Stayin' Alive

Nathaniel listened in. Nothing. Not even a sound, except for the running water. He frowned and raised a hand to knock on the door of the bathroom. His wrist was held by a man's hand. He turned around and saw Kristoff shaking his head.

"Leave him alone," he said.

Nathaniel sighed. "I can't help being concerned, you know? It'll be the first time on his own since he joined us… And he can be a bit impulsive."

"Aaah, you mean… Because he'll be going out?" Kristoff scratched his head. "I was just saying that he's taking a shower. He's probably cleaning the rifle in there."

"What do you mean? We haven't given him any-" Nathaniel stopped and gave Kristoff a deadpan look for a few seconds. "You're a pig," he muttered.

"Say whatever you want, Nate, but nobody interrupts a man's me-time," Kristoff snorted.

The water was warm and felt especially good that morning. His morning showers were essential to set the mood for the rest of the day. He always felt clean, fresh and, oddly enough for him, optimistic. Sure, they were a bit impractical. He trained every day to stay in shape and he had to shower again after the training sessions – he'd tried to avoid it once and they'd had to install air purifiers in the room the next morning. He remembered how his seniors had whined and bitched about it. "Man up, ladies," he'd told them. It hadn't been particularly funny, but recalling the astonished look in their faces made him chuckle.

"Why is it always like that with you?" Nathaniel moaned. "It's like being back in Ferelden! Sometimes I think Oghren's rubbed off on you."

"Bah, don't tell me you don't polish the sword," Kristoff scoffed. "It can get rusty, y'know..."

Nathaniel blushed against his will and looked away. "Wha- I-I won't discuss my bodily functions with you!"

Kristoff raised an eyebrow. "You mean… Don't tell me you've never tamed the shrew?"

"Stop with the little phrases!" Nate snapped.

He rubbed the shower gel on his chest. How funny it was, he thought, to have found a place where he felt comfortable. He'd never found it easy to bond with people, but those two… Those two were something. Quite the odd couple. Carver smiled. He wondered if that was how it felt when you had brothers. He loved Beth and Luz in his own way, but he couldn't help thinking that perhaps things would have been different around the house if he hadn't been the only male.

He looked down and saw his chest covered in lather. He wondered if that was how Varric saw his chest hair. He shrugged and got right under the spray, rinsing the lather off his body as he hummed a little tune.

"Look, the doctor's already cleared him. He'll be fine," Kristoff reassured Nate. "Still, we can warn him against things that might upset his system. You know, drinking, lyrium; those things..."

"Oh, he knows all that," Nathaniel said.

"Well then, you've taught him properly! You should be proud. I know he's even reading a little bit. I didn't know he could read; he looks like a jock to me. Not that he needs to be a scholar or know poetry to woo women-"

"Please don't go there," Nate sighed.

"-All he needs to do is drop his pants and that's it. No more women for the rest of us," Kristoff concluded pensively.

Nathaniel groaned.

He wrapped the towel around his waist and wiped the steam off the mirror. His hair was a bit longer now, and he found it hard to comb it properly. He messed it up with his fingers. Bedhair gone wrong. Side parting? Laaaame. Spiky, perhaps. Nope; he could hear Luz chanting, "Dooouchebaaag…" He sighed and combed his hair back neatly. He definitely had to get a haircut once he got to Kirkwall.

He got out of the bathroom and found his seniors still arguing. "I heard everything," he said. "No, I wasn't wrestling the dragon, Kristoff. But Nathaniel's right; you and that Oghren guy sound very much alike. Maybe you two want to hire me for a private show? I'll give you the friend's fee." He made a finger gun gesture and winked at Kristoff.

"You think too much of yourself, kid. 'Dragon'… Hah," Kristoff scoffed. "More like, 'lizard'."

"Oh really? Let's see." Carver's hands moved over the edge of the towel.

"No! Nonono!" Nathaniel shouted. "Stop it, you two! See? This is the reason we can't have ladies in these premises – this is starting to feel like a pigsty!"

"Relax," Carver smiled. "I wasn't going to take it off. You've seen it before anyway." He shrugged and walked back to his room.

"Smug kid," Kristoff grunted.

Underwear, check. Socks, check. Nice pants, check. Belt, check. Grey t-shirt, check. Hmm… It felt a bit tighter around the arms and back. Meh. Blue shirt on top, with the badge of the Wardens on the sleeve. Once that shirt would have matched the colour of his eyes. They were lighter now. Very similar to his father's, actually. Bah. He shook the feeling off his system and took his backpack. There was an empty wallet on the table. It reminded him of the days after they'd left Ferelden – they'd had nothing but each other, and still, they'd somehow made it. At what cost was a different question. He gave his reflection a lopsided smile, took the backpack, and left the room.

He found Nathaniel waiting by the car. "I'll be driving you to the train station," he said, and gave him a card and a container. "You can withdraw some money from any bank. The code is 0202. Kristoff's made some snacks for you. Just a few sandwiches, you know. I assume you'll be walking around Kirkwall and it's important that you maintain your energy."

Carver opened the container and smirked. "Yeah, I would have realized these were made by Kristoff, don't worry."

Nathaniel peeked into the container and sighed. "Perhaps, if you break them off in three, nobody will think they're shaped as- Look, you have to give him points for creativity, though."

"Suuuure, he's an artist. A truly sensitive soul."

"Eh, I wouldn't go that far," Nathaniel smiled. "But I guess that's his way of telling you that he cares. You know, in a brotherly way."

Carver glanced at him and Nathaniel saw him smile briefly before getting into the car.

