faderift | [OPEN] Welcome Back! Now Take a Bath.

WHO: Blackwall and you!
WHAT: Blackwall returns to Skyhold after being away for a few months
WHEN: Current?
WHERE: Around Skyhold, mostly the stables and the tavern
NOTES: none that I can think of... his intro is over here. prose or brackets are fine

i. Just arrived
It's midday when Blackwall and the small group of scouts and soldiers who'd been with him in the Storm Coast are spotted by one of Skyhold's lookouts making their way back up the mountain road. They're definitely not in a rush, but getting inside of the fortress' high walls and out of the whipping mountain winds is a relief. After weeks in the constant drizzle of the Storm Coast, dry clothing felt like an unattainable fantasy.

Muddy, damp, and worn out, Blackwall was looking even more unkempt and wild than when he'd first arrived in Haven. The Storm Coast seemed to have that affect on people; the others with him didn't look like they'd fared much better. He's a little surprised at how glad he is to be back, but why wouldn't he be? A change of clothes into something that isn't already soaked through with rain and a proper place to enjoy a drink, what's not to love?

ii. Sparring/Beating up practice dummies close to the stables
It doesn't take Blackwall long at all to fall back into a routine, which means getting some time in with a dull sword and a stuffed potato sack on a stick meant to look like a person. It's unusual for him to be in anything less than his full armor, which includes the puffy gambeson he always wears, but it's still hung up to dry by the fire in the stables, so this morning he's settled for a loose tunic and trousers.

Unlike some of the others whacking away at the dummies, his movements are calm and devoid of emotion, simply going through training exercises and focusing on form and technique. Training exercises are all well and good, but if someone actually offered to spar he'd be hard pressed to turn them down, especially after fighting nothing but bears and spiders in the mud for the past few weeks.

iii. Tavern
"Oh, pardon me," Blackwall offers, managing to sound completely genuine while fighting back a chuckle. It's late evening and the tavern is apparently the place to be. It's surprisingly easy to misjudge how close you are to someone after a few drinks and Blackwall misses the mark as he leans over the counter to signal for another pint, bumping a few people.

"Ale, like the last one," He tells the barkeep when he gets their attention before offering a slightly intoxicated smile while waiting.

iv. or choose your own adventure!
[Walking around Skyhold or find him in the stables... demand he come tour the Warden encampment and watch him squirm, or comment about how much he needs a haircut. I'm down for all the things :3]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Oh, this? Just a little something to keep the hands busy, you know?" He'd actually been glad to get back to woodworking; it was definitely a hobby he was finding he enjoyed quite a bit.

He stiffened almost imperceptibly when she didn't assume he was Blackwall, nervous energy making him shift his weight and toy at a loose thread on his shirt as he raced to get a step ahead of her and keep his anxiety masked.

"Well, that depends on who's asking," The reply was teasing and laid back, accompanied with a lopsided smile that raised half his mustache. He hoped that would be enough to coax some much needed details out of the girl.

"I know it well. My particular poison is knitting." Her smile warmed, as she moved further in to see what he was working so intently on. She watched him stiffen, slightly, and then play with his shirt for a moment.

Oh, Maker, it was him and she hadn't recognized him. She internally winced, before she put on her best charming smile, "Well, his sister Warden, of course. I'm given to understand he travels alone, and not to any of our fortresses, so he would have never have met me, nor I him."

Tipping her chin, she coaxed gently, "So, considering that we are getting along so well, I was hoping it was you. Am I right?"

And here he'd been worried. The more she says, the more relieved he feels. She didn't know him, being unable to recognize him had been just that.

He chuckles good-naturedly like this had been a game all along, just having a little fun with a young warden he'd never met.

"You've found me out. I'm Blackwall. Was there something you needed of me, young lady, or did you just come to see if I'm as fearsome as all the stories say?" He gives her a wink at that. At least, he hoped that wasn't what the stories made him out to be.

