voice of teacher muttering "help me" while holding Shivas hand. The hand that grabbed hers then turns black, and she backs away, covering her mouth and crying.

I like that idea, but at the same time, it feels like pulling out an ace way too early, so again, probably wouldn't actually be added

Moving on! Them walking through the forest, Shiva does the cute thing she did in the manga, huddling under teachers coat and following closely beside him. Maybe instead of teacher thinking to himself, he actually makes conversation, again reassuring her, saying that if there's a child in the village Shivas age, maybe they can be friends, saying that her mother and/or father must be worried sick, maybe sculding himself for not having brought her home sooner. He then ask her again if the curse scares her at all, and Shiva, quiet for a bit, smiles, and says "I'm not scared of this silly curse one bit!".... Teacher replies, "silly, huh... My, you're much braver than most, aren't you?"

Maybe he still pushes her, not realising until they get to the village that he's sorta dragged her along by her huddling in his coat, and when they get to the flowers and he notices, instead of just saying he's going to look around, he insist on her tacking a rest from the long journey, and that he'll be back with her in a moment. It's just a little change, but it's better than him not saying anything, or seemingly writing her off. (I think this is what they where trying to say in the movie, but you see, I'm American, there's some stuff that needs he spelled out for me in my media /j) when he walks off, Shiva turns, and instead of the wind taking the map and forcing her to see the clothes on the branches, she just looks up and notices them... She turns to look at teacher, who's walking away from her, and watching his back, she imagines him turning into a tree with a quiet hum getting loader as his body twist to look like the tree teacher from the manga.

We snap out of the imagination, and from here it's similar to the movie, but the soldier isn't here, so, when teacher turns to look at shiva, she's already laying in the grass, causing him to not see her and steady grow panicked, and you can see his mind racing, like an adult who's just lost their child in a crowded store, but luckily, she isn't to far when he looks where he left her, but he finds her covering her eyes with her arms... "Shiva?", but she can only mutter out "I'm sorry"

Like in the movie, Shiva saw the conversation on the bridge, but unlike in either media, both characters, at the very least, know that shiva is an outsider, and vaguely know of their connection to one another, even if they might deny it. At this point, teacher lays in the grass with her, Shiva saying "my birth was a curse..." and maybe aluiding to having cursed teacher, saying "I don't know why I did it.... I think.... I was just trying to help...." the entire time, teacher might be having a little flashback, similar to the manga, as it's getting harder to deny Shiva's an outsider, when she's practically confessing. Teacher might not say anything here, but here's what I'm seeing any time i think of this.

We see teachers head, obscured a bit by blades of grass, turning to the camera, we get a cut to Shiva, crying with one arm still over her eyes, and the one closest to the camera laying palm up in the grass. We cut back to teacher, who reaches to hold her hand, and then we cut to a close up of their hands, but teachers is human, and Shiva's is black, and we can see an unfocused form of Shiva as an outsider, still with her arm on her eyes and crying, while teachers human hand hesitates to hold hers, getting dangerously close to touching their fingertips together. We don't see if he actually touches her or not, instead we cut back to their new home, him closing the window as it gets dark, and Shiva sitting solemnly on the bed.

By this point, imma be honest, idk where I'd want it to go. It's also 2am and I've been typing this since 12, so I think imma end this post here lol

#al #talk #the girl from the other side #totsukuni no shoujo #fanfic #long post #spoilers

13 notes · View notes

bluekrishna101 · 8 years ago

Text

Here, Here I Quake Ch61

A/N: Holy shit, I’ve been gone awhile. Lol. Sorry, all. Here’s the next chapter, if you still follow this silly thing that I keep meaning to dive back into. Enjoy!

