AurianaValoria1

Celeste nodded at Abraham's advice, "All right, then." Taking a deep breath, she flexed the reins and clicked her tongue, "Let's go." Chevalier's ears flicked backwards a moment before he took a step forward. Trying her best to imitate Gabriel's practiced movements, the inexperienced rider slowly guided the horse down the path that led away from Orzammar. As her steed's hooves crunched the finely ground pebbles with every footfall, Celeste tried her best to banish the haunting ghosts of memories that hovered in the back of her mind. Listening to every little sound, every bird call, every stone shifting, every breath and snort of the horses served to numb the urge to let the tears flow again. It was going to be a long ride to Redcliffe. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ By the time night fell, they hadn't even made it out of the foothills of the Frostback Mountains. They were forced to pitch camp by the roadside - no tents, merely a small fire and a few logs to sit on. Celeste had made short work of the fire, lighting the minuscule pile of wood with a snap of her fingers. As she silently moved around the camp with light steps, following whatever impulse her grieving mind came up with, she hoped her talents would be perceived as useful...and perhaps give the others the hope that she'd actually be of some help to them, and not become a moping and weeping liability. To keep her mind occupied, the mage decided to stay near Chevalier - feeding him, brushing him, and petting him as she spoke soft words that he didn't understand. It was a few minutes before she thought about the things that Gabriel might have left in the horse's saddlebags, and as her eyes wandered over the leather pouches, she felt a bit sickened. She wasn't certain she wanted to look. But what if he left letters or something? Correspondence of some sort? Maybe even to his family? They would want to know what happened... Celeste absentmindedly traced the Chantry sunburst that was engraved on one of the brass bosses of Chevalier's bridle, swallowing hard as she tried to muster the courage to search the steed's meager cargo.

Rhaine inclined her head, "Anyone who does not wish us trouble is welcome to accompany us." "Aye," Conall agreed, "Though, I think it would be beneficial for someone to show us around a bit. I don't think any of us here have been in this part of the country before." "Shops, landmarks, places of interest," the Doomguide nodded, "Even residences of prominent figures. We're here for the gala, as Rameses has said, and any information regarding it or the people involved would be appreciated."

Celeste held up her hand to shield her pale gaze as she stepped into the light beyond Orzammar's entrance. Even then, she squinted so hard she could barely see where she was going for a few minutes, knowing only to follow the brilliant sparkle and measured clanking of Abraham's silverite plate as her sight adjusted to the startling brightness outside. When he mentioned the mounts, however, her sky-blue eyes went wide, and she rushed past him with purpose in her steps, silk robes swishing about her ankles, "Gabriel's horse and anything with it is mine! I don't care one wit what you do with the rest, but that one..." The mage made a beeline for the sorrel stallion in the makeshift stable nearby; the dwarven groom had kept all the accompanying tack with each respective beast in their separate stalls, which included any and all saddlebags brought along by the expedition. Celeste remembered exactly the number of saddlebags Gabriel had brought with him, and she made note to count them when tacking up the horse. In the meantime, she held out her gloved hand to the stallion's velvety muzzle, letting him sniff at her with flaring nostrils. He huffed loudly at her and looked down with large and gentle mahogany eyes, and she quietly rubbed the stark white blaze that was splashed down his coppery countenance before saying softly, "I'm sorry, Chev. He's...he's not coming back. I have to take care of you, now." Chevalier bumped his nose into her shoulder and met her tearful eyes; it was uncertain how much the horse understood, but he seemed to smell the sadness that enveloped the mage like a cloak. The stallion was very quiet, and he let Celeste absently stroke his golden mane as she hugged his thick, arched neck. "I'm not going to sell you, or give you away," she said resolutely, "Gabriel wouldn't have wanted that." With that, she opened the stall door and began awkwardly tacking the knight's stallion, trying to remember exactly how Gabriel had done it from all the times she had watched him on the way to Orzammar. She had never before taken care of a horse in her life, but she was determined to do it for Gabriel's sake. That, and she would have no one else other than stable-hands so much as touch Chevalier. Once she had made sure all of the saddlebags were accounted for, she led Chevalier out of his stall, tacked and ready to go. She stood there for a moment, biting her lip to hide her nervousness. The mage had no idea how to ride. Yet, she had no choice but to improvise. Steeling herself, she put one slippered foot in a stirrup and sideways-hopped up onto Chevalier's back; her robe would not allow her to ride astride, and so she sat cross-legged in a half sidesaddle style. She half-expected Chevalier to bolt or buck, but the horse miraculously stood still, even when her weight landed rather awkwardly on him. "My father once said he thought Chevalier had some Orlesian Courser blood. He's proud, but he's smart. He almost always knows what to do, even without cues." Celeste swallowed hard as she remembered Gabriel's words, and she reached forward to straighten the scarlet reins, patting the knightly stallion's neck with her other hand, "Good boy, Chev. That's a good boy." Addressing Abraham, she then added with a shy smile, "Unfortunately, I have no idea how to ride. But I think if Chevalier here behaves, I can manage. Might need some help at some point, but I'll let you know."

