faderift | She's a roller skating child [Open]

Entry tags:

She's a roller skating child [Open]

WHO: Kaisa and Alistair, Kaisa and Anders, Kaisa and YOU
WHAT: Kaisa tooling around in the month of Kingsway
WHEN: Kingsway (September)
WHERE: The Gallows, Kirkwall
NOTES: n/a

I: Zoom

Kaisa's not sure what the purpose of the strange shoes that she'd found fallen out of a rift--probably something demonic. Did demons wear shoes? But demonic or no, they were fascinating--and fun.

She hasn't worn them out of the Gallows quite yet, unwilling to cause a diplomatic incident by accidentally running over a Kirkwall citizen. Members of the Inquisition, however, are fair game. In the Gallows courtyard, she rambles around in the strange shoes, slowly figuring out how to move her feet in a way that allows her to keep up her momentum without crashing.

There's plenty of crashing, of course, but you have to break a few eggs to look really cool. No one need fear for Kaisa's safety: The shoes had come accompanied with a helmet and pads for her elbows, knees, and hands. Of course, this only protected her, and not whatever poor soul she ran into, or wiped out right in front of.

II: Training

She's not always trying to get herself killed. Sometimes she's practicing killing others.

She can often be found in the training area of the Gallows, Warden armor on, giant sword in hand. There isn't a whole lot of finesse in Kaisa's technique--mostly, it involves taking the big sword and hitting the training dummy. A lot. She's intensely focused on this task, however, and will often let out screams of rage as she raises the sword to smack the dummy once more. There's something trancelike to it--but instead of calm, there's anger radiating off of her, blind to the world outside of her enemy.

Upon taking a break, the anger dissipates from Kaisa like steam into the air, and she looks perfectly cheerful as she reaches for a jug of water set off to the side. Some of it is poured into a glass, and the rest is promptly upended over her head, followed by raucous laughter.

Alistair

The lowtown markets are comfortable, familiar. They're not too far off from the low-end streets KAisa had grown up in, or the markets of Amaranthine. There's people everywhere, dogs and other animals running loose, and you have to be careful, lest you trip over an unconscious drunk. The noises combine in a cacophony that signals a thriving, busy community.

Kaisa's occupied by adding to that noise, chattering away to the Warden next to her. Her hands are as engaged in the task as her mouth, and several people grunt in annoyance as they dodge around her wild gestures.

"So, I told the man, listen here! I've tangoed with ogres, and you may smell like one, but you sure as the Maker's ass don't dance like one, if ya know what I--"

And then, both her story and her body abruptly halt, freezing in the middle of the street. She offers no explanations for the sudden stop, too busy staring at two people off to the side, currently engaged in a fierce argument. The words 'bloody half-elf,' float by from one of the pair, and while Kaisa doesn't make any further moves, her jaw clenches, her eyes as sharp and intent as a dog about to attack.

Anders

Darktown is not familiar, nor comfortable. Even the alienage in Denerim was a step up from this, though Kaisa is probably biased. She's certainly never had to suffer this level of poverty.

Still, she feels compelled to visit from time to time, in large part due to the large population of Fereldan refugees that dwell in the dim squalor. It's been over a decade since they were forced to flee their homeland, and for many, their lot hasn't improved much. And they may live in Kirkwall now, but Kaisa can't help but view them as (slightly estranged) countrymen. So she comes here now and then, with food and clothes to pass around.

And it's convenient, because Kaisa's been meaning to have a chat with Anders. Having that chat away from the ears of the rest of the Wardens and Inquisition seems like a solid plan, and makes having that chat down here even more appealing.

At the door of Anders' clinic, Kaisa gives the frame a sharp knock before stepping in. Bursting in with her usual bravado seems like it would be met with...understandable alarm, given the situation the clinic was in for a long time. Once she's sure Anders is aware that she's there, and not a threat, she strolls on in, cheeky smirk on her lips.

"Greetings! I have arrived, to woo you away to a life of wealth and comfort." With that announcement, she plops on one of the empty cots, shooting him a wink. "Or, yanno. To just hang out with you. Whichever works."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Nothing can protect her from Teren, but at least she hasn't run into her. Instead it's Boots who halts Kaisa's momentum after Teren hastily jumps out of the way, and the druffalo reacts with a startled moo before craning his head around to see what happened. He is, of course, completely unhurt, and when he sees that it isn't a wolf, he goes back to munching on the oats in the bucket before him.

