fadewalk | RP: Sigrun

Inside the mage tower and with the Envy Demon gone, Dagna could finally dedicate herself and her efforts into something else: Getting out of the Fade and (With Inquisitor Lavellan around, activating the Eluvian will be far more simple. Shouldn't be glad about it, but good thing she's here!), if possible, aiding with the Cure (Miss Neria is so, so happy with ser Alistair around - her husband it is, not the king or the ex-Warden - I can't possibly not help her with curing the taint. I know she doesn't think that way, but I owe her.)
(truth to be told, even when the envy demon was lingering in Skyhold she was already thinking and planning how to leave the Fade and how to aid with the Cure.)

A new wave of people had arrived at Skyhold and, more than finding a way out, she was wondering again what was transporting them in the first place. Was it possible that, even after their departure through the Eluvian, more people arrived in that Skyhold? The whole situation was indeed mysterious, but the little Arcanist was determined to, at least, leave hints and clues on how to escape (once it was figured).

She was conducting experiments on her new work table, Jäger sleeping soundly few steps to her side. The Veil Fire granade had been a huge sucess and the more means to fight demons, the merrier.

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"Maybe." Sigrun went back to sorting the ingredients Dagna had laid out.

After a few moments of silence, she said, "You know, I never thought much about love. Like, as a general concept? Definitely not as applicable to me. I mean, there were dusters who fell in love, but it was mostly the men, seemed like, and it didn't matter anyways, because nobody wanted somebody whose sons would be casteless. The women, like me...love wasn't really an option, you know? Not when the only way out was noble hunting. Expecting to get love out of that was just setting yourself up for heartbreak, and that was weakness, and only the strong ever survived that place. So."

She nodded to herself, quick calloused fingers moving nimbly as she spoke. "Then I've just been...too busy with the Wardens to think about it. I guess Wardens can marry, not just ones that marry in secret like the Commander, but none of the ones at Vigil's Keep really did. Oghren I think considered it, but he takes care of Felsi just fine without. Well, I say just fine - just fine for him, ha."

"My father wanted me to marry a young man, before I left Orzammar. Just one more thing that miss Neria saved me from." she shrugged "Never give any thoughts for love too, but it seems wrong to marry someone you don't love. I'd rather be together with someone I liked than having the blessing of my family or anyone else. Marriage seems just a small detail when you really love someone, I suppose. "

She pondered, hands moving slightly nervous.

"But, again, never gave much thought into love. Seems beautiful, and complicated, but also somewhat amazing. Travelling around Circles with mages and templars doesn't give much room to fall in love. But, well, if a pretty and smart dwarf like you is all alone, I guess I should consider learning some old lady hobby, because I'm definitely doomed. "

"Yeah...I never put much stock in marriage. I mean, sure, if you want to. I just don't think you have to get married if you're in love. It's just...it's different up here, isn't it? I guess I could get married if I wanted to here. It's not something that my kind usually do, though." Sigrun frowned in thought.

At Dagna's old lady comment, she let out a loud snort of laughter and then clapped a hand over her mouth and giggled through her fingers.

"You're not old!" she said, mock-affronted.

She looked down at her what her hands were doing, and then glanced at Dagna from the corner of her eye and asked, hesitantly, "You think I'm pretty?"

"Of course you are!

Dagna retorted quickly, perhaps too quickly.
She blushed.

"I-I mean... you're brave and smart and kind, and those things can really make someone look gorgeous. Not that you aren't pretty too, in a more physical way, that you are for sure. But the heart is what matters most, I guess."

"Oh," Sigrun said with some surprise, her eyes going to Dagna's face. She started to look briefly disappointed when Dagna started extolling her other than physical attributes, but it passed quickly when Dagna clarified.

Sigrun got a secret sort of smile and looked back down at her hands.

"I think you're pretty too," she offered.

"Well, thank you."

Without noticing, she tucked some falling strands of her behind her ear, just as red as her hair.

"S-should we go on with the grenades?"

Sigrun dusted her hands off on her trousers, grinning.

"Sure!" she chirped. "What's next?"

"N-now I have to engrave some runes, so it will work with the mix."

She pulled a wooden arm with a magnifier on it, placing the lens just above the middle of her working table. From a box, she picked some empty white stones, perfectly round and slightly polished, and placed just bellow the magnifier, a gouge on her slightly trembling hand to begin the process.

"Right," Sigrun said, watching Dagna's next steps with big keen blue eyes without moving to help her. She swallowed.

"I'm gonna...just..." she waved a hand vaguely and leaned a hip against the table they were working in front of, proceeding to simply stand and stare.

Dagna was still blushing at her previous conversation with Sigrun, trying to hide it behind her work. But her usually confident and precise gestures when working seemed... odd. Rusty even.

