In point of fact, most of the personnel that had arrived to occupy and maintain Caer Bronach, as this keep was called, were Rilien's. Apparently, the place was quite ideal for his purposes, and Estella didn't doubt that if he thought so, it must be. That likely had something to do with the location more than any particular feature of the castle itself, but she didn't know exactly what. That meant in addition to Khari, Zahra, and Asala arriving to represent the irregulars, Rilien himself had come as well.
They'd practiced early this morning, long before most of the other occupants of the keep were even awake, and after lunch several of the others had taken their leave to deal with leftover bandits, as she understood things. Since that group included Ves, Zethlasan, and the latter's taciturn guardian Shaethra, Astraia had been left at the fort. Estella felt a little bad that all of her friends were elsewhere, so she'd tried to make up for it a little, taking Astraia around the keep to meet a few of the others and explain more about the kinds of things the Inquisition did, and the places they'd been lately. The young elven woman seemed more than happy to do that, and in fact looked to be a bit more relaxed than she had throughout the previous day.
They were out on the keep's walls now, though. The weather had held long enough to dry the stone, and Estella pulled herself up onto a crenelation, crossing her legs underneath her. The view wasn't bad, though it would never compare to Skyhold's, of course. “Have you traveled much, Astraia?" she asked, picking up a thread of their former conversation. “I know clans move around, of course, but if I remember right, they usually have a pretty set wandering area, don't they?"
"They do," she confirmed, nodding her head. Bits and baubles in her hair had a way of clinking together when she did that. "My clan, Thremael, hasn't left the Tirashan in many years. Since before I was born. I ventured beyond it a few times with Zeth or Keeper Varalan, but only a little. This is my first time in a place like Ferelden. It's very... wet, here." Tirashan Forest was large and isolated, nestled against the mountains of western Orlais and separated from that empire's cities by a great stretch of marshes. There would be little reason for humans to travel out that way, likely offering Astraia and her clan a great deal of privacy.
"I'm going to go with the Keeper and Zeth to the next Arlathvhen, our meeting of the clans, next year. I don't know where I'll end up after that." As a mage not named First of a clan, if Astraia was attending the Arlathvhen with her Keeper, it meant in all likelihood she would be given to another clan, one in need of a mage. It wasn't clear how she felt about that, but she managed a little smile. "I hope it's somewhere nice, though."
Estella considered that for a moment, humming a soft note and glancing out at the dark landscape ahead. “That sounds awfully lonely," she confessed quietly. “Leaving your family and going somewhere you can't predict, where there are only strangers." A rueful smile twisted her lips. “Actually... I know it's lonely. Or at least it was for me, when I left mine." Not that she'd ever had much. When it came down to it, there was probably only one person in the world she could call family.
Letting her eyes fall, she smoothed her palm over her knee. She hadn't worn much by way of armor today, just durable leather trousers and a simple, loose tunic. It was one of her old Lions ones, maroon-colored with a wide silver neckline. “Is that why you're traveling now, then? To see a little more before you have to go?" Admittedly, it seemed like it had a bit more purpose than that. Estella tried not to spend too much time worrying about other people's business, but she also knew she was at least somewhat intuitive, and she hadn't missed a few rougher edges of discomfort—both in the little group's dynamic and their dynamic with Ves, not to mention what Lia said about her first meeting with them. Though she thought that could mostly be attributed to Zethlasan.
"That's why Zeth said I should come with him," she answered. She eyed the spot next to Estella for a moment, and then decided to hop up onto it, propping her staff against the wall and taking a minute to smooth out the asymmetrical skirt over her hide leggings. "He thinks it'll help me to see some more of the world before I become First for some other clan." She didn't seem to disagree with the sentiment, but there was definitely more to it than that. Perhaps just some trepidation at being unable to escape the eventuality of assuming her brother's role among a group of strangers.
