high_seas | (no subject)

[For a moment, Hawke shifted when the mabari approached, but... it seemed only curious, not dangerous. Not trained like the "Doglords" in the slums had trained theirs, so she knelt to offer her hands to it, open.

These creatures were far too smart, from what she'd seen, for her to treat it with anything less than respect. Getting to see one up close that wasn't trying to rip her throat out was wonderful.

At the sound of the other's voice, she looked up. An elf. And a mage. Not Dalish, by the clothes.]

Hawke?

I mean, if we're both somewhere, there's always "Garrett" and "Marian," I guess.

[But, well. It's been a long time since someone called her by her first name who wasn't family.]

[When Sydni got to her, he began to circle her slowly.

Cuddles, on the other hand, decided Hawke's kneeling and open hands were an open invitation to give her the biggest, wettest, doggy kiss. And then to butt his boney head up against her chest to indicate that petting should commence. Preferably now.]

Well, there is that. But by your answer, you would prefer 'Hawke'. And I don't really think I need two people who respond to 'Hawke' to come running or answer a a question should I have need of only one. So, in lieu of calling you Hawke, what would you prefer to be called?

Because if you don't give me a name, I'm likely to start calling the two of you Beauty and Beast. You can fight over who gets which moniker.

[She will not start baby-talking the dog. As much as the Fereldan in her wants to shower it with affection, both physical and spoken. But she does start petting it, scratching behind an ear.]

I suppose I don't really care. I'm just used to Hawke, I guess.

Even most of my friends just call me that.

[Anders, Isabela... Could she call Fenris a friend? She thought of him as one, but she wasn't sure he saw her the same way. Merrill, too.]

If you want to use "Marian," you can.

What's your name?

[Cuddles probably would have let the baby-talking slide due to the much-enjoyed pettings, but it would have been annoying. He didn't mind it coming occasionally from Sydni, but Sydni was a special case.]

Warden.

[He grinned cheekily and paused in his walk to offer a shallow bow in greeting.]

Sydni Surana, Warden-Commander of Ferelden. Most of my friends call me 'Warden' as if I'm the only one in existence. It's an oddity I've come to accept. Though only one of them has made their way to this world, so 'Warden' hasn't been that common place here.

You can call me Warden or Surana, if you'd like.

It's a pleasure, Serrah Hawke.

The Warden-Commander...

[Sorry, Cuddles. The petting? Might have just slowed to a stop as Hawke just stares at Sydni.

Because she recognizes that term. And connects it immediately to another she knows all too well.]

The Hero of Ferelden.

It's... It's an honor.

[And she actually rises from her attention to the mabari to offer her own bow in greeting.]

[Sydni practically preened at that reaction, giving a lie to his more humble response.]

No need for that. Truly. I'm surprised you've heard of me. So many here haven't. Or if they have, they've thought of another than myself.

I'm a Ferelden by birth.

[She can't help but smile at seeing the reaction, not that she'll draw attention to it.]

I fled to Kirkwall when the Blight started, and it was... amazing. To hear about the Blight being ended.

Lothering. I know.

[He waved his hand vaguely off to the side.]

The other Hawke told me of y- your family fleeing it. I was there before it was attacked. A very brief visit and also a very brief conversation. A mention, really.

You were in Lothering?

[Well. That's surprising.]

I wish I'd known. I'd have offered my aid.

[Because fighting alongside the Hero of Ferelden couldn't have gone any worse than everything that had come from trying to outrun the Blight had.

Maybe her family could have gotten out sooner. With Bethany. And gotten into Kirkwall before they closed the gates. There would have been no Deep Roads.]

[Sydni shook his head, dismissing the thought.]

It wouldn't have gone well for you. We were wanted by Loghain and laying low. I have prestige within Ferelden now, but when I visited it had only been a few weeks since the routing at Ostagar. We couldn't be open about being Wardens to many people and we couldn't gather a very large group to travel with us. Don't worry about the what-if's, Serrah.

[Change of topic time!]

I was told you're a mage.

I am a mage.

[She smiled faintly.]

An apostate in a city with a very active Knight-Commander and Templar presence.

[She knows a thing or two about being wanted and laying low. At least with the Warden, she'd have been in her homeland, not a refugee.]

I'm not sure if anyone in that Circle was more blessed or cursed to have a city on it's doorstep, then those who live in the Circle of Ferelden. We rarely learn anything of the outside world, so it's harder to understand it on the rare occasions we get to leave, but we also don't have it right there, taunting us with it's accessibility.

But even with the active Knight-Commander and Templar presence, you managed not to be taken into the walls. I expect you've gotten very good at hiding.

The Gallows... Everyone who enters Kirkwall has to walk past them. It was used by the Tevinter Imperium to house slaves. Now it houses the Circle.

[A horrifying place. One that chilled her blood every time she had to walk through it, to walk past the Templars.]

It's a horrible place. I really, really hope I get to burn it to the ground eventually.

[Breathe. Breathe. Less anger.]

It's as much getting in with the right people as it is being good at hiding. I... managed to make some good friends.

Oh. Cursed it is. At least the Templars didn't try to hide how they think of mages behind some false compassion of guarding them from themselves. Putting them in a former-slave house makes things more than clear.

[He probably would have tried to run away from that Circle had he ended up there. Maybe.

He liked to think he would have.]

I'm happy to hear it. Would one of those friends be Isabela? Our dear captain did comment once that she knew Hawke as a woman.

Yes, Isabela is a friend of mine.

[She smiles as she says it.]

...Granted, she's the sort of friend who gets me into more trouble than she gets me out of.

I tend to be that friend to my friends. But that's only because they made me the leader.

Yeah, I get that a lot.

"Hawke, what should we do?" "What do you think, Hawke?" "Why did you agree to do that, Hawke?!"

...When things go wrong, of course.

Of course. Even when they've plainly stated that they'd rather you lead because they're crap at leading they still get upset and question you. And when you tell them they could lead instead, it's always "Oh no! I'm not King material! Let Anora have the throne!".

And they get mad at you when you handle hard situations, but Maker forbid they do it without your help.

I have a few friends like that.

I'm beginning to suspect it's a sadly common state of affairs. At least the both of us managed to befriend a dashing rogue. You, a pirate. Me, an assassin. The two of them, having lots of sex with each other. The circle of friends is complete.

So we have a dashing rogue each.

[She can't help but smile.]

A brooding warrior? A charming storyteller? An apostate? A noble warrior? ...A second apostate?

[He started counting off on his fingers.]

Brooding warrior, charming storyteller, an apostate, a noble warrior.... but not a second apostate. Circle mage on leave from the Circle to accompany me. That's five we both share. Five out of six so far. Let's see... did you happen to get a drunken lout or a pigeon killer? Those are very important to filling out the party, you know.

Well, my second apostate is a former First of a Dalish Keeper, so that's not... totally an apostate? I don't know.

[She shakes her head, laughing a little. Because, well, it sounds like they run in similar circles.]

No pigeon killer, but Isabela loves her drinking.

I'm not yet doubling up, so I'll take both as a 'no'. I hope you at least managed to get yourself a faith dwarves merchant to follow you around for those times you oh so conveniently needed a new weapon or a sturdy pair of boots. Well, I suppose it doesn't have to be a dwarf. I'm just rather fond of the one I had.