{ OPEN }

[serannas]

WHO: Ellana Ashara + OPEN (with closed starters for Sabriel, Sina, and Merrick)
WHAT: Ellana returns to Skyhold from Emprise to catch up with people and settle back into life here.
WHEN: Guardian 20th through the end of the month.
WHERE: Skyhold

{ open }
After Ellana fulfills her duties in Emprise du Lion, she's allowed the opportunity to return to Skyhold or stay and wait for more assignments. But after everything that's happened while she's been away -- especially to her friends -- she wants to see Skyhold in person again. The journey back is thankfully uneventful, and as she gets through the front gate, she already has a list of people to see. But over the coming days, she settles back into a routine around the place, namely: visiting the mounts in the stables and petting those who seem agreeable to it, taking supplies down to the refugees encamped down in the valley below, reading out in the sunshine, or practicing with her new lute, which is a birthday present to herself.

[ ooc: feel free to have your character know it's Ellana's birthday from a scout if they want to give her a present. it's on Guardian 22nd! ]


{ sabriel }
Ellana is looking forward to getting back to Skyhold and flopping back into the bed she shares with Sabriel. It's not that sleeping in a bed roll is tough, seeing how she's done it her whole life, but her bed is something new and wonderful, and she's actually missed it. Coming into Skyhold, she sees not much has changed after the event with the rift. She heads to her room, drops her bag, and flops back onto the bed, sinking her head into the pillow and sighing happily. She'll unpack later. For now, she'll rest until Sabriel turns up and the two can catch up.

{ sina }
Hearing about what happened to Sina made Ellana want to return home, but she couldn't abandon her duties to the Inquisition, and she was assured Sina was recovering. Still, after resting from her journey back, she goes to find Sina to see how she's doing. There's a quick stop to the gardens first, where she picks some flowers. Her eye catches the Dalish memorial in the corner and she kneels beside it for a moment, relieved that Sina's name doesn't have to be added to her clan's stone. Then she returns to her goal of finding Sina.

{ merrick }
First Sina, then Merrick. Sam had told her what had happened to him via crystal and she had burst into tears. But Merrick was strong and Ellana had known he could beat the poison in his system. She also knows that what Merrick likes doing with Ellana more than anything else is to sit and sing, so she travels down to the merchant stalls with coins jiggling together in her purse, hoping the lutes she once saw there haven't all been bought up yet. She's been saving up to buy herself a lute for her birthday, and now the time has come. Thankfully, there are several available in her price range, and she selects one, testing it out. It will suit her, and she pays, taking the lute and adjusting the strings until it sounds as near enough to Zevran's as she can get. She still doesn't know many songs, but it's a start. And she can play for Merrick. Since the lute has no strap (she'll have to find someone to make one) she carries it in hand as she searches for her friend.

Comments

[eolasemah]

Sina has been convalescing in a tent in the garden, laid out just for her and Nari, to be away from the hubbub of the healing tents and to keep Sina near her favorite part of Skyhold.

She is awake when Ellana arrives, but still weak. She's sitting up and reading on her cot, pillows supporting her back, covered in blankets with a hot cup of tea sitting on a small table beside her. Her hair is unbound and frames her pale face, which lights up in surprise when she sees who has come to visit her.

"Ellana," she rasps, her voice audible but lacking considerably in power.

[serannas]

When she sees Sina, Ellana has to fight the tears. She knows she can be oversensitive, but she really is trying to do better and stay calm. She draws in a deep breath even as her lashes grow wet and gives her friend a smile before kneeling beside the cot and offering the flowers.

"Not a very unique gift, I know," she starts, "But one I thought you'd like. How are you, lethallan?" Her brow furrows and she adds, "Does it hurt too much to talk? Don't force yourself on my account."