He sauntered around Hightown, trying to blend in with the crowd. Countless people were striding about near the commercial area. The little shops were colourful and lively, and they provided a picturesque contrast for the severe government buildings and private companies. Most of the people were wearing uniforms – white and blue; black and white; blue, white, and red; they were all part of something in that city, something that connected them. Carver felt a bit of an outsider. Of course, he'd never lived in Kirkwall – he was an outsider. The city beat with a pulse of its own, and he found himself trying to fit in.

He was climbing the steps that would lead him out of the commercial area when he spotted a group of young women coming down; a redhead, a brunette, and a blonde girl, dressed in green and white. The redhead had obviously seen him first, and she'd nudged her two friends. Carver smiled at them. Quick! Think! What shall I say? he thought. "Hello, ladies"? No, too common. "'Sup, ladies"? Maker, that sounds jerkish. Perhaps-

Oof!

His foot had missed one of the steps and he came crashing down. He was quick enough to stop the fall with his arms, but not that quick to prevent his cheeks from burning with the heat of wounded pride. The brunette gasped and the redhead giggled.

"Are you okay?" the blonde one said. Carver forced himself to look at her. There was no scorn or mockery in her face. It was a genuine question.

"I… Yes, I'm fine," he replied, scratching the back of his head.

The woman nodded. "Gotcha. Take care, kid." She went on walking and, unlike her friends, she didn't look back.

"I'm not a kid," Carver said weakly, but the woman was already too far away. Idiot, he groaned mentally, and he rushed up the steps.

He sighed happily as he went out of the barber shop. He shook his head like a young mabari and passed his fingers through his newly-cut hair. Aaah, comfy. He looked around and saw a park on the following block. His stomach reminded him that there were some sandwiches waiting for him. He ambled towards the park, feeling the warmth of the last days of summer and the looks of several appreciative women on him, when he heard the commotion.

A young man on a motorbike was going against the traffic. Carver looked in his direction and he saw the boy trying to snatch at the satchel of the blonde woman he'd met before.

"Hey!" he shouted and ran towards them.

"What do you think you're doing?" the woman snapped, and before Carver got to her, she'd grabbed the man from the wrist and pulled so hard that she's made him lose balance. The young man fell down and so did his motorbike, and by the time Carver got to them, she was beating the snatcher with her bag. "Shame! On! You!" she shouted as she hit him. "You're just a kid! You should be at school, not robbing people!"

Carver gaped at her. She was petite and deceptively frail-looking – the boy on the floor could vouch for the deception. Her cute, pointy face was flushed, and a few streaks of hair had come loose from her otherwise impeccable ponytail. Two officers who'd just got to the scene grabbed him by the arms before taking him and his motorbike away.

"Hey… Are you okay?" Carver asked her. She huffed and fixed her hair. Carver waited patiently until she'd finished grumbling. "Um…"

"What? Oh, it's you!" she said lightly. "The boy who fell."

Carver blinked uncomfortably. "Yep, that's me."

"You had your hair cut. It looks nice," she said.

"Thanks," he replied. "Er… Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes… These things don't usually happen around here, you know? But Denerim teaches you to watch your stuff."

"Fereldan?" he said. "I'm from Lothering."

"Oh…" Her eyes grew wider. "I'm sorry. I've heard what happened there."

"Yeah, it was… Unexpected, I guess." Carver was thinking about his poor conversational skills when he heard her saying something. "Pardon?"

"I was saying that I was going to have lunch at the park," she smiled. "Would you like to join me?"

"Oh… Sure!" he grinned. "I've got some-" Oh fuck. The dick-shaped sandwiches. He imagined himself opening the container and offering her one of the snacks and getting slapped mightily a microsecond later. He noticed she was looking at him quizzically.

"Don't worry," she smiled. "I've got my own food."

They sat on a bench and chatted away as they had lunch. He ended up telling her about the contents of his lunchbox after she'd insisted on knowing why he was so reluctant to take his sandwiches out of the box. She chortled and joked about the shape. He laughed and talked about his brother Kristoff and his pranks. He told her about Nathaniel, Luz, and Bethany, and in turn she told him about her cousins, who were like siblings to her, and how they'd left Denerim in order to have a better life. He praised her for keeping her cool during the attack and she explained that her mother had taught her how to defend herself.

"Oh, look at the time!" she said. "If I'm not back at work in 5 minutes my boss will have my head!" She stood up quickly and so did Carver.

"Listen," he said, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. "I've got a party to attend in two days. Nothing crazy, just a family thing. Family and friends. If you're free…"

"Oh!" she said. "Oh, I… Thank you, but... My fiancé is coming to Kirkwall this weekend."

"I see," Carver smiled. "No problem."

They stood there, looking at each other in silence, his bright blue eyes gazing at her blue-ish grey eyes, until she said, "Well, it was nice meeting you- I'm sorry, I never asked you for your name."

"It's Carver," he replied, shaking the hand she'd extended.

"Just Carver?"

"Just Carver," he nodded.

"Well, Just Carver," she said with a smile, "it was nice meeting you. I'm Kallian."

"Nice name," he said. "Good luck with your things."

"You too," she beamed. "Take care." And without looking back, she dashed away.

Carver looked at her until she disappeared in the crowd and smiled as he adjusted the strap of his backpack. Not half bad for his first day out.

Not bad at all.

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Title: a song by Bee Gees. Some of the pointers given by CouslandSpitFire for this story were: 1) Carver being allowed to roam the streets for the first time as a Grey Warden, 2) romantic/humorous mood (Carver fails at romance, sorry!), 3) a random girl with a cute smile that can counter his macho-ism, or a Miss Tabris. I went for Tabris.