[OPEN] I live my life in shackles but I'm borderline free

[solutus]

WHO: Fenris and Anyone
WHAT: A starter open log to get stuff going with folks? Bear with me, please!
WHEN: Anytime this month / Justinian
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: Feel free to jump in and start some stuff with me? I’m new and I have no idea what’s going on >>;;;
Also: All CR with Fenris is fresh unless you’ve spoken to me (which you can still go do) here. ty!

BATTLEMENTS
Nighttime; late. It’s dark, a few scattered torchlights flicker in the distance, lanterns shine in windows below, but mostly there are stars. Multitudes of them dusting the wide sky. Very few people are up and about at this hour at all, a guardsman making rounds; it isn’t hard to overlook the shadow of an elf stretched out on the parapet, arms folded behind his head, a pair of eyes to catch glinting in the moonlight. Fervanis is rising and Fenris maps its branches, lost enough in thought that approaching footsteps aren’t likely to be heard until they’re very close upon him.

HERALD’S REST (first floor)
Mid-afternoon is a good time to occupy the tavern if one wants to drink but also wants to avoid the boisterous throng of the evening time congregation. Fenris can be found sitting alone at a corner table, a flagon of cheap swill barely touched and getting warm as it sweats onto the table. He has a map and some writing implements out and is working away in his shaky handwriting, the marks he’s making not actual legible language but an odd system of shorthand symbols that only make sense to him. He’s been here a while by the looks of it, blinking with eyestrain and possibly not opposed to a break and a fresh beverage.

VAULT LIBRARY
Fernis’ favorite place he’d found in Skyhold. He’s been spending a lot of time down here. Dank, mouldering, isolated, and ‘homey’, if you asked him. Could use a few corpses, but he took what he could get. Today he’s sitting in the floor on the dusty rug, mindless of the cobwebs, armor shed and scattered around him while he cleans it meticulously, wiping the dried brown blood out of the crevices and buffing the metal with oil until it reflects the eerie light of the room. He looks different without his spiky armor but no less recognizable, lyrium tattoos exposed and hoary bangs falling into his face as he works.

other
[Something random? Feel free to start a thread or PM/Plurk me for something custom, okies? <3]

Comments

Battlements

[fledglingenchanter]

Even though being in Skyhold was the most secure Sadira had felt in months, it didn't stop the restless, sleepless nights, nor the bad dreams from happening. It was because of a bad dream that she was even up and about, meandering the battlements as she tried to untangle the subconscious fears from her waking mind. While she had no particular interest in the stars, they at least were constant, offering some visual assurances that not everything was completely broken.

Out of habit, she tried not to attract attention to herself, doing her best to avoid the guards and keep to the shadows. Not because she was criminally inclined as anyone who saw her would have immediately noted she was no clandestine spy, but because she didn't want to bother anyone else with her restlessness. In fact her desire to avoid the guards was what made her step close to the parapet with the intention of just hunkering down. She absolutely had no idea someone was near since her attention was first to her tangled thoughts and secondly to the sounds of the armored tromp of the guards.

[solutus]

Stirred from his unfocused cerebration by the swish of startlingly nearby fabric and the soft crunch of shoes stone, Fenris had a full moment of advantage to observe the other wanderer unawares. His first instinct was to tense in preparation for fight, but being an elf came with the built-in perk of excellent night-vision and he quickly assessed her as a non-threat despite that she seemed to purposefully be sticking to caliginosities, another restless soul out for the night air and perhaps, as she was also looking up, the stars.

"Fervanis, the oak," Fenris says, tilting his head to the side purposefully so that the movement will make him more than a disembodied voice. He turns his attention back to the sky then and points, in case she is unfamiliar with astronomy. He finds that many outside of Tevinter don't actually know the names of the constellations. "And Judex, the Sword of Mercy, visible only for a few more days." He smiles at that, a subtle twist of wry lips in the dark.

[fledglingenchanter]

The sudden intrusion of his voice made her nearly jump out of her skin. A quick hand flew to her mouth, clamping down on the startled shriek that almost escaped.

