faderift | Sometimes the path appears before you're ready

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Sometimes the path appears before you're ready

WHO: Taashath & anyone
WHAT: Taas returns to Skyhold to officially join the Inquisition
WHEN: Today, evening
WHERE: Skyhold courtyard, and later the tavern.
NOTES: None, yet

The massive destrier he had borrowed made a grand entrance to the Skyhold courtyard with the heavy fall of his hooves. The large qunari warrior on top of it was even more of a spectacle as he leaned back to stop the animal and push the bear fur back over a shoulder to get some more room in order to dismount. His chest was still bare underneath, red vitaar painted in an artful pattern of lines all the way up to his neck and framing his face.

He smiles at one of the stable boys that come to take the mount and then stretches a bit, feeling his back pop. Carrying the huge battle axe on a mount was kind of a pain, but at least he'd made damn good pace back to the old fortress without trouble. Hefting the weapon off his back and stealing the saddle bags before the kid took the mount away, the warrior leaned his weapon over a shoulder instead.

Golden-brown eyes studied the passing people with interest, a little surprised to see how things had changed. It sure seemed a lot busier since he was here, last.

"Shit," he mutters, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand and brushing back dark strands of hair that had escaped from the messy bun at the nape of his neck. It was gonna be a mess to find the Commander or the Seeker in this bustle, wasn't it?

[Later]

Hearing that the Ben-Hassrath had left on a mission, Taashath had happily wandered into the tavern for a drink and maybe something to eat. Making sure he found a chair that could support his weight, the qunari pushed it against the wall and leaned back with a satisfied grunt.

Part of him found that he had actually missed this place, which was probably a good thing. After all, this time he planned to stay.

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Pel has been figuring out how to relax at the end of a hard work day instead of just going to bed and sleeping when she has to. Hard work, reward self with leisure. It's kind of cool to have downtime, even if she's always worried she's slacking while something important needs to be done.

She smiles when she sees Taas, and makes her way to him with a cup of mulled wine (a new favorite).

"You came back!"

When Cyril sees Taas he is careful to wave a bit, not noticeably to make people stare but enough to catch the Qunari's sight. It's the same way that he might call out a friendly hello to a familiar face.

It's only if Taas looks his way that he asks if he'd like a bit of company.

Edited 2015-12-06 23:08 (UTC)

Of the people Gorse did not expect to see today, Taashath was fairly high on the list. He knew there was always the chance that he wouldn't see the other man again - Taashath had made his lack of being part of the inquisition quite clear, after all.

Hope sprang eternal, though, and seeing the tall Tal-Vashoth over the heads of the various hustle and bustle in the courtyard, well...

"TAASHATH!" Gorse called, waving his arms wide to get the half-deaf man's attention. That was the warning he got before Gorse rushed forward to meet him, only stopping himself from a hug at the last moment.

It takes a brief moment for him to notice her, but as soon as he does the large warrior smiles. "Hey, Pel! Looking excellent, as always." There might be a little wink in there. She was cute, after all. Blushing pretty and everything.

"Join me? I've been trying to catch up on what's been going on since I left."

It takes two waves before Taas sees Cyril the the crowd, but damn if the man isn't stunning even in the mess of the tavern. Gesturing him over after reading those fine, fine lips, he waits until the elf is close enough to answer.

He wasn't sure just how loud the place was at the moment, after all.

"Hi, gorgeous. Good to see you."

The younger qunari would have to yell directly into the not-as-deaf ear for Taas to hear anything, so the shout mostly just surprised everyone else. The waving, however? much easier to see, especially since they were both tall. Taas wasn't exactly surprised to see Gorse in the courtyard, but damn if it wasn't good to see the other man.

Even if Gorse stops himself from hugging, Taas clasps the man's arm and shoulder in a hearty greeting that might be the next best thing. "You're looking well, kid."

She slides into a seat beside him, grinning.

"I'm not sure how detailed we ought to get there. We've quite a number of people returning from the Fallow Mire right now. I was there for a few weeks, but wasn't much part of the real action."

He takes a sip of the ale he had ordered, keeping an eye on those lovely lips as she spoke. The Fallow Mire, was it? Sounded like an unpleasant place, but she seemed to be in one piece.

Dalish were tough little people.

"Why the Mire? More rifts? I heard the Inquisition has finally found another way to seal them after the Herald passed."

"Some were sent for the rifts, especially the Rifters. Were you gone before they arrived? It's been some time since I saw you."

"I think so," he replies with a slight frown. "I only heard some about it, but I haven't met any of them... as far as I know." He's not sure what to make of those people, to be quite honest.

