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WHO: Sina Dahlasanor and you!
WHAT: Sina has a shard in her chest and has been told the rifters have similar ones in their hands. She wants to seek out rifters and investigate this further/compare marks/find out if they're demons or not.
WHEN: Frostfall
WHERE: Around and about Skyhold
NOTES: Please feel free to join if not a rifter! People on surveillance duty are also encouraged.

The diminutive elf resembled a deer as she made her way through the scattered crowds of Skyhold: dignified and alert, but ready to bolt at any sign of danger. The shard in her chest glinted conspicuously beneath the light shawl she wore, and her careful grey eyes scanned the area for any glowing that matched it. It was like a homing beacon, and for the first time since she'd acquired it, Sina wasn't trying to hide it.

[The Herald's Rest]

She'd never been in here before, having been warned off over raucous drunken humans and sword-happy Templars. She had a mission, however, and hoped she was right to assume the tavern would be less frightening in the daytime.

[The Healing Tents]

It was a wild guess, but surely some of the newcomers would need healing? She wandered along the rows of tents, seeking out the telltale green glow.

[The Dungeon]

The very act of going into this dismal place of stone walls made her feel ill, but perhaps there were still prisoners here, those accused of being demons. She steeled herself and made her way down.

[Wherever!]

Anyone who wants to be found somewhere else is welcome to post in! She's being very thorough.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The first thing Jamie had noticed when he'd been brought through the gates of Skyhold was how it looked. It was a grand structure, to be sure, but one that could use some help. Even with the Inquisition working around the clock, there were still places that needed to be cleaned out, things that needing repairing, and plenty of work for anyone who cared to pitch in. It'd become clear early on that he and the other Rifters weren't going anywhere any time soon, and his options on what he could do were limited. He wasn't a healer or a mage, and while he could fight, finding a place with the soldiers of the Inquisition was going to take some time. So rather than sit around and do nothing, he decided to work.

Right at the moment, he was helping to haul wood, specifically timbers that had been split into boards, things that would be used to help build scaffolding to assist with repairs. Occasionally a glint of green could be be seen between them, the glow in his hand masked by the wood but not entirely obscured by it, even when he shifted his grip to better hold onto the timbers. It was when he had finally set down the last of the boards at the pile that had been set aside for them that it finally became visible, the mark completely visible to anyone who happened to be watching - and when he happened to spot a similar green glow not too far away, and it wasn't long before he made his way over to where Sina had been wandering, lifting his hand a bit to try and get Sina's attention.

"Ah, hello there. Can I help you with something?"

Sina had been aware of his mark since she'd passed the scaffolding, but never one to make a fuss, she hadn't interrupted anyone from their work and had instead gone about other tasks.
When the human approached her, she steeled herself as she'd grown accustomed doing, but let her guard down enough to give a faint smile when she saw him raise his glowing hand.
"Hello," she said, with the practiced formality of someone adjusting to a new dialect, "I..'m sorry if I distracted you. I was..." She gestured to his hand, then, self-consciously, to the glowing shard in her sternum. "...I'd heard those of you who came from the sky had these. I wanted to see them." She pursed her lips, worried she'd been too forward.

"Look, I'm not from the sky, I'm from-" He broke off, giving his head a small shake. "Och, never mind. It's a long story."

Which was true, but not entirely why he'd stopped himself just then. Mostly he'd done so because he didn't want it to seem like he was truly upset with her, which is why he added in a friendly smile.

"You're not distracting me, though. I was just about to take a break, so if you needed to take a look too, it's alright. You'd not be the first one who wanted to do so." He paused for a second, eyes flicking over to the shard in her chest a bit curiously. "Mind, you might be the first one that's had a shard of her own that wanted to take a look at mine. How'd you wind up with one there, of all places?"

At first worried by the correction, Sina relaxed slightly when the human smiled. "I... have wondered how they might be connected. I was pierced by this when the sky opened above me." She lightly touched the injury. "I am... surprised that I'm not alone, and at the same time, I wonder at my connection to... well," she hesitated, looking him over. "...you."

Not a rifter then - although he suspected as much already, given that he didn't remember seeing her on the trip back to Skyhold. Still, the fact that she'd gotten pierced by a shard too was almost worse, given where it was, and he couldn't quite help the worried look he sent her way.

"Are you alright? I remember how it felt when I first turned up here with it in my hand. It-It's not hurting you, is it?"

Which...didn't really touch on her statement at all, did it? He grimaced, briefly, then gave her an apologetic look.

"Sorry, that's not really helping. Wish I knew what the connection was, beyond 'we've all got glowing things in us.' Thought maybe it was because we were from other worlds, but...well, you're from here, I'm guessing. So that won't really work as a theory."

Sina smiled graciously, but gave a nod when asked if it hurt; she wasn't one to complain, and had grown used to the constant thrumming ache.

