you don't own the green pines

[chainlightning]

WHO: Merrill and open!
WHAT: An open log.
WHEN: Justinian 20th - mid-Solace
WHERE: Skyhold and the surrounding area
NOTES: Some talk of violence, injuries, death.

late justinian through early solace | healing tents
[ Justice is dead, but he nearly took many others with them -- Merrill included. She's in a bad way for a few days, especially after; her cheekbone is broke, her ribs mostly intact but her internal organs badly bruised, along with various and sundry scrapes, cuts, bite marks, bruises, and burns.

Still, she's a decent patient. She stays put in the tents, at least, though they can't quite get her to stop talking when she's feeling well enough to sit up and do so. Visitors are allowed at the discretion of the healers, but Merrill isn't going to turn anyone (or anything) away. ]

early solace | around skyhold
[ When she's allowed to leave the healing tents, it's not full-time. They don't want her going down to the Warden camp to sleep, but she's allowed to wander Skyhold as long as she's careful. As a result, Merrill mostly relaxes -- visits with friends or with potential new friends, sits in the garden, watches the birds.

She likes to go visit the griffons, when she can, though she has to be careful. They're less good about watching for injuries. ]

early-mid solace | camp shady fucker
[ When she's allowed to move more, when she's more patched up between a combination of time and magic, Merrill gets to work. Sleeping in a tent isn't new, but the events at Weisshaupt have shaken her. If they need to get out, she wants to be able to move quickly.

She starts to gather supplies. Wood, mostly, but any who know much about the Dalish may recognize what begins to take shape or the plans that Merrill checks every once in a while: an aravel. ]

wildcard
[ you know what to do ]

Comments

healing tents!!

[amygdalae]

[He heard the news, of course - or well, it was impossible to not notice from the collection of injuries those involved had received. The only solace is that nobody else really did die.

Except for Justice. But Bruce had no love for the spirit anyway.

With a collection of items in hand Bruce steps into the tent where Merrill has been settled in, poking his head in first and calling for her.] Merrill? It's time to check on your injuries.

[chainlightning]

[ Merrill hadn't either -- it had been a kindness for the others, perhaps, that she had been the one to land the final blow. Of course, Vengeance had been attempting to possess her at the time.

She shifts a little as Bruce sticks his head in, pushing herself to sit up in bed. She's wearing a robe, lighter than her mage robes -- enough to cover but not push down on her injuries. ]

Right. Well- they're all here.

[amygdalae]

[Bruce quirks a wry smile at the response, but doesn't say anything else as he enters the tent properly and heads towards her. He sets the items he had been carrying down, taking a moment to arrange them neatly before retrieving the towel that had been bundled with them.]

I'll check your ribs first, if that's alright with you. [He says as he moves to sit down next to her on the cot for easier access.]

healing tents

[mythalenaste]

[Pel has nursed the sick long enough that she knows Merrill will be fed. People are good at food. But sometimes other things fall to the wayside. Pel has brought with her a basin, a towel, soap, and a pair of nail clippers.]

Aneth ara, lethallan. I thought I might wash your hair.

[chainlightning]

[ Merrill would be delighted to see Pel either way, but when it's to have her hair washed? She lights up even more, even as the smile pulls at her injured face. ]

Oh, that would be lovely. I mean, I think they got any blood out of it, but... well.

camp

[serannas]

[ Ellana is a fixture at the Warden camp because of Felix and her other Warden acquaintances down there. When she spots Merrill, she comes over, looking relieved. ]

I heard about what happened, but I didn't want to hover. It seems like all of Skyhold was coming by your tent at the healer's. I hope it wasn't too overwhelming?

[ Her eyes dart to the wood and then the plans in Merrill's hands. ]

You-- You're not leaving, are you?

[chainlightning]

It was nice! Distracting, for starters.

[ It turns out there isn't a whole lot to do in the healing tents. Who knew? ]

Leaving? [ Sadly, this isn't even the first time she's been asked that, and it's still taking her a moment to realize why. For Merrill, the idea of leaving is so far out of the question that even connecting that an aravel means movement with the question itself takes a bit. ]

Oh! Oh, no, I just- well, I thought that if maybe we had to leave Skyhold for some reason, it would be nice to have something like this. I wasn't there, but I heard about Haven.

around skyhold!

[byblow]

[ They've only been back a few hours when Alistair leaves the camp--he's quiet when he's sad, it's the only reprieve anyone ever gets from him honestly, if you ever need him to shut up tell him someone he likes is dead--and winds up standing outside the griffons' housing, shoulder in the door frame. He doesn't think at least this is something good, not consciously, but he feels it. It isn't all disaster on disaster. There are griffons.

And Merrills.

He manages to make his mouth look like a smile for approximately half a second before it collapses again. ]

Griffon Savior, [ he says, like that's her name now. ]

[chainlightning]

[ The hatchlings are- well. They are hatchlings, part child and part predator and all spunk. The three she handled out of Weisshaupt know and trust her more than the others, but Merrill has been by often enough in the aftermath (save for when she wasn't allowed to leave the healing tents, and Ghostface butted her right in the ankle when she came back for daring to be gone for so long) that the others are getting to know her, too.

