Campground - Demons' Past

He squeezed Calliara's hand and watched but when Nygozy touched Kai's shoulder his eyes went directly there then to the Dwarf's face. A slight grin passed the edge of his lips and he glanced at Calliara to show he had seen something but only for a moment.

Drake bowed his head as Nygozy spoke to him, "I am well enough to get the gentleman some food and a place to sleep." He turned his head to Calliara, "When you come in then we can continue with our previous plans, Songbird."

As a gentleman, he kissed the back of her hand, gazing into her eyes, "Do not worry. Enjoy and take your time with your cousins. I will be in our room."

He turned to Aayugara and nodded his head, "Let us see what we have that will put a few pounds back on you. You look starved." The fighter turned and walked off towards the cottage.

"You are not like others. The dress of your clothing is old." He said simply to Aayugara.

Fenrir was a bit tired, but everything was so-so exciting that the pup ignored it and kept trotting around. First after Torture, but he lost the older dog some time ago. Then he spyed the tall ones that were drinking with another not-so-tall-one that were not the kind lady not-so-tall, but Mommy wasn't there, and Daddy either, so he kept sniffing and wandering.

Then he found Mommy! He barked happily and Mommy smiled to him and kneeled to hug him and then whispered softly just for him to follow the tall-dark-one that began smelling like her and he was ok with that because he liked the tall-dark-one and so he ran after him happily, and when he and the another tall-one that smelled strange stopped inside the big-big house he began chewing their boots, waving his little tail.

Maybe he could get some food too!

"Let us see what we have that will put a few pounds back on you. You look starved."

Aayugara laughed and started following Drake to the cottage. "You are not like others. The dress of your clothing is old.", he heard Drake say. He replied, "Yeah, I suppose fashion can change like that over a few hundred years." He looked at the man, not giving him a chance to talk, and said, "I'll explain once we reach the cottage."

Drake picked up Fenrir as they got to the cottage and rubbed the puppy's belly as they went inside. He sidestepped the sleeping Lithawen, Sinjan and horse and went right back into the tunnels themselves.

"This has to be a long story from the sounds of that."

He opened the door to the room Nygozy had set for him and Calliara and pulled out a large bag of foods which include jars of stew, raw vegetables and dried meats.

"The meats and stew were made by Nygozy. She has some knack for cooking even though she was castless."

Aayugara set his helmet down and stood in front of Drake. "It definitely is a long story, the shameful part is I hardly remember it." he said. He looked in the bag Drake held and pulled out a jar of stew after a moment of decision. "So, uh, you guys have a stove in here?" he asked as he looked around the cottage.

"There's a fireplace right there and a pot in this bag." He answered as he got a pot then went to work on the fire.

"Strange happenings you hardly remember? Maybe you should sell it for a play." The words were almost comical but his voice remained without expression.

Aayugara walked over to the fireplace and waited for the fire. "Heh. I suppose a play about time travel would be interesting, no?" he said. He just wanted to eat something and get some rest. The company was a nice thought from Nygozy, but Aayugara felt awkward around Drake, as he did with most people. "So, enough teasing. Time for my story." He said. "I was about 18, living in Antiva when I met a Grey Warden named Marrik. He taught me how to fight, he wasn't that much older than me but he was very skilled, especially for one of his age. Well, one day I was walking through a city when an assassination was made, nobody saw the assassin but they all saw the mess. I ran away from the scene like most people, but unlike most people I had a full array of weapons on me and was quickly targeted as the assassin. I was apprehended, sentenced to death. Marrik found out, and before I was to be executed he used the Right of Conscription to draft me into the Grey Wardens. He was practically shunned after that, but he said it was a small price to pay to save my life."
Aayugara paused and moved a little bit to get more comfortable to carry on with his story. "A few years after that, the fourth blight erupted. As the wardens we went to fight the darkspawn. From there it gets a bit blurrier, but somehow when I connected to the fade I was brought to this time. I'm not sure why, but I bet it was for a reason that I was sent here." Aayugara was quiet for a while, and then became deeply saddened with the full impact that he would never see his family, never see his friends, never see Marrik, the man who trained him and saved his life, ever again. Starting to become doubtful himself, he said "It couldn't have been an accident...

could it?"

Drake set the puppy down as he cooked and gave the rascal some dried meat as he did so. This man had quite the story to tell and he was not yet sure if he believed it. He had seen many strange things in his life and was even one onto itself but he never took anything at face value.

Now how would he find out if all he said was so? Jezarine. That was it. In the official documents he had gone through with Nygozy it said that she was a book worm who learned a lot. Maybe she would be able to find something once they got to Denerim.

"Quite a life. There is a reason for everything though. We shall find out sooner or later what that is. I'm sure you will fit in just fine with this group. Here." He got the food into a bowl and handed it to the man, "How long have you been out of the fade?"

Aayugara brought the bowl up to his mouth and drank some of the stew, savoring each and every drop. He set the bowl down and looked at Drake, saying, "Hasn't been that long. It's only been a couple days, I was looking around a town for a group I could join but then I left to sleep in the woods since I didn't have any money to stay at an inn. After a lot of wandering around out of the town I saw the campfire and heard Nygozy with the kid, Kristoff. She found me spying on them after somebody named Morrigan showed up." Aayugara happily finished the rest of his stew. He considered lying about the fact that he was spying on Nygozy, but decided honesty was the best policy.

