genessia | ( CLOSED ACTION)

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Who; Seth Rim & Dorian Pavus
What; It's a date with discussion of intrigue & history & wine.
Where; Velvet Lust
When; May 27th
Warnings; N/A Will update if needed

[Seth steps through into the bar at 8:00 pm sharp. He's wearing what he'd arrived in having a deep affection for button down shirts and vests. His hair looks as if it might have been brushed but the messy white locks have broken free and were now framing a pair of liquid gold eyes. His eyes had been paler when Dorian and Seth first spoke, a small change that no doubt Dorian would notice.

He scans the room but doesn't see Dorian among it's many occupants. He picks a table that's in view of the door and waits. He doesn't mind waiting. There is a relaxed confidence to Seth in everything that he does and as he's approached by the waitress he simply informs her that he's waiting for someone before politely sending her off to address another customer.

Seth's features are fair and his skin pale, only appearing darker next to the stark white of his hair. Seth is tall, almost reaching six feet but average in size. He doesn't look particularly muscular or thin. There were a few people around him staring over at him curiously though Seth doesn't give them any mind.

When Dorian arrives he'll easily spot Seth at a fair table with a soft smile playing across his lips. He might notice that Seth's belt doesn't match the rest of his attire. It's made of worn leather with runes burned into it's surface. There was also a small group of golden bells tied on a thin white string through his belt loop. Seth is many things but a liar isn't one of them; he came with bells on.]

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[Dorian counts himself lucky enough to have found a tailor in Everglade who had instantly become enthralled with Tevinter fashion, and as such, arrived a few minutes past eight wearing his usual padded leathers accented with sunstone that shown in the low lights of the first floor of Velvet Lust under robes of soft royal blue satin that shimmered as he moved into the cozy bar's interior. They were draped over his shoulder and gathered about his waist to hang near his thighs by a wide belt of supple leather from which hung a few sunstone-inlaid pouches and the ritual book he kept fastened to his belt at all times.

He moved languidly, even as his keen olive-green eyes scanned the bar for Seth and found him easily enough. An easy smile touched his lips as he moved casually in that direction, his movements easily compared to a house cat who'd recently woken from a long nap in the sun, lazy and as though he had all the time in the world.

He eases himself into the other chair at the table Seth's chosen, his tone when he greets the man as easy as the rest of his body language.]

My, and he's punctual, too. I trust I haven't kept you waiting overlong.

[Seth's eyes are drawn to the intricacies of his dress and since Dorian is so kind to take his time, Seth allows his eyes to wander and absorbing every detail of the man in front of him.

A light smile teases the corner of Seth's lips as Dorian takes the empty seat.]

Just barely. [His voice is relaxed but warm.] And not too long. I only had to shoo away two people who felt that it was criminal that I was sitting all on my own.

[Seth drags his tongue across his lip ring to punctuate his sentence.]

[A flirtatious smirk graces Dorian's full lips as he leans back, crossing his legs and allowing his gaze to shift languidly around the bar before returning to Seth.]

And they were found wanting, naturally. [He flagged down the server, a very charming girl, and ordered a bottle of wine, "his usual", which was a deep red, and two glasses.]

I trust a red will suffice.

Expectantly so. [Since Dorian had mentioned an exquisite red wine when introducing this location to Seth the week before.] I've been looking forward to trying it.

[Seth's arms rest comfortably at his sides.]

I think we should wait for the wine to talk about histories but I am curious. [He pauses, his eyes following down the curve of Dorian's clothing choice.] Do you carry that book everywhere you go?

[Seth has something that he carries with him always as well though it's far easier to hide than a book.]

[History was certainly more colorful when wine was involved, of course that was the case with most things.

He raised an eyebrow at Seth's observation, though. He was literally the first person to notice it. He reaches to his side, retrieving the small tome.]

You mean this thing? Yes, actually. It's something of a good luck charm. It was given me upon my graduation to Enchanter, and contains several rituals, as well as my notes.

[Seth has noticed more than just the book however out of everything adorning Dorian's frame the book feels the most significant. It's worth noticing and Seth's curiosity often gets the better of him.]

