WHO: Athessa, Kostos, Deimos WHAT: Introducing the bat to the griffons WHEN: now! (before satinalia) WHERE: the griffon keep? NOTES: this can't possibly get awkward
When she tracks down the behemoth Qunari, she's sporting a stylish new backpack that looks, feels, smells and sounds just like a bat.
Because it is a bat, an eagle-sized white bat with yellow ears and a yellow nose, currently clinging with wings and toes to Athessa's back.
"Deimos," she intones, sing-songy, smiling sweetly as she approaches. "You're not busy right now, are you? Can you spare some time to be big and strong for me?"
He so very, very badly wants to say he is. Anything at all to shove her off after the conversation they'd had about and the rodent she's apparently become fond of. What did it even do for her? Was it for warmth at night? He was warmer. Was it company? She walked into his room any time she pleased. It's not like he ever shut his door.
The thing was useless. Who cared about it? She could get whatever she needed elsewhere.
But the fact of the matter is he had nothing at all to do, even a little.
So the response is sullen when he calls to her. "What?"
"I'm going to introduce this precious marshmallow to the griffons so they know it isn't food," she turns as if he might not know she's referring to the bat. As her movement shifts the lay of her hair, the bat squeaks and adjusts it's grip on Athessa's back, snuffling into her curls again. Athessa giggles lightly, ticklish, before finishing her reason.
He looks her up and down, then at the feather rat attached to her back. Then back to her with an expression that is best summed up as: 'are you kidding?'
"Oh come on — please?" She was really hoping that he'd be forced to begrudgingly accept how cute the bat is of he had to interact with it, or if he at least could see how flippin' cute it is. Then again, she's always hoping that it'll snow ice cream, but she knows it won't happen. This is just as likely.
Athessa introduces Kostos and Deimos breezily, and immediately starts planning out how best to introduce "the baby" to the griffons.
"One at a time seems like the best way, right? So we should pick an area and bring the griffons to it, let them sniff each other and tell the griffons not to eat the baby, then let the griffons go back to their...rooms. So the bat isn't an intruder in their space, yeah?"
You know what isn’t reasonable? Anyone being over seven feet tall. He doesn’t stare—the Gallows’ population is too small for a giant with horns to arrive without people knowing, so it isn’t a surprise that Deimos xists and that he is that height. But it isn’t reasonable, either.
He lifts a hand and summons a blue-white wisp into the space above his right shoulder. Casual. It’s only 20% to find out if the Qunari is going to get out a needle and thread on the spot. The rest is because it has a purpose.
"Chawcey?" Somewhere in the keep, the griffon in question lifts its head and looks around, dopey and adorable. Athessa makes a reticent hand gesture. "Maybe. He's liable to eat anything though, so we have to be ready for that. What about Mouse?"
Considering, Kostos lifts his eyes—and his chin, but he refuses any undignified craning—to look at Athessa’s stupidly tall friend. (The wisp is more interested in the bat.)
“Can you walk quietly?” he asks Deimos. His tone is quiet, and measured, and also drenched in skepticism.
He still looks like someone spat in his breakfast, somehow. But there's a chance that might just be his expression at life in general at this point as he stands over the two of them. He doesn't make himself moderately helpful to that refusal - or really, he does what he does best, he makes it more annoying. Rolling his shoulders broadly open and straightening his back when he's spoken too.
Because his gaze had been fixed on that wisp directly. Mages. Why were there always so many mages here.
Blinks, fixes on Kostos' face then back to Athessa. "No. I'm here to hit anything that tries to eat her - pet suddenly." Or that's what he's assumed to this point.
"No," she corrects, shaking her head. "You're here to restrain the griffons if they try to eat the batty." Her arms are already curled protectively around the creature, but for emphasis she strokes its fur. The bat, in response, makes a soft sort of purring sound.
"Deimos can walk quietly," she answers Kostos' question, "when he deigns to."
Kostos bristles. Athessa's intervention stops him from erupting into an explanation of exactly what's going to happen if Deimos hits one of the griffons, but it doesn't soothe the damage that was already done: his shoulders stay tight, his expression dour, while he holds out a hand and the wisp drifts back from the bat and into place over his palm.
"No," he says. "Not Mouse."
He thinks the griffons could probably take Deimos, if they needed to, but he's worked too hard to make Mouse trust him to risk being associated with any enormous Qunari bastards who might decide to hit him.
"Lord—" He pauses to sigh a little. Stupid name. It hurts him to say it. "—Tuftytoes. He is probably too lazy to put much effort into eating anything."
The Bas was upset at something. Punching? Was that the problem? Or was it that he was little? Also probable. Maybe mages just looked like that some times?
His head jerks up when Athessa speaks up. Grunting in the affirmation that, fine, yes, yes. Whatever she wants. He won't fight anything that doesn't start it. "If it hurts me, I'm punching it. Happy?"
That's as good as saying he won't hurt anything on purpose for once.
