For Yarnzipan

[ataashihunter]

The Bull was up on the wall surrounding Skyhold. There had been an influx of newcomers who were pledging themselves to the cause and the sounds and smells and everything was hitting his senses hard today. Too hard. He could feel them pushing all other thought away from his head, and all the control. He tries to find a quiet corner to deal with it.

---

Krem, on the other hand, has been paying attention to the newcomers and he could feel the draw of the guide almost instantly. He smiles slightly to himself, that would be good, he knows both him and Bull need it. It isn't until everyone is in the great hall until he notices that Bull has been gone for a long time. Too long. He swallows and shakes his head, going looking for his boss.

A few minutes later he comes back into the hall, not hurrying but certainly in a rush. He comes up to the guide and taps him on the shoulder. "Excuse me, sir, can I have a word?"

Comments

[a_different_future]

[ The Guide in question turns from a conversation he wasn't much enjoying to look Krem up and down before nodding and gesturing for him to lead the way to wherever they should have that word. He waves another gesture at his conversation partners, a nicety that he clearly feels sorry he couldn't continue talking to them, except as his face shows as they walk away, it's less that 'duty called' (whatever it might be) and more that he would have taken any excuse to exit the conversation. All the same, he does look as if he wants to know Krem's business. ]

Speak your piece, if you pleased.

[ His tone makes it clear as well as his clothes do that he's a rather affluent man who's used to giving orders and having them obeyed, for all that he isn't being insufferable about it. ]

[ataashihunter]

Krem grits his teeth, he's met his fair share of nobles like that, thinking they are better than you just because of what family they were born into. But he takes a breath, he can save his snark for later. He glances around and once he is sure they are alone.

"I can tell you're a guide just as much as you can tell I am a sentinel. But I am not the only one here. My friend needs your help... If you're willing to give it, sir." He adds that last bit mostly to be nice. Nice might make the guy more likely to do it.

[a_different_future]

He noticed the grit of teeth, and there's something in his smile that says he noticed it, but he's willing to allow it given that clearly something is amiss. He nods to Krem's assertion about him; yes, he's known he was a Guide, and he'd noticed that Krem was also a Sentinel, but his expression turns hard as he mentions the friend in need.

"Then we should be walking. Or- where is he? Or she, as the case may be."

[ataashihunter]

"He is up on the ramparts. And just a word of warning, he is Qunari." Any other day Krem might have kept that a secret just to rattle the noble, but not now. Not when Bull needed him to be aware. He leads the way at a rather quick pace. "He doesn't have a guide, hasn't had one for years." He doesn't mention that he is in the same boat as Bull. It's not important.

Once they are up on the ramparts, Krem leads the way to a quiet corner and there Bull is sitting on the ground, eyes wide and completely stiff. His breathing is fast and his heart is racing. He looks like he is completely overwhelmed. A few steps behind him is a body, looking like someone who got completely beaten to death. And there is a knife on the ground not far from the body.

"Hey chief, I got you some help." Krem's words are quiet, gentle like he is talking a panicked animal down. But he is also making sure to stay back.

[a_different_future]

"It's clear enough you haven't, just from looking at you," though there's no insult in the words. Just frustration. Why were two Sentinels doing without? What madness was that?

He doesn't look alarmed or worried about dealing with a Qunari, and when they get up to the ramparts, when he takes in Bull, there's not a moments hesitation as he walks up to him. Or rather, as he makes his way over, utterly soundless. Almost as if his feet aren't touching the ground. Even his clothes make no sound as he approaches Bull from the front, reaching out a hand to press is gently on Bull's shoulder.

[ataashihunter]

Bull moves as if to attack some unseen foe when Clark touches him, but then his eyes see Clark's and he actually focuses on them, rather than on the things he was imagining. He blinks a few times and slumps, his breathing slowing down. He leans forward, into the touch. "Who... who are you?" His voice sounds hoarse like he had been screaming. Behind them Krem walks over to check out the corpse, going through its pockets. "He's a noble from the caravan that just got in." He shoots Clark a look, he wasn't going to let Clark try to separate or isolate them. He'd seen guides do that before. Tevinter guides, but still.

[a_different_future]

He might try and move, but the hand on his shoulder will hold him in place: not a hard squeeze, just an implacable force. When Bull blinks, slumps, leans forward, his expression goes soft as he leans down to put his forehead to Bull's.

"My name is Clark. Your friend, Krem, came to get me to help you."

Krem is, for the moment, utterly ignored otherwise. He has a job to do.

[ataashihunter]

Bull nods and closes his eyes, leaning against Clark with a soft, content sigh. "You... you're an arvaarad..." He licks his lips, worried. He knows humans don't treat their mages and sentinels quite like the Qunari but still. You don't even have to be guide or a sentinel to hear the nervousness in his voice.

Krem stops what he is doing and comes over, kneeling down at Bull's side as well. "No chief. He is a human guide. And he isn't even a Tevinter one." He glances over at Clark. "He isn't going to try to tame you or whatever you qunari call it."

[a_different_future]

Clark looks over at the word 'human' with a slight, irritated frown before focusing back on Bull. His hands are gentler now that he doesn't have to worry about a violent attack.

"Closer the first time," he corrects mildly, "and I certainly wouldn't. I'm just here to help you. Do you understand that?"

His hand runs lightly over Bull's shoulder.

"Now, no need for nervousness. There's nothing you can do to hurt me or scare me off, I assure you. Can you get up?"

[ataashihunter]

"It's not that." Bull is starting to get his voice back. "Sentinels are a small step over mages among Qunari."

