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[faderifting]

'Tis The Season...

...To Still Be In The Hinterlands

Maybe the Inquisition sent you, maybe you came seeking the Inquisition. Maybe you fell out of a rift into this world last week and are still just trying to find your feet. However it happened, early fall finds you in the Hinterlands. Tucked between Ferelden's massive Lake Calenhad and the icy Frostback Mountains, the Hinterlands are a hilly region covered in patchy forests and small farms trying to eke out a living between the boulders. Though somewhat remote, the area is rich with game and minerals and home to Redcliffe, a bustling town on a busy trade route.

Lately the Hinterlands have also been full of mages and templars and rifts, all threatening to turn once-peaceful countryside into a dangerous warzone. The Inquisition has set up several camps and sent personnel to try to restore order to the region, unwilling to let it slip into chaos. There's a lot to be done, some of it straightforward killing bad things, some of it weird and nebulous morale-building.

NOW WITH ADDED SNOW.

1. I CAN'T BEAR THE COLD

You have turned the wrong corner in the snow, forded the wrong stream in the snow, crested the wrong hill in the snow, entered the wrong cave in the snow. Maybe you are far from camp, in the snow. Maybe you are in camp, which is also snowy. Whatever has happened, wherever you are: you are being chased through the snow by bears. Did you throw a snowball at the bears? Are they huge and snow-dusted? Babies burrowing through the snow drifts and coming for your ankles? Fade-touched in addition to snow-touched? Controlled by cold mages who are hiding in the snow? Popping up out of the snow like a game of whack-a-mole? What are they chasing you away from in all of this snow? What are they chasing you into, other than more snow? What warm things do you plan to make out of their hide if you kill them in the snow? What do you think they'll craft out of your hide if they kill you in the snow? P.S. It's snowy.

2. GIVE ALL THE TOYS TO THE LITTLE RICH BOYS

Winter came. The villagers are freezing. Recruit Whittle totally saw this coming. Now he might have sent you haring (get it) across the countryside in search of supplies that apostates or bandits may have hidden in caves and crannies. He might have handed you some sticks and told you to build a fire. He might have eyed your nice coat with a contemptful gleam that suggested you'd better find some blankets if you didn't want to have your own clothing requisitioned. Nobody's freezing to death on his watch--except maybe you, if you're really bad at finding hidden caches. In the snow.

3. DON'T SHOOT ME SANTA

The sky is beginning to darken and white snow continues to fall, but you and the supply wagon you're protecting should make it to the little Hinterlands village before sunset. The wagon is laden with food, blankets, and other sundry supplies, and so it's important to stay sharp and alert as you make the trecherous journey. And for good reason: an arrow is fired from the tree line and topples an Inquisition soldier from his horse. Beset by bandits, will you manage to fight them back? Or do they overwhelm your troupe and you are forced to flee? Or, perhaps, you could attempt a negotiation, knowing they could be as hungry as the people you protect.

4. DOES THEDAS HAVE FIGGY PUDDING?

It is not only snowing, it's blizzarding, and the tavern in Redcliffe is the closest and warmest place to duck into to wait it out. Unfortunately, half of the Hinterlands had the same idea. The Gull & Lantern is so packed with thawing visitors that it's hard to walk from one side to the other, the owner has given up on telling these Fereldens they can't bring their dogs inside, and that lady in the corner is almost definitely someone you've tried to kill before, or vice versa. But there's a fire going, and the bartender seems to think that giving everyone half-price drinks might prevent a brawl instead of causing one, and there aren't any demons indoors, so it could be a lot worse.

5. WILDCARD

Hunt game in the snow, kill demons in the snow, dig under the snow for herbs, track bandits through the snow, deal with someone charging extortionist coat prices now that it's snowing, fall off a deceptively tall rock into the snow, 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 in the snow, climb trees or abandoned towers covered in snow, rummage around in empty homes to get out of the snow, run from a dragon in the snow, cry over how cute that fennec fox you just shot in the snow was, set up camp and chat around the fire because it's snowy and cold, knock yourself out (figuratively, or even literally if that's more your speed)-- the Hinterlands are your Frostback Mountain oyster, topped with snow.

