i wish a cat would get your tongue }{ OPEN video; + action;

[considerdying]

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The morning dawns early for Hawke. It might also for certain people in Itinere as the communication device gets knocked over. And then turned on by a very inquisitive and large dog nose. The dog licks the screen, clearly pleased with himself for figuring out how to turn the thing on, and then glances up at the bed. Clearly there's someone in it, though it's hard to tell who from this angle.

The dog quietly steps forward and then--

POUNCE.

Hawke yelps as the mastiff-looking dog licks her like crazy. "Cailan, stop. You know you're not allowed on the--"

The sound of her mabari's name stops her cold. Finally managing to shove him off of her, she sits upright. The dog, happy now that his mistress is awake, leaps off the bed, barking and dancing around the room. He has clearly been pent up too much. But Hawke isn't focused on that. She's focused on the fact that her mabari is somehow... here.

"Cailan!" she finally calls, sliding out of bed so she can throw her arms around him. The dog finally stills long enough for that before wriggling out of her arms and flopping over to roll onto his back with his feet comically pawing the air. Hawke can't help but laugh. At least until one of his paws shoots the communicator at her.

"You came back and you let the entire world know? What a drama-monger you are. Someone might start thinking you're Orlesian."

The dog immediately stops rolling, ears back, and growls.

"Not me, of course. But someone might."

To which the dog whines in a "but whyyyy" tone. Hawke laughs and turns the device off.

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Later on, Hawke can be found playing in the snow with her mabari, looking actually happy for once. Likely happier than most people have seen her. They do a bit of hunting at some point, too, which is mostly just Hawke telling the dog to go fetch something yummy and waiting to see what happens. But they can be found around the city as Hawke introduces her fierce war hound to Itinere.

Comments

[considerdying]

[ for once in her life, hawke is wearing something other than her armor. she's actually in normal clothes and all bundled up, too. the dog isn't, but he's more suited to the weather. she might be looking for a blanket for him anyway.

when she spots jill, she grins and gives one of the toys in her hand a toss in her friend's direction. cailan follows the trajectory, obviously waiting to see what happens. if jill catches it, cailan will start his butt-wiggling dance again, clearly wanting her to throw it for him. if she doesn't, he'll run up to grab it. either way, he wins and hawke gets entertainment. ]

I think he likes you.

[sempreadagio]

[ Jill is so pleased to see that Hawke is getting comfortable in her new clothes. She looks really good, from Jill's perspective. That's a fact.

Tossing Jill the toy would be a great plan if Jill were at all athletic, which she is not. So while she makes an attempt at lifting her hands to catch it, it basically hits her somewhere in the middle of the chest, she fumbles with it, then it falls in the snow. Never fear though, she leans over to pluck it up out of the snow just as Cailan gets there too. She comes back up triumphant and still smiling. ]

Got it! [ She waggles it in the air at the dog and then tosses it for him. ]

[considerdying]

[ jill gets the butt wagging thing again and then cailan takes off as she tosses it. the dog catches the toy and then starts to bring it back. he's got it halfway before he stops, turns, and then sniffs the wind. then he actually drops the thing, barks at hawke to get her attention, and takes off. ]

Cailan!

[ okay that... can't be good. hawke shoots a worried look at jill. ]

He's found something and it could either be something nice and fun or something that tries to kill us. Between the two of us, we'll keep you safe if something does come crawling out of the Fade, but I won't blame you if you don't want to chase after my crazy dog.

[sempreadagio]

[ It's obvious that something went wrong when Cailan didn't come back. Not that Jill has ever had a dog, but she thinks they're supposed to bring the thing you throw for them back. When Hawke gives her an 'out' in regard to going with her, Jill shakes her head. ]

Are you kidding? It's an adventure. Let's go!

[ She starts running through the snow after the dog with Hawke. ]

[considerdying]

[ hawke appreciates jill's enthusiasm. apparently she just attracts people who follow her lead. whatever does it, it works. she grins in return and takes off, stooping to grab the dropped toy on her way.

the dog leads them on a merry chase through town, glancing back every so often as though to make sure they're still following. that's how hawke knows he's got something important. whatever it is, he wants them to find it with him. ]

Maker's breath, Cailan, [ she swears at one point, just before cailan comes to a stop in front of a building that should not be here. it looks like part of kirkwall just popped up out of nowhere and for a few long minutes hawke can only stand and gawk at it. cailan looks from the house to hawke, tilts his head, and whines. he's as confused as she is. ]

Jill, you're the Itinere expert. How possible is it for entire estates to get replicated here?

[ obviously she recognizes this place. how convinced she is that it's the real thing is up in the air. ]

[sempreadagio]

[ Now, it should be said that if they actually do run into any trouble that Jill is ill-equipped to handle it and will lose all of her excitement and bravado. In fact, she'll probably just play it safe and hide behind Hawke.

