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[sketchycharacter]

"This is Nate. Leave a message and I'll probably get back to you."

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[sketchycharacter]

That's going to make it even less likely. Just sit and relax and enjoy the show, you weenie. Your cold will pass.

[otiosity]

If you ever catch anything I won't show you any sympathy.

[She sniffles, wipes her nose on her sleeve, and settles against him. She's always surprised and yet not surprised at how comfortable she is around Nate. He's like Varric in that way, she supposes, everyone just feels at ease around him and he's good at drawing people in without being overbearing.]

[sketchycharacter]

[They also have the chest hair in common.]

I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. And then it'll probably explode behind me.

[otiosity]

[Maybe that's what she finds comforting. She yawns a little.]

Perhaps your nose will explode too. That would be fitting.

[sketchycharacter]

And painful. Yowch.

[otiosity]

So perhaps you ought to be a bit more kind to the people around you.

Namely me.

[sketchycharacter]

Eh. What's in it for me? I'll think about it.

[otiosity]

Me doing my best not to sneeze in your face? Also the satisfaction of helping your sick friend who just fought her way through an entire slave arena.

[She's but an innocent lass with a head cold.]

[sketchycharacter]

Yeah, about that...you never did tell me how things went. Aside from obviously, you lived.

[otiosity]

[Hawke's entire form sort of crumples as she curls up against his side. She doesn't want to talk about this with anyone even if talking to Nate is easier than talking to almost anyone else. But she did call him in the middle of it and freak him out so she supposes she sort of owes him an answer, real answers, no dodging funny business.]

Do you ever do something hoping that it will make you feel better but in the end it really just made everything worse? Didn't fix the old problems and just made new ones? It went like that.

So, I lived. Yes.

[sketchycharacter]

[Nate just stares into the distance, memories of his life before the Moira flashing by. He could laugh, but there's nothing actually funny about it.]

I did that. Yeah. You wanna be more specific though? Because I doubt it's the same.

[otiosity]

I thought killing those slavers would make me feel better about being captured by their friends a few months ago.

[Her voice is cold. And there's an unusual bitterness to it that harshly cuts her normally blithe attitude.]

[sketchycharacter]

Killing generally doesn't, in my experience. Sometimes it's gotta be done, but there's not much good about it.

[He tilts his head slightly toward hers.]

You save some people when you did it?

[otiosity]

It's efficient. That's good enough at times.

[She slumps closer to him pulling her knees to her chest and despite being generally lanky, she's pretty good at making herself small.]

...I did. Or at least I tried to. Probably could have done more.

[sketchycharacter]

You could have not done anything, too. Clearly that's what most people picked.

[He pats her knee.]

Don't be too hard on yourself. Dumbass.

[otiosity]

[She groans softly but seems pleased by the kind gesture. Indeed, it reminds her of something Varric might do and Varric is the most comforting fellow she's ever met.]

Everything else is. Why not just go with the flow.

[sketchycharacter]

Because you're not a flow-goer, or you wouldn't have gone after those slavers.

[There's an edge of seriousness in his tone now.]

[otiosity]

[There's silence for a few seconds except for a loud sniffle. Hawke stares at the tissue in her hand, twisting it around her fingers, before attempting a casual shrug that's not at all casual.]

Maybe I was being selfish.

[sketchycharacter]

Maybe. Doesn't mean you didn't still do something good.

All those stories about the perfect selfless hero who only thinks about doing good for others? Not only are they boring, shitty stories, they're completely unrealistic. I don't know about your world, but I've been all over mine, and I've never met someone like that. So stop beating yourself up for not having totally pure motives, because that's incredibly stupid.

[otiosity]

[She's silent as he speaks to her. It really does remind her of something Varric would say. All about stories and heroes and what makes a good one. And she suddenly is aware of how deeply she misses him. And also glad she is that Nate is here at least.

She'd been slowly slumping down against him, dragged down by the weight of the conversation and now comes to rest her head against the side of his knee. She used to do that to Varric some nights her mother was gone and she was too drunk to even sit up. He'd pat her head and tell her something that she couldn't understand but knew was comforting.

She sighs.]

You remind me of Varric. Maybe you ought to write books about shitty selfish heroes too.

[sketchycharacter]

Eh, maybe. If I ever feel like writing an autobiography.

[He doesn't much feel like a hero, but Nate supposes he qualifies. The "shitty selfish" part definitely fits.

He's not sure how Hawke's head came to be, if not on his lap, in the vicinity of his lap. But even though another woman's head there is almost certainly inappropriate, he's not bothered. She's his friend. It seems like she needs it.]

You wanna keep watching?

[And if she falls asleep, well. He'll keep her company anyway.]

[otiosity]

I'd read it. Better than something boring.

[Hawke yawns, settling herself against him. She's thankfully that he doesn't find it in appropriate. Because to her it's a gesture of comfort between friends and it's what she needs now more than anything. She yawns and blinks, trying to keep her eyes open.]

Mmm. No, I'm watching.

[Says the person with eyes that have been closed for minutes.]

[sketchycharacter]

[If Elena should come along, she's more likely to get out her camera and make fun of them (after getting the shot) than anything else.]

'kay. Just let me know when you want to do something else.

[Maybe he'll take a little nap as well.]

[otiosity]

'm goin' t'go t'bed in bit.

[She replies despite clearly being half asleep against him already. There's a bit of shifting as she curls up against him, completely content to use his knee as her pillow.]

[sketchycharacter]

Mmm...hmm...

[Yeah, they're both going to be passed out within five minutes. Hopefully no one comes along and steals the amazing DVDs. Or takes embarrassing pictures for later.]