#sure I'll tag this as zevkya

[herearedragons]

The Warden's New Clothes

As the glow of the healing spell subsides and Wynne removes her hands from the injury, Kyana dares to glance at her side once again. What was a miserable sight mere moments ago is now a perfectly healthy patch of skin, no trace of the burns left on her torso or left arm.

It’s not the first time she wishes Wynne had been there when they climbed the tower of Ishal.

There is, however, a problem remaining. Where skin can be fixed, fabric not so much; the remains of her sleeve are hanging in sorry tatters and the state of the left side of her robe is definitely indecent. Adding insult to injury, the enchantment has evaporated from the garment, the fabric hanging heavier and colder than usual.

“Blast it,” Kyana murmurs - and startles, suddenly remembering that Wynne is still there. Have her manners spoiled so much that she curses at a senior enchanter without a second thought?

To her relief and wonder, Wynne does not express any disapproval, simply nodding:

“We should get you changed. Boys - “ the enchanter steps out of the corner they had retired to so that she could heal Kyana with some privacy - “One of you should go back to the mages’ quarters, see if there are any clothes intact in the wardrobes. We need a new set of robes, as close to Kyana’s size as you can get.”

It’s a strange experience, hearing Wynne give out orders to… yes, to her team; Kyana has to admit to herself that she has come to view them as such. Even Zevran, new as he is to the group. He had sworn his loyalty to her, personally; surely that counts for something?

Speaking of the assassin - it’s his voice that she hears answering Wynne.

“What about this one? There’s barely any blood on it - “

“Maker, ew. Really?”

The second voice is Alistair. At that point, Kyana decides to see what the fuss is about and joins the rest, holding the left side of her robe together with her hand.

The scene which appears before her is self-explanatory. Zevran is pointing at a corpse on the ground. Wynne and Alistair are looking upon it disapprovingly.

The body belongs to the blood mage they just fought. Her clothes are… unusual, definitely not of the Circle, and yet familiar. It takes Kyana a moment to place the image, but then she remembers: the vault. There was definitely a robe of a similar design in there, hanging in a glass case. Was it the same one, or just a similar item? Either way, if she’s right, it’s old, it’s from Tevinter, and it probably bears a powerful enchantment.

Kyana reaches for her magic, just slightly, but enough to confirm one half of her theory: the dead woman’s robe is very enchanted.

She definitely wants it now.

“Zevran is right,” she says. “We don’t have time to search the rooms. This will do.”

With that, she begins to direct her magic further. The force of telekinesis lifts the body up from the ground; Kyana lets it rotate mid-air for a few moments, getting a feel for the object she’s about to manipulate. Then, the same telekinetic force begins undoing buttons, buckles and clips, pulling elements of clothing off of the corpse. 

Part of her is glad that Wynne is watching; she’s been honing her precision telekinesis for a while. Nobody in the camp, not even Morrigan, seemed to appreciate it much - but, surely, the senior enchanter understands the work that has gone into this.

Another part of her wonders whether she’s supposed to be more hesitant to undress a dead body, but it’s not a very useful thought, and she lets it go fairly quickly.

If Kyana had to guess, she would say that the whole process takes less than two minutes; definitely less time than it would require to search the living quarters again.  

The new robe fits tighter than the Circle one, mostly due to panels of some stiff material sewn into it in several places. It's definitely more restricting, though Kyana finds that she doesn't mind that much; it feels almost like wearing armor, or, at least, what she imagines wearing armor feels like.

It is strange, though. She somehow feels more dressed than she ever was before; the Circle robes were so familiar that they were almost a part of her, but this... this is alien, a tangible barrier between her and the rest of the world.

“Well… You know, it is quite pretty,” Alistair says. “It’d be even prettier if I could unsee you taking it off of a corpse.”

“Shall I remind you where your armor came from?” Kyana asks dryly.

“That’s different! The armor’s not touching my skin. Also, I cleaned it before putting it on.”

“I also cleaned it! Who do you think I am?”

Alistair raises an eyebrow.

“Cleaned how?”

“Magic.”

“Well, I hope those spells were effective, because otherwise - that’s pretty gross.”

“If I may, Warden,” Zevran pipes up, “Please do not take this the wrong way, but… may I have your old clothes?”

Alistair gives him a look.

“Is there a right way to take this?”

There seems to be some kind of lewd joke implied - she’s been getting better at noticing those kinds of things - but presently, Kyana doesn’t have time to unpack the exact meaning of it. If Zevran wants the rags, he can have them. 

She uses a small burst of telekinetic force to pick up the robes and toss them to the assassin.

“Many thanks,” he says.

