Freedom's Gift. -Questioning Beliefs- (Fenris)

[Lyaera Amavaintria]

Lyaera seemed to be making all too much of a fuss over tonight, not that she wanted it to be perfect but rather that she had never done anything like this before. It felt strange she had to admit, but still she thought it the only way to express her gratitude, plus... she had not spoken properly with her elven companion since... since, well, they hadn't spoke at all to be honest, merely idle chatter but nothing more. They knew each other's names, well, her slave name at the very least, they were both elves, both slaves.

At least they had some things in common though they were exceedingly trivial, she wanted to know more about him and perhaps this were the perfect time to. She had worked very hard to make this pleasant for him.

Hopefully the note she left in his tent would catch his attention, though she did not think of what it could possibly mean in the mind of a man.

Meet me in my tent.
- Sora.

She thought it was simple at least, though she was hardly one that thought of all the possibilities. After her bath she began to dress herself, no doubt her silhouette could be seen on the outside of her tent due to the lighting within, though who was she to know? Donning a below the shoulder blouse and long lilac coloured skirt with a fine floral stitching curling around the hem and jeweled belt kept snugly around her waist, courtesy of some of the men here, wanting her to dress "less like a peasant," as offending as it was she did appreciate the gesture. Typical Orlesians.

Once dressed, Lyaera soon turned to the sight before her, unlike most that camped here, her tent seemed to be more organised and especially tidy, with flowers on each of the three small tables and a curtain in the corner where she could to dress if she had company along with a neatly made bed, clothes folded without creases in a trunk, and on a table which was obviously for writing lay a few letters overlapping each other, the feint letters L, Y and A could be seen, but no more unless the other pieces of paper were organised. Truly a woman's touch indeed.

On a much bigger table, though not especially wide or long, lay a freshly cooked ham dressed with various vegetables and under a dish a sweet aroma could barely be smelt accompanied by a bowl of fruit and such other foodstuffs like a loaf of bread and assorted cheeses but no fish, no... she couldn't stand fish, the amount of times she had spilled her guts due to these Orlesians wanting her to eat it, she knew what it tasted like and that's why she didn't eat it... plus, dead fish did freak her out slightly. This was all made possible thanks to the chefs giving her access to the kitchen area.

And lastly there were a few bottles of wine, needless to say that she had snuck them, though a few bottles wouldn't surely be missed. Hopefully this would be appreciated, if not, it would be a night she hoped that would go well. For now, she bent herself slightly over the table to pour some wine into the two glasses, making sure they were evenly filled, humming as she did so.

[Fenris]

Fenris had only been gone for ten minutes. But there it was, a note on the table... someone had apparently wanted to play games with him.

He moved closer to the note, taking each step so carefully that you would've thought he was hunting for deer in a forest, scanning his tent relentlessly. Finally he leaped and snatched the note between his fore- and middlefinger.

Meet me in my tent.
- Sora.

Fenris let out a relieved sigh, and set the note back on the table. Could she be in danger? What was she going after, anyway? And with that, he entered a series of imaginative scenes of what could be happening.

Then he stopped.

There was nothing wrong about imagining stuff about women... usually. If you're about to meet this woman, for example, you wouldn't normally want to get yourself in 'the mood' and into everything that comes with it. A rather harmless if somewhat crippling side-effect could very well ruin that meeting.

In any case Fenris began to prepare for departure. When everything was ready, he scurried out of his tent and walked the short way to Sora's tent; sweet and delicious scents wandered from the tent to enthrall him. He hadn't noticed his hunger before, but now it literally swept over him how starved he really felt. He felt like he had to wolf down at least a wagon-load of food to survive till the morning.

Fenris entered Sora's tent and, surprisingly enough, smiled politely at her. "I got your letter. You wanted to see me. What is it?"

His tone still held an edge to it. He wasn't sure what Sora wanted - was she in trouble? - but not knowing made him somewhat unsettled.

[Lyaera Amavaintria]

In near startling surprise, Lyaera had almost spilt the entire contents of the Orlesian wine all over the crisp white table cloth, worse so on herself, but luckily only a small droplet fell and that only landed on the floor, staining nothing of particular importance. She quickly placed the cork back into the bottle before setting it down... and before she made a mess of everything.

