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WHO: Kain and OPEN
WHAT: Catch-All for February! Letter-writing, Wintersend... and of course, the start of griffon bonding!
WHEN: The month of February/Guardian.
WHERE: Various locations in Skyhold
NOTES: Prose or brackets fine, I’ll match! No warnings, unless someone gets squashed by a griffon. Please don't get squashed by a griffon.

Warden Camp

Settled somewhere outside his tent for the moment, Kain is in the midst of writing something.

Dear Inessa, Kain starts, sure that he’ll figure out whatever else he wants to say. It seems a bit foolish. He’s still not even sure what he’s doing or what he really feels at all. He’d just thought that if he wrote it all down, he’d feel better about things.

While he’s in the midst of writing, he keeps furtively glancing up as anyone approaches. Just act casual, just… act casual. “...Nice day, isn’t it?”

Battlements

Maybe somewhere high up will be better to get his thoughts down on paper. So he’s up on the battlements, staring at the sky, and then down at the letter, which is only partially started.... Until a gust of wind comes along and starts blowing the paper away. He cries out in alarm, scrambling to grab it, running along the battlements as he chases after it…

Wintersend: Around Skyhold

Though Kain isn’t much for cheerful celebrations, he does realize what day it is when a large box arrives from his friends back home. Which means he has to go off and visit the merchants to buy a couple small gifts for people.

So, he’s got his arms full of stuff when he very nearly walks into whoever’s approaching, catching himself at just the last minute.

“Pardon me.”

Griffons

“You’ve all grown so much. Imagine... soon some among us might be riding you, if you'll allow it.” Kain walks from griffon to griffon, pausing to admire or pet them on occasion, if they’ll let him. Some do, and some don’t. Some really don’t. He values his fingers far too much to dare attempting much with Buttons, for example. He's also careful to watch his fingers with Buggie, he's brought an extra treat for Chawcey, and he's sure to… have an extra cloth on hand when he pets Slobbaface.

Potato of all of them seems especially excited to see him lately, and today is no exception. He can't resist giving her an extra treat. Make that two.

“What is it, girl? You- well, all right… if you insist…”

The griffon is very suddenly making happy noises as she attempts to rest her entire self against Kain… though she’s most definitely a bit big for that now.

Other?

If you want another prompt let me know... or just throw something on here, it's all good with me!

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There's one griffon who doesn't shove his head forward when Kain approaches, and that's Ghostface. It's nothing personal though, Kain; it's just that Merrill is already there, gently grooming him. His head is lifted up as she works on the spot just under his chin that he can't quite reach, fingers stroking through fur and feathers as she croons to him in a mix of Trade and Elvhen.

The sound of Kain nearly falling over because Potato is leaning on him, however, makes her pause. There's a turn of her head, Ghostface making an unhappy noise at the stillness of his fingers before he realizes someone else is there and his sibling is sitting on them. Then it's a tilt of his head as he studies the situation, beak resting almost dangerously close to Merrill's ear.

"If you've got sausages with you, it'll be more than one griffon on your lap," Merrill giggles, turning back to Ghostface so that he doesn't decide her ear is a sausage.

By this point, Potato finally manages to knock him down, though it's done rather gently, as if to demand lap-sitting time. Which is what she tries to do next, settling her head in his lap. Like some sort of oversized cat, he thinks, wondering if he ought to stop encouraging this. The thing is, he... rather enjoys the affection from her.

He glances over toward Merrill and Ghostface, giving an amused sort-of-laugh. "I'll bear that in mind... though I've exhausted my whole supply of sausage already, this visit. I'll have to bring more." He looks over toward the two, as he idly pets Potato's head. "They're really starting to show off their personalities now, aren't they? They're no longer children..."

"Ghostface loves sausages," Merrill says, as if confiding in Kain and trusting him with a secret. It's no secret -- everyone has likely seen the smallest of the griffons trying to get sausages from his siblings and nipping at fingers when he thinks they're sausages or sausage substitutes. "Better bring a lot."

There's another giggle as she goes back to grooming the griffon; he's settled now, content that Potato, at least, is content. Old feathers are pulled away, some discarded into a pile on the floor and some carefully set to the side.

"They already had quite vibrant personalities when they were hatchlings. When I met them they did, at least." And wasn't that an interesting time, getting all the hatchlings and Maja out of Weisshaupt.

"He tried to steal some from me once, when I'd come to feed everyone. I learned fast to bring extra." With all the attention and treats these griffons get, it's almost surprising they aren't chubbier, though Maja probably keeps enough of an eye out on who's bringing them what and when. He's sure of that.

Kain continues patting Potato, stroking along her neck, finding a spot that she likes, making her tilt her head back with a happy griffon sound. "You're right, of course. I hadn't yet come here when they were found, I would have liked to have seen them newly hatched... what a wonderful sight that would have been. It's almost hard to believe they're already so big. Big enough that they'll be flying, and taking on riders soon enough..." He gets all wistful as he thinks of that.

Naughty griffon, but Merrill knows him -- she laughs a little into his feathers, trying to hide her amusement lest Ghostface decides stealing sausages makes her happy. (Maybe if he shared some...) "At least he didn't go after your fingers!"

Trilling happily as Merrill finds a good spot, Ghostface ruffles his wings, looking pleased with himself. Yay fingers.

"They weren't too new when they came here from Weisshaupt. Big enough that we got them all out on harnesses and that it was a handful." But she would have never traded helping them, especially now that they're older and she's gotten to spend more time of them. "It's been so rewarding, seeing them grow up. I always loved griffons, stories about griffons, and now... here they are. Alive. And soon we'll see them swooping about above us."

