driftfleet | ACTION! Meeting people!

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ACTION! Meeting people!

Who: Cole and anyone who stands still long enough to be talked to
Broadcast: No.
Action: One ALL fleet ships except The Tourist and The Three Twins
When: During the week.

Cole doesn't like the communicators. He finds it too disorientating to talk to people and have that vast distance between them.

Instead, he's setting out to visit each of the ships and meet the people on board. He likes people and he likes meeting and talking with people and he'd far rather do that face to face.

Don't worry. He doesn't take up much space and he takes up no supplies. He just wants to meet people.

But... he gives The Tourist and The Three Twins a wide berth. Fenris had been very clear that he was not to see Cole again and Cole will respect that by avoiding the places he seems to be.

Anyone from those ships will have to be visitors somewhere else to run into Cole.

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VARRIC!

[For a moment, Cole forgets that Varric doesn't know him. His face doesn't light up exactly, but it softens into something that's an outpouring of happiness for him.

Then he remembers and shutters off again.]

Oh. No. You don't know me. Dorian said you wouldn't know me.

[The man-- no, the boy knows his name. His eyebrows shoot up so fast he ought to check to make sure they're still on his face. Varric is pretty sure he'd recognize this kid, which can only really mean one thing... he's from the future. The same future Dorian and Cullen and Jove and basically everyone else is from.

That face is just so terrible to gaze upon. Varric finds himself hurting and he can't even really pinpoint why. He used to be so much better at this, but spending time on a ship full of hormonal teenagers has really done nothing but butter him up. It's always his first inclination to take care of the people who surround him and that hasn't changed, regardless of missing a year or so of memories with the Inquisition.

His voice drops a bit, perceptibly softer.]

I don't. But you don't look like you want to kill me, so you're welcome to hang around.

[How did he meet a kid? Did the Inquisitor pick up strays like Hawke did?]

What's your name?

I wouldn't hurt you. You were always nice to me, even when I did things that weren't very people like and asked questions that people know the answers to, but I don't.

[And that kindness is part of Varric, not their time together. So Varric is very safe from Cole's potential violence and only at risk of having his hurts plucked and pulled by Cole's good intentions.

Yay?]

Cole. The voices in your head are still there! I like Donnen.

I'm not really that nice. [SHHHH.] But... thanks?

[He's so painfully honest. Varric is a little unnerved but not as much as he should be. He's seen so many fucking weird things, especially here. He just spent three weeks in a dead sleep. His reserves of caring about how weird something is are pretty much shot. He's a little embarrassed that someone's calling him nice, straight up, but that's how it goes.

He smiles a little-- though it disappears when 'voices' are mentioned.]

Wait, what? You can read what's in my head? [... This is going to make publishing his next serial difficult.] That's-- uh, that's new.

You're one of the nicest people I know.

[Cole nods and smiles slightly and pressed a finger to his lips.]

I know not to tell anyone what I hear them say. Not until they're on the paper and you can give them to people.

No spoilers, Cole. Seeker already doesn't like you, don;t make it worse by spoilering her. [He does a fairly good impression of Varric's voice, folding himself down onto the floor so he's closer to eye level with Varric.]

I helped with some of them. With the spirit and demon things. I know what would scare them, hurt them, soothe them, heal them. I help people and knowing what to say to them helps you.

Ugh, okay, fine-- just don't go advertising that. Someone might ask me for a favor and then I can't say no, and then I'll be out a thousand sovereigns or something.

[Varric is slightly freaked out, but he's not terrified. Cole is... odd. Something about him just puts him at ease. It's hard to explain and he really doesn't know if he can. In the end, it's the impression of himself that really wins him over. Maybe Varric's rubbed off on the kid, maybe the kid rubbed off on him. Hard to tell when he's not living it. But whatever Cole is, human or not, he is clearly harmless. He's childlike, even. Varric tugs over a little box and sits on it.

This is going to be a very long and very weird conversation, he thinks.]

You help people, or you help spirits?

[Cole looks pleased at getting Varric to admit that he's really a big, kind softie under his grumbling.

He crosses his legs, hands resting on his knees and rocking back and forth slightly.]

People. Spirits don't usually need help. They just are. If a spirit needs help, I'll help them, but usually people need help and I help them!

[Weakness: found. It's hard to bullshit some kid who is... absurdly honest and also maybe partially psychic? Maker's breath. It's really fucking weird, but he's shared quarters with some kind of healer girl and a half demon for several months now, so... not totally odd.]

Helping people is pretty important to you, isn't it?

[It was important to Hawke, too.]

Yes. It's the most important thing. Being able to help people. Before I was Cole, it was the only thing I was.

[He pulls in on himself briefly, happy with his lot now.]

