we're not lost! we're on an adventure!

[chainlightning]

WHO: Merrill and open
WHAT: Merrill has freshly arrived and is already lost.
WHEN: Mid-Haring
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: c:

[ If anyone has made a map of Skyhold, no one's shown Merrill -- of course, she is rather freshly arrived, having come in during the night with a group of alienage elves. Most were from Kirkwall, but a few had joined up as they traveled from other locations, and all are glad to be off the road and out of the snow. She's spent most of her time getting them settled, trying to prove to whoever asks that yes, they do really all want to join and can be useful. She's mentioned Hawke and Varric more than is perhaps strictly necessary. But if it works, if it helps her people (elves, even though they're not Dalish; her new clan, her found clan), then Merrill is willing to do it.

That's why she had gone looking for the library in the first place. She doesn't appear to have found it, though; she may be in the kitchen, the pub, someone's bedroom, an office, yet another airing cupboard... basically anywhere but the library. And she is completely, utterly lost. ]

Oh, I do wish I hadn't lost that ball of twine...

[ Her sincerest apologies if she's interrupting something, really. ]

Comments

Zevran's Quarters

[ombranera]

...How did you get in here?

[ True the door was unlocked and the traps not set as he was sitting there stitching- well, no.

darning Alistair's socks. It seems a decade has not improved his laundry habits all that much and if the alternative his the warden going about and catching a cold and being miserable in their room, no thank you.

It still does not explain how a slim waif of a Dalish girl simply wandered in- ah, wait. That figure, that accent. ]

Merrill?

[chainlightning]

Er. The door was unlocked.

[ The question is a bit confusing -- she certainly didn't go through the window, and she's standing right there. Then again, the elf does appear to be rather invested in socks.

Oh, and familiar. How nice! ]

Zevran?

[ Not the library, but this is a nice enough alternative. ]

[ombranera]

Most knock before entering.

[ He crackles a laugh, putting down the darning. ]

But then you are known to wander about, aren't you?

[foxsays]

[A fox appears first, trotting along quickly. With purpose. With a whole fish in his mouth.]

Better eat that fast before the kitchen staff notice my small friend.

[A young woman appears next, swinging around the corner right as the fox notices a person he hasn't met quite yet and runs for her, circling her quickly and sniffing at her feet because what are manners when you're a fox?]

Ah, forgive him, he is very rude at times to simply show me up in front of folk. Can we be of any assistance, señorita?

[Maybe she's Antivan, it's an easy mistake to make with the accent and the flashy clothes after all.]

[chainlightning]

[ Well, when you're hungry...

The fox is very cute and Merrill carefully kneels down, outstretching her hands so he can sniff those too, if he'd like. ]

But very handsome! The kitchen staff don't let him have fish?

[ Maybe Antivan indeed, with the accent -- Merrill is still horrible at human cultures, especially those outside Kirkwall, so she's not going to guess unless she has to. ]

I'm afraid I'm a bit lost. Is the library close by?

[foxsays]

The kitchen staff take exception to such theft when we're only cutting through there as a shortcut.

[Crunching the fish in three quick bites, he immediately shoves his nose into Merrill's hand and then, because he is a shameless lump of fur, shove his whole face into her neck. Araceli can only look on and maybe this is how he greets Dalish elves because he's been just as bad with a few others so far.]

The library? Oh no, you have a ways to go to find the library from here. I can take you if you'd like, I know this place like the back of my hand. My right hand. The left has become something of a mystery to me these days.

Some office Morrigan is claiming;

[arcaneadvisor]

[With the two of them sharing quarters and thus Kieran requiring the space for his studies when his tutors aren't taking him elsewhere, she's in the process of claiming an office, returning from a trip to pick up ink and parchment and a few volumes of the library when she returns to a stranger standing there.

Or not quite a stranger, the elf she met on the road made it after all it would seem and she clears her throat, one brow arched as she moves to set down a rather precarious stack of supplies on the desk.]

So you arrived, and I trust with all those you were escorting intact? Were you seeking me for any particular reason?

[After all, she did place a notice up requesting tutors for Kieran.]

[chainlightning]

[ She's not expecting to see the woman she met on the road, though she had hoped; it would have been a shame, for one to arrive and not the other, especially since Morrigan has her son. The familiar voice has her smiling as she turns, though; looking for the library or not, familiar faces are always welcome as both a distraction and detour. ]

A bit cold and wet, but that's being sorted. I'm just a bit lost on my way to the library, I'm afraid.

[ But she waves a hand. ]

Though if there's some reason I should be seeking you out, then that works just as well! Other than saying hello, that is.

