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Who: The Iron Bull & You!
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: HS Marsiva, SS Heron, SS Iskaulit and beyond!
When: 4/30-5/4 (Marsiva and that broadcast), 5/5 for the Heron, anytime in the month of May for the rest!

↨ Arrival aboard the Marsiva/his first week ↨

[Before the seven foot, heavily muscled and grey-skinned (which is obvious due to the fact he isn't wearing a shirt)...man with exceptionally prominent horns stirs on the plush bed on the Hospitality Deck, he sniffs and immediately frowns.]

Weird.

[His voice is a deep, slow baritone, with a slight accent that's difficult to place. The transmission is coming from his blind side, though, which is obvious by the eye-patch over where his left eye should be.

He hasn't noticed the camera. He moves to a sitting position, large hands on the edges of the bed and sniffs again, this time himself. And then he snorts.]

Weirder.

[He shakes his head (which is impressive with those horns) as though to clear and stands, giving a look around. To say the big guy looks uneasy is an understatement...and then he notices the huge viewing bay.

It's hard to say what's more disturbing to the giant: the idea that he somehow knows he's drifting through the fast openness of existence, or the simple act of looking at it, but he swallows. Hard. And turns away from the window, taking a seat back on the cot, which creaks slightly but holds.]

...shit. That's...a lot of nothing out there.

[Right out there. Through some glass. Shit.]

(OOC: If you want to just continue the TDM thread, that's cool! Just let me know, and you're totally free to PM this journal)

↨ Arrival aboard the SS Heron, Bridge | Saturday (5/05) ↨

[You know, it's one thing to keep a guy locked up on some weird ship after you kidnapped him, shoved something in his head, and gave him a bath. It's another to randomly move him to some other place surrounded by consoles and glowing lights, shower him with confetti, and just leave him there. Without a warning.

The Bull was a massive form to suddenly appear on the bridge of the SS Heron, and the startled cry and step back did nothing but rap his horns sharply against whatever delicate instrument was behind him at the time and send a painful vibration through his skull.]

Shit! [He took a heavy breath to calm his rising panic. It's fine. No weirder than what was out there.] Tight quarters in here. [The remark was muttered to himself for than anything as he carefully moved a hand to the top of his head to massage away the beginnings of a headache and gave a look around.]

Wherever the hell here is. [He could only assume it was one of the ships in the fleet, but which one? He'd been told there were several of them.]

↨ SS Iskaulit | OTA and Whenever ↨

[He couldn't be more relieved to know this ship existed. Getting there was weird, just knowing how to fly the shuttle, and if he thought about that too much he started to get real twitchy, so he decided to just think of the thing in his head as...like knowing where to aim a swing to take off a guy's head in one blow. You didn't think about where to swing. You just did and off it popped. Yeah. Flying the shuttle was like that.

Bullshit, but it was enough of a comfort to keep him sane, at least for a little while. Now this place? It was going to take a lot of exploration to really get a feel for it. It was almost possible, wandering the random collections of establishments, to ignore the fact that this was all in a giant ship floating in the middle of space. He wasn't difficult to spot, at 7'5" tall and at least three feet wide (with some really impressive horns), and as he gets more acquainted with the fleet over the course of the month, between travelling to planets and whatnot, he'll be found here on off-hours more often than not. You know, if he's not enjoying the fact that there's actual air somewhere.

He can be encountered at a number of establishments throughout, actually, though being the only naturally occurring mountain in a place that's completely fabricated, he steers clear Maab's Sceptre...because there's just something not right about that thing. Maybe it's because it's the only thing around that is right, but...yeah. Space Bar's a nice dive, and he's there pretty often, willing to chat up anyone to walks in, and share a drink...or a few...more. The smells from the Melting Pot get his attention, too, and something other than the fake crap on the Heron is always welcome.]

↨ Wildcard ↨

(OOC: Want to do a thing that isn't here? Awesome! Drop me a line through PM, at

vikael, or on Discord at prettyvikael#0221! I will most likely be doing some stuff with the system and I'd love to plot something out with people! Otherwise, I'll probably throw him at other peoples' things!)

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Yes, ma'am. [He nods slightly, very slightly given the closeness of the consoles behind him (he's adaptable like that), and with that address accepts she's the one in charge, at least for the moment. She's the one with the weapons after all. He could probably easily overpower her, but he only had the vaguest of ideas what that one weapon could do, and now wasn't the time to nurse an injury.

Besides, she wasn't threatening, which was good. That meant she could handle herself and didn't feel the need to flaunt it. He smiles at her question, though, and her commentary.]

