[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.]

Comments

[purramedic]

[More sarcasm! A silver lining, indeed.]

I hardly think it's aimless.

Well, usually. This may be different.

[laughingstawke]

Do you have any idea where we're going? No? We're wandering aimlessly then.

[D.T. barks once, affirming Hawke's statement. What a good little creature.]

[purramedic]

[Indignant, Anders narrows his eyes at the scraggly mutt before pulling out a map he found in one of his books. With a grunt, he presses his finger over a location and gestures pointedly at Hawke.]

Look. "Cherrygrove City." Not aimless.

[laughingstawke]

What kind of name is that?

[Her brows lowered, a scowl drifting across her lips. She crossed her arms over her chest with a huff.]

Suppose it is no better than Lothering. What a miserable name that was.

[purramedic]

You ask me as if I named it!

[His eyes roll. Hard.]

Yes, "Lothering" is rather terrible. But there were worse places to live in Ferelden.

[laughingstawke]

Ah yes. The circle rant. I had hoped we might be able to avoid that conversation for at least another few hours.

[The words slipped out before she even realized it. She swallowed hard, physically recoiling from her words and regretting them even before he reacted.]

Sorry. That was...

I'm sorry.

[purramedic]

[The only thing that makes it any bit shocking is the fact that it comes from Hawke's mouth. Sure, she's set him straight on more than one occasion when he was being unreasonable, but that is a little unexpected.

That doesn't mean, however, that he wants to make an ordeal out of it.]

Don't fret over it. I suppose I do sing but the one tune.

[laughingstawke]

It... isn't as if I have all that much variety either. [Her laugh and subsequent smile are tight, forced]. How often do I preach about being the beautiful and powerful champion?

[She paused, kneeling down to pet D.T. for a moment. Her head was angled downward, hiding her face from Anders as best as she could without looking too obvious. Snapping at him felt so wrong, especially in regards to this. She had, for a time, been one of the few people he could talk to about his torment in the circle. Frustrated as she was, he didn't deserve that]

[But for all that, she couldn't seem to vocalize a proper apology.]

[purramedic]

Well, you are the beautiful and powerful Champion.

[His grin is pleasant, not so contrived. Maybe things are awkward at the moment, but surely she still knows he truly does think the world of her.]

Really, you shouldn't worry so much. It doesn't suit you. A smug little grin would do nicely, I think.

[laughingstawke]

[Even as he spoke, the aforementioned smug grin spread across her lips. Standing to her full height, Hawke extended her arms and then placed them behind her head, posing in all of her glory. It was easy this way, pretending that everything was fine. Being the same old Hawke with the massive ego.]

[It would have been easy to say it was all pretend. That she felt nothing for Anders and simply needed the inflated ego. But there was no denying or downplaying her feelings. Three years of intimacy didn't just go away.]

Tell me more? Perhaps about how striking my eyes are, or how terrifying my frame is.

[purramedic]

[And his eyes are rolling again.]

Terrifying, indeed. You've certainly sent most of the cute, fluffy woodland creatures scurrying for their dens.

[laughingstawke]

I can't possibly take all the credit for that. [Well, she could. And she certainly thought about it.]

Dog Two here is just too fearsome for these parts, it seems.

[purramedic]

[Anders glances once again to the drooling, wall-eyed mess of an animal and wrinkles his nose.]

"Fearsome" isn't the right word, I don't think. "Repulsive," more like.

[laughingstawke]

Anders [Hawke's voice was sharp, her expression stern. Once more her arms crossed over her chest, and she glowered at him.] If not for him, your precious Princess would be the one fighting.

[Caught up as Hawke is in her own argument, she didn't notice D.T. waddle over to the male mage, nor catch his leg lifting over his boot.]

[purramedic]

[He opens his mouth to argue, and almost manages to retort, but as soon as he notices the dog's proximity to him, and registers the warmth seeping into his boot --

The only words that spill out of his lips for a minute are curses. Loud curses. Pinsy leaps from her perch on his bag and flees, bristling, to the hollow of a tree trunk.

It takes all of Anders' willpower to keep from kicking the poor Growlithe clear across the Veil. Instead, he steps back and throws his arms up.]

Unbelievable! Hawke, you had better keep that awful beast away from me, or I swear to the Maker I'll -- I'll!

[He wrestles the boot off of his foot, takes one look at it, and drops it before returning his fiery glare to Dog Two.]

Augh! Ruined! You foul, blighted, miserable creature!

