meadowlarklogs | ARRIVAL LOG 019

ARRIVAL LOG 019

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: New Amsterdam
WHEN: March 22
WHAT: The nineteenth arrival
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Coercion and loss of autonomy. Further notes at the end of log.

> ARRIVAL LOG #019

Awareness comes to you in blurred snatches, cloudy fragments of sound and light, color, sensation. Hazy and difficult to grasp on to, but slowly aligning into focus. A series of regular, rhythmic beeps. A medicinal, astringent smell. The sensation of movement, a low hum and accompanying vibration under you. Your eyes are heavy, hard to keep open, but in the glimpses between slow, dark blinks you see two people in front of you: one dressed in a thick set of armor, while the other wears medical garb. Out the windshield in front, there are many tall buildings—all reaching up beyond a normal city skyline, all entirely too close to the vehicle itself.

You realize there are others next to you: all dressed the same way as you, you'll come to realize: in jeans, with a t-shirt bearing some kind of sports team logo. To your left there's an armored interior door, two more people visible, and the movement of streets passing through a windshield. You try to open your mouth to speak, but it's as if your tongue is coated in tar, and you manage nothing more than an empty parting of lips.

The vehicle lowers from its height and comes to a stop inside of an alley, with tall brick walls surrounding it. The guard opposite you stands and comes to unbuckle you from the bench, helping you to your feet. Your limbs feel wooden and heavy, slow to move. One guard opens the back of the vehicle, and the air outside feels immediately warm and dry. "Careful with your step," the guard says, helping you out. The nurse helps the others out, checking over each passenger one by one.

Once outside, you'll be able to hear some noises in the distance, which after a few seconds will be recognizable as the hum of a large crowd. There will even be loud cheers here and there, as if they're spectating some kind of event.

The main guard turns to address your entire group, and something about her bearing makes it clear she's done this before. "Now, listen to me very carefully." Your body will come to attention, immediately homing in on the words that follow, as if compelled to hang on every word. "You're going to leave this alley, and then follow my directions exactly." From there, the guard will go through a list of directions, only about five steps (round the corner, turn right, etc.). "Once you've done all that, you'll see a sign: Red Wings. Go inside and you'll make some new friends. They can help with the rest."

The guard will hop back into the van, which will rise off of the ground and disappear as soon as it arrived. Once it's gone, you'll find your legs moving almost without your permission, guiding you to follow the stops the guard laid out.

And, as promised, you'll end up outside a bar called the Red Wings.

Though entirely capable of independent action and thought, new characters will find themselves completely, unquestioningly compliant to any verbal statement which could be taken as a command or request – and that includes the message passed on from the mysterious patron.

> RED WINGS

The message from El comes the same as usual: insistent, not waiting for any active attempt to open it. Scrolling within your vision as if being written while you're reading it.

Well, some of you are going to have a group of newbies to bartend. Our newest group just got directed to the Red Wings. If anyone else wants to swing by to help get them oriented and move them to the safehouse, I'm guessing the people who are on the clock will thank you.

The Red Wings bar is in a section of the large, futuristic city that houses a sports stadium, though not so close to it that the newcomers will have to deal with dodging crowds. Red Wings is tucked away on a side street, meaning that those stumbling in won't have to worry about attracting too much attention.

Why did they get directed to a sports bar, of all places? That will become clear as soon as they start to speak to the people inside. This arrival, as it turns out, is a little different from the ones that have come before.

◉ Aesthetically, Red Wings is a retro tribute to the lost city of Detroit. It's all red neon, cars and sports memorabilia, with all fittings and decor elements physical where possible as a nod to the era. There is also some artwork dedicated to Motown and its significance within the city, and there is a section of the digital sound system for Motown.

◉ The main area is spacious, with stools at the bar and plenty of room for booths and standing space. One area is reserved for the physical darts board and pool table, which are permanent installations.

◉ There is also a function room available for private bookings and smaller events, though this is currently not quite as nicely done up as the main space.

◉ The bar has multiple neural interface screens installed throughout to make sure there's always an easy view of the game, with one larger screen set up over the bar itself for Big Game days. Unfortunately, this won't be available to the newcomers as they don't have their neural implants set up yet, but they'll be able to gather that the other people here seem to be watching a screen they can't see.

