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WHO: Gavin and OPEN
WHAT: Gavin getting his bearings of Skyhold as the Inquisition reels from its loss.
WHEN: Beginning of game timeline, aka, nowish?
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: He's a derp, don't say I didn't warn you. Also, as I mentioned in his app, he's spent a long time wandering Thedas - so if you'd like to have it so they've already met previous to the conclave, and want to hash out some back history, let me know.

He hadn't expected to feel such a weight of helpless loss. After all, he hadn't even met her, despite being in Haven at the time. Despite somehow surviving the mess than ensued. He'd seen her, sure, but she was something high above him and they never actually crossed paths. Which was why, when her death hit him so hard, he was surprised.

It wasn't even the hopelessness that the situation was prone to give birth to. It was honestly for her - for the individual, rather than the Mark on her hand. But how could you mourn a person you never really knew?

Mostly, it turned out, by throwing himself into absolutely anything else. (At least this sort of running from his problems was productive. Mostly.) Luckily, Skyhold was hardly without things to do. The place was a shambles - an absolute mess - so he mostly tried to tag onto whatever work group was currently working. He sort of forgot to sleep, but that wasn't strange in of itself. Nor was the fact that he wasn't actually making himself very useful. He kept getting distracted. It wasn't his fault that everything in this place was fascinating. And fascinating things were much, much better than grief.

Which was why, anyone who happened to be in Skyhold, could find him in some very peculiar places. He'd managed to nearly plummet to his death from the rookery, get tangled in cobwebs in the hidden library in the basement, climb through the hole in Cullen's roof to get distracted by a bird instead of trying to fix it, and even had spent thirty minutes trying to get to know one of the horses. Also he kept not watching where he was going - physically running into people, or backing up into them, letting out a hasty apology and a lopsided, shameful grin.

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"Well, it's a good thing, isn't it?" he asked, brow wrinkling slightly, recognizing that Gavin was turned around about it and uncertain what he could do to help. "Surprising, I'm sure, but at least... they agree? And they care. That's something."

He gave a bemused expression, raising a hand to ruffle his own hair - finding a few cobweb traces in it.

"It's different, I'll give it that," he murmured, feeling bad already. And they care. He had half a mind to pull Maxwell into a tight hug, but held back. "I'll have to introduce you, I suppose, at some point. Though I - apologize in advance. I don't have the best track record, and--" he wavered off, and then let out a small, helpless laugh. "Well. It should be interesting, anyway."

"I'd love too, Gavin," he said easily, honestly, smile warm. "And I promise I won't take anything personal if you don't."

His smile tipped, went wry and teasing.

"I am a dreaded shem after all."

Maxwell's warm smile did much to put him at ease, and he laughed, despite himself.

"Alright, alright. Though - I uh, should warn you in advance, I suppose. Cy will probably try to - ah - seduce you on sight. He does that." A wry look, and then he laughed at himself, the tips of his ears going pink. "Though what you - ah - how you react, is entirely up to you, obviously--"

Creators, but he was stumbling all over himself. Why did he even bring this up? The blush spreading, he turned his attention back to the bundle in his arms, carefully unwrapping it, he had to crane his neck a little - just enough to flash the dark red mark that had been left there on his skin from the night before.

"I've got a few apples and a pear. Which would you like?"

His eyebrows cocked, eyes flicking to Gavin's ears - "...sometimes the ears are the only tell you get" - and his smile dimpling as he chuckled.

"I see," he replied. "I'll be sure and..."

Gavin shifted and his collar slid down. He looked without thinking, eyes seemingly drawn through a will of their own... and saw the bruise. It might have been from anything, of course, but the sudden jerk in his chest said otherwise. That feeling like falling.

The dull one that followed.

Oh. ...Oh, right. Of course.

It had been a long time. And even then, Gavin hadn't... And he hadn't expected anything now, so it was all very foolish.

Very, very foolish.

"I'll keep that in mind," he finally caught himself with a stutter and shook it off, pushing himself away from the sudden turn by focusing on a smile and the simple question. "The pear, unless you're particular to it."

