riverviewlogs | Merry Month of March

Entry tags:

Merry Month of March

who: Cullen Rutherford and You?
what: March Catch-all
when: The month of March
where: The Wall, the city, miscellaneous
warnings: Nothing so much

Cullen is a creature of habit. He works as a member of the Perimeter Guard because it is something he's used to doing. He's even gone for a more specialized team because he doesn't do well with just waiting around for things to happen. A part of him needs to be out on the front lines again, after so long of waiting back in Skyhold on Thedas.

He goes from the barracks to his patrol area to the barracks most days. (After one very embarrassing digression into the part of the town that is holding most of the strange celebration that he'd rather not discuss, he takes extra care when traveling through the city.)

He makes a few digressions from his pattern, of course. He's promised to meet a certain young lady for drinks at the Quarantine Bar and Grille.

There is the day where decides to explore the inner city as a day off and wanders into the Sampremi celebration, pulled in by all the sounds and colors of the raves. (He'd rather not talk about that, but feel free to find him there.)

After that, he stays away from that particular part of the city and spends more time searching other parts. Shopping happens, of course, but he does end up at the beachy shores of the river a few times, face drawn and pensive each time.

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Cullen got this job because he's only ever wanted to help people since he was a small child and has been training to do so since he was thirteen. He simply has no idea what he would do with himself if he couldn't do a job like this anymore.

Go mad, more than likely.

"Yes, so far, I've found that being open for things to be different helps. Although, I suppose I've gotten used to not really having a say in the matter. It's just not the end of the world as I know it right now."

"That's true. These things have a way of existing whether we care for them or not."

If she's a little bitter, it's because she's definitely been on the receiving end of that attitude; then again, she could assign the same bias to Genomex and be no less guilty of scorning them so even if it's not quite the same level, she can't say she's entirely innocent either.

"Still, adaptability is never a bad thing. I mean, there are probably worse places we could have suddenly ended up." And heck, at least they haven't been chucked out of city walls with no fanfare. Being allowed somewhere to live by itself makes things that much easier.

"I suppose you mean like out in the wilds or a deserted planet with no water and poison spitting lizards? It's true. We could've wanted to leave wherever we were before and come right into a dragon's lair."

He gives her faint smile.

"That's definitely a way out."

"Who knows. Some people might find that more homely than a city like this."

She's not one of them but it's not impossible that some people would sooner take their chances with the lizards than deal with civilisation.

"Then again, if that's true then perhaps they're already there and we just don't know about it."

"You're right. We'll never know, will we? But something tells me that if there's any truth to the fact that we felt out of place in our own worlds and that's how we ended up here, then our friends looking to be with the poison-lizards will probably be here or stay on their own world."

Her gives her a half-smile that is all sarcasm.

"Unless, of course, there's a spot somewhere on this moon that is filled with poisonous lizards and sand."

She can tell it's meant sarcastically but that won't stop her responding - he hasn't said anything that actually disproves the theory, at least as far as her reckoning goes.

"Well, if you can tell me for definite that there isn't, you've seen a lot more of the place than I have. I'm just about getting used to the city, never mind whatever's outside the walls so for all I know, we're just in the part where they've got rid of all the poisonous lizards and sand."

If anything, it'd almost be less surprising than some of the things she has learned about the place.

"I can't tell you definitely one way or the other. I suppose only time will tell."

While he was half-joking, she has a point. This is a life-sustaining moon, so it's just like another planet in that instance. Who's to say that they know everything about this place, that there isn't more out there to discover once they've passed the wall. He's fairly certain there's a lot that they won't like when they do find out about them.

"Tell me. Do you play chess at all?"

"I can't say it's something I've spent a lot of time doing, no." Not that she thinks there's anything wrong with it but, well. "A little too much strategy and forward planning for my tastes."

She's never been a strategist for her team, after all; she's the one that dives in and gets things done (and sometimes even without trouble at her heels!) and she tends to leave more involved planning to better candidates.

"I'm sure you're not the only one around here who does, though."

"It's not a game for everyone, I've learned. The fact that I now have a board is because I have a friend who brought it over a few days ago."

Just so she knows he's not hurting for an opportunity to play. However her answer gives him more than just an answer. It lets him know what kind of person she is. More of a follower than a leader, or more of a field leader than a tactical person. Good to know.

"What sort of weapons are you proficient in?"

"Generous friend. You must be pretty good at it, then?" Which makes him more of a strategist. Which is all good news as far as she's concerned.

At the mention of weapons she can't help but shrug a little. "I'll be honest, most of the time I get by without. Guess that's something I'll just have to work on if that's not good enough, here."

Mostly because her work back home had involved a lot more subduing than outright killing. It's the plan she'd been hoping to go with here, too, and if that doesn't work then she'll work from there.

"I'm sure that he'll remember he left it here soon enough." It wasn't that important after their conversation took interesting twists and turns. "And I am... passable."

He doesn't boast. Leave that to Mia, this Rutherford has some sort of humility to his personality.

"I can't say whether it's good or not for you here. You know yourself better than anyone else, after all. However, it might be prudent to have at least one way to defend yourself from a distance."

"Ah. One of those gifts." It's something Shalimar found herself getting used to living with other people, though her own territorial nature means she's less inclined to leave anything behind unless she intends to.

Still. Far more important things to consider here and she thinks that over for a moment. Though she seems no more worried than she was before, when she does reply.

"Usually I tend to go with 'not letting myself get hit'. Doesn't always work out but better the odd graze from a distance where they have to catch me to do anything worse."

"Yes, I suppose so. The one we normally use back home is actually mine, so this is a strange change in circumstances." And it was a fine board and he misses it already.

