faderift | Fireside Chats

"I take it you don't like the cold very much." There's a smile on Sam's face as he walks up to take a seat on a rock. He sighs happily now that he's finally off of his feet, and takes the chance to stretch out his legs.

Nahariel chuckles and reaches out to stoke the fire further, smiling softly as it crackles and pops in response.

"We hadn't been much acquainted. Until Skyhold, anyway. The forest does a good job keeping the worst of the snow off our camp; and even then it never really gets cold enough to warrant more than a cloak." She stretched her feet out alongside Sam's.

"It's the wet and chill that really bother. I'm not used to this clingy mist... and I think I hate it already."

"And we only just got here," Sam says amusingly in a teasing manner, tapping his foot against Nahariel's since she had place them next to him. "I can understand anyone not liking the 'wet and chill'. That doesn't bother me so much, the sea isn't too different. The concentration and thickness of the air is definitely something though." Not to mention the weight of all the spirits drifting about.

Looking down at Nahariel's feet he raises a brow. "You going to be alright walking around in the bog?"

She made a face at that, and wiggled her toes slightly, the healthy callus she'd developed over a lifetime of going barefoot a little duller in the light. "Is anyone really okay walking around in this bog? Thinking about it, though... maybe I'll make myself some leather foot wraps or something for if we have to walk in the bog. I'm sure if I get a cut on my foot from anything below the surface that I can't see, I'll probably end up with a nasty infection. Can't be too helpful if I can't walk."

She picked up a small stick with her toes and tried to toss it into the fire, but only managed to move it a couple feet.

"Where did you live again, that was by the sea?"

"That's... fair. No one's alright walking around in this place, but most of us have shoes at least." The idea of getting an infection is terrible, but slicing your foot on something in these waters? Terrifying. Especially with the unknown plague and possessed corpses.

"The Coastlands, the north end of Ferelden. What about you? Where's your Clan from?"

"Across the strait from you, and to the west. We're from the forest west of Kirkwall," the elf smiled slightly, remembering home, and then shook her head slightly. "Well, we're not from the forest. Dahlasanor means... closest to 'nation of grass', probably. We were plainsdwellers before the attacks."

Nari stretched, leaned forward to look at the dancing flames at the heart of the fire for a while, then nudged Sam's foot with her own.

"Not like you grew up at home either, right? How old were you again when you went to the Circle?"

Sam snorts in amusement at her nudging him back in the same manner.

"Actually I did grow up at home. Spent half my life there. I was almost fifteen when my family fled to Ostwick. I lived in the Circle for a bit less than that."

"The Blight, wasn't it?"

Nari'd never seen a darkspawn. She'd heard of them, of course, there'd been stories told at the Arlathvhen, but the Archdemon didn't seem to have much interest in their forest, and they were deep enough that stories were all that came through.

"That's right. It hadn't hit that far north just yet and with so many heading to the sea to get to the Free Marches... well my father thought it was a good idea."

Sam has yet to see a Darkspawn either, and he kind of wishes he'll never have too. He's already got demons to deal with, why add more?

She nodded. "So you went before it came. That's good. Well... better than fleeing with it at your heels." After a moment, she shook her head and smiled a bit, "Enough about the past. Staring melancholy into fires never fixed anything but cold fingers. How's your time with the Inquisition been so far?"

"Well that's a loaded question," he huffs, pulling his legs back to cross them in front of him and lean on them. "It's been... interesting? Things between the Templars and Mages, furthering my magic, learning other skills... it hasn't been boring at least. How are things been with you? Settling in alright?"

Nahariel pulls her knees to her chest and rests her chin atop them.

"Fairly well. Sina's taken a sort of ownership over the garden--or at least a stewardship. I'm helping her with that. It's nice, gives us a 'camp' of sorts. Going to look for some local seeds later, if that sort of thing's of interest to you.

"You know, Sina hasn't said much about the Templars and Mages. I think she's just trying to stay out of it mostly. Which I'm glad of," she said, burrowing her chin a little deeper between her knees. "...Do you have siblings?"

Sina. He's seen her around, but hasn't had the chance to talk to her yet. Kind of jumpy and shy from what he saw at the Mage meeting. He doesn't fault her at all for wanting to stay out of the Mage/Templar issue, but at some point she probably will have to.

There's a slow shake of his head to indicate 'no' to Nahariel's question. "Only child. I take it that Sina is your sister? Not necessarily blood related?"