◉ Drinks include a range of the finest craft beers, popular spirits and a basic cocktail menu, but newbies won't have any money to their name just yet, so they'll have to rely on the kindness of strangers if they want something to eat or drink.

◉ Naturally, there will be some people working at the bar and others who are just there to hang out, but either way the newcomers should have plenty of people on-hand to explain the situation. With more on the way, potentially.

Further details about Red Wings and the staff can be found at this post put together by our Stephen Strange player, as he's one of the owners of the bar! Most of the information above was borrowed from this post.

Once the new characters have been oriented and calmed down as needed, they'll all be escorted by one of the established Displaced back to the safehouse. This is done for security and safety reasons.

> NEW AMSTERDAM (AND BEYOND)

Once the new Displaced have endured their four days in the safehouse, they'll have their IDs set up and will be released in this strange new world. New Amsterdam will be theirs to explore, and if they manage to get the lowdown from another Displaced who's been here longer, they may learn that they can travel even further than that.

Probably better to not get ahead of themselves, right? New Amsterdam has plenty to offer!

◉ It's Opening Day for the New Amsterdam Koniki (New Amsterdam's baseball team)! Despite the signings of the aces Jim Bridges and Osamu Kawakami, the Opening Day starter is long-time Koniki, Connor Tseng. Tseng is a finesse pitcher who's been with the Koniki through good and bad (and for the past few seasons, it's been a lot of bad). Never overpowering batters with a crazy fastball, Tseng hits his spots and is the master of the off-speed pitch. There are a mess of articles on the sports blog circuit about what message the Koniki are sending in having Tseng start the 2512 season, but most agree that it's a message to Tseng that he's still the team's leader. Bridges and Kawakami are undoubtedly more explosive, but these signings are clearly meant to build a team around their long-time ace.

Tickets to get into the Koniki's first game will be difficult to come by, selling for five and ten times too much on reseller sites. The savvy baseball fan knows that the stadium will be sold out, however, and can grab a short-term, one-day-only job to help meet the demands of Opening Day. And for anyone who's curious about the game but doesn't want to work at the stadium, it will definitely be broadcasted at Red Wings and plenty of other sports bars around the city.

The game itself will be a pitcher's duel for the first five innings between Tseng and the New Venice Gecko's ace, Jayson Soto. During the bottom of the fifth inning, rookie slugger Jiri Kim will hit a three-run homer, putting the Koniki up. Rather dramatically, the Geckos will come back in the top of the sixth, tying up the game and running Tseng off the mound. Both the Geckos and the Koniki will try to shore up the game via their bullpens. Ultimately, the Koniki will win in the bottom of the 10th inning in a walk-off fashion, with Kim hitting another home run to call it. The defense throughout the game is a mess for the Koniki, showing signs that even their new aces may struggle with that defensive backdrop.

Finally: yes, there is a designated hitter to protect pitchers.

◉ St. Patrick's Day is here! While the typical aspects of the holiday still exist, such as drinking a lot (and yes, alcohol and other drinks will be dyed green!) and getting pinched if you don't wear green, this day is also a time to remember the country of Ireland that's now under the Atlantic Ocean. The primary focus for New Amsterdam citizens is remembering the parts of Europe that were lost to the effects of climate change and the disaster of World War III.

So while there's plenty of merrymaking at various pubs, there are also neighborhood memorials set up for remembrance. There will be plenty of media coverage about this too, giving anyone new to this world a very immediate idea of the state that it's in, with a good portion of western Europe underwater.

◉ It's spring, which oddly means that fertility symbols begin to spring up around the city. They can take the form of actual symbols etched or painted onto walls, though there are also carved figurines and phallic shapes scattered around as well. (Feel free to browse here if you need ideas.)

◉ While these can be found at random around the city, they will also be associated with the shrines dedicated to the Displaced which have existed in New Amsterdam for some time now. These shrines are continuously taken down and put back up in different parts of the city. The NAPD as well as private interests seem intent on removing them for profit or controlling vandalism. Despite continuous efforts on both of their behalfs, these shrines continue to rise in number. There seems to be a cluster of them that get closer and closer to Red Wings. Candles and small offerings (flowers, dressings, and hand-made jewelry from wood and plants) can occasionally be seen near them.

◉ There will also be small spring gatherings held in parks where people will be happy to share their food and enjoy the new plants that have sprung up throughout the city. (Assuming that your allergies aren't being set off, anyway!) The Displaced are welcome to attend!