I'm used to it. Humans just don't make things with Qunari in mind. It's like they've got something against the horns. [He rolls a shoulder is a shrug, which is a pretty impressive feat for a guy that big in cramped quarters, but he pulls it off.] Probably has something to do with all the war, though, and the lack of really caring about their religion.

[He cracks a smile at her.]

I've got a job and there's shit to do. I'm good. [You know what, though? There's chocolate. He can smell it.] Besides, the...what did Dorian call 'em? Atroma? [He moves around the console to the bowls of pudding. He's not going to take one yet, but you know what? Maybe soon.] They know what cocoa is. That's pretty awesome.

[ Her eyebrows lift slightly at "ma'am" but she's not upset about it. Just surprised to see the seven foot tall horned man has what she would consider good manners. ]

So that's what you are? Qunari?

[ She tries to say it the same, but the first syllable comes out a bit more "cue" than "coo". ]

Most of the horns I've ever seen were on cows. Does seem like the people who made this ship weren't taking that possibility into account. [ She shrugs, but not apologetically. She is as responsible for this ship as he is. ] Not sure what that has to do with religion.

[ She nods. ] From what I've been told the Atroma are responsible for this? Who or what that is I don't know. But yeah, there's cocoa. [ She smiles a little. ] You want some? I can show you the kitchen. And I can make something a little better than that pudding with sprinkles.

[He nods slightly, because you really only have to rap your horns once to know how far you can move your head comfortably.]

Close enough, and the rest's a long story. [He grins, though. Hell yeah. That was the reference.]

Well, they've got good taste, at least. [He blinks. Because...wait...] You've got cocoa ...what about milk? Hot milk?

[Wanna see how fast a 7' giant with horns turns into an excited teenager? That fast. He grins.] Ma'am, I'm never gonna turn down food.

[ She adds that to her list of stories to try to get people to tell the next time they're on a long stretch between planets. His enthusiastic response to the suggestion of cocoa draws a genuine smile from her. ]

There's some milk! From the last planet. Tastes a little... orangey? But that just makes the cocoa a little more special, don't you think? Come on. Oh, and watch your head.

[ She leads him off of the bridge and down to the kitchen. ]

They have a lot of technology where you're from?

shit, yeah. [He's grinning as he follows her, expertly ducking under the low door. This is not the Bull's first door-frame rodeo, ma'am.] My tamassran used to mix orange peel in as a reward.

[He follows behind, though it looks like this ship is one long hallway, so it's not too bad to navigate.]

Not like this, no. Par Vollen's more advanced than most places in the south, but...best we've got is plumbing and irrigation. This? This is new, ma'am.

[ Carol smiles a little as she glances up at the giant man. Qunari. Whatever. He's so excited about the concept of hot cocoa that he seems like an overgrown puppy more than anything. ]

What's a Tamrassan?

[ They get to the kitchen and she sets to work pretty quickly. Not at all awkward with doing something so domestic while thoroughly armed. ]

Just plumbing and irrigation? No electricity?

[That's because it's something they make back home and that's somewhere he can never go again. Maybe one day he'll explain that. Maybe soon. Bull's not exactly a closed book when it comes to his feelings.]

Oh, right. You don't know anything about Qunari. [He chuckles.] Tamassrans are women, they raise us in groups of kids our own age, teach us, take care of us basically.

[Explaining Qunari culture often required a dedicated amount of time for it. If she wanted to know more, she could ask and he'd answer, otherwise? Not a big deal.]

You mean lightning? That sort of thing? What they're using to power most of this shit? No. We haven't harnessed it. It's pretty awesome, though.

Tamassrans. [ She repeats quietly, correcting her pronunciation. Not that the mistake seemed to bother him, but still it's only polite. ] So like... Teachers? Or nannies?

[ He didn't strike her as somebody wealthy enough to be raised by nannies. But then again, who knows what wealth looked like to Qunari. ]

Yeah, lightning is a form of it. You sort of have to make it on your own, though. Actual lightning isn't good for this kind of thing.

[ She knows next to nothing about how electrical grids are powered, but she knows that lightning isn't involved. ]

All these ships have engines where the power is produced.

[ The milk heats up enough to bubble and she stirs some cocoa into it with some sugar and a pinch of salt. ]

[He chuckles.] A little of both. The Tamassrans raise us, teach us how to read, write, all that shit. They also watch us, get to know what we're good at so they know what role to give us in society. My Tamassran, she had me pegged for the Antaam early on, but when she realized I could fight and lie she had me sent to the Ben-Hassrath instead. [It was starting to smell pretty damned amazing in this little kitchen and he smiles to spite the bittersweet memories he's recounting.]

And I know that's a lot of words that don't mean anything to you. You can ask if you want.

[He shrugs. He's not too worried about understanding how the power's made. The thing in his head at least tells him how to get it where it's going and how to troubleshoot it if it stops. That's enough for him.]

Yeah, using lightning sounds like a stupid idea, anyway.

Edited 2018-05-25 17:07 (UTC)

[ She listens as she finishes making the cocoa. She pours it into two mugs, because of course she's going to have some, too, and takes them over to the table and gives him one. ]

I don't have any whipped cream or marshmallows, sorry.

[ She takes a seat and sips hers. The orange is there, but it's subtle. It's actually pretty nice, especially if she doesn't think too much about how it got there. ]

It's not stupid. It's the same kind of energy, just too unpredictable to really be able to do anything with it. That's how I understand it, anyway. Making the kind you can actually use takes a lot of work and equipment.

[ Equipment that's all but disappeared. Or is way too noisy to use safely anymore. Her actual functional level of tech is probably on par with The Iron Bull's now. If not lower, as this is new for them. ]

Speaking of words, does every Qunari have a name like yours?

It smells perfect, ma'am.

[And he takes a few, precious moments to savor that hot cocoa before he responds to anything she's said. He listens, of course, he's always been a good listener, but it's been too long since he's had good chocolate not to enjoy it as much as possible.

He nods though. Electricity sounds...sort of like some of the things Vints used to power their elevators and stuff like that, uh...storm magic or something. He tried not to think about it too much. He chuckles at her question, though.]

Like "The Iron Bull?" No. [And he shakes his head.] I picked it. We don't really have names, under the Qun. Just...job descriptions. Sometimes we get...nicknames that highlight particular talents. When I was a kid, my Tama called me Ashkaari. It means "one who thinks". I've always been good at that. [He rolls a shoulder in a shrug.] When I was with the Ben-Hassrath, I was Hissrad. It means "liar". [And he makes a motion with his hand.] I was a spy.

Now? [He smiles again, and there's something...more there. Not quite sadness, he wouldn't change the outcome, but...apprehension? Maybe definitely uncertainty.] I'm just The Iron Bull. I was pretending to be a Tal-Vashoth mercenary. Then...I saved my boys, sacrificed a Qunari ship to do it, and...stopped pretending.

[He takes a breath, letting it out slowly.] "Tal-Vashoth" is a Qunari who's left the Qun. They call it a betrayal. A lot of Qunari died when I saved my boys, so...I guess it was. And I'd do it again.

Edited 2018-06-02 02:02 (UTC)

[ Carol sips her cocoa and listens as he explains. It's a lot of words she doesn't recognize, and she tries to grab tight to the things that sound familiar. Luckily, it seems as if he's used to explaining things about his culture to the ignorant. ]

So is the Qun.. a religion?

[ It sounds more like a cult, but saying as much seems rude. She might not be a Christian anymore, but she still can get touchy when people make assumptions about the faith. ]

They wanted you to sacrifice your children?

[After taking a long sip from his cocoa, shit it's good, he hisses through his teeth.]

It's...Qunari means People of the Qun. It's a...philosophy, a culture, something sort of like a nation...it's huge. Religion? Nah. That suggests they worship something. The Qun is...a united body. Every one who is a part of the Qun is like...a nerve in your spine. They all connect to a specific thing, are honed for a specific purpose, but they're all part of the whole, of you. [He takes another sip of his cocoa trying to think of how to better explain.] If a part of your body's sick, right, like with gangrene, you amputate. That's what the Qun does with parts that stop performing their role, who go Tal-Vashoth.

Like me. [But he blinks at her question...before he laughs Hard.] Shit, no! I was never chosen for breeding anyway, but I wouldn't know my kids if I had. [And that idea doesn't seem to bother him.] I'm the captain of a mercenary band: Bull's Chargers. [He grins for a second because he's still proud of that.] They're my boys. [And he scoffs.] And fuck if I don't miss every one of 'em.

[Chosen for breeding what the hell? ]

So it's more of a... like a really comprehensive... political system? Like Soviet Communism or something?

[ She sighs a little and shakes her head before smiling apologetically. ]

Sorry, you probably don't have any idea what that is. But I get you about your boys, now. Like what a coach calls their team.

[ She sips her cocoa. ]

And saving them is what made the rest of your people decide you were like a limb with gangrene, huh? Sounds like you're better off without them anyway.

