i have an excellent sense of dramatic timing.

[hereliestheabyss]

Who| Hawke and the Dragon Age cast, Hawke and Cassandra
What| Hawke survives the Carnage in the Caves! ... Only to die later in an undignified fashion. At least she has some gifts to deliver, first.
Where| The re-established camp of the DA crew after the jabberjays force them to relocate, found in the pine forest. Death occurs at the mountains.
When| Later half of Week 4
Warnings/Notes| Blood and eventual death

Marian Hawke had seen better days.

Those damn birds made a  right fool of her. It was humiliating. Beneath her. To conquer so much, only to be rendered inept by so little. The Capitol’s methods were new to her, had rubbed raw the fears the Nightmare had already exposed, and for once the Champion of Kirkwall was visibly shaken.

What was left of her red scarf, her token, was tied tightly around her right thigh. An appropriate color, and one that might have hid the blood if the struggle had not left evidence elsewhere. She wasn’t soaked in the substance, but tell-tale crimson was splattered sparsely on her clothes, smeared on her skin where she’d made a half-assed attempt to wipe it off. There was a limp in her gait, a glaze in her eye, and whatever ordeal she’d been through in her absence from the camp had obviously made an impact on her.

But what might have been more immediately noticeable were the supplies she held in her hands. Lacking a proper satchel or any other kind of container meant everything was held together in an awkward bundle of ripped up clothing. (Because that’s really what those clean clothes were provided for, Hawke.) There were also two weapons too big to fit in said bundle, cradled in the crook of her elbow. All in all, she looked like a walking death trap. Felt like one, too, albeit for wildly different reasons.

She wordlessly approached the makeshift campsite, avoided eye contact with any who might have seen her arrive, and dumped everything on the ground without so much as a hello. The contents became clear enough as they tumbled to the ground. Food, bottled water, a few knives. And the two larger weapons— A spear, a proper one, Capitol make, and… A scythe. Unconventional and deadly. How appropriate.

Hawke would bounce back. She always did. It just might take some warming her toes by the fire and an uplifting conversation, first. In the mean time, everyone else was free to help themselves to the prizes awarded her for killing in cold blood.

At least something good came of it.

Comments

[allyorfoe]

Tabris glanced up, reaching for the limb that she had grabbed. She relaxed when she recognized who it was, only to hop up, worried, when she saw the condition the woman was in. She walked over--Eyeing the goodies on the ground, but not going to them just yet. First, she reached out to Hawke, offering a shoulder to lean on as she came back in.

"You look like shit." She informed the human cheerfully. "What happened? Were you attacked? I saw you running into the caves..."

Her eyes moved to more fully inspect the stash that Hawke had gathered. Quietly, she stooped enough to grab the scythe, and straightened. "How did you get these...? Sit down by the fire, I'll try to clean your wounds." She told the other woman, and glanced around. Enough snow on the ground, maybe that would suffice? She'd give anything for bandages right then. Maybe if she ever finds a dead person, or causes one, she can strip some of their clothes off.

[hereliestheabyss]

Being needled with questions upon her arrival was something Hawke fully anticipated, but knowing they were coming did nothing for her nerves as the onslaught came. Every word was piercing, ringing in her ears, chewed up and spit out by her still-reeling mind in rejection. She took the offered shoulder in stride, at least, any turmoil going on inside kept well under wraps. The sensations were dulled by the numb feeling settled into her bones, anyway, and that numbing was more obvious than anything else.

“I killed someone.” The answer was a mumble, the words almost involuntary on her lips. Then came the repetition, louder, offering clarification. “I killed someone. I thought they had— Everyone. They didn’t. They just had this.” She kicked away one of the knives, indicating her prize. How lucky.

