☼ Arrival; ☼

[ladysunshines]

Who: Bethany Hawke and [open]
Where: Outside the caves!
When: Now...ish?
Rating: PG-13 for now!
Summary: Yass queen

The Story: Her head was swimming. The battle with Orsino had taken nearly all her magical power, but it was more than that -- seeing him use blood magic to take the corpses of all the mages that she’d known living and working in the circle to turn himself into an abomination -- it was too much. Too much on top of the templars and countless innocent people who had no doubt been killed when the Chantry had been obliterated. Her heart ached as if her mother and brother had died all over again. So much senseless violence because of Meredith, because of the extremist templars -- she squeezed her eyes shut and when they opened again, she was surrounded by a cave of brick icicles. What fresh hell was this?

“Garrett!” Her voice echoed hollowly in the cave and she spun, panicked. “Garrett!” What if this is some sort of last-ditch effort that Orsino learned from that horrible beast, Quentin? Was she going to be trapped in some sort of labyrinth for the rest of her (probably very short, very painful) life? She scanned the room and let out a sob of relief at the sight of the entrance to the cave, scrambling up the incline with little care for whether she was letting the barbs of once-molten stone bite into her skirts. She rushed toward the point of light, awkwardly using her staff to half-vault her toward the ever-growing gleam.

Blissfully, the Circle-mandated wear was spelled to be durable and once she made it to the sunlight, she skidded to a stop and took in her surroundings, staff at the ready.
“Show yourself!” There had to be someone here, there had to be some meaning of this that could be explained. The pain in her heart was too fresh for this to be heaven, and she had been to the Fade -- this was not it. Impatient at the lack of an answer, she slammed her staff down on the ground. A bolt of flame shoots from the spot it hits, landing nearby in an explosion of sparks.

“I don’t have time for this!” She needed to find her brother, because nothing about this place made any sense.

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[ladysunshines]

Things happen too quickly for her to properly process exactly what it is that's going on. She knows that she heard her name called a few moments ago almost too softly to be heard, and then again -- more certain, and more importantly -- more familiar. Carver's voice is enough of a shock to her system to override her immediate survival instincts as his body comes barreling towards her, as his arms wrap around her tight enough to constrict her breathing. She drops her staff straight out, the wood clattering to the ground noisily.

It isn't the strength of his arms around her that catches her breath in her throat. It's the solidness of the body pressed against her, the fact that the pressure against her doesn't evaporate like water when she blinks her eyes. She'd sworn that she'd seen Carver in the crowds during their first few years in Kirkwall, and even late at night in the Circle tower, but...this is different. When she blinks again, it's to keep the tears that are filling her eyes from blurring her vision. She shakes her body loose of the stiffness that had developed when he'd first hugged her and leans her head down to rest against his shoulder.

"Carver," she says finally, squeezing her eyes shut, "What's going on?" She doesn't bother to hide the confusion from her voice, for her brother -- her twin -- would always know. Part of her annoyance with him had always been her inability to tell him lies. Her hands find the front of his shirt, grasping desperately for something solid to hold on to.

"Are we dead?"

[shitloaf]

A breath chokes in his throat, expelling harshly halfway and hiccuped on the other half. Carver Hawke is a man of fastidious pride. Carver Hawke is also a man full of hurt manifested into anger. Carver Hawke hasn't shed a tear in many years. That all but breaks the moment Bethany relaxes against him and lays her head against his shoulder. He'll deny it ever happened and it's a secret that's only shared with the soft brush of her hair against his face as he doesn't even hesitate one second before turning into her. She smells like his sister; like summers in Lothering, like wheat and fresh bread. She smells like home and Carver's world slides firmly into place.

There hasn't been a day that's gone by that he hasn't missed her, not one that he hasn't thought of her. Seeing Bethany now brings back that day they fled Lothering like it was only yesterday not twelve years ago.

There's so much to say, so much he needs to say and so much he should say. But, after his time here so far, he doesn't want to talk about any of it. Not yet. Not yet. He wants to be selfish and exist within this little bubble with just his sister and not face anything else. But, that's not fair to Bethany, she needs to know what's going on and more than anything Carver wants to know about her, what sort of life she lived—so fucking thankful that some world out there exists where she's alive. He'd give his own in the place of hers. It doesn't yet occur to him just yet that things may have gone differently when they left their home.