Why does she insist on ruining the only fun he'll have all day? And threatening him with this accursed fluffy creature that doesn't deserve any of this?
"Whatever. I'll do it."
But he leaves them to talk, to it. Athessa will tell him where she wants him to be, so he falls silent, arms crossing over his chest. Waiting, let them decide who goes first.
“Charming,” Kostos mutters, fully aware of the irony behind the sarcasm—but it is nice, at least, to not be the most abrasive person in the room for once. To Athessa, he says, “We can see who is awake and in a good mood.”
A murmur to the wisp, too, and it wanders obediently toward the ceiling to watch from overhead. It can provide a barrier, later, if someone is about to die and his hands are too full to do it himself.
Then he turns to walk deeper into the aerie, with a sour look at Deimos that suggests he ought to follow while continuing to maintain that Kostos doesn’t like him.
Phew. Athessa heaves a sigh and pats the bat again, as if it represents her own worries and she's assuaging them.
As it turns out, Hugo is asleep with his head buried beneath his wing. Butterball, though, is awake, happy, and round. He's been well-fed, to his delight.
"Well hello, Butterball," she greets, and receives a clocked head and a soft screech in return. "Do you wanna make a couple new friends today?"
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deimos
Because it is a bat, an eagle-sized white bat with yellow ears and a yellow nose, currently clinging with wings and toes to Athessa's back.
"Deimos," she intones, sing-songy, smiling sweetly as she approaches. "You're not busy right now, are you? Can you spare some time to be big and strong for me?"
no subject
The thing was useless. Who cared about it? She could get whatever she needed elsewhere.
But the fact of the matter is he had nothing at all to do, even a little.
So the response is sullen when he calls to her. "What?"
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"I need you to help keep the griffons in check."
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"No."
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"Why not?"
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"It's pointless to spend this much time over something that can't fend for itself."
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"No. I fight."
kostos & deimos
Athessa introduces Kostos and Deimos breezily, and immediately starts planning out how best to introduce "the baby" to the griffons.
"One at a time seems like the best way, right? So we should pick an area and bring the griffons to it, let them sniff each other and tell the griffons not to eat the baby, then let the griffons go back to their...rooms. So the bat isn't an intruder in their space, yeah?"
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You know what isn’t reasonable? Anyone being over seven feet tall. He doesn’t stare—the Gallows’ population is too small for a giant with horns to arrive without people knowing, so it isn’t a surprise that Deimos xists and that he is that height. But it isn’t reasonable, either.
He lifts a hand and summons a blue-white wisp into the space above his right shoulder. Casual. It’s only 20% to find out if the Qunari is going to get out a needle and thread on the spot. The rest is because it has a purpose.
“We could try—what is the one you work with?”
playin' it fast and loose with tag order whups
same sorry but NO MORE
“Can you walk quietly?” he asks Deimos. His tone is quiet, and measured, and also drenched in skepticism.
here i am fucking am ten years later
Because his gaze had been fixed on that wisp directly. Mages. Why were there always so many mages here.
Blinks, fixes on Kostos' face then back to Athessa. "No. I'm here to hit anything that tries to eat her - pet suddenly." Or that's what he's assumed to this point.
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"Deimos can walk quietly," she answers Kostos' question, "when he deigns to."
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"No," he says. "Not Mouse."
He thinks the griffons could probably take Deimos, if they needed to, but he's worked too hard to make Mouse trust him to risk being associated with any enormous Qunari bastards who might decide to hit him.
"Lord—" He pauses to sigh a little. Stupid name. It hurts him to say it. "—Tuftytoes. He is probably too lazy to put much effort into eating anything."
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His head jerks up when Athessa speaks up. Grunting in the affirmation that, fine, yes, yes. Whatever she wants. He won't fight anything that doesn't start it. "If it hurts me, I'm punching it. Happy?"
That's as good as saying he won't hurt anything on purpose for once.
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"You can either agree to not punch the griffons at all, or you can hold the bat and I'll help restrain the griffons."
Then, to Kostos:
"Lord Tuftytoes should be an easy one. Or Butterball? Maybe Hugo."
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"Whatever. I'll do it."
But he leaves them to talk, to it. Athessa will tell him where she wants him to be, so he falls silent, arms crossing over his chest. Waiting, let them decide who goes first.
no subject
A murmur to the wisp, too, and it wanders obediently toward the ceiling to watch from overhead. It can provide a barrier, later, if someone is about to die and his hands are too full to do it himself.
Then he turns to walk deeper into the aerie, with a sour look at Deimos that suggests he ought to follow while continuing to maintain that Kostos doesn’t like him.
no subject
As it turns out, Hugo is asleep with his head buried beneath his wing. Butterball, though, is awake, happy, and round. He's been well-fed, to his delight.
"Well hello, Butterball," she greets, and receives a clocked head and a soft screech in return. "Do you wanna make a couple new friends today?"