[allyorfoe]

The elf just barely heard the mumbled words, but she didn't pause, or demand more explanation. It didn't fully answer the question, but if the other person was dead, than at least they shouldn't have to worry about whatever gave Hawke those wounds coming here. It seemed as though all other questions would have to wait, for now. Tabris was no healer, but she had spent a long time as a soldier, and mages with healing powers were not always at the ready. So it was with practiced, though not expert fingers, that she reached for the scarf, carefully starting to undo it.

Standing, she took the scarf, and grabbed some of the nearby snow, shoveling it in and walking back to put it near the fire. A trip to the river would be best, but after the Champion had rested. "Do you have any other wounds?" She asked, as she waited for the snow to melt. Once it was slush, she applied it to the wound, trying to clean the wound, and let the coldness of the ice numb some of the pain. It wasn't the best first aid in the world, but it would have to serve.

In the back of her head, she tallied it up. Hawke was now among the injured, Adella dead. That left Maxwell and her as the only fighters. While they at least had weapons now (and Tabris kept the scythe close to her), the fact that they now had five wounded and two to guard them weighed on her mind. What would happen if they were attacked by anyone, tributes or wild animals attempting to take advantage of the injured gathered? This wasn't a cave. It was open, far too open. And it made Tabris fret.

For Cassandra

[hereliestheabyss]

Two people with leg injuries exploring the mountainside wasn’t necessarily the best idea in the world. Their group was dwindling down in numbers, the damages sustained were only increasing, and options were running scarce. After the recent activity at the caves, however… Something had to be done. The forest felt like a temporary solution at best, too open and susceptible to the elements. The cover the trees provided would only go so far, and returning to the original caves could be equally foolish. The possibility of remnants lingering from the bloodbath was undeniable. Even if they weren’t lurking in the shadows, the jabberjays had practically broadcast the location. There wouldn’t be much secrecy to be found in those former caverns of refuge.

The mountains were a different story. If the caves they’d been living in were carved on one side of the glorified hills, who was to say there weren’t more undiscovered on the road less taken? A small alcove would suffice, anything that was secluded and offered more protection than their current arrangements. It was a long shot, yes, but it was bound to be productive in some form or fashion. Mapping out the surrounding area could only be beneficial, regardless of the results of the search. The fresh air didn’t hurt, nor did the likelihood of isolation from the other tributes.

What did hurt was Hawke’s thigh. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gone so long without having an injury healed by magic. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, and the fact that she refused to sit idle only agitated the wound further. At least it was a clean cut. Maybe the crude stitches would last long enough to not tear during her trek.

… Our trek, she reminded herself, sparing a glance to Cassandra. It had been a quiet journey, thus far. Not surprising, given the concentration needed to navigate the environment and endure the pain. Too bad it wasn’t meant to last. Silence tended to be fleeting in the presence of certain champions, and enough time had passed since those damn birds opened their mouths that Hawke was ready to chatter away with her own. In honor of a certain friend, she broke the metaphorical ice with a spin on a classic.

“So, it’s... A real nice day for an afternoon.”

[alwaysshielded]

The grand champion of Kirkwall. Sought after for months, for whom a dwarf kidnapped and made member of the Inquisition over, a woman that then became a desperate ally which appeared at Skyhold with information when they needed it most. And with conversation skills for breaking the ice on par with Cullen, if she had to rank them. Or perhaps that was too far. In truth, Cassandra could see how this woman had earned Varric's near fanatical loyalty simply from their similarities in wits alone.

Considering the high esteem she still granted the Champion, she was not entirely sure how she felt about that last revelation just yet. In truth, when she had read the book, she assumed it had been the author taking his usual liberties with the truth. So it is another few, lopsided steps (one leg still attempting her normal grace, the other just only able to reliably bend again in the past few days) before she answers. And by answer, she meant entirely ignored that offhanded comment.

"You are not entirely what I was expecting, champion."

[hereliestheabyss]

It was not that she was incapable of broaching the conversation in a normal way so much as it was that she had no desire to, not when there were inside jokes to be made at the expense of others. Somehow, somewhere, Aveline could be watching. How could she pass up the chance to honor the Captain of the Guard in the best way she knew how?

