One Skill Short

Real

(Maven)

With how things had gone between Odessa and Keeper Hawen, I had to wonder what else would be different. Usually, this deviance from the norm would worry me but it just ended up giving me the realization I had been needing for a while.

Odessa was a person with a consistent character. Events and choices from early in Haven to this point have shaped her. Her backstory had made her a bit of a loner from the rest of her clan but now I saw why. She could lie to a human or a single elf, but had more trouble when it was a group.

I also hadn't stolen Cullen from her because Cullen isn't someone she would seek out if she so desired a relationship. Solas matches up more with her expectation of the Dalish and herself and she recognizes him to be a fellow elvhen wanderer.

It would be interesting to see her without her slave markings. Though, it also made me wish Solas would actually stick around. Perhaps it was a sort of maternal sentiment, but if the Inquisitor was going to have someone in their life, it would be nice for things to end the way things usually did with her and Cullen.

A nice retirement with a mabari and the Commander to play a good game of chess with her. Kicking the ass of any poor sods who dared to trespass with ill intent...

Something was off with Drusilla since our game and I could sense it as if she had opened her mouth to state it. She was having troubles accepting this world again and my help was starting to not work. Like a salve losing its soothing qualities, I couldn't be her reality cushion anymore.

I could only be watchful and hope she could gradually accept what was going on.

Did the others sense her turmoil too or was it just our twin thing that made her feelings and even some of her thoughts so obvious to me? Iron Bull could probably get the best idea from observing her whereas the others in our grouping likely just noticed she was a little tense.

Demons were attracted to this in mages, but she would just end up killing all those who tried anything. She knew how they worked. The only ones we really had to be careful of were the ones who reintroduced our demons from home to us.

Thinking about it alone made me shiver. Drusilla matched my pace then. Really...who was helping who here?

"Is there really a golden halla?" Odessa asked then and I nodded.

"Remember the ram from the Hinterlands who turned out to be a rage demon?" I began.

"It's like that but without the demon part." Drusilla shrugged. At least she was back to paying attention to her surroundings. She may even be getting bored; she hated this place. It had been the most pointless location to her.

"Demons...there are so many here despite there only being a couple of elven artifacts...unless there are more than were mentioned..." There were only two in the game but anytime I'm near saying that, I consider how horrible it would be. Especially since it was now my reality too.

"This place makes no sense." She grumbled in response to my words.

"Why not?" Blackwall stepped in and she stopped and gestured around us to point out just how much of an expanse the Plains were.

"Two artifacts for this place? Do you have any idea how much ground makes up the Exalted Plains? Real time...it could easily take us a week or two to cover it all. I swear these places just get bigger and bigger. So much walking. No idea how anyone does it."

"Need a piggyback ride?" I jested and she glared at me and gestured a faux threat with her staff.

"Don't joke about that. I would fucking love a piggyback ride."