lionquisitor-archive-blog

[lionquisitor-archive-blog]

lyriumlacing:

╠ ☾ ╬ ☽ ╣

Her soft echo of his words, following her shiver, made Fenris feel validated. She understood the horrors of slavery, then. And from the way she said it, she’d had discussions about Tevinter magisters.

He didn’t expect her joke, and he laughed sharply, covering his mouth with his free hand as he watched the movement of hers. “I suppose I could, but I’d rather go into the room normally myself and deal with it. I try to avoid using my abilities outside of combat or emergencies.”

A moment more of thought, and he went still for a heartbeat before the hand she was inspecting turned into- well, into the ghost of his hand, glowing brightly with lyrium. “I don’t feel much when using my abilities, though.”

                                             .–[{__☾__☁__}]–.

A gasp as subtle as slamming door escaped her lips as she removed her hands to take in the ghost of one that appeared before her. Absolutely incredible would be one way to put it, but the pain... Or no pain. Of course, there had been stranger things, but something so beautiful was just...

That must be rather unpleasant. “You mentioned actually ripping out people’s hearts. Could you feel them at all? The blood and tissue between your fingers?” She was like a child discovering the world all over again -- the cruel, dark parts of the world as opposed to the halla, soft grasses and sunshine.

She was really entranced by this new knowledge, even as sick and morbid it was. “I’m sorry, you didn’t come here to be questioned about your abilities, now did you.”

[lionquisitor-archive-blog]

bunquisitor:

“It is bad, though, isn’t it.”  She sighed, pulling her feet up on the bench and hugging her knees.

“Maybe you should send them a message too; I’m sure they’re worried, and… talking to someone familiar just makes it better, I guess.  Everything’s gone nuts, and it’s scary.”

Bunny hadn’t always been this afraid.  Sure, part of her personality consisted of being easily startled, but she’d always recovered quickly.  Now, even small scares left her shaking for several minutes, convinced of her impending doom.       It was because of everything that had happened, she knew.       Few were capable of remaining unchanged after something       happened as monumental as becoming the Herald of Andraste –

Especially when that one was an elf.  She’d been thrust from a position of lesser being to some spokesperson for a holy figure.  A holy figure she didn’t even believe in.

                                         .–[{__☾__☁__}]–.

It is bad. It’s all just so bad. “Suppose it is...” she sighed. 

Unnatural and disgusting and on top of that, hardly understandable -- at least it should be. The power struggle, the insatiable hunger for control was merely one piece to a game on a board larger than life itself. Equality and just living the life you were given wasn’t an option for someone so deluded as Corypheus. 

Who hasn’t wanted power over something before?

“I love my clan as much as the next dalish, but I’m with the inquisition now and if they wanted to contact me, they would have done it by now.” Sure, speaking to someone familiar... from the times before all of this went so wrong. Refreshing, it would be -- but you can’t let yourself linger on the past if you can help it. 

At least, that’s how Aris felt. Bunny might need the push of her family, but not this Lavellan. 

[lionquisitor-archive-blog]

lyriumlacing:

╠ ☾ ╬ ☽ ╣

Though her voice held no ire, didn’t seem to be admonishing, he still felt rather like a child being scolded for saying something wrong. The people he had met had no clue she was an elf, but then again they were mostly mercenaries taking advantage of the troubled times, or Tevinter slavers doing the same, so he didn’t have a great frame of reference. Perhaps some of them had known, but the conversations he had overheard or taken part in said otherwise.

She was Dalish, then. He had thought so, but he was honestly out of touch with so much involving elves. Unless they were slaves, he had never bothered learning much about them. And, of course, there was the question about his own markings. He traced the marking along one arm with the other hand as he decided how to phrase his answer, the sting from stimulating the lyrium within helping him focus.

“I was once a slave to a Tevinter magister. He enjoyed doing experiments, and my markings are a result of said experiments. They’re infused with lyrium. and allow me to put parts of my body through solid objects. If Varric ever mentioned me pulling a man’s heart of of his chest.. that’s not one of his clever literary sayings. It’s quite literal.” Here, he paused, studying her more seriously, then held out one hand for her to examine if she wished.

