faderift | There's Always Room To Learn More

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There's Always Room To Learn More

WHO: Samouel Gareth and Anyone
WHAT: Sam is taking time to learn about his magic and certain items. Otherwise enjoying not being in the desert.
WHEN: After the Western Approach, throughout Justinian
WHERE: Skyhold, Other locations depending on posts
NOTES: Shenanigans

The Western Approach had been quite the trip; blistering sun, hot sand, dragons, demons... a trip to the Fade. Enough that Sam needed some time to recuperate - which only lasted for like a day before he was right back into the swing of things.

[Healing Tents]
There were still many injured after the mission, or sick after the mission, so of course Sam spends a decent amount of time at the tents to help get everyone on their feet. Thankfully it is not like when that illness had hit Skyhold so there are chances to actually breathe and rest.

[Armory]
Much like after the Fallow Mire, there were many things to deal with once the troops were back from the Western Approach. There were new materials to work into new equipment, and armor and weapons needed mending - the enemies and rough conditions had certainly worn their gear down.

When he has free time, Sam can still be found in the forge, mostly to look over a new sword hilt he's acquired from the ruins. It is a strange sword considering it doesn't have a blade, in the sense that it had been made without one in the first place.

[Training Ring]
After nearly losing an eye - not really but it had clipped a bit of hair off, which lead to him getting the rest of it cut a bit shorter to match - Sam has figured what that strange hilt was. Apparently he had found a magical sword, or rather greatsword judging by the size of it. Curious by his new finding he is often at the training ring when he isn't busy in the forge or at the tents.

[Stables]
At times the mage can be found in the stables, sitting across from a particular purple "moose". When he isn't sketching it, he is often walking the Hart around or taking it for a ride outside the gates - with permission of course.

[Kittens X X]
Sam is now a new owner of two kittens. Most of the time he keeps them up in the loft while he's relaxing, but it isn't fair to keep them cooped up. Every once in a while he does take them out either the two of them chasing after his on the ground or each perched on a shoulder or tucked away in an arm.

[Wildcard]
Anything and everything you might possibly think of, go for it.

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As healed as he's going to get apart from a cough that catches him unawares (in the mornings, late at night, when he laughs too hard, when he takes in a deep breath of cold mountain air), Asher's been training while most people have been in the Western Approach, getting himself fit again. It worked out well enough - time with the Boneflayers when there were fewer folk in Skyhold to object to them causing a scene, and fewer people to see Asher embarrassing himself when he was wheezing, when he had to stop, when the burns pulled tight or started to bleed.

But now he's back to himself, stripped to the waist where the new burn scars are pink instead of angry red, watching Sam as he takes a break, leaning against his axe. Bronson is once again lolling around, only inspecting Sam to see if he has any food to offer.

"Looking for a partner or you going to run off to Christine if I suggest it?"

The familiar voice has the mage pausing in taking a drink from his water skin, turning to regard Asher where he's at. Brows raised in slight amusement at the question, Sam makes his way over to the other man, hooking one side of the hilt into his belt since he's yet to make something to carry it properly.

Coming close he glances down at Bronson, smiling at the dog and holding a hand out for him to sniff - sorry he didn't have anything for you to eat. Turning his eyes back to Asher he tilts his head, taking in Asher's similar state of dress, and noting the look of the man's wounds - still not completely healed, but not enough to keep him in bed obviously.

"Well unless you're suggesting I go get Christine for a partner I don't think I'm going to be doing that." Sam chuckles lightly at that. Why would he run off to Christine? "Can't say I'd be much of an opponent. Unless you know somethings about greatswords."

Plenty of choking down poultices and beer with friends have sorted Asher out, that and the good hardy (haha) constitution bestowed by being part-Avvar, part-Fereldan, and raised on a farm. That and whatever chugging dragon blood does to a man because he's always had his suspicions.

For his part, Bronson sighs, butts his head against Sam then Asher's thigh before he goes to flop next to the rest of Asher's gear. Good guard dog.

