that's in the sky where the rain's from [OPEN]

[existency]

Who: Cole (existency) and YOU
When: Before Natalia's ball, but over a few days
Where: Various
What: Cole is getting used to his new home.
Rating/Warning: None unless someone rude tags in (probable)!!

---

option a — the basic arrival prompt

[ He doesn't belong here.

It's quiet, startlingly so, because there aren't the songs and shimmers of the Fade here like there were at home (wherever "home" was). It whispers, enough for him to be able to reach out and grasp it, use it like he does, but it's not the same. It's disorienting and startling, which is why he wanders. He's looking for the places where it's the loudest, since where it's louder, he's more comforted.

Of course, this process might seem quite strange to anyone nearby. Cole himself would seem to stick out enough, since a gaunt young man with a very large hat and wearing old, dusty leathers would be a contrast against the technology around. But it might catch you by surprise that you seem like you've seen him earlier today, but you can't place where. Unless you're a bit closer to spirits or magic yourself, in which case, it'll be a bit easier to remember seeing him earlier in the day, doing the same thing.

He's just wandering, as if he's lost something or looking for something, but he never makes eye contact with anyone, and most of the people walking by don't seem to see him at all. In fact, it's only you that sees him. ]

option b — memes never die

[ How's the weather today? Did you guess cold and rainy? It's definitely cold and rainy. At least for the purposes of this prompt.

If you're braving this terrible weather to head towards the park, you might notice a strange pattern along the main path. Every so often, there's a small cardboard box underneath a tree, and if you're curious enough to go inspect it, the contents might be a bit confusing.

They're all cakes.

They're not quite left out in the rain, since the trees manage to cover most of the rain, but they're still getting soggy enough that no one in their right mind would really want to eat them. And it's clearly not an accident, since there are quite a few!

Continuing along the path, there's a young man braving the rain, though he doesn't seem to mind it. He's out without even an umbrella, though he doesn't really need one, considering the large brim of his hat... But he's also clearly the culprit of the cake-related mystery, since he has a few boxes in hand, and he's setting one down underneath a tree, opening it, then looking up into the branches like he's checking for something.

But all of the sudden, he seems to become aware that someone is watching, since he looks towards who's approaching, but he's quick to bow his head shyly. ]

...Sorry. Am I in the way?

[ More importantly, why is he leaving cakes out in the rain?? ]

option c — not quite as exciting as killing dragons

[ His Cerevice had told him he was a florist, and so a few days after arriving, Cole starts to work. It's definitely not the same as the Inquisition, but he quickly finds that he enjoys the work. It's quiet and solitary, since Cole's odd appearance and mannerisms tend to keep him from getting put at the front and scaring away customers, but he can tend to the flowers dutifully while still getting to be around other people and listen like he likes to.

It's not quite the tavern in Skyhold, where he can just stand for hours and watch the lives of the people there unseen, but it's close enough that he's content.

If you have reason to visit a florist today, other employees will probably greet you first, since Cole tends to stay towards the back. But it's not long before he starts to busy himself with something, then approaches to hold out a bouquet that's stunningly beautiful, and whatever you've come to a florist for, this seems to fit the bill perfectly. ]

...Are these what you were looking for?

[ His voice is soft and gentle, but not quite shy. It seems like he knows, for whatever reason. ]

(( ooc note ; if you choose this prompt, just make sure to include something in your brackets about why your character is getting flowers please! ))

option d — choose your own

[ Wildcard! If you have an idea of a prompt of your own that's different, go for it! You can run it by me or just run with it and we'll figure it out. ]

IMPORTANT NOTE—If you haven't filled it out already, please comment to Cole's permission post before replying!

Comments

[immobileyes]

[ "You're different."

It's two simple words, but from the way Mary freezes - her eyes grow large and her expression teeters on the edge of stricken - it's so much more than that. Inanely, she thinks of her hair first: had it moved, snake-like? Did he come from somewhere where young girls didn't have white tresses? Was it her eyes? Had they turned red?

... No, he's still moving, and she had much better control of her power for it just to lapse in a fit of shock.

(Except in those nightmares of hers, utter despair and the hissing of snakes in her ears as she screamed her grief.) ]

H-how...?

[ It emerges thinly, scared. She ought to understand that he isn't about to screech at her and call her a monster if he's talking about something he hears that he thought she had-- but old habits die hard. ]

[existency]

[ Cole seems a bit stricken himself as Mary reacts so sharply to what he's said, and under the brim of his large hat, it's at least easy to see how his face twists a little as if pained. ]

I— I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pull the knot and tear it.

