I thought that I've been hurt before.

[quietblade]

WHO: Taas + Open
WHAT: Catch-all for February
WHEN: After his return from the Crow event and the rest of the month.
WHERE: Mostly Skyhold, Herald's Rest
NOTES: CR for new and old characters alike!

Tavern

It was usually early in the evening when Taashath lumbered towards the tavern. He usually had an ale or two, maybe something to eat and chatting with friends and newcomers alike. After the rescue of Zevran in Antiva, however, he was drinking more, eating less and rarely talking to people.

He had lost control, forgotten his name, tried to kill a member of the Inquisition, no matter how loaded the issue of a Ben-Hassrath was. He wasn't safe when his rage took over like that... and the possibility of hurting someone he cared about was eating him up inside.

Was he squandering everything Yshae taught him by trying to be a hero?

It was easier to just drink and forget.

Courtyard

Taas was a common sight in the courtyard, talking with people, maintaining his weapons somewhere in the rare sunlight or even chopping a training dummy to pieces now and then. He had stopped offering to spar with people, however, just smiling and shaking his head each time someone asked for a hand or when he saw someone struggling with their guard.

Instead he spent a lot of time going over breathing techniques and different means of relaxing, loosening himself from all the madness etched into his bones. He was Taashath.

It became like a mantra to him. He could push through this.

Wildcard

Hit me!

Comments

[hlif]

A long friendship with Korrin and living through Kirkwall has taught Asher never to assume he knows what someone bigger than him with horns is going to answer to.

"I'll feel older than my dad if that happens." One day life is going to catch up to Asher Hardie and it will not be a pretty day, though his funeral plans are already noted for such an instance. It's a good thing only he can hear the way his shoulder pops when he tries to stretch his left arm above his head.

"You're telling me I lived all that time in Kirkwall and missed seeing stretch-it-out Saturdays?" If he missed the Arishok flexing he will be legitimately upset.

[quietblade]

Age would catch up with them sooner or later. Taas back hurt sometimes, and he was only in his early thirties.

At the mention of Kirkwall and the kataraam that had been stationed there, he snorts, baring his teeth in an amused grin. "You know it. Every Saturday, mid-day. Stretching and vitaar touchups." He's full of shit - but here, he's not the Arishok but he'll flex for you, Asher. Pecs and biceps.

[hlif]

Staggering back with a hand to his chest as if he’s been struck by an arrow, he lets out a groan of despair. “To think the crew just used it as a place to rest up between jobs and keep an eye on refugees because no one else bothered their arses about it. Slogging about collecting some Carta brothers and knocking off members of the Coterie when I could’ve been watching that.” His heart is broken, he cannot go on.

Except well that is a show and Asher is about as deep as a puddle on a hot day at times.

“You should warn a man before you do that, might’ve put my back out.” Not that he’s really complaining but he has a mouth, he has to run it. “Asher Hardie, I like to give my name to people who flex for me.”

[quietblade]

That has the warrior laughing a little bit, and he nods the the man - holding out a hand for a friendly grasp and shake. "Taashath. I like flexing for people," he says with a slight wink. This was a good distraction if anything, and he's happy to roll with it.

"Apologies for the shock, I should keep warning sign nearby."

[hlif]

“So you’re here for the morale of the Inquisition?” He jokes but well, it’d get Asher to stay for more than just the coin and he shakes back, grip probably too hard but big guys can take it better than the people he usually does business with. A few of the fingers don’t quite have full feeling back in them yet after the dragon fight anyway.

“I’d say bells but none of you should have to put up with the name the Chantry folks gave you.” Because y’know, that name is as offensive as knife-ear and rabbit are to the elves in his opinion. “You here with a company?”

[quietblade]

"Damn right! Get your boost right here," the qunari says, tapping his chest amnd grinning at the strength of that handshake. Finally someone who could probably give him a run for his money... or bruises. (Or both.)

He doesn't quite follow all of what Asher is saying thanks to looking at their hands, but the Chantry part and name works well enough for him to guess. He laughs and then shakes his head a little bit at the question. "No, I'm on my own. I used to be a bodyguard before I got here. What about you?"

[hlif]

Both. Both is always good and honestly, people who can actually take Asher on are rare and he’s almost giddy at the prospect of a real challenge whenever he makes his way from the camp to Skyhold or even if they end up being sent to the same places with time to kill. Downtime is where too many people get soft.

He’ll be damned if that happens to him.

“Soldier of fortune, my company’s the Boneflayers.” Mercenary just sounds so incredibly common, a man has to stand out. “It was my second’s idea; captain stays, goes off to help them as needed, pretty sure she fucked off with the rest at the thought of living by all this snow.”

