fadewalk | RP: Dagna

Inside the room with the shattered eluvian, Sigrun patted Jager on the head as Neria took her leave. Then she turned to Dagna.

"Soooo...I don't know the first thing about broken elven magical mirrors, but if you need my help, just say the word, I guess? I'm good at helping."

She stepped closer to the the mirror's frame, tilting her head back to look up at it. "Sure is big. Are you sure you can fix it? I mean, we might need a ladder. Or I guess we could lay it on the floor."

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"Laying it on the floor seems better and easier to handle it, but we'll need to collect all the glass shards first."

And with theses words, she handed Sigrun a large piece of fabric to put the shards on "Careful to not cut yourself. I don't know what it could cause." and then she smiled again, starting to collect shards herself.

Sigrun blanched.

"Ooh, now that's a scary thought. Weird demon-y mirror, who knows what kinds of things could happen with a scratch." She shuddered, but also looked vaguely delighted by the prospect. "Beards of the Paragons, and we tell scary stories about darkspawn in Orzammar. Creepy magic stuff, though - that would work much better to scare the piss out of you. Oooh."

She bent to start gathering shards into her cloth, handling them gingerly.

"I know, right? My father used to tell me stories about darkspawn stealing children from their beds during the night if they didn't eat all the nug stew." she laughed, gathering the shards and glancing at Sigrun "But if he really wanted to convince me, he should've told me about Rock Wraiths and Profanes, much more efficient."

"Ha. Or at least talking, thinking darkspawn. Those things are extra freaky." Sigrun made a face.

Dagna remained in silence for a brief moment.
"And those seem to be very popular nowadays, huh?"

Another smile crossed her face.
"Interesting how demonic forces trying to destroy the world can easily become bedtime stories for children, thanks to people like miss Neria and you."

Sigrun paused, holding her cloth full of glass pieces aloft, and shot a quick glance at Dagna.

"I feel like that was a compliment, maybe? But if you're trying to compare me to the Hero of Ferelden, I really should tell you that that's not a great analogy. I mean, I may be a Grey Warden, but all that is is a more effective darkspawn killer. And I'm from the Legion of the Dead, I was pretty good at that before." She tilted her head. "Well, I mean, I suppose you could say we're both supposed to be dead, since Neria was supposed to die killing the archdemon and I already had my funeral and everything, but that's about it.

She grinned, moving closer to Dagna with her burden. "Nah, me, I'm not a hero. I'm just really, really good at not dying. Duster specialty, yeah?"

"Yea, as far as I know the Dust Town is full of opportunities for people to learn how to avoid death." she glanced at Sigrun with a sad smile, then back to focus on her shards "Y'know, you and miss Neria sell yourselves very short. She always told me she was just the Hero 'cause she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, which may be totally true, as well it might be true that Grey Wardens are just darkspawn killers but... they're needed, you're needed, right? And Grey Wardens inspire people too. The circumstances might have given miss Neria the chance for her greatness be at her best, but that was already inside her. And even such greatness would be worth nothing if she hadn't good people like you by her side. So, she was chosen as the face for the Hero of Ferelden, but the real Hero is all the people who fought by her side."

Dagna frowned, thinking of her own words for a moment.

"So, for me, you're a Hero just like her. You can try to deny it, but you are. People in Amaranthine must think that way too."

Edited Date: 2015-08-09 07:11 am (UTC)

Sigrun was quiet for a long time. She moved to the far side of the room and knelt to unload the shards she had gathered, lifting each carefully and setting them down neatly one by one. She touched one, right in the center where it seemed...oily, almost, a darkness gathered in the middle instead of clear glass and reflected light like most mirrors.

"I had this friend, right," she said quietly, at last. "Varlan Vollney. He used to say we were heroes, we Legionnaires, because we kept the darkspawn out of Orzammar. Gave our lives and our blood to keep the thaig safe. I wasn't used to being called anything like that. I was Carta. Pickpocket. Casteless. Not even the Stone wanted me. But they said it would take me back, you know, if I died fighting darkspawn. So I planned on that. But we were overrun, and if the Commander hadn't found me - I don't think I would be dead. I think I would be a broodmother. Not like the Stone's going to want me then, eh?"

