It doesn't take Hawke long to realize that he's not the only mage here. His magic is dampened, but he has not been made tranquil: his connection to the Fade remains. He can sense magic in this place, albeit faintly. The awareness ghosts across his mind like an echo of an echo, the faintest of whispers. There's a slight undercurrent of wrongness that he's not sure what to make of, but as he has more pressing things to do than obsess over vague arcane weirdness, he tries not to think about it.
All things considered, he's been doing a pretty thorough job of not thinking about it when he rounds a corner and runs headfirst into the source of his magic-related anxiety. Literally runs into—or at least he would have if he didn't course correct at the last possible moment, tripping over his own feet in an effort to avoid crashing into the elven woman before him. Maker, he's really losing his touch. At least Carver's not here to point and laugh.
He straightens up with as much dignity as he can muster, brushing his hair out of his eyes in a manner that he hopes conveys how nonchalant and unbothered he is about nearly falling on his arse in front of a perfect stranger. Abruptly, he feels that strange sense of wrongness again, and this time it's clear that its source is right in front of him. He takes a half-step back, careful to keep his posture relaxed, betraying no sign of the tension he feels coiling through his body.
“Sorry about that. I really ought to watch where I'm going.” He makes a quick study of the woman. Elven, certainly. Thedosian, maybe. Friendly? He can only hope. “I take it you're not from around here, either?”
@mirevasan | starter call