Vigil for Waiting in Camp

The trip had not been as bad as Jezarine had expected and the cushions in the cart made the travel rather calm and as painless as possible on Wolfram. Not only that but Jezarine kept the man asleep for the most part using sleep spells and balms to keep him from feeling pain.

She had sat in the wagon looking out the side and talking with Ianto, going through her personal training and teaching him about more herbs. It was a pleasant enough trip because of the cushioning but other than that it was not exciting.

"So if we add this herb with the ... oh Wolfram seems to be waking up. Hey." Jezarine smiled at her patient and put down her book, replacing a marker between the pages.

Wolfram sleep had been lost to him. Any dreams he had were interrupted by Zerus. And with each interruption, he snapped out of the dream. If not for Jezarine's spells, he would have awoken. Zerus had been derailing any dreams he had. She wanted to take advantage of the situation. She constantly offered to give him the power to get revenge for the injury he received. Despite his state, his will never faltered. Provided the others survived the assault, they'd be able to get revenge in his stead.

"Zerus. I know how dedicated you are to me. I know how you definitely have my best interests at heart. But you should know that my body is not up for grabs. Good bye, demon." Wolfram replied as his latest dream abruptly ended. Only this time, he began to open his eyes. He eventually opened them fully and looked around.

"Hey?...If it's not rude to ask thing, how am I?"

The one sided conversation with the demon was heard but Jezarine did not take any notice of it or speak of it when Wolfram noticed them. She believed that whatever a patient said was confidential even if it was said in their sleep or waking moments. It was not her place to comment or ask questions unless it dealt with something that needed to be dealt with, such as who stabbed the patient or what not.

"Hey. You're back to the awake land." She smiled at him, "It isn't rude to ask. It is your health by the way. I got the stone out and any residual sediment from it. It did do quite a bit of damage and it did take time to repair but it is on it's way to being fully healed. You won't be getting yourself into any danger for at least a day or two as you are going to be kept in the infirmary until you are healed enough to toss spells around."

"I can perform spells from my bed, if need be. But unless security is lax enough that I actually have to be thrown into a fight, I'm sure that won't be a problem." Wolfram replied. He knew he could still fight in this condition, provided he had a good bodyguard preventing enemies from getting close, but she does know what she's talking about. His eyes looked away as he began to wonder how the others were faring. He had a grim feeling that he wasn't the only casualty of the ambush, but he can't recall seeing anyone getting hurt. Then again, it took him a few minutes to realize he got hit, so it's hard to say.

He began looking around, trying to assess the area from the position he was in. It did look different than the area they had been before he went to sleep. "Did we set up camp again or have we reached Vigil's Keep yet? If the former, I either didn't sleep that long or I underestimated the distance between the Keep and Denerim, and if it's the later, I'm assuming their is a party ensuring it's safe first. Which one is right?"

"Yes and the key word in that statement is 'need be.' I'm not about to let my patient go doing anything stupid unless absolutely necessary." She tried to look tough and commanding but the woman just could not pull it off. Her big, brown eyes were too doe like to make anyone think she were scary.

Jezarine looked out at the people moving about camp and sighed, "We are a little more than a mile from Vigil's Keep and setting camp. They are making fortifications so we may be here a while. Apparently Nygozy noticed something she didn't like so decided to take a small force into the keep to check it out."

"Really, now? Well, let's see about that." He smirked as he tried to lift himself up. That was as far as he meant to go, it was a test. His face betrayed the pain he experienced. "Well...that was stupid."

He managed to support himself a bit by resting on his forearms. He only managed to lift himself high enough to brace his arms under him. "We may be here awhile? Well, if you don't mind, do you think you and your templar friend can help me to my feet. If I don't stretch my muscles, it will make it much harder to get back into the swing of things when I'm in better shape."

Jezarine rolled her eyes, "Yes that was stupid you silly mage."

She got up and stood by Wolfram's side, "Ianto? Care to give us a hand with this." To be honest the healer was quite worried about Wolfram's health but she knew he was right about having to move his legs, "You are only going to walk around this cart then back in you go. I can always work your legs without you walking about too much, risking a fall."

"If I had either of my staves, balance wouldn't be an issue. But Dragon's Call was stored away along with my Orlesian robes and my Iron Fade is...some where..." Wolfram drifted off, finally realizing that he was just in his pair of pants, with the armor removed.