◉ On a more somber and serious note, non-violent protests have begun to spring up around the city in response to the situation on Mars. The people working on the Mars colony have been mistreated and forced into horrible conditions, and it seems more and more likely that the government is trying to keep that quiet and act as if things are better when they're really not. The protests are kept small in number by design, mainly because the people involved don't want to get immediately shut down by the NAPD -- or worse, have the UNA step in. They mainly take the form of people standing outside of campaign offices, though instead of handwritten signs, they're able to project digital versions with their implants.

Some NPC members of Morningstar who recently relocated to New Amsterdam will be involved in these protests as well. Any characters who feel strongly about this issue, want to learn more if they're new and uninformed, or who are simply interested in getting to know other Morningstar members better should feel free to participate. (Note: While we won't be able to thread out NPC interactions, feel free to use the questions thread below to discuss with us how your character would be received by these NPCs if you're interested in that!)

> SAFEHOUSE

Located under an abandoned hover-bike garage, access to the safehouse is a hatch in the floor beside a rusted set of metal shelves that used to hold tools and supplies. The immediate area is similarly abandoned: full of rundown and dilapidated warehouses and forgotten businesses, where numerous people squat in hopes of having some stability because they can't afford a place themselves. Gaby will be around, ready to greet as many of the new arrivals as she can and get them settled in. Brusque and no-nonsense, she'll be open to questions, but will advise the newcomers to ask the people who brought them in for the beginning bits of information. Newbies can also contact El through zeir inbox, if needed.

The safehouse is a large space with multiple rooms for storage, with the largest of the rooms filled with rows of basic cots set up to sleep a large amount of people. Basic, but outfitted with everything necessary for daily life. A few doors lead to back rooms for storage, medical care and a large communal bathroom, and past the long rows of cots there is a communal kitchen, fully stocked, and an eating area. Privacy is at a minimum.

◉ New characters will be asked to pick their beds, and provided with a change of (second-hand, mismatched and somewhat threadbare) clothes and basic toiletries.

◉ There is a mini-bar set up in the kitchen. The quality of the alcohol inside is akin to what someone might get from the well at a bar, but it's well-stocked. There will also be some dye set within reach of the mini-bar for anyone looking for some Irish cheer to add to their beverages. This is courtesy of Gaby, as per usual!

◉ While the kitchen has basic foods and necessities, anyone looking for a jolt of caffeine from coffee or tea will find themselves sorely lacking. The only tea present is herbal in nature, and caffeine appears to be almost nonexistent in most of the beverages lying around.

◉ Gaby will make it clear to all new arrivals that if they have any requests or queries, they should contact her or El. Either she or El will explain that they've been given a modest stipend of credits to help them get by until they can find a job. This will be enough to cover their living expenses for about a month while they hang out in the safehouse, if they're careful with budgeting.

◉ The drugs making new characters compliant will remain in their systems for a few hours after their arrival at the safehouse before finally beginning to fade. They will be gone entirely after a night's rest. In the meantime, they may want to be careful of what others say to them.

◉ New characters will be given rudimentary access to the network on arrival in the safehouse, but will not have their ID set up yet. They will be able to make posts and replies, but their messages will be anonymous and they do not have inboxes yet.

◉ New characters do not have access to the internet until their ID is setup. They only have limited access because they're present in the safehouse, but they can't surf the rest of the internet, check out Cooltalk, or watch the equivalent of Netflix until their ID is made.

◉ New characters cannot leave the safehouse at this time. The hatch is locked tight for them, making it impossible for them to get out for the next four days while they're locked inside. There won't be any immediately obvious ways to cut their way out through turning off the power.

◉ New characters will not be allowed to leave the safehouse until MARCH 26 ICLY (MARCH 23 OOCLY). These 4 days are for them to adjust, learn about the world they've arrived in from their fellows, and for El to speak with them and work on setting up their IDs.

> FINAL OOC NOTES

You're now free to post to the network and logs comms. To reiterate, your characters will have no IDs or inboxes, nor be allowed out of the safehouse until MARCH 26 ICLY (MARCH 23 OOCLY). At that point it's expected they'll have gotten a good idea of their new situation from their fellow characters, and will have discussed their background and job potentials with El in order for their false IDs to be set up.

