faderift | OPEN: And you can shake the mountains with a whisper

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OPEN: And you can shake the mountains with a whisper

WHO: Hermione Granger and YOU!
WHAT: Hermione ventures out of the library. Sometimes. But she's also in the library most of the time, because she's Hermione.
WHEN: Late Justinian, creeping into early Solace if need be.
WHERE: Throughout Skyhold, just outside of Skyhold, pick a place far away from Skyhold and find a reason to drag her there.
NOTES: If you'd like a particular starter and/or would like to hash out some minor assumed CR that can lead into this, feel free to let me know either via PM or plurk (

StarryOblivion). Otherwise, feel free to have them randomly bump into one another!

The Herald's Rest.

Hermione doesn't often come in here, not since receiving an odd look when she'd first asked for just some water (really, given how young everyone here seems to think she is, she'd been surprised that the surly bartender had thought she'd wanted something harder). But sometimes it's a nice change of pace, sitting among the mostly quiet chattering of the other patrons and enjoying the fire as she reads or looks over her notes. Presuming, of course, that no one is foolish enough to have too much to drink and try to bother her. Talking is a distraction she'll accept with no fuss, but Merlin help anyone who's had enough alcohol to think she's open to anything friendlier than that.

Stables.

When she'd first arrived at Skyhold, the stables had seemed relatively empty and were a fine place for practicing her magic without risking hurting anyone. She'd thought she could do the same now, only to find that there are considerably more horses - and, er, other creatures - residing there. Magic might only frighten them, she decides, but they're so pretty that she can't help visiting with them for a bit, getting as close to them as she dares. It's been years since she's ridden a horse, but she's entirely certain that these mounts aren't exactly the type that would trot gently along a given course for an inexperienced rider, so she isn't even going to ask after something so silly, even if the interest is clearly there in her eyes.

Courtyard, not too far from the healing tents.

When the stables prove not to be the best place to practice with her magic, Hermione decides that it might be best to find a little corner close to the healing tents instead. At least then there would be other mages around, and so it was less likely that anyone who stumbled across her would look at her disdainfully. And if anyone gets hurt, a healer wouldn't be too far away. Of course, she highly doubts that anyone would get hurt just because she was unsuccessfully attempting to transfigure leaves and pebbles and whatever else happens to be in the vicinity. Transfiguration doesn't seem to be an aspect of her magic that's carried over into Thedas, or at least Hermione can't manage it without more practice, given that she's growing more and more frustrated as she continuously taps rocks and other objects with what looks like a stick, muttering to herself in exasperation.

Library. Because of course.

If you've been to the library, you've seen her. Whether you know her and enjoy talking to her about rifter politics or think it's entertaining to scandalize her or have never bothered to approach her, Hermione can more often than not be found in the same little niche in the library, nose in a book or a quill hastily scribbling down notes. Or even, occasionally, dozing off, since she hasn't exactly claimed any sort of sleeping space for her own and more often than not loses track of the time when she doesn't explicitly have somewhere to be.

Wildcard!

Hermione wanders, and while she tries to be careful, sometimes it takes her places she just shouldn't go. If it doesn't look like a private room or setting, it's safe to assume that the young witch has made her way there, likely looking for a quiet place to read or do magic or just to get a few moments of silence. And while she doesn't often journey outside of Skyhold, she can definitely be tempted beyond its walls if she has the right incentive, or the right company.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Kirk was coming back from running an errand to the healing tents, dropping off an order as part of one of those jack-of-all trades kind of jobs he performed for his daily bread. Walking back across the courtyard, he spies Hermoine - playing with rocks? He squints a bit, wondering what she could possibly be up to, and for a second considers if it might be better to leave her to her project.

But his curiosity won out and he made his way over to her, scuffing his shoes to make noise and get her attention and not spook her.

"Did you lose something?" he asked her.

It probably wouldn't be for the best to startle a witch while she was practicing transfiguration spells. Luckily for Kirk, despite Hermione being very much focused on jabbing this very uncooperative rock with the tip of her wand, this seemed like one of those fields of magic that was just a bit too complicated to manage with the interference of the Fade, so though she did jump a bit as she looked up at Kirk, he was in no real danger even before she lowered her wand.