Comments

[amygdalae]

[Bruce doesn't know what to expect and is totally taken off guard when Tony suddenly moves in so close. Their faces are only inches apart from each other, and Bruce can see every detail of his face, from his eyelashes to the shape of his nose, the curve of his jaw--

He feels Tony's facial hair brushing against his lips and the sensation is strange, and Bruce still struggles to digest it all when Tony leans away from him and puts space between them once more. Unconsciously Bruce lets out a breath he wasn't even aware that he had been holding in.

The words make him frown a little, somewhat perplexed by them, but he doesn't say anything because he still doesn't know how to respond. Instead he pulls his blanket up and tucks himself back onto his bedroll, just trying to--well, process everything.]

[ferrushomimus]

[Tony can hear that blanket pulling up there, Bruce, and he hums to himself while he keeps talking. This? This is familiar. Sitting in the dark, letting himself talk himself to sleep while Bruce just listened. Of course then it was all magical theory and what you could do with what - just babble he had to let out as he waited for the pain to subside.]

[He did, however, note that exhaled breath.]

So honestly, why did they send us out here anyways? It's cold as the Maker's balls. They had to know we weren't going to find anything during a snow storm. Awww, are they matchmaking us? 'Leave them out in a tent in the middle of winter, let's see if they snuggle'? That's sweet. I'll get them a fruit basket. I will insist on being the big spoon though.

[amygdalae]

I just think that they didn't expect the snow to come so fast so quickly.

[And he's sure the Inquisition has much better things to do than--what Tony is suggesting.

Still, despite everything, having Tony around is... comforting. It's always reassuring to have somebody familiar - doubly so when he doesn't need to be as secretive as with other people.]

[ferrushomimus]

I find that hard to believe, with as many storm mages as we got hanging around ... but hey. Even the best make mistakes. Maker knows, I've made enough to fill a book.

[Tony rolled over on his back, trying to will away sleep as long as he could. Colliding with the Fade these days just ended up being way too weird. He was used to the demons trying to tempt him, and him just laughing in their faces. They had nothing to offer him that he couldn't get for himself if he wanted it.

But now ... they ran from him. What kind of monster was he now, anyways?]

After all, they don't know you're a mage yet.

[amygdalae]

[Bruce listens to Tony's words silently, his own thoughts brewing at the back of his mind. He knows, vaguely, the problems that Tony is suffering through now - it was impossible to not know, given all the time they had to spend in each other's company back in that prison. Back then all they really had was one another and things were--well. It's strange how freedom could make things so entirely different.

He exhaled once more and curled up tighter in his blankets at the next part of Tony's words, unconsciously trying to make himself smaller.]

They're going to find out eventually. [He says, voice soft and quiet and almost inaudible if it wasn't for the fact that Tony was so close to him.] There's no way I can hide it from them forever.

[ferrushomimus]

[Tony twisted his head, as Bruce burrowed himself further into the blankets. He'd seen the other man do this more than once - trying to make himself smaller. Make himself less of a target, don't look at me, don't pay attention to me.

Bruce's lips thinned more, in fear, and Tony couldn't not say something. Not when he could see the other man literally closing in on himself.]

You know I'm not going to let them hurt you. And I'm not going to let you hurt yourself, again.

[amygdalae]

[Deep inside, Bruce does feel a sense of warmth from Tony's words, no matter how he knows he shouldn't feel that way. Everything about himself was terrible and cruel and Tony shouldn't believe him or trust him at all. He didn't deserve any of it.]

I'll be fine. [He forces the words out no matter how he felt, not wanting Tony to get involved in his mess.] Don't concern yourself with me.

[ferrushomimus]

Who says you get to decide whether or I can be concerned about you? Pretty sure I can feel however I like, Bruce.

