whirlwind warrior.

[kasaaras]

crurcr‌:

The defensive state of the woman by her side was clear, despite her attention being entirely on the man beneath her hands. Her irritable yet somewhat casual approach had been abruptly cut off. The newfound gruffness of her next words only served to confirm her suspicions, but they failed to deter her actions.

“I’m not looking for thanks,” she replied. “Assuming that nothing goes horrendously wrong, he will live to fight another day. Live to see his family and friends and simply enjoy living. If all goes well, then he won’t even know how it happened. And as you can see, there are no demons present. He will lose nothing but his imminently approaching death.”

Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, Murica knew that she had defended her actions far too much. But she supposed that her guard was held just as highly as the woman to whom she spoke. Sadly, words could not be returned once spoken, so she was restricted to the path she had now begun. “I’m no medic, but if you’re injured then I would be happy to help.”

          kasaara hadn’t meant - nor cared - to hear about the elf’s motivations, but she listened without interruption nonetheless. though there was reason to the other’s words, doubt and apprehension still furrowed kasaara’s brows. there was a quiet beat as the words settled. in time, the qunari responded, “you think you’re saving his life, but it’s costing him his ideals.” perhaps it was her years spent under the qun speaking, but she had known many people who would rather give up their lives than their convictions - rather die than betray what they believed - despite her own disregard for this behaviour. true, this man might not be what she thought him to be; regardless, the elf’s secrecy had robbed him of choice, and for that reason alone it rubbed kasaara the wrong way. “you may see their aversion to blood magic as foolish, but if you use trickery or force in the hopes of changing their opinion, does that not make your pride as stubborn as theirs?”

          the qunari rarely spoke much, and perhaps it was difficult for her point to come across without more elaboration - but with the question hanging in the air, she just stared at the elf, more curious than challenging. in the end, she shook her head. “i did not come for healing. only supplies.” and that was true, distrust of blood magic or no; she supposed she was stubborn too, in that way. she strode closer this time, glancing around for the bandages she needed to patch up the gash along her arm.

[kasaaras]

crurcr‌:

The section dedicated to healing in Skyhold seemed honestly quite pitiful for such a large organisation. A few tents next to a fire, tended to by only a handful of those with any medical training, out in the open where they were easily exposed to some of the harsher elements, walls or no.

While not the most well versed in healing magic herself, Murica did have a trick or two up her sleeve. But with blood magic being so looked down upon throughout the majority of Thedas, she was afraid that offering her assistance might cause some upset, or possibly even mislabel her as some kind of villain.

So - like most things in her life, it seemed - she waited until the fall of night, when the injured and ill were briefly left alone, to attend to them herself. There were no witnesses to point fingers, and sleeping bodies could hardly protest. But one could never be too careful, especially with a spy master living within the fortress, so she made sure to take one last - albeit quick - look around before crouching before one of the injured soldiers.

Taking a deep breath, she retrieved the knife from its sheath, and dragged it down her arm. The warm blood pooling in her palm began to glow as it infused with her magic, and the pool of red soon hovered over the poor man’s wounds as she concentrated on sealing them.

          kasaara had protested being sent for healing. the wound she’d sustained during her last patrol in the frostbacks was negligible - having been from nothing more than a common bandit’s lucky strike before she quickly cut them down - but she was ordered to at least get it bandaged, and so that was what she had come to do. the qunari strode to the tents with purpose, not at all concerned at the gash running down the side of her arm. it stretched and tore from the back of her shoulder to the inner part of her elbow; the bleeding had long since stopped, though it still appeared deep red and raw.

