Well, he was certainly in a predictament now. Ashton looked to his left, and then to his right, eyeing the rows of buildings on either side of him. Well, at least he had the best view of Kirkwall from his position. He was a good climber, he used to climb all the trees at home, and when he was off on his trips. Hell, he slept a couple of weeks in some branches due to an unfortunate accident with a bear. He'd never had a problem with getting back down. Of course, trees were not buildings, and trees weren't as tall as his shop. He leaned over the lip of his own particular building and peered down at the street far below. Yep it was indeed a long fall down, just as he had feared. His saving grace was that he wasn't afraid of heights. Now that would have made the incident unbearable.
He stepped away from the lip and turned around, glaring at the sign and streamers at his feet. It was all their fault Ashton was way in the hell up there, on top of his building. He had anticipated kicking off the grand reopening of his shop right, with a new sign and sparkly streamers. They had just managed to refill their stock, so they could roll out the merchandise in full force. Ashton had volunteered to scale the building to reattach the sign and to hang up the streamers, but somewhere between then and now, he'd lost track of his altitude-- so absorbed in the act of climbing that he was. For a moment, he had forgotten he was back in Kirkwall, and not clinging to some tree in some uncharted wilderness.
He sighed and spun around on his heel, coming back to face the sheer drop once again. Instead of looking over though, he resigned himself to his fate and took a seat, swinging his legs off the side. He'd wait until he grew the nerve to actually descend it. He had plenty of time to do so. Unfortunately, he had plenty of time. For all he knew he would be trying to work up the nerve for hours. When he woke up that morning, Ashton certainly didn't envision this future...
Nostariel, burdened down with a large, misshapen bundle, found that the trek from her shop to Ashtonâs was much longer than usual thus encumbered. From time to time, the diminutive Warden would sway slightly in her step as though drunk, but it was obvious from her clear-eyed expression and the bright smile on her face that she was anything but. She giggled to herself every once in a while, this usually coinciding with a more awkward than graceful step, but it certainly didnât bother her any.
Some days, she really did feel the need to thank the Maker for her friends and fellow Wardens. After Ashton had gifted her with the bow (which sheâd named Oathkeeper, from a desire that it help her keep her promises to herself and others), sheâd actively sought to repay him somehow, and now she thought sheâd finally managed it. What sheâd found was something she thought heâd like, and it had been her Commander, on a visit to check in with her, that had ultimately provided the suggestion, though he hadnât known it at the time. Stroud was a good man, if a bit uncompromising at times, and what had started as a simple favor was now rather a stroke of brilliance, if she did say so herself.
And well, there wasnât much of an occasion, but she figured she could claim it to be a shop-warming gift, as apparently his oh-so-grand re-opening was today. Honestly, it didnât look too grand as she approached, given the dearth of customers, and she decided sheâd have to at least purchase a new quiver to match Oathkeeper, if only so heâd sell something today. Hopefully, the present would put him in a better mood.
Upon her initial approach, she didnât spot him, and supposed he must be inside, until she noticed an irregularity in the shadow cast by his roof. Glancing up, Nostariel squinted against the noontime sun, unable to lift a hand to shield her eyes, lest her blanket-draped bundle fall to the ground. She certainly didnât want that. âAsh?â she inquired, half-incredulously. âWhat are you doing on the roof?â She was grinning despite herself. She had no idea how heâd gotten up there, but it looked kind of hard to get down.
"Something incredibly stupid, no doubt," Ashton answered with an exaggerated sigh. And now Nostariel has caught him in the middle of his stupidity, wonderful. "See, I started to climb... But then I forgot to stop. I thought I was climbing a tree for a moment." At least if he fell, she was there to mend his broken and mangled body-- it still wasn't his first choice of how to descend. He then began to swing his legs back and forth like a child would, tilting his head side to side as he did. He still hadn't managed to work up the nerve to attempt a descent, not quite yet.
"So... What brings you my way," He said, humor in his tone, completely ignoring that he was stuck some distance in the air.
âOh. Um⊠all right then,â Nostariel replied, unsure if there was any way she could even help him. Aside from healing whatever he managed to break if he jumped or something. The bundle in her arms was growing more difficult to keep a hold of, though, and his question directed her back to the reason for being here in the first place.
