[OPEN] Throw some glitter;

[faithstarved]

WHO: Andra, the Surviving Sparrows, and anyone who wants to PARTAY
WHAT: That party that was supposed to happen a month ago let's just pretend the fliers said beginning of this month shhhh
WHEN: Solace 10
WHERE: the Sparrow encampment in the valley
NOTES: post is a little image and text heavy. Feel free to NPC refugees helping out or Sparrows, or if you want me to NPC a Sparrow let me know and I will but they're mostly just moving around here to enhance everyone else's experience. There are only 13 of them altogether, but they move around a lot, and there are refugees helping. Otherwise this is open, have fun with it and party until the booze is gone!

Since the notice went up in early Justinian, the colorful encampment belonging to the troupe of bards and mercenaries has been a flurry of activity, bringing in casks of wine and ale, clearing the open land, and erecting tents even more elaborate than the ones they live in. The week before large fire pits are built up around the area, and merchants stop by regularly and leave with less goods but looking particularly satisfied. Any curious on-lookers attempting to get a look into what the Sparrows are putting together will either be put to work or shooed away and told to come back later.

On the day of, any who turn up are welcomed.

Tents

Two large tents are erected to offer additional shelter from the elements, as well as a place to relax and enjoy conversation or anything else. They are lit dimly with lanterns and candles, and warmed with carefully contained fires. There is seating in both, as many pillows as the Sparrows could beg, borrow, or steal as well as logs stripped and polished to cut down on splinters. A few musicians rotate throughout the day playing music within the tents, and others mill about, offering conversation or drink to any who look lonely or too sober.

Fires

There are several fires built around the area the Sparrows have claimed as their own, flames kept high to stave off cold and offer additional lighting in the evening. People are welcome to congregate around them, and they are regularly tended by one Sparrow or another.

Food

Some may consider the food the main event, anything that can be cooked over a fire pit welcome game, as well as anything the kitchen was willing to pitch in. The Sparrows are a multicultural group, and that is evident in the food being offered. There's a little something for anyone, from Ferelden to Par Vollen. Those doing most of the cooking, oddly enough, are a qunari with broken horns and a dwarf with tattoos on her face.

Music

Throughout the encampment music can be heard. A space has been cleared and stamped down for dancing, and a regular stream of musicians, both from the troupe and not, are featured. If someone wasn't approached or didn't approach the Sparrows prior to this event but feel compelled to join in, they are not turned away.

Dance

During both day and night throughout the clearing if there's music, there are dancers. Several are professional, trained to dance and that is the purpose they serve within the troupe. Those offering performances rather than just dancing to the music as they see fit keep away from what has been designated as general dancing space, although there are a few who will be seen dancing in the crowd as well. If anyone were to ask for instruction, they'd be all to happy to accommodate those people.

Fire Dancers

As night falls a different sort of dancer emerges, with fans and sticks and poi, wreathed in flame and dangerous if it weren't for the grace with which they perform. These performers keep away from anything flammable, and other Sparrows will be quick to drag back anyone who gets too close, as it could be dangerous for the dancer and onlooker both.

Comments

[hlif]

Make his dog fat and you will suffer. Would you like a bear pelt infested with fleas by any chance? He can make that a reality.

"We've been around long enough to know how the game gets played in Orlais, I don't like it anymore than you do and Melisende's from Halamshiral. But the Inquisition is going to be fucked if it doesn't get anyone to help it and Orlais has the biggest army to do it when it stops fighting itself since I know Ferelden is still sorting itself after the Blight." Maybe that's the battlemaster and the leader in Asher, to look out at the troops and worry about it, watching them train; Orlesians are still soldiers, soldiers all fight the same way but they'll have numbers at the very least then. "You know that as much as I talk about all of them being the same, people are people, yeah? Sometimes you need to let them get out of where they were. Just saying that not everyone grew up in a happy house even if there was a lot of money in it."

There are a lot of ways to end an engagement, but shagging Asher to do it the way she did felt very pointed, felt like it meant something more than just two birds, one stone. But Asher doesn't kiss and tell unless he's kissing Mal and telling Korrin.

[gatheringstorm]

If he did that, Korrin's sure Araceli would have her revenge. Never mess with the tiny ones who can parkour everywhere. But let Asher find that out on his own, she won't spoil it.

"Fair enough, but there are plenty of other people I'd rather spend my time on instead. Araceli, you, Lena, Mal...and the other Boneflayers, of course. They're around here somewhere, right? I'd have for them to miss all this. Who knows when it'll come around again."

She grabs enough ale for them both, feeling thirsty after all that dancing. "I heard there's going to be fire dancers, too. Now that will be fun."

[hlif]

Well please enjoy the escalation of the Carta dwarves rocking up. Perhaps dressed as a bear. Because that sure as shit is a thing.

"Look, if you meet here can you just do me a favour and just...I'd say treat her like crew, but treat her more like Aura. Or walk the other way? By the way where the fuck is Mal? Thought he'd be swanning about, trying to do his whole suave thing. And your girl, but I'm pretty sure my smell offends her." One time she opened the door to him and retched, little face all screwed up, he's very proud of that moment when he dumped the pelt right on top of her.