As she turned, she smiled at the sight of the white haired Elf, though as she was about to speak, she hesitated - telling him that he should've knocked first would have been truly ridiculous, what was there to knock on? Oh, well, it didn't matter. Soon she stood out of the way, exposing the small feast that she had prepared, a light giggle escaped her lips. "Heheh, surprise," she smiled much brightly, feeling confident and proud of her efforts, taking one glass delicately with her index finger and thumb, she held it out to him until he took it.

It was then she felt as if her confidence was fleeing from her, it was foolish to think in such ways, but having him here in her tent did feel rather strange, but she made sure to remind herself that just because of her experiences with men in the past, that did not mean Fenris was the same, although that remained to be seen - still, this was a night to enjoy, not to fear that he would do harm to her, plus, there were six thousand other men here.

With a slight shyness hidden within her eyes, she turned her head in the direction of the meal. "I... uhm," she took a breath, shyness was soon replaced with sincerity as her words flowed from her mouth much like a poet, sweet and meaningful yet almost sad.

"Since that day when you risked your life to save me from those slavers, and even during that wolf attack, in fact, during the whole of since we've been around each other, well... you've always been there protecting me, and fighting to keep us both safe from harm. I've felt horrible due to the times you've gotten injured, for whatever reason you've chosen to grant me such kindness, I am so very grateful, Fenris. I know it isn't much, and I know not of what else I could do to show my gratitude... so this, I've done this for you, to say thank you. I owe you much, because of you and all that you have done, I feel free. Thank you."

That was when the shyness returned, she was never use to speaking in such a way, words were never her strength, only her actions. She took a small sip from her glass before setting it down and turning to the small feast, that way she didn't have to look at him until she no longer felt awkward. "Thankfully, and... so very kindly, the chefs here allowed me access to the kitchen area, and due to my knowing of how to cook I've prepared this, cooked ham, roasted potatoes, vegetables, I figured it'd be a suitable meal," she spoke rather nonchalantly as she then went over to the dish that was covered, picking it up and putting it somewhere where it could not be seen.

"And this, is for after, so not a single bite or smell until you eat your meal," she chuckled in a teasing manner before setting her eyes on him once again, she looked away briefly as she again smiled, but awkwardly "I... hope you like it."

[Fenris]

The first thing Fenris noticed was the startle his sudden arrival brought to Sora. He hadn't though about that. She was still probably scared of his former master. Quickly whirling, she managed a confident grin at Fenris and giggled; her hand held a goblet of wine, stretched out towards him. He looked at Sora for a while, unable to take his eyes off her: it took him a few seconds to realize that she was holding out the cup. He snatched the goblet deftly from her fingers and took a deep draught from it, consuming half of it with his first one.

"Thank you, Sora," he said, much too raspily for his own comfort. He realized that he had also been thirsty - very thirsty. Just like with the food, he thought: he could've swallowed a river of wine and a lake of ale right on the spot, so parched did his throat and tongue feel. He decided to consume the rest of the wine, and to his misfortune, also missed her opening words, lost amidst a deep gulp of wine. Now that he heard her admission of guilt; of deep gratitude towards him; of feelings long suppressed suddenly released, he couldn't come up with a suitable answer. His usually sharp mind was now empty and dull, and he only seemed to see Sora standing right in front of him.

'That woman right in front of me, that's why I am alive,' he thought blissfully. And thus the words came to him.

"You mustn't say sorry to me. You saved my life and graced me with your presence, to say the least, and I suppose that it is enough to repay your supposed guilt of my injuries. Moreover, I chose freely each time I helped you. I could've ran away and left you to face the guards or the wolves alone - and then I would have been free of those injuries. But I chose to remain. My own decision which I decided freely, myself, with no master guiding my thoughts."

He now noticed that she was becoming shy, as though she had already spent her courage in that speech. In that timid manner she continued to speak, until all had been said. Her offer was laid out, and it was up to Fenris to accept or reject it.

Fortunately he was still hungry.

"Then let us settle down and eat and drink to our heart's content, Sora. Thank you."

[Lyaera Amavaintria]

Her eyes laid upon him once more as he spoke, she bit her lip softly, suppressing the urge to smile widely. She didn't know why, but at that moment, she felt so very happy... he was grateful to her, she could tell... perhaps that is what she had been wanting for so long, for someone to just look past what she was and accept her, to be thankful and show gratitude for every act of kindness that she bestowed upon others, that was something her Master never showed her or even gave to her. Upon thinking of him, a small look of disgust appeared as she began to dwell in her thoughts, but only for a short time, she soon focused on what Fenris had just said to her. She had every right to be sorry, a great guilt remained within her heart and she knew why it was there, but she didn't want to think about it.