"Christine could serve your arse to you on a silver platter, trust me. Probably with some fancy accoutrements on account of her being Orlesian." He has to wonder if she'd serve red or white wine though, or if this is maybe the sort of thing where you'd go straight for the port. "But I might serve you myself for wounding me - I'm a soldier of fortune Sam, have been since fifteen. I like my axe but I can handle any weapon, even a bow or a staff if I really have a need. Don't last long if you can't grab whatever you can and use it, even your fists and your feet. Since when do you care about greatswords though?"

Oh? That statement has Sam raising his brows further, and crossing his arms over his chest in curious amusement. "I don't think she would find it that easy to do that." Honestly she wouldn't be interested in trying either - not unless he really provoked her or made her mad. "And I honestly doubt she wants to touch my arse in any way." He chuckles a bit at that, just imagining Christine making 'that' face at the mere mention of doing so.

He figured Asher knew how to use a greatsword, but that didn't necessarily mean he knew how to teach someone to use it, which was where Sam was getting at. Unhooking the hilt from his belt, Sam crosses the small amount of space between them to hold up the ornate piece of metal and leather for Asher to inspect. "Since I found this back in the Western Approach." There's a small smile on his lips as he does so, knowing that it was just a pretty hilt so long as you didn't supply it with magic.

"Orlesian. Do you know how many Orlesians I've worked for Sam? Even the dull ones can come up with things that make disturbing Fereldans look tame in comparison." What Asher really means is that he's been chased out of a lot of places and that when it comes to unpredictability, he tends to be more concerned about what a woman can do than a man. Women always manage to pull out something extra, and it's awe-inspiring but also terrifying. "Well we know she's into Fereldan men now, don't we? She likes a bit of rough."

It's fucking charitable to call himself a bit of rough. If a regular average Fereldan is a bit of rough to an Orlesian then Asher is a charging mabari goring them down and licking them in the face, covered in mud and fleas and kaddis.

"So...is this some Knight-Enchanter stuff? Because I know that Korrin's one of those and she's got some special part of her staff that farts out a spirit, do you think this is going to do the same? Let you do your magic...whatever." Asher doesn't do magic. Let him talk about Avvar spirits and souls and the augurs, how all that works, how the culture fits around it and his beliefs? Fine, sure, he can do that with surprising ease for a man like him. But the actual intricacies of magic aren't for him since Amalia has three settings: fire, Amalia why is there so much fire, and being healed like you're being punched in the mouth.

At this point Sam is pretty thankful for the sunburn he's still mildly sporting from the desert, because the turn in conversation certainly would've brought a bit of red to his cheeks. It wasn't exactly something he knew about her. "Well I'm not sure about Fereldan men, but she certainly is into you, yeah?" Least from what he knows. Christine hasn't shown interest in anyone else from the Dog Lord country has she?

Farts out a spirit? Interesting choice of words, Asher, but it does bring a smile to Sam's face. "You're talking about Korrin's spirit blade?" He's pretty sure it isn't from her staff but rather the hilt that she asked him to make, but details. "It seems pretty similar, but I'm not a Knight-Enchanter. I feed a bit of a magic into the hilt and a blade forms. I'm not sure if it has a spirit, but it does amplify magic so it works just as good as a staff for a focus." Whomever made it more than likely had that in mind.

With a roll of his eyes, he gives Sam a shove before settling a hand more solidly on his shoulder. "Word of advice: the proper ones are always really into the last thing you'd expect them to be into. Learn from experience. The really delicate pretty ones like the big rough soldiers with square jaws and faces like hatchets, beards that'd rub their faces raw. Christine's lovely, must be the Circle that gets rid of some of the more unbearable Orlesian traits though." Church might be from a rift and thus not count but she did go to the ball with him and he's certainly something after all.

"It's on her staff isn't it?" Mage weapons are a big stick that you fire stuff out of or whack things with if they get too close, he doesn't care too much about the ins and outs of them. "You should have the muscle to swing it though obviously it's not going to have the weight of a greatsword since the weight is in the blade itself but you'll need to hold it differently to a staff to start with. Your whole stance'll have to adjust as well, if you're really thinking about it."

