The small dwarf was blissfully ignorant of her surrounds, too distracted by Salma's heavy hooves and the footfall of their now large band. Movement itself was loud by nature, but armor and metallic shuffling was hard on her ears and grating on her nerves. There were several times that she swore to Cormac that all the clanging was damnable, but still she marched- lips pressed in a firm line to keep from snapping at her companions. They were quickly becoming the Warden envoy that brought her to Vigil's Keep; new faces everyday, more redheads everyday. She had no real opinion about the additions to the group, save for the fact that they walked slower- which could eventually become a problem.
That was a lie. Falina had an opinion about that damned horse- especially with how agitated the monster got at the snail's pace at which they traveled. Every time it breathed or made some kind of roar-noise she jumped, leaving her with only the option of glaring at it to recapture some of her pride. If the others laughed, it was because they didn't understand. The creature was too large to simply be trusted, let alone given a name. So she walked alongside Cormac and Shartan, keeping to herself and letting the companions around her become acquaintances and friends. She shared little words with the others at the campfire, missing the friends that she made at Vigil's Keep and on the journey to Amaranthine-- silently worrying about losing the ones she still had by her side. The dwarf was growing more solitary by the hour.
The Surface seemed to be an endless cycle of revolving faces. People took up arms for all too brief a journey, only to leave the next town over-- or were carried away by some unforeseen circumstance. It was a brutal harsh reality made only truer by the fact that her companions seemed to know their recent acquisitions. Even Cormac and Ordhan- both of whom, she'd never thought of as temporary staples in her life- were being reunited with old friends, not seen for years. Was that how things worked here? How could real bonds be formed when people were only passing accessory? The surface was littered with people bonded by some fleeting kinship and people seemed more like temporary allies, not friends.
It was enough to make her miss home. At least in Dust Town, faces and people were fixtures. If she returned tomorrow, each and every dwarf would be just the same as the day she left.
Her sore feet were a testament that the backdrop of Ferelden was changing around her. Redcliffe became Amaranthine, Amaranthine became Denerim-- the roads were all the same. She wasn't idealistic enough to see this as some grand adventure, a chance to see a world that up until a month ago she hadn't even known existed. The forest was special though. There were no open vistas or barren plains to make her feel small and insignificant, only the pleasant feeling of being enveloped by a hundred different shades of green. Everything seemed more alive here, drawing her into a more contemplative silence. Falina remembered that at night, the chirping brought her comfort and looked forward to making camp. Small noises of creatures and insects even smaller than she was made her feel less alone.