At that moment, Lyaera wanted nothing more than to just hug him, to say sorry over and over... but thinking even of that made her realise that would not be a good idea - he didn't seem the type that welcomed such affections with open arms."You are... truly benignant, Fenris, I do not deserve you," she said humbly, though she felt she had spoke before she thought. I don't deserve you?! That thought panicked in her mind yet she made sure not to falter, still... she felt the urge to just slap her forehead, dig a hole, slit her throat and then gather the dirt over her, a rather dark yet humorous thought. Back to reality.

"You are fortunate, though... my chains may be broken but I am not yet free, I still need Nol with me, and Krios gone from the picture," she said thoughtfully, but such depressing thoughts should not intrude on this night, so she changed the subject, it felt odd talking to someone about her own problems. Instead of pondering, she soon made her way over to the table, cutting the meat with ease and placing a generous serving on a silver plate for Fenris before then serving herself. "It's strange, my talents, as my Master calls them, have been with me even before I was a slave," she began, making small chatter as she made sure everything was perfect "like cooking, singing, playing the lute, and dancing..." she looked over at him and smiled, making sure he didn't get the wrong idea about her dancing "n-not that kind of dancing, it's more expressive if anything."

Once she was done, she then pulled out a chair for him, though she made sure not to make him feel like he was her Master, but... simply as a guest, a friend even. She then sat down, once again smiling at him over her side of the table, they weren't that far apart really, all she had to do was stretch her legs and they would meet his, but it wasn't cramped at least. As they sat there and ate, Lyaera thought of things to talk about all the while watching Fenris devour his meal, and then she spoke. "Truly a wolf, indeed," she smiled, her bright eyes gazed kindly upon him "the first three letters of your name, Fen... they mean wolf in Dalish, the way you fight, the way you hold yourself, th-the... way you eat..."

Lyaera had to place her hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud at that last part, it would've seemed childish, but laughter was something she rarely did, so it felt good to at least let a few giggles out. She didn't want to offend him, so she merely gave a few assuring words. "Don't worry, there are no table manners here," she smiled, her gaze falling onto her food as she, too, began to eat. She had to admit the meal was quite good and within minutes she was already on her second plateful.

The more she thought about it, the more relaxed she became, she was surprised that she was actually beginning to enjoy his company, it beat being alone at least - something she truly hated. Maybe it was a good thing this was all happening, the more she thought of the good and less of the bad, the more she felt hope was reachable, that there were more than just one option, one possibility, one fate, and one destiny. Did he truly understand how grateful she was? Does he truly know how she felt deep inside? Probably not, but for now, the least she could do for him was to enjoy the night as he would hopefully do as well.

"So... I'm curious to know more about you, Fenris. Quid pro quo, you share something about yourself with me, and I'll return the favour," she spoke kindly, and indeed she was truly curious about the white haired Elf, unlike many others in her travels, she could not see the story which lay behind the intense green eyes.

[Fenris]

He listened to her words with a look of a patient man waiting for his turn in the queue, albeit in between swallowing huge chunks of his meal, and felt rather disturbed. Her stumbling shyness could've been called cute by somebody else, but the voice in his head told him that she was being absolutely silly. Telling it to her would hurt her, and this single matter very nearly managed to hold his core trait at bay.

He was just about to interrupt her, when she began to talk about a whole different subject. He couldn't possibly have prepared himself for this. She was talking about him and his likeness to a wolf, and strangest of all, his manner of eating. His expression was that of a surprised customer who had just had enough of the shop assistant; eyes that suddenly glowed of sudden fury were trained at the woman seated in front of him. The woman that had showed him kindness.

"I know the meaning of my name, thank you very much. I appreciate your concern, but why can't you stop being so silly all the time? Where did you live your whole life, in a mouse-hole?"

He stopped abruptly, realizing the meaning of his own words. She had lived in a mouse-hole, in a manner of speaking, and he couldn't judge her for that. His rage now turned against itself, beginning an internal struggle for dominion over his emotions. Among them a new feeling rose; pity, and sorrow. Those were emotions he thought he'd forgotten, but here they were, fresh and clean as though he had just set them lying on a shelf. He welcomed them warmly, as though a man welcomes his long-lost brother. He now felt fully what he had said.