          this late at night, she doubted many of the healers still lingered - but still, when she saw someone knelt down by one of the inquisition’s injured, she presumed that whoever it was had to be a medic. “i require some bandages,” she said in lieu of a proper greeting, voice gruff and irritable. “i will...” wait here, she wanted to finish, after noting that the elf was tending to another - but the blood was hard to miss, and immediately kasaara’s stance grew guarded, alert. though her aggressive nature bade her to pull the mage away from the injured, she didn’t understand what was happening, nor what might go wrong if she interrupted. after a moment’s watch she saw how the wounds seemed to seal through the blood magic, but she remained vigilant still, eyes narrowing in suspicion. truth be told, kasaara did not have strong opinions one way or another about blood magic, but she knew that man; knew of his thoughts on the chantry and the maker and his distaste toward magic in all its forms, however foolish she felt those thoughts to be. “stop,” she told the elf, firmly, though it was more a suggestion than an order. kasaara did not favour words enough to explain, but she at least offered, “he will not thank you.” and that was putting it lightly; the man might very well do something stupid, to himself or the other, if kasaara understood his beliefs as correctly as she thought she did.

[kasaaras]

bachrcm‌:

                    levina didn’t look the least bit deterred; if anything, she seemed all the more eager to tackle the challenge that was their height difference, though maybe she was only excited to see her comrade respond to her goading. there were only so many ways that lev knew how to bond with people, and the qunari had been a particularly tough cookie. “ size isn’t everything, kasaara. ” she rolled her eyes, leaning down to stretch out her legs. “ it’s all about performance, and i’ve proven to be as fast as they come. ”

          at levina’s comment, kasaara snorted with a crude grin. “true. easily. but size helps.” she watched as the other stretched; her expression was teasing and amused, but there was an honest sort of admiration in it, too. “have you now?” well, if they were going to race, then the least she could do was respect the challenge and take it seriously; she stretched, too. “then. we sprint there - ” she gestured with a jerk of her chin toward the opposite end of the courtyard, “ - and back.” she shifted into the right stance at the starting position, throwing an almost wicked smile at the other, “ready?”

[kasaaras]

lvllcn‌:

the curious elf allowed hazel hues to continue to wander momentarily, glancing down to the qunari’s chest every three seconds or so. truthfully, she hadn’t really noticed what she was doing… not until she commented on it — and right then, lèonie managed to force her eyes up. a quiet, albeit awkward apology. obviously, her eyes did not want to be diverted, but to keep them there just wasn’t polite. “ …that was rude, i’m sorry. ” she smiled lightly a heartbeat after, shook her head and emitted a laugh–a laugh–before bringing her hand up from the water to cover the side of her face. she could begin to feel her cheeks warm. “ …it seemed only yesterday i hadn’t met a qunari all my life and now i’m sharing a bath with one. ” the irony had her lips curving ; she was falling into a rather playful mood now as the lighting within the cave shifted ever so slightly. “ one more sign and i’m going to think corypheus and andraste rigged this entire thing–in some twisted way–to help me. ”

          the qunari wasn’t dense, per se, but neither was she the most... socially observant sort. still, the elf didn’t make much of an effort to hide her staring, and kasaara was made acutely aware of it. an arched eyebrow met the other’s apology - and then a slow, wicked grin as she shifted a little in the water. “stare all you’d like.” it wasn’t unpleasant; unusual maybe, to be gawked at for reasons other than distrust or fear, but not unpleasant. “help you?” the qunari repeated, voice lilting with amusement, clear in her acknowledgement of the other’s warm blush - probably not polite either, really. without much care for courtesy or propriety in any way, kasaara stretched a toe out to cheekily poke at the younger woman’s knee. “are you always so easily pleased?” the question was meant to be lightly teasing, but if there was also a bit of a challenging, flirtatious edge in her words, kasaara wouldn’t deny it.

[kasaaras]

bachrcm‌:

                   “ what is it? ” with a teasing grin upon her lips and eyes twinkling with their usual mischief, levina props her fists upon her hips. “ afraid you’ll lose? i would be too, i suppose – i am QUITE the opponent while you are simply… ” she wrinkles her nose, laughter on the tip of her tongue. “ i understand if you would rather not chance the embarrassment. ”

          kasaara’s eyes narrowed instinctively at the other’s challenging tone. on any normal day, she wouldn’t even have acknowledged the taunting - but perhaps she was feeling friendly, this time. with an arched brow, the qunari crossed her arms over her chest. “you... actually want to race me?” she asked, incredulous, gesturing with a wave of her arm at the near foot and a half difference between their heights. her smirk was teasing, but also impressed - an admiration she directed at the other’s spirit, if nothing else.

