WOO CHAPTER THREE! Yes I know the word count of each chapter is growing with each one, but they're gonna float around 7000 words from now on I promise :'( In this chapter a lot about the setting and character backgrounds are revealed so it is quite dialogue heavy, just saying. Anywayyys as usual if there's any mistakes let me know somehow... thanks for reading :'3
"I… assume this is when I state the person who is looking for me…", said Fenris uncomfortably, he fidgeted in his seat waiting for a reply.
"I mean you don't have to if you aren't ready... -", replied Kimi, but got cut off by Fenris.
"No! I already stated I need to tell others, this… anger, anxiety, has been building up within me ever since I left him, and I am beginning to lose control of it. I have to tell you Hawke, I fear I'll lose my mind if I don't.", Fenris' hands were visibly shaking, and to disguise it he ran one through his hair.
Kimi didn't know what to expect, she had no experience in consoling friends - she never lost them after she moved to Kirkwall. It had taken six months to become his friend, and all of it could be wasted if she didn't say the right words.
"I'm listening, it's okay Fenris... take your time.", she advised, giving him a small smile, whilst nervously messing with the cuffs of Fenris' hoodie she was wearing. She heard him let out a long breath before he spoke again.
"Thank you, Hawke. I am unsure of where to start" he let out a small chuckle, "I guess I should begin by saying my name wasn't originally Fenris, but Leto… I haven't got the money to change it back legally, although it would slow down Danarius' efforts to find me. About six years ago, my mother became very ill very quickly, one day she stopped breathing entirely. I called an ambulance and the paramedics came eventually and took us all to the hospital, the doctor said that she wasn't to last much longer, he said it was time for me to 'become a man' and look after my sister, Varania. We sat beside my mother on her hospital bed and we all said our goodbyes. I watched my mother's soul leave her body, my sister couldn't bear to watch, she ran into toilets, slamming the door behind her." He let out a shaky breath before he continued. Kimi was already tearing up, and he had said this was only the beginning. She wanted to say she was sorry, and she knew what it was like to lose a parent - but she didn't want to interrupt.
"A man and a woman came by our house a week later, after mother had been buried. They said they were going to take us to an orphanage, and to pack only the important things before we made our way there…", he stopped talking and reached beneath his t-shirt, pulling out a locket. He opened it and looked at it, smiling, before turning it around and showing the picture inside to his phone, to Kimi. His phone must have been expensive, because the front camera's quality was surprisingly good.
"This is my mother," he pointed at a middle aged looking woman with ginger hair, "...this is Varania," gesturing to the small girl who looked no older than seven, she was also a redhead, "...and this is me, I was ten years old when this photo was taken. It's the only thing I took with me and is probably the most valuable thing in my life." He finished, pointing to the dark haired boy, in the picture he was grinning, giving his sister a piggyback, his mother appeared to be laughing, clapping her hands. He put the locket back under his shirt, and carried on telling his story - he looked a tiny bit calmer now.
"Who took the picture?", she enquired, Kimi figured she had to at least show she was listening to the story, so she chose to ask questions. She didn't know why, but she wanted to know everything she could about Fenris.
He chuckled shortly, ducking his head with his hand covering his mouth.
"Our neighbour, he said that he was watching us play from his window, but was so nervous that I was going to drop Varania that he left his house to make sure I didn't, he refused to leave until my mother came outside!" He laughed again, this time louder. Kimi couldn't help but chuckle along with him. He stopped after a couple of seconds and carried on talking.
"My sister was young so she unsurprisingly grabbed the first teddy bear she could find. We arrived at the orphanage and were greeted by the other children, and were shown our room. Life there was okay, not as enjoyable as when my mother was alive, but it wasn't the worst I've lived through." He stopped talking, and his face lost the smile it once wore not two minutes ago.
"About three months later, the woman in charge of taking care of us told me to come into her office. She said that there was a man looking to adopt me… I told her I only was interested in adoption if my sister could come with me, but she dismissed my pleas arguing that he was 'coming today, offering a lot of money if I 'put up a fuss', in her words." Kimi noticed his fists clench at recalling the memory, and she wished she could cover his hands with her own.
