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[wheretheferngrows]

WHO: Fern Doirnáin, Alistair, any other Wardens who want to be around to witness this sad scene + OPEN
WHAT: One elf tries in vain to convince a Grey Warden to let her join their ranks.
WHEN: Directly after this thread with Anders.
WHERE: The Grey Wardens' office; directly after, the ferry pier.
NOTES: The scene with Alistair is open to other Wardens only; the second scene is open to anyone!

I.  BADGERING ALISTAIR


There are so many twists and turns and corridors that lead to no where in particular in the Gallows that it takes Fern--already keyed up and anxious and fighting back frustratingly childish tears--longer than she'd have liked to find the office used by the Grey Wardens in Kirkwall. If nothing else, the time spent walking herself in circles does give her a bit of time to dry her eyes and regain her composure, which means when she finally stops in front of the closed door and raps on it, she only looks like she's fighting off a cold, rather than recovering from crying like a baby ten minutes ago.

Waiting for the door to open, she waits outside and picks at her nails, bouncing on the balls of her feet to release some nervous tension.



II. THE GALLOWS DOCKS


She's dealt with disappointment before in her short life, but somehow, it's never quite hit her like this.

Regardless of how her conversation with the Grey Warden went, by the time she's left the Gallows and made her way outside again, her disappointment has transformed itself into an all-consuming, despairing ache in her heart, and the tears she'd thought she'd finished crying before are threatening her again in earnest. Humiliated and furious at herself--what a stupid thing to think she could do in the first place--she finds an isolated part of the pier and sits down on it, face pressed into her hands. 

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II

[iceblade]

Skadi gets restless staying in one place for too long, especially when there's so much to see. So, she heads to the Gallows Docks, planning to take a boat to the city and see what else there is to do other than scandalize lowlanders. At least, that's the plan until noting that the boats departing are full, so she'll have to wait. Pacing along the pier, she can't help but notice the sorrowful young lady in a more secluded part of it.

Back at home, any troubles and reasons for celebration were shared with the hold. 'Not my problem' was a mindset that didn't exist. She can't imagine anything else, and responds instinctively now, sitting down nearby and not giving a thought to how the sudden arrival of a 'barbarian' woman might go over.

"What ails you, lass?" Her voice is quieter and gentler than most would perhaps give her credit for, but she knows there are some times that require a lighter touch.

[wheretheferngrows]

Fern startles, tears still streaking her cheeks, and scoots sideways away from Skadi like she's afraid the woman might strike her--but the tone of her voice is indeed unexpectedly gentle. While Fern doesn't lower her guard, looking a bit like a spooked wildcat kitten trying to decide whether to flee or defend itself, she doesn't shout for help, or demand that Skadi get away from her.

Slowly, she starts to relax her guard. "...you scared me," she mutters accusingly, then hastily reaches up to wipe her tears away from her face.

[iceblade]

Skadi responds to that with a slightly sheepish smile, not moving closer or away. "Aye, it happens. Sorry about that. But when I saw such misery, well, I thought I'd come see what causes it. A burden shared is easier to bear, you know. I'm Skadi Iceblade, of White Wolf Hold. What's your name, lass?"

[wheretheferngrows]

....what a weird name.

After a moment of cautious hesitation, she replies, "I'm Fern," and leaves it at that; she's not being cagey about her last name, there's just no significance to it, no point, in her opinion, of bandying it about like it means anything. Her eyes are drawn to the strange tattoos on Skadi's face, her odd mannerisms, her mode of speech. "What's a hold? Is that like a town?"

[iceblade]

For Skadi, it's less about formality and more about the fact that there's no point in having a well-earned legend-mark if she never mentions it. Not that the girl seems to know the significance, but that's alright. "Well met, Fern. And aye, 'tis an Avvar settlement. I'd be there now, but...." She raises the hand sporting a faint glow, her a touch melancholy.