[eolasemah]

Sina returns the smile, weakly extending a hand to take the flowers. She holds them to her nose and closes her eyes, sighing in the pleasing scent. "Serannas," she says, "they are perfect." Resting her head back on the pillow, she angles it to look at Ellana. "I'm awake," she answers, a bit wryly, in response to how she is. "How was Emprise de Lion?"

[serannas]

"Cold," Ellana answers without pause. "Freezing, actually. I'm glad to be back here where I can feel my ears again." She's trying to joke around, but deep in the pit of her stomach, she worries that what happened is somehow her fault. She was the one teaching Sina one-on-one, and though she didn't tell Sina to practice her magic in her absence, maybe she should have done a better job of things while she was in Skyhold. Then Sina wouldn't have felt the need to practice.

But she's afraid to upset Sina in any way, and isn't sure how to ask if Sina thinks Ellana's teaching was lacking.

"Have you had many visitors?"

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin doesn't make it back from Emprise du Lion until the tail-end of the month, thanks to dragons. However, when she returns it isn't unprepared. A passing scout alerted her to Ellana's birthday days so, and after drilling said scout about her preferences/plans, came up with something. After she's sent her armor to get repaired, the Vashoth mage will seek out her fellow council member for some gift-giving. The lute music gets her attention, of course, and she approaches with a small smile on her face. Normally, she wouldn't interrupt, but there's a reason to speak up.

"That lute must be heavy. Hopefully this will be enough to fix that..." Hence, the strap that she's holding out now.

[serannas]

Ellana is working on a simple song, but is having some trouble with the speed it's meant to be played at. She looks a little flustered when Korrin arrives, but looks up and grins when she sees the gift.

"Korrin! Oh, ma serannas-- thank you. This is just what I need." Taking the strap, she attaches it to either end and then stands to put the lute on her back. She adjusts where the strap sits on her shoulder, looking pleased.

"It's perfect! And the lute has been a pain to carry around in my hands, yes. How did you know I had one?"

[gatheringstorm]

That grin is all Korrin needs, and she returns it as Ellana adjusts the strap as need be. The coin spent is well worth it to make a friend happy. And after spending time in a land of silverite and dawnstone everywhere, coin is definitely not an issue for her.

"I overhead a scout back in Emprise du Lion say it was your birthday, so I asked some questions and learned you were interested in buying one." No intimidating on purpose, honest. Though with her looming over the poor guy, he might have been quicker to respond than otherwise. "I had to stay and help with the dragon problem, but consider it a belated gift."

[serannas]

Her face is all surprise, but then she laughs.

"I guess he was the one who took down my name and birthday when I officially joined the Inquisition." And really, it's nice to be remembered this way. Now she just needs to discover Korrin's birthday too.

"Well, I love it." Though she does move to take the lute off so she can sit once more. "And how was the dragon problem? Not a problem anymore, I hope?"

[foodsofmypeople]

Kaidan hadn't been out to the Emprise - had mostly kept himself to Skyhold, working on the research he'd set himself. He was starting to feel restless though. He hadn't done nothing for the best part of almost twenty years, when he was last in the Circle, and it meant that he had far too much time on his hands.

Right now he was in the stables, whiling away the time there as he took stock of the animals there, and wondered if he could borrow one to go to Redcliffe, to do anything useful. It was a somewhat pensive Kaidan who rounded the corner, almost running into Ellana. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"

[serannas]

"Oh!" Ellana startled in response, a hand flying up towards her mouth. But then she calmed herself and let out a gentle chuckle. The middle of Skyhold's stable was hardly the best location for an ambush, and now that she saw who it was, she knew she was safe.

"Warden Kaidan," she greeted, hand lowering to her side. "It seems we were both a little too lost in our thoughts, weren't we?"

[foodsofmypeople]

He smiled at Ellana once he saw who it was, calming down as he realised he wasn't being attacked. "There is a lot of that going about," he said, nodding at her. "I didn't hurt you did I?" He was rather taller than she was, after all.