If you have any questions or ideas about how you'd like to get your character involved in the world, please head over to the plot engagement post and drop us a comment! For questions specific to this log, there is a thread below.

Please check out our March calendar rundown for a look at things happening this month, as well as some additional notes from the mods.

Something else to keep in mind is that on Monday, March 16th we'll be putting up a Metaplot Engagement Post, which will have a focus on how to integrate all players into the metaplot as well as take suggestions on future events and the direction you'd like the game to go. This will be open to everyone in-game, old players and new players alike, so please keep an eye out for it!

As we announced here, AC will be check-in only this month due to the state of the world right now. If you've taken a hiatus, this counts as your check-in, but otherwise please feel free to relax for the rest of the month. In addition, the HMD will be moved to next month. New players accepted in March will only have to submit 10 comments across 2-4 threads for the April 2020 AC (which goes up on May 1, 2020).

> NAVIGATION

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Hawke doesn't know how to stop fighting, and not in the heroic sense, where people say they'll fight for justice or for innocence or for one cause or the other. She's just always fighting something, someone, in motion, in action, incapable of laying her weapons down. She used to joke that she was running off into oblivion so she could retire, but instead she went to the roads and to investigate the wardens.

Thinking about Varric's grief is far more upsetting to her than her own death. No one really understands the bond that exists between them, as if where one ends the other begins, and she can't imagine going on without him. And in that world he had to go on without her.] And he'll have to tell the others. [That's also a painful act. It's truly tragic and not something she wants to sit in too long. Too real!]

Aren't you glad I didn't end up the Inquisitor though? Throwing myself into martyrdom so quickly!

He was writing many letters, the last time I saw him.

[ And struggling with them, much more than she'd ever seen Varric struggle with his writing. She knows better than to say so to Hawke, though.

She scoffs, shaking her head. ]

I was so angry at Varric, when I found that he had known how to contact you all along. That he had lied to me. But given what happened...perhaps he was right to keep you away.

[Hawke knows how hard it would have hit Vaarric because she knows how hard it would have hit her. Except in that world he'd have to write to her sister to let her know she was the only Hawke left, and that would be very difficult for her beloved little sister. She tries not to think too much on it; easier to know that her own sister still has to live with her.]

He was still paranoid you were trying to catch me, at least in the beginning. I pointed out it was unlikely you were capable of such subterfuge. [Hawke smiles wryly.] No offense meant, you just don't have the look of a natural born liar, like we are.

[No, Cassandra is fairly up front, which is why her motivation probably seemed so suspect to an overprotective rogue. She shrugs, flagging down for another ale because she's really going to need to get tipsy eventually. She has a ridiculous tolerance so it takes a great deal.]

Neither of us could understand why you would want me after how I fucked over Kirkwall. That's hardly what the Inquisition needed.

[The cold hard truth and snuck in there is a vulnerable reveal: what she did to Kirkwall. Not what Anders did. She'll always blame herself.]

[ Cassandra scoffs and shakes her head, amused. ]

No, I suppose not. Perhaps if I were, I would have been better able to recognize Varric's deception for what it was.

[ But there's no bitterness in her tone, not anymore. Her eyes widen at Hawke's modesty. ]

You? You are the Champion of Kirkwall. You saved the City, time and again.

What happened with the Chantry...that was not your fault.

Varric is easy to spot when he's lying, his mouth is moving.

[Hawke smiles and it's half-joking and half-truth. Her best friend can spin the most exceptional lies and even she's fooled by them sometimes, although she usually calls him on it and laughs. It worked in their favor, really. A lot of people outside of Kirkwall had no idea what Hawke looked like because they all had this picture in their mind of the Great Champion, an intentional choice.

She is not being modest, it's genuinely what Hawke believes. It shows then, around the cracks of her humor and indifference, blue eyes far more somber.]

Anders did it on my watch. I ignored all the signs because .... [Well, because she loved him, deeply and madly, in a way that she didn't give to the others. If something was up with Isabela or Fenris or Merrill, she saw it, and she would do anything for them, but with Anders she was intentionally blind.] I was stupid.

I was never a good leader, Cassandra. [She didn't want to be. She wanted her family to stay alive and be well, that's why she did everything, no noble cause or honorable intentions. Survival. Protection.]

That may be true, but you are not the one who destroyed the Chantry. In the end, only Anders can claim responsibility.