Nahariel nodded in reply. "Clansister, yes. I'm not sure if the Dalish hold less stock in blood relations than Humans do as a whole or if that's simply what my upbringing led me to believe... but for me, Clan is more important than blood."

She sighed ruefully. "Coming to the Inquisition... would never have been my choice had Sina not been struck with a shard. I feel selfish saying so, now, having heard Ellana talk about why she came--why the Ashara Clan sent so many." Nari picked up a small stick, began idly tracing patterns in the dirt beside her with it.

"I just want Sina safe. The Templar aren't safe. This is the first time she'll be forced into dealing with them. Just being near them. Keeper Thalia told us to avoid them as much as possible, and now we're in a fortress with at least two Knight-Commanders that I know of. People throwing punches, allegations of blood magic... And I'm out here helping because if I don't I'll feel bad demanding care for Sina, but now that I'm out here, she's all alone." the stick snapped in her grip, the two halves tumbling across the whorls she'd been decorating the ground with.

"I hate it," she muttered at the fire, tossed the broken stick at it.

"Well, I guess us Humans do put a lot of value on blood. Lineage, family, nobility... Course there are a lot who only value it enough for the sake of power. Blood relations get a bit weird in that area..." It never occurred to him how strange that might be for other cultures, though he was starting to see it a bit more as he got to know the different Dalish in the Inquisition.

The talk about Sina, it is clear to see how much Nahariel cares for her clansister. Her worries seem well placed, but perhaps a bit over-protective? Not that he sees being protective as a bad thing, but Nahariel seemed like the sort to worry herself sick.

"A lot of people don't think the Mages are safe," he says in a matter-of-fact way, tilting his head a bit at Nahariel, trying to grab her attention away from the downward spiral it seems to be going in. "I would stress a good deal of caution with any Templar, but I wouldn't say they all aren't safe. Unfortunately, there has been fights... but it is much better in the Inquisition then it is elsewhere I'm sure."

Pulling his legs back and crossing them in front of him, Sam sighs, wiping his hands off on the sides of his shirt. "If you're worried about her perhaps you should try calling her on the communication stone?"

"Elsewhere in shem'len lands, maybe," she replied dourly, but brightened visibly as Sam reminded her of the communication stones. "I had completely forgotten about those stones, actually. That... makes me feel better. Just knowing I could."

She nudged his foot again. "Thank you.

"So is there anything I can help you think through, then?"

He's glad to hear that Nahariel feels a bit better at the suggestion. Being able to contact the people you care about. The smile that's on his face slowly leaves as he thinks about that. He should... really try and contact his family at the next opportunity. And it's been a little bit of time since he's talked to Krem...

It would figure that Nahariel would offer to help him with his thoughts the moment Krem came to mind. That brings a flush to his face, which he honestly hopes the Elf cannot see, and gives a small nervous chuckle. "Nothing really."

She might not have been able to see the blush, but she could hear it just fine in the chuckle. Nari wasn't one to push, though, so she just made a 'mmhmm' noise that suggested she could tell 'nothing' was 'something', but made no further comment.

The fire was still going, but a little smaller than before, just barely starting to die down. At the same time they started to notice that, they would notice him, too: crouched at the other side of the fire, agitating the coals and adding more wood to make the flames last.

"He kisses in corners, fingers handling needle and thread. Soft over steel."

Judging by Nahariel's response she wasn't buying what he said, but she also wasn't pushing, which seemed to be more pressure then actually asking about it. Clearing his throat, Sam reaches back and grabs a log to feed the fire to help break the tension. He's barely got his fingers on the wood when he suddenly stops, eyes widening a bit at the form on the opposite side of the fire.

Only the bottom half of the person's - that wasn't quite right, was it a person? - face was visible, and his words were as soft as the crackling of the flames, though strangely clear. Sam doesn't quite get what he's saying, but the needle and thread part certain grabs his attention and makes the blush on his face brighter.

"Who are you?"

Nahariel sat up straighter as a third voice joined them, and peered through the flames to the figure on the other side--and that hat. She thought she remembered something scribbled on that anonymous message board, something like 'who is the boy in the hat'. Seemed to fit the bill. Whoever he was, he was impressively quiet.

She was curious too, but Sam had already asked the question, so she waited to see if it would be answered.

