at what cost

i want to be me again

[dirthenanu]

reunion

[dirthenanu]

ranged-viper:

➸  ▐  Her mouth was opened just slightly as her bow fell to the ground. It was him, after all these years, after all the hunting and the heartache, she had finally found him. Her eyes filled with tears, barely being able to see him once more.

           What was she even supposed to do once she found him, she didn’t even figure that part out yet. It was supposed to be a thing that never happened to her. Even now it felt like a dream.

           ❝ Mir’nehn, ❞ She squeaked, walking past the Keeper that was speaking to her and walking straight towards her brother. And then she sobbed, throwing her arms around him. ❝ I found you! I finally found you! ❞

Erinuil gasped the moment the elf started speaking.  It had been years, and she had grown up (though he had grown up also) but there was no doubting it now.  It really was his sister.

“Ne-ne!” he answered excitedly.  His arms wrapped around her, hugging her tightly.  His eyes squeezed shut with the grin spreading across his face, and a few tear drops were forced out.  “I can’t believe this.  You were looking for me?  I had thought--”

He had thought his previous clan had stopped caring about him the moment he was to leave.  Eventually, that blanket assumption was passed onto his sister as well.

“It’s so good to see you.”  His voice lowered.  “I missed you, Sister...”

[dirthenanu]

reunion

[dirthenanu]

ranged-viper:

➸  ▐  Each and every time there was a chance to leave her clan to explore others, she took it. Each time she was always disappointed to learn that her brother was not that. Each time was just another heartache she was used to.

           This would be just another time. She’d look every where for her big brother, but there was no sign of him. That didn’t make her stop being the one to send, however. She just always prepared herself for disappointment.

           Just as she searched the camp, she always asked the Keeper first thing if there was an elf by the name of Eri around. She always used his pet name, for no apparent reason other than surely it was what people would call him. It never worked out, people just looked at her confused.

           There was a rumor in this camp, however, that there was a dark skinned blond elf. While she didn’t know how many other clans had that kind of appearance like hers did, but she was hopeful.

            A flash of blond hair got her attention, and purple eyes widened as though that would help them see. He was too far away for her to tell, but she hoped, begging to the gods that it was the brother she had lost so long ago.

Even from the distance, Erinuil’s eyes met with the other elf’s.  Her expression shifted enough to stoke his hopes that this was her, that this was his sister.  So he moved closer, cautiously, trying not to make it obvious to the Keeper how interested he was.  But she would know, Keepers always knew.

He moved close enough that he could hear the Keeper speak, but hopefully he wasn’t too conspicuous. 

“What brings you here, da’len?” the Keeper asked, carrying a knowing smile despite the nature of her question.

[dirthenanu]

reunion

ranged-viper

Whenever there was a moment to himself, Erinuil found his mind wandering.  Mostly he considered what-ifs and -thens.  This would typically concern his past life, his previous clan.  He had unfortunately been born as the Third Mage, and no one wanted to be the Third Mage.  The Third Mage would have to leave, once he were old enough to take care of himself, if the Keeper’s First or Second didn’t die or get exiled for some reason or another.

And when a letter was sent to their clan’s Keeper stating that just that had happened - in another clan - the only thing left was to send aid in the form of a replacement First.

Erinuil went, because he was the youngest and most malleable.  He would learn to no longer miss them, they thought.  They were wrong.

He wondered if his sister, Ne Zha, three years younger than him and not cursed with the Gift of their Creators, was doing well back home.  He knew she would be a great hunter, and thought of how proud he would be if he could only see her, even as word was being spread towards camp to the Keeper.

“--Dalish Hunter.”

“She wants to see the Keeper...”

“Can’t it wait until the Arlathven?”

The blond’s interest was piqued, of course, but he had a tendency to avoid confrontation, or even just companionship.  So he hovered outside of the commotion.  Well, it wasn’t quite a commotion.  One of the hunters tasked with guarding the camp’s perimeter was walking towards where the Keeper stood in front of her tent.

Erinuil didn’t even stand close enough to hear their exchange, but he was definitely of the curious sort, so followed steps behind as the Keeper went to meet their visitor.

He nearly tripped when he saw who it was. 

Standing twenty feet away was an elf with dark skin and blonde hair, and though it was hard to tell from this distance... It could have been Ne Zha.  But it wouldn’t have been his sister.  Couldn’t.  Just a coincidence, probably.  Plenty elves looked like they did in his clan.  Plenty.

But that didn’t keep him from watching her carefully.

