Do you walk in the valley of kings? Do you walk in the shadow of men?

[notathreat]

WHO: Ellie & Others
WHAT: Catch-all log for August/September
WHEN: End of August/September
WHERE: Various
NOTES: TBA

Comments

For Mado

[notathreat]

At night, Ellie's nearly always awake, haunting the towers like a ghost. She's got a light step and keeps to the shadows, stays away from people for the most part. She's far from the only one who can't always sleep at a decent hour, and they all tend to drift apart.

Sometimes the current brings them together.

Ellie's in one of the tower windows, staring out on the crashing waves far below, nothing but stories of air between her and the surf -- and when she hears the scuffle of paws on the steps, she turns, and whistles softly under her breath.

"Noose? C'mere, old man."

https://youtu.be/JALsh_hxdMk

[lumelume]

The click-click of canine toenails on the stone doesn't draw nearer, but moves to pass the doorway. If Ellie is quick, she will bear witness to the sight of an unfamiliar dog stopping to check into the room before entering, his ears perked forward and an uncanny intelligence in his eyes.

It's not Noose.

[notathreat]

Ellie, unfortunately, knows to be wary of strange dogs. Even if she's never had a Mabari at her throat, the WLF and Rattlers had kept plenty of animals trained to track and attack strangers in their territory.

She stills as the canine comes into view, the smile dropping away from her expression as her eyes lock on his.

She gives the impression of a cornered cat; if she had fur she'd be puffed up, hackles raised, assessing him for possible threat.

It doesn't make much sense for her to feel threatened by anything inside the Gallows, but the feeling that slides down her spine when their eyes meet tells her this is more than a dog.

"... okay," she says quietly. "You're a new one."

[lumelume]

He hadn't though the room's scent all that familiar, and Mado sees now-- and smells-- by the change in the air and in Ellie's bearing, that he's made a mistake. In a quite un-canine-like fashion, he furtively backtracks out of the room, and what follows is an unseen but certainly heard process that is hard to describe on both fronts. Sort of a whooshing sound, maybe.
But what follows it is a gentle little rap on the doorframe, followed by a sincere but hushed (people are sleeping), "apologies if I startled you, amica, I don't think always," from around the corner.

[notathreat]

It's almost more startling to watch the dog's reaction, almost like an embarrassed human backing away from startling someone. It soothes Ellie's nerves the way few other things could, and she goes from defensive to curious, tilting her head to one side and sliding off the windowsill, following for a few steps.

It's not fast enough to catch a visual of whatever happens around the corner, but when he reaches the doorframe, she's there, wide-eyed.

"Holy shit," she whispers. "That was you?"

[lumelume]

Once he's certain she isn't going to scream or attack, Mado peeks his head around the doorway to offer a sheepish smile.

"It was me," he confirms, "just passing through, Signorina, nothing untoward. Sometimes I forget what I look like."

As in, sometimes he forgets he is a dog and not a person, or perhaps the other way around.

[notathreat]

"S'okay," Ellie answers, with a growing smile. Apparently with the possible threat gone, curiosity win out tenfold. Her eyes are bright, making her look her age, fading out the scars and sun damage and the way she holds herself like a hunter.

"Are you a werewolf? Were... dog? Is that a thing?"

For Margaery

[notathreat]

Any excuse to get out of the Gallows is a good one right now, and Ellie's headed up the stairs to the towers, her head a million leagues away. Even if she doesn't have anything pressing to accomplish, she feels far too restless to stay, and Kirkwall doesn't seem as safe as it used to.

Instead, she turns a corner, and nearly runs full-on into Margaery.

With a gasp she reaches out to grip her elbow, to steady her.

"Oh fuck," she breathes, and then gasps something that could almost be a laugh.

[molineux]

She doesn't jump as much as she might've in her earlier weeks, but Margaery gives a startled gasp all the same - in the aftermath, her breathless laughter carries the same punch.

"Hello, Ellie." she greets with a touch more warmth than normal; after weeks of being on the roads without proper communication with many, it's difficult not to be so... open. She leans in for a proper hug, squeezing just for a moment before stepping back so she can get a good look. Fingertips briefly ghost over the curve of Ellie's cheek as she asks, "Have you been well?"

[notathreat]

They shattered a few conventions early, these two; Ellie doesn't flinch when she leans in for a hug, and even returns it. Margaery's fingers find her cheek just a little warm, her smile breathless but genuine.

Slowly but surely she's getting used to touch again.