Sam allows himself to lean a bit more than needed at the shove, grinning at the look Asher had on his face. Words of advice - he really hopes it isn't going to be like the Harrowing room orgy idea. Course what he actually says is... interesting. He doesn't have that kind of experience so he doesn't know things like that. "Alright. Big rough soldier, square jaw, hatchet faced, and beard. So no chances for me." He's grinning as he says that since he doesn't quite make that description. Course it doesn't seem like it's an issue - he's not hearing complaints so far.

"Ah... well from how I understood it she uses it like a sword, it has to be in her hand. I could be wrong though..." After all he had made a sword hilt for her spirit blade. He'd have to find that out. "Yeah, that's what I've been considering as I practice with it. There is only the weight from the hilt so I'm learning to adjust to that. Stances though... I can cast spells through it, but I'll be fighting in melee rather than range which changes how I fight." It isn't a huge stretch since he's been learning to fight unarmed and with one-handed swords and the like, but a greatsword was different.

Despite Asher not being around for the key parts of his younger brothers growing up, he's still a big brother, he just finds new targets for that now. Generally other mercenaries but those are thin on the ground since no one really seems to decide to drag greenhorns all wet behind the ears up to Skyhold because the first sight of a rift or Venatori or Red Templars and they'd be saying their mothers said they had to go home immediately. Even fifteen year old angry at everything with no place in the world Asher would've balked at what he's seen so far. "Nah, you've got chances, plenty of people want to corrupt the innocent, why d'you think I'm banned from about three dozen Chantries last I checked?"

(It's actually four dozen, but it's not Asher's job to count.)

"Korrin's got a lot more height than you, and even if you're a blacksmith, she's still Vashoth, muscle mass is different, and she's a woman so that means where her weight is centred is different to yours as well over and above everything else," Asher explains, having a little bit of height and some muscle on Sam in different places but still not nearly as much as Korrin does, but he's got a much closer build obviously. "And she's used to merc life and getting in the thick of it even though as a mage she was meant to be in back, her fault when she got the scars for it. Blocking'll be something you'll need to learn first. How that feels when something hits and jars all the way up your arm to your teeth. Holding your ground. Pressing an attack."

As he speaks he backs up, shifting to the correct stance with his greataxe out, his hands positioned on the haft of the axe - closer than they'd be on a mage's staff in any of the moves he's seen that require two hands to turn it, the axe held about hip height before he swings out, cutting at an imaginary foe where he'd get them under the rib. Easier to cut there and not hit bone, to hit where it's soft and they scream, especially for a reaver.

Sam makes a face at that, a cross between amusement and confusion and not quite sure which one he should be. "Is that... are we calling me innocent here, or are you suggesting I corrupt the innocent?" More than likely not that second, but he isn't exactly the first. Not by much at least at this point. He thought he was talking about not really getting the 'delicate' ones like Asher was suggesting since he didn't have quite the features the other man was speaking of.

"Well, certainly know a bit about blocking and holding my ground." That he's used to, either being put into the situation or putting himself into it. Pressing the attack however, he's used to using his staff and occasionally using a shortsword.

At seeing Asher take a stance, Sam takes a step back, just to give the man a bit more room. Even though it's only an invisible target, the control Asher has is impressive, which has the mage humming in consideration before looking down at his own weapon. Taking another step back, Sam copies the stance Asher had just taken, feeling out the weight of the hilt before activating the blade. There's no actual blade to see, but the electricity that crackles along it gives away the outline of how wide and long it is. Slowly he goes through the motion Asher had just done, or at least tries to, stopping a couple times to repeat certain motions so that he could get a handle on the weight.

For a minute, Asher screws his face up in thought, scratching at his beard before he shrugs. "I think you're innocent. Or innocent enough for an awful lot of people. I mean compared to me you're practically one of those boys from the Chantry that's born and raised to be a brother and that's all they've known. But I think you could be a bit of a dark horse too, maybe when someone least expects it then bam, you pull a fast one and they're swooning." Honestly Sam could flex and it'd do the trick with that grin, since Asher was doing that when he was younger and it had plenty of fathers chasing him away from their daughters and sometimes their wives as well.

