Test Drive for January 2014 Apps

[highseasmods]

Welcome to your monthly Test Drive for high_seas! Here is where new players can test out their characters' voices, old players can try out new muses, and everyone can help each other get some threads for their applications! Feel free to use one of the prompts below, or come up with something on your own! Comment around, have fun, and remember that any CR formed here does not carry over to the game!

See you during the application round!

♦ So you're new to this world and have just woken up in the Town Square. How do you react? What do you do?

♦ You're lost at sea. Maybe you got separated from your crew. Or perhaps you're on an abandoned island. You need help!

♦ "Pirates off the starboard bow!" It's an enemy ship! Attack!!

♦ You and your crew are hanging out on your ship. Just another day at sea!

♦ "LAND, HO!" Hey look, a new island! How about you go explore it? Tell us what you find!

Comments

MABARI

[hawkethat]

As the owner of one willful and derpy mabari himself, Hawke is more than used to surprise goosings from large dog noses. Not that having a cold dog nose shoved with impunity where the sun doesn't shine is a pleasant experience, but in the grand scheme of things, he's experienced much worse.

So when he is interrupted by said dog nose from his extremely important errands (goofing off whilst searching for a tavern), he's not particularly bothered or offended. In fact, this one seems to be no different than usual, up until he hears someone yelling at the dog to get down, and he's being apologized to by a stranger. Glancing down, he notes with some surprise that while the enthusiastic dog is definitely a mabari, it's also definitely not his dog...which in turn causes him to return his gaze to the apologetic elf with more curiosity than might otherwise be piqued in such a situation.

"No harm done, I think. Better the backside than the front, anyway."

[bloodandbattle]

The man was smiling, or at least not acting upset, so that was a good thing.

"I've managed to train him not to do that," Sydni replied with a wry smile of his own. "But he still believes backsides are fair game. Probably has to do with all the trash he enjoys rooting around in. He once brought me a pair of dirty knickers as a present."

The mabari backed off when his master got within a few feet of his new friend. He put his his head down, haunches up while he wagged his stubby tail (and with it the whole of his body), then gave a single loud bark. It was a happy one. Cuddles was rarely not happy. But he looked to his master as if asking if he could take this one home with him. It wasn't the first time.

"No," the Warden replied firmly, finger up and pointing at the dog before he returned his attention to the other man. "Sydni Surana, serrah. You have my apologies for Cuddles' method of introduction."

[hawkethat]

"You know, all that sounds almost terrifyingly familiar. How strange." While he was talking to Surana, he couldn't help looking down at the dog with a smile as he spoke. Dogs were so great, and mabari doubly so. How could anyone possibly be offended by a friendly poke in the nethers from such a source?

"Garrett Hawke. There's really no need to apologize; at this point I'm pretty sure it's bred into the line -- NO. Don't you even think about it." If Hawke's attention and tone seemed suddenly diverted to something behind Surana, it's because they were. That something was another mabari, and if Surana were to turn about, he would see this one sitting politely on his haunches and panting innocently, as if the dog had nothing more in mind than rejoining his master from whatever side-journey he'd gone on, and had most definitely not planned on goosing anyone in the arse. Definitely not. That would be rude.

[bloodandbattle]

Cuddles stood up straight, ears perked as he looked behind his master. So of course Sydni had to turn to see what the commotion was about. For a moment, he was silent. Stunned and surprised by the sight of another mabari. It was the first one he'd seen in the strange town beside his.

Then a bigger grin broke out over his face and he turned his entire body to regard the dog. A polite, and rather deep, bow was given, "Hello serrah Mabari. It's good to meet you. You may approach if you'd like."

Cuddles whined at Sydni and the Warden shot him a rueful look, one eyebrow raised, "You could learn some manners from him, you know."

[hawkethat]

Champion, in response to Surana's polite address, stood up and began wagging his tail nubbin. Hawke watched in some bemusement as the dog then very politely approached Surana and poked his nose toward him without even a hint of the usual slime.

"This is Champion," Hawke said, since introductions seemed to be in order. "Champion, this is Surana. Try not to slobber on him too much, if you can."

[bloodandbattle]

Surana held out his hand to Champion while Cuddles continued to whine, circling in place at being both chastised and ignored by his master. "It's very nice to meet you, Champion," the elf said to the dog as if the Mabari were any other person. And to those from Ferelden, they practically were. As long as the dogs weren't trying to tear them apart in a fight.

