[Tiffany gives a hum of acknowledgement and leans forward, elbows on the table and chin in her hands.]
Before Riftwatch, I passed through Kirkwall, only twice. [She taps her little fingers on her cheeks for emphasis.] Seeker trumps Ferelden. You've adapted well, for someone less traveled and unfamiliar with the place. Well enough to be a regular at the Hanged Man, at least.
[His smile is kind, though his gaze diverts to the barmaid when she arrives, and he slides her a coin in exchange for the second mug.]
Sit and drink and keep your mouth shut, most people don't care where you're from. Not that... that works for everyone. [Some people, after all, have to wear their official insignia even when off the clock.]
Are you finding Riftwatch kinder, at least? I mean, compared to... [he waves his hand vaguely. You know, The Rest of the World.]
[She smiles at the barmaid as well, then picks up the mug and takes a sip--a small one, first, then a larger sip right after, as if having to test before committing.]
In some ways, yes. In other ways, well-- [And Tiffany marshals her features, adapting a mock-serious look.] Can I confide something in you?
[Also teasing, but also true. Tiffany wraps her hands around her mug of ale and peers down into its contents, a woman in contemplation.]
Here it is: for a Seeker, I haven't done much Seeking. Which means I haven't traveled all that much of anywhere, either. More than you, from the sound of it--I did leave Ferelden--but I was mostly training new recruits and helping everyone get by. I kept things organized, developed a cleaning rota... very important stuff, but not what everyone thinks when they think 'Seeker of Truth'.
[Tiffany holds up one hand, the other pressed gently to her chest.]
Please, ser, if you receive it in any way, receive it kindly. I didn't intentionally deceive anyone. I even made a report when I first arrived--I didn't write it on a public notice board, but I did report it.
Honestly-- [She sighs a little as she goes again for a sip of ale.] I wonder sometimes why I was the one sent to Riftwatch. I'm glad of it. But I wonder.
[He might be joking, but it occurs to him that the statement may have come out more hurtful than intended; scrubbing a hand over his stubbly mouth, he gives an apologetic little shake of his head.]
Riftwatch is its own beast. Not sure there's room for the kind of Seekers and Templars the world has come to know.
[He smiles faintly.]
It's right that you're here, in my opinion. Something new is happening, and you're just the sort who will help it grow as it should.
[Whatever minor offense she might have taken is wiped away entirely by the way that he finishes his thought. There is sincerity to it, something that makes her feel--honored, maybe, that someone would think that of her. Seen, in another sense--appreciated for who she is and what she does, more closely and clearly identified and articulated than she is used to.
Which is silly. She is a Seeker of Truth. There are only so many of them, one among many. Even in House Hart she is different than the others. A Seeker, not a knight. But even so, and a little pink comes into Tiffany's cheeks even as she smiles.]
That's kind. Too kind, [and she drops her eyes to her drink again, trying to give herself a moment,] but thank you. I would like to think that you're right, that we--Riftwatch--are different than all the versions of what we've been before. I really think that's what the world needs right now. Newness.
Newness. [He repeats the word, enjoying how it sounds, a little bit silly and a little bit hopeful besides.]
One might argue it's coming for Thedas whether we help usher it in or not. It certainly wasn't the idea of anyone here [OR WAS IT] to open up holes in the sky, but there they are. Pretending we don't see them won't stop them shitting out demons.
[She huffs a breath--a quiet almost-laugh--as she takes another sip of her drink.]
People, [she agrees,] are always a variable. And the demons, of course, which are admittedly another major variable, but maybe a little lower on the ranking than people.
Is this normal conversation for the Hanged Man, would you say?
[He laughs as well, but averts his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck-- it shouldn't be a surprise, really, considering his role in Riftwatch, but saying so when Tiffany has just admitted she hasn't committed a lot of violence feels a little off-balance.
Oh well, fair's fair.]
Increasingly heavy, [Barrow admits,] but that's the job, for you.
As long as it's job-sanctioned, there's no fault to be found there. Besides, I imagine all of our averages will go up, with, you know, the active war and all.
[She takes another sip of her ale and pulls a little face--not at the taste, but at the thought.]
