The end of the marker was sharp, so when she drove it into the ground, it stayed there, displaying the Inquisition's colors so that Whittle could find the cache much more easily when he came to pick everything up. Estella took the map from where it was folded and tucked into her belt, withdrawing a stick of charcoal and marking an âxâ within one of the broad circles on it. One more cache of supplies, a few more refugees whoâd sleep with a blanket tonight.
It wasnât the most glamorous work sheâd ever done, but as far as reward went, she had to concede that she hadnât felt this good about herself in a long time. Perhaps part of it was residual happiness from seeing Cyrus again, awkward as their conversation was at times now, and part of it might just be that she didnât tend to let herself dwell too much when she was actively doing something like this.
But part of it did come from the knowledge that she was helping people, and today, she didnât have to kill anyone else to do it. Frowning slightly, she pushed the morbid thought from her head and folded the map up along the creases, tucking it back in her belt and stowing the charcoal.
âNext one should be east a ways, down the hill,â she remarked to her partner, who was carrying several other pennants like the one Estella had just staked into the ground. Theyâd been trekking for the better part of the afternoon, but they still had a couple more caches to search for.
Asala carried the markers over her shoulder in a bundle. If the weight of them affected her at all, she certainly didn't show it. Probably due to the fact of being a Qunari, she seemed to carry them with very little effort at all. She pointed her head in the direction given and nodded, a smile on her lips. Estella's own mood was rubbing off on her it appeared, as she did not display her usual level of hesitation. In fact, she seemed a bit more comfortable than normal.
Then she nodded for Estella to lead the way. She was the one with the map.
She smiled back and then turned to face forward, pressing on towards the east. The silence was comfortable, and though by this point in her life, she was well-used to a certain level of amiable chatter and joking, she wasnât averse to quiet, exactly. Sheâd always been drawn to the bright people in her life, the ones that radiated a sense of charisma and good humor, but in Asala she saw a little bit of herself, maybe, or perhaps closer to what sheâd used to be. More stuttering, admittedly, but the same kind of shyness.
Hopefully sheâd never be forced to get over it, and could make a choice like that of her own volition, or not. But then⊠Asala was a refugee as well, perhaps even more than Estella herself ever had been. Sheâd run from Tevinter, yes, but not everything it stood for. Despite the popular perception in the south, there was much more to her fatherland than evil magisters and broken slaves, though there were indeed plenty of both those kinds of people.
She wondered if there was more to the Qun than subjugated mages and oppressive social control. She figured there had to be; sheâd only met two former Qunari before Asala, but they were both very complex people, and the scant impressions sheâd received of the society and philosophy didnât give her much that would yield such folk. She thought about asking Asala, but the Qun seemed like an understandably-difficult topic for her, and she didnât want to push her into talking about anything she didnât want to.
So Estella asked a different question instead. âHey Asala? Youâve been with the Inquisition since it started. Can I ask why?â Not that it had been going very long, but still. It took a certain kind of person to volunteer for the uphill slog this was sure to be. She honestly wasnât sure whether or not sheâd have done so. Sheâd have helped if the Lions were helping, of course, but to come here alone and actually join? It was hard to say.
Asala's head tilted curiously at the question. She was quiet for a moment, though it didn't appear to be out of hesitation, but thought. It wasn't until she looked back to Estella that she had her answer. "Because you and Romulus needed me," she said. "When they found you, you both were injured... I could not simply do nothing."
She blushed, and then averted her gaze, though she never seemed uncomfortable. Simply awkward. Another moment passed, and before Estella could say anything else, Asala continued. "And I feel I am still needed... I think," she said, a little bit of her uncertainty revealing itself. "This... Inquisition, I cannot say that I completely understand it. But I believe we are helping, and I will remain so long as we continue to help."
Her hand then went to a spot on her head, underneath her horns where she rubbed at nervously. "I h-hope that is satisfactory."
Estella shook her head. âOh, donât worry about that. None of this is about my satisfaction, thatâs for sure.â They clambered over a rise, and she paused a moment to take in the view below them. Several miles of plain, it looked like, were stretched out in front of them, the late-afternoon sun dyeing the grass a warm shade of yellow. She could see some of the wild rams this area had collected into a group, grazing on the side of a gentle roll in the landscape.
