allthisshitisweird | TEST DRIVE MEME!

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TEST DRIVE MEME!

I ROLL TO SEDUCE THE BEAR

Tucked between the massive Lake Calenhad and the icy Frostback Mountains in Ferelden’s chilly, hilly south, the Hinterlands are a region covered in patchy forests, small farms, and a bustling fishing village called Redcliffe. The region was recently the frontline of a war between mages and Templars, but the Inquisition’s military presence has restored order and is now focused on helping the locals and influx of refugees rebuild their lives. Whether you’re a recent recruit or a hardened veteran, a Fereldan local or someone who recently fell out of a rift from another world, you may be asked to go lend a hand.

I. FLOODS

A burst of unseasonably warm weather (in no way inspired by real life events) is initially greeted with relief, gloves discarded and scarves unwrapped—but followed within the week by severe flooding across the region. Maybe you’re sent out to help debris from a road or collect the bodies of those swept away. Or maybe you’re less lucky and instead there when the waters come, shepherding refugees to higher ground, or caught riding in the flow on a dislodged roof or log. Maybe there’s a bear on the roof with you.

II. TREASURE HUNTS

Given the lack of banks and lockboxes, when the people here have something they value, they often hide it—under the ground, in a tree, behind a waterfall. So here you are, with a sketch of some landmarks found on a body, trying to find… something. If you find it, it might be useful: weapons, runes, a stash of supplies. Or it might be someone’s box of racy letters and a request to deliver them to a now-married woman who will slap you on delivery.

III. BEARS

You have turned the wrong corner, forded the wrong stream, crested the wrong hill, entered the wrong cave. Maybe you are far from camp. Maybe you are in camp. Whatever has happened, wherever you are: you are being chased by bears. Did you provoke the bears? Are they huge? Babies? Fade-touched? Mage-controlled? What are they chasing you away from? What are they chasing you into? What do you plan to make out of their hide if you kill them? What do you think they'll craft out of your hide if they kill you?

IV. CRYSTALS

Members and trusted agents of the Inquisition are given access to one of the Inquisition's stores of ancient, mysterious sending crystals, allowing them to communicate instantaneously by voice. It's magic. And a magical excuse to ask everyone what their favorite constellation is in the middle of the night.

Or to call for help because you've been treed by bears.

Either way.

V. MISCELLANEOUS

Choose your own adventure! Hunt game, kill demons, gather herbs, track bandits, haggle over the price of armor, fall off a deceptively tall rock, get lost circling the same hill ten times trying to find a way up to the weird glowing skull on a stick you can see is up there, climb trees or abandoned towers, rummage around in empty homes, run from a dragon, cry over how cute that fennec fox you just shot was, set up camp and chat around the fire, knock yourself out (figuratively, or even literally if that's more your speed)—the Hinterlands are your Frostback Mountain oyster.

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It had been years, but Cole had always brought something out in Rhys. That expression that was a mix of sympathy, sadness and curiosity. And Cole's words now had the same effect.

Rhys might argue, when he's feeling better that he hadn't saved Cole. That he hadn't helped him to find his way back to the Fade. That he in the face of the truth, he should have been braver and stronger and realised that even spirits can make choices. And perhaps even change, just like anyone else.

Or maybe his relationship with Evangline had taught him that. Since she had a spirit within herself now as well.

"Yes. Thank you."

The memories hit Cole, memories of after he left, lost his grip and went to the darkness between. Evangeline fighting Lambert, her injuries, Wynne and Faith saving her.

Faith. Such a powerful spirit. So easily corrupted.

He kept his mouth shut. It was easier, with Rhys, to pick the thing that would help him most. And bringing that up wouldn't help.

People part for them, but don't seem to notice they're doing so for Cole, just for Rhys. Even as they pass into the Undercroft, where the noise of people was quieter, but the noise of work was loud.

"Not much further."

In an attempt at some conversation, because Rhys still had a problem with keeping his mouth shut, he asked a question of Cole. "So have you been here? The entire time... since?"

"No." Cole glanced back over his shoulder. "I travelled a lot. Helping people. Now I know what- um, I know more what I am, or what I'm not, but it makes it easier to help people. I can see their hurts, follow the threads that tangle and tie and tease them apart until it stops being taut."

He takes them down the stairs until the heated steam of the springs. They were carved into hot pools long ago, long before any humans came here. "I go where I can help. I'll find you dry clothes."