"I soon realised I was powerless, I ran and stormed up to our bedroom. I told my sister to pack what she can, that we were running away and no one would stop us. We ran, but couldn't make it past the electronic gates at the end of the driveway. I tried to coax my sister into climbing over, but she wasn't strong enough to pull her own weight. I threw her bag over to the other side along with mine and lifted her up onto my back, climbing over the gate. I made it over the top, but she slipped and fell off whilst I was climbing down." His voice was quivering, not from sadness - but anger.
"Luckily," he spat, forcing out the word, "she fell into the arms of Danarius - the man who wanted to adopt me. He brought us back inside the orphanage, and our carer handed over the adoption papers quicker than I could object to the situation once more. Danarius signed them, handed her the money, and didn't hesitate to grab hold of my hand and take me to his car." Fenris wasn't looking at his phone camera anymore, he was somewhere else - physically there, but mentally he was lost in his memories.
"Varania sprinted down the driveway after me, screaming to get out of the car, our ex-carer was trying to restrain her. I rolled down the window before Danarius could drive off, and shouted to her to keep her name no matter what they did, and that I would find her one day if she kept her name."
"Have you found her yet?", Kimi asked, wanting him to say yes. Fenris came out of his trance-like state and looked up towards the ceiling, it occurred to her that he did so to will away his tears.
"No.", he replied flatly. "And even if I did Danarius would somehow make her disappear again, he is a very wealthy man, Hawke. I realised that when I arrived at his main mansion in Tevinter. It is to this day the biggest house I have seen in person. He had servants complete every action he could do himself." he said with disgust.
"Wouldn't that mean as his adopted son you shared his servants? I can't imagine having someone do whatever I told them to… I mean it's fair if he pays-"
"It wasn't like that!" Fenris blurted, hitting his fists off of the desk he was sat at, the sudden surge of anger making Kimi flinch, "He would make them do horrific things! To put on sensual shows for him, hold wrestling matches for him, cook his every meal no matter the time of day or night, wipe his own fucking arse for him! You could never imagine what it was like for them!" The tears she had witness him try to hide were now flowing freely down his cheeks.
"Nor for me!", he choked, Kimi was crying now as well, her hand covering her mouth holding back a sob. "At first he was kind and loving as a father should be… then he changed. I thought it was normal for a father to touch his child like he did with me… treating me the way he did, sleeping in the same bed like we did... I was more of a lover to him than his child! But it wasn't like I knew any different, he was the only father figure I had … and I let him do those things for years! To have his seed in me for years! I… I can't…", he ceased talking, his head hung low. He eventually looked back to his phone, to Kimi, his eyes meeting hers once again. Her hands were covering her face, shoulders shaking from the sobs she tried to suppress.
"I apologise Hawke, I shouldn't have lost my-"
"Don't!", Kimi demanded, she could see her reflection in her computer screen, her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were flushed and wet from tears. "Don't apologise for th-things that are o-out of your control…", she hiccuped. Kimi empathised with him, thoughts of all the times that Gamlen orally raped her flooded her mind, feeling powerless as his liquid filled her mouth, disgusted as he suckled her breasts like a child. She wanted to tell Fenris as he had told her, but the present moment was about him - him confiding in her of all people. She reached to the monitor and touched the screen where his right cheek was.
"In this mo-moment you are fr-ee Fenris, whether he i-is chasing you or not - don't lose sight of tha-at.", she said softly, trying to control the hiccups. Fenris wiped his cheeks and eyes as he took in a large breath, and breathed out through his nose.
"I… thank you, you should not waste your tears on me, Hawke. It is my burden to bare." Fenris half-smiled, his head resting on his hand, propped up by his elbow on his desk.
'How can he still look so attractive after bawling his eyes out… he hasn't even finished the story', she shook the ill placed thought from her mind, Kimi didn't want him to suffer from this alone, but she didn't know how to communicate that to him.
"It doesn't have to be, you have friends now - friends that will… assist you whenever you need them to, me included." She was going to say 'help you', but she knew he had a stubborn personality.
