His energy is cheerful, but there's a tenderness to it as well, a warmth in his eyes that only broadens when he sees Ellie smiling back. It's rare, actually, that anyone does.
"I'm not sure that I did! Figure it out." He taps his chin. "I was a boy, running from a shopkeeper. I'd stolen something, and envied how the street dogs could escape these moments with such speed, could hide so easily. Before I knew it, I was one."
He shrugs helplessly. "If I could repeat the process of learning, my life would be much easier!" A beat, and then he nods to Ellie. "Are you Thedosian?" It's a fair question, these days.
Ellie's smile widens, and she shrugs her shoulders, shaking her head.
"Sounds a lot like how I figured mine out, but I don't turn into a dog." She holds up her hand, pulls back the edge of her glove to reveal the anchor shard, green and glowing faintly. Otherworldly and somehow commonplace, here.
"Nah. Rifter. Came through a few months back. You?"
"Aha!" Mado exclaims on seeing the shard, and gives a single nod of his head. "If only we could go by that alone! I've seen more than one native who has them as well. Not that I doubt you're special." He grins, and it's clear the comment is free of sarcasm.
"I am from Antiva, north and east of here. A very long walk."
"To meet family!" Mado exclaims, but unhelpfully does not supply her with who his family is (they seem to get angry when he associates them with himself).
"And to join the war effort, of course, though I did not realize that until I had arrived."
"None taken," is the cheery reply, and it's clear he means it. "Although lots of poetry and music comes out of wars, so I suppose I'm not uninterested. I just wish there weren't so much of the, oh, you know, killing and dying."
He means it, too, a glint of sadness overtaking the warmth in his smiling eyes.
"I hope it hasn't been too upsetting, coming to a place like this."
The corner of Ellie's mouth twists, her shoulders rising up just a touch, discomfort fanning up like heat from a fire. He very obviously means it.
"... where I came from, this isn't so unusual."
Worse, actually, but there's no way to say that that won't immediately inspire pity, when for her it's just a reality. It's not something she likes, but it's something she's used to.
"At least with a war there's supposed to be an end, right?"
"I'm sorry to hear that." The corner of his mouth twitches up slightly, the fullness of Mado's sincerity writ on his face.
"If I were to awaken suddenly in a new world, I should wish it a happier one, where wars do end." He pauses, and, perhaps sensing that the topic has taken a turn for the dark, adds, "...with lots of food."
"I could drink to that. Especially the food part," Ellie says with a shrug, eager to make light of it, though she's not entirely used to enough food either, by the look of her.
Though he doesn't recognize the expletive, Mado grins sympathetically as Ellie corrects herself.
"It's all right," he assures her, bobbing his head in response to her observation, "truly, no one does. Well! Until they do. But that hasn't happened in a long time."
"There was, erm, a period of time," Mado proceeds, with an uneasy-but-still-pleasant grimace, "when I was afraid to reveal myself for what I can do, here in Riftwatch. It was a bit upsetting for some, to find it out, to know that they had been interacting with me all the while without realizing the dog had a person's mind."
He scratches behind one ear with his fingers.
"It was unfair of me! I see that now. Nobody wants to feel tricked."
Dogs, and animals in general, were definitely treated differently. There were things the barn cats knew that nobody else did, to say nothing of the horses.
Ellie's face softens; some of the kindest, most sincere people she knows are also the ones most hurt, and it doesn't take a genius of social cues to see that he's carrying some shit around. That's all of Riftwatch, but some waters run deeper than others.
"I don't blame you for wanting to protect yourself."
"Everyone has," she answers quickly, and visibly settles herself down, evening out her tone. She's protective of her pain, but Mado clearly means well. Everyone always means well.
"I mean... especially in Riftwatch. It's not new. I don't think there's anybody here who isn't dragging a shitton of baggage."
"Sorry," Ellie mutters, almost on reflex. He doesn't seem hurt, but she's hurt people before, is wary of it. She considers him with a frown, puts her back against the stone of the wall, and sighs deeply.