[serannas]

"Not at all," she assured him, moving back a step to calm the hart who hadn't expected two people to nearly crash into each other, and was looking a little skittish as a result. Ellana made soft shushing noises and petted the creature's nose until she calmed, before she spoke again to Kaidan.

"Harts aren't exactly like halla. They're bigger, and their horns stick straight out instead of flowing back like hair caught in a breeze. But they still remind me of halla a little. More than horses, at any rate. Back home, I used to help our halla keeper feed them sometimes. They're good listeners. I don't think the harts are as understanding."

[paperwing]

Sabriel knew Ellana would be back soon, but not exactly when, so her entrance is unannounced - and somewhat precarious, books from the library in the nook of her elbow, one open along her forearm, and a faintly steaming cup of tea in the other, more cold than hot. She shuffles in backwards, still reading, expertly placing the cup of tea on the dresser without look and then, finally, she notices her roommate with a marked note of surprise.

It was fortunate she had not been here a half hour earlier, or else her birthday present would have been unwrapped and in view, and not stashed discreetly at the back of the wardrobe behind her armour. If Ellana was back, that meant the rest of her Warden kin had also returned - or those who had ventured to Emprise du Lion and Valeska's Watch, at least. Which meant Scipio was also back, but, she halts that train of thought. She will see him at the tavern later, surely, as they promised - Ellana was here now, with news, and company. Not that was against asking after Scipio - later.

Sabriel recovers from her earlier surprise to rearrange her face into an easy smile. "Missed sleeping in a bed already, I see."

[serannas]

Ellana is lightly dozing, but the door opening rouses her and she rubs at her eye, forcing herself back to alertness. Sabriel is impressive with that stack of books and drink, and she merely watches her until Sabriel notices she's there. Then she laughs and swings her legs off the bed to stand.

"Like you wouldn't believe," she answers, coming over to give her friend a hug. She feels they've easily come to that point, sharing quarters as they do. "It's hard to give up once you try it."

[paperwing]

Sabriel returns the embrace without complaint, made much easier for the lack of teacup. The books are still present, though, she tries to avoid jabbing Ellana with a sharp corner. Moderate success.

"Truly. We are fortunate, in this case, that repairs to Skyhold are slow." She lets Ellana go, placing the books next down next to the tea. "How was Emprise du Lion, lack of beds aside?"

[serannas]

"Cold, stark, pretty miserable." But she says it in the voice of someone who is looking back on it now from a warm, comfortable spot. She did feel sorry for those people still there, especially the villagers whose homes are wrecks.

Ellana moves back to sit on the bed, one leg tucked underneath herself and ready to tell all, the good and the bad.

"I went with some others to free villagers from cages. The Red Templars had imprisoned them to mine out lyrium, but one said that the Templars were going to recruit them and turn them into-- well, into what the Red Templars now are. Monsters."

It isn't an easy thing to discuss, but Ellana and Katniss have made sure that information has spread around. Now matter what the common, non-magical folk thought of Templars before, she can't see them looking kindly on those who are imprisoning people to turn into ruined creatures.

"Luckily none that we rescued were already in the process of conversion. They were untouched."

[arcaneadvisor]

An unexpected benefit to an argument in the rookery with the spymaster is this: the unfeathered variety of her little birds fall quickly into two camps depending on whether they talk to Morrigan or not. It comes up how most things come up, someone rambling, wanting to get away but it sticks with her. Ellana is not the First but she sits on the mage council and they’ve spoken of more important things than simply research as Morrigan has several times with Pel by now. Tis easy enough to track the young woman down to where she’s settled with a lute, and she allows herself to listen for a time before making her approach.

“Forgive the intrusion, I shall not tarry long lest you wish to return to practicing but I have something for you. A token of sorts.”

[serannas]

Ellana looks up and smiles, setting her lute aside. Morrigan is someone that she never expected to confide in, but the woman's frankness on the matter helped clear Ellana's head and gave her a lot to think about. Now she feels she can stand her ground and not falter in the face of others' angry and close-mindedness.