I'll be glad when that isn't the case any longer for both of our sakes. For everyone's, really. Of course I know it's all necessary but I wish that it wasn't.
Well, I dunno about no fault. I'm sure not everyone on the other side feels all that passionately about what they're doing, all they know is they have to do it.
[He scratches at his stubble, realizing, the conversation is taking a depressing turn.]
...but then, when all this is over, there's always chicken farming.
[But the other side is bad, and we're good. Tiffany, fifteen years ago--by Andraste, maybe even ten years ago--might have said that, or at least thought it. But it's grayer than that, isn't it. Like a veil drawn over, making it difficult to draw lines in the sand.
She smiles back at Barrow and takes hold of that change of topic gratefully.]
Just chickens? Isn't it better to diversify your livestock?
[Tiffany squints up her eyes and points to Barrow.]
Well played, Messere. Cow shit is heavier. I think I just like cows a little better. They're sweet in a way that chickens aren't. Or maybe I just have more experience with mammals. My sister Rose kept a bird when we were small and I didn't know what to do with it.
Clip its wings? That would stop it from flying in your face, at least--but then there's the talons and the beak to deal with. And you'd have to be able to wrangle it to clip the wings in the first place, during which it might cut your throat...
No, you're right, I suppose birds are frightening. But that would be good defense for a farm, wouldn't it? No one would want to trespass. What if your chickens murdered them?
[She taps her mug against his, with another laugh.]
Forget being a simple farmer. You can make a fortune selling them off to banns and lords to defend their lands. The Fighting Chicken will be the mabari of the new Age, when it comes. Maybe they'll even name the Age after them, if you're successful enough. Towers, Blessed, Dragon... Chicken...
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2022-02-17 04:11 am (UTC)Before Riftwatch, I passed through Kirkwall, only twice. [She taps her little fingers on her cheeks for emphasis.] Seeker trumps Ferelden. You've adapted well, for someone less traveled and unfamiliar with the place. Well enough to be a regular at the Hanged Man, at least.
no subject
Date: 2022-02-17 04:24 am (UTC)[His smile is kind, though his gaze diverts to the barmaid when she arrives, and he slides her a coin in exchange for the second mug.]
Sit and drink and keep your mouth shut, most people don't care where you're from. Not that... that works for everyone.
[Some people, after all, have to wear their official insignia even when off the clock.]
Are you finding Riftwatch kinder, at least? I mean, compared to... [he waves his hand vaguely. You know, The Rest of the World.]
no subject
Date: 2022-02-17 06:10 pm (UTC)[She smiles at the barmaid as well, then picks up the mug and takes a sip--a small one, first, then a larger sip right after, as if having to test before committing.]
In some ways, yes. In other ways, well-- [And Tiffany marshals her features, adapting a mock-serious look.] Can I confide something in you?
no subject
Date: 2022-02-18 12:41 am (UTC)[He's playing with her, but it's also true-- she certainly knows enough of his secrets. Or former secrets.]
no subject
Date: 2022-02-18 05:12 am (UTC)[Also teasing, but also true. Tiffany wraps her hands around her mug of ale and peers down into its contents, a woman in contemplation.]
Here it is: for a Seeker, I haven't done much Seeking. Which means I haven't traveled all that much of anywhere, either. More than you, from the sound of it--I did leave Ferelden--but I was mostly training new recruits and helping everyone get by. I kept things organized, developed a cleaning rota... very important stuff, but not what everyone thinks when they think 'Seeker of Truth'.
no subject
Date: 2022-02-18 07:33 am (UTC)But still, reputation, and all that.]
You mean to tell me you haven't personally Annulled a Circle or sent rogue Templars to the block?
[He curls his hand over his mouth in an unsuccessful attempt to hide his smile.]
Well how am I supposed to take that?
no subject
Date: 2022-02-19 01:08 am (UTC)Please, ser, if you receive it in any way, receive it kindly. I didn't intentionally deceive anyone. I even made a report when I first arrived--I didn't write it on a public notice board, but I did report it.