The sound of tearing fabric follows immediately after. It takes her a moment to understand what he’s doing, but when Zevran tears a narrow strip of fabric from the robe and starts wrapping it around his right hand, Kyana finally notices:

“Your gloves are ruined.”

They’re in a similar state to her old robe; the top part is almost entirely burned away. Was he the one to finish off the Rage demon? Likely so, considering the singe marks on his arms and the rest of his armor.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Zevran says. “If you see nice leather gloves on someone here, do let me know.”

He finishes securing the remains of his right glove to his hand and prepares to tear off another strip of fabric.

“…Wait.”

Kyana opens one of the pouches on her belt. There, nestled alongside a few healing potions, is a rolled-up pair of leather gloves.

“Here.” She holds them out. “I bought these a while ago, but didn’t end up wearing them that much. They’re warm, but not that good for spellcasting.”

Zevran stops mid-tear.

“You’re… giving me gloves?”

“Well, I don’t use them. Do you not want them?”

“No, no - I did not mean to sound ungrateful. I’ll take them.”

As he approaches to collect the gloves, something about them seems to catch his attention; Zevran lingers for a moment before finally taking them from her hand.

“These are Dalish, are they not?” he asks.

“Yes. I bought them from a Dalish craftsman.”

Zevran turns the gloves in his hands, runs his thumb along one of the stitches - appreciating the craftsmanship, maybe?

“No one has simply… given me a gift before,” he says finally. “I shall treasure these. Thank you.”

It didn’t occur to her to think of it as a gift, but technically, he’s correct.

It’s just as well. If they’re of a better use to Zevran than to her, he should have them.

“It’s nothing,” Kyana says. “I hope they fit.”

[herearedragons]

...saw a post saying that we should use poetic/descriptive ship names more, and you know what, why not. let's try making some for my own ships and maybe finally establishing their ship tags in the process

(note: I'm going to be referring to a specific type of ship names as "BG3-like". I know the BG3 fandom probably didn't invent those but that's where I know them from and that's what the post was referencing, so that's the name they get)

Pillars of Eternity

Edér x Selene - I saw "tide and shore" on that character dynamics poll and I don't think I can come up with anything that beats that.

Aloth x Lorenzo - honestly not sure. The best ones I have are "mirror image" (because their dynamic is about The Parallels and also, wizard reference) and a BG3-like "spellsong" (because. wizard and chanter) but I'm not too attached to either of those. More research required.

Dragon Age

Zevran x Kyana Amell - my absolute first thought was "ill omen" because. uh. he's a Crow. and she's ominous. and if you're not from their friend circle seeing them together is probably a sign of bad luck for you, specifically. I could go BG3-like and call them "crowtower", which sounds pretty metal, but a little less personal to me. (I like the name combination method for them better though, "Zevkya" just sounds cute)

Sera x Evelyn Trevelyan - "lightning in a bottle" (Evelyn is a lightning-specced mage; Sera is a Tempest; both have a chaotic streak that feels less like a problem and more like fun when they're together). this one was kind of a stroke of genuis tbh.

Dorian x Neilar Lavellan - "water and wine". this one has layers. the first layer is Dorian being used to Comfort and Civilization and Neil being a Chronically Outside type. the second layer is the religious/miraculous imagery. the third layer is kind of mean because it references their worst moments (Dorian trying to drink away his problems - wine; Neilar losing control to the Well of Sorrows - water), but no one said that the ship names had to be nice. or did we all forget "ill omen" just a few seconds ago

Blackwall(Thom Rainier) x May Cadash - god, I really want to come up with something that would reference the "white king, black pawns" line from Leverage, just for the timeline where she becomes a righteous mob boss. "white queen, black knight"? "black queen, white knight"? kind of a mouthful but the reference is worth it in my book.

...I don't know how to end this post. I'm putting it in the main tags so. uh. reblog with your own poetic ship names and their explanations? I'd read that. it's pretty fun to make these, actually. also if anyone has suggestions for a ship name for Aloth and a death godlike chanter, send help

[herearedragons]

Hello hello ^^ From the OC Relationship ask game, for your Dragon Age ships:

39. Do they dance? If so, who's better?

40. What is a song that reminds you of the OCs' relationship?

Hope you have a lovely day!!

OC relationship asks

39. Do they dance? If so, who's better?

Zevran and Kyana: he's definitely the better dancer; Kyana doesn't really dance, but Zevran taught her something like a basic waltz as a part of helping her get some range of motion back with her bad leg (she has a limp after getting badly injured at the Tower of Ishal). They don't really dance in public, but in a relatively private setting, sometimes they will.

