The rain had started sometime midafternoon. A constant, cold, drizzle that made everything muddy and numb, or at least that was how it felt to Jowan. Ser Gilmore had suggested that they start breaking down camp and help the dwarves be ready to move several hours ago but now that the rain had started the mage doubted that they would be making any progress before night fall. Oh the joys of living on the road, the mage thought to himself.
"Take it apart just to put it back together again. Now I know how it feels to be a soldier." He grumbled to himself as he pulled his collar up higher on his neck. Glancing across the small fire he was momentarily jealous of Cullen still in his cozy tent with the fire burning. If you ignored the suspicion from the rest of the party, the killer trained war dog guard and the inquisition from a light headed Nemeria, the Templar really was getting the best out of the deal once again.
"Jowan where is Nemeria? We need to decide if we are going to move camp before the ground gets too soft." Roland broke Jowan out of his miserable train of thought. He blinked at the Knight confused.
"I haven't see her since she went to interrogate." He hooked his thumb in the direction of the tent. Roland frowned but did not see overly concerned. An angry mob that had tried to ambush them once before, a deranged Templar tied to a stake and their leader wandering the woods with a less than day old concussion. Nothing to worry about, sure.
Before he even realized what he was doing Jowan was walking the edge of the woods. Shows I am just as senseless as she is. He really didn't have a place in mind but this felt right. Even with the pine needles mushing underfoot and the tall trees shadows growing longer he had a feeling Nemmy was somewhere here, wanting to be alone but not quite willing to leave her group without a lookout. Willing to put herself in harm's way always, those she cared about, never.
A soft woof noise and a shadow moved as Demon looked up at Jowan with a quirked eyebrow, not bothering to get up from his lying down position besides a large oak. Jowan swore the Mabari had more facial expressions than Sten. But the dog at least told him he was on the right track. Call it a hunch.
"Knife ears, knife ears! Dalish witch! Where are your tattoos freak! Jowan had been on his way out of the library when he had heard the boys mocking. There was only one apprentice that those taunts could apply to.
Standing in the doorway Jowan knew their kind if not their names. A group of four boys had surrounded Nemmy. A pile of books spilled across the floor showing they had snuck up on her .A pack of dogs they were, each a full head taller than the elf but they still kept their distance mocking and frightening the younger elf.
"Tell me again how many Templars chassed your daddy down." The lead boy, Jowan thought his name was Elliot, advanced on Nemmy "But it only took the one to run him through. Bet they had their way with your momma too before they got tired of her."
"No!" Nemmy yelled suddenly and the boys were all thrown backward, slipping on a patch of ice that had mysteriously formed around the group. Before Jowan or the older boys could react the elf bolted past them and into the aisles of the library. If she had seen Jowan as she fled, she made no indication of it.
It had taken Jowan over an hour to find her. He knew where to look, but she never made it easy. Climbing to the top of a bookshelf next to a boarded up window he finally managed to get up there and pushed her over silently so he could sit beside her. She didn't even look up as he sat down. Her face buried in her knees and wrapped up in a ball, she never let anyone see her cry, ever.
For a long minute he just sat there, feeling the cold from the stone seep into his bum and of course he made the mistake of looking down over the ledge. Absently he moved closer to Nemmy more for warmth and wanting to reach out to her, let her know that someone in this god awful tower cared.
"Go. away." Her muffled voice betrayed that she had been crying. She didn't look up.
"Nemeria. No one cares that you're Dalish.. Those boys were just being jerks; you are the first student Irving has taken in as long as anyone can remember. That means something."
"It means the Templars and Magi both want to keep an eye on me." The anger in her voice surprised him. Without thinking he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. Her shoulders shaking, whether from cold or sobs Jowan didn't know. In the end it didn't matter, she knew there was at least one person in the tower who saw the real girl. Cold,tired,afraid but still strong enough to climb to the top of a bookcase just to get some fresh air and moonlight.
Jowan felt like he had been climbing for an hour, his arms were sore and complaining louder than Morrigan but he could see a small shape in the twilight that didn't move with the breeze. The fool elf had climbed up before the rain had soaked all the bows and he being the even bigger fool was doing this while his grip was half mush. She would be the death of him.