"It won't turn into a ball," she explained petulantly. "At first I thought that was because I was imagining a rubber ball and that's probably too synthetic a material to really work here, so I imagined something cruder wrapped in leather, but it won't even turn into a spherical rock!" Huffing, she crossed her arms over her chest and looked indignantly at the rock in front of her before muttering, "I could have easily turned it into a snail when I was only twelve, but everything has to be so difficult here!"

He opened his mout to remark on why anyone would teach a twelve year old to turn anything into a snail - that just seemed like a disaster waiting to happen - and snapped it shut just as quickly. Hermoine seemed upset enough as it was, or more rather frustrated.

"Your magic still isn't working like it should?" He guessed, sympathy in his voice.

Hermione would have explained that it was the principle of the thing, but truth be told, a lot of the magic she'd been taught to do her first year at Hogwarts had really been a series of parlor tricks or things that would be built upon during the later years rather than anything overly useful all on its own.

"No," she murmured, glaring at that rock as though it had done her a personal wrong. "I still don't know if it's my wand or the Fade or me, and not knowing is beginning to get maddening."

He understood, a little. He was still searching for his place here, for the ways in which the things he knew could bring purpose to himself and this place. As much as he wanted to get him, he didn't want to be particularly idle here if he could help it. He felt somewhat lost without the Fleet, drifting as he has been before Pike kicked his ass in that bar.

"You know what you need?" He asked her. "A break. Something else to think about for a bit. I was going to go explore the area around Skyhold today. Why don't you come with me?"

Hermione knew that she was being silly, that being angry just because she couldn't turn a rock into a ball was stupid, but it was still a matter of pride. She didn't really have much of a reason to be proud of herself or of her accomplishments anymore.

And again, she knew that was silly, but maybe Kirk was actually right; she could use a break, a short burst of time where she could think of something other than how spectacularly terrible her magic has been over the past few months. So she looked up at him as though really seeing him for the first time, and tried not to frown.

"What were you planning on exploring?"

"Just the surrounding forests, really. Nowhere far since we won't have the supplies for it. A day-hiking trip to see if I can find some herbs or maybe some other edible plants to supplement dinner," he explained. "But I could use some company." It would be safer to go with someone, even though he didn't plan to go far.

"Come on, even if it ends up just being a scenic hike, getting out for a bit will be good for you - for us a both," he insisted, patting her shoulder. "Some space to breathe, some exercise - we'll both feel better."

Cracking a small smile, Hermione asked, "Have you really had the chance to do much in the way of exploring since you've gotten here? Compared to the way you're more used to exploring planets, that is." Of course, he didn't have the equipment that he likely had on his ship, but there was still plenty to learn from simple observation. Hermione had learned that much for herself.

Taking a deep breath and casting one last indignant look at that stupid rock, Hermione climbed to her feet, brushing off her jeans as she did so. "Should we stop to get anything? A bag to carry our findings, something to hold fresh water?"

"Not very much, no. I suppose I can kind of count the Western Approach, but that was more of a march than an exploration," he shrugged. He had seen many new things and new places, but they had been somewhat overshadowed in the end by the battles and the Fade itself.

But he wanted to forget about that horrid place and go hiking in the woods instead.

"That sounds like a good idea. Why don't we meet at the gate in half an hour with our gear?" he suggested to her.

"I'd rather not remember the Western Approach at all, if I can help it," she admitted. Cracking a tiny smile, she added, "Though I do remember our talk that one night. It was nice. Considering everything it had been sandwiched between, I mean."

If they can make better memories now without having any dark rituals or sacrifices or demons tainting it, all the better.

"All right," Hermione told him, nodding as she went over everything they might feasibly need and wondering if she'd be able to cast an Extension Charm on a bag to carry it all. "How long do you reckon we'll be gone? Just a few hours?" A tent would be harder to carry, but if they'd be out past nightfall, it might just be worth it.

"Yeah, it was," he agreed with a gentle smile of his own.

He thought about it for a moment before waving his hand. "I would say we'll be back before nightfall. I don't want to try traversing the paths back up without enough light. So yes, a few hours at the most. Like I said, I don't want to go far, just enough to get some fresh air. Meet back in thirty."

He gave her a mock salute before turning to jog away and back to his rooms above the forge. He packed a small sack with water, a bit of food, some bandages and a bit of rope just in case though he didn't think they'd get into much trouble, and a few smaller bags in case they came across anything interesting to bring back. He made his way back to the entrance of Skyhold to wait for Hermoine, watching the flow of people.

Nodding, Hermione once again mentally went through everything they might need, trying to trim the list down as much as she could. However, after waving to Kirk and going off to get her bag and gather her things, she still found herself at a bit of a loss, finally having to tell herself that no, she wouldn't need another change of clothes, though a cardigan wouldn't be too bad. Water and food was fine, along with anything she could gather together to use as a makeshift first-aid kit, but she could probably do without several heavy volumes about spirit healing that would be completely useless to her.

She eventually made it to their meeting spot, a full messenger bag and a canvas bag and canteen all slung over her shoulder. When she spotted Kirk, she waved to him again to get his attention, smiling as she closed the distance.

"I hope you weren't waiting long. I was just trying to figure out what would be enough to bring without it being too much."

Yes, several heavy books for a day hike did seem a bit excessive. Kir went with the theory of packing light and only what was necessary. They weren't going far after all, or for long, so there wasn't a need to load himself down with unnecessary things. He looked amused at her rather full bag compared to his much lighter pack.

"I think you've got us covered," he nodded, shifting to walk with her towards the exit and through down the long, narrow path to the valley. "Expecting trouble?"

Hermione looked vaguely sheepish at the way he referenced her mild over-packing, shrugging her shoulders. "It seems like every time I step past that gate, I find trouble, whether I expect it or not. It doesn't hurt to be prepared, does it?"

Just be thankful she couldn't do an Extension Charm here, or else half of Skyhold would have ended up in her bag.

"Here? No, definitely not. Though keep your fingers cross we have just a pleasant hike. Maybe our reputations will cancel each other out," he laughed gamely as they traversed the path. "Do you go out of Skyhold often?"

"Only when I'm forced to," Hermione remarked lowly as she carefully followed alongside Kirk. Technically, that wasn't necessarily true, but if it were up to her, she wouldn't move from the library except to go find food or a privy. "People take me for a mage, and so they feel that mages should pull their own weight, considering the strained history of mages here. There isn't really much I can do to help the Inquisition, though, not unless I practice a bit more with a staff or can work around the kinks in my wand."

He glanced at her, noting the change in tone. But he didn't think to press that particular thread of conversation, picking his way along and pausing to decided which way to go. Eventually he just let instinct decide and started down a narrowed road leading towards the forested area, glancing back towards Skyhold. It really did look lovely from the outside...

"I still haven't made up my mind about the Inquisition," he admitted to her. "I'm not technically a part of it, even if I went out with them to that desert." He glanced over to her.

"You'll figure it out," he assured her. "You're a smart girl, and a stubborn one. If anyone can figure it out, you can."

The idea that anyone taking shelter in Skyhold wouldn't technically consider themselves part of the Inquisition surprised Hermione, and she showed as much plainly on her face as she carefully followed after him as the road narrowed. "If you don't consider yourself part of the Inquisition, why did you agree to go out into the Western Approach? You're a human with no magic; surely they couldn't force you and you'd do well enough in any of the local towns, if it came down to it." And then came the more important question, the one she likely should have asked first: "What haven't you made up your mind about, exactly?"

Shaking her head and not wanting to get sidetracked, she commented, "Smarts and stubbornness will only get me so far, if I don't have the proper information available to me. And since every book here has a clear bias, it's hard to figure out what information is and isn't correct."

"I went out because I wanted to see more of this world than the walls and valley of Skyhold. And just because I don't think of myself as part of the Inquistion doesn't take away from my want to help or do what's right. That, and I figure I owe them for helping me when I first got here. I have friends here and I don't think I'd do as well in a town on my own as you think. I'm still learning a lot here and who knows how people would react to my shard? On the whole, it's safer here," he explained breezily.