Evelyn and Sera: Evelyn's rigorous ballroom dance training vs Sera's 'spin you around as fast as possible until we're both dizzy and giggling and what do you mean this doesn't count as a dance' is pretty funny to me, but I think they find a middle ground that's fun for both of them. They're also about in the same weight/strength category, which means either of them can pick the other up without much trouble, so there are definitely lifts happening.

Neilar and Dorian: both good dancers and quick learners when it comes to picking up new moves. Funnily enough they don't dance that much, but when they do they're a pretty good match.

May and Blackwall: he's the better dancer, which. he's not great but he has the basics covered, and it's still more than what May has, which is nothing at all. She tried to learn, and she even made some progress for Halamshiral, but it's just not her thing. She'll accept an invitation to dance if it's Blackwall, though; he knows what he's getting into.

40. What is a song that reminds you of the OCs' relationship?

ZevKya: Imogen Heap - The Walk

Alright then (alright then)

I can keep your number for a rainy day

That's where this ends

No mistakes, no misbehaving

Oh, I was doing so well

Can't we just be friends?

I feel a weakness coming on

Neilrian: Florence + The Machine - What Kind Of Man

I'd already had a sip, so I'd reasoned I was drunk enough to deal with this

You were on the other side, like always

You could never make you mine

And with one kiss, you inspired a fire of devotion

That lasts for twenty years

What kind of man loves like this?

Sera and Evelyn (Seralyn? I guess it's Seralyn): EVE - Yoku

Let's love useless things. We don't have time to think about the meaning

You are mine. We love each other

We mimic what we desire

May and Blackwall (Maywall? I don't even know): actually didn't have one ready to go for them, but I'm assigning them Inkpot Gods by The Amazing Devil

And when the rain came down

I made a vow onto the dark

Please let her live just one more day. 'cause she is so much more than all her scars

(...)

And to those gods I will speak bluntly

We've an accord

If you ever touch or harm him, please rest assured

That you might not fear a man, but to a woman by the end you'll kneel and plea

Because I'm more than what my mom told me to be

[herearedragons]

okay probably the last bit of Kyana meta for today. putting together a little Character And Romance Development Timeline for her so that I can keep track of it, and also because I changed her character arc a little since the last time I played, so I need to fix The Continuity a little

anyway, the timeline

pre-Origins: Irving's favorite student, a star pupil who gets Special Treatment but is only aware of some of it. Jowan is her only friend, and, while she cares for him, she doesn't pay that much attention to him either. both the blood magic and his relationship with Lily come as a complete surprise. interprets the decision to make Jowan Tranquil immediately after her own successful Harrowing as a deliberate move against her and decides to help him escape out of spite, reasoning that it won't matter that much because, after all, Jowan is harmless

early Grey Warden era: feels betrayed by Jowan, Irving and Duncan. the world has conspired to take her nice cozy Circle life away from her, and she needs to blame someone. she decides to blame blood magic. stubborn and refuses to admit her ignorance in certain topics. processes her feelings through Magical Violence. permanently injures her leg climbing the Tower of Ishal because she refuses to stop and heal up. kills the hermit in the Brecilian Forest in cold blood because someone told her he was a blood mage.

enters Kinloch Hold with Alistair and Zevran (recruited literally earlier that day), only to have her entire worldview shattered. climbs through the bloody mockery that was made of the place she called home. forced to come face to face with people she knew who turned to blood magic, and realize that for every truly evilTM blood mage there are three desperate people who would never do it if they had literally any other choice. accidentally gifts Zevran the Dalish gloves, not knowing their significance.

trapped in the Fade by the Sloth demon, forced to kill and consume minor spirits in order to sustain herself. learns Fade shapeshifting, which begins to slowly eat away at her sense of self. after the final battle against Sloth struggles to revert to her human form and has to be brought back by Wynne's, Alistair's and Zevran's combined efforts

rescues Irving and is shocked to receive a very formal and distant reaction from her ex-mentor, who barely acknowledges the literal hell she had to crawl through and addresses Wynne instead. decides that irving is dead to her

after un-possessing Connor, has a conversation with Irving where he reveals some facts about her past: like Connor, she was possessed as a child, though in her case it was at an even earlier age, and by a Fear demon rather than Desire. her family was wealthy enough to afford a similar ritual to the one performed on Connor, but it was decided that, for her own safety, it will be best to move her to a Circle further away from Kirkwall, where the Veil is notoriously thin. initially Irving's interest in her was brought on by necessity - he wanted to monitor her for any remaining signs of possession - but eventually he grew genuinely attached to her. he saw in her traits that could, with the right set of beliefs, make a good Grand Enchanter, and decided that he would raise her for this purpose. he discouraged her from forming social connections with other apprentices because he felt like it could interfere with his end goal. he apologizes to her for the role he ended up playing in her fate, and promises that he will not make the same mistakes with Connor

