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Her Destiny Lies Elsewhere	By : TheStarvingArtist Category: +A through F > Dragon Age (all) > Dragon Age (all) Views: 7181 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN DRAGON AGE. This is a work of fiction, and I make no money from it. This fic contains dialogue from the game.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Author's Note:
I had a great author's note. Sigh.
Also, more language needed editing in this chapter specifically.
Enjoy!
May 18, 2015: I edited some stuff since I got more things cemented. Chapter 15 is still a work in progress but I have more ready/almost ready!

**This fic contains many quotes and much dialogue straight from the game.**
Chapter Six
The Market of Walls and Other Attractions

Bull stood with Cassandra and Solas outside a stout brick building, frowning as he realized it had been several minutes since Rio had disappeared inside. They'd spent the better part of an hour making their way here, down back-alleys and cutting across empty lots, but she assured them it wasn't far. When they finally arrived at the brick building, nestled between two other brick buildings, he wondered if they'd really come to the right place, but Rio seemed confident.
When she started to remove her equipment, handing her heavier armor, jacket, and staff to Solas, Bull started to object, but Rio wouldn't hear it, frowning up at him as she said tht she needed to look as close to normal as possible before she turned to slip into the building, telling them to stay put.
It had been too long now, he realized as another minute ticked by. He didn't like how long she was taking, especially unarmed as she was, and given where they were. He glanced over at Solas, who held her coat, sash, and staff, uneasily leaning against a signpost, then to Cassandra, who held Rio's heavy armor pieces, and he knew they were both starting to think the same thing. Looking back up at the windows, he eyed the ones with lights shining in them, trying to figure out which one to pay the most attention to.
He didn't like this. Something felt... wrong.
He turned to the others and started to say that he felt they should go after her when a crashing sound stopped him before something fell onto the sidewalk in front of him. Whatever it was shattered, the three of them showered with glass as they shielded themselves. Looking up from the bits of brown and clear glass, Bull heard shouting , frowning before he turned to wrench the door open.
Up three flights of stairs, Bull wasn't sure where to find her until he heard her shout in pain, another voice raising above hers as a door slammed open. “That was a full frelling bottle of whiskey, you little bit!” a man snapped as Rio was shoved out of the open door, hitting the opposite wall hard. Her feet stumbled as she tried to gain her footing again as a man slunk out of the doorway after her. She didn't have time to twist away as a rough hand grabbed her by the hair and yanked her back to her feet by the messy locks.
Thick fingers twisted in those locks as she gasped in pain, fighting to free herself as he gave a disgusted sneer, a cheap blade in his other hand pressing against her throat to stop her struggling. “Ugh, your hair looks terrible. What, they don't have hair dye where you disappeared to, huh?” He shook his head at the several inches of white-blonde that had grown out as if it disgusted him. “And what's with this get-up? What, playing the bar wench at some geek fair or something? Is that why you left?” He scoffed at that when she looked up at him with bright anger in her eyes, “Oh, tried to grow a spine too, I see. Looks like you just don't learn your lesson, ducklin'.”
Rio's eyes flickered from the man that held her to Bull as he stood at the end of the hallway, and she could've shouted for joy. Of course, she had to bite back the sound at the sharp metal biting into her skin just the tiniest bit, fist clenching in her hair as Johnny spotted the giant Qunari as well. The look on his face was just short of murderous as he loomed there, taking a slow step forward, ducking his head a little to keep from jabbing his horns into the ceiling.
Bull didn't even need to ask. The man before him needed no introduction, given his sallow complexion, greasy hair, and dark demeanor. This was Johnny, and it was becoming clear why she hadn't seemed keen on missing him when she decided to stay in Thedas.
His hand rested on his warhammer's haft as he looked Rio over. A bruise was quickly darkening on one cheek, tears streaming down her face, a split lip, and then lower, the dull blade against her throat, a bright red nick over her collarbone, and her shirt practically torn open. He couldn't quite tell from the way she stood, but he was willing to bet her leggings would have been next.
“Whu... Who the hell're you?!” he heard, his one good eye turning to the man that held the boss. He wasn't much to speak of, oil-black hair pulled into a short ponytail, patchy facial hair, and a little thin with a face that might've been almost handsome. A wrinkled shirt peeked out from under an ill-fitting suit jacket, something cheap that was made to look expensive. Brown eyes narrowed at him as he sneered, “What're you, some kind of freak?”