"Makers breath!" she finally uttered once she'd regained a small modicum of self-control. "I didn't know..." In her frazzled state, it was unclear if she was talking about the stars or his presence out here on the parapet. Although the stars were admittedly the last thing on her mind just then, her gaze nevertheless did follow his gesture upwards as she cocked her head.

[solutus]

"Apologies, startling you was not my intention." He sounds a little amused regardless, but is glad at least she didn't scream and summon the guard unnecessarily, brining the inconvenience of explaining their presences, however innocuous. Upon second inspection Fenris can see that she's a little bit frazzled, jumpy with tired eyes. The telltale signs of nightmares, he concludes without having to stretch.

Long familiar with night terrors and tormented dreams himself, Fenris is understanding. He's inappreciative of prying on the whole though, and so instead goes on, lowering his arm to pillow his head again. "There's some debate as to whether the Neromenians or the Elvhenan are responsible for the origin of 'the Oak'. Is it representative of of the idea that all things possess souls, even rocks and trees, or does it depict the Elven goddess of the Hunt? I feel that I should know her name to say it, but I don't. A daughter of Mythal, I think."

Vault Library

[ombranera]

"Doghren, please-" But no, whatever it is that Zevran means to plead of the small, strange beast that he finds himself minding is ignored entirely, the furry little mongrel happily tripping down the stairs while dragging something along with her. She's a small puppy, not the brightest, not the prettiest, in fact Zevran has likened her to Oghren on more than one occasion, hence the name, but she is quick when she wants to.

And right now dragging a small stuffed cow around to hide behind Fenris? She wants to.

Zevran stumbles at the bottom of the stairs, squinting in the darkness, the dim light doing him no favors. Things he misses about having two working eyes rather than one clear and one scarred to a milky white; the nightvision. Seeing Fenris down here causes him to start, then sigh. Well. He was going to put two and two together eventually. "Tell me you saw a hideous little beast dragging a stuffed animal. Please. If she's gotten to the dungeons or the Undercroft I will never find her."

[solutus]

Tiny nails clicking into the room, Fenris looks up with some surprise to see the approaching interloper is a very small mabari headed towards him dragging a... well he has no idea what it has in tow but it's about as big as the creature itself and being carried rather viciously by the throat. The little beast is headed straight towards him though, and Fenris scrabbles to pick up the bowl of oil before it's knocked over when the animal barrels straight through his armor towards his lap, tail wagging excitedly. "I think that you may have taken a wrong turn," he informs the dog seriously, getting only a hopping charge at his crossed legs in response. A sigh.

A hurried clamor down the stairs and the dog bolts around back of him, taking its toy along and disappearing somewhere under the desk. Still holding the bowl, Fenris uses one leg to sweep gauntlets and pauldrons to the side in case it returns. It's Zevran who's head pops around the corner, followed by the rest of him and Fenris can't say he's really all that surprised.

"Because an infant wasn't enough noise to keep you up at night?" The arch of a thick eyebrow. He turns around and peeks under the desk at the dog. "'She', is it?" He looked back at Zevran, a hind of playful conspiracy in his smirk. "And what are you paying for information regarding the whereabouts of your charge?"

[ombranera]

"I have no idea what you are talking about." As though Fenris could not hear Lucci's wailing down the hall. As though his child is a complete secret and- Zevran slumps in the doorframe, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The dog came before the infant, and yet she is infinitely more troublesome."

That cow is Lucci's favorite toy and he shall be inconsolable until it is returned. Which was not so great a problem until the dog slipped from the room and led Zevran on this merry chase.

"Doghren. Alistair's, honestly, but she is too small to survive in the Wardens' camp where they might mistake her for a meal or darkspwan, and thus like many of his messes, she is left to me to mind." Such is his life, minding other people's messes. Still. She is in this room and he will find her- but the sooner he is able to do so? The sooner he can help Lucci sleep, the sooner he himself might find rest. "A bottle of wine, a few sketches, a bottle of Antivan Brandy- name your price, my friend."

[solutus]

Rolling his eyes that Zevran is even going to attempt this charade when yes, Fenris was right down the hall, he put the bowl down again and shook his head incredulously. "Is it safe to keep a dog and a baby in close quarters?" This wasn't a suggestion that it wasn't, Fenris honestly did not know. 'Troublesome' seemed something of an understatement as well, but at least that was better, giving up and admitting the obvious truth.

