Sieze the day

[fledglingenchanter]

WHO: Sadira and YOU
WHAT: Various places around Skyhold at different times of day.
WHEN: Beginning to mid Solace before the shenanigans in Orlais takes off.
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: N/A

I.The Training Grounds- Early morning

Sadira was in the training yard, early enough that the sun was just beginning to caress down the mountainsides with light while she was busy flailing a training sword around. She'd gotten up early in order to have some small section of the training yard to herself, though there were others who had arrived earlier than her, and somewhere were just now arriving. It seemed the training yard got little rest, which seemed, to sum up, her appearance. She had the look of someone long used to functioning on too little sleep.

Despite her apparently poor sword skills-- she was overreaching as well as leaving herself completely open on the left side-- she at least had good footwork and showed little signs of tiring quickly. Clothed as she was in a simple linen tunic, brown knit pants, and worn leather boots, it was near impossible to guess that she was a mage unless someone had spoken to her previously about it. She was working with a will building up a good sweat while trying her best to perfect her abilities though it was apparent that she was in dire need of some instruction.



II.The Library- Mid-day

Tables were naturally at a premium with all the pet projects going on and research, interests and what not being done that Sadira had opted instead for a quiet spot surrounded by a stack of books that she was carefully trawling through. A casual glance through the stacks might have drawn more than a few puzzled looks as her interests seemed to vary widely from historical texts by Brother Genitivi to various copies of Hard in Hightown along with books on varying cultures, chevalier fighting techniques, constellations and southern plants. She also had a few scattered papers scribbled with and notes, annotations and page numbers that occasionally rustled when the odd draft caught them. Although she tried to keep her mess contained to her little haphazard area, it wasn't going to take much for some of it to spill over into someone's way.

She'd traded her training clothes for softer mage robes, though her staff remained hidden away. A lingering scent of soap clung faintly to her skin, signs that she'd visited the hot springs shortly before making her way here. The mess of black curls that she usually wore draped over one shoulder was instead pulled back into a loose ponytail that fell her back so the till damp ends might not accidentally drip down onto her work. Currently, she was scribbling a note using a charcoal pencil rather than a quill with one tome resting on her knee, and another one spread out beside her with her finger resting on the line she was currently copying down.



III. Battlements- Evening

Sadira has once again found an out of the way spot, this time on the battlements. As the sun dips further and further westwards, she is looking up with a book carefully cradled in her lap, and a sheaf of notes weighed down by a rock next to her. It appears that she is setting herself up to stargaze, or at least looking for the first stars that appear before it gets too dark to read or check her notes. Draped around her shoulders is a threadbare but still somewhat serviceable blanket. It seems she is settling in to be here for awhile. She even had an earthenware pot next to her that suspiciously looked as if it contained something to chase away the chills of the oncoming night.



IV. Wildcard!

She can also be found roaming around in varying places if that would work better. Feel free to PM me or

Comments

1

[gatheringstorm]

"You're leaving yourself open on your left; someone could exploit that." Korrin's been watching from nearby for the last few minutes, derailed from beginning her own drills. She doesn't usually get up quite this early, not being a natural morning person, but today she wanted to take advantage of the extra time to clear her head and prepare for Orlais. Her staff is propped up against a wall, ignored for the time being, but she does have an empty hilt at her hip, one of her hands resting casually atop it.

[fledglingenchanter]

"Eia!" Startled halfway through a maneuver, it was all Sadira could do to keep ahold of the sword as she spun around to come face to face with the person who'd spoken to her. Her eyes widened even further when she realized that it was one of the Qunari or Vashoth, or whatever the horned people called themselves, which added to the silence that lingered after. It took her a few seconds more to look beyond the grey skin to notice the empty hilt, which at first confused her until recognition dawned on her face.

"You're one of them!" Belatedly aware of how that sounded, she hastily held up her left hand in a staying gesture as she rapidly tried to correct herself, "A Knight-Enchanter that is. Unless you like running around with broken swords."

[gatheringstorm]

Oops. Korrin flashes an apologetic smile, as she should know better. The times where she's become too engrossed in training to keep track of her surroundings still happens fairly often, after all. It's a little silly to forget that others have the same habits. That eye-widening isn't anything new, either; plenty of people are used to seeing the tall horned woman around or one of her kind, but there are always new people in Skyhold to remind her of how 'exotic' she is to Thedas at large.