"Not getting hit is a sound policy. However, in my line of experience it's not possible. That's why I was trained to use a shield with my sword. It also makes sure that my face isn't melted off by acid or fire in battle."

"Ah. Well if there's fire involved I'll be long gone as soon as I get a hint of it so my face is probably safe from that one." Unless exceptional circumstances are in effect but Shalimar still operates on the basis that the further she is from fire, the better.

Not that it's something she likes to admit. But if there's a chance of them working together it's probably a smart idea to know where each other's weaknesses lie.

"But it sounds like we've got pretty different styles if you have to worry about getting hit that much."

"I am a frontline fighter and I'm not afraid to take a hit."

He gives her a crooked smile that only emphasizes the scar running through the left side of his mouth.

"Much better I do so than an archer or my healer."

"I can understand that. Send the big guy up front so the more delicate types don't get squished."

Even if the terms are different, it's a sound enough theory for Shalimar to get behind. Though she tends to prefer being up-front not taking hits.

"Though that's not to say I count myself as delicate. But bloodstains are just so difficult to get out, you know?"

And when she heals as quickly as she does, of course she's worried more about her wardrobe than anything else.

"Believe it or not, there is someone much bigger than I am, but the best person to send out to take all of the hits is a woman about a foot shorter than me."

Of course, Cassandra is a fucking beast and is scary on a good day. Corypheus really picked the wrong Seeker to screw around with when he decided to murder Divine Justinia while Cassandra Pentaghast was anywhere near by.

"I have heard that from time to time. The woman who cleans my shirts as part of her duties has lamented the blood stains that come from both training and when I return from battle."

Of course, none of it is his. Not anymore.

"Well that's not so strange. Just because we're little doesn't mean we're not strong." And she can say that confidently, as the shortest member and strongest fighter of Mutant X, even with Jesse having the edge on taking hits. True, she's got genetic enhancement on her side but that's true of the rest of her team too so it's not like she has an unfair advantage.

But then, all things considered, it sounds like a much bigger deal where he's from.

"Sounds like some pretty intense training. Tell me you at least set aside specific clothing just for those occasions." Because if Shalimar was undergoing training that would see her bleeding on herself - or other people bleeding on her - on a regular basis then she'd definitely keep a separate wardrobe for that.

"Oh no, don't get me wrong. Plenty of women fight and are extremely proficient in doing so. Cassandra is just... a different sort altogether."

No one would ever consider her weak or pampered if they saw her in battle. She's hardly the stereotypical princess, Nevarran or no.

He laughs at her comment. "Yes, I do, but it also helps to wear darker colors more often so it doesn't matter. Besides, if there's no blood on armor, it hasn't been used properly."

"Sounds like someone I wouldn't mind meeting." Even without knowing the fuller details, Shalimar can't help but be at least a little intrigued - though she says nothing more, knowing what that would entail and that's not a wish she would ever land on anyone's head, whether she knows them or not.

It hasn't been bad here so far. But the point still stands.

His response to her comment earns a laugh from her in kind. "Man after my own heart, at least with the darker colours. Never really owned armour to know about that but I do know whites don't tend to stay white for long when I do wear them." Even when she's been hoping for no trouble, it has a tendency of finding her, after all.

"It would depend entirely on how you meet her. Trust me. She is very much an acquired taste."

There are some that are still a little bitter at possibly having been manhandled by the Seeker, and rightly so. Cullen respects Cassandra, but she is a hard woman sometimes. Not everyone has the determination to really push past that.

"White is a hard color to keep clean. It certainly has its place, but not really in the wardrobe of someone who fights for a living." He's still not sure why so much of the Templar uniform is white. Then again, few members of the Order saw much action while he was still part of it. And after he left, he'd hardly call some of the rabble in the Hinterlands Templars.

"Nothing wrong with that. I find a lot of people are." Less so now that she doesn't feel like there's someone stepping into her territory but in general it can take her some time to warm to people. Doesn't make them not worth knowing, but she'll leave it at that - she can't really know for sure how she'll respond to a person she knows nothing about.

She shrugs at the rest, amusement plain in her expression. "That's true. I try to keep it for my days off but sometimes the universe decides I don't need one of those." Hard to know when something would kick off with Genomex again or they'd find a rogue mutant and everyone would have to drop all plans to go fight and save the day. But never let it say she can't be optimistic from time to time.

"Off days? What are those?"

It's a joke, but it's a sad fact that Cullen Stanton Rutherford has a hard time with "days off". He is a fighter, a leader and a man who needs something to do with himself.

"The only time I've avoided actual fights is when I've been tossed into 'diplomatic affairs', and I would rather be in the middle of a broiled death match than another one of those any time soon."

"Usually an invitation for things to start heading south. Sometimes we actually get to enjoy them, though."

She's not really a workaholic by choice, more a side effect of the life she led back home where things were a lot more unpredictable. She's not sure she really knows how to live otherwise, really, though she's aware she has no real choice but to make a go of it and hope for the best.

He does get a sympathetic grimace at the mention of diplomacy. "Yeah, I'll be the first to admit I don't have the patience for that. Politics I leave to people who are better equipped to handle it." Whether that be through natural experience or the ability to psionically manipulate the people in question, neither of which she's capable of.

He laughs lowly at her answer. "It's certainly been my experience that days off lead to trouble as well."

Cullen's smile falls as they wind back into politics. "Oh yes. I've been told that I'm really only need to stand there and look pretty."

He is INSULTED by that. And a great many other remarks that have been made over the space of the last few years about his lack of political finesse being outweighed by his pretty face and physique.

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Merry Month of March

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