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Joined: Dec 2010 Gender: Female Posts: 1,520 Location: Wherever I may roam, cherie. Karma: 14
New Places, New Faces [Complete] « Thread Started on May 8, 2012, 3:19pm »
[[10th Bloomingtide, Lothering, mid-afternoon.]]
Lothering was an interesting place, not least because it was the first entirely new town Nicolette had ever seen. The darkspawn had torched most of it on their way through and the rest would have either been beyond repair or tainted enough that most of it had to be pulled down. Very little, if anything, remained from before the Blight. It was interesting to be in a place that looked so new, almost a living symbol for a new start – and yet also indescribably creepy, due to what Aerion had told her about what had happened to most of his pack at the hands of the villagers here. How many of them had colluded in murdering the people who had apparently done nothing more than help them in the restoration efforts?
She was choosing not to dwell on it much, for the moment. She had fretted enough in Lostwhithiel, and at least here she stood no risk of coming to harm. The amber in her eyes did not come close to matching the intense yellow hue that Aerion’s kin had apparently shared with him. The suspicion people might have had about two Orlesian minstrels just happening to journey to the place the Blight had first wiped out was mitigated by Leliana’s presence; not only was she well known for helping Fereldan’s hero during the Blight, but those who had come back to Lothering after it was over remembered her from the Chantry.
Yes, people were capable of some truly monstrous things sometimes, but as Leliana had herself pointed out, there was good to be found in nearly everyone as well. Nicolette held onto that belief during her initial foray into the town on her own, and thus far been rewarded; people seemed intrigued in a pleased sort of way to see a new face, and Thibault attracted a slew of admiring pats from hands both young and old.
She hummed as she walked around, her mood lifting with every step. The rain that had chased them into Lostwhithiel appeared to have disappeared for now and Lothering suited the sunshine. She was bending over a stall and admiring a particularly pretty carved bracelet when a hand tugged at her sleeve. She turned to see a small child, a girl with mousy brown hair and grey eyes, looking up at her.
“Are you a minstrel? An Orlesian one?”
She smiled and nodded. The child looked thoughtful.
“Are you like the ones in the stories? The ones that are all sneaky and steal stuff?”
From an adult, the question might have made Nicolette cross, but the child’s tone – caught halfway between curiosity and admiration – made her chuckle instead. “Sorry to disappoint, but no. I just play and sing.”
“Oh.” The girl only looked downcast for a moment. “Can you sing something now?”
“Of course. Would you like a Fereldan song, or an Orlesian one?”
“Orlesian! I’ve never heard that before!”
Nicolette obliged, indicating that they move away from the stall and towards a low bench nearby so she could unstrap her vielle. Her fingers plucked at it for a moment to check it was in tune before she began.
“Caresse sur l'ocean Porte l'oiseau si leger Revenant des terres enneigees…”
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Re: New Places, New Faces [Closed] « Reply #1 on May 8, 2012, 5:05pm »
Augustin had walked into Lothering with the poorest expectations one could probably have of a place being completely rebuilt. Despite having spent well over a week on the road, Augustin hadn’t forgotten the warning he had received from Rose back in Denerim. If these people were as hateful of foreigners as Augustin had been told, then it was best not to spend too much time in this place.
The reality was that the place was not that bad. People didn’t seem more hostile here than in Denerim, but perhaps that was because Augustin really had seen some of the worst the Fereldan capital had to offer whilst being there.
For the most part, people in Lothering had kept to themselves and fortunately Augustin hadn’t been forced into conversing with too many people since he was sleeping outside the town itself. His lack of coin was starting to show, and now he was forced to spend the night near caravan camps that usually rested on the outskirts of small crossroad towns like Lothering.
Augustin wandered the market stalls, wondering what to do next. He could either attempt to find work in this small town, or take his chances and try to reach Redcliffe on what coin he had left. Neither of the possibilities seemed promising.
He was considering the possibility of seeking a job with one of the caravans, when he recognized a familiar tune. Suddenly Augustin thought himself back in Val Foret, fencing with Charles. It was only when a fresh breeze brought the smell of wet dog to him that he found himself back in Ferelden.
Augustin turned around and saw a young woman, sitting on a bench, playing and singing ‘Caresse sur l’ocean’ to a little girl. The scene was like taken out of some story that would be used to lure people to the countryside in Orlais. The sound of a song in his native tongue calmed Augustin in a way that he only had been able to achieve through work or when with Mala, since he left Orlais.