Celeste, who had been following Abraham on the way out of the thaig, grinned and added, "I second Wind's request; I think I'm suffering from second-hand embarrassment on the elf's behalf. If I were in his shoes, I'd much rather walk out of here on my own two feet, too...before those gate guards get an eyeful."

Rhaine crossed her arms and merely listened to the exchange between her companions and Dimitri. Glancing back and forth between Leif and the acrobat, she added, "Perhaps we could pursue both paths, in a way? Act as advertising for this Ekatya? Surely our names would bring her more business in the future." Before the Doomguide could converse any more on the subject, however, the mage called Kaji and the little fire elemental Hi-chan suddenly appeared on the scene in a rather abrupt and flamboyant fashion. "Looks like you've already made a new friend," Conall jokingly remarked to Rameses as he exchanged acknowledging nods with Eirene.

Once the fight was over, Celeste banished any lingering magic around the area with a wave of her hand, carefully watching Abraham to make sure his injury had healed fully. When he tossed the inquiry about Wind her way, she scoffed at the former Templar with a lopsided grin, "'Do I know any magic'...pah! A better question would be if I'm up to it," she strode over to where Wind lay and knelt, placing a hand on top of his shoulder; a gust of bright green magic later and she had showered enough magic upon the elf to counter any traumatizing effects of the blow he had been given. "There," she finally said after a few moments, standing straight once more, "That should do it. Might take him a few minutes to wake up from unconsciousness, but he should be all right." The Enchantress then curled her lip with disdain as she observed the corpses of the Casteless, "Judging from the looks of them, I doubt they'd have enough on them to buy a stiff drink, much less a staff. Let's just go as soon as Wind awakens...I think I need to see the sky again." Being so long in this sunless world was slowly beginning to take its toll on the mage; even if she had been cooped up in a tower most of her life, at least that tower had windows.

Rhaine was about to answer Sin's introduction when Abby interjected into the drow's subsequent clothing description, "With a bonnet!" Maydiira turned to where We'tak was hiding behind her snowy wing and grinned wickedly, "Yes...with a bonnet." "A blue one," Conall added with all the sincerity he could muster. "Bright blue," Argyros corrected.

When the fight finally broke out, Celeste backed up a few steps; she really wished she had a staff, and she cursed to herself as she realized she still didn't have any mana potions, either. She'd have to pace herself carefully, or someone might end up just like poor Gabriel... Thinking quickly, she tossed the accumulated frost power in her hands in a sideways arc, creating a wall of spiked ice that the surviving dwarves would have to hurdle to get to her. Then, she concentrated her magic into a Glyph of Paralysis, successfully freezing a third of the remaining Casteless in place with the pulsing green runes. She followed up with a nearby Glyph of Repulsion that knocked another third off their feet. At the sight of her magic doing so much good so soon, a smile tugged at the corner of her lips... But when she saw Abraham so quickly wounded, something inside her turned to ice. She clenched her fists and cried out with a voice that shook with emotion, "Never again!" With a rush of energy, she latched onto Abraham via a tendril of blue light, through which she poured a significant amount of healing magic. She didn't know the extent of the injury, but she wasn't willing to take any chances by not giving him enough.

***Lisnpuppy is receiving her second official warning due to not posting within a week's time of her previous post.*** As always, let me know if you have life stuff going on. Forgot you still had stuff going on Lisn, my apologies. Warning removed.

Upon following the two fighting men out of the tavern, Celeste had almost retreated back into her mental world for a bit when she nearly ran right into Wind's back. "Oh! Sor-" Her pale blue eyes widened at the scene that was quickly unfolding. No guards, no townsfolk, angry Casteless... "-ry." Celeste grimaced as she realized they were sorely outnumbered; there was little chance they would get out of this unscathed if the dwarves insisted on fighting, which was what it seemed like would happen unless, by some miracle, they managed to convince the dwarves to back down. Sighing, she began to clear her mind in preparation for the battle that was likely to come - one that it appeared neither she nor Abraham would be able to get out of, despite it being the elf's problem. Narrowing her eyes, she let a bit of ice accumulate in her palms and spoke with a voice that did not seem to fit her slight body, "I would listen to our Templar ally, dwarves." She paused, conveniently leaving the "ex" off of Abraham's title, "Else, you might find yourselves...oh, I don't know," her palms began to glisten and drip with icicles, "Paralyzed, frozen into statues, and then shattered like crystal? Are you willing to test your fortitude against an Enchantress and a Templar of the Circle?"

