faderift | Cause I'm with you to the end of the line.

WHO: Issala + OPEN
WHAT: Kas no longer exists. Issala has to keep up appearances.
WHEN: Kirkwall move and forward
WHERE: The Gallows + Kirkwall
NOTES: Warning for brainwashing and weirdness.

The letter was still in his hand when the snap in his brain sent a shiver of pain down his spine, almost as if draining something away. Blinking a few times, Issala rolled his shoulders a little bit to reorient himself within his own body.

So it was time. No more brief glimpses of control while the boy almost got himself killed, but now he was in charge of his own mind again. While it felt a bit strange to not be Kas any more, with all the things that had been going on - he had a duty to the Qun. He had trained for this ever since he was placed in the Ariqun at age 12.

Unfolding the letter again, Issala read the words once more to make sure he had not missed anything and to let it all sink in completely.

"Hey kiddo! It's been a while since we talked. We really hear a lot about your Inquisition back in Rivain. Mostly good stuff.

You better stay safe out there, you hear? Everyone's still in one piece here - well, mostly. Notas lost a few fingers in a brawl. At least he can't flip anyone off, right?

Anyway, No-Name wants your opinion on the names they've been interested in. They can't quite choose, so they wanted someone that's been outside the kith to help out. I think they still look up to you.

The names they were interested in are: Issala, Saam, Maraas, Katari.

We know you'll do your duty.

/Athlok + the rest"

It was a pretty sly way to implant his control words in what seemed like any other nice letter from the kith that didn't exist. With the Iron Bull in Skyhold, they needed extra eyes in Kirkwall, so here he was.

Ready.

Putting the letter in his back pocket, Issala left the room that severed as the barracks to fulfill the demands of the Qun.

A

Not much really changed. He continued his day-to-day duties while scouting and delivering messages, keeping up appearances as Kas. It meant, however, that he was withdrawing a bit more from 'his' friends, claiming being busy as the excuse.

There was no point in risking his cover unnecessarily.

Honestly it wasn't that easy to pretend to be Kas all the time, because things that would have excited the idiot boy didn't affect Issala as much. The struggle to be useful and the quest to date a girl was all muted or ignored.

Instead he set his mind into working hard. Bas teens were moody things, weren't they? He had good excuses.

...friends do not let friends act depressed, however.

B

'Kas' spent a lot of time down by the docks, talking to people. Many of the Viddathari there were excellent in providing information about the situations in the city and taking notes to send back to Par Vollen with his own gathered intel.

Issala brought some back with him as his work of 'scouting', although there was some misinformation in there as well. Little things to steer away from the Ben-Hassrath in the city, little things to direct the Inquisition to issues that needed to be tended to.

He doesn't really want company. Maybe you should come along anyway.

C

Training was still a thing that needed to be done, even if Issala had much more experience than Kas ever did. He still had Kas' muscle memory, however, so he had to learn how to combine the two in order to take full advantage of what the boy had learned from Zevran. That way he would be outright deadly in his knifework and archery.

First came his slight of hand, and the training locks he had gotten from the elf were all opened in his pack without the traps sprung, ready to be handed in.

The few training dummies that had been put up in the docks were good targets for his arrows, and Issala took his time to make pincushions out of them as he polished his form.

Join him?

D

Wildcard!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Glancing over at the plaque, she chuckles. "If you have a burning need to place your ass where Hawke parked hers, go right ahead before I get too comfortable. It's too bad Varric's elsewhere for now, isn't it? This would be the perfect setting to go with his stories, far more than the Herald's Rest."

Kas would be crazy for it. All of this, honestly.

Issala isn't sure he wants the attention on them, however. Frowning, he tries to appear 'hesitant' even if it looks more like annoyed.

"Maybe... it wouldn't be the best idea. Qunari sitting there."

Not quite expecting that reply, Korrin's already worried enough about possible attention drawn to them that she can't deny the logic of it. It's frustrating, having to give a fuck what other people think, but if she doesn't, things could become worse for Kas and others.

"Eh, I guess. We'll let them get used to us coming here first, okay? Once they see that we're just customers and not 'scary qunari', you should be good to go." Or at least she hopes so, and Korrin might test it out on her own beforehand just in case.

He gets his ale from the surly-looking bartender - but it looks okay and not too watered-down. Finding a more neutral seat, he makes sure to take the chair to the wall.

Issala tries 'wistful' on his face, but lets the 'idea' of the champion's seat go.

"How's Araceli?"

Snagging her ale, Korrin plops down opposite him, angling herself so she can prop her feet up on another chair. "She's into Kirkwall more than I am, that's for sure. As you might have guessed, she's missed the sea so this is perfect for her in a lot of ways. We're planning to get a place of our own at the docks sometime, but there's too much to do for that to happen right now. You should still stop by, though. She'd welcome the chance to feed you."

Okay, something both Kas and Issala can agree on, is that food is damn delicious and Araceli makes amazing food. The way he perks up this time is not forced at all, and he even smiles. "That would be great. I'm glad she likes it here."

Kas cared about that. He should continue to.

"Is she all healed up now?"

"She is, though we're going to need to find a new place for all her things. Turns out Martel gave her a line of credit and she has a bunch of shit in storage back in Val Royeaux." One more motivation for a move, when it can be finagled. "Remember to look up around here, and you'll probably see her around yourself. You know how she loves to sneak around with those parkour skills of hers."

Speaking of special ladies-- "So. You know I have to ask this: how'd it go with Ruth? C'mon, spill."

"They're pretty impressive. We should race sometime." He wasn't anywhere near her skill, but he had taken Zevran's classes and climbed all over Skyhold. He could...

...he shouldn't be thinking about that. He wasn't Kas anymore.

"Oh. Um... I blew it. Bad." Issala has to pull himself together and look adequately upset about it. "She just wants to be friends."

"You absolutely should. Just let me watch sometime."

But at seeing Kas so crestfallen, she slips an arm around him and squeezes. "I'm sorry, Kas. At least you gave it your best shot, right? You don't have to wonder about what might have been. And hey, there are other girls around."

"I know," he says, sighing again. "...and I did. I guess I'll just hold off on dating for a while." Look at him, Korrin. He's so hurt and sad.

Poor Kas. Echoing that sigh, Korrin signals for another drink. "It sucks, I know. If you need time to bounce back, take it...but don't think this renders you permanently undateable, okay? It doesn't. I've had some setbacks, too. It happens and it sucks...but think of it as clearing the path for something better."

"I know, I... can we just stop talking about it?" It was not the point of this, after all. All he wanted was for it to not be another distraction.

"Have any of the qunari here talked to you?" Issala then continues, as if Kas wants to change the subject. He was more interested in this than the dumb teen heartaches, however.

"Eh, some? Those most fresh out of the Qun aren't that comfortable with a mage, but the rest are fine. We've got a mercenary company around, and some folk that work as bodyguards or such. They've confirmed that we're tolerated in Kirkwall, at least as long as we're not wearing vitaar and shouting about the Qun. I think we can swing that, right?"

"Pretty sure we can swing that, yeah." He laughs. It's empty even if it sounds genuine. He can move his features, grin brightly. Issala is no Hissrad, but it's easy to be simple.

Korrin had no reason to mistrust him.

He takes a sip of his drink and leans his head on one propped-up hand. "Even so, it's kinda stressful to be the 'wrong' kind of person here."

That laugh makes her grin, relaxing a little more when she hears it. Taking another sip, Korrin nods with slight shrug. "I'm not going to disagree there, it can be a pain in the ass. So if you need to take missions outside of Kirkwall, I understand. Just keep me updated."

Cause I'm with you to the end of the line.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject