weep little lion man

[lionheartedman]

WHO: Cullen and you
WHAT: jumping in head first! (by which I mean generic open log so that I can get all up in your inboxes)
WHEN: WHOLE MONTH OF JUNE - the afternoon of the 11th to the late morning of the 14th, he will be away from Skyhold.
WHERE: predominantly his office and the battlements around it, with a healthy helping of training his soldiers on the grounds, and the potential for a few other places if someone wants a custom starter
NOTE: When you tag, please tell me what day so I can figure out in what order it all happens. If you don't pick a day, I will pick it for you.

IMPORTANT!!! If you have not already left me links here and had me respond, but you plan to keep any past CR with Cullen, please do not tag this. I will be assuming that anyone who tags here and has not already had their past CR hashed out with me wishes to begin with a fresh slate. Don't worry, he will have another open post soon. I just don't want to wait too long to start playing, and since there are plenty of new characters and plenty of characters who've already been to my OOC post, I figure it's a safe bet that I can get some play now.

OFFICE
One thing that remains constant, that has not and probably will not ever change, is the endless stream of paperwork that crosses his desk. Cullen stands, hands braced and shoulders slumped, reading over a stack of intersecting and conflicting messenger's reports and trying desperately to figure out how to spread their forces when they simply do not have the resources to meet all needs as things currently stand. He sighs deeply, and raises one hand to rub at the knot of tension at the base of his skull. It's not going anywhere. The same can be said for the impressive model of the Frostbacks that messengers have created with scrolls and sheaves of paper and leather pouches along the short edge of his desk.

BATTLEMENTS
Some people say that Cullen has no aptitude when it comes to taking care of himself. Those people are, on the balance, entirely correct. He will argue that he pushes himself too far out of necessity, but that doesn't mean he's half as responsible as he should be when it comes to sleeping or feeding himself. It takes its toll. Usually, he can chase the fatigue away with a brisk walk and a little fresh air. A trip along the battlements to clear his head and gather his scattered thoughts is his go to solution. One he employs quite often.

TRAINING
Cullen does not always survey his troops with a mind toward picking apart their performances and needling them to do a better job. Often, but not always. Sometimes, he just watches. He takes note of particular skill, of someone ill at ease with the weight and balance of their weapon, of someone distracted. Their numbers are not so great that they can afford anything less than 100% from each person under him. Of course, the unfortunate extension of that is that their numbers are not so great that he can afford to turn away willing help. Particularly in light of the disturbingly large contingent of people within Skyhold who push back against the structure of authority whose protection they enjoy. It makes his job, this part of it as well as the less hands on ones, infinitely more difficult. At least the training remains direct and straightforward. Here in the courtyard, it is his job to foster the skills and determination of his volunteers to make them all that they are capable of becoming. It is their job to then give all they have in the service of the Inquisition. He knows he asks for more than is fair. He also knows that he has no choice. He is grateful for every person with the compassion and foresight to give it, anyway.

NEW OPTIONS - PUPPY!
PUPPY OFFICE
As of Thursday the 16th, there is a new addition to Cullen's life, in the form of a blue and white mabari puppy, and his daily routine just got a whole lot more interesting. The dog doesn't have a proper name, and is mostly being referred to as Puppy. Whatever Cullen thought dog ownership would be, it wasn't this. He seems to spend half his day in constant frantic motion, and the other half sleeping and eating. During the quiet times, Puppy can be found sleeping underneath the desk, or occasionally in the crook of Cullen's arm. He can also be found chewing on scrap leather or lengths of knotted rope as he tumbles about the office, though he won't wander too far from the desk and/or Cullen.

PUPPY COURTYARD
He also needs to be walked, and socialized, so a few times a day, Cullen finds himself in quieter areas of the courtyard. He brings treats and teaches Puppy simple tricks, sending him running along the wall to tire himself out, assuring anyone who wanders into the area that the dog is loud, but friendly.

PUPPY WALKWAYS/STAIRCASES/WHEREVER
Puppy might be smart and well behaved, but he is still a puppy, and occasionally one might be treated to the sight of the Commander of the Inquisition running along a battlement, trying to catch a tiny blur of fur with a roll of parchment clamped in his mouth. This is his life now. This is what his life has become.

[[OOC note about Puppy! While he will definitely be energetic and boisterous and do things that people might not like, he will not be outright bad. Please don't write about him breaking things, hurting people or other animals, or antagonizing someone who seems afraid of him. He is a Mabari, well trained for his young age, and very smart. He wants to play, and will absolutely steal things from people, tug on their clothing, and bark for attention, but Puppy will not be destructive or violent. Thanks.]]

