(OPEN)

[youwonscience]

WHO: Cosima Niehaus - and you?
WHAT: Catch-all log for August
WHEN: Handwavey depending on when your character will be around Skyhold
WHERE: ...Skyhold
NOTES: While Cosima is going to be ill in one of the starters, it is fair to assume she'll be back on her feet within a week or two, so feel free to assume she looks fine if you run into her outside the healer's tent. (Alternately, if you'd like her looking a little peaky as a hook, that works too!) If you want something other than the hooks below, or want to chat first, DM me or grab me on plurk.

I. Healer's Tents

Cosima has been instructed to rest, and at first, the instruction is unnecessary; she's too weak to do much else. But spirit healing seems to have done the trick, at least temporarily, and as her strength starts to come back, it brings her curiosity with it. Thus, whenever no one is there to order her back to her cot, she wanders - mostly respectfully keeping her distance, but occasionally asking a question if she thinks she can get away with it. Some of the healing is related to medicine as she understands it. Some of it she has no frame of reference for at all. But concerns like "not wearing herself out" are secondary to learning more about what's going on as they patch people back together. She's not as well as she'd like to think, but she's well enough to get restless.

II. Kitchens

It is well known that convalescence requires baked goods. Cosima is still hesitant about overstepping, since she technically hasn't joined the Inquisition; she's a refugee, and she's well aware of how long she wouldn't last if someone decided to kick her out. So she is very scrupulous about asking first before she takes anything and about trying not to be unreasonable in how frequently she asks.

It's not her fault that those little buns with the jam that tastes like peach in the center are so addictive.

III. Various Around Skyhold - Roommate Search

Once she's determined that she's eligible for a barracks room, Cosima has decided to get one. What she hasn't entirely resigned herself to facing is a randomly assigned roommate. She's too old for that nonsense. On the other hand, she doesn't exactly have a huge roster of acquaintances to ask. So she's compromising by asking around. If someone else is looking for a roommate, at least they can have a beer together and make sure they don't hate each other before committing to cohabitation.

Comments

for Herian

[youwonscience]

Cosima doesn't generally oversleep. Didn't. But ignoring the fact she's unwell with no way to treat it somehow did not result in making her autoimmune condition go away.

Until now, it had mainly been the blood in her coughs, and then only occasionally. Easy enough to hide, with some planning and some attention to laundering handkerchiefs discreetly. But this particular morning, she's finding it hard to get out of bed at all. She feels sore all over, and while she obviously can't see her own face, her color is on the gray side.

Maybe, she thinks, she'll sleep it off and feel better. Maybe she'll ride out the episode and no one will notice her absence. Maybe she'll wake up at home.

(Or maybe she'll cure pancreatic cancer using elfroot, honey and wishing really hard, a small part of her mind offers sarcastically.)

She pulls the covers over her head and waits for something to change, too weak and sore to do anything else.

[dashing]

Herian, for her part, isn't much inclined to call in at the rooms of those she does not know well. It strikes her as a presumption, as a means to corner people in one of the few places they have for their own, especially in a place such as this, and Herian understands well the value of the privacy, and of sanctuary. When Cosima is not where they had agreed to meet for a foray into the wilderness (which she suspects on her part was a means to collect flowers rather than work, and thus not truly justified) she is not initially concerned. People are late, and she has learned that those with a love of knowledge are especially inclined to be so. They could drown in words quite happily.

But Cosima was not at the healing tents, nor the library, nor any other logical place, and then Herian began to think, and it occurred to her that a Rifter might have few inclined to look to their aid. More realistically it occurred to her that Cosima might just be in her room, that alone was not reason enough to disturb her there.

Herian approaches with a long, efficient stride and her sword at her side, standing before the door a moment wondering if this is wise, and finally commits to knowing. "Lady Cosima?" The title has stuck, somehow, despite the lack of nobility. "Please forgive me the intrusion. I sought only to deliver something to your own hands."

[youwonscience]

A groan is not a terribly polite reply, even in Cosima's world. She moves to emerge from the covers, fumbling as she reaches for her glasses with shaking hands. "Sorry, I - sorry. Come in?" Her voice is a bit raw; she's been coughing more than usual and hasn't had any water in a while. (Nor is she quite focused enough to hide the bloody handkerchief at her bedside, the other evidence of that cough.)