Links to: Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Ch4, Ch5, Ch6, Ch7, Ch8,Ch9,Ch10,Ch11,Ch12,Ch13,Ch14,Ch15,Ch16,Ch17,Ch18,Ch19,Ch20,Ch21,Ch22, Ch23, Ch24, Ch25,Ch26,Ch27, Ch28, Ch29, Ch30, Ch31 Ch32, Ch33, Ch34,Ch35,Ch36,Ch37,Ch38,Ch39,Ch40,Ch41,Ch42,Ch43,Ch44,Ch45,Ch46,Ch47,Ch48,Ch49,Ch50, Ch51, Ch52, Ch53, Ch54, Ch55, Ch56, Ch57, Ch58, Ch59

“—a wonder they didn’t throw me out! The hostess just stared at my … my exposure, then asked, calm as anything, whether we’d like a table or a booth!” Elgar’nan’s tale finishes with a arm-flailing flourish, and the elves all around burst into raucous laughter.

Nearly choking on his mouthful of food, June shakes his head as he points his fork at the old guitarist. Syllaise pats his back, chuckling.

Andruil, wry but smiling, says, “Most of us were there, El.”

“It’s still pretty funny, even the hundredth time he’s told it,” June manages, finally clearing his throat enough to speak.

Falon’din grunts. “It’s the delivery that makes it funny. Otherwise, it’s just El forgetting to wear pants. Again.”

“Well, I hadn’t heard it before,” says the only human at the table. Andruil’s private detective. She turns to Elgar’nan with a wide grin. “So, this happened pretty often, I take it?”

“Too often,” says the rest of the former bandmates in unison.

Elgar’nan sputters his drink and glares all around for a second before capitulating. “Fine! Yes, it happens. What’s wrong with a man enjoying the feel of the wind ‘round his nethers?”

Solas clears his throat. “Nothing at all. In the privacy of his own room. But I believe the old you would not have rested until all of Thedas had a good look at … your business.”

“Indeed. His … little guy was awake for more gigs than he was.” June laughs.

Falon’din contributes, “If I had a sov for every time his pixelated … hardware made the cover of the scandal sheets—”

“Cock!”—every eye in the restaurant swings toward their group—”Just say it,” Andruil growls, exasperated. “I swear, you men can be so squeamish when it comes to talk about dick.”

Ghilan’nain giggles. “As if you have more than a just passing acquaintance with dick, Andi.”

“Hush, darling,” she retorts, kissing Ghilan’nain on the tip of her nose. “One need not want to handle them to have an opinion. Or be an adult about the whole thing. They’re just cocks, you infants.” At this, the rest let out a burst of laughter. Andruil huffs and rolls her eyes. “Really.”

“Excuse me,” says the nervous host as he sidles up to the table. “I ask that you please keep it down. This is an upscale establishment, after all. A family establishment. The crude language and noise—”

A thundercloud gathers in Elgar’nan’s eyes. Solas steps in before it bursts into a deluge with a terse, “Our pardon. Bring us the check, please.”

“All together?” asks the shuffling human. His eyes and wringing hands say he wonders if the group of elves will suddenly disappear the moment his back is turned.

Pushing down the stab of anger in his gut, Solas pulls out his wallet and hands the host a jet-black credit card. White Spire’s jacquard logo glitters in the light of the low-hanging chandeliers over their table. Solas says, cold, “Just put it all on that.”

When the host scuttles off, the others look at Solas. June whistles. “Hear that, guys? Fen’s got it.”

“We could have pitched in,” admonishes Andruil. “It’s got to be at least six hundred sovereigns altogether.” Everyone else mutters similar sentiments.

“What’s an expense account for, if not to use?” asks he. Solas peers at them all, looking for signs of jealousy or bitterness. Then relief warms him as he finds nothing but simple worry that they’re taking advantage. How different this would have gone once upon a time.

Elgar’nan smiles. “I guess you got us there. Things must be going pretty good for Inquisition then?”

“Yes.” He returns the smile with one of his own.

“I’ll say!” Ghilan’nain exclaims, blue eyes glittering. She tosses her gold hair to one side, and leans forward. “They’re all the kids talks about. My store can’t keep the CD’s on the shelf, they move so quickly! Speaking of which, have you looked into streaming services, like Spotify, SoundCloud or Fadio—?”

“I, too, have questions,” June says. “Why now? Why them? How did you meet— ?”

Syllaise joins in, “Yes. Tell us all about your new band, Fen. Are they headed for the top?”

The rest chime in with a chorus of variations of, “Tell us!”

“I—” Solas starts, a little overwhelmed.