Once introductions were over, Surana returned his attention to Hawke, "It's nice to meet someone else from Ferelden. You wouldn't happen to know where in Thedas we are, would you? This isn't a port I recognize from any maps and the people here have been less than helpful."

[hawkethat]

"It's been a while since I've met a fellow Ferelden, myself, so this is an extra pleasure," he said, with a smile and a bow. But then he grimaced at Surana's question, and shrugged ruefully. "I wish I could be more helpful than the locals, but I'm afraid I'm in the same boat as you." Hah. Boats. "No one from around here that I've asked has ever heard of Ferelden, or the Free Marches, or even Antiva or Orlais. Wherever we are, we're a long way from home." He paused for a moment to watch Champion introduce himself to Cuddles with a series of friendly, breathy whuffs, tail nubbin still wagging.

"According to local legend and some incredibly not-suspicious-at-all magical journals, some lunatic named Davy Jones brought us here to search for some precious jewel he's gone and lost."

[bloodandbattle]

"Are you trying to convince me that the fantastical farce of a story," He waved behind him in the general direction of the town square, now long since hidden by houses and buildings, "written upon that fountain and in the book I found are true? That's perhaps the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

He shook his head, "Not that I'm doubting you believe it or that it lacks in some truth. I've seen equally strange things. Just not usually outside of the Fade."

[hawkethat]

"Whether or not you believe me is up to you. I'm not so sure about the whole thing myself, to be honest. I'm merely sharing what I've been told." He shrugged. "The simple fact that we're here at all does lend some credibility to the whole thing, though."

With the doggie introductions finished, Champion finally ambled over to sit on Hawke's foot, as was his wont. Hawke smiled down at him and dropped a hand to his head and used the tip of his index finger to rub the base of the dog's short nose, right between his eyes. At Surana's remark about the Fade, though, he looked back up, eyebrows raised.

"Do you spend a lot of time in the Fade, then?" As rare as it was to meet other apostates, it was even rarer of them to outright announce their status like that. Such revelations tended to result in the templars being called for and the apostate in question being dragged off in chains to the local Circle...an outcome Hawke was keen to avoid for himself, at the very least. Though he had seen no templars since coming here, that didn't mean there weren't any here, just that he hadn't uncovered them yet.

[bloodandbattle]

Sydni stilled for a moment, head tilting to the side before his smile softened and he nodded, "I do. You are surprisingly comfortable speaking of the Fade. And yet... I do not know you from the Ferelden Circle."

He straightened his shoulders and started to walk in a slow circle around Hawke, looking him over more thoroughly, "You do not wear the clothes of a Templar, nor do you carry yourself as one. Even the Ferelden Circle does not allow Mabari as pets for the Mages and Apprentices within it's walls, so I do not believe you would be allowed to have one in any other Circle, even if you were transferred to it... That leaves only a couple options as to your status, my friend." Surana stopped once he was back in front of Hawke again, putting his hand on Cuddle's head and scratching the spot between his eyes that Hawke had been scratching on Champion. "You don't seem like a Tevinter to me, you aren't a Warden... so that leaves apostate. If this isn't Thedas, then lady luck must hold quite the flame for you."

[hawkethat]

There was little point in dissembling, as Hawke wore his staff slung over his back as usual, where it was convenient to access. He stood still while Surana circled around him, somewhat bemused by his analysis. If the templars in Kirkwall had paid half as much attention to him, doubtless he would have been imprisoned years ago for the grievous sin of being born with magic. But they never had, and he had never been. Not that he was complaining.

"I don't think that's a very fair assessment at all. I could be any number of things besides an apostate. A scholar, for example, or a well-educated noble, or even an initiate who was caught in a compromising position with a pretty Sister and was expelled for wanton impropriety and complete and utter disregard for Chantry rules, but whose loyal hound would not be separated from his side--" Here Champion interrupted him with a vaguely disgusted noise somewhere between a whine and a growl, and he grinned and smooshed the loose skin of the dog's eyebrows downward, briefly causing his eyes to close. "My father was very good at eluding templars and keeping the family together. So in that, I suppose, yes, you could say I was lucky."

Now it was his turn to eye Surana speculatively. "So you're a Grey Warden, then?"

[bloodandbattle]

Surana didn't carry an obvious staff. His robes were much more on the 'scholarly' side of things, but at his waist hung one very fine sword and an even finer dagger. The backpack he carried was a rather basic, if somewhat larger than normal, travel bag.

