Left to her own devices now, Aria stood nowhere in particular as she watched groups and groups of humans in and out of armor strut back and forth. It was unfamiliar to the elven Mage, so many men and women, armed and dangerous wasn't something that made her comfortable. Armed humans were dangerous.

A sharp jolt to her side caused the petite Mage to stumble out of a man's' way. She looked up apprehensively, catching the annoyed look that crossed his gruff face.

"Watch it Elf." He grunted as he shifted the weight of his heavy load, several long swords, onto his other shoulder. Aria flinched nervously and apologized. He snorted as he carried on his way, muttering on about useless baggage.

Aria didn't particularly like the thought of her being the 'useless' one. Instead, the Mage focused on the task Duncan had left her with after he told her she could explore the base. And that was to locate a warrior named Alistair. However, due to the fact she was looking at something else while Duncan spoke to her about where she'd find the senior Warden she was having a bit of difficulty finding him.

Now she walked along a spiked, wooden fence where a small pack of Mabari hounds were resting. Her eyes sparked with curiosity, it was one more thing that she had never seen before. Standing on the tips of her toes, the elf peeked over to get a better looked at the muscular beasts with war paint in different colors. They look like bears, she thought as she spotted a man looking worriedly over another makeshift cave. Leaving where she was she walked over to him. The man spotted her.

"Oh, uh, hello. You must be the new Warden that just arrived, need anything from me?" he asked her. Aria shook her head.

"I guess I am, nice to meet you. Are you the master of these Mabari?"

"Not to all of them, I'm mostly just watching over this one."

"Why is that?"

The male human pointed a thumb inside the cage at his side. Peering through, Aria saw yet another hound, pale tan in color with a blood stained black jaw. It was in the far corner with its head laying in its paws. As soon as it caught the elf looking over a growl left him.

"During the last battle this hound lost its master, but the poor bout swallowed a bit of Darkspawn blood. I have medicine that might help but I need him muzzled first."

"Oh…Then could I give it a try?" Aria asked. The man looked at the short girl in disbelief, but shook his head nonetheless and set the muzzle in her hands.

"Sure, go in the pin and let him smell you. Well know right away if he's bonded…I'd really hate to put him down" The man shrugged.

Inside the pin, the hound took one look at her before tensing, teeth bearing in a growl. The elf knelt down where she was and reached out her hand.

"Shh…don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you." She murmured softly. Letting the mabari lift his head unsurely before he decided to come over himself. Brown eyes watched in awe as the beast slowly stood to reach his nose to sniff at her hand. Its eyes glanced up at her, they stared at each other, Aria could swear the hounds eyes glimmered intelligently behind his pain.

"Come here…" she murmured again as she lifted the hand holding the muzzled. The mabari whimpered, yet let the elf do as she pleased, tightening the buckles on the back of his head. They looked once more into the mabari hounds' eyes.

They blinked and she stood to leave the separate kennel.

"Well done," The man praised Aria, who nodded happily in return. "Now I can treat the dog properly. Poor fella…Now that I think of it, will you be heading into the Wilds any time soon?"

"Hm…I don't know, I'll have to speak with Duncan about that." The mage shrugged.

"There's a particular herb I could use to improve the dogs chances. It's a flower that goes in the swamps around here, if I remember. If you happen to run across it, I could use it; it's very distinctive, all white with a blood red center."

Listening intently, the mage nodded.

"All right then, if I see one I'll be sure to grab it."

"Good, in the mean time I'll begin treating our dear friend."

Leaving the man to his business, Aria went to look for Duncan to question him about going into the Wilds. Passing by a couple humans by what she guessed to be a weapons dealer she flinched when the rough tone of another man called out.

"Hey you, elf!"

Turning toward the voice a large, burly man stomped over towards her. She craned her neck up to look at him nervously, wondering what he could want with her.

"Where's my armor!? " he demanded. The elf furrowed her brows in confusion.

"And why are you dressed so preposterously?" Aria twitched and looked down at her mages robes, the gold and turquoise fabric shimmered in the pale light of the sun. Did they not suite her? Mauling over whether her sense of fashion was off or not it suddenly came to her that this human man before her must have thought she was someone's servant.

"Um…Could you be mistaking me for a servant? I'm here as a Warden."

"What are you—" the man crossed his arms in annoyance before realization hit him and his jaw tensed.