Augustin leant against one of the stalls and looked at the singer. She was playing a vielle, and the words of the song seemed to come natural to her, she had to be a native Orlesian. The song reminded him of peaceful times, before his ‘exile’ to Val Chevin, and before Augustin and Charles had started growing apart.
“You buying anything?” a woman sneered behind Augustin, and he jumped in surprise. He had been deep in thought and was now trying to compose himself, praying he wasn’t making a spectacle.
“Uhm.. No. I was just liste-“ Augustin tried to explain, but the angry woman cut him off. “Well if you ain’t buying anything, then stop blocking the way for customers.”
Augustin apologized and walked a few step backwards before turning around to look at the minstrel again. Hopefully he hadn’t interrupted her in some way; he didn’t want the music to stop, or to disappoint the little girl.
Augustin stood awkwardly, suddenly feeling very exposed. His front facing the minstrel and the girl, and his head sweeping around, trying to find someplace to hide himself as to not stand in the open and stare at the show.
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Re: New Places, New Faces [Closed] « Reply #2 on May 8, 2012, 6:13pm »
It had been a while since Nicolette played this piece, and she was lulled into an almost meditative state by the nostalgia and the familiarity of it. She did not sing many Orlesian songs in Ferelden, preferring not to incite trouble from anybody who might still bear a grudge against her people, and it was refreshing to have an opportunity to indulge in front of an audience. Despite clearly not knowing a word, the girl appeared to enjoy it, and when her mother came to try and coax her away Nicolette lifted her eyes and smiled at the woman without missing a beat. The mother decided to wait, and a few other eyes turned in her direction as well.
This was about as close to bliss as it got, and Nicolette was barely stirred from her calm as a vendor on one of the stalls snapped at a man who had been loitering nearby, listening. He moved a little closer to Nicolette and the girl, plainly unsure what to do with himself. Nicolette smiled at him as well as the notes rose and fell beneath her fingers and in her voice, and she indulged in the memory of her mother singing her the same piece while they sat on the edge of the docks in Val Chevin, watching the moonlight on the water.
The vielle was silenced as Nicolette sang the last line unaccompanied, her voice now pitched for the other people she had noticed listening as well as the little girl in front of her. The last note died away and after a moment there was scattered applause, people clearly surprised by the impromptu performance in a foreign language. The girl smiled up at her as her mother indicated it was time to go and took her hand.
“That was pretty.”
“Merci. Thank you,” Nicolette replied, setting her vielle across her knees. “I am glad you enjoyed it.”
Her gaze swept the nearby stalls, before alighting on the man who had been hovering nearby, part of the audience without intending to be. He looked to be a year or so younger than herself, and the way he was standing reminded her a little of Adrastos. “Hello. Are you all right? I noticed you were having a little altercation with the stallowner during my piece.”
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Re: New Places, New Faces [Closed] « Reply #3 on May 9, 2012, 5:18am »
Luckily, the woman kept playing. Enjoying the show, and not quite sure what to do with himself, Augustin just stood still. A few people seemed taken in by the performance as well, and Augustin was glad he wasn't completely alone in watching.
As the minstrel finished the song there was a scattered applause, and Augustin joined in. He suddenly became aware of himself again and was about to turn around when he heard her voice.
“Hello. Are you all right? I noticed you were having a little altercation with the stallowner during my piece.”
Augustin's face flushed. So she had noticed. "Ah.. Well.." Not quite sure what to say he brought his hand up and scratched his neck whilst looking around to see if other people were listening to him. "I'm sorry if it distracted you mademoiselle. I was just.." What? Mesmerized by her singing because she reminded him of home? For some reason Augustin didn't think telling her that was the right to do. What would she care?
He brought his hand down and looked back at her. She looked to be around the same age as himself, what was an, apparently, Orlesian minstrel doing in Ferelden? Perhaps she was a bard?
"Oh.. How rude of me" Augustin remembered. "I am Augustin."
Perhaps she knew something of the land down here. It couldn't hurt to find out how one could get to Redcliffe, or if there were some job offers around. Besides, she was the first person he had met who seemed friendly enough.
Currently wearing: A mail shirt over studded leather chest armor, Studded Leather gloves and boots and a brown cloak with a hood on it. The scabbard for his longsword hangs across his back.
