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[freedom_is_grey]

[OOM: Some trips don't go as expected, and just because two people share a face doesn't mean they share anything else. It's a surprisingly easy truth to forget.]

Ysalwen doesn't quite stumble her way into Milliways, but she does enter at a rapid clip, face and cloak and boots dusty, body tense, expression pinched.

Liranan follows at her heels, turning to shoulder the door closed while Ysa catches her breath.

It has been a very, very, very long day.

In a moment she'll go and get tea. That's about all she can stomach just now.

Comments

[howtoactfereldan]

It has been a very, very, very long day.

Cullen missed the evening meal. The door to Milliways is closer than the door to the kitchens. He's alone, now -- no Ci with him -- and out of his armor.

Headache's gone, for the moment. He'll take it. Of course, it'll come back in spades when it's time to reduce his lyrium again, but for now Cullen's enjoying the brief reprieve.

[freedom_is_grey]

"Cullen?"

Her voice comes out a little creaky at first. It's been a long slog away from Kirkwall --

And from the thought of what happened there. And what could have happened there. And --

But he doesn't have Ci.

"Where's Ci?"

Please recognize the name, Cullen. Please, please, please --

[howtoactfereldan]

"Ysa?" Cullen furrows his brow. "She's -- I left her at home, I hadn't planned to stay long."

He turns toward her. "Are you -- is everything all right?"

[freedom_is_grey]

Tension leaks out of Ysalwen like water running out of a sieve.

Liranan, meanwhile, bounces up to Cullen and licks his hands. Or he tries.

"No, I'm -- "

A long, controlled exhale. (It's only a little shaky.)

"It's been longer than I thought, I suppose, since I've run into someone that hated me. Me and not the arl, or the Hero, or -- just me."

[howtoactfereldan]

Of course the one time he should be here armed --

Cullen straightens, immediately on the alert. (Liranan got in a good few, and Cullen ruffled his ears a little, before Ysa finished.) "Where. Here? Are you safe?"

[not_his_pa]

(OOC: Tagging with him as he gets the same face/different person issue. I can tag with someone else if you'd prefer it, just let me know.)

William's spent the day cleaning up the stables and riding, everything is starting to feel almost normal again. He's on his way to a table when she enters, "Someone chasin' you?"

[freedom_is_grey]

"Hmm?"

She turns toward the voice, hand dropping to rest between Liranan's ears, scratching gently.

"Oh, no. Just -- there was a bear defending her cubs and getting out of her way seemed a much wiser choice than standing and fighting."

Because cubs.

(It's happened in the past, at least, if not actually just now.)

[not_his_pa]

"Yes, miss, I can see that. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. After the fire, I'm expectin' trouble all the time,"

Its been a number of long days and he should have started off more politely, she just looked scared.

[freedom_is_grey]

"You didn't, really."

She smiles, quick and bright.

"Wait. The fire? What fire?"

Did her pillar of flame burn just a little more intently than she meant it to, somehow? But surely not.

[not_his_pa]

His clothes still smell faintly of ash along with cherry blossoms, mud and manure,

"A fire was set in the stables, miss no one was hurt and all the animals are safe. Security caught who did it and the damage wasn't too great but any fire is one too many."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"Are you all right, miss?"

The young boy - with a book on interdimensional physics that he doesn't understand a single solitary word of - may or may not be recognisable to Ysalwen, but Gabumon, a little way behind him, looks identical to how he will in the future.

Yamato squints at her a little, because it's occurring to him that was a stupid question to ask, because she certainly doesn't look alright to him.

[freedom_is_grey]

She pinches herself, quick and hard, in the web between her thumb and forefinger.

Then she takes a deep breath, eyes flickering closed and then open again.

Gabumon aside, this is seemingly not the Fade, so --

"Oh, I'm fine. Just traveling through wilderness and had a bit of a close encounter with some wildlife I'd rather not disturb."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato folds his arms and tilts his head to one side a little, looking - more than a little skeptical.

"What kind of wildlife?"

Gabumon, meanwhile, is either enthusiastically taking Ysalwen at her word or just deciding that a suspicious and interrogative eleven year old is exactly what nobody needs right now, as he rushes forward, arms flapping.

"That must've been really scary," he says, in awe. "Like disturbing a hive of angry Flymon who then chase you for hours yelling about personal property."