“They’re very sensitive, but they are useful. I don’t know where the pattern came from, though I assume it’s linked to the Fade somehow, as that’s where my ability comes from.”

                                              .–[{__☾__☁__}]–.

Slavery; that was a topic alright. Slave to a tevinter magister, on the other hand, was a topic she’d had discussions about with Dorian. He claimed it wasn’t all that bad for most slaves, and that they were well treated, but even if that were the case, there were still slaves who were horribly mistreated. 

It seemed Aris was finally going to meet one of those mistreated elves personally. “Tevinter...” She echoed, trying to fathom what that must have been like, visibly shivering at the concept of being experimented on. 

In attempt to lighten the serious topic, she tacked on to his statement. “So if you heard someone badmouthing you in the next room over, could you stick your head through the wall and tell them off?” Holding out her own hand beneath his, she traced the air above the markings, taking in their strange design. Fenris said they were sensitive, and Aris would rather not cause him any discomfort during their first interaction.

[lionquisitor-archive-blog]

lyriumlacing:

╠ ☾ ╬ ☽ ╣

The first thing Fenris noticed was red hair, then blue eyes, and then elven ears. He blinked a few times rapidly, then realised that she had spoken his name, the cadence that of a question. As he gathered his thoughts, he set the bottle to the side and turned to face her properly.

“Ah, yes Inquisitor Lavellan. I am Fenris. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” He wished he knew a better way to greet her, especially if she was Dalish. But this would have to work. “Or do you prefer going by Aris?” Hawke had disliked the use of their first name in public situations- they had never wanted to be famous or known, and wanted to keep a distance from the majority of the public, so their companions all used their surname. Aris may be different. Couldn’t hurt to ask, after all.

“Thank you for agreeing to have me here. It’s an honor to assist you and the Inquisition in any way I can.” He could be less formal, yes, but he was honestly still a bit shocked that she was an elf. And old habits died hard.

“How goes the fight? I haven’t heard much news for some time, nothing solid at least. Rumors are abundant outside of Skyhold, and I haven’t been here long enough to really ask anyone. I don’t think many in the world realise you’re an elf, for example. May I ask where you’re from?”

                                               .–[{__☾__☁__}]–.

That’s the first she’s heard of her name in a long time. Formalities kept everyone from asking who she was as a person as opposed to a figure head -- it was always inquisitor this or herald that, never just Aris. It’s hard to keep yourself grounded when you’re stripped of your own name.

“I’d much prefer Aris. Less title and more personal.” Now that she looks at it, those games of Wicked Grace Varric talked her into playing might have done this to her. There’s no telling how far she should have let things go -- without any sort of exaggeration, she might have actually forgotten her own name among all the other things being thrown at her. 

“And it’s an honor to have your assistance -- an acquaintance of Varric and Hawke is better than that of a stranger.” Despite their iffy reputations, it’s better to have previous knowledge than none at all, but you’ll take what you can get in times of war.

The war that was still going on, despite these calmer times between strikes and earth shaking tremors, templars and mages at one another’s throats, demons shedding the blood of the innocent... There was a lot to take in about the world. “The fight is going about as well as one could expect. It’s a matter of how you look at blood shed and poverty -- and as far as people knowing I’m an elf, a lot of them do, as for the rest, they’ve either come to the conclusion that maybe not all elves are bad, or they’re ignoring what I am as oppose to what I’m doing. “

And as for where she’s from... “Being Dalish, I'm from a lot of places. The clan hardly settled anywhere.” Question for a question. “Those markings you have, may I ask what they’re for? They don’t seem to be patron to any of the elven pantheon, at least that I’m aware of.”

[lionquisitor-archive-blog]

bunquisitor:

“I – I can ask Josie… I’m scared of Leliana.”  Bunny ducked her head.  “She’s really… intense.

… Thank you.  For talking with me about it.        Do you have any family in your clan?”

                                          .–[{__☾__☁__}]–.

“You’re in the right to have a fear of Leliana -- everyone should fear her. If not her, at least her resources.” Aris wanted to say she was over reacting, but anyone in the right mind has reason to fear her. Maybe be a little less open about it though.

Fear keeps one sane. Fear reminds people of their own strength and keeps them from doing something out of their league. 

Fear is the reins to the mount of achievement -- not everyone can ride bare back.

“Aside from my parents, no direct blood family, but if we use the term a little more loosely, the entire clan is family.” As for missing them... “I havn’t talked to them since everything went... bad. Bad’s probably not the right word for it, but that’ll do it.”

[lionquisitor-archive-blog]

lyriumlacing:

╠ ☾ ╬ ☽ ╣

Skyhold. An interesting place. Out of the way, well-fortified, and the seat of the Inquisition. Fenris was here, ultimately, at Varric’s request. Formally, Leliana had sent him a letter requesting his services as a teacher for the soldiers who preferred two-handed swords like Fenris did, as well as a secondary advisor due to his time with Hawke, and having great knowledge of much of the land. Fenris had spent the time after leaving Hawke wandering around as a mercenary, after all. It was hard to settle in one place after leaving the group he had felt most at home in.

It didn’t matter now, though. He had a job, and he would give it his all. Varric was comfortable here, and Leliana as well (though Fenris didn’t totally trust her still) so he would undoubtedly settle in. There would be time for that later, though. Right now he was due to meet the esteemed Inquisitor. Her name was Aris (thank Varric for that bit of info), and she was also the Herald of Andraste, and apparently a nice person. Time would tell, though.

At least she was willing to meet him in the tavern, and not a stuffy formal meeting room. It had been a while since he had some quality liquor, and Skyhold was well-stocked. So here the white-haired elf was, at the bar, a bottle of something that could probably strip paint from wood in one hand, waiting for Inquisitor Lavellan.

                                                .–[{__☾__☁__}]–.

What ever makes him comfortable, really, that’s what mattered. Varric had mentioned this Fenris in passing on occasion, usually in the same context that he mentioned Hawke, so he couldn’t be all to bad. Honestly, he could be quite valuable.

The way he mentioned the elf, he didn’t seem the type to want to meet in the stuffy hall, and having him find her on the battlements would be a bit rough, looking at the overall size of Skyhold... Why not meet in the tavern. He liked to drink, right? Absolutely. This would feel like a second home. 

Entering the tavern to the calm croonings of the bard’s songs, she let her head nod from side to side as she scanned over the patrons. Amongst them, an unfamiliar face -- or, back of the head -- stood out, sitting at the bar. 

White hair, pointed, obviously elven ears poking out from underneath, this had to be him.

Taking the seat next to him, Aris folded her arms on the wooden surface, leaning tilting her head with a friendly grin across her features. “Fenris?”

[lionquisitor-archive-blog]

lavxllan:

☾ Aris, ☽ Taelassan nodded, smoothing his hands down the front of his shirt before settling his arm over the back of the bench. Her question surprised him, because really, he’d expected it all to be different, but the fact that his Companions seemed to transcend universes…

☾ He’d be pleased that you attached the article, ☽ he said, smiling and blushing a bit at the mention of his lover. ☾ But yes, Vivienne and Varric, Cassandra, Dorian, Blackwall, The Iron Bull, Cole, Sera, Solas. And Morrigan, Leliana, Josephine, and Cullen as advisors, yes? I wonder how far the differences between our universes extend. Perhaps they begin and end with us? ☽

                                                 .–[{__☾__☁__}]–.

Folding one leg under her to sit sideways and face her new found friend, she gave a lighthearted smile. “He wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Mind-blowing was one way to put it; The exact opposite of humbling, if anything, and actually rather nerve wracking.

The center of a clock -- where the all hands are held as they rotate around a point, the same numbers in the same order in the same place throughout space and time. That’s what it meant to be inquisitor. So long as the hands keep spinning in the right direction, the center piece could be anything, 

                        or anyone.

So long as the arms were the right length and the numbers were in the right places...