"You are most welcome to it," Gavin said, leaning over to hand it to him, still smiling, though that trace of worry was back. He'd caught that hitch in Maxwell's voice.

He'd said too much, said something stupid, like he always did, even if he wasn't exactly sure what it was that he'd said. "The rest of them I think you'll like well enough," He continued, trying to push down that unhappy feeling at having ruined something before it even started - before he even fully knew what it was. Should have kept his mouth shut. Except he wasn't, even now.

"Though Merrick can be - prickly. So best watch out for him as well. And Beleth will probably think you're trying to turn me into a flat-ear..."

"I'll just have tell her the truth then," he said, taking the pear though he didn't immediately eat, rather just held it. Looking down at it as if he wasn't sure what it was for. "I like you just as you are."

For whatever else, Gavin was still one of the best friends he'd found, and he appreciated it. Him.

"I'm sure it'll be alright."

He looked up at that, a slightly surprised look on his face that faded into a soft smile, and then a gentle laugh. "Well - I'm not sure that will get you far with them. It's the 'just as I am' part that causes the most problems, but - I think they'll like you, despite everything."

He smiled again, a little nervously this time, and picked up an apple for himself. "So go on, then. I haven't seen you in years. What have you been doing all this time?"

He might have said more, but then Gavin changed the subject and he thought maybe it was for the best that he leave it be.

"Nothing as interesting as your adventures, I'm sure," he smiled gently and finally took a small bite from the pear, eating to fill the sudden uncertainty. "I went home and was there, more or less, until the Breach. I... I made my first bow."

He was proud of it, was pleased with the result, but it seemed silly to say now.

"Really?" He asked, genuine curiosity making his ears prick up. "Did you bring it? I'd love to see it, if you have it on you." He took a large bite of his apple, doing what he did best and shoving down all the feelings that weren't helpful, and masking it all with camaraderie. The camaraderie was real, of course. But that didn't make it less of a mask.

He nodded, chewing, pear moving against the insides of his cheeks.

"I did," he said after he swallowed. "I left it with my things... I've been staying in the garden." His mouth pulled wryly. "When you've got a moment, stop by and I'll show it to you."

"I have plenty of moments, and I'm happy to give you all of them," Gavin said, smiling. He'd made his own bow, of course - he had to, in the clan - but he was always fascinated to see how other people constructed theirs. And even more fascinated with the idea of his friend's. What people made with their hands said a lot about them. Or so Gavin liked to think.

"I've been staying -" He paused at that, frowned, and then laughed somewhat sheepishly. "Actually, I don't really think I'm staying anywhere in particular. I'm sure I have a bed, somewhere, that is supposed to be mine, but I just sort of fall asleep wherever I am, generally."

It was such a silly thing to be troubled by. It wasn't as if Maxwell hadn't known, even back before. And Gavin did still like him at least.

Considered him a friend even knowing what a disappointment he was to his name.

That was rare and dear enough.

So he ignored the little kick that came after the joke, and took it only with the spirit it was intended. An easy laugh between friends.

"I'm not so greedy as to demand all of them, but if you're offering, who I am to say no?" he joked roughly, picking at the stem of his pear. "And I'll be sure and keep an eye out, when I'm up at night. I wouldn't want to step on you by accident."

His mouth parted, the easy words already there on his lips - "You could always just join me" - but they faltered there, and, flushing, he swallowed them and looked down at his apple. That wasn't going to help, Gavin. And thinking about it just made something scrape hard against the inside of his lungs.

"I appreciate the thoughtfulness," He said instead, light and teasing. He shifted then, somewhat awkwardly. "Just do me one favour, will you? Stick around? And don't get yourself horribly mauled. Or killed. Or possessed."

He smiled gently then, able finally to meet Gavin's gaze honestly again.

"If you'll promise the same."

Helping the Inquisition, saving people, that's why he had come. Finding an old friend would just be icing on the cake.

"I'll do my best," He promised, the smile turning to a grin.

"Somehow managed to come through unscathed this far. I'm sure I can manage a little longer, if only for your sake."

Since it was all he thought he had to offer.

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