Fenris chuckled lightly, he had now opened up to her, the realisation of that dawned on her and it was… difficult to contain the happiness, to say the least.
"I should also apologise for saying what I said before, about you being a terrible archer. It is true I won't take that back, but you are headstrong, dedicated when you have your mind set upon something. I have seen you in battle, your courage… I admire that about you.", if Kimi was anyone else she would have missed the blush that spread across the handsome face of his, as quickly as it came it went. But that wasn't the case with Kimi, she was in full blush-mode and she make any effort to hide it.
"Fl-Flatterer-"
"Hazel you've been a naughty giiiirl", her heart sank as she heard Gamlen's blood-curdling voice.
'Not now, anytime but now'.
"I'm sorry, I have to go Fenris… thank you for telling me everything I-", she saw the confusion on Fenris' face, but she couldn't talk for any longer. Her bedroom door burst open, and a heavily tipsy Gamlen clambered through the room.
"I… erm… take care, Hawke". Kimi leapt from her seat and pressed the off switch on the wall socket. She turned round to face Gamlen and braced herself for what was to happen, though nothing truly could.
Kimi was spread across her bed, naked. Streaks of tears lined her cheeks; bruises were randomly placed across her neck and torso, where semen pooled between her breasts.
"Suck it up, bitch, you agreed to this.", slurred a half naked Gamlen towering over her, who pulled up his trousers and left shortly after. He had tit-wanked her for the longest five minutes she had ever experienced, the only thing keeping her sane was imagining it was a certain tan-skinned man.
Kimi pulled up her underwear that was tangled around her feet and wiped away the semen with her t-shirt that was thrown onto the floor; she grabbed Fenris' hoodie and flung it on quickly, then ran to the bathroom and stumbled down to the toilet where she vomited until there was nothing left in her stomach. Kimi sat up and flushed it away, then walked to the sink where she washed her face and cleaned out her mouth with mouthwash before brushing her teeth. She stood in place, contemplating to put a razor, that was placed at the edge of the bath opposite the sink, to her wrist - but thought of her friends and her family aside from Gamlen who would surely somehow resurrect her just to kill her again out of anger.
Kimi walked lifelessly to her bedroom and clambered into bed, before noticing a figure sleeping in the bed across from her's. Bethany was deep in sleep, and must have waited downstairs until she heard Kimi leave to go to her room. She rose from her bed and grabbed her phone from her desk, then climbed into Bethany's bed, next to her sister's sleeping form, she brushed her hair from the younger sister's face and kissed her cheek before turning over and checking the group chat.
It was filled with messages from the others, they were discussing the mission from the Red Iron that Kimi left, apparently they found a glitch and completed the quest again earning themselves 40,000 XP in total. It then went on to Isabella flirting with Merrill, then gossiping about what Kimi and Fenris were doing - Isabella had noticed from their character logs that they both were AFK. Anders said something about "keeping her nose out from where it doesn't belong", and Isabella replied saying "boohoo I'm only looking out for their welfare, they could have been attacked by assassins". Kimi laughed at her message, then remembering her to tell her whenever Gamlen made a move. Kimi private messaged her.
Kimi [kimi_chan], 20:58PM
- Izzy he did it again
- I feel disgusting
- I want to hurt myself again and
She began to cry after sending the last message, but remembered who she was laying text to. She silently wept, but slowed down when she realised there was a private message she received earlier.
Fenris [broody_elf], 20:30PM
- I wanted to thank you for hearing me out in more detail, but you were… prioritised.
- I don't know what your relationship is with that man but I will not dwell upon the subject. I wish to know but I will wait until you are ready, as you did for me, or will push the topic aside if you would rather not talk about it.
- I am back online if you would like to play more, I have devised a rough plan to figure out what class suits you best, but if you are busy I can leave your training until another time. :-)
- I am in your debt, Hawke. You have done me a favour that I will not forget. Thank you. I also saw you were wearing my jacket… I am glad you like it, it really does look… cute on you.
- Alas I am rambling, we shall talk soon I hope.
