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the party sat around the campfire, a pot of soup bubbling over it. the sun had set and the stars twinkled despite the blight. it was late, but no one was ready to retire just yet.
the warden, nirvana surana, was sipping a cup of tea when she overheard her name mentioned in a conversation between leliana and zevran. "hm?"
leliana looked over towards her and smiled brightly, "oh, we were just wondering about the meanings of your tattoos."
"they're, they're just dalish tattoos," nirvana responded without really thinking.
"but what do they mean, the thorns and the leaves?" zevran asked.
"well, hm. mine are based on what my mother told me about hers.. and she left the clan three years before i was born. i think she had only just finished her apprenticeship." she self consciously rubbed her left wrist, where there ten small flower buds of various colors tattooed.
"her apprenticeship?" morrigan was apparently interested in the conversation as well. nirvana couldn't have been surprised; facial tattoos weren't extremely common and she had never explained the meanings of hers to her companions before.
"yes, when dalish elves begin their apprenticeship they shave their heads and tattoo vines along their bodies. the older you are, the longer the vines. they grow their hair out after they finish their apprenticeship," she told her companions. she assumed they were all listening at this point. "again, i.. my mother explained this to me many years ago. my mother, she was a weaver and leather worker."
"i finished my apprenticeship at the circle of magi the day i was recruited by.." she trailed off, then continued on, "the leaves, they represent accomplishments. points of pride, well, mages.. we're taught not to feel pride, repress it. but still. they represent things like the first time i cast a new spell or learned a new enchantment."
"the thorns represent lives you have taken. usually, only other elves, humans, or dwarves are given a thorn," she knew she sounded defensive, because she was defending her culture and moral code, her views on what counts as a life, "but i, things like darkspawn, golems, werewolves.. they were people once, so.. i have a lot of thorns. i never had one before i left."
"i don't have any flowers, because they're meant to symbolize marriage and children. grandchildren, nieces and nephews, even god children," she looked down at her tea, embarrassed, "but i knew, or i thought, i would never be married or have children. or even have friends with children."
"so, i got these," she pulled up her sleeve to show her companions the flower buds. "these two," she pointed to the pale blue and dark red buds, "are for my mother and.. a friend from the circle."
"you miss them." sten spoke quietly, stating this, not asking.
"i do. and, uh, this one," the dark blue one, "is for alistair."
his eyes widened in shock, "for me? you- you took needles to your skin for me?"
"well, i've always used magic, but it feels like needles.." she rubbed the tattoos again, "yes, i consider you all my friends. and i wanted something to remember our friendships with. it's mushy, i know. now, continuing with them."
"dark purple's for morrigan." the mage ducked her head, pretending to not be affected by the blatant display of friendship.
"pink's for leliana." the bard smiled, a blush creeping up on her features.
"light purple for sten." the giant showed no signs of being affected, only huffing something under his breath.
"gold for zevran." the assassin dramatically bowed as if receiving applause from an audience, only to hide his embarrassed grin and flushed cheeks.
"light red for oghren." the dwarf woke up from where he dozed off, rubbing the sleep from his eyes."
"silver's for shale." the golem only grumbled and shifted in place from where they stood outside the reach of the fire's light.
"and brown for the best boy, dogmeat." the mabari barked happily to be acknowledged.
"and there, the mystery of my tattoos solved. now, let's all go to bed."