[ She shakes her head, sighing. ]

And that is certainly not true. If you were a poor leader, you would never have inspired so many to follow you. Varric certainly would not have. For all his faults, he is a good judge of character, and he is - honest, when it counts. He would not have protected you, or spoken of you the way that he did, had he not believed you were worthy of it.

We're not going to agree on this one, Seeker. And it was better for the Inquisition not to have my ... controversial background attached, no matter how it seemed.

[For example, if it was Hawke who had to choose between the mages and the templars again, well, that had already happened, people would have resented right up front knowing that she has a distinct side. She has more enemies than she has allies at the moment, and it would put them at a disadvantage. Hawke lost the heart when she lost Kirkwall.

She does make a face.]

Corypheus though, I really should be the one to get rid of him. That slippery bastard was supposed to be handled.

[It put her in a terrible mood whens he heard he was back and making trouble. Fenris was just as irritated as she was, when she told him what happened. They really preferred their enemies to stay dead, especially the craziest ones.]

Varric and I are the same person, so think of his love for me as his own vanity.

[ No, she can tell she's not going to win this argument. And though she'd never say it, Hawke has a point about her background. The Inquisition gets enough scrutiny over its...diverse membership as it is.

Not that any of that lets Varric off the hook. ]

You killed Corypheus. It is not your fault he came back.

[ She snorts lightly in amusement, shaking her head. ]

Hawke, you are not nearly irritating enough to be Varric. Don't sell yourself short.

[ A beat, and then her eyes widen with delight as the unintended pun hits. ]

Oh! I just - did you hear what I said?

[Hawke is in no way a diplomatic person. People may think that she is, considering she did manage to balance Kirkwall for a bit, but really it all was just stewing. She doesn't have the patience to play nice with people who annoy her, see: every time she spoke to Meredith. It's good that the Inquisition has a lot of different voices and perspectives, but Hawke would get irritated in about ten minutes. And also lose her temper were the past to be brought up, so yeah. Best this way. Cecily's a good woman, far as she can tell, she did fine.]

Well technically it's not my fault he came back, but it's still quite annoying when you kill someone and they show up again. It's rude. I went through the trouble of murdering you, my good sir, please drop dead immediately.

[Fenris was horrified when she said Corypheus was back, and not only that, but trying to take over, and she felt the same way. It's just like a cockroach to know the right time to take advantage of tensions in the area and grab at power. Oh how she wishes she could stab him in the face a few dozen times. Alas.

Hawke stares at Cassandra, having planned on laughing at the unintended pun, but then she points it out herself! Hawke's almost proud and she barely knows her. She bursts out laughing, reaching over to clap Cassandra on the shoulder in an openly friendly way. She loves puns.]

Seeker, I've just decided we have to be friends, that was fucking hilarious.

[She thinks what is more endearing is how delighted Cassandra was at her own joke. Priceless.]

Varric would be so proud that you pinned about him.

Edited 2020-05-19 02:06 (UTC)

You can never tell him.

[ The idea of giving Varric that much ammunition against her is unthinkable. Still, she's obviously pleased, fighting back a smile and her cheeks going slightly pink when Hawke claps her on the shoulder and declares their friendship. Not that she's dreamed about being friends with the great Champion of Kirkwall. Not at all. ]

..."Seeker." That is...what he calls me, too.

Perhaps you are more alike than I realized.

Oh come on, you have to tell him, he'd be delighted, trust me.

[Varric would consider it clearly a sign of his influence and be smug about it. He always loved whenever they got Aveline to shuck off a little of her properness. It was difficult but well-won. Hawke thinks now, looking at Cassandra with clever eyes, that Varric's summary was right. She may, in fact, be a fan. It's rather sweet, really.]

I know, it's what he calls you in letters. He shares all his nicknames. [Hawke smiles, glancing away.] I wasn't terribly happy when you captured my dwarf, but in the end I'm glad you gave him something to do. He really hates feeling useless.

[Another thing they had in common, so Hawke found other ways to be useful. it just couldn't be done with both of them.]

Yes. He would be.

[ Exactly her point. She flushes still further, shifting a bit uncomfortably at the thought of Varric writing letters about her - about all of them. It makes sense, of course, that he would, but still...

She deliberately doesn't ask what horrid things Varric had said about her in his letters to Hawke. Undoubtedly she deserves it - some of it, at least - but that doesn't mean she wants to hear it.