Fucking strange dog she's got.

If Asher didn't have his hands full of food, he'd be dragging his hands down his face but he settles for groaning instead as he nods towards somewhere to sit. "Don't remind me, Amalia of course thinks it's some sort of challenge and Nasir probably wants to see her out of her leathers trying it out. Yngvi and Gunnar are encouraging her because they're shits, Melisende and Liadan are enjoying a night off drinking."

[gatheringstorm]

"You know me, I'm capable of walking the other way. If I wasn't, Anders would have been punched so many times by now." And believe her, she still wants to do it. But the Mage Council would be forced to deal with it, and she doesn't want to foist that headache on them, or herself. If they ever cross paths when the Inquisition is over, however...she makes no promises.

"Araceli's mingling and Mal will be along soon enough. Maybe he's sweet-talking Merrill again. If he doesn't pull his head out of the sand and admit he's got a thing for her by now, I might have to slap some sense into him." Lovingly, of course. "This would be the perfect opportunity to do something nice with her."

The description of the Boneflayers' antics has her chuckling, all the more so for that dramatic groan of Asher's. "They're never boring, I'll give them that. I'll have to check this out for myself. Don't worry, I'll try to keep them from doing anything too crazy. Melisende deserves that night off."

[hlif]

"That's why I left Skyhold after Kaisa and I got into it. Means I get to blame him for the abomination job too." Only Asher would smile about that but if he gets to blame someone other than the fuckwit that hired them, then he's going to blame Anders for pretty much being the cause of the problem; Asher had been itching to do something, Melisende had seen the job. Two birds, one stone.

"D'you know what's going on with all that? He borrowed Bronson from me, said he needed him to see Miss Merrill and I didn't mind, Merrill's great, but is he doing the Mal Reynolds courting thing?" Asher's voice drops as he asks, but his eyebrows are waggling with intrigue since he feels owed details when it's Mal they're talking about and it's not as if Mal has many secrets from them, and he got a dildo made back at the hold for Merrill so he feels doubly entitled to know all the gossip about them.

Asher loves his crew. Sometimes he could toss half of them off a mountain but he'd go back down and pick them right back up again since he wouldn't drop them very hard or very far. "She's probably terrified some poor Orlesian somewhere too. That's her hobby. Terrifying Orlesians and making them think she's going to carve out their liver and feed it to them, your idiot tried to write a poem about it until Liadan made it worth his while not to do that."

[gatheringstorm]

"Oh, I blame him for that and all the recent injuries inflicted on friends trying to help him with that damn ritual. It may have worked, but that's a high price to pay for someone not worth shit." And she's going to hold onto that saltiness well beyond their recovery, have no fear. Korrin's grudges could power the sun.

Her demeanor shifts as her mind turns to Merrill, a grin quickly forming. "Oh, it's definitely the courting thing. He may be in denial, but can't be for long. Even Merill's not clueless anymore. I, ah, might have helped with that when I visited her with the mabari pups. Someone had to."

Ah, yes, the Valo-Kas 'poet'. "Even Shokrakar can't get him to stop, so that was damn impressive. When this is all over, we have to get our companies together again, go fight something huge and dangerous. If she kills him this time, it's his own fault."

[hlif]

"I tried explaining it to Adelaide since my people have been doing that longer than any Chantry types but I don't think she really understood me, probably because she didn't want to. The spirit shouldn't have had to suffer for it either. Better to have done what I said." One knife in their sleep and then let people mourn, take it as an example of how not to fuck up because Asher had talked to his augur, had looked into that man's eyes and seen the pain, the anger, the sorrow.

Better to think about Merrill. "You know he'll have bees in his bonnet about you sticking your nose in right? How far gone is he this time? I mean Mal gets bad, I've watched, and a man gets bored sometimes. I feel owed when I gave her a dildo from the hold, I should tell him so he knows what he has to measure up against."

Literally. Don't be nervous, it's what you do with it that counts but that's some fine Avvar craftsmanship there.

"Liadan was Coterie until they forced her out, and now she's ours." And Asher adores her because he's never seen a thief like that or watched a woman wield a crossbow so calmly in all of his days, plus there's something relaxing about her fletching arrows when they share a watch. "You should all come up to the hold first, get Lena, Taraanda (sp?), everyone else, have some drinks, some laughs, some tests before the gods and then we'll go kill shit."

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin nods firmly to Asher's view, in full support of the Avvar way of doing things when it comes to possession gone bad. She still can't imagine willingly inviting a spirit inside herself, but at least the hold takes responsibility for what needs to be done if it goes haywire. That's good enough for her, more people should own up to their shit.

"Oh, it's bad, and yes he knows, I just had to troll him about it earlier...." And she trails off into snickers, but not about that. "A dildo? For Merrill? Maker, why? No wait, I'm sure I don't need to know. But does Mal?" She really wants him to know, now, just for the expression she's sure he'll make. Priceless.

