In a moment of glorious surrender, you were broken for all the world to see...

[nadasharillen]

WHO:Nari and Sina Dahlasanor, Adelaide LeBlanc, Pel Ashara, and YOU!
WHAT: Visiting Sina in Recovery -- for whatever reason
WHEN: Beginning of Guardian, the first weeks after the Surprise Rift is closed.
WHERE: A private tent in the Skyhold garden
NOTES: Positive and negative reactions both welcome! If you're not sure what happened, check that sweet sweet 'Surprise Rift' link!



In the days following, Sina sleeps, the toll the active shard took on her thin, pale form evident in the hollows of her face; the way she'll wince and gasp, fingers grasping and twisting at the blankets. Sometimes she wakes in mumbling delirium, staring glassy-eyed at the wall. Rarely she'll open her eyes and actually see, lucid, but weak.

Always, her clansister is there. She looks like a fretful shadow of herself, wary. Her knives are sheathed but close by, lest anyone come to take issue with the small bed-ridden mage.

Wounded she might be, but she'd still opened a Rift in the heart of Skyhold.


[Adelaide.]

Nahariel is like a ghost that haunts her clansister's bedside. She talks little, sleeps less, and is only away for the briefest of reasons--one of which is to make sure Adelaide never runs out of tea when she's there. One day, as she sets down another cup, she suddenly and quietly speaks.

"I don't think I ever thanked you properly. Or your spirit."


[Pel.]

At some point during the next days Pel will look up to see the swarthy hunter often seen in Sina's company, with very little sound to accompany her appearance beside a polite throat-clear. She looks... tired.

"Pel?" She asks--mostly a formality.

"Sina was... mumbling in her sleep. She said your name once or twice, and..." she'll trail off, and run a hand through her hair with a sigh. Some of it sticks up afterwards--it doesn't look as if she's taking care of herself much.

"I know you fought not too long ago, and you were both hurt, but... would you come and see her? I think she'd like that."


[Everybody.]

[Bring flowers? Study her? Cry a bit? Be accusatory? Come on in!]

Comments

[nadasharillen]

She'll take the basket, looking through it curiously with an expression that said she'd forgotten she was hungry until that very moment.

"Serranas. I'm sure you're right. After all, even after she wakes it might be some time before she feels well enough to walk about the garden. It was thoughtful of you."

[el_tybs]

There isn't much, but the basket at least has some bread, fruit, and some cheese for her to eat, or simply munch on through the day. It was the least he could do.

At being complimented on being 'thoughtful' Sam looks down and gives a slight hum in a way of saying 'thanks', peering at the plant at his feet before his gaze turned to Sina. "And how are you doing?" Looking at Nari now he raises his brows. Sina had not been the only one he came to see.

There had been a couple times that Nari had expressed her fears about her clansister, and he could only imagine what she was going through now that something had happened.

[nadasharillen]

When he looked back at Nahariel, after watching Sina for a moment, he found her with a mouth stuffed with bread. And an expression of guilt, like she'd been caught raiding the stores. The hunter had just enough composure left to finish chewing before trying to answer his question.

She opened her mouth to demure, but then closed it again, sighing instead. After all, it was Sam.

"Tired. It takes a surprising amount of energy to be scared all the time," she replied finally, picking idly at the soft remaining bread. "Glad that I don't have to worry and guess what might happen if the shard gets worse. Horrified because what actually happened was so much worse than I worried and guessed at. Scared it might happen again. Or that it scarred her inside some way that can't heal. Angry." She ran a hand through her hair, tugged on it a bit at the end. "Angry because the Inquisition was supposed to help us, and nobody here knows anything more than we do about the shards. We walked for weeks to get here, and nobody knows anything."

She flicked one of the pieces of bread she'd sullenly ripped loose. It dropped into her lap.

She ate it.

"I don't mean to... it's just..." She sighed again, offered the mage a tired smile. "Thank you for the food. And for letting me whine. I just hate feeling so powerless."

[el_tybs]

Despite the atmosphere Sam cannot help but smile when he catches Nahariel stuffing her face with food. He was glad to have thought of bringing it, and that she had taken it gladly. The smile drops though when the elf starts to pick at the bread and express all her concerns, namely that the Inquisition was not helping.

