Sebastian Vael (lordstarkhaven) wrote in canonwarslogs, @ 2014-09-27 00:50:00 |
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Entry tags: | penelope garcia, sebastian vael |
Who: Sebastian Vael & Penelope Garcia
What: Meetings
When: Mid-September
Where: The island, then Monaco
Rating/Warnings: PG, many flirtings
Sebastian was a bit confused by what he’d gone through in the last hour. Things had started out odd, and gone into straight-up mad. So he was ... what? A story? A fable? But he was here. He was flesh and blood. He wanted bloody coffee; that might show how real he was.
He was standing in line at the first coffee shop he’d found on the island, trying not to be upset or irritated. It was difficult, though - even the queue was ages long, winding around at a right angle. Still, he couldn’t do much but wait, so wait he did. He didn’t know where another coffee house might be.
As he tried not to get more and more impatient, at least the view got nicer. An extraordinarily attractive blonde showed up about five people behind him, with cat-eye glasses and ample cleavage. Sebastian was struck by her eyes most of all - she seemed so calm and relaxed. It was an attractive quality.
On impulse, when he got up to the counter at last, he told the worker, “The blonde lady a few people behind me? With the glasses? Please tell her that her drink is already paid for, would you? On me.”
The whole not-being-real thing was far less heady and strange for Garcia than the whole “everything you’ve ever fangirled is real now” bit. She almost screamed and jumped up and down when she saw Squirrel Girl posting, and that had been in public. But instead, she just clamped her mouth shut and squawked, ducking into a Starbucks and trying not to be noticed ogling the hot guy at the counter ordering.
The barista nodded and made a note of the drink; Sebastian handed over a ten-dollar bill and told her to keep the change. He waited for his drink, then headed for a table where he could watch the lady. It was only a bit creepy; if she told him to piss off, he would. He still had to figure out where Monaco was.
Garcia ordered her latte and blinked when she was told that the drink was paid for. The barista grinned when she pointed out the guy who’d paid for it, and Garcia dropped her purse. It was the vision she’d been checking out before.
Crap. Cool, calm, composed. She took her purse, grabbed her drink, and went over to him. “Thanks, that was sweet of you.”
Sebastian blinked, looking up with a smile, hoping she hadn’t seen him casually watching. “You’re welcome,” he said, smiling a bit. She had an unusual accent; she sounded almost like Varric. “Just did me good to see someone looking so content.” And attractive, but surely that was obvious.
She blushed a little, looking at the seat across from him. “May I sit down?” Augh, he sounded Scottish on top of being a first class stunner. She’d have to pinch herself eventually.
Shit. “Yes, of course. Sorry.” He felt himself keep smiling, hoping it didn’t look twattish. Sometimes he knew he could look smug. Or so Isabela had told him. “I’m Sebastian. By the way.”
“I’m Penelope. It’s nice to meet you, Sebastian.” Of course he was named Sebastian. Stupid hot Scots sounding people named Sebastian. Only this one was real and she might get to make out with him.
“That’s a lovely name.” And he actually meant it. It sounded exotic, like it was Antivan or something. “Do you live here? You can likely judge by the accent that I’m not a local.”
“Oh, I only just got here myself.” She winced, chuckling to herself. “The government just cleared me to mingle with the public. And I like your accent. Scottish?”
“Oh, you got that talk too?” Sebastian could relax a bit when he heard that. “No, I’m from a place called Starkhaven. I get the impression it’s not ... here.” As awkward as that sounded.
Blue eyes went wide and Garcia’s jaw dropped. “You’re Sebastian Vael? I - really?”
It was Sebastian’s turn to stare. “I ... yes. That’s my name. How could you possibly know that?” Especially if he wasn’t ‘real’? “Is this ... you’re not from Orzammar, are you? You’re too tall.”
“Oh, uh. No, not a dwarf. Just a fan?” She felt her cheeks going beet red, and she let her palms move to cover them. “Sorry, that must sound really crazy.”
“A ... fan. Oh. Right ... erm. What am I from?” Sebastian blushed, looking a bit away. “The blokes told me that I was, um. Fictional. But not why, or where from.”
“There’s a video game about you. It’s a bit like an interactive play, where you determine the order the events happen in,” she murmured. She knew he wouldn’t know what video games were, so she took out her phone and brought out YouTube to show him one of his cutscenes.