Almost defensive for a moment, realizing what the woman is referring to has her relax and nod proudly. A soft chuckle escapes her. "Hardly. But yeah, I am. Vivienne's been training me for months now. I'd like to think I've made progress, though I'm hardly at her level yet. You've worked with them, then?"

[fledglingenchanter]

Sadira still can't help but feel a little silly that she'd been caught off guard. She thought she had been paying attention, bu then this proved all over again that she needed training. Hastily, she offered a sheepish smile to Korrin, glad that things were amicable after the slightly rocky start.

Despite being excited about encountering a Knight-Enchanter, there was a moment of hesitation on Sadira's part as she warred with the fear of admitting she was a mage and coming clean to Korrin. Her expression shifted from sheepish to cautious before she finally gave in and allowed herself to feel hopefully optimistic,

"I've wanted to be one for a long time now. Was even supposed to go for an assessment and possibly start training when things-" She paused, quickly searching for a diplomatic answer, "When things got out of hand."

[gatheringstorm]

The hesitation and admittance confuses Korrin a bit, since she doesn't see why anyone would try to hide what they are, at least not in Skyhold where their safety is guaranteed. But then, she's never been a Circle mage, never been a part of the war that they fought with the Templars. There might be a lot of reasons to hold back that she just doesn't see.

She nods slowly, her expression growing sympathetic. "A chaotic time for everyone. At least there's the chance to make up for it now. We've at least two mages who can teach that discipline; I don't count myself, since I'm still working at it."

There's a thoughtful pause, and then she takes out the hilt. "Want to try it?"

[fledglingenchanter]

It was something Sadira didn't like about herself, the second-guessing and fear of how people might react to her. Life had been both simpler and more complex in the Circle. There she least understood the rules. However, her attention was focused more on Korrin than her own thoughts as she brightened considerably.

"Can I? I'd love to." As she spoke, she shuffled with the practice sword, not sure what to do with it.

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin nods, offering it hilt-first. "Just activate it away from me, I'd rather not have my own blade sticking out of me anytime soon." She flashes a smile, showing that she doesn't seriously expect that to happen, but still. A little caution goes a long way.

2

[mythalenaste]

A small, freckly elf has been a fixture in the library since before Sadira entered. Most of the time, she has been reading, but there is a spread of stationery and other materials in front of her, the most notable thing being a peculiar lantern that is clearly extremely old. She has ignored Sadira's presence up to this point, casting a few experimental spells on the lantern--a probing sort of spell, determining the extent of an object's connection to the Fade. She has capably done quite a bit today by herself, but there is one thing she will never be able to manage on her own.

She approaches Sadira, her mouth in a grim line.

"Could you maybe reach a book for me?"

[fledglingenchanter]

Drawn out of her inner thoughts, Sadira looked up from where she'd been transcribing with a slightly puzzled expression. There was a smudge of charcoal on her lower lip, and another on her forehead near an errant wisp of hair that kept falling into her face. The confusion soon cleared upon realizing that someone was indeed speaking to her. The puzzlement transitioned quickly into surprise as Sadira stared at the tattoos on the elven woman's face. It shouldn't have been a big deal, but even so, Sadira couldn't take her eyes off the markings. The other woman might as well have been a griffon or some other exotic creature in the dark haired mage's eyes.

Clearing her throat with a small cough, Sadira peeled her eyes away and bowed her head as she shuffled the book from her lap, "Certainly!" There was no hiding the fact that she'd been taken by surprise so she just did her best and hoped that the smaller woman would not take too much offense, "What book is it?" She asked as she stood, hissing slightly when she realized that sitting on the cold floor wasn't doing her body any favors.

[mythalenaste]

"Big brown one up top with the silver tooling. 'The Magic of Arlathan.' Someone keeps shelving it there to vex me."

The staring is actually somewhat refreshing, because it's simply a stare of amazement rather than the other one, the one that's like someone watching a dog walk around on its hind legs. Val Royeaux is still fresh in her mind. Sadira is willing to reach a book for her, so on the sliding scale of racism Pel has encountered recently, she's in a pretty acceptable range.

[fledglingenchanter]

Stretching just a little more to get the kinks out of her back, she cast about looking upwards at the higher shelves until the caught sight of the likely tome. She looked askance at Pel, trying not to stare overlong as she reached for the book. Although she was taller than the elf, she still needed to rise up onto her toes to get a good enough grip on the book as she pulled it from the self.

