001: voice

[buttonedup]

( It's taken Cassandra a great deal of trial-and-error to be able to use the communicator at all. It sits awkwardly in her hands, as if mocking her ineptitude. The thought of people being able to see her face, from a distance, is frankly unnerving, so she quickly discounts the video option. Writing is bad enough when it's ink on paper, so that leaves her with one option she understands, really: voice communication. There are items in Thedas that have a similar function, Cassandra knows, but usually they're not so... bright. And rectangular.

Now, she knows, she is just procrastinating, and she is not the type of woman who likes to waste time. She flicks the audio function, like she'd been taught, and scowls at the device as if she expects it to stare back. )

I do not like this.

( A moment later, it's as though she's just realised she's already turned pressed the button. )

Oh! It's...on?

( Of course it is. And everyone has heard her confusion. Why did anyone think this form of communication was a good idea again? She does her best to gather both her composure and her thoughts. She starts to talk in a clipped staccato: )

I shall be brief. I am not familiar with this technology. Obviously. I was merely wondering if anyone else here is from a world similar to my own. I would like to hear your experiences, if you would share them.

( And she ends the call there partly because she's not sure what else to say but mostly because she's still not convinced that this actually worked. )

Comments

[whathawksdo]

Deliberately? How so? By not telling you my name when you never bothered to ask before?

[buttonedup]

( An irritated noise. )

I know your name. It shows up on the device.

No. You knew I was from Thedas and yet chose not to say anything.

[whathawksdo]

Well, what can I say? I could tell you were from Thedas, but it did not mean I knew who you were and I wasn't in the mood of a potential swording.

[buttonedup]

What makes you think I would want to stab you? ( Cassandra no... )

[whathawksdo]

It's a bit of a coin toss, isn't it? Either some people really, really like me, or they really, really hate me, and there's no easy way to tell which is which sometimes.

[buttonedup]

( She grunts. )

What is it you've done that is so controversial?

[whathawksdo]

Existing, mostly. [ She exists. It's just terrible. The worst. ] You know Garrett Hawke, don't you?

[ It's a useless question, since Hawke already knows the answer, but confirmation is a good way to start here. ]

[buttonedup]

The Champion of Kirkwall. ( Affirming what Hawke already knows. )

You are related?

( Varric didn't mention this. )

[whathawksdo]

What do you think?

[buttonedup]

It seems the most logical explanation.

( But. )

Varric didn't mention you in his book.

[whathawksdo]

Typically because people who aren't around for a book don't usually get put into it.

[ Although... does that mean Varric wrote about Bethany? Because if he did, there's a certain lovable dwarf in dire need of a mean letter. Maybe she'll ask, someday, just not now. ]

[buttonedup]

( Oh, he wrote about Bethany all right. )

Where were you, then?

[whathawksdo]

[ This would be a really great time to go "surprise, Garrett has a daughter", but somehow she feels Cassandra won't appreciate that joke and, honestly, this other Hawke fellow has begun to really get on her nerves of late. ]

Has anyone covered the entire 'surprise, there are different versions of Thedas' aspect of this mess yet?

[buttonedup]

I have been told about... the distortion of time. Something to that effect. Others are from the future.

[whathawksdo]

Time, events, and people, actually.

[buttonedup]

( She cannot disguise the confusion in her voice. ) The distortion of people?

[whathawksdo]

Tough one to wrap your mind around, isn't it? But I'll give you our current walking, talking example, which would be me. Apparently most Thedases [ Thedaii? Thedasis? Thed-- oh, whatever! ] have a Garrett Hawke. Mine does not.

[buttonedup]

What do you mean, your Thedas has no Garrett Hawke? The world would be so different if the Champion of Kirkwall did not exist.

[whathawksdo]

Oh, I only said no Garrett Hawke. There's still a Champion.

[buttonedup]

Then who is the Champion of Kirkwall?

[whathawksdo]

[ What? She isn't even going to take a guess? Really? Okay, okay, she probably shouldn't lie. That would be mean.

It would be awful.

On the other hand... ]

Well! Without a Garrett, it apparently defaults to Carver Hawke. Isn't that really weird?

[ Thank the Maker this is audio-only. She can't keep a straight face, she can't. ]

[buttonedup]

( Fortunately or unfortunately for Hawke, Cassandra has been spent too much time in Varric's company to be taken in that easily. )

Don't joke.

[whathawksdo]

[ Tsk, no fun. ]

Is it really that unbelievable? Varric didn't write him off as comedic relief, did he? I know, it's very easy to do, but really, my little brother wouldn't make too bad of a hero.

[buttonedup]

Ugh. That is not what I meant. Are you going to answer my question properly or not?

[whathawksdo]

Maybe I should have gone with the "daughter of Garrett Hawke" line after all... [ Oh well. Maybe next time! ] I'm the Champion of Kirkwall in that Thedas. Garrett never existed because I did instead, or, at least, that is what my best guess is.