"And I haven't made up my mind because I'm not clear on their motivations, or at least those who run it," he explained. "Should I be okay with a group that would, as you said, force mages, or anyone, to do anything? I'm not going to throw my lot in with a group and suddenly find myself doing things I disagree with. Honestly, I would prefer to stay unaligned - a free agent so to speak."

But they were getting side tracked, weren't they? He looked to her and his mouth quirked a bit. "Sometimes you have to put down the books and figure it out through doing. Books are well and good, but they never have all the answers. Maybe if you stop trying to figure out the "right" way and find "your" way, it'll come to you."

"I don't think Leliana would force mages to do something, at least not purely on the basis of them being mages," Hermione mused. She didn't speak for Cassandra, of course, given that the woman had suggested that she undertake a Harrowing when she'd first arrived, and so who knew just where she stood insofar as how many rights a mage should have? Of the other advisors, she only knew them vaguely, and she highly doubted that either of them would force anyone to into some sort of action.

Except, perhaps, for the Commander, but then again, that's because giving out commands is right there in his title.

"I've been under the impression that the Inquisition more or less is a free agent, as much as an entity can be. After all, it was formed out of the common goal to get rid of Corypheus, and all other political or religious agendas seem to be pushed to the side, at least publicly. So siding with them doesn't technically put you on a specific 'side', so much as gives you a group of teammates to work alongside." Shrugging a bit, she added, "Of course, that's just how it seems to me."

Kirk wasn't the first person to tell Hermione to put down her books, though she wasn't entirely sure that was something she'd necessarily be able to do here, when there was so much for her to learn and get used to. "I still need to find any way, given that so much of Thedas is reliant on inter-racial and international relations. Not to mention this dreadful 'Game' on which Orlais seems to rely. Have you heard of that yet?"

That was part of the problem, wasn't it? It was nice that the Inquisition was seemingly open to all sorts, and that seemed to be because their leadership had varied points of view. But was that true, and would it always be so? What happened if they lost a leader? Who would replace them? Could the Inquisition's motives, then, be turned and twisted? It was a laundry list of possibilities, and Kirk simply didn't know the command well enough to say anything one way or the other. And he had a dislike for command over all, especially with Marcus leaving such a bad taste in his mouth.

"But there you go - political and religious agendas are set aside "publicly". What about privately though? What could we be asked to do, what little steps could we be asked to take that might lead us down a road we aren't comfortable with? It comes down to, for me, not knowing the leadership well enough to put my faith in them. So for now, I won't outright align myself with them. Not to mention I'm singularly bad with authority, and I really don't want to have to go through a court martial here."

The forest was cooler than the walk down, Kirk taking a deep breath of the fresh trees and the loam beneath their feet. "Well that's what I'm saying. Stop trying to find one of their ways, and start trying to find yours through your experiences. You were trying the way you do it in your homeworld on those rocks earlier, right? Clearly, that's not working. So why not try making small adjustments to the way you're used to? Something should click eventually. To be honest, I don't think any of the ways they do things is going to work for you because they won't fit you as a person or your previous training." That was just his thoughts, anyways.

"Bits and pieces. Basically sounds like something out of Renaissance Italy or Victorian London. Political machinations, vying for power, one-upping each other and not giving a damn about who gets crushed under foot."

Considering that the Inquisitor had died and yet the advisors still carried on in her stead, Hermione doubted that the nature of the Inquisition could really be changed. Defeating Corypheus and closing the rifts seemed to be their only real goals, and unless someone with ulterior motives happened to worm their way into a position of power - unlikely, given how distrustful most of them seemed - it didn't seem likely that they'd stray too far from that.

"Cullen was a Templar," she told him. "His story isn't mine to tell, but from what I'd heard from his sister, he'd seen and done some terrible things in the name of the Order. The fact that he's now willing to live and work alongside mages and trusts them enough to go on missions without assigning a Templar to watch their every move speaks volumes." Granted, she'd only briefly met the man, but Mia was an extremely forthright, no-nonsense sort of person, and she doubted she'd paint her brother in a positive light if he didn't actually deserve it. "You can always find them and have a sit-down with them. So long as they have a few moments to spare, I've found that most of them have always been very good about answering any questions I might have."