[wheretheferngrows]

An anchor mark--a shard. Fern's wariness wanes a little, replaced instead by a kind of instantaneous empathy. She tugs off the old gardening glove on her left hand and shows her own anchor to Skadi. "I have one, too. ...Is your settlement very far away?" It's telling of her ignorance of such things that she doesn't know.

[iceblade]

"Aye, all the way in the Frostbacks, near Skyhold. That's the oldest Inquisition headquarters, right in my own backyard. I was hunting and got too close to a rifts; bad idea, as it turns out. You?" She nods to Fern's hand, a glint of understanding in her eyes. If that's what's troubling the girl, she can't blame her in the slightest.

[wheretheferngrows]

Fern follows Skadi's gaze to her hand and frowns at it, then starts to tug her glove back on; the longer she looks at it, the more frustrated and unhappy she becomes, even though it isn't the source of her present misery. "I was riding here from Ansburg," she begins, then adds with some bitterness, "to join the Grey Wardens." This said with a glum gesture backwards over her shoulder. "Only now that I'm here, they won't let me join, so I came all this way and caught this stupid shard in my hand for nothing. Now.." The frustration and anger bleed out of her voice, leaving behind only the sadness; her eyes start to water again despite her best efforts to fend the tears off. "...now I can't even go home."

[iceblade]

Only vaguely knowing of Ansburg, Skadi nods, then raises an eyebrow at mention of the Grey Wardens. That's not something she'd expected to hear, especially from a slip of a girl. Her brow furrows at the turn the tale takes, having so many questions already.

"Why d'you want to join the Wardens so badly? There's not been a Blight in over a decade. And why won't they let you join? If you've got the will, you'd think that would count for something. I heard they take all kinds."

[wheretheferngrows]

The question makes her flinch and look down again. Why did she want to join? It seems like such a stupid, childish ambition in retrospect. She shrugs. "They saved Ferelden. I'm from there originally, my gran still lives in the Denerim alienage. And I don't know why they won't take me--it's 'not a good time,' or something." She draws her knees up to her chest, wraps her arms around them. "It doesn't matter anymore."

[iceblade]

The flinch has her internally sighing and wishing her twin was here. Freya was always better with words, better at motivating people. Why their mother thought Skadi would make the better skald, she has no idea. "I'm...sorry. I don't know how to make that sting any less. Maybe you can repay them later, but until then it can be hard figuring out your own path."

She stares out at the water, thoughtful. "When my twin came into her magic, I didn't know what I wanted to do with myself. I always thought we'd be adventuring together, but her becoming the augur's apprentice meant we'd be living different lives. There's no making a mage out of someone who isn't, of course, but I learned a fighting style that gives me some connection to the Land of Dreams--the Fade. Using it makes me feel close to her, even when we're apart."

[wheretheferngrows]

Now that's something that grabs Fern's attention. She lifts her chin from her knees to peer at Skadi quizzically; the subject doesn't completely chase the tears from her eyes, but she can't help her curiosity. "What's an augur?" she asks, "is it like being a mage?" As for the rest of what she hears, she doesn't look convinced; everyone knows that only mages can have any real connection to the Fade, so surely Skadi must be mistaken. ...right?

[iceblade]

"An augur is responsible for interpreting the will of the Gods and handling all matters arcane. Every augur is a mage, but not all mages are augurs. It's an important role in each and every hold." Skadi's seen that skepticism before, so bears it with a shrug. She's not about to demonstrate right at the pier and cause a scene, but she can make up for it later.

[wheretheferngrows]

"Sounds like one of those Dalish Keepers, a bit," Fern says, though even as she offers that up, she's not so sure the comparison is exactly right. She frowns and scratches a little at the side of her head, looking away for a moment. Then, still curious, "Where do the elves live in your holds? Are there alienages?"

[iceblade]

"There aren't any, elves or alienages." Skadi shrugs, then frowns in thought. "Maybe it's because we don't worship the Maker or the elven gods, so our way of life isn't to their liking. Maybe they don't like the Frostbacks. I don't know. But if there were, I don't think there'd be alienages anyway. Our gods live with us, our hold-beast roams in and out of our hold as she pleases; why would elves be separate?"