onetrackminds | (no subject)

What?

[He'll run a more careful hand over his face now - are great big hunks of hair missing, or something...? But no, it feels the same as ever.]

If this is a joke, it's a very confusing one.

[Because, seriously. Shave? Why would Hawke ever.]

[he reaches out, very slowly, tentatively, to touch Hawke's face. The beard is most definitely there.]

Am I still asleep?

...I'm fairly sure we're both awake. Anders, what in the world are you on about?

I can't see your beard at all. You look clean-shaven.

[Give him a moment or two to just stare at you here, Anders. Because, really...what?]

What do you mean, you can't see it?

[Sorry, Anders...he's just been kicked awake, he can clearly tell that he hasn't shaven, and he's just confused, besides.]

Is it just me? Do we have a mirror?

[IS THIS A NIGHTMARE OF SOME SORT???]

In the bathroom.

[In the interest of figuring out what the hell is going on and getting this settled (because it's really actually rather unnerving), Hawke gets up out of the bed and starts pulling on his trousers; there's no need to accidentally shock any of his roommates by going out into the common area naked, after all.]

[Anders will grab his own pants and then follow, because this is beyond bizarre. He'd felt that beard, it was definitely there.]

I'm still half-convinced I'm asleep.

After that kick to my kidney, there's no way I am.

[He's teasing! Mostly.

Also, out of the bedroom, across the common area, and into the bathroom - good thing it's vacant.

At first all he does is simply glance into the mirror once inside. He can feel his beard, after all, so obviously it's still there. But the glance reveals an exceptional lack of facial hair in his reflection, and inevitably turns into a stare. In less shocking circumstances it would probably have been more interesting to watch the color drain from his own face the way it just did, but the only thing he can focus on, really, is his apparently clean-shaven jaw, which not only makes him look a ridiculous number of years younger, but also emphasizes his resemblance to his little brother in a most unpleasant way.

He barely registers lifting his hand to his face, though he can see it move in the mirror. His fingers brush against coarse hair right where it ought to be, but his eyes aren't seeing it.]

...Maker.

I kicked you? [He hadn't noticed at all. He's about to bend down to investigate, and heal any bruising - he wouldn't normally bother healing a small bruise, but if he caused it - except then he notices Hawke's expression.

He stops in mid-motion, and just stares. Hawke's reaction would be funny if he didn't look so truly horrified, and Anders almost wonders what exactly it is he's seeing. The man is reacting as if it's a ghost he found in the mirror.]

I take it you don't see it, either.

[At least it's a relief to know he's not going insane.]

But I can feel it!

[Anders kicks him all the time - that's old news. This is the first time his beard has ever disappeared - clearly that takes precedence.]

This is beyond bizarre.

[Okay, yeah, he's done looking in the mirror...Although he's not sure looking at Anders is much better, given the man's reaction to his mysteriously invisible facial hair. He's actually suddenly feeling somewhat grateful Anders never met Carver; if he had, he couldn't fail to notice the resemblance, and that would have been all kinds of awkward. Well. Even more awkward than it is already.

~~Anders, fix it, make it better--!~~]

Just like everything else on this ship, then?

[He'll walk over to slip his arms around Hawke's waist, tugging him close. At least he isn't laughing?]

At least it's just your beard. It could be worse.

[At least he isn't laughing! ~~Yet~~ Hugs are much better than laughs, and Hawke will return this one gladly. Though he does kind of resent Anders' "just your beard" remark, he also realizes the man is trying to make him feel better, so he'll let it pass.]

How could it be worse?

[...mostly he'll let it pass. Also, he drops his chin to Anders' shoulder, where he can feel the hairs on his jaw prickle against Anders' bare skin, because he's ~~five years old~~ taking this pretty badly and he's always liked the way that feels, which does help him feel a little better.

Bet you had no idea Hawke was so vain, did you, Anders?]

[okay, the fact that Hawke is acting like a little kid about it is making it really hard not to laugh. But he's trying. Because he's a nice person.]

It could be your nose. Or your eyes. I might be a bit weirded out by that at first.

[A lack of a beard is easy enough to get over. Or at least for Anders it is.]

That might be preferable. At least I would still look like myself.

[AND NOT LIKE BABY BROTHER!!!!]

[that snort may have just come from him fighting not to laugh.]

I think people would notice a lack of eyes more than a lack of beard.

Oh? Would you have yelled and kicked me if you'd woken up and I had no eyes, as well, then?

[Suddenly the conversation takes a turn for the ridiculous and Hawke feels a tiny bit better. >.>]

...I was half asleep, and I didn't recognise you at all. How would you react to that? [he has the decency to be ashamed about that, at least.] Where did I kick you?

[It's Hawke's turn to snort. He really can't tease Anders at all.]

Probably not well.

[No point in being anything less than honest, here. Without pulling out of the embrace, he'll reach back to take hold of Anders' wrist and guide his hand to the injured area, which is actually still quite painful.]

Here. It was quite a good one, too.

[Without hesitating, Anders casts a healing spell over the area.]

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kick you.

I know you didn't.

[He'll sigh and relax a bit once the pain is taken care of.]

...I guess we should probably get something to eat now that we're awake.

[Next step to dealing with this upsetting occurrence: Not dealing with it by dealing with something else instead!]

I am quite hungry. Do we have anything?

[...ugh.]

No. I was going to go to the market today.

[And he supposes he still is...]

We could find breakfast somewhere first, though. [and then he realises something--] If you got food stuck in your beard now, would you be able to tell?

[That gets another little snort of laughter from him.]

Probably not. It doesn't feel any different.

[He'll start pulling away now, a little reluctantly]

Let's get ready to go out, then.

[Even though he kind of wants to go back to bed and hide his face under a pillow, he'll go out anyway because Anders suggested it.]