"What in-- what in the void are you doing, what are those, are you trying to bloody kill me?!" Teren is in full telling-off form as she brushes herself and approaches Kaisa, angrier than probably anyone has ever seen her (her anger tends to be quiet and murderous, not yelly). "Is there a single brain in your head, idiot girl, or did you trade it for th--"
She looks down, fighting for what to call them. "....those."

There's a distinctive whump as Kaisa solidly connects with the druffalo, and then a clatter as she falls, and her helmet connects just as solidly with the ground. The helmet has saved her from a serious injury, but as Teren comes around and tells her what's what, Kaisa can only stare dazedly at her.

Teren continues to go off on her, and as Kaisa's life flashes before her eyes--it looks awesome--she begins to realize that she is, undoubtedly, in some serious shit.

Initial thoughts for a response range from dumb (I have at least two brains, thank you) to really dumb (ha ha, you care about me), but even with her head a little rattled, Kaisa knows well enough to not voice any of these. Maybe if Teren weren't quite so shouty, but she is shouty, and it's kind of terrifying. What was the problem, anyway? She hadn't hit Teren, the only person who was really at risk here was Kaisa herself, and she was perfectly fine.

After serious pondering offered no answers that won't seem to make the situation worse, Kaisa finally responds with an uncharacteristically quiet, "I wasn't trying to kill you, Teren."

Which is surely a relief.

The shit Kaisa's in is only as serious as her belief that Teren can actually do anything, but worst case scenario she's getting yelled at, so perhaps that's bad enough.
"And a good thing, that, as you'd have failed and made an arse of yourself!" she snaps, "Maker, if you ever do that again, I'll have your hide."

She seems to think that's bad enough on its own, judging from the pathetic look she gives Teren. She's innocent, she swears. Look at how sad she is.

"It was an accident." She insists, slowly sitting up and starting to inspect her body for damage. It looks like she made it out with nothing more than skinned palms and the wind knocked out of her. "And I hurt myself more than you or your druffalo."

Pause.

"...You said there wasn't room for a druffalo."

Teren seems like she's about to snap something back, but Kaisa's remark stops her.
"...don't change the subject," she grumpily decides, "you haven't answered my question. What in the void are those." And how can we make sure Alistair doesn't get any.

Kaisa will let the subject drop for now but that doesn't mean that she hasn't forgotten this grave ill Teren has wrought upon her. Her and Boots both.

"I've been informed that they're called roller skates in other worlds. They came from a rift!" In other words, you'll have to keep Alistair away from every rift. "They came with all this padding, too. Probably to keep your brain from getting scrambled while you have them on--though I think you probably aren't supposed to fall this much. But...I'm getting better!" She announces this proudly, because there is a definite improvement, but...the improvement still involves a lot of crashing.

Narrowing her eyes, Teren inspects what's in front of her. Sounds fake.
"Well," she says, her tone clipped and lofty, "...don't fall in the sea." And with a little more feeling, "and if you crash into my druffalo again no padding will save you."

"...Why do you get a druffalo." Everything else Teren said was really important and stuff, but Kaisa has her priorities, and those priorities include pointing out great injustices that have been metted out against her. "I want a druffalo. If I had my own, I'd only be crashing into it, not yours."

"Then go off to a bloody farm and be followed by one," Teren snaps, her patience for the conversation running thin. "Or be gored, makes little difference to me."

Kaisa puts her hands up defensively--she's not a genius, but she can read moods (when it suits her). She's not sure why Teren is so particularly angry at her, but it's probably just best to cut her losses and slink off somewhere out of her sight.

Of course, the ability to slink off involves not having the roller skates on, so Kaisa starts removing them as she replies. "Fine, fine. Maybe I will, and then you can attend my funeral and tell everyone what a big dumb idiot I was." And with that, she collects her things, brushes her hands on her pants, and turns to leave before Teren finds another snippy comment to make.

Teren spares Kaisa the snippy comment, but glares at her as she goes. For all the daggers her eyes are throwing, it's more or less guaranteed she'll be fine again the next time they talk. Depending on how one defines 'fine'.

Inessa, reading in the courtyard so that Garahel can enjoy napping in the sun instead of the library for once, looks up suddenly upon hearing a crash. That's enough to snap the mabari out of his dozing as well, as he lifts his head with a worried whine. As her fellow Grey Warden wipes out right in front of her, Inessa places her book aside and stands abruptly, stepping forward to assist. Garahel does likewise, padding to the other side.

"Kaisa! Are you alright? And...Maker, what are those?" She stops and stares at the coloful, wheeled shoes.