"Have you ever turned a block into the attack yourself though? When you're locked blade to blade and then you force theirs to give and they have to stagger back?" Asher's managed to make a few people lose their heads with their own blades that way, always something worth crowing about even when there are still plenty of people attacking them on all sides.

Watching Sam's form, he nods approvingly, stopping only a couple of times to tap and correct his grip, standing side on so he can show him exactly with his own weapon. Sam at least is a much more relaxed student than Kain, that much seems clear. Not that he's a student really but still, it's a change of pace he welcome before he moves to stand opposite him, holding the axe to block an oncoming blow. "Come at me. Don't be shy. Just to see how it really feels, it'll be better than a dummy."

"Huh." Dark horse, huh? Sam grins at the explanation, mostly with the 'bam' and swooning. He's not really aware that his flexing would do such a thing, and probably better that he doesn't. The forge and healer tents would be busy all the time and he'd never get work done.

"Can't... say that I have." Mage, Asher, he's normally running around with a staff and flinging spells at some distance. There haven't been many sword fights he's been in to even attempt such a thing.

When it comes to learning he's always serious about it, even if he does joke or tries to have a good time while doing so. Learning the blade is the same, and the corrections Asher makes are welcomed. The change in grip does help, but he can certainly tell that the lack of weight makes his movements different.

He's slowly getting into the flow of it, so when Asher stands before him and blocks an attack, Sam blinks. More so because of the sparks that come off his blade when the weapons connect - he noticed it before too when he hit a dummy earlier. "Think I'll feel more comfortable if I put up some barriers." A suggestion since he isn't sure what the electricity will do, and getting Asher hurt with more magic would be counter productive.

Edited 2016-06-18 02:35 (UTC)

Clearly Sam needs to go to the Boneflayers camp when Asher is cutting wood for the fire or working with pelts because there tends to be a steady gaggle of people milling around pretending to do something or other. Yngvi and Gunnar helpfully throw buckets of water at them. Nice of them to worry about the thirst.

"Smithing should definitely give the strength for it, that and the determination. I think you should have the breathing down from casting." For a few minutes he seems to deliberate that one to himself, head tipped to the side, eyes up to the right to recall things better before he comes to a decision, nodding. "Yeah, you should have it down. And well, you're never going to be short of sparring partners in Skyhold, are you?"

Place is crawling with people from all over, and that's what makes a good fighter: lots of experience in life with different weapons and styles. Adaptability.

"Right, thing to watch for with this'll be overbalancing not because it's too heavy but because it's too light and there's nothing to counter your weight, just remember that," Asher comments as they keep moving, grinning because it feels good as it ever does to have the clash of weapons in his ears. "You're as bad as Ataash but if it makes you feel better, fine, I don't fancy Christine tearing the arse off me if I end up in her tent."

He's not going back in that tent, someone will have to drag him kicking, screaming, and clawing at the ground to go back.

If he did do that there would probably be some realization that people were doing that plenty and he just didn't notice. Just like at the soiree and he had to have it explained to him about his butt and on lookers.

"Probably not. At the very least I'm sure Korrin will be interested in sparring." She was always seeing if he was going to join her in becoming a Knight-Enchanter - he wasn't but he had a weapon similar to hers now. There are others he is sure.

At the agreement of a barrier, Sam quickly casts one over himself and over Asher as well, humming some at how easy it was to keep a hand on the sword while moving his hand to cast. With how slow they are practicing the blade doesn't spark much, but the electricity does crackle when it comes into contact with something. Interesting, probably a nice feature on the field, but not necessarily with practice.

Who was Ataash? "Really? And here I thought you would enjoy being in her tent." Difference between her tent and yours, Asher? "I'm pretty sure I can take care of anything that would possibly land you in her tent." He's a spirit healer as well remember?