She fidgets even more uncomfortably when Hawke mentions her capturing Varric. Still a sore spot, even if Varric seems mostly over it. ]

He has been anything but that, at least.

He may not have led us to you - not when I asked, at least - but he has been...vital to the Inquisition's efforts. He has many useful connections, and is a skilled fighter.

[Hawke could really get used to the flushing, it's quite cute. Endearing. She reminds Hawke of a mix of Aveline and Merrill somehow, a combination she never would expect. She likely would not repeat the things that Varric sent her, outside of general details about his companions, but they are like diary entires in a way. There's not a lot they keep from one another.]

At the time, he was telling the truth, when we split up no one knew where I was, it was safer that way. He thought you wanted to kill me, of course. There was a line at that point.

[A very long line of people who would love her head on a pike, and to be fair, who Cassandra was gave fairly good reasons to be cautious. But she's glad that Varric cleared it up and made the choice to get involved, even if it was to keep an eye on the next calamity in their land.]

Varric trusts you so I do, it's as simple as that. [She flashes a quick smile.] Although granted he doesn't have great taste in friends.

[ Oh. Cassandra falters again, momentarily stunned speechless. Hawke has no reason to trust her, she knows. If anything, Cassandra's earned the opposite. But still.

She can't help smiling as well, though she ducks her head away, trying to hide it. ]

He does.

[ Hawke, Aveline...True, Varric seems to make friends with nearly everyone he meets, and there's been more than one occasion when Cassandra's questioned his judgement. But she couldn't approve more highly of his regard for Hawke. ]

He seems to recognize the value in nearly everyone, it seems.

[ Well. Not Cassandra, perhaps, and she doesn't know what Hawke is talking about when she says he trusts her. But again, she can hardly blame him for that. ]

He has a good heart, even if he is...infuriating, at times.

[It's official, the Seeker is adorable. So easily flustered and hiding her smile like that. Hawke can't help grinning at her and wags a finger.]

Ha! I see a smile, Cassaandra, you can't fool me.

[Hawke has a very low opinion of herself so she doesn't know what to do with anyone who feels otherwise. While her friends are loyal to one another, they never saw one another as larger than life, especially Hawke herself. They knew her too be the woman who got drunk enough to sing poorly on the walk home or embarrassingly dance herself out of a room she didn't want to be in. Her quirks are the truth of her, and those are not in the legends.

But maybe they can get to know one another well enough Cassandra will see them too.]

Varric's extremely forgiving. I've never met anyone more so. [Hawke herself can be too, but she's already said they're too alike.]

What's your inquisitor like? I'm not going to assume we know the same one, considering I'm dead there.

[ Cassandra flushes pink, but she manages to retrain her expression, shaking her head adamantly. ]

I can. I mean. I'm not. Smiling.

[ Cassandra's seen her fair share of quirks among the Inquisition's members - the unlikely Inner Circle is only its beginning. True, she's still looking at Hawke with rose-colored glasses, a bit, but who could blame her, after Varric's descriptions and embellishments? ]

Is he? [ In her experience, Varric can hold a grudge like no one's business. But that's more than enough talk about the dwarf.

She furrows her brow, confused. ]

The Inquisitor...why would he not be the same?

[ Hawke may be dead in one universe and alive in another, but she's still Hawke. Cassandra is still herself. Why would the same not hold true for everyone? ]

What's the harm in smiling? I swear you and Aveline are twins separated at birth.

[It is very rare to get a smile out of Aveline too, but when she does it's such a job well done. But Aveline's only ever blushed when it came to her husband, rarely just because she's being caught being a person. Hawke doesn't know what went into making Cassandra so very serious, but clearly it will be her mission from now on to lighten her up while they're there. Everyone needs a purpose.]

Mm, he is, but he'll still bitch and moan about people.

[So he talks smack no matter what, but in his heart he's gotten past it. Varric just likes being petty. That's one thing they don't have in common. To be fair, the only time Varric truly holds a grudge is when it's on her behalf, just as she holds one against Bianca since he won't do the same.

See, that's what she feared, and her expression flickers with concern.]

It happens. My friend Fenris knows a version of me who is a male mage, which as you can imagine came as quite a surprise.

[Now that she's probably going to hold onto for awhile.]

The Inquisitor's a young woman where I'm from.