"Here you go, one book on magic." As she held the book out, she looked at the cover thoughtfully, then glanced to Pel, "is the magic of Arlathan, all that different from circle magic?"

[mythalenaste]

"Not different, exactly," Pel begins. Her research is one of very few topics that break her normal monosyllabic habit. She sits and opens the giant tome. "The elves of Arlathan were the first to use magic, and Tevinter appropriated their knowledge where they could. You know how with some plants, it could be growing in the ground, but you cut off a bit of it and take it with you to plant it somewhere else? Maybe that plant grows smaller or taller or barer than the other because of where it's planted, but it's all the same plant. Good gardeners make healthier plants, bad gardeners might not even get it to bear fruit, some people find a way to make poison out of it, or a cure for a sickness instead, but it's still just the one plant."

[fledglingenchanter]

Intigued, Sadira also sat down, tilting her head as she listened to Pel speaking. The elf's description of magic reminded her in many ways of her former mentor, Serah. She used to use plant analogies as well due to being a herbalist.

"I've never thought of it quite like that myself, but it does make sense. I guess it was a little bit of a silly question when you think about it. I've just never been able to ask one of your kind before."

2

[justice_is_blond]

His hair's pulled back, purple robes freshly cleaned, simple staff on his back and cat in his arms. There's reading to do, as there always is, though as usual there's someone new to him among the texts. Unusual is one of her choices. Anders smiles faintly and taps Hard in Hightown.

"Probably one of his best works, but if a red-headed guardswoman comes up here you'll want to hide it. I'm not sure she's ever forgiven him for... any of it." Actually, unusual is the variety of choices. Maybe she's a rifter? "I see you're after highly specific information."

[fledglingenchanter]

Sadira paused in her reading and note taking to look first at the book he was tapping and then up to him. She had the vague expression of someone who was confused for just a moment until she pieced together what he'd said. It was easy to recognize him as a mage which helped to relax her from her initial surprise. The cat also earned a small smile and a touch of envy.

"The areas of deficit in my education require some research." She said as she gestured to her little collection. Her accent was definitely From the Free Marches. A keen ear might even be able to deduce further that her dialect was from Ostwick. As she spoke, there was a pinkening of her cheeks which suggested the book he'd pointed out, in particular at least, had absolutely nothing to do with any deficits, other than perhaps a lack of good reading material.

"Why would anyone be upset I was reading it?"

[justice_is_blond]

His accent was definitely Fereldan, for all that he didn't look like he was from there. The smile at his cat has him holding Purrelden out toward her. Purrelden, for her part, leans forward to sniff at the woman.

"Aveline would be a little upset, I'd think, because the main character is based on her. But perhaps she's all right with that by now. I can't say for sure. We don't exactly sit down and chat over tea. Would you mind if I ask what sort of an education you're after?" Maybe he can help. Or maybe he can't. The flush of her cheeks could be embarrassment about the book or a feeling of defensiveness about her need to read more. He doesn't know her well enough to say yet.

[fledglingenchanter]

She gently lifted a hand up towards the cat, letting the feline sniff at her before she tried to pet. The Circle had cats to keep away the rats and mice, but Sadira had never kept one as a pet. It was a wonder that a Ferelden was attached to a cat given how rabid they seemed to be about dogs.

His question about her education has her gaze drop towards her rather eclectic collection for a moment. "I'll keep that in mind then about Aveline." She didn't question why he might know this about her and assumed it was insider information of a sort due to being in Skyhold.

She shrugged a little looking back up at him as she dropped her hand away from Purrelden, "In truth, it's a little bit of everything, as you might see. Mostly covering areas that interest me," Said as she nodded to the book on Chevaliers and the one about constellations, "And the others are research if you will on finding common ground with all the different people here. My life before now was somewhat sheltered in that regard."

[justice_is_blond]

After a moment, Purrelden lets Sadira pet her, tilting her head to make it easier on the woman to reach behind her ears. When the petting stops, she mews sadly which gets Anders scratching there instead. She may have him wrapped slightly around her paw.

"You were in a Circle?" It's a guess more than anything. She's wearing robes, but anyone could wear them, and she doesn't have a staff. But if you wanted a sheltered group of people, Circle mage was a safe bet to make. "I can't help with everything, but I could try to fill in a few gaps. It's good to see someone working to learn more and adjust." Too many want to go back to shelter and ignorance and fear because it was 'easy.'