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Re: New Places, New Faces [Closed] « Reply #4 on May 9, 2012, 12:57pm »
The man turned a little pink about the cheeks as Nicolette asked whether he was all right. She could understand the stall owner being aggravated by somebody loitering around with no intention to buy, but from the little she had been able to overhear before her concentration became wrapped up in continuing her performance the woman had been unnecessarily shrewish. That, and she thought she might have caught a tinge of a familiar accent when the man had spoken, and she wanted to see if yet another Orlesian had found themselves here, hundreds of miles away from their country in a land of people who thirty years ago would have had every reason to hate them.
He tried to offer an explanation and apology, seemed to lose the thread of his thoughts, and eventually set off on a different track by offering his name. His accent was heavy enough to mark his origins and Nicolette smiled at the man, marking him as a traveller rather than a resident. What had bought him here, she wondered?
His name was Augustin, and Nicolette inclined her head at him in return at his introduction. “My name is Nicolette O’Hara. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
"Etes-vous Orlesian?"
“Oui,” Nicolette replied with a smile. “But I do not speak it much in this country.” She had enjoyed the opportunity to do so with Leliana; it had been some time since she had spent a whole conversation talking in Orlesian and as ever she found the flow of the familiar language comforting. But she tended to avoid it around those who could not understand the language and looked like they might get paranoid at the sight of two people speaking to one another completely incomprehensibly. “What has bought you to Lothering, Augustin? Other than my travelling companion I did not expect to see another Orlesian in this area.”
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Re: New Places, New Faces [Closed] « Reply #5 on May 9, 2012, 4:30pm »
Her name was Nicolette, and she was indeed Orlesian. Augustin was looking forward to conversing in his native tongue, but apparently Nicolette wished to continue in Fereldan. Perhaps that was for the best. If the people of Lothering were as paranoid and dangerous as Rose had told, then they probably wouldn't take too kindly to a pair of people conversing in Orlesian.
“What has bought you to Lothering, Augustin? Other than my travelling companion I did not expect to see another Orlesian in this area.”
There was more than one? Augustin could barely hide his excitement. He hadn't really realized how much he missed home until he had heard Nicolette singing. And the prospect of talking about Orlais with not one, but two Orlesians were doing wonders for his mood.
"I am on my way to Redcliffe from Denerim" He explained in Fereldan. He had gotten better in the two weeks he had been in the country, but his accent still slurred his pronunciation of the foreign words.
He didn't really care about pleasantries. The fact that he had run into another Orlesian this far south had put Augustin in a cheerful mood.
"Where in Orlais are you from?" He had a big grin on his face. Her accent had sounded northern, but it really was difficult to hear through song. Augustin then remembered his manners. It wouldn't be proper to brush her question aside without at least asking her the same thing. He quickly added: "And what are you doing this far south. If one might ask?"
Currently wearing: A mail shirt over studded leather chest armor, Studded Leather gloves and boots and a brown cloak with a hood on it. The scabbard for his longsword hangs across his back.
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Re: New Places, New Faces [Closed] « Reply #6 on May 10, 2012, 1:20pm »
Leliana was delighted to find Schmooples in good health and enjoying the hospitality of the Lothering chantry. One sister in particular seemed quite attached to the little nug and Leliana experienced a twinge of jealousy. Just a small one. Then she comforted herself with the fact Schmooples seemed happy in Lothering, that Schmooples deserved to be happy, and that Lothering was a long way from Amaranthine. Schmooples did not live in fear of the shadow of a certain dwarf.
Unlike dogs, nugs did not seem to hold any particular person in high regard. Schmooples recognised the hand that fed her, the sister who lavished more attention on the odd little creature from the Deep Roads than the orphans, but seemed equally curious about the orphans themselves, and Leliana, when the minstrel poked her head into the yard behind the chantry. Parting company with the gaggle of awkwardly dressed children, Schmooples trotted toward the newcomer, odd face lit with what Leliana interpreted as a curious expression.
I am a minstrel, I am allowed to interpret expression as best suits the situation.
Before Leliana could interpret long lost love in Schmooples’ beady little eyes, the nug bypassed her to sniff at the feet of the woman behind. The woman with the basket of fruit.
She was curious, after all. About the fruit basket.
After visiting with the nug, the children and the attendant sisters, Leliana excused herself and set off into the village proper. She and Nicolette had made no specific plans together, but if she met her fellow minstrel in the market place, the afternoon would pass more pleasantly, would it not? Shopping with a friend was always more fun than shopping alone. They could play tricks on the vendors together.
