If you cannot teach me to fly . . .

[freedom_is_grey]

It only takes Dave ten minutes to pull Ysalwen away from the siren call of maps and ancient scrolls.

Then she and Liranan decide to show him their favorite places in Milliways.

One location to begin from is the tropical inlet. Because the water and the sand there are warm, and it's very much unlike anywhere else that Ysalwen has ever been.

Comments

[stridersgonnastride]

"woods if there are spiders lets get it the fuck over with

"you have a lot of tragic classic plays back home romeo and julielf

"alas poor yorelf" Here Dave pulls a weird skull out of his sylladex to mime the Hamlet scene. "i knew him well"

[freedom_is_grey]

"Plays, ballads, poems -- real life events, as well, though history is always a little -- "

How does one put it?

" -- flexible in interpretation. Speaking of flexible -- if we wander deeper into the forest than you did, things will start becoming -- strange. I'll keep an eye out if you will."

Skulls as stepping-stones, spiderwebs strung between trees, blasted lands crawling with faint silver lines . . .

Come see Thedas, they said.

[stridersgonnastride]

"poems huh

"if you've got any appropriately epic slam poetry you should share. keep the love poems unless they've got a good beat but i like hearing how other people jam.

"strange like how. dangerous strange?"

The skull vanishes, leaving his hands open for quickdraw purposes.

[freedom_is_grey]

"Strange like uncanny, more like. I went with a friend last time -- Bahorel -- and there were a lot of skulls replacing rocks. Very dramatic, not particularly dangerous. We don't have to go in that deeply if you don't prefer. It's easy enough to stay on the edges."

Her mouth twists at one corner.

"As for, um, epic slam poetry -- I know either depressing songs of mourning, ballads, or rollicking tavern songs. There's one about a mabari, and I can sing it as we walk if you like."

What?

[stridersgonnastride]

"skulls are okay if they're not human skulls

"or elf skulls

"sentient fucking species skulls you know what i mean. you can skip the songs of mourning while we're in a creepy fucking forest thanks. rollicking sounds good hit me with one of those why don't you"

Is it called 'Who Let the Mabari Out'?

[freedom_is_grey]

It's 'Andraste's Mabari', actually.

Self-chosen immolation is what happens to the dog.

Thedas is a cheerful place!

"I don't know if the skulls really belonged to anyone or if they were . . . . figments of someone's imagination? Is that a thing?"

[stridersgonnastride]

"probably some kind of metaphor

"contemplate your own mortality or lack thereof while walking through the woods. ashes to ashes all returns to nature in the end

"it's the circle of life everything the light touches is our kingdom simba

"and then your uncle betrays you

"wait that was hamlet not macbeth fuck"

The woods are actually quite nice today. Sun-dappled leaves, chirping birds, etc. Dave clambers over a rock, his determination to fly everywhere already forgotten in favor of being king of the mountain.

[freedom_is_grey]

"Unless you get eaten by darkspawn."

Or, you know. Turned into a Broodmother.

Right. That's enough of that.

Time to start singing. She hops up on the rock next to Dave as she does so, then down the other side.

Some people make wandering in the wilderness look easy. (At least she is not being heralded by a chorus of singing little birds?)

[stridersgonnastride]

Ysalwen has a nice voice. But!

"the dog dies?? that is not a rollicking bar song you lying liar

"that is old yeller in goddamn verse"

[freedom_is_grey]

"Well, she didn't go alone into that good night," Ysalwen says, mouth quirking at one corner as she drops her hand to ruffle Liranan's ears.

"And the Chantry is Orlesian, and Orlais hates Ferelden, and Fereldans love dogs, so it's -- a backwards sort of fuck you to the Chantry, honestly. In disguise."

[stridersgonnastride]

"this is my dubious face," Dave says, pointing at indeed, his face. However, he's still wearing his usual deadpan expression.

[freedom_is_grey]

Ysalwen studies him in earnest for several long moments.

"Ah, I see. It's something in the tilt of the eyebrows."

A quick flash of a smile.

"I'll remember that for next time."

Maybe he'll enjoy a rousing chorus of Ballad of the Murderer's Gold instead.

[stridersgonnastride]

"jesus," Dave says, ducking under a low hanging branch.

"do you have nothing but songs about murder in major key

"oh wait you said mournful ballads so you also have songs about murder in minor key fucking incredible"

[freedom_is_grey]

"Does the minor key make you more comfortable? I can work with that."

And so she launches into The Ballad of Ayesleigh.

[stridersgonnastride]

"oh my god why. stop. the crowd goes wild with despair and commits mass suicide"

Dave claps his hands over his ears and starts singing his own song.

Okay, 'song' is generous. So is 'singing'. There is a reason he exclusively raps.

[freedom_is_grey]

"Okay, wait no, stop."

Ysa herself has stopped walking. Liranan, too.

"Teach me that one."

Oh. Um.

"Please."

[stridersgonnastride]

"welp this is my contribution to the culture of other worlds fucking space jam. i'm ready let's do this let's make this happen"

Ysalwen gets to do the chorus, because she can actually carry a tune that isn't just belting out 'COME ON AND SLAM'.

Dave also beatboxes badly to back her up. Together they scare away multiple birds and possibly spontaneously bring slap bracelets, fanny packs, and Air Jordans back into style.

[freedom_is_grey]

Liranan's howling accompaniment definitely ties it all together.

He seems very pleased with himself as a flock of starlings lifts from a nearby tree and flees toward the mountain.

"Are all of your world's songs like that? So -- energetic and nonsensical at the same time?"

Inquiring Thedosian minds want to know!

[stridersgonnastride]

"only the best ones ysa," Dave says with a solemn nod. "only the best fucking ones. space jam is the anthem of my generation obviously it's a masterpiece

"hang on liranan you'll like this one it's got a part just for you"

Hopefully Ysalwen also approves of the Baha Men.

[freedom_is_grey]

Liranan really enjoys getting to try to make his bark sound as much like the word 'who' as possible.

Ysalwen keeps laughing, which makes any singing a moot point.

"Does your world have that many dogs, then? If you need an entire song to wonder why they got released into the streets?"

Yippee-yi-oh. Or however one pronounces that.

[stridersgonnastride]

"i didn't get a lot of dogs back in the real world but plenty in the game which you have already heard about and don't need further discussion."

Death: still brings down the mood.

"but i think it's actually supposed to be about girls calling guys dogs because they were being dicks"

[freedom_is_grey]

"I find I agree with Zevran. Slitting their throats and calling it a day seems infinitely easier."

Um.

[stridersgonnastride]

"holy shit girl i'm all down for wrecking the patriarchy but why are we murdering frat boys now"

[freedom_is_grey]

"Entitlement has never yet been cured by words. Fear works, for a time, at least. But that never lasts, either."

She exhales.

"Anyway. Shall we sing Space Jam again?"

[stridersgonnastride]

"sure the sick beats of quad city djs soothe many ills

"but uh

"did you want to talk about it"

It sounds like maybe she wants to talk about it.