"The Dalish and the Halla" Orana/Merrill 3.1/?
anonymous
September 13 2012, 11:22:55 UTC
For a while, it seems as if Merrill is at Master Hawke's estate almost every other day. Master Anders seems to take most umbrage with this as he grumbles about it over dinner and complains to Master Hawke about it. Master Hawke on the other hand simply seems pensive over the matter, saying little to Master Ander's complaints and only insisting that Merrill is not what she seems. Orana can't help but wonder just what he means there.
She's putting laundry away when she finds Merrill once again. The other elf is standing in the hall, speaking to the dog and doesn't notice her enter. Orana puts down the clothes basket and approaches Merrill.
"Master Hawke isn't here if that's who you're looking for, Mistress Merrill," Orana tells her. Merrill straightens from kneeling down to the dog's level. "Oh no, it wasn't Hawke I was after this time, it was you," Merrill answers with a smile. "Though, please, don't call me 'Mistress'. It makes me sound so old." "Sorry Mistr...I mean Merrill." It dawns on her then what Merrill has said. "You're looking for me?" Merrill nods and produces a small bag. "Here, this is a thank you for getting me back to the Alienage in one piece the other day."
Orana blinks at her, looking between the proffered bag and Merrill herself. For a few moments, she doesn't know what to do. Merrill's smile starts to fade. "Have I done something wrong?" Orana shakes her head quickly. "No! No...It's just I've never...What do I...do with it?"
Merrill puts the bag down then fishes out the items. She can't see what's enclosed in Merrill's hand but there is a potted plant with a few buds sprouting and a flower just beginning to open. "Well with this, you'll need to water it once a day, possibly more once the warm weather comes in. Needs plenty of sunlight, I know there's a few good windows in here that it would thrive...And that's not what you meant, was it?" "I've never had...things of my own. Whatever we needed Mistress Hadriana or one of the other Magisters provided it and even then it was mainly clothes and food." "You're not a slave now Orana. You have a job and I know Hawke won't mistreat you the way you were before." Merrill sighs. "It's hard for you to get out of that mindset, isn't it?" "Even though it's been more than a month, I still can't get used to it. To being treated as a person instead of just a thing."
"The Dalish and the Halla" Orana/Merrill 3.2/?
anonymous
September 13 2012, 11:24:43 UTC
"Do you think you ever will get used to it?" She shrugs. She truly doesn't know.
Merrill holds out the plant once more and this time Orana takes it. Merrill smiles at her and Orana smiles back shyly, dipping her head. "Well I'd call this a good start. Will you accept what else I have for you?" Orana nods.
To her surprise, Merrill takes a few steps forward and takes Orana's hand, placing a small silver brooch into it. It is a large animal, looking like a deer but elegant, with long twisted antlers and the fur engraved on it.
"We call it a 'halla'. I thought of you as soon as I saw it. They're shy sometimes, but they are so beautiful. My clanmate loved to spend time with them, there's times I would swear he was part halla, preferred to have a conversation with them than us some days." There's a flash of sadness over Merrill's face, as there always is when she mentions this clanmate of hers in particular.
Orana can only guess at what could've happened to them. She shakes her head then pins the brooch onto Orana's blouse. "It suits you." Orana looks down and nods in agreement. "Right I'd better get going, I only came here to drop this off for you." "You're leaving?" "I'm afraid so. I would stay longer if I could, do a bit of the garden I see Hawke's neglected yet again. The parts we did are coming along nicely, might need a water later but beyond that, they'll be fine." Orana walks her to the door and once there, looks to the ground to check if Varric's ball of twine has followed Merrill to the estate.
It has and this sets her mind at rest over Merrill's lack of a sense of direction. "I'll probably see you at some point, been meaning to ask Hawke something for a few days now, can't seem to get him on his own without Anders there glaring at me. Slightly off-putting and it always makes me forget." Orana simply nods.
With a pat on the shoulder, ending in a slight squeeze, Merrill jogs across the square while following her red twine, leaving Orana at the door.
She's putting laundry away when she finds Merrill once again. The other elf is standing in the hall, speaking to the dog and doesn't notice her enter. Orana puts down the clothes basket and approaches Merrill.
"Master Hawke isn't here if that's who you're looking for, Mistress Merrill," Orana tells her.
Merrill straightens from kneeling down to the dog's level. "Oh no, it wasn't Hawke I was after this time, it was you," Merrill answers with a smile. "Though, please, don't call me 'Mistress'. It makes me sound so old."
"Sorry Mistr...I mean Merrill." It dawns on her then what Merrill has said. "You're looking for me?"
Merrill nods and produces a small bag. "Here, this is a thank you for getting me back to the Alienage in one piece the other day."
Orana blinks at her, looking between the proffered bag and Merrill herself. For a few moments, she doesn't know what to do.
Merrill's smile starts to fade. "Have I done something wrong?"
Orana shakes her head quickly. "No! No...It's just I've never...What do I...do with it?"
Merrill puts the bag down then fishes out the items. She can't see what's enclosed in Merrill's hand but there is a potted plant with a few buds sprouting and a flower just beginning to open.
"Well with this, you'll need to water it once a day, possibly more once the warm weather comes in. Needs plenty of sunlight, I know there's a few good windows in here that it would thrive...And that's not what you meant, was it?"
"I've never had...things of my own. Whatever we needed Mistress Hadriana or one of the other Magisters provided it and even then it was mainly clothes and food."
"You're not a slave now Orana. You have a job and I know Hawke won't mistreat you the way you were before." Merrill sighs. "It's hard for you to get out of that mindset, isn't it?"
"Even though it's been more than a month, I still can't get used to it. To being treated as a person instead of just a thing."
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She shrugs. She truly doesn't know.
Merrill holds out the plant once more and this time Orana takes it. Merrill smiles at her and Orana smiles back shyly, dipping her head. "Well I'd call this a good start. Will you accept what else I have for you?"
Orana nods.
To her surprise, Merrill takes a few steps forward and takes Orana's hand, placing a small silver brooch into it. It is a large animal, looking like a deer but elegant, with long twisted antlers and the fur engraved on it.
"We call it a 'halla'. I thought of you as soon as I saw it. They're shy sometimes, but they are so beautiful. My clanmate loved to spend time with them, there's times I would swear he was part halla, preferred to have a conversation with them than us some days." There's a flash of sadness over Merrill's face, as there always is when she mentions this clanmate of hers in particular.
Orana can only guess at what could've happened to them. She shakes her head then pins the brooch onto Orana's blouse. "It suits you."
Orana looks down and nods in agreement.
"Right I'd better get going, I only came here to drop this off for you."
"You're leaving?"
"I'm afraid so. I would stay longer if I could, do a bit of the garden I see Hawke's neglected yet again. The parts we did are coming along nicely, might need a water later but beyond that, they'll be fine."
Orana walks her to the door and once there, looks to the ground to check if Varric's ball of twine has followed Merrill to the estate.
It has and this sets her mind at rest over Merrill's lack of a sense of direction.
"I'll probably see you at some point, been meaning to ask Hawke something for a few days now, can't seem to get him on his own without Anders there glaring at me. Slightly off-putting and it always makes me forget."
Orana simply nods.
With a pat on the shoulder, ending in a slight squeeze, Merrill jogs across the square while following her red twine, leaving Orana at the door.
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