It did not take her long to find Nicolette, Thibault was a large dog and easy to spot in a crowd. People either gave the hound a wide birth, or clustered around him, cooing and petting. In this instance, Thibault remained unmolested, but Nicolette entertained a guest, a tall young man with the build and stance of a fighter. He appeared to pose no threat, however. In fact, from a distance, his manner seemed tentative.
Reaching for a sunny smile, Leliana stepped lightly toward her friend, dipped to pet Thibault—who nosed her hand properly and familiarly—then straightened, smoothing the skirt of her dusky rose dress, and showed her smile to Nicolette and the young man. “Hello, Nicolette,” she said. “Who is your admirer?”
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Re: New Places, New Faces [Closed] « Reply #7 on May 11, 2012, 6:59pm »
Augustin was on his way to Redcliffe, from Denerim. Nicolette wondered if she might have seen him about the city while she was there herself; it was not beyond the bounds of possibility that she had caught a glimpse of him in a crowd and her gaze had passed over him, completely ignorant of the fact that they would meet hundreds of miles away a matter of weeks later.
The laws of probability and the way the universe amused itself by flouting them was of endless fascination to Nicolette. It had already been proven time and again that she would meet old faces along the road, both friendly and not, despite the chances of seeing them again being so low as to be non-existent. The thread of possibility might be stretched even further here – she wondered if she had ever seen him in Orlais.
Fortunately Augustin stopped her from completely vacating her body in favour of thinking about the nature of coincidence and serendipity by asking her about her origins. Nicolette came back to Thedas and smiled at him. “I was from Val Chevin, originally,” she said. “My mother and stepfather and little brother live in Val Royeaux now. I myself do not have a particular place in Orlais I ‘come from’ anymore.”
"And what are you doing this far south. If one might ask?"
Thibault left Nicolette’s side before she could answer, and she smiled broadly as the hound went to nose at Leliana, who was looking especially lovely in the pink dress Nicolette remembered her wearing for their performance together in Highever. “Hello, Nicolette. Who is your admirer?”
Nicolette chuckled, wondering if any pink would touch the young man’s cheeks or if he would simply give an unabashed grin at this greeting. “Leliana, this is Augustin, who is on his way to Redcliffe. Augustin, this is Leliana, my travelling companion and friend.” Saying ‘the-bard-who-helped-defeat-the-archdemon’ was a bit of a mouthful and besides, Augustin would probably make the connection himself quite quickly. She turned back to the young man.
“We were attending a wedding in Edgewater, and then I had to come through this way in order to fill a contract in the Western Hills.” She gave a rueful smile at both of them; Leliana had not been present when she received the note earlier that day. “However, my services in that direction are no longer required as it turns out, so I believe I will simply stay here for a while and see if there is anything I can do to help.”
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Re: New Places, New Faces [Closed] « Reply #8 on May 12, 2012, 2:35pm »
Nicolette was even from Val Chevin. This was just getting better and better. Augustin no longer tried to hide his excitement. The memories of Orlais manifested itself as a big grin on his face. But before she got a chance to tell him what she was doing in southern Ferelden, her dog, that Augustin had barely noticed up until this point, ran over to greet another woman.
“Hello, Nicolette. Who is your admirer?” She said with a smile.
Augustin felt his cheeks heat up and his eyes dropped to the ground. Had he seemed to energetic and excited? He suddenly became very aware of himself and took a more guarded stance, his left arm clinging tightly to the side of his body and his right hand scratching the left shoulder.
Luckily Augustin didn't need to open his mouth as Nicolette introduced them to eachother. “Leliana, this is Augustin, who is on his way to Redcliffe. Augustin, this is Leliana, my travelling companion and friend.”
Wait. Leliana? Where had he heard that name before? Was she the Leliana from the stories? The fabled Orlesian bard who helped the Warden Cousland defeat the archdemon? No it couldn't be, she was a hero. What would she be doing here?
Augustin looked up as Nicolette answered his earlier question. “We were attending a wedding in Edgewater, and then I had to come through this way in order to fill a contract in the Western Hills.” She smiled at both him and Leliana. “However, my services in that direction are no longer required as it turns out, so I believe I will simply stay here for a while and see if there is anything I can do to help.”
