(no subject)

[samahl]

WHO: Cyril and Taashath
WHAT: Taashath and Cyril both partake in some comfort.
WHEN: Post Crow Plot
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: None. This, shockingly, will likely not end in nsfw land.

Cyril knew that the rescue had been successful thanks to Korrin. Merrick had woken and was recovering. He should feel better. There is relief there, of course, but he still felt so tight and uncomfortable. It was as if his body hadn't quite caught up with the news.

He was pretty good at pretending everything was all right though, and someone who looked at him casually probably wouldn't see the exhaustion that was threatening to take over. It helped that he covered dark circles with expert skill.

He wanted to check on Taashath to make sure that he was all right but more than that he just wanted to be around a comforting presence. Taashath felt solid, like a foundation to relax against. Cyril wanted to make sure all of his friends pieces were intact after battle as well, but he still felt guilty for wanting something to rely on. Who knew what state Taas was in?

When he saw Taashath he slid into his line of sight and waved in a contained motion. It was a visual tentative hello.

Comments

[quietblade]

He signs 'elf' and 'tattoo' together with a smile. 'Tattoo' was a long sign with three parts, so he goes slow for Cyril's sake. "Even more literally, it's 'body art'," the warrior adds with a little shrug. "That's why it's in parts."

Then he has to think for a moment about the last question. While he was fluent, there tended to be cultural differences. "I don't think there's one specifically for 'clan'. I'd use 'family' instead. It still works for a Dalish clan." He signs 'family' for Cyril, and then 'elf' 'tattoo' 'family' together.

[samahl]

Cyril repeats those signs several times to make sure he gets them right. The idea that tattoo is body art makes him think of something then.

"If this," he makes the tattoo sign to show what he's talking about. "Is 'body art' then wouldn't it work for your vitaar as well?"

[quietblade]

That makes the warrior grin and he nods. "That's right! Sometimes you put 'qunari' with it to explain what kind of body art you're talking about." He adds the sign for 'qunari' - sweeping horns done with woven fingers like symbol of the Qun.

"...I guess Vashoth would use 'poison' rather than 'qunari'."

[samahl]

That makes him frown. "Poison? Why poison?" He thinks that has to have too much of a negative connotation to be correct. The issue is that the Vashoth he's met are wonderful people. Korrin is thoughtful and believes in freedom strongly. He adores her and is grateful for the way she looked after Merrick in the Mire. And Taas is... Well, Cyril doesn't really have words for all of the things he thinks about Taas.

Poison doesn't seem to fit either of them.

[quietblade]

"Because vitaar is highly poisonous to anyone not qunari, and it's a way to say it without involving the Qun," he explains. "'Qunari' is a sign directly referencing the Qun."

Taas gives a little shrug at that. "There are signs for Tal-Vashoth and Vashoth as well, but it would be even more confusing to use that together with tattoo."

[samahl]

"Well, then what's the one for Tal-Vashoth?" he asks. "What would I call you and Korrin?"

[quietblade]

Amused, he crosses his fingers in an x-shape and repeats the sweeping horn gesture. "That's Tal-Vashoth, for me." The warrior then keeps his fingers even, makes a shorter horn motion with v-shaped fingers this time. "Vashoth, for Korrin."

For good measure, he makes a repeat of the large sweeping horns with his fingers even and not curved in any way, ending in a curve down and then arms held out with splayed fingers. Almost like wings. "Dragon."

[samahl]

Cyril repeats those signs too and then repeats the words associated with them so he can remember the differences. "Dragon is beautiful," he says thoughtfully. "I mean, the shape of it. It's pretty." He repeats that one and does it in a way that much smoother and more graceful that he had been with other signs. "I guess like dragons are." It's starting to get easier to grasp how this is a visual language.

[quietblade]

"Mmm... like dragons." He sounds almost longing, and then smiles at the elf. "Did you know some qunari theorize that we might have dragon blood? Hence the horns... and probably the related signs, just because we enjoy taht kind of hubris."