[dirthenanu]

*bangs fists on table*

Joins u

SISTER

BROTHER

[ranged-viper]

*dramatically runs across field of flowers* SISTER

[dirthenanu]

*bangs fists on table*

[ranged-viper]

Joins u

[dirthenanu]

SISTER

[dirthenanu]

*bangs fists on table*

[forsakendaggers-blog]

“So I guess this is the wallflower section?” [pleASE can I HAVE]

[YOU ARE MY SAVIOR]

“What?–No! I just… Really like watching all these filthy shems gossip and dance, that’s all! It’s.. Funny how elegant they think they all are?” Kellan let out a nervous bit of laughter and averted his eyes as he took a drink of his beverage. He wasn’t sure what kind of beverage it was, but at this point he hoped it was at least something alcoholic.

[forsakendaggers-blog]

Kellan let a small chuckle come out at the other elf’s display, but he gracefully placed his hand in the other’s as he was lead to the floor.

It was only until the dance-floor came into view that Kellan had realized his mistake. Before they were passed the threshold of people lining the floor (the point of no return), he stopped in his tracks and gently pulled on his dance partners arm.

Trying his best to keep his cool he stated “W-Why not dance out on the balcony?” His voice faltered slightly but, he recovered quickly  “It would be just the two of us out there” with a flourish of his killer smile, he knew that the other could could not refuse, or at least that’s what he hoped.

[dirthenanu]

Erinuil’s heart fluttered a bit as he lead his new companion to the dance floor.  Not only was he a fan of dancing - and quite good at it, if he were honest - but he always loved showing shems that elves could dance much better than they could dream of.

A slight tug stopped him, however, and he glanced back to his as-yet-unnamed partner.

He offered a small smile, completely oblivious (or otherwise ignoring) the falter in the other’s words.

“As much as I’d like to have you alone, it’s much more entertaining with an audience, don’t you think?  C’mon, let’s show these shems how to dance.”

[dirthenanu]

a long way from home || weston & erinuil

[sparkles-and-swords]

It didn’t take long for the attackers to notice their arrows suddenly became very ineffective, thanks to some sort of barrier.  It also didn’t take Wes long to peek out over the horse yet again to see the grass shift and stir. He held up a hand, his other on the hilt of his sword. 

Wes glanced back at the man behind him. “You stay here, keep Erinuil and everything else safe. If you see us in dire need, come help. But until then, stay here.”

“Aye, got it. Good luck out there, commander.” Came the response. Wes could only nod at it until he noticed the bandits had moved out of the grass and onto the road. 

Wes flicked his wrist and went to pull out his sword. The other man had went to join the fray, and Wes followed, beginning the incredibly clumsy dance of combat. Obviously a few of the bandits realized their bows wouldn’t do well in close combat, but luckily for Wes, a couple of them realized that too late. 

It was the others who had pulled out crude swords themselves that the elf got to tango with. A strike, a pirouette, a block, and repeat. Thanks to the weight of his sword, he felt a few blows to his side and legs from being a little too slow, and he would definitely feel those bruises later.

He turned, struck, blocked, parried and struck again at the bandit, knocking him back every time he was stupid enough to try and block. It only took one time for one of his blows to be strong enough to make the bandit falter, and Wes took the opportunity by ramming him with his shoulder, knocking him onto the ground. With both hands on his sword, he thrust his blade into the bandit’s chest. 

When he took it out and readied himself, breathing heavily and looking around for another opponent, he saw that the other bandits had come to the conclusion that whatever they had had wasn’t worth their lives. The elf straightened up, a hand instantly clutching at his side. 

Turning back to Erinuil, then to his men, he tried to catch his breath and wiped at some sweat on his brow. Wow, he thought, they had to have hit me pretty hard to get me this winded. 

“Well,” Wes started, trying for a smile, “If we can get ourselves to another town, we’ll have to treat ourselves to something special, huh?” He went over and patted both of his men on the shoulder, congratulating them on jobs well done. 

Going over to his horse, Wes dug around in one of the packs slung over the horses back. “ ‘Fore that, we gotta get these guys patched up. They deserve every extra apple we’re gonna give them at the next town.” 

[dirthenanu]

Just as suddenly as it came, it seemed like the fight had been over.  Erinuil, of course, hadn’t been paying attention that much.  He much rather would talk to a horse than see any blood.  Once Wes had confirmed he had finished fighting, the barrier fizzled out as Erinuil asked it to.