That said, for the moment she's plowing ahead with her friend after Cailan as if this is the best scavenger hunt ever. The group of them end up stopping in front of a fairly large building that Jill has never seen before - and she's been all over Itinere for some time. ]

Oh it's pretty possible. I've seen the whole city destroyed and then rebuild itself on its own. And the Houndstooth? It appeared overnight. I know that for a fact.

[ It's obvious that this place means something to Hawke. ] Is it from your world?

[considerdying]

[ hawke just stares up at the massive stone and the wooden door, all covered with vines still. like it's still a part of kirkwall. a half part, or the rest of the stone city would be here, too. but then she shakes herself inwardly, and points up at the two shields on either side of the entryway. ]

This is the Amell estate. [ technically, it's the hawke estate now, but she'll always think of it as the amell family first, oddly.

cailan barks a few times, pawing at the door. hawke gently scolds him for marking it up, even though nothing can be seen at all, and then pushes open the door. ] Let's see what else is inside. If some giant spider has made a nest in here, I'm out.

[ if so, the damn things can have the place. she's had enough spiders to last a lifetime.

the entryway is fairly large and even has a skylight. cailan bypasses that and runs immediately into the next room, where he points his nose at the cold fireplace and whines. hawke sighs dramatically as she makes her way inside. ]

What is it, boy? Do you want me to light it for warmth or for vision?

[ the dog just stares at her and whines. so much for communication. though at least there's wood in the fireplace and hawke can light it with a well-placed fireball if push comes to shove. once lit, though, the room definitely warms up and hawke takes the time to light all the braziers so they can see. and be warm. ]

Welcome to the estate, Jill.

[ welcome to another piece of hawke's life. and if she looks a little sad, there's a good reason for it. ]

[sempreadagio]

[ It's pretty impressive, really. Way more impressive than most of the ordinary buildings in Itinere. This is something that looks old and beautiful. It has character, even right here on the outside of it. ]

Who are the Amell's? [ Jill asks the question as Hawke opens the door and Cailan runs inside. Jill steps inside and looks around with something akin to awe. This is beautiful. It's a massive space and Jill kind of loves it.

She starts to move through the place without even thinking that it might be rude to do so. But it's like being in a castle and Jill has never been in a castle before. ]

This is amazing! [ Her voice echoes off of the stone. ]

[considerdying]

My mother's family. This is our family estate.

[ it's surreal to be here again, surreal to walk in and not see bodahn and sandal in the corner. surreal not to have mother, even though she hasn't been in the estate in years. four years. has it been that long?

at least cailan still likes his place by the fire. best guard dog.

hawke doesn't mind if jill explores the place, but the second she wanders close to mother's room is the second hawke will be there to gently stop her. everything else is more or less fair game. ]

It'll take a little time to warm up, [ she says as she lights a torch and starts bringing the light to the other fireplaces. ] I'm glad you're here, Jill, and you're welcome any time. You and Lucy. It'll be... lonely with no one else here.

[sempreadagio]

[ Of course it's her family estate. Once that clicks into fact into her brain space, Jill feels a little bit better about roaming around. If Hawke minds she can tell her. It also occurs to Jill that two of her best friends here come from some kind of wealth. Yes, she knows Hawke wasn't always so, but she has an estate now. Lucy comes from money too.

Jill, decidedly, has never had that. She briefly wonders why these people are friends with her, not for the first time, and then pushes that to the back of her mind. She's making her way just fine, back home and here. Those insecurities are old. ]

We'll be sure to stop by a lot. [ Jill doesn't open any closed doors so her mother's room is hopefully safe. She does circle back to walk with Hawke though as she lights fireplaces. ]

Hawke this place is so cool. It's like a castle. [ Her voice echoes off the stone walls. She pauses by the fireplace Cailan is standing by as the fire is brought to life. ] How old is this place?

[considerdying]

[ one of hawke's eyebrows arches at the declaration that this is like a castle and she glances around the main room with amusement. ] If you think this is a castle, remind me never to show you Redcliffe Castle, the Ferelden palace in Denerim, or the Winter Palace in Orlais. They would put this to shame.

[ mostly because those are actual castles and palaces fit for legitimate royalty, which hawke is quite glad not to be. putting the torch out once both fireplaces are lit, she settles it somewhere it won't catch a rug on fire before she motions for jill to join her by the warmth. cailan has already settled in by the fire, soaking up the heat. ]

I don't know exactly how old it is. As old as Kirkwall, I would assume. [ she has to think about that one for a minute. ] Founded around 620 Ancient, if I remember history correctly [ ha ha ha. ] and it's now 9:41 Dragon, so over a thousand years old. Looks good for its age.

[ still cold, but that can't be helped. ]

It should warm up soon. Bodahn used to say it's because of the stone and a good dwarf would know. He also liked to keep the fireplace a little dirty. Said it reminded him of a mine shaft.

[ she really will miss bodahn and sandal here. the house just won't be the same without them. thank the maker she has cailan, though, or she'd be doing very poorly here indeed. ]

You and Lucy can have full reign of the house, [ she continues, glancing at cailan to be sure he heard. the dog huffs softly. ] Just... not the room at the top of the stairs.