"If Kain volunteers then I should warn you - since I was involved - that he's a Reaver now." And from the look on his face, Asher isn't entirely sure how he feels about that one, but he agreed, it's done, Kain will deal with it or not and well there were plenty of other people he could have learned from but Asher took the time to suss him out properly first.

A barrier should probably always feel like a barrier, but Asher's so used to Korrin doing it that he's always struck by the little differences when someone else does it. He's seen enchanted blades before, or sometimes Amalia has coated their weapons in flame if the situation calls for it but this is very different, and he didn't know lightning was even possible. He grins. He definitely likes it. "You got yourself a good find there," he comments, putting more of his weight into his next swing to see how much Sam can take before he's forced back.

Ataash, being Korrin, and Asher falling into his usual habit of calling out surnames or shorter names in battle, names that tended to carry easier on the field - Korrin could get lost, but Ataash had a much better ring to it when you had to bellow it loudly over the right sort of din. "Her tent in Emprise du Lion with furs and me any way she wanted me? Aye, I liked that tent. But a healing tent smells bad. Smells like people that are ill and dying and hurting, and all the people that care about them that are upset, and hoping or despairing, can't even breathe right in a healing tent."

Kain was a Reaver? He won't pretend that he knows much about that particular subject, but the idea that a Rifter was able to learn something so ingrained in this world was... interesting.

Of course Asher would grin about something dangerous, but it's infectious, Sam finding himself grinning right back. It had been a good find, and here he had simply thought it was some old broken sword. The grin fades though when he sees Asher coming at him again, lifting his blade to block the oncoming attack. Instinctively he takes a step back with one foot, to help counter the oncoming force. As usual his blade hissed and crackled when the blades met, his arms working to push back, but not overly straining since the magic seemed to be absorbing the blows a bit. Even so the way Asher pushed certainly had his sliding back ever so slightly.

"You have a sharp nose," he grunts, pushing back, but feeling that he isn't gaining any ground - not giving any if he can help it though. "So why don't you just have her come to yours for treatment?" More than likely she would huff and gripe the entire time. Either way she was likely to hand Asher his ass if he got hurt again.

Chug some dragon blood mixed with some other stuff, well it's bound to mess with anyone. Probably why they don't give it to mages.

"I've been doing this over ten years," Asher replies, because he's concentrating more on what they're doing than what he's saying. At least he's not putting his full weight into it yet because that's not fair for Sam when he's not had a lifetime of this since he doubts mages are encouraged to get up to any sort of rough and tumble activity in the Circles either. It's something new for Asher too though, the way this blade feels when it meets his axe and there might never be another like it but he can learn from it.

It might save his life. Might save the life of one of the crew. Knowledge is power even if no one would ever associate that with Asher as he turns sharply to move Sam's blade aside if he can, to see what he'll do, if he'll either press an attack or defend, if he'll reach for his magic or try to keep it physical. Plenty of options. As for the conversation… "You've never met Amalia. She'd be offended and mark her turf. By burning things. Bugger that."

It was probably more to do with the fact that it was blood - because you know, blood magic and all. Saying it was from a dragon would just add fuel to the fire. But that was a good point - an Asher mage was kind of terrifying.

Ten years - yeah, he can certainly feel it, even if the blade does make it easier to deal with physical blows. In a real fight he would be relying just as much on his magic as he did on his sword work, but during sparring Sam always tried to still to one or the other, so that he would learn. Course there were the times that his partner was in the same situation, which allowed for mixing it up a bit. As it was though, barriers and magic sword were the only magic he was planning on using here.

Sam grunts as he steps forward when the opposite force is no longer pressing and instead moves him to the side. Using some advice from a different lesson, Sam follows through with the step, using that bit of momentum to spin around and bring his sword back up for an attack - a little weary on right out attacking at the moment since he wasn't sure what the blade could do.

"No, haven't met Amalia. Don't usually need a healer, but Kallian and Christine have that pretty much covered when I do. So you'd be set on fire, or would the other healer be set on fire?"

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There's Always Room To Learn More

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