open; Give me a field, give me a big sky

[foxsays]

WHO: Araceli, Morrigan, Asher and you
WHAT: Catch-all for Bloomingtide
WHEN: Bloomingtide (post-5th Bloomingtide for Araceli)
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: A proper catch-up for all three characters below with specific starters and some open headers, if you'd like something specific feel free to hit me up! If you'd like a backdated thing for Araceli or Morrigan, let me know and I'll sort that too, I know I've been gone for a fair bit sorry!
Araceli's threads will all be post 5th Bloomingtide when she gets back from her mission in Antiva!
For some ooc details on Morrigan things, please see here, a rookery post will go up shortly for research helpers!
Warnings for talk of violence, blood and language in Asher's threads.

Comments

i

[ancarrow]

Eirlys is pottering around in the tents, checking on the current patients and scrubbing a particularly nasty blood stain out of the canvas of one of the beds when she happens to look over and see Asher stir. She makes her way over, pulling up a stool next to the cot he's been assigned and peering down at him. "Oh good, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

[hlif]

The worst part about coming through a country known for being damp, then trundling up a freezing mountain when you've got wounds to your chest is means a cough gets to settle in your chest, and he tries to croak a greeting only to start. Stars dance along the edges of his vision, blood roaring in his ears before he manages to summon up some battle discipline. Deep breathing works anywhere, though usually he doesn't have that wheeze in the back of his throat.

He's had worse, just not in front of so many people.

"Like shite if 'm honest," he groans, trying to shift up on his elbows to avoid the ache building low in his back. It'd be a grand thing to sit up. "Better for seeing a pretty face though."

Maybe someone should've warned her about Asher.

[ancarrow]

She smiles, amused, not entirely unused to that sort of talk from patients, and places a cold hand on his forehead. "You had a fever while you were out, but it's broken now. I'd say your body was working overtime to try to heal your wounds while you were getting back here; you haven't got anything catching. The best cure will be to just take it easy for a while, though I know how difficult that can be to ask with demons falling out of the sky."

[hlif]

Closing his eyes, he heaves a sigh of relief because it feels good, he won't lie, not after days of wanting to tear his own skin off. "Did any of them bother passing on that I'm a Reaver? Been like a furnace ever since I drank the dragon's blood but if it was bad enough to worry my lot..."

He trails off, forcing his eyes to open again because he's slept, or rather drifted in and out for long enough now. Bad spells like this have been few and far between, and he'd rather not have it become habit though it has to start catching up with him one day. After all, it's creeping closer to this being half his life now, twelve years of nothing but fighting or planning fighting or going to the next fight.

"I'm bad at that. Famously bad. Everyone knows me either as the man that ripped his shirt off in a tavern full of mercenaries before going off to wrestle a bear and winning, or for getting in a drinking contest in Nevarra and waking up a Reaver. It's what I do."

[ancarrow]

"No, they failed to pass on that detail." She looks at him a little warily now, not having much knowledge of Reavers other than that it was something the Chantry would not look at all favourably on. Still if he's using those powers for the good of the Inquisition, she's not sure she has much leeway to object to them. She decides to stick to how it relates to her professionally, rather than any moral objections - after all, those had no place in healing. "Does that have an effect on how your body heals? Any interactions with specific herbs?"

She can't help but laugh. "In that case, I might have to insist on healer's orders for you to take it easy. You're in no fit state to wrestle bears now."

[hlif]

"Well, I am. Have been for years." There's a proud grin, or an attempt at one but it turns to another grimace when pain rolls through him again, when he needs to cough once more no matter how hard he tries to stop it because that just makes the world spin, and that in turn makes it hurt even more. "It means I'm up front taking the blows but I can handle a higher fever that might kill a normal person but no, you can give me anything and I should be fine, trust me: the mage in my company heals like she's trying to punch the blood back into you, I can survive that, I'll survive whatever you stick in a potion."

Asher's also survived drinking some pretty terrible booze in shocking quantities to the point you could probably set fire to his blood but no sense in scaring people.

Rolling his eyes, he does manage a laugh, even though it makes him groan. "'m bad at following orders. Might need to tie me down to make me do that."

