In the summer, I remember

[rowancrowned]

WHO: Thranduil, Legolas, anyone good with a bow or who enjoys the wine on offer.
WHAT: ROOTY TOOTY POINT N SHOOTY ARCHERY CONTEST
WHEN: 8th of Bloomingtide, midmorning until sunset.
WHERE: Valley
NOTES: log for a friendly wager! 

The eighth of Bloomingtide began as a chilly morning; not quite cold enough to leave frost on the budding flowers and fresh-sprouted plants in the heights of Skyhold, but nearly, nearly.

By the time the sun was been in the sky for a few hours, most of the early-morning chill had burned off, leaving a day that promised to be nearly too-hot for those who would be stuck in full-plate and in direct sunlight. Thranduil wasn’t expecting any to come clanking down to his little fete, but had none the less secured a spot in the shade. Varric had apparently found him while he was still working on organizing—the target launchers are set neatly in line with everything else. Along the clay pigeon launchers were the standard, stock targets, blindfolds—and on a table off to the side was a few bottles of sweet wine beside loaves of brown bread and hard cheeses.

The contest did not pretend to be anything other than what it was; a chance to meet, and mingle, and possibly show off archery skills. The purses wrested next to the wine and cheese and Thranduil himself. He had found a chair to rest in while waiting for the contestants to arrive, dressed plainer than he had so far allowed himself to be seen. On his fingers, four rings glittered—but his confidence in Legolas was so absolute, he doubted he would lose even one before the days was out.

Comments

Twisted Fate - OTA

[wickedchase]

Now, originally, Twisted Fate had every intention of simply attending the archery contest and observe the archers, give them mild cheers, and drink plenty of wine. However, Thrandruil had asked him if he was going to be another archer.

Then an idea struck him.

When there are wages to be made, Twisted Fate will find a way to participate in several ways.

The first and most important thing is that he is part of the betting pool, of course, setting it up in a way that he plans to succeed no matter who wins. He's a gambler at heart, and that will always be true, whether it's on a round of Wicked Grace or waging on what is essentially a sporting event.

The second and more entertaining part had been convincing Dalish to let him borrow her, erm, bow. He sincerely doesn't think that he's going to last long, but he might as well have a bit of fun about it.

"Good luck, have fun," Twisted Fate says cheerily to the other archers as he approaches.

[serannas]

Since she's not competing, Ellana doesn't have the opportunity to speak with Fate before he competes, but once it's over, she approaches him with an amused grin.

"Bold move," she says, nodding towards his "bow."

[wickedchase]

"Figured I'd go the amusing route. Besides, way I see it, I win regardless."

Though he does owe Dalish something nice for letting him borrow it.

He grins sharply at Ellana. "Truthfully, you'd think I'd have learned a thing or two about actual archery. Had a partner for ages who was hell of a shot."

[serannas]

"You would think the same of me, being around all those hunters!" And once being in love with a hunter too. But he'd never offered to show her how to fire an arrow, and she'd never thought to ask. Even her best friend was a hunter, but it just never occurred to either of them that Ellana could try it.

"Maybe I can add it to my list of hobbies."

[wickedchase]

"Ah, yes. Our growing list of hobbies. Potential archery, frowning upon Dalish tradition, and shapeshifting. Let's not forget to put tea time in our growing schedule. Might even take up knitting."

[serannas]

Ellana giggles at that and gives a bit of a shrug. "Perhaps we should leave something for other people, before we end up mastering it all." Which is a joke, because Ellana hardly thinks herself a master at any of her hobbies.

[el_tybs]

When he first sees Fate walk into the competition he raises a brow from where he's standing. It's possible that Fate knows how to shoot a bow- alright that wasn't a 'bow'. Actually he knows that 'bow' considering he had spent some time with Dalish a while back. He sighs and shakes his head, but that is about it.

It's when Fate is done with the competition that Sam walks up, arms crossed, head shaking, but a smile on his face. "Nice 'bow'."

[wickedchase]

"You like it? Wish I could say it was mine." Twisted Fate chuckles. "I borrowed it for the event from a well known archer in the Chargers."

Archer being the implied word, of course.

[el_tybs]

"I know her well enough. How did you manage to convince her to let you borrow it?" Maybe you should take a tip and make one of your own if you like it so much Fate.

[gatheringstorm]

Among those competing but not taking it seriously at all, Korrin takes being weeded out with no surprise at all and good grace. She'll linger as close as she can to cheer her friends on, including Twisted Fate. Once he's finished, she heads over with an extra glass of wine for him and snickers. "I should've thought of that, dammit. How'd you get Dalish to part with her precious 'bow'?"

[wickedchase]

"Nothing a little charm couldn't pull off, I assure you." And maybe money, honestly. Twisted Fate had been quickly weeded out as well, considering his archery 'skills', as it were, but no harm done. He had fun making a spectacle for a few minutes.

"Ah, a drink. Good timing. I should see how my wagers are going."

[gatheringstorm]

"Please tell me you didn't bet on me to win anything, because that would've been a bad call. I'm not half as good as most of the hotshots around here. Don't get into a sucker bet about Legolas either, I've seen him in action." And that was just at the archery range; there's definitely a hope that they'll be paired together during a mission, so she can see what he'll do to their enemies up in person.

Re: Twisted Fate - OTA

[the_effect_she_has]

Katniss rests her longbow on the ground, tipping her head to the side as Fate approached with his 'bow'. Her tone, dryly amused, lifts above the murmuring around her.

"Nice piece of equipment there, Fate. How does she handle?" Because come on. That 'bow' could probably just obliterate the target if it wanted to.

[wickedchase]

"Beautifully, actually. Like I'd been doing archery my whole life. You could say it comes naturally. Must be an elven thing or whatever."

[the_effect_she_has]

"Oh, of course. I know that all the hours of practice I put in really mean nothing without the half-draught of elven blood I have in my veins." Katniss replied, with a completely straight face.

[aintwejust]

"So." Mal nods at the thing in his hands. "You shoot'n or shoot'n?"

Cuz that thing ain't like any bow he's seen and quite a bit like a coupla weirder staves he has. Mal himself's got a more standard, crystal free bow propped up against his shoulder and a relatively well behaved mabari at his feet.

[wickedchase]

"All I can say, Malcolm, is that I don't think those targets will stand a chance. I can't even really guarantee there will be many left when all is said and done."

At least until he's inevitably booted out of the contest, but he can live with that.

[aintwejust]

"Now I am hardly someone to kick up a fuss about fair..." But. but. "Ain't all that right t'be us'n tricks and suchlike when this is supposed to be a test of a particular skill. Ain't like I'm gonna wander bout to one of your card games and try to cheat you now, innit?"

A beat.

"Mostly cuz I'm shit at it, but. Point stands."

[parkourprince]

Legolas was not a contender, but it as curiosity instead that drew him out here and towards the archer wielding a particularly... peculiar bow.

"Never in my life had I seen a bow like this," he remarked, eyes on the weapon, searching, observing and finally focusing at the tip. One eyebrow arched, the corner of his mouth quirked, "May I see up close how it handles?"