Have you met all of the Dalish here? Clan Ashara alone- Pel is solemn and sweet but better suited to the world she knows, Ellana is eager to please and far too curious for her own good, Beleth reminds me of myself years ago, Gavin is... Gavin. Cyril is quite handsome and has a sinful way about him but he, too, reminds me enough of myself to know better and Merrick? Reminds me of Taliesin. Not near so manipulative- not manipulative at all, but troubled enough to give me pause. Not to mention he is my student and the power imbalance there is more than enough for me to know to not.
Sina startles at the nearest gust of wind, Nahariel, her huntress sister is quite lovely but focused on protecting her Keeper, and Salem is a tragedy. Twisted Fate is, I think, Dalish but I do not know if he has a clan to return to, nor does he trust the world with his own name. I must applaud him his secrecy but this, too, is enough for me to know it will not work out in the long run.
I've met Pel, Ellana, Gavin, and Beleth. [ And now he doesn't want to meet Merrick ever, good job. ] Gavin has the totally doomed thing with Maxwell Whatever, but the rest of them seem--I mean, I can't say you're wrong, but none of that is so bad.
If they wish to return to their Clan and I wish to return to Antiva? I would not make them choose. They have a home, Alistair. Much as Antiva City is mine, I have ever been able to make my way wherever I go. It is not a lifestyle that is comfortable to most Dalish as where I go tends to be places heavily populated by humans. If they did feel so foolish as to follow, they would resent me for it.
That's stupid, Zevran. I know you, and if I--you know--I'd have made you marry me ages ago. In a Chantry. A Chantry full of flowers and fainting, scandalized Sisters.
I'm not forgiving. When His Absent Highness turns up I'm going to shove him in a ravine and leave him there for the bears, and if Loghain--
[ He still kind of wants to kill him. Is he allowed to kill him? He clears his throat instead of letting himself get sidetracked and angry. ]
You're a good man. That's something you're just going to have to accept. I'm sorry--I know you have your reputation and all of that, but facts are facts.
Give me a moment to find my lute- ah, there it is.
The translation into Common is a little clumsy, so forgive any hiccups in rhyme or rhythm.
[ He picks out a rather upbeat melody, launching right into the meat (ha) of the song. ]
I like big butts and I can not lie You other Elvhan can't deny That when a girl rides in with an itty bitty waist And a round thing in your face You get firm, wanna pull out your tough 'Cause you see that ass was stuffed Deep in the leathers she's wearing I'm hooked and I cannot stop staring Oh bella, I wanna talk with ya And take your measure My amicos tried to warn me But that butt you got makes me so warm see Ooh, Rump-o'-smooth-skin You say you wanna get on my Stallion? Well, use me, use me 'Cause you aren't that average floozy I've seen them dancin' To hell with romancin' She's sweat, wet, Got it goin' like a small tempeste I'm tired of nobility Sayin' flat figures are the thing Take the average Rivian man and ask him that She gotta pack much back So, Amicos! (Si!) Amicos! (Si!) Has your lover got the butt? (Shit yeah!) Tell 'em to shake it! (Shake it!) Shake it! (Shake it!) Shake that healthy butt! Bella got back!
[ Alistair started laughing, muffled behind his hand, about three and a half lines in and doesn't manage to stop for any significant length of time for the rest of the song. Or after it. He briefly tries to say something and then laughs more. He's probably broken for good. ]
[ And there is the payoff. Even without being there he can easily see Alistair doubled over in laughter, how he clutches at himself to stop shaking, the smiling, the crinkles by his eyes. Something that needs to happen a little more often, this laughter.
Zevran strums through the bridge and smirks through the rest, doubly pleased. He's still picking at a random arrangement while Alistair tries to learn to speak again. He can wait. ]
[ It takes a while. His first few attempts consist of trying to repeat back lines from the song, which only makes him laugh again. It's a little manic from sleep deprivation, maybe, but mostly genuine amusement. Eventually he steadies enough to talk for real, though he's still huffing a little. ]
When all this is over-- [ the whole demon rips in the air thing, and the Calling, allow him his optimism for a moment ] --we're keeping these crystal things.
