[01] Public Video (+Private Action w/ purramedic)

[laughingstawke]

[An intense-looking woman stares through the pokegear, looking at... something. As intimidating as she tried to come off, her brows were knitted together not in aggression, but in confusion. Anders had done what he could to instruct her, but when it came down to it, he didn't know much more than she did.]

[More magic, she figured. Just like the long-distance mirrors she'd seen in "her" house.]

This is a... "broadcast," I suppose? [She lifted a hand to perform air-quotes.] Anders told me he had seen a significant number of these. I figured it best for the public to become familiar with my face. It is only a matter of time until I have to be a hero.

... again.

So... fear not, dear public, your champion has arrived.



[Anders and Hawke wasted little time in setting out the only discernible path. For the most part, their trip was passed in, if not silence (Hawke certainly loved the sound of her own voice), but in a distant manner. Eager as Hawke was to run her mouth, she wasn't willing to run it at her companion.

There were too many unresolved threads of emotion, too many questions with the potential to disrupt the very core of their relationship.

But eventually, even her conversations subsided, and the silence was the only thing left between them.]

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[purramedic]

[Given his own recent behavior, he should be far more comfortable with silence than he currently feels. But for even Hawke's sharp tongue to still is deeply unsettling, almost more so than their being here in the first place.

Anders does his best to be cooperative, but the longer they walk, the more anxious he feels. Soon, he's scrambling for something to talk about in order to fill the silence, anything that doesn't involve a discussion about what happened when they were taken. He jumps at the first appropriate idea.]

Have you tried using magic here? I'm told I wasn't the only one to lose it, but...

[Even if he can't quite finish the thought, it's a start. Maybe.]

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[laughingstawke]

[Unwilling as she was to start the conversation, it was relieving for someone to have filled the silence. Better yet, she was excited to talk about it. As long as they were focused on something else, the less likely it was that they were going to get into the nitty gritty.]

[The last thing she wanted to think about was the unresolved issues between them.]

Only briefly. I attempted to use that trick you taught me, the one for headaches. Naturally I was disappointed. A summary of my life, really.

[purramedic]

[Well, it's a shame. He hopes he wasn't the cause; he's well aware that he can be quite the walking migraine.]

Of course.

[He adjusts his gait, shuffling awkwardly for a moment, and looks down before he speaks again.]

Are you going to be alright?

[laughingstawke]

[Hawke lifted a hand, waving him off as she continued walking. Though the headache lingered at the edge of her nerves, it had mostly dissipated in the midst of all her distractions.]

It was all the confusion. A woman claiming to be my mother. Strange dogs leaping out of balls. But this? Walking aimlessly through the woods with you? That's normal.

[purramedic]

[More sarcasm! A silver lining, indeed.]

I hardly think it's aimless.

Well, usually. This may be different.

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[ruinimpendent]

...A champion, you say.

[ Do not mind the rugged-looking man peering back. Though he is not familiar with the term for one, if this lady thinks she must become a hero? Or be one for the people?

...The first thing he learned may be of use for her, as well. ]

This land is at peace.

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[laughingstawke]

Peace? [Hawke scoffed, eyes rolling as she did. She'd seen peace before. And she'd immediately seen it trampled by genlocks and hurlocks. Even her own personal peace was disrupted by horned beasts and grouchy zealots in metal dresses.]

[Peace was the biggest lie in the universe.]

Do you tell jokes at the bar on the weekend? Or is humor just a fleeting thing for you?

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[ruinimpendent]

[ His expression drops further. ]

It sounds the words of a liar, does it not. But with weapons robbed and Mistless air, the only tool of escalating conflict seems to be the beasts we are to train.

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[laughingstawke]

I won't even pretend to understand what it is you're saying. [Hawke's gaze shifted, glancing down at the Growlithe prancing eagerly at her feet. It was hard to imagine that drooling mess to be prone to any sort of conflict.]

Tell me, are you a patron at a bar at the moment? I am desperate for a drink.

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[cardboard_boss]

Champion, huh? What might you be a champion of?

[Snake didn't really believe in heroes or champions. You were just a human being on the earth to accomplish something and not bask in glory. He just didn't buy it was all.]

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[laughingstawke]

[Miffed as she might have been that someone was doubting her, it at least gave her an excuse to talk about herself.]