shortly after the backstory reveal collapses in Redcliffe Castle, remaining unconscious for several days as the effects of consuming spirit essence finally catch up to her. in her fever dreams she is forced to confront the memories of her possession, repressed until now. she realizes that a part of the Fear demon remained within her all those years, which is how she was able to devour spirits (and even Sloth itself) while she was trapped in the Fade. she manages to bend the fragment of the demon to her will and fully absorb it. she wakes up with strange arcane scars around her eyes (her purple markings), an even greater affinity for Magical Violence and a slightly shakier sense of reality than she had before

during the search for the Urn of Sacred Ashes grows closer with several companions; develops an unlikely friendship with Zevran, whose stories about Antiva and his previous assignments take her mind off everything else that happened to her recently. he seems to be completely non-judgemental of her violent streak, and some of his experiences mirror hers in a strange way, which makes those conversations all the more interesting

in Haven, she's challenged first by Sten (in combat) and then by the Guardian (who questions her); in both cases she stands her ground, defeating Sten and refusing to answer the Guardian. unbeknownst to her, Zevran draws the conclusion that what happened to Sten can easily happen to him, and attempts to flirt with her as a way to protect himself. while previously she wold never consider a relationship, things have been Really Weird, and Kyana decides that she might as well give it a try. unfortunately, Zevran interprets that as a sign that his assumption was correct and that he is being used, which comes as a disappointment to him, since they've been getting along really well (and still are, in a way)

at this point, Kyana has decided that the Circle chapter of her life is over, and the best thing she can do is not dwell on it; the Circle was doomed from the moment Uldred and Loghain made their deal, Jowan is gone, Lily is gone, there's nothing left to it. the person Kyana thought she was is also gone, and she might as well embrace the things that have changed about her. her relationships with her companions are progressing, and, while flirting with Zevran is... strange, she realizes she does, in fact, enjoy it

however, she's forced to confront her past one more time as the party runs into Jowan while traveling. faced with him, Kyana has no choice but to answer the question she refused to answer back at the Gauntlet, and decide how she feels about her former best friend. she admits that both she and the Circle have mistreated Jowan, and tells him that she's sorry about Lily. she says that, had she known what being in love is like, maybe she would have tried to escape from the Circle too. it's at that point that Zevran, who is present for this conversation, realizes that his manipulation of the Warden was more successful than he thought and Kyana is actually in love with him, and becomes terrified (she trusts him) (that makes completing his mission possible again) (he doesn't want it to be possible) (he doesn't want her to die). however, he's in too deep to stop now

[herearedragons]

not Kyana knocking a hurlock back with Stonefist to get it just in Zevran's range for a perfectly timed stab

[herearedragons]

So triggering Zevran's romance with Kyana is interesting because it does require you to flirt back at least once, and I've been playing her as very aloof up until this point.

...however, after Broken Circle there is the fact that she kind of doesn't know who she is anymore. A lot of her assumptions about the Circle have been wrong, she consumed some weird Spirit Stuff in the Fade that made her better at fighting, she's beginning to find the outdoor camping and the dog and the constant company less and less insufferable??

So, maybe, when the assassin she's been hanging out (and feeling a weird kinship) with compliments her looks and she has the opportunity to either shut him down or respond favorably she goes you know what, maybe I don't mind this actually. things are already weird, this might as well happen. if nothing else it sure feels nice to be admired

[herearedragons]

Zevran: "I wonder if there are any valuable tomes in good condition here"

Zevran: *identifies the statues of Maferath and Hessarian and shares what he knows about them*

(Kyana approves +5)

(Kyana approves +5)

[herearedragons]

every time I listen to The Walk I get hit by ZevKya feelings and that's the correct reaction

[herearedragons]

...the fun thing about getting both Wynne collapsing and the Romance Intervention before talking to her at camp is that, at the beginning of that second conversation, Kyana has kind of forgotten the collapsing incident in the first place and is sure that Wynne is going to talk to her about Zevran again. And then the reveal hits, and suddenly there are kind of more important things at play than bickering about relationships, and they kind of make up?? I'm definitely reading those last lines as Kyana letting go of whatever grudge might have been forming against Wynne, and Wynne's "I think you'll be alright" being a kind of apology for the "intervention".

[herearedragons]

just got a voice line from him that also says "no mercy" but, like, under his breath instead of yelling it

"you'll get no mercy from me!" cool, Kyana, I'm sure Zevran feels normal about hearing you yell that as you kill his doppelganger