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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. ]

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Excuse me, can you reach that book--

[A slight, pale elf woman in Grey Warden armor pauses abruptly as she looks over to the individual similarly struggling to reach from the higher portions of the bookshelf. Her lips curve in a sheepish smile, having assumed that just about everyone else she runs into is of a sufficient height. When you're less than five feet, everyone else is tall.]

...I suppose not. I apologize, I did not see you struggling as well.

[ when he glances toward her, his first impression is of white hair, as white as any of his subjects, and so he finds himself straightening unconsciously, the mantle of his imperial serenity settling on his shoulders nearly immediately. a moment later, though, he realizes his mistake, and his posture eases somewhat once more, hands folding together loosely as he offers her a wide-eyed blink. ]

Oh. [ he glances back up, ears flattening back against his head and setting his earrings to chiming. ] No, we suppose out of the corner of one's eye, we resemble one of the qunari. In that case, it would be only natural to assume that we would be taller than we are.

[ he turns to her again, offering a small, shy smile. ] We are an elf, actually.

Edited (whoops) 2016-09-21 00:06 (UTC)

[She tries not to just stare, but that he's an elf and yet far different from the Thedosian brand is definitely eye-catching. The elf woman nod, taking in it all, from the ears, to brief change in his demeanor, to the manner of speech. Despite curiosity, she remembers her own manners and smiles back.]

It's true, the grey skin and my own lack of attention did put me in that mindset, but the difference is rather obvious now. You're from beyond, then. I hope you've been treated well so far.

[Even if he was indistinguishable from normal elves, that would be far from guaranteed.]

[ 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.

[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?

Edited 2016-09-21 17:58 (UTC)

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.

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.

[The garden were where Eirlys came to relax and gather her thoughts, a momentary reprieve from the chaos the world had become since the rifts in the sky had begun to open, and it doesn't take her long to make her way back there once she's returned to Skyhold.

She offers Maia a reserved, friendly smile, finding she rather likes how he's taking such interest as something so simple as the plants there. More people ought to, she thinks.]

That one's a Crystal Grace. They're lovely, aren't they?

_{[ Sometimes a person just needed to get away from the hustle and bustle, the crowding and the reminded that home was very far away. Kirk liked the valley for the change of scenery it offered, the chance to practice practical skills - and of course the chance to take Nikita and Leonard out and wear the kittens out properly (otherwise they could be a right annoyance when it came time for bed, spoiled creatures).

They were on their leashes attached to Kirk's belt, but even so said leashes were long, and the cats had quite the free ranging spirits (well, as free ranging as the leads would allow, but it was the thought). Which was how Maia would suddenly find himself being peered up at by two cats, one with a mustache of all things, meowing at him most imperiously as their keeper came behind. ]}

Ah, sorry about that - they're just curious and I'm sure getting pretty tired of me as their only company.

[ he returns the smile, a little shy despite his best intentions. he can't really retreat beneath the mantle of the emperor here, after all. he's just.. maia, and just-maia still doesn't quite know how to interact with people at times. particularly people who are complete strangers.

she seems kind, though, and she's offered the name of the pretty flowers he was just admiring. 'crystal grace' indeed. a fitting name, given the almost glass-like quality of the petals. ]

We've never seen anything like them before, [ he admits, glancing back toward them and lifting a finger to brush the flower itself. he hesitates, then rises, brushing his robes down a little self-consciously, before turning to offer her a polite nod. ] We must admit that much of the plant-life here is unfamiliar to us. We.. had a little interest in gardening, once. [ because on the days when maia could escape his rooms and his cousin, edonomee's gardener had been kind enough to speak to him-- despite orders to the contrary. ] Are these ornamental? We have seen others take cuttings.

[ maia had been a little startled by the appearance of the kittens and their owner, but he shakes it off as he glances up at the stranger, smiling shyly. ] We do not mind at all.