She smiled warmly, as she reached into the bag. "Well, I can certainly say that you've been called fearsome, but I think it's just the beard misleading them. As for the rest ... well, welcome back to Skyhold, brother."

She handed over a small parcel with knitted scarf, hat, and scarf with griffon design. "I've made them for all our warden brethren, and we couldn't leave you out."

She smiled, folding her hands together in front of her.

"Oh, come on. No one's called me that. Now you're just trying to flatter me," He chuckles.

He quiets, taking the parcel almost reluctantly.

"I..." He didn't deserve these. Grey Wardens... they'd remembered him. Couldn't leave him out when knitting them all matching scarves and hats. Brother. He held the package like she'd just pledged her first born to him. "Thank you. You really shouldn't have."

Shaking his head, he tries to clear his thoughts, shake off the guilt threatening to creep up on him. "I think, I deserve your name if I'm to wear things you've knitted for me."

"Well it always depends on whether or not you find it flattering." She grinned in turn, waiting to see his reaction. It was a little ... odd, but then he took a moment to really look at him. Oh, he was embarrassed.. She gave him an encouraging smile.

"Nonsense, you're one of us, you get the fancy gear, don't you know?" She folded her hands together, before going to dip into a light curtsy. "Warden Bethany Hawke, at your service."

He clears his throat uncomfortably, though it could easily be interpreted any other way. He doesn't have an answer for her, but he gets her name, and that's good enough.

"The pleasure's mine, milady," He returns her curtsy with a slight bow.

"How long have you been with the Inquisition, then? Long enough to knit all these, obviously," He actually had no idea how long it might take to knit, well, anything really.

Gracious, she had no idea she had embarrassed him so. She should pull back a little, lest he think she was being forward. She smiles at the bow, before she pushed her hair behind her ear, thinking.

"A few months, no more. I came with Nathaniel Howe, do you know him?"

"Only a few months? Still... Seems like a lot of Wardens arrived in Skyhold during my absence," He mumbles, more to himself than to her. Obviously, too distracted by his thoughts to remember to comment one way or another in regards to Howe.

His time in the Storm Coast hadn't exactly uncovered much, some old campsites, soggy letters never sent... nearly empty bottles of Warden booze. Meanwhile, in Skyhold, a cleared picture of what was going on was forming.

"Well, there is a lot going on, Warden Blackwall." Bethany stated with a sigh. "You'll have to get the details from the other Senior Wardens, but safe to say, things are rather ... complicated."

She folded her hands together in front of her.

"Warden Teren briefed me earlier today... in fact, I'll be moving my things down to the camp before sundown. A bit of a mess, isn't it? Still, it seems like a punishment of appeasement. A punishment to show that they're doing something and not turning a blind eye, but with no real bite behind it. As for Adamant... I guess that remains to be seen," He says.

"Oh, please, let me help you then. We all had help moving our things when we shifted out there." She gave him a warm smile, before her expression became more serious. "To say the very least. And ... I can understand where they are coming from. I just hope they will remember this when they make such a decision in the future."

She sighed about Adamant, but merely nodded her head.

"I really don't have... well... much of anything. We're still allowed back into the keep, so I don't see any reason to move any of this," He motions vaguely towards the work bench and tools.

"A quilt and some furs are about all I have up there. They were here when we got here, but I plan on keeping them. Shh," He gives her a sly wink, chuckling. But seriously, he's taking all those with him and no one is going to stop him. "Wait here, I'll drop them down?"

Since she was offering, he might as well have her help carry them. They'd probably have better luck 'liberating' them from the keep if they worked together.

"Well, that's true. You're the only Warden around here with any respectable reputation left -- so they'll leave this alone." She noted, before her dimples flashed.

"I'll be happy to help you ... ah, move a few things here and there. Just for space." Her brown eyes gleamed humor, as she held her arms up to catch them. "However, if you need more? Let me know."

[OPEN] Welcome Back! Now Take a Bath.

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