"You'd think you'd get used to the constant sense of impending doom," she says, a little flippantly. "But it's almost shittier than a world already past the doom part."
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faderift2021-08-27 09:27 pm
no subject
"I'm not sure that I did! Figure it out." He taps his chin. "I was a boy, running from a shopkeeper. I'd stolen something, and envied how the street dogs could escape these moments with such speed, could hide so easily. Before I knew it, I was one."
He shrugs helplessly. "If I could repeat the process of learning, my life would be much easier!"
A beat, and then he nods to Ellie. "Are you Thedosian?" It's a fair question, these days.
no subject
Ellie's smile widens, and she shrugs her shoulders, shaking her head.
"Sounds a lot like how I figured mine out, but I don't turn into a dog." She holds up her hand, pulls back the edge of her glove to reveal the anchor shard, green and glowing faintly. Otherworldly and somehow commonplace, here.
"Nah. Rifter. Came through a few months back. You?"
no subject
He grins, and it's clear the comment is free of sarcasm.
"I am from Antiva, north and east of here. A very long walk."
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"Really long walk. I've seen the maps. Why'd you head down here?"
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"And to join the war effort, of course, though I did not realize that until I had arrived."
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"No offense, but you don't seem like the type of guy to be interested in a war. This place is full of jaded old soldier types."
rises from the dead
He means it, too, a glint of sadness overtaking the warmth in his smiling eyes.
"I hope it hasn't been too upsetting, coming to a place like this."
<3!
"... where I came from, this isn't so unusual."
Worse, actually, but there's no way to say that that won't immediately inspire pity, when for her it's just a reality. It's not something she likes, but it's something she's used to.
"At least with a war there's supposed to be an end, right?"
no subject
"If I were to awaken suddenly in a new world, I should wish it a happier one, where wars do end." He pauses, and, perhaps sensing that the topic has taken a turn for the dark, adds, "...with lots of food."
no subject
But, details.
"Who'd you join up with? What faction?"
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Mado pauses to search his mind for the answer, since as far as he knows, the faction he's joined is Riftwach. "--oh! Division! Scouting!"
He lights up as though pleased to know the answer.
It is actually I who needs to sleep, apologies
Ellie places her palm over her face, rubbing it -- fuck, but she needs to sleep. That was not the right word.
"That's the one. Me, too- Scouting. I mean, I can see why they'd want you, especially if you can shapeshift. Nobody ever suspects the dog."
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"It's all right," he assures her, bobbing his head in response to her observation, "truly, no one does. Well! Until they do. But that hasn't happened in a long time."
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"Kinda sounds like there's a story there. Somebody suspect you?"
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He scratches behind one ear with his fingers.
"It was unfair of me! I see that now. Nobody wants to feel tricked."
no subject
Dogs, and animals in general, were definitely treated differently. There were things the barn cats knew that nobody else did, to say nothing of the horses.
"Sounds like you stopped that, though."
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His smile is a bit strained, but his gaze is sincere.
"To do magic, in Thedas, it's not always a positive thing. Come to think of it, living as a human is the same."
His brow knits poignantly, as if in response to some memory or another.
"There are times when it's better, to simply be a dog."
no subject
Ellie's face softens; some of the kindest, most sincere people she knows are also the ones most hurt, and it doesn't take a genius of social cues to see that he's carrying some shit around. That's all of Riftwatch, but some waters run deeper than others.
"I don't blame you for wanting to protect yourself."
no subject
"You have seen your share of sorrow," he observes, an invitation for her to share if she likes.
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"I mean... especially in Riftwatch. It's not new. I don't think there's anybody here who isn't dragging a shitton of baggage."
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"I don't think there's anybody in the world who isn't, when it comes down to it. They aren't easy times, that we're living in."
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"You'd think you'd get used to the constant sense of impending doom," she says, a little flippantly. "But it's almost shittier than a world already past the doom part."
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"But that is what life is about, is it not? Doom impending until it impends no longer?"
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"Better have a good time while we have the time."
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"I ought not keep you, Miss Ellie. Thank you for the conversation! I'll see you about soon, I'm certain."