"I finally got a new contract, so I left... but I changed my mind. I'm here to officially join, this time." Taas plans to stay, definitely.

"I'm glad. It was so lovely to talk to you, last time."

And there's a faint blush at remembering where that talking had led.

"And I do mean the talking as well as the rest of it, promise."

He smiles at that, remembering how prettily she could blush all over, so small underneath his hands. "I do enjoy speaking with you as well." Both were pretty little lips, after all.

"I admit learning that you were a mage was a little... odd, though. Under the Qun, we're always taught that mages are dangerous things." It was something he should be honest with, and he shakes his head a bit again, smiling over the rim of his cup to smooth the topic a bit. "It's starting to wear off a bit, that kind of thinking. The mages here have more control than our saarebas."

The smile fades. She's fairly sure she shouldn't comment on mages overseas, but she doubts Korrin is any better suited for magic than a normal qunari mage.

"How do you know, if you never remove the leash?"

"I'm not an arvaraad, so I can't say for sure. I bash people's head in, magic is just... strange to me. But I've seen saarebas in battle back in Seheron. It is pure power, no finesse and little control other than their arvaraad's commands." He's finding himself more and more uncomfortable with the thought of mages with collars other than the other way around. Korrin was a good woman, secure in her control.

Not just demon bait.

"The mages here can do quite impressive things. Including resisting the demons."

"If they only know obedience, I doubt anyone's taught them resistance of any kind. Just...submitting utterly to something else."

No, she's only read about this. Genitivi and other such writers have helped her grasp on the non-Dalish world, but she can't speak to Taas like she's an authority on the subject of his own people.

"From the perspective of another mage, I mean. There are techniques, and they can be different for everyone. We spend our whole lives perfecting it."

The smile that Cyril has at being called 'gorgeous' by Taas is bright and pleased.

"You as well," he replies, looking up at the Qunari's face. "All in one piece as well, that's always a good thing."

"It's complicated," he agrees with a slightly thoughtful look. "Perhaps I will learn more, now that I intend to stay, here." Magic still freaked him out a bit, but... it could be useful. Korrin definitely was, and he found himself wanting to see other mages fight, as well.

It was a strange split of approving on one side and fearing the other, looking to the templars as arvaraad of the southerner mages in their towers. Or here, in Skyhold.

That was a really nice smile, and the large warrior looks amused when Cyril speaks, straightening his chest a little bit to show the absence of any new scars. All nice and whole, indeed.

"Takes more than an escort job to hack a few pieces off me." There's a deep, low chuckle form the qunari, and Taas takes a sip of his ale. "Finally made up my mind to bleed for the Inquisition instead. How have things been?"

Cyril finds himself leaning a little closer at that chuckle, like he wants to crawl up against that sound.

"I do like all of your bits where they are," he commented about the fact that Taas hasn't lost any of his pieces. His eyes openly track over the qunari's body as if to prove his appreciation.

The question of how things have been, though, makes him pause. "They've started sending us out places. That's more exciting isn't it?"

Those eyes over his body would make the most jaded man preen, because damn if Cyril wasn't ridiculously attractive. Taas gives a low hum in agreement.

"Sounds like things are finally moving forward. Seen anything interesting, so far?"

"I expect it's inevitable. If you want to ask any questions, though, I'll be here."

"Hm. I appreciate that." He rolls those big shoulders a little, calling over a waitress for some more ale.

"Anything for you?"

She shakes her head. "One's enough. I'm not a very good drinker."

The yell let people know that he was about to go greet his friend and to get out of his way! It served a purpose!

Gorse grasps Taashath's arm in return, a mimic of his movement as he knows it's within the older qunari's comfort level and Gorse is just a very tactile person. It isn't a hug, but it is indeed the next best thing.

"Finally got dry after the mire. How about you? Got a client that wanted to get to Skyhold?"

He grins, letting go of their 'hug' and also thumps the younger man on his shoulder gently with his fist for good measure. "You went to the Mire? Good on you, getting out there on missions."

...and that he got back in one piece, but he's not going to sound that overprotective. Finding it good that that Gorse was settling in nice into his place wasn't just a remnant of the Qun. He wanted Gorse to be happy.

Then it was the matter of his own place. "No, I'm... I'm back permanently. I'm joining, this time."

Taas nods at that and pays for his new ale with a few coins. "How are you doing, mires and magic aside?"

"Just a lot of rain," Cyril replied after a moment. "I've heard others had a more exciting time. Pity that I missed out."

Honestly, he hadn't been able to handle the Mire very well. The smell of burning bodies and the signs of the plague had brought back unpleasant memories of his mother's death. He didn't want to deal with any of that and had come back to Skyhold as quickly as allowed.