Rhaine gave a sideways glance of disapproval at Leif, "I'd prefer we not go shouting my arrival from the rooftops just yet." Conall then squinted at We'tak's remarks, "Well, I wouldn't think-" "YES!" Abby suddenly squealed, bouncing up and down and around in a circle around the young thri-kreen, "Yesyesyes! You MUST! We'll get you the cutest thing EVER and you HAVE to wear it!" She then gave We'tak the biggest, most adorable expression she possibly could with her big, yellow-green eyes, "Pleeeeeeease?"

Celeste quickly gobbled up the rest of her breakfast, tossed a few coins on the table, and was the first to stand, sporting a forced smile as she gestured to the door, "Well...what are we waiting for, eh? After you two." She paused and then gave a sheepish grin as she added, "You know, blades in the front, staves in the rear, and all that."

It's fine. :)

Fast-forwarded to Furthinghome; we've been in the same general area since October/November of last year. :dry: Of course, you can describe what your characters did in the time between in the next posts.

Two days later... As the party entered the gates of Furthinghome, Abby looked around with wide-eyed wonder at all of the shining and glowing decorations that adorned the balconies of the tall buildings. The city had prepared well in advance for the gala, and a celebratory atmosphere was already in the air... ...albeit a stuffy one. "So, what first, my lady?" Conall asked Rhaine as they stood in the main plaza. The Doomguide sighed and put her hands on her hips, "We've eleven days to prepare. Firstly, we need to find appropriate attire for this occasion. Second, we need to find out just who all is attending this mage gathering." "The first seems easy enough," Maydiira remarked. The drow favored soul had pulled a borrowed cloak around her shoulders and lowered the hood over her face in an attempt to not draw the attention of the guards, "The second, not as much. Will there be a list of people invited, somewhere?" "Perhaps," Argyros chimed in, "Or perhaps we can find whoever organized this event." "Easier, but talking to them? Maybe not," Abby remarked.

Dinadan nodded at Ardan's assessment, "Something like that, yes. You'll see." This last part was accompanied by a mischievous grin. "I do hope you are the adventurous sort." "Oh, cease your prattling, Dinadan," Gawain said, taking the sword from Ardan's hands and holding it by the sheathe, "They don't need your tales making them afraid of a mere meal." Dinadan snorted, but said nothing. With that, Gawain turned about and began walking purposefully towards the tavern whilst the squires tethered the horses firmly. The first to enter the building, what patrons were there immediately silenced upon seeing the armored knight duck into the doorway. Most of the onlookers were female - which meant that they were actually male. "Oy! It's Sir Gawain the Good!" one called from the shadows. A chorus of whistles and cheers erupted from the patrons, to which Gawain held up a hand to calm them, "As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, good citizens, I am here on the business of the king. Mind yourselves." Dinadan, who brought up the rear of the party, gestured for the others to follow her comrade-in-arms with a reassuring tone, "Go on...no one will stop you. Not with us here." Kat swallowed a lump of nervousness that had risen unbidden in her throat and entered the dark tavern common room after Gawain, whose polished armor glimmered with the reflection of the many dancing lights of candles within. She immediately felt eyes lock on her as she did so, presumably staring at her attire, and she found herself unable to meet those many curious gazes.

Celeste had already gotten through two thirds of her porridge before Wind asked his question. She was about to answer when Abraham supplied most of it for her. The mage nodded as the ex-Templar took his seat with them and elaborated, "Abraham is correct. Representatives of our sponsor were sent to Kinloch Hold - err, the Circle Tower on Lake Calenhad - looking for scholars to help with the expedition. I just happen to know quite a bit about darkspawn and the Deep Roads, as well as random bits of Dwarven lore. Since the attack on the Circle less than a year ago, I was left as one of the only researchers of the subject...and the most senior. I volunteered my services and First Enchanter Irving gave me leave to come along. The rest is..." she trailed, sad thoughts threatening to surface, "well, history, now." Forcing herself to focus on Abraham as he praised her eating well, she smiled sheepishly, "I'm...trying. No need to worry about me, I just...tend to brood a lot." She laughed a bit, self-consciously. Hearing Abraham mention steeds, the Enchantress fell into silence again. She remembered that Gabriel's horse was in the care of the dwarves on the surface, along with any of the other animals the expedition had brought with them. Painful memories sped through her mind - of her long journey to meet the rest of the party outside the entrance to Orzammar, clinging to Gabriel's belt as they shared the saddle of his sorrel Ferelden Forder. She would have to think of what to do with the noble stallion, now...