He takes a breath and then looks behind him. "Fuck." He moves to get up. "We should deal with that." He looks to Krem and then back at Clark. He knows he has things to do, but he doesn't want to move, he doesn't want to move from the comfort of a guide. One that feels so right, so... He's something to hold onto in the storm of impressions.

Krem shakes his head and then looks to Clark. "He's in no shape for that. I'll take care of the body if you take care of him."

[a_different_future]

"Yes, well, you'd be sure to get a show if either of them got a look at me," he says with a mild smile on his face even as he reaches down and scoops Bull up. It's a little awkward, mostly due to his size. Because it's clear enough that Clark has no problem with the weight.

"Where can I take him to take care of him?"

Matter-of-fact.

"I assume you can handle the body, hmm?"

[ataashihunter]

Bull makes a bit of a whooping sound as he is picked up. Krem shakes his head. "He got a room down in the inn. Take him there. I'll come there once I am done here."

"I'll get the rest of the chargers to help. I want to know why this guy was after the boss."

Bull, on the other hand, is already starting to walk, doing his best to carry his own weight as he stumbles for the stairs.

[a_different_future]

Clark pauses him as they start to go, looking up at Bull.

"If you keep trying to carry your own weight, I will pick you up and carry you myself. I am much stronger than I look. Lean and don't be difficult."

[ataashihunter]

"Krem's wrong. You're not human." He shakes his head. But at least he obeys. It isn't that hard to get Bull to obey when he is like this.

It doesn't take too long to get to his room. It is simple enough, a large bed in the middle of the room, a few weapons and some armour and a few books. Bull walks over to sit on the bed.

"Thanks. That... hasn't happened for a long time." He is more like himself now.

[a_different_future]

"You have something in your system," Clark notes as he helps Bull settle onto the bed. "It'll meddle with you until it's been cleared out."

He shrugs as he turns to lean down and look at Bull, peer into his eyes, take in some of the effects on his system.

"And no, your friend was very wrong. I'm not remotely human, no matter what I look like."

[ataashihunter]

Bull settles on the bed, rubbing his head. "Quamek most likely. Qunari use it to make Vashoth obedient. One of the things it does is it dulls the senses. Especially ... my kind."

He looks up at Clark, studying him for a long moment. "You look human enough."

[a_different_future]

"And do you happen to know any of the other qualities of quamek other than the obvious trouble you're having?"

He will take a moment, now that Bull is settled on the bed, to retrieve some water from the basin provided in the room. He'll take a moment with his back turned to superheat and then cool it as he does with most water before providing the room temperature cup to Bull.

"Yes, well, you look Qunari, but I have a feeling you wouldn't call yourself that nowadays. Suffice to say, I am not."

[ataashihunter]

"It depends on who you ask, most people don't even know there is a difference between Qunari, Vashoth and Tal Vashoth." He takes a breath. "Quamek is used to ... deal with people who become too much of an issue. It wipes out your memories and makes you a mindless slave. Saar-quamek is a poison. It's related to Quamek, causes madness." He takes the cup and sips it.

"I have built up some resistance to it."

[a_different_future]

"I hear and see more than most people," is all he says in response to that before he settles in a chair across from Bull.

"It's a lucky thing, then, that you had enough time for your friend to come get me." A faint smile. "He doesn't like me much."

[ataashihunter]

"Krem and I don't exactly have good experiences with guides. So we try to stay away from them." He takes a breath. "As I said, among Qunari, Sentinels are a small step above mages. Among Tevinter soldiers, it is not much better. I don't know all the details but... Let's just say we're both used to being seen as tools."

[a_different_future]

"I was in a similar situation before my father's unfortunate demise."

Someone had been at the summit when the whole thing had blown. It was one of the reasons Clark was here, after all, to work with the Inquisition. He didn't like having debts.

"Suffice to say I have no need of you, which I would think is more of a comfort than reassurances that I have no intention to do such a thing."

[ataashihunter]

The Bull nods. It is. And he hopes that even if this guy decides he wants them or will turn them in or whatever else, that the Inquisition won't let him. He licks his lips and looks up at Clark.

"As long as you don't hurt Krem." Yeah, he is fiercely protective of the other Sentinel. Protectiveness is common among Sentinels and Bull got a bit more of it than most.

Suddenly there is the sound of a glass breaking downstairs and even though it is faint, Bull flinches. His senses are still a bit of a wreck and he doesn't really have a good grip on them yet. Instinctively he reaches out for Clark to pull him close, to settle into the comfort of a Guide.

[a_different_future]

"Why would I hurt either of you?" he points out as he leans over and starts running his hand up and down Bull's back in a soothing, almost hypnotic motion. He heard the glass too.

"If I caused harm to everyone who didn't like me, I'd have killed half of the people here."

[ataashihunter]

"As I said, we don't have good experiences." Bull's breathing slows and he leans against Clark as his eyes slide shut. "He needs a guide, but what he needs more than that is his freedom and being treated like a real person." Bull isn't just talking about Krem. And he isn't sure Clark is willing to provide that. He is a noble after all.

"Thank you." He finally adds. This could have ended badly, had the guide not been there.

[a_different_future]

"Yes, but I can't undo those," he points out with a low chuckle. "All I can tell you is how I feel, act as I choose to act, and let you figure the rest out on your own."

His touch drifts up along the back of Bull's neck, light under the curve of his skull.

"And if that's the case, we may be able to work out something of an arrangement for the two of you. I have means at my disposal which others certainly don't which would allow for freedom and autonomy while still allowing for my services."