"I like dogs," he says flatly like it's some sordid admission and taps his fingers on the ground causing the puppy to toddle out from behind the desk to sniff at them. He gives her a tentative scritch on her velvet-soft ears and she drops her toy in favor of licking his fingertips. He gives Zevran another look, this one practiced to be withering. "And I was joking, though I wouldn't say no to any of those things if you're handing them out." Another small twitch of a smirk.

"I do hope you know what you're doing," he adds, and picks up the stuffed toy absently, turning it over and discovering that it is in fact, a cow. It earns him a growl that he's sure is supposed to intimidate him into returning it, so he does just that.

Vault library

[truestheart]

Henry had been reading upstairs most of the time, pulling books off the shelves like no one's business. But, when he heard of a library downstairs that not many people tended to use? Well, more books for him, isn't it?

He was already at the door, not bothering to knock having assumed it to be empty he pushes open the door to find an elf. A grown elf man sitting on the floor polishing his armor. Henry stands there for a few moments, looking somewhat surprised and taking note of the elf. What stood out rather quickly was the tattoos. Were they dalish? If they were they were none he had seen before.

But, he's been staring for a moment to long before he gets his bearings. An apologetic look comes to his face first and the words second. "Sorry, I didn't know there was anyone using this room. If it's all right...could...could I just grab a book in here? I'll leave you alone then. Or I can come back later, whatever works."

[solutus]

It's a moment before Fenris bothers to look up, the distinct sort of hesitation in the doorway not indicative of a presence requiring much urgency. He finishes what he's doing instead, the strap of his breastplate secured between his teeth and braced between his knees. When he's made the adjustment he's aiming for he sets it aside and raises his head, a little surprised to find a much shorter person than he'd expected.

"It isn't my room," he says placidly, wiping his hands on a rag. The boy- and he's definitely a boy, Fenris has little experience with young humans but doesn't estimate him much over fifteen- seems a little daunted, which might've made Fenris feel a little sorry for him were he not clearly a mage looking to study the old magic tomes. Just because he couldn't read them didn't mean he didn't recognize what they were. "You've as much right to it as I do. Please go ahead and don't mind me," he offered, waving a hand flippantly towards the shelves.

"You're not looking for anything... unsavory though, are you?" He has to ask, whether he actually wants to hear the answer to that or not.

[truestheart]

It was a relief to at least hear that he could have a look around. After all, Henry did come barging in when he should've knocked first. Something he'll keep in mind for next time. "Thank you, ser," he answers politely.

He makes sure to pass by the elven man without disturbing any of the remaining pieces of armor that lay about and heads to the shelf near the back. This way he wouldn't have to disturb the other much and they could continue on with what they were doing. When he pulls a tome off the shelf he begins to leaf through it, but is pulled away from the book when he hears the question.

The boy looks back over blinking, somewhat confused for a moment. "Unsavory?" He has to repeat that because the very question seems silly to him. Then again, he's a mage and people often feared mages and their power. "If you mean blood magic and demon summoning and the like than no. I'm looking up better ways to channel energy to get more effective healing and barriers," he responds again politely as before.

[solutus]

"Unsavory," Fenris repeats, side-eying him meaningfully. "That's exactly what I mean. And good to hear." Still not exactly comforting, it's probably the best he can want for. He has absolutely no idea what any of the rest of that means but barriers and healing seem harmless enough. Not that he's in favor of any magic, mind you, or that he considers any of it 'harmless', but he has over the years learned to quell a little bit of his indiscriminate volatility in favor of peaceful existence.

For the most part, anyway.

He goes back to his armor, working quietly until the joints bend smoothly again, letting the boy pick over the dusty shelves.

Battlements

[gatheringstorm]

After returning from the Western Approach, Korrin's ability to sleep has been hit-or-miss. Even with Araceli's attention and care, she's not always able to sleep soundly through the night. And the nights when her kadan has that ability, Korrin's reluctant to wake her. So she'll take to strolling around for a bit until weariness claims her enough to give sleeping another shot.