Edited 2017-09-08 13:53 (UTC)

It takes a little maneuvering for Kaisa to sprawl a little bit more gracefully before Inessa, but she manages, giving a cheerful little wave up. "Hey, Inessa. Hey, Garahel." She starts to reach to ask for Inessa's hand, then pauses--yeah, there's no way the itty bitty elf brigade will be helping her up. But she can handle sitting up on her own, so she'll just. Be doing that instead.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Good thing this thing came with its own armor, huh? I wouldn't put it between me and a sword, but it's good enough for the pavement." She lifts a foot up, inspecting the skates closely. "No clue what they are, some kinda shoes, I guess. But they're pretty fun, yanno?"

Good call. For all that Inessa wants to assist, the only real result would be her tumbling down with Kaisa, not raising her up. Garahel is much more solid, though, and he remains at Kaisa's side if she needs him...and maybe sniffing at her padding and wheeled shoes, because those are new and interesting.

"Where did you find them? I've never seen their like." She tilts her head, thoughtful. "They could be of use in combat, I suppose...if the ground was level."

Kaisa is able to manage getting up on her own for the most part, but she will borrow Garahel for the task of getting from her knees to standing, and mutters a quick thanks to him, and produces one of her dog treats from her pocket for the favor. Don't tell Puppy. After a little more flailing around, she clings to a pillar, and speaks to Inessa while carefully peeling the shoes off. Time to stop trying to break her neck for now.

"They fell out of a rift. I suppose that they could be pretty neat in combat if I got a handle on them. Which...I haven't, yet." She regards them for a moment, before shrugging. "Mostly, they're just fun. When I'm not, yanno. Crashing."

Yay, Kaisa! Garahel wags his tail at the thanks, then promptly feasts on the unexpected treat. Since he was being helpful and not a pest, Inessa lets this go without comment. He can be rewarded for good behavior any time.

Her gaze shifting to the strange shoes themselves, she chuckles. "It's a bit like having the ability to Fade Step, though stopping part leaves something to be desired. Just how bruised are you, at this point? Do you want healing?"

"Yeah, it's always the stopping that gets ya, huh." Kaisa laughs, shaking her head. At Inessa's question, she pauses, glancing down at herself. Then, she peels off the helmet, as well as the knee and elbow pads, dumping them all unceremoniously next to the skates. She'll pick it up later. Once free from the padding, she conducts a more thorough inspection of her body.

"That gear that came with it helped, for the most part. I think I got a few bumps and bruises--I'll probably know better tomorrow, when they all show up." She stops to look down at her hands, and then present her palms to Inessa, a bit skinned and worse for wear. "If I had to guess, my hands got the worst of it. Next time, I'm wearing leather gloves. If you want to heal that, I won't say no. But it won't kill me, either."

As Kaisa removes the protective gear, Garahel heads over to sniff at each one because it's new and interesting, however it might smell now. Ignoring that, Inessa looks Kaisa over. Her life hasn't been dedicated to healing the way some mages have, but she's learned enough to keep her traveling companions in decent shape.

"It won't, but it's not as though this has been a draining day, either." She'll send some of that blue healing energy Kaisa's way, since there's no reason to withhold it. "I'll keep a lookout for news of similar gear. Not for myself, but if more appears, perhaps you'll have someone to race."

He looks up at the knock, giving her a grin in return. Never will he be complaining about a friend coming by to hang out.

"I do appreciate a good wooing, but I think someone beat you there. I may just have to choose hanging out." After a moment, he's got his hands clean and everything set to the side before he's dropping down on to the cot next to her. This is... rather nice, though he suspects she probably has more of a reason than hanging out to come down here. Darktown isn't exactly the place one goes for a casual scroll.

"What's brought you down here?"

"Damn. There goes my plans for the evening." Kaisa replies good-naturedly, giving Anders a gentle elbow nudge. "I'll survive, I reckon."

And Anders question, she gives a little shrug, flapping her hand carelessly. "Sometimes I come down to visit with the Fereldan refugees. Give 'em some food and stuff, yanno? Figure that it's only good luck that got me a better deal than they did, so I oughta try to pass around some luck." Sometimes she contemplates trying to offer them rides back to Fereldan, to go from being refugees to being home, but--they probably wouldn't accept it. And Kaisa probably couldn't pull it off, anyway.

"But I also came to see you, 'cause I wanted to ask you about opinions. And stuff. About the nonsense that's been going on lately. See what you thought of it."