"Sorry, Sora. I was enraged, tired... I didn't mean what I said. "

He had stopped eating. A loaf of bread was halfway into his mouth, he realized, and he slowly set it back on the table. He soon noticed that he had nearly consumed his meal, which now lied mostly consumed on his plate. Next to it lay a set of cutlery, now dirty from cutting the meat and vegetables. Strange, how emotions seemed to enhance your senses.

[Lyaera Amavaintria]

What a fool she was, she could say nothing without stuttering or having to think before talking, her constant shyness... her life had been very sheltered, never was she allowed the leave her Master's estate, only did she had her brother to speak to. She had to admit that she knew she was being ridiculous, but what else could she do? Just as she was about take a sip of her wine with the hand that was somewhat thickly covered in bandages, she paused.

Her eyes near quivered in their sockets like most would do when they're about to cry, but no tears followed, instead she felt more of a stinging pain if anything else. She would not lose her temper, she would not shout, nor scream, she was calm despite his words pulled so selfishly at her heart.

"Not always, no. I once had a family, a mother and father, apart of a once kind Dalish clan, but sadly that was taken from me by humans the day they slaughtered them all and captured the children, including myself, and forced us into slavery," it didn't take a man of great intellect to hear that she was somewhat angry and greatly hurt by his words "I guess seventeen years of being a slave does indeed cause people to become quite 'silly' as you put it, after all, since when does a slave ever have the pleasures of being allowed to speak freely, in fact, speak at all without fear of being punished? Excuse my foolish behavior, Fenris."

At that moment she could've easily just told him to get out, to show just how angry and upset she was but she would not admit weakness. Instead, she just took her wine goblet and drunk the entire contents. She just wanted to forget, to forget what he said, to forget everything. This just felt all too awkward to her now, she was making a mess of things but before she could even begin to blame herself, her anger was still there caused by the man before her.

But she couldn't... she just couldn't do anything about it, she didn't want him to see the damage in which his words had done but it was just all to obvious. Pouring herself another glass, she listened sadly to his words, words that he apparently had not meant yet they were true whether he realised that or not. Again she downed the entire goblet of wine, finding some form of comfort in the strong liquor. She closed her eyes, imagining no one else in the room but her, unconsciously she brought her bandage hand up to her shoulder, almost as if attempting to reach behind it - knowing what was marking her delicate skin.

"You're a slave! Nothing more! And you're mine!"

Goblet number three had then been consumed and finally she broke from her thoughts, her anger washed away along with everything else. She cleared her throat before speaking, a somewhat more stable yet unguarded demeanor replaced her timid one almost as if showing how damaged she truly was. "It's alright, Fenris... I quite understand," the way she spoke made it clear that words such as what had spat out of his mouth were ones she was all too familiar with "sometimes the truth needs to be spoken."

Truth be told, she felt like an idiot, just a moment ago she had told how she came to be a slave.

Ugh. Just go away! Get out of my sight!

As much as she thought of saying that to him, she wanted him to stay, it was easy to forgive but not to forget. Bringing her hand back down and to her side she eventually stood up and began collecting whatever plates and cutlery were finished with. Upon doing so she began to wonder, a small memory made its way through her skull...

"You know, some people tend to fill their heads with fantasy and false lives instead of facing the painful truths, reality is too much for some people. Take being a slave for example, a girl I knew back in Tevinter, she told me her father use to call her his princess, and even though her Master constantly called her worthless, useless, his slave, she believed herself to still be her father's little princess and it seemed to make her painful life much more bearable, she's still so young... her innocence is... admirable..."

The words flowed much more freely this time without a single stutter, setting the plates to one side she then looked at him. "Unfortunately, I'm not a fool by choice, I'm just not use to being in the presence of the opposite sex, who just so happens to be an Elf, and a handsome one at that," now she knew she was being silly, but on purpose, she found it vaguely amusing plus it helped - she didn't exactly want to spend this night feeling sad and awkward, there was still much to know and learn about Fenris.

"But enough of this, I didn't spend since this morning preparing this only for it to be wasted, so eat up or no dessert," she frowned, scolding him in a mock-manner, much like a mother would to her stubborn son that wouldn't eat his greens. She didn't like being serious when it wasn't needed. Her gaze fell upon him once more, but this time she spoke much more softly, almost comfortingly.

