foxsays | ooc: inbox/plot with me

Perched up on the battlements, Araceli spies Korrin easily when she arrives at the gates; soldiers are good drinking companions, they tend to tell her plenty of things she might want to hear, and they always know the comings and goings if Araceli doesn't know enough herself from her vantage points. Maybe she could come down right away, but she walks along the rooftops until Korrin's alone, slips down onto the hayloft roof, silent as can be. This is how she does these sort of things if she can.

(Grief like this hasn't touched her friends at home, only Leandra, and that was before. Before Araceli snuck into her life, her grieving done the way a queen grieves. Grief for a father is a different thing again.)

She slips down onto the roof of the stable proper, a horse whickering when it smells her though how it can when Korrin is...maybe Korrin fell? But she isn't carrying herself as if wounded, and someone would have told Araceli that much. Rooftops are faster than the ground, so Araceli is back in their rooms when Korrin arrives because some things are best done privately.

"You were to send word when you were at the gate sirena," she tells her because this is Araceli, Araceli just knows things, as she pushes herself away from where she's been pretending to read a book, turning just so, curls over her shoulder. Lux yawns hugely but it's late in the evening and he's fluffed up from a bath, he won't pester either of them.

Not at all surprised that Araceli isn't surprised, Korrin manages what feels like the first true smile in some time, one that doesn't feel more like a grimace or putting on a show. Grief still clings to her, how can it now, but it's not as overwhelming as it was before. The visit to Honey Badger Hold soothed her spirit somewhat; only by seeing Asher put to rest could they all move on.

Setting down her things, Korrin strides over and gently scratches Lux on the head in passing. He's a fluffy cutie, but not enough to divert her attention from her kadan. Moving those curls aside, she drops a kiss onto that shoulder, and then to her cheek, the corner of those lips....

"Damn, I was going to and then I got caught up in making it back early. I couldn't wait until you were back from your impending mission to see you again. Not while I was wearing this." Which, if Araceli takes a better look, really isn't much. Scarf aside, the paint is the only thing on her (admittedly very toned) upper body. Yes, she wore that all around the frigid mountains just because she could. And yet, she doesn't seem especially frostbitten.

Edited 2016-08-27 23:25 (UTC)

Sniffing at her hand, the fox opens one eye then the other before he yawns hugely, head dropping back down. A bath is such a trying ordeal clearly, as if he was the one actually doing any of the hard work instead of being scrubbed in warm water with nice soap, by a pretty girl with her shirt soaked down the front.

Turning into the kiss, she does pull back just a little; not all her clothes are so easy to clean, and she has no idea what any of what is currently covering (or not covering, six of one, half a dozen of the other really) Korrin is going to come off on her or not as she gets to her feet. It lets her perch on the desk so they're more of a height too.

"I did mean to ask, what is that? We discussed the titsicles thing before, no? I saw the statue in Emprise du Lion? I prefer you with your nipples intact, that scarf keeps your throat warm at best."

"Oh, they're still intact, promise. This is just Avvar armor, that's all. I thought I'd give everyone an eyeful before I go scrub it off. Maybe even Cade, if he's around." She smirks, remembering his reaction to her unclad chest before. His reaction now might be just as entertaining, if she cared enough to seek him out. But that means time away from Araceli, so unless he runs into them, it's not likely to happen.

"You're welcome to join me if you like, kadan. Otherwise, I'll likely be careless just so I can return to you as soon as possible." Not that she really cares if a few patches of Avvar war paint remain where she can't reach, as long as the rest of her is clean enough to hold Araceli properly again.

"In what world is that armour?" Deciding to test it, she gives it a rub with a finger, then a nail, before she gestures at the trousers. "You know if you leave those on the floor I will burn them." She's joking. Mostly. Maybe. They look furry, and outside of the actual pelts they have from Asher that she'll have to take care of now since he's gone, there are no furry clothes allowed.

"Let me grab everything and I'll join you, I only had half a bath with Lux." One ear pricks up, an eye opening just in case Araceli has plans for yet another terrible bath, but she slips past Korrin to grab the small basket of combs, brushes, hair pins, various oils, and sponges. (I will need to buy more, she thinks a little sadly.) "Can you grab the towels? I assume you'll want fresh clothes to wear back here?"

