fandomhigh | Library, Thursday (11/20)

Today was going to be an interesting library day. Cosette could tell that as soon as she walked in and found two shelves' worth of books on the history of aviation flying around in the stacks.

On the floor beneath this apparent fly zone was a triangle roughly outlined using stray paper clips and pencils, and she was going to guess that this was the work of the half dozen or so Time-Life books about paranormal phenomena that were scattered around the outside of it, seemingly daring the flying books to fly over the triangle instead of swerving around it.

Attempting to reason with any of them didn't work, so Cosette finally left them to it with a sigh and a stern "Well then, since you're all determined to be silly, you'd all better take care you don't damage yourselves or each other! I'd much rather not have to patch you up afterward."

Which she would do, of course, but she had to make sure they knew she didn't approve of their behavior.

Every now and then, with no one in sight, the book return bin would let off a soft thunk sound as if someone had just dropped a book into it. After the third time this happened Cosette finally took a look inside to find several of the recalcitrant aviation books, who seemed about as dazed and disoriented as books could appear to be. Really, all she could conclude was that these were the ones that had let the Time-Life books goad them into taking the dare.

So yes. Interesting day.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I've always heard wanting to know too much will get you into trouble," Anders said with a light sigh. He wasn't sure how much he believed that, and how much it was a ploy to keep people in the dark. But that was an issue for another time.

"Anyhow, I'm a little jealous -- I've never been on a large boat. I hadn't even seen the ocean before I came here. Was it a long trip? Any pirates?"

Edited 2014-11-21 13:45 (UTC)

"That's what some of the sisters at the convent used to tell us when we got too curious," Cosette said, with a knowing nod. "Well, it did get us into trouble with them, at least, but I don't really see where the harm is. But no, it wasn't a long trip at all -- it's only across the channel, some three hours or so -- so I'm sorry to tell you there were no pirates."

She paused, and tapped a finger against her chin. "So far as I know, that is. Certainly none that bothered us, but perhaps I only didn't know they were there!"

"They might have been very stealthy pirates," Anders joked, though his mind was elsewhere. "Convent? You were brought up by the chantry, then?"

He remembered she'd mentioned France a microsecond later, and corrected himself. Stupid different religions using different words for things. "-- by the church?"

Edited 2014-11-21 16:44 (UTC)

"I suppose they wouldn't have been very successful pirates if they weren't stealthy," Cosette said with a laugh, because she couldn't let go of the thought, but she did answer his question with a nod.

"Yes, for several years. My father and his brother looked after the gardens at the convent, and I went to the school. I think the sisters thought I would join them when I got old enough, but when his brother died Father decided we were leaving. I don't mind. They were kind enough, but not very happy. Is the chantry what they call the church where you're from?"

Anders nodded. "The religion is the Chant of Light, and the political structure is the Chantry," he explained. "I've never heard of ours taking on a whole family like that but I'm sure it happens from time to time. Mostly, they get either orphans, or inconvenient extra children from noble families."

He'd had more sympathy for the Templars and others from the Chantry stationed at the Circle once he'd realized most of them hadn't had a choice, either. Not much more sympathy -- that went to his fellow mages -- but a touch.

Cosette nodded, and her smile was just a touch sad. "Yes, most of the other girls at the school there were either orphans or younger daughters from well-to-do families. I know my uncle was working there for a while before Father and I arrived, but I don't quite remember much about when we arrived."

What with it having been in the middle of the night and her half delirious from cold, not to mention disoriented from the entire escape from the police that she barely remembered anyway.

"So it's a different religion then! It's not one I've heard of, but it does have a pretty name." And now she was interested, if just a touch guiltily.

"Does it?" Anders had never thought of the name one way or the other, and he had to play it over in his head to hear what Cosette meant. "What, the 'of light' bit? I can see where it'd sound nice if you'd never heard it before. The other word for it's pretty, too. Andrastian, for the prophet Andraste."

He was happy enough to talk about it, despite his own decidedly mixed-to-negativefeelings. Religion was so deeply woven into everyday life in Thedas that not talking about faith was the stranger thing.

"Anyhow, no surprise you've never heard of it -- it's from a different world and all. What's yours called?"

"Yes, it's the 'light' part that sounds pretty," Cosette answered. "It makes me think of hearing birds start to sing just as the sun is rising, but Andrastian sounds very nice, too. As for me, I was raised -- by Father as well as the sisters -- in the Catholic faith."

That might have been a lot more interesting, had they stuck around France a few more months for the end of the Restoration.

Anders quirked a smile at her interpretation of the Chantry's formal name, but didn't explain it further.

"Did you like it?" he asked instead. "Or is that a rude question?"

"I don't know," Cosette admitted. "It's all I've known, though I do like Father's way of practicing it much more than the sisters'. I don't see why I ought to be more preoccupied with the state of my own soul than I am with the people around me."

That admission seemed to be a bit further than she had expected to go, since her eyes widened and she hurried on, "I don't dislike it, certainly. I think there are many good things to be learned from the scriptures, and the music can be lovely. I only wonder if people make it out to be much more complicated than it ought to be."

Library, Thursday (11/20)

Re: Talk to Cosette (11/20)

Re: Talk to Cosette (11/20)

Re: Talk to Cosette (11/20)

Re: Talk to Cosette (11/20)

Re: Talk to Cosette (11/20)

Re: Talk to Cosette (11/20)

Re: Talk to Cosette (11/20)

Re: Talk to Cosette (11/20)

Re: Talk to Cosette (11/20)

Re: Talk to Cosette (11/20)