Who are you? "Who did you want to speak to?" Cole echoed, his tone a little deeper, a little stronger than normal. A passable imitation of Krem's voice, if one knew it.

What followed was more of a reflection, a way of musing to himself: "So many lives tangling together. Snagging and being stitched. It's nothing to be afraid of. It could make us stronger."

He did know it, and it was a bit worrying to be hearing Krem's voice coming out of the other person's mouth. Desire demon. It's the first thing that goes through his mind as his eyes narrow at the edge of the hat and bangs, his hand slowly moving away from the log towards his staff, touching it, but not outright grabbing it.

Sam definitely feels the presence of a spirit around the stranger, but it's... strange. It's not around him, there are no murmurs of 'nothing' words, and he shouldn't be able to sense a possession... could he? Would a demon be able to read his thoughts outside the Fade? The presence is just... there, right in front of him.

"Well guess 'who' was a bad choice of words. What are you?"

Nari narrowed her eyes warily, catching Sam's slow movement toward his staff. She made as if to scratch her back, but used the motion to loosen the blade at her back in its scabbard. Then, as an afterthought, she scratched her back anyway. It had been itching.

The 'boy' across the fire seemed to unnerve Sam more than her, which made her assume there was something magical going on that she couldn't see. All the better to let Sam handle it. Not sure what she could do to a spirit, if indeed it was one... although it seemed to have a body?

For now, she was content to let it play.

They were getting nervous. People usually did. It was all right, because they weren't attacking him, and they'd forget when he was gone. Probably.

That, and there was still a chance for understanding. The Fade was singing around one of them.

"I didn't always know," he confessed in answer to the question. "I forgot myself the way they forget me, so I wasn't real."

He added one more piece of wood to the fire. "Spirit. I'd like it be spirit."

The tension in Sam's shoulders lessen at the last several words. He... it? was a spirit? His glare softens a bit, looking at the being with more curiosity, though still cautious.

"You're a spirit?" How was... had he come out of a rift? "Which one?"

Nari steepled her fingers and rest her chin on the tips, eyes flickering back and forth between the two as they spoke. It made her smile slightly as Sam became less suspicious when the boy spoke of being a spirit.

It's why she liked Sam. He knew to be suspicious, but he also knew that he didn't know, and that spirit didn't necessarily mean 'bad'. Probably came of being a ladarelen'elgar.

The concept was still a little hard to grasp. There must have been a time when he was certain... but he can't remember. Others had to help him find it again.

"Kindness, caring... compassion." That's it. That was the one. Wasn't it? "I want to help."

He worried that he'd disrupted their conversation. He'd only been talking to himself, or so he'd thought. But sometimes people caught sight of him even when he didn't mean them to.

"The fire was starting to die down," he added, by way of explanation. "When I got close, I could hear the way you feel about him."

Compassion? That did sound like something that kind of spirit would want to do, but how was it here? Like this?

Sam ventures a gaze at Nahariel for a moment to see how she's dealing with this. She seems like she's doing well with all of this judging by how she's watching them.

The mention of 'him' certainly brings Sam's attention back to the spirit. "Who?" Honestly he has an idea on exactly who he's talking about, but just to be sure.

Nahariel's brow quirks at Cole's words, and then she looks over at the mage beside her. If there was some kind of romantic or personal or familial entanglement the spirit could sense, Sam hadn't mentioned it. As much as she wanted to know--because she always wanted to know--she didn't want to make one of her few friends here uncomfortable.

"If I stay," she said quietly, "will I be eavesdropping on something private?"

"The Charger," Cole answered, at the exact same time Nahariel spoke.

....oh.

His head had tilted up a bit while they'd been talking, until the other two would almost be able to see his eyes. Now he looked down again.

"You were wondering whether to say anything. The words got wedged."

Sam sighs, bringing up his free hand to run through his hair. So it could read thoughts. Fascinating - it made sense if it wanted to 'help' - but also a bit worrying.

He had heard what both of them had said, but to which to answer first. After some thought Sam looks to Nahariel. "Not really eavesdropping if you're already part of the conversation. None of it is really private." Yet, but he's not about to just send her away.

"You've met him, or are you just saying what's floating around in my head?"

She nods, satisfied that she has permission to hear, and then leans forward to watch the two talk, curiosity shining along with the firelight in her eyes.

