Supocto

Assan missed you while you were gone

tastes sweet 🍭

— (varric & hawke)

.

HAWKE, NO

Davrin mentions in a conversation with Rook that he has fought alongside convicted murderers who became wardens to avoid execution. He dislikes evil people but speaks very positively of who these wardens have become and approves of a Rook dialogue choice saying people deserve second chances.

The first encounter he has with Rook is meeting them not as a Crow but as the leader of a group they are gathering to help save the world from Blighted Gods. An encounter where Rook helps him try find missing wardens and save the baby griffins - then there is making a hard call on saving an entire city of either Treviso or Minrathous immediately after. From there Rook frequently checks in on different members of the team, supporting them.

Rightly or wrongly depending on the Rook - I think Davrin sees a Rook de Riva as like those murderers. Terrible deeds but moved forwards onto a good, difficult cause. Comrade-in-arms. They earn being viewed as on that second chance very quickly.

Lucanis meanwhile, is met as a Crow. That and while we as players and some other characters do know his good intentions and care - he is comparatively much more withdrawn this stage of game. Sequestering away alone isolated in the kitchen with a demon and seemingly here because of an Antivan Crow contract he was given.

duh!!!

Here’s his IG post and the link to the Go Fund Me is below.

GOFUNDME LINK FOR DONATIONS.

Thanks Crows!

Emmrich, wise and long-familiar with grief, being told by Neve and Harding what happened; understanding why sometimes he overhears Rook’s muffled voice in the Infirmary, talking to no one. He takes Rook to the Memorial Gardens and mentions he talks to his parents, thinking Rook might be comfortable with the same. Rook lights candles and rings bells but Emmrich watches, sorrowed, to see Rook still seems in deep denial.

Neve takes Rook to the Wall of Light; a Shadow Dragon Rook knows just what this means but any Rook can understand the solemnity, the power of remembrance. Neve reenergizes Brom’s light and looks to Rook, hoping Rook will mention wanting to make one for Varric. Rook is kind and comforting to Neve, but Neve is lost in wondering why Rook doesn’t take the chance to open up. She can’t figure it. Maybe Rook just can’t face it, not yet. Maybe Rook does something privately. She isn’t sure but it nags at her.

Davrin’s not big on talking about feelings. He’d rather just move on. But he sees the way Rook seems a little hollow sometimes, a little distant; he sees how Rook takes so quickly to Assan. “Hey Rook,” he says, and invites them to come with him and Assan to safe places in Arlathan, where the woods are clean and green and growing, where real sunlight dapples through the trees. Rook always seems to love these outings, seems lighter afterwards. But Davrin feels a little confused in that Rook never seems to realize the outings are mostly for them.

Taash is another person not big on feelings. But they know how much feelings can twist you up and mess with your head. When Lace tells them about Varric they feel badly for Rook, and think to how they feel when they’re struggling. Epic fights, dragon fights, drinks with the Lords. Taash is perfectly capable of doing all that on their own. But maybe bringing Rook along will help get them out of their head a little bit. Does it help? Taash isn’t sure.

Bellara’s double-versed in grief after what happens to Cyrian. Rook helped her through trying to reach him, and Bellara wonders, in her own pain, if she can help Rook a little bit too. Especially if Rook is elven, teaching Rook about the braziers and the challenges is another tool she can share about her or their people, another way that might help Rook with their grief. Neve’s told her that the Wall of Light didn’t seem to help Rook much, but maybe a different funeral tradition could help them instead. Rook helps her light the braziers and Bellara feels her heart lightening, though she wonders at Rook, who seems more moved by Bellara’s reactions than anything else.

Lucanis is nearly as allergic to dealing with feelings as Davrin is, but he immediately clocks how Neve and Harding are acting, and asks what happened before he joined them. They tell him about Varric and that they’re worried about Rook, that Rook seems to just be shoving those feelings down without dealing with them. Lucanis is no stranger to that, but while it’s fine for him, he doesn’t want to see someone who risked their life to save him share that struggle. He brings Rook to Caterina’s funeral planning to show Rook it’s okay to admit the loss and honor it. When that doesn’t seem to make a dent, he falls back to his standard - lavish meals, small gifts, coffee. He knows it would help him. He just wishes it helped Rook too.

Lace hurts the worst after losing Varric and Lace is where Solas’ magic comes the closest to faltering. Rook can see Lace is down, she’s quiet, she’s afraid after what happens with the gods escaping; but Solas’ magic holds and Rook can still never see quite why. Lace would love to sit over drinks one night and share stories about Varric, but she sees that Rook doesn’t seem ready, and she doesn’t want to push. Instead she writes letters to Ma, to the Inquisitor, to Cassandra, to Aveline, maybe even to Hawke. She writes out her stories with Varric’s old quill and she carries a bolt of Bianca with her. A dozen times she goes to talk to Rook about him, and when she tries Rook turns away or changes the subject. It hurts, but Lace knows she can’t make Rook talk about him, and she hopes in time it will get better.

This just absolutely crushes me the more I think about it 😭

HAHAHAHA lol

original is ↓

Inquisitor: .... (stuffing Dorian's letter back in his pocket discreetly)

How beautifully it ties together his role as a warden vs. his nature as a gentle boy who would sing to halla. Halla who don’t give their trust to just about anyone.

How it examines the hardening of heart under the pressure of being the shield between the world and the blight that Davrin refuses simply because he’s too kind and too caring and too sweet despite it all.

How him choosing to call a blighted monster by her name says more about him that anyone else; how he chooses to be humane over anything else. I would trust his judgement of monsters vs. non-monsters simply because he’s willing to acknowledge humanity where everyone else would see a monster (as does he, at first, when he lacks information).