"Look... Fenris, I don't blame you for saying those things, whether they were necessary or not, so... in short, just... smile," her lips curved upwards into a smile, something she often said to her brother when he was sad. Though the more she thought about it, the more she realized that Fenris didn't really seem like the smiling type "... and if I offended you with that wolf comment, I am sorry."

And without a word more, she left the table area and went behind a custom made curtain so that the empty plates would not be in the way, trusting that he wouldn't snoop on her private things while she was absent for that short amount of time.

[Fenris]

Fenris shook his head as she rose from her seat, draining the remainder of his wine. The sigh that followed was fervent and irritated, which stuck to his behaviour as he continued the meal she had prepared for him. The more he spent time with her, the more he began to see a connection between himself and her. Her behaviour reminded him of his own clumsiness, when he had escaped his master's clutches and arrived at Kirkwall. All in all, this whole encounter was too nostalgic and dramatic for his liking - first, he had to bear watching his own death every time he looked at her, and then the memories of his forgotten past that still hadn't left his mind. Just how much could one do for a woman?

Despite all this he found it easy to continue the meal. He had never had much pity for others, nor regret for his own deeds; this was one of the few exceptions(that confirmed the rule). It was more or less a delicious one, he noticed, and its taste not one bit lessened by the grief he had caused: that was how it should be. Everything was as it should be.

Something felt amiss, though. He felt like he needed something so badly, that his gaze just wandered around the room, now stopping on his plate, now wandering at the walls. Finally it settled - at the curtain, which concealed Sora from his sight. He realized that he wanted to stand up and ask if she was all right, even if there wasn't anything else to do but to comfort her...

Wide-eyed and hot-faced, Fenris quickly dropped his gaze and returned to consuming his meal. To his annoyance, he now noticed that its taste had suddenly dulled.

[Lyaera Amavaintria]

With careful concentration, Lyaera focused on the task at hand, small chuckles escaped her as she ended up getting a few smears of icing on her cheek and attempted to use her tongue to lick it off but to no avail. Her mind felt much more clearer now, doing something she enjoyed did tend to take her mind off of disturbing, if not trivial, thoughts. A look of irritation spread across her pale features as her hair kept annoyingly falling over her shoulders and ended up having to tie it up into a loose braid so that no hair would get onto her 'masterpiece', not realizing that scarring could now be seen on her upper back, but only slightly. However, the scars seemed all too decorative, as if someone had been so precise when dealing the various blows that she had received.

She wondered for a moment if Fenris was alright on his own, then again, that thought soon left her - it wasn't as if he was alone, all she had to do was step out from behind to curtain, and besides, she had made if clear she wasn't offended, so he had nothing worry about... right?

Once she was finished, she picked up the platter and placed the lid over it, a small smile placed her lips as she walked out from behind the curtain but that soon disappeared when she felt herself falling forward after tripping over her chair which she had forgotten to tuck under the table. Luckily she still had hold of the platter, but now she was stuck... her stomach was on the seat of the chair, so she was now basically arched over it, so in short... she looked quite ridiculous and looking down only made things worst as she realised she was exposing a little too much cleavage. "Buggery! Vishante kaffar! Venhidis! Fausta vass!" a string of curse words escaped her mouth in annoyance as she set the platter on the floor for a quick moment before lifting herself off the chair, once she stood she stumbled back slightly and then composed herself.

For a short minute she placed her hand over her face to hide her embarrassed expression all whilst sorting out her attire, she honestly didn't want to give Fenris an even bigger reason to think of her as a fool. That was just plain embarrassing. "Uh... sorry about that, you'd think I'd be more graceful on my feet," she said with a sigh whilst shaking her head and retrieved the platter, taking a quick peek and sighed with relief knowing it wasn't ruined.

She tried to keep a straight face, even whilst she could feel her face heating up as she placed the platter down then took away any other finished plates and cutlery then came back with smaller plates and spoons. She didn't speak a single word now as she lifted the lid off to expose the strawberry shortcake, cutting generous slices before placing one on Fenris's small plate and handed it to him.

Suddenly, she felt a trickle down her back and attempted to look over her shoulder despite knowing what it already was, alarm spread across her face as she then looked back at Fenris. "Excuse me, my blouse is..." she tried to think of a word "...torn!" And as quick as it came she had already walked quickly over to the curtain in which she would change if she had company, making sure that he didn't see the redness staining the back of her blouse though in her hurried pace she wasn't all that interested in being careful.