A priceless treasure. [Admiration seeps into Seth's tone.] It suits you. [In a way that Seth would be hard pressed to describe. They were like a set.]

I have something like that too. [Seth tugs softly at the silver chain around his throat, pulling a pendant into view for Dorian to see.]

Priceless and irreplaceable, yes. [He could go on to say it was a gift from his father, from a time when his father approved of his actions and remained proud of him, but this was a light-hearted evening, and he didn't want to sully it.

That being said, he was also quickly distracted from his darkening thoughts by the strange pendant Seth withdrew from the folds of his shirt. He leaned forward to get a closer look at the symbol, but it didn't look like anything he'd seen before.

Curiosity glittered in his olive eyes.]

What does it represent?

It has two meanings: dreamer or someone who holds up the world. [He answers in a soft voice.

Seth gives Dorian time to see the pendent clearly before putting it back beneath his shirt. It's the only thing that he owns that truly belongs to him. Seth has few memories of his birth except that he'd woke up with the pendent around his neck.]

Not sure which it is.

[He relaxes back into his seat.] Interest peeked?

[On topics such as archaic and unknown symbols and the like, it was difficult not to peak Dorian's interest, as it were. He inclined his head slightly, a smile on his lips.]

Indeed. Tell me, Seth, do you feel like someone who holds up the world, or is it representative of some deity believed to do so? The "Dreamer" for instance?

[Seth smiles at the question. Dorian is surprisingly close to being right. Seth realizes that he should be careful but any defense or guard now would be a clue that Seth knew more than he's saying. He likes Dorian but he isn't a fan of spilling secrets. That's against the rules.]

I think it's a deity. I don't feel like I can hold up the world. Though I guess all parents expect great things from their parents. [He taps his chest lightly, indicating where the pendant is resting beneath his shirt.] It had been a gift from my father when he left. [Father is a loose term for Seth but he can only think of the man in that fashion.]

But the translation isn't that exact. [He continues without pause.] From what I've found it isn't the "Dreamer" but the figure that lives between dreams. I think people call him the "Sandman". The protector of dreams and dream maker.

[Dorian takes a sip of his wine, affections and flirtations lost in a sea of possibility spawned from Seth's words.]

In my world, the Fade is the source of all magic. When sentient minds sleep, they cross the Veil into the Fade, where all dreams, well, dream if that makes sense. It's a world of emotion, of spirits, of demons, and of imagination. Now, this Fade is the origin on the Maker, and when we die, our souls pass through the Fade to His side.

[He leans back, stroking his chin thoughtfully before he continues.]

Mayhap this "Sandman" and the Maker are one and the same...

[Seth sits back and listens, rocking his wrist slightly to watch as his wine circled within his glass. He listens very carefully and as Dorian mentions the Maker he can’t stop the smirk that tugs at the corner of his lips.]

You think so? Then our homes aren’t very different. My magic comes from that world, across the veil. [It’s what Seth is made of in a sense but that doesn’t feel like an important detail.

He takes a small sip and places his glass down on the table.]

Tell me about the Maker.

I...don't know, really. It's a theory, nothing more.

[But a good theory. The Maker created all that was. Being that there was simply more that is than they originally thought changed nothing.]

I...well. That's quite a broad subject and I'm no priest. He...is the creator of all. He created the earth, all the peoples who dwell upon it, the animals, plants. The sky, the ocean...

I've heard of many religions and they all seem to have that same theme. [It's hard not to believe that to be truth though given Seth's position, he wonders what made the Maker. Where is the end of the chain?]

I once believed the same thing. I called him Telrim instead of Maker. [It's something that Seth wished he could continue to believe in but it's hard to believe in someone that they aren't able to find. How many dreams has he searched?]

What is it that you believe Dorian?

[Dorian nodded.] That serves to reason, really. [He rolled his shoulders in a shrug.] Show me a sentient being who doesn't want to know where he comes from or why it is he is capable of doing all that he does.

[That caught his attention. His own believes had, through sheer evidence, altered recently.]

Oh? And why is it you no longer believe?

[He smiled.] Personally, I've never met the Maker, but I believe him to exist, as I believe in his bride. I was raised to believe we had disappointed him in some way, and thus he worked through her and had withdrawn from the world. Recently, I've learned how true that is.

