( open )

[drazhada]

WHO: maia & ota
WHAT: what the heck, so this is what it's like to be able to run around and do what you want..
WHEN: throughout the second half of kingsway.
WHERE: skyhold
NOTES: probably nothing weird here. i mean, maia's pretty harmless. if anyone wants a more specific prompt to work with, hit me on plurk and i'm happy to put something up!

[ maia has never had this much freedom, and to be frank, he isn't entirely certain what to do with it. on one hand, he's incredibly worried about how things are at home. he doesn't want his nohecharei blamed for his disappearance, and he hates the thought of idra being forced into a position he has no desire for and certainly isn't ready for. not to mention csethiro, who would be in limbo-- neither precisely drazhada--as she and maia aren't married yet--nor belonging to her own house any longer.

on the other hand, there is absolutely nothing he can do about any of it at the moment, and he really needs to focus on where he is and what he can do here. .. it isn't much, to be entirely honest with himself. his practical skills are limited, at best, given his unhappy upbringing and current rank at home. still! he's willing to learn, so that should count for something, shouldn't it?

throughout the last two weeks of the month, he can be found in several places around skyhold. he probably makes for a somewhat startling sight, given his small size and gray skin. he also tends to wear clothing that's entirely white, which makes him stand out all the more in a sea of coloured fabric. (a rifter, for certain, then-- at least it's obvious with him.)

in the library, he might be found tucked neatly into a sunny nook with a series of books surrounding him (treatises on trade agreements, histories of nations, research papers about the fade and the veil), or perhaps by a bookshelf struggling to reach something on the top shelf.

the garden finds him quietly people-watching from beneath the gazebo, or perhaps crouched neatly by one of the plants, peering at it in interest, or even watching one of the gardeners from a short distance away, ears drooping a little and expression wistful.

occasionally, he can be seen in the valley below, mostly familiarizing himself with it and trying to avoid anyone who seems clearly hostile.. to greater or lesser effect at times. he doesn't handle aggressiveness or belligerence well, and.. might occasionally need to be rescued from a particularly sticky situation.

when he's especially overwhelmed and homesick, he makes for a lonely little figure on some far point of the battlements, curled in on himself and staring out into the mountains. ]

Comments

[drazhada]

[ he fiddles with an iron ring on his thumb, turning it, almost unaware of what he's doing as he considers the comment. ] We have no complaints. [ he's not the type to complain, regardless. not everyone has been entirely kind, but he would have been foolish indeed to expect them to be. he's different (as he always seems to be, regardless of where he is), and he's not from this world, and he and the others from the rifts are likely an unexpected burden on the inquisition, particularly if they're like maia and can't really contribute (yet).

he hesitates, then offers a polite nod of his head to introduce himself. ] Our-- Our name is Maia of House Drazhar. [ it's the best compromise he has between informality and respecting his own rank at home. 'house drazhar' would say all someone from the elflands would need to know, but it wouldn't mean anything to people from this world. ] .. Our apologies for our initial reaction. You reminded us greatly of elves from home, and we were surprised.

[circleprodigy]

[Responding with a polite nod, Inessa glances back briefly to where she left her books and sleeping mabari. The latter is still sprawled out and snoring lightly, so she won't bother him.]

I am Inessa Serra, of the Grey Wardens. That is an order, not a house. Indeed, elves belonging to a noble house is...not something that happens in Thedas, save as servants. [She shrugs lightly, simply relaying facts without inserting bitterness or sadness into them. That last part causes her to raise an eyebrow, curious.]

Really? How so? They are not more like yourself?

[drazhada]

Oh! Yes, we were reading about the Grey Wardens. [ he glances back to his own small nook briefly, as if wishing he had the book in question in his hands, before turning back to inessa with a slightly flustered smile. ] We are very pleased to make your acquaintance, Warden Serra. [ a beat. ] Or.. Min Serra? [ or inessa? he has such a difficult time with ranks and titles here-- there seems to be no particular rhyme or reason to whether people use them or not.

he hesitates, then clears his throat. ] Our people would be very shocked regarding the treatment of elves here, truthfully. We have been very shocked. [ after all, ethuveraz is the foremost nation in the world.. at least, in his world. but moving on-- ] As for our people.. ah, no. Full-blooded elves have hair as white as yours, and tend to be white-skinned, as well. Our colouring comes from our mother, who was a goblin.

[circleprodigy]

Warden Serra is fine, or Inessa, as you please. [Not that there's much reason for rank right now, but if he prefers formality, that's fine. Inessa will go with what makes him more comfortable.] As for me...well, there are some with my coloring, but it's not a required or even a widespread trait. There is a large variety to be found, as I'm sure you have seen by now.

A...goblin? As that's not a known race in Thedas, I would be interested to hear more about them. I cannot claim to be an expert on much of elven culture, having lived outside it for much of my life, but I can share what I know in turn.

[drazhada]

Ah, Warden Serra, then, [ he says, relieved that she isn't insisting on informality like so many people here. it's not that he's a standoffish person-- it's just being polite in the ethuveraz when you don't know someone very well. ] We have noticed, yes. We have never seen such a variety before in our entire life. [ it technically isn't saying much, considering that he's only nineteen and he was isolated for the first eighteen years of said life, but still. ] We think perhaps that is why we found your colouring so startling. We were not expecting to see something familiar here.

[ his small smile returns, a little flustered. ] We will tell you what we can, of course, but we still know little of our mother's people. And we would be very grateful for assistance on your part.

[circleprodigy]

[Deciding that such an exchange is more interesting than the book she was trying to reach, Inessa nods and gestures to the table she had claimed for herself. Her mabari stirs a little, but is content to nap given that the sun streams through the window at just the right angle, warming him. Life as a mabari is so tough, sometimes.]

Please, join us. That is Garahel, my mabari companion. I'll introduce you properly when he awakens. He's very friendly, but knows to behave himself in the library. I will not have it otherwise, not here. [The library is scared space, as far as she's concerned, and Garahel well knows it.

Sinking into a chair, she pushes aside her book piles so they don't have to strain to see each other.]

What have you been told so far?

[drazhada]

[ he's a little wary of the mabari despite himself. he's seen them at a distance here, but he's never been so close to one before. they seem.. nice, though, and this one is sleeping so peacefully..

he smiles gratefully as he sinks into his own chair, smoothing his robes over the tops of his thighs and then lacing his fingers together lightly in his lap. ]

Ah.. well.. we know that there is a difference, at least, between those called city elves and those called the Dalish? [ he hesitates a little uncertainly, then uncurls his fingers to gesture briefly to his face. ] Those with markings are Dalish, yes? We understand that it seems to be a matter of.. religious difference..? [ he's not entirely certain about it, given that most of the books he's read thus far about elves in this world seem to be written by humans. ]

[circleprodigy]

[Inessa nods, folding her hands in her lap.]

It's called vallaslin [tripping over the pronunciation slightly] or 'blood writing' and each particular design represents one of the elven pantheon. I'm told it's a rite of passage for them, much as arranged marriages are a rite of passage for city elves. The one I see most often, that resembling a tree and its branches, represents Mythal, the patron of motherhood and justice. City elves have converted to Andrastianism centuries ago, with the fall of the Dales. Thus, they do not worship the pantheon lead by Mythal and Elgar'nan, only the Maker.