Lyrium Ghost

‘My weapon…’ looking at the sword by his hip, though it was indeed more useful than the wooden replica he had once wielded it also meant so much more to him than any weapon he used during his journey, as without the Excalibur or the Last Fencer there would be no Eternia.

Of course, how could the girl not notice such a thing? But even so, they differed in some ways and because of that, the man warranted her curiosity. If he is not a Manakete, like her, then what could he possibly be? Eyebrows knitting together, the caped female opens her mouth to speak… Only for the male before her to do so first.

{ ✂~ }       And back to his favourite thing to do. Swing via his legs on a fire escape, frightening anyone who approached with inappropriate comments. Some people would walk past and the executioner would growl down or make suggestive advances, most were very likely met with “Fuck off!” or childish and womanly screaming. Most of the responses being ones that Gunji would enjoy hearing, nonetheless. 

But one small individual made his way down, and let’s just say his appearance was more than enough to pique Gunji’s interests. And sadly, his insults.

Hopping down from his hiding place, the executioner called out to the young male who had only previously walked in the place he had been standing in. With no hesitation, the blond called out, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips.

Ignoring the presence of the grinning male, Fenris merely kept on his way. He'd seen his sort plenty of times- low-lives who found tormenting others to be a fulfilling hobby. It was pitiful really, and not something he found himself wanting to deal with at that moment.

At least until the blond spoke up.

Those words cut through him sharper than any blade ever could, and his entire body visibly tensed. Wordlessly the elf reached back for his weapon, hand pausing in mid air. No. He wouldn't let his anger get the better of him just yet...

Turning around on his heels, Fenris went to speak back to him, only to be met with still harsher words. This time, an audible growl left his lips, armoured hand balling itself up into a fist.

How ignorant...

"Your words carry more weight than you may think. My master is long dead, killed by own hand. I walk as a free man." Glaring at the stranger, his words dripped with fury. "I suggest that you leave."

Oh.

“You must be Fenris. Varric wrote of you.”

His name. How did this man know his name? Just it being uttered brought a wave of panic through Fenris, and he took a step back, expression shifting to one that was wary, swiftly masked by a more aggressive veneer. Going to respond, his tongue was quickly halted by the continuation of the sentence. 

Varric wrote of him? That sentence made him pause, if only for a moment. Whilst generally, he wouldn’t be surprised by that fact, the dwarf did seem to have a flair for fiction, he couldn’t entirely comprehend when he would have had the damned time to do so. Not with everything that had just happened in Kirkwall. If anything his words sounded dubious at best.

          it takes all her willpower not to cover her nose and mouth with her hands, choosing instead to sip the acrid air carefully – maybe someday she might grow accustomed to the stench – as she toed her way along the black expanse that claimed to be water. the population in the area was sparse, and even those that remained at the water’s edge were quiet, dull, choosing to avert their eyes and trudge along through their day. this city seemed to have that effect on many.

           but one seems to stand out, not simply from his distinct hair and intriguing tattoos, but with the way he seems to be doing all in his power to avoid the murk that came at the edges of the wake – and failing, it seems. he caught her eye, and that is enough for her to whisk quickly to his side, paying little heed to the sludge splashing onto the hem of her dress. just like Flea Bottom, she thinks briefly, before grasping the man’s elbow.

Taking no more time to ponder the help, he used the stranger to gain his balance, placing his feet firmly on the ground, a hand moving to support himself against her arm. It took Fenris no more than a few seconds to regain his posture, his free hand adjusting his wooden sword in case the additional weight may cause him to slip once more.

"You have my thanks." Finally speaking up, he turned his gaze to the one who had helped him, surprised to see a rather delicate looking woman. Remaining silent as he took in her appearance, noting the dirt marring her dress, the elf was actually rather stunned. Whilst he couldn't be sure, her attire, and her speech simply radiated nobility. Nobles were not often the ones who went out of their way to aid the less fortunate, particularly the slaves...

Eyeing her cautiously for a moment, pondering her motives, Fenris took a step to the side, gently using an armoured hand to remove her grip from his elbow, growing uneasy at the prolonged contact. Gathering his thoughts on how to proceed, he lifted a foot, shaking it in a futile effort to remove some of the muck from his bare feet.

     Tch. It was only one sector away, and it wasn’t like he was under any sort of time limit here. But a setback was a setback, and it was with an annoyed twitch of his lips that he brushed his way out of the station and out into the streets. Immediately despite the quiet nighttime atmosphere, he could tell Four was a microcosm of the city itself where people had set up tributes to their own cultures. He idly wondered if he’d come across anything resembling Aselia, but shoved the thought aside. Getting distracted was what landed him in this situation in the first place. This wasn’t his sector, so he had no business here. He picked a direction and followed it from the sector’s heart, pushing his bangs back out of his face as his eyes adjusted once again to the darkness. 

     The distant growl made his pace slow, turning his head slightly to one side as he put one foot in front of the other with softened steps. Was it a monster? A distorted cry? It echoed in his mind as he struggled to identify it, and he focused in on his hearing until he’d stopped walking altogether. He held his breath to silence it, lips going thin as the noise throbbed in his head again - whatever it was, it was close, and… he could hear other breaths, another heartbeat, even closer, and he took a step back from –

“I should have gathered as such” Grumbling his words slightly, the elf kept his gaze away from the male, instead focusing it on the direction the growl came from. There was nothing friendly about that sound, and it didn’t take a genius to guess that. Reaching to his back, he went to draw his wooden weapon, hesitating as he wondered if he could even wield the large blade in a relatively small alleyway. Really, he’d rather be armed and ready, but that may not be viable until they got to more open ground. That was, if the wood could even stand up to such a threat, and that he didn’t know yet, having not seen the creature.

But as his sights honed back in on the alley’s exit, another snarl hit the air, this time of a far higher volume. Whatever it was, it was close... Perhaps even just around the corner. Not even wasting his breath on words, in fear of alerting the beast to their presence, he motioned backwards to the stranger with his head, trying to indicate that they should fall back. Combat was not the wisest of moves for the moment, and a lack of knowledge of his companion’s battle ability made him all the more cautious.

“Indeed it is.”

He mused, watching patiently as the girl lifted another of them, and began working earnestly. Whilst he didn’t say anything for a few moments, he surmised that he was correct in guessing that you had to match the colours. Given her pleasant attitude towards it, he would be inclined to consider that it was a toy too...

Turning his attention back to his own cube, Fenris began to imitate her, at least as best he could by eye, turning the sides. Not that it appeared to yield any results. So it seemed she was correct, and that she had a trick that she was willing to share. Whilst apprehensive, he gave her a nod. After all, he’d find it rather frustrating if he could never solve it.

Little did he know of lyrium’s effects when branded into the flesh.

Tevinter. Oh that was definitely not a word he wanted to come across, and it was one that he didn’t expect to hear in this city, not when it appeared so far estranged from his own world. In fact as soon as that left the other man’s mouth, the elf visibly tensed up, a visible frown pulling at his features.

“If it was from Tevinter, it ‘gobbling us up’ would be the least of my worries.” Virtually snarling his words, Fenris narrowed his gaze at the stranger, hand still wavering over the handle of his weapon. To most the words would be inconsequential, but everything about this man screamed Tevene to him, as far as he could gather. That was something that didn’t go to well by him, especially when it made it more likely that this was a mage.