Carver grips her tighter for a split second when she asks that. Something in him feels as if it breaks and he can feel the words bubbling in the back of his throat to say something stupid—because even after all these years, he's not fully grown out of the foot-in-mouth disease—like 'No, just you' or something equally terrible. Instead, thankfully, he exhales a shaky sounding laugh that's borderline hysterical.

"No." At least he doesn't think so. He hopes not. "No, we're in some weird place called Wonderland."

But that literally doesn't matter. Carver pulls back just enough to see her face. Unable to stop himself, he lifts one hand up and tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. He's not crying but it's quite obvious he really wants to—that's embarrassing, but he's going to keep it together and just be red in the face. "Maker, Bethany. It's good to see you. I never thought I would again."

[ladysunshines]

She knows that it always appeared to the others that her father had favored her. She knew the truth, of course - that her father was the only one of them that truly knew what she felt about her magic, the only one she'd told outright about it. It terrified her, being a mage -- the idea that she could lose control and let an abomination ruin her life. At the same time that she'd feared being a mage, she'd also feared how her mother would react to her living in a Circle -- she'd coped with it well enough once Bethany had been taken in Kirkwall, of course, but if she'd surrendered willingly -- she wasn't sure that her mother would've survived it.

Hugging Carver had always felt like a bigger triumph than hugging Garrett, at least when he leaned into it like he did now. Always the tough, strong exterior -- less prone to outbursts than their older sibling, and too proud to be 'soft' in front of many people. She's planning to milk this hug as long as Carver will possibly allow it, since it's the last thing she ever expected to be able to do again.

Just listening to his breathing is good enough for now, confirming to her yet again that he isn't just an illusion conjured out of nothing. As he pulls back, she keeps one hand firmly fisted in his shirt - he isn't getting away that easily - and meets his eyes. They're as glassy as hers, and like they always were - like looking into a mirror with a different frame.

They aren't dead, and yet Carver looks -- older, she thinks, something puzzling. His sentiment easily pushes that thought aside, though, and she nods as she brings her hand up to rest against the one on her cheek, closing her eyes for a moment to collect herself.

"I know," she says quietly. There are too many eager questions on her tongue, but there's only one that she needs to know the answer to immediately.

"Wonderland. Is -- is it safe, here?"

[shitloaf]

Well, he's not going anywhere. After the sort of life he's had, there's really no chance in the Void that he's going to let Bethany go. Eventually he'll calm down and not be a constant shadow and/or some very large Fereldan barnacle. But this is still too new, too fresh, and he doesn't want to let her go. Part of his is afraid that if he does, she'll disappear like she has so often in his dreams. He's learned a thing or two over the course of his losses—to hold on to what he cares for and try and let people know that. The years have softened certain edges of his.

His hand comes up to cover Bethany's there, giving it a little squeeze. It's left there to hold it, not really fussed to remove her at all. The closer they are, the easier his heart begins to mend. He does glance to the side for a brief moment, not really having a good answer to give.

"I don't know. I haven't been here that long, but I've heard things." He swallows thickly as he looks back at Bethany. "Things are strange here. There are... people from home here that don't remember the same things I do, or have different people in them."

Without meaning to, he holds her tighter. The smile he give shakes. "I'm just glad you know who I am."

[ladysunshines]

"Carver," she chides gently, letting him squeeze her as he pleases for the moment since it's not something she wouldn't be doing in turn if he let go, "You can't just forget the person you came into the world with." It had been why losing him all those years ago had cut her so deeply -- because as silly as it sounded, their bond was different from the one that she and Garrett shared. It might not have been perfect at times, but it was theirs nonetheless.

She steadies her own breath while she soaks in the rest of his words, though, head canted to the side. It's cautious curiosity, as restrained as she can make it given her waning adrenaline.

"So long as nothing is going to jump out of the shadows and attack us at any second, you've got plenty of time to explain things." She lets her hand drop to his shoulder and rests it there, peering over Carver's back to take in the rest of the surroundings.

"It certainly is pretty, at least. If you haven't noticed." The last bit is teasing, something she might be a tad rusty at but something she's missed.