[ancarrow]

He phrases that almost as a challenge, and Eirlys has to grin. "I'm sure there are more than enough scouts around who can offer a strong hand and a bit of rope, if it comes to it. Though I don't blame you, I wouldn't want to be stuck as an inpatient either."

She reaches across, rummaging around in her supplies before producing a glass vial containing a mixture of royal elfroot and prophet's laurel. "This is a stronger mixture than I'd give most humans, but I'm guessing that as a reaver you have a faster metabolism than most. It should make the pain go away for a while, at least."

[hlif]

One of the first things Asher did when he arrived in Skyhold? Warned one of the healers what he'd be like as a patient. Unfortunately Eirlys wasn't around then for word to be spread. "You're a hard woman you are, I like that. Even my company wouldn't dare tie me up but then I pay their wages and they'll only go so far when they're robbing me."

With a groan he can't help, he eyes it before nodding. "It's going to taste rotten, isn't it?"

[ancarrow]

An amused smile flickers across Eirlys' lips, used to hearing that question from small children rather than a big, hulking reaver. "It's an acquired taste. But I do keep a little honey on hand to help it go down."

[hlif]

Deep down Asher is still that boy that got booted out of the house that no one ever loved enough okay. He's never had very many nice things in his life. "Right," he says, slapping his hands against the bedding as if he's come to a decision. "Do your worst, has to be better than Carta alchemy home remedies."

Do not ask about Carta alchemy home remedies you'll cry they're just a lot of mumbling, shrugging, and 'just drink it'.

[ancarrow]

She taps the herb mixture out of the vial onto a spoon, dripping a generous amount of honey on top and holding it out to him to take. "One big swallow and it'll be all over. And hopefully you should start to feel a little better."

[hlif]

With a grimace, he sits up to take it, and it makes him remember being a boy. Only there were never really any moments of comfort, just being told to get it over and done with, that he shouldn't make such a fuss. Better to distract himself though and he does prefer to get the names of the people around him so he should probably get on that. "'m Asher, but you probably know that. Don't know if I caught yours or if the fever ate some of my brain as well."

[ancarrow]

"I'm Eirlys," she replies, looking pleased that he's taken the medicine with so little fuss and measuring out another large dollop of honey for him as a reward, if he wants it. "And I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance, Asher, although I wish it were under better circumstances."

[hlif]

"Eirlys...d'you contact us about an alienage in Gwaren and supplies getting delivered?" The details aren't so clear, Liadan and Nasir would have kept a better track of that but they'd gone to Gwaren with things, since they'd gone to plenty of effort to make sure it didn't look like any of them had just abandoned the Inquisition, that it was all business and things Asher's personal touch was required for. "Because that was done before this happened, plenty of food from the farm, probably fresher than they've had in a stretch, leather, wool, cloth, some ale. Healing supplies, cloth for bandages too. Called it a gift so no one had to pay for anything."

Asher has plenty of coin to spare, alienages don't, especially not these days.

[ancarrow]

"Maker bless you!" She instinctively grabs for his hand and squeezes it, forgetting for just a second that he's a patient and she needs to be gentle. "I didn't want to ask, especially not when I'm making sure you're all right, but I had worried. And... you truly don't mean to charge anything? I'll have to find some way to repay you."

[hlif]

Well at least his hands (for a change) aren't damaged. To be fair Asher's had enough fractures in places that they've healed up stronger than they were before so he laughs or makes a sound like a laugh, lifting one hand just enough to wave it away, glad that Liadan isn't here to argue with him. "Just fix me up and that'll be us even. I've seen some bad sights, I lived in Kirkwall for years and my second is from Halamshiral, I can afford to be generous with the coin the nobles pay me and nearly everything is from the family farm, they don't mind where it goes so long as it's appreciated." He has a feeling, judging from her reaction as he smiles back at her, that the alienage residents will appreciate it far more than most.

[ancarrow]

Eirlys winces a little, looking rather sympathetic. "I've only ever heard bad things about Kirkwall, for the humans just as much as the elves." It takes a lot for her to be able to imagine shems in those sort of abject conditions.