mend this porcelain heart.

[espouses]

Who: Marian Hawke and Anders
What: Nightmares.
When: Evening of day 398
Where: Heimdall #306
Rating: PG-13 for Hawke for now!

Everything hurt.

Nightmares were nothing new for Hawke; she'd had them since she was a young girl, since her father had died and Bethany had started crying herself to sleep, since she joined the army and since the Darkspawn. She's lived with them as a constant for a long as she could remember - but it didn't make it easier: waking up in a cold sweat, her heart rushing a mile a minute, the darkness of her room as frightening as a hoard of Ogres and Golems on her heels. She just wanted one night of peaceful rest, Maker help her, was that too much to ask for?

Apparently so.

It's easy for her to push herself out of bed, to gather her armour and drape herself in it, as though it will protect her from the haunting memory of her mother's last words. Putting her sword on her back steels her for her walk and she moves quickly, storming out of the room, completely unconcerned with whether or not she might wake up her 'roommate' - the King would survive, she was sure of it. Her mind and her heart may not, however.

When she reaches Anders' room her hands are shaking and there are tears gathered in her eyes, her throat tight and her expression grim. For a moment she doesn't dare knock, but her resolve falters and she presses her palm against the door, her foot moving to kick the wood gently. If Anders doesn't respond to that she will leave, find a place where she can swing her sword until she has no energy left. Until then, she waits.

Comments

[isblind]

Of course he responds- he's used enough, with the way he's had to live for so long, to being roused at all sorts of hours. Preparing to grab things and go at a moment's notice- which is still his first response. For a few moments there's no response save the shuffling sounds of motion before the door's unlocked and opened a crack.

As soon as he's seen who's there it's pulled open wide- Anders might not have had time to gather everything, but it's clear he'd have been ready enough to leave, boots on and staff in hand. And once he's gotten a look at her face-- he steps back to give her room to come in, concern written on his own face.

"Hawke?" is all he asks, all he really needs to. There's no point asking whether she's alright when he knows the answer, and she'll talk about what happened and why she's here in such a state if she feels like it. (He has his guesses, but none look very favorably upon certain people she's mentioned before.)