That hold idea perks her up, and she nods readily to it. "Hell, yeah. I'll stockpile that maraas-lok when my company sends it next, make sure there's enough to go around for folks that'll appreciate it. And I remember you telling me about those tests; cliff-climbing and arena shit, right? I want to do all of that."

[hlif]

Since Asher has grown up knowing spirits, much to the consternation of his mother (he doesn't know what his father thinks about it, he probably doesn't think about it, he's a Denerim merchant to the core, he just wants to think about accounts and practicalities not the mess he married into) so it doesn't bother him. Everyone else forgot how the world was, how it should be. The Chantry have the whole good and evil thing and all their rules, the Dalish don't have any distinctions but a whole lot of mistrust, the Qun is the Qun and Vashoth culture still has to filter down through all that. The Avvar are old, and unlike the elves? No one destroyed their lore.

"Mal probably doesn't know, unless Merrill told him. I had one made for Merrill because it was there was this whole thing we were talking about before I left back then because the Iron Bull was going to get her something made in Orlais and anything they make in Orlais, a hold can do better." Asher Hardie: prime example.

Last time Asher did a climb, he strapped both dwarves to his back in their armour and weapons instead of a rock. Good times. "That's for settling disputes, most things are, it all just depends on the test and what god, and what the thane thinks is best."

[gatheringstorm]

"If Merrill forgets to mention it, I have to now. Thanks, Asher, this is what you've lowered me to doing." Korrin's grin and light shove indicate that she's not too distressed about the circumstances. "You're a true ambassador of the people; hell, pass out dildos to everyone you meet, it'll make for a great conversation start. Plus, you know the Chantry sisters will hate it." Which, in her mind, is an even better reason.

"What's your thane like? Surely you must have some idea of what they might pick instead. I want details, unless I'm not supposed to know for whatever reason."

[hlif]

He could mention, as he thoughtfully munches some spicy sausage, that they were standing together in public with Merrill just fondling it and the inscriptions but let that come out when it will. Or let him tell Mal with Korrin present. "Pretty sure you lowered yourself when you, me, and Mal all had a shag in a cave," he points out because if that's the way they're playing it then yes he's going to bring up the old days. "Chantry sisters have never complained about the handling they've received from me. Chantry mothers on the other hand - and I've told them that I'm happy to help them out there too but that's when I get banned."

The world is a cruel place.

The next question requires more thought though, Asher setting his food down for another drink before clearing his throat. "They're the thane? I respect them more than anyone else but the augur, equal respect just for different things and in different ways. Depends on what they make of you what they'll want."

[gatheringstorm]

Thanks, Asher. Korrin's glad she's not taking a sip at the time he brings up that certain night, a surprised chuckle emerging when he does so. But it's not an embarrassed one. What happened happened and she's not going to deny it even as she doesn't advertise it to Skyhold at large. It's none of their business. "Don't say that to Mal, he still gets a tear in his eye whenever it's brought up." And if he were within earshot, she's sure they'd get something flung at their heads, especially Asher.

"Don't tell me if you've ever propositioned Mother Giselle. That's not an image I need." True, there was that one drinking game where she somehow got onto the topic with Taas, but she's pretty sure he never--nope, not going there either.

She nods thoughtfully at the description provided of the thane and augur alike. "I can work with that. Hopefully it'd be something challenging; if I'm there, I want to see how my badassery matches up to the Avvar. No coddling shit." But she's pretty sure when they see her height and horns, they'll want a good challenge as well.

[hlif]

"My grandfather still holds some sort of hope I'm going to marry Mal." Asher's grandfather still holds some sort of hope that Asher will just settle the closer he gets to thirty but Asher can't ever see that happening, as much as he loves and adores the old man. But he did buy Mal a pretty dress to go with that bonnet so maybe he can convince him to dress up to go visit the hold one day. (Hold on while I laugh to myself as all of you cry because I'm a sick individual.)

"Her? Oh no, she's too dedicated to the vision and saving me." Like there's something to save. Plus anyone that gets too maternal puts Asher off in a big way.

Rolling his eyes, he leans over to give Korrin a good shove that should be hard enough to hurt. "D'you really think the hold would coddle anyone? I'm fucking insulted Ataash. I can deny you guest status, you could be out sleeping with the goats if you're not careful."

[gatheringstorm]

"Ow! You ass." If he were anyone she knew less in depth or length, Korrin would have had more than a few words to say about the goat comment, seeing how many people compare her kind to beasts. As it is, Korrin shoves him back harder this time, sticking out her tongue. "And I didn't think it was likely but you know I like to be absolutely sure of it. Calm the fuck down, you know I have no problem with your hold."

She settles back and shakes her head. "Aren't they all like that, talking about needing to walk in the Maker's light, blah blah blah? I don't know how you stand that long enough to seduce anyone." Yes, Korrin believes in the Maker, could even consider herself Andrastian in the vaguest sense. But patience with the Chantry and its 'cabal of assholes' has never been her strong point, or likely ever will.

"Your poor grandfather will be so crushed, unless you can get Mal to play pretend for a day.

...actually, do that. I want to watch."