[CLOSED] And I'm wondering why I still fight in this life,

[twistingveil]

[The walk had been an exceptionally lonely one, the silence around her almost suffocating-- for all the danger she and her companions had been ever hurtling towards, none of them had ever lacked for company, for support. Ashelia had always been grateful for that, but now more than ever she was beginning to realize just how much she had depended on her friends and followers, here in this place she did not recognize, a place that seemed like some hollow, estranged echo of the Orlesian countryside. She had been walking for what felt like ages, exhausted from the trip and all that had come before it, leaning heavily on her staff as she made her way towards the little town that she'd been working her way towards since she'd spotted it on the horizon-- but now, upon entering, it became painfully clear that wherever this was, her suspicions were confirmed: it wasn't Orlais at all, or even Ferelden, and so much of what she sees upon arrival defies any kind of logic, entirely foreign even when she considers that she's spent the last three years among humans and dwarves.]

What--

[There are no words to express her confusion, and nobody at hand to hear them even if she were able to articulate exactly how she feels. She grimaces, choking up on her staff to strengthen her grip with her remaining hand, exhaling slowly as she presses forward. Whatever the case, there is no one to help her now, and she can feel her connection to the Fade itself waning-- almost nonexistent, and perhaps that's the most terrifying part of all, well beyond the unfamiliarity of her surroundings and the fact that she has found herself here alone. She had been without her companions before, for all her life until the Temple of Sacred Ashes, but she had never been without the connection that made mages what they were, and that was frightening.

She keeps to herself, doing her best to ignore the looks she draws as she makes her way along the main road, careful not to meet eyes or engage, but she know she can't continue that way forever. Sooner or later, she'll need to stop to rest, maybe find something to drink-- preferably sooner. It's a small shop with a welcoming front porch and a set of bright blue doors that finally gets her to slow her pace, hoping she might find something of aid once she steps inside. Some direction would be nice, and water wouldn't be amiss, either.]