“Most excellent!” She beamed at him, eyes shining with her appreciation. The dwarf girl clearly wasn't alarmed or worried by his statements of darkspawn in the forest. It wasn't that she didn't fear them or that she'd stay and fight them herself. Truth be told, she'd probably scream and start running in the opposite direction were she ever faced with one. But the blight had been many years previous, and she'd been so young that her memories were colored with the stories her family told her. “No worries, I'm sure your crew will sort out the issue. It's a boon to us that you're here at all to deal with the creatures.”
Thoughtfully she tugged at a loose lock of hair while pouting her lower lip. “Well it's a fool who turns down good help, but it's not my place to say so.” Never mind the fact that she just had said so in no unclear terms. “If'n you've all got experience fighting the creatures I'm sure you'll be fine though.” She added cheerfully, not wanting to insult the man's troop. “It's just my dwarven blood getting the best of me.” A familiar excuse that she'd used on more than one occasion. “Much like your Denerim merchant, we think we know best how to fight the darkspawn I imagine. Well us and the Grey Wardens.” The spew of words streaming from her mouth were all made up on the spot as she really didn't have the same desire her mother had to go out and fight.
She quieted down as he began his tale. Listening with rapt attention and watching him with eager wide eyes. The knight measured each of his words and spoke in such a sombre manner. The tale wasn't pleasant, though Arja wasn't fool enough to believe that all stories were. This one was sure to hold danger and would be death, and while she normally found such details to enrich a tale, the manner in which it was told had her holding back her slew of questions. What had happened? Who was this Cormac? What was a mabari like? Were there any serious injuries? Though his voice betrayed nothing, so even, the subtle shudder to his body conveyed that it was a memory he'd rather not indulge in.
Reaching out a hand, she gave his shoulder a friendly pat. “Brave and honorable men are a boon to this world.” Giving him a small smile and a nod of encouragement, she moved on to something that would hopefully be brighter. “You've a mind for music yes?” Already sliding right into a new topic, she leaned friendly like on the bar closer to him. “Have a favorite tune? Bet there's loads of talent in Denerim! Some day when I get me fight under me, I'll go out and play for the world... or rather more of the world than I've seen. Is there lots of music in the city?”