From his waist up was full of bandages. Bandages covering the wound Dice gave him, a bandage covering his massive wound, and he presumed assorted bandages covering minor wounds. Oddly enough, his left had was bandage free. He reached for his neck and found nothing. Presumably, his Warden's Call was removed with his top. That reminded him..."Hey...Jezarine. I haven't seen any of the newer recruits with their Warden amulets. Was there not enough left after each joining to make them, or have you been short the actual amulet part?"

"The staffs are in that bunch of pillows and other stuff at the moment but it would take a bit to find them. Your other supplies are in those chests ... uhm, not sure which ones as some belong to Ianto and myself as well."

What had happened to the amulets? Jezarine looked down and took a deep breath, "We had the amulets and each was even inscribed but ... they were stolen."

"I can wait for a staff, for the moment. That reminds me that I'll need to acquire some Orlesian silk if I'm to mend the robes I came here in."

"Stolen?"Wolfram asked. As odd as that was, it certainly wasn't impossible. "You should be able to requisition more. With the large successes you've been having with your joinings, it wouldn't be out of the question to ask for more. You can just say that you recruited more than your supply and you need more."

"Orlesian silk?" Jezarine smiled widely, almost hopping with excitement but she didn't because she was holding onto him, "Once everything is all set up we can go to the city, oh what's it's name again, doesn't matter but we can go there and get some really nice Orlesian silk. I think there are trade caravans which come through this area on a regular basis." Her eyes gleamed with the thought of things she could get a seamstress to make for her.

"Well that's true but isn't it supposed to be the blood from their joining? I suppose your idea is best though. It just saddens me that someone would even take them. I hope it wasn't my brother or I'll have to give him such a talking to."

"Yeah, I wouldn't let Rakot know it, but the robes I came here in are far from usual attire. Empress Celene presented these robes to me before I departed for Ferelden. Had I known I would be getting myself cut up I would have brought my clothes instead of asking them to be sent when we establish the base in Ferelden."

"Well, yes...but you can always make up a small batch to use for the amulets. I mean, with people like Rakot who down the remaining mixture, it's bound to happen occasionally." Wolfram looked down. "This man who took part in the joining with me...he ended up dumping the rest of the mixture into the dirt when he collapsed. The blood used for my amulet came from a new batch that they used for a following Joining. Oh, and the man survived, if your curious. I believe his name was Stroud, but I'm not quite sure anymore."

Ianto watched as Jezarine chatted with the recently woken mage. He hadn't said anything about it, but he'd seen the way the mage had been speaking lightly in his sleep, and he'd had his magic dispelling aura at the ready since then. He trusted the other Warden, of course, but he was a Templar, and he wasn't stupid - he recognized the look of the demon-touched, and one always had to be careful with them. The only reason, in fact, that he hadn't already shrouded the mage in his anti-magic aura was because of Jezarine; he had no way of knowing if she'd need her healing magic any time soon, and he didn't want to interfere with that if it became necessary.

Then the mage - Maker, what was his name? Wolfram? He should probably remember these things . . . - asked to move, to stand, and he wordlessly stood up and stepped out of the cart, moving close as they helped the wounded man to stand.

He was perfectly content to stand and listen, but something Jez had said had piqued his interest. "Stolen?" he asked, looking from around Wolfram (yeah, that was probably his name . . . hopefully) to look at her. "Who would steal something like that? They're just heirlooms - they're not valuable. I don't think you could give them away."

Jezarine listened to Wolfram and managed a slight grin, "Oh Rakot's just a big, grumpy bear who likes to mark his territory a lot. That doesn't make him any less dangerous though."

She chuckled thinking of Marcus' joining then sighed, "Some really do go through the joining mixture in a bad way. I could make up a small batch but theirs were inscribed as well which makes it extra sad."

Suddenly Ianto's voice filled the air and she looked up at him, surprised that he was saying anything at all. He wasn't the sort to talk when she was discussing things with a patient but this was different. It wasn't about the patient and was about other situations within the group. That he would certainly be interested in and she smiled up at him then shrugged.

"I'm not sure, Ianto. It was probably just a petty theft of pretty baubles that a person could sell at the marketplace. They look rather expensive as they were designed and created with intent upon the individual. They are not like a normal warden locket because of that."

Maybe it would have been better to come here in my normal Warden regalia. I wouldn't have to go out of my way to repair it when I could just requisition a few spare uniforms." Wolfram replied. He thought about making another comment about the lack of uniform here in Ferelden, but perhaps Nygozy's predecessor had good reason for not having them.

"Well, hopefully they had a very good reason for stealing them. The profits could be feeding a poor family in the slums. Or, they might have just got themselves killed and the money was stolen from them. You can never predict such things."

