Survival of the Luckiest Who: Deidre "Dee" Aisli, Jaden Tahal Where: Vigil's Keep, Amaranthine When: Midday, 14 Molioris, 9:45, after The Joining Rating: PG-13 just in case Status: COMPLETED Summary: Deidre wakes from her nap and proceeds to hunt down past acquaintances who may or may not have survived the Joining.
(OOC: This is Thread 2 in a series of Post-Joining threads where Dee checks on certain people)
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Brecilian Forest Three years ago
She was surprised when he said yes.
The young, elven ranger never made it a secret that he was wary of her. He typically remained close whenever she interacted with Faer, his expression unreadable though it certainly wasn't friendly. No matter how many times she grinned at Jaden Tahal, he never smiled back, and whenever she asked him a question, his replies were always short and to the point. It was nothing new, however, what with being twenty years of age and with enough travels under her belt -- encounters with unfriendly to downright hostile types were part and parcel of her profession, and while she was a little disappointed about it, she knew better than to press one's opinion of her.
It had been a day since she and the Keeper's First returned to the camp. The night before was spent exchanging grudging pleasantries until actual conversation commenced. To her surprise, Deidre found herself liking Faer quite a bit despite his initial stiff bearing -- they both shared an insatiable love of history, had similar opinions in the necessity of preserving the past and surprisingly, they even agreed that the Halla were some of the cutest creatures in the universe. Deep down, she felt accomplished; that she didn't find the artifact she was seeking paled in comparison to the fact that she was able to open up meaningful dialogue with an elf destined to lead his clan for the rest of his life.
Through it all, she sensed Jaden's eyes on the both of them while they talked, forever watchful on Faer.
Bolstered by her progress, the morning found the archaeologist approaching the First's childhood friend in the early hours. Dalish hunters were typically up before everyone else -- dawn, after all, was the time when most of the game in the forest hunted for food and therefore would be visible and detectable to superior elven senses. Before long, they were making their way through the wild and thick brush, the young man accompanying her pointing out various herbs and what they were for.
The Forest over the summer was beautiful -- it was lush and green, with the scent of wild blossoms mingling with the more mineral olfactory tones of the earth. She had never been to a place so organic, so in-tune with the natural order of the world. As she trailed behind the ranger as he expertly navigated dizzying trails and led her through dense foilage, she couldn't help but marvel at her present surroundings. Life was everywhere, and regardless of how many stories she heard about its haunted woods, where the Veil was rendered so thin vengeful and evil spirits slipped past it to possess the trees and its animals, it was hard to think about darkness at the presence of something so idyllic.
The bouts of silence between herself and the ranger were surprisingly companionable. When he wasn't instructing her about the common usages of a particular herb, he carried himself with the kind of feline grace she admired -- lean and corded muscles moving in flawless sync as he scaled up the trees or hurdled over fallen logs and branches. Amidst it all, Jaden appeared to be a living, breathing part of his surroundings...just as much a part of them as they were a part of his proud and ancient heritage.
A loud sound suddenly ripped through the air. The elf paused in his tracks upon hearing it, turning to look at her. The expression on his face was indescribable.
"....was that you?" he asked, stunned uncertainty falling over his features.
Deidre dropped a hand on her stomach. While she wasn't one to embarrass easily, she felt the heat of a blush take over her cheeks.
"....I'm starving," she admitted sheepishly.
She didn't expect her own reaction after the confession left her lips. As Jaden palmed his face, looking as exasperated as he did, she couldn't help but laugh.
* * *
It was midday when she finally roused herself from her nap, tousled chocolate-brown hair tumbling down one side of her face as she rolled off her bed and blindly grabbed at the rest of her gear. Sluggish movements took her across her borrowed room to a basin and a pitcher of water situated on the table flanking the doorframe, where they stood waiting for her -- instruments kept in hand to speed her foray back into consciousness. Dipping her hands in the cool liquid, she splashed her face with it, feeling droplets slide down her unruly tresses and bead along the sides of her neck.
Her conversation with Alderic from a few hours prior whirled into the forefront of her foggy mind while she took a few moments to outfit herself for the rest of the day. The Joining concluded just a few hours ago, and Deidre was anxious to see how the rest of the Keep's constituents were coping with everything else. She had no idea whatsoever until she talked to the templar that people have died -- could die -- in the process. The knowledge that the acquaintances she had met in the last few years threw themselves upon a bared sword, without even being made aware of the risk until too late, weighed at her heavily. She had people she cared about or were friendly with in that room, and if not that, there were certainly others who meant a great deal to those close to her. Given the sheer number of companions the fortress had housed over the last few days, she was certain that other people she had not met were feeling the same thing she was. Word of the dead was going to come out soon, if it had not already while she was asleep.
The day promised to be a volatile one.
She remembered how Aurin looked when he overheard the news of the deaths at dawn, that no one who volunteered from Kinloch Hold survived save for Alderic and Bethen. He left the two of them immediately -- at the wake of his departure, she recalled the expression in his eyes and what she found within them twisted at her insides.
Who else was left?
Her jaw set, she flung her door open and moved down the hall.