Rhys was about to reply when Cole announced he was leaving to find clothes. Well, that was fine, he let the man go. It would give him time to get out of his armour and undergarments and slide into the pool. Cole had been right, his muscles started to relax almost immediately as he settled into it. Maybe he would stay here for a couple of hours.

He closed his eyes and would probably still be like that when Cole returned.

Cole was gone for about ten minutes. When he came back, it was with pilfered robes and clothing for Rhys and some soap that he had borrowed and would take back after.

He entered silently, setting down the clothing at a small distance and then tapping Rhys on the shoulder with a cold finger. "I brought soap. Varric said soap is important in washing."

It was just long enough for Rhys to mentally switch off. So when Cole tapped his shoulder, he flailed a bit.

"Cole! Maker! I forgot how quiet you could be."

When he saw the soap he nodded.

"I think it's been a week since I've had a bath with soap."

Cole didn't flinch back, but he did look a little shamefaced. "I- hm. Forget. I'm silent. Usually it doesn't matter."

He pressed the soap into Rhys' hand and slipped around the side a bit more, into view.

"There's some girls who I helped; they let me borrow things to help other people. Like the soap."

Rhys nodded and started to use the soap for a first run through. He'll probably need to wash twice to get everything off properly.

"It sounds like people can see you and remember you now." He tilted his head. "Did something change, or did you just decide to let people do that now?"

Because either could be true. And he's curious. He'll get back to his proper apology. But, he needed some easier conversation first. This had been a rough start to my time here.

Cole sat down, hugging his knees to his chest, his hat hiding him away from view very effectively. "People who need help can see me. And I can let people see me, if I want or need to. But-"

He huffed softly. "Rifters. Can see me. Like the Herald could. The shard is sharp, slices the silence I wear. I have to work to make them not see me. But people still forget. Even them."

Rhys nodded. He understood. He washed with soap a second time before starting the proper part of the conversation.

"Last I saw you, we were in the sewers.... You vanished...."

And Rhys thought the Lord Seeker had been right. About himself, about Cole, about everything. And he had wanted to die, his despair had been so great over how solidly he had been fooled.

"...Where did you go?"

Cole sat and waited for Rhys to speak again. He wanted to just blurt it all out, explain, but he realised Rhys needed to control the pace of this conversation. Maybe it would stop Cole from overwhelming him.

"I don't know. I went- somewhere Dark. Other. You didn't kill anyone, Rhys. I did that. I'm- a manifested spirit. I don't need to make others do things for me. I was Mercy. I was spiralling to Despair but then- there was you."

Rhys shook his head. "Not 'was', Cole. Are. You are Mercy. And continue to be. I can't even say for sure if I helped you all that much."

He should have done more. At the very least, he should have tried to grant the peace that Cole desperately needed. But then... everything had moved so quickly... And the Lord Seeker...

"Cole. You felt it, didn't you? When I started to doubt you?"

He's probably being too blunt, too forward. He had years to think about this, but still his mouth ran away without him. But he had to know. He had to know how grave his crime was. How much he had to do to right the wrong he had done.

"No. I'm not Mercy. I found my way back. I'm Cole... and Compassion."

A spirit of healing and help. The hard edges on Compassion weren't Mercy, they were Cole. They were complexity beyond any average spirit.

"Yes. But- It mattered more that I had hurt you. Again. And, he was right. I needed to know what I was. I wasn't a demon. I wasn't Cole. I did kill those people. I never meant to hurt you, I'm sorry."

He huffed a sort of grim chuckle. "You're apologising to me when you had done nothing wrong and when I'm in the middle of apologising to you. I'd say that's pretty merciful."

He set the bar of soap aside and rinsed off before continuing.

"You never hurt me. I hurt myself and I hurt you by doubting both of us."

He turned so he could look at Cole properly. He even reached out to try to take the lad's hand.

"Cole, I'm sorry that in the end, I wasn't strong enough to help you. I'm sorry that I didn't stand up for you in front of the Lord Seeker. And I thank the Maker that I have this chance to make it up to you."

He took a breath.

"I never forgot you. I was terrified that I would. Evangeline, she forgot what you looked like, but we talked about you often enough that she didn't forget you either."

He frowned a little.

"I'm sorry I can't offer you more than that right now. But please, know that I'll do everything I can to help you in anyway you desire."