It's...everything. Like I said, it's hard to explain. [That's the second time he's heard about Communism, though. He's going to have to look into this one.]

Yeah, I guess. We're a pretty tight-knit group, anyway. [He smiles, bittersweet.] You know...I got real used to the Qun being far away. I got sloppy. And...for some reason, it never occurred to me they'd... [He takes a breath.] ...you're right. I am...I think. Yeah.

It's hard to get used to that, I bet. After somebody else was running your whole life for so long, to finally have to make all those choices on your own.

[ Sort of like when Ed finally died. The mix of bone-deep relief, even joy, but also the fear that she was all on her own, now. And then how quickly she lost Sophia after that. And then her faith. Probably safest to talk about that last one. ]

I used to be religious. A Christian. It wasn't just going to church on Sundays, not for me. It was how I got through each and every day. How I understood the world, because the Bible had all the answers. But then my questions changed, and the answers didn't. They didn't have answers to fit the new questions I had.

[ She looks at her cocoa. ]

It's not the same. But that gap... I don't know if there is a way to fill it or if I just have to get used to it.

There are choices under the Qun, but...yeah. Not about who you are, where you go.

[He listened to her words. He's known a lot of religious people recently in that exact same boat. Hell, they were so desperate for an answer, they decided to make someone beatific just to make themselves feel better. She wasn't divine any more than he was, but they needed it.]

We...they...I guess me too, still. I don't have to be Qunari to feel this way...we don't have gods, or anything like that. Demons are real, sure, magic's a thing. Those are real because we've seen them, felt them. We don't need a god to tell us where to go, what to do, who to impress and who to lock up. They do what's right for the people and...our people. What's best for the group. The group's changed, but...I guess...Qunari aren't raised in families, but...that's because...shit... [He chuckles. This is the first time he's really voiced it, really thought it through, and suddenly a lot of things are falling into place for him.] ...it's just a really big family. It's...more complicated, and probably not what you'd call a family but...yeah. Your roll in the group doesn't have to change just because the group does, right? What did the Bible tell you when you listened to it?

[ Carol follows his train of thought as best as she can, although it's becoming clear that neither really has the language to understand each other. ]

When I believed in God, the Bible explained the nature of God to me. That everything happens for a reason. There's a big plan and all the suffering that you can endure is leading to something, although you probably won't see any of the benefit until you're dead and in Heaven. Also if you're a woman you need to submit to your husband. If he's violent you can help lead him to God by being a good example and then maybe he'll... settle.

[ This got way more personal than she was ready to get. ]

Too much shit happened to keep believing in that kind of thing.

Bull's never tried to wrap his head around southern religion. In the Qun, they're taught that those who blindly follow the will of some supreme deity so do because they are too weak and lost to believe in something broader than themselves, that they are a part of something whole and without divine intervention.

After living around a bunch of people who believed in a supreme being for a long time, he's come to realize a lot of people use the Maker a lot like the Qunari use the Qun: it's just a way to rationalize something they aren't able to understand without it.

But everyone has a personal truth, and a place they feel they fit, he's starting to get that, and maybe the reason they've become so confused is that he and Carol are both in the midst of figuring out what that means.]

Shit has a way of doing that, yeah. You know, the Qun, the Maker, this God guy...maybe what they are isn't important. Maybe...it's what they help us find that matters.

Yeah, maybe.

[ She thinks it over for a while. Sure, she found some kind of peace in her religion. But was it a good thing? Or did it just convince her to keep putting up with shit she should have walked away from. Tricking her into enduring intolerable things because some force beyond her understanding wanted her to suffer for some reason it didn't bother to explain to anybody.

The more she thinks about it, the worse it is. ]

Or they give us easy answers to hard questions. Convince us to stop looking because it's more comfortable to recite things from memory than actually think it through ourselves. Life's a lot easier when you don't have to make any choices for yourself. That way if things go bad, it's not your fault. It's ... God's will or whatever.

Even if something's giving you all the answers, you still make choices, ma'am.

[He'd had to make some damned hard ones, even before...that last one.]

You got something harder to put in this cocoa? Sounds like we're going to need it where this is going.

[ Carol looks at her cup, already mostly done, and then looks up with a soft sort of smile. ]

Why don't we save that for next time? You've had enough big shocks in one day. Don't want to get too deep into the whole existential dread discussion until you've had a chance to settle in.

[ He chuckles, but he appreciates it and the sentiment behind it. ]

You got a deal, ma'am.

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