"Zeth's been looking for ruins, though, for the most part. We've been trying to find places all across Orlais, though we had to avoid anything too close to the war. And now Ferelden. We haven't had much luck, but every now and then we find something, and Zeth studies it." She paused, tilting her head somewhat thoughtfully to the side. "I think he wants to find some of the places Ves told us about, but... I don't know a lot of what they used to talk about. Just a little. And Zeth, he... doesn't share as much anymore."
Now there was something else she knew a lot about. Not the particulars, of course, but definitely the generalities. “Brothers," she murmured, shaking her head. She turned slightly, half-smiling at Astraia. “Mine can be pretty secretive, too. I think it's because he doesn't want me to worry about him, but it usually has the opposite effect." Estella sighed, leaning back on the palms of her hands and unfolding her legs so they dangled over the edge of the crenelations. She'd been afraid of heights, once. That hadn't survived Rilien's influence.
Her heels tapped rhythmically against the stone; spring was warmer here than Skyhold, downright pleasant even considering the rain. “It sounds like things used to be different with Zeth, though." It was a gentle prompt, one easily ignored if Astraia chose to. But it seemed like something she might want to talk about, and Estella somehow didn't imagine that this was something she could easily share with other members of her clan.
"He's not my brother, actually," she said quietly, as though the information was quite dangerous. "Not really. He was born in Val Foret, but ran. Our clan found him, and my family adopted him. I was seven, and hadn't discovered my magic yet. He'd managed to hide his, but he never really talked about the Alienage with us." She suddenly seemed a bit alarmed by what she was saying. "Please. Don't let him know I told you that. He doesn't like when people know he wasn't born Dalish."
She didn't seem afraid of the consequences, necessarily, but if he wasn't fond of others knowing his past, it would undoubtedly make things more uncomfortable than they were already. "I think he... feels like he has more to prove, or something. He's always been that way. Trying to impress the Keeper, do something meaningful for the People. He was very infatuated with Ves when they met, and then when Ves told him about Saraya, he—" Immediately she cut herself off, appearing quite a bit more alarmed by what she'd just said. It was almost enough to hear her heart rate spiking.
"Uh, that's Vesryn's... sister. In Denerim." Her face was turning red quite quickly. She was a terrible liar.
Estella was immediately torn. She wished she'd had a chance to ask Ves about this, for some idea of how he'd prefer that she handle the situation. But without any clues, she'd just have to try her best, and the obvious panic Astraia was experiencing at having let the name slip wasn't something she felt comfortable ignoring. “It's okay," she said, sitting up a little straighter and folding her hands in her lap. “I... know who you're talking about. It's um... it's not general knowledge or anything, but, uh." She figured it was best to keep that vague, but she definitely didn't want to outright lie and say she was the only one.
“I won't tell anyone it slipped if you don't tell anyone I did?" She shrugged, offering a slightly-awkward smile. It hadn't been so much a slip as an intentional cue, but she figured they could at least put them back on even footing this way.
She stared at Estella for a moment, words not immediately coming forth. "Oh. You know?" She blinked several times, turning her gaze down. "Of course. You're an Inquisitor, that makes sense. Okay. And yes. I'll try not to say anything else. About Vesryn's sister. In Denerim." She huffed out a breath, rubbing at her face for a few seconds.
"I wanted to say I was sorry, also. For shocking you in the cave. I didn't mean for that to happen." Despite making an apology, she found herself smiling a little. "When I heard we were going to meet the Inquisition, I didn't think it would be like this. You. The Inquisitor. You're very nice."
At that point, the sound of approaching footsteps ended the conversation for them. Someone was not being particularly subtle about their approach. “Hey Stel, Ril here says that—oh. Uh. Hey." Khari cut off whatever she'd been about to say, presumably when she'd noticed Estella was not currently alone.