The man at least was being truthful enough to say that he had been spying so that was a good sign at least. Still, the fighter kept his expression neutral as he always did. While he was working things out he put his hand up to his chin and rested his chin on his thumb while watching Aayugara.

"A couple of days is not long to be in this time. You will probably want to know history and what has gone on with culture." He sat back and nibbled on some dried meat, feeding some to the pup as he did so, "Times have changed."

Aayugara sat back. "Yeah, you pretty much explained just how I feel. I have lots of questions, so many I don't even know where to start." He looked at his helmet, watching it glisten in the firelight. "You think we could get some rest first though?"

"I would guess you'd have many questions but that can wait. This room has enough beds for four. Grab one and sleep. I need to rest up as it is." He got up and went to a cot, sitting down but avoiding anything touching his one side.

Drake looked down at the pup then picked him up onto the cot with him, "This place is pretty safe as most of it is cave. The cottage is just a cover."

Aayugara walked over to a bed and laid himself down on his side. His armor made it uncomfortable but he was used to it, plus he liked the insulation he supplied as he was often cold at night. He put his head down and quickly fell asleep, dreaming of the past.

Calliara walked into the room silently, without a sound, and stopped by the door to look. The new warrior was asleep on his cot, still with his armor, he looked exhausted. The Dalish moved quietly to cover him with one of the blankets, and then she looked at Drake.

Fenrir was looking at her, excited, but he did not bark because she shook slowly her head to tell him not to do so. Silently, she looked at the sleeping humans, specially her human, checking if he was alright. She kneeled beside his cot, exhausted and dirty, but she still had some things to do. Talking with Nygozy was one of them. But now, in the silence and in the darkness of the room, she merely observed.

"I am yet to die, Songbird." He said, opening one eye and taking one of her hands and putting his free hand on her cheek, "You did not take too long. These are your relatives. You should spend some time with them and learn what they have become. We have time."

Drake looked into her eyes, "Ah so you were worried. Jezarine did good work healing me. I shall be fine."

''I can't offer them nothing. They don't need me anymore, and the only thing I can actually give is death. They had enough of it. Their parents, my uncle and aunt, are dead too, and that's why they left the Clan. I have nothing left nowhere, as I feared when I left my Clan without looking back, and here it is. Kyon tries to hide his pain, Kai doesn't try it but he has changed, he is not the boy I once knew, we are... strangers to each other.''

Calliara sighed, still kneeling on the floor, and lowered her head to rest her forehead on the cot, her voice almost breaking. ''Sometimes I wish to have failed the Joining, or just have died in that cave. Or being a coward and have accepted a quick execution when Duncan told us I was cursed...''

As she did before, suddenly she hid again behind her usual calm shield and stood again after kissing his forehead. ''I am sorry. I'll see you later, it is right that I was worried, now I've seen you're alright. I have to talk with Nygozy''

Calliara talked and Drake took note of everything she said and how she said it. The woman was afraid that all was gone to her. Was she never going to learn that was not true? That form of attitude was likely to only get her to allow herself to be killed. That he would not allow to happen.

Once she kissed his forehead and went to leave he grabbed her wrist, "Quit shielding yourself from me. You are too hard on life. Yes, those boys have changed. We all do as we grow. You are still related, you still love them and I am sure they still love you. We are all in this camp and the three of you will have time to become reaquainted and revitalize your relationship."

He pulled her closer to him, "Yes, people die, those you cared for most have died. The hardest thing in this world is to go on living. To find more you can care for. And I'll be damned if I let you go throwing away life to depression." He kissed her cheek, "I lost all of my family. I found reasons to keep going. You will too."

The Dalish listened, looking at him seriously, but said nothing. Instead of it, when he pulled her close and kissed her cheek, and was done with the talking, she lifted his chin and kissed him furiously, deeply as she had done before when they were alone in the bedroom.

Calliara kissed him for a very long time until she was breathless, and then looked at him again, her cheeks flushed and her sad eyes a bit bright now, and she whispered sweetly

...vir sulahn'nehn
vir dirthera
vir samahl la numin
vir lath sa'vunin...

The kiss sharpened his senses and he did not wish to let go but did so, "That we do. And that we must. Don't give up on them and don't give up on yourself."

Drake leaned back again with a slight smile and a twinkle in his eyes, "Now go speak with your relatives and Nygozy. I shall rest until you return. Fenrir will protect me."

Calliara simply nodded, and offered him her shy smile again. ''I am sure he will protect you well, if he gives up the snoring...''

The pup was sleeping on his back, sometimes shaking his little paws as is he were running after something. The Dalish smiled again and kissed Drake's forehead. ''I'll be back soon. Rest now''

Silently as she had come, she left the room without looking back, and closed the door quietly

Aayugara woke up after the best night's rest he had had in a while. He noticed he had a blanket over him, and assumed it was Drake that put it on him. He moved it aside and shuffled his legs over, stood up and slumped over to the fireplace to pick up his helmet. He wasn't quite sure what to do next. He felt extremely nervous around Drake for some reason, and wanted to get out of the cottage, although he wasn't quite sure what he'd do after that. Come to think of it, he didn't really know what to do at all. His main goal had been to find a group to ally himself with, but after that, then what? He opened the door and sat outside, reflecting about this for a moment.