Conall blinked and slowly backed away from the spit as Rameses took over, tossing spices upon the boar and hunting for vegetables to serve with it. Argyros, however, hovered nearby all the while, doubly curious as to what Rameses was doing and how exactly he was doing it. "If We'tak doesn't eat all of it first, it should last a while," Abby remarked as she spied the young thri-kreen stealing a bite behind Rameses's back. Conall gave We'tak a slightly concerned sideways glance as he took a seat nearby, "I'm assuming thri-kreen don't have to worry about eating their meat raw?" Meanwhile, Maydiira spoke to We'tak as well from her resumed lounging position, "And I'm sure we're headed to Furthinghome as we have been...there is still quite a ways to travel." "Two more days of it, at least," Rhaine called from where she was tending to Kaliste.

Celeste silently listened to Abraham and Wind's words, then took her room key and departed the commons with soundless movement, her slippers soft on the cold stone floor. She agreed that it would be best to leave as soon as possible, and to that end, she practically fell into her bed; she wanted nothing more than to experience blessed nothingness until dawn. Luckily for her, Duty had enough good sense to leave her be for the night. The following morning (which could only be discerned by the sands of the hourglass), Celeste immediately regretted not eating the night before. Her stomach growled loudly, and its needs overrode anything else she might have been feeling. With hair uncombed and robes rumpled, she wandered into the commons and paid for a hearty breakfast; the dwarven waitress had barely even set the meal in front of her before the young mage dove into whatever sort of hot porridge it was, eating as though she had not seen food for days.

"Yes, that's it," Dinadan nodded, careful not to move around too much for fear the girl would injure herself again, "Watch the couters, milady." Gawain smirked at Benjamin, "You have no means of paying your own way, so yes, we will be paying for you. And there is a tailor in Camelot...you can see them as soon as we get there." Kat nearly fell off of Gawain's horse with laughter, and she spoke between breaths, "Rose...I wonder...why you're concerned about trousers and wimples...like it's an either or type thing..." She wiped tears from her eyes as she was laughing so hard, "The former goes on your legs and the latter goes on your head." "Not to mention," Dinadan added as the knight finally pulled to a stop beside an empty cart, "Wimples are usually only worn by married women. So...if you aren't married...you don't have to worry about a wimple, now, do you?" "Breeches, skirts, wimples," Gawain huffed, "All of that does not exactly matter, at the moment. We are women in the armor of knights...holding anyone to any sort of fashion standard seems rather pointless until this situation is resolved." Dinadan grinned, "You are correct, my astute lady friend." Gawain glared again. When both knights, their squires, and the lads finally gathered outside the inn proper, the knights themselves dismounted and offered their hands to Kat and Rose to help them off of the horses. Kat slid down from Gawain's horse rather easily, but then felt strange as she tried to walk. She was certain she looked like some sort of cowboy wannabe as she tried to move the legs that had been stretched at an awkward angle for an hour. Once she was on the ground, Gawain turned to Ardan, frowned at the weapon, and then held out her hand, "Indeed. I believe that would be wise."

It was not long before Conall and Argyros returned to camp carrying a very large, already-dressed boar between them. Rhaine, who had gone back to the tedious maintenance of cleaning her horse's hooves, decided to wait until later to speak with the hunters about Sin and how they had encountered her. In the meantime, the Doomguide let them start the prep work in getting the boar cooked and fit to eat. The two ultimately placed the boar carcass on a makeshift spit above the fire and then tended to it as it began to roast. They shed pieces of their armor as they worked, the heat of the fire was so intense. Abby stuffed her rations back in her pack with a toothy grin, "Say bye-bye to those and hello to fresh meat!"

LOL, all right, if you insist. ;D Take care of yourself. :)

Ouch! :ohmy: I hope you feel better soon! I'll remove your warning since you had good reason to miss.

Celeste's cheeks reddened with shame as Abraham gently scolded her. He was right, of course, but his words still stung. She could not help but think that the spirit who so often aided her, Duty, would approve of Abraham's words. As if reinforcing this notion, she thought she felt a brief sensation of warmth in the back of her mind, to which she carefully hid any reaction. Few people outside the Circle made any difference between Spirit Healers and Maleficarum, mostly due to ignorance, and if anyone suspected her contact with anything from the Fade, she was sure she would be run out of Orzammar. Or worse. Clearing her throat, she finally spoke up again, "I'm sorry. I should not have subjected you to so much of my...personal problems. I have no right to drag you down with my grief. It is my burden to bear, and mine alone." She then took a deep breath and offered a forced smile, "I think I will be better tomorrow." Noticing him fishing out some coins, Celeste remembered the small pouches of advance money that the representatives of the expedition sponsors had given them before the group's entrance into Orzammar. Producing her own pouch of coins, she placed enough for her own room on the counter, "Here...my part of it. I won't have someone else sacrificing their fair share of money for me."

***Lisnpuppy is receiving her first official warning due to not posting within a week's time of her previous post.*** Lisn, you've got one more week to post before being removed per group rules. Let me know if you have things going on.