Sebastian was a bit lost until she took out a small device. “That’s a telephone, right? The government blokes filled me in a little bit, but I’m still going to look like a git, I’m afraid.” He wasn’t entirely sure how it worked, but he knew it did, and people could communicate with it.
“It is, yeah. They can do almost everything, really. But this is ... well, a moving picture from ... you.” She blushed when she hit play, waiting for him to freak out. She didn’t want to upset him, but the sooner he found out the better. The government suits had played her show for her until she’d made them turn it off.
Sebastian squinted at the thing, then jumped as it kicked into life. Suddenly on the little screen, there was a drawing of ... well, it certainly sounded like him. Talking to Hawke. “Andraste’s breath,” he murmured.
“I played this part twice,” she blushed. Stopping the playback, she put her phone back into her purse. “But I don’t want to upset you.”
“I’m not upset.” It was true. Upset would have included anger or terror. He felt neither. More like curiosity. “Is this ... Kirkwall, then?” He asked as she put the telephone away. “That’s a time in my life that was difficult.”
She nodded. “There was a whole bit about Hawke’s adventures leaving Ferelden and going to Kirkwall, yeah.” Garcia took his hand in hers and felt her eyes go wet. “My parents ... they passed about five or six years ago. I think it might get a little easier with time.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” He’d been wondering how she knew what he meant, but with a shock he realized that his family’s death was probably in this ... game. Whatever it was. He laughed softly. “That’s ... a little odd, I have to say.” The goose walking over his grave and all that.
“I know. I apparently have a show on telly, so that’s ... weird. Knowing everyone will know my business like that.” She wasn’t a super private person, but the idea of people knowing about her parents, about her getting shot, about how she coped via MMORPG - that was unnerving. “For what it’s worth, I’m really sorry about having a crush on you?”
That made him laugh. “Miss Penelope, I assure you, that’s the least uncomfortable part of all this.” She seemed very kind, and funny, and there was that cleavage, if he was honest. But her mention of television intrigued him. “There seems to be so much on the television. The black suits tried to explain it, but from what I grasped, most of it is sort of ... plays that you can watch without going to a theatre?”
“Exactly! Want me to show you?” She was trying to think of a way to say ‘want to come back to my place’ without sounding fresh. But he probably needed help finding Monaco anyway. “Want me to help you with it and help you find your home?”
He’d take her up on that; he wasn’t forward enough to think anything would actually happen, it wasn’t a date. But to spend more time with her right now would be very nice. “I think that’s a capital idea. They mentioned the port ... things. But I don’t get the impression it’s the ‘port’ that I’m used to.”
“Oh, no, it’s not a boat. It’s magic, and it sort of ... tugs you to where you’re going. Do you know the address?” She smiled, reaching out a hand to squeeze it gently. “I’ll help you get used to things here, as much as you need. Friends?”
“You’re very kind.” Sebastian nodded, fumbling in his pocket for the business card. He eventually retrieved it, amused at how ostentatious it was; his name was written in gold, with a fancy curly-cueing font.
Garcia’s eyebrow raised. “The Palace. Oh dear.” She leaned over to whisper in his ear. “Are you sure they’ll let me come with you?”
“I don’t see why not.” Sebastian was, after all, a royal. He didn’t allow anyone to tell him what to do. Except perhaps the Maker. And he didn’t exactly expect a vision or a sign from above out of the blue. “I’m the master of the house, aren’t I?”
Garcia couldn’t help the blush that came to her cheeks, but she bit her lip to keep from giggling like a dizzy schoolgirl. Great, now she was all turned on and wiggly. “That’s very true!”
“Then let’s be off, shall we?” Sebastian rose, offering her a hand. He tried not to be too grandiloquent, but she seemed to like it.
She just liked it when he was himself. Taking his hand, she smiled up at him, walking at his pace. “The portkey’s just around the corner, it’s why I came to this shop. I live in England now. Think of it as very Ferelden like.”
“England is like Ferelden?” Sebastian echoed. “I suppose I can remember that well enough.” He let her lead him toward whatever a portkey was. The black suited men had told him it was a transport device, but he didn’t know how.
“Rainy, and the accents are similar.” Garcia smiled and pointed to the poster. “See that? If you touch it and think of a place, it’ll take you there. It just has to be a place in this universe, unfortunately. It won’t work on any place in Thedas. And it’ll probably give you an upset tummy at first, but it’s better than taking a twelve hour flight.”