"Smarter than you look," he replied with a chuckle. Perhaps if he had had a different life, he would have continued that discussion about family. But he hadn't, and he'd been given to the Chantry when he was very young. He couldn't even remember his relatives and the records were long gone for which family in the Denerim Alienage he came from. If they ever existed at all. "Very few people would have picked up on that just from me mentioning it.

"And actually... you couldn't be a well-educated noble or scholar... I've seen a fair share and you simply don't have that pompous air... and I've met initiates caught in compromising positions. With an apprentice mage, not a sister, but all the same... so no. You couldn't have been any of those. Not in my experience."

[hawkethat]

"Don't go spreading that around, please," Hawke said, though he didn't sound particularly worried. "Life is so much easier when people think you're stupid. If they start to think that you might not be, they start expecting things from you, and then it's 'Hawke this' and 'Hawke that,' and that's the end of a quiet life drinking and whoring and sleeping until noon."

Family for Hawke wasn't exactly a sore subject - the blows of his father's and sister's deaths had been softened somewhat by intervening years - but it also wasn't exactly an appropriate subject for conversation with a new acquaintance, so he was more than happy to drop it. Besides, Surana didn't have any tattoos that Hawke could see, which meant - from what he understood of elven culture, at least - that he'd either been born in or raised in an alienage or the Circle, and was not Dalish. As such, family was likely to be a sensitive topic for him as well. So moving right along, he let out a dramatic sigh, though he was still smiling.

"Foiled in yet another deception by my own good looks and refreshingly humble attitude once again. When will I learn?"

[bloodandbattle]

"Refreshingly humble is it?" That got an even bigger laugh out of the Warden. Whomever this Hawke was, he was certainly an easy person to to talk to. It made him wonder if it was an act, or the genuine thing. Sydni hadn't met many apostates that weren't also maleficarum out to kill him for power. And those that weren't were either part of the Mage's Collective or were Morrigan or Anvernus... or Jowan.

Ah, but that was getting into memories he'd rather not think about. And Hawke made him remember a much better friend, anyway. "You remind me of a friend of mine. Though he would never dare to claim the title of humble... but both of you have mouths on you that I expect have gotten you into and out of as many problems as the other. And brothels."

[hawkethat]

"You think so too? It's awfully kind of you to say so, Serah."

Lucky for Surana, Hawke had no interest in killing anybody for power. Or any interest in killing anybody for any reason, really. Whether or not he's able to avoid that second one, though, really depends on what sort of plots are afoot on the streets of Kirkwall on any given day. Best not to think about that.

"Do I? I hope it's a favorable recollection." It probably was, judging from the way Surana was smiling, but it never hurt to make sure.

[bloodandbattle]

Surana gave Hawke a very obvious look-over. One that edged away from friendly and into friendly before averting his eyes and clearing his throat in a fairly obvious manner, "Indeed it is, serrah. Indeed, it is. Though, you pull off a beard better than he ever could. Not that a beard on an elf is possible..."

[hawkethat]

Oh, it was like that, was it? If Surana had been hoping to discomfit Hawke by flirting with him, he was in for some disappointment, because there were few things Hawke liked better than a bit of indiscriminate flirting.

"Elves are pretty enough already. If they started growing beards that would make things incredibly unfair for the rest of us, don't you think?"

[bloodandbattle]

He hadn't really been out to cause any discomfort in Hawke. Surana had mostly been trying to not embarrass himself as untoward thoughts of a particular Antivan were brought to mind by the easy going nature of the human he was speaking to. The warden gave another chuckle, keeping his eyes averted from Hawke to better control his own urge to up the ante. There were few pasttimes Surana enjoyed as much as a good bout of flirting - should it have a chance of going anywhere more physical. Which was not something he should be thinking about five minutes after meeting a man his dog had goosed.

"That implies that all beards are half as pretty as elves. It might be the case with yours, serrah, but you're the exception, not the rule."

[hawkethat]

"Such flattery." Hawke tsk'd, though he was clearly amused. "It'll get you everywhere, you know." If there was one thing Hawke loved, it was compliments. Not that he needed them, with the size of his ego, but who even cared about that? "If you're not in the middle of anything, could I tempt you to join me for a drink? There's a tavern around here with ale to rival the best of the Hanged Man. I was just trying to find it again when your dog stopped me."