[arcaneadvisor]

'A bit'? [Quite the understatement there Merrill, she's by the gardens, far from the noise of the main building and both libraries are some distance from her, hence the many trips.] There are two libraries here, the one in the rotunda in the main part of the building and a smaller one, easier to access if you run through the kitchens and hope the cook doesn't mistake you for her serving girl.

I had made a request to the notice board, though I did half expect to find a Chanter droning on next to it as they used to, asking for the expertise of mages and Dalish elves, Dalish mages in particular. I simply wondered if you were here to volunteer.

bruce's tent

[amygdalae]

...um.

[People really don't come wandering into his tent without reason - or rather, don't come into his tent at all, period. So seeing an unfamiliar elf without any warning is kind of a surprise and Bruce is just glad he hasn't started to wind down for the night, so he's still in his usual wear.

He gives the elf an half-inquiring, half-uncertain look. She doesn't seem like she's coming in here on purpose, at least, so...] Do you need something?

[chainlightning]

[ Merrill needs a lot of things. A sense of direction would be nice, to start with; somehow forests, with trees that look exactly the same to many, are far easier for her to navigate than four or more walls. ]

Oh- hello, sorry; is this your tent? I'm afraid I'm lost.

[ Very lost, because there was really no way that the library was going to be in a tent, but... one could hope. ]

Not that your tent doesn't seem like a very nice place to be! It's just not where I was going.

[amygdalae]

...yes, this is my tent.

[He says it very... awkwardly... because Bruce doesn't really like to claim anything as his own - it's just a weird thing of his. But for all intents and purposes he is currently staying in here so yes, it is his tent. Even though it probably doesn't look like it given how sparsely furnished it is.

But all of that aside, it seems like the elf is lost, and Bruce supposes he could spare some time to help her - mostly so that she stops wandering into somebody else's tent.] Where are you going then, if I may ask? I might be able to help.

just outside of the kitchens

[slipshot]

[Gavin was slowly slipping out of the kitchen, looking back behind him to make sure that the cook hadn't caught him, and started chuckling to himself quietly as he solidified his escape --

Only to accidentally walk smack into another elf, sending bits of cheese and fruit and one lonely sausage scattering across the floor.]

Creators, I'm sorry! I didn't see you!! [He didn't even really see her now, as he was suddenly scrambling to pick up all the ill gotten gains he had procured from the kitchen.]

[chainlightning]

[ Sheer luck sends a clump of grapes directly into Merrill's scarf; it dangles a bit precariously, but is otherwise fairly steady as one of her hands clasps over her mouth. ]

Oh, no, I'm sorry- I didn't see you either! Let me help-

[ And let her grab those grapes off her scarf, whoops. ]

[slipshot]

[Gavin scrambles around, managing to get almost everything, but he can't find his grapes -- and then looks up to see Merrill holding them.]

Thanks, I--

[But whatever he was about to say was interrupted by the sudden crash of the cook slamming through the door, and spotting the two elves with the stolen food.]

Run! [He says, grabbing Merrill's wrist without even thinking about it, and taking off in the opposite direction of the kitchen while the cook roars at them.]

The Kitchen

[wickedchase]

[It was a careful process, having distracted the cooks away to some other task for at least three minutes while he pulled off his mostly harmless little heist. After all, delicately sniping the Orlesian styled spice cake is an arguably important matter.

Which Merrill comes in the middle of.

Fate looks at her, then looks at the plate of an entire cake in his hands, then back at her.]

Well, don't just stand there; come here and give a hand, madame.

[chainlightning]

[ This is not the library. However, this is the kitchen and there are cake, so this also seems like a perfectly fine distraction.

Besides, he's calling her 'madame'. ]

Where are we taking them?

[ She'll pick up a second plate. ]

[wickedchase]

Out to the barracks. It's an important mission I'm on. Quickly, now, before the cooks are back. There's only so long they can chase a mabari with under garments strapped to it!

[Once she has the plate, Fate is carefully heading out of the kitchen, cautious about the cake. He certainly doesn't want to accidentally tip it off and ruin the thing.]

Follow me now, please and thank you.

The Stables

[wontforgetyou]

[One of these days, Jamie really needs to see about claiming a room of his own. For the moment, he's been sleeping in the stables. While they're warm - and he really doesn't mind the smell of horse - it does mean that he spends quite a bit of time in picking small bits of hay off of various parts of his person. As he comes down the stairs he's doing just that, plucking bits off of something that rather resembles a plaid skirt. Mostly in red, but there is some green to be had in it as well. It does mean the lighter color of the hay stands out, making it easier to see and get rid of.