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “I suppose it’s no madder than some of the things Hawke could do.” He kept a hold on Penelope, figuring that if it did work, it couldn’t just jump across open space to take her, too. He thought firmly of my palace in Monaco and -
- he’d touched the poster and felt an immediate sharp yank on his innards, pulling him forward violently. All he could focus on was the shock and the aching now manifesting itself in technicolor - but then his feet touched the ground and he noticed cobblestones before bending over, feeling ill.
She reached out to him, rubbing his back in motherly concern. “The nausea will go away,” she murmured, one hand on his shoulder and the other moving in gentle circles. “It hit me pretty hard the first few times I used it.”
Sebastian managed not to be sick, but it was still touch and go. “That was thoroughly unpleasant.”
“I know. But flying in a plane is worse, if only because it would’ve been twelve hours or so.” She still rubbed in gentle circles, using the touch that only comes to motherly women without knowing she was a motherly woman. Garcia just liked people.
“Twelve hours? No thank you.” Sebastian eventually was upright and breathing. “Still. Not my favourite way to travel.”
“Well, hopefully you’ll get used to it. If not, I’ll visit you more than you visit me.” She smiled, fixing his hair as it had gotten a little mussed.
“Thank you.” Sebastian smiled a little as she fixed his hair. He turned around, trying to get his bearings, and blinked. “I think we’re on the palace grounds.” Immediately behind them, there was a massive, sprawling pile of brick and glass. Banners hung on either side of the entryway, ostensibly with the family crest on them. “Andraste’s eyes,” Sebastian murmured.
Even Garcia felt quiet for once. She swallowed thickly, feeling humbled by how beautiful the grounds were. “It’s gorgeous,” she murmured.
“It’s stunning.The idea that it’s ... mine ... is a bit mad.” Sebastian felt a bit dizzy. “My father is likely turning in his grave.” To think that an estate like this was his - what if he ran it into the ground?
“Well, that’s why you’d both have made good rulers. People who worry about abusing their power tend to be better with it than people who don’t.” She smiled and moved toward a rosebush, leaning down and sniffing one carefully.
“My father was a wonderful ruler and a terrible father.” Sebastian said it with as little rancor as he could. It was pointless to hold a grudge, and against Andraste’s teachings, besides. “Shall we go in?”
“Some people aren’t good at doing both.” Garcia nodded, smiling at his invitation. “You’re sure you want me to join you?”
“I did invite you here.” He’d gotten very used to fathers or other figures as such thinking ill of him. “I do know one thing, Miss Penelope. It’s about the attitude.” Sebastian took a breath, lifting his head up. He strode up to the French doors, opening them both at once, holding one for Penelope.
Watching him act princely in a video game was one thing, but this was different. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she bit her lower lip to hold back a sigh. “Right.” She followed him, walking inside and nodding a thank-you.
Sebastian sailed through the door, trying to look as imperious as he didn’t feel. But he’d barely made it fifteen feet before a quiet, polite voice addressed him. “Oh, Your Highness, I didn’t know you were home. My apologies - is there anything I can do for you?”
The voice belonged to an old man, dressed in a grey suit, but not livery. He was respectful, but not fawning, which Sebastian appreciated. “No,” he replied, “but Miss Garcia might like something.” This had to be a servant. No one else would have the right combination of manners and familiarity. “Penelope?”
She smiled, walking toward the man in the dove grey suit. Her hand extended for a shake as she bowed her head. “My name is Penelope Garcia, it’s very nice to meet you. I’m the prince’s acquaintance, I was going to help beef up computer security while I was in the neighborhood.”
The old man bowed. “I am Carlo, the prince’s manservant. My family has served for years- I grew up in the palace. Anything you require, I would be delighted to provide.” His accent was a bit heavy in English, but he managed.
Sebastian inwardly said a prayer of thanks for the man introducing himself. “Thank you very much,” he said to the man, smiling genteelly. “I think we’re all right for now. Though I appreciate your thinking of it.” As Carlo bowed and left, Sebastian turned back to Penelope. “I’m grateful for the assist.”
“Thank you, Carlo.” Garcia smiled brightly at the man; he seemed kind, and didn’t treat her like she was substandard because she was - gasp - a commoner. Turning back to Sebastian, she shrugged. “What are friends for?”
He would be fine with her as a friend. Though she was awfully pretty. “Still. Obliged.” Sebastian chuckled. “So. You were going to show me the television?”
