The Road Less Traveled, tag: hawke, alasia, ludo, ash, open

“Well maybe this wasn’t the most subtle entrance I’ve had ever had,” Danneth thought to himself, “but at least I got their attention without arrows, swords, and other painful objects flying my way.” He noticed how a good number of the others in their party were poorly equipped for this journey, but when Hawke stumbled out of the back of the wagon, Danneth had to hold off from chuckling a little, that would have made this first impression even worse.

Walking up to Hawke with a wide grin on his face under the thick stubble he bowed his head and replied in his thick Starkhaven accent, “Well I only found out you were heading out of town this morning. If I sent a letter I would’ve been more than a little late to join you on this trip. Besides, I think meeting you in person for the first time would have made things go a lot smoother than the various letter’s I’ve sent to different people.”

Smirking a little and performing a plight bow he finally said his name, “My name is Danneth Heartwell… you probably don’t know me by name alone, but let’s just say I’ve helped point you in the way of some rather interesting jobs in the past.” He looked directly at Varric and nodded, “Ever get a letter addressed from ‘A Friend’, or any of your contacts say they heard a rumor or two from ‘A Friend’?”

Right now it was almost too hard for him not to be smiling, “Because if you did, well, let’s just say I know how to get the word out on certain things.”

Ashkaari bundled up.

Cold was such an unnatural concept to him. After all, as he said, he grew up in Seheron. Seheron was warm; warm and damp. The only time it became cool was when it rained, and it rained often, but still the temperatures remained high. Thus, he had nothing to do but sit here and try to conserve what little body heat the blanket would allow him.

That and ask why he even had to suffer this.

"So Varric. Why are we out here? You tell me this story and, I'll make you a deal, I shall tell you an interesting one myself."

"Horns, that sounds suspiciously like a fair trade, and that's not really my 'thing'," Varric said, being uncharacteristically honest.

And also smiling directly at the newcomer.

Yes, he understood that strays liked to coalesce around individuals of singular personality, like Hawke. And yes, he knew that it was almost childish to feel something so petty as annoyance at someone talking up his ability at "getting things around". But Varric was the one who got around.

Wait, n-- wait.

Yes.

"We're off to see the Wizard," Varric said with a slight shrug, technically directed at Ashkaari but his smiling, glistening eyes were still giving this newcomer the once-over.

He wasn't sure if Hawke trusted strangers barging into a group that just happened to want to both meet Hawke and go to the city that they had just decided to go to one day ago, but he certainly didn't. Hrm. Things just didn't add up.

"The Wonderful Wizard of Kaiten," he said, raising his hands and shaking them in the air a little, as if in awe. "At least, that's what he calls himself. Has a penchant for exaggeration, or so I've heard."

No need to mention Bartrand in front of a stranger, right?

Rhetorical question. Of course there wasn't.

There were a lot of people here, now, and Ludo was having a hard time concentrating. At least the person now talking to him was sitting next to him. That made everything a bit easier.

First, Varric - "Ah, yes." He didn't know what Varric meant when he talked about a Wizard other than the fact that they were going to see a mage of some sort. Since Ludo didn't really care who they were going to see unless they were going to see someone he knew, whatever Varric said would make perfect sense and would be just dandy with him.

And now to Alasia. She came over and sat down next to him. He looked at her and quirked a brow. Most people didn't want to learn more about Ludo and those that did seemed to want something from him. But, then again, those that did knew his family and knew that they had some wealth. He was certain that no one here knew his family - or who he really was.

"Yes, Antiva." Though he was done up in tattoos like a Dalish elf. "Are you from it, too?"

"I'm much more charming on paper than in person. Most meet and greets with me end in a clinic."

Yes, Varric, I see you trying to act like you didn't get drunk and go spouting off about me again. Enjoy your comfortable perch for now, golden boy, because you're having a stone cold sober first watch tonight.

Hawke smiled and raised a hand to wave politely to that lovable motor mouth, then glanced up at Ser Danneth Heartwell. Proper mannerisms weren't lost on him, that was evident enough in his introduction, but he certainly wasn't an expert at being a gentleman.

Hah. As if Hawke could pick one of those out of a crowd. She wouldn't have known a gentleman if he'd been hanging around her for the better part of a year, and she was pretty sure that hadn't been going on; he'd have been sniffed out and bedded a while ago, if that were the case. But it so wasn't. Cue wistful Hawke sigh. She brushed a lock of hair out of her face and watched the talking elves, still addressing the tall guy next to her.

"Danneth. So, you know who I am." Which was fine, but different than knowing what she was. Hawke was content to leave the subject at that... Unless... Her eyes darted up to him, and her arms folded over her chest.

"Are you a courier or something? You didn't come all the way out here to hand me some bad news, did you?" He didn't have the appearance of a simple delivery boy... Hawke pursed her lips at him.