Kimi tried to write a reply multiple times, but couldn't. 'He called me cute twice… I can't believe a guy is actually complimenting me, I should do the same in return..'
Kimi [kimi_chan], 21:00PM
-Thank you :') It was nice to finally put a face to the voice aha x
- I'm sorry I'm too tired to play, I'll play tomorrow though, it's too late for you to play now anyway
- I'll tell you about him soon, he isn't anyone I would class as close tho
She thought she might be going too far by putting an 'x' at the end of her message, but everything flirty she had thought to write would be too cheesy, too... Isabella. Speaking of the flirt…
Isabella [xbella_69x], 21:02PM
- Hush baby its gonna be ok xx
- don't hurt urself over someone like him he ain't worth the pain
- I keep telling you I won't but one day i'm gonna have to tell someone, heck Aveline is a police officer
- this isn't normal or legal it's rape :/
Kimi [kimi_chan], 21:05PM
- I know but I can't report him until I move us out of his house
- or else he'd just come back when he gets out of prison and would start it all over
- and I dont have the money yet
- i'm going to sleep this off ok? I'll talk tomorrow I'll come online around ten
The café Kimi worked at was closed every Sunday, so she always did her levelling up then. Tomorrow would be the first day of her training with Fenris, and she couldn't wait. She liked the thought of having him all to herself. Kimi was reminded of Zevran's words of lust, and on Monday she would have to admit that to him. Her phone made a loud ping, and she swore to herself. realising her phone wasn't set to silent mode.
Fenris [broody_elf], 21:07PM
- I will wait for you then.
- I mean I will wait for you to tell me, I apologise for the innuendo.
- Yes, the librarian kicked me out, I wasn't doing anything of importance, just farming. The library opens at eleven, so I will be online then. :-)
She smiled to herself again, she truly couldn't wait for tomorrow to arrive.
- And is that so? I imagine it must be quite the surprise. My appearance is astonishing to some.
Kimi giggled. Giggled like a schoolgirl, he responded positively to her poor attempt at flirting.
Kimi [kimi_chan], 21:09PM
- My my, who would have thought that the brooding master Fenris would have a mind as dirty as Isabella...
- And it was a pleasant surprise I assure you :') Much like when I first heard your voice
- I wasn't prepared that time, your voice is very deep :L but it wasn't scary so :'D
Fenris [broody_elf], 21:10PM
- I guess so, Isabella has called my voice husky in nature.
- I fail to see where she is coming from, but whatever makes her happy.
- I have arrived at my house now, so I will bid you Goodnight.
She wanted to keep talking to him, to learn more things about him, but it was getting late. Kimi kept thinking of excuses to keep their conversation going.
Kimi [kimi_chan], 21:12PM
- So you like making Isabella happy? XD
- Also can I ask you a question?
Fenris [broody_elf], 21:13PM
- I believe you have asked me two. :-)
- In reference to the first, yes, but it isn't like what you are insinuating. She has a flirtatious personality, I cannot stop her, so I just go with it. Denying her advances would be useless, but if she ever asked to… engage in a certain activity with her I would say no. I don't know where she lives after all, it wouldn't be worth the travel.
- Yes, you may ask me another question.
'So he isn't that interested in Isabella… but only because of the distance… so if he had to choose it could be Aveline, Merrill, the librarian or me… assuming he's straight… he doesn't know where any of us live though, so would he say no to everyone else?', she thought.
Kimi [kimi_chan], 21:14PM
- Ohhhhhhhhh
- In the picture that you showed me your hair is black
- Why did you bleach it? :-)
Fenris [broody_elf], 21:15PM
- What a peculiar question…
- It was one of the first things I did when I ran away from Danarius, it was a way of me expressing my freedom, somewhere along the way I decided I liked it, so I kept bleaching it ever since. Happy? :-)
- Now, go to sleep Hawke, I want you fully rested for tomorrow.
Kimi [kimi_chan], 21:18PM
- Okay okay… you sound like Aveline
- I like it white :') It suits you
- Goodnight Fenris x
She settled into Bethany's bed, being careful not to wake her up, she was about to put her phone to the side when she got another message.