Yanking hard on Rio's hair to make her crane her head back with a pained grunt, he looked at her with disgust in his eyes. “Is this the kinda thing you go for now?” He waved his knife at Bull, pressing it against her neck again, but not before the Qunari saw the flicker of fear in his eyes. “I mean, the muscles, the fake horns... What kind of weird sh you been up to, ducklin'?” When she only struggled a little more, he turned the blade a little, letting it graze her jawline, making her still again. “First, you run off on me... And now you come back to get your stuff like you don't owe me nothin', and you just expect me to believe you when you say you can't talk about it? NO!” he shouted at her, making her flinch as she tried to get away, “You're not fuckin' goin' anywhere until you explain what you've been up to, little duckling!”
The Qunari had just about had enough of the weasel, looking to Rio as he tried to gauge what he should do, hearing Cassandra and Solas on the stairs behind him. When he met her gaze, he saw the look in her eyes, and he hesitated for just a moment before deciding quietly to just... see where this was going to go.
He only had a moment to wait as she reached up, quickly pulling hard on Johnny's wrist. In the same motion, she leaned herself back into the hand gripping her hair until her back bowed elegantly. The second his fingers loosened in her hair as he turned his focus back on her, she snapped herself forward again, crashing the crown of her head into his nose.
A sickening crunch echoed in the quiet hall just as the smoke detector started beeping loudly. Johnny gave a sound like a wounded animal, stumbling back and hitting the wall as he clutched at his face, the knife clattering to the ground. Bull grimaced a little before stepping forward, kicking the knife out of the way before he reached down to grab Johnny by the back of his shirt and heft him to his feet. He started to swear loudly before he looked up at Bull and fear flashed in his eyes. Bull was a lot larger than the thin weasel in front of him, and he had no doubts what the Qunari might do to him before he was turned and pushed toward Cassandra and Solas.
“Seeker,” he said with a frown, “got something to bind this one? Don't want him running off...” When she took him to tie his wrists behind his back, Bull turned back to look at Rio, finding her leaning against the wall. “You okay, Boss?” he asked, starting to look her over as she waved him off with a small grunt. Hand lightly touching where she'd smacked into Johnny's nose, she turned to make her way into through the open doorway. Bull followed as his curiosity peaked, finding her smothering a fire on what looked like a black and white metal box before grabbing a broom, waving it at a strange raised circle on the ceiling until it stopped squawking. Giving it a few more waves to help dispel the smoke for good measure, she finally set the broom back down, sighing as she leaned on it.
Leaning tiredly back against the counter, she waved him in as she said, “Come on, better get inside... the neighbors'll start snooping if you don't...” He poked his head out to Cassandra and Solas, who pulled Johnny with him, closing the door behind them all as they looked around the apartment, Rio trying to pull and hold her shirt closed before Solas handed her things back to her, taking them and slipping out of the room with a soft, “I need to shower... You guys just... hang out for a bit...”
Bull took in stock of the room around them, the hard floors and bare walls that might've once been a cheery yellow. The furniture looked strange, but largely recognizable—chairs around a table in one corner, a sofa, a ratty-looking wing-backed chair. There were bookshelves, but they held strange-looking books, all the same height, and as he squinted, he could make out strange titles and little pictures on their spines.
Here and there, he found little figurines, small angels, and even a dragon in a corner, though one of its resin claws was chipped and one of its wings had been clearly broken and glued back together. Glancing back at Johnny, he couldn't help thinking he knew exactly who had damaged it before he continued looking over the strange things on the shelves. Nestled on a little table all on its own was the most curious thing: a strange box that had a curved glass front. When he moved closer, Johnny struggled in Cassandra's grip, snapping at him that he'd best not touch it.
Bull's interest in the box was quickly forgotten when Rio returned, hair dripping wet, but cleaner-looking, a bag slung over one shoulder as she tugged a brush through her hair. Tugging it back out of her face, she wrung it out over the sink before tying it out of the way. She checked the knobs on the stove to make sure they were all off, glanced in the fridge (nearly empty), and the cupboards (empty except for the liquor bottles in it), and finally got down to her knees, reaching under the sink, fiddling with something tucked just out of sight before she straightened up, pulling a hidden box out.