“Right! So, what sort of program are you in the mood for? Funny things, silly, scary, action, or we could watch the news - a program dedicated to current events here. That might be awful though, it’s always depressing.” Yay, war.
“Something silly might be very welcome.” Sebastian was feeling a bit done up, at this point. “It’s been a long few hours - I know that sounds ridiculous, but it feels as though it’s been ages.”
“Oh, no, of course. There’s these things here called cartoons - they’re pictures that’re drawn, one gesture after another, like a flipbook.” God, she hoped they’d had flipbooks on Thedas. She turned on the TV and looked for Cartoon Network. Adventure Time would be good.
They’d had flip books on Thedas. Sebastian nodded. “That sounds rather amusing.” He sat down, not entirely sure what he needed to be doing. “You can manipulate it yourself? No assistance needed?”
“I can, yup. This thing controls the television.” She pointed out the remote, showing him the relevant buttons. “This turns it on and off, this goes through the list of programs, and this makes it louder and softer.” She figured he’d understand arrows well enough.
“Oh, well, that’s handy.” He couldn’t figure out how it worked with no wires, but he’d seen a lot of things he was mystified by lately. Sebastian watched as she hit the buttons and different plays - programmes, she’d said? - appeared in turn. “Fascinating.”
Smiling, she sat back and handed him the remote. “You pick! There’s all sorts of things, and honestly, you’ll know pretty quickly what you like or not.”
“All right.” Sebastian took the thing, eyeing it, he knew, somewhat warily. He pressed the up button, and promptly jumped three feet as an enormous explosion sound shattered the peace of the room. “Maker!”
Garcia had jumped too. “Maybe we should turn the volume down,” she murmured, nodding at the arrows labeled as such. “Make it less loud?”
“Good ... good idea.” He hit the arrow several times, and the sound minimized. “That was ... awful.”
“I’m sorry. Action films are ... explodey.” She winced. Fucking Michael Bay. “If you keep the volume low, then you can just turn it up when you find something.”
“That’s a brilliant idea.” Sebastian nodded slowly, keeping the volume low as he changed channels. “Safer.”
Grinning when she saw an animal program, she sighed contentedly. The sofa was comfy, she was sitting by the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen, and there were baby elephants on telly.
Sebastian heard her sigh, and left the program where it was. “That’s ... some sort of dog? And a ... Andraste’s eyes, what is that?” The huge grey animal wasn’t anything he’d seen before.
Garcia beamed. “Yup, that’s a dog playing with an elephant. There’s none around here that aren’t in zoos, don’t worry. And they only eat grass. But they’re really smart.”
“Elephant.” Sebastian repeated. “I’ll remember. I mean, some of the animals I see are familiar. Just ... not that.”
“See? It’s playing with a ball.” Garcia grinned. “Oh! We could go to the zoo sometime - it’s got loads of exotic animals, you could see them in person.”
“I know what a zoo is, we just didn’t have any elephants in the ones in Starkhaven.” Sebastian chuckled. “That actually sounds brilliant.” He smiled. “I rather like the idea of it. Could even make a day of it.” Was that a date?
“You can see what new animals there are here.” She blushed brightly. “Maybe get food after.” Was this a date?
“Oh, yes please. I’m curious about that.” Sebastian sighed, figuring he needed to bite the proverbial bullet. “If ... I’m not certain if that’s how one would ... I don’t know. I like you - but I get the impression that, erm.” Oh, Maker’s arse. “Courting rituals are a bit different here.”
Garcia blushed brightly. “They’re a lot more casual than they were in Thedas, I’m sure. What do you want it to be?” She couldn’t help but feel herself moving a little closer to him. Mentally, she scolded herself for the desire to sneak a kiss. What if he was fresh from the Chantry?
Sebastian considered before replying. “I like you ... but I think I might like to ... not pay court, I don’t think. But to have ... perhaps more than friendship?” How awkward. You couldn’t very well tell a woman ‘Yes, I might like to have sex with you’ out loud, not even here. As casual as it was.
Leaning into him, Garcia couldn’t help but press her lips to his. She felt her eyelids flutter closed, and she couldn’t help but sigh happily. Scratch one off of the Never Gonna Happen Bucket List.
Sebastian felt the blush up to the roots of his hair. But he didn’t stop it. He didn’t want to stop it. “I. That is.”