Fenris [broody_elf], 21:18PM
- Have you been flirting with me Hawke?
She was certain her heart skipped a beat. What was she to say to that?
Kimi [kimi_chan], 21:20PM
- No
- Maybe
- I don't know
- Have you been flirting with me?
'Nice going Kimi, counter attack the question with the same question'.
Fenris [broody_elf], 21:21PM
- I am unsure…
- I don't know what came over me. I will cease if it makes you uncomfortable, but you responded in a similar manner, I assumed you liked it.
- It is harmless after all.
'"Harmless" flirting, I can live with that… does this mean he likes me? He doesn't do this with anyone else though right?'
Kimi [kimi_chan], 21:21PM
- I don't mind
- I mean, I do like it
- I mean… ughh!
Fenris [broody_elf], 21:21PM
- I understand. :-)
- Goodnight Hawke
- Eleven O'clock, remember?
She typed that she would remember and told him Goodnight, putting the phone aside she snuggled up to Bethany, falling asleep along with her.
Kimi awoke to the sound of birds singing softly from outside of her window, and the smell of freshly cooked breakfast. Leandra had always insisted on carrying on the tradition of the Fereldan Sunday meal in Kirkwall, toasted bread with eggs, beans in tomato sauce, and chicken ham - there wasn't enough space in Kirkwall to raise pigs, after all.
Remembering that she had worn the same pants for twenty four hours, she rose from her bed and walked sleepily over to her wardrobe. Kimi wasn't to be doing much during the day, so she pulled out a white t-shirt bra, a black and white baseball top and black running shorts. She put her clothes on, combed her hair and full bangs and darted downstairs to see if there was breakfast left for her.
"My my, you look like you slept well dear, it's nearly midday!", exclaimed Leandra jokingly. She was sat at the dining table with Bethany, who didn't comment on Kimi's presence due to her shovelling food down her throat.
"I did, that's why I went to sleep early, my friend told me to be well rested and-", she was cut off by her excited mother.
"Friend? Like boyfriend? Oh say hello to me will you?" Kimi knew that Leandra was aware of the lack of physical friends in her life, so she had settled with the online ones her daughter had. Deep down Leandra was proud that Kimi had finally made friends after Lothering, but she predominantly wished she could see them in person.
"Yes, he said he would train me to be a better fighter! Everyone else was contempt with me being terrible-"
"Oh Honey…"
"But Fenris was like 'I want to train you, Hawke', and now he's going to make me better! Oh you should have seen him mother… he's so attractive and his voice…", she stopped gushing about her crush too late. Her mother looked at her with a certain look, but it was replaced with a large smile.
"I am glad you like this man dear," she started, "he is a man isn't he? You have seen this supposed man haven't you? I saw something on the news not long ago about… what was it… cat-fishing?"
"Yes, yes, I video called him not long ago. You shouldn't be watching the television for too long mother, it rots your brain they say." Kimi teased, her mother wasn't as witty as her, but every so often she would spit back a good remark. Leandra laughed sarcastically, before speaking again.
"Yes, said you who sits in front of that blasted computer screen until unholy hours of the morning." Leandra retorted, it sent Kimi into a fit of laughter.
"Okay, okay, that was a good one Mother - but Dragon Age Online is educational, did you know it's based on our Thedas hundreds of years ago? The developers spent forever doing research into the history of Thedas to make it as historically accurate as possible! How cool is that? And I'm in Kirkwall now, I bet I could find where our house would have been! ... I mean Gamlen's house…" she corrected herself. She thought maybe she could get everyone in her guild to show where they lived too, but it would be too depressing finally knowing how far away they were.
"I'm sure it is educational sweetie, now eat up! I don't want to hear of this Fenris telling you that you are 'gaming' on an empty stomach."
Kimi finished her breakfast and hurried up the stairs and into her bedroom. She picked up her phone to check for messages, and saw that she had multiple private messages from a certain elf.
Fenris [broody_elf], 10:32AM
- I am leaving my house now. If you are not awake by eleven I will not be impressed.