There's another repeat of the sign for qunari for Cyril. "We always seem to like dragons, too. Fighting them, at least. Korrin got to fight one in Emprise and I have to admit I was very jealous." Taas laughs, but really. He missed that!?

[samahl]

Cyril's face also had a bit of jealousy in it. "I'd love to be able to see one and fight it. Can you imagine all of that power and beauty? It's almost a shame to take one out."

He chuckles a bit. "Though now I'm worried about taking out one of your ancestors."

[quietblade]

"Power, and the force... the way the spit fire or ice or lightning like a force of nature." Taas smiles almost dreamily at the thought of them going to kill a high dragon like the ones in Emprise. He, Korrin and Cyril would make a good team, he's pretty sure of it.

That little chuckle is mirrored with one of his own when Cyril mentions the ancestor thing, and he traces a line of the vallaslin absently when he speaks. "I could always try talking to it. Say we're related, and see if that helps."

[samahl]

Cyril's head tilts into the touch and he hums in a pleased sort of way. "You can call her 'auntie' and hope that means she won't eat you," he suggests, because joking about dragons is much easier than examining how warm he feels having Taas touch his face like that. It wasn't a warmth that made him want Taas to pin him down, but one that made his heart feel a strange kind of ache.

[quietblade]

That has the qunari laughing softly, hugging Cyril a bit closer with amusement on his broad features. "That would be quite amazing. maybe I'll grow spikes and join her, hmm?" Joking around with someone in a situation like this should honestly be quite bizarre. There was no sex involved, or even alcohol.

Just warmth and bad jokes.

...yet he was so at peace right now. It was strange, how affection could do that.

Maybe he wasn't a monster, if he was able to feel this way.

[samahl]

Cyril relaxes against Taas then. He had been animated while learning the signs, but resting against a warm body reminds him how tired he is. He tilts his head to look at Taas.

"You can't have horns and spikes. That will make everyone too jealous."

lol what is formating

[quietblade]

He huffs a bit at that, amused. "Well, I can't really say wings, right? Wrong sex... and I already have a tail.

Eyebrow wiggle. Yep, he can be ridiculous if he wants to.

<3

[samahl]

Cyril chuckles a bit. "I don't know, you would look pretty cool with wings. And who says men can't have them too?"

[quietblade]

"Only female dragons have wings," Yep, Taas is a nerd. "...but I suppose it would be a lot more amazing to have wings than spikes. Can you imagine flying high above?"

He looks up at the hole in the roof again, smiling up at the darkening sky. "It would be pretty amazing."

[samahl]

Cyril chuckles a bit. "It would be..." he says thoughtfully. He leans against Taas then and yawns. He covers his mouth just for a moment and then pills it away again to speak. "I think I had a dream like that once."

[quietblade]

Taas' hand comes to stroke that white hair again, running his fingers through it with that strange fondness in his heart. It was getting late, but he's not in a hurry to leave quite yet.

"Really? Flying?" Dreams were interesting things, and he's not sure how they work. Officially, qunari didn't dream - but he sees far too many things in his sleep for it to be true... or maybe it only happened after you left the Qun.

"Where did you fly?"

[samahl]

"Mostly just over the Free Marches. I haven't seen much more of Thedas, not until I came here."

[quietblade]

"I can imagine," he says, a little more thoughtful. Skyhold really was a mishmash of people, and it had to be so strange for the Dalish.

"The Free Marches are quite beautiful, though. I was on a contract there for a while. Escorting a merchant."

[samahl]

Cyril chuckles a bit. "Could you imagine if we had run into each other back then? Things would be very different."

[quietblade]

He shakes his head a bit at that. "It wouldn't have been a good meeting." Dalish sometimes attacked caravans, and he might have through that Cyril was a part of that. It's a slightly horrifying thought.

"I'm glad I met you here. That I decided to stay."

[samahl]

"Me too," Cyril says, smiling a bit. "It would be boring here without you."

[quietblade]

"It would feel empty inside if I didn't meet you." Taas says, not quite paying attention to what he's saying. Maybe he meant it, he's not sure. He was happy here, which was why he was so afraid he would fuck his life up with this anger issue.