"Yeah. We are," he confirms to Strange. He's as ready as he'll ever be. He lets Rowen tuck Alpine back in his jacket to keep him safe, watching as the portal forms. This might be the craziest thing he's ever done.
He's seen these portals before, but they never cease to be amazing. He can already see the land through the shimmering circle, and he finds that he's excited too. He might be tired of fighting, but he's up for a new adventure- with someone he wants to live his life with.
He holds Rowen's hand tightly and gives him a nod. "I'm ready."
That was all the affirmation Hawke needed. Still holding Bucky's hand in a tight grip, he inexorably started for the portal, not even hesitating as he stepped right through. His ears popped from the change in pressure, but it was of very little import.
The Crossroads was just as it had been the last time he'd been here; dim, quiet, and almost eerily unearthly. Ancient elven trees stood silent and leafless, their circular branches curling at their apex as if reaching for each other. Tall, dark mirrors stood sentinel in their cracked stone bases, their brilliance forever dimmed.
The mist swirled, curling around both men as if in odd welcome, but Hawke was already looking ahead, seeking the Eluvian that had brought him here.
"This is the Crossroads," he told Bucky after a moment, his voice quiet but resonating with an odd choral sound. "The ancient elves of Thedas built it as a means of cross-continental transportation, using the mirrors as doorways." He nodded at the nearest, down the path a bit.
Behind them, Strange gave a final farewell before the buzzing portal shrank, then vanished completely.
Hawke glanced at his companion, smile a little crooked. "Well, let's get going, shall we?"
Bucky doesn't hesitate either, even though the world he steps into is an eerie one. Beautiful in it's own way, though- and unlike anything he's ever really seem. It might be closer to Wakanda than New York City, but still very different.
He only turns to lift his hand to Strange, saying a final goodby to him, and the world he knows. It's emotional and intense, saying goodbye to the only world he's ever known, leaving behind that kind of life for this new one. The portal vanishes moments after that, and Bucky looks at Rowen, giving him a small nod. "I'll go where you go, just lead the way."
And hopefully Rowen will explain more of what he's in for, now that they're here.
"This isn't really a place," Hawke said as they headed further down the path, walking carefully. "It's somewhere between dreaming and awake, sort of...a realm outside of consciousness." He gave a mild grimace, shaking his head. "Don't ask how it works, because I have no idea. It's magic, old, old magic. And the elves who created it are thousands of years gone."
Eyes and ears alert, even here, Hawke stepped with deliberate precision, keeping Bucky but a single pace behind him, for safety's sake.
"We need to find a mirror that's not dark, but bright and unbroken." He gestured to one as they passed, its reflective surface dim and cracked in many places. "Many of them are like that one, but there are still a few that are active. They just don't...stay in the same place...is the problem."
"...What?" That definitely sets him on edge a little. He doesn't like that place between dreaming and awake. All kinds of things can happen there. He does want to ask why, but- it's magic. Instead he keeps his eyes on Alpine, making sure she's okay. This is probably strangest for her out of all of them.
"Okay. Bright and unbroken. What if there aren't any left? Then what happens?" They're definitely passing a lot of dim and broken ones. Bucky zips his jacket up a little more. "Are these more portals? Strange probably could have given us a direct ride..."
That's how those portals of his work- he thinks. "I see something bright up ahead- could that be something?"
"We discussed that, him opening a portal straight into Thedas," Hawke replied. "But for whatever reason, it never seemed to work. He kept hitting some sort of barrier about halfway through. So we opted for the Crossroads, because at least that offered a chance."
Following Bucky's gaze ahead, Hawke paused and squinted down the pathway. "Could be. Let's give it a look." Pray Andraste they found something; Hawke would take a mirror to Tevinter at this point.
And by a miracle, it wasn't too further along that both of them could see the mirror clearly, twinkling in the dimness with motes of magic swirling in the air all around it. "Blessed be," Hawke breathed in relief as they approached. "But we'll have to be careful, since we don't know just where this leads."
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Date: 2025-01-07 04:29 pm (UTC)He's seen these portals before, but they never cease to be amazing. He can already see the land through the shimmering circle, and he finds that he's excited too. He might be tired of fighting, but he's up for a new adventure- with someone he wants to live his life with.
He holds Rowen's hand tightly and gives him a nod. "I'm ready."
no subject
Date: 2025-01-08 12:18 am (UTC)The Crossroads was just as it had been the last time he'd been here; dim, quiet, and almost eerily unearthly. Ancient elven trees stood silent and leafless, their circular branches curling at their apex as if reaching for each other. Tall, dark mirrors stood sentinel in their cracked stone bases, their brilliance forever dimmed.
The mist swirled, curling around both men as if in odd welcome, but Hawke was already looking ahead, seeking the Eluvian that had brought him here.
"This is the Crossroads," he told Bucky after a moment, his voice quiet but resonating with an odd choral sound. "The ancient elves of Thedas built it as a means of cross-continental transportation, using the mirrors as doorways." He nodded at the nearest, down the path a bit.
Behind them, Strange gave a final farewell before the buzzing portal shrank, then vanished completely.
Hawke glanced at his companion, smile a little crooked. "Well, let's get going, shall we?"
no subject
Date: 2025-01-08 12:57 am (UTC)He only turns to lift his hand to Strange, saying a final goodby to him, and the world he knows. It's emotional and intense, saying goodbye to the only world he's ever known, leaving behind that kind of life for this new one. The portal vanishes moments after that, and Bucky looks at Rowen, giving him a small nod. "I'll go where you go, just lead the way."
And hopefully Rowen will explain more of what he's in for, now that they're here.
no subject
Date: 2025-01-08 01:05 am (UTC)Eyes and ears alert, even here, Hawke stepped with deliberate precision, keeping Bucky but a single pace behind him, for safety's sake.
"We need to find a mirror that's not dark, but bright and unbroken." He gestured to one as they passed, its reflective surface dim and cracked in many places. "Many of them are like that one, but there are still a few that are active. They just don't...stay in the same place...is the problem."
no subject
Date: 2025-01-08 01:52 am (UTC)"Okay. Bright and unbroken. What if there aren't any left? Then what happens?" They're definitely passing a lot of dim and broken ones. Bucky zips his jacket up a little more. "Are these more portals? Strange probably could have given us a direct ride..."
That's how those portals of his work- he thinks. "I see something bright up ahead- could that be something?"
no subject
Date: 2025-01-12 07:34 pm (UTC)Following Bucky's gaze ahead, Hawke paused and squinted down the pathway. "Could be. Let's give it a look." Pray Andraste they found something; Hawke would take a mirror to Tevinter at this point.
And by a miracle, it wasn't too further along that both of them could see the mirror clearly, twinkling in the dimness with motes of magic swirling in the air all around it. "Blessed be," Hawke breathed in relief as they approached. "But we'll have to be careful, since we don't know just where this leads."