âWell, todayâs your re-opening and all⊠I thought I should get you something.â Actually, the opportunity had fallen (almost literally) into her lap, and sheâd really just needed to find an excuse for it. A shop opening seemed like the best one she was going to get, since she had no idea when his birthday was, and the major holidays of Kirkwall and Ferelden alike were stacked towards the back end of the year, at which point it would be far too late. Something shifted, and she staggered to the side. âThing is, my Commander was in town a few days ago, and he passed on news that an old comrade of mine had gone to his Calling.â Her tone softened a bit, and she glanced down at the ground for a moment. Siegfried had been a hard man, Anders to his bones and more gruff than just about anyone sheâd ever met, but his training had made her a stronger person, she was certain. He was the one whoâd taken a soft Circle mage and made her into a Captain of the Grey.
âWhich⊠probably seems like itâs completely irrelevant and slightly depressing, but itâs not. Rather, it is a bit depressing, but not irrelevant.â If sheâd had a free hand, she would have run it down her face. This was not going how she expected it to. Sighing, she tried again. âSiegfried wasnât Ferelden, but he always had a way with animals. He bred Mabari for the Wardens, and one of the bitches had a litter just before he went. Stroudâthatâs my Commanderâhe said Siegfried left me one of the pups, if I wanted it. I donâtâthereâs no way I could keep her in the Hanged Man, but⊠I couldnât say no.â Bracing her bundle on her upraised leg, she moved a hand to pull the blanket aside, which produced yet more squirming from the puppy she was holding as it tried to lick the elfâs face.
A soft grey in color, she was stippled with spots of darker grey. Anyone with any interest in hounds would know she was a bit smaller than the average pup, but if the enthusiasm with which she cleaned the Wardenâs cheek was anything to go by, she made up for it in gusto. Sheâd also⊠mostly⊠understood the need to remain hidden and still, evidence to support the glimmer of intelligence in her huge black eyes. âI donât really know anything about dogs, but I thought maybe you wouldnât mind a hunting partner, you know?â She wasnât sure how sheâd figured, but a hound seemed like something that would suit Ashton very well indeed.
Right, that changed everything. Now he had to get down. And fast too. Ashton swung his legs over the lip, careful not to over extend himself so that he fell. It'd be hard to accept a gift if he was nothing but an Ashton flavored splatter on the street. Not to mention how much that would hurt. Still, he had went up there for a job, and he needed to get it down first before he had gift-giving time with Nostariel. So obviously, the solution was to kick the streamers over the edge of the building-- hoping they caught somewhere and unfurled. Which they did, but it certainly wasn't a pretty sight. Streamers of varying height waved helplessly in the wind, but objective complete. Now came the hard part.
He had to descend without falling. He grabbed the sign and just hefted it over, calling out, "Watch your lovely heads!" The sign fell to the ground, clapping upon contact but otherwise unharmed. Now it was his turn. He approached the edge and slowly lifted himself down. "If I fall, just... Tell Lia the shop is hers," he said as he began his descent. It was slow going, as he made sure every handhold and foothold could support him. It took twice as long to climb down as it took him to climb up, and even then he was only about midway. Why did he have to be so silly, he thought to himself, steadily descending. Another couple of minutes passed and he was becoming overzealous, increasing his pace. What happened next should have surprised no one.
Ashton missed. He reached for a handhold that was not there, and his foot was already moving in anticipation. Now with half of his tether to the building missing, it put all of his lengthy weight to his two remaining grips to the building. He was no Lucien, and the strength he had in his arms was laughable in comparison. His arm gave out, his foot along with it, and he began to fall back. As he fell he began to scream. Even when he landed on his back a foot or so later he was still screaming. It was only when he realized that he was still alive that he stopped. Instead he just looked up into the sky with a embarrassed look on his face.
"See? Something incredibily stupid..." he monotoned as the pup sauntered over to his face and stared at him. "Well, hello there sweetheart. Looks like you're going to have to put up with me for a while," he said, to which the puppy replied by licking his face. "She smells like Ferelden," Ashton told Nostariel. Now he a was a bit homesick...
She honestly thought he was maybe being a little overdramatic, but indulged him with a friendly salute anyway, setting the puppy down to let her sniff around of she wanted. She wouldnât go far, even unimprinted as she still was. Despite that, she watched his progress with a bit of worry, breathing a sigh of relief when he was close enough to the ground that a fall no longer risked serious injury⊠or not? He seemed to think otherwise.