"I'm glad to say I have all fingers intact, even after multiple visits here to this brood." Some of the griffons could be a bit overeager for food, for sure, but it only took a couple visits to learn which ones are trickier to deal with.

Potato nuzzles Kain fondly, her whole demeanor overall pleased. Also there's a little big of a questioning chirp and some more nuzzling... she is totally asking for a little more. Kain, of course, gives in, giving her one more small piece of meat. He nods agreement to that. "I've always loved creatures of the sky... My family enjoys their tales of dragons, we always have, but griffons have their own sense of majesty too. Ever since I was a boy, I fantasized about flying, soaring through the air on one... It's in part why I joined the Wardens, even if at the time I doubted I'd ever get to see one with my own eyes."

Still, the Wardens' link to griffons is an important one, and something he always admired about the group.

"We had to climb down the tower with them. In all the chaos, some of them wanted to jump." Merrill says it like she's confiding in him, but there's a little spark to her eyes; this isn't a secret, as far as she's concerned, save for saving the image of the griffons as mighty creatures instead of chaotic, flustered hatchlings.

With the passing of meat to Potato, Ghostface screeches indignantly, wings flapping. Where's his? There's a soothing sound from Merrill, hands coming up to him to try and make him settle. "Easy-" Luckily Merrill has some of own treats, and one is fished one for the griffon once he's calmed a little.

Anyway.

"I always wanted a baby griffon named Feathers," Merrill says, smoothing back the hair that's been messed up by Ghostface being a brat. "Dragons, though- did your family hunt them?"

"What an ordeal that must have been... I can only imagine... You're fortunate you all made it out intact under such conditions." Kain smirks in amusement because he does like the mental image. Young griffons are an adorable sight, in his opinion.

He pets Potato and gives her some scratches under the chin to distract her as Ghostface gets a treat, hoping she doesn't start asking for another one and spark some cascade of begging for more and more food. He may have had that happen once during one of his very first visits to see them. It seems to be just fine at the moment, though.

"Feathers, hm? Perhaps you might try and rename one to that? Though... they seem very set in their ways about their names." Oh, sure, he and Inessa both have been trying to rename Potato, but it's not been successful. "My family had... a very close history with dragons, yes." Complicated, though he won't get all into some of that now. "It was a long time ago, of course... Though they got very much into the wyvern hunts in more recent times." Good old Orlesian noble traditions and all.

Intact isn't maybe correct. There's Buttons, after all, missing a wing; Merrill still feels horribly guilty about it, even though there's not much she really could have done. Still, they're all alive. That's something.

"Mm, maybe. I'm rather used to them all with these names now, though, and I wouldn't want to upset Maja." There's a little bit of hero-worship for the Roostmaster, honestly, even if she's horrible at names.

Admittedly, Merrill named her dog Barkley and her war horse is Honeysuckle, so she isn't the best judge.

"Oh, wyverns are quite dangerous too! I helped kill one of the dragons in the Emprise, though -- and the one in Kirkwall. I felt a bit bad doing it, but they were attacking and killing people, so..." Had to be done.

"No, certainly not. I'd never cross Maja, either, I respect her too greatly, and I'd like to stay on her good side. I don't think she'd even allow us to visit let alone someday perhaps ride them, if we aren't." He sighs. Potato is being so affectionate right now that he does have to wonder a little... But he wouldn't presume anything. He's being overly cautious about the prospect, not daring to hope for much unless it's a definite thing.

"I guess... that's true enough, though. As long as they're thriving now, and well cared for and happy... that's what matters. Even if their names will sound silly for battle-creatures."

He gets a fond, thoughtful expression next. "Well, yes... That's not something I'll admit easily, but killing any draconic creature always makes me a little saddened as well. They're all magnificent, and deserve to live their lives in peace. Unfortunately, when they become a thread, there's little else to be done for it."

If not for the possibility of the griffons themselves getting hurt, Merrill could see a scenario where Corypheus went to Weisshaupt only for his forces to be met with talons and beaks and feathered fury. It certainly wouldn't surprise her if Maja were to set a griffon on someone on purpose if that person weren't respectful, at least, and it prompts her to give Ghostface a little peck on his beak (which surprises him enough that he squawks, but then he calms enough to nuzzle into her hair).

"I don't know that the names matter too much to anyone else. I mean, have you ever introduced yourself to a darkspawn you were about to kill? Or a bandit?" There's a pause as she thinks, and then adds, "I mean, I have. But it was to tell them I was there to be a distraction and then usually Varric would shoot them or something."

Or she would electrocute them. That was also pretty distracting.

"I wonder if there are places in Thedas where they live without harming people. Wouldn't that be nice?" Some sort of hidden valley or something, some place that's been untouched by anyone save the wild.

Kain can't help but smirk at that thought. He lets his hands run slowly through Potato's feathers, enjoying their softness. "You're right, of course... most enemies don't know me by name, nor I by theirs." It's actually the ones whose names he does know who are always the most trouble, he thinks, the realization an interesting one to consider. "But someday, perhaps, our names will go down into legends and histories... perhaps even into songs. 'Warden Kain and his mighty griffon, Potato' doesn't exactly have the right... legendary ring to it..."

But oh well, it's not as if he'll be here to hear it, in the distant future when their stories become legends and such. If they do. But he has a feeling they will, considering what the Inquisition is dealing with. He nods agreement, looking thoughtful at the idea. "Somewhere in the wilderness, far from any settlements, any people... I'd rather like that as well, just as much as they probably would." In the old days, his family had done just that, for a few generations.

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griffons!

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