{ OPEN }

[serannas]

WHO: Ellana Ashara + OPEN (with closed starters for Sabriel, Sina, and Merrick)
WHAT: Ellana returns to Skyhold from Emprise to catch up with people and settle back into life here.
WHEN: Guardian 20th through the end of the month.
WHERE: Skyhold

{ open }
After Ellana fulfills her duties in Emprise du Lion, she's allowed the opportunity to return to Skyhold or stay and wait for more assignments. But after everything that's happened while she's been away -- especially to her friends -- she wants to see Skyhold in person again. The journey back is thankfully uneventful, and as she gets through the front gate, she already has a list of people to see. But over the coming days, she settles back into a routine around the place, namely: visiting the mounts in the stables and petting those who seem agreeable to it, taking supplies down to the refugees encamped down in the valley below, reading out in the sunshine, or practicing with her new lute, which is a birthday present to herself.

[ ooc: feel free to have your character know it's Ellana's birthday from a scout if they want to give her a present. it's on Guardian 22nd! ]


{ sabriel }
Ellana is looking forward to getting back to Skyhold and flopping back into the bed she shares with Sabriel. It's not that sleeping in a bed roll is tough, seeing how she's done it her whole life, but her bed is something new and wonderful, and she's actually missed it. Coming into Skyhold, she sees not much has changed after the event with the rift. She heads to her room, drops her bag, and flops back onto the bed, sinking her head into the pillow and sighing happily. She'll unpack later. For now, she'll rest until Sabriel turns up and the two can catch up.

{ sina }
Hearing about what happened to Sina made Ellana want to return home, but she couldn't abandon her duties to the Inquisition, and she was assured Sina was recovering. Still, after resting from her journey back, she goes to find Sina to see how she's doing. There's a quick stop to the gardens first, where she picks some flowers. Her eye catches the Dalish memorial in the corner and she kneels beside it for a moment, relieved that Sina's name doesn't have to be added to her clan's stone. Then she returns to her goal of finding Sina.

{ merrick }
First Sina, then Merrick. Sam had told her what had happened to him via crystal and she had burst into tears. But Merrick was strong and Ellana had known he could beat the poison in his system. She also knows that what Merrick likes doing with Ellana more than anything else is to sit and sing, so she travels down to the merchant stalls with coins jiggling together in her purse, hoping the lutes she once saw there haven't all been bought up yet. She's been saving up to buy herself a lute for her birthday, and now the time has come. Thankfully, there are several available in her price range, and she selects one, testing it out. It will suit her, and she pays, taking the lute and adjusting the strings until it sounds as near enough to Zevran's as she can get. She still doesn't know many songs, but it's a start. And she can play for Merrick. Since the lute has no strap (she'll have to find someone to make one) she carries it in hand as she searches for her friend.

Comments

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin nods in grim agreement to that, leaning back a little. "They don't look any better beneath the surface, believe me. I've been involved in Deep Roads missions before, and they felt just as wrong below as they do above. We were lucky we had Grey Wardens with us, not just for the expertise, but in case anyone had become tainted. I haven't heard of a Tal-Vashoth or Vashoth Grey Warden before, but when faced with that? I'm sure most of us would have given it a shot."

Forcing herself to stop babbling about the past -much as that outlet is sometimes needed, she tries to smile. "Anyway, I'm just being there helps more than you know. "

[serannas]

"I did have that fear: that I would catch the Blight. I covered my nose and mouth when I entered the place." She doesn't know what happens during the Joining, and doesn't know it's possible to die from it. To her, though the Wardens are brave and dutiful, and she's friends with several of them, she doesn't want to volunteer to be one. But if the choice is between dying of the Blight like Felix nearly did, or becoming a Grey Warden? Ellana would want to live.

"Maybe it does. I won't press her to tell me, but I'd hope she'd tell me if she needs space. I can give her that." There isn't much that Ellana wouldn't do for a friend. Shuffling out into the hall, bleary-eyed in the middle of the night? It wouldn't put her in the best mood, but she would do it.

[gatheringstorm]

"I think she will; and if she does, you're welcome to crash in my room. I'd want to know if it's an extra difficult night, anyway." Not that Korrin can do anything to stop it, but she'd try to find ways to acknowledge her Warden friend's pain, maybe sneak in some favorite treats or something else to make her smile.

"Those nightmares aren't going away, but I'm hoping that heading to the Western Approach will ease some of that stress. That's what the Wardens need from us, right? The least we can do is help them after they came to us."

[serannas]

"Thank you, Korrin. That's very generous of you, and I'll keep it in mind." Between the two of them, Sabriel is going to end up spoiled with goodies.