[Is Tony's firm reply.] And if I want to worry about you, I am going to worry about you. You're my friend ... probably one of my best friends now. You don't like yourself, fine. I like you plenty and I am not going to let some templar hurt you.

[amygdalae]

--you have better things to concern yourself with.

[He wants Tony to realize that, to know that. There are so many people more worth it than him. Tony shouldn't try this hard when Bruce knows better than anybody else that all that effort won't be worth it in the end.]

[ferrushomimus]

I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of the tiny, tiny violin that is crying, just for you.

[Tony's voice holds a bit of iron there.] You are not a thing. You are a person. You are my person,, and I'll be worried about you until the day I die. That's what you get for saving my life and treating me like I mattered.

You matter. To me. Deal With It.

[amygdalae]

[There's no denying how nice to feels, to hear that, and to know that Tony means it all--but at the same time there's the guilt clawing at him again. Bruce can't help but think that Tony is a little bit biased, considering how Bruce did save his life and they did spend six months stuck together against their will. Stuff like that tends to warp people's perception and Bruce... he can't be sure if Tony is saying all this because of that. He knows he should tell the truth of everything to Tony, but the fact is that Bruce can't bring himself to do so.

So instead what he does is to let out another loud breath and curl himself tighter in his sheets.]

Place that concern on somebody else who needs to more. I'll be alright.

[That's all he will let himself say.]

[ferrushomimus]

[Tony snorts softly, looking up to the ceiling of the tent. He could repeat it a million times more, and probably would again. But Tony was not going to change his mind, so at this point ... it was a battle of wills.

He'd put even gold on his will, any day of the week.]

You know ... you have always been a horrible liar. You have so many tells it's ridiculous.

[amygdalae]

[There are many things that Bruce can say to that, and he knows that Tony knows - rather, he's guessing that Tony is betting on him to actually say something in response so that Tony can push this conversation to where he wants it to go.

But no--Bruce isn't in the mood for this. He isn't here to have some heart to heart to Tony. They're simply here on behalf of the Inquisition, nothing more. There will never be anything more than that.

Rather than giving Tony the satisfaction of having a response, instead Bruce just stays silent and unmoving on his bedroll, hoping that the silence is enough for Tony to get the message. No more talking. This discussion is over.]

[ferrushomimus]

I am going to take your silence as the fact that I have won this argument. [He knows he hasn't, but nothing galls Bruce more than Tony saying that he's right when Bruce thinks he's wrong.

Again, it's a battle of wills -- and Bruce might think he have a will for never showing the signs he's a mage? But Tony's been willful since he was born. He was willful to his father, willful even when following the Circle rules, willful to a bunch of crazy psychotic Venatori and red templars. He lived and breathed it.

And he would never, ever let Bruce think that his life didn't matter. Not when it meant the world to Tony, to all of Bruce's friends.

So in pure defiance, he just kept going.]

And you are a selfish asshole, for saying otherwise.

[amygdalae]

[Bruce is definitely riled up over Tony and his assumptions, but he also really doesn't want to get into an argument now. It doesn't help anybody and it'll only cause more harm than anything else. He can take this. He will take this--

At least, that's what he thinks until the last part of Tony's words. Bruce flinches despite himself, the words striking right where it hurt most. Selfish--was it even possible to be selfish when you had nothing at all? A mix of emotions roll within him, things that Bruce could feel but couldn't put a name to. There was just so much going on inside of him.

Still, one thing he knew was to not respond to Tony no matter how the other man tried to goad him into responding. Bruce maintains his silence, even as he needles on his bottom lip, the words echoing in his head.]

[ferrushomimus]

[The way the blankets shifted, let Tony know that the hit had been ... well hit. So good. But Bruce wasn't ready to have this conversation, or else he would have responded. So Tony did the only sensible thing he could.

He got out of bed, put his clothes back on, and left without saying another word. A few minutes later, there was the sound of metal being carefully banged into shape.]