[ he hesitates for a moment, then smooths his robes against the backs of his thighs as he crouches neatly, then cautiously offers out a hand for their inspection. it's funny, really, that cats are the symbol of the house drazhada, and yet maia's interaction with felines has been minimal up until now.

realizing he hasn't even introduced himself, he glances back up, silvery-gray eyes going a little wide, ears flicking back in faint alarm. ] Oh. Our apologies-- we are Maia of House Drazhar. We're very pleased to make your acquaintance.

You know, I kind of like it up here when it's getting colder, like this. Like you can actually feel the wind, and what it's trying to say, and what it is trying to say is 'I'm going to peel your skin off with icicles!'

[The voice comes from above - which is strange, being on the battlements, but there is Gavin, perched on the edge of the roof of one of the towers, looking out over the same mountains and amiably and confusingly attempting to make conversation with someone who looks like a cross between a qunari, an elf, and a dwarf. Grey, ears, and small.]

I think it requires hot cocoa. What do you think?

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.

[ he's so startled by the unexpected voice that he actually jumps a little-- which is very surprised indeed, considering how carefully maia tries to control such reactions. he glances around, confused, before tilting his head up to see.. an elf on the roof? his ears flatten back, confused and a little alarmed. ]

We-- We beg your pardon, [ he begins a little faintly, ] but.. what is it that you're doing up there..? [ he's decided, after some thought, that the elves of this world are mysterious indeed.

.. how did he even get up there?

and then the question registers, and he blinks. ] Cocoa?

Oh - just enjoying the view, mostly. I was on duty, and I find it easier to see further from up here. I would have said something earlier, but you seemed pretty preoccupied, and then I thought it would be pretty weird to just jump down next to you with no fore warning.

[He offered a lopsided grin before doing just that - jumping down from the roof to the battlements, somewhat haphazardly, giving the impression that he was going to fall off the battlements instead, but managed to somehow not die.]

There. Better. And yeah, Cocoa. The drink - nice and hot, sweet and a little bitter - it's fantastic. A human thing, but Maxwell got me hooked on it. Have you not tried any? It's great for a cold evening like this.

[ on duty? well, that.. sort of answers the question. (but truly, how did he get up there?) before he has time to ask, though, the stranger is jumping off the roof, and maia makes an embarrassing, high-pitched, slightly terrified noise as he jerks forward as if to grab the other elf. when the stranger immediately corrects his balance, though, maia jerks his hands back again, silver-gray eyes round and alarmed in his face, heart hammering against his ribs.

he takes it back. elves of this world aren't simply mysterious-- they are also (apparently) somewhat mad.

when he's managed to take a breath again, he presses his hand to his chest, trying to will the adrenaline to leave him. ]

N-No, we.. fear that we've never heard of cocoa. Humans are foreign to our homeland. .. We would be glad to try it, though. [ a beat. ] Provided that we both take the stairs. [ please. his nerves can't take any more leaping off tall things. ]

[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?

_{[ That was an interesting way of talking - the use of the plural "we" and "us". He had heard it a few times when he'd encountered royalty or when he met with cultures that were less about the singular and more about the whole community. He wondered which Maia came from, but that wasn't necessarily important right now.

Leonard shows little fear in heading towards Maia, sniffing his hand briefly before raising his tail and pressing into the other's palm. Quickly he turned the appendage into his personal rubbing device, purring loudly. Nikita, not one to be left out, quickly shoved up against her brother to claim her own portion of rubbing. ]}

James Tiberius Kirk - but you can just call me Jim. Nice to meet you, Maia. Their imperial highnesses there are Leonard and Nikita.

_{[ He nodded at the cats with a bemused smile. ]}

[Araceli had been teaching him to climb, which means Anders is, from time to time, finding areas that look entirely unpopulated and out of most lines of sight to climb. It's not the fastest or most graceful process yet, which means that the noise of his breathing and a few mutters about man not being meant to climb walls precedes him.