For a moment, Nostariel wasnât really sure what to doâhe wasnât actually harmed, by the looks of it, but he seemed to believe otherwise. The realization of the truth was a bit long in coming, but it did arrive, the dog venturing over to him and hazarding her opinion on the whole matter. It was actually kind of adorable⊠and more than a bit funny, too. Nostarielâs laughter started as quiet, breathy chuckles, but eventually progressed to ill-contained giggling, and she followed in the Mabariâs tracks, looking down at him with the spark of amusement. âYouâd drown in an inch of water, with theatrics like that,â she told him, offering a hand up. âMaybe I should tell Lia the storeâs hers, just in case.â
Her face grew serious, though, as she picked up on the note of painful nostalgia in his tone. âIâm sorry, I didnât thinkââ and that was rather the problem, wasnât it? âIf itâs too much to be reminded ofâŠâ
"What? No, stop that," He said using Nostariel's help to rise to his feet. As he did, he managed to scoop up the pup, rolling her over in his arm and scratching her belly. "You're not getting her back, ever," Ashton said trying to inject some humor into the situation he'd accidently brought down. He then held the pup up to his face and rubbed his nose against hers, at which point she began licking him again. She was quite friendly. "Ferelden was my home once, but now it's Kirkwall. I have to rebuild here-- It's simple as that," Ashton said. Then the puppy yawned and Ashton could hardly contain himself from breaking down from the adorable.
"Best. Gift. Ever. I've always wanted a puppy," He said, pulling Nostariel in for a hug.
The three-way hug between herself, someone almost a foot taller than her and a furry puppy was probably one of the stranger experiences sheâd had in recent memory, but it was also one of the most pleasant, so there was no way she was going to mention it and ruin the moment. Instead, she wedged herself in there gamely, wrapping one arm around Ashtonâs waist and placing her opposite hand on the puppyâs head. âIâm glad,â she replied honestly. When she thought about it, heâd given her so muchâOathkeeper was only the tip of the iceberg. She was elated that sheâd guessed rightly about the fact that hounds suited him.
âSo?â she asked expectantly. âWhatâs her name?â
"Serah Princess Von Snufflynose," He stated without hesitation. "Snuffy for short."
"So long as you clean it up when Snuffy poops in the shop, I guess she's alright," came Lia's input from the now open door of the shop. "But that's what I pay you for, sweetheart," Ashton teased, at which Snuffy barked in agreement. Lia rolled her eyes, and went back inside.
He stepped away from the lip and turned around, glaring at the sign and streamers at his feet. It was all their fault Ashton was way in the hell up there, on top of his building. He had anticipated kicking off the grand reopening of his shop right, with a new sign and sparkly streamers. They had just managed to refill their stock, so they could roll out the merchandise in full force. Ashton had volunteered to scale the building to reattach the sign and to hang up the streamers, but somewhere between then and now, he'd lost track of his altitude-- so absorbed in the act of climbing that he was. For a moment, he had forgotten he was back in Kirkwall, and not clinging to some tree in some uncharted wilderness.
He sighed and spun around on his heel, coming back to face the sheer drop once again. Instead of looking over though, he resigned himself to his fate and took a seat, swinging his legs off the side. He'd wait until he grew the nerve to actually descend it. He had plenty of time to do so. Unfortunately, he had plenty of time. For all he knew he would be trying to work up the nerve for hours. When he woke up that morning, Ashton certainly didn't envision this future...
Nostariel, burdened down with a large, misshapen bundle, found that the trek from her shop to Ashtonâs was much longer than usual thus encumbered. From time to time, the diminutive Warden would sway slightly in her step as though drunk, but it was obvious from her clear-eyed expression and the bright smile on her face that she was anything but. She giggled to herself every once in a while, this usually coinciding with a more awkward than graceful step, but it certainly didnât bother her any.
Some days, she really did feel the need to thank the Maker for her friends and fellow Wardens. After Ashton had gifted her with the bow (which sheâd named Oathkeeper, from a desire that it help her keep her promises to herself and others), sheâd actively sought to repay him somehow, and now she thought sheâd finally managed it. What sheâd found was something she thought heâd like, and it had been her Commander, on a visit to check in with her, that had ultimately provided the suggestion, though he hadnât known it at the time. Stroud was a good man, if a bit uncompromising at times, and what had started as a simple favor was now rather a stroke of brilliance, if she did say so herself.
