faderift | In the summer, I remember

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.

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Sam blinks at that. It might be a little, but threatening that rather than ratting him out has him grinning in confusion more than being intimidated. "What are you going to do? Blow me the raspberries?"

Ellana just holds out her hand for a strawberry.

"Why would I tell you? Better to let you come up with scenarios on your own, right?" She wriggles her fingers. Pay up, Sam.

Sam purposely just stares and eats a strawberry, considering his options.

He knows Ellana is joking. Or... he hopes he knows that Ellana is joking. Even if she doesn't do anything harmful, she could easily still prank him or something. She was part of Clan Ashara after all.

"Hmmmmm..." He chews thoughtfully, looking at the wiggling fingers then up to Ellana's face before he grabs a strawberry and carefully places it in her hand.

It may be a little thing, but it's good to practice her debate skills. She's been so bad at it that she desperately needs a "win," even if it is just a strawberry that he would have given her anyway. She does take note that he doesn't come up with another argument or stall tactic and files it away in her mind. It's all a part of her studies.

"Your secret is safe with me."

That's because he's weighing the pros and cons of booby trapping his room. That and considering what would happen with his roommate if Ellana actually played out the thing with knowing where he slept.

Not only that but it was only one strawberry for Ellana to keep this "secret".

"And you won't tell no one?"

It's a good thing that Ellana respects privacy enough to not just burst up the stairs to his room, even as a joke. In the clan they had very little privacy, and she's come to love it here at Skyhold with her own room.

"I promise I won't tell." She considers that double negative he's used and knows that if she wanted to use that, she could. Not telling no one means telling someone. A few months ago, she wouldn't have even noticed, but she's being trained to really listen now. She's a little proud of herself here.

"Besides, you're very tall. If anyone needs the extra food to keep them going, it's you."

Well it's a good thing this isn't terribly serious and it's only about strawberries, otherwise he could be in trouble. Ellana is becoming quite the force to be reckoned with. And yes, it's very good that Ellana respects privacy, because there isn't very much up there if people really wanted to mess with him.

The tall comment has him laughing though, shoulders shaking a bit with mirth. "I suppose I do, but I've seen some elves pack away quite a bit of food themselves."

"Oh?" she asks, biting into the strawberry. "That doesn't surprise me. Both Dalish and city elves -- we don't get a lot of food. Winters are the hardest, of course."

"Winters are pretty brutal," he agrees, biting into another piece of fruit. "Couldn't do much fishing during those months and it was hard on the boats back home." Back when he wasn't in the Circle.

"It's too bad we can't all fall asleep over the winter months, isn't it? It's so cold and miserable, but we could go to sleep and wake up in spring." She eats the rest of the strawberry before adding, "Did you know that the ancient elves used to go into a long sleep like that? Sometimes for years."

"You mean like a bear?" They were supposed to hibernate, right? Hey, Ellana, maybe they should turn into bears, cause that was a thing now. "Huh. Years? Really? I didn't know that. I was aware of stories saying they were immortal, but not that."

Ellana has no clue, but she knows they disappear for long periods in the winter, so maybe? That would be a fun way to spend the winter, but she doesn't think their loved one would appreciate the pair of shapeshifters curling up in a cave somewhere.

"Yes. Their spirit would journey for long years in the Fade, and others cared for the body left behind, so the elf could return to it. But like many things, we lost the knowledge or the ability to do that."

Right, because they might get jealous. Unless said loved one decided to come along and sleep with bears. Then again it probably wasn't possible for a shapeshifter to hibernate, right, considering it needed concentration to hold the form. Can always attempt!

"It sounded like the ancient elves were far more comfortable with the Fade than we are today. I can't imagine leaving my body for that long... or in general."

"Oh, yes. It sounds incredible. It was something the elders did, for when they grew weary of the world. I couldn't imagine missing out, but the Fade must have had appeal." She shrugs and looks back at the competition as the finalists get ready.

"I often wonder if that's something that's lost forever or not. Maybe there are ancient writings... not that I can read beyond a few words of ancient elven, but some might be able to."

"I suppose when one lives for a very, very long time the world becomes a rather boring place." And the Fade must have been a very different place at those times. "Well you're part of the Inquisition, I'm sure there are ways to find people who have such knowledge." It wouldn't be easy, but at least it can offer leads?

"For now though," he says, reaching over to hand Ellana another strawberry, "we're just here to enjoy some friendly competition."

In the summer, I remember

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