"This flew out of a great green hole in the sky, and I was unlucky enough to be nearby," she explained, "but.. lucky enough to survive. I wonder." Her eyes shifted curiously to Jamie's hand, though she didn't touch it or ask him to bring it closer. "Perhaps the -- rifts?-- are what cause them. ...you and the rest came out of one, didn't you?"

That was something, at least. Having it land where it had in her case must have been painful - at best - but she seemed to be coping with it remarkably well. Or possibly it was like the one in his hand, aching at first but getting to a point where he could live with over the first few days of his being here. Still, that coupled with her curious look got him to lift his hand up again, regarding it a little thoughtfully as he flexed his fingers, closing them over the mark and then opening them again.

"Could be the rifts, maybe...or something in them. I know I'd not had it before I fell through and wound up here. So if I got pulled here at about the same time that shard of yours turned up for you could be we both were struck at the same time, only I'd not realized it."

Given he'd been falling at the time, it made sense, at least somewhat, but he wound up shrugging at her all the same.

"There's supposed to be someone who knows more about them. A...Solas, I think his name was. He's not here at the moment, from what I was told, but if he turns up, maybe he'll have more answers for us." He paused for a moment, then added, "What's your name, anyway? I'm Jamie."

Sina shrugged, considering his theory. It was probably true.

"Siuona, of Clan Dahlasanor," she said, with a bit more confidence than she'd shown previously in such encounters. She was acclimating! "..I prefer Sina. Jamie," she repeated, looking him over and nodding. "I haven't met a Solas."

"Sina it'll be, then. My full name's James, actually." he admitted, and he gave her a smile. "But I prefer Jamie, so I think I can understand going with something shorter."

Using a nickname was something he didn't have a problem with doing at all, really, and it was nice finding someone else here who did the same thing. The smile he'd given her grew larger - and warmer as well.

"But...Clan Dahlasanor, you said? You'd be Dalish in that case, would you not? I've met a few of the other Dalish since I've gotten here, from clan Ashara. Good folk."

"I am," Sina replied, and her smile warmed at the mention of Clan Ashara. "They seem to be, yes," she agreed. It is nice to have more of the People about.

Seeing that smile grow warmer was a good thing, as far as he was concerned. While he'd been told that that humans here didn't really care for the elves, he'd enjoyed talking with the few that he'd met. As far as he was concerned, he'd be more than happy to talk more with them - including Sina, if she was so inclined.

"Would you mind telling me a bit about your clan, then? I've talked with Ellana about hers, but I'll admit I'm still a bit curious about what life in one is like." He held a finger, briefly. "Only if you want to, mind, but I figure since we're both stuck with these marks it can't hurt to get to know each other a bit."

"Ellana," Sina replied, a touch of red arising on her cheeks, her smile looking a little odd for a moment. "Yes, ah... well my clan is much smaller than Clan Ashara," she explained, redirecting her attention, "we only have two families, and a few who came to join us after their own clans were destroyed." Her face fell. Although she had told the same story several times recently, it never got any easier.
"We're from the Planasene forest, near Kirkwall," she continued, "up... up north, in the Free Marches. Several of our members were from the Kirkwall Alienage."

The slightly odd smile and the faint blush that colored Sina's cheeks didn't really register with Jamie, her attempt to redirect things successful enough that any thoughts he might have had on the issue were quickly replaced with other ones.

"Aye, I've heard of the Free Marches. Someone drew me a map and showed me where it was."

He'd been told about Starkhaven, too, mostly because his accent was similar enough to someone from there that it was possible to spark some confusion with it, at least when he wasn't asking questions about things he didn't know about. Like now, for example, as his brow knit together and he gave her a slightly puzzled look.

"What's an alienage, though?"

His introduction to the Free Marches elicited a small laugh from Sina. "You'll have to go there someday," she replied, "though you may want to stay away from Kirkwall. It's a dangerous place these days."

At his question, she realized the confusion and gave a small, contemplative nod. "An alienage is where elves live within the cities," she replied, "they're often very poor and treated badly. Those of us born to a clan are much more fortunate, though Dahlasanor at least is willing to take in our people from the cities. Not all clans are."

"Oh, I see. That's...ah, not exactly what I'd pictured when I heard the 'alien' part of that. The aliens I've met have been a bit different, you see."

It hadn't occurred to him that it might have been another term used by people to refer to the elves here, but then again he didn't necessarily think of something alien as something bad. He wasn't surprised to hear that the elves were treated badly, though - not after seeing the way some of the other humans had acted around them the night of the funeral - and he wound up nodding at that part of her statement, a not entirely happy look on his face.

But the rest of it was still a little puzzling, and his brow knit together faintly as she continued.

"Why would some of the clans not take in people from the cities, though? Would they not want to help them out if they could?"