I. Healer's Tents (Early August)

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin's been a frequent visitor to the healing tents ever since her sudden return from Orlais late last month, stopping in to check on one patient in particular but not so antisocial as to ignore anyone else she passes. Granted, her deepening concern has her a bit distracted these days, but she never intends to be rude about it. The tall (at least a head taller than most human men), horned woman is just returning to the tents with a plate of fresh hearth cakes, hoping that will tempt a certain person into having an appetite, when she spots the human woman who's not one of the healing staff. A patient, then.

"Let me guess, you're not supposed to be on your feet yet." Her lips twitch a little, those her gaze is understanding. If there's anything she hates, it's being stuck idle in a cot and told to remain that way until someone deems otherwise.

[youwonscience]

"Uh." She offers a sheepish shrug. "...guilty as charged. Sorry."

...sorry, but making no particular move to go back to her cot, for the record.

"Are you visiting someone on staff or a patient? If you don't mind saying." She knows that the stranger probably wants to get to whoever those cakes are for, but Cosima is conversation-starved and can't pass up the chance for at least a small exchange.

[gatheringstorm]

The apology is met with a shrug. "Oh, I'm not lecturing. I've no right to, not when I was being a huge pain in the ass about resting up a few months ago here. They won't hear about you from me."

She smiles, though that smile fades a little as she answers the question. "I'm visiting an old friend who's a patient. Asher, big hairy Avvar guy with his old-as-balls mabari. He's...been here for a while." If Cosima's seen him, she'll know about his infected wounds slowly killing him...and if she hasn't, then maybe that's for the best. It probably doesn't help someone's recovery to see another steadily declining.

1.

[justice_is_blond]

He doesn't notice her right away, busy frowning at some notes as he chops some herbs, but when he does his frown increases. It's the woman he'd ambushed with Sam during the snowfight, and a patient. A patient who should be resting.

"I'm fairly certain you're not supposed to be on your feet yet." Despite the frown, his voice is friendly enough. He's not angry, simply thinking. "Is there something you needed, or something keeping you awake?"

[youwonscience]

Cosima looks properly chastened. "No, I'm okay. What are you chopping?" She's still getting the hang of Thedas herbalism, and while she's here, she might as well expand her studies?

(And she really doesn't want to continue staring up at the roof of the tent. Do tents have roofs? Surely there's a different name for that.)

[justice_is_blond]

For a moment Andres considers trying to chase her back to her cot. She needs rest. But there's a point when one can't really rest any more, and he relents.

"Pull up a chair, at least, please." That will be less strenuous than standing. In the meantime, he nods his chin toward a couple of the whole leaves sitting by the cutting board. "This is Dragonthorn."

He pauses for a moment before realizing that that... probably means nothing to her. "It tends to stabilize volatile compounds, but right now I'm trying to see if I can get it to a point where it counters something volatile. Specifically, herbal-enhanced fire. There's grenades that..." Anders trails off, looking a little amused. "I've no idea if you're asking to be friendly or if you want me to bore you with details, and I've a habit of talking too much."

II

[thecookery]

Avery is currently the smallest person in the kitchens by almost a foot and maybe a hundred pounds, and yet somehow she is still less approachable-looking than the three massive, horned chefs working with her right now. It's kind of a gift when you think about it.

Still, it could be worse. They're at least all focused on the work rather than arguing today. One of the Tal-Vashoth even seems to be humming some sort of jaunty tune as he chops up vegetables.

Unfortunately perhaps, depending on your point-of-view, it's not him but Avery who notices Cosima first and narrows her eyes suspiciously. "You need something?"

[youwonscience]

"Oh, um." Avery's open suspicion is enough to make Cosima consider just retreating, briefly, but she decides that would actually be worse. Instead, she said, "I was wondering if there were any more of those jam-filled buns that weren't spoken for? I'm happy to like, do some dishes or something, if you need."

She feels weird about not really being able to pay for anything. She figures it's a kitchen; there are always pots that need scrubbing, and she really has had a lot of pastries in the weeks of her recovery.