He then offered a kiss to Cole's hand. He's too wet to hug properly, besides, this felt more proper anyway, given the weight of the promise he had just made.

Again, Cole waited, hugging his knees and watching Rhys, but there was only a vague interest in what Rhys did, paying attention for when the conversation continued.

He didn't stop Rhys taking his hand; possibly because he didn't realise what was happening until Rhys actually had his hand. His nails were dirty, his fingers cool to touch. With anyone else, maybe he would have flinched or drawn away, but it was Rhys and instead he gripped his fingers back because everything in him remembered being so alone and only having this one person.

"No, you don't have to apologise, he told you the truth and you believed it, that's not wrong, I promise." He clung on a bit more, shuffling closer.

And then there was that, so much love and care and Rhys and Cole had desperately, desperately missed him.

So he just shoved himself into the hot spring with Rhys, still dressed, and into his arms to bury his face in against his neck, just like he used to after Adamant.

"Oh, Cole, but I believed that you might have been a demon. And I should have never..."

Rhys hadn't been prepared to end up with a lap full of Cole, though he should have expected it. Once he was sure he wouldn't go under water he chuckled softly and just held Cole close. He had missed this, too.

But it was all worth it. This one moment made the years he had grappled with his thoughts and memories of Cole worth it. And Cole... still wanted him in his life. And honestly, the emotion of it, it was all the Mage could do to not weep for joy.

He whispered against Cole's head several times over. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

He repeated it until he didn't know who he was thanking: the Maker, Evangeline, himself, or Cole.

Without the robes to cling to, Cole's fingers just scrabbled at wet skin for a long moment before he managed to anchor himself, long arms wrapped around Rhys and legs curled up against the mage's ribs on one side. The hat had fallen on the leap in and sat abandoned on the side of the hot spring.

It had been years since Cole had shown much in the way of overt emotion, not since that chant had stabbed through him, ripped the confusion from him and left him bare to his own reality. But Compassion wasn't really there in the moment and it was just Cole starting to cry quietly into Rhys' neck, tears lost in the hot water.

Rhys will hold Cole as long as he needs him to - or lets him - whichever Cole needs. He ran his fingers through Cole's hair a few times, before he wrapped his arms around the young man and held him tighter. He rested his cheek atop Cole's head and tried to swallow down all the emotion that was welling up inside of him.

He tried and failed to speak for some minutes. And when he finally did. It was one of his poor attempts at humour.

"So, everything back to normal for us, then?"

After a minute, Cole started to tremble, as his body alerted him that he was cold, or thought it should be cold, and the warmth was now alerting him to this fact. He could feel Rhys' emotions surge through him but he can also just let them pass, not clinging to them and trying to read them.

Rhys' words elicit just a small sound and Cole clinging tighter, as though fearful he was going to be removed.

"Okay, okay. I'm not going anywhere. The benefit of a hot spring is we don't have to worry about the temperature going cold."

He'll hold Cole closer to show that he means the words he spoke. Though, at some point, he'll have to get dressed and Cole will need dry clothes.

Cole could probably do with a bath himself but right now his total focus was on just being here, in this exact moment.

Eventually he calmed and relaxed, his grip loosening so he was simply hugging, rather than clinging desperately.

Rhys relaxed a bit when Cole did. Still held the other man tight enough that he was held, but loosened enough that his tense muscles were grateful.

"I should have tried to find you."

He was sorry for that as well. All of his regrets will probably be coming out the next few days. Evangeline had been such a positive influence when it came to things like this, he's going to be a bit off without her to offer him balance. He'll stop apologising for things eventually, but it will take longer than it would have had she been around.

"I didn't want to be found."

Cole has his own confessions to make. Not now, right now he's too grateful to be here, warm and held and trying to let the fact that Rhys is here sink in.

"And then, then... you were safe. With Evangeline. It was enough."

Rhys sighed.

"And I sometimes had trouble finding you when you didn't mind if you were found...."

He could accept that. He still felt guilty for not even trying, but he could accept that he wouldn't have been able to find Cole even if he had tried.

"Only because of my mother. I had lost everything, however briefly."

It still made him sad sometimes when he thought about it. He went quiet again for a few moments. Then realised, they'd been here for... sometime. And the way Cole was sitting was cutting off blood-flow to one of his legs.

"If you're feeling better, I should probably get out of the water. I've been in here longer than you."

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