"You're..oh! Uh, yes…Please forgive my rudeness." He stuttered awkwardly. The disbelief and embarrassment on his face about the fact an elf was becoming a Warden showed on him clearly.

"There are so many elves running about and I've been waiting for my armor, and with things being so hectic—but uh, please, pardon my manners, I am just a quarter master, a simple man—no one special."

Aria's shoulders relaxed as the man apologized, but felt he was taking it a bit far. She wasn't going to kill him or anything for a simple misunderstanding. But the fact he easily thought she was a servant just because of her race pricked at her heart. Elves had it harder out in the world. Sure she got a few rude remarks back in the Circle of Magi for her race, however, at the end of the day every person, whether human or elf was in the same boat. Racism came mostly from the Templars.

"Don't worry about it; I just arrived so not many know the newest recruit is an elf." She spoke up with a wave of her hand. The poor man had started to sweat.

"T-Thank you, really!" the Quarter Master sighed. "Here uh, you're welcome to browse through my wares if you need anything. It's mostly for the kings men, but you Grey Wardens can buy it for a modest price."

"Thank you, I appreciate this, but I have somewhere to be…" Aria turned away to continue searching for Duncan.

"Ah, there you are Aria." Duncan said as the burnette elf wandered over to the large bonfire. She looked up at him with a tentative smile.

"It's quite hard to adjust to all of this." She admitted as she shuffled a little closer to the older human as another group of armored men and women stomped across from them. Duncan chuckled and let the child take cover.

"You will get use to this in time, The world is a vast place beyond the Circle, but the people are spread thin. This is an exception." She pat her shoulder as a father would encourage a child.

"So, are you prepared to start your initiation into the Grey Wardens?"

Aria had to look up at the dark grey sky, the Wardens had given her the chance to look up at this sky, no matter the dank state it was in and given her a worthy life to live in protecting the weak, like in the grand tales in the books she had read. If he hadn't been there in the Circle all those weeks ago she could be in prison right now, or worse. A stab of pain hit her where her shattered heart had been at the memory of what happened the night she was the humans in this wide world frightened her and mistreat her.

Maybe she couldn't be a Warden? She wasn't a battle worn veteran after all.

"Duncan, I don't think I'm fit for this. I might die right here tonight for all I know."

The towering shadow of Duncan swallowed her.

"But, I owe you for giving me this chance, for choosing me and thinking I'm right for this…I want to trust your belief."

"Have more confidence Aria, in the Circle your full potential never could have been grown there. The type of person I sense in you needs room to spread your wings." Aria fisted the golden fabric of her robes and looked up at the man.

"So, What do I need to do to join?"

"There will be a joining ritual, but before we can carry it out I need you to go and find another Warden, Alistair is his name. Last I heard he was sent to deliver a message to the Mages who were sent to assist us."

Aria nodded then and turned around to go search out this Alistair fellow. She hoped inwardly he wouldn't confuse her with another slave.

Slowly walking up a crumbling yet stable ramp to a once solid and most likely beautiful tower the elf decided to take the time and look around more thoroughly as she searched for the Grey Warden named Alistair.

"What is it now?" an exasperated voiced sigh loudly, albeit unnecessarily. Aria looked down from examining black birds disappearing into the forest below and watched with mild curiosity as a middle aged man dressed in familiar mages robes crossed his arms in front of and awkwardly fidgeting blond man.

The blond was another human she noticed, with a muscular build and heavy metal armor. Side tracked, Aria thought he would have to be impressively strong to wear something so heavy looking.

"Haven't the Grey Warden's asked enough of the Circle?" Aria's hair shifted as she walked in closer as the strong jawed blond was identified as a Warden. Was this man Alistair maybe?

The Warden scratched the back of his head and darted his eyes towards the elf, clearing his throat for his new audience awkwardly. Maybe he saw her own mages robes and thought he was about to get another ear full?

Aria couldn't help an amused smile as she hid it behind a sleeve.

"I uh…simply came to deliver a message from the revered mother, sir mage, she desires your presence…" He stuttered.

The mage scoffed rudely.

"What her Reverence 'desires' is of no concern to me! I am busy helping the Grey Wardens—by the kings order I might add!"

"Should I have asked her to right a note?" the blond asked sheepishly.

"Humph! Tell her I will not be harassed in this manner!" the mages voice grew in pitch. Aria looked quizzically at the mages complaint.

It seemed though, that the other man had had just about enough of the aggravating man as he shrugged sarcastically.