There were a few heartbeats too many of awkward silence, after which Rilien, obviously not in the least bothered by it, spoke. “There is a task I must attend to. Khari believes it might provide a welcome opportunity to leave the fortress for some time, and invited herself to participate." That didn't seem to bother him, either. If anything, Estella might have detected the faintest trace of amusement. Probably at the other elf's straightforward audacity.
“When you put it that way, I sound like a—never mind." She crossed her arms over her chest, but since she was smiling, it probably didn't actually bother her. “But yeah. We're gonna go look for a missing guy. You guys want to come?" Awkwardness aside, she extended the invitation quite readily to the both of them.
A missing person? Presumably one of Rilien's agents. Estella glanced from Khari to Astraia, tilting her head at the latter. “How do you feel about horses? We don't have to go if you'd rather stay here, but it might be nice to get out of the fort for a bit." Rilien wouldn't have so readily agreed to this whole thing if he expected it to be especially bloody or troublesome. That was bad news, in a way, since she expected it meant he planned to either not find the agent, or find him already deceased.
"I'd like to go," she agreed, sliding off the edge of the wall and landing lightly back on her feet. "Though... I've only ever ridden halla before, and I've been told riding horses is quite different." Nevertheless, she offered a smile and a little nod to Khari and Rilien. "Aneth ara. I'm Astraia. I'm a friend of Vesryn's."
“Khari." She looked like she was thinking of offering a hand out or something, but ultimately she kept them where they were. She did retain the smile, though. “I'm a friend of Stel's."
Rilien, on the other hand, dipped himself into a half-bow in the same evenhanded way he did most things. “Rilien Falavel. I am Estella's tutor." It was probably considerably wiser not to bring up the spymaster bit.
With the introductions complete, the group headed down to the small stable being used to house the few horses that had been brought out. In addition to a few sleek runners doubtless intended for Rilien's messengers, Nox had been stabled here, as had Khari's red roan. Rilien had a charger as well, though not one quite so tall and swift as Estella's, a pale grey mare with a darker nose and feet. Considering Astraia's inexperience, it was decided that she'd do better riding behind the Inquisitor, so it was only three horses that passed out of the gates of Caer Bronach.
“We will head south from here. Keep an eye out for anything that doesn't seem to belong, but do not trouble yourselves overmuch. I will watch for the more direct signs." Rilien took the front of the formation, leaving the other two horses to ride abreast behind him.
Astraia seemed to take Rilien's advice to heart, and focused more on the scenery than anything else. They were only occasionally running into the lightest of rains today, making it not as punishing to point one's face towards the sky. Eventually, however, her interest settled on Khari, where perhaps it hadn't ever left. "I didn't know there were Dalish in the Inquisition," she commented, perhaps hoping it might strike up some conversation.
“Not many." Khari shrugged, a tad awkwardly. “There's Cyrus's friend Thalia—she's Relaferin. And Lia's... I think her mentor was Dalish, or something like that. And, uh, me, I guess." She wrinkled her nose. “I'm not a very good Dalish, though." Perhaps her heavier armor and rather large sword spoke to that more effectively than any words she could use. Neither was traditionally an implement of clan warriors or hunters, who seldom wielded anything that would not fit most naturally in one hand at melee distance, or so she'd told Estella.
"Oh." Astraia fell silent for a moment behind Estella. "Me neither."
“Really?" Khari sounded quite surprised, but something about her posture actually relaxed despite that. Her brows furrowed, distorting the smooth, fine lines of her vallaslin. “What did they tell you was wrong with you? Not excited to wander in a forest the rest of your life? Love the wrong people? Not good enough at the things they decide you should do?" There was a slight edge to Khari's tone, but it wasn't something easily-classifiable. She didn't sound angry, at any rate, and the question itself was seemingly well-meant.
"Um." Astraia seemed a bit taken aback by the questions, but it was hard to tell while she was sitting directly behind Estella. "That last one." She was quiet for a long moment, before she apparently decided to elaborate, and expelled a breath out her nose. "I set an aravel on fire by accident when I was eight. Middle of the night. Burned a few people pretty bad before we could get out. That was the start of it, I suppose."