Honestly-- [She sighs a little as she goes again for a sip of ale.] I wonder sometimes why I was the one sent to Riftwatch. I'm glad of it. But I wonder.
no subject
Date: 2022-02-22 06:45 pm (UTC)[He might be joking, but it occurs to him that the statement may have come out more hurtful than intended; scrubbing a hand over his stubbly mouth, he gives an apologetic little shake of his head.]
Riftwatch is its own beast. Not sure there's room for the kind of Seekers and Templars the world has come to know.
[He smiles faintly.]
It's right that you're here, in my opinion. Something new is happening, and you're just the sort who will help it grow as it should.
no subject
Date: 2022-02-22 11:37 pm (UTC)Which is silly. She is a Seeker of Truth. There are only so many of them, one among many. Even in House Hart she is different than the others. A Seeker, not a knight. But even so, and a little pink comes into Tiffany's cheeks even as she smiles.]
That's kind. Too kind, [and she drops her eyes to her drink again, trying to give herself a moment,] but thank you. I would like to think that you're right, that we--Riftwatch--are different than all the versions of what we've been before. I really think that's what the world needs right now. Newness.
no subject
Date: 2022-02-24 09:43 pm (UTC)One might argue it's coming for Thedas whether we help usher it in or not. It certainly wasn't the idea of anyone here [OR WAS IT] to open up holes in the sky, but there they are. Pretending we don't see them won't stop them shitting out demons.
And. You know, [he shrugs a shoulder,] people.
no subject
Date: 2022-02-25 01:07 am (UTC)People, [she agrees,] are always a variable. And the demons, of course, which are admittedly another major variable, but maybe a little lower on the ranking than people.
Is this normal conversation for the Hanged Man, would you say?
no subject
Date: 2022-03-02 10:55 pm (UTC)We could talk about all the people we've maimed, that might fit better with the clientele.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-07 12:41 am (UTC)Well, if it isn't obvious from what I confessed--my record is a bit light on the maiming. You?
no subject
Date: 2022-03-08 01:14 am (UTC)Oh well, fair's fair.]
Increasingly heavy, [Barrow admits,] but that's the job, for you.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-09 04:30 am (UTC)[She takes another sip of her ale and pulls a little face--not at the taste, but at the thought.]
I'll be glad when that isn't the case any longer for both of our sakes. For everyone's, really. Of course I know it's all necessary but I wish that it wasn't.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-14 08:57 pm (UTC)[He scratches at his stubble, realizing, the conversation is taking a depressing turn.]
...but then, when all this is over, there's always chicken farming.
no subject
Date: 2022-03-17 03:18 am (UTC)She smiles back at Barrow and takes hold of that change of topic gratefully.]
Just chickens? Isn't it better to diversify your livestock?
no subject
Date: 2022-03-17 05:43 am (UTC)Cow shit's heavier.
no subject
Date: 2022-04-03 01:25 am (UTC)[Tiffany squints up her eyes and points to Barrow.]
Well played, Messere. Cow shit is heavier. I think I just like cows a little better. They're sweet in a way that chickens aren't. Or maybe I just have more experience with mammals. My sister Rose kept a bird when we were small and I didn't know what to do with it.
no subject
Date: 2022-04-14 09:45 pm (UTC)[He pauses to consider his words.]
...frightening. Especially the ones who fly well. Chickens don't, at least.
no subject
Date: 2022-04-15 05:50 pm (UTC)'Frightening'?
no subject
Date: 2022-04-16 09:19 pm (UTC)Am I wrong? If a bird wants you dead, what are you going to do about it?
no subject
Date: 2022-04-19 05:21 pm (UTC)No, you're right, I suppose birds are frightening. But that would be good defense for a farm, wouldn't it? No one would want to trespass. What if your chickens murdered them?
no subject
Date: 2022-04-19 06:35 pm (UTC)I like how you think. [He raises his mug.] The Fighting Chickens of Crestwood. They'll be the stuff of legends.
no subject
Date: 2022-04-20 12:27 am (UTC)Forget being a simple farmer. You can make a fortune selling them off to banns and lords to defend their lands. The Fighting Chicken will be the mabari of the new Age, when it comes. Maybe they'll even name the Age after them, if you're successful enough. Towers, Blessed, Dragon... Chicken...