[quietblade]

Downtime was exactly the reason the big qunari spent time whacking at the dummy. He refused to get sloppy, and before the travel to Antiva, he had been lending himself out as practice to other antsy soldiers that needed to stay on top.

Taas looks somewhere between amused and a little impressed when Asher mentions the name of his company. Boneflayers? "That's a damn good name, I have to admit. So you're the only one that dared to stay in this snowy mess?"

[hlif]

“Always thought it was just ridiculous enough to sound good, there are too many boring names out there or ones that just sound so over the top you know they’ve got to be compensating for something.” Especially in Kirkwall although some of that lot were just plain weird when he thinks back on the stories he heard about the gangs Hawke dealt with though some of that might have been Varric. “Well our scout is Rivaini originally so he was already miserable and I’m not a bastard. The company mage was raised by two apostate mercenaries so she’s never known a Circle - you can imagine how well that’d go down with folk. I’ve got an elf and an elf-blooded pair so again, bad combination if the nobles come visiting. And ex-Carta brothers always find more trouble than you could possibly imagine, if they stayed in the camp it’d be chaos. They can pick up jobs, check in on my family and theirs, come up here if there’s anything that needs doing same as me going off to bail them out.”

Look, Asher might be an impulsive idiot but he’s not about to risk the good name of his crew and coin by letting them start getting into trouble when they get bored, especially his mage and the brothers because they’re the absolute worst trio.

[quietblade]

"Hey, you can't really have a mercenary band called Flowerpots or something like that. Image is everything if you want clients." he should know, after all. Selling his own services for so long, he mostly relied on the intimidation of huge horned men.

Listening to Asher talk happily about his band, Taas smiles a little bit. Good man, this one. Caring for his hot mess of friends. "Seems you've made the best choice, then. A lot of mercenary bands seem to send over a few men to aid the Inquisition these days, and it gives the soldiers here a bit of variety."

The shrugs slightly. "No offense to the Commander, but a mixed group works better sometimes than a line of perfect soldiers." He should know, after all. A Karataam with just soldiers were easily taken by Fog Warriors. Put a few scouts and a saarebas in there and you had a better chance.

[hlif]

"That's already taken, couldn't actually see much of them through the great clouds of elfroot." He's talking shit but it's good to find someone new he can joke with about this sort of thing when too many people are so painfully earnest or recoil once he tells them the name, even some of the ones hiring him and the squad.

His friends are all great, especially his second, taking in a big angry boy under her small elven arm. "Can't speak for them but it'll bolster the reputation for pretty much any reason you can spin, new fights, loot, coin, new connections. Times like these are good for business.

"I'm from Ferelden, I left before the Blight hit but I saw the refugees when I was in the Free Marches. Harder for enemies to exploit a weakness when you can all cover for one another in a battle, right? Archers or mages get hit by ours, dwarves are good fighting other mages and some people manage to ignore them running at them. Way too many people don't look down." Okay Asher is actually supremely guilty of that one but he also has a dog that knows exactly where he needs to be in a battle too.

[quietblade]

He laughs, warm and heartily as Asher jokes and and talks about his company. Some of the best people he knew here were mercenaries, and it seemed that working together with close-knit people that was like a family was something he had really missed out on.

Leaving the only one he had been briefly part of hadn't been the best of ideas... but it brought him here, didn't it?

"It's a good idea, really. One man for each height and skill, right?" There's another chuckle from the large qunari, and he rubs his neck with a large hand. This was a good meeting, really. Just talking, maybe a little flirting. Shit that didn't make him angry or the blood pumping.

"What's your preferred weapon? You look like a two-hander sort of guy."

[hlif]

The Boneflayers are a far better family than Asher’s flesh and blood one; much more acceptance of Asher being what he is and no one throwing him out. Which they could if they wanted to, they could pick up another hulking man easier than say replacing an ex-Coterie thief with all the connections she still brings to the table as well as her business sense. He misses them here, but it’s better they’re apart, some of them still doing the usual work. Just one man and his dog though, he can manage that.

“And better people to leave the business and making nice to Orlesians and nobility part to. I mean I’m charming as they come obviously but some folk don’t know how to appreciate that.” Well in fairness they do, maybe Taas himself because usually Asher still bothers to keep something of his guard up around anyone that could end him without even trying.

“Good eye, usually an axe over a sword, suits how I fight better but I’ve got a shield and smaller sword just as a back-up. You know how it is though, sometimes it’s whatever you have to hand in the moment.”

[quietblade]

He snorts at that. yeah, he wasn't exactly high-class diplomat material to say the least, and this guy didn't seem to be, either. It was something definitely better to leave in the hands of the Ambassador and the likes of Thevenet. Sharp minds and sharp tongues instead of sharp steel and rather rough edges.