And well, there wasnât much of an occasion, but she figured she could claim it to be a shop-warming gift, as apparently his oh-so-grand re-opening was today. Honestly, it didnât look too grand as she approached, given the dearth of customers, and she decided sheâd have to at least purchase a new quiver to match Oathkeeper, if only so heâd sell something today. Hopefully, the present would put him in a better mood.
Upon her initial approach, she didnât spot him, and supposed he must be inside, until she noticed an irregularity in the shadow cast by his roof. Glancing up, Nostariel squinted against the noontime sun, unable to lift a hand to shield her eyes, lest her blanket-draped bundle fall to the ground. She certainly didnât want that. âAsh?â she inquired, half-incredulously. âWhat are you doing on the roof?â She was grinning despite herself. She had no idea how heâd gotten up there, but it looked kind of hard to get down.
"Something incredibly stupid, no doubt," Ashton answered with an exaggerated sigh. And now Nostariel has caught him in the middle of his stupidity, wonderful. "See, I started to climb... But then I forgot to stop. I thought I was climbing a tree for a moment." At least if he fell, she was there to mend his broken and mangled body-- it still wasn't his first choice of how to descend. He then began to swing his legs back and forth like a child would, tilting his head side to side as he did. He still hadn't managed to work up the nerve to attempt a descent, not quite yet.
"So... What brings you my way," He said, humor in his tone, completely ignoring that he was stuck some distance in the air.
âOh. Um⊠all right then,â Nostariel replied, unsure if there was any way she could even help him. Aside from healing whatever he managed to break if he jumped or something. The bundle in her arms was growing more difficult to keep a hold of, though, and his question directed her back to the reason for being here in the first place.
âWell, todayâs your re-opening and all⊠I thought I should get you something.â Actually, the opportunity had fallen (almost literally) into her lap, and sheâd really just needed to find an excuse for it. A shop opening seemed like the best one she was going to get, since she had no idea when his birthday was, and the major holidays of Kirkwall and Ferelden alike were stacked towards the back end of the year, at which point it would be far too late. Something shifted, and she staggered to the side. âThing is, my Commander was in town a few days ago, and he passed on news that an old comrade of mine had gone to his Calling.â Her tone softened a bit, and she glanced down at the ground for a moment. Siegfried had been a hard man, Anders to his bones and more gruff than just about anyone sheâd ever met, but his training had made her a stronger person, she was certain. He was the one whoâd taken a soft Circle mage and made her into a Captain of the Grey.
âWhich⊠probably seems like itâs completely irrelevant and slightly depressing, but itâs not. Rather, it is a bit depressing, but not irrelevant.â If sheâd had a free hand, she would have run it down her face. This was not going how she expected it to. Sighing, she tried again. âSiegfried wasnât Ferelden, but he always had a way with animals. He bred Mabari for the Wardens, and one of the bitches had a litter just before he went. Stroudâthatâs my Commanderâhe said Siegfried left me one of the pups, if I wanted it. I donâtâthereâs no way I could keep her in the Hanged Man, but⊠I couldnât say no.â Bracing her bundle on her upraised leg, she moved a hand to pull the blanket aside, which produced yet more squirming from the puppy she was holding as it tried to lick the elfâs face.
A soft grey in color, she was stippled with spots of darker grey. Anyone with any interest in hounds would know she was a bit smaller than the average pup, but if the enthusiasm with which she cleaned the Wardenâs cheek was anything to go by, she made up for it in gusto. Sheâd also⊠mostly⊠understood the need to remain hidden and still, evidence to support the glimmer of intelligence in her huge black eyes. âI donât really know anything about dogs, but I thought maybe you wouldnât mind a hunting partner, you know?â She wasnât sure how sheâd figured, but a hound seemed like something that would suit Ashton very well indeed.
Right, that changed everything. Now he had to get down. And fast too. Ashton swung his legs over the lip, careful not to over extend himself so that he fell. It'd be hard to accept a gift if he was nothing but an Ashton flavored splatter on the street. Not to mention how much that would hurt. Still, he had went up there for a job, and he needed to get it down first before he had gift-giving time with Nostariel. So obviously, the solution was to kick the streamers over the edge of the building-- hoping they caught somewhere and unfurled. Which they did, but it certainly wasn't a pretty sight. Streamers of varying height waved helplessly in the wind, but objective complete. Now came the hard part.