On alert for anything than the source of her insomnia to occupy her mind with, Korrin smiles as she spots a familiar (at least the outline of the outfit is familiar) form up ahead. It's been a while since she's had the chance to chat with Fenris, given her stint in the Western Approach. His company is certainly welcome now, if he chooses to give it. At this time and place, it's not as easy to tell who's up for being social.

Noting his skyward stare, she glances up thoughtfully. "My favorite has always been Draconis. Shocking, I know."

[solutus]

Fenris smiles too when he hears the familiar voice. He hasn't seen Korrin in quite some time and hadn't been aware she had returned. Though their acquaintance has been somewhat brief, he appreciates her candidness and had noticed her absence which, for Fenris, is somewhat remarkable. He doesn't bother to adjust his languid mien as she approaches, just pulls his knees up in case she wishes to sit.

"And mine is Judex so, here's to being predictable creatures." He lifts an armored hand in a mock toast, the sort of gesture inherent of one who is used to having a bottle in hand. He isn't drunk tonight though- cold sober in fact, enjoying the night air and the escape from the noise in his hall that's kept him up frequently of late.

"What do you see when you look at Draconis?" he asks, "Or rather, what do you imagine? A dragon in flight? The sea serpent? Or perhaps something more particular?"

[gatheringstorm]

If Korrin hadn't already wandered everywhere in her restlessness, she might still need to remain on her feet just to give them something to do. As it is, she'll sit for now. Should her restlessness again outpace her weariness, then pacing it is. The 'toast' is met with a wistful grin, as Korrin's likewise deprived of alcohol at the moment.

"It used to just be a dragon in flight for me, just like my dad pointed out when I was a kid. Now, I think of the the high dragon I helped kill in Emprise du Lion. Enormous, fierce thing with breath that could freeze you solid. Beautiful to behold, but she was far too close to the town. One bad day would have finished it off. So, it had to be her. I took a dragon's tooth afterward, partly as a souvenir." And partly to make a pair of necklaces with it.

[solutus]

"Magnificent beasts, aren't they? I'd never seen a living dragon until I came South. I did not think that I would like them. I helped take one down in one of the quarries outside of Kirkwall. It was bittersweet, I agree, which surprised me." He sits up and wraps his arms around his knees, turning his full attention to Korrin.

"Although, I remember at the time just being impressed none of use ended up burnt to cinders. It had killed several dozen men before we arrived. It was touch-and-go for a bit, if I recall." He did. Clearly. "Perhaps I should have taken a memento as well." Hawke had saved a Dragon's fang, he remembered that too, but it rarely occurred to Fenris be so sentimental, especially in the wake of combat.

battlements

[universal_charm]

It's one of those nights where Kirk can't sleep, and rather than potentially wake Sam as he lay in bed fully awake, he had slipped out to see if there was something else to distract his mind. A clear night such as this offered plenty of distraction with the stars, unfamiliar though they were. Not that he was unused to unfamiliar skies, it was just usually there was only particular speck he could always identify. But it wasn't there now. It had never been there. It might never be.

He took the battlements to make a circuit, to find a quiet, high place to gaze at the stars and imagine what he could find at each of them. He becomes aware of Fenris only when he is nearly on top of him, brushing his fingers along the stone as he walked.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't think anyone else would be out here this time of night," he apologized, raising his hand with said apology - his Rifter hand, the gem a sharply contrasted green against his pink palm as he had forgotten to wrap it before going out.

[solutus]

It's easier for Fenris to watch the approach of the human than for the human to notice him in the dark, the old unfair advantage, and he's never quite sure when the most appropriate time to announce his presence is. He's noticed eventually though, and to the human's credit he didn't seem to startle when he noticed he wasn't alone.

He notes also the gem in his hand, standing out in contrast even in the low light. Sitting up enough to get an elbow under him, Fenris lounges on the parapet languidly.

"I rather think that's the reasoning everyone out this time of night shares," Fenris says, distant amusement coloring his tone. "That, and it is the best hour for star gazing."

[universal_charm]

Blue eyes drifted towards the stars overhead, lips softening into the curve of a quiet smile. "It is at that," he agreed with him.

"I like to come here sometimes, make up constellations," he admitted with a small chuckle under his breath. "Strange, right?"

