short change hero

Arthur Cousland ✖ Grey Warden ✖ Ferelden {tracking arthurcousland}

[arthurcousland]

"I actually haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about."

[seabois]

Most of our childhood is stored not in photos, but in certain biscuits, lights of day, smells, textures of carpet.”

Alain de Botton 

[thedastian]

             "Ohhh, I know." she pouted. "Mean mage Mell poking fun at the rich boy." Her words dissolved to laughter not halfway through the sentence, and she knocked his shoulder lightly with her elbow.

Mell mirrored his actions, cocking her own head at his seemingly sincere remark.

            "Yeah, well.. You have to be when you’re as shit a mage as I am." she deflected with a shrug.

There was a time when she had propensity to be something incredible. Much like Wynne she held promise to be a spirit healer; but Mell didn’t care much for the Fade, and the teachings of the circle deemed all spirits no better than mere demons. So she slowly lost the talent. Wynne was devestated, and she was sure it wouldn’t be the last time she broke the woman’s heart.

            "Ah, yes. Onward through hell." she sighed.

              "Do you think we can fix things? Considering we escape the Fade with our spirits in tact.. Do you think we could fix the Circle?"

[arthurcousland]

"You wound something fierce," he chuckled. "More so than any darkspawn I've ever encountered." 

Her reaction to his veiled compliment wasn't lost on Arthur but he let the matter be for now. They had things to worry about beside any sort of lingering guilt over past failure—something he unwillingly acknowledged on his part and imagined was present for Mell as well.   

His laughter halted at her question. He shifted his weight, rubbing at the back of his neck in palpable discomfort. The prospect of fixing the Circle—something far beyond his realm of expertise—was daunting. 

"Well, we can certainly try," he finally uttered, nodding slowly. 

Wanting to move past this train of the thought, and subsequently the apprehension that accompanied it, Arthur gestured towards the road ahead.

He made a sweeping gesture, grinning crookedly and announcing, "Ladies first."

[arthurcousland]

At Castle Cousland

[poptartseatfresh]

Dawn wasn’t sure if she could repress the twitching in her eye much longer. Despite her siblings constant reminder, they seemed to always forget that she wasn’t a complete idiot. Ser Gilmore, nodded, very officially, prepared to hear whatever “important” message the twins had come to deliver. She quickly stopped whatever was beginning to transpire.

"Oh, I’m sure Ser Gilmore has more important things to do then listen to your silly love letters." Naturally, Ser Gilmore raised an eyebrow in confusion, Dawn simply stared down her siblings, all the while explaining, "Oh, you know my dear siblings. So bad at expressing their feelings they have to create an elaborate plot for you to notice them."

[arthurcousland]

Arthur's excited grin vanished as he noted the hint of panic in Lindria's tone. Blast it, they didn't have a damned letter.

Fortunately, their fear was short-lived when Dawn decided to intercept with a dastardly scheme of her own.

Dawn's subtle revenge was sweet and Arthur let his sister bask in the moment before quirking a brow in a silent challenge. 

"She's right," he sighed heavily, clutching one hand over his heart before sliding down on one knee. "Ser Gilmore, I must admit that I love you most ardently."

"And it would do me unspeakable honor if you would accept my hand in—"

"That's quite enough," Gilmore interjected. The man's face resembled a tomato.

[arthurcousland]

arthurs relationship with morrigan?

It was a tentative thing that grew from Arthur having a purely superficial interest in Morrigan. She put him in his place by rebuffing his advances on the first day of their journey.

After a longer time spent together, Arthur began to view Morrigan as a confidant and advisor of sorts. He tended to value her opinion above the rest of their companions' and his decision-making process reflects this.

Arthur's little quest to prove himself as a worthy friend to her paid off and by the end the two were incredibly close. They act like sister and brother and completing the Dark Ritual was...awkward, to say the least. They don't talk about it.  

[thedastian]

              "With a mug like that? You couldn’t get it from a Desire Demon." she teased with a chuckle. She sheathed her staff for the moment. The metal was getting hot and the stress she had felt was pulsing through it, making it feel rigid and.. Wrong.

              "Oh, I’m no expert. Kind of a shit mage, really. Think I got through my Harrowing on straight pity." she admitted, half joking.