[ The metaphor is almost certainly lost on Mary, but he continues quite gently with an earnest warmth in his voice. ]

The songs sing through you differently. That's why I know.

[immobileyes]

[ There's a lot he says that Mary doesn't quite grasp, talks of knots (but she thinks of embroidery, of tugging too hard on the needle to yank a knot free and breaking the thread) and songs. It's only because he himself looks so apologetic that she doesn't just run off and put this whole thing behind her.

... After all, he's the first person to take a single look at her and know that she wasn't like the many humans here, even if she lacked the more obvious traits of the non-humans, animal ears included.

Tentatively, she shifts in place, the words escaping before she can truly think them through. Because if he can hear difference-- ]

Does it sound like a monster?

[existency]

[ Cole immediately shakes his head. ]

No. Even monsters don't sound like monsters. Their songs are twisted, but they're scared and confused. Even if they're hurting others.

[ He's thinking of demons when he says it, because in his experience, they come to the mortal world because they want to experience it, but it doesn't make sense to them. So they become something that hurts. It's not their fault, he thinks, because so many of them were a different kind of spirit that lost its way.

He thinks about how it could happen to him, if he's not careful. ]

But you're not. You don't want to hurt people.

[immobileyes]

[ Is this song he's hearing really telling him this much about her? Mary hasn't said a word about anything regarding herself, not to that extent, but he speaks as though he understands, and it's not condescending. He's not treating her like a child (because she's not, not really) or a freak, and it's... confusing.

But because he says it first, she can nod, fingers curling into the fabric over her chest. ]

I don't. Hurting someone... scares me, almost more than anything. [ But not as much as being alone again. ]

[existency]

Good. It's supposed to be scary.

[ There's a softness to his tone that's very gentle, almost sad. Cole has to hurt people to do what he does, after all, and even though he doesn't hesitate when he has to use his daggers, it's still frightening. Taking peoples' lives, even bad peoples', that should always be scary, he thinks.

But that aside, her question makes him curious, and though he's still clearly nervous, he asks carefully: ]

...Do think you're a monster?

[immobileyes]

[ This is not a conversation Mary's accustomed to having with someone whose name she still doesn't know. But once again, it's so bizarre and unusual that she has to answer him, and Mary's not the sort of person to offer dishonest replies.

She does find it unfair, however, that he knows and she doesn't, that she's left wondering about this person and why he speaks softly of the fear of hurting others. As if he really does understand.]

I'm... not like humans. [ Not completely. She knows this. ] And when I listened, when I read, it was always there. That what I am, what I come from... the monsters in those books, that's me.

But... [ Her voice trembles, and Mary lowers her head, shaking it. ] E-even someone like me-- all I wanted was to know more, to make friends! I never wanted to be the bad thing!

[ His question isn't one she can say yes or no to, not when it's too complicated in her own mind. ]

[existency]

[ His expression turns sympathetic, since he does understand, more than he tends to understand anyone else's pain. It's a fear of being a monster, of not knowing whether it's true or not. The fear he had felt in the Spire still burns deeply in his chest, since Rhys had called him a monster, and so Cole had to accept that as a truth. He wanted to get better, which is why he had followed the Templars until he found the Inquisitor, but it was something he still had to accept as at least partially true.

But this is where Compassion takes over, so he steps forward gingerly to place a hand on her shoulder, a quiet comfort that he feels he can provide, though his touch is soft if she wants to pull away. ]

Then you aren't a monster.

[ His voice is certain and soft, full of a gentle warmth that only comes when Cole feels more certain that he's helping rather than hurting. ]

A monster is a monster because of what it does. And people are frightened, so they make people into monsters, since they're afraid of being hurt. But not everything different hurts. I understand.

[immobileyes]

[ There's some minor indecision there, to flinch from someone she barely knows, or to accept kindness from someone who doesn't want to judge her. Like Seto, but somehow even more knowing-- and still, the similarity helps Mary relax, so instead of ducking away, she ever so slowly moves her hand up to touch the one on her shoulder. A silent thank you, maybe. Or she's trying to show him that she's not afraid (she is, a little, but that's instinctive). ]

I'm... not a monster... [ She echoes Cole, sounding half-desperate, as though she's trying very hard to believe it (she is). She's been trying to believe it for so long, but having a reminder helps immensely. Even though she still doesn't know how he understands. Because he's also different, she knows that much, but still...

Well. She blinks back tears, more than a little overwhelmed by this unexpected first meeting, but she'll add: ]

I'm Mary.

[ Not a monster, but Mary. ]