"I see him sometimes. Not as much as you." That could almost be taken for teasing, if it hadn't come out so monotone. "You like to watch, but you like talking more. It means you can be close."

He tilts his head. This time, he'd better ask before speaking up.

"Should I tell you what he thinks of you?"

The hand going through his hair moves to rub the back of his neck as he listens to the spirit. It is a little embarrassing to hear his thoughts voiced out, but that particular thing wasn't exactly a secret. Still having Nahariel watching them is a bit flustering even if he did give permission, though he doubted she would be like Gavin or Lady LeBlanc and teasing him to no end.

The question catches him completely off guard, the tension quickly stiffening up his shoulders again, but for a different reason. What Krem thought of him?

Yes "No." His tone is firm though not out of anger, but to stress that as much he desired to actually know he didn't want to hear. Shouldn't hear. "Those are his to keep."

Nari's small smile broadens as Sam answers in the negative to the spirit's offer. She doesn't know the mage well enough to be proud of him, but she feels the warmth of it anyway. Perhaps instead of pride, it was just... good to know that she'd made the right choice in trusting him.

It was hard to be offered things that don't belong to you--or to the person offering them--and say no. Especially if you wanted them, which Sam obviously did.

"Do I get to ask who we're talking about?" she queried into the silence that followed, hoping to nudge the conversation back to safer ground. "Obviously the two of you know already, but I'm in the dark."

He could answer the question... but he'd already stirred things up enough by making himself known in the first place. So Cole turned to Sam instead.

"You should tell her. She wants to help you, too."

He supposed that the Spirit saying it was 'the Charger' wasn't a specific enough clue for Nahariel to guess whom they were talking about. The fact that she hadn't picked up on the voice he had mimicked probably meant she hadn't met him either?

A small sigh before he looks away from the spirit towards Nahariel. "We're talking about Krem. From Bull's Chargers."

She shook her head slightly. "I haven't met him. I know of the Chargers, but I guess I haven't actually run across any of them." She hadn't actually run across many people in general. Too preoccupied with making sure Sina was all right, and then with the garden... which was also geared toward making sure Sina was all right.

The huntress kept trying to make herself think of the Inquisition as a clan, but it wasn't the same. She was only here for Sina, to make sure she got the best care possible for the eerily glowing rift-shard in her chest. That's why she'd risk plague in a bog, that's why she'd go out hunting rare plants, that's why she'd walk barefoot through the Frostbacks. Not for the Inquisition. For her clan-sister. Why pretend otherwise?

She realized she'd started staring glumly into the fire, and quickly looked back up at Sam.

"Sorry," she said with an apologetic smile, "tell me about him?"

Edited 2015-12-13 00:15 (UTC)

In the moment when they were both looking at one another, the few seconds where he was being ignored, Cole smiled.

The fresh wood caught fire, the flames giving off a soft pop. The next time they looked, there would be no one there.

The grip on his staff lessens a bit more as Sam uses his free hand to rub the back of his neck. She wanted him to explain Krem to her? Where did he start on that?

"He's... tough, strong, reliable... someone who you can depend on. Doesn't pull his punches." That last one has him chuckling a bit, leaning back as he settles in thinking about Krem. "He has a big presence, and others flock to him, taken in by his charm and how personable he is."

There's a soft sigh as Sam looks away, eyes turning back towards the fire, a small smile pulling the corners of his lips up. "He's thoughtful of the care of others. Very gentle as much as he is firm. He surprises you with small gestures, and while it isn't very often he has a great laugh."

"I take it you were taken in by his charm?" Nari teases, nudging Sam's foot again. She immediately feels a bit sheepish, though. Perhaps too soon to rib? She leans back on her hands and smiles encouragingly at him. "He sounds like a wonderful fellow, and you deserve something wonderful. It sounded like you had some worries, though?"

A snort and a bark of laughter is Sam's immediate reply, and it isn't for a several long seconds before he settles down to speak. "Honestly it was probably watching him practice and then having him thouroughly kicking my ass that started it."

It was Nahariel's turn to snort with laughter. "I mostly feel sore and bruised after a thorough drubbing, not besotted, but it's not for me to tell you what to find appealing."

"No, just merely pointing out that it wasn't his charm that drew me in at first. It was watching and learning from him - granted painfully - that started it all. I didn't start seeing the charm until after we shared that kind of companionship; he slowly opened up to me through it... Though that probably isn't too far off really."

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