[shitloaf]

She jokes, but Carver had wondered if he'd be a part of some worlds and not, considering how things have been going. That he's part of hers is enough—he doesn't even care about the rest. Everything certainly isn't coming up roses, but it's fine. Things will work out. Bethany is here and real and that's what matters more than anything.

Not entirely keen on letting her go just yet, Carver keeps his arms around her so they can stay connected as long as possible. Call him crazy for it—and he might agree—but it's calming the tempestuous waters inside.

"It's all right."

It's nice enough, but he doesn't really care about that. It's not the slums of Kirkwall, that's for sure. But this place reminds him too much of the poncey idiots in Orlais to really care enough about liking how it looks. He sighs softly and rubs his forehead.

"I don't know where to even start about this place. Other than nothing makes a lot of sense and it's annoying."

[ladysunshines]

Once she finds out that the closet will probably give her an infinite number of shoes, dresses, and fancy hats, Bethany will gladly proclaim that at least in that aspect it was far superior to Orlais. She'll allow Carver the proximity because it calms her in turn, and that's certainly something that is welcome after the events of the past few hours.

She tilts her head to the side in response to Carver's last statement, wondering whether it's just her brother's propensity to take every situation rather bleakly or whether the place really didn't make much sense. Given what she'd witnessed so far, she was inclined to believe the latter over the former (despite initial biases).

"Well, then why don't you start with where it is you came from?" She presumed he hadn't just wandered out of thin air to find her, so he must have been in some other location in this place. "And what else there is here to find, buildings-wise. If there's a drake pit underneath a pile of sticks or something, I'd like to know about it."

[shitloaf]

On anyone else he'd roll his eyes and say it was a waste of time to ask for things like that. What's the point? It's not like one can wear more than one dress or one pair of shoes at a time, anyway. But, with Bethany... Well, she deserves all the things she wants. As fancy as her mind can conjure. If anything, even Carver may ask the wardrobe for things for her. Sure, his sister can spoil herself, but it's his job as her brother to do it for her just because he can.

He sighs softly, knowing by just that tilt of her head that she's wondering if he's being a brat or not. Of course, he'd like to say he's not, but who knows? Some people seem content to stay here. As far as he knows, no one's even actively seeking a way out. Not that he's doing so well on that front, but he hasn't been here long enough to really know where to begin.

Turning slightly, he makes a wide gesture toward the nearest building. "Inside there. They've given rooms for us with—" he blanches, not even wanting to say it aloud, "magic wardrobes. You can ask for anything and it usually gives it. But, you have to be specific. Or..." Carver trails off for a moment, glancing to the side, "instead of a mabari, you might wind up with something that looks more like a child's toy instead of a dog."

That aside, he smiles a bit and shakes his head. "No drake pit that I've seen. Or heard of. No one's mentioned any sort of dragons around, at least." He makes another gesture out from where they stand. "There's gardens over there that you'd probably like." Then a gesture toward the opposite side. "Grounds that Fenris and I've been training on."

Winding down, he gives a lazy sort of shrug. "There's other stuff, but I haven't really seen anything further beyond the gardens yet. There's enough pitfalls inside so far."

[ladysunshines]

Magic wardrobes. She knew her brother's stance on magic, so the sight of him paling like he was didn't exactly draw shock out of her -- but something else in his words catches her interest and she can't help the way that her brows knit together in confusion. There's yet another thing that just doesn't quite make sense as he says it -- how is it that he knows Fenris? But the calculating, logical part of her mind that made her a good teacher tells her that if he's been here for any given amount of time, and Fenris is here too (although how he might be is a mystery, as she'd seen him not an hour ago) that perhaps the two of them had crossed paths. After all, it was easy to see them getting along.

She pushes that worry aside as best she can, not wanting to spoil the moment of happiness that she has with her brother just now. Instead, she raises an eyebrow at him.

"A child's toy instead of a dog? I can only imagine this is a lesson you learned for yourself." Which means that Carver probably has some sort of tiny, adorable animal and he should probably show it to her post-haste, or he's going to drop down the ranks in Bethany's favorite brothers list. She isn't surprised to hear Carver hasn't really ventured out of the place to find out what else there was to see, and she manages a smile.

"Well, once I start to go out looking I'll have to drag you along. Just like old times."