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Mmmhm. [ He sounds satisfied anyway. ] You'd think there would be magic for that. Dry socks. I'm sure it would change a lot of hearts.

It seems too refined. Any magic to dry socks runs the risk of lighting them on fire instead. But it's nice to dream.

Maybe it just needs more study. A school of sock magic.

Found anything interesting out there?

The corpses aren't really interesting. But there are these veilfire runes I've heard about. I need to go take a look tomorrow. When people light the veilfire braziers, it attracts corpses and summons demons, so I have no idea why people keep doing it.

I'm probably the wrong person to ask. [ About voluntarily subjecting oneself to disgusting life-or-death situations. You know. ] What's veilfire?

Oh, it's a fire that mages can make, only it just produces light, not heat. It reveals dormant spells and I've heard there are runes on the beacons here that you can only see when you shine the veilfire on them. Not only can you read them, but feel emotions that the writer put into them too.

Really? That's brilliant. You should break one off and bring it back to show me.

[ That makes her giggle. ]

Don't you have a vivid enough imagination that you can just picture it instead? You're asking for a lot here.

[ And, taking a cue from his humor... ]

How could you be so rude as to ask me to do that? I would break a sweat and everything.

Sweaty and pruney. You'd be better be careful. Splatter on some mud and the blood of your enemies, and I might fall in love.

[ Joke. Joking. He's joking. Mostly. ]

I can picture a rune. I'm not sure about the emotion thing.

[ She lets out an amused hum. ]

Is that all? I'll keep that in mind.

[ Yeah, she's joking too. Mostly. Because sweat and mud she can handle, by being smeared in blood means she let the enemy get way too close to her. ]

Neither am I, since I haven't experienced it yet, only heard of it. I can let you know what it's like once I do?

I guess. If you're very detailed.

I wouldn't be vague about something like this. It sounds pretty exciting.

Very detailed. I want to feel like I was there. Minus the pruning.

I will paint you such a picture that you'll shudder from it. Because this place is dark, wet, and completely unpleasant.

You could just say Fereldan. It's shorter.

[ That makes her laugh. ]

But it's not true! I've been to other places in Ferelden which aren't nearly as bad as this.

Really? Hmm. I guess it's been a while since I've been back. When I left half the countryside was still on fire.

Does Warden business keep you away?

For the most part. I've been based in Orlais since the Blight. I traveled, but not home. Before we came here we were in Montsimmard.

Orlesian accents never get less obnoxious, if you're wondering.

Oh, I wasn't, since I figured they never would be.

[ But she has a slight bias against Orlesians because of the Exalted March. You know, stealing their homeland, forcing elves to be nomads. And since she doesn't much enjoy being nomadic, it's left her a bit prickly. ]

You know what they say about Orlesians, right? "At least they're not Tevinter."

[ That's a good reason to be biased. Alistair doesn't really mind them particularly much, other than not caring for their masks or pretensions or finicky foods or political games or--all right, he doesn't like them. But it isn't personal, and it isn't the resentful hatred of older Fereldans who remember the occupation.

Anyway, he laughs. ]

There is that. But at least no one has to pretend to like Tevinters. Not this far south.

[ One on one, they're fine! Ellana doesn't judge one by the whole, as she hopes applies in reverse. But as a group, they're not her favorite. ]

That's true. But I've met a couple Tevinters here who are very nice. They don't agree with their country's view on elves.

That's a relief. I don't like punching people. It hurts.

[ Not really. He knows how to do it right. Still: probably not a good way to make friends in a fortress he's only being permitted to stay in out of charity. ]

I have met one of them. I had my shirt off in the courtyard and a couple mages threw a blanket over my head. They said it was to protect the elves.

And I wouldn't want you to get hurt defending my honor.

[ That makes her laugh. ]

Protect us from fainting at the very sight of you? How considerate of them.

That's what I said. They're heroes.

[ He sobers up, though. ]

Have there been many losses there? I think everyone I know went.

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serannas - 2015-11-23 17:36 (UTC) - Expand