Seeing the box, Johnny lunged for her, snapping, "You little bitch! You were fucking hiding money from me!" Rio's look did nothing to quiet him at she stood and opened the box. Everyone watched her as she pulled out what looked like a stack of paper, counting it quietly to herself before tucking it into her jacket pocket.
Adjusting her sash to make sure her torn shirt stayed close, Rio walked over to Johnny. Grabbing him hard by the lapels of his shirt, she hefted him to his feet, eyes hard as she hissed, “We're going to go for a ride, and you're going to be quiet, and you're going to behave, or you're gonna find out exactly what I learned while I've been gone.” He sputtered for a moment before he caught sight of sparks dancing along her bare hands, a flicker of it flashing over her eyes as she rose an eyebrow at him. “Sound good to you, sweetie?” she spat.
No one could say Johnny didn't see which way the wind was blowing as he glanced around at the hard faces around them and nodded with only a soft, “Y-yeah... sure...”

***

Ten minutes later, on the freeway, Rio was trying to remember how to navigate the exits while simultaneously wishing she had just left everyone back at the apartment. Johnny's soft-top convertible was really only big enough to fit the four of them, with Bull's hunched bulk taking up two seats in the back with Cassandra. Johnny had struggled and tried to put up a fight before Cassandra had knocked him out and shoved him into the trunk. Bull tried to stay crouched down, but the first time he lifted his head, his horns went straight through the canvas. Grimacing at the tearing sound, he murmured a soft apology before Rio climbed into the front seat and said with a grin, “It's all right... It's an improvement...”
Now, speeding along at a comfortable sixty-miles-an-hour, she had kind of wished she'd asked someone to knock out Solas too. He'd been fine when they'd started moving, but once the car lurched into traffic and got up to speed, he'd gone white as a sheet, gripping the door with one hand and the dash with the other.
“Fenedhis, da'len!” he half-shouted as she smoothly went around another vehicle, “Do we have to go quite so THAT VEHICLE IS GOING SLOWER THAN US Creators preserve us, we're going to die!”
“Solas, please, if you're gonna be a Negative-Nancy, I can pull over and you can ride in the trunk with Johnny,” she snapped, avoiding the very little traffic with ease. “Otherwise, shut it!”
Bull chuckled as he watched the mage close his eyes tightly. His lips were moving, though if he was saying a prayer or a fervent wish for it all to end, he couldn't really tell. He was rather enjoying this. The boss was at ease behind the wheel, nothing seemed to be trying to kill them at the moment (except maybe the boss, and that was only every once in a while), and they were cruising along at great speeds. As they rode along, the engine rumbling under the hood, he understood why Rio always seemed impatient when they travelled—they could get just about anywhere in Thedas with something like this in a fraction of the time.
Cassandra was the only quiet one as she rode along, trying to keep from being jostled too much, though when Rio changed the direction, she slid across the seat and bumped into Bull. Grunting, she tried to hold onto the door as Rio apologized. They were slowing down, having apparently neared their destination.
She stopped the car in the parking lot of the supermarket, climbing out after the engine rumbled to a stop, sighing softly to herself. Leaning down to look into the car, she looked Solas up and down for a moment before asking, “You gonna be okay? Should I get you something?”
Solas swallowed heavily, shaking his head a little as he murmured, “I'm fine, I just... I need... a minute...”
She watched him for a few more moments before looking up as Bull climbed out. “Oh, Bull, I need you to stay with the car,” she said, straightening up. His frown was automatic before she held up a hand, “I know, I know, just... I can't explain the horns, and there's this rule here on Earth. No shirt, no shoes, no service.” Motioning to the vast expanse of bared chest, she had to fight the smile that quirked across her lips, “And, well, I don't have a shirt I can put on you... Besides,” she added, handing him the keys, “I need you to guard the car and make sure Johnny-boy doesn't run off.”
Bull narrowed his good eye at her, still frowning a little before he grumbled, “All right... fine...” Rio's smile grew a little before she leaned down again and poked her head in through the open window.
“Need your help, though, Seeker,” she said, Cassandra rolling her eyes and giving a disgusted noise before climbing out. “And one last thing,” Rio said as she set her staff in the backseat, “weapons stay in the car.”