âAnd I certainly wonât protest if you stay. I guess I just⊠wanted to make sure you really felt like being here, is all.â She sometimes found herself feeling obligated to do things she wasnât all that keen on doing, and this, well⊠this was something else entirely. But that didnât mean it had to be for everyone. Since it didnât seem that way, though, she could easily accept the answer Asala had given and would worry no further about it.
"I do," was the answer she gave.
âThen Iâm glad.â That seemed to settle the matter, and they walked a while longer in silence again, before they found the next cache and marked it as well. That left only one, and it looked like they might actually finish before nightfall, which was good because sheâd really prefer not to be ambushed by anyone more familiar with the area than they were.
âI wonder how far weâll go, in this whole thing,â she mused. Sheâd seen much of the Orlesian countryside over her years working for Commander Lucienâs Lions, and sheâd at least tread over parts of the Free Marches in her flight from Tevinter, not to mention the years sheâd lived in Kirkwall. But the Conclave had actually been her first trip into Ferelden, and now here she was, seeing another part of it. She doubted that it was on anyoneâs list of exotic places to travel to, not the same way as, say, Antiva or Rivain might be, but it was new to her anyway, and she liked that kind of experience.
âAnywhere youâd want to see, if you had the chance? I think Iâd like to visit an Antivan port, at least once. I hear they have this big festival called Satinalia, where everyone wears masks and lots of bright colors.â Of course, sheâd just described Val Royeaux on a Tuesday, but the downside to that was the formality of it. Sheâd never felt more like an ungraceful cow than she had the first time she visited the Orlesian capital, that was for sure.
Asala took the question with a look of confusion, her head tilting in the opposite direction now. "I..." She began, but trailed off as she slipped back in thought. She was quiet for a minute afterward, her brows furrowed and her eyes on the ground in front of them. When it appeared she finally found an answer, she looked back up to Estella. "I had... never thought about it before."
She chewed on her lip for a second before shrugging, "I do not know... Meraad had always spoken of leaving to see the world but..." she said, words trailing off again. It did not appear that Asala had realized she had just mentioned someone that Estella did not know.
Estella certainly had, though. âMeraad?â
"Oh!" She squeaked. It seemed like she didn't mean to say the name, and a blush soon worked its way onto her face. She glanced around, looking at everything but Estella. "Uh... Well."
Then she sighed, rubbing the spot under her horn again. She finally looked at Estella, for a moment at least, and seemed to have internally decided on something. "He's my, uh.. he's my brother," she said. Then she frowned, having decided that wasn't enough, "Well. Not... not really. Not by blood but... By choice?" She asked, looking as if she wondered if that was clear enough. "It was his idea that we name ourselves Kaaras."
Estellaâs expression brightened at this little piece of common thread. âBrother, huh? I donât suppose he dragged you into a bunch of trouble when you guys were young? Thatâs what mine always did.â She huffed softly, her eyes looking somewhere that clearly wasnât the present, though oddly enough her feet kept moving without incident.
âThen again, he always managed to get us out of it, too.â Except once, but she wasnât going to think about that right now, not when she was having an otherwise very pleasant day.
Asala smiled and even chuckled, the understanding present in her manner. She seemed to know exactly what Estella was talking about. "Yes," she agreed, "But I was the one who had to find our way out." She hid her laughter behind her hand, but the mirth twinkled in her eyes. "The others had always felt guilty when they yelled at me." A knowing look crossed her face before she smiled.
Soon though, a frown worked itself in between her lips. "But the last I saw of him, and my friends, was in Redcliffe. Before the conclave." she looked past Estella for a moment before continuing. "Rilien allowed me to send a message by raven. I... hope he recieved it." A melancholic look fell over her features, at least for a moment, before they shifted into something more solid. "But what I do here is important. We will see each other again. I am sure."
She smiled after, as if to say not to worry.
It was an eminently-relatable situation, and Estella nodded her agreement. âIâm sure you will.â It wouldnât surprise her if they wound up in Redcliffe at some point on their journey, and more than that, she couldnât not believe Asala would be able to see her brother again after just finding her own on less information and with six years between them.