He nodded, crossing his arms behind his head as he listened to Jez and then Wolfram offer their own hypotheses. When he thought about it, they both made a lot of sense. There was no reason why anyone would be stealing them because they belonged to the Wardens - anything shiny and valuable looking had a chance of catching a thief's eye, sentimental or not. He absently fingered the chain that hung around his own neck, for some reason inordinately glad that the materials for the pendants hadn't been stolen before his own Joining.

"Hmm yeah - you're right. Either way, I wonder if it would be bad if they got into the wrong hands. Or, wrong-er hands, since thieves' hands aren't so 'right' in the first place. I mean, they /do/ have darkspawn blood in them, right?"

Royce had been on his way to...do something that he couldn't quiet remember. So in actuality he was just wondering aimlessly about. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his Ianto and his Jez, (because in his mind they were his play things,) and Wolfman (who looked worse for wear at the moment).

Directing his feet away from his aimless wanderings and pondering, the man walked up behind Ianto and slung an arm around his shoulders. "Hmmm.....Yes.....quiet..." he murmured facetiously, a smirk plastered on his features.

"I agree completely with my dear Jezarine here." He now moved from the templar to the elf, and wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzling his nose into the crook of her neck, even though he had to hunch his shoulders down quiet a lot to reach her in this way.

..:: Ah Roy. Always butting in to conversations and pretending to know what the hell is going on xD ::..

Maybe it would have been better to come here in my normal Warden regalia. I wouldn't have to go out of my way to repair it when I could just requisition a few spare uniforms."

"It might have been an idea I suppose, especially since travel is dirty." Jezarine meekly said, not wanting to hurt the man's feelings.

"Well, hopefully they had a very good reason for stealing them. The profits could be feeding a poor family in the slums. Or, they might have just got themselves killed and the money was stolen from them. You can never predict such things."

"Hmm yeah - you're right. Either way, I wonder if it would be bad if they got into the wrong hands. Or, wrong-er hands, since thieves' hands aren't so 'right' in the first place. I mean, they /do/ have darkspawn blood in them, right?"

Then there was Royce and she smirked and shook her head, turning her eyes to him for the moment then looked up at Ianto as the man crooked himself into nuzzling her neck, a curious bend to her eyebrow.

"Hmmm.....Yes.....quiet... I agree completely with my dear Jezarine here."

"Thanks Royce." Jezarine was amused for only a moment from Royce's cuddling then she started to feel bad about the amulets having been "lost" like this but after a few moments she sighed resignedly, "Hopefully they will ..."

Her eyes shot open and she gasped, "Oh my oh my! What if they got into the wrong hands and they somehow were broken open because they do look like some kind of jewels and the blood was spilled out and some poor soul accidentally got the blood on their hand or something and they somehow got the blood in their mouth and they accidentally would have gone through the ritual then and maybe there are a few dead people or people who have the warden's taint and can hear and feel darkspawn and are caught not knowing what in the world happened and oh no that would be cruel to someone wouldn't it not knowing what was going on and wanting to eat so much because wardens are like hungry hungry when they first become wardens and I feel so sorry if that happened but I don't know what we could do I wonder if wardens could find other wardens maybe we should try to find out what happened to the lockets because that could be dangerous and troublesome and ..."

Wolfram tried to shush Jezarine up upon seeing Royce show up, not knowing what he already knew about the Joining as she blabbed about it, but he paused and stopped to think about what she said. There was no certainty of that happening, but there was no proof that the situation couldn't happen.

"You...you have a point there. Once the Keep has been secured we should probably look into the theft. I'll make sure of it," Wolfram replied, before a surge of pain shot out from his healing wounds. "Once I've recovered, that is."

Wolfram backed up towards the wagon, using it as a support until the pain subsided. If only Takara and her new 'super healing' abilities were here, but with his luck, it would backfire on him. "I think I should lie back down now."

Royce smiled cheekily as Jez rambled on. He found her very adorable, and was very pleased he choose her to be his play thing. "Now now Jez, you mustn't worry yourself over things out of your control." Using his hand, he cupped her chin and turned her gaze up to his green eyes. "You'll make yourself sick that way. And then I'll be worried about you." he said putting on his own adorable worried look.

"We will find these amulets. And they will be all undamaged and all people involved will not be injured, at least from the blood inside them." Roy was quiet pleased with his ability to bull shit through a conversation only having picked up key points from everyone's statements.

