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[[OOC: 22nd Firstfall, morning]] @Cauthrien
The crew of the Grey Dawn were hard at work, throwing ropes around, running about the deck and, from the sound of it, dropping heavy objects on the timbers at regular intervals. The sounds crept through the decking to Sofia’s cabin, where she was trying to make herself presentable again. It was proving to be more of a task than she would have hoped. Four days on a storm-tossed sea, blown miles off course, had been deeply uncomfortable for a variety of reasons, and not least because she hadn’t been able to run a comb through her hair in that time. Fighting with the curls was like trying to brush a hedge, but she was gradually winning.
If that was a typical example of sea travel, she didn’t care for it at all. But at least they hadn’t sunk.
As she was arriving unexpectedly, it would be respectful to be properly turned out. She opted for the tailored Warden robes rather than one of her dresses, finally conquered the bird’s nest on her head, and added colour to her lips and fingernails before pinching her cheeks to try and bring some of the colour that had been robbed by hours of being thrown around like a toy between children. It would have to do. She checked her pack, picked up her stave, and headed above deck.
It was a hive of activity. Even though the docking part of the operation had been completed, the ship was now busy getting ready to offload cargo, and the captain was bellowing for somebody to fetch the harbourmaster so they could get on with it. He barely turned his head when Sofia thanked him for getting her safely to Ferelden (although it seemed as though the Maker had had a greater hand in that), offering only a curt nod that informed Sofia he would much rather she was gone. Sofia took the hint and went down the gangplank as soon as it was lowered.
She was not especially eager about this assignment. She had been so close to making her case for taking the role of Warden-Lieutenant when the orders had arrived, and moving from Antiva to Ferelden didn’t appeal. From everything she had heard, it was a land of greys and browns, the people rough and boorish. But it was only temporary. She kept that in mind as she started on her walk across the city, following the directions given to her by a city guard for the compound.
As usual, most people gave her a wide berth, but nobody ran screaming at the sight of the staff. She’d been concerned that there would be more of an issue, based on the increasingly stringent guidelines the Chantry was setting out, but it seemed not to be –
“You! Halt!”
Or maybe it was. Sofia turned, already prepping a smile, for the two templars who were approaching her with a suspicious glare. "Si, signores?”
The older of the pair approached, sword drawn. “Warden. Where is your companion?”
“Companion?”
“All Warden mages must be accompanied by another Warden when abroad in the city. By order of your own Commander.” His voice was tight and officious. He had a small, well clipped moustache. Sofia wanted to flick it off his upper lip like an insect. “This has been the rule since-”
Sofia pressed a hand to her chest. It was not a rule she'd known of, but she knew what they were up to. Whether there was a rule or they'd just made it up as an excuse to bother her, they wanted to cause some trouble, but there was one sure way to prevent them from being able to take it any further. “I am sorry, signor! The measure has not been adopted in Antiva as yet, and I am newly arrived. Perhaps you two could serve as my guards until I reach the Warden compound?”
That took the wind out of their sails. They had obviously been expecting more resistance. “Well. All right. But be warned, mage. Don’t let me see you out without another Warden again.”
“You have my word that you will not.” The templars were only doing their jobs, although these two were being irritatingly officious about it. None the less she smiled politely, and the rest of the walk to the compound passed without incident. Once there, she approached the guard with a wide smile. “Buongiorno, I am Warden Sofia Elena Ami Di Castelbuono. Of Antiva. I am here to see whichever Warden is in charge here.”
The crew of the Grey Dawn were hard at work, throwing ropes around, running about the deck and, from the sound of it, dropping heavy objects on the timbers at regular intervals. The sounds crept through the decking to Sofia’s cabin, where she was trying to make herself presentable again. It was proving to be more of a task than she would have hoped. Four days on a storm-tossed sea, blown miles off course, had been deeply uncomfortable for a variety of reasons, and not least because she hadn’t been able to run a comb through her hair in that time. Fighting with the curls was like trying to brush a hedge, but she was gradually winning.
If that was a typical example of sea travel, she didn’t care for it at all. But at least they hadn’t sunk.
As she was arriving unexpectedly, it would be respectful to be properly turned out. She opted for the tailored Warden robes rather than one of her dresses, finally conquered the bird’s nest on her head, and added colour to her lips and fingernails before pinching her cheeks to try and bring some of the colour that had been robbed by hours of being thrown around like a toy between children. It would have to do. She checked her pack, picked up her stave, and headed above deck.
It was a hive of activity. Even though the docking part of the operation had been completed, the ship was now busy getting ready to offload cargo, and the captain was bellowing for somebody to fetch the harbourmaster so they could get on with it. He barely turned his head when Sofia thanked him for getting her safely to Ferelden (although it seemed as though the Maker had had a greater hand in that), offering only a curt nod that informed Sofia he would much rather she was gone. Sofia took the hint and went down the gangplank as soon as it was lowered.
She was not especially eager about this assignment. She had been so close to making her case for taking the role of Warden-Lieutenant when the orders had arrived, and moving from Antiva to Ferelden didn’t appeal. From everything she had heard, it was a land of greys and browns, the people rough and boorish. But it was only temporary. She kept that in mind as she started on her walk across the city, following the directions given to her by a city guard for the compound.
As usual, most people gave her a wide berth, but nobody ran screaming at the sight of the staff. She’d been concerned that there would be more of an issue, based on the increasingly stringent guidelines the Chantry was setting out, but it seemed not to be –
“You! Halt!”
Or maybe it was. Sofia turned, already prepping a smile, for the two templars who were approaching her with a suspicious glare. "Si, signores?”
The older of the pair approached, sword drawn. “Warden. Where is your companion?”
“Companion?”
“All Warden mages must be accompanied by another Warden when abroad in the city. By order of your own Commander.” His voice was tight and officious. He had a small, well clipped moustache. Sofia wanted to flick it off his upper lip like an insect. “This has been the rule since-”
Sofia pressed a hand to her chest. It was not a rule she'd known of, but she knew what they were up to. Whether there was a rule or they'd just made it up as an excuse to bother her, they wanted to cause some trouble, but there was one sure way to prevent them from being able to take it any further. “I am sorry, signor! The measure has not been adopted in Antiva as yet, and I am newly arrived. Perhaps you two could serve as my guards until I reach the Warden compound?”
That took the wind out of their sails. They had obviously been expecting more resistance. “Well. All right. But be warned, mage. Don’t let me see you out without another Warden again.”
“You have my word that you will not.” The templars were only doing their jobs, although these two were being irritatingly officious about it. None the less she smiled politely, and the rest of the walk to the compound passed without incident. Once there, she approached the guard with a wide smile. “Buongiorno, I am Warden Sofia Elena Ami Di Castelbuono. Of Antiva. I am here to see whichever Warden is in charge here.”
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