They still nip at her, are still sometimes too generous with their claws, but- they're learning. It's not like they're attacking her, trying to truly maim her; they're just babies, and Merrill loves them.

The not-name makes her laugh a little as she looks up from scratching Ghostface (she doesn't dare stop, or he'll demand more scratches, potentially with his beak) to Alistair. A silver locket is around her neck, an intricate griffon on the front; a gift from Hercules, before he left. ]

If you say that too loudly, Maja will probably snort something out her nostrils.

around skyhold;

[arcaneadvisor]

[Kieran is the one to tell her of griffons because well, he's a boy and what boy does not love griffons? (She is to blame, she is the one who found the the sigils to stitch to his garments but he loves them too much for her to stop, and perhaps she wanted him to have a thing of Alistair's, not knowing their paths would ever meet.) So off she goes, hoping to take her mind off everything that's happened with Leliana of late as well.

Spotting Merrill, she's about to call a greeting when she spots the injuries, frowning instead as she approaches with an eye on the griffons just to be safe.]

I trust none of them inflicted the wounds you're recovering from?

[chainlightning]

[ Some of the hatchlings are more bold than others -- that's always been true. There are plenty of new and different sights and smells that they've been introduced to in the past month, but Merrill hasn't always been present for them. She looks up to smile at Morrigan before the words fully register, but even then, half her attention is on the tiny predators rustling their feathers and clacking their beaks. ]

Oh, no. I mean, Slobbaface got some spit right in my eye the other day, and they nip, but that's about it.

[ And no, she did not name the griffons. ]

This was all- well, we pulled Justice out of Anders and he never liked me that much.

Healing tents

[ancarrow]

[Eirlys approaches in the evening, when things are quiet and all of her own patients have been tended to, a bowl of soup in her hands.]

I think you may be well enough to eat something. Here, this is fresh from the kitchens.

[chainlightning]

[ She knows her, vaguely, in the way she sort of knows everyone who teaches at the school she's started. There's also the news that she is the liaison for city elves and the fact that Eirlys is a healer. Merrill- well, she's been in need of healers, certainly. Whether she should be bringing her concerns to Cyril or to Eirlys or to someone else is beyond her, and she doesn't really feel like thinking of it now.

Not when the soup smells that good and she has company, at least. ]

Oh- thank you! You didn't have to do that.

healing tents

[stabsbooks]

[ Cassandra had left the trials with Justice to those more qualified (and more patient) than herself. In truth, she had been leery of the entire idea of even making the attempt to remove Justice. Reversing possession is possible, yes, but risky, and in her private opinion Anders' life was hardly worth the risk. Not when it meant putting others in danger.

And apparently her fears had been proven correct. She appears without warning in Merrill's tent, having marched right past anyone who might have made an attempt to stop her, and for a moment she just stands there at the foot of the bed, concern mixed with relief mixed with a lingering resentment that this had happened at all. ]

[chainlightning]

[ Well.

Cassandra marching in wasn't quite what Merrill had expected when she woke up today, but it's not unwelcome. The healers are probably mostly too afraid to get in between her and Merrill, and that at least means she should have a nice long distraction in the form of the Seeker.

Judging by her face, she's not entirely sure it'll all be a pleasant one, but- at least Cassandra looks concerned? ]

Good- afternoon, I think? It's a bit hard to tell.

Because, Griffons. And sad-happiness. And best friends.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

[Bethany herself had been avoiding ... well, everyone that she could. Something about what happened with Anders and Nathaniel, what happened with Hercules, struck her a little closer to home than she realized. Going out to the woods to cry had been - well - it had changed a lot of things.

Mostly though, it made her realize that she couldn't do this like Marian did it, or Carver. She wasn't them. She wore her heart on her sleeve and she wasn't ashamed of it.

So there she was, careful of her own wounds to the griffons roost, where she knew she'd find Merrill. She dropped next to the elven woman, and wrapped one arm around her shoulders, resting her chin on her friend's shoulder.]

So ... I wanted to say a few things. First though, I love you, Merrill.

yes all of these things ;;

[chainlightning]

[ Her pain had spiked, mentally and physically, after Alistair came to tell her about Hercules. She had sobbed until her ribs hurt like they had right after the fight, but they hurt less now.

There's still the lingering thought that others will disappear to answer their Calling like Herc did, that Bethany could do it. But it's pushed to the side in comparison to the now, to the fact that she was able to keep Bethany from being even more injured against Vengeance, that she still has her friend. As a result, when Bethany sits next to her and wraps around her, Merrill wraps an arm around her back and rests her cheek on her hair. ]

I love you too, Bethany. I'm glad you're here -- and so, so glad you weren't at Weisshaupt.

[shieldwalls]

[ Knowing little of what had transpired with Justice, Aveline hears it from elsewhere, the details vague and differ depending on who you ask -- but the one thing that remains the same is that those involved are all currently recuperating in the healing tents.

It's enough to get her to drop what she's doing and pay them a visit.

