The sheer confidence and upbeat personality that the mysterious elf, Tallis, exuded was completely and utterly fascinating to Hawke.
Even before Kirkwall, way back in Lothering, there had been a distinct lack of optimists in the world. Most of the people of Ferelden that she'd known had been weary and worn from the constant state of being Ferelden. Not that they weren't proud of their heritage, of course, but it was just that life had been rough for the country as a whole, and that seemed to drain away any optimism that one might dearly cling to.
Granted, there had been a few upbeat souls. The baker's daughter, one of the farmhands from a few farms over…
However few optimists there had been in Ferelden, there were considerably less in Kirkwall. Hawke had figured that most of the ones who did exist had died during the Blight, either fallen to a horde deemed 'not so bad' or murdered by strangers while offering assistance.
Here…she wasn't sure what their excuse was for being so incredibly grumpy.
Well, that was a lie. Knight Commander Meredith's existence had a tendency to put a damper on damn near anything, so she was about as bad as a Blight. Certainly as emotionally draining as one.
So truly, to see someone so…perky was mindboggling.
In a good way, of course.
The best.
And so Hawke had barely even heard the details of the elf's mission before she was agreeing to go along, simply savoring the fact that she'd stumbled across someone so incredibly energetic.
Not that she wouldn't have done so regardless of the elf's demeanor, but it was certainly a plus to enjoy one's company. A plus she seemed to be lacking more and more of late, as Kirkwall fell into further disrepair and everyone seemed to slip a little further toward that bleak abyss daily.
Again, thanks to Meredith.
Tallis, however, was quite the charmer. One could talk to her about the damned near anything, and she could leave a smile on one's face. The weather, the sea, taxes…
Anything.
Hawke found herself falling for that mischievous smile, her own growing all the wider each time she landed a joke that made Tallis laugh.
If she closed her eyes, Hawke could almost pretend that her life was simpler, happier.
It certainly felt it these last few days.
Truly, the trip to Orlais was going quite well.
Well, aside from Sebastian mulling over whether attempts at ingraining a few etiquette lessons into Hawke's memory were futile or not. And he was seasick.
Varric had taken to hiding in his own room on the ship, adamant that dwarves and endless views of water did not mesh well. At least he was letting Sebastian stay with him, even if he did mutter over and over how boring it was to babysit the saint.
Hawke had tried to help with the whole ordeal, but after a few poorly timed jokes about ships sinking and the like, she'd been temporarily banished from 'helping'.
All in all, it was a much better than the trip to Kirkwall. Less death and failure all around.
And the company was nowhere near as pretty last time she'd been on a boat. Pretty and positive and upbeat…
Honestly, nothing seemed to phase Tallis about their trip, and she walked on the ship with what Isabela would call sealegs.
They were pretty legs, for sure.
"Ready for the party?"
Hawke blinked out of her thoughts and looked over to see Tallis leaning against the deck's rail beside her. The wind had caught her hair in wisps and they danced around her bright eyes as she appraised Hawke, curious.
"I'm more concerned about if it'll be ready for us."
Tallis laughed at that, rolling her eyes as her lips twisted up into one of her pretty smiles.
They stood in companionable silence for a few minutes before Hawke's curiosity got the better of her. She wanted to talk, to have more chances to make Tallis smile. Maker, she'd only known the elf for a few days, but there was just something about her that stirred butterflies in Hawke's stomach.
She considered asking about her childhood or subtly trying to ask what a husband or wife might think of her going off on such an adventure or…
It all felt so transparent, though, and finally, Hawke settled on a subject she suspected would open the way for conversation without seeming too…personal.
"So this jewel we're going to get…would it be something Dalish?"
Instantly, Hawke knew that she had fucked up, and royally so.
Tallis' expression shifted. For the first time since they'd met, she seemed genuinely distraught for a moment before her face shifted to something more neutral, masking the hints of and uncertainty that had clouded her eyes.
Hawke would have traded her soul to a damned demon to have taken back that Maker Forsaken question, if she could have.
As she floundered for a way to fix things, Tallis seemed to ponder giving an answer for a moment before finally saying simply, "No."
"Well, that's good then. If it'd been Dalish, Merrill would have probably ended up upset that she didn't get to come."
The words were stiff, forced.
Hawke felt like a lame animal, about to be put down.
"You're friends with the Dalish?" There was a hint of that earlier friendliness already back in her voice, and Hawke clung to it.
"Not quite friendly…I mean, there's a clan near Kirkwall, but most of them side-eye me and tell me to get to my business and be gone, which is fair enough. I wouldn't want some stranger poking around my home, either, really…" She shrugged, "But Merrill is Dalish, though she lives in Kirkwall." Hawke felt like she was flinging words toward Tallis, hoping something would strike a cord. Finally, she shrugged. "She's told me a bit about how much the Dalish lost and how they strived to reclaim it and I just…wondered if this was the case here. Old Dalish Jewel in the hands of a pompous human noble doesn't sound too outlandish, really."
"The past is important, for sure—it shapes us," Tallis offered, her smile daring a comeback, "but that's not what this is about."
"Ah," Hawke nodded awkwardly.
"So what's shaped you?"
"What?" Hawke blinked out of that creeping misery, those butterflies daring a flutter or two of their wings.
With a slight shrug, Tallis turned so that she was facing Hawke more directly. "I was hoping for a smooth in to ask you about yourself."
Hawke laughed at that, relief setting those butterflies loose once more. "I suppose I can tell a story or two…so long as you'll do the same?"
"Of course!" Tallis gave her a quick, teasing curtsey. "I'm always one for a fair trade."
Grinning, Hawke adjusted herself so that she was angled more toward Tallis. This trip was definitely the best one she'd ever been on. "So then, when I was about twelve, my younger brother, Carver…"