              It was true that she had always been Irving’s favorite; the slow speaking man had always afforded her a leniency denied to other mages her age. As a result her magic developed without structure, and mistakes and missfires were a common occurrance.

              Though some of it could be attributed to the fact that Mell took every chance she could to distance herself from her powers. Her connection to the Fade, though it was strong, was blocked by her inability to accept the link.

              "I am, however, rather good at hating demons.. Which makes me the ideal Fade partner."

[arthurcousland]

Arthur gasped dramatically, clutching at his heart. "You're merciless, woman, simply merciless." 

Her admission about her abilities surprised him, however. 

"Honestly?" Arthur cocked his head in query, tone taking a rare, sincere edge. "I find that...hard to believe." 

"I mean, you're rather confident for a shit mage," he quoted with a smirk. 

Color me impressed, he mused. Arthur was loath to ever confess to any failings of his own—he generally pretended they were the fault of another. It was in his opinion that Mell's skill as a mage was considerable, but her character more so. He felt properly chagrined. 

"So, shall we move on, Fade partner?"

[cittamemes]

Pry a bit! Ask about the relationships my muse has with others!

[aseaofquotes]

George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

[nathan-howe]

Couslands...lots and lots of Couslands..

[nathan-howe]

He actually grinned and shook his head, maybe it was the wine but who knows. Nathaniel began to chuckle “So that’s how it goes then?” arms crossed over his chest “Loud isn’t so bad..its a bit..unnerving when quiet..”

[arthurcousland]

"I'd be fairly nervous if there were a silent army," Arthur said, feigning complete seriousness. "One sneaky fellow is enough to put me on edge, could you imagine hundreds of them?"

"Lucky for you, I know a Cousland or two that trip over their own feet enough to alert you to their presence a good mile away. Not myself, of course, I'm far too impressive for that."

[arthurcousland]

At Castle Cousland

[poptartseatfresh]

She heard it again. That damn cackling. She had come to recognize it over the countless years of babysitting the two and making sure they didn’t kill themselves or those around them. Normally, trouble followed their laughter. And if they knew what was good for their health, they wouldn’t bring their laughter to her. Ser Gilmore let out a light-hearted laugh as he dropped the bow again, turning Dawn’s attention to their previous endeavor. The poor sod. Couldn’t shoot an arrow to save his life, but…he was a bit easy on the eyes.

Dawn gave a small smile before walking over to his side, “You know, it usually does what it’s suppose to when you give it something to work with.” She carefully shaped out his elbow, making sure to linger a bit. Completely normal, however. He was a knight in her domain, of course. She felt his shoulders tense, but he let out a nervous laugh and he couldn’t hide his blush.

Unfortunately, at that moment, she heard that noise again. Which was sure to be followed by her very own bumbling idiots.

[arthurcousland]

Arthur paused only to marvel at the ingenuity of his sister's plan. 

"Oh, and we've the sweetest of voices, you and I," he sighed, throwing an arm across Lindria's shoulders and the two strode into the courtyard. 

Sure enough, Dawn was present across the way, helping a blushing Ser Gilmore with his bowman skills...or entire lack thereof.

"Oh, Dawn, Ser Gilmore, what a surprise," he called, his voice a thoroughly amused drawl. 

Breaking away from Lindria, he clapped his hands together, looking absolutely ecstatic. "I'm so glad you're both here! You see, Lindria and I have a special delivery!"

[thedastian]

              Mell could only watch as the demon shifted again, the face striking fear.. Or maybe it was sorrow to the boy’s face. She coiled to attack, fully expecting Arthur to choke as she just had, but his eyes became clear and with a shriek, he stabbed the thing, vile purple liquid spilling from it’s steaming cuts. Fucking gross. She ran toward, helping Arthur to his feet.

              "Well.. Yes. But more won’t be far behind. We are crashing their party after all." she replied, trying to keep her tone soft.

              "Oi.. Good job back there. Maybe you should have been a mage. You might have liked it. Lots of desperate souls with major abandonment issues. You’d never have to long for a bedmate again."

[arthurcousland]

He let Mell help him stand, gaze remaining locked on the space where the creature had fallen. 

"Strange party," he muttered, but pulled himself away from the lingering fear that had frozen any sort of movement. "More demons, more strange, magical bullshit."

Arthur looked to the mage, quirking his lips at her praise.