In a moment in the middle of camp, melting out of the very air into solid form were two figures, Fremelda and Sophia. They had taken a journey through the Fade to get Fremelda back to Jezarine quickly for healing the spear wound she sustained. It was still skewered into her abdomen, and she was feeling weak and cold. Why did this happen? Why me? I am not ready to die. I haven't extracted my revenge yet. Fremelda dazedly mused to herself. She had never been in the Fade before and was terrified by what she saw in there, but did not let it show on her face. She felt like it was the end for her as she collapsed on the ground at Sophia's feet, staring skyward. Still alive, but only just.

Lithawen has been uncharacteristically quiet for the past week. And so her arrival in the camp was just as quiet as she has been.

Tying up Arlathan, the elven mage moved to the packs without acknowledging the others around her. She sat down and nibbled on a loaf of bread and some cheese while she poured herself over her arcane books.

The arrival of Sophia and Fremelda stunned Wolfram. How was Sophia able to do that? She was one of the few human mages, probably just him and her, as well as a blood mage, but what she did was something that was promised to him by Kraven. Sophia was hardly your run-of-the-mill human blood mage, however. Something about her makes him think she has much more magical experience than most of the mages here put together.

But Fremelda was the appropriate concern now. She had a similiar, if cleaner, wound to what he had. It wasn't from a rock, like his was. Perhaps a polearm of some sort. "You should tend to her wounds. Ianto, or...other guy, you might want to grab some lyrium potions. Jezarine might be needing them. Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself."

Hugging the side of the wagon, Wolfram climbed back in. He struggled to get into the back and find the ironbark box Kraven gave him. He opened it up and saw the remaining three bottles. He must not have put his sample of archdemon blood in the box. It's probably with the rest of his stuff. He grabbed a vial, looked at it, and gulped it down with ease. He put the bottle back in the box and returned the box to where it was kept. He couldn't feel the pain from the blood over the pain of his own injuries. He went back to where he was sleeping before and laid down. Before long, he fell asleep.

"You...you have a point there. Once the Keep has been secured we should probably look into the theft. I'll make sure of it, once I've recovered, that is."

Jezarine put out a hand to do some more healing but Wolfram backed up and she watched him with concern.

"I think I should lie back down now."

"You really should lie down. Thank you, Wolfram. It's probably nothing but thank you for saying you will ..."

"Now now Jez, you mustn't worry yourself over things out of your control. You'll make yourself sick that way. And then I'll be worried about you."

He had cupped her chin and made her look into his eyes and continued, "We will find these amulets. And they will be all undamaged and all people involved will not be injured, at least from the blood inside them."

"Oh ... Roy ... I think that ..." Her head turned quickly as she felt something in the air which could only be a magical presence. Jezarine turned from Royce with worry, her breath coming out slowly as she tried not to panic but then Sophia and Fremelda were there. She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth with surprise and fear for the assassin's life.

She pulled away from Royce and dropped down by Fremelda's side, looking her over and taking inventory of what was wrong. She put a hand on Fremelda's forehead first, "Sleep." The spell was spoken in a soft whisper to increase it's effectiveness.

Jezarine didn't even hear the others speaking as she was dissolved into healing. It was in her blood, in her soul to heal and she could not deny the call, putting everything into saving Fremelda. Her eyes closed as she touched the other woman over the wound, gently, almost like the whisper of a feather. Her inner sight delved into the flesh to see all the damage and put the healer in a trance as she worked on taking care of blood vessels first. Stop the bleeding out first.

Ianto stiffened, as he felt an arm loop far too familiarly around his shoulders, and he looked up just in time to see Royce move from his side to Jez, acting for all the world as if he'd been included in their conversation from the start. His lips turned down as he fought the reddening in his face, pouting as Roy turned on the charm around Jez. While one part of him was undeniably jealous, in some respect, the other part couldn't help but envy that easy charisma that the red-haired man seemed to have in spades.

That was broken, though, when he felt the hazy pressure of magic in the air, Jez must have felt it exactly when he had, becuase they were turning to look at the same time. It didn't feel like just any magic, though - Ianto had been around the other woman long enough to recognize Sophia's own strange, particular feeling magic. Jez and Wolfram got a head start on him in going for the black-haired mage and the red-headed assassin, and Ianto only spared a moment to cast a look at Royce before following.

The male mage's order startled him slightly, focused as he was on Jez bending over the fallen assassin, but he was nothing if not professional when he needed to be, and he nodded. "Right," he said tersely, and then turned, pausing to look at Royce. "Follow me - I might need help carrying the lyrium and the faster we get back the better for Jez and Fremelda." He wondered if it was strange that he didn't even let himself look at the black-haired mage standing silently behind the commotion, as if she was only watching it because it was there and it was interesting, as if she didn't have the assassin's blood on her frock and lovely silk ribbons.