By the Stone!
Sigrun was, of course, delightful and her company was much appreciated but right now, having her around was difficult. Dagna had never felt so strange around someone before.

Sigrun could tell Dagna was uncomfortable. Nervous about something, maybe? She frowned and scratched at the back of her neck.

Of course she is, a voice in her head scolded, with you just standing there gawking like an idiot. How's a body supposed to get any work done like that, I ask you? Branka's tits, Sig. Don't be an asshole.

"Sorry," Sigrun apologized immediately. "I'm over here staring and being totally unhelpful and you're just trying to work. Probably can't concentrate with me around breathing down your neck, huh? I'll just...go and...do something else. Sorry."

"What?"

Dagna gasped, her gouge falling from her hand with the sudden motion of her body, to look at Sigrun.

"Nooo! No, that's not it!" she motioned to recover the tool "I like having you around, really." then she realized her words "I-I mean..."

The Arcanist sighed.

"I don't know what have come to me, sorry."

Sigrun, already halfway across the room, stopped, looking a little perplexed by the strength of Dagna's reaction. She drifted back towards her.

"Um. Okay, I can - I can stay, then. If you're sure? I mean, I really don't want to be a bother. I know you have important things to do..."

She reached out to touch Dagna's arm and thought better of it, dropping her hand back to her side with a sigh.

"Stay, yes! Though it must be very boring to see me work..."

Dagna swallowed hard, staring Sigrun, glancing at the motion her hand and then back to her eyes.

"Don't know what else is left to do here, but..."

Sigrun grinned and pushed a few of the tools on the table back to make room for her to hop up and sit down. One thing she had to admit she liked about the surface - yes, everything was much too big, and yes, it did get annoying staring up at humans and elves all the time (she was always getting aches in her neck, truth be told - but she did get a particularly childlike satisfaction from being able to swing her legs around while sitting on tall things, since she inevitably was never able to touch the floor.

"Nah, it's not boring. I mean, I don't always understand what you're doing, but it's definitely not boring."

"Well... thank you. Not everyone has enough patience to stand me, my blabbing and the occasional explosion of my experiments. Aside from you, I guess only the Inquisitor doesn't run away in the first opportunity."

Dagna went back to her rune crafting.

"Truth to be told, she's not very normal, specially after that thing with the well... so, I don't know how much can she be considered a reference."

Sigrun picked up one of the chisels from where it sat on the table behind her and toyed with it between her quick fingers.

"Nah, I'm used to things exploding around me. I mean, I like to throw explodey things at bad guys. And then there was Dworkin. Dworkin Glavonak? I don't know if you'd have heard of him. He's a surfacer who used to live at Vigil's Keep. Had a penchant for blowing things up. Which could be damned useful sometimes, even if he was a bit of a hazard."

"I heard about him, yes. Making bombs with lyrium, right? Very unpredictable. The bombs, I mean."

Sigrun flipped the chisel into the air and caught it.

"Yeah," she agreed. "I think he had quite a lot of assistants die while he was working on the formula?"

"Well... that is... terrible."

She concluded, shrugging.

"Thank the stone my experiments body count is 'none'."

Sigrun set the chisel down again and gave a vigorous nod.

"You are quite the superior explodey crafter," she agreed, all seriousness, though her blue eyes sparkled. "I mean, just look what your grenades did to that demon!'

Dagna chuckled, clumsy.

"Thank you. I wasn't sure they would work, in fact. I'm glad they did."

Sigrun gave a wide grin at that and went back to peering at what Dagna was doing, with interest.

Dagna's skilled hands worked with care and precision to engrave the runestones, occasionally stopping to take more material or to sharpen the gouge.

"So... what is it like to explore Thedas? Travel to all places, meet new people and traditions...?"

Sigrun wrinkled her nose. "Wet, mostly. Usually cold. We spend a lot of time camping under the stars on rocky ground, and an awful lot of time walking. There have been interesting things - meeting new people, sometimes seeing the cities we pass through, but we don't really linger anywhere unless Neria is onto something there."

She laughed, putting her palms on the table behind her and leaning back on her hands. She kicked her feet. "I never thought I'd get to be the sort of person who missed things like real beds and baths - I mean, the luxury of having those things in the first place to miss, ha! But I do."

"Some of my favorite things are the ruins. And the libraries! We check out a lot of both, trying to find ideas and leads for the Cure. The elven ruins are like nothing I ever saw before I lived on the surface, and sometimes we get to go underground if we find dwarven ruins, which is always nice. Well, I think so. I don't think Velanna and Nathaniel agree with me there. And I've seen more books with my own two eyes now than I ever expected to in my lifetime. Sometimes I even got to touch them!" She sighed wistfully. "That was nice."