thecapitol | here lies the abyss; open;

Who| Cullen and YOU
What| After a truly horrific death in the arena, Cullen wakes up back in the Capitol. Time to regain his bearings and find his allies again!
Where| Around~ (Let me know if you want a specific prompt and I'll write one up!)
When| After his death, probably Wednesday or Thursday
Warnings/Notes| Descriptions of nasty psychological torture probably.

[District 2 suite]

He wakes with a start, ready for battle. That had been the last thing he remembers doing, after all. A monster, or demon, some sort of creature that had taken Adella's likeness and twisted it into something corrupted and horrific had appeared. His rage and grief had overcome him at the sight of the terrible thing, like his worst fear made diseased flesh, and he'd attacked, as unprepared for it as he was.

The thing had ripped into him viciously, and he remembers nothing more until - this.

The room is white and pristine and too, too bright, and he's groping for a sword that isn't there for a few moments until he recalls where he must be. The Capitol. One dies in the arena, and wakes up in the Capitol. Or so he's been told.

That brings him to his senses. He needs to find the others, if they're here as promised. He needs to find Adella. Maker, if she's here, if she's alive, he'll build a shrine to Andraste with his own two hands.

With a determined set to his mouth, his jaw, strides through the district suite, towards the elevator. He does remember how these work, thanks to Ser Sam Wilson's guidance, all those weeks ago.

[Tribute Tower common area]

He very quickly realizes that he has no real idea where to find many of his companions and allies. Many of them arrived in the arena itself, and so he doesn't know which district they are assigned to, and even if he did, the chances of finding them in their respective suites he thinks are low. Eventually, he makes his way to the main common area on the ground floor. It sees a lot of traffic, it's a natural place to congregate and wait for one's companions. He hopes.

And he tries to avoid looking at the brightly flashing screens everywhere. Maker, does he try.

[The roof]

As evening settles over the city, Cullen finds his way to the quiet and (relative) darkness of the rooftop garden. Even this place is utterly alien to him in a lot of ways, but it's slightly easier to stomach than most of the rest of the building or the city beyond. There is so much light from the city that it's almost impossible to get a good look at the stars, something which Cullen finds baffling, but he attempts it anyway, taking deep, calming breaths as he turns his face up.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"So am I," she replies, letting out a quiet sigh before tilting her head to press a kiss to his jaw. She'd made a mistake in the Arena, it had cost her her life, and she regretted it. She regretted putting him through that more. The ache in her chest when she'd seen the footage of him directly following her death had been greater than the mortal wounds she'd had.

"I hate this place."

"So do I," he whispers, sighing. There were a lot of things wrong in Thedas, but he hasn't felt so trapped, so powerless, in a very long time. He'd hoped never to feel so again, and yet, here he is.

And worse still, here she is.

His arms tighten around her, as if he might be able to protect her from this place if he just holds her close enough.

"I don't think I'll ever understand what they think they're accomplishing here," she'd listened to what explanations were given to her, both sugary sweet ones and those more in touch with reality, none of it made sense. But she also found the idea of forcing people to kill one another for sheer amusement reprehensible on any level, so maybe she would always be biased.

"Neither will I," Cullen says, shaking his head. They have technology beyond imagination, they have the power of life and death. And they use it for what? Blood sports. Not to better themselves, not to fix the problems of their world, but to ignore them.

Cullen can't understand that.

She lets the topic drop at that, not really interested in discussing it further. She's quiet for several minutes, just content to feel his solid form pressed against her, the steady rise and fall of his chest under her arm reassuring her that he's here and okay. She feels more at peace now than she has since arriving in this Maker-forsaken place.

"Have you ever left the Tribute Center?" she asks after the stretch of silence, the thought bubbling up among all the others rolling around in her mind.

"I have," he says, more than happy for the change of topic. Even here, he's not sure they won't be overheard, and he doesn't want her getting into any trouble, or finding herself at risk in any way.

"Only a couple of times. It's - very loud. And busy."

"Moreso than here?" She'd been hoping to go outside the Center, find something different to look at besides the Training Area, the lobby, or the suites. She's spent most of her life locked up in a tower, going back to that after the relative freedom of the past few years is a little stifling.

"I was hoping we might find somewhere outside this place to spend some time."

"It's bigger than any city I've ever seen," Cullen affirms. "But there are a lot of parks, and public gardens, and the like. There's - a lot to see, it's all very impressive."

Of course, he'll go wherever she goes - he'd follow her into the jaws of the Fade itself if she asked it of him. A walk outside? He doesn't even give it a second thought.

"That could be nice," she ponders, talking almost more to herself than to him. She tilts her head a little so she can press a light kiss to the side of his jaw. "Not today, obviously. But I need to get out of this place. If you don't mind." She has no intention of leaving on her own. After getting herself killed, the idea of wandering into strange new territory is one she's more comfortable broaching with someone at her side.

"Of course, anything you want," Cullen says immediately. "I won't leave your side as long as you'll have me, regardless."

She lets out a small laugh, affectionately nuzzling the side of his face. "I suppose you'll be stuck with me, then." Though a thought crosses her mind which sours the pleased little tingle that settled in her stomach, when he said he wouldn't leave her side.

"Though they may separate us. I got the impression that the people here don't like their Tributes mingling across Districts." Which still seems absurd to her. Why place people who all come from the same place in different Districts if you're going to throw a fit when they rely on that familiar bond?

"They can try to separate us," Cullen says firmly. He strongly suspects something similar, frankly. The only real reason he can come up with for bringing so many of them from different versions of Thedas in the first place was to cause strife between them - for entertainment purposes, probably.

But he's not going to let that happen if he can help it, that's for certain.

His reaction draws a smile from her, and she lifts her head to look down at him, propping herself up by one arm.

"They wouldn't have much luck making it stick if they tried to pull us apart, would they?" Really they'd technically already tried. She'd died. That was the best way to keep people from one-another, remove one permanently. Though it was by their own design that they were both here and whole again.

He cups her cheek gently. "There's only one thing they could do to keep me from you," he points out, and he doesn't think he has to spell it out - they're both thinking it, after what they went through. "Otherwise, they'll just have to be disappointed."

In response she leans down and kisses him slowly, softly. She's not sure she'll ever be able to accurately put into words how it makes her feel, that he'd rather die than be apart from her. She's never had a relationship like this.

"I love you," she murmurs, resting her forehead against his.

He's never felt this way about anyone, either. Much as he hates that she's here with him, he's also not sure what he'd do without her anymore.

"I love you, too," he says, sliding his arms around her to pull her close against him.

here lies the abyss; open;

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