"And you're implying I have to long for one now? So harsh, Amell." Arthur chuckled, sheathing his sword. "But thanks for that. Though I'd rather leave the magic up to you, if that's alright. You're the expert after all."  

[nathan-howe]

Couslands...lots and lots of Couslands..

[nathan-howe]

"Really?" he grabbed more wine, a brow rose slightly.

[arthurcousland]

"Yes, we're like cannon fodder."

"Very loud and very attractive cannon fodder. Cannon fodder with good genes."

[arthurcousland]

At Castle Cousland

[lindriacousland]

Lindria watched the exchange between her brother and the servant before quickly taking the pastry from his own hands. Or, at least, that was what she’d intended to do. She only ended up with a third of the pastry, but she shoved it in her mouth anyhow.

"Good thought, for once," Lindria replied, her mouth still full. She swallowed, contemplating what exactly they could pull on Ser Gilmore. She didn’t often plan things out, but this was for her amusement. She’d have to really think about this one.

"What if we," Lindria was already laughing at her plan as they headed for the courtyard, "told him that we’ve found a particularly risque letter addressed to him from someone in Lothering? Must make sure Dawn is present, of course, or else it’d be spoiled."

"Oh, oh!" Lindria clapped, thinking of yet another prank, "Or we take him to the pond just beyond the walls and we’ll pretend we’re drowning so he’s forced to run in the pond with all of his armor." She practically cackled when she thought of Ser Gilmore sinking into the murky waters with his heavy armor.

[arthurcousland]

"Really?" Arthur whined as Lindria successfully tore apart the sweet he'd snatched. He ate the portion he had left and reached over to wipe the crumbs covering his hands on the back of her shirt. 

He did, however, nod enthusiastically along with her ideas. 

"We can't kill the poor sod," he snorted. "Father would have our heads if Dawn didn't skin us first."

"My suggestions generally had to do with singing embarrassing songs, so letter it is." 

[arthurcousland]

At Castle Cousland

[lindriacousland]

"Of course you wouldn’t. You wouldn’t want to be embarrassed by my strength in comparison to yours." Lindria replied, her smirk still prominent.

Lindria let out a snort, “Ser Gilmore? She’s really taken with him, then? How quaint.” Her last word practically dripped with sarcasm as she rolled her eyes.

Lindria shook her head before hopping up off of her bed. Her mabari, Gabranth, was startled by the clomp of her boots against the stone flooring. She quickly followed behind her twin brother, her mabari keeping at her heels.

"So, what’s the plan?" She asked, falling in step beside her brother.

[arthurcousland]

"We need to find her first," Arthur replied. "She wasn't in any of her usual haunts."

A servant scurried past the pair, a serving tray balanced precariously in her arms. Arthur reached over to snatch a pastry off of the plate, ignoring the woman's look of horror as the tray nearly toppled over. 

"I'm thinking we try the courtyard."

[nathan-howe]

Couslands...lots and lots of Couslands..

"So…many…." he takes a drink.

[arthurcousland]

"We make up a small army, didn't you know?"

[arthurcousland]

At Castle Cousland

[lindriacousland]

Lindria was busy putting on her boots when Arthur waltzed into her room. She slowly lifted her gaze to meet his. She wasn’t exactly surprised that he needed her help— everyone always needed her help.

 ”With what?” She smirked, “Do you need a strong hand because you lodged your sword in a tree again?”

[arthurcousland]

"No, I didn't lodge my sword in a tree again, thank you very much," he huffed. "And even if I did, I wouldn't ask you for your help."

"In fact, a little birdy told me that our dear sister has a certain fondness for the ever-handsome Ser Gilmore." Arthur grinned, gesturing back towards the hall. "I figured you'd like to accompany me in making her life miserable in regards to that fact." 

Without another word, Arthur spun on his heel and hurried back down the corridor. 

"Aroldo," he called. "Here, boy!" The mabari scampered along behind him.

[arthurcousland]

At Castle Cousland

Arthur traipsed down the corridor, Aroldo padding along at his heels. He was seeking out his elder sister, a task that was proving to be more difficult than expected; Dawn was seemingly nowhere to be found. 

Deciding to enlist help in the endeavor, he took a sharp left and made his way towards Lindria's room. 

"Liiiiiiin," he sang, pushing open his twin's door. "I need your help."