“Sorry. Um. Dating here is what we do before courting? It’s like courting, but way more casual, and you do it until you’re ready to actually start courting.” She’d only leaned back just enough to talk to him, not really wanting to stop snogging. “If you want.”
“I see.” Sebastian nodded slowly. “An intermediate step. I presume it’s because people don’t arrange marriages anymore?”
“Yeah. And divorces are more common now.” She smiled and let her head rest on his shoulder for a moment. “It’s why I’ve never been married before, I only want to do it once.”
Sebastian didn’t particularly like that. “They’re common?” he echoed, frowning. “Really?” That seemed somehow wrong. “We had it in Thedas, but there had to be grounds.” Usually, a man tiring of his wife. But still.
“Half of all marriages now end in divorce. Sometimes it’s for good reasons - women don’t have to stay with men who hit them - but I think some people take things too flippantly.” Garcia smiled and kissed Sebastian lightly on the cheek. “I’ve never been married, just because I only want to do it once.”
“That’s how I think I’d feel.” Sebastian said, after considering a minute. “Though I am very glad to hear that husbands or wives who are abused aren’t made to stay together for the ‘godliness of it’ or some such.” He sighed. “The only time I think anyone should hit a woman is if she’s hit you first.” He did smile a little at that. “I have had women try to kill me!”
“Self-defense is always acceptable,” Garcia smiled. She leaned back and thought about what to say next. “Before my parents passed away, they told me that no matter who I married, be it my soul mate or a stranger, it’d take work no matter what. And that’s true, and I think people forget that. You have to try hard in any marriage, even the good ones.” Her fond smile was unmistakable when she spoke of her parents.
“Your parents sound like kind people.” Sebastian did his level best to block out thoughts of his own. “And I think their advice was appropriate. Work is always required, in any relationship, romantic or otherwise.”
“They were, yeah.” Garcia smiled and crossed her legs. “Exactly! Even in friendships, or relatives, effort’s important.” She squeezed his hand and ran her thumb over Sebastian’s knuckles. “We’re friends, by the way, so if you need help getting adjusted, I’ll leave a number you can put into your phone - I’ll show you how - and you can talk to me, any time, night or day.”
He caught the ‘were.’ “I’m sorry.” Sebastian grimaced. “About your parents. But I would like that, with the telephone. I’m still figuring it out, though.”
“It’s all right,” Garcia smiled sadly. “It was about ten years ago, and I’m all right now.” She pulled her phone out of her handbag. “Do you have anything in your pockets that looks a bit like this?” She had a cheerful phone case with Hello Kitty eating a cupcake emblazoned upon its back.
Sebastian started to look, sticking his hands in the pockets that he could find. Eventually he came up with a hard plastic object (at least, he thought it was plastic) and held it out. “I think this is one.”
“It is.” She pointed out the button that woke up the phone, glad that it wasn’t locked and that she wasn’t going to have to figure out a password. Then she pointed out the button that brought up his list of contacts, adding herself so he could just press on the picture of his new friend Penelope to ring her.
He watched her add her number, smiling a bit. “Thank you,” he said. “For ... everything, really. It’s been a delight to meet you, and I don’t just say that because you’re very pretty.” That didn’t seem too rude to say.
“You are too, you know.” Garcia immediately colored afterward, her cheeks going bright pink. “Um. You know what I mean. And you’re welcome! That’s what friends do, they help.”
He rather thought he did understand, but he just smiled. To be on the safe side. “Still. Maker bless you for being so ... understanding. Some people here seem rather as though they’re on fire to get somewhere.”
“I’m kind of a helper, it’s in my nature. Heck, it’s my job.” She squeezed his hands before she stood up. “I should let you get some sleep, though. I don’t know where Thedas is, but I’m sure it’s really far from here.”
“Quite.” Sebastian stood up, smiling, escorting her toward the door like a gentleman. “I’ll use the telephone soon. I mean. I’ll ... use it to get a hold of you.” It was much handier than letters.
She smiled brightly. “I’ll show you how to use it for other stuff next time. You can do so much with it, it’ll probably scare you.” And hey, if he ever got stuck somewhere, she’d turned the GPS on in his phone. She could find him.
“It just might!” Sebastian held the door for her, spying Carlo in the hallway - surely he could direct her into a cab. Or she could steal around and find the portal ... thing. This was a lot to take in. But at least she was pleasant to think about.