A story Zevranās gifts can tell
I've just been thinking about how in Dragon Age Origins all the companions have specific gifts they like, along with two plot gifts that are related to their personal stories ā something they mentioned to the Warden in their conversations.
I still haven't finished the game yet, so I apologize if I missed something ā it is based on what I've seen so far.
And this is how only Zevran has his special plot-related gifts as actual gear that he immediately wears and uses in battles: both Dalish gloves that remind him of his mother, whom he never met, and Antivan leather boots that remind him of home ā cruel one perhaps, but still familiar.
These are only sentimental gifts he has ā the rest of them are just bars of precious metals, like gold and silver. Since the Crows were the ones to receive all the payment for the job Zevran did, he's never had anything of his own, and now that he left them, I believe he appreciates finally having his own stash.
Itās all just so practical and reflects the reality he lived in ā unlike the other companions, who have room in their lives for sentimental trinkets, books, art, or hobbies, his entire world has been about staying alive.
Even his mementos are used in battle. But in a way, this is meaningful too ā he wants to keep them close, not just store away. Itās part of who he is and his precious memories.
Even the gold and silver ā it's not about luxury, but reclaiming his autonomy and finally having the means to live.
No one elseās gifts are this stripped down, this functional. It shows how little space heās ever had for likes and dislikes, for self-expression that isnāt useful or necessary. Even his pleasure-seeking persona is, in a way, performative ā a way to adapt and survive in the only world heās ever known.
Everything he ever was allowed to own, physically and emotionally, had to serve a purpose ā to be useful.
And now still, the idea of having something more than necessity feels too new and foreign.