[Seth takes a small sip of his wine before nodding his head in a soft bow.]

It's a long story but I don't mind telling it. Telrim was supposed to leave something in his wake and I went searching for it. [He exhales a slow weighted breath.] I've never found it and everything indicates that the item, think of it like a totem, never existed.

[It's more complicated than that though Seth is proof that Telrim once existed, he hadn't found the seal that had been left behind.]

What happened recently?

You alone were left to find this...totem left behind by a god? [He chuckles, taking a sip of his wine.] I didn't realize I was in such important company.

Ah...

[He doesn't speak for a moment, gathering his thoughts.]

To understand how the Imperium has been so incorrect in our teachings, I would first need to explain what they are.

[Seth shakes his head in a slow unconcerned motion.] Nothing so fantastic. I assure you, it was just accidental timing on my part.

[He doesn’t think of himself as important. Perhaps to those she meets and those he’s able to protect but nothing more.] I would be happy to listen. It’s an old saying, isn’t it? That history is written by the winners of any conflict. Nothing is completely correct, even our personal accounts are skewed by where we’re from and what we know to be the truth.

[Which Seth finds very fascinating.]

Our histories are muddied, indeed, and since the Southern Chantry vilified, rather accurately it seems, the entirety of my homeland, it's even worse. Ours, of course, turned out to be exceptionally inaccurate, while theirs were, sadly, less so.

[He takes a drink from his glass, setting it down before leaning back, crossing his legs, and settling in for an explanation.]

The Fade has always existed. Faith tells us it is the realm of the Maker. Fact tells us, regardless of what it is, it is where the minds of sentient beings travel when they sleep. It is the home of spirits, demons, and it is the source of all magic. Fact also tells us there is a black city at the heart of the Fade. Faiths tells us this city was once golden, and that the trespass and hubris of man destroyed it. The Chantry of the Imperium teaches the city has gone black because the Maker, disappointed in His children, left his golden city and abandoned us, leaving us to redeem ourselves in His eyes that he might return. As punishment, he sent a blight upon the land that transforms the old gods of the Imperium, dragons, and men into demonic entities. I can explain the Blight and Darkspawn some other time.

The southern chantry teaches that the old Dreamers, high priests of the Old Gods back during the height of the Imperium, when we ruled much of Thedas, sought to enter the golden city at the heart of the Fade, succeeded, contaminated the city with their sin, were cast down as the first Darkspawn, and doomed the world to darkness until such time the Imperium is completely defeated. Recently, we've had the indescribable pleasure of meeting one of these high priests from two thousand years ago. He claimed the city was already black when they got there.

[He rolls a shoulder in a shrugs.]

Difficult to know what to believe, really.

[Seth takes a sip of his wine as Dorian begins.]

How do you know the city was once golden?

[He'd mentioned that Faiths had told them as much but within the context of what Dorian is saying he's not sure who the Faiths are. In this recollection it sounds as if no one has seen the city as a golden wonder. Gold has meaning in the dream world, it was light, and it is why Seth's own magic always appeared golden.]

Sounds like it. Thank you for the history. It's very interesting and far more delved in magic than history on Earth. [He won't say his own world because his world is the word of dreams or as Dorian calls it, The Fade.] No one believes in magic there and I often have to keep my skills a secret. Genessia is quite different from what I'm used too.

[He doesn't respond immediately. He isn't put off by Seth's question, but he is a little intrigued.]

Because I believe it was, when the Maker resided there. Surely there's a higher power in which you believe.

[He was, however, put off by the second.]

How does one not believe in magic? Do the people of Earth see fire and believe it doesn't exist, either? Honestly, how thick do you have to be?

[Seth nods his head yes though there is some hesitation in his movements. He doesn't know if he does believe in a higher power than himself. Perhaps Daluun but Seth doesn't want to believe that he's more powerful. If he truly believed that then he'd loose everything he's fought so hard for.]

It's the way the world developed as technology replaced faith.

[Seth holds out his hand, producing a golden light in his palm. It moved like a mixture of sand and fine threads, looping and lacing together to form a shape.] You can show people magic but they have to see it to believe it. Those with the talent of magic don't realize it and as the art has been lost, so too have the abilities.

