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((9:41 Dragon, summer, after this thread Sati Adaar ))
Josephine paced upon the rug before the fireplace in her office. Summer was warming much of the rest of southern Thedas, but in the towering mountains where Skyhold nested like a miraculous jewel, snows still blanketed the earth outside the walls and fires were still very much needed to warm the buildings. Whoever had built the ancient and mysterious redoubt had wrought well, and the thick stone walls kept in the heat radiating from the blazing hearth. The chill that raised stubborn gooseflesh on Josephine’s arms came from within this day, however, and refused to be dispelled by her proximity to the fireplace.
Had she known what would happen, she would never have proceeded as she had, but that did not lessen the guilt that gnawed at her. Lives had been lost because of her … and she did not even understand why!
She should not have asked for Sati to come; the victory at the Winter Palace had bolstered the reputation of the Inquisition and led to even more demands upon its leader. There had been no time even for them to revisit the conversation that had been interrupted at Halimshiral … or perhaps Sati had simply changed her mind. Or perhaps Josephine had imagined it all … and why was she even thinking about that right now?
If Sati did not come with her, she risked never finding those responsible, risked having the redemption of her family’s honor forever beyond her reach … but had she any right to burden one who already shouldered far too much for what was, after all, a purely personal matter? But she had already sent word to Sati, and she returned to her desk, sifting among the papers in search of something - anything - else to claim as the reason for the summons.
Josephine paced upon the rug before the fireplace in her office. Summer was warming much of the rest of southern Thedas, but in the towering mountains where Skyhold nested like a miraculous jewel, snows still blanketed the earth outside the walls and fires were still very much needed to warm the buildings. Whoever had built the ancient and mysterious redoubt had wrought well, and the thick stone walls kept in the heat radiating from the blazing hearth. The chill that raised stubborn gooseflesh on Josephine’s arms came from within this day, however, and refused to be dispelled by her proximity to the fireplace.
Had she known what would happen, she would never have proceeded as she had, but that did not lessen the guilt that gnawed at her. Lives had been lost because of her … and she did not even understand why!
She should not have asked for Sati to come; the victory at the Winter Palace had bolstered the reputation of the Inquisition and led to even more demands upon its leader. There had been no time even for them to revisit the conversation that had been interrupted at Halimshiral … or perhaps Sati had simply changed her mind. Or perhaps Josephine had imagined it all … and why was she even thinking about that right now?
If Sati did not come with her, she risked never finding those responsible, risked having the redemption of her family’s honor forever beyond her reach … but had she any right to burden one who already shouldered far too much for what was, after all, a purely personal matter? But she had already sent word to Sati, and she returned to her desk, sifting among the papers in search of something - anything - else to claim as the reason for the summons.