“You can't be serious, Boss!” Bull argued, expression darkening as he watched her.
“I know,” she said, shaking her head, “I don't like it either, but... Having a weapon makes you suspicious, and we can't be drawing the attention.” Bull absently touched the haft of his war-axe as she looked between Cassandra and the Qunari. “I mean it, guys. I wouldn't ask you to do this if it wasn't necessary...” Soft brown eyes met grey ones before the warriors both nodded, weapons clattering slightly as they were placed in the back. Relaxing a little, Rio ducked her head into the car one last time, rooting around in the glove box for something. Pulling out a stocking cap, she tugged it on over her ears, looking to the other elf. “And if you feel up to joining us, Solas,” she said, noting that he had regained some of the color in his cheeks, “just leave your staff in the back, grab a hat, and head inside to customer service to have us paged, mkay?” His slight nod was all the answer she needed before she turned to head inside, Cassandra following right behind.
Rio was a quick shopper, stepping back into the camping section to gather some emergency supplies, shoving a flaregun, basic medical kit, and flashlight into her basket as Cassandra marveled at the sheer enormity of the store. She was astonished when Rio, who got turned around at Haven, managed to easily navigate the aisles to locate the things she needed. A bottle of shampoo was next, followed by a recipe book, bag of marshmallows, and, after some debate with herself, a box of pens and some cheap wirebound journals. Tucking everything into the basket, they made their way towards the front, greeted by Solas as he stumbled into the store. Rio waved him over as he blinked in the bright fluorescent lights before making his way over to them before they headed for the checkout.
The bored cashier looked up as Rio placed the basket on the conveyor belt, frowning a little as she waited patiently for her items to be rung up. Looking at the array of items and then up at Rio, he chuckled dryly, “Fun night planned?”
As her stuff were tucked into the cheap tote, Rio managed an equally bored look and replied, “Yeah, big camping event. Storytelling stuff.” She paused for a moment before she said, “You probably haven't heard of it.”
The cashier scoffed a little before he said, “Yeah? Blink twice if you're here against your will.” Rio only gave him un untinterested look, glancing over as Cassandra elbowed Solas, who seemed to be blinking rapidly in answer. Shoving some bills at him, she told him to keep the change as she grabbed her bag, turning to leave as the Seeker pulled the disoriented Solas after them.
Back in the car, Rio started to wonder how they could get back, starting to wonder how they would begin to get back home. She just drove for a while as she let herself think, foot tapping idly to a song on the radio as they rode into the night. It wasn't long before they ended up near her old apartment, and she was about to admit to not really having a plan when a familiar pain shot up her arm and she slammed hard on the breaks.
Bull and Cassandra jerked forward, Solas barely held in place by his seatbelt and swearing again before he looked over at Rio. He bit back the shout on the edge of his tongue as he saw her tense, one hand grasping the other tightly as she clenched her teeth against the pain. Sickly green light flickered, lighting up her face as she closed her eyes tightly, her entire frame shaking as she sat in silence, the engine rumbling quietly in the night. This was the place; she knew it in her bones.
When the pain passed at last, she shakily slipped the car into park and killed the engine, leaning her head on the steering wheel. Her hand thrummed painfully still, but it wasn't shooting pains like before. Taking deep breaths to steel herself, she took the keys and quietly climbed out of the car. Grabbing her duffel bag and tote, she slipped her staff back into place on her back as the others climbed out and prepared themselves. “Boss,” Bull said gently, pulling her out of her thoughts, “what should we do with Johnny?”
For a moment, she thought about it, finding the thought of leaving Johnny in the trunk rather appealing, but in the end, she shook her head a little and said, “No sense leaving him here... Might as well drag him along and make use of him... We still need stable boys, right?” she added with a small smile, popping the trunk. Bull yanked the half-conscious Johnny out by his jacket and half-dragged him along.
Tossing the keys on the hood of the car, Rio smiled as she turned away from it and made her way through the twisting alleys towards the abandoned garage where everything had begun. Finding the rift barely visible, she wasted no time wrenching it open and urging everyone through it. She was last, taking one last look around at the discarded beer bottles and old newspapers, and found she was glad to be leaving it behind. Turning away from the world she'd once called home, Rio stepped through the rift, closing it behind her.
- 5
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Her Destiny Lies Elsewhere