He regarded Wes carefully.  There was something duplicitous about a man that could so casually murder others, let his horses get shot at, and then smile and offer to treat themselves and the horses.  He had thought that, being an elf and so amiable earlier, Wes might be some one he could trust, but now Eri wasn’t too sure.

“I can...” the blond started, before shaking his head.  He wasn’t going to ask for permission.  It was obvious now - he was resigned to whatever lay in store for him in the place Wes was taking him.  Escape would probably be met with that sword.  Whatever primitive form of medicine these men had at their disposal wouldn’t be as good for the horses as his own magic, so Eri decided to take it into his own hands.

Letting out some kind of groan while rolling his eyes, he stepped over to one fo the mares, an arrow sticking from its thigh.  He muttered, in Elvish, to it, as he got started - his hands glowing a light green.

“I’m sorry they let you get hurt.  This will help.”  With magic, he could dissolve the arrow and keep it from rupturing or ripping any other part, and stitch the torn muscles back.  It might be sore to walk on, but that was worlds better than any alternative.  “Fucking humans, right?”

[sparkles-and-swords]

"I've heard of us being called wood elves, but you're like an actual tree!"

“Hm, well. You’ll only be disappointed that I’m the shortest kind of tree where I’m from.”

[sparkles-and-swords]

“Well, now I don’t feel as bad for still getting it wrong sometimes. Hmm, where are you from, anyway? I thought the only elves were the elves I came from and the half-elves scattered all around.”

[dirthenanu]

“And here I am, never having met an elf that’s actually part tree before.  I have met the half-elves, but they’re kind of dull.  They’ve forgotten everything, a lot of them don’t even know Elvish!”

[dirthenanu]

Though his emotions are usually influenced by outside sources, Erinuil’s interpersonal skills leave a lot to be desired.  Despite being relatively good on tailoring his speech/conversation depending on who he’s talking to, he expects every one to hate him in some way or another.  Unless the relationship is professional (with him ranking higher) then he is deeply troubled by the thought that he isn’t liked.

In intimate relationships, he prefers to be in lust first.  He can make rash decisions concerning commitment - which he fears.  It takes him a long time to develop a deep connection with some one (even if they’ve already slept together) and until it’s stuck he can be prone to flaking or worry.

[dirthenanu]

a long way from home || weston & erinuil

[sparkles-and-swords]

“For tax reasons,” Wes replied, glancing back at Erinuil, “Your village hasn’t been very good with their taxes, so I needed someone who lives there to come and work for me for a while to try and make up for the lost money.” There were a host of other things he could have done, but this was the option the elf always liked the best.

Unfortunately he didn’t get to think about it too long, as a few arrows flew past him– his horse wasn’t so lucky, crying out and panicking. Wes didn’t waste the time to try and calm it down from where he was, he jumped down and pulled Erinuil down with him. 

“Bandits, damnit.” Wes gave an irritated sigh and tightened his grip on the horses’ reigns to keep it from rearing up and freaking out even more. His men had followed his example and made a makeshift wall with their horses. Wes motioned them over, having one man’s horse blocking the front of them and the other blocking the opposite side. 

“Commander, what’re we gonna do?” One man asked, peering over his horse.

Mimicking him, Wes took a quick glance over his horse just to see where exactly the bandits were. The treeline was too far away with how the arrows struck them, so they had to be hiding elsewhere. The grass was tall enough to hide a kneeling man, so they had to be in there.

“They’re in the grass, hopefully they get bored of putting arrows in our horses and try to come out and face us themselves. Unless either of you want pelted with arrows, we wait.”

[dirthenanu]

Suddenly, with Weston’s answer, everything became crystal clear.  Erinuil had doubted he could be more angry at that innkeeper, but he just proved himself wrong.  Not only was Erinuil offered like a sacrifice - he was sacrificed in the most selfish way possible.

He had tensed, finally understanding the predicament he found himself in, but the arrow and the horse reeling quickly changed his mood back to frightened.  He let out a cry, just as the horse did, and his startled state allowed him to be easily pulled down with the armored elf.

Bandits.  So that was what that meant.

Heart pounding, another arrow flew by the barricade they had constructed out of their horses.  Eri sure didn’t like that.  He muttered, in Elvish, an “I’m sorry,” under his breath before squeezing his hand, drawing on his will to create a sturdier, less easily-hurt barrier to shield the horses from arrows.  It wasn’t fair that they had to get hurt to protect... these men that were going to take him away from everything.

Perhaps it was a little rude, to do it in front of these people, but they would probably understand the necessity for it.

Once the barrier was up he stumbled as he stood, stepping over to Weston’s horse and murmuring to it, trying to calm it down.  The other men could deal with the arrows, and the bandits.