He drags himself up and is prepared to flop and pant in privacy until he spots the staring, qunari-colored elf.]

Pardon.

[Anders shifts to sit and look at least fractionally dignified.]

I didn't know anyone was up here.

[And then he starts to see the elf a bit more, realizes the elf is curled up, and starts to feel bad.]

...Are you hurt? Or...

[If his limbs didn't feel like jelly he'd offer to leave, but he can't quite at the moment.]

( She's seen people stand like that before, although it's been a while. It reminds her of ther time in the Circle, just without the templars hovering about.

Sometimes Amélie feels she misses the templars more than most people. Hamsal, she has learnt, had been one of the kinder Circles.

Perhaps the elf wants to be left alone, but there's also a possibility that he doesn't so Amélie thinks to check anyway -- if he doesn't want to talk to her, then that's fine. She'll piss off if it's what's best for him. )

Hey.

( She leans against the wall, hands behind her back. She has neither her staff nor her bow today, it is just Amélie, bundled in her furs to brave the cold. )

You look like you're doing some serious thinking. Want some company?

[ maia stares for a few moments more, still surprised. what.. is it about people needlessly climbing things around here when there are perfectly serviceable stairs..? is it a sort of hobby he's not familiar with? is there some protocol about using stairs? perhaps it's cultural..?

when he realizes he's being spoken to, though, he blinks, ears flicking back and flattening against his skull in embarrassment. ]

Oh-- Oh, no, our pardon. We aren't injured, though thank you for the concern. We feel obliged to ask you that in turn.. given your climb.

[ he hesitates, shy and still a little embarrassed, before smoothing his robes against the backs of his thighs and crouching neatly at the stranger's side. he gestures to anders's hands, then, brows knitting together in concern. ] You must surely have scraped your hands. It isn't bad, is it?

[ maia straightens at the voice, glancing toward its owner, silvery eyes a little wide in his gray face. ] We beg your pa-- [ oh, she'd asked if he wanted company. feeling himself flush, he offers a slightly flustered little smile, ears flattening back as he curls his hands together. ] .. We would not turn company away.

[ in part because he's just too polite to do so, but also because it's probably best if he gets his mind off how homesick he is. ]

We.. [ he trails off a little shyly, then glances away again, out into the mountains. ] We were thinking of our home, and how things must be there right now. We hope that our people do not think us kidnapped or dead.

[It's almost funny, both of them being concerned about the other, he decides. Almost, because he doesn't need the care and most people wouldn't even want to show him it. Anders looks down at his hands before shaking his head.]

They're a little scraped, but not bad. I've been training the climbing, and I'm a healer. I'll let them be and heal later; it'll help for future climbs.

[We, though? That's a new one, especially when the person using 'we' is treating him in a friendly manner instead of trying to lord it over him.]

Thank you, though. I'm... I'm Anders.

[He's never seen an elf that looked like this before. There's a chance the guy is a rifter, which could mean Anders' name won't set off alarm bells.]

[ 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. ]

[ a healer. well.. he supposes if anyone would know how to care for their own injuries, it would be a healer. it's certainly different from what he's accustomed to, of course, but he's been down to see the healers at work, and.. it seems effective, at least.

the introduction brings his attention back up, silvery eyes meeting gold, and though the shyness is still very obviously present, his expression warms despite it. ] Our name is Maia. [ he's getting better at dealing with the lack of polite titles thing, though it still flusters him a little. it's so.. intimate. ] We are very pleased to make your acquaintance, Anders.

[ there is something niggling at the back of his head about the name, though. anders, anders.. hasn't he recently read something..? but he dismisses it for now, instead, glancing from anders to the wall the man had just climbed up. ] .. Begging your pardon, though, but.. why were you climbing..?

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Library

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garden

valley /builds an immediate wall around to protect him at all costs/

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Battlements

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omfg he is so precious

he is a good bean, it's true

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Battlements

battlements

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