"In the world of the Avvar, where humans are almost as tall as I am. I'm not even joking, some can almost look me eye-level. Asher was a shrimp by comparison." Not that much, not really, but although there's a saddened tinge to her smile, the hurt isn't quite so overflowing now. "And do what you like with them, kadan. If I paint my chest again, I'll choose something else to wear with it."

Nothing that ear, Korrin smiles and scratches gently behind it. "Go back to sleep, we won't torment you any longer today." Poor baby, so clean and fluffy. Then she straightens and nods, gathering the towels and the easiest-donned outfit she can find, too lazy to dress up when the day is winding down. "Got it."

"He walked as tall as giants, bellowed louder." It isn't as if she can say she knew him well, but the man left an impression long before she ever laid a claim on Korrin, and he will be missed even if Araceli had kept herself out of the way unless Korrin had needed her.

"Behave while we're gone," she instructs as if anything is going to happen to their room in Skyhold considering what a hilariously terrible idea that would be, leading the way to the hot springs that should hopefully be quiet enough at this hour. Maybe Korrin will sleep for a few hours after this, and Araceli can do some more reading after curling up with her before she gets them both something to eat before they turn in together for the night. "How was it? Truly. I didn't wish to intrude."

Korrin nods and smiles a little at the very accurate description as she follows along, likewise eager for some piece and quiet. Right now, very little matters but soaking in hot water and listening to Araceli's sweet voice, holding her close. Sleep will come very easy after this, probably the fist time in Skyhold since returning in a rush for Asher's sake.

"I know you didn't, kadan, though you would have been welcome. It was very different from the lowlands, that's for sure. The Chantry means nothing to them; they have their own way of life with their own gods, and their mages serve the community, not live apart from it. Nor do they burn their dead. Asher had a sky burial, so that he could be sent to the Lady of the Skies through her messengers. It was a fitting way to see him off, and his people were welcoming. The aftermath was as loud and full of strong hooch as you might expect."

"I like the sound of that more than the Chantry ways." Even so long after Dairsmuid, the thought of burning the Templars still makes her retch if she thinks about it for too long. "More like what we do with ours, but sky instead of sea, birds instead of fish and crabs." She's covered the Alamarri and the Avvar in her reading by now, seeing as it made the most sense to start at the beginning and work her way up until now.

Fortunately, the springs are empty as they enter, two scouts passing that Araceli would usually stop and chatter with, present company included, but given that Korrin's just back, she waves them both on, promising she'll be back for cards tomorrow. The winking sells it because who can blame a girl when her lover is returned to her? One night off while she's in Skyhold won't see her falling scandalously behind on rumours or gossip for Sister Nightingale.

"After all that drinking, you need a soak. Get in." Wasting little time, Araceli settles to strip quickly and neatly, clothes folded atop her boots, bracelet tucked inside a coat pocket, changing into a short shift she ties loosely shut about herself, bare from the mid-thigh down. Loosely pinning her curls up out of the way, she motions for Korrin to get in so she can perch and deal with her hair for her. No oil and combing needed but it'll go quicker if someone actually stays dry, at least right now.

"I thought you might like that." Korrin smiles a little, glad for Araceli to find any commonalities she can with the people of Thedas. For herself, though, she's still pretty certain that fire is the way to go. No demon's claiming her body, and that seems the best way to ensure it.

Nodding absently to the passing scouts, Korrin strips down with no hesitation whatsoever. Beneath the scarf, her dragon tooth necklace is naturally still present and secure, and untouched by the paint. "You'll get no complaints from me. I've been daydreaming about this all the way back." Flashing a warm smile, Korrin finally lowers herself into the steaming water and lets out a relieved sigh. This is exactly what she's needed.

Honestly Araceli would really like to see a demon try to possess whatever remains of her corpse; a scattered collection of sea creatures summoned forth, assembled into a being wholly unsuited to being on the land if it were even possible. If she perishes in Thedas, most of the things that will devour her will have gills, and a demon won't last long, thrashing around in the shallows until someone comes along to deal with it, letting the crabs and fish and eels be free once more.

Settling herself so her feet are in the water either side of Korrin, she moves for her hair first, unbinding it carefully to fingercomb it before she goes for the first comb, working her way through it all until she can twist it up into a bun on the top of her head with several of the pins.

