They finally left Lothering after two days of helping them prepare for the darkspawn and camped about 8 miles away from the small town. Inara was starting to think that bringing Lrliana was a bad idea, seeing as how she always talks and always prays, But she was useful and that's what they needed. Sten was exactly what they were looking for, quiet, serious, fearless, and strong.
The Warden walked up to Alister to see what was for dinner and saw something black and gooey in the pot. She asked Alister what is was and to her fear he said, "It's rabbit!" She gagged at the thought of rabbit looking like that and walked to her tent.
Inara laid down on her furs, thinking of Kyli and all the memories of their love. Her clan mates came in her mind and all of the death and slavery that was brought upon them. She clenched her teeth and pounded her fists against the ground with tears filling her eyes. She can't get the image of her wife having her throat cut right in front of her eyes with nothing she could do while a man with a familiar face but forgotten name laughed as he watched.
Inara grabbed her soap and towel and started walking to the lake. Leliana was talking to Bodhan and buying a new pair of Bard's Dancing Shoes that even looked decent for Fereldan. As the Warden walked past Leliana said, "Inara, I think dinner will be ready soon." Inara ignored her and kept walking.
The Warden reached the lake and breathed in the scent of her soap that reminded her so much of home and her love. She stripped and dove into the water. The Bard was still talking to Bodhan and Sandle but her curiosity rose so she went to check it out.
Inara splashed her Mabari playfully and floated in the water. Leliana's eyes widend at what she saw. There was this beautiful, young, naked, dalish elf just floating right in front of her eyes. The Bard thought to herself, "She is so beautiful. She has magnificent tattoos all over her body, I only thought she had the ones of her forehead and cheeks. Look at that blonde hair, I'v never seen her wear it down. Leliana what are you doing? You have only known this girl for a day!" With that she walked back to Alister to see their meal.
Inara walked back to the fire after her stressful bath wearing her hair down and wavy, a loose white cotton shirt that was cut very low and the deer skin pants that Kyli got her. As she walked up, she was having a hard time tying the strings in the front of her pants and Leliana said, "Would you like for me to help you with those Inara?" The Warden blushed and said, "No, It's ok. I'v got it."
As the Warden looked around she couldn't help but noticing a horrible smell. The elf turned to Alister and said, "What smells like burned ass?" Alister smiled at Inara and handed her a bowl. Inara poked it with her spoon. "What am I supposed to with this?" Inara asked glancing at Alister but her attention quickly turned back to the bowl as she thought she saw it move.
"Try it!" Alister said with child like excitement. "Leliana likes it!" he said pointing to the bard. Leliana smiled a painful smile while nodding and scooped the rest of it out to Legolis.
The Warden took a small spoon full and barely pushed it to her tongue. She spit it out quickly and scraped her fingers across her tongue trying to get it off. "That is horrible! I'd rather eat an entire pot of halla shit than one more bite of this!" the elf yelled out.
Inara moved over and sat on a log next to the bard and snapped her finger at Legolis saying, "Boy, stay away from that. It will eat you, go hunt for something." With that the mabari made a grunt and trotted off into the woods.
"I like your hair down, I'v never seen you wear it down." Leliana said to the elf. Inara blushed and said, "Uhh, thank you. I like your hair too."
From across the fire they could hear Alister complaining, "Why doesn't anybody like my hair?" "Because you are incapable of being the slightest bit sanitary. I'd rather bathe with that flee ridden mabari than to touch you." Morrigan spat across the camp. Leliana giggle loudly while Alister shot the witch a dirty look, Inara was still dumbfounded about how Morrigan could hear them all the way over there with her human ears.
The warden turned to Leliana and said, "So, what's a girl like you doing in the chantry?" The bard giggled and said, "Well, what do you mean a girl like me?" while smiling alittle. Inara shifted in her seat alittle while blushing and stuttered to say, "Uh.. Well, they couldn't possibly teach chantry sisters how to fight."
The bard went on about her life before the Maker, and being a bard. The elf pulled out Starfang and started to sharpen it but by the time Leliana was done Inara found herself staring blankly at the reflection of the fire in her sword. She was interrupted by Leliana saying, "Don't you think?" The Warden coughed uncomfortably and nodded while getting up and sheathing Starfang.
The bard watched the Wardens hips sway as she walked across the camp to see Morrigan. Leliana thought to herself, "Come on Lel, step it up, your a bard!"
As the Warden walked up, Morrigan smirked and said, "What? Have you come here for some decent food?" Inara laughed and said, "No, I believe I'v lost my appetite for the night." The witch said, "Alister can even make YOU lose your appetite? I am truly amazed. I am glad I did not have to endure such torture." The elf laughed softly at the comment and sat down on the grass next to the fire.