âCome on, letâs find this last cache, and then try and make it back before all the dinner is gone.â
"Yes. Let's."
It wasnât the most glamorous work sheâd ever done, but as far as reward went, she had to concede that she hadnât felt this good about herself in a long time. Perhaps part of it was residual happiness from seeing Cyrus again, awkward as their conversation was at times now, and part of it might just be that she didnât tend to let herself dwell too much when she was actively doing something like this.
But part of it did come from the knowledge that she was helping people, and today, she didnât have to kill anyone else to do it. Frowning slightly, she pushed the morbid thought from her head and folded the map up along the creases, tucking it back in her belt and stowing the charcoal.
âNext one should be east a ways, down the hill,â she remarked to her partner, who was carrying several other pennants like the one Estella had just staked into the ground. Theyâd been trekking for the better part of the afternoon, but they still had a couple more caches to search for.
Asala carried the markers over her shoulder in a bundle. If the weight of them affected her at all, she certainly didn't show it. Probably due to the fact of being a Qunari, she seemed to carry them with very little effort at all. She pointed her head in the direction given and nodded, a smile on her lips. Estella's own mood was rubbing off on her it appeared, as she did not display her usual level of hesitation. In fact, she seemed a bit more comfortable than normal.
Then she nodded for Estella to lead the way. She was the one with the map.
She smiled back and then turned to face forward, pressing on towards the east. The silence was comfortable, and though by this point in her life, she was well-used to a certain level of amiable chatter and joking, she wasnât averse to quiet, exactly. Sheâd always been drawn to the bright people in her life, the ones that radiated a sense of charisma and good humor, but in Asala she saw a little bit of herself, maybe, or perhaps closer to what sheâd used to be. More stuttering, admittedly, but the same kind of shyness.
Hopefully sheâd never be forced to get over it, and could make a choice like that of her own volition, or not. But then⊠Asala was a refugee as well, perhaps even more than Estella herself ever had been. Sheâd run from Tevinter, yes, but not everything it stood for. Despite the popular perception in the south, there was much more to her fatherland than evil magisters and broken slaves, though there were indeed plenty of both those kinds of people.
She wondered if there was more to the Qun than subjugated mages and oppressive social control. She figured there had to be; sheâd only met two former Qunari before Asala, but they were both very complex people, and the scant impressions sheâd received of the society and philosophy didnât give her much that would yield such folk. She thought about asking Asala, but the Qun seemed like an understandably-difficult topic for her, and she didnât want to push her into talking about anything she didnât want to.
So Estella asked a different question instead. âHey Asala? Youâve been with the Inquisition since it started. Can I ask why?â Not that it had been going very long, but still. It took a certain kind of person to volunteer for the uphill slog this was sure to be. She honestly wasnât sure whether or not sheâd have done so. Sheâd have helped if the Lions were helping, of course, but to come here alone and actually join? It was hard to say.
Asala's head tilted curiously at the question. She was quiet for a moment, though it didn't appear to be out of hesitation, but thought. It wasn't until she looked back to Estella that she had her answer. "Because you and Romulus needed me," she said. "When they found you, you both were injured... I could not simply do nothing."
She blushed, and then averted her gaze, though she never seemed uncomfortable. Simply awkward. Another moment passed, and before Estella could say anything else, Asala continued. "And I feel I am still needed... I think," she said, a little bit of her uncertainty revealing itself. "This... Inquisition, I cannot say that I completely understand it. But I believe we are helping, and I will remain so long as we continue to help."
Her hand then went to a spot on her head, underneath her horns where she rubbed at nervously. "I h-hope that is satisfactory."
Estella shook her head. âOh, donât worry about that. None of this is about my satisfaction, thatâs for sure.â They clambered over a rise, and she paused a moment to take in the view below them. Several miles of plain, it looked like, were stretched out in front of them, the late-afternoon sun dyeing the grass a warm shade of yellow. She could see some of the wild rams this area had collected into a group, grazing on the side of a gentle roll in the landscape.