"Yes, I was harassing you by delivering a message."

Aria snickered, it must have made the mage even angrier though.

"Your glibness does you no credit."

"And here I thought we were getting along so well! I was even going to name one of my children after you—The Grumpy One." The man sighed. That seemed to set the mage off as he spoke a few more sharp words before pushing passed the tiny Aria as she giggled softly.

"I think you made him mad?" she murmured.

The man shrugged and shook his head.

"You know…one thing about the Blight is how it brings people together."

Aria smiled.

"What a strange thing to say after how he treated you."

"It happens." He shrugged. "Say…I don't think we've met, have we? I don't suppose you happen to be another mage?"

"Um, yes, I am indeed."

"Huh, really? You don't look like a mage? Uh…that is…I mean...how interesting?"

Aria didn't know if that was an insult or not so she just let him continue speaking.

"Ah—wait! I do know who you are. You're Duncan's new recuite, from the Circle of Magi. I should have recognized the design of your robes…uh not that I was looking—I mean I was but-um—wait not like…oh you know…I'm just going to ask you for your name now." The blond man, more than a head taller than the elf rubbed the back of his head as he stuttered awkwardly. It couldn't be helped that his bumbling ways brought a shy smile to her face as she gave him her name.

"I'm Aria Surana…could you possibly be Alistair?"

"Uhh, yeah—yes! That would be me. If you already know it's safe to assume Duncan has talked about me? Nothing bad I hope!" Alistair was an odd man Aria began to think. Such a goofy thing he was that she was unsure he truly was a Grey Warden.

"So, anyways…I guess as the junior member of our order, I'll be the one to accompany you and the other conscripts for when you prepare for the Joining."

"The Joining…Duncan mentioned it but—What can you tell me about the Joining?" she asked showing her apprehensiveness. Sure she may have agreed to go through with this as a way to have her freedom, but she will admit to herself her regret at going at it so blindly. However, at her query, Alistair again scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Sorry about this, but I cannot reveal the nature of the Joining until the actual ceremony. I can however, tell you it involves darkspawn blood. But enough of this, lets head back to where Duncan is waiting, probably the new recruits too."

Aria nodded; disappointed she couldn't get anything out of the armored man, but kindly followed after him to return to Duncan's side. As they walked, their conversation continued as the man seemed to realize something.

"You know, now that I think about it, I've never really seen a lot of women in the Wardens. I wonder why that is?"

"Uhh, Do you want more women in the Wardens?" she asked. Alistair shrugged.

"Would that be so terrible?" he snorted in amusement at her honest question, "Not that I'm some drooling lecher or anything…"

Aria made a face, stepping back from him and giving the blond a wide birth.

"Hey! Stop looking at me like that, it was a joke, a joke!" he waved his arms for her to come back to his side. Aria gave him another look before giving him an unsure smile and an uncomfortable laugh.

"You found Alistair, did you? Good, I assume you're ready to begin preparations?" Duncan said as soon as the pair was within hearing distance. The heat of the bonfire warmed the elf's face as it lit her saviors armor up into colors of gold and amber. She nodded to him as she fought the chill that had started to seep into her mage's robes the longer she had walked with Alistair.

"Assuming you are quite finished riling up the mages, Alistair."

The blond shrugged innocently, making Aria giggle.

"What can I say? The revered mother ambushed me; the way she wealds guilt they should stick her in the army."

"And I suppose she forced you to sass the mage, did she?" the older man challenged. Alistairs lips pursed.

"You're right Duncan, I apologize…"

With a satisfied nod, Duncan turned his attention to the three people gathered by the fire. As the Warden talked with each other she had taken the time to turn and great the other two that must have been the other recruits. One was an older man, mid 30's or early 40's and was balding. But he filled out his bronze colored armor honorably and nodded to her in a tense greeting.

Aria nodded back politely.

The other man was probably several years older than her, in his late 20's and wore worn leather over a stained tunic. His eyes were shifty. Aria didn't like the look this man gave her and opted to talk a few paces away from him.

"Now then, since you are all here we can begin."

For a split second as Aria caught Duncan's darkly serious eyes a cold chills passed through her. She bit her lip though and pushed back that cold feeling one often got right before vomiting. There was no time to back out now. This was her choice, her path. Even if her nerved told her otherwise she was sure nothing could go wrong.

[Two updates the same night after so long...this may never happen again lol]