He snickers at the nudge, enjoying the ribbing, before listening and nodding along. It's good to see others out here, caring and helping. Darktown can use far more than he'll ever be able to give.

"You know me. I've plenty of opinions about a great many things." His voice is dry. "You may have come to the right place if you want someone to talk your ear off."

He's touched that she's come to him for an opinion, despite the dry tone. There aren't a whole lot of people who value his thoughts around the Inquisition right now. Or really ever. Being heard feels... nice.

"I've talked your ear off plenty of times, I figure it's only fair to return the favor." Kaisa replies dryly, though there's a smile tugging at her lips. She pauses for a bit, trying to figure out how to exactly word what she wants to say. It's...not something she's used to doing.

"I wanted to ask what you made of the whole thing between Alistair and Loghain. And maybe Loghain in general." She finally spits out, giving a little shrug. "I mean, it's a damn complex thing, yanno? And Alistair's my friend an' all, but. I dunno." Another shrug, just in case Anders thought she was too emotionally involved in this. "It's not shit I ever thought I'd need to deal with--and I guess I don't really need to deal with it? But it seems like a bad idea to just straight up ignore it."

He takes a breath, expression going a little more serious.

"I... It's a mess, Kaisa. Damn and complex certainly describe it." He shrugs too, as if to pretend he hadn't been bothered by the replies. "As someone a lot of people hate, I can't say I support a post stirring up hatred. I understand that Alistair's been hurt. I understand hurting. But the way he's gone about it..." Anders exhales heavily, losing his pretense. He's not great at disguising how he feels. "It shows division in our branch that needs legitimacy. As far as Loghain himself, I don't know. I don't have any specific feelings about the man. I'm not Fereldan. If the Grey Wardens hadn't been decimated, they wouldn't have needed to conscript me and I'd likely be dead, but it's not like that was part of his consideration."

So okay. There are certain things to be expected to be happening around the Gallows at any given point. In the few months Prompto's been here, he's gotten used to the regular hub-bub of the Gallows. There are things that he barely even notices anymore, things that used to make him stop and stare for minutes on end.

Needless to say, his mouth drops a bit as he sees someone precariously balancing on roller skates. Of all the things he thought weren't in Thedas, those would definitely have been on that list.

"Whoa! Where did you get those roller skates?"

And where the heck can he get a pair?

"Roller whatnow?"

It had taken a few seconds of blank staring for Kaisa to figure out that Prompto was referring to her slick new shoes, which she glances down to inspect, holding one foot up--and quickly grabbing onto the nearest pillar.

"These shoe things? They fell outta a rift, and I thought they looked pretty cool. I think I'm getting the hang of them! I can push myself and I usually don't fall."

She's only a little bit wobbly, as she stands there, smiling cheerfully. She's totally got it, she's going to be staring in Thedas Roller Boogie.

"Roller skates! That's what they're called. At least where I'm from, anyway."

It's always both entertaining and worrisome watching a person flail while they find their balance on the things. Though here it's a bit more towards the worrisome, considering that these are probably the first pair of skates to ever grace Thedas, and thus, no one really knows what they're doing.

"Do rifts normally just spit out stuff randomly? Though I guess they do spit out people..." Huh. Maybe someday he'll find something. He grins and nods, watching her as she balances herself on them. "You're definitely doing better than a lot of people do with 'em. It just takes some practice and time until you figure out how to balance. Then the real fun starts."

"Roller skates. Cool." She inspects the skates with a newfound appreciation, as though this new information changes everything. "What are they for? Like--what do people do with them? 'Cause someone mentioned to me that they thought they could be used in combat, but honestly, that seems like a good way to get a limb or two broken." Or maybe that's just because Kaisa had no idea how to use them properly? Maybe once she figured them out she could try taking them to the Dark Roads.

The darkspawn would have no idea what the fuck just happened.

"Rifts? Yeah, they spit out random shit all the time. Besides people, I mean. I've heard about alcohol, food, armor, more mundane things. Alistair got a box of lady's underthings, for some reason. Maker was probably having it out on him for some blasphemy or another." Shrug. "Do you know how to use 'em? The roller skates, I mean. 'Cause right now I'm just making shit up as I go along."

"They're just for fun. Some people like to just skate around on them. I know kids would like to race with them, but that usually wound up with someone tripping and doing a spectacular face plant on the road." He makes a startled face at the suggestion of using them in combat. "Ah, no you're right, they are not combat friendly. Those things are useless on grass. They'd be good for a quick getaway in a city with paved roads, but that's about it." Please don't go fighting demons with those on.