He turned so he could lean against the stone, crossing his arms beneath his chest and angling his back. It was a sort of at ease position, clearly having no fear of Fenris or much else that evening.

[obi_wanmanshow]

It has never been Obi-Wan's intention to startle. He has a light step, and a quiet passage, not naturally prone to unnecessary movement. Grace is a byproduct of a lifetime of training, and Obi-Wan wears it as if he were born to the genteel nature he bears. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

He stops, when he sees the shadow-shape-within-shadow that betray Fenris' presence. It's peaceful up here, and the presence of the intermittent privacy it represents only serves to attract an equally intermittent augment to the usual wall-guards standing watch, or walking the rotation.

He stands, quiet, peaceable, then turns to follow Fenris' eyes up and out, to the unfamiliar stellar landscape.

"It is a beautiful night," He says, softly, after a time in silence.

[solutus]

It's very rare that Fenris is even capable of being crept up on- between his elven eyesight and innate paranoia it's a difficult task- but maybe he's tired or maybe his attention is overly focused skyward, because he doesn't hear the soft footfall or realize he's not alone until he catches movement far to close at hand for comfort.

He goes completely still and waits but the other person doesn't make a move that might be taken as hostile, instead joining him in admiring the speckled sky, and so Fenris relaxes again, nodding in the dark when the other eventually speaks.

"Clear as winter tonight. Even the faintest stars can be seen."

[obi_wanmanshow]

"It's strange to me. Sometimes, I forget just how far this place is from anything I know. Even the stars are unfamiliar," And it was true, there was no tell-tale sweep of familiar galactic landscape, not winking satellite nor way-point star, a sky devoid of familiar landmarks, "I wonder..."

With his comm unit only so much slag and no navigational computer, the starscape was reduced an incomprehensible scattering of lights, meaningless pinpricks in the cosmic curtain. He'd never been so lost. And there, right out there, winking innocently through the atmosphere, they might be looking at any number of spacefaring worlds, a whole galactic society that was as far beyond their reach as infinity.

"...Well, no matter. Fenris, wasn't it?"

battlements

[shieldwalls]

And sometimes, Aveline finds it hard to break an old habit. Patrolling the perimeter, assisting the guards on the wall. Sleep is an ill conceived concept to her, anyways. At least since the fade. Try as she might, it's hard to forget.

Tonight is something of the same -- she occasionally stops to speak with a guard posted or patrolling themselves, but otherwise the night remains uneventful as a whole.

There are not many others up here, and that's fine with her. One figure in particular draws her attention though, a familiar one. Without the heavy clanking of her armor to serve as announcement of her arrival, Aveline is almost quiet when she approaches.

"The sky is so much clearer out here." That's something that she'd never paid much mind to. Stargazing. Not enough time to stop and look up, and in the city it's not as easy to see. "Evening, Fenris."

It's a fair bit later than the evening, but... details.

[solutus]

"Aveline." Without moving Fenris greets her congenially, attuned to her voice and her footfall even after several years of being frequently in each other's company and despite that she is indeed quieter without the standard of armor.

"Compared to Kirkwall?" Fenris snorts softly, a little derision for the city's view, polluted with light and chimney smoke and whatever the odd miasma of grime is that seems to perpetually hang about Kirkwall, permeating even the air. "Yes. Much clearer. Good evening."

"Trouble sleeping or chronic sentry?" He asks with distant amusement, guessing it's the latter. It doesn't seem strange to come across her at odd hours in obscure places, not after the years he'd spent lurking about Hightown in the middle of the night only to have her send him home with an earful.

[shieldwalls]

She greets him with a small nod as Aveline goes to stand next to him, leaning against the stone wall. Looking out over at the landscape. Skyhold is really aptly named, she supposes.

"Most places are, but it's so much more obvious of a difference here." Kirkwall had become home, but she's still Ferelden at heart -- and the amount of dirt she'd likely take back over the sea, unable to scrape it completely off of her armor ensured it wouldn't leave her entirely.

"A little of both. More so the later, so it works out well enough." Now little has changed, but she has no reason to send him away. Besides, she's not opposed to the company. A bit of a distraction from thinking too much on recent events. "What brings you out here?"