for awingeddarkness

[questionablewit]

Kirkwall nights are never quiet, particularly in Lowtown. But as Kirkwall nights go, this one isn't bad. Hawke's spent a pleasant evening at the Hanged Man, laughing and drinking piss-poor beer and getting the pants beat off of her (almost literally) by Isabela, who's better at cheating in Wicked Grace than she is. So she's in a fairly mellow mood as she starts her walk home.

Because Kirkwall nights are never quiet, she's not drunk, and she's visibly armed and armored. Because she's Champion, not many people bother her. There are always a few lowlifes around who never learn, who have a vendetta or want to make a name for themselves by trying to take down one of Kirkwall's more visible residents. But no one seems inclined to try tonight.

Hawke's almost sorry. At this rate she'll make it home, go to bed, and the entire day will have passed without anything noteworthy happening at all. That's a rare thing and perhaps she should appreciate it, but Hawke hates being bored. Her eyes dart everywhere as she walks the streets towards Hightown, glancing at rooftops and down alleyways. Admittedly, that's less her looking for something of interest and more prudence. One reason Hawke manages to stay alive is that she puts some effort into being aware of her surroundings.

Besides, she might be wrong about the night not being noteworthy.

Comments

[awingeddarkness]

It had been a dream, he had thought at the time. A fever-filled night, riddled with accusations and bargains. 'Why did you not lay down your life for me?'

'Why did you kill me?'

But he knows that those accusations are untrue to a point. She had never judged like that, and for that, he is always grateful.

He'd reached out, and when he opens his eyes, he is not where he ought to be. His glowing blue eyes cast a dim, green light around his surroundings as he turns his head, and then slowly gets to his feet.

Eyes adjusting to the darkness, the first thing he realizes is that the smell is entirely foreign. Taking a slight step back - belatedly, he notices that there's someone nearby - he forces his wing to retract into his body, unnoticed. The pressure of it bothers his shoulder blade, where it would otherwise protrude. Everything in order, and his two short swords where they ought to be at his sides, Cloud then steps out of the alleyway for real.

He pauses again, then, catching full sight of the woman moving about. She seems strong - looking at a glance. Most definitely. With his wing hidden, he can't sense much else, and he dislikes how his senses feel stifled without the additional assistance.

But how to talk to this person? 'Hi, and I just woke up, would you tell me where the hell I am?' probably won't go well. Actually, it sounds very stupid. He decides not to.

"Um..." he utters instead, lacking anything else to say. Hopefully Hawke isn't too alarmed by the fact that the stranger's eyes are constantly glowing.

Or the fact that his attire is different from most. With all the black, one might think he is definitely up to no good!

Hopefully, his body language - showing uncertainty - will help his case.

[questionablewit]

Hawke stops dead in her tracks, one hand automatically reaching for a weapon; glowing eyes are not a good sign in her experience. Glowing blue eyes even less so, and she wonders for a fleeting moment if Justice has brought some friends to Kirkwall. There's a hint of feathery shadow that vanishes even as she tries to focus on it, but perhaps that was a trick of the light...

She pauses before drawing her dagger. The clothing, she dismisses; if Hawke judged by appearances, Fenris' gratuitously spiky armor wouldn't have passed muster. And ominous clothing aside, the figure doesn't seem hostile. The reverse, in fact; he's stumbling as though dazed. Clearly a fighter, this one, no one develops muscles like that except through combat. But not someone out for a fight.

That determined, Hawke allows her posture to relax and tilts her head in the figure's direction. "Tell me, do your eyes always glow in the dark, or are you just happy to see me?"

What? It's an honest question. And it beats asking him where he got all the lyrium and why he doesn't share, which is the most obvious explanation she can think of.

[awingeddarkness]

Cloud worries a moment, watching Hawke's body language in turn, before relaxing a little bit more, himself.

"...They always glow." Well, he's at least happy to see someone friendly, even a stranger. He steps a little more into the light, and even the bare lighting around them highlights the fact that his skin looks unhealthily pale and marked by sweat. It makes the glow of his eyes look almost sickly, and his body shivers every now and again. His body is still wracked by fever, and it's bad enough that his SOLDIER enhancements can't quite fend it off at the moment. He knows it'll ease up sooner rather than later, but he's also aware that it's just a repeating process.

He brings a gloved hand to his face to try and wipe away some of the sweat.

"Not that I'm unhappy to see a friendly-looking face. Can you direct me somewhere that I can sleep for the night? The alleyway just doesn't cut it." His lips quirk into a small, wry smile as he attempts to joke about his situation.

[questionablewit]

"Really?" Hawke muses. "Must be useful for seeing in the dark. Not so useful if you don't want other people to see you." It's a meaningless quip to pass the time as she continues her assessment, really. Now that he's stepped forward, she can see that he really doesn't look at all well. The signs are all consistant with lyrium addiction, so far as she knows. Some sort of withdrawl, at least. That or a new, shiny, magical form of plague, oh boy, wouldn't that be fun? She'll have to get Anders to have a look at this fellow, if they have the chance.

