tɦɛ iɳquiรitѳʀ (freemarched) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-05-25 22:12:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, cullen rutherford, maxwell trevelyan (the inquisitor) |
Who: Cullen & Trevelyan (with Meredith & Samson the adorable pitbulls)
What: Chess, coffee, and checking up
When: Sometime in...recently. Let's go with that.
Where: A park
Rating/Warnings: Talk of the general unpleasantness of Thedas, nothing very awful
Status: Complete
It was a pleasant day, at a pleasant park, and there was something about the oceanic air that sort of rejuvenated the senses. Maybe it was the salt, or the distant cry of seagulls - maybe it was the boaters in the distance, or the upscale homes that were draped along the hillsides. Plenty of benchers were available, which made for nice views of the cliffs and the beachside; the waves themselves were mesmerising, and the place was so secluded that Max even heard tales about being able to actually see the stars in the night sky - they probably wouldn’t make it that far, but in a bustling urban zone, that was somewhat of a feat. He brought coffee and the chessboard, and treats for Samson and Meredith (Samson and Meredith - part of him jolted at those names, and internally asked questions like ‘should I tell him?’ but thought it best to not open his big mouth right now), who were running around enjoying themselves. Trevelyan was worried about Cullen - they were close in the dreams, not just because the man was one of his advisers. But the Inquisitor had a respect for him, despite their differences - one being a mage, the other a Templar. He was one Templar who had been through a lot - he’d seen and felt what happened at the Ferelden Circle, torture and bloodshed, demons trying to break him, and then Kirkwall. Well, Kirkwall was coming up - that was a whole other layer. “Have you dreamed of the Inquisition yet?” Max asked, just to make sure - he wouldn’t spoil anything, but he wanted assure Cullen that eventually he found his way. That there were many reasons to be proud of him. He was a bit surprised that Max had contacted him and invited him out for a day at the beach. He wanted to decline at first, but in the end agreed to it. It wouldn’t be bad to get closer to his dream-companions, and Trevelyan was the decent sort, even though his Templar side was prickling at the thought of him being a mage. Cullen did his best to ignore it. This wasn’t the dreams and there weren’t going to be any demons or angered mages wanting to rip him to pieces. Just the opposite, really. Max seemed rather glad to get Cullen out so they could talk, and the dogs were happy they even got treats out of the whole thing. They’d been calming down the past couple of weeks, not enjoying their master’s anxiety, though it was something that Samson was especially used to as a service dog. While Meredith was running circles around the two men, Sam stayed closer to Cullen who was sitting himself down across from Max, taking a sip of his coffee. “No, not yet. Why do you ask?” He played with one of the chess pieces, allowing Trevelyan to set up the board for them. Trevelyan liked this set - it wasn’t anything fancy, but it was old, hand-carved wooden pieces. He’d let Cullen be white, whereas the Inquisitor was black - chess was also a game good for getting the gears turning, and delving into Important Talks. “Well, nothing leading up to that is easy,” he spoke, setting the last smooth piece into place on the board between them. “There are years in Kirkwall you still have to dream of.” Years that Cullen spent witnessing corruption of his fellow Templars and abuse of mages in the Circle, mages becoming abominations because (again) they were desperate, then the disillusionment he must have felt when Knight-Commander Meredith went completely apeshit. Max hadn’t been there for that but they’d all heard things about the start of the Mage-Templar war. “But you join the Inquisition later, fair-minded and very noble. I just wanted you to know that I appreciate it.” He paused. Cullen had left the Order, obviously - but he wouldn’t come right out and say that, not unless asked. He paused in setting up the white pieces on his side of the board and looked up with bright eyes to stare into Max’s face, his expression somewhat troubled, though he was doing his best to fend off the anxiety. “Yes...I dreamed of getting transferred to Kirkwall. I thought it would be easy after the Circle in Ferelden.” He couldn’t imagine it was going to be that easy, especially knowing that Hawke would be around. Trouble followed that man everywhere...but the same could be said for Cullen. The templar swallowed hard before lifting a hand to muss the blond curls of his hair. He had so many questions to ask about his future dream self. He wanted to know he’d be alright in the future. Possibly happy. “So then...things get better?” It definitely wasn’t easy in Kirkwall - then again, nothing was. Not with the former Qunari presence