Sigrun exhaled. "Anyway. There she was, this elf mage who had stopped a Blight, there to save me. And it's not like I stay with her 'cause I owe her, you know, although that's part of it, I guess. She just has this way of gathering up people nobody else wants and making them into a family. A very strange family, but still. And if you're just fighting to keep your family safe more than anything, that isn't very heroic." She stood, lifting her cloth again, and wandered back over towards Dagna to gather more shards.

"I s'pose I just don't see myself as a hero, any way you slice it." She looked over at Dagna, and went a little red under her tattoos. "Kind of you to say, though," she mumbled.

"Don't mention it. Anyway, I think even fighting to protect your family has its merit, y'know? You may see it as something selfish, something to ensure you'll have a place to come back by the end of the day with people who accepts you regardless, but the very idea of risking your life for something, anything, is pretty selfless."

She smiled without glancing at Sigrun, moving around her to reach new shards.

"As for miss Neria she is sure... unique. When I met her, in Orzammar, she supported my dream to study magic in a Circle. Me, a girl she never saw before that day. For days I wondered if she would keep her promisse on talking to the First Enchanter, but I didn't let my hopes high, y'know? She seemed to be a good person, but she was fighting the Blight with less than a dozen guys, even if really intended to do so there was a huge chance she wouldn't. But she did." she chuckled "Can you believe it? What kind of person keeps a Circle from being anulled after a mage rebellion, saves the First Enchanter and 'y'know master Irving, I have this dwarf friend and she reeeeally wants to study magic with you guys, probably after you clean all this demon goo around, whatcha say?'. The Stone may have turned on me for following my dream, but I guess it was worth it, 'cause she hadn't. Every time I travelled or visited a new Circle, I would find a letter writen by her waiting for me, asking about my studies, researchs, recommending books to look into and even messages from my father. He can't talk to me now I left Orzammar, but it doesn't mean he can't talk to her, so..."

Sigrun glanced up from her work and gave Dagna a thoughtful look. She smiled. "You see things very optimistically, Dagna."

"But yes," she said, turning back to the shards, "Neria is...surprising. She sees a lot of good in everyone, no matter their pasts."

"Well, thank you, I guess." she giggled, unloading her glass shards in the pile and back to gather more "Inquisitor Lavellan is a bit like that too, but she is far more... colorful than miss Neria."

Sigrun tilted her head, the motion rather birdlike. "Colorful how?"

"One might think she is a little insane, y'know, 'cause she is mostly alone, muttering stuff in elven and humming, but the truth is she is probably the smartest person I've ever known. She is very pragmatic and focused and I guess nothing shake her beliefs, but she can totally space out when you're talking to her and out of nowhere she'll come up with some theory about what is going on and you'll just see she was listening to every single word you said. She doesn't smile as easily as miss Neria too, she's kinda grumpy and always complaining when she has to clean the other people's mess. But she is a good person, definitely."

Sigrun pondered this.

"It sounds as though you enjoy her company. How did you come to work for the Inquisition? I thought you were touring the Circles and learning from them."

"Oh, I do enjoy her company. She is not like the other mages, she can almost rationalize things as me, and this is great to analize things under another point of view."

Dagna unloaded more shards.

"I heard about the Inquisition a little before they closed the Breach. The Circle of Magi was already extinct and I was wondering what to do next, since I wasn't part of the mage rebellion. Then, after the Breach was closed, I went after their agents and offered my knowledge and expertise. Figured they would need someone like me."

Sigrun grinned, bumping elbows gently with Dagna as she joined to set down her next clothful of shards at the edge of the room.

"I'm sure they did. All the studying you did - must've been very helpful to them, in times like these."

(OOC: also, side-note - how do you feel about bringing in the envy demon for some combat?)

"Ahh, well..." she bounced sideways, grinning "I may have helped a li-- okay, a lot. Especially on how cracking Samson's Red Lyrium Armor." she giggled

(ooc: This will be interesting! Specially 'cause Dagna doesn't fight shit! xD What do you have in mind?)

"Red lyrium armor?" Sigrun looked confused, then intrigued. "I've never heard of that."

