Codex Entry: Briala

Alienage slice of life

For day 3 of City Elf Appreciation Week (organized by @cityelfweek thank you so much for organizing this btw I am loving all of the entries) I am posting an old piece of writing I never posted on Tumblr. It's the day before her wedding, and Astala Tabris is enjoying an evening off with her friends and coworkers. Everything is going well for her: she's having fun, she has people she can rely on, she's got everything figured out job-wise... or does she? A slice-of-life story centered around the necessity and frustrations of holding a job, and the friends at your side as you walk through life. Enjoy!

“There he is!” Tehriel called and jumped up.

Astala threw her cards aside and followed suit. It had been a bad hand, nothing worth holding on to. The five of them sprinted over to Ilmanis, who had just stepped through the gates to the Denerim alienage. Blond mane flaring out behind him like a knight from a story book, Doher led the charge and stopped a mere heartbeat before colliding with their long-awaited friend.

“How did it go?”

“Did you get the job?” Astala threw herself over Doher to get a look at Ilmanis, who was short enough to disappear entirely behind any reasonably sized elf. “If you didn’t, they’re fools, because you’re the most competent person they could’ve hoped to hire.”

“Tell us, what does it feel like to walk around in a shem palace?” Tehriel asked. “Was it full of dogs?”

“The dogs stay in the kennels,” Astala said. “I want to know if the chamberlain treated you right. Or was he too good to interview you? Is it still that guy with the weird haircut who hired my father?”

Ilmanis mumbled something unintelligible and Doher aggressively shushed them.

“You’re asking the man too many questions at once.”

“That’s right,” Elnasran nodded. “Come, we saved you some food."

Read on AO3

Shared tarot for my Tabris and Surana because they’re cousins and in the same world state

City Elf Origin

threw some colour at a merrill doodle i did a while ago! ;m;

youre doing amazing sweetie

"The fear: that nothing survives. The greater fear: that something does." - Richard Siken, The Language of Birds

A little birthday something for my beloved @v-arbellanaris of xer beloved Tabris, Kal!!! 😌

And that's a wrap!

Thank you so much to everyone who participated and followed along! I've had a blast seeing all your amazing works and unearthing some oldies too. I really appreciate it!

If you create something for City Elf Appreciation Week a little late - tag this blog anyway! I'll check back every so often :)

And I'm always up for some more city elf appreciation, come chat with me at @breninarthur any time <3

See you again!

you ever think about how the first time the tabris family saw tabris fight, like truly fight, it was protecting them? from tearing though the arl of denerim's castle to cutting down tevinter slavers to fighting off the darkspawn horde itself

using all that "martial training" and "swordplay and knives" and "whatever else your mother trained you in" to keep their family safe and dsfkds oiughhug hh ighh