[OPEN] Get out of bed, get a hammer and a nail

[nadasharillen]

WHO: Nari and you!
WHAT: Open for Drakonis
WHEN: Throughout the month
WHERE: Kirkwall
NOTES: Darktown Stuff, general CW for mention of character death and related grief, other CWs posted in their specific threads

Much like the month itself, Nahariel slips between foul and fair as the tight bud of her grief shows the very first small signs of opening. On the good days there are faint smiles, on very good the warm chuckle that so easily issued from her before Sina's death. On the bad days her feet drag to her work, she stares at the plans she'd begun to draft for too long before making new marks. On very bad days her time is spent curled in bed staring dully at the ceiling or down at the Gallows docks no matter the weather, monosyllabic at her most talkative.

Either way, the world turns onward.

[Not necessary, but feel free to specify if you'd like a good day or a garbage day in your header!]

I. Hightown

Being near the blackened ruins of the Chantry Forest is still difficult. Despite that, Nari can regularly be found walking to and from the area. Sometimes it's to harvest what uncharred heartwood can be salvaged from the charcoal spires that once were trees. Most often it's to the still-standing grove where the statue of Andraste reaches out her hand to care for the space; clearing away wilted offerings, spent candles and the spilled wax around them, replacing papers or notes that have been tugged by the wind out from under the rocks that held them. And, when the ground begins to thaw, turning over the soil in preparation for planting the first beds of flowers.

Sometimes she can be heard murmuring as if conversing quietly with someone, although there is no-one there.


II. Darktown

The elf's initial survey of the area, its strengths and weaknesses (mostly the latter), has begun. When she isn't pacing out spaces and taking scrawled but detailed notes with the aid of one or two volunteers (you, perhaps?), she's bent over a table covered in drafting tools and rolls of cheap parchment with a quill or charcoal stick in her hand, the appropriate smudges on her skin, and a look of intense concentration that wrinkles the Crafter God's vallaslin spread across her brow, the humble beginnings of her plans appearing.

Sometimes the wind howls through the space like a wounded beast, grabbing at the edges of her plans, and once in a great while it wins, sending her sprinting and wide-eyed after them, Dalish curses bursting from her like the first blast of water through a broken dam.


III. Wildcard

When she's not doing these things she's sitting around carving in various places; little figures, a complex bracelet, a set of odd and complicated dice, something that looks like it might be a handle, boxes that she sells for a little extra income. Fixing chairs and tables in the Hanged Man (a neverending task), trying to get back into fighting shape in the courtyard, walking everywhere, visiting you, something else entirely!

Comments

[gatheringstorm]

And Korrin doesn't care in the slightest, as evidenced by that snort of hers. Nari's been through a lot, and the humans of Hightown have hardly made them easier. Between them, the Vashtoth will always choose the Dalish woman over the font of bigotry that humans often are without any provocation.

"Hopefully I can take some of the heat off from you; I am a 'scary qunari' after all. But fuck 'em anyway, we've done nothing wrong and they can just deal. Whatever you need doing, I've got some time to spare."

[nadasharillen]

The derisive snort, 'scary qunari', and 'fuck 'em anyway' are enough to put a smile on Nari's face, and she nods. "I was thinking it might be a good day to topple and harvest what I can from a couple trees, before they end up firewood. Again." She's not bitter, not at all. "There's good wood left in them, they'll need clearing in any case, and I want to save as much of it for the people who actually cared as I can. It'll go much faster with two."

[gatheringstorm]

Sina's trees turning to firewood has Korrin scowling, thinking Nari has every reason to be bitter. Nari's clansister poured her magic into in order to create something beautiful, and greed has severely diminished it. She nods, still furious at the thought but her sense of practicality remains.

"Then that's what we'll do. It's unfair that those of us who tried to defend it were drowned out by louder -asshole- voices, but we can still salvage something. And if you're hungry by the time we're done, join me for dinner at my place."

[nadasharillen]

"At least it's already fire-tempered," Nari says with a sigh, "They might make for good staves." She shoulders the axe she brought and points her chin at a stand of the stark black spires, heading off towards them.

"I appreciate the invitation. And your hospitality," she says as they walk, "Having somewhere to go meant a great deal, even if I didn't always seem thankful. I've a room now," somewhere she can actually go without the silence having a palpable presence, "but I hope dinner might be a repeatable affair? Don't tell Lux," she says with a crooked smile, "but I miss him."

