01 | video/text

[lavelly]

[It's set to video, but the feed is dark, and there's some kind of ambient noise. After a few moments it becomes clear that Lavellan is unknowingly covering the camera with his hand. He's talking, too, but his voice is muffled.]

Hello. Hello? Is this--is it working? I can't tell--

[Then there's actual video: it's a fuzzy closeup of Lavellan's eye, and then his ear.]

Can... anyone hear me? Am I doing this correctly?

[There's more muffled noise, like someone manhandling a microphone; the feed jostles and then goes dark again. There's what sounds like muted cursing in a foreign language (elvish, for those who recognize it) before the video ends entirely. Trying to use advanced technology is rough when you're from medieval fantasy land :(

The video is accompanied by text that looks like someone poked uncertainly at the letters of an unfamiliar keyboard with one hand. Because they did.]

hello.isanyonethere///

Comments

[neverheardofhim]

Wouldn't that be something. You think she'd be as good with the trigger as me, Inquisitor? Mmm, I bet she and I could make a good tale or two between each other.

[Aaand time for a long laugh. Good job breaking him, hero.]

[lavelly]

[Well, at least that's one thing he's still good at.]

Careful, or I might start wishing we'd gotten her instead of you.

[Then he sobers, because ultimately, this whole situation is more alarming than funny.]

I suppose it's not the strangest thing we've encountered. Two Hawkes. [Two Hawkes. He could barely deal with one. Probably a good thing he hadn't let her(/him/them?) sacrifice herself or this would be really awkward.]

[neverheardofhim]

[He's ignoring that with a pointed glower. One that... Lavellan probably couldn't see. Dammit.]

You know, I said the same damn thing. Turns being ripped from your home and spit through a giant not-Eluvian is a lot higher on the weird scale than anything else. [Not to mention every other damn thing they encountered on Thedas. Twinning was odd, but it wasn't that odd.]

[Take that, Nathan Drake.]

[lavelly]

[He lets out a long, slow exhale. If he stops to worry about the strangeness of any one thing, he'll never stop and then he'll probably go insane.

Therefore, better not to worry about it.

Never mind, too late.]

How does that work, anyway? I mean--is gender the only difference?

[neverheardofhim]

I'm still trying to get that out of them. [He hadn't the time to really get the scope of Garrett's full story. He knew where it came to an end for Marian -- both from his end and hers, but the other man was more an enigma.]

[There was also the issue of this not being his first inter-dimensional rodeo, but he didn't think that was his story to tell.]

You never heard about Carver, did you? Garrett's... better than him, in some ways. Still a pain in the ass, but that's the Hawke way more than anything.

[lavelly]

Carver was... the brother? Who died during the Blight? [How is this relevant, Varric.]

I suppose it doesn't really matter. Likely, this other Hawke knows as little about all this as we do.

[neverheardofhim]

[Very interesting... His brows drew together in the slightest, and he made a mental note of this particular discrepancy in their times.]

Bethany died in the blight. Carver lived on to haunt us all.

[Now Varric straightened up, expression darkening. Garrett's business wasn't his to tell, but perhaps it might put Lavellan's mind at ease to know that there was less confusion than he might have expected.]

Apparently the kid's been through this before. Same tune, different dance. Got pulled from Kirkwall or something of the sort and sent to some other place. This is his second stop on the Weird Shit journey.

[lavelly]

[That's... okay. Two different versions of the same people, others living or dying in different circumstances... he has to wonder what he takes for granted that might be completely different for this Varric, since he obviously isn't quite Lavellan's own.

He runs his hand through his hair, with the air of someone who is way too tired to think about this shit.]

Well, good to know, I guess, before I have to deal with either of them. Anything else you want to throw my way? Like the location of a tavern?

[neverheardofhim]

[Finally a subject he's far more comfortable talking about. Whether or not Lavellan can see it, a grin spread across his lips. He glanced to the name of the very tavern he sat at, then brought up the TPS and forwarded his coordinates to the man.]

See if you can't figure that out. If not, I'm sending you the name of the tavern I'm at. Ask around -- if you're lucky, you just might catch me while I'm still here.

[lavelly]

[His eyebrows shoot up in surprise.]

I've got it. I think. If this can send messages this quickly, I can see why it might be useful.

I'll head over, provided I don't get lost. I could use a drink about now.

[neverheardofhim]

Tell you what. Get here, and the first one's on me. A congratulations for not messing up terribly.

[lavelly]

Well, I do like not messing up terribly. I'll be there as soon as I can figure out where it is.