"I think so too. I do hope we can get out there soon, now that Emprise is secure." Of course some forces will need to stay behind to help the people rebuild their lives, but after all the Wardens have done for Thedas, and especially what's happened in their lifetime in Ferelden, the least the Inquisition can do is support the Wardens here in their quest to save their fellow Wardens out there.

[gatheringstorm]

"I'll go. I've been to that area before, so I know my way around. It's not any less harsh than Emprise du Lion, only warmer, but there are tiny oases and such that make it bearable. I just have to remember to bring plenty of horn balm. The dry air is hell on the horn bases and they'll itch up a storm." Won't that be fun. Already anticipating that, Korrin has started stocking up what she can for the eventuality, scaling back the usage of what she does keep out. Just thinking about it draws a hand up to her horns, though, and she wrinkles her nose.

[serannas]

"Oh, that sounds unpleasant," she replies, pouting in sympathy. What would even be the closest approximation to horns on her own body: her fingernails?

"I'll be sure to remind you whenever the mission is set."

[gatheringstorm]

That earns her a grateful smile from Korrin, who won't say no to a helpful reminder. "Thank you, Ellana. I'll try to keep it in mind, but you know how it is around here; some new crisis happens and it's easy for smaller things to slip from one's mind. I'll try to return the favor, because you know fair skin and deserts don't go together. I wouldn't count on the quartermaster stocking up on enough." Not a problem for her, but for some of the people? Ouch.

She sighs and glances over toward the training area without her usual enthusiasm. Maybe it's all the traveling of late, but she's a tad burned out. "I ought to get in some spirit blade time before Vivienne wants to check on my progress...but it's tempting to procrastinate for a little bit. I'd rather listen to you play, if you don't mind an audience."

[serannas]

"That's true. I know Cyril made sun cream. I hope he has some left." She and Cyril are the palest elves of Clan Ashara here, and they need to stick together when it comes to their skin care needs. She really doesn't think being bright red and peeling would be a good look on her.

Her face brightens, and she nods. Her sense of accomplishment on properly executing the song is somewhat dimmed without an audience.

"I almost have this song perfect," she says, taking up her lute again. "Forgive the few bad notes." She places her fingers on the chords and begins to play. She's at a point where muscle memory has almost completely taken over, leaving her face looking content instead of a mask of concentration. Yet several times her fingers fumble and she winces before correcting her mistakes. Then she looks focused for a moment before getting back into the rhythm.



[ ooc: just the first minute and 15 seconds of the video. then it gets too complicated! ]

[gatheringstorm]

[ooc: Thanks, now I have Skyrim nostalgia. /wibble]

Relaxing, Korrin just shrugs and smiles at mention of the imperfections in the music. The instances of fumbling don't bother her in the slightest, as she has every confidence that Ellana will overcome them given time. It's more talent than Korrin herself will ever have, at least with a musical instrument.

"That's lovely, Ellana. Whoever's teaching you definitely has you on the right track. Unless you're completely self-taught, in which case, even more impressive."

[serannas]

"It's been a bit of both," she replies, setting her lute down in her lap once finished. "Zevran taught me these, but with everything that's happened, I don't want to bother him anymore. I used to borrow his lute too, but now that I have my own, I can practice anytime. I think I'll ask Maryden in the tavern to write me out a simple song for my next one."

[gatheringstorm]

Her expression softens at mention of Zevran and she nods, understanding the desire to give him some space. Maybe he would appreciate the distraction during his recovery, but on the other hand it would be better for him to say so. "That's a good idea. You'll get the hang of it and work your way up to more complicated pieces in time. It's like combat training; once you've done it enough, muscle memory takes over and the work practically does itself."

[serannas]

"That's something else I need to practice." There's a tiny frown as she says it. While she's proven herself a capable fighter several times now, before joining the Inquisition, her only experience in combat was fighting wolves. She doesn't want to make a tactical error on the battlefield.

"I still don't think Knight-Enchanter is for me, but I should still be practicing more than I have been."

[gatheringstorm]

Well, that's something Korrin will never disagree with. She nods encouragingly, likewise not wanting to see Ellana succumb to an error borne of inexperience. "You're welcome to practice with me in or out of Skyhold, no Knight-Enchanting required. I'm trying to balance my spirit blade with the staff, so it's not like the latter isn't relevant anymore."

[serannas]

"In that case, if you were going to go practice soon, I could run back to my room and swap my lute for my staff and join you?" Who better to train with than a mercenary, and one who -- like her -- wasn't raised in a Circle?

[gatheringstorm]

Non-Circle mages ought to stick together, right? Right. So Korrin nods, stretching after she gets back to her feet. "Please do, Ellana. You're always welcome. Training alone does get tedious after a while."

[serannas]

"That's very true." She moves to stand and places her lute on her back thanks to her new strap. Grinning, she takes a step away.

"I'll see you in a bit."