f!brosca is a lot of awkward - drabble
Jun. 13th, 2011 01:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jaebilityShe struggled with a tent - blasted tents, only a human could conceive of such a flimsy structure - and in the end it took the patient instructions of Alistair to get the thing to stand. "Well," he said when it wobbled but didn't collapse, "not bad a first attempt."
"I'll just sleep by the fire," she grumbled. "Ancestors take the stupid thing."
He clapped her on the shoulder and grinned down at her. "It'll get easier, I promise. And you'll appreciate when it rains. Let me tell you - It rains a lot here on the surface."
"Explains why everything's so brown." She matched his smile, despite her complaint. Airathess liked the human, even if it did hurt her neck craning up to look at him. Her eyes drifted over to Sten, and she tensed inside her armor involuntarily. They'd exchanged few words since Lothering, which suited her. The other member they'd picked up in the town was Lelianna, who was sitting on the log by the campfire poking at the embers. The light gave her skin a golden hue and made it easy for Airathess to see the curve of her lips and cheeks, the flare of the muscles in her arms.
Uncomfortable thoughts for sure.
The other human, Morrigan, had set up her own small camp away from theirs. Alistair seemed to prefer that, but the small figure of the which at the edge of the field made her feel more guilty than relieved. The whole magic thing was a new and bizarre development, but she didn't fear Morrigan, despite what Alistair had said. She rubbed her hands over her braids and sighed. Duncan had warned her that things on the surface were different. And he'd told her that she wasn't a casteless criminal anymore: she was a Grey Warden. That past was buried in the darkest parts of Orzammar.
Still, that didn't mean that she didn't say something awkward or just plain stupid to the mage. Maybe she had insulted magic somehow. That was entirely possible, since she didn't know two nug shits about the spells and the potions and all the other things that Morrigan had done since they left the Wilds.
She kept her swords on her back as she walked toward the witch, should the conversation take a turn for the ugly. That she was used to. And growing up in Dust Town, she was used to fighting, any hour of any day. It was a good location that they'd picked, with good strong, flat ground and trees like pillars protecting them from the cold wind. She still felt vulnerable though, out in the open. Ostagar had only proven that the wilderness of the surface was a danger.
When she approached, Morrigan rose to her feet. She didn't reach for her staff, which Airathess chose to interpret as positive. She cleared her throat and fumbled for polite words. "Is there something keeping you from our campfire?"
Morrigan's smile was not particularly friendly. "I should think it would please the rest of your group for me to keep at such a distance."
"Yes, well, no. I mean, if there's something that I did that is keeping you-" she paused, but the witch stayed silent so she surged on, "I know that I say stupid things. Beraht always told me-" she stopped again and shook her head to get her thoughts in order, then tried for a third time. "Dwarves and magic, well there is no 'dwarves and magic.' So if I insulted you somehow, it wasn't on purpose and I'm sorry."
"Receiving an apology is uncommon enough, but for a wrong not even committed?"
"So I didn't jam my foot in my mouth by saying something inappropriate about your robes? Not that I would," she added quickly when Morrigan's normally dark expression toward stormy. "They're, ah, very interesting to look at."
There was a silence then, broken by the crackling of the witch's small fire or voice from the other camp. Airathess brushed over her braids again and wondered if she was supposed to wait to be asked before she sat down. Finally she spoke again, "So, then, want to come over to where we set up? Plenty enough room for you, er, this thing that you built. Which is... nice. For a structure made out of wood."
"No, I prefer this spot."
"But you're all alone over here!" she exclaimed. "Who are you going to talk to?"
"Is it so strange that I desire privacy?"
"Yes! Humans don't like other humans?"
"Some," the witch replied cryptically.
"But you don't have anyone to watch your back! And no offense, but those robes don't protect you like metal does." Airathess thumped on her chest plate, nodding in satisfaction at the sound of its low ring. "And did you humans know that your tents can get blown over? By air?"
"I'll just sleep by the fire," she grumbled. "Ancestors take the stupid thing."
He clapped her on the shoulder and grinned down at her. "It'll get easier, I promise. And you'll appreciate when it rains. Let me tell you - It rains a lot here on the surface."
"Explains why everything's so brown." She matched his smile, despite her complaint. Airathess liked the human, even if it did hurt her neck craning up to look at him. Her eyes drifted over to Sten, and she tensed inside her armor involuntarily. They'd exchanged few words since Lothering, which suited her. The other member they'd picked up in the town was Lelianna, who was sitting on the log by the campfire poking at the embers. The light gave her skin a golden hue and made it easy for Airathess to see the curve of her lips and cheeks, the flare of the muscles in her arms.
Uncomfortable thoughts for sure.
The other human, Morrigan, had set up her own small camp away from theirs. Alistair seemed to prefer that, but the small figure of the which at the edge of the field made her feel more guilty than relieved. The whole magic thing was a new and bizarre development, but she didn't fear Morrigan, despite what Alistair had said. She rubbed her hands over her braids and sighed. Duncan had warned her that things on the surface were different. And he'd told her that she wasn't a casteless criminal anymore: she was a Grey Warden. That past was buried in the darkest parts of Orzammar.
Still, that didn't mean that she didn't say something awkward or just plain stupid to the mage. Maybe she had insulted magic somehow. That was entirely possible, since she didn't know two nug shits about the spells and the potions and all the other things that Morrigan had done since they left the Wilds.
She kept her swords on her back as she walked toward the witch, should the conversation take a turn for the ugly. That she was used to. And growing up in Dust Town, she was used to fighting, any hour of any day. It was a good location that they'd picked, with good strong, flat ground and trees like pillars protecting them from the cold wind. She still felt vulnerable though, out in the open. Ostagar had only proven that the wilderness of the surface was a danger.
When she approached, Morrigan rose to her feet. She didn't reach for her staff, which Airathess chose to interpret as positive. She cleared her throat and fumbled for polite words. "Is there something keeping you from our campfire?"
Morrigan's smile was not particularly friendly. "I should think it would please the rest of your group for me to keep at such a distance."
"Yes, well, no. I mean, if there's something that I did that is keeping you-" she paused, but the witch stayed silent so she surged on, "I know that I say stupid things. Beraht always told me-" she stopped again and shook her head to get her thoughts in order, then tried for a third time. "Dwarves and magic, well there is no 'dwarves and magic.' So if I insulted you somehow, it wasn't on purpose and I'm sorry."
"Receiving an apology is uncommon enough, but for a wrong not even committed?"
"So I didn't jam my foot in my mouth by saying something inappropriate about your robes? Not that I would," she added quickly when Morrigan's normally dark expression toward stormy. "They're, ah, very interesting to look at."
There was a silence then, broken by the crackling of the witch's small fire or voice from the other camp. Airathess brushed over her braids again and wondered if she was supposed to wait to be asked before she sat down. Finally she spoke again, "So, then, want to come over to where we set up? Plenty enough room for you, er, this thing that you built. Which is... nice. For a structure made out of wood."
"No, I prefer this spot."
"But you're all alone over here!" she exclaimed. "Who are you going to talk to?"
"Is it so strange that I desire privacy?"
"Yes! Humans don't like other humans?"
"Some," the witch replied cryptically.
"But you don't have anyone to watch your back! And no offense, but those robes don't protect you like metal does." Airathess thumped on her chest plate, nodding in satisfaction at the sound of its low ring. "And did you humans know that your tents can get blown over? By air?"