(ooc: Other than general chaos and probable Sigrun being a bad-ass, not much XD We can just see how it goes? If the demon's been beat up by Cullen and co in the dungeon, and also Alistair and Zevran before it comes over here, it might not be too difficult to beat it back.)

"Yes, marvelous formari work. Provided all Red Lyrium Samson needed to keep himself strong and powerful without turning him into a Red Lyrium abomination, strong against magic and melee attacks. A real shame the tranquil who did the work died, he would've had so much information to share..." she let out a deep sigh

(ooc: well, I guess it works; Dagna surely can help with runes and we also have the mabari hound to help, if I remember right. Let's do this! ^^)

Sigrun looked suspicious, her lips pursing.

"Death by lyrium poisoning, no doubt," she said softly. The thought appeared to sadden her, and she opened her mouth to add something else.

Across the room, Jager, who had been dozing quietly, shot to his paws and started barking wildly. The door to the eluvian room blew open with a bang, heralding the arrival of a freakishly ugly demon, like a twisted, horrific human form bent back on itself. It roared, already bleeding from various wounds, and started towards the two dwarves.

Sigrun dropped her cloth filled with shards abruptly and sprang forward and rolled, gaining her feet with a dagger in each hand and a snarl on her lips. She crouched between Dagna and the demon and growled, a wordless noise.

Dagna yelled, both surprised and scared by the demon.

"By the Stone... is this... the Envy Demon?!" she scrambled to the nearby cover, flipping the pages on her journal hurriedly "Where is it... where... ah! Here! Inquisitor Trevelyan says the demon had her on its hands before it started to read her mind, to assimilate her memories! Don't let it catch you!"

The demon screeched and Dagna shivered.

"Right," Sigrun said, not taking her eyes off the demon. "No...touching."

She spared a glance to Jager and a nod, which the mabari seemed to understand because he sprang at the demon, jaws gaping, and latched his fangs around one long spindly arm. The demon screamed, and swung its arm in a circle wide enough to dislodge the aging dog and toss him easily against the wall.

Sigrun, meanwhile, had vanished in a cloud of smoke, emerging a few moments later to spring forward and bury her daggers in the demons back. Or...what passed for its back, anyways. But then the creature was writhing and spinning and Sigrun's hold slipped. She dropped to the floor and rolled again, trying her best to avoid the flailing limbs, coming up once more between Dagna and the demon.

You, it growled, a sound that echoed through Sigrun's very bones, and fixed its eyeless gaze on Dagna. So many thoughts, ideas, plans inside that pretty head. To be you - ah! That would be too question the very fabric of Thedas. What could I do with all that knowledge?

"I'm sure we won't find out, ever!" Dagna's hands searched her pockets after something and her eyes widened when she found it. "Sigrun, duck!"

She threw a grenade engraved with fire runes just at the demon's feet.

Sigrun dove for the floor just as the grenade flew over her head and exploded at the demon's feet, knocking it back a few steps. Jager meanwhile took the opportunity to gather himself and harry at the demon's legs.

Still, the creature seemed largely undaunted, mostly ignoring the mabari in favor of advancing again. Sigrun shoved the daggers she was still holding into her belt and yanked out several smaller throwing knives, though from where exactly was unclear.

As if your petty toys could harm me! The demon laughed, a harsh sound, like glass shattering. Tell me, Arcanist, how would it feel to have all your work of the past months undone? You think you have defeated me, bested the Elder One? But here I am. I could crush you, and no one would be the wiser.

"Hey you!" Sigrun yelled. "Creepy demon face! You gonna just stand around and talk all day, or do you want a real challenge?" She spun one of the small blades in her hand and then threw it with all her strength, so that it landed precisely in the center of the thing's not-face.

"Corypheus is past! Inquisitor Lavellan made sure of it!! Besides, what do you think you can do here, against the Hero?! Against two Inquisitors and their friends?! You'll be history, just like Corypheus, and I'll make sure my pretty toys are part of it!"

And then the fire originated from the grenade's explosion turned light blue, spreading fast through the room. The demon screamed a horible scream.

"Veil fire! Harmless against the living, surprisingly mean to demons! Take that!"