Quickly, she threw off her blouse and looked at it, indeed there was some blood stains on it, not huge amounts but a few droplets, what with all she did her scars rarely had time to heal and would only keep in re-opening. What remained on her back and would do so until the day she died was what seemed like a symbol, almost like a cress that filled her entire back. But within minutes she had cleaned, bandaged and re-dressed herself and then went back out from behind to curtain to join Fenris.

"All better now," she said calmly before taking a seat, her eyes avoided him at all costs this time. Something was definitely wrong, and all too obvious, it seemed.

[Fenris]

Fenris looked up and leaned slightly towards Sora. His gaze sought her eyes.

"Is something wrong? You have behaved a little oddly."

He cleared his throat, realizing his mistake. His voice carried through none of the shame he felt. "I mean... I'm a little puzzled, Sora."

Fenris unconsciously intertwined his hands: a habit he had been getting into lately. He hadn't noticed it himself yet.

"You can tell me if something's bothering you," Fenris tried to persuade. "I won't judge or dodge any of your questions." His voice was honest, and true enough, he had entirely lost his earlier interest towards the food. His appetite was clearly gone.

"Is it my earlier comment? Or is it me? You haven't eaten that much, either," he added, pointing a sleek finger to her plate. "Just answer yes or no. I won't get mad."

He settled back to wait for her answer. Truth be told, there was a reason for his sudden interest at her condition. He knew the reason why she had left earlier. Looking up just at the right moment, he had caught a glimpse of something red staining the back of her neck. It had most evidently been blood.

[Lyaera Amavaintria]

Just as she was about to bring her spoon to her mouth, Lyaera paused, the glob of cake soon flopped off the spoon and back onto her plate with a splat. There was a light frown on her face as her eyes still refused to look at Fenris, it wasn't that she was annoyed with him, this was just something she didn't like anyone to know or see, plus, she wanted this to be an enjoyable evening. Sighing deeply she placed her elbows on the table, burying her face in her now cold hands. "I'm sorry, Fenris... I'm making a mess of everything..." her voice muffled before pulling away, taking a deep breath.She almost felt as if she couldn't do this, standing from her chair she walked over to where her bed lie on the other side of the tent, away from Fenris with her back facing him.

"You've done nothing wrong, you've been wonderful through all of this, I just..." she shook her head, not wanting to say the words yet her heart tugged at her, almost as if encouraging her to say what was on her mind, she then sat at her bed with her elbows on her knees, leaning her head on on of her hands as she stared thoughtfully at nothing in particular "I'm not use to this... this... free life, I'm not use to any of this."She lifted her head up, folding her arms over her knees as she leaned her body forward.

"I'm not use to talking to others, I'm not use to being alone, none of this... I just... want to make sure others are content with their lives and that I'm doing the right things for them, this is too much... too soon..." she didn't want this, but it helped, somehow talking about it made her feel better. She knew she had to explain why she was acting so off, it was doing so that frightened her, and even though he said he wouldn't get mad, she was still scared that he would.

"Fenris... my back isn't exactly the most attractive of sights, as you can probably guess," her voice quivered as she shuddered at the thought of when those men had gone against her Master's orders and struck her, but then the feeling worsened as she remembered that was also the day Fenris had almost died saving her. He probably didn't notice, but she was mentally beating herself up over it, over everything bad she had ever done.

"I wish it were me..." she let slip out as she sat there idly, her eyes closed to hide her guilt as she unconsciously hugged herself "I'm such an idiot... I wish you had never gotten involved that day, I wish that it had been me near close to death..." She then buried her face back into her hands, to hide her sadness, to hide her shame.

[Fenris]

It doesn't help if you feel sorry. You don't have to. You saved me, too, remember?"

He looked long at her, but avoided eye contact.

"Look, I want to help you through whatever problems you have with 'free' life. You're going to learn a lot more about free life, but that doesn't matter. You'll get it right... eventually." He smiled slightly.

Fenris didn't feel love. He felt responsibility for drawing her into this, and oddly, affection. His affection could eventually evolve into love, but love did not come easily to Fenris. He just didn't like extremely strong bonds between people, and to him, love was often ridiculous and even annoying. It had to be mature love, and Sora had to learn how to act like a proper person before that could happen. Fenris couldn't notice it himself, but it was the epitome of selfishness.