This merited a blank stare from Sina, who had come to understand 'alien' as being an adjective for a foreign person, not... a noun, which was how he seemed to be using it. It seemed coarse, though she considered the treatment of city elves could certainly be described as such.

"Some clans don't want any influence from the world outside," she explained, "they think the People of the cities have been too heavily influenced by the shem, and they don't want to have to re-teach the Old Ways." She paused to chew on her lip. "I hear... this is mostly larger clans, with more mouths to feed and no room for a person who can't be useful." She smiled at Jamie, almost apologetically. "My clan accepts city elves freely. Our numbers are few and we have found them just as capable as those born among us."

"Shem...that's humans, right?"

At least, he thought that was the case. He might not have had a chance to ask about it directly, but he'd heard the term mentioned before. While it was possible it was a broader term that covered all the non-elves, from what he'd picked up on it seemed to be something that was a little more specific. The rest of it was new, though, and got him to frown thoughtfully.

"Seems like it's more of an excuse to me, if they don't want to do that, but..." He shrugged. "Suppose that's their choice. If you ask me, though, I think your clan's got the better idea. Doesn't really matter where someone's born. It's what they do that's important. My best friend doesn't come from the same world as I do, but I'd say he's helped more people from my world than just about anyone else I know."

"Yes," Sina replied, but her smile became sheepish. "Well... the shem'len themselves are another matter," she confessed, "they're to be avoided, for the most part. Or... worse. But," she assured him, "it's been... well it's been different here."

"Because of the way they've treated you?" Before she can answer, though, he holds up his non-marked hand. "I don't mean it as an accusation, just so you know. I've seen what some of the others think about elves for myself. Ellana explained a bit about why that is, too. Can't really say as I would blame you for not trusting us in general."

Knowing himself and the way he feels about certain people - Redcoats in particular - he's aware that if he were in her position, he'd feel much the same way. Still, he offers her a small smile.

"There seems to be a fair amount of people here that've got some sense, though, so that's something. Hopefully the ones that'll have sense will mean that things'll stay different here."

Sina opened her mouth, closed it again, and nodded mildly. "Most of my clan was killed by the shem before I was born," she said in a low voice, "we were taught never to forgive or consort with them." The latter of which she'd been doing in abundance since her arrival, but it seemed that couldn't be helped,

While he wished he could say he was surprised to hear that, he wasn't, not exactly. He'd seen most of his own clan cut down during the battle of Culloden, and he knew full well the English - the Redcoats - hadn't given quarter to many of the survivors afterwards. It wasn't the same as what she had gone through, he knew that. But it was a reminder of what humans could do, and he wound up closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again, a look of sympathy on his face.

"That's not something your people should've ever had to go through. I'm sorry."

For a moment he felt the urge to stretch a hand out, to offer a bit of comfort, but given what she'd said it was likely better to leave that be, at least for now. Instead he reached up, scratching at the back of his neck briefly.

"I know it can't be easy to have to deal with that when you've been taught to stay away, either, but maybe at least it'll mean you'll be able to find someone here to help with your shard. And...well, for what it's worth, I know I don't wish you any harm."

Sina pursed her lips uncertainly, her eyes wandering over Jamie's face and noticing his sympathy. It evoked a small smile and a hunch of her shoulders.
"I can see that," she said quietly, "I'd... never met any humans before I came here. The ones I have met don't seem likely to do me any ill." She rubbed at the back of her own neck. "Thank you for reaffirming that."

"Aye, well, you're welcome, although I'm glad there's other people here who feel the same way I do."

The smile he gives her may also be a small one, but there's a warmth to it he's not faking. He really is glad that there's other people here who don't wish to harm her. She seems nice, if a little shy, and well deserving of having people treat her kindly. After a moment, his expression turns a touch thoughtful, though, and he brings up a finger to tap against his lips.

"Look, tell you what. If you're interested at some point, I could maybe tell you some things about us. Well, the humans from my world, anyway. It'd not be the same, exactly, as learning about humans from here, but maybe there's enough similar between us it'll give you more of an idea what we're like."

Sina blinked at him, then gave a hesitant nod. "That sounds nice," she decided, thinking it over. "I suppose it will be more informative than assuming you're a demon, anyway." A smirk indicated she was joking.

"Hey, I'm not a..." As he caught sight of the smirk on her face, he broke off, a look of realization coming over his face. "Ohhhh. Having a bit of fun at my expense, I see."

There wasn't any heat behind his words, though. Quite the opposite, really - there was amusement there, and maybe a touch of approval. For all that he occasionally protested over being teased, he really didn't mind all that much.

"Well, I suppose I needed that. Think I should warn you, though, I've no problems with teasing my friends right back when that sort of thing happens. Even the quiet lassies."

Courtyard

Re: Courtyard

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Sorry for the delay, I was moving!

No worries!

Re: No worries!

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