Now that's a new tidbit about the rifts. "Interesting. Maybe I'll find something from one someday." Like camera supplies. That'd be super swell. "Oh, yeah, I do. Been awhile, though. It's mostly just learning how to balance on them. And stopping without doing a face plant."

"Hah--I do enough face planting without racing." Then, because face planting is probably less of a hindrance to Kaisa than it should be: "...But it'd still be pretty fun, though. I'd totally win, I've got a head start on everyone else." Fighting demons with them would be pretty fun, but. You'd have to get the demons to agree to spawn on paved surfaces. That might be an issue.

"Maybe! Hopefully it'll not be something useless. At least none of it seems to be, like. Dangerous. Or demon infested. So far, at least." She takes a moment to glance down at her skates. Well, if they were demon infested, the demons were patient. Maybe they knew Kaisa could kick their ass.

There's a pause, and then suddenly Kaisa turns to look at Prompto, startled at a sudden realization. "Oh, Maker's ass, I'm being rude. Senior Warden Kaisa Daesun, at your service." And with that, she offers a hand. "I'm glad t' meet someone who knows what the fuck these things are, I didn't have any dang clue."

Prompto glances down at the skates with her. Can demons possess a pair of skates? Is that a thing? Given that they're not native to Thedas, he doubts one would even have the temerity to do that. It'd probably just confuse them. "Well... I mean, I think they're safe. If a demon wanted to harm someone, honestly, the skates can do that well enough on their own."

He shakes her hand. "Ah, I was being rude, too. Our bad. Prompto. Glad to be of service to a Warden. Usually everything about Thedas is out of my wheelhouse, so it's kinda nice to know something about something for a change."

Kaisa has an audience before too long, in the form of a tall, redheaded woman covered in paint and tattoos. She's likewise armed, a two-handed blade strapped to her back. Given the extreme focus of the woman training, she holds off from commentary until Kaisa takes a break, whereupon she strides over and cracks a grin, her Avvar accent strong. "That was some impressive work back there, loud and brutal. You'd make a fine Avvar berserker, you know. Not my style, but I damn well respect it."

Kaisa wheels around when someone speaks to her, hair still dripping from the water. She gives her head a quick shake, grinning at the compliments the other woman gives her. "You think so? I've always admired the Avvar. You guys sure know how to beat the stuffing out of whatever tries t' fuck with you." Which is always an admirable quality, in her opinion.

"Maybe when I tire of the extravagant life of the city, I'll go find an Avvar clan that'll let me in to retire for my twilight years." She cracks another grin at that, though the humor is more morbid than Skadi probably realizes. Wardens don't exactly get twilight years. "Haven't seen you around. You new around here?" Kaisa swings her sword off to the side, and sticks out her hand. "Warden Kaisa Daesun. Nice t' meet ya."

"We do, don't we? Good times, good times." Kaisa's own compliments are a welcome change of pace. Skadi hasn't met many people yet who don't keep their distance, giving her wary looks as though she's about to decapitate something right in front of them. That easy grin is met with one in kind as she rests her hands on her hips.

"Well met, Kaisa. Skadi Iceblade, of White Wolf Hold. And aye, this is all new to me. I'd never been beyond the Frostbacks, let along that sea, but...." She lifts her palm long enough to reveal the shard embedded in it, then shrugs. It's not a fondly-regarded souvenir, but enough time has passed for her to stop panicking. "If the gods think I'm meant to be here, then I'll swing a blade what whatever needs killing."

"We've had a couple Avvar come through here before. I'm not sure if any are still around, but--they always leave a hell of an impression when they show up." Kaisa laughs, shaking her head and raking a hand through her hair. "Welcome to the rest of Thedas, though. I hope it's not too easy for ya. I'm sure we can drag some mountain lions down here if you need excitement."

She leans forward to inspect the shard, making a sympathetic pained face. "Maker's ass, that sucks. Sorry ya kinda had t' come here whether you liked it or not. The good news is that it probably won't kill you." A ray of sunshine. "And you can, like. Make shields and stuff with it, if you practice. I've seen people do it, but you'd have to talk t' them about how."

Hey, Skadi will take good news where she can find it. 'You're not dying yet' is still something worth hearing and makes her smile, quick to find the brighter side in anything. And that last part has her curious. "I've never been one for defense, myself, but it'd be exciting to see that in action. It doesn't make the shard worse, does it?" Said as casually as possible, though her unease is probably easier detected than she'd like. Sacrificing stability for some weird new skill? Not going to happen.

