I WILL ENDURE.

I love the warrior not even hesitating to put themselves between blades and their lover.

I love the mage pulling up a barrier as soon as their lover’s hand moves for the sword.

I love them fretting over one another because of the sucky light armor and the whole charging-into-battle thing.

I love them marveling at each other’s respective strengths, be it not faltering even under the fist of a giant, or throwing balls of fire without breaking a sweat. I love them seeing beauty where others might just see brute force or a looming threat of demons and blood magic. I love them swearing to protect one another to their last blood if they have to.

It’s an odd thing to learn, being so full of anger, that she has to trust the human members of the Inquisition just as she wants them to trust her. In the Alienage she could be as bitter as she wanted to. Here, she cannot. But some humans make it easier than others.

“ Believe me friend, whatever they could come up with as punishment for this would pale in comparison to what the templars had me doing. It’s no trouble at all. ”

Before she was Knight-Captain, she was a templar recruit, and her views had gotten her into trouble more times than she cared to mention. One would argue that she was a terrible templar to start with, but one would have to be comparing her to the chantry standard. The past aside though, she was damn good at her job, and to punish her for rightfully ‘reprimanding’ a recruit would be nothing. She gives the other a grin, shaking her head a bit

;; – “Your curiosity is best left to sate itself soon. Everything you need to know about him is in this folder, and much of it isn’t pretty. It took us a long time to get detailed information, covering everything from when he first went to the Circle in Starkhaven to which parts of his body hurt the most at any given time.”

While it is just one person, the person in question is a strange one, indeed. Cullen doesn’t expect this to be as smooth as he’d like it to be– Thea can be at times, awkward, while Daniel was predisposed to even more harsh methods than he himself used.

“ Wonderful. No pressure or anything. ”

She sighs, shoulders slumping a bit, yet her heart still beats quick in her ears. It was a tall order, and to say she wasn’t intimidated by it would be a lie. Thea reached out a hand, taking the folder from him. It was heavier than she expected, whether that was a good thing or a bad thing was yet to be determined. She tucks the folder under her arm and gives Cullen a small bow, before straightening up, shoulders squared and gaze firm.

 ;; – I’M A DIRTY DIRTY BOY, I WANT IT FILTHY.

  Meredith leant her weight back to counter the younger woman’s pull, and stepped back once she was to her feet. Even with the exertion, it felt good to have a competitive partner for once in the Seeker’s absence.

“Ah, Markham. I’ve been only once.”

She gave a nod, and cleared her throat before answering.

“Meredith Stannard… former Knight-Commander of Kirkwall.”

She stops, mouth slightly agape. This was the infamous Knight-Commander she’d heard about? Varied reports of red lyrium and full out abuse of power-- the name was a familiar one and not spoken kindly of. Still, despite everything that happened, she was here with the Inquisition, same as Thea. That had to account for something concerning character. The Inquisition was a force of good, therefore any working for the Inquisition was trying to further that goal, right?

Thea blinks, trying desperately to wipe the shock from her face, raising a brow and giving a smile; it’s small but it’s there.

           It’s a struggle to keep her expression clear, brows unfurrowed, not to let slip how deeply this effects her.  Because she still dreams of TEMPLARS killing a girl who was only sixteen in the place of a child even younger yet.  Because she still sees them pointing swords at her when she closes her eyes.  Because hating them is the only way she keeps from hating herself.  { not that it ever works. }

“ Easier yes, but it’s not -- ”

Ahvir’s words bring her back to Hasmal, a small apprentice at a shrine to Andraste -- Maker why was I cursed, why do you hate me so -- chantry mothers doing nothing to combat her words as if they were truth. 

“ -- right. ”

A pause, she almost appears to deflate. 

“ They are not right. As a whole. What they teach us, what being a    templar has come to mean, none of it is right. ”

More of this is to herself than anyone, a monologue she’s held with herself more times than she cares to remember. No matter how much you build them up, they’re still templars in the end. She’s still a templar in the end. 

      ❛ good. i would’ve just continued anyways. are you implying that no one has, ( TO YOUR KNOWLEDGE - ) ever drawn you ? ❜

mehana doesn’t like templars one bit. but thea curio is a lovely woman and her pencil could not help but move across the paper before her, and despite the bitterness in her heart she still was a CURIOUS and inquisitive person who could not restrain her reluctant interest.

“ You are correct. If someone has, they’ve neglected to inform me.    Although I doubt that there’s anything sketch worthy of me -- perhaps    my arms but that would be it. ”

Not that she didn’t have a healthy self esteem, oh no. Thea had no room for self depreciation in her life. However, she didn’t put herself above others; everyone was on the same level. Which as one can imagine, got her into trouble more times than one.