#☼ ･°･⊱ answered asks ic. ∣ messenger ravens.

[avrorean]

You deserve an hour in the freezy chair.

"Irving banned that for a reason."

[avrorean]

A missive arrives, mysteriously left on the desk for you!

"I WAS BLOODY RIGHT ABOUT THE EGGHEAD!"

The signature is a singular black pawprint. It is completely unrelated to the black dog that has invaded your space.

A cursory glance is passed over the letter, picking out every other word with a slight nod and a thoughtful hum as though quite invested in its contents. The letter was then folded, once, twice, and few times more ever so neatly into a delicate square...and shoved back between the dog's teeth.

"Whatever needs be said can be done so with your mouth as penance for your long absence."

[avrorean]

@isalarevas. ＂ speakin' of not likin' yer shit taste in men---＂ dreav steps aside, revealing in the distance the particular man of her constant ire nearly setting himself on fire trying to dry his socks. pathetic. ＂ when are we gettin' rid of THAT.＂

"𝒟reav—!"

Even as heat crawled its way up her neck at the accusation, her tone is sharp, but Nanna hastens to lower it lest the subject of their conversation caught wind of it. Not that it would be the first; ever did her fellow Warden treat him with a powerful disdain that continued to startle - a matter left entirely helpless after Nanna's own particular inclination had come to light. And oh, how the elven woman refused to let her forget it.

"Stop it!" Nanna insisted, intending to sound firm but had only come across as pleading. "You are needlessly mean."

[avrorean]

@orxna "I'll be right here when you wake up." ↳ signs of comfort.

The Warden had already lost track of how many days it had been since she was brought here. Nanna she had been when brought forcefully through the doors of the hidden temple, but now-

Not for the first time, a frown tugged at her scar . Nadas'Melana, they called her now. She knew enough of the old tongue to lay its meaning - inevitability of time. It wouldn't be the first time someone had taken her name, but it by far had been the most unsettling. There was a jibe here, alongside the sickingly sweet way the pair were constantly referred to as da'fen, their precious little wolves, but the connection to... someone who'd left long ago, someone that apparently connected them. She'd wanted to puzzle it all out, find a solid string of logic she could follow that they might find some way to properly escape (and he wouldn't come, she thinks. And if he would, he shouldn’t..), or at least something that could be manipulated to their advantage and protection. And after last time... When Ghilan'nain had....

Nanna rubbed her eyes firmly to chase away the memory. She was tired. So tired.

"You should get some rest," whispered a tiny voice nearby her, and Nanna met the nervous gaze of her fellow da'fen. Trying still, so hard to be brave in the ways she knew how. "I'll be right here when you wake up."

It almost seemed as though Nanna were to reject the idea, but stopped the words before they could slip through. No, Orana was right. There was no point wasting energy running thoughts and worries in her head only to be exhausted later.

"... Thank you, Orana." Nanna always made sure to say her name outside the hearing of their deific jailers, wanting- no, needing to hold on to the pieces of themselves until she could figure something out. But even as her head thumps softly against the cage wall behind her, she hesitates, an uneasy look sent at the elven girl at her side. "If... If anything happens, anything at all, please do not hesitate to wake me."

[avrorean]

@hoboblaidd. "you know, if you need advice on how to lay low, I can give you some." (i hope you appreciate the herculean effort it took not to send you 'im getting too old for this shit.') ↳ AS SAID BY VARRIC || accepting!

"Was I so obvious?" A chime of light, warm laughter echoes itself from the sudden swirl of mist and light between the stone halls of Skyhold, the bird that had been nesting overhead then taking a familiar form with a teasing smile. "Very well, hahren, tell me true: how did you spot me?"

[avrorean]

@ofthewildes. "that's why i don't take sides." ↳ AS SAID BY VARRIC || accepting!

If this were any other situation, Nanna may have protested in favor of what they had managed so far. But the particularly bloody display of dominance right inside the gate of Orzammar had the Warden blinking in unabashed shock at the witch. "They would not- That... would not involve us, right? That would not involve us."

[avrorean]

@ofthewildes. ❝ a less trusting person might think this all sounds very suspicious. ❞

Nanna hears the warning in the low tone of the witch's voice, but whether it was only a warning or was, too, tinged with the flavors of mockery, the mage couldn't fully tell. From what she had learned of Morrigan, it could very well be either.

"You believe he has reason to lie?" came the tentative question once what she hoped was out of the clan's hearing. Nanna glanced back over her shoulder once they reached the clearing's edge, the enigmatic Zathrian seemingly paying them no more mind now that they had taken up his hunt for the wolf.

It had all seemed rather dry and straightforward to her hearing, and though she did not want to dismiss Morrigans vaguely mocking wisdom, it were not as though their raggedy little band had a plethora of alternative options. Even if they were to leave the Dalish to their problems and seek the other Warden allies, it may still not be enough without the clan. And...

The sounds of a wet cough caught her attention, shifting her gaze from the Keeper to the healers' tents where the writhing cries of elves suffering from the curse softly cried a cacophonous agony over the somber air of the camp. Her frown deepened.

"Perhaps we shall find more information in the forest."

[avrorean]

@weishaupts. "i just need a band-aid and a nap. i'll be fine."

"𝒲rong."

She was, perhaps, too blunt and presumptive in her insistence; Athera may be a Grey Warden, but she was not under Nanna's command. If anything, the Warden-Commander had been the one to accompany her band for this mission. But even so, she was familiar enough in both her skills and the sight of a hero pushing themselves too hard to feel the need to speak.

"Surely you know as well as I, Rook, what it takes to maintain ourselves as Wardens. You cannot afford to simply charge blindly forward like a Bronto in the dark with no notion of physical consequence."

It was familiar, in its way - a group of ill-matched warriors, one way or another, locked in unity against the hopeless threat of a god? Less assassination attempts in this turning wheel of history, perhaps, but even so. Nostalgia would threaten to overwhelm her if she did not push it aside for the task at hand.

Perhaps out of instinct, Nanna reached up to brush the bangs back from Athera's forehead and let her fingers rest there a moment, checking for fever. No sign of an infection as of yet, at least. "I must insist that you add a meal to that order. A poultice would do you no harm either. And then proceed onward with your plan to take a nap."

[avrorean]

@valorxdrive "Y'know what's good? Ice spells. Chilly during hot days, locking your opponents within them, and making solid barriers to boot if it calls for it? Not to mention a good mirror if ya need it! Why aren't people using it more often 'round here?"

𝒜 smile touches her lips as the boy goes on, his exuberance undeniably contagious. Nanna cannot help but be charmed by the enthusiasm over his magic, seldom as it was to see it with such an open honesty, and an earnestness for creativity.

"They do." A finger raised to playfully tap his nose, drawing his attention back down to her. "They but anticipate your using it so frequently and are but prepared to counter it. You might learn some caution around those who would otherwise incline to wariness, Sora."

[avrorean]

@angclwept. 'i don't like those creepy wiggly crawly things. The fact that they have eight legs and are full of anger doesn't help either' :( big spider scawwy

Her hands clap together in relief, rejoiced in a comrade amidst a sea of sympathizers that seemed only to concern themselves with the comfort of the wiggly crawly things rather than those they are imposed upon. At last, someone who understands!

"Perfectly unpleasant!" came her eager agreement. "At least the smaller ones might be shifted away elsewhere. Giant Spiders are mean and hungry and more than happy to plant their nests in the most inconvenient of places."

"Are their webs not terribly intrusive?"

[avrorean]

@ofthewildes ❝ flowers are so overrated. they're bright, gaudy, and almost never make good poisons. ❞

A flush crept sudden and hot up the mage's neck at the distaste in Morrigan's voice, and it was as though the flowers, freshly picked and tucked in her makeshift satchel, had taken on the weight of hot coal. Burning and heavy. All at once, Nanna was struck with the realization that to anyone else, she must look rather silly, obsessing as she did over what, to the witch, must surely have been mundane.

"I thought to find some of decent use..." she defended weakly, nervously twirling the stem of a wine-red wildflower between her fingers.

But that was a lie, and not a very good one if the piercing glint in the witch's eyes were anything to judge by. The truth was much simpler; Leliana had shown her the most amazing trick the night before in tying the stems of flowers together as a crown, and Nanna had been giddily eager to attempt it herself.

"Forgive me," came the instinctive apology, ducking her head with an embarrassed smile. "It must seem rather foolish, but I still find myself fascinated with them. Plants such as these... They do not grow naturally in the Circle."

[avrorean]

@breathandshadow. I get that a lot. ↳ AS SAID BY VARRIC || accepting!

"I suppose you would." Her head tilts in quiet observation as the brilliance of his verdant magics dissipated. "We've a small pool of spells from the branch that select mages might dabble in, a basic animation spell at most as I recall, but we are taught very little of necromancy in the south. I admit I find myself curious."

[avrorean]

A sharp exhale pierced through the air and echoed off the tall, stone ceilings as Nanna Amell leaned all the weight of her petite body against the iron door that stood between her and the rest of Fort Drakon. There were worse escape plans than masquerading as a washer woman, she supposed, rather than drawing on the freedom she'd had of defending herself when a doorman with too much authority thought to manhandle for the sake of it, nearly catching a glimpse of her striking purple eyes.

Yet even as all it would take was a single spell to bring the full might of the prison down upon her... she had indignantly taken the risk of just a slight summoning of a Swarm. A few stingers to buzz about inside his armor, nothing more. Just enough for her and the others to get away, even if it had put some of them on guard.

Too close, she thought to herself. Far too close.

The mage looked down at herself, frowning at the unsightly tear in the worn serving skirts with an absurd amount of guilt and equal parts annoyance. Her original plan had been to take arms from the armory and sneak her way from the towering prison posed as a member of the army, but her small frame quickly proved ill for the task, and Nanna had no choice but to steal a dress from the servants instead. It suited well enough to hide her identity, but after the encounter with the guardsman, the damage had been inevitable. Nanna hoped the poor girl she'd taken this from had something else to wear.

From here, at least, she'd hoped to finally be able to set her concentration to shapeshifting; a bird or a mouse, something that would help her get out of this wretched place without too much attention.

That was when a hand fell hard on her shoulder, and Nanna stiffened panic even as she spun to meet the shadowy figure in the torches. A crackle in her hands of sparking electricity had started to conduct through her fingers, poised and ready to defend herself, when a familiar voice cut through her panic.

"Daveth!" the breathless gasp gave way to a smile as a familiar, handsome face gained its shape in the torchlight.

@sacrificedmore. ❝ i’m here to set things right. also? to look dashing. that part’s less difficult. ❞

In an instant, Nanna flung her arms around the rogue and he no less ready to meet her, and in that moment nothing in the world felt as good as his hand against her hair, and being held against him.

"I assume, then, you've a plan of escape?"

[avrorean]

❝oh, you know me - ever the optimist. i’m trying to focus on the positives.❞ @abyssleapt ↪ prompt: baldur's gate 3 || not accepting!

In spite of the rain, in spite of the breathless coil in her chest from the speed of their flight, of the waterfall that poured from her cloak as she attempted to wring it out, Nanna found it impossible not to grace her cousin with a small, wry smile.

“Indeed, cousin, you are the picture of good cheer."

It had been difficult enough to conceal the Champion from the eyes and ears of prowling Templars in the midst of this war, only for Wardens to be confusingly added in the mix. Crossing the threshold of the cave, Nanna took advantage of the lapse which Marian took to shake the water from her hair to flick her in the forehead. And immediately thereafter, used her own sleeve to wipe a scratch of blood from her cheek.

“But if you, my dear Marian, insist on spreading that good cheer where any and aught might hear, then your wish to be kept out of the eye of the storm may not count for the audience you attract, and I cannot say my Brothers within the Order are as good humored as I am."

[avrorean]

" sounds like you could use a hand. " / cenah | fereldendefiance

Even beneath the garden walkway of Skyhold, deep breaths and all, there was little doubt in Nanna's mind that the frustration carved within the dim halls of the war room lined her face even now. The tension made of a web of complicated relationships woven between she and two of three advisors never made for simple meetings, and never wished to make Leliana's task any more arduous than it was by nature. But the combined efforts of a certain gentleman's pleading eyes and stubborn, stalwart resolve against most any method short of imitating a hammer, tested her patience and had thus provoked her.

And so roosted the Albatross, the stone railing brightened by the gleam of sunlight off reddish gold hair, a marked hand waving in front of a grinning face mired in mischief. As Nanna was not formed for ill-humor, the silly joke quickly elicited a lift in the Warden's mood.

"Cheeky little bird," she teased, poking the elven girl in the forehead.

"Take care that I do not take you up on that offer, my dear Inquisitor," Nanna declared, looping her arm through Cenah's and locking them in step as she proceeded into the gardens. She would no more send Cenah into the lion's den, so to speak, than she would return herself currently, of course. Though for such a tease, a suitable punishment, Nanna had decided, would be for the girl to keep her company in the gardens. "As I strongly suspect you've no more wish to deal with your stalwart Commander than I do at present."

[avrorean]

@atomiqueen. i think we should learn about these things before we fiddle with any more of them. ↪ blackwall meme || accepting!

𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐋𝐈𝐏, 𝐈𝐓 𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐎 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐑𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐍'𝐒 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐘. And everything she had ever learned sternly agreed with Lucy's judgement, especially in the face of a hostile Shade's immediate manifestation of something, somewhere, being incorrect. She knew better, and every mentor and tome she'd ever come across would say the same.

But the 'incorrectness' is what had peaked her curiosity shortly following its consequence; what she had once thought a trap, Nanna could now with some confidence say was a puzzle. A magic puzzle. And in spite of her best judgement, it only made her want to prod at it more.

"Oh, but-!" she turned to the unsettled Lucy at her side, two sets of large eyes locked together each in hope of convincing the other of complete opposite outcomes. "If I might try once more, I believe I can solve it! These sorts of things are seldom ever lain without cause, something quite interesting must lie within!"