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[[9:41 Dragon, evening - after the events of Wicked Hearts]] Josephine Montilyet
The music was still in full flow as Sati walked out onto the balcony. After the events of the evening, everybody - including those who had originally shunned her - had gathered around, demanding accounts of Florianne’s plot in detail, how Sati had unravelled the mystery, shoving wine and food at her whenever her hands had been unoccupied. The Empress had kept her distance, gazing out over the ballroom with an implacable expression. Despite the fact that she no longer had to worry about Gaspar’s threat to her throne, she would know full well that there would be many in the room who had rather she failed.
Sati had an inkling of how that felt.
At last, she had extricated herself from the crowd as a lively tune was struck up, and most of her audience detached themselves to join the dance floor. The other members of the inner council were occupied with their own business; Leliana with her assessments of the courtiers, Josephine with her family, Cullen with trying to swat away a small crowd of admirers. Apparently being Fereldan didn’t count against him at all at the moment. The lion-themed capelet and formal breastplate that Leliana had bullied him into didn’t hurt in the extravagant Orlesian setting, although it did amuse Sati deeply.
All the Inquisition members who had attended were turned out better than usual, apart from Sera, who had chosen to fit in with the servants and swipe as much from the kitchens as she could. Leliana was in a lovely dark blue dress, Cassandra magnificent in military attire. Sati had been given a dark green and silver tunic and dark breeches, and had been allowed to keep her silverite gauntlets, much to her relief. She’d half expected to be told to wear a dress with a train stretching halfway back to Skyhold. Varric was his usual dapper self, and Josie…
Sati had had to turn herself away from the ambassador on a few occasions, realising she was watching her overlong. Josie was already pretty enough, but she looked especially beautiful this evening, and the blush that had tinted her cheeks over her sister’s teasing had been nothing short of adorable.
It was ridiculous, to be entertaining such feelings when they were in the middle of a war. Sati prided herself on being practical, and this was not practical at all.
Removing herself to the cooler air of the balcony gave her time to gather her thoughts, and focus on important things. Below, the palace gardens spread out in silvery splendour, lit by moonlight almost as bright as day. The day’s warmth had drawn out the scent of the flowers. It was so beautiful that it was almost easy to forget that guards were moving around in the shadows, quietly locating and removing the numerous corpses that scattered the grounds. So many of them were people who had simply got in the way. The world was on the brink of disaster, and the noble classes went on playing their games. Half of the problems of the evening hadn’t even been because of Florianne.
At least now they had knocked one of the legs out from Corypheus’ plans. Sati wasn’t sure it was enough to bring him down. The memories from Redcliffe were still horrifyingly strong, and even though they’d now removed Alexius and prevented Orlais from descending into civil war, there was still the matter of the Red Templars, and the Venatori. Added to that, they still didn’t know what exactly had happened at the Conclave.
Sati rubbed her face, and tried to let some of the tension drain out of her shoulders. Tonight had been a victory, but she couldn’t quite stop thinking about the battles they still had yet to come.
The music was still in full flow as Sati walked out onto the balcony. After the events of the evening, everybody - including those who had originally shunned her - had gathered around, demanding accounts of Florianne’s plot in detail, how Sati had unravelled the mystery, shoving wine and food at her whenever her hands had been unoccupied. The Empress had kept her distance, gazing out over the ballroom with an implacable expression. Despite the fact that she no longer had to worry about Gaspar’s threat to her throne, she would know full well that there would be many in the room who had rather she failed.
Sati had an inkling of how that felt.
At last, she had extricated herself from the crowd as a lively tune was struck up, and most of her audience detached themselves to join the dance floor. The other members of the inner council were occupied with their own business; Leliana with her assessments of the courtiers, Josephine with her family, Cullen with trying to swat away a small crowd of admirers. Apparently being Fereldan didn’t count against him at all at the moment. The lion-themed capelet and formal breastplate that Leliana had bullied him into didn’t hurt in the extravagant Orlesian setting, although it did amuse Sati deeply.
All the Inquisition members who had attended were turned out better than usual, apart from Sera, who had chosen to fit in with the servants and swipe as much from the kitchens as she could. Leliana was in a lovely dark blue dress, Cassandra magnificent in military attire. Sati had been given a dark green and silver tunic and dark breeches, and had been allowed to keep her silverite gauntlets, much to her relief. She’d half expected to be told to wear a dress with a train stretching halfway back to Skyhold. Varric was his usual dapper self, and Josie…
Sati had had to turn herself away from the ambassador on a few occasions, realising she was watching her overlong. Josie was already pretty enough, but she looked especially beautiful this evening, and the blush that had tinted her cheeks over her sister’s teasing had been nothing short of adorable.
It was ridiculous, to be entertaining such feelings when they were in the middle of a war. Sati prided herself on being practical, and this was not practical at all.
Removing herself to the cooler air of the balcony gave her time to gather her thoughts, and focus on important things. Below, the palace gardens spread out in silvery splendour, lit by moonlight almost as bright as day. The day’s warmth had drawn out the scent of the flowers. It was so beautiful that it was almost easy to forget that guards were moving around in the shadows, quietly locating and removing the numerous corpses that scattered the grounds. So many of them were people who had simply got in the way. The world was on the brink of disaster, and the noble classes went on playing their games. Half of the problems of the evening hadn’t even been because of Florianne.
At least now they had knocked one of the legs out from Corypheus’ plans. Sati wasn’t sure it was enough to bring him down. The memories from Redcliffe were still horrifyingly strong, and even though they’d now removed Alexius and prevented Orlais from descending into civil war, there was still the matter of the Red Templars, and the Venatori. Added to that, they still didn’t know what exactly had happened at the Conclave.
Sati rubbed her face, and tried to let some of the tension drain out of her shoulders. Tonight had been a victory, but she couldn’t quite stop thinking about the battles they still had yet to come.