He had to descend without falling. He grabbed the sign and just hefted it over, calling out, "Watch your lovely heads!" The sign fell to the ground, clapping upon contact but otherwise unharmed. Now it was his turn. He approached the edge and slowly lifted himself down. "If I fall, just... Tell Lia the shop is hers," he said as he began his descent. It was slow going, as he made sure every handhold and foothold could support him. It took twice as long to climb down as it took him to climb up, and even then he was only about midway. Why did he have to be so silly, he thought to himself, steadily descending. Another couple of minutes passed and he was becoming overzealous, increasing his pace. What happened next should have surprised no one.
Ashton missed. He reached for a handhold that was not there, and his foot was already moving in anticipation. Now with half of his tether to the building missing, it put all of his lengthy weight to his two remaining grips to the building. He was no Lucien, and the strength he had in his arms was laughable in comparison. His arm gave out, his foot along with it, and he began to fall back. As he fell he began to scream. Even when he landed on his back a foot or so later he was still screaming. It was only when he realized that he was still alive that he stopped. Instead he just looked up into the sky with a embarrassed look on his face.
"See? Something incredibily stupid..." he monotoned as the pup sauntered over to his face and stared at him. "Well, hello there sweetheart. Looks like you're going to have to put up with me for a while," he said, to which the puppy replied by licking his face. "She smells like Ferelden," Ashton told Nostariel. Now he a was a bit homesick...
She honestly thought he was maybe being a little overdramatic, but indulged him with a friendly salute anyway, setting the puppy down to let her sniff around of she wanted. She wouldnât go far, even unimprinted as she still was. Despite that, she watched his progress with a bit of worry, breathing a sigh of relief when he was close enough to the ground that a fall no longer risked serious injury⊠or not? He seemed to think otherwise.
For a moment, Nostariel wasnât really sure what to doâhe wasnât actually harmed, by the looks of it, but he seemed to believe otherwise. The realization of the truth was a bit long in coming, but it did arrive, the dog venturing over to him and hazarding her opinion on the whole matter. It was actually kind of adorable⊠and more than a bit funny, too. Nostarielâs laughter started as quiet, breathy chuckles, but eventually progressed to ill-contained giggling, and she followed in the Mabariâs tracks, looking down at him with the spark of amusement. âYouâd drown in an inch of water, with theatrics like that,â she told him, offering a hand up. âMaybe I should tell Lia the storeâs hers, just in case.â
Her face grew serious, though, as she picked up on the note of painful nostalgia in his tone. âIâm sorry, I didnât thinkââ and that was rather the problem, wasnât it? âIf itâs too much to be reminded ofâŠâ
"What? No, stop that," He said using Nostariel's help to rise to his feet. As he did, he managed to scoop up the pup, rolling her over in his arm and scratching her belly. "You're not getting her back, ever," Ashton said trying to inject some humor into the situation he'd accidently brought down. He then held the pup up to his face and rubbed his nose against hers, at which point she began licking him again. She was quite friendly. "Ferelden was my home once, but now it's Kirkwall. I have to rebuild here-- It's simple as that," Ashton said. Then the puppy yawned and Ashton could hardly contain himself from breaking down from the adorable.
"Best. Gift. Ever. I've always wanted a puppy," He said, pulling Nostariel in for a hug.
The three-way hug between herself, someone almost a foot taller than her and a furry puppy was probably one of the stranger experiences sheâd had in recent memory, but it was also one of the most pleasant, so there was no way she was going to mention it and ruin the moment. Instead, she wedged herself in there gamely, wrapping one arm around Ashtonâs waist and placing her opposite hand on the puppyâs head. âIâm glad,â she replied honestly. When she thought about it, heâd given her so muchâOathkeeper was only the tip of the iceberg. She was elated that sheâd guessed rightly about the fact that hounds suited him.
âSo?â she asked expectantly. âWhatâs her name?â
"Serah Princess Von Snufflynose," He stated without hesitation. "Snuffy for short."
"So long as you clean it up when Snuffy poops in the shop, I guess she's alright," came Lia's input from the now open door of the shop. "But that's what I pay you for, sweetheart," Ashton teased, at which Snuffy barked in agreement. Lia rolled her eyes, and went back inside.