[kasaaras]

mercenaryadaar‌:

“I believe a letter came for you.” For a Qunari Kasaara was surprisingly hard to find. The paper was torn slightly on one end but far from being opened all of the way, there was no way for Miri to hide how long it had taken her to figure out that the messenger had gotten confused at the horns and given the letter to the wrong person. A light flush decorated high cheekbones as she looked over the other woman as subtly as possible. She had grown used to working with her own kind while part of a Tal Vashoth mercenary group and missed the camaraderie that came with being such a minority in southern Thedas. 

“We have not yet met, I am Miriam.” 

          kasaara glanced up from where she sat, having taken a break from a training session in the upper courtyard. though she didn’t consider herself to be especially astute, it was clear why a letter for her would be in the possession of another qunari she hadn’t even met. she took the missive in hand and idly flipped it around. “thanks,” the warrior responded with a nod. “if i got one of yours, i would’ve just tossed it and forgot.” a bit curt, maybe, but unfortunately honest. with far less subtlety, kasaara looked the other over too; she carried herself differently to those under the qun - even years after abandoning it, kasaara still wore her training the same way. we have not met yet. at that, she quirked a small, almost flirty smile, “a terrible shame.” she settled back on the grass, one arm slung over a propped-up leg as she responded, “kasaara.”

[kasaaras]

👀 best thing youve eaten off another person

          “interesting phrasing. ‘best thing’. you assume i’ve done this several times.” they didn’t assume wrong, but still. interesting. “body shots are fun, if those count. besides that, i had an unusual experience with buttercream frosting that i wouldn’t mind repeating.”

[kasaaras]

lvllcn‌:

lèonie blinked sleepily to the sound, waking up to see the other woman as the ripples caused by her opposite’s entrance in the water gently rocked her body. when she spotted the horns, hazel hues opened a bit. she appeared a little more awake now, quietly studying the other woman–qunari–in the hot water. finally, she replied, “ …n-no, it’s fine. ” she squeaked out — a bit higher than her normal, natural tone. but she quickly cleared her throat. “ um, were you–… ” le paused, nervous. “ …did you want to be alone? ” the elf brought her bottom lip in to bite. eyes wondered, curious, before snapping right back up to meet her eyes.

          the water was shallower than she’d prefer. sitting up, it reached only her ribcage - she had to slump low to cover herself fully. she stretched out, legs taking up a bit more space than was likely polite, considering the elf was here first. the girl’s nervous squeak got an arched brow in return. ...was it that uncomfortable? “no,” she replied with a contemplative frown. “company is preferable.” even that of a stranger. for someone as... abrasive as kasaara often was, she disliked being left alone. it made her uneasy. conversation, though, she could still do without; but when she noticed the other’s gaze wander, both amusement and a hint of apprehension caused her to continue. “usually it’s the horns that get all the attention.” granted, she didn’t normally walk around naked. ...perhaps she should.

[kasaaras]

lvllcn‌:

it’d been a long day for the healers of skyhold. lè, particularly, was feeling it in her thighs and back. happening upon an empty hot springs outside the walls, you can bet your ass the lucky elf took advantage of it. quietly stripping, the mage found a comfortable spot in the clear, hot water, and gently pressed her bare back against warmed stone. dropping her head, she slowly closed her eyes and allowed the minerals in the water to naturally replenish her cells — and take over.

          she’d heard word of these supposed hot springs as a passing rumour; it seemed a select few members of the inquisition had gotten wind of it. though kasaara did not often find calm in the quiet, a hot bath seemed pleasant enough after patrolling the pass through the mountains all day. she noticed another in the water, but did not think to engage in modesty - instead, she simply shed her clothes to one side, and when she sank into the water at a spot across from the elf, it was with a low hiss, somewhere between pain and delight. she lowered herself fully and the water rippled with the disturbance, lapping at the other’s bowed face. “...sorry.”

