Ch.4 On the road, Hiding from the seeker.
(Cassandra's Pov)
Cassandra watched as the herald rode his dracolisk, the mountain dracolisk had been a terror ever since the blasted thing had been caught in the aftermath of the breech. The herald was the only one the creature would even let near it, but under his hand it was as gentle as a lamb and that was another thing that was bugging the seeker. Over the week around haven and now two days of travel had done nothing to make her trust him more, the man annoyed her to know end. When the man was not vanishing so fast that Leliana's spies could not track him, he was sitting with her fellow hand quietly whispering to each other over her reports. More than once she had seen a sight that usually made her nervous was the bard mistress laughing and smiling widely, and if he was not there he was almost always by either Solas's side or that Dwarf Varric's camp fire talking quietly.
She spied the herald hand move to his hip and pull out his ever-present canteen and take a drink from it after pulling down his scarf to reveal his lips. "What is in that canteen?!" She said annoyed as for the last two days she had yet to see him eat much and only drink from that canteen and never much.
"A special potion." Jay responded before capping the canteen and replacing it and his clothes making his skin vanish once more expect for the areas around his eyes.
"What is it for?" She growled annoyed with how this man had been avoiding her constantly.
"I have a disease in my blood that makes it so most food and drinks are inedible to me and makes my skin prone to burning so I take the potion to stay alive as it is one of the few things I can drink." The reply came, and Cassandra felt at once guiltily again.
It seemed every time that she thought he was being an arse over something it was another suffering on his part she had been un aware of. She sat in silence for a few minutes until out of the corner of her eye she saw Jay move his scarf away when the clouds became overcast and he pulled out an ivory white with silver tracing flute, the notes suggested a bird on the wings after a storm trying to find a roost. When she looked at him he seemed strangely peaceful.
(Jay's Pov)
He pulled out the flute to help take his mind off the hunger gnawing at his throat like a dull burn, the seeker's questions combined with the fact that he was balancing his blood intake on a knife's edge was making him close to killing her just to feed and to be able to relax more. The last two days had been annoying as every time he turned around there was the seeker trying to spy on him, he was starting to wonder if he should just tell her. Then again that was just his hunger talking he guessed, the problem with being an elder vampire mean that his power could grow only one of two ways. The first was to feed in excess allowing his power to be drive that way, but that made it very hard to hid as the amount was very large. The other riskier method was to starve as the less he drank the more his body craved it the and the more power it would give him to get it. this method made healing from large wounds tricky as elder vampires healed faster when feed well even more so than pure bloods or blooded one, however drink to much and his powers fade with the feedings.
"We should camp here tonight." The seeker said and the group dismounted in the clearing just off the road, if they made good time tomorrow they would arrive early morning at the forward camp.
The group was settling into the tasks when Cassandra approached Jay as he began cooking. "If you can not eat most things how did you learn to cook so well?" Cassandra asked as out of the group it was clear that only Jay had any true skill in cooking at camps.
"Just because I cant eat does not mean those who I have lived and traveled with could not, so they all tried to find foods I could eat. Let us just say that after I time I started cooking because if I did not they would have killed themselves trying to make dishes that everyone could eat." Jay shivered at the memory of his early years as an elder vampire and trying to figure out what he could and could not eat.
After the meal was over and the group was settling down, Jay offered to take the first watch for the group before climb up a nearby tree to sit and watch the camp from above. Once everyone was asleep Jay settled down to read to pass the time, his senses would alert him long before anything could get near the camp. He pulled out his favorite book of songs and tales, he was immensely glad that he had hidden his bag before approaching the conclave. The lose of his canteen was hard but he doubted he would be able to replace this book without having to reveal that he had it in the first place, and as much as he enjoyed talking with Leliana he had no desire for her to find out that he was in possession of a signed copy of her book of tales and songs from the blight.
Leliana shot up in bed panting from her dream, every night since she had confronted the herald her dreams were filled with either dreams of him or memories of the only other vampire she had met. Jay's eyes were the main feature in every dream, their glowing red cat like slits with a depth that made your mind feel hazy. She got out of bed and looked towards the dawning sun and wondered what an elder vampire had been doing at the conclave, from what her old traveling companion and friend had told her elder vampires rarely directly involve themselves in the affairs of mortals. She had only known he was an elder one by the intricate design surrounding his eyes the moment his glamour had dropped, she only hoped that he was like her friend and sought to keep their race hidden and keep the peace.
She walked out of her cabin and moved towards the table where she had set up her work station, sitting there on her table was baron plucky. Who just hopped over to her and presented his back to show the scroll attached, pulling it off and opening the report she saw the smooth crisp writing that would rival that of Josie's that belonged to Jay. The report stated that they would be making contact the day after the report was written, at the end of the report was a small letter tucked in the tube. She opened it and read it smiling slightly at the words written there, she had grown to be rather fond of the vampire despite her best intention she found herself missing his company.
(Jay's letter.)
Nightingale
Do remember to take a break every few hours, will you? Also if I kill your seeker will you be mad at me? She is slowly driving me to drink (and not my home brew!) with her constant watch of me, not that she could ever catch me but still it is annoying to have to hid my nature while traveling. On that note what are the odds that if I told her she would brutally murder me? If I tell her should I mention that I once play chess with the divine while drinking a glass of sister Mary? Oh the seeker is glaring at me again… nope glaring and about to kill my good dwarf got to go save his chest hair, Hawke would kill me if Varric died.
P.S
I want you to know that Justina and I were old friends so I hope this does not come off as rude or anything, but she would be proud of the woman who I helped patch up became. So I know she would tell you this, it is time to lay down your burdens. She blamed herself for every dark sin you committed in her name, so please relax, and stop blaming yourself trust me I am doing enough of that for the both of us. I should have been faster when I heard her cry, that will be the second greatest regret I will ever have.
P.S.S
Man, that was a long post note, anyway I will bring you back something from my trip. If you have a request have good sir plucky deliver it would, I like that bird he is smart but don't tell him it would go straight to his head.
Your sharp toothed friend.
Lord Jay Trevallyan of Ostwick tower.