[freedom_is_grey]

"Bears."

Her mouth is wry.

"Well, one bear. And her cubs."

Liranan, meanwhile, yips a little more cheerfully than he looks like he means to, tail wagging as he approaches Gabumon. Hello! Hi!

"Less scary and more -- I didn't want to hurt them, so getting out of their way was the most sensible plan."

Okay, getting out of their way rapidly, but still.

(Well, getting out of someone's way rapidly. Or getting out of somewhere. Or both.)

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato has to admit, that would shake him up too, because bears are - they're very bear. They're just very, very bear and it's a problem.

"Hello, furry thing," Gabumon says gravely, offering one paw to shake. "I'm Gabumon."

"Hurt them?" Yamato asks, eyebrows rising. "You, er, don't exactly look equipped for fending off a bear."

He doesn't even see a gun, which seems to him like the best bet when dealing with bears.

[heroine_in_training]

From her chair, Catherine breaks into a smile at the sight of the dog, and starts to reach a hand out to him-- but when she realizes he is accompanying the woman moving at such a purposeful clip, looking so travel-stained and surely very important, she withdraws the hand quickly, shyly, and folds it into her lap, rather hoping to have gone unnoticed.

[freedom_is_grey]

Liranan whuffs, and the woman's head turns in the direction indicated.

It takes a moment but she smiles, rubbing at her face with one hand. It doesn't get rid of dirt so much as spread it around a bit, but still.

"Go ahead."

Liranan trots toward the new person, tail wagging quite excitedly. Hello! Do you like dogs? Hi!

The woman, meanwhile -- white-haired and pointy-eared and facial-tattooed as she is -- relaxes fractionally. At least one of them is going to have fun. If Catherine is willing to play along, at least.

[heroine_in_training]

Oh, goodness! Catherine is rather grateful for the distraction of the dog-- who she would happily stroke on his own terms, of course!-- because otherwise she would certainly get caught staring at that hair. Or those ears. Or those-- tattoos?

"Yes, how do you do?" she says to Liranan. Very politely, of course.

[freedom_is_grey]

Liranan yips cheerfully, leaning into the stroking like no one has petted him in days!

Weeks, even!

Ysalwen stifles a laugh.

He is very good! Ysa is here and safe, and there are pettings! And he is making a new friend!

[heroine_in_training]

"Oh, you poor thing!" she coos. Then, remembering herself, she looks shyly up at Ysalwen. "I hope, madam, I am not keeping you from your business. You seemed to be in haste."

[yinyangwizard]

"Ysalwen! Liranan! It's good to..." Seimei halts in mid-step. "Ai ya. Are you all right?"

He can tell she's not injured or ill - at least not physically - but something has happened.

[freedom_is_grey]

"Bears," she says, rather promptly.

Well, once there were bears, and she remembers the feeling very well.

"Well, a bear and her cubs. I didn't want to disturb them, so -- retreating."

Some things are -- private.

[yinyangwizard]

Seimei raises a skeptical eyebrow. He seriously doubts that Ysalwen would be this shaken by bears. But if she doesn't want to talk about it, prying won't do any good.

He schools his face to a more neutral expression. "Bears can be rather fearsome when people disturb them. You were wise to exercise the better part of valor and get away unscathed." Seimei observes. He gestures at a nearby booth. "Tea?"

[freedom_is_grey]

Ysalwen has no idea what Seimei's narration is talking about. Shaken, indeed.

"Thank you. It's been -- a long day."

[yinyangwizard]

Seimei gently waves Ysalwen to the booth and sits down across from her. He flags down a waitrat and requests a certain blend of mint and chamomile that's good for soothing shattered nerves (and, incidentally, jumpy stomachs). He also takes the customary tribute (i.e., dog cookie) out of his pocket for Liranan.

"So you have avoided the bears, but once you go back, do you have any more bears to worry about? Or are you, so to speak, out of the woods?"

He knows Ysalwen isn't going to tell him the details of what happened, and perhaps whatever it is is over and done with. But perhaps it isn't, and there may be a dire situation (more bears, possibly) waiting for her on the other side of the Door. If that's the case, he would be happy to give her a little something extra to even the odds - even if she won't tell him what the odds are.

[OOC: Granted, in DAO, bears are serious bad news. Also, on second thought, edited my tag.]