A great many things, depending on who you ask. Champion of booze, breasts and beasts, in my humble opinion. But if you want technicalities, Kirkwall. Lovely city, if you don't mind the slaver history. And the stench.

[cardboard_boss]

[He's not doubting, just unsure about the whole champion/hero thing.]

That so? Sounds like you've been around a bit.

[Well-travelled woman? She seemed a strong character and Snake was beginning to like her. He offered her an amused grunt.]

Guessing Kirkwall was your home?

[laughingstawke]

[She let out a snort. Been around was an interesting way to put it. Aside from her exodus to reach Kirkwall, she'd mostly been stationary.]

[Danger just flocked to her, really.]

Close enough, I suppose. [It wasn't as if she had anywhere else. Lothering and everything she had known had been abandoned years before. And in the end, everything she had ever wanted or needed had fallen into her lap in Kirkwall.] What is home to you, Ser Cold and Mysterious?

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[bloodisthicker]

[...eyebrow... raise...]

Sounds like you come from pretty interesting times.

[it's really hard to tell if that's mock frustration or a genuine expression of being put-upon, given his experiences...]

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[laughingstawke]

Oh of course. A time of being chased down for doing magic, or being a non-rotting beast. Or for just being a human, in the case of those blighted qunari.

But yes, very interesting.

[What better way to greet a stranger than with snark?]

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[bloodisthicker]

[that sure was a bunch of terminology he didn't necessarily understand, but you know what, he gets the spirit of it.]

Well, you know, you could say a house on fire is interesting, even if the interest lies in averting and dealing with the issue. It's certainly not welcome, but it's not exactly boring, either.

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[laughingstawke]

[Hawke was silent for a moment, brows lined with a thoughtful furrow. After the span of a few heartbeats, she nodded.]

I suppose you are right. And I have caused a number of small house fires. Entirely accidental, those. Of course, if a red-headed woman happens to arrive here and inquires as to the cause, please direct your blame to the nearest blood mage, thank you.

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[thatwasours]

Good, we're all in need of a hero. How long do you think the magic spell to get us home will take?

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[laughingstawke]

[Hawke scowled at the man staring at her through the communication-mirror.]

Is that sarcasm? I will have you know, I am the only person allowed to be sarcastic. It is a Champion's edict, and you have no choice but to follow it.

[thatwasours]

And you plan to enforce that how?

[take it up with his angry fire-breathing dog]

[laughingstawke]

Why, with the fierce, noble, Dog of course.

[Hawke held up the creature, tongue lolling out of his mouth. He blinked once, before licking the pokegear.]

See. Terrifying.

[islandshore]

[He can't help but chuckle at the champion comment. Not that he's a stranger to heroes, but the wording's shamelessly confident.]

A hero, huh? And what're your credentials?

[Okay, so maybe there's a hint of curiosity. He's been here six years, he's seen a lot of hero types come and go. Knowing their background's always intrigued him.]

[laughingstawke]

Credentials? [Hawke scoffed, smirk lining her lips. Finally, someone was asking the right questions-- the ones that let her brag about herself endlessly.]

For starters, I rescued an entire city from an army of horned beasts. Single-handedly, I might add. [So that was a lie, but who was going to point it out?] I also rescued and aided handfuls of mages who otherwise would have been made tranquil-- That's templar speak for having their brains effectively turned to liquid. I stopped a murderer.

Oh, and I looked dazzling doing so.

[islandshore]

[He whistles at that list. Dang, provided that's all true (and he could buy that), that's... actually pretty darn cool. Definitely heroic, too.]

Horned beasts, huh? So, we talking dragons? Demons? Something even worse? Sounds like some pretty tough contenders either way.

[laughingstawke]

Demons? Maker, no. Those are much easier to deal with. [It wasn't entirely true, demons were conniving, not to mention the fact that they were always clawing at the back of her mind. But a few waves of her staff, maybe an extended period of self-reflection and she could consider herself safe]

[Qunari on the other hand... that required diplomacy.]

No, no. The Qunari, those horned creatures are a fanatical religious group. Tried to purge our whole city because we were "beyond redemption," or at least something of that ilk. And they smell awful.

Then again, that may have just been the city.