"Everyone needs to vent. I can only imagine the things the two of you are going through." A pause as he looks at Sina and then back to the huntress. "I'm sorry we don't have more answers. It's all new to us. Or at least us who are here. Apparently the elven mage, Solas, knew some things about the scar on the Herald's hand, which all your shards seem to be similar to. If he was here we'd have more answers I'm sure."

[nadasharillen]

She perked up, forgetting the half eaten bread in her lap and looking at the mage with interest. "An elven mage? Who knew about the shards? Where did he go?"

[el_tybs]

"That's the thing, we don't know. Apparently he was the one that showed us to get her, to Skyhold, and after that he went somewhere. Hasn't come back."

[nadasharillen]

Someone who knew, out there somewhere. Maybe he had thought the death of the Herald had been the end of it? But if there was any chance...

"Are we... I mean, do you think Leliana is looking for him?"

Maybe she could volunteer.

[el_tybs]

"I'm sure she has scouts keeping an eye out for him." It more than likely that they were looking, but at the same time there was probably only so much they could do while trying to keep the Inquisition intact.

[nadasharillen]

Nari made a noise that was half acknowledgement half grumble. "I'm sure."

Leliana was extraordinarily good at her job... her best attempt at searching was probably better than Nari's would be, but even so, the thought that there was someone out there somewhere who knew something that could help Sina made her feet itch with wanting to look.

[el_tybs]

He can see that impatience, which has Sam sighing a bit, reaching a hand up to rub the hair on the back of his neck.

"Quite honestly all the advisors are probably putting feelers out to find him as quickly as possible. We're getting more and more Rifters and these shards showing up. Having a bit more insight would help all this chaos."

[nadasharillen]

Rifters. Shards. Chaos. Nari ruffled her hair with both hands in silent frustration.

"This is hard. It's just hard not being able to do anything." She rubs her eyes tiredly. "Tell me about something good in your life so I don't forget there are good things."

[el_tybs]

"Aaaum..." Suddenly being asked to talk about something good in his life? "Ah, I actually had a birthday that I enjoyed. The plants that Sina had me move to my room are doing rather well." He takes another moment to think, smiling lightly with a faint blush as he remembers something else, but doesn't say it just yet.

[nadasharillen]

She looked up at him a little guiltily. "Oh, I missed it? Abelas, Sam. But I'm glad it was good. And that the plants are thriving inside." The guilty look turned into a grin as she noticed the secret smile and slight blush on his cheeks.

"But not just happy for that, hm?"

[el_tybs]

"Don't be sorry. I didn't exactly make it public... several templars did though." He chuckles lightly at that, nodding a bit at the agreement on the plants. At Nahariel's own grin he can't help but smile wider, a hand coming up to rub the back of his head.

"Krem came back not too long ago. It's been nice having him back." Really nice in fact - the Charger's return had been very pleasant.

[nadasharillen]

The hunter props her chin on her hand, continues smiling like a cat who's got into the cream, and waits expectantly for the mage to dish.

[el_tybs]

For a long time nothing is said, Sam biting his lips and seeing if Nahariel will go past this bit. Course she doesn't which has Sam sighing and shaking his head slightly. He was always getting himself into these things.

"We've been spending a lot more time together, not just in the ring. It's nice having someone to curl up with. He's also been calling me 'amatus'."

[nadasharillen]

The elf looked blank, and then vaguely apologetic as her mental search for the word turned up nothing. "What does it mean?"

[el_tybs]

Well he didn't expect Nahariel to know the word - he hadn't known until a bit ago - unless she had been spending time with anyone from Tevinter in such a way. "Ah... it's a term of endearment."

[nadasharillen]

A smile spread across the hunter's face. It started out a sly and teasing one, but she thought better of it. Let it be genuine happiness for a friend instead.

"I'm glad. You deserve happiness, Sam."

And from the way his cheeks and the round of his ears pinked while talking about it, he had found some.

[el_tybs]

She wouldn't be the first one to tease him if she had, and he half expects it from the way she smiles at him for a moment.

"Thank you, I am happy... but I think everyone - alright maybe not everyone - deserves happiness. Thought the most I'd get would be content. It's... nice."