and how the war ignited, how the city had burned. But Max was sort of relieved that Cullen had gotten there in the dreams. That meant he’d be seeing his trek to the Inquisition too, and all that came with everything - there were a lot of bad times, but also a lot of good. The companions, his advisers - they were becoming Trevelyan’s family, the more they went through together. “They do, in a sense,” he said, brow furrowed, debating how he wanted to put it. Another sip of coffee taken, first move on the chessboard made - and so the game officially began, while Samson and Meredith rolled around in the grass in the distance. “It doesn’t seem that way at first. Corypheus wants to destroy southern Thedas, and because of what he did there are many rifts to close - there’s a Breach, a hole ripped in the Veil that separates us all from the Fade. And it sort of became everyone’s problem, which was why the Inquisition was formed - the political messes in Thedas didn’t just magically go away, but we all put them aside to come together and do the right thing.” Which was to save Thedas, obviously. That shithole world they all wanted to keep living in. “There’s a war on the horizon, with Corypheus and his followers like I said. You had some trouble with lyrium. But I was there for you, you were important to me - you still are. And I know that you can survive anything because I’ve seen it happen.” There was a strange well of emotions inside of Cullen, between his time spent with Alistair, his dreams, old friendship with Hawke and now...this. He was starting to feel like he could find that solid footing again, though it would still take some work, mostly from himself -- learning to trust again and not let himself be haunted by his life in Thedas. “I suppose things have to get worse before they can get better, yeah?” Cullen’s chuckle was strained, fingers working over one of his white pieces while he pondered his move, taking it a moment later. “It just can’t be easy though. It’s just suffering and more suffering. So many people getting hurt in the process… I know my beliefs are somewhat skewed in the dreams, but all I’ve wanted is to do good. ...Also wanted to spare my family knowing the pain of my personal battles, but that’s a whole other situation.” Whether it was about his morals or the lyrium use. His hands twitched at the thought of it and he suddenly whistled, his two pits running over excitedly. Cullen leaned down and scratched both of them behind the ears before digging into his bag for two treats. Their tails wagged even faster before their master tossed one to each of his beloved pets. “You hardly know the real me, Max. I’m not so brave.” “I know all you wanted to do is good. It’s...that’s just who you are.” Max felt like he knew that, he knew Cullen was a survivor, knew that Leliana was one of the strongest allies he could ever have, knew that he had loved Dorian once, so very deeply, down to the marrow of his bones. And for Cullen, he had seen the effect lyrium withdrawal had - the delirium, the headaches, the nightmares. Few humans survived that, but Cullen always had a strong will. He’d shown the Inquisitor a moment of weakness, and Trevelyan made a choice - to help him through it or not. He’d chosen to help the soldier, and that wasn’t a decision he regretted. He smiled a little, making his own move on the chessboard after some deliberation. Both of the dogs got a few scratches behind the ears from him too - they seemed to like him a lot more than their real-life counterparts would have. Samson especially, shit. “And you are very brave. In the last life and this one - you’re a veteran, aren’t you? You’ve always wanted to help people, to do good things. I don’t see a lot of differences in who you are, or Dorian or anyone who was there for the Inquisition. So you know that I’m here for you, whatever you need.” A hand went to Cullen’s shoulder, and he squeezed gently. “Okay?” It was true. Cullen had always been good, even as a child when the other kids were getting themselves into trouble, doing things they shouldn’t. He’d watched out for his younger siblings, like Mia had watched out for him, then he watched out for his squad when he served. He’d been out to protect others and make a difference, even if it got him a load of baggage in the end. Samson happily drooled on Max and moved to give him a big lick on the face, making Cullen chuckle at the sight of it. He was a well-trained service dog, but when Cullen allowed him time “off-duty”, he basked in giving his master and his friends all the affection he could. Meredith was a little bit more...under control. “Yeah, I am a vet. I’ve had my fair share of being brave and helping others.” He gave a little shrug that seemed so nonchalant when he was pushing back the memories of his military service. Only Max’s warm hand on his shoulder snapped him back to the present. “T-thanks. I appreciate it. Really, I do. Lord knows I could use more friends.” Oh, doggie drool. That was