Hawke's a genuinely good person, not that she admits to it. But even she's not nice enough to bring a stray home with her after exchanging three sentences. Fortunately, there are other options, and she nods. "There's a tavern just back there," pointing a finger in the direction of the Hanged Man. Because she curious and it's going to get her into real trouble one of these days and doesn't want to leave someone who needs help stranded which will get her in even more trouble, she continues with "I'll show you the way. Though frankly their beds aren't that much more comfortable than what you'd find in the alley. That alley looked like it had nice, soft dirt. On the other hand, at the tavern you'd get a blanket. Maybe even a pillow if you're lucky."

[awingeddarkness]

Cloud nods slightly, then cracks a faint smile, glancing over where the tavern's direction is.

"When you travel for months without even carrying around a sleeping bag, even a bad bed can have its charms when you find one." That and back as a member of ShinRa, even the barracks felt better than the floor. Granted, one also couldn't really complain after exhausting oneself all day. And people like him, with enhancements, healed up too quickly for it to be more than a brief nuisance.

And once he became a part of SOLDIER, the quality of such things had improved.

"I appreciate this. My name is Cloud, by the way. Cloud Strife." Hey, it's not a weird name where he comes from. Not really? He's testing the waters, trying to figure out how different this world is compared to his own without sounding like a madman.

"Oh yeah.... This is going to sound strange, but can you tell me where I am? City, continent?" He may or may not be blushing at the admission that he has no clue of his surroundings.

[questionablewit]

Hawke's mouth quirks in a smile at the comment about bad beds. It's rare that she's had to do without at least a bedroll, but he's definitely right. Bad beds are a lot more comfy than rocks.

"Cloud Strife, huh. Did you pick it yourself? Not that I can comment. My name is Hawke." She imagines they've both heard more than their fair share of bad puns based on names. Still, being named Strife begs the question of how much this guy goes looking for trouble.

The thing is, she'd suspect not much. Trouble finds him, of that she has no doubt, but he doesn't have the air of bravado she'd expect to go with a name like that.

Asking where he is actually makes him seem a bit more trustworthy; a demon (don't think she hasn't considered that as a possibility) would be more seductive and less uncertain. Demons are arrogant, even when they're trying to be subtle.

Granted, Hawke is a soft touch, not that she admits it. She gives him a measuring look, but answers his question without teasing. "This city is Kirkwall, in the Free Marches. Which is in Thedas." She's leaning less toward lyrium addict and more towards some strange Fade spirit thing made incarnate now. Though he talks like your average bewildered human being in a rough spot. Puzzling. "Where are you supposed to be?"

[awingeddarkness]

Cloud shifts from one foot to the other, shaking his head at the "did you pick it yourself?" question.

"I'm supposed to be in a field between Fort Condor and Junon, half a day's drive to the harbor - on a continent that was once named after the now destroyed city of Midgar, in Gaea." He wrinkles his nose. "And then I woke up here. It's really quite bothersome - I'm supposed to be making a delivery to the Corel mines by the end of the week."

He resists the urge to sigh and shakes his head slightly. "Generally, the only time I'm late is from killing monsters that actually pose a thread to me on the way, but with the number of monsters lessening, there's less of an excuse to dawdle." Perhaps it is more information than he would have liked to give, but being secretive is probably not going to give him brownie points.

[questionablewit]

Huh. Not a Fade spirit, then; the Fade is a reflection of reality, for the most part. Nothing at all like the locations he describes. "Then I have bad news for you, because I've never heard of any of those places. You better hope someone else can take on that delivery for you."

She gestures her head in the direction of the Hanged Man and starts walking. "Though if you're used to monsters, you're in the right place. Sometimes I think this city breeds them. And then they all sit in a room trying to figure out the best way to get my attention." Lessening, huh. Maybe where he's from, but here? In her dreams.

Speaking of monsters, there's a very large shape off to the side on the street ahead of them. Waist-high, with teeth and muscle and panting breath. It's in the shadows and can't be seen clearly. Hawke either hasn't noticed or is unconcerned.

[awingeddarkness]

Cloud's stomach drops as he hears that she's not heard of those locations, which means that any way of getting home will need a lot of creativity. Even so, he laughs a bit at the idea of monsters gathering and sharing ideas about getting on Hawke's nerves. He tries to ignore how his vision swims, slightly distorting what he sees. He hears a flicker of a familiar voice in his ear, 'Why did you let me die?'

His ears soon pick up the sound of panting breath, and, shaking his head to try and clear his vision, he looks towards the source. It sounds like Nanaki's panting when they were in Costa Del Sol... or a dog. As it's dark, his eyes allow him to see a rough, partial image of the large shadow.

"...I hear what sounds like a dog in the direction of that large shadow there," he announces, glancing back at Hawke and gesturing where he can kind of see whatever it is. He's not sure if it's a monster or not, but he's not bothered, either. Just keeping them both aware of their surroundings.

Hopefully, Hawke won't be alarmed or point out how Cloud's irises and pupils are changing between their usual blue, and a pure green with the pupils becoming slits. He needs to lie down pretty soon; the hallucinations' intensity is bound to increase over time until he tries to rest.