Absently scratching at her cheek, Hermione frowned and brought up, "People keep saying I should switch to a staff. I'd practiced with one once. It felt... clumsy. But I really should keep practicing with it, in the event that something happens to my wand. I can't exactly get a replacement while I'm here." Unless the smiths in the undercroft were exceptionally talented.

Wrinkling her nose as they began talking about the Orlesian Game, she looked around, trying to admire the nature around them and not think about just how far she actually was from home. "It's disgusting, isn't it? I wonder what those nobles thought of us during that soiree a few months ago. We must have looked like clowns to them, and if any of us had behaved in any way that they'd considered peculiar or insulting, they likely could have had us killed and no Orlesian would have blinked behind their stupid gilded masks."

Kirk didn't. People changed. He wanted to believe that they would hold true to the mission of defeating Corphyeus and sending the Rifters homes and stopping the Rifts, but who knew what could happen in the coming months, even years? Most likely years. Things like this were rarely swift, and all to recently he had seen how the good intentions of an organization could get twisted by someone's perspective, how they could believe they were doing right and it go so horribly, terribly wrong.

"A good talk would be nice, but watching from afar speaks volumes too," he shrugged. "For now I am content with where I am, though, I have the feeling that someday, perhaps soon, I will be forced to take some steps outside of the little spot I have carved for myself." No one could ever truly stay neutral, especially here he was sure. But for the moment he managed.

"That's not a bad idea, and the staff doubles as a weapon in its own right. If your magic is currently unreliable, it would be in your better interest to learn alternative ways of defending yourself," he advised. "Who knows. Changing the medium of the way you channel your magic might help you find your way back to it."

It seemed like a sound enough theory. If she always used a wand and it wasn't working, that might be the thing to change first rather than anything else.

"They sound so very charming," he snorted, pausing in their hike to kneel down and collect a few mushrooms he spotted.

Hermione knew a thing or two about trusting authority and finding that you were wrong to. When her own government tried turning her best friend first into everything from a scapegoat to a puppet, she knew that you couldn't always trust the people in charge to look out for your best interests. But while she might not trust the Inquisition to be able to settle the mage-templar dispute to any satisfaction, they were at least aware of their enemy and wanted him gone, and she was fairly certain they wouldn't do anything to prolong this particular war, since it benefited absolutely no one.

"But a good talk and watching from afar says even more," Hermione brought up, voice just a touch dry. "It allows you to draw conclusions based on both observation and research, and it never hurts to start your research before you actually have to use it."

Though she agreed well enough that switching to a staff might actually help with her magic, she couldn't help but scoff at the idea of using it as a weapon. "I can barely throw a punch, much less manage to wield a giant stick without hurting myself or people near me," she chuckled. "I've never exactly had to engage in any physical combat before. Or, at least, not without magic to help bolster some of it."

Pausing to crouch by Kirk and hold one of her bags open so he can set the mushrooms inside, she managed not to roll her eyes as she remarked, "The Orlesians are the very definition of charm. You can tell by how very passive aggressive they can be."

"And if the research doesn't match what you see?" he asked her, curious because she seemed to hold to that word, didn't she? Research. Her books. It said something about her, and it wasn't entirely bad, though it made him worry. Books were well and good, but it made him concerned for her finding her own answers, especially in a place that - well, one couldn't always trust the books, could you?

"Well, we can fix both of those things," he told her as he slid the mushroom in, nodding his thanks for her help. "I teach self-defense with hand-to-hand combat, and my friend Samouel has been teaching me the staff. I could see if he would teach it to you as well," he offered her. "It would do you good to learn how to handle yourself without magic, especially since it doesn't seem to be as reliable for you as it once was. Never a bad time to start learning."

As for the Orlesians, he left that conversation as it was. He straightened and moved on, continuing to pick his way through the wood, casting his eyes over the ground for herbs, nuts, and fungi they could use.

OPEN: And you can shake the mountains with a whisper

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