faderift | Sieze the day

Entry tags:

Sieze the day

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

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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?"

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."

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?"

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.

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.

Sadira glances down to the practice sword, unsure what to do with it for a moment before she hastily sets it aside, leaning it against the fence before stepping up to Korrin. Trying to keep herself composed, she suppresses a smile as she reaches out, taking the hilt and then stepping away. For just a moment, her entire focus is on the craftsmanship as she studied its design. She'd read about spirit blades, but had never seen or held one in person. It was certainly lighter than the practice sword and balanced completely differently due to it lacking a blade.

Without activating it, she gave it a simple practice swing, testing the weight of the hilt alone. Then with a held breath she channeled a small portion of her magic into it, activating the weapon.

"It's a lot lighter, isn't it? Even with the blade. It takes some getting used to, balance-wise. When I first had it forged, I kept overcompensating, expecting it to need as much effort as a physical blade." The design itself isn't Circle-standard, the hilt of a draconic nature. Korrin watches the other mage, in no hurry to claim in back.

"It's not hard making one, but getting the ingrediants can be a pain in the ass. You need wisp essences, and the best place to get those is at the Fallow Mire. Vivienne insisted I get them in person, too. But it was worth it."

She nodded, grinning as she again slashed the air. Unsurprisingly, her body tried to overcompensate for a weight that wasn't there, sending her staggering for a few steps until she corrected herself. Thankfully, she didn't lance herself in the process while she stumbled.

Sheepishly, she turned towards Korrin with a nod, "I can see what you mean." Again she gave it another smaller swing before withdrawing her connection to the weapon with a sigh. It took a lot of focus, and already she felt a kind of mental exhaustion from using her magic. Feeling surprisingly content, she handed the weapon back to Korrin, copying her by presenting it hilt first.

"The Fallow Mire? I've not heard of that place before."

Having done nearly the exact same thing, Korrin smiles in sympathy at the stumble. At least this prospective Knight-Enchanter will be prepared, should she craft her own blade. Korrin hadn't dared to ask to wield Vivienne's or Commander Helaine's, and now has no need to do so.

Taking the hilt back and tucking it back at her hip, she nods. "It's a nasty marsh south of Redcliffe, a place where the Veil has been torn to shit and as such there's a lot of undead roaming around. Disturb the water even a little, and they rise up. There used to actually be a village there -Maker knows why- but plague troubles happened and the Inquisition had to evacuate them. It's not somewhere I'd care to see again. The entire area just feels wrong."

If anything, it did indeed give Sadira a better idea of what she had to look forwards to-- provided of course she ever got the training. Her eyes tracked the blade as Korrin put it back upon her hip. A fleeting wistful look crossed her face before one of trepidation overtook it.

"The undead? Surely they're not still sending people there?" A shudder ran down her spine as she flinched away. Short of a year ago, Sadira had scarcely ventured outside of the Ostwick Circle, let alone gone traipsing into a hostile environ. Even her roaming the countryside after the mage rebellion began had been relatively tame; even with the Orlesian civil war adding to the dangers encountered. "Did you have to go alone?"

"I wish they weren't but despite the risk, there are valuable materials to be found there. Plenty of blue vitriol and blood lotus, for example." Though by her tone, that's not nearly enough to make up for sending people there in the first place. Those poor bastards.

"And no, I didn't have to go alone. It was important to her that I caught the wisp essences myself, but that was the only requirement. I took several people with me, one of who was considering the Knight-Enchanter path too, but ultimately didn't follow it. If you do, I'd strongly recommend not taking anything that you don't want to smell of swamp forever. It doesn't come out."

Again with a scrunchy face. She had precious little in the way of clothes or any possessions for that matter and only one pair of boots. "So far you're making a strong argument for me not to go. Perhaps there is another place I might be able to venture-- if ever get someone to decide I am worth training that is."

She looked Korrin over once more, making an effort to see the woman behind the cloak of magic and the grey skin. "How did you end up learning to become a Knight-Enchanter, if you don't mind my asking."

"There might be better places, that just happened to be the closest one. But really, anywhere the Veil is thin will likely attract wisps. Unfortunately, it also attracts a lot of unsavory shit." There's no escaping the fact that there will be combat one way or another, but if Sadira can find a non-marsh way to do it, Korrin can't disapprove.

She shakes her head, not minding the question at all. "I saw Vivienne going through her drills in the courtyard and it intrigued me, so I asked about it. I was never that thrilled about hanging back in battle, and this seemed like a way to sidestep the problems with that. We're both on the Mage Council, so I asked her instead of Commander Helaine, who I don't know. I think she saw it an interesting challenge, training someone who wasn't part of the Circle."

The relief is palpable as Sadira's shoulders sag as she sighs, "Oh thank the maker for that." It wasn't the mire so much that had her antsy as it was the dead getting up and walking around again. That really shouldn't be a thing anyone should ever have to endure.

Perking herself back up, she shifted her weight, looking thoughtful as she absently reached up to brush an errant curl back into place. "I guess the best approach would be to speak with Vivienne about getting some training. If she can't for whatever reason, perhaps she might be able to point me in the right direction." Although she spoke out loud, it was said more softly, more to herself than to Korrin.

Coming out of her own reverie, she looked surprised for a moment when it registered that Korrin had not grown up in a circle. That thought was quickly chased away by a faint flush on her cheeks, "You're one of the first I've met who hasn't been circle trained. I can't even imagine wat it must have been like."

"If it helps, I can't see her refusing. She's the mage liaison anyway, it's her business to know the other mages and how to best help them." At least in theory. Korrin knows Vivienne will use the post to advance her own interests, naturally, and for the most part she doesn't care. But given their clashing views on mage freedom, part of her remains suspicious.

The surprise gets her to chuckle. "I've never heard of my kind being in one, but we have to learn somewhere. From comparing notes with Adelaide and others, it doesn't seem all that different...at least in the learning itself. I was trained to resist demons, control my magic, all that song and dance. But I was also able to come and go as I pleased, and I had my family. To me, that made all the difference."

Naturally, Sadira had only heard of Vivienne in hushed whispers and scattered comments before coming to Skyhold. Even now it was hard to separate fact from truth about the powerful woman. "She was the First Enchanter of the Montsimmard circle, wasn't she?" She spoke carefully, recalling a distant memory that floated at the edge of her memory from before the world became tossed in turmoil.

Korrin's description of being raised among family forced a wistful sigh from Sadira as she looked downwards. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine what it would have been like to be raised by her parents. The faded memories of childhood always painted a dark picture, one she had been happy in the end to leave. "Harsh as it may have sounded, the Circle was my family. I miss it."

Edited 2016-07-09 08:41 (UTC)

Korrin's expression softens at that, and she nods. "I've come to understand it was like that for a lot of mages. I'll never support forcing people away, denying them contact with the outside world, denying them the right to see their families or make new ones of their own. But I can see the appeal in mages finding support in their own kind, too. Maybe once all this crap is over, we'll find some kind of middle ground."

Korrin knows that whatever happens, she'll likely want to return to her mercenary life. But a place to check out in between jobs, hang out with other mages for a bit before going her own way again...well, there are worse ideas. "And yes, she was. She still acts very much like a First Enchanter, too. I can't say I know much more than that, most of our time together has either been debating council issues or training with the spirit blade."

"No doubt a large number of mages would welcome the opportunity for that. Our lack of familial ties has long been a complaint made by many." Sadira was uncertain if that was something she wanted for herself. Up until very recently, the very idea was terrifying.

"I hope you're right that some middle ground can be established. Perhaps something like the rules Templars had towards marriage and family." She didn't know exactly what those rules were, but she imagined it was better than an outright no.

That prompts Korrin to raise an eyebrow, a little curious. "I can't say I know anything about their rules. Templars and I haven't exactly gotten along, so I've kept my distance. There hasn't been much incentive to learn about them when just getting near them in the past could have caused a huge shitstorm. I've learned to cooperate with some here somewhat, in shared missions, but...trust is hard-earned and comes slowly. I can't say I'm there yet."

But she's not interested in starting the Mage-Templar war anew by attacking them here, so there's that. Maybe one day, she would have more of a bond than 'wary allies' with one, but that day isn't today. It doesn't seem to be coming any time soon, either.

"I don't blame you for keeping your distance." As much as Sadira loved the safety of the circle, she was well aware that it was not for everyone. This past year had been a brutal enough testament to that. Twitching her shoulders, she brushed her hand through her hair, tucking an errant black lock once more into place.

"Most of what I know about Templars is observation and hearsay. You can't spend every day with them and not notice something about their daily lives, though we rarely ever talked to each other." Sadira was reluctant to say anything negative about templars out in the open like this, especially when one could be training nearby, so she kept the rest of her thoughts to herself for the moment.

Korrin seems to have similar thoughts, glancing around, though she cares less if they hear her or not. But she can understand a former Circle mage wanting to be more circumspect. "Seems kind of a waste, doesn't it, though? If there wasn't that stupid rule about keeping their distance, they might see that we're not as much of a boogeyman as they think. Same with other people. Those in my company got to see me wield magic, and by learning about it, they weren't as on-edge about it."

Of course, sticking to simple attack spells and not dabbling in anything forbidden might have something to do with that, too. Korrin's aware of the widespread reputation apostates have for that magic, another reason to eschew it.

She nods in full agreement to Korrin's words, even as she was secretly surprised to find herself agreeing with an apostate and a horned one. It was almost surreal and yet satisfying.

"It doesn't help when the most widely spread religion on Thedas also paints all mages in a bad light." She was devout, deeply so and she believed fully that mages should not be in positions of power. Tevinter was a cautionary tale of that, but it was hard to change the world when one of the most basic tenants of faith instilled fear in the hearts of so many. "The Inquisition is a good start towards proving to the world over that mages aren't all depraved lunatics or power hungry maleficar."

That brings out a pleased smile, glad that this fellow mage can see the wider implications of what they're trying to do. "Exactly, and the Mage Council plans to capitalize on that. We're showing them what mages can accomplish when we govern our own, truly govern without all the real power resting somewhere else. If that interests you, you should come to the vault sometime. More voices are always welcome, and if it's too much of a headache, we do have cooldown breaks."

Having been part of a circle and the politics that went with it, she couldn't help but chuckle a little. Though she never engaged in the arguments much, they had been of interest to her, "I might have to do that. I do sort of miss being part of something magey." She missed it more than a little, and perhaps that might have been conveyed in her voice as it turned wistful for a moment while she spoke.

"You'll get more 'magey' stuff than you'll know what to do with, in that case. All the headbutting aside, I feel similarly. I was mentored and whatnot, but I never worked with other mages on a scale like this before. It's pretty eye-opening." At least it is when things aren't happening that make her blood boil, like that one abomination or Anders.

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