The healer lets her by with little fuss into the tent. She doesn't get more than a foot through when she sees Merrill, and her state has her stopped in her tracks -- ]

Maker's breath, Merrill. What happened?

[chainlightning]

[ Merrill winces. She can't quite help it -- there's a part of her that will never want to disappoint the women from Kirkwall, and while Hawke was always the priority person to not disappoint, Aveline is pretty high up there as well.

One hand comes up to rub at the back of her neck. ]

Justice happened.

[ She tries her best not to sound sheepish about it. ]

He sort of... hit me head-on. Also, I think tried to possess me, at the end -- but I killed him before that, so that obviously didn't happen.

around skyhold / healing tents area

[dragoon_pride]

[Technically, Kain isn't yet supposed to be out of the healing tents, but he's got some bad habits. Really bad habits. He'd just been biding his time, the first couple weeks, waiting until enough of his strength returned so he could move enough to get outside. "Strength" is a relative term at this point, but still.]

[Well... not that he gets very far on his own, as he soon enough finds himself having to sit down or risk totally collapsing. He finds a spot to crash over by some tree. Uggggh. He's breathing heavily, still with a really sickly feeling overall alongside all the aches and pains. But he made it out here, that's what counts. Then he notices someone approaching the area. Please don't be a healer. He wants to stay out and enjoy some fresh air before they haul him back in again.]

Merrill?

[Oh, good, maybe it'll be ok. He's glad to see she's up and about, after the battle... he's pretty sure she'd been in a tent nearby for a while, too. The chattering was unmistakable.]

[chainlightning]

Kain!

[ There's a wave, and while there are bandages wrapped around her torso and there's still a bruise on her cheek, she at least seems able to do that much without pain. She's slower than normal when it comes to approaching, but as Kain seems like he's about to pass out against the tree, she's hardly going to make him come to her.

She's even wearing shoes, but that's more because the healers are less likely to drag her back to the tents if she's wearing them as opposed to walking around in the cool mountain air with bare feet. ]

Oh, I'm glad you're up! [ Or, well. Sort of up. ]

Around Skyhold

[justice_is_blond]

[Despite being slobbered on and nearly torn in half and nearly trampled and having to worry about his cat and still bearing a large burden of guilt after they left everyone behind to save the griffons, Anders is a semi-regular visitor down here. They're dangerous, they're probably going to lay him open one of these days, but he likes some of them. And it's far less of a risk to him than it is to Merrill. He frowns when he sees her, though it's a different sort of frown than he usually wears.]

You know how easily they could worsen your injuries.

[Statement, not question.]

Tell me you're taking some sort of precautions, somehow, before I report to the tents that you're here instead of taking it easy.

[chainlightning]

I seem to remember you being in a bad way too, you know.

[ It seems a fairer thing to say than does Adelaide know you're here?, because broken leg or not, she imagines Adelaide would grab him by the ear and drag him to the healing tents.

Of course, Adelaide just might enjoy doing that. ]

Sitting with griffons is taking it easy. I've got my ribs all wrapped up though, yes, and if they get too rambunctious I'll cast a barrier.

[ One hand holds the silver locket around her neck; the other goes to scratch Ghostface just above his tail, making him croon. ]

I just- needed to get away from there for a little bit.

griffons for the 45th time i couldn't resist sorry

[heda]

[ Lexa isn't sure she is allowed to be here. Her occasional presence at Skyhold is allowed (if discreetly monitored), but giving her leave to wander courtyards and the library isn't quite the same as granting access to rare and precious creatures, battle mounts, that have not been seen in Thedas in four hundred years.

That's not to say that it stops her. Just that she takes her time observing the makeshift roost before she enters, and that once inside she is on alert, a subtle tension at the sound of footsteps in anticipation of questioning.

She's not sure what she makes of the hatchlings, which seem a lot messier and fluffier and louder and all-around less majestic than the giant noble beasts in the stories and her mind. The Avvar may be disconnected, but even they have tales of the Blight and the Wardens who fight against it, heroes of old flying about on griffons. It's a bit of a let down. But they are interesting to watch, though she is careful to keep her hands safely folded behind her back, never straying too near the cage even if she is eyeing them from fairly close. She's careful to keep the hem of her coat back, too, not willing to risk it or the sash/cape dangling from her shoulder. ]

all griffons all the time

[chainlightning]

[ If they didn't want people to visit the griffons, they shouldn't have put them in the stables. At least, that's Merrill's line of thought, or it would be if she knew that there were concerns about visiting the griffons in the first place. They're creatures of legend, creatures only just recovered -- why stop people from seeing them if everyone is safe about it?

As for her, she tries to visit them as much as she can. Sometimes there are others there when she arrives, sometimes other people show up, but she's always ready to not be alone with the little fluffy predators. Lexa is a face she hasn't seen in some time, though, and there's a little gasp and then a delighted smile. ]

I wasn't sure if you were still around!

[ Some of the hatchlings stir up a fuss at her presence and the sound of her voice -- they've learned she often comes with scratches and, when Maja allows it, treats. ]