âAnd I certainly wonât protest if you stay. I guess I just⊠wanted to make sure you really felt like being here, is all.â She sometimes found herself feeling obligated to do things she wasnât all that keen on doing, and this, well⊠this was something else entirely. But that didnât mean it had to be for everyone. Since it didnât seem that way, though, she could easily accept the answer Asala had given and would worry no further about it.
"I do," was the answer she gave.
âThen Iâm glad.â That seemed to settle the matter, and they walked a while longer in silence again, before they found the next cache and marked it as well. That left only one, and it looked like they might actually finish before nightfall, which was good because sheâd really prefer not to be ambushed by anyone more familiar with the area than they were.
âI wonder how far weâll go, in this whole thing,â she mused. Sheâd seen much of the Orlesian countryside over her years working for Commander Lucienâs Lions, and sheâd at least tread over parts of the Free Marches in her flight from Tevinter, not to mention the years sheâd lived in Kirkwall. But the Conclave had actually been her first trip into Ferelden, and now here she was, seeing another part of it. She doubted that it was on anyoneâs list of exotic places to travel to, not the same way as, say, Antiva or Rivain might be, but it was new to her anyway, and she liked that kind of experience.
âAnywhere youâd want to see, if you had the chance? I think Iâd like to visit an Antivan port, at least once. I hear they have this big festival called Satinalia, where everyone wears masks and lots of bright colors.â Of course, sheâd just described Val Royeaux on a Tuesday, but the downside to that was the formality of it. Sheâd never felt more like an ungraceful cow than she had the first time she visited the Orlesian capital, that was for sure.
Asala took the question with a look of confusion, her head tilting in the opposite direction now. "I..." She began, but trailed off as she slipped back in thought. She was quiet for a minute afterward, her brows furrowed and her eyes on the ground in front of them. When it appeared she finally found an answer, she looked back up to Estella. "I had... never thought about it before."
She chewed on her lip for a second before shrugging, "I do not know... Meraad had always spoken of leaving to see the world but..." she said, words trailing off again. It did not appear that Asala had realized she had just mentioned someone that Estella did not know.
Estella certainly had, though. âMeraad?â
"Oh!" She squeaked. It seemed like she didn't mean to say the name, and a blush soon worked its way onto her face. She glanced around, looking at everything but Estella. "Uh... Well."
Then she sighed, rubbing the spot under her horn again. She finally looked at Estella, for a moment at least, and seemed to have internally decided on something. "He's my, uh.. he's my brother," she said. Then she frowned, having decided that wasn't enough, "Well. Not... not really. Not by blood but... By choice?" She asked, looking as if she wondered if that was clear enough. "It was his idea that we name ourselves Kaaras."
Estellaâs expression brightened at this little piece of common thread. âBrother, huh? I donât suppose he dragged you into a bunch of trouble when you guys were young? Thatâs what mine always did.â She huffed softly, her eyes looking somewhere that clearly wasnât the present, though oddly enough her feet kept moving without incident.
âThen again, he always managed to get us out of it, too.â Except once, but she wasnât going to think about that right now, not when she was having an otherwise very pleasant day.
Asala smiled and even chuckled, the understanding present in her manner. She seemed to know exactly what Estella was talking about. "Yes," she agreed, "But I was the one who had to find our way out." She hid her laughter behind her hand, but the mirth twinkled in her eyes. "The others had always felt guilty when they yelled at me." A knowing look crossed her face before she smiled.
Soon though, a frown worked itself in between her lips. "But the last I saw of him, and my friends, was in Redcliffe. Before the conclave." she looked past Estella for a moment before continuing. "Rilien allowed me to send a message by raven. I... hope he recieved it." A melancholic look fell over her features, at least for a moment, before they shifted into something more solid. "But what I do here is important. We will see each other again. I am sure."
She smiled after, as if to say not to worry.
It was an eminently-relatable situation, and Estella nodded her agreement. âIâm sure you will.â It wouldnât surprise her if they wound up in Redcliffe at some point on their journey, and more than that, she couldnât not believe Asala would be able to see her brother again after just finding her own on less information and with six years between them.
âCome on, letâs find this last cache, and then try and make it back before all the dinner is gone.â
"Yes. Let's."