#stormlit (sabria)

[rooksgambits]

ppl who are very close to amrita get to call her ami.

[heartsdefine]

↪ memes / accepting!

@stormlit said: "we have been apart for far too long." rook squared

        amrita startles slightly as the other woman steps from the shadows, embodying every bit the rogueish archetype she prefers to convey. “bria!” she moves to catch her in a quick embrace, then holds her at arm's length. “let me look at you. a sight for sore eyes, truly.” 

[rooksgambits]

↪ memes / accepting!

@stormlit said: “i'll go with you. strength in numbers, right?” (sabria)

        amrita hesitates. this mission is not wholly sanctioned by the dragons, and they both know it. this one's personal. the magister who bought her brother all those years ago is finally stepping outside his estate and traveling a path where he might be reachable. it's going to be dangerous, but amrita cannot pass up this chance. even with her brother safe out of the country, the young rook knows how to hold a solid grudge. all these thoughts pass quickly through her mind, and then she reaches out to catch sabria by the back of the neck, drawing their foreheads together for another long, quiet moment, trusting she will understand the gratefulness meant by this gesture.

        “all right,” amrita says, at last. “but if things get out of hand, don't hesitate to run.” she leans back, hands on sabria's shoulders. “the risk is mine to take, not yours.” 

[rooksgambits]

@stormlit:

        ▌ continued. ❝ and yet i will simply be happy we made it to old age. better my pleasant surprise kill you than anything else. ❞ sabria does not believe they'll get there; it's not something she's sad about, it's not something that haunts her daily. it's just a fact. people like her and amrita, they are the frontline, dealing with people who'll not think twice about hurting them. sabria's quick, but how long can she really fade step away from daggers? and perhaps she should be more concerned about her own wellbeing, but her focus is on others. someone has to do what they do; why shouldn't it be her? if it kills her, then at least she knows she tried. passivity and apathy are, after all, worse than outright hatred. at least that is standing for something. the wrong something, certainly, but it's passion all the same. enough of that thought for now. she is home, and she is happy. ❝ mm, tell me more about how much you missed me, ❞ she teases, looping her arm around amrita's; a drink does, in fact, sound exceedingly welcome. ❝ it was nothing out of the ordinary, really. i'm glad to be back. ❞

        “ever the pessimist, aren't you.” if amrita has her way, they'll grow old together yet. they can't run with the dragons forever, after all, and she refuses to conceive of a future where either of them doesn't exist. “the two of us are going to retire one day and settle down someplace warm. antiva, maybe.” this is not the first time amrita has painted this picture for sabria, and it won't be the last. bria would always be more of a realist about their situation, and rita will always challenge her with that relentless optimism. of course, amrita knows the work will likely never be finished, but there will come a time when they pass the torch to someone new and move on. she's determined.

        “oh, but i did miss you terribly,” amrita affirms, putting a hand over bria's on her arm. “this place just isn't the same without you around. in fact, it's downright boring.” she steers them towards the kitchens, where there's always a barrel or bottle of something to sneak away with. “i don't like when they send one of us off without the other. we make such great partners.” 

[rooksgambits]

        “you're too gracious,” amrita says, knowing how unproductive it would be for her to outright disagree. if anything happens to sabria on this mission, it will be rita's fault, because sabria would not have been there if not for her. but arguing that will get them nowhere when sabria has made up her mind. so.

        amrita pulls out her well-worn map of the city and spreads it on the table beside them. “according to my contact, this is the route he will be taking.” she points, tracing the winding streets of minrathous both of them know so well. “there are some convenient vantage points here, here, and here.” she indicates each on the map. “if we can get his carriage to stop, and give him a reason to get out of it, i might actually have a shot.” the plan is flimsy and half-baked, but it's all she has to go on. she wishes they had more time. “thoughts?”

this would be a worthy mission for anyone to undertake, even if it is not officially sanctioned, but sabria would do anything for amrita, and they both know it. she does not trust easily, she does not let people in close to her; too many times sabria has been hurt, has lost, has regretted it. but that doesn't mean she's entirely without the ability, and rita is probably her closest friend in the whole of thedas. there was never any question about it; the moment bria found out about her mission, she was at her side.

❝ you've tried, you failed, you've been absolved of guilt. ❞ sabria doesn't sign up to a kill mission lightly, but neither is she afraid to kill, not when there are people like these magisters out there. he'd deserve a painful death even if he'd never touched amrita's family, and sabria is all too willing to be the one to bring it closer. ❝ come on, then. for things to go to plan, you must tell me what the plan is. i'm with you regardless. ❞

[rooksgambits]

        life is risk, but amrita is not so willing to risk sabria's life so she can have a little taste of revenge. for that's what this is, isn't it? even her sense of justice can be tainted by rage. the magister has not been idle in the years since she freed those he'd enslaved—he bought more elves to fill his estate, and he would continue to do so for as long as he lived. so there will be some justice in this mission, but it would be a lie to say that justice was rita's sole inspiration. the people she truly wants to wage war against are still out of reach.

        but she can get her hands on the magister.

        “i do know you,” amrita says, smirking. “well enough to know you aren't going to listen, but i had to try anyway.” there are no guarantees in their line of work, and somehow even fewer for a mission that's not sanctioned by the dragons. but she has always admired sabria's stubborn determination. if anyone can make her believe things will go to plan, it's her. “very well. we'll keep things in hand.” violet eyes flash dangerously. “and only one man will lose his life today.” 

life is risk; sabria doesn't think there has ever been a time when her life's been without it. even when it's seemed stable, she has been on her guard, waiting for herself to make some mistake that causes it to come shattering down. sometimes, she thinks that mistake is merely the circumstances of her own birth, and she had no say in that. and so, if nothing is truly secure, if nothing is wholly guaranteed, isn't it worth fighting for something? helping amrita may not save sabria's life, but it will further stabilise the foundations of their friendship. and that is far more important.

besides, it's important work. she believes in this.

sabria's eyes close at the touch of their foreheads, her hand finding ami's free one and squeezing it tightly. ❝ have you met me? ❞ she asks, as light as she can manage on the outset of this mission she knows neither of them has been approved to undertake. some things are personal. ❝ i'll not leave anyone alone to suffer, but especially not you. i don't run from things. i also refuse to die today, thank you very much, so we're going to make sure things don't get out of hand, yes? good. ❞

[heartsdefine]

        deep violet eyes roll heavenward as amrita clucks her tongue. “of course you will. that tally will be the death of me one day. when i am old, and my heart can no longer take it.” yet now, she smiles. there are few she would count close enough to call her by that name, and sabria is one of them. “you must come and have a drink with me, and tell me of whatever mission the dragons sent you on that's kept you away from me for so long!” she's being willfully dramatic. it can only have been a few weeks, at most.

❝ ami. ❞ in many ways, sabria holds herself apart from others, trying to protect herself; she knows that it's all just armour, but to take it off is to risk vulnerability. and yet here, the warmth is genuine. there are some who'd be shocked to see how open she seems. but she is home. amrita feels like home. ❝ i hope it's not been so long that i've changed. ❞ she hugs amrita tightly and then holds her arms to her sides, as if inviting inspection. ❝ i'm adding that one to the tally, by the way. ❞