“If we’re the only differences, what about the choices we’ve made? We’re really one ones at the helms of our ships now aren’t we.” Siding with the mages over the Templars, allowing companions to join the party, who they romanced, how they’ve dealt with the people they’ve judged... Did they chose the same things across universes as well?

There were more layers to this than Aris wanted to think about. The stress about Corypheus was already eating at her, but now this -- The existence of a parallel universe? 

[lionquisitor-archive-blog]

bunquisitor:

“I have sent a letter.  A lot of them, actually.”  Bunny tugged at a strand of hair nervously.  “But when the birds come back, they still have my letters; none of them found my clan.  I know my clan moves around a lot, but I’m still really worried.

With everything that’s going on, what if something bad happened?”

                                           .–[{__☾__☁__}]–.

Bunny was on the brink of losing her mind, it seemed. “I’m not going to say he’s fine,  not a lot of people are, but there’s a chance he’s hiding out somewhere.” Had Aris not been at the temple and become some Herald of who ever, she’s sure she would have hidden herself away.

Demons darkspawn are serious business. Without an army and companions to support her, she knows for a fact she would have hidden herself away so quick it would give everyone watching whiplash. 

“And in the meantime, if all’s remotely well in your timeline and you have scouts to spare, send a search party. You can’t function if you’re going to stress about people.”

[lionquisitor-archive-blog]

princeofthetigers:

im in love with my inquisitor 

[lionquisitor-archive-blog]

bunquisitor:

“Anything’s better than knife-ear.  This woman at the Winter Palace called me ‘rabbit’, and even that was fine.”

But at the other elf’s question, Bunny drew back a little, suddenly nervous all over again.  “I… don’t know.  I haven’t heard from him since this all started.  I hope he and the rest of my clan are alright…”

                                            .–[{__☾__☁__}]–.

It was absolutely amazing -- even across universes, distances that she couldn’t even fathom apart, some things just stayed the same. “I’ve gotten that before -- I don’t see where they got calling someone ‘rabbit’ was insulting. Rabbits are adorable.” 

Sensing the other’s tension, apologizing was one of the first things on her mind, but it was a serious question. If there is someone you care for out there, you need to keep in contact with them.

Seriously, just a few words to let them know you’re alive if they’re important, maker’s sake.

“Maybe write him a letter? Send Leliana’s scouts with it if you have to.”

[lionquisitor-archive-blog]

bunquisitor:

“Oh, it’s…”  Bunny laughed, fingers pulling at the tips of her own ears.  “My ears.  They’re kind of big, even for an elf, so my big brother gave me the nickname and it just stuck.

I like it, though.  It’s cute.”

                                             .–[{__☾__☁__}]–.

Big ears -- that’ll do it alright. Aris has had her fair share of backlash on the ears, as have most elves. “Suppose that’s better than knife ears, now isn’t it.”

Brother? “So you have a brother? How’s he doing since the world’s started falling to pieces?”

[lionquisitor-archive-blog]

bunquisitor:

“I’m glad there’s only one…  I don’t know what I’d do if I had to fight more.”  She shuddered, hunching her shoulders.

But as the stranger went on to introduce herself, she relaxed again.  “Aris; that’s a pretty name.”  She beamed.  “I’m Bunny – well, my name is Risa, but everyone calls me Bunny.

So… are you from the same clan I’m from?  Clan Lavellan?”

                                              .–[{__☾__☁__}]–.

They were the only differences across the timelines. The same clan, the same name,=s, the same consequences for their actions, it was so bizarre. “Clan Lavellan indeed.” 

Bunny. What a fitting name for someone seemingly afraid of the world. She was like a baby nug in comparison, although, Aris was no dragon in the face of danger either. “How’d you come across the name bunny?” Might as well ask to be polite if not for actual curiosity. 

[lionquisitor-archive-blog]

bunquisitor:

Bunny knew that Josephine wasn’t a danger, but it was what Josie wanted her to do that scared her.  “She’s trying to get me to meet with this man from Ferelden.”  The elf ducked her head.  “But he’s frightening.”

This was all a lot to take in. 

“There’s more than one Cor– Coryphee–

     There’s more than one of him?”

As much as she’d heard the name, it’d seem that she’d know how to say it by now, but her mouth had a hard time forming the flip-switch in the middle.

                                                .–[{__☾__☁__}]–.

Frightened? By some stranger from Ferelden of all places? How was this elf a Herald in any case -- was she afraid of her own shadow? She probably has her reasons.

“That’s the funny thing -- there’s only one of him in each separate time line, but seeing as there’s multiple time lines, there’s multiple of him. Strange how that worked out.” Leaning her head back, stretching her arms up for a moment and taking in a deep breathe that was probably the reminiscence of a yawn, she continued. “And we never properly exchanged names aside from our title -- You can call me Aris.” Extending a hand in friendship, she smiled. 

[lionquisitor-archive-blog]

bunquisitor:

“Researching… the Crossroads?” she asked tentatively, leaning forward a bit curiously.  “So you’re here to find out more about it?  I was just hiding from Josie.

So there’s another elf too, and he’s… also the Herald?  How is that possible?  I thought there was just one of us… I’ve never heard of others.”

                                                  .–[{__☾__☁__}]–.

Despite how much else was going on, getting a moment to breathe, the redhead finally saw it fit to explore the possibilities. Of course, it would be easier to let someone more experienced with this sort of thing, but someone new might have a better perspective, right? Collect all the details someone experienced might over look in a rush. 

All that aside, everyone else was doing something, and the Herald was not, so why not. “Hiding from Josie? Josephine couldn’t hurt a fly -- if you were hiding from Leliana, that would be another story, but you would be very out of luck. I wouldn’t be surprised if she has eyes in here.”

Swinging her leg over the bench to face the other elf, she took in her appearance more in this relaxed state. “Indeed... We went over it, apparently, there are other timelines where... Basically the same thing is going, but we’re hardly anything alike. Different tastes, different actions, but all in all, Corypheus is destroying the world either way.”

[lionquisitor-archive-blog]

bunquisitor:

“Three?”

Bunny took a cautious step forward.  She could flee right now, get out of here and get back to Skyhold, but         one: she was admittedly curious about all of this and two: Josephine was still looking for her.

So she followed the stranger and sat on the other end of the bench from her, fiddling anxiously with the hem of her shirt.  “What do you mean, three of us?”

                                              .–[{__☾__☁__}]–.

Yea, that’ll do it alright. “Yea, the other one is also an elf. He’s not that bad, really. I’m suppose to meet back up with him later on in the following days, but today was a day I had dedicated to researching this without Morrigan interfering or Solas breathing down my neck.”

[lionquisitor-archive-blog]

bunquisitor:

The answer came as a complete shock.  “I –

Well, I – y-yes…”

She stared at the other elf, taking a tiny step back.  “How?  I mean, I’m the Herald…”  Or whatever.  Bunny didn’t actually believe in the Maker or Andraste; she was an elf.  “There can’t be two of us.”

                                               .–[{__☾__☁__}]–.

With a resigned sigh, she motioned toward one of the scattered benches. “Actually, this makes three of us. That I now know of, at least.”

Seriously, this was getting ridiculious. Being some maker sent savior was hard enough, fighting corypheous and his demons and dealing with the people was another level, but this...

Time was an enigma and the universe was out of control.

[lionquisitor-archive-blog]

bunquisitor:

“Yeah, well –”

There wasn’t a good retort for that at all. After a moment, Bunny stepped slowly out from behind the Eluvian, arms crossed over her chest.

This other person… was an elf.  Just like her.  And they both had Sylaise’s tattoos…

“Who are you?”

                                                .–[{__☾__☁__}]–.

At the sight of the other’s tattooed features, there was little doubt in her mind that this was the same event playing itself out again but with different people.

How many alternate timelines were going to converge here at the crossroads. Did Morrigan know about this? Is this why she called it crossroads? Maybe she was reading too much into it. 

She would have said something. Right? “The Herald of Andreste. Dare I assume we share a title?” A shot in the dark, but a shot probably rightfully placed.