[laughingstawke]

[Despite her earlier amusement, the guilt was plain on her face. She turned to Dog Two who, sensing the pending scolding, quickly scampered away, tail between his legs. He too finds himself at the tree, pawing desperately pawing at the bark as if begging Pinsy to come to his rescue.]

[The whining was nothing short of pitiful.]

[With her immediate plans falling short, Hawke turned to Anders, an apologetic look replacing the stern one that had previously occupied her face. She moved over to kneel beside him, while her hands began fumbling with her backpack.]

Do you want to wear mine? I don't know if you'll fit but it certainly beats dog piss.

[Admittedly, she was proud of herself for staying so strong. She wanted nothing more than to burst into hysterics, pointing and laughing at Anders until she couldn't breathe. Perhaps later she would. But with everything that had happened, seeing him angry was, surprisingly, upsetting.]

[purramedic]

[Well. Maybe he's being a little hard on the beast. Really, though, he only feels bad because of the sharp look Pinsy directs at him from her perch, and the fact that Hawke of all people is trying to appease rather than tease him.

Suddenly, he's very self-conscious.]

No, no. I'm sure I have a spare pair in my bag.

[Anders really does like his boots -- there's a reason he's kept them instead of putting on the new pair he's currently fishing out of the pack -- but...]

I'll manage.

[He isn't quite ready to apologize to or forgive the dog, but he does sigh and give it an at least neutral glance after he adjusts the new pair.]

[laughingstawke]

[Unluckily for Anders, a neutral look is all that D.T. needed. He immediately pranced back over, pawing at the mage's bare foot. His tail wagged rapidly, and his tongue lolled out of his mouth. All was forgiven on his end, at least.]

[Finally, Hawke let out a snort.]

Good thing, that. Imagine if you wore my boots. They are not exactly your style. A bit too... ostentatious, really. Would clash with the feathers, I think.

[purramedic]

Far too heavy. I don't know how you traipse around in all that metal.

[He tugs his foot out of the reach of the dog, and takes a firm but not harsh hold under its muzzle. His other hand points to its nose in a chiding manner.]

Now, these are all I have left. You're not to do that again. Do you understand me, DT?

[laughingstawke]

[D.T. gives a yip, followed by a long series of licks to Anders' hand. Whether or not he actually understood remained to be seen. He certainly didn't quite have the intellectual ability of his predecessor, of course.]

There, all better. [Hawke clapped her hands together.] Now we can be one big, happy family once again.

[purramedic]

Not quite.

[With a bit of a grimace, he sighs and looks around for something to wipe the slime off of his hand with. After a moment's consideration, he deems the best bet to be Hawke's scarf, the length of which he snatches on his way past her and drops again once his hand is sufficiently cleaned.

At Pinsy's tree, he peers into the hole and offers his good hand for her to sniff.]

I'm sorry for frightening you, Princess. Would you care to come out now?

[The Skitty is skeptical at first, but she decides to join Anders again when he shifts a bit, and only because his shoulder seems a soft enough perch.]

[laughingstawke]

[The scoff Hawke offered him was sharp and loud, just as the glare she fixed on him was icy. She shook her head at him, before fixing her scarf and examining the offending portion with narrowed eyes. A glance at D.T. brings a sigh to her lips. If not Anders, it would be the pup eventually.]

I'd recommend running while you can, Princess. Won't be long until he's convincing you to run around in sewers, saving mages and cats alike. [Her expression, though amused, wavered in the slighted.] Though if you are anything like me, you will love every minute of it.

[Maker how she longed for those 'simple' days.]

[purramedic]

[It isn't the jesting that bothers him to any extent, but how quickly she "rights" it. What he wouldn't give for the past few years to be changed in their own ways... Now that he's here, he can hardly begin to work through his feelings and actions, much less justify them. And Hawke has made it clear enough that she has no interest in discussing them, either.

He offers Pinsy a scratch behind the ear before fumbling a bit with the clean boot.]

Suppose I could bring it along. Sell it for leather scraps, at best.

[laughingstawke]

[Since she doesn't see any negative reaction, Hawke doesn't feel all that bad and quickly moved along. She had shown a little bit too much feeling with her last utterance, and she needed to rectify it.]

[Time to break out more jokes.]

Ah, yes. Take this piss boot and make it a piss jacket. Perfect plan!

[purramedic]

[His eyes narrow as he tucks the boot away and finishes preparations to start moving again.]

This is the clean one, though you're more than welcome to carry the other for me. Perhaps someone in this horrid place could clean it.