“Discovering your magic can be..." Estella trailed off, thinking of a rainy night many years ago, when she was terrified she was going to lose her entire world to a lightning bolt. “I don't think accidents are that uncommon. How did your teacher handle it?"
"Varalan? He was..." she let the word linger, trying to think of how to put it. "I shouldn't say anything bad. Varalan is kind, and a good Keeper. He understood. He just doesn't have as much magic as I do. What worked for his training didn't really work for me. And he already had his apprentice, besides." Judging by what she'd said earlier, her magic had appeared about a year or so after Zethlasan had been adopted into the clan, and he had discovered his magic enough to hide it years earlier. "So I think that was the day it was decided I'd be leaving Thremael, eventually."
“Do you want to go to another clan?" As was typical, Khari's question was about as blunt as a spoon. She guided her horse over a small rise almost automatically, from the look of it, nothing more than a light touch at the reins and a squeeze with her knees. “I mean, if you do, that's fine, but... it's not like you have to. You could do something else, if you wanted." She shrugged. “It's a big world out here, is all I'm saying. Lots more possibilities than I used to think."
Astraia watched Khari carefully for a few moments as she rode. The way she was so comfortable at the reins and in the saddle, how easily she carried the sword across her back. If it stirred any thought in her, for once she was able to conceal it. "I want to help my people," she stated. It wasn't combative or anything. "And with the things I learn before I go back, I can. I can be a good First, and someday a good Keeper. And make sure my clan is happy and has a good life. As good as I can lead them to."
“Nothing wrong with that." Khari shrugged, her tone more circumspect than Estella was used to hearing it. “But sometimes there's more than one way to do the same thing. If that's your way, then you do it. But leading a clan, digging around in ruins... I've gotta believe there's another way, because I'm shit at any of that." She snorted, her voice quieting further. “Guess we'll see, eventually."
“My apologies for the interruption." Rilien spoke from ahead of them, turning halfway back in his saddle to make eye contact with Estella. “I believe we have found what we were looking for. We should proceed on foot from here." The subtle inflection to his monotone was grim.
She sighed. Back to work, then.
They'd practiced early this morning, long before most of the other occupants of the keep were even awake, and after lunch several of the others had taken their leave to deal with leftover bandits, as she understood things. Since that group included Ves, Zethlasan, and the latter's taciturn guardian Shaethra, Astraia had been left at the fort. Estella felt a little bad that all of her friends were elsewhere, so she'd tried to make up for it a little, taking Astraia around the keep to meet a few of the others and explain more about the kinds of things the Inquisition did, and the places they'd been lately. The young elven woman seemed more than happy to do that, and in fact looked to be a bit more relaxed than she had throughout the previous day.
They were out on the keep's walls now, though. The weather had held long enough to dry the stone, and Estella pulled herself up onto a crenelation, crossing her legs underneath her. The view wasn't bad, though it would never compare to Skyhold's, of course. “Have you traveled much, Astraia?" she asked, picking up a thread of their former conversation. “I know clans move around, of course, but if I remember right, they usually have a pretty set wandering area, don't they?"
"They do," she confirmed, nodding her head. Bits and baubles in her hair had a way of clinking together when she did that. "My clan, Thremael, hasn't left the Tirashan in many years. Since before I was born. I ventured beyond it a few times with Zeth or Keeper Varalan, but only a little. This is my first time in a place like Ferelden. It's very... wet, here." Tirashan Forest was large and isolated, nestled against the mountains of western Orlais and separated from that empire's cities by a great stretch of marshes. There would be little reason for humans to travel out that way, likely offering Astraia and her clan a great deal of privacy.
"I'm going to go with the Keeper and Zeth to the next Arlathvhen, our meeting of the clans, next year. I don't know where I'll end up after that." As a mage not named First of a clan, if Astraia was attending the Arlathvhen with her Keeper, it meant in all likelihood she would be given to another clan, one in need of a mage. It wasn't clear how she felt about that, but she managed a little smile. "I hope it's somewhere nice, though."