[kasaaras]

alyslavellan‌:

“If you move up here it’s even better.” She’d been on top of one of the towers, her legs dangling over the side of the great stone walls. Alys wasn’t sure if the other was here to partake in the freedom she was at that moment, and she again doubted they would join her at one of the tallest points but her invitation was still an open one. The axe still on her back made her tilt to once side as she stood, but she quickly took her balance back. “I don’t suppose you’re up here for the view though.” She wasn’t, not truly. 

          kasaara watched the elf where she sat, legs dangling over the edge, a long drop below. though she was unlikely to admit it, heights were not something she was fond of - and so the qunari stayed where she was, in the middle of the ramparts, as far from the sides as she could get while patrolling. “you’d suppose right,” she answered, grumpier than intended. she hated patrols. “y’should get down. heard some of the archers shoot birds up here for fun.” was she suggesting alys might be mistaken for a bird, or that the archers’ aim was not to be trusted?

[kasaaras]

it’s nyx again with a third character, because i still have no self control ig?? this is kasaara, who is a former qunari naval officer turned tal-vashoth pirate turned inquisition soldier!

ELODIE YUNG || introducing [KASAARA]! at age [34], of [GENDERFLUID QUNARI] origin, born in [PAR VOLLEN] && best known as [A PIRATE]; [SHE] has just recently arrived at skyhold. they seem to be a [WARRIOR], their known traits include [ASSERTIVE, SNIDE & FORTHRIGHT]; and they stand with the inquisition.

i’m going to write up a more in-depth bio eventually but the tl;dr of kasaara’s history is that a long time ago she served under the qunari naval forces on a dreadnought, lost her crew and her already wavering faith after a disastrous battle in seheron, and then abandoned the qun to become a pirate!!

since the qun forbids women to serve as soldiers, she was deemed aqun-athlok in order to be part of the antaam, where ‘she’ became ‘he’. the qun taught that one could not be a female warrior - you had to be a warrior or a female, never both.

of course, after becoming tal-vashoth she was exposed to a lot of different perspectives and cultures, and she came to understand that that part of the qun (and a lot of other parts tbh) was kinda bullshit. it was a struggle to change and adapt, but she grew for it.

side note, she’s genderfluid, and usually uses she/her bc she can’t be arsed to explain herself to strangers. will, however, accept any pronouns.

gruff, crude and cocky, she was part of a pirate crew that went around a lot of southern thedas for a number of years. they’ve since disbanded in the wake of the breach, with the members disagreeing on what they wanted to do next.

her decision? to join the inquisition. these days serves as a soldier (and being an inquisition soldier feels so different to being a soldier for the qun) but she still misses the sea - it was always home, more than par vollen or anywhere else had ever been.

really likes jewellery and shiny things. sometimes hangs stuff off her horns bc it looks Pretty, and collects sparkly trinkets. prefers gold over silver, to match her bright yellow eyes and metallic bronze skin.

she went by a title under the qun, but has since abandoned that too. her name is a portmanteau of ‘kas’ and ‘asaara’, words in qunlat that mean melee weapon and wind respectively, which she chose after someone called her a ‘whirlwind’ in battle.

she stands at six feet eight inches, possibly six ten if you count from the top of the horns rather than the head. carries around a giant maul shaped like a dragon’s tooth. can and will easily launch you across rooms. has done so to both allies and foes as an improvisational combat tactic.

still has trouble with the king’s tongue sometimes tbh, and because of the company she kept (i.e., common pirates) her speech patterns are pretty casual and filled with profanities. oops. she likes sticking to short sentences, and still uses qunlat curses.

she’s abrasive, impatient, and has a bit of a temper, and is very aggressive when it comes to dealing with things. doesn’t 'get’ diplomacy, and instead chooses to punch her way out of her problems.

she’s very guarded, keeping people at arm’s length (and she has pretty long arms dkjfdljgh). she cares about individuals, not groups, and though normally quite distant, she is very honest with her emotions, positive or otherwise.

long story short kasaara is a towering 2h warrior full of sass and anger whose primary skills include beating people up and avoiding emotional attachments.