synthmama:
The silence hangs like ice on the eaves; suspended, now, but still frail. Quinn’s smile is a soft one, PRACTICED, as hands fold together. Farmers, Hawke says, as if she believes that local trade at a village market is the same as Thedosian marketing appealing to the masses from all corners of the world. But she listens, with care and attention, before composing her thoughts together.
There is no harshness in these words. A disbursement of facts and nothing more, before she sits down across from Hawke. There is fire, but fire has its purpose. Kirkwall knows that WELL after all it has gone through; pulled from the brink again and again because of her. Qunari. Meredith. She wonders what will come next.
“Viscountess, the tariffs have increased to cover the security needed to maintain borders and trade. After what happened at Kirkwall, the war between mages and templars have spilled into every country. Nevarra is a longstanding ally that looks gladly upon the pleasure of doing business with Kirkwall, but it’s not SAFE, and the extra protections – and costs – are needed to maintain this in the face of this war.”
There’s something near condescending about the woman’s smile, but Shepard keeps that thought buried beneath her tongue to suffocate it.
(calling it a war implies both sides have an equal chance of winning)
She stifles a snort,”I’m aware of Nevarra and Kirkwall’s long standing ally-ship, and how well it did us when Meredith took control of the city with no outcry from the other Free March States that the Templars had such a heavy hand in our political climate.” Shepard replied plainly, “And while I’m perfectly aware that the war may have started in Kirkwall, it was an unwatched boiling pot across all of Thedas” she points out. “Have all the Mortalitasi remained at their posts and obedient?” she questioned, “Does the College of Magi bustle or is it just as dead as the Gallows here?”
She’s more than aware her own status as a mage makes that comment seems defensive.