[Varric leans forward a little bit. It sounds like a story, and Cole knows how much he likes stories. He has a feeling this is going to be an answer that freaks him out, but, shit.]

Who were you before?

[Who, not what. An important distinction. People aren't things, not to Varric.]

[Once, Cole would never have hesitated to say, but he's scared that Varric will be angry, because this isn't the Varric he knew, who was introduced to the idea of who Cole was before the what.

He looks up at Varric, then ducks his head and shuffles back a little.]

Compassion. Before Cole, I was Compassion. Please don't hate me.

[It does surprise him, to hear a thing instead of a who. He blinks, absorbing that, mulling it around in his head first. He's seen what spirits can do. He saw Justice get twisted by Anders' anger, saw what it turned him into. He's seen people turn into demons. He's seen what they'll do just to feed.

But Cole is something else. And Varric has been living with at least one half-demon for a couple months, as well as a mage, and he's got friends in low places, and Cole is a friend of his friends and so...]

I don't hate you. [That's the first thing he says, and he means it.] It's hard to hate someone you just met. It's also hard to hate someone who is terribly honest and also talks you up like you're the best person in the world. I'm a sucker for flattery, you know.

[He drags a hand down his face.] So... you're a spirit? Or are you just possessing someone? Because the latter-- that didn't turn out so good last time.

[Cole relaxed with a soft sigh, ducking his head and relaxing out a bit more.]

Thank you. For not hating me. A lot of people do when they know what I started life as.

I'm a spirit, but I'm not possessing anyone. Living in mortals is really bad for spirits. I'm not in someone else's body, this body is all mine. This is my natural shape.

[Varric knows he made the right decision when he sees that reaction. Honestly, it's... hard to hate someone who is basically a giant kid. It really is. And Varric does not hate easily.]

I've got a good friend here who's a demon. Or... half. It's complicated. [He shrugs.] My friends like you and you're not eating mages alive. I figure I might as well give you a chance.

[But, okay, he's curious.]

What's with the hat?

I would never eat mages! I don't eat anything.

[He reaches up for the brim of his hat and pulls it on more firmly.]

There's nothing with it except me.

I should really introduce you to brownies. That'll change your mind. About eating food, obviously, not eating mages.

[Varric finds himself smiling despite the strange conversation he's having. This kid is just... no. He's not a kid. But he's something like one. He's childish and innocent, not at all like Varric expected a spirit to be.]

That's... yeah, okay. [The kid is cute and also baffling at times.]

I don't know what brownies are. I can eat, I have eaten. But I don't do it anymore, not since I realised I was a spirit.

It's like a dense, moist chocolate cake. You cut it into squares, warm it up a bit, eat it. Delicious. You can thank Prickly for that one; I never would've thought of it.

I don't know who Prickly is.

And I've never eaten chocolate. Or cake.

That's my nickname for Chris. He's the captain here. Just a kid, really, doesn't look much older than you.

[He lets out a low whistle.]

That's just sad. You're not living until you've had good food, good drinks, and a rowdy party with friends.

You used to call me 'kid'. 'C'mon, kid, try again, bad memories don't trump three of a kind, do they?'

[Varric had spent a long time trying to teach him the different hands.]

You held a Wicked Grace night once. Everyone had fun. Josephine won Cullen's clothes and he had to run back to his room without them. Dorian thought it was very good. Cassandra kept blushing and not looking, but she sort of wanted to.

The King of Swords remembered lyrium infused fingers tapping on it, waiting, anticipating springing the reveal.

Then I'll keep calling you that here.

[That little impression makes the corner of his mouth hitch up. He listens to the story. Varric doesn't recognize Josephine's name among them, but that's fine. He can sorta get the picture.

It's the last part that he finds odd.]

If you mean the broody elf, he's pretty bad at cards.

[Cole shrugs. He looks uncomfortable though.] I don't know. Maybe. I don't know any broody elves. I know Jove, and Sera, and Solas. And Sera didn't like anyone pointing out she was an elf.

The one I'm talking about has lyrium tattoos. He-- [He pauses.] Never mind. [Fenris threw such a stink about Chris being a half-demon, and Chris is just a kid, too. Some days, Varric wonders how he's supposed to manage keeping his friends from killing each other.

Thank Andraste that Hawke is here.]

I haven't met Sera or Solas yet. You like them?

[Cole makes a distressed noise and pulls his hat down, like he could hide in it.]

I didn't mean to hurt him! I didn't know he was there! I was visiting Solas and he was there and-

[He had been enraged beyond feeling his pain.

Cole gets to his feet in a smooth, sudden motion, shying towards the shadows.]

I won't go there again. Not near him, not near Dorian. I promise. Please don't hate me.

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