[color=9e0b0f] [h3]Alarand[/h3] [b]The Reaver[/b]
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[color=ff9999]Alarand wordlessly nodded at her comment, grimacing as he carefully pulled the edges of his dripping pantlegs from his boots. It was strange, how waterlogged clothing and boots were harder to get off than dry. He carefully stepped towards the entrance before dumping the water out of them, enough to fill a canteen. He moved a larger piece of wood over and sat on it near the fire after hanging his boots. There was a hypnotic feel to staring into fire, it was strangely comforting- it wasn't that [/color][color=ed1c24][i]it[/i][/color][color=ff9999] disapeared as much as it was sated by the cavorting flames. His lips parted when she dropped the blanket over his shoulders, but he decided against offering comment. Alarand idly picked off pieces of bark from the wood he was sitting on, toss it into the coals and watching them consume it.

There was more than a little disapointment went she slid a flat piece of stone over the fire, hiding the ripple of heat around the coals, and disguising their golden glow. The crackling sound of cooking meat bringing him out of his reverie. Alarand continued to watch it for a moment after she asked though, trying to organize his thoughts. [i]Careful.[/i] It wasn't long before he stood and slowly spread the blanket near the other drying articles, as it was a bit damp from contact with his clothing. "Before I tell you," Alarand paused, rethinking what he was going to say. "You have to know that it will be dangerous to take me there..." he cleared his throat uncomfortably. "...and I can't let you leave until we finish what we came here to do." Alarand quickly raised his hands defensively before she could react. "It isn't that I don't find you trustworthy, but I can't tell you details otherwise."
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[color=0072bc] [h3]Asha’ren[/h3] [b]The Guide[/b]
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[color=cce5ff] looked at him closely. "That's quite the demand." She considered his words for a few minutes as she turned the meat, making sure it didn't burn. "To be fair, you don't know that I [i] am [/i] trustworthy." Asha's eyes glittered with a bit of mirth as she fetched two smaller pieces of slate, washed clean by the rain from just inside the cave's entrance. Though her motions were calm, her mind was racing. She'd been looking for a way to get out of this constant cycle of life she'd found herself stuck in. She never made enough coin to leave the Coast, only enough to keep her in drink and food and when she was lucky, in dry clothes. Asha'ren passed Alarand a makeshift plate with half the rabbit on it. "You said I'd be compensated by your 'friends'. Compensated how?" [/color]

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He watched quietly as she stood and retrieved some flat stone from the entrance for use as plates. It was clear she had been living here for some time, though he was certainly no expert in tracking or investigation. Alarand already knew that he wasn’t going to give her any true detail unless she agreed to follow through to the end. “I suppose that depends on what you want. If it’s money, I can promise ten crowns- though you will have to accompany me to the nearest settlement before I can pay.” Alarand appraised her thoughtfully for a moment before resuming, “Or, if you would like, you can accompany me on my return journey to S- the Dales.” He grimaced at the slip of tongue. Mentioning Skyhold would be a dead give away. “I am not sure if my companions will join me, but unless an emergency shows up, I intend on heading that direction. We would be safe enough, and you would be free to leave at any point on the way.” Alarand studied her face, pondering a third option.
 
The Inquisition was still growing, but he was certainly no recruiter. On the other hand of course, if they had been willing to work with a mess such as himself, surely an elf-blooded would be welcome. He would have to see what the others thought of the idea before speaking on it though.[/color]

[color=cce5ff] Asha'ren looked at him intently. "I'll take you where you need to go on two conditions. One, that you explain why all this needed to be shrouded in secrecy with a veneer of abduction, and two, that you help me get set up in the Dales. I don't expect you to build me a house with your bare hands, but maybe introduce me to a few people? If I spend one more season out here on this godsforsaken Coast with nobody for company I'll go mad. Is that a deal  you can make?" Asha asked, the intimacy that their current situation provided caused her to be brutally honest without fear of judgment. After all, how much judgment could a soaked elf really give? [/color]

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[i]Mad?[/i] He raised his eyebrows slightly. [i]I wonder how many people truly know the feeling. [/i]“Oh, I can introduce you to people.” A slow smile tugged at his lips at the private jest. “If we make it out of this in one piece, you’ll have plenty of time on the road to extort me.” [i]People are social creatures,[/i] [/color][color=ed1c24][i]I am not.[/i][/color][color=ff9999] To him, the idea of being alone for weeks at a time might be refreshing... though the images of being gagged, bound, and blindfolded suddenly flashing through his skull were a fairly good argument to the contrary. “I suppose now that you are leaving, the forest is open for invasion again?” He glanced around in mock approval. “It’s a shame really, considering how much effort you put into decorating.”
 
Alarand reached into his pocket and pulled out a wet piece of parchment, unfolding it. “Well, glad to know that they saved on the ink.” He grimaced and tossed the mess of dripping ink at the edge of the fire, where it hissed and shrank, bubbling. “In short, I need you to take me to a clearing somewhere in this valley, there should be a fairly large entrance to the largest part of the cave system near there- an obvious one. He raked his brain for the other directions, trying to remember what had been written. “A double set of twin peaks can be seen west of it, and most of the trees around it should be oak.” In all honesty, it wasn’t an excellent description, but it had seemed enough, when he had been hiking towards the visible peaks from Amaranthine, along the designated trail.
 
The elf sighed, shaking his head. “The cave is an entrance to a Red Lyrium mine, and we have been sent to investigate.” He separated a piece of rabbit meat and bit into it, chewing. “And, now that I told you, I can’t let you just walk away, in case we find a surprise party waiting for us when we head in.” He began separating other edible pieces away from the rest, making a pile. “We don’t plan on announcing ourselves, exactly.” Alarand gave a meaningful glance in her direction before starting in on his meal.[/color]