“I’ve met them,” Elgar’nan interrupts, puffing up a little under all the sudden attention that swings his way. “They’re good! That Ellana has a great voice, and she’s-she’s, like, grounded, you know?”

As they all turn their questions to Elgar’nan, Solas shoots him a grateful glance. The older elf grins and fields the flocking queries like a master.

“I think he just saved you a fair measure of aggravation,” says Andruil’s private investigator at his elbow.

“No doubt,” he agrees, turning to the human with a tip of his head. Then he asks, “I’m sorry. I never caught your name.”

“Elizabet Cousland. Betty, to my friends,” she says, sticking out her hand. “And you’re the Dread Wolf.” Her sudden lop-sided grin disarms the tickle of mocking razz right out of her tone. Not that her teasing bothers him at all. They’d chosen melodramatic stage names for a reason.

“Call me Solas, please.” He shakes her hand, then pauses. “Any relation to Teyrn Cousland?”

She nods. “To my father’s great chagrin, yeah. I’m his wayward daughter. Bringing shame onto the family is sorta my thing. My jam. My cuppa.”

“Who hasn’t disappointed a parent? But you don’t seem that bad,” Solas reasons. “From your attire, you’re well off. Successful. And Andruil told me many clients keep you on retainer, so you must be good at what you do.”

“Says the one it took the longest to find. Every time, I might add,” she says, as she mimes a playful poke. Pushing her brown hair over one rounded ear, Betty snorts. “I pride myself on being a good fisherman, but you were a very elusive fish. That’s what they should’ve called you. The ‘Elusive Fish.’ What’s that in elvhen?”

“Unflattering,” he shoots back, then chuckles as Betty lets out a single hearty guffaw.

“That’s as may be, but it’s more apt, possibly. And you? You don’t seem all that dread.”

“You didn’t know me before. Everything from my dress sense to my manners. Just dreadful.” He raises an impish brow.

“I don’t know,” she drawls. “Some of those outfits in the vids were … scandalous. Low, low, looow rise pants. Ha! And had they not yet invented the shirt back then?”

He chuckles. “It seemed the thing to do at the time. Sex sells and all that.”

“Yes, it does! A whole ton of records, from what I gather,” Betty cajoles, holding up her drink for a toast. He obliges her with a clink and a nod. Then she waves around and comments, “So what’s this then? Trying to recapture the lightning? Gettin’ the band back together?”

“No!” Solas blurts, taken aback. Others at the table glance towards his outburst and he can’t help but notice some have shifted in their seats to split their attention between regaling Elgar’nan and himself. Chagrin trickles over his nerves as he clears his throat to say in a more reasonable tone, “Not at all. We’re just catching up. I have my obligation to Inquisition, after all.”

“I’m just sayin’. All of you. In one place. Someone’s bound to notice, if they haven’t already. And those someones are gonna draw certain conclusions,” she says, waving a hand. Then she points suddenly, and Solas turns his head just in time to see a flash of light coming from a cell phone half-hidden in another patron’s hands. Betty chortles. “Six, by my reckoning. So far.”

Resisting the urge to slump into his seat, Solas growls, “Wonderful.”

Settling the tip, he stands. “Ladies, gentlemen, I bid you goodnight. I have a long flight in the morning—” He waves his hands in the midst of the chorus of groaning and booing flying his way.

“C’mon, Fen,” Elgar’nan wheedles, reminding Solas of why ‘getting the band back together’ would be folly at best. Insanity, at worst. The older elf continues, “We were gonna go to that club down the street.”

“The one with the neon legs above the door? No, thank you. I’m headed back to the hotel.” Solas turns away as the booing renews, waving one dismissive hand over his shoulder. “I’ll be better entertained diving into the Fade for some much needed rest.”

Another flash catches his attention. “Besides, I think I’ve done enough damage for one evening.”

Sitting in the midst of the stark, white landscape of the huge hotel bed, Solas winces at Madame Vivienne’s response to his text—

‘Get ahead of it, darling? Of course we’ll try, but you know as well as I how these things get blown out of proportion. Already we’ve had phone calls asking if Inquisition’s breaking up, and if we’re going to represent Evanuris for a big comeback. Really, my dear, I wish you would think of the consequences before acting.’