"Super," Ellie answers, with a wry smile, knowing Margaery knows better. "Middle of a war zone, plenty of Venatori ass to beat."

Even with that, her smile warms. She's genuinely glad to see her. "What about you? Any trouble?"

[molineux]

It's not quite amused skepticism that makes up the entirety of Margaery's expression, but it's close. "I'm sure the Venatori have no idea who exactly they're going up against, until it's far too late."

Besides that, it's difficult not to allow her own smile to grow in the face of genuine warmth. "I've been useful, which is more than I could've hoped for. Derrica has been teaching me practical skills and methods for healing, and it turns out that my training to be lady of a household is handy when it comes to overseeing supply distributions for refugee groups."

She pauses as she takes note of the direction Ellie's going in - not so different from her own.

"Were you going for a ride, by any chance?"

[notathreat]

"And you've never even seen me fight."

Fuck. Ellie. Stop flirting. Ellie breaks eye contact enough to shake her head, smiling, and come back to it with a much more level head, brightening up at the mention of Derrica.

"Figured you would find something to do. Kinda fits you."

... or would, but she knows that's not all there is to her.

"Yeah, but I'm trying to figure out whether I want a horse or a griffon. What d'you think?"

(... bless her, she completely missed the angling for Ellie to invite her along.)

[molineux]

Ellie's cute, in a way that makes Margaery's smiles come naturally, always. Of course, she also has the good sense not to verbalize her opinions because she'd very much not like to potentially insult someone who can kill her, but she thinks it might be obvious, sometimes, with her own expressions.

"Horse," she says definitively, because if her hint-hint hasn't worked, she'll more or less happily follow up with something more straightforward, "so I might ride with you, if you're available for company?" Her eyes widen with hopeful expectation, as if she's genuinely concerned Ellie will deny her something she so clearly wants.

For Glimmer

[notathreat]

It's breakfast in the Gallows, and though Glimmer's hair color has changed from the bright pink she originally knew to recognize her by, it's still a striking enough shade to pick out easily. Ellie comes from behind her, throws one leg over to straddle the bench next to her.

The second their eyes meet, Ellie gives her a smile that's fashioned to be innocent, but might very well contain trouble.

"... how bored are you this morning?"

Re: For Glimmer

[sparklequeen]

That light shade of auburn brown is hard to miss, it's true. Glimmer really misses the pink hair, though. A lot. It's hard not to, when you feel like a little piece of yourself got taken away. She looks up from her bowl of porridge as Ellie sits herself down. That expression from Ellie usually means she has an idea of some kind.

Glimmer just isn't sure what idea that is just yet.

"...Pretty bored," she answers between bites of porridge. "Why?"

[notathreat]

Ellie's smile widens, and she rests her elbow on the table, lifting her eyebrows at Glimmer.

"... bored enough to go looking for trouble?"

Light, useful trouble, but still trouble.

"I mean, if you don't mind flying double."

[sparklequeen]

Glimmer's face splits into a grin at Ellie's offer and she leans forward, as if conspiring about something a little secret.

"I don't mind at all. I am itching to just go do something right now..."

[notathreat]

"Awesome. Let's go beat up Venatori."

Ellie beams as if they've just planned a lunch date, tilting her head to one side and getting up from the table. As she does, she sweeps up her cloak, reaching to fasten it properly, adjusting her bow.

It's a different look from what Glimmer's used to with her; she's changed jeans and sneakers and Henleys for belted tunics and leggings, leather boots and gloves. Several more knives and a bow across her back.

She looks better than she did in the city. Like she's eating more, not so pale.

"Need to grab anything from your room?"

[sparklequeen]

Glimmer scarfs down the last few bites of breakfast and rises to her feet to follow Ellie. Like the other young woman, she's adapted to the local clothing though perhaps with more ease. Cloaks, leggings, and tunics much the same. Sure, she could go for robes but she wants to wear something that gives her as much mobility as she needs. Getting tangled up in her robes at an inopportune time would just be embarrassing. A dagger on her belt, mostly because you need a tool when you're out there in the wild. Gloves. Sturdy boots.

She's still a bit softer in her build but the last few months of hard physical work and training and less opulent food have turned her a little more towards muscle and tone.

"I need to grab my staff," she says. "I'll met you at the gryphon stables?"

For Loki

[notathreat]

Hightown isn't normally where Ellie hangs around; but Lowtown is out, and Ellie can't picture Abby strolling along the streets here, especially in her current state. Once she gets to the area however, she finds that in her roughspun cloak and openly worn bow, she sticks out among the nobility like a sore thumb.

