faderift | [ OPEN ] I'm Floating in a Most Peculiar Way

WHO: Jim Kirk & Anyone
WHAT: Catch-all for the month
WHEN: June/Justinian (after the Justice Ritual #4)
WHERE: Around Skyhold
NOTES: Possible language, probably kittens, wounds, probably demon-talk, shenanigans, maybe some other heavy subjects, possibly some amorous action, everything goes here

[ Class Is In Session - Math + Self-Defense ]
Hearing of a school going up, Kirk naturally offered himself up as a teacher - not least because it gave him something to do here other than be a pretty helper to Sam's forge and a jack-of-all trades laborer.

He taught all levels of math, and any new students who came to the class would be asked to complete an exam that had problems ranging from simple addition and subtraction all the way up to the higher maths such as Calculus to gauge their skill. From that, he did his best to improve upon their skills and further their understanding. A little hard with a range of people, but he did his best, and he was more than willing to answer questions both related to math and to other subjects as well.

When he was not teaching maths, he taught Self-Defense with hand-to-hand combat - or at least he started to once he was physically well enough given that the Ritual had done a number on him. He took to the training area for this class though, and new students were told to fight him as their practical exam. It's not meant to be a hard fight, more like just a quick assessment of their current skill. He welcomed everyone from children to adults, but as a fair notice - expect to walk away with some bruises.

[ Stables ]
If the Western Approach and going after Servis had taught him anything, it was that he really needed to learn to ride something. Being able to hike and run was all well and good, but travel would be much, much easier if he could ride astride something with a longer stride and a touch faster than himself. Motorcycles were a long way off in this world.

So Kirk was being taught to ride, mostly by Sam and on a horse used with permission, though if someone else offered correction to his form as he practiced he would accept it. At this point, everyone was more the expert than himself. At least, so far, he'd avoided falling - for which his ribs were grateful.

Sometimes, though, he could be found around there just enjoying some time with the animals, petting and murmuring to them (and maybe sneaking a carrot to a tiny pony named Bill).

[ The Tavern ]
Most nights Kirk can be found here - work is done, and where else is there to hang out at night in Skyhold (that doesn't make you look incredibly suspicious)? But he liked the crowds and the warmth and the music and the laughter. He could usually be found with a pint of beer in front of him, slowly acclimating to the stuff, and sometimes he would hang out at a table with a chess set in front of him, waiting for a challenger. Other times he had a deck of cards, willing to play Wicked Grace or teach the good folk of Thedas some poker.

And maybe, just maybe, if he'd had enough to drink and laughed enough - he could be convinced to sing a song from a far away land or tell a tale of the same.

[ The Gardens - Specifically at Night/Very Early Morning ]
Even having found a steady place to sleep and steady companion, Kirk's nights were not always quiet and dreamless. He tried his best not to bother Sam on those nights, when sleep would not come, or more accurately he did not wish to close his eyes and see what his mind might twist together when he was not paying attention.

So on those particular nights he would slip out of bed and head to the gardens, sometimes late and sometimes in the early gray before dawn. He walked the paths, breathing in the scent of flowers and the earth. Sometimes he would find a space to sit and fold his legs and rest the back of his hands atop his knees, attempt to meditate in the ways Spock had initially taught him - though more often than not he simply created a numbing tingle in his legs and frustration.

Company, no matter the hour, was always welcome.

[ Around Skyhold - Usually Morning + The Hot Springs ]
Part of Kirk's daily routine was to run and run a lot. He could easily be seen jogging around the perimeter of Skyhold, sometimes with a shirt and sometimes without. Afterwards he usually went to the hot springs to rinse himself off, and in the early days after the Fourth Ritual to clean his wounds as well.

[ The Library ]
Kirk could be found here on and off, mostly coming to return books he had taken for comfortable reading back in the loft with Sam, but now and then he could be seen sitting at a table, taking notes on papers or in a journal he had secured. He was taking more or less everything he read in historical accounts with a grain of salt, but it was still important, he thought, to read such accounts even as he asked others about them.

[ Wild card me! ]
Because there's probably tons of stuff I didn't cover.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He had a room - if one dared to call it that (somewhere his mother was wrinkling her nose at nothing) - off the gardens. And he was, by nature, a fairly early riser, especially these days. He liked the quiet of the early morning. The stillness.

Just him, and his thoughts. Maybe some tea (and on especially good mornings, some Gavin).