special. Max didn’t have a dog, the idea had never even really occurred to him, but he had to admit that Samson was pretty cute - kind of goofy, for a pitbull. The tongue bath made him laugh too, and he was all about showering him with puppy talk and lots of butt scratches. Who’s a good boy! “I’ll always be your friend. You’re stuck with me now,” he winked, making his next chess move. Not like he was in a hurry - they had what seemed like forever to relax and take a load off. Even Heralds could use the break sometimes. “So, you and...Alistair? Is that still a thing?” Not like they flaunted whatever was between them, and Max couldn’t blame them for that. But he was just curious, and hoping that Cullen was content with things. Cullen got a little distracted by the sight of the Inquisitor giving Samson a load of affection, his little tail wagging even faster and taking his hips along for the ride. Mere noticed all the doting happening so soon enough she was begging Max for some of her own, butting her doggy brother playfully out of the way for scratches. Bright eyes wandered down to the chessboard, mostly so Cullen could hide the redness of his face when Max decided to bring up Alistair. “It’s...some sort of thing, yes. We’re not together, but I quite fancy him. He’s hard to not fancy. I’m just...not exactly sure what to do. I’ve never been in a relationship before,” he admitted rather sadly. “We’ve kissed and held hands and been on a couple of dates.” Meredith begging for attention from a mage. It was very ironically poetic, when you thought about it - but she was cute too, and Max couldn’t really deny her. He offered equal amounts of butt scratches for the lady-pup - it was a hard spot to reach, and she seemed happy getting the attention. But speaking of adorable - Cullen talking about holding hands with the King of Ferelden really kind of took the cake. “Well, as long as it’s at a comfortable pace for you and you’re happy? Things will fall into place,” he assured, picking up his coffee to take a long, caffeinated sip. “It’s nice to have someone who’s there for you, and gets you. Especially since dreaming of Thedas is...difficult.” That was certainly true. “I wouldn’t worry so much about what to do. It should be something that you don’t stress about, something natural.” Sadly, Cullen quite doubted the level of adorableness he possessed, though he thought Alistair was just the cutest, sweetest man he had ever met and just the idea of having another date with the Warden made him grin from ear to ear practically. “It’s comfortable and I’m very happy to spend time with him. I just hope he doesn’t get tired of having to reassure me that I’m worth his time. Or that demons aren’t going to appear in my bedroom from the Fade, or that I’m not going to go bloody insane from the dreams.” The Templar gave a heavy sigh and moved one of his pieces over the board. “It’s embarrassing really. I can apparently fight evil creatures, but I can’t just...push Alistair against the wall and snog ‘im so hard he forgets about everything else.” Cullen scrubbed a hand through his blond hair at the thought of it all. “Because I would love to really snog him and… I need to not talk about this.” Because he was sure his face was as red as a tomato. “I doubt he’ll get tired of any of that.” Max was no fortune teller, but he had a feeling that Alistair wouldn't give up so easily, just because things were difficult or his partner was going through a rough time - those from Thedas were all stubborn brats sometimes, Inquisitor included. “He’s going to be there through both the bad times and the good - because none of the dream stuff gets any easier. So don’t be afraid to lean on him a little - you’re strong, Cullen, but you don’t have to be all the time.” Sometimes it was okay to just let someone else be that way for awhile, to fight for you rather than let you do all the fighting on your own. One of the pieces removed from his side of the board, and he took another, the game progressing - and he chuckled fondly, a warm sound. “I’m sure you could push Alistair against the wall,” Trevelyan hummed. “When the time is right, you will. You’re just going to walk in and pin him and kiss him until he can’t breathe.” Swoon! In the past few years he had grown used to fighting his battles alone. It wasn’t just the PTSD, it was the anxiety, and the depression, the thought that no one would ever want to be with him with all of his mental baggage, that they would grow sick of him sooner or later. Alistair didn’t seem that type though, so perhaps he really could lean on the warden for some support. “You’re rather good with advice, you know that? Must come with being Inquisitor…” Cullen hid his smile behind his hand as he rested his chin in his palm and looked over the board. “I suppose I’ll have to fill you in on all the details when the time to snog the king of Ferelden comes.” He moved his other hand over the board and made his own move, still grinning like a fool. |