While he's a little surprised to see someone else there, it's not the first time he's seen the Dalish since falling through the rift. Far from it, as matter of fact. And since most of them he gets along with well enough, he doesn't even think twice before giving Merrill a friendly smile, even as he flicks a piece of hay unobtrusively off to one side.

Pity he's failed to notice he has some hay in his hair as well.]

Oh! Hello there. Were you looking for the stablemaster? He's not about, I'm afraid.

[chainlightning]

[ Hay, grass, or dirt everywhere isn't something that tends to bother Merrill -- she's Dalish, and besides that, it wasn't as though the alienage was exactly well-kept. Being in the stables means getting covered in that sort of thing, as far as she's aware, though she does bite back a little giggle at the hay in the man's hair. ]

Oh, no- I'm just very lost, actually! [ This is said as though it's not something to be concerned about. Probably because it's a familiar state of being, but also- ] Though I might as well look at the animals, while I'm here.

Are you very familiar with them?

[ ...she's forgotten to say 'hello' again. ]

[wontforgetyou]

Lost?

[She must be new, in that case, and he can't really say as he blames her if she's wound up lost. This place is huge, and he still finds himself turned around more times than he's usually willing to admit to. At least not out loud, at any rate. Still, it likely wouldn't help if he mentioned the size of the place to her, and he opted to go for something a bit more positive.]

Aye, well, you'll get the hang of it around here soon enough, I'd say. And I suppose if you were looking for animals you've found a good place for them. Or for horses, anyway. [And yes, perhaps she's forgotten about saying hello, but that's alright. It doesn't really bother him.] Suppose you could say I know about horses too, even if they aren't the horses from my world. I'm Jamie. Jamie McCrimmon. What's your name, then?

[eolasemah]

[Sina is in the garden, sitting in a wooden chair and wrapped warmly in several blankets as she takes a new inventory of the decimated courtyard. When she hears someone enter, she looks up, expecting it to be Bruce or Samwise. Instead she's met with a face she knows she's seen before-- perhaps at an Arlathven?-- and although she'd normally smile and greet the woman, her ill health, general weariness, and desolation at the state of the garden merits Merrill little more than a questioning stare.]

[chainlightning]

[ It's the garden that really captures Merrill's attention, and both hands go up to cover her mouth as she gasps. It's been destroyed -- well, maybe not destroyed but it's certainly damaged, and Merrill crouches down to gently lift up a broken stem. ]

Oh, the poor things...

[ Her voice is quiet, but loud enough that Sina can likely hear her. If nothing else, she definitely looks upset at the state of the plants. ]

Leaning on the parapet

[justice_is_blond]

[The view is something to be admired, certainly, and while he knows he shouldn't let himself be silhouetted up here too long or too often, Anders needs to take this little risk. The fact that right now mages can have this sort of view and, better yet, walk freely everywhere they see, is something he needs to wrap his mind around and appreciate. It has to last. It has to be made to last, and these are the thoughts on his mind that lead to him missing the sound of the door opening off to his right.

What can't be missed is how very familiar the voice that comes next is, and suddenly he regrets everything.

He takes a shaky breath and turns, trying to think of any options he has. There are none. If he runs, he'll be seen from below. If he fights, he'll be seen from below. There's no way to dart around her and avoid being seen, he can't jump off the wall without getting hurt and drawing too much attention that way... With his heart pounding, Anders meets Merrill's gaze.]

I see you've still not learned how to ask for directions. My name is Detlef. Do you understand?

[She's not going to. Or she'll understand completely and use it against him, or... There's millions upon millions of ways this can go wrong, and nothing he can do to extricate himself.]

[chainlightning]

[ That is a face, a voice, that Merrill had not been expecting.

She stares for a moment, green eyes wide in her face. Of course she's staring -- she hasn't seen Anders since The End, though it was the beginning of several things. Still, it's how she thinks of it; a great battle, lots of fighting, and their group of misfits going their separate ways. And now here he is, right in front of her, alive and- maybe not well, but alive. ]

Creators-

[ And before she can think better of it, Merrill surges forward to wrap Anders in a hug. There have been unkind words in the past, but at the end of the day, Anders was with them: he was a friend to Hawke if not necessarily to her, he healed those that needed it, and he had done what he had truly thought was best. Had he made mistakes? Of course, but so had she. Mistakes made people grow, if they were allowed to do it.

As she squeezes, she silently vows that she will do what she can to make sure Anders grows, to make sure he's able to help.

She might be tearing up a little. ]