"Or I'm starting to hallucinate."

[questionablewit]

"If it's a hallucination, it's one that's been following me around for years." Hawke makes a vague hand gesture, intended to convey pretty sure this one's not a threat to her dog, who paces out of the shadows. "This is Teo. Careful, he's smarter than he looks and has a sense of humor."

Teo is, in fact, still wary. He walks to Hawke's side but is watching Cloud closely, and lets out a low whimper. Hawke, familiar with her dog's moods, raises an eyebrow. "And he thinks you smell strange. So because I have no tact and you've already mentioned hallucinations, not to mention your eyes glow in the dark, I'm just going to ask what's wrong with you. Because if you have some strange magical plague, we're going to need to change direction."

[awingeddarkness]

Well now, that's a perceptive pooch. He briefly looks at Teo, then back to Hawke. He just sighs, looking frustrated, and tired. Unconsciously, he grips his afflicted arm. "Something like that. It's incurable, and on a cellular level, so I don't think there's anything to be done for it. Even the best medicines I've ever tried don't work. And my body's made to fight off anything it comes across, and quickly. And there are people - even children - in a worse state than I."

Cloud forces a wry smile. "The eye glowing bit is normal for me."

But, curious, he offers his hand, palm up, towards Teo. He has no treats for the puppy, but he can at least offer scritches. He gives this offering without fear, and if Teo tries to snap, he has quick enough reflexes to pull away without issue.

[questionablewit]

Hawke considers this, watching her dog closely. His judgement is usually pretty good, and while he's obedient to her commands (except for the ones like "No jumping onto the bed"), she's willing to wait and let him make up his own mind about this guess. His opinion will help her form hers, because this new piece of information is...problematic. She might not know the meaning of the word cellular, but there's still a lot there to chew on. (His body is made to fight off disease? Was he designed or enhanced somehow, like Fenris?)

For his part, Teo takes a moment, still sniffing delicately. This newcomer smells strange, like nothing he's run across; a little like magic and a little like lightning and a lot like something he has no words for. Something of illness and something of danger. But not hostile, which is the most immediately urgent thing. There's no aggression or fear, nothing to make him think he or his mistress are in danger. So ultimately, he takes the last step forward and accepts a scratch on the head. Not more than that, but he'll permit it as a greeting and acknowledgement that there is no threat present that he can identify.

It only takes a few seconds of time, but Hawke thinks a good deal during those few seconds. Once her dog is content, she continues with the most urgent question. "How contagious is it?" She looks pointedly at his arm. "And how did you catch it? Through a wound?"

[awingeddarkness]

"We don't know if it's contagious or not, but the victims have seemed to dwindle. Lots of us caught it after... after..."

He frowns, uncomfortable, but it needs to be said. "...after we killed someone who was trying to turn the planet as a vessel for space travel, and kill all life in the name his "mother"."

A beat. "I fought him one last time as he tried to lay claim to my body again, and that was the last I saw of him. After that, the whole world was rained upon. Or rather, what came from within the planet itself to protect us - a stream that harbors souls - returned like rain. But... it couldn't have been that. All life exists because of that stream. If it caused it, then why are only some people affected, and not others?"

It's something he's been worrying about.

"Not everyone who was infected was, to my knowledge, injured at the time. But then, it's impossible to ask everyone, and not everyone wants to talk about it, or would even remember such a thing.

"In any case, I manage to keep it contained in bandages. I don't think I've infected anyone, and I make frequent rounds to specific places."

And he's careful when it comes to handling it.

But, maybe he should just sleep in the alley? He glances back towards it, contemplatively. Sure, he doesn't know anyone here, and just aching for a bed had blinded him to the reality of things.

"...I should stay away, instead. Just to be safe, as much as my body thinks a bed is a wonderful idea."

[questionablewit]

'Planet' and 'space travel' go beyond Hawke (space travel? As in, walking from one place to another? Odd way to put it). "Killing all life in the name of his mother" sounds like the sort of fantaticism you kill fast before it kills you. "Tried to lay claim to my body again" can't be anything good.

In short, what she gets from all this: crazy murderer tried to possess Cloud more than once, and then mystic rain made some people sick. All right, not that simplified, but there's so much that's confusing in there that she's grasping at straws a bit.

Or would be, if she didn't decide to ignore most of this story in favor of expediency. What's important is: person in front of her, who she's inclined to assist, has a strange disease of inexplicable origin which is so far uncurable and it's unknown how dangerous it is, and she has only his word for how containable it is. In her opinion, helping him is better to letting him stumble around possibly infecting other people. If nothing else, she wants Anders to have a look. Risky, but a calculated risk.

"I have a better idea. This way." She turns down an alleyway that leads them away from the tavern she'd been directing him to, and heads up towards Hightown, already planning to take a sneaky back route to get there. Something tells her she does not want to risk running into any Templars just now. "What was that you said about a stream of souls?"

Back to the Fade spirit theory.