His voice a bit lower and less excited than earlier, Augustin answered. "Noble thing to do." It was just because she had been Orlesian, Augustin wanted to explain to everyone, but the words never came out of his mouth.
It would probably be for the better if he diverted the conversation away from himself, besides he would have to know. "Are you the Leliana" Augustin looked up at the red haired woman, his voice marked with a sense of awe and fascination. "From the stories?"
Currently wearing: A mail shirt over studded leather chest armor, Studded Leather gloves and boots and a brown cloak with a hood on it. The scabbard for his longsword hangs across his back.
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Re: New Places, New Faces [Closed] « Reply #9 on May 12, 2012, 6:41pm »
The young man blushed at Leliana’s insinuation, and wrapped his arms about his torso, as if to hold himself apart from Nicolette. Tilting her head, Leliana studied him with an openly curious glance. Aside from the scar marring one cheek, she thought he had a gentle appearance and an unthreatening demeanour. Perhaps his size and bearing intimated some. Until he blushed, of course.
Nicolette made the introductions. “Leliana, this is Augustin, who is on his way to Redcliffe. Augustin, this is Leliana, my travelling companion and friend.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Augustin,” Leliana said.
A certain look entered Augustin’s eyes. Used to being recognised, before (well before) and after the Blight, Leliana maintained her sunny aspect. Either he would ask his questions or not.
Nicolette went on to outline their travel plans, then mentioned her own had changed. “However, my services in that direction are no longer required as it turns out, so I believe I will simply stay here for a while and see if there is anything I can do to help.”
A small crease marring her forehead, Leliana regarded Nicolette with a solemn look. “Have you had word from the Arlessa?” She placed a hand on her friend’s forearm. “You know you are welcome to stay with us for as long as you wish.” How easy it was to reclaim her role as lay sister, though she did not intend to stay longer than two weeks herself.
A familiar disparity tugged at the bard, the wax and wane of two very different urges; one, to stay in Lothering, slip beneath the cloak of the chantry once more, the other drawing her to Denerim to meet with the Contessa, reconnect with what might be best left forgotten. For two weeks, she could pretend, however. She could immerse herself in simple deeds and wholesome tasks. Enjoy the company of friends.
In a low voice, Augustin commented on the noble nature of Nicolette’s plans. Catching the Orlesian accent (more pronounced than her own lilt), Leliana turned to study the young man once again. His hair remained dark blonde, his eyes blue. His bearing had changed, however. His warrior’s stance took on a new meaning.
Speaking again, he voiced the questions lurking in his eyes. "Are you the Leliana. From the stories?"
“Well, that would depend on the stories.” A slim red brow arched over the mischievous sparkle of her eyes. “Which ones have you heard?”
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Re: New Places, New Faces [Closed] « Reply #10 on May 13, 2012, 4:45pm »
Leliana greeted Augustin cordially, then her smile dropped away as Nicolette revealed that she would no longer be heading towards the Western Hills. “Have you had word from the Arlessa?”
She nodded. “A courier was waiting at the inn for me. The Arlessa changed her mind.”
That the offer of patronage had been withdrawn was no barrier to her continuing her journey there anyway out of simple curiosity about the region, but the Arlessa’s note had been unexpectedly blunt about the circumstances. There was no coin in the coffers to feed and pay anybody who was unnecessary for the efforts to restore the arling from the ravages of the Blight, and little enough food for everybody who already lived there. Bandits had been preying on the few trader’s wagons that had dared to try and make the trip, and attacks by robbers were striking closer and closer to the main settlements. Nicolette would have had to be entertaining a death wish to try and travel there now.
The other minstrel touched her arm. “You know you are welcome to stay with us for as long as you wish.”
A smile touched Nicolette’s lips. “Thank you. I will, for a while.” Although she did not plan to do so for particularly long. She was grateful to have been allowed a space in the Chantry in which to sleep – especially now that without the promise of the income she had expected from working for Phyllida, her coinpurse was starting to look alarmingly slender. People in Lothering seemed just as happy to have minstrels around as any other place, but it was not a rich village and there was very little to be spared for a stranger with a foreign accent. Between that and the residual feeling of guilt for accepting the hospitality of the sisters when she had as much belief in the Maker as she did in the dancing abilities of a rock, she would not be around for very long.
She would head to Amaranthine after leaving Lothering, she decided, and see if she could persuade Mala to meet here there earlier than originally planned.