Estella considered that for a moment, humming a soft note and glancing out at the dark landscape ahead. “That sounds awfully lonely," she confessed quietly. “Leaving your family and going somewhere you can't predict, where there are only strangers." A rueful smile twisted her lips. “Actually... I know it's lonely. Or at least it was for me, when I left mine." Not that she'd ever had much. When it came down to it, there was probably only one person in the world she could call family.
Letting her eyes fall, she smoothed her palm over her knee. She hadn't worn much by way of armor today, just durable leather trousers and a simple, loose tunic. It was one of her old Lions ones, maroon-colored with a wide silver neckline. “Is that why you're traveling now, then? To see a little more before you have to go?" Admittedly, it seemed like it had a bit more purpose than that. Estella tried not to spend too much time worrying about other people's business, but she also knew she was at least somewhat intuitive, and she hadn't missed a few rougher edges of discomfort—both in the little group's dynamic and their dynamic with Ves, not to mention what Lia said about her first meeting with them. Though she thought that could mostly be attributed to Zethlasan.
"That's why Zeth said I should come with him," she answered. She eyed the spot next to Estella for a moment, and then decided to hop up onto it, propping her staff against the wall and taking a minute to smooth out the asymmetrical skirt over her hide leggings. "He thinks it'll help me to see some more of the world before I become First for some other clan." She didn't seem to disagree with the sentiment, but there was definitely more to it than that. Perhaps just some trepidation at being unable to escape the eventuality of assuming her brother's role among a group of strangers.
"Zeth's been looking for ruins, though, for the most part. We've been trying to find places all across Orlais, though we had to avoid anything too close to the war. And now Ferelden. We haven't had much luck, but every now and then we find something, and Zeth studies it." She paused, tilting her head somewhat thoughtfully to the side. "I think he wants to find some of the places Ves told us about, but... I don't know a lot of what they used to talk about. Just a little. And Zeth, he... doesn't share as much anymore."
Now there was something else she knew a lot about. Not the particulars, of course, but definitely the generalities. “Brothers," she murmured, shaking her head. She turned slightly, half-smiling at Astraia. “Mine can be pretty secretive, too. I think it's because he doesn't want me to worry about him, but it usually has the opposite effect." Estella sighed, leaning back on the palms of her hands and unfolding her legs so they dangled over the edge of the crenelations. She'd been afraid of heights, once. That hadn't survived Rilien's influence.
Her heels tapped rhythmically against the stone; spring was warmer here than Skyhold, downright pleasant even considering the rain. “It sounds like things used to be different with Zeth, though." It was a gentle prompt, one easily ignored if Astraia chose to. But it seemed like something she might want to talk about, and Estella somehow didn't imagine that this was something she could easily share with other members of her clan.
"He's not my brother, actually," she said quietly, as though the information was quite dangerous. "Not really. He was born in Val Foret, but ran. Our clan found him, and my family adopted him. I was seven, and hadn't discovered my magic yet. He'd managed to hide his, but he never really talked about the Alienage with us." She suddenly seemed a bit alarmed by what she was saying. "Please. Don't let him know I told you that. He doesn't like when people know he wasn't born Dalish."
She didn't seem afraid of the consequences, necessarily, but if he wasn't fond of others knowing his past, it would undoubtedly make things more uncomfortable than they were already. "I think he... feels like he has more to prove, or something. He's always been that way. Trying to impress the Keeper, do something meaningful for the People. He was very infatuated with Ves when they met, and then when Ves told him about Saraya, he—" Immediately she cut herself off, appearing quite a bit more alarmed by what she'd just said. It was almost enough to hear her heart rate spiking.
"Uh, that's Vesryn's... sister. In Denerim." Her face was turning red quite quickly. She was a terrible liar.
Estella was immediately torn. She wished she'd had a chance to ask Ves about this, for some idea of how he'd prefer that she handle the situation. But without any clues, she'd just have to try her best, and the obvious panic Astraia was experiencing at having let the name slip wasn't something she felt comfortable ignoring. “It's okay," she said, sitting up a little straighter and folding her hands in her lap. “I... know who you're talking about. It's um... it's not general knowledge or anything, but, uh." She figured it was best to keep that vague, but she definitely didn't want to outright lie and say she was the only one.
“I won't tell anyone it slipped if you don't tell anyone I did?" She shrugged, offering a slightly-awkward smile. It hadn't been so much a slip as an intentional cue, but she figured they could at least put them back on even footing this way.
She stared at Estella for a moment, words not immediately coming forth. "Oh. You know?" She blinked several times, turning her gaze down. "Of course. You're an Inquisitor, that makes sense. Okay. And yes. I'll try not to say anything else. About Vesryn's sister. In Denerim." She huffed out a breath, rubbing at her face for a few seconds.
"I wanted to say I was sorry, also. For shocking you in the cave. I didn't mean for that to happen." Despite making an apology, she found herself smiling a little. "When I heard we were going to meet the Inquisition, I didn't think it would be like this. You. The Inquisitor. You're very nice."
At that point, the sound of approaching footsteps ended the conversation for them. Someone was not being particularly subtle about their approach. “Hey Stel, Ril here says that—oh. Uh. Hey." Khari cut off whatever she'd been about to say, presumably when she'd noticed Estella was not currently alone.
There were a few heartbeats too many of awkward silence, after which Rilien, obviously not in the least bothered by it, spoke. “There is a task I must attend to. Khari believes it might provide a welcome opportunity to leave the fortress for some time, and invited herself to participate." That didn't seem to bother him, either. If anything, Estella might have detected the faintest trace of amusement. Probably at the other elf's straightforward audacity.
“When you put it that way, I sound like a—never mind." She crossed her arms over her chest, but since she was smiling, it probably didn't actually bother her. “But yeah. We're gonna go look for a missing guy. You guys want to come?" Awkwardness aside, she extended the invitation quite readily to the both of them.
A missing person? Presumably one of Rilien's agents. Estella glanced from Khari to Astraia, tilting her head at the latter. “How do you feel about horses? We don't have to go if you'd rather stay here, but it might be nice to get out of the fort for a bit." Rilien wouldn't have so readily agreed to this whole thing if he expected it to be especially bloody or troublesome. That was bad news, in a way, since she expected it meant he planned to either not find the agent, or find him already deceased.
"I'd like to go," she agreed, sliding off the edge of the wall and landing lightly back on her feet. "Though... I've only ever ridden halla before, and I've been told riding horses is quite different." Nevertheless, she offered a smile and a little nod to Khari and Rilien. "Aneth ara. I'm Astraia. I'm a friend of Vesryn's."
“Khari." She looked like she was thinking of offering a hand out or something, but ultimately she kept them where they were. She did retain the smile, though. “I'm a friend of Stel's."
Rilien, on the other hand, dipped himself into a half-bow in the same evenhanded way he did most things. “Rilien Falavel. I am Estella's tutor." It was probably considerably wiser not to bring up the spymaster bit.
With the introductions complete, the group headed down to the small stable being used to house the few horses that had been brought out. In addition to a few sleek runners doubtless intended for Rilien's messengers, Nox had been stabled here, as had Khari's red roan. Rilien had a charger as well, though not one quite so tall and swift as Estella's, a pale grey mare with a darker nose and feet. Considering Astraia's inexperience, it was decided that she'd do better riding behind the Inquisitor, so it was only three horses that passed out of the gates of Caer Bronach.
“We will head south from here. Keep an eye out for anything that doesn't seem to belong, but do not trouble yourselves overmuch. I will watch for the more direct signs." Rilien took the front of the formation, leaving the other two horses to ride abreast behind him.
Astraia seemed to take Rilien's advice to heart, and focused more on the scenery than anything else. They were only occasionally running into the lightest of rains today, making it not as punishing to point one's face towards the sky. Eventually, however, her interest settled on Khari, where perhaps it hadn't ever left. "I didn't know there were Dalish in the Inquisition," she commented, perhaps hoping it might strike up some conversation.
“Not many." Khari shrugged, a tad awkwardly. “There's Cyrus's friend Thalia—she's Relaferin. And Lia's... I think her mentor was Dalish, or something like that. And, uh, me, I guess." She wrinkled her nose. “I'm not a very good Dalish, though." Perhaps her heavier armor and rather large sword spoke to that more effectively than any words she could use. Neither was traditionally an implement of clan warriors or hunters, who seldom wielded anything that would not fit most naturally in one hand at melee distance, or so she'd told Estella.
"Oh." Astraia fell silent for a moment behind Estella. "Me neither."
“Really?" Khari sounded quite surprised, but something about her posture actually relaxed despite that. Her brows furrowed, distorting the smooth, fine lines of her vallaslin. “What did they tell you was wrong with you? Not excited to wander in a forest the rest of your life? Love the wrong people? Not good enough at the things they decide you should do?" There was a slight edge to Khari's tone, but it wasn't something easily-classifiable. She didn't sound angry, at any rate, and the question itself was seemingly well-meant.
"Um." Astraia seemed a bit taken aback by the questions, but it was hard to tell while she was sitting directly behind Estella. "That last one." She was quiet for a long moment, before she apparently decided to elaborate, and expelled a breath out her nose. "I set an aravel on fire by accident when I was eight. Middle of the night. Burned a few people pretty bad before we could get out. That was the start of it, I suppose."
“Discovering your magic can be..." Estella trailed off, thinking of a rainy night many years ago, when she was terrified she was going to lose her entire world to a lightning bolt. “I don't think accidents are that uncommon. How did your teacher handle it?"
"Varalan? He was..." she let the word linger, trying to think of how to put it. "I shouldn't say anything bad. Varalan is kind, and a good Keeper. He understood. He just doesn't have as much magic as I do. What worked for his training didn't really work for me. And he already had his apprentice, besides." Judging by what she'd said earlier, her magic had appeared about a year or so after Zethlasan had been adopted into the clan, and he had discovered his magic enough to hide it years earlier. "So I think that was the day it was decided I'd be leaving Thremael, eventually."
“Do you want to go to another clan?" As was typical, Khari's question was about as blunt as a spoon. She guided her horse over a small rise almost automatically, from the look of it, nothing more than a light touch at the reins and a squeeze with her knees. “I mean, if you do, that's fine, but... it's not like you have to. You could do something else, if you wanted." She shrugged. “It's a big world out here, is all I'm saying. Lots more possibilities than I used to think."
Astraia watched Khari carefully for a few moments as she rode. The way she was so comfortable at the reins and in the saddle, how easily she carried the sword across her back. If it stirred any thought in her, for once she was able to conceal it. "I want to help my people," she stated. It wasn't combative or anything. "And with the things I learn before I go back, I can. I can be a good First, and someday a good Keeper. And make sure my clan is happy and has a good life. As good as I can lead them to."
“Nothing wrong with that." Khari shrugged, her tone more circumspect than Estella was used to hearing it. “But sometimes there's more than one way to do the same thing. If that's your way, then you do it. But leading a clan, digging around in ruins... I've gotta believe there's another way, because I'm shit at any of that." She snorted, her voice quieting further. “Guess we'll see, eventually."
“My apologies for the interruption." Rilien spoke from ahead of them, turning halfway back in his saddle to make eye contact with Estella. “I believe we have found what we were looking for. We should proceed on foot from here." The subtle inflection to his monotone was grim.
She sighed. Back to work, then.