“I get that a lot.” She smirks, though it’s a smile that seems unsure of what do with itself, more wistful than the arrogance expected of her. “That’s the trouble with being a living legend. Everyone carries around their own version of you in their back pocket. You’re less of a person and more of a... Character. Writing’s all well and good, but I don’t think you can capture every bit of a person on paper. Humanity is complex, that way.”

Hawke turns to flash her smile to Cassandra, the usual smug look about her becoming apparent and accompanied by the wit she’s known for. “Varric’s good at getting the most important characteristics, I think. Like you, for instance. He said you have a stare that may actually be able to kill. Which I think is fantastic, frankly, and sorely needed around here.” She half wonders if the woman can intimidate the mountains into revealing their innermost secrets. It would be a welcome change over the endless blanket of white telling no tales.

[alwaysshielded]

"You will have to trust his exaggeration also extends to his companions in the Inquisition. But were I capable of killing with a glance, in many instances he certainly would've been the very first to know."

Despite her own lingering doubts on the matter, whether Cassandra would have possessed the ability to convince Hawke to join them was a moot point. The dwarf had still lied. A lethal glare may not have pleased the Inquisitor, but it would have done wonders for Cassandra's mood during the confrontation which followed. Not to mention, she reflected with a soft scoff, improving her general health and happiness these past few weeks in this world. Hawke did have a point. A number of Capitol citizens would be vastly improved by death.

"Though...ah, that may not have done much for my chances of getting my copy of The Champion of Kirkwall signed."

[revocation]

Cullen has been quiet. Keeping near the fire, doing what he can for the others and answering questions when posed to him, but otherwise - quiet. The others, by now, have likely realized that Adella is not returning, and that's as good an explanation as any for how quiet and withdrawn he is.

He can't help, however, watching the supplies spill out as Hawke dumps them on the ground of their new little campsite.

"I won't even ask where you got those," he says with a slight grimace. Finding something here or there, or one of the parachutes that occasionally floated down, those had easy enough explanations. This, however, this was probably a story he wouldn't enjoy.

[hereliestheabyss]

“Maybe not out loud,” she acknowledges with a scowl, easing herself down by the fire. Whether the discomfort stems from the words or the wound is up for debate, though in reality it’s likely both. “But you’ll wonder. Better I tell you than add another line to your no-doubt growing list of worries.”

Flexing her leg to gauge the pain just has her wincing, so she leaves it be, gritting her teeth as she forces out an answer. Spinning tales doesn’t come as easily, today. “All you need to know is that someone’s dead, and they won’t be coming back for these supplies. Simple.” That’s not misleading at all.

[revocation]

"So, you've potentially made us some more enemies, is what you're saying," Cullen murmurs, less an accusation and more just a blunt recitation of facts. If the person she killed has friends, loved ones, it's something they need to take into account, if there were witnesses.

He doesn't ask why they were killed - he doesn't know Hawke terribly well but he knows her enough to safely assume it was self-defense, or close enough to it in this place.

[hereliestheabyss]

“No witnesses. Happened in the caves.” Of course her efforts to quell any concerns before they can emerge only leads to new ones. It’s her own fault for not explaining properly. Any form of explanation is like reliving it, in a way, and the more details she can afford to spare, the better.

But the questions will only keep coming, be they from him or someone else. It’s a fact she’s resigned herself to. She follows up shortly thereafter, hanging her head, voice low and dry. “I got roped into some sort of game. Because this—this whole thing—isn’t game enough, apparently. Fancy that.”

[revocation]

Cullen scowls at that - not at Hawke, but at their whole situation. He's never thought her cruel or sadistic, never believed she took enjoyment in killing. Despite their differences, she's always had that going for her.

"They seem to enjoy being as cruel as possible to us," he says quietly. "This seems less about the killing itself and more about the emotional pain they seem to so enjoy."

And he would know all about that. Comparing their captors to demons seems more and more apt.