[Open] Remembering one of the good guys

[justice_is_blond]

WHO: Anyone who knew/cared about Herc!
WHAT: A wake for Herc
WHEN: Around now, the 10th of Egg
WHERE: Tavern!
NOTES: Drinking, grief, etc.

There aren't any formalities here. The Calling has taken another Grey Warden, but for once he was known to more than Wardens and mourned by more than them too. The music is lively to start with, mostly because Herc probably would have grumped if it had all been sad and there's a tab at the bar open to anyone worthy. Granted, one has to manage to be polite to all the Grey Wardens for the duration of the wake to be deemed worthy, but that's not too hard, is it?

Hit up the bar, share a story, complain about how he owed you money, and remember someone who deserves it.

Comments

[justice_is_blond]

He circulates, because why wouldn't he? It's a wake for one of their own, and while sometimes he still feels nervous, he knows he has every right to be here. As do the new Wardens. After giving her plenty of time to mingle with people she might want to know a bit more than him, Anders comes over during Wicked Grace. One of her cards gets tapped by him after a moment of inspection.

"You could discard that. But you'll probably want to hold on to it because I'm awful at the game and lose almost every time I play. Going by the opposite of my choice could help you win. Potentially. And hello, I'm Senior Warden Anders." Please let him not get a drink thrown at him today. That would be nice.

[ichaer]

Today is your lucky day, Anders! Ciri has a temper, an understatement perhaps but true. Yet Weisshaupt has taught her to better control those outbursts, bottle them up and save them for later. Also, she's not a big enough asshole to actually ruin a wake.

Instead, she glances up over her should and then back to her cards with pursed lips before discarding the tapped card. "Well, I've always enjoyed making things harder for myself. It's part of my charm apparently."

Ah, right -- names. She raises a hand, absently rubbing at her scar in thought. "I'm Ciri, nothing fancy to slap in front of Warden yet. You were at Weisshaupt, were you not? I do believe I remember seeing you once or twice in passing before everything went up in flames."

[justice_is_blond]

"The lack of senior just means you may keep your prettiness longer than I do." The joke is light. He doesn't expect her to laugh, or even really want to make her laugh, because it's a wake. All the same, it's an easy comment to use while bringing up a chair.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ciri." Someone who jokes around a little, who doesn't get angry at the sound of his name, who goes for a challenge? Yeah, it's definitely a pleasure. "And yes. I was at Weisshaupt. We got the griffons out, but by the time we did..." There really hadn't been any way to help the griffons and their fellow wardens. It weighs on him.

[ichaer]

"Luckily, I already know grey hair works for me." Despite that her ashen hair is has been streaked with so much white, it is starting to appear more white than grey these days. Someone had once told her it was because of stress or trauma. It was likely a hideous combination of both.

She makes an affirmative sound at his greeting, listening but not showing much reaction beyond staring at the cards still in her hand. "We would have ended up all killing one another before long. Probably would have set the damn place on fire myself, honestly. Those in favor were long tired of fighting us to get the mages, we were tired of having to protect the mages and ourselves, in our own fortress, from people who are supposed to be our comrades."

It still feels like only hours ago that she could feel the fires on her back, the smoke choking her lungs and the sharp pain of a mage's staff blade cutting her cheek open.

"Protecting the griffons was the better road to take. We've had a lot more dead on our hands and the extinction of giffions again."

[justice_is_blond]

"And we may need the griffons." He has no idea how long it takes them to mature, doesn't really know much of anything about their lives or how to work with them, but he does know that they could be a much-needed symbol. The Wardens will have their work cut out for them.

Anders exhales before leaning forward and tapping another card. "Have another likely poor choice, if you'd like. And how... The mages who were tied to the demons. How gone were they? Were they still... them, despite what was going on, or were they different?"

[ichaer]

"It helps they're a lot cuter than most of us too." She grins, removing the card he points out from play once more. "And as always, I'm here for poor choices in life and especially in cards."

The little bit of humor helps when things suddenly get serious and she has to pause, fanning her cards. There would be questions, of course but she had been happy not thinking about it.

"When I watched it happen, it was like watching a light go out inside of them. It was like... whoever they were was pushed out and something else took their place."

[justice_is_blond]

He closes his eyes. So even if they'd delayed and tried to help, they might not have been able to help any of the enslaved mages. It hurts. He's been freed of possession, but first chance he gets to possibly apply that to others he can't even do anything, didn't have the opportunity.

Anders opens his eyes and grabs a chair, sitting down.

"I'm fairly certain you and I are cuter than the griffons." There's so much loss everywhere, and grabbing at the joke is difficult but he tries anyway. "At the very least, when I bite, I don't tend to maim. Personally, I find that a fairly important distinction."