In the cool morning light, he leaned against the archway and sipped from the rough cup, running through a silent list of things he hoped to tackle that day... until he spotted a familiar face, scrunched awkwardly, across the way.

He approached slowly, so as not to startle Kirk, and joked, "Is that meant to look so unpleasant?"

Did it have four walls, a bed, and a roof? Then it counted in Kirk's book, especially here. He had dealt with smaller 'rooms' in his time in the Fleet, so the one he shared with Sam counted to him as a luxury, and anyone who had one to themselves (or willingly shared) was equally luxurious.

(Looks like they liked similar things with their morning tea, Maxwell, except his went by the name of Sam).

He let his shoulders sag when Maxwell spoke, opening his eyes to look up at him and giving a sheepish sort of smile, as if he had caught him cheating. "It's supposed to be a practice to calm the mind, but I don't think it works for me when I'm having to sit still."

Maxwell sipped from his cup, brow wrinkling bemusedly as he eyed Kirk's twisted up pose.

"Have you tried not sitting still instead? A quiet walk can be calming, or I like to head down to the archery range before everyone else gets there."

"Oh yes. I go running in the mornings, but the lighting is so so at this hour, and I don't think my body would appreciate another injury right now," he shook his head. "I don't know archery, and I've gotten bored of sparring with a dummy at the practice arena lately." He sighed. "This is the change-up, believe it or not."

"We could fix that," Maxwell offered, cup lowering after a full drink. "The not knowing. The basics of archery aren't difficult to pick up."

He wouldn't promise Kirk that he'd be a master... but a little physicality to keep his mind busy?

He could help with that.

Kirk thought about it. He had been sticking mostly to the staff for personal reasons, not wanting to risk killing someone if he did not have to. Lately he had been up against more demons than people, and his little knife was not quite going to cut it. At some point he should graduate to something with a bit more oomph, and maybe an arrow was just the thing to go along with his staff and little knife.

"I would like that," he nodded with a small smile for Maxwell. "When would be a good time for you - to teach, that is? I have to teach some classes of my own and make sure I make enough for my daily bread, but I can work around your schedule beyond that."

His eyes narrowed in a moment's concentration, running through a silent mental calendar. He would be taking over new duties soon (and wasn't that just a thing), and it was certain to put his usual routine off....

"Mornings or evenings, I expect. But--" he turned and gestured the way he'd come, "I have a room, just there, third door down. Stop by when you're free and I am, we'll see if we can't steal away some time."

"Evening might be a dangerous time for shooting, wouldn't it? Losing the daylight and all," he pursed his lips. "Mornings would be good, I think." He followed the gesture Maxwell made. "Works for me. Anything I should work on before our first lesson? Or buy, for that matter? I don't know the first thing about archery, so I don't even have a bow, much less the proper gear."

"Learning to shoot in a variety of conditions is a necessity. Not every battle will be fought on an open field beneath a clear, bright sky," Maxwell pointed out, but then he smiled gently. "But to start, yes. It is probably wise until we're at least sure your eyes work."

He sipped from his cup again, giving himself a moment to run down a list of supplies.

"Just yourself, for now. I have extras. If you take to it, and feel so inclined, we can talk smart purchases later."

"Sounds great. I look forward to my first lessons," he smiled and then laughed softly. "Sam won't be my only weapons teacher now. I'm sure he'll be glad to hear the news."

Maxwell's eyebrows twitched slightly upward at Sam's name. He hadn't realized they knew each other, but was pleased.

Sam was a good man, which just led credence to Maxwell thinking Kirk might be as well.

"Tell him he's welcome to come along if he likes," he teased. "Remind him what air not full of soot tastes like."

Oh, more than knew each other, but Kirk didn't go around crowing about that unless it was especially brought up. Still, it was an added boon that he got credit for Sam's good will towards him.

He laughed softly. "I'll do my best, but I make no promises."

"What more can anyone ask for?" Maxwell chuckled.

He sipped again, then lifted his cup in a slight gesture.

"I'll let you get back to your - uh, relaxation"

He chuckled. "Thank you. I look forward to your first lesson. And thanks for the offer. I had hoped to avoid such things, but I guess that's not a real possibility here."

He shook his head and raised his hand in farewell.

"Enjoy the rest of your morning," he said, winking to Maxwell before moving on.

[ OPEN ] I'm Floating in a Most Peculiar Way

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