Instead of heading back to the docks or someplace similar, she decides to poke around a bit, see what she can see... so long as the people here don't see her.

Something she's learned in her long years of getting from point A to point B without being bitten or attacked is that humans (and animals, and infected) rarely look up unless they're alerted first. So Ellie sticks to the rooftops and balconies.

Nate would be proud, she thinks, as she catches the edge of a brick façade and pulls herself up smoothly, saying a silent thanks to Derrica when the exertion doesn't hurt. He'd have loved to explore the shit out of this place.

She holds her breath across the balconies of a particularly fancy homestead, and holds her breath as she climbs down the ivy on the other side, alighting the the cobblestone of a side yard. Invisible, she turns a corner, checks that she's alone in the alleyway, and breathes.

Popping back into sight has her eyes glowing a bright blue before they fade back to normal.

[icasm]

There is one small flaw in Ellie's exploration while invisible; the fancy homestead is not empty.

Loki is inside, reading, a different window open to the noises of the streets below, when he hears what his paranoid brain tells him is definitely someone crossing the balcony. Only problem is, he can see it from where he sits, and there's no one there. He stands in the otherwise empty room, more or less holding his own breath, and waits.

The quiet sound of footfalls continues onto the other side, and the ivy rustles with the task of supporting someone's weight. He can't hear the progression past this point, so he's careful to open one of the balcony windows very quietly to double-check that he hasn't begun to go mad.

He looks up. He looks around. He looks down to see a girl with eyes that blaze blue blink into existence and Loki freezes.

He doesn't know this girl but that particular color is not a common sight in one's eyes, especially the way they flare bright and then go out.

"What are you doing down there?" He calls out. There's still some distance between the two of them, but if she runs, he's giving chase.

[notathreat]

All these months, first in New Amsterdam and then in Thedas, and she's managed to keep herself from being caught. Then again, most people she's snuck away from are laypeople; the only person who ever came close was Jason, and he was the sort of guy who kept warehouses full of blackmail.

So to be caught now, out of nowhere, is a nasty shock. So nasty that Ellie makes a mistake -- and looks straight up and into the face of the man who yelled after her.

She's young, probably late teens, maybe early twenties. Freckled and scarred and hair somewhere between auburn and brown, greenish normal eyes, once the glow fades.

"Fuck," she says emphatically, just loud enough for him to hear, and reaches up to yank her hood down over her hair. She bolts for the end of the alleyway, moving with the kind of speed that suggests she's run from things often, and usually gets away.

The end of it is another brick wall, but it's rough enough for handholds. Farther up there's more ivy, and she hits it with a running jump, pushes off, and catches herself, shimmying up towards another set of rooftops.

The streets below are far too open and well-lit for her to get away, but she stands a better chance of losing him up here.

[icasm]

Gods. Is he getting old? He must be getting old because some part of him is rather displeased that she opted to run.

The rest of him, however, has already begun moving, across the balcony and up to the roof of his apartment, where she's gotten quite the headstart. It's ridiculous, really. He wasn't going to harm the girl, just ask her questions.

Granted, he realizes 'what are you doing down there' probably didn't help him any, on second thought. Well. Things to consider, if he manages to catch up with her.

She's at least two buildings away by the time he moves on from the rooftop of his apartment to give chase. He's not going to waste his breath yelling after her, at this rate, but he has his own tricks up his sleeve.

Like disappearing suddenly, the next time she checks to see where he is.

[notathreat]

Ellie's faster than he is, but it's alarming that he's willing to come up onto the rooftop, much less have any skill with navigating them. The Hightown nobles don't often do much, as far as she's gathered, so this is surprising.

Ellie bolts across several more rooftops before glancing back, trying to mark the stranger's speed -- and skids to a stop, catching her breath, squinting.

A growing sort of trepidation rises in her chest, and she takes one step back towards where she saw him last.

"If you fucking fell," she mutters to herself, clenching her teeth, and starts to pick her way back, looking down and into the alleyways before leaping across them. Last thing they need is noble with broken legs who's seen her face.

[icasm]

"I didn't," comes a voice several feet to her left and a bit behind; Loki pops back into view in a dispersal of green and gold light, hands up and open and empty. "I'm a little better skilled than all of that. I just wanted to ask you questions, I'm not trying to cause you harm or report you or whatever else you may have imagined."

If she bolts again, he'll just chase after her again, but he's hoping that showing he's unarmed (mostly) will go some ways towards convincing her that he means what he's saying.