"In any case, we should probably make a plan for the future. We don't want to stay with this David-fellow and his legion the whole time, do we?"

Planning for the future, in any case, should be a good thing to start with.

[Lyaera Amavaintria]

Lyaera just looked on, a small smirk soon forming on her lips followed by a chuckle as she shook her head, almost as if she couldn't believe herself. This, to her, seemed all too out of character for her - acting like a shy untouched maiden. That wasn't her, not at all. Of course she was awkward every so often, but to constantly trip over herself and mess up her sentences? Perhaps there was a justifiable reason for her behavior, well, she knew the reason and it just wouldn't leave her alone.

There was no way this would work if she continued this way, and soon, he would become suspicious. There had to be some way around this, perhaps there didn't always have to be one option or choice. There had to be more to this.

Placing her palms against her knees, Lyaera soon lifted herself up and chuckled to herself, as if realizing what a fool she had been. "Truly, I am sorry for acting this way, Fenris..." she said, rubbing her temple lightly before turning to face him, the hesitation no longer clear in her eyes "... a lot has happened, and to be honest, it's rather sudden."

A noticeable smile formed as she crossed her arms. "Eventually..." she chuckled "let's just hope I get it right the first time."

Going over to the two glasses that they had been drinking from, she handed his back to him, refilling his goblet. "I agree with you there, being here does seem to limit your freedom, and being thought of as a spy does make me rather uncomfortable," she sighed, the lower part of her body leaning against the table as she took a sip, a thoughtful look appearing "still, to be free and to make your own choices, to serve no one but yourself and to have a future, and to one day maybe share that future with another..." she pondered for a while, remembering everything of her life in Tevinter.

"Slaves can't love, slaves can't be free," she said those words with disgust, filling the depths of her heart with hatred "that's what they'd tell me, and for a long while, I believed it... but not anymore, Tevinter would fall without us..." She took another sip, a warmth settling on her cheeks due to the wine.

Whether it was a small amount or greater, Fenris could be trusted, and for that split moment, there was an ounce of sentimentality.

"Fenris, I don't want you to call me Sora anymore... when we're like this," she tone dropped slightly and it wasn't even the wine talking, even though she was close to saying alone "if I'm free, and will remain as such, then I'd rather not be reminded of what I once was due to a name, a slave name, I'm not his little songbird anymore..."

To her, this felt like her first step already, and there was no shame in who she once was, who she was born to be.

"My name is Lyaera..."

[Fenris]

Fenris thumbed his lips in irritation at Lyaera. He masked his voice as an amused one to avoid the bad attention.

"Well, that's good. Hello there, Lyaera."

There seemed to be no reason for his irritation, but he still felt like it. There was a growing sensation that there was something disturbing in Lyaera, something that he didn't want to know anymore. He wanted to get out, before her suffocatingly tragic story would suck him up. He had a tragic story of his own, and he hated it. She almost embraced that story, just made drama out of it. It enraged Fenris, made him want to leave right at that moment. But there still were some things to solve.

"Well, I will at least be leaving this camp in a while... unless something happens. I first want to know what this David is up to, and why..."

He was hoping that Lyaera caught his bait. He hated talking about pasts.

[Lyaera Amavaintria]

There was something that Fenris seemed to be repeating on that night, and it was then Lyaera began to understand, in a sense it irritated her how he avoided the subject of pasts. She wasn't an idiot, it was clear as day, and to her... it seemed rather callous. First hot, then cold... the mood was constantly changing."You know, Fenris... if you're uncomfortable with my talking about the past, I can stop if it bothers you, don't think I haven't noticed..." she said firmly, a frown placed on her features "I'm not offended so easily, so you don't need to sugar coat anything."

Maybe she was being insensitive by talking about the past, but she digressed. Then upon his next words, Lyaera did remember the conversation she had with David the other night, would it be right to tell him?

"Well, look at where we are, there's at least six thousand soldiers here, so that can only mean one thing - war," she sighed, wondering if she truly meant that she would support him in all of this, that would mean fighting in battle... did she truly want that? "I... spoke to David last night, he mentioned someone called Gespard and invading Nevarra, I'm sorry I can't tell you much else... he seemed... reluctant."

Letting out a deep sigh, she placed her goblet on the table, tilting her head back a little. "But I gave him my support, so whatever comes, I'll fight if I must..." she sounded determined, despite her eyes holding an ounce of fear.