"Look, you can tell Dougal that when he digs my favorite scarf out of the Deep Roads, then he can come talk to me. I lost it down there, and haven't found one I like since," she ended flippantly.

Danneth’s expression quickly turned to an un-normal sour one, “Great, she doesn’t believe me…” he thought to himself. Quickly regaining his composure he reached inside of his jacket and pulled out a two letters, both folded into each other and held them to his side, “Now before I hand these off to you I want to clarify what I meant when I said I put out the word on you so you got some more jobs under your belt.”

He paused for a moment to ensure she understood that he was being very serious about backing up what he said before, “You remember that Surface Dwarf, Anso, the guy who was asking for a rather shady job in Lowtown. He originally came to me for the job, but I had a bad feeling about it. So I turned it down and when he asked if I knew of anyone else who could’ve taken up the job; you were the first person who came to mind Hawke.”

Reguardless of her reaction he held up the two letters and presented them to her, “So yes, I am acting a bit as a Courier, but I’m here to help as well. That first letter is the original, and I can understand if it’s just gibberish to you, but read the second one if you would be so kind. What’s on it is a set of orders to some Mercenaries to attack and by all means necessary Kill you. I intercepted the letter two days ago and decrypted it last night, hence why I didn’t send a letter to warn you sooner.”

On the translated letter, it reads…

“I didn’t find out who’s sending these blokes, but they mean business, and I think they will attack you either on your way to or from Kaiten.” He pulled back his duster for a brief moment to show that he was armed and armored as well. “I’m here to help if you want me here. No point in having Kirkwall’s rising star get killed off by a bunch of well-paid goons.”

Ashkaari raised a brow at Varric's response. This was not a story. This was a destination. True, it had been part of what Ashkaari sought, that being the reason for why they were out here. But it was not a why. It was not a reason. It was merely a what. The bargain had not been honored. Ashkaari was free to say as he pleased.

However, it did seem rather unfair.

After all, Varric couldn't possibly know what saying that would mean. And he had honored part of the deal. It stood to reason that Ashkaari should tell part of what he knew. Or, at least, reveal that he knew something.

"I know why the Qunari are here. It is not just because they have no ships with which to leave."

"Horns, if there's one thing that always gets me excited, it's talking about the Qunari," Varric said as sincerely as he possibly could. Which was commendably sincere, considering the fact that he was a an incorrigible gossip, cheat, swindler, storyteller, mythmaker and rapscallion.

"Well, right after talking about mages. Or the Templars. Or the finer points of the economic takeover of the exiled branch of House Helmi."

Oh look at that. Varric was being clever.

"All right, Horns, you've piqued my interest. Why are the Qunari here? Does it involve lost love? High-seas derring-do? Please, don't leave out all the gory, racy details."

"No," Ashkaari replied.

AND THAT WAS THAT.

All right, this guy knows what he's talking about, Hawke mused. At his request, she plucked the second letter from Danneth's hands, and let her eyes skim over the words as he explained his position further. All the reading and listening really did was make her wish she'd stayed in the city and went on a goon killing rampage in Darktown. But nooooo, she just had to follow up on that Kaiten thing Varric went on about, and leave a bunch of innocent strangers vulnerable in the middle of nowhere. On a mountain. Dang.

Somehow, Hawke always knew that taking Carver's advice on those mercenaries would be a bad idea. It had gotten them into Kirkwall, but at what cost? Well, the cost seemed to be blood, and a lot of it. She wondered briefly if the goons who were after her now were the ones who had set up the Templars in the Bone Pit. It made some amount of sense... Hawke sighed. Sometimes she really wished she was a rogue and had less Fade influence floating around her head. Maybe if she paid really close attention to all the rogues in their caravan, she could think like one. It certainly would help for the bad decisions she kept making over and over; Danneth was at least with it enough to turn down Anso, and if she had done that, how much heartbreak would she have saved herself in the end? She shook her head, and the letter between her hands suddenly went up in flames. The ashes fell slowly to the path as she dusted her hands off, and looked back to Danneth.

"Okay, well I rather like my head. You've got my attention," she said quietly. For no reason other than piece of mind, she grabbed her staff and started plodding along with it, like it was a big golden walking stick with a naked Andraste at the top, and totally not a weapon.

"So you're just a nice guy, doing the right thing? Trying to help and play the bodyguard?" She asked, glancing at the group in the caravan before turning back to Danneth. He hadn't done anything to hurt them so far, and he had plenty of chances, what with how armed he was under that duster.

"I mean, no one in the Free Marches does anything for free." Hawke rolled her eyes at the thought, and smiled. "They should call it the Minus Money Marches, or the Mercenary Marches. Or the Hey Guess Who's Trying to Off You Now Marches."

At least they weren't Templars this time, or Tal-Vashoth... or darkspawn trying to kill her. And with so many people out there wanting her dead, she'd be a fool to turn away those who seemed to want to help.