[Another moment passes and an apple blossom appears in Seth's hand. He drops it onto the table, lightly flicking it over towards Dorian.]

Nonsense. Magic isn't just a craft you learn, a language. It is within us all, within the Fade, within the mind. It never ceases to be because people stop believing in it.

[He shakes his head at how ridiculous that even sounds.]

Honestly, It would be just as simple to think a hamster out of existence...or into it. [He makes a motion.] Magic on Earth is no different than, say...a rare bird. Tell me, would every Earther believe this bird to exist, though rare, and thus unable to be seen by everyone? Yes, certainly, one could, oh, capture an image with one of those cameras, but images can be altered. Would they believe the bird to be real, not having seen it?

[He watches the apple blossom, a slight smile on his lips.]

You know, [He takes the flower in his hand.] I'm beginning to believe the people of Earth are a bit lacking in mental faculties...present company excluded, of course.

Edited 2017-07-02 04:16 (UTC)

A lot of animals have gone extinct because of people. [Seth speaks softly.] I wouldn't have believed it until I saw it myself. You are right, I think people can learn again but they have to realize that it exists. Belief is very powerful.

[He takes a sip of his wine.]

Thank you.

[A light smile teases his lips as his tongue flicks over the ring around his lower lip..]

Earth is my home. I'm rather fond of the people there. As short sighted as they usually are.

Yes, I'm certain they have, but that wasn't my point. We can hunt them into non-existence, et cetera but we can't simply think them out of being, anymore than a lack of thought would similar cause their demise.

[He taps his chin thoughtfully for a moment.]

People of Earth have visited their moon, haven't they? Or so it's believed. Have you?

I suppose so.

[Seth chuckles softly.]

Visit the moon? No but I have a good idea what it might look like. Why do you ask?

[He is sure that Dorian has a reason behind his inquiry though Seth isn't sure what that reason is.]

You've never visited the moon, but you believe others have? I assume not all who live on Earth have visited its moon, but according to texts it's common knowledge the trip is possible, even though not all have seen it done.

[He smiles.]

And that is my point. The don't believe in magic because they don't know the calculations behind it. The mathematics required to travel to the moon are accessible, so they believe it because they can see it is possible, even if they haven't seen the theory put into practice.

[He grabs a bar napkin and pulls from the satchel at his hip a piece of scribe's charcoal, hastily but accurately drawing three bisected circles, runes filling each.]

A fireball spell. This is the math required to perform magic. No different from moon travel, really.

[Seth chuckles softly at that.]

Believe it or not. Not everyone believes that people truly walked on the moon. Some think that it had been staged. [He's seen into the minds of a lot of people through their dreams and some are rather forceful in their views. It's hard to miss, even in the dream world.]

I wish everyone thought as you did.

[He takes a small sip from his glass.]

You don't plan to cast your spell?

[Seth asks with a teasing smile.] You don't have to convince me Dorian. I agree with you but there are so many close minded people in my world. I'm sure that's true everywhere.

Edited 2017-07-06 22:24 (UTC)

I actually do believe it. People, it seems, are no different, no matter the world from which they hail.

[He smiles coyly.]

Yes, well, we can't all be this brilliant, can we?

[And a chuckle.]

If you'd like a more practical demonstration, we'll need to head somewhere a lot less comfortable, and I don't want to.

No, we can't. It'd skew the curve to much if everyone was brilliant.

[A smirk tugs at Seth's lips.]

Maybe another time. I don't plan for this to be the last time I see you. [He has no intentions of going anywhere and he enjoys Dorian's company.

Seth rises his wine to his lips taking another small sip.] This is an amazing wine. I'll have to get it again.

[Dorian spread his lips in a genuine smile. Even after two years being with the Iron Bull, someone mentioning they wanted to see him again still gave him butterflies. Maker he was pathetic.]

Only if it's with me. I hear pleasant company enhances flavor.

[Seth chuckles softly.]

I'll make a point of it.

[His tongue drags against his lower lip, flicking the silver glint of metal in his tongue before taking another sip of the delicious wine.]

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