[forsakendaggers-blog]

“So I guess this is the wallflower section?” [pleASE can I HAVE]

[YOU ARE MY SAVIOR]

“What?–No! I just… Really like watching all these filthy shems gossip and dance, that’s all! It’s.. Funny how elegant they think they all are?” Kellan let out a nervous bit of laughter and averted his eyes as he took a drink of his beverage. He wasn’t sure what kind of beverage it was, but at this point he hoped it was at least something alcoholic.

[forsakendaggers-blog]

“You sure know a lot about these crummy Orlesians,” He fixed his mask once more “At least we look better dressed than them, that’s all i have to say. Look at that poor lady’s collar it looks like it could hold h’orderves, and not only that but it’s nearly choking her. And all the men are skinny and wearing those awful puffed out pants. It’s like Orlesian fashion is trying to make a mockery of itself,” He took another long sip of his drink but the question his masked acquaintance asked threw him for a loop. 

Kellan froze, nearly spitting out his drink once more. As much as he loved having the other elf for company, and the ‘scandal’ that would happen seeing not only two elves but two male elves on the dance-floor, there was one major problem.

Dancing was never one of Kellan’s strong-suits. And while he could easily play the Game with his fashion sense and ‘clever’ wit, it was the dance that he never truly could master.

“A Dance? With me? What a spectacle that would cause,” He was’t sure if it was the drink or if he was under the spell of his new handsome elf acquaintance, but after a short laugh he agreed to the dance.

“Lead me to the floor, darling,”

[dirthenanu]

Something seemed to upset the other elf, and the way he lurched forward, almost as if he were about to spill his drink on the floor, was a little startling.  Erinuil wasn’t sure what to make of it, but the other male recovered quickly (and quite gracefully, considering) so the slightly-inebriated blonde decided that he must have appeared incredibly dashing, and perhaps the other was just shocked as his proposition.

Slightly-inebriated may have been an understatement.

In any case, his acquaintance answered smoothly, smooth enough to cause heat to rush to Erinuil’s cheeks.  Thankfully, the mask hid his blush well, though his confident smile was another story.  He could feel his heart fluttering in his chest.  Darling?  Perhaps it really was the alcohol, but if Eri wasn’t interested before, he was now.

Instead of betraying his cool facade, however, he gave a light chuckle and set down his wine glass.  Then, he bent forward, offering his hand and gently holding the other behind him.

“May I have this dance, then, handsome?”

The music behind them swelled, getting to the mid-way point of its slow, melodic rhythm.  It was perfect dancing music, where romance would be involved.  A good chance to ask, in any case.

[dirthenanu]

a long way from home || weston & erinuil

[sparkles-and-swords]

“Never heard a name like that before.” Wes commented, helping Eri up onto the horse now that he gave him his hand. After that, he got on after Erinuil and took the reigns. “It sounds nice, though. I’m Weston by the way.”

Once they finally got going, the elf gave a little sigh of relief. No more stops, just a beeline home. From time to time Wes glanced around, he wouldn’t put it past any bandits to see a wonderful opportunity to jump them, especially if any of them so happened to call that little dirt town home. 

“I think you’ll like it, where we’re going. It has good food, the area is pretty and there’s probably something you’ll like to do, too.”

[dirthenanu]

Erinuil really didn’t think he needed help getting on the horse, but he was fine with it anyway.  He was still unbelievably nervous, and that would most likely hinder his ability to do anything.  For instance, he was searching for words that Weston could understand, but came up short.

The horse had set off before he was entirely ready, and it was moving fast enough that he almost was worried he would fall off without placing his hands on Wes’ side.  It was more comfortable to just wrap  them around the taller man’s stomach, however, so he did so.

Erinuil could take a tumble, but who wanted to get kicked by a horse?

It was a bit before Weston spoke again, and Erinuil could only furrow his brow.  He obviously wasn’t going to argue with the man carrying a sword at his side, but how would he know what Erinuil would like?  Just because it was pretty and had something to eat didn’t mean the blond would actually enjoy it.  Because...

“I don’t understand,” prefaced Erinuil’s response.  “Why... am I going with you?”

[forsakendaggers-blog]

“So I guess this is the wallflower section?” [pleASE can I HAVE]

[YOU ARE MY SAVIOR]

“What?–No! I just… Really like watching all these filthy shems gossip and dance, that’s all! It’s.. Funny how elegant they think they all are?” Kellan let out a nervous bit of laughter and averted his eyes as he took a drink of his beverage. He wasn’t sure what kind of beverage it was, but at this point he hoped it was at least something alcoholic.