"So," she says at last once she's gotten Korrin's hair out of the way before she can get to work on Korrin's neck, scooping up warm water and massaging out any aches. "I suppose I should ask why paint your breasts. It seems a very odd thing to do."

A content noise escapes from Korrin, and she's happily savoring every moment of Araceli's touch where it's needed most. A lot of her muscles are sore and stiff, and the warm water is already helping but she still has a way to go. That remark gets a soft laugh out of her, though she tries not to move too much.

"It really is armor, sort of like how mabari have kaddis that protect them in battle. I think I'll stick with my usual sort most of the time, but when in Val Royeaux, do as the Royans do...or the Avvar, in this case. Besides, I have a pretty awesome chest, why not paint it?

...paint aside, I've been thinking about tattoos. I've never really bothered since my scars are enough decoration for me, but...I think it's time to break that. I want something to remember Asher by...Mal, too."

Digging her thumbs into the base of Korrin's neck, small circles of Korrin's grey skin begin to appear where she works, stopping only once she's sure that particular knot is gone to resume work with the heels of her hands a little further down between her shoulderblades. Carrying a staff and riding can't be the most comfortable of combinations; it might be another thing to ask a few of the other mages next time she has the chance, maybe when she's off on assignment. More paint swirls away into the water, though true to Korrin's word it takes more effort than she'd thought it would.

"Ugh, the kaddis stinks. Soldiers keep offering it for Lux." And no but try explaining subtlety to soldiers, especially when so many of them are Fereldans with dogs that easily twice as much as she would in a soaking wet ballgown. "This doesn't smell, so the Avvar have that in their favour but doesn't it hurt? Without any sort of support? Mine are hurting in sympathy for yours, just so you know.

Mal too? What happened to Mal?" Tattoo talk would usually instantly garner Araceli's attention but there's a slosh as she leans forward so she can look at Korrin because she doesn't know Mal very well but she does like him, and that's worrying to say, with Asher dead and Korrin just back from a funeral.

"Mal...." Korrin sighs, both due to heartache and Araceli's wonderful, magical fingers. She'll take off what she can on her arms, though not moving so much as to undermine Araceli's own work. "...he's leaving for a while. Asher's death hit him pretty hard. I know he'll come back, especially since he's sweet on Merrill, but he's in need of a breather. Anyway, we talked about getting matching tattoos in memory of Asher. Think I could pull off a honey badger somewhere?"

Just where on her body would work best, she hasn't decided. But maybe Araceli with her eye for detail and past tattoo experience will help her narrow it down. For her part, it almost doesn't matter where as long as she can see it and think of the times when all three of them would raise hell together.

"Don't give in, kaddis would ruin Lux's beautiful fur. Mabari can only get away with it because they're short-haired to begin with.

And I was told that it doesn't hurt after a while, that you get used to it. I don't know; I'm sore all over anyway, so at this point it doesn't make much difference. Maybe I'll be feeling it more tomorrow."

"I never even thought to say goodbye to him." Everyone in Thedas comes back, that's how it is. It's rifters that slip through the cracks, people that only get worried about if they come from the same world as someone else or if they have friends; not that there's less danger but Mal belongs here. "I'll check in on Merrill, when I see her. She offered to help with the Dairsmuid refugees before they even arrived. As for the tattoo - how about your forearm? You'd see it if you were fighting in armour that didn't fully cover your arm, or whenever you were drinking?"

Where her tattoos are doesn't matter as much to Araceli; her body is a map, so long as the tattoo is there then that's enough for her. It's there for the world to see and for Araceli to know. This is the proof of who I am and what I am, that is what the marks on her skin say. But Korrin misses her friend dearly. It isn't a bad place for such a thing, and Araceli has a fox for Lux on her own arm, caught mid-stride.

"Well you weren't running but fuck, can you imagine? An antaam-saar is just enough for me if I tie it right but-" She bows her head, trying to hold in the sudden burst of laughter before it explodes out. Too much. Too much of everything and laughter is better than tears, isn't it? "One way to stun them before you strike I suppose."

That burst of laughter is contagious, and Korrin joins in, needing it more than she had realized. The image that comes to mind keeps surfacing and making her snicker, so give her a moment. She'll manage to control herself, honest. "Andraste's tits, indeed. I think I'm pretty damn good at stunning them anyway, but you know it never hurts to have options."