"And mountain lions...Lady, don't tempt me. I'm already thinking it won't be long before I'll want that kind of challenge. Can't let myself get soft around here, right?" She grins, glad to see that at least some lowlanders are apt to understand that.

Beside her, Alistair needs another couple of seconds to stop laughing at her story and process what it is that's made her fall quiet. He isn't as attuned to these things as she is. Maybe he should be, now, but he didn't grow up feeling it. He still doesn't really feel it. He looks at her first, bewildered, and then toward the argument, and then it clicks.

And then he gets angry. It doesn't have to feel like a personal slight for him to be angry.

"Kaisa—" he says, which is maybe the beginning of some attempt to help her shrug it off, or to make fun of the bastard, etc., but he changes his mind and raises an eyebrow. "I could hold you back."

Kaisa is well aware that she should just walk it off, ignore the insults not even aimed at her, not even aimed at anyone she knows. She'll probably get a lecture from someone or another about how she's smearing some reputation or another. She can't fight everyone with a shitty opinion about half-bloods.

But she sure as the void can try.

So when Alistair offers a third option, she turns to him with a positively wicked grin. "You're the best." And then she straightens, dusts herself off, and promptly lunges at the offending guy, snarling. "You want t' say that shit about half-bloods to my face, you blighted son of a bitch?" If there's one thing that can be said about Kaisa, it's that she's very good at channeling her rage into an almost palpable aura.

He is the best, yes, thanks, and he's right behind her when she lunges, grabbing her around the middle at the exact right moment to make it look like a near miss. Maybe it really was. He's a little distracted by not accidentally letting her loose and sending her colliding with the fellow, but he does manage to note and enjoy the shocked terror on the man's face.

"Kaisa," Alistair says, aiming for put-upon whining. He's a bad actor, but maybe that's difficult to notice when you feel like your life is in danger? "You can't keep killing people in the streets, it's getting difficult to—oof—to cover up—"

He's helping.

Bad actor or no, it seems to be enough--or maybe it's just not worth the risk either way, because the man takes one look at Kaisa's face, a quick glance at Alistair, and decides to book it. The one who'd been the recipient of his anger gives a quick, grateful look to Kaisa before deciding that they don't want to be any more of a target, and scurry in the opposite direction.

Situation diffused, Kaisa's left the victor, but with pent up energy that manifests as pacing. "Thanks, Alistair. I just--Maker's ass, it pisses me off." She slides a hand through her hair, and then starts walking proper again, needing to do something, needing to move, blow off some of that unspent frustration.

"It's like--It's like they don't think we fuckin' know, yanno. We don't know that we're the bottom of the fucking barrel." Her voice is a low growl, with frustration and bitterness. And even regret, something she generally tries to shy away from. "Like--Like we aren't aware! Of what everyone fucking thinks!" She stops at that, and spins, giving the wall a good, hard kick. Yeah, you take that, wall. See if you shit talk any time soon.

"--I mean, I guess you don't know. But. You get what I'm saying." She adds on belatedly, staring angrily at the scuff she's left on the wall.

The hasty departures make Alistair grin, at nothing and no one in particular. The satisfaction of a job well done. But the satisfaction and the smile both fade, as Kaisa keeps walking and talking, until there's a troubled frown on his face instead. She's right that he doesn't know. The impulse to tell her—to say I'm one too—has nothing to do with trying to argue that he does know, everything to do with wanting to let he know she's not in it alone, because that's what he wants from people when he's upset. That, and feeling like a liar for keeping quiet.

But it's still not his place. It'd still feel like trying to claim something that isn't really his.

"I get it," he says, looking at her scuff mark as well. "Let me buy you a drink."

Kaisa doesn't seem to notice if Alistair is quieter than usual. Not that she's a beacon of perception normally, but right now, she's so far in her own head that she can barely see anything else. Kaisa may be emotional, but she's always had control over them, she always kept certain things locked away. Unnecessary, and weak.

She grits her teeth for a moment, then finally relaxes, sighing. This isn't doing anyone any good, especially her. "Yeah. I'd like a drink. Maybe five. Maybe I'll just keep drinking until I oust Oghren from his title as that one drunk-ass Warden." The joke is as thin as her smile, but at least it's there.

"Thanks, Alistair. You're a good friend." One of her better ones, probably. And he's easy to talk to, at least. Unless he doesn't want to be.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She's a roller skating child [Open]

I

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

I

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Anders. Clearly.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

I

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

II

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

MINE

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject