"Can I help you with something, Sigrun?"
"Oh, um. Not really. Well, maybe." The scout looked a little abashed to be caught staring, but it passed quickly. "That... looks like a Shaper's amulet you're wearing."
"I don't know," Nathaniel admitted evenly. "It was a gift."
"Could I... see it?" Sigrun asked. Unable to think of a particularly relevant reason to say "no," Nathaniel unhooked the clasp and held it out her her.
Sigrun turned it over in her hands, fingers tracing the precise silver lines. "Shiny," she murmured, and then held it up to her ear.
"What are you doing, Sigrun?"
"Listening for the lyrium. Yeaaaah... there it is. That's... really amazing. I've never really heard it before. It's dangerous to get near it unless you're a Smith, but they put a little in each of these."
Nathaniel held out his hand again, and Sigrun reluctantly put the pendant into it. "Odd," he said. "I've never heard anything."
"Oh, you wouldn't," she started. "You're a -- hey." She caught his wrist.
He glared. "Sigrun."
"That ring's dwarf-made, too," she noted, letting go. She looked up and smiled mischeviously. "Also a gift?"
"That's really not your business." His tone was extremely final.
"Are you... are you blushing? Oh Stone, it was a gift and from somebody special, I bet!" Sigrun bounced on her toes, delighted at the discovery. "Maybe I knew her in Orzammar, you think? It's not like they just give out Shaper's amulets. That grew feet and walked, I just know it."
"I... don't care to speak of it," Nathaniel said stiffly. "Especially if you're going to behave so childishly."
"Oh, come on," Sigrun reached up to lightly punch him in the arm. "I'm just kidding with you. You're a good guy. You deserve to have some friends. Or... more than friends. You know, whatever."
"I... thank you, I suppose," Nathaniel sighed. "Now if your curiosity is quite satisfied, I have things to attend to." He turned to go.
"You're not gonna tell me?" Sigrun exclaimed behind him.
"No."
"I'll... I'll get Anders to help!" she threatened.
"I'm quite experienced in dealing with Anders," Nathaniel waved dismissively without even looking back.
Sigrun crossed her arms and chewed on her lower lip. This would be a challenge.
*******
"I can keep this up all daaa-ay! I'm a dwarf! We're well known for our endurance!"
Velanna whirled in the courtyard, finally unshouldering her staff. "Stop following me!"
"Just aaaask him, he'll tell you!"
"Leave me out of it!"
"Then I'm gonna keep following you..."
The elven mage leveled the staff at the grinning Legionnaire. "No, you're not," she said flatly. The air rippled with magical power, and then Velanna set the butt of her weapon down with satisfaction. "There. By the time that wears off, I'll be..."
"What wears off?" Sigrun asked innocently. "Was that supposed to be a spell or something? Dwarf, remember?"
"Oh!" Velanna looked skyward in exasperation. "Fine, fine! If it will get you to leave me alone."
"Aw, come on. You know you want to hear this, too."
"I know nothing of the sort," Velanna said crossly. "I have no interest in knowing how he came across his plunder. Aren't you concerned that he took it from your people?"
Sigrun considered that. "You know, if he took it from the Shaperate himself, I might have to give him a big hug."
Velanna sighed with exasperation and re-shouldered her staff. "Where is he?"
"This way, I think." Sigrun trotted down past some of the outbuildings, looking back repeatedly to make sure that Velanna was still following. Sure enough, he was inspecting the archery butts. "You go ahead," she nudged Velanna when the elf caught up to her.
"You," Velanna called, which got him to turn around.
"My lady," he began courteously enough, but his brow darkened when he saw Sigrun hovering a few paces back. "May I be of service?"
"Will no one rid me of this troublesome dwarf?" Velanna asked, lips pressed into a thin line. "She has been harrassing me all day, taking massively unfair advantage of her magically-resistant nature to vex me."
"Let me guess," Nathaniel said drily. "She wants you to ask me something."
"Yes, precisely. Please, would you humor her, Nathaniel?"
Shaking his head, he walked over to the dwarf. Sigrun was smiling, but nervously now. Nathaniel didn't look tolerantly amused. He looked rather annoyed, or possibly disappointed.
"It would be one thing to enlist Anders in pestering me, Sigrun," he said levelly. "It is another thing entirely to pester Velanna also."
"...Sorry." Sigrun heaved a sigh and looked at her feet. Not such a clever plan after all, apparently.
"Besides," she was a little surprised when Nathaniel continued, "how would you even know if I were telling you the truth? I could easily spin some tale about how I came by these items, and you would have no way to know if it were a lie or not."
"Because you're you," she replied earnestly, looking up. "You don't lie about important things, like trying to kil the Commander, even when maybe you should."
"Maybe they're not important."
Sigrun shrugged. "Then I'd get a nice story out of it. Seems pretty win-win."
"I don't like talking about it," he said quietly. "Not one of my best moments."
"Oh." Sigrun bit her lips together. "Sorry. I didn't mean..."
"She was dead-set againt my returning to Ferelden. So I... left. In the middle of the night. Because if she'd begged me to stay, I would have. And I couldn't." He paused. "Is that a nice story?"
Sigrun felt about three inches tall. "I'm really, really sorry," she half-whispered. "I just thought... I didn't know..."
"No, you did not, because I do not like to talk about it," Nathaniel repeated, with intensity and just the barest suggestion of real anger. "You will perhaps keep this in mind the next time your curiosity threatens to get the better of you?"
"Yes. Definitely. One hundred percent."
"Good. Now go, please."
"Going, now!"
Nathaniel watched the dwarf hustle back the way she'd come. Velanna was still standing awkwardly behind him. "I should go, too," she murmured.
"That's it?" he asked, a little harshly.
"Look, I didn't want to know - " Velanna started defensively.
"You asked me to humor her. So I did." Even elven hearing couldn't quite tell if the emphasis was on you or on asked.
"Oh. Yes, I see. Well..." The pause was almost painfully long. "Thank... you?"
His bow was as elegant and economical as his draw. "You are most welcome, my lady," he said, in a honeyed tone that still carried a hint of sharpness, a small mocking bit of anger. "Don't let me keep you further from your duties."
"Indeed." And she hurried off as well, leaving him alone with his memories.
Retour en haut
Nice drawing... very nice... 
And yay for Thomas & Nathaniel. Waah, I'm seriously coming up with a Thomas obsession here XD