Fenris [broody_elf], 10:41AM
- I am approaching the library now, Kawke.
Fenris [broody_elf], 10:55AM
- I went online a little early to get things ready, you still haven't replied so I assume you are still sleeping.
She couldn't help but smile at how he had messaged her three times, and she could visualise how he looked annoyed now, after finally seeing him through the video call. She replied to his message and plugged her phone into a charger underneath her desk, realising she hadn't done so the night before. Kimi then switched on her computer and sat in the desk chair.
Kimi [kimi_chan], 10:58AM
- I just switched on my PC
- Don't get too fired up, but I forgot to set an alarm last night :L
- How does it feel knowing I could have slept until 1PM? X'D
Kimi was much more confident talking to him from behind her phone screen. He couldn't see her stammer or blush when he would say something to provoke that reaction, but she still liked hearing his voice. The previous night was the first time she had heard him laugh wholeheartedly and it made her belly feel funny, in a good way.
'Maker, what is that man doing to me', she placed her hand over her abdomen where she could feel the strange sensation again.
Fenris [broody_elf], 11:00AM
- If I were in your presence I would throttle you, how you manage to wake up at the correct time for work astonishes me.
- I am sorry, intended that to be a joke, but it might have appeared as me sounding angry.
Kimi [kimi_chan], 11:01AM
- I'm glad you corrected that xD
- I was about to reach for a box of tissues bc you hurt my feelings :'(
Kimi logged into her user and opened up the game. She wondered how her first training session would go, how he would be able to tell what class she truly was. Her game eventually loaded and she warped to Fenris' map location.
Fenris [broody_elf], 11:03AM
- If I knew your feelings were so fragile, I would have advised on you not completing the level 60 main quest ;)
- Are you able to video call? This would work for me better than typing.
Kimi's heart started to flutter, if they were going to do this more often she would need to get a hold of her feelings. Getting shy like a schoolgirl with a crush would eventually become tiring, and with Fenris already admitting that any flirting he did say was harmless. Nevertheless, containing how hard she had fallen for the elf was going to be difficult.
Kimi [kimi_chan], 11:04AM
- Why? What happens at level 60?!
- And okay sure :)
She opened up Skype and sent him a video request, he answered within milliseconds.
"Well... an archdemon appears and threatens to destroy Thedas… so the usual, also broodmothers, lots of broodmothers…", Fenris said smoothly, he gave her a half-smile and greeted her. He was wearing an open red plaid shirt with a dark grey crew neck t-shirt underneath, she couldn't see what else he was wearing - but despite only seeing his top half she concluded he was effortlessly attractive.
"Ahh, gotta hate broodmothers", Kimi laughed nervously whilst playing with a lock of her hair. It was one of her nervous habits, along with messing with the cuff of whatever long sleeve clothing she wore, and chewing her lip.
"Yes, but they give a high amount of XP, so it's worth the trouble. But on the topic of broodmothers, follow me when I warp.", said Fenris, whilst clicking the mouse a couple times, and then he transported to another location.
"Huh? Ohh!", a notification popped up in the corner of her screen.
[broody_elf] wishes to join your party. Accept party request?
Kimi hit accept and his character's icon appeared on the left of her screen, she clicked it and warped to his location.
"I wish to begin our training in the Deep Roads, I will send you several pieces of weaponry and I want you to experiment with all of them. Tell me which feels best to use," he said, sounding just like a teacher. "I will then take you to the character creator NCP later."
"Okay! But what if you don't know what's best for me?", she was excited, but apprehensive.
"I thought I told you to trust me, Hawke," Fenris mocked, crossing his arms and smiling slyly.
'How can one person be so damn attractive?!' she internally screamed.
"I… I do trust you! It was just a question… what if I suit two classes?", she mimicked him and crossed her arms and turned to the side, pouting like a child.