[forsakendaggers-blog]

“Incredible,” Kellan stated taking another sip of his drink, shaking off the sting of the alcohol “You should have told them they were! you might have gotten a little bit of respect, as opposed to all these dirty looks we’re receiving right now.” His eyes moved from person to person. Over half of the people he glanced at glanced back at him with a distaste he could feel through their masks

“But anyway, what brings you to such a fancy ball? usually we only get invited to the less fancy ones, if we aren’t helping to run them in the first place,”

[dirthenanu]

Erinuil shook his head, a smile still on his lips despite the serious tone his voice took.  “I’d never willingly pass for a shem, given the option.  I don’t care how poorly we’re treated.  We’re still Dalish, and that deserves recognition.  If we make them uncomfortable that’s their problem, not mine.  I’ll take all the dirty looks and still demand respect.”

He took another sip of his wine.

“They’re Orlesian, after all, they don’t know if we’re playing the Game.  And so many shems are afraid of us...”

The blond tossed his new companion a toothy grin.  “But anyway, I do think our appearance here is a part of that Game.  The hostess looks generous for inviting the savages, and it’s enough scandal that every one is going to try and emulate to look even better when compared to her.  Perhaps she actually cares about us, or she’s just using us for her own ends.  I’m still trying to figure that part out myself.

“But you know, that’s not a very pleasant topic, is it?  I’d rather dance.  What do you say?”

[roleplaymmemes]

The 11th icon in your folder is your muse’s reaction to finding out they are actually royalty

[convxntus--archived-blog]

[rxgificus]

[dirthenanu]

[dirthenanu]

a long way from home || weston & erinuil

[sparkles-and-swords]

“How long?” Wes echoed, pursing his lips and looking towards the road, squinting at the horizon. A few seconds passed before he gave a small sigh out his nose and turned back to the other elf. “About two weeks. Maybe more or less. We don’t have to make as many stops.”

“Also, what is your name?” He figured calling him by name other than ‘hey you’ would seem a lot less rude. The elf held his hand out again, eyeing the other carefully. Wes really wanted to get back on the road, and not stay in this small hovel any longer.

It’s not that Wes didn’t like the place– he did, it was quaint and quiet. He just didn’t want the locals to get antsy.

[dirthenanu]

Two weeks?  To go... somewhere?  While Erinuil didn’t mind the travelling, he would have to use those two weeks to explain his situation.  If they were taking him away over some sort of money issue, it wouldn’t do any good to actually go through with it.  It might be years since Erinuil would be able to get home again, and that was not a part of plan.  Especially when he wouldn’t even have service to tell his parents first.

“My name is Erinuil Ilanni,” he said.  That was another one of those easy phrases that had been driven into his head as he was learning Common.  An easier one for him to say, even with his accent.  

He stepped forward, taking the other’s hand.  For the situation at hand, the other elf was being remarkably cordial, and it made Erinuil feel slightly better.  His heart was still beating rapidly, and he was still afraid for looking ahead, but that would be for another time.

[dirthenanu]

forseen || erinuil & mark

[waywardwxnderers-blog1]

First to Clan Lavellan? Dalish? Inquisitor? This elf wasn’t making a whole lot of sense, but Mark could get the details about that a bit later. Right now, there were more important matters at hand. Namely, food and his living conditions. Hunger gnawed at his stomach, constantly begging for his full attention. It kept distracting him, no matter what he tried to think about. It was quite annoying, really.

“Well, that’s quite alright,” Mark chuckled, “I mean, um, everyone gets their start somewhere, right? Besides, you couldn’t be that bad! I could always try and help you improve, if you’d like.” Hopefully this Erinuil wouldn’t actually take Mark up on that offer. If he did, he might find out about Mark’s “cheating”. He probably wouldn’t be nearly as good at strategy if it weren’t for his visions. Being able to see what was coming long in advance was always quite helpful, really. It ensured that whoever Mark was guiding always had the upper hand.

[dirthenanu]

The elf offered another smile, much more amiable than his Inquisitor smiles.  “I’ll probably take you up on that, Mark,” he said.  Being a good strategist would probably be helpful in other areas too.  Even if you weren’t planning for a battle, those skills would perhaps be applicable elsewhere, and it certainly wouldn’t hurt.  Especially since the human had already offered.

“I’ll try to get a room together for you immediately, but in the mean time, is there anything I can get you?  It must have been a very long trek here.”