"I'm sure we can discover something exciting to do here."

There and back again in one peace, and not heading out on the next big mission either. He went out to the Fallow Mire because he knew the area and thought he could help - in major pushes out, he knew his inability to fight would be too much of a burden, better to go out to the area after the Inquisition had already established camps so he could learn what was available and gather resources as needed.

His eyes widened when Taas said the last part though, wondering of he was the one with the hearing problems for that.

"- You're joining? Really?!"

Gorse was so excited he could barely contain himself, smile bright and wide.

The excitement is practically vibrating off the young qunari and Taas grins. Gorse was damn adorable, and he finds himself chuckling a little. "Yeah, yeah. Really." The warrior shrugs a bit, looking over to the gates.

"I took a job and left, but as soon as that was finished... I didn't feel finished. Something was still pulling at me, and it took a little while to figure out what it was." He's never going to be sure what's conditioned into him from being a former Qunari or, not, but serving the greater good just struck him the right way.

"I can't be a soldier, but I can make sure people don't get killed. Like herb pickers." He nudges Gorse at that.

Gorse laughed at the good-natured jibe, beside himself with elation at the news. Korrin, Kas, and now Taas ...

Gorse didn't do well on his own. He always had family, and a lot of it. He was just used to the company of people he could trust implicitly. Even if it was just a three-person family, it was one he'd made for himself out of new friends. He wanted so badly just to hug someone he was so happy.

If he was the swearing kind he'd swear from being distinctly short on people who were okay with hugs.

"Well this herb picker is happy to have you lookin' out for him!"

It was similar, in a way, for Taas. He had always been surrounded by other qunari before he broke off from the rest of the Tal-Vashoth. Raised with other children, then the army, his karataam... the Tal-Vashoth marauders.

Then he had been alone, only surrounded by humans he worked for.

Being in the Inquisition, even with the few qunari that it had, felt more like home.

Hugs might still be a bit odd, but it's not as if Taas isn't a tactile person, so he pats Gorse's shoulder again. "I'll make sure we'll all stay alive." All qunari. Not like back on Seheron.

"Between you an' Korrin' and Kas training with bows, I won't have anything to worry about at all." Because obviously that was how that logic worked, not 'maybe I should train too' but 'clearly this means I am perfectly safe with people who will look out for me'.

After Taas patted his shoulder, Gorse leaned in to bump shoulders with him affectionately.

"Let me get you a beer to celebrate! I feel like we should celebrate."

Hey, he's not judging at all. Fighting wasn't Gorse's place, and that was alright by him. Qun-qunari and nice cogs and slots and all that. Gorse would have been a perfect Arigena cog, trusting in the Arishok ones.

...urgh, Qun brain in function. Taas buries that line of thinking deep down and instead loops an arm around the smaller qunari with a grin.

"Now you're speaking my language, kid! Let's have a drink!"

"Surprisingly well. My research has garnered quite a bit of moral support, if not financial. I've been enjoying it."

He looks a bit thoughtful at that, somewhere between curious and knowing that it was probably beyond him to understand. "What are you researching?"

"The elven arcane. History and magic."

Definitely beyond him, yep. "I see. Good for you." Smiling, Taas teaches out to touch the end of her braid, gently running it between his calloused fingers.

"I'm glad you're doing well. Weird magic stuff or not."

There's a blush at the hair-touching, but also a smile. She's reminded of that hand going other places, and how nice it was. Her hand comes to grasp his, threading their fingers together.

"Want to find a little privacy?"

He reads those words with a grin, squeezing her hand gently before he moves it and his other hand down to her waist, gripping it lightly and then trying to lift her up into his lap.

"I like the way you think."

She happily lets herself be manhandled, smiling widely.

"My bedroom is upstairs. And my roommate's gone."

He makes himself quite comfortable with her in his lap, one large hand wandering down to her thigh while he occupies the other with his drink. "Hah, you're really speaking my language today," he purrs, giving a little bit of a squeeze to the curve of her leg.

"Finish your drink and we'll definitely make use of that empty room."

She tosses back the rest of her drink and sets it on the table. Since it's been cooking for a while, the mulled wine doesn't have much alcohol left in it, so it hasn't had much of an effect on her.

"Let's go."

The warrior finishes his own drink in a few more sips before he gets up, pulling Pel with him into a bridal-style carry. Grinning at her, he's on his way up the stairs before anyone could protest about hoisting elves around.

It was a big difference when the elf eagerly instigated the hoisting, after all.

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Sometimes the path appears before you're ready

Tavern

tavern!

Courtyard!

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