The Ghost's Crusade

XIV: Drystan (cont.)

"Oh for the love of everything rooted," muttered Akkali, suddenly very awake and on her feet. Turning to her side she stabbed one finger at Tiernan though he could tell by her expression that she would have dearly liked to slap him across the face with something sharp. "You need to speak up and tell Drystan whatever you're brooding over before he leaves or get the hell over whatever your bloody problem is. Antenox does not have so many Inferi as to allow one to chase after something that is clearly the Inquisition's problem and I for one am damn worried about what has become of Archer. That man and his revenant just happen to be friends of mine who do not go missing unless they're actually missing body parts."

She wheeled around on Drystan an instant later, killing the smug grin that was starting to form on his face with a withering stare she normally only used on people a quarter of his age. "And you. You're an ass for walking out on Tiernan twice regardless of how high and mighty your reasons are, especially when you have been telling me for years now how he is supposedly like a brother to you. You just let him know the biggest bloody secret on Eral-one that happens to be pretty damn sacrilegious, if you remember what your stupid holy books say. You can't tell a zealot something like that and expect just him to just get over it and give you a hug."

He could feel Arathron laughing at the both of them and for the first time in recent memory he wished he had a way to reach out and punch the revenant just so he could shut the man up. The utterly dumbstruck, fish-mouthed look on Tiernan's face was only making the spirit laugh harder. He couldn't remember the last time someone had scolded him in such a manner, and obviously the Inquisitor couldn't either.

"Jansa, watch him," she said to the dog, pointing at Tiernan. Compliantly the mutt hopped off the bed and curled up on the floor between the Inquisitor and the door, keeping her mismatched eyes fixed on the man as she settled her head atop her crossed paws. "You idiots work out your damn issues."

Tiernan looked about ready to stand up and follow her out when a low growl from Jansa caused him to remain in place. "And where are you going?"

"Away from you two." She glared at him with the same look she had used on the Inferi. "Maybe I'll go downstairs and help the scullery maids before the cook slogs in. Maybe I'll go kill myself a tavern full of Returners and paint the town red with their entrails. I'm not sticking around two grown men mewling like a pair of spoiled princesses over whose feelings were hurt the worse when they showed up to the ball with the same bloody tiara."

"Akkali, it's pouring outside," Drystan insisted. "You're going to make yourself sick."

Glancing at the window she seemed to snarl at the weather, apparently having forgotten all about the rain in her anger at the both of them. "Then I guess I'll just be downstairs ignoring you two idiots."

She walked out without sparing them another scathing word, closing the door behind herself with a lot less force than she normally would have used when angry. Drystan watched her leave, realizing that without her there he had just lost his last method of avoiding meaningful conversation with Tiernan. It hadn't occurred to him how much he didn't want to explain himself to anyone until he was face to face with the man that wouldn't let up until he had a satisfactory answer to whatever puzzle he had decided to figure out.

He turned to look over at Tiernan and found him staring right back at him with his arms crossed against his chest and a rather disappointed frown on his face. "Just answer my questions, Drys."

Throwing his hands up in the air in surrender he sighed, "Fine. Ask away."

Tiernan watched his face carefully, and having employed the technique countless times in his own questionings he knew the man was watching for his tells to catch him in a lie. "Do you really believe in what you're doing?"