The digital clicking of his keyboard sounds in his ears as he picks out a reply, ‘I’ll own that. I should have insisted on private dining. Enough of blame, Madame. What can be done?’

Three dots flicker over and over next to Vivienne’s avatar, the White Spire logo. Then they disappear. And reappear. This happens a few more times before he types, ‘When you actually have a plan, call me.’

The dots disappear altogether this time. He imagines outrage on the other end and smiles. Then a new message pops up on his screen. This time from Morrigan. The sheer number of expletives deplete her word cap.

Solas feels a bit more guilt in this instance, for the former metal diva works very hard on their behalf. Still, insults are uncalled for. He shoots back a tart rejoinder and refers her to Vivienne.

Then more messages arrive in rapid succession. Leliana with civil, calm questions asking for clarification and his first-hand account. How many photographers did he notice? Were there any outside when he left? What was the name of the restaurant? And so forth.

Josephine texts, ‘Band meeting as soon as Cassandra returns. These issues need to be addressed as a group. Making the label nervous doesn’t do us any favors. We have tour dates lined up and it’s not fair to the fans who’ve already purchased tickets to make them think they’re suddenly going to be cancelled.’

‘I know. I apologize,’ he responds, heart heavy. ‘And I will apologize again when we meet en masse.’

Irascible Varric is the only one to actually call, gifting him with a saucy, “Hey, did you happen to snap one yourself or get the name of one of the guys who did? I’d pay a pretty penny for it! Picture the headline—Evanuris Returns! Three exclamation points. Or is that too many exclamation points?”

“Far too many, I’m sure,” he replies, with a weary hum of humor. Leave it to the dwarf to lift his spirits. Solas sinks into the cloud of blankets. “And not true, in any case. Evanuris is dead. They will never, ever return.”

“Never say never, Chuckles. Still, you got Inquisition. If Evanuris did re-form, they can always do it without you.” Varric’s confidence almost dispels the sudden, tiny pang in Solas’s chest.

Shaking it off, the elf says, “Truer words, Master Varric. I have my hands full.”

Varric laughs. “Speaking of Rosy, I haven’t spoken with her for weeks. How is she doing?”

“Elated to be near the end of her probation. Excited to be back on the road,” Solas answers, ignoring the rush of warmth in his cheeks. “I was about to call her, actually. See how she’s faring on her own.”

“What do you mean ‘on her own’?”

“Well, the band dispersed to take care of private matters before the tour. Out of town, most. Out of country, others. I admit to guilt at leaving her alone, but she insisted. Quipped about a vacation of her own, away from the band drama.” Solas laughs, thinking of the mischievous grin on her face when she’d said that.

“That funny girl of mine, eh? Well, I suppose I should let you call her then. I’m serious about those pics, Chuckles. Well, halfway serious. News is news, and my magazine could use the bump!”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Wouldn’t that just irritate Vivienne to no end?

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Varric.” Solas smiles as the line clicks closed. Then he opens the Skype app, giving an eager tap on Ellana’s photo. The lyrical ‘bwoops’ cascade as they seek to summon the image of his love over the hundreds of miles separating them.

The call ends, uncompleted.

Frowning, Solas tries again. To no avail.

Four more times and nothing. Uneasiness blossoms into outright nerve-rending apprehension.

He attempts to contact her through social media and reaps nothing but more worry. Solas then tears through his phone directory, searching for someone who might still be in Kirkwall.

Anyone who can go check on Ellana—

“The P.O.,” he mutters, staring at the qunari’s number. Chewing his lip, Solas casts about for another option. Any other choice.

Taking a deep breath to steady shaking hands, he says to himself, harsh and decisive, “No, Ellana’s probably in the bath. Or-or left her phone in the fridge again. Everything’s probably fine. Her P.O. will find her. Safe. At home, during curfew. Like she hasn’t failed to be once.”

Squashing the sense of dread foreboding to make space for hope, Solas pecks at the Arishok’s number.

#solas #rockgod!solas #solavellan #return of the AU

6 notes · View notes