Augustin decreed that her intention to help where she could was a noble one, which threw Nicolette slightly. She did not think it particularly selfless, as it was simply a way of finding purpose in Lothering until her feet took her elsewhere. After a moment, she offered him a smile in thanks, but made no comment. However, her smile did widen into an amused one as Augustin made the connection between the Leliana at her side and ‘the one from the stories’, and asked if they were the same person. Her friend teased Augustin by answering with a question. “Which ones have you heard?”
Nicolette’s eyes took on a wicked gleam to match Leliana’s. “Not the one about wandering the hallways of an Orlesian palace with only a towel to protect her modesty after a particularly wild party? All lies, I assure you.”
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Re: New Places, New Faces [Closed] « Reply #11 on May 13, 2012, 5:44pm »
“Which ones have you heard?”
Augustin face adopted a puzzled expression. If she was the Leliana of the stories, wouldn't it be obvious what Augustin meant? Or did she just wan't to hear a confirmation of her own actions?
“Not the one about wandering the hallways of an Orlesian palace with only a towel to protect her modesty after a particularly wild party? All lies, I assure you.”
Augustin's mind pictured the situation, resulting in his face returning to its earlier blushed state. "I.. Uhm.. No. that wasn't what I.." He couldn't figure out if the two minstrels were toying with him or just not sure in what he had meant. Had he picked the wrong words when he had asked his question? It was also because they had thrown him off his balance right at the start of their conversation!
He really didn't have much use around women. Why Amalariel had seen anything in him he would never understand. She hadn't, he reminded himself. She had left him at the tavern by the docks, and when they had seen each other again he had used her vulnerability to his advantage. A tight knot formed itself in Augustin's chest. He had been right to leave her, she didn't need someone who used her like he did.
Trying to recompose himself, Augustin made an attempt to turn the attention back to Leliana. "You know... The Leliana who traveled with the Hero of Ferelden? Who helped slay the Archdemon and end the Blight?"
Now there couldn't be any doubt as to which stories he meant. The tale had been told many a time throughout the tavern's and barracks of Val Chevin. She was Orlesian after all, and that made for a better story to other Orlesians. One of their own had been there to end the fifth Blight.
But now Augustin wasn't so sure it was her. She certainly had the red hair that the stories told of, but she didn't look like someone who had killed scores of Darkspawn, fought her way through the Siege of Denerim and finally ended the Blight atop Fort Drakon.
Currently wearing: A mail shirt over studded leather chest armor, Studded Leather gloves and boots and a brown cloak with a hood on it. The scabbard for his longsword hangs across his back.
Leliana Inactive Bardette Bar None member is offline
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Re: New Places, New Faces [Closed] « Reply #12 on May 13, 2012, 6:18pm »
Playing along, Nicolette asked, “Not the one about wandering the hallways of an Orlesian palace with only a towel to protect her modesty after a particularly wild party? All lies, I assure you.”
Leliana giggled. “No, no. That was the Dales, after a sip of Dwarven ale.”
Augustin blushed again. Leliana resisted the urge to rise to the tip of her toes and inspect the top of his head. On a particularly blonde head, one might see the blush through hair. Would that make his scalp prickle? I must behave.
"I.. Uhm.. No. that wasn't what I.." The poor man appeared particularly flustered.
Leliana immediately took pity on him. He had not behaved like a lout; in fact, he had asked a perfectly reasonable question. Leliana was in a playful mood, however.
Gathering his composure, Augustin rephrased his question. "You know... The Leliana who traveled with the Hero of Ferelden? Who helped slay the Archdemon and end the Blight?"
“That sounds much more exciting than wandering the Dales wrapped in a towel,” Leliana mused. Then, smiling warmly, she nodded. “Yes, I am the minstrel who traveled with Aedan Cousland. I also helped slay the Archdemon.” Leaning forward, she winked. “And I was a little more appropriately dressed.” She rocked back on her heels. “Though, given the ferocity of the battle, I might well have been. My armour did not survive the night.” The set made by Wade had performed well, however, offering her more protection from dragon breath than she might have had otherwise. Arching a brow, she added, “Thankfully, my weapons did.”
Leliana preferred not to dwell on the final battle. Memories of it did not disturb her dreams and she had walked away relatively unscathed. Climbing down from the roof of Fort Drakon had marked a turning point in her life, however—precipitated a change in her thinking—and that discomforted her.