11th (full)
visiting puppies
meeting Henry
talking with Bethany
leaving for recon/rescue mission

12th (away from Skyhold)
traveling
rescuing Meoni

13th (away from Skyhold)
traveling

14th
Mia brings him tea
Sera brings him dinner

15th
properly meeting Christine
Cassandra comes to clear the air
Gwen brings her latest publication

16th
Adelaide brings Cullen a puppy

20th
Josephine helps catch Puppy

Comments

[ombranera]

"You truly cannot." It is something that makes him wonder what it would be like to be in their shoes. To not have known death quite so intimately all their lives, to choose this all the same. To believe in a cause so great as to risk this. For him it is...well. It is the thing to do. The world is ending, these people are trying to keep the world together and it happens to be where he lives so he would wish to help. Somewhere along the way pragmatism has not quite become faith or duty but...purpose.

A small, vague purpose, but purpose none the less. "I do not often have cause, but I felt it was worth taking a look. My Kestrels need sparring partners that are not rogues and assassins and I was hoping to find warriors of skill that would do well to hold their own against them."

[lionheartedman]

Purpose is better than apathy, than denial. It puts Zevran ahead of a good portion of the rest of the world in that regard. This is happening, and ignoring it will not change the fact. If Zevran is looking for sparring partners, the fresh recruits might not be the place to put his attention. Instead, Cullen stands behind his shoulder and points beyond him to the roped off area of the yard where those with more training and real world experience are using real weapons. "They might be more what you're looking for." Veterans and officers, a real challenge if one is up to it. "You're welcome to bring your Kestrels down any afternoon. It would probably help both sides to sharpen their skills."

[ombranera]

There is a subtle tension that comes with movement on Zevran's blind side. A faint twitch in the muscles of his jaw, a heightened awareness. As much as his posture is carefully crafted indolence, there is a tightness to his shoulders that he simply cannot will away. Cullen is a decent man, this he knows, but he is large, armored, and human. Some habits are terribly hard to break. "They have never truly attempted to test their skills in straight fight. It would be well worth doing."

[lionheartedman]

"At this point, everyone willing to take up arms for the Inquisition should be training against all kinds of fighting techniques. If we can not be the largest force, it is that much more essential that we are the strongest." He has faith in his troops. They are dedicated and eager, but there is no substitution for experience. He trusts that they can hold their own against each other, but their fighting style would have to adapt to counter someone like Zevran.

[ombranera]

"I wish I could say 'but what manner of stealthy foe will they find against the venatori and red templars' and then I remember asking myself 'what manner of stealthy foe will we face against the darkspawn?' Shrieks. Shrieks are what we faced." Noisy, infuriating, and a fine way to be woken in the middle of the night. "I can call them down whenever you like. I think they are...painting in the barn at the moment."

[lionheartedman]

"Painting in the barn isn't actually painting in the barn, is it?" Cullen, by default, feels like anything Zevran says means far more than the actual words. Even money that it's something dirty, too, though he's not sure how painting a barn could possibly be. He doesn't really want to think about it too much, either. "Your lot could probably stand to learn something, too. Stealth isn't always the answer. I've seen rogues come to terrible ends because--" He breaks off, shakes his head. "We all need to be better than we are. This is going to get so much worse before it gets any easier."

[ombranera]

"No, they are actually painting in the barn. Crows are not taught things to do simply because they enjoy them, they are taught things that make them useful. We are trying different ways of spending their leisure time every week so we might see what they like. Today? It is painting. Last week it was knitting. Nicodimo seems to have a fair hand for it." For once it is no innuendo, Cullen. This once. "I shall fetch them, yes? They can learn to stand and face an attacker in the light and yours might learn how to watch their kneecaps."

[lionheartedman]

"It can't possibly hurt." In fact, Cullen liked the idea more and more. Not only because he wanted his soldiers to learn to fight against different attack styles, but because sparring with their comrades could only sharpen their skills so much. They knew each other, trained together day in and day out, taught one another their moves and therefore knew what to expect, how each of them fought.

Zevran's crew would offer variety in that way, as well. They needed that. They all needed that. "Though I wouldn't want to interrupt their leisure time. Perhaps you can work it into their training hours? In the mean time..." Cullen trailed off and then nodded his head at the ring. "Care to step in?"