"Then I'll let you choose for yourself. Come, I wish to begin now, start slaying Darkspawn and I'll back you up. I'll send the weapons now.", Fenris instructed. She wasn't a mage class so it was impossible for her to use a staff at the moment. She received a sword and shield first, it felt much slower than a bow and arrow, and much more difficult. The Hurlocks and Genlocks were surrounding her, and she didn't like being an upfront target. Nevertheless, Fenris saw that she was struggling and aided her, he swung his sword and cleaved through the enemies - it was like an incredibly dangerous dance, with the sword and all.
"I don't think I like this one… it's too slow. And I don't like the whole shield business…", Kimi leaned back in her seat after killing the last Hurlock.
"Don't catch Aveline hearing you say that," Fenris chuckles softly, "and I am aware, I just wanted to confirm it, we now have a platform to start on." A notification saying she was sent another item popped up, she opened her inventory and saw a greatsword.
"This is another test, this will determine if you are better up front or in the shadows. With a greatsword or other two-handed weapon you can deal what an archer may call 'splash damage', but the HP that you deplete would be greater with one on one combat." The words flowed out of Fenris' mouth so smoothly, he no doubt had confidence in himself as a teacher - maybe because he was talking about his own class which he was most experienced with, but it was as if they were actually there in the Deep Roads, and he was actually teaching her. They came across another horde of Darkspawn and they engaged in combat, she kept right-clicking as she couldn't copy his class exclusive actions - or the glowing. Once again, they finished attacking the last enemy, using a greatsword was much easier than a sword and shield, but it was still difficult having to face the enemy up front.
"How did you get those… markings?", she asked, prompted to do so by her earlier thought. Much to her surprise Fenris went silent, thinking deeply on how to reply.
"It… It was a contest held not too long ago, the winner would be granted with these powers, needless to say I won, that's all really."
"Ohh…", she was expecting more considering he had already told her about his step-father.
"I am guessing I have not sated your curiosity?", he smirked. That smirk, he knew he was teasing her and he wanted her to know too. He made no effort to hide it, after all.
"I… just… no, I was expecting more fighting, or something."
"Tell me something first then, I get to ask you something and in return you shall get your answer, if I am satisfied." he said, and she laughed in return, covering her mouth with her hand.
"What could you possibly want to know about me? My life is far less interesting than most people… but a deal it is." Kimi smiled.
"Oh, but I wish to know many things, Hawke, you have… piqued my interest, and besides what kind of teacher would I be if I knew nothing about my own student?"
'He's flirting. Right now. With me. And it seems more than harmless flirting…', did he really wish to know more about her?
"Okay, okay, I already said we have a deal!", Kimi blushed.
"Alright," he pressed the spacebar, judging from the noise, meaning he had paused the game. "I will not ask about the elephant in the room, I want you to tell me when you are ready, so…", he tapped his finger on his chin, clearly thinking considerably hard. She mentally thanked the Maker that he didn't ask about Gamlen.
"Is Bethany your only sibling? Isabella said something about a brother once."
Kimi had come to accept that Carver was gone a while ago, but it still hurt talking about him.
"Ahaha… at this moment in time yes, it wasn't always like this, though. I used to have a younger brother, his name was Carver.", she said woefully.
"Care to talk about him some more? I sense the subject is close to you…"
"He was brave, he wanted to get a career in something that involved saving others. But he was ignorant of common sense, he would do things not thinking of the consequences. I always hated that," she spat, memories of what happened in Lothering flooding her mind. But she carried on. "It was what got him killed, he wanted to stay behind, to help those infected. We were on the way to the docks in our Jeep to flee Ferelden, he kept saying he wanted to help and that it wasn't right to leave everyone behind, but both my parents told him no. We were nearly to Gwaren and Carver just said goodbye and jumped out. It was too risky to slow down, and he had jumped in another car before we even could bring him back." Kimi couldn't hold back her tears, she was frantically wiping them away so Fenris couldn't see them.
"You said so yourself that there was nothing you could do, what was it you said… don't blame yourself for things that are out of your control," he smiled comfortingly at her, and she smiled back to him. He was successful in lifting her crestfallen face and bringing a smile to it, which was hard for him not to do.
"We came to Gamlen's house because we had no where to stay, about a month later we got a letter saying they found his remains, I didn't know how though, all the bodies that we drove past were unidentifiable." she finished, and sighed afterwards.