“What about you, Augustin? What stories do you have to tell?” Leliana smiled again. “You are a long way from home, I think. Have you been in Ferelden for long?”
Joined: Dec 2010 Gender: Female Posts: 1,520 Location: Wherever I may roam, cherie. Karma: 14
Re: New Places, New Faces [Closed] « Reply #13 on May 14, 2012, 5:24pm »
Leliana corrected Nicolette’s recollection of the tale, pointing out that it was erroneous insofar that said wild party had taken place in the Dales, not in Orlais at all. Nicolette had visited Jader once herself, but clearly had not been lodging at the right place to take advantage of a similar event. She could well imagine Leliana walking around the streets on a bright day, towel wrapped around her and a sunny smile for every person who gawped in her direction. It was the sort of thing one could laugh at, in hindsight.
Their mutual aim was achieved, making Augustin blush and fumble his words. Any further teasing would probably cross the line from playful to mean, so Nicolette abstained from making other suggestions about stories in the same vein. After a few moments, the man managed to explain that he was asking about Leliana’s involvement in the Blight.
“That sounds much more exciting than wandering the Dales wrapped in a towel.”
“That depends entirely on your point of view,” Nicolette pointed out, cheekily.
Leliana confirmed that she was the minstrel who had travelled with Aedan, and that she had been much better kitted out for doing battle with what amounted to a massive dragon than she was now. Nicolette had not let her imagination about Leliana’s involvement in the Blight stray much into the territory of actual battles. She had thought more about her companionship with the Warden and the King, and the other people who had become part of the core group that helped defeat the horde. Nicolette had daydreamed about what it was like to share a campfire with a hero, the future king of Ferelden, a Crow, a witch, a warrior dwarf and a qunari.
Now her imagination leant itself to a battle so savage that it nearly levelled a city, and Leliana in the middle of it all, fighting darkspawn on all sides. How had she walked away from something like that with her cheerful mien intact? By being a stronger woman in many ways than Nicolette would ever be, without a shadow of a doubt.
Leliana deftly turned the subject from herself back to Augustin, asking what stories he might share. “You are a long way from home, I think. Have you been in Ferelden for long?”
Nicolette smiled at Augustin, awaiting his answer. “Whereabouts in Orlais are you from, Augustin?”
Joined: Jan 2012 Gender: Male Posts: 152 Karma: 10
Re: New Places, New Faces [Closed] « Reply #14 on May 15, 2012, 8:15am »
Augustin's expression was one of fascination and awe. Right in front of him was a real living, breathing legend. She looked to be about the same age as himself, and yet what had he done compared to her? Finished training for something he would now never be, and when he had faced real opposition he had run away. Leliana the Bard had not shirked from the responsibility when the fate of Thedas was thrust on her and the others who traveled with the Warden Cousland. But she didn't look like one who had faced certain death. Were all heroes this polite and down to earth? Augustin wondered if Kordillus Drakon or the Warden Garahel would have done what Leliana was doing now, talking with a mere mortal stranger.
“What about you, Augustin? What stories do you have to tell?” Leliana smiled. “You are a long way from home, I think. Have you been in Ferelden for long?”
Again, it took Augustin a few moments before he could answer. The idea of standing before one of the most well known Orlesians throughout all of Thedas was a bit too much for him.
"My life is fairly uninteresting" He lied. It was a good thing that he had gotten the chance to practice his story through a few times. If he had met Leliana and Nicolette back in Denerim on that first night, he might have ended up saying everything. "I have only been here a few weeks. At first I only wanted to see the Birthrock in Denerim, but then I decided to visit Redcliffe as well."
“Whereabouts in Orlais are you from, Augustin?” Nicolette then asked, also smiling. Augustin was about to answer Val Foret, then remembered what he had told Philippe and Rose back in Denerim. Might as well stick to the original story. "The Heartlands. But the life of a peasant was not one for me. That is why I'm traveling around, to find myself." Augustin realized that the last bit sounded forced as he spoke it. It really was difficult to keep up the appearance of everything being okay. Especially after being reminded of home by Nicolette.
"I am afraid you won't find any stories in my uneventful life" Augustin smiled, trying to force himself to adopt a lighter mood.
Currently wearing: A mail shirt over studded leather chest armor, Studded Leather gloves and boots and a brown cloak with a hood on it. The scabbard for his longsword hangs across his back.
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