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WHO: Felix and OPEN
WHAT: Felix returns home after being away doing Warden-related things.
WHEN: After Wintermarch 13th
WHERE: Skyhold proper and warden camp, feel free to place your reply in either as Felix will spend time in both areas.
NOTES: None

Felix had been gone for a bit longer than expected. The mission with the Wardens was supposed to take only a few weeks and had lasted for longer than a month. While away he hadn't complained and had dealt with his duties admirably. He still had some thoughts in his head that he wasn't good enough to be within their ranks, but none of the Wardens he had traveled with had made him feel that way. There had been a bit of teasing for him being the newest Warden among them, but otherwise it had felt like he belonged there. It was almost peculiar to think about.

Either way, he still felt relieved when Skyhold came back into view. There was time spent in the Warden camp, debriefing and discussing, and then Felix wandered back up to the castle itself. He had changed from his Warden uniform and cleaned a bit because he wanted to look decent when he showed his face within the castle's walls.

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Inessa's wandering outside to let Garahel stretch his legs, knowing how impossible her companion gets if he's cooped up inside for too long. Hoping to eventually wear him down through a game of fetch, she's been out there long enough to consider a tea break. However, Garahel's excited barking disrupts her thought process and her gaze follows the mabari as he streaks over to the camp's new arrival. Approaching as well though not at nearly the frantic pace of her companion, Inessa waves.

Felix returns the wave with a smile and then bends to offer his hand to the dog to pet it on the head. He's surprised by how much he missed all of the mabari around this place.

"How have things been for the two of you?" he asks as Inessa comes closer.

Hello, Felix! Garahel greets that head-patting with enthusiastic tail-wagging and bumping up against him amiably. As long as Felix doesn't seem overwhelmed, Inessa will just smile and let him be. With the ball currently forgotten, she tucks it away.

"It's good to see you again, Felix. We have more rifters, of course...no new Wardens yet, though. It's been a bit quiet since First Day, but I suspect that won't be the case for much longer. What about you? I hope your journey went well?"

He nods. "It was... productive." It had shown him that he could do this, which he hadn't been certain about since his Joining. After all, it wasn't as if the Wardens had sought him out, he had been a charity case and to manipulate some of the members of the Inquisition. Not that he had ever minded, they had saved him from death after all.

"It's strange, back home 'productive' probably meant some magister was poisoned or some power play had been successful and here it means many darkspawn were killed and sealed away..."

That gets a small grin from Inessa as she gestures for Garahel to settle down. Felix doesn't need a large muscular dog jumping around or tripping him up. "For me, it used to mean helping children refine their spells or researching some new application for my own. Warden life requires a different sense of normality, doesn't it? Even outside a Blight, the work never truly ends."

There's a wry smile on her lips, but her tone is one of acceptance. She's someone who always needs to be productive, so the neverending task of a Grey Warden suits her just fine. "If you've had enough of the brisk mountain weather, we can retreat inside. I was just about to take a tea break, anyway."

Felix chuckles a bit. "Yes," he says. "I think I had enough of that on the trek up here." He moves to follow her as they go inside. "Has anything interesting happened while I was away?"

Garahel leads the way, probably hoping that 'tea break' also means food for him. Inessa frowns in thought, her pace automatically matching her human companion's, a long-ingrained habit. "Other than First Day celebrations? Which seemed rather time, at least compared to Satinalia. That aside, I was part of a force sent to Crestwood, to take Caer Bronach back from the bandits. That rift in the lake still needs to be dealt with, but it's a start."

"I'm glad the Inquisition was able to take another stronghold with the help of the Wardens. We need all of the footing we can get," he says thoughtfully. Once they're inside he moves to put down some of the supplies he's been carrying, just to lighten the load a bit. "Or they do, I suppose. I'm still not sure if we're supposed to talk as if we're members of the Inquisition or not..."

Gesturing for Garahel to leave Felix's things alone, Inessa glances over her shoulder as she waits until he's placed down said supplies before moving on to the kitchen area. It's time to snag the kettle and fill it, ignoring the mabari's whining until it's over the fire. "Neither am I, to be honest. The longer we remain working side-by-side, the odder it seems to say that we aren't members in our own right. We are Grey Wardens for life, but while the Inquisition lasts, our goal in the same. Perhaps there's no harm in saying we're both."

"Perhaps," Felix agreed. He moved as if to help her but would stay back if she seemed like she didn't want his aid. "It's easier for me as so many people I care for are a part of the Inquisition in some way. I was tied up with them before my Joining, before the Wardens saved my life."

Inessa has no problem accepting help, not from Felix. Their journey to Tevinter has solidified her favorable impression of him, and she's comfortable relying on her fellow Warden. She nods, a slightly apologetic smile on her lips. "You didn't have much of a choice, but you've borne it well nonetheless. We can't ask for more than that. And having ties here certainly helps, when we're not seen favorably by all."

Garahel's whines finally gets her attention, and Inessa lets Felix attend to the rest so that he'll calm down. "So manipulative, isn't he? You'd think he never gets fed." She heads over to where she knows some mabari crunch treats are being stored, out of his reach.

Edited 2017-01-09 15:21 (UTC)

Felix focuses on finishing as they continue to speak. "It's easy when you're that likable," he points out. "It's less getting people to do something as it is making them think they want to do it on their own."

The mabari lets out a pleased bark, clearly agreeing with Felix. That gets a soft chuckle out of Inessa, as she sets down the treats to a direly famished Garahel. "At least he makes a good ambassador for the Wardens. There are enough Fereldans about that he can get away with such antics. If we each had one of our own, they would be defenseless against such behavior."

"If you each had one of your own, we'd have a small army of them," Felix replied, clearly amused at the idea. "We could put them on a guard rotation and then take a long nap and relax for once."

He considered the dog. "What about that? Do you think you'd look handsome in a guard uniform?" He clearly has no problem talking to the dog as if it were a person.

Having inhaled the first treat already, Garahel looks up and barks happily at the notion. Wagging his tail, he goes to wolf down the rest before Inessa can dare to think he doesn't want them. She chuckles, leaning against the wall. "I believe Garahel knows exactly how handsome he'd be. His self-esteem is certainly not hurting. There's just the question of how long it would last before its destruction."

Given Garahel's boundless energy and enthusiasm, she suspects the answer is 'not very long'.

"I wonder what it takes for a human to get that level of confidence," Felix muses for a moment. He's talking about himself now, but after a moment he sort of glances towards the general direction he knows Skyhold to be, even if he can't see it while inside. "I'll have to ask Dorian the next time I see him." He hasn't spoken to his friend in a while. He'll need to catch up eventually.

He look at Inessa. "Do you know any with that level of self love?" He means it kindly. "Maybe they can help give me some pointers too."

Inessa chuckles at mention of Dorian, not knowing him very well but his confidence is very evident even in casual acquaintance. "Perhaps it's a 'fake it until you make it' way of living. I wouldn't know for certain. I was always taught to focus on others, not myself; first in the Circle, and then with the Grey Wardens. It's not something I resent, I just...don't know how else to function."

"That's what has been natural for me as well," Felix points out. He looks a little apologetic which he always does whenever people talk about Circles around him. The idea of them always makes his skin crawl a bit. "But my culture said I should be self centered and willing to use others."

A pause. "I suppose I make a much better Warden than I would have a Magister."

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Warden Camp

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