She's a roller skating child [Open]

[unbrokenoath]

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."

Comments

[justice_is_blond]

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.

[unbrokenoath]

"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."

[justice_is_blond]

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."