"It's all right. I should take a break anyway. What do you have?"

[arcaneadvisor]

In a fluid motion she comes to kneel close to her, opening one of the pouches at her waist to reveal a pouch of ring velvet that she hands over carefully, mindful of what she has carefully tucked within.

"A few small things, they should not take up much room when space is at such a premium in Skyhold or an aravel," she eplains, her smile small and her eyes watchful. Inside the pouch there are a few feather such as Morrigan wears on her own garments, so glossy they gleam blue and green in the light, a few carved beads that caught her eye, an assortment of small stones to do with as Ellana pleases, labelled seeds for healing supplies. But most importantly a fragment of a poem, translated and written in Morrigan's own curling hand.

[foxsays]

Scouts talk easily to a girl that buys them drinks even if it’s with the coin she’s just won from them and Ellana’s birthday comes up as Araceli is dealing out a new hand. She files it away the way she does with everything here but that doesn’t mean she forgets and so when she spies Ellana from her perch above the stables she quickly makes her way down, whistling for Lux before her feet touch the ground. There’s a brief moment of a very serious looking one-sided conversation that has the fox trotting off but Araceli is already bounding over to Ellana’s side.

It’s good to see a friendly face after the last month or so.

“Ellana! You made it back from that frozen wasteland too!” Look, Emprise du Lion sucked, she would not visit again. “I feel like it’s been forever since I last saw you, I hope time has treated you somewhere between kind and unkind.”

That might be about the best anyone can hope for here.

[serannas]

Ellana turns from the horse she's petting at the call of her name and smiles brightly at Araceli. She looks rather energetic today, and Ellana wonders if it's because Araceli is out of that frozen wasteland now, since she's used to a much warmer climate.

"Araceli, hello! I am well enough, especially now that I've seen Sina and Merrick and know they're on the mend." In fact, Merrick is about to head to Emprise. He bounced back quickly! "And you? I take it Emprise didn't agree with you. We really need to visit a place by the sea."

[foxsays]

Escaping Emprise du Lion is part of it but being able to see friends she’d worried for has done her the world of good, and her lessons that eat up the empty hours when she’d think of home. Even playing cards hurts when you miss what a proper loud tavern is like.

“I heard about Merrick, we had so little time when the Crows had a lead on us and I didn’t wish to intrude when we’ve only met a few times, I am glad to hear he’s on the mend. I stopped to see Sina though, I’d written to her but that’s never the same..” Merrick has enough real friends and his family around without someone he’s spoken to all of twice appearing to peer in and Araceli knows Sina, feels protective of her and not just because of where her shard is. “I won’t be returning there in a hurry, I thought my fingers and toes would freeze off entirely! I keep hoping a rift will open up over an ocean, I must be among the most qualified for such a dangerous venture, no?”

She’d just stow away if she wasn’t allowed to go anyway so whatever.

“Ah, I see my friend has found something for you,” she says with a wide smile as the fox scampers over, pawing gently at Ellana’s leg, a small parcel in his mouth. “I owe you a drink too, that is customary.”

What is not are the dice, carved from deer antlers, and a cup of wood carved with vines and painted green, a liar’s dice set all of Ellana’s own.

[blightedson]

It's one of the days that she's out reading by the sunshine that he comes up behind her. "Ellana?" he asks. "Mind if I sit?"

He has a single, bright flower in his hand and he nervously twirls it a bit as he waits for her answer.

[serannas]

At the sound of his voice, she gets a tiny little thrill. She doesn't think she's ever enjoyed hearing her own name come from someone else's lips so much. She looks over her shoulder and grins up at him.

"Please do! How are you, Felix?" Her eyes drop down to the flower and her eyebrows lift, hoping it might be for her.

[blightedson]

It is and when he sits it holds it up for her. "I thought you might like this," he says. He feels nervous about offering it, since it's just a small little thing, but he still wants her to have it.