Payment for services rendered. It is only just. Though, depending on how this particular adventure goes, I may just wander about with you for a time afterward.
The thing about paranoid men, Alistair, is that when something happens? They are satisfied in knowing they are correct. When nothing happens, and nothing happens for a long, long while? They wind themselves into knots trying to figure out what they've missed. Several masters of House Arainai I simply did not have the time or means to get to before coming here did the work for me, preferring that to whatever torments they imagine me capable of.
Then again, they did train me, so they would know.
[ He doesn't actually feel sorry for the Masters. The little he knows about how Zevran was treated is plenty to make him agree they should be dead. But. ]
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sometime
Sina startles at the nearest gust of wind, Nahariel, her huntress sister is quite lovely but focused on protecting her Keeper, and Salem is a tragedy. Twisted Fate is, I think, Dalish but I do not know if he has a clan to return to, nor does he trust the world with his own name. I must applaud him his secrecy but this, too, is enough for me to know it will not work out in the long run.
sometime
sometime
sometime
sometime
sometime
sometime
sometime
sometime
sometime
[ He still kind of wants to kill him. Is he allowed to kill him? He clears his throat instead of letting himself get sidetracked and angry. ]
You're a good man. That's something you're just going to have to accept. I'm sorry--I know you have your reputation and all of that, but facts are facts.
sometime
[ He sighs, weary and long suffering. ]
There is nothing I can say that might deter you from that notion, is there?
sometime
sometime
sometime
[ He wins. He also sighs. ]
If I ask you to anytime soon, make sure I'm actually corrupted and not just that sick of this blighted song. [ A pause. ] Ha. Blighted.
sometime
[ He dreads seeing them every day. ]
If you need a new song to listen to, I've picked up a few from Antiva that are quite amusing.
sometime
sometime - this is my proudest moment
The translation into Common is a little clumsy, so forgive any hiccups in rhyme or rhythm.
[ He picks out a rather upbeat melody, launching right into the meat (ha) of the song. ]
I like big butts and I can not lie
You other Elvhan can't deny
That when a girl rides in with an itty bitty waist
And a round thing in your face
You get firm, wanna pull out your tough
'Cause you see that ass was stuffed
Deep in the leathers she's wearing
I'm hooked and I cannot stop staring
Oh bella, I wanna talk with ya
And take your measure
My amicos tried to warn me
But that butt you got makes me so warm see
Ooh, Rump-o'-smooth-skin
You say you wanna get on my Stallion?
Well, use me, use me
'Cause you aren't that average floozy
I've seen them dancin'
To hell with romancin'
She's sweat, wet,
Got it goin' like a small tempeste
I'm tired of nobility
Sayin' flat figures are the thing
Take the average Rivian man and ask him that
She gotta pack much back
So, Amicos! (Si!) Amicos! (Si!)
Has your lover got the butt? (Shit yeah!)
Tell 'em to shake it! (Shake it!) Shake it! (Shake it!)
Shake that healthy butt!
Bella got back!
sometime
sometime
Zevran strums through the bridge and smirks through the rest, doubly pleased. He's still picking at a random arrangement while Alistair tries to learn to speak again. He can wait. ]
sometime
When all this is over-- [ the whole demon rips in the air thing, and the Calling, allow him his optimism for a moment ] --we're keeping these crystal things.
sometime
sometime
[ It's the same tone he used to take when Cousland gave him presents. ]
What about your Ombra Nera-ing?
sometime
Then again, they did train me, so they would know.
Re: sometime
[ He doesn't actually feel sorry for the Masters. The little he knows about how Zevran was treated is plenty to make him agree they should be dead. But. ]
You aren't tormenting them, are you?
sometime
sometime
sometime
sometime
sometime
sometime
sometime