"I am sorry for your loss, Hawke. From what you told me his decision wasn't one of ignorance, but selflessness, you should be proud of him.", Fenris said calmly.
"I am, he is a hero."
"My turn it is. it was a competition, but I did not join alone. I was part of a clan called the Fog Warriors, I joined them shortly after fleeing Danarius - which before you ask is another story I shall tell later. They were the first friends I had after running away. We slaughtered through the competition, it was a fight to the death style method to win, and pretty soon we were the only ones left. The announcer said, however, that there could only be one winner, and we instantly turned on each other, slaughtering each other for our own personal gain. I faded into the background, waiting for there to only be a couple people left, but someone found me and stabbed me in the back… literally-"
"They weren't really a guild then, just people wanting to win high level bosses without dying." Kimi interrupted.
"No, they were my first friends, I saw the way they would communicate with each other, they were all close companions. But anyway, one of them had stabbed me, but before he could finish me off the leader of the guild took him out, and it was then a one on one fight between me and him. Put quickly I won, and I got given the markings, I could even choose the colour.", Fenris smiled.
"It must have been intense, but I'm not surprised you won. You're like, the best player I've seen!", Kimi exclaimed, and Fenris chuckled again. "So what is the specialisation called?", she asked.
"It's called Lyrium Warrior, it allows my avatar to phase through walls, objects… other characters." He replied.
"It looks amazing… I can't believe I hadn't heard of it, and I know a lot of lore."
The conversation carried on, and Fenris decided told her about the first boss he killed to test the markings out, how he got kicked out of the Fog Warriors for 'treason', everything up until he joined Hard in Hightown.
"Your online life is almost more interesting than your actual one." Kimi joked. They had been talking for two hours, both had been logged out of the server for inactivity.
"I have forgotten about our training, I apologise." Fenris said, and logged back in along with Kimi.
"It's fine, I want to try something, though… do you have any daggers?" Kimi asked, during their time conversing, she realised she liked keeping to the shadows, both in the game and in real life, she was introverted with people she didn't know, she just wasn't outgoing.
"Yes, I was going to save them for last, I had a feeling that dual wielding was going to fit you best, Hawke." Kimi laughed loudly in response, her right hand covering her mouth.
"So why did you make me do all of that if you knew from the start?" She received the daggers from Fenris and headed for the closest cluster of Darkspawn. Kimi already had the perks of a rogue, but most of her moves were for archery, not dual wielding.
"Because I wanted to see how you would adapt to being thrown into the unknown." He said flatly.
"Well, Fenris, did I satisfy you?", she dragged his name out slowly, he had been teasing her this whole time, it was his turn, she reasoned.
"Yes. You did. Those Darkspawn are all yours, since you are so confident." Fenris retorted to her flirting. 'He's punishing me for teasing him… does that mean he's a sadist?' she thought, but put the idea away.
She activated stealth and ran up to the group, she threw a poison bomb at them and backstabbed the most powerful of the cluster. As soon as the poison wore off she lept back behind a large boulder. Kimi glanced at Fenris, and seeing he was deep in thought, she turned her attention back to the game. She activated stealth again and charged, leaping from enemy to enemy. The group was at first nine, but now only three remained. She threw another miasmic flask and attacked the strongest again, when he fell she gestured at the camera for Fenris to have a turn, leaving the last two for him, but he lifted his hand gesturing that they were her's. She swiftly killed the rest, and Fenris' character approached her's.
"I think we have found your class… how did you do that?" Fenris enquired, on the camera he looked astonished.
"I just kept thinking what would Isabella do, and I've dual wielded in other games. I just wanted to be an archer in this one 'cuz they looked cool." she explained, stroking a lock of her hair.
"Well then… never change who you are, Hazel, especially if you're good at what you do." Fenris said honestly. "Let us hurry to the NCP then, I want to start your dagger training as soon as possible."
She was completely taken back, 'Fenris just called me Hazel!' she internally screamed. Even though she hated her name, the sound of it coming from him made her love it.