And also you.

[gatheringstorm]

Following along, Korrin eyes those black spires and nods. They'd make for decent staff material, if nothing else. She has more thoughts about that, but listens to Nahariel without interruption, casting a smile back at her. She didn't expect any gratitude earlier, not with Nari in such a state, but it's a relief to see her doing relatively better now.

"He misses you, too. He's always more spoiled with guests, you know. And yes, dinner is absolutely an open offer whenever you're up to it. You know how much Araceli makes, we'll never not have enough food." Then she quirks an eyebrow, curious. "Where are you staying, these days? I forgot to ask, earlier."

[nadasharillen]

This was always hard, cutting into the trees, but it was easier with someone else there who shared the confused knot of feeling, so the axe felt a little lighter as Nari raised it to begin cutting the top half of the felling notch.

"Third floor of the mage tower," she says between swings, "With Myr. Elven mage, does a lot of work with glyphs--do you know him?"

[gatheringstorm]

"Myr...yeah, I think we spoke once? And wasn't he one of the people who helped find a cure for the rifters? I owe him one for that." Korrin relaxes a little, glad that Nahariel isn't living alone and that the person she chose is someone of good character. Not that she doesn't trust Nari's own opinion, but it does bring some extra peace of mind.

[nadasharillen]

Nari's own opinion on company perhaps isn't entirely trustworthy, but that's neither here nor there.

"He was, yes. Worked on it until he near dropped himself. He's a good man," she says, cutting the lower half of the notch with repetitive thuds until she can knock the piece loose. That done, she gestures at the two man saw she'd left earlier. "I've a single, but it'll go faster with two if you're still of a mind to help."

[gatheringstorm]

"Normally I don't approve of people working themselves nearly to death, but...in that instance, I would have done the same. I wish I could have helped more." Nodding, Korrin goes over to the saw, picking up an end. "Of course, I don't make empty offers. Ready when you are, Nari."

[nadasharillen]

Nodding, she begins the cut. Slow at first, and it's tough going, but they're able to pick up a bit of speed and fall into a good rhythm fast enough.

"How is Araceli?" Nari asks, a bit breathless from the work. "And how are you? I know it's been a bit, and that whatever it was has stopped, but that must have been terrifying. For both of you."

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin is careful not to saw too hard or fast, bent a little to make up for the disparity in size. "...it really was. Araceli is recovered or recovering, I should say. The people involved didn't get rest while it was happening and those of us trying to wrangle them weren't much better off. But she'll be back to new plans for the Naval Presence project soon enough. I'm just following her lead; if she wants to jump back into things and make up for lost time, that's up to her. I just want to help however I can."

[nadasharillen]

That didn’t look like a sustainable position for Korrin. Although the Vashoth was giving a good account of herself, the difference in their heights was going to give her a respectable ache in her back and shoulders the next day if they did more than the one tree. Which was fine with Nari. Like it or not, harvesting the wood was an emotional process.

“She’s a resilient woman. I can’t say I’m glad for the rifts, but I’m glad that if they had to happen that you were able to find each other. It’s better that there’s some good,” Nari says, getting the sentiment out slowly while they cut through the trunk together. “We’ll stop there,” she pants—slightly cross at herself for being so out of breath—and then once they’ve extracted the saw, she moves to replace it with a wedge, tapping it into place with a booted foot.

“Ever felled a tree?” Nahariel asks the mage with a grin.

[gatheringstorm]

"I feel the same way. Araceli gave up her world, her life, without a choice. So I'll do whatever I can to ensure that she has a good life here. It won't make up for all that was lost, but it's something."

Sustainable or not, Korrin doesn't complain. It's nothing a good soak in the baths won't fix, and she wants to be useful rather than a distraction. Nari's question is met with a quick smile. "Not with a saw, but there was a time I missed my mark by just a little, and my lightning struck a tree instead. I won't repeat that here, don't worry. The less destructive approach, it is."

[nadasharillen]

Nari's eyebrows sneak upwards at Korrin's recounting of her missed spell, "And that felled it?" she asks, retrieving the large hammer nearby and hefting it over her shoulder. "Creators." Thinking about what had happened over and over to the mages whose phylacteries who'd been taken--and yes, once to her--through that lens makes her whistle lowly.