"I prefer an axe as well!" Oh no, boys with their toys. "Can't say I've ever really gotten the hang of the sword-and-shield deal aside form my very first training. I like swinging big things."

There's another hearty laugh from the large man and he's grinning at Asher. "Once beat a man to death with his own arm, so yeah. Whatever works in the moment!"

[hlif]

Big guys always throw too much shade for the nobles to handle it anyway, probably looks like an eclipse when it happens.

"I took a few years to fill out, I could lift the axe but well, usually involved someone bellowing 'timber' because I had the height but not much of the muscle at first." Height and temper were enough to see him winning every fight with village boys and even unsuspecting Templar recruits that hadn't taken their vows operating out of the local Chantry. "The first company I was in liked you having more than one option to hand, it's a practice I've kept up when I started on my own, never know what'll be thrown at you. Or if you're going to have to throw someone at the enemy. Or yourself."

Or a frying pan but well, that's in the blood given it's his mother's weapon of choice. He gives a good long laugh at Taas' response, shaking his head as he goes to lean on a post because laughing that much still kind of hurts thanks to the dragon. "Shit, did you really? I've never done that, once the red mist descends things get blurry, what was his face like?"

[quietblade]

Very true.

Taas can't help laughing at the image of tiny Asher and a big weapon with people yelling 'timber' when he tries to lift it. It was pretty similar to his own first year in the army. He'd pushed through, and grown big and strong for throwing around big weapons. Or maybe a tree.

It's nice to hear about mercenary companies being so flexible and accepting, too. Maybe it would mean that he could join one after this Breach thing came to end. Korrin's had seemed really nice.

Damn, he really liked the way this guy laughs. "I sure as fuck did. He looked absolutely horrified and probably soiled himself before I cracked his skull. with his own hand." There's a small shrug. "Red mist, though... you a berserker?"

[hlif]

There was a very long painful year where Asher looked like a particularly wet and limp noodle, he even had a face that looked an awful lot like a peach. Thankfully only one person remembers those years and she's not in Skyhold to speak of them.

"I need to try that one day, just to say I did." Maybe before he goes home so he's got the most appropriate stories to tell his teenage sister. This is going to be one of them because she'll be enchanted enough that he can maybe steal her up for a visit, she's only ever clapped eyes on Korrin. Might even help her decide if she wants to be a farmer all her life or if she wants at least a few months or years experience out in the world seeing what it's really like.

He shakes his head though but it's a fair guess, he's definitely got the temper for it. "Reaver actually, you know how it is when you stop in a tavern in Nevarra - you get drinking with a guy, he gives you something, you wake up three days later and find out that you drank dragon's blood and made it." Stunning life choices, the Asher Hardie story.

[quietblade]

"You accidentally drank dragon blood? Now that is a story!" Taas laughs again, looking both impressed and a little bit concerned underneath that. Who roofies a guy with dragon blood?

"How does that feel? Is it similar to berserking?" The qunari taps himself on the chest. "That's my thing, you see." Which was not something he should be proud of and the damn reason he was sitting out here in the first place, but Asher had him enjoying the good parts.

For now.

[hlif]

"Drinking games in Nevarra are apparently potentially lethal as par for the course. He was just some unassuming bloke too. We'd finished a job and had enough lined up we decided to have a really good night on the town, then at some point he challenged me to try whatever he'd brought and then it just went black." There are probably parts he's missing, but he's got a very healthy respect from Nevarrans that now involves watching them eat and drink something first before if they offer anything to him.

"It might be - it's anger for berserkers, isn't it? For me it's pain. The harder I'm hit, the better I fight, or I just hit harder. The anger creeps in there with me but I've always had a temper but...but it all comes out, the bloodier, the better. It's when I get hit that I get angry instead of anything else." Berserkers have always sounded more disciplined in their own way to Asher who can plan a battle smartly but still charges in to draw as much of the hurt as he possibly can, axe swinging. There's a good reason he's covered in scars that has little to do with sloppiness or lack of technique.

[quietblade]

"Shit, that's some weird origin story right there. I'm both impressed and kind of amused." He laughs a little bit, wondering if dragon blood was more or less preferable over getting served piss or something else like that during a Nevarran drinking challenge.

Could be corpse juice. (Taas makes a mental note not to take this challenge. Ever.)

Asher's description of Reaver rage sounds almost identical to berserking. getting hit made him even more angry, and it was a vicious cycle right there. There was nothing disciplined about it at all. Just frothing madness.

"...yeah, it's anger. The kind that makes your blood boil and you lose track of anything other than taking down everything around you." He sighs slightly, rubbing the back of his head. "My commanding officer was a dumbass to encourage that shit. We qunari are already vicious and need discipline to keep in control of ourselves. Be it the Qun or something else. Fuck up a big guy like me and you have a loose cannon."