(OOC: After another few posts, time jump to camp, further down the road, or Kaiten?)

Danneth had to think on what she just said and did, she burnt the only copy his translation with her bare hands, clearly she was angry, not a good idea to state any payment that would be bad… but back on track, what did he want out of this? He really hadn’t thought about what he really wanted out of this, this had been another one of his spontaneous adventures into the unknown… so what would he want? All the while he thought, he laughed at her joke about the Free Marches.

“I agree… it’s rare for people to things out of the good of their heart. That is unless you’re wearing a chastity belt and saying the damned chant of light all day!” He paused for a second and rubbed the back of his head, spending another moment in thought. “Well, as seeing I’m no brother… I guess I never really thought about what I would want out of this mess… If anything you owe me for giving you the heads up Hawke.”

He gritted his teeth under his beard and finally had an epiphany as to what would work. “Well, provided both of us get out of this mess, I won’t turn down a few drinks at the Hanged Man and a chance to work with you more directly in the future.” With that he tugged on his collar again, despite how soft the fur was, it tickled him a little bit as the wind blew past. Afterword he extended his right hand to her, “We could work out any more payment from there, but for now do you think that would work?”

Deep inside his mind, he began to calculate how well this would work out in the end, if she was really upset, she hid it well. But he would not take any chances making her mad from her good will.

(Short, conversational reply post. Hope it's okay)

"Yes, I guess I am from Antiva." Alaisa said with a smile, questioning the legitimacy of her intel. 'Uncooperative, near silent...' it claimed. He seemed plenty talkative to her, if a little drunk. He'd answered every question she'd asked!! Which came to two, but never mind that. He seemed just fine, and she certainly couldn't understand why they wanted him alive so badly...he'd be so easy to kill, yet they claim that he's dangerous...or at least, that's what she thought.

"I wasn't born there, but I do consider Antiva City my home. It has been good to me. I miss it...have you ever been to the capital?" Alasia elaborated and made conversation as the caravan rolled on by. Why was she doing this again? To die. Oh yes, that was it. She wanted to die, and get to know her target a little. Two things that made it worth coming along.

This whole trip was starting to seem a little crazy...

"Like the sisters and brothers in Kirkwall need more help with keeping people out of their pants," Hawke snorted. Finally, someone else with a sense of humor. She'd have to see if Danneth would be willing to teach their cheery Kossith how to joke. Varric was probably too dry for Ash to get his humor, and Ash was too literal to get her own jokes. Her eyes darted up to Danneth when he spoke again.

"I... guess I do owe you," she relented with a small smile. It wasn't often someone told her she owed them. This guy was sly, he was, or just maybe good people. He wasn't a Chantry man, and that was definitely a step in the right direction. And oh yea, he hadn't tried to kill her or anyone else and steal their stuff. He'd done the opposite. That was another step, and an offer to be a drinking buddy for payment was the third step to being all right in her book.

Hawke laughed. "I don't know, Danneth, how well do you like living? You might've just shaved years off of your life by talking to me." She grabbed his hand and shook it. "Well, too late now. It's a deal. If we get back to Kirkwall with our hands and feet in tact, the first round is on me."

Her grip on his hand remained, but she pointed the tip of her staff at him and smirked. "As long as you keep being nice and useful."

Danneth smiled as she shook his hand, “Hey, what’s the point in living forever? It’d get boring real fast. Either way it’s a deal Hawke.” His grip was iron clad and firm, hopefully just what she was expecting from a guy like him. He began to scan the hillside for anything along the lines of waiting ambushers, but after her next comment Danneth laughed a little, “Hawke, clearly you’ve never seen me shoot. So, I bet you five silvers and paying for the first round that I can hit anything on that hillside… within reason of course.”

Even before her answer he reached up to his bow and pulled it out of its holster on his back, plucking an arrow from his quiver and stringing it up in a little under a second. His eyes already narrowed and a sly grin grew on his face as he awaited Hawkes target. Danneth was a great shot, but not when he slowed himself down to take aim, just when it was on the drop of a hat and the speed of combat, this would do well to simulate that.

His fingers pulled back about a quarter inch on the string, in anticipation out of anything else, he wasn’t too keen on being caught off guard or surprises, on the other hand he really loved it when it was the other way around. At least now she liked him enough not to torch him like that sheet of paper, and he intended to prove his good nature as soon as possible. Whether it be though drinking her under the table or by putting some stupid mercenaries under the ground.

"You shoot us a nice piece of meat we can roast up at camp, and I'll make it ten silvers."

Hawke nodded, satisfied with his reaction and sudden need to prove himself. Which was very fine, considering the other untested talent that had just happened to show up when she needed them. Good with a bow, and easy on the eyes... Not much for her to complain about, unless he totally botched this shot. She slowed down a step or two and folded her arms, waiting.

(OOC: Moving to camp, expect a new thread soon and some action! )