[fledglingenchanter]

Although she had tried to downplay it, there was no hiding the fact that she had indeed been from a circle. Grinning slightly, she shrugged and nodded, "Good guess. I am originally from Ostwick." AS she spoke, a finger lightly traced down the book she'd been copying from, "It'd be silly of me to turn down an offer of help, especially as there is so much I want and need to learn."

In the circle, she'd been so narrow-minded, so afraid of her magic and her abilities that she barely studied anything but ways to control it. She had a lot of ground to make up. Looking at Anders, she wasn't certain if he was from a circle as well, and was hesitant ask out of fear of offending him.

I - a whole troup of Templars

[judgemewhole]

Norrington was making his way across the courtyard, with his seven templars following behind him, discussing the training regiment and how they could tighten up the demon fighting formations of the troops - when Anamaria let out a surprised noise. The templars all paused, and shifted their gazes away, Norrington the last to look.

"Ser, it is Sadira, of our Circle." Anamaria muttered, her dark eyes wide.

"Sadira?" Now Norrington looked alarmed. "I thought she was dead?" He squinted at the girl, then offered a bow and a hand in greeting, to see if she acknowledged them.

[fledglingenchanter]

The tramp of booted feet only vaguely registered to her as she practiced trying to master (badly) a block and parry technique reminiscent of what a templar might do, only she lacked a shield to make it truly effective. Hearing her name spoken however was enough to break her concentration as she turned to face Norrington.

Her first reaction upon seeing eight or so templars was to freeze like a rabbit caught out from its burrow. The second reaction was for her to lamely try and hide the sword, looking as if she might cast it aside hastily or slip it behind her back in the child caught red-handed pose. Finally, she just settled for having it hand limply at her side while she worked through the momentary panic before her brain kickstarted beyond visceral fear into civility.

Hastily she bowed to him and the other templars, though she did not immediately take his hand due in no small part to having a practice sword, but also because she was uncertain if it was some kind of trap. The hindmost part of her brain knew him. Knew him to be a hard but fair man among the templars of Ostwick, yet she did not know how the war had affected him.

"Ser Norrington," Sadira said softly, finally finding her tongue, "It is good to see you alive and well."

[judgemewhole]

The templars all looked at one another, then at their leader. Norrington's mouth twitched up at the corners in wry appreciation of her apprehension. To think someone from his own Circle would now look at him like this - it was heartbreaking and yet it made all the sense in the world.

He folded his hands behind him, taking an at-ease position that his people all copied. "Lady Sadira, it is good to see you as well. We ... did not see you amongst the mages we managed to get out of the Circle, and thought you had been lost with all the others."

[fledglingenchanter]

Now that the shock is beginning to wane, it is easier for her to breathe and to relax. His and the other templar's non-threatening stance allowed for some tension to ease between her shoulder blades. Slowly the feeling of being a child caught in the hand of a cookie jar began to fade as well.

Before now, she had no idea what had transpired at the Ostwick Circle. It was one of her greatest fears, the unknowing of the circle's fate. What news she had during the past year was piecemeal at best, full of rumors and wild tales. Yet here was Norrington, a Templar well known among the circle saying that some mages had escaped-- and he implied a hand in helping them. As she absorbed the information, her expression was easily readable, shifting from wariness to a fragile hope.

"I was in the middle of a transfer to the Montsimmard Circle when things-- fell apart." That was the most diplomatic way to describe the chaos that consumed the world, "I am glad to hear that others from Ostwick also made it out. I had little hope of ever knowing what happened until now."

[judgemewhole]

Norrington looked at his people, frowning faintly as he watched faces fall all around. He himself looked at the ground, before he looked back up at her. "I am - we all are - pleased that you managed to leave before everything ... happened."

He cleared his throat, "I am not sure you wish to know what happened - but there are others who made it to Montsimmard after the fall of the Circle. We ... then tasked ourselves to finding those who brought down the Circle to justice." Another pause, "I am sorry to say that First Enchanter Lydia was murdered by one of the mages seeking the fall of the Circle."

[fledglingenchanter]

It felt so odd to hear templars glad about the well-being of a mage. It brought up a welter of feelings Sadira didn't quite know how to express. A lump formed in her throat making it hard to breathe. However, the news that First Enchanter Lydia was dead was almost like a punch to the gut. Her face crumpled, though she had enough control to not burst into tears then and there.

"Why would anyone... she was like a mother to many of us."