Morrigan grabbed a bowl and some herbs and started smashing them beside the Warden. Inara looked at Morrigan and asked, "So, is Flemeth what she appears to be?" The witch chuckled and said, "Well that depends, what does she appear to be?" "Errr.. an old woman?" Inara asked thinking she was being mocked somehow.
The witch started laughing and said in between laughs, "Oh my yes! She is certainly old!" while almost spilling the herbs she just smashed. The Warden just sat and looked at her. Morrigan said, "So tell me, how much do you know of the story of the Great Cormac?" Inara looked confused and answered, "I'v never heard of it." Morrigan said, "Ohhhh, that explains much."
The witch started in on the story and the elf actually listened very intently but found herself staring at the apostates lips almost drooling. Morrigan furrowed her eyes and coughed uncomfortably saying, "Warden?" The elf quickly blinked out of her trance and said, "That was a good story. Thank you." The apostate looked around biting the inside of her lip not knowing how to accept a compliment. "Flemeth tells it with much more enthusiasm."
Inara got up and started to walk away but before she left she turned to Morrigan and said, "Be ready for your watch with Alister in about an hour." "ALISTER!" Morrigan yelled standing up. "Yes, Alister" Inara said trying to hold back her laugh. The witch started walking forward saying, "Warden please! I will do anything if you just change this!" The elf looked over at Alister and saw him scratch his butt with a stick then smell it. She shook her head in disgust and said, "Everyone has to deal with him." to the witch while smiling and walking to her tent.
The Warden soon awoke to Alister yelling, "Take it back!" "I will not take it back especially since you know tis' true!" Morrigan spat. "I should ram this sword straight through your throat!" Alister yelled grabbing his sword. Morrigan laughed and said, "Templar, try holding that sword of yours with 1,000 bolts of electricity going through it!"
Inara rubbed her eyes and slowly got up and out of her tent. As soon as she walked out she dodged a bolt of electricity and grabbed her dagger sprinting to get in between them. "Enough!" she yelled while putting her dagger up to block an incoming blow from Alister and grabbed Morrigan's wrist with electricity flowing at her finger tips.
The Warden just looked straight ahead not looking at either of them when she relized they had only been on watch for 30 minutes.
"You are lucky she stopped me you bit-" Inara hit Alister in the gut with the hilt of her dagger and he tumbled over in pain grabbing his stomach. Inara looked at him and said, "Alister get some rest, you and I are trading watches for this evening. Your watch partner will be Leliana" The templar mumbled and said, "Good I'd rather have her than that bitc-" The warden slammed her foot on his back and said, "Shut your mouth and go to bed. That's an order."
Leliana poked her head of her tent and grumbled in a foggy voice, "What's going on?" Inara looked at her and said, "Nothing, Alister and I are switching watches this evening." The bard sighed and rolled her eyes going back into her tent.
The Warden looked at Morrigan and asked, "Are you alright?" The apostate scoffed at the question and said, "I assure you even 10 of him could not harm me." Inara chuckled and said, "He is actually stronger than you think." The witch rolled her eyes and said, "In order to be effective in battle, you must not be stupid." Inara looked away and said, "Darkspawn are not smart, but even a darkspawn can swing a blade."
For the next hour and a half The Warden and Apostate talked about, Alister, The Maker, Darkspawn, Magic, and herbs. Finally her watch was over and she said goodnight to Morrigan thinking, "Good, finally some rest. Just have to wake Leliana and Alister."
Inara quietly walked into Leliana's tent to awaken her and she saw the bard resting peacfully. For the first time the warden felt a sudden desire for the Orlesian. Inara moved some hair out of the bards face and whispered "Leliana" The bard awoke and mumbled "Is it time for my watch?" while turning the opposite direction from the warden. Inara smiled and shook the bard softly. "Ok ok fine, I'm up." Leliana whined as she swatted the elfs hands away from her.
Inara left her tent and thought "Ok, next.. Alister." The warden walked into the templars tent and said "Alister." he didn't awake so she kneeled down and slapped his face alittle harshly. "Just what I need."
Inara walked to Morrigan's tent as Leliana came out from her own. Leliana asked "What's going on? Why isn't Alister up?" Inara shrugged and soon found herself in Morrigan's tent.
"Did you do something to Alister?" Inara asked with a hint of anger. Morrigan rolled over on her bed roll to look up at the elf. "Yes, I might have put a sleeping spell into him before our watch, why do you ask?" Inara bit her lip and said "Why by the creaters did you do that!" Morrigan shrugged and said "Because I'd rather him sleep on my watch with him than have him irritating me constantly." while turning around to go back to sleep.
Inara rubbed her temples and walked back to their tents. Leliana was sitting on a boulder kicking her feet back and forth against the rock and then looked at Inara "What's wrong?" Leliana asked. Inara scratched the back of her head and said "I will be filling in for Alister tonight it appears." Leliana said "Are you su-" but was cut off by Inara saying "Yeah it's fine." The Warden then climbed on top of the boulder with the bard and they talked the entire two hours about the Maker, the Creaters, music, food, and colors.
