Her reflection looked tired. Her hair was in a state that was more chaotic than usual and the shadows under her eyes were growing darker. The lines on her face seemed more pronounced as well and while Lee had never thought herself to be a vain woman it was displeasing to her how the stood out on her pale face. Frowning in distaste she bent lower and flicked a single digit across the surface, disturbing the image and turning it into an array of swirls. Collapsing backwards onto her heels she shook the remnants of water from her finger and watched in interest as more ripples spread.
Eyes sliding shut she sat in silence, listening to the nervous chatter of the people in the village as they struggled to go about their daily business. Further off was the reassuring sound of animal cries off in the distance, if they were making noise it was unlikely that the darkspawn were nearby… for now. The smell of them still lingered, rancid and cloying and altogether unpleasant. It was a smell that was going to haunt her.
She sighed once, lashes drifting open, and leaned down to pull at her shoes. Pausing just long enough to glance back at Loïc half embarrassed the mage hurriedly turned back to peeling off the soft leather. Free at last she rolled up the edges of her robes and flung her feet into the water. It was so nice and cool. Fingers digging into the wooden planks beneath her she scooted further forward, legs dipping deeper into the lake. Smiling she wiggled her toes gleefully before turning to look to Loïc once more.
Brows lowering into a solemn line the smile slipped from her face. He still did not seem himself but it had been foolish of her to think otherwise. So much had happened to him recently and one little talk was not going to fix anything. Gnawing on her lower lip she stared at him in concern. There was nothing she could do for him except be there and act as support but… She felt so useless.
The sound of laughter had her head perking up and twisting as she tried to locate where it was coming from. It seemed to be coming from the lake but that did not make any sense. Inching closer to the edge of the pier, eyes narrowed as she scanned the water, she reared back in surprise when she caught sight of a small boat. Oars rose and fell in uneven turns as the vessel slowly drew nearer to the shore.
Cocking her head to the side, eyes wide in curiosity, she watched as the rowboat brushed against the dock and the woman inside tossed a length of rope into her lap. Dumbfounded she sat still for a moment until what Lee was almost certain was a dwarf dropped back into her boat. Instinctually she reached forward to help her but floundered as the rope slid from her lap. Muttering beneath her breath she grabbed the rope and called back to Loïc to help the woman up.
Pulling her legs up from the water, ignoring the sudden chill, she propelled herself, half crawling, toward one of the nearby posts. Looking down to the rope suspiciously and then back to the pole she sighed in frustration. She had no idea how one was supposed to moor a boat. Shaking her head she set to work looping the rope around, again and again, until only a small length remained. Holding it up before her eyes she frowned and carefully tucked it under an earlier loop and pulled it taut.
Stepping away she looked at it warily, expecting it to unravel at any second. When it did not she breathed a sigh of relief and took a moment to pat herself on the back. It was probably not the best job in the history of Thedas but she did not think she had done half bad considering but unless a sudden storm came out of nowhere it should hold.
Mouth dropping open as she remembered why exactly she was tying a boat off in the first place Lee whirled around and walked back towards the newcomer. “Are you alright, Mam? Are you injured?”