She flashes a grin then lifts her forearm to have a look, tracing along where the tattoo might be located in the future. "I like that. Asher would want us to remember him when we're having a few at the tavern--or getting outright shitfaced. Funny, I always thought that if I ever got around to a tattoo, that I'd go for a dragon first. Maybe I will at some point, but it's not what's calling to me right now. I could get the Inquisition symbol, too, I guess, to make Shokarakar roll her eyes. She keeps calling it 'that hairy eyeball'."

When she can finally breathe again, she works away at Korrin's back until she hits the water, then back up, smooth sweeping motions to clear away more of the paint as she has a thought. "How much paint did you bring? If you brought any. Because I'm short but there's more to cover at the front." Busty girl problems, sorry sirena.

"I've been thinking about getting some tattoos while I'm here, it's been so long since I last had any done, and they're meant to mark important moments in your life. Maybe when Zevran is less busy I can convince him to ink something on me if I draw it for him first. You do have a dragon's tooth though, since you've killed one, I think the dragon would understand having to wait." But it does give Araceli an idea herself since she still hasn't found a moment to give Korrin her gift that wouldn't be utterly crass. "That...why does she call it that? It doesn't look like a hairy eyeball to me."

Korrin shrugs before remembering to stay somewhat still for Araceli, watching the paint swirl away from them as she continues on her arms. "It probably would, if it weren't for the sword right in the middle. I might risk the eye-rolling, though. The Inquisition's brought many good things into my life." She turns enough to smile warmly at the woman who's at the center of a lot of that.

"Hm, that's a good point, about Zevran. If he's not too busy with his bear-elf baby, I'll see what he has to suggest. And I'd love to see what he does for you, of course. What are you thinking about getting this time?" Several things come to mind, but Korrin will wait to hear directly from Araceli rather than assumed.

"When I have the time, I need to draw some things for you. Symbols are symbols, I don't break them down into the bits that make them unless it's a message." That's a sailor's thing, a lesson from maps more than anything else, bits of her culture but when does she find the time for any sort of thing? In passing, when the hour is late, when Korrin lies next to her in bed so she can trace them on her skin but they're nonsense patterns then when Araceli is trying to settle herself for a few hours since she still can't sleep all in one sitting like most folk. It's harder to talk about the Inquisition being a good thing all the time for her: it was Korrin's choice, it was...it was Araceli's choice to pledge herself but there's a life elsewhere too, so she smiles, dipping her hands into the water to clean the dirt from under her and off her palms.

"I saw that, when I went to drop off what I got in Rivain." Translation: she nearly fell over a stack of books and assorted nonsense but she spotted it. At least he won't freeze when the worst of winter comes screaming down on them because Araceli remembers how terrible her first months in Skyhold were. "Maybe an octopus, most of the body where my ankle meets my foot then the arms can stretch down, close to my toes. So many things in Thedas are so bloody, I don't know if I want that on me for the rest of my life. Everything else is something I love, a map of who I am, where I've been. Not just physically, but a map of me, what makes me who I am." A shyness slides into her tone since well, to so many people a tattoo is just a tattoo, even back home in other nations. It doesn't mean what it does to a Castilean.

That new shyness in her tone doesn't go unnoticed, as Korrin is aware by now of what tattoos mean to Araceli and her people. She smiles and lifts one of Araceli's hands up for a gentle kiss where there is no Avvar paint getting in the way. "I love that about you, you know. How personal it is to you, that none of it is without meaning. You do it for yourself and no one else, and that's beautiful.

An octopus would definitely suit you. Seeing it will remind me of the one we saw off the coast in Rivain." That morning birthday dip will forever be a fond memory, and whatever other meaning the octopus would hold for her kadan, that's what would come to mind for Korrin herself.

"I know," she replies softly, bending forward to kiss the corner of Korrin's mouth before she goes for the oil in her basket - not one for hair but for skin, since she really doubts that war paint can be good for the skin before she hands the bottle to Korrin for whenever she's ready to do her front. "Reminds me to show the Outsider my tattoos." That's almost tempting fate because he could quite possibly just slosh into the springs, clothes and all but she's never been anywhere she could show him the whale on her skin at all times.

"I'm surprised you don't have any at all. I got the compass and anchor before I left home, and I left home when I was fifteen."

ooc: inbox/plot with me

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ayyy titty icons bc reasons

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