They even developed a schedule for cooking that completely left Alister out, but it did make Leliana do most of it since Inara was no better at it than the templar. When Sten cooked, it wasn't bad but not good either. It's like it didn't have a taste just like his personality.
The warden finally got to get some well deserved rest but before she went to sleep, she wished Leliana goodnight and the bard kissed her on her cheek. Inara blushed and rubbed her cheek then quickly entered her tent, convincing herself it was just something they do in Orlais.
The next morning was rough, it was chilly outside and no matter how many times she rubbed her eyes Inara couldn't get rid of the sleepyness in them. She got up, put on her leather armor and stared at the chest piece of it for a moment before putting on.
She tied her cloak on over her armor and walked out of her tent to the fantastic smell of Leliana's cooking. A smile crept across her face knowing that she would have a good tasting meal and a full belly before they left on foot to their destination in Denerim to look for brother Genetivi after hearing the rumors in Lothering about the Arl being ill.
Leliana yelped with excitement, while flinging alittle food off the spoon she was holding when she heard they would be searching for the urn. Morrigan scoffed at the bard and said "Oh yes, I am just so excited. No really I simply cannot contain myself" with a blank face. Leliana just looked at her and smiled.
"When will we leave?" the bard asked eagerly. Inara shrugged and said "I guess as soon as everyone is ready." The Orlesian gave everyone their breakfast and Inara is a fast eater, but she was only on the third bite while the bard inhaled her food. Inara stared at her and Leliana got up quickly to go get her tent and things together.
The trip to Denerim was long and Alister just couldn't shut up on the way there. While entering the gate to Denerim Leliana thought back to about an hour ago, when they were finally in sight of Denerim and Alister said, "My knees hurt.." without a word Inara walked up behind him and pushed his knees in, making him fall on them. She walked around infront of him and grabbed his hair making him look up at her saying, "If you complain to me about one more single ache on your body I will surely give you a real reason to be complaining, as I will break your arm. Understood?" Allister nodded and got up.
Morrigan's eyes widened as they entered the city as did Inara's and Leliana just shrugged and said "It's alittle.. dirty here." while looking at a dirty pair of underwear just laying in the street. Alister was about to walk over and take those underwear but before he got close Leliana grabbed his arm and said, "Do you really want to get Harpies Alister?" with that said he walked away.
Inara glanced at Morrigan and smiled at the witch examining a golden rope necklace at some Orlesions shop cart in the middle of the city. As Morrigan walked away from the shop, Inara grabbed it and payed 12 silvers for it.
She ran up behind Morrigan and said, "All of this is strange. How does an entire human clan just sit inside a place so small? How do they ignore the smell of garbage all the time? Where do they care for their halla?" Morrigan glanced at her and said, "Well, I do not believe the humans posses halla. As for the smell, I do not know."
The Warden was looking around as Leliana came behind her covering the Warden's eyes. "Guess who?" the Orlesion accent rang out. Inara obviously knew it was the bard but played along anyway. "Uhhm Alister?" Leliana chuckled and said "If he touched you, you would have him pinned on the ground by now."
She turned Inara around and hugged her. The Warden just stood there with her eyes wide, she didn't know what to do. Why was this bard touching her? Inara didn't want to be mean so she very softly hugged her back.
Morrigan looked over at them and scoffed thinking, "They have been rather close lately, yet everytime I turn around I catch the warden staring at my hips and just alittle lower." Morrigan walked off into Wonders of Thedas
As soon as the Warden saw her leave, she softly pushed back from the bard and said, "I'm going to check out this store." and raced off after Morrigan. Leliana saw the eagerness to be by the witch and she had noticed Inara staring across the camp all the time at her bosoms. It didn't help that those rags she wore barely covered anything up.
As the Warden walked in, Morrigan was talking to the shop keeper. He was a tranquil and they were talking about some script. Inara walked up and bit her lip as she looked at the witches tight pants and that bare skin under her loose shirt. She made a bold move and slid her hand barely across the witches side as she walked up beside her. "Everything ok Morrigan?" Inara asked glancing around. "I am fine Warden but I do wonder at something." Inara lit up alittle feeling happy that she could get her something. "Tis' this script. It has information on my mother in it." "Well do you want it?" Inara asked. Morrigan looked at it and said, "Yes, I believe it answer many of my questions."
The Warden got her the script and rounded up her group to stay at The Pearl. "Ok, uhmmm.. Leliana, your bedding with Wynne, Zev your with Oghren, Alister your with Legolis, Morrigan your with me, and Sten your with Shale." Zevran grumbled alittle and Sten grunted thinking back to the time he awoke with a boulder watching him. Everyone retired to their beds for the night and would visit Genitivi's house in the morning.