[ Cassandra grimaces, remembering her conversation with Fenris, and all the accompanying misunderstandings. ] Yes, he told me. I am afraid I...was rather unfair to him.

[ But Hawke being male in one reality and female in another had been hard enough for Cassandra to wrap her head around. She hadn't given much thought to further potential differences - Cassandra herself, at least, seems to be recognizable enough to the others she'd met here. Her eyes widen slightly. ]

Nathaniel is a woman?

[Both of Hawke's eyebrows shot up at that.] What, did you call him a liar? [There is a part of her that gets automatically defensive at the idea; he might know another Hawke, but he is still Fenris. She is devoted to her friends to an occasionally unhealthy level, but she knows full well that Fenris doesn't need or like other people defending him. It doesn't stop her from wanting to, but she doubts Cassandra did more than be confused at him.]

I ... if that is your Inquisitor's name, yes. She's a woman in mine. Lovely girl. Very much over her head.

[It is not meant in aa way implying the Inquisitor cannot handle things, more the awareness that there's no real way to prepare for what they went through. Hawke's been thrust into the center stage herself, and that was on a lower level, in a city, not responsible for Corpyheus and the end of everything. But she knows Cecily's strong and capable, if Varric's assessment is right, and it usually is.]

So you have a male Inquisitor and a dead Hawke. [Spoken bluntly like that, it's a bit rough.]

No, I...When he said you were a man, I thought...

[ She shakes her head, helpless and embarrassed. ]

I told him it was your own business, and that if you said you were a woman, it was not our place to say otherwise.

[ BUT ANYWAY. She clears her throat, eager to move on. ]

It is...Not all as bad as you make it sound, when you say it like that.

Edited 2020-06-27 06:30 (UTC)

[Hawke just stares at Cassandra for a good few seconds and then bursts out laughing, full out guffawing even, and puts a hand around her middle.] I'm just picturing his face. [She can barely get out the words for a moment, chuckling in between, but she really isn't laughing in a mocking way. She's not laughing at the concept either, but it's damned charming, yet again.]

Sorry, if it was the case, I'd be grateful for your support, but if only I was there to hear that conversation. You must both have been very confused.

[So funny. She is still trying to get her breathing and chuckles under control. Phew. If Varric shows up she notes that one away to tell him. Unless he too knows a male version of her in which case she'll want to throw herself into a fountain.]

Nathaniel you said? What does he look like? [She's curious.] Fenris said the male version of me definitely looked like we were closely related.

[ Cassandra flushes, turning her face away. It's obvious even to her that Hawke isn't laughing at her, exactly, but even so. ]

'Confused' is an understatment.

[ She waits, patiently, for Hawke to regain control of herself, arms folded across her chest. ]

What does he look like?

[ She frowns. ]

He is...a man. [ Useful. ] A young man. Handsome enough, I suppose. [ She hesitates, not entirely sure what Hawke is getting at. ] He does not look as though he is related to you.

[Hawke would feel bad but she does love pulling people's legs and if Cassandra's going to be around her more, which she hopes so, she'll learn the value in sighing and letting Hawke laugh at her own jokes. A lot of that does involve teasing too. She remembers to breathe and sighs. She should've expected Cassandra not to be able to build her an appropriate photo. If Varric was here he'd describe the man so down to detail that she could conjure him up in her mind.]

No, no, the Inquisitor shouldn't look like me, I mean that his version of Hawke looks related to me. Same hair, eyes, general irreverent shit-talking. [Enough that Fenris could believe it.] My Inquisitor is a pretty thing. Dark hair, dark eyes, human, she's a Trevelyan. Has the noble look about her. [Hawke's mother did too, although she herself looks more like a pirate than a lady.]

Well in any case, Cassandra, we should stick together in this new world. It's confusing enough as it is.

[ A Trevelyan? Cassandra brightens, a little. Perhaps there are some constants after all. She smiles at Hawke. ]

I agree.

It is good to have...to have someone familiar here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

ARRIVAL LOG 019

Re: oh mood

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

so sorry for the wait waves at life

oh the biggest mood

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Can wrap here or on yours as mentioned? :D

yes!!

ARRIVAL LOG 019

Re: oh mood

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

so sorry for the wait *waves at life*

oh the biggest mood

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Can wrap here or on yours as mentioned? :D

yes!!

so sorry for the wait waves at life