"If you'd like to try it the manual way, let me know--I'll let you have the last hit," she says before lifting the hammer and making a practiced swing to connect with the end of the wedge, driving it deeper into the cut they'd made.

[gatheringstorm]

"To be fair, it wasn't that big of a tree." Korrin smiles, not needing to exaggerate when she has plenty of wilder tales than that. Watching Nahariel at work, she nods thoughtfully? "Why not, just to say I did it?"

[nadasharillen]

After a second swing, Nari nods with a grin. "Excellent," she says, pounding the wedge in solidly with a third strike and then giving the hammer a gentle drop to flip the handle up, catching it and then offering it to Korrin.

"Just keep at it like that," she says, "you'll hear when to stop."

[gatheringstorm]

"Don't mind if I do." Korrin nods, then steps up and gives it a good, solid swig or few. She listens carefully, knowing her strength could mean fewer strikes needed.

[nadasharillen]

Nahariel's listening as well; after Korrin's second strike, the telltale groan of the wood begins and she cups her hands around her mouth and calls "Treefall!" at a surprising volume just as Korrin's last swing hits home. There's an immense series of cracks as the weight of the tree is pushed toward the initial cutout they'd made, and that weight and its gravity slowly--then quickly--overwhelms the remaining fibers of the tree and sends it over in a graceful arc to slam to the ground below.

Nari grins, "A fine first tree," she says, clapping Korrin on the shoulder. Her hand lingers slightly, the grin dimming a bit as well. "I'm glad it's us. At least some of it."

[gatheringstorm]

Those cracks are oddly satisfying, and she grins as it's felled at last. She nods and slips her arm around Nari's shoulders for a light squeeze. "It's one less that the others get, eh? That's something, at least."

[nadasharillen]

It was. Something.

The work of stripping the tree of still-useful wood is longer than felling it, and Nahariel doesn't expect Korrin to stick around for the whole of it, but she will ask; "Would you like something? A bracelet, or a walking stick, a little halla, or some horn covers? Something for remembrance of what it was."

[gatheringstorm]

"Hm...maybe some horn covers? I'll never say no to more horn decor." She pauses, wondering if now's the right time to ask. So her tone is a bit more tentative than before. "I could use some advice, actually. That's not why I came, but I was going to ask sooner or later. Are you good to talk about Sina?" If Nahariel's better off avoiding the topic, if it hurts too much, Korrin absolutely won't press for more.

[nadasharillen]

It's not entirely unexpected given their activity, the location, that Korrin would want to talk about Sina. Nahariel looks down, as if taking some kind of internal stock, and then nods at her friend and goes to sit on the tree they'd just felled.

"I am," she says evenly. Although, she's known near-paralysis to come out of nowhere, so she amends it to, "If that changes, I'll let you know."

[gatheringstorm]

Glad she decided to check herself, Korrin nods with an understanding look. "Good, please do.

I...well, you know I got a honey badger tattoo for Asher. I've been wanting to get something for Sina, too, but I wasn't sure what would be both accurate and respectful of the Dalish. You knew her best; if there's anyone's advice I can take from this, it's yours."

[nadasharillen]

Respectful of the Dalish--not a phrase often heard. It's nice to, even if not unexpected from Korrin. "If it's another animal you're after, a halla isn't wrong. It may be a common enough symbol for us, but Sina had a way with them. And like them, she was sweet but fierce when she needed to be. And she loved the People," Nari pauses briefly, feeling a twinge of guilt over her own inconstancy. "She would have guided us someday, like Ghilan'nain."

Her fingers curl a bit into the bark beneath her. "You could put some plants in its footsteps. For--well," Nari gestures with her chin at the still standing Grove with a small smile.

[gatheringstorm]

"A halla and a trail of plants...I like it." Korrin echoes the small smile as she rests a hand on Nari's shoulder, glad that her continuing theme of animals wouldn't become offensive if she wanted a halla to represent her lost Dalish friend. "Plants common to the forest she helped create? So it can still live somewhere, in a sense."

It's not enough to make up for the state of it now, she knows. But she'll make it clear that Sina's effort won't be forgotten.