[thecookery]

"This for something, or are you just looking to get yourself a little extra?" Avery asks, her expression less suspicious now but still far from friendly.

She exchanges a quick word with one of the other cooks and then steps away from her work toward Cosima, sizing her up as she approaches.

I

[amygdalae]

While in the past there was a comfort of sorts being in the tents, these days Bruce tends to wander around in the areas surrounding the tents. Its not as if there aren't people outside as well in need of help - its just that their need wasn't as urgent as those ushered in. Most of the other healers could handle those; Bruce would focus on the ones outside so they didn't have to wait for something as minor as a cold or a simple injury that some poultice and bandages could easily fix.

In fact, right now Bruce was about attending to a group of elderly folk (or at least, elderly folk who bore no grudge against him for the whole mage thing) when one of them paused to talk about 'that Rifter girl in the tents' who was now coming in their general direction. Bruce glanced over as well to see said 'Rifter girl', frowning as he recalls where he had seen her before. He wasn't the one who had looked over her, but he's certain that she should exactly be up and about anyway.

[youwonscience]

She isn't approaching with a determination that suggests they're her goal, necessarily. What Cosima had really been craving was some fresh air. She remembers seeing Bruce, though, in a fuzzy way; enough to guess he might be in a position to order her back to bed, now that he's spotted her. So in an effort to head that off, she offers a smile and approaches mainly in order not to look like she was ducking away from him. See? Fresh air is good. For health.

"Hi. You need another set of hands for bandaging? I swear what I have isn't something anyone else can catch."

Would someone who needed to go lie down be offering to help? (Probably.)

[amygdalae]

Bruce himself has been through that route one too many times - going around to help even when he should be resting instead. So its not that hard to see that she is doing roughly the same thing, but in her case she is a patient, so...

"Not exactly," he returns politely, then hesitates for only a moment before he continues. "Shouldn't you be resting? Last I understood, you didn't seem to be very well." And even if it was something that couldn't be passed to others, her own recovery was still important.

[fightorfright]

The woman is not one of Amélie's patients; she prefers to stick to simple things, colds and bruising, perhaps a broken bone or two. That being said, Amélie is still somewhat certain that the woman isn't quite ready to be wandering about on her own yet, but who is Amélie to tell people what to do?

The tents are one of the few places Amélie carries her staff, a simple instrument, the most basic foci possible. It sits awkwardly in her hands ever since she'd become reaccustomed to travelling without it. "Feeling better?" she asks, brow slightly lifted as though she won't believe it if the woman answers in the affirmative.

[youwonscience]

"Um." Cosima hates feeling a bit caught out, but so it goes. "...yes? Sorry, I'm underfoot, aren't I?"

Cosima briefly wonders if eventually one of the healers is going to knock her out and forcibly put her back to bed. In fairness, she might well deserve it. (Next time, she's going to tell Herian to grab a deck of cards or something on the way to the emergency spirit healing.)

[fightorfright]

Amélie shrugs. "Not really. If you think you can handle yourself, then it's not really an issue until something happens, is it?" Because something always happens. She idly runs a finger down the wood of the staff.

III

[motherfucking_ghost]

"Okay, wait, so you're just literally looking for a roomie? Sharing a room with total strangers just doesn't have any appeal?" He's making fun, mostly, but Church sure didn't expect it. He scratches at his scruff. "You could put something up on the board, like ye olde timey craigslist. The kinda people you're looking for."

[youwonscience]

"Okay, first of all, I'm checkcing with people I know first. But a lot of them are in Orlais, it seems like. Second of all, do people actually use the board that way? I thought it was for like... important stuff."

She doesn't mind the teasing, but hey, can't hurt to ask.

[motherfucking_ghost]

"...You know, I don't know? I don't think that could hurt, it's for like notices and shit, why not, but then it'll have the same risks as posting to craigslist, so..." SHRUG. "Do you have, like...requirements...?"

Kitchens

[universal_charm]

Something smelled different that day. In a good way. He wasn't sure he had ever smelled this sort of thing from the kitchen before, and it was more than enough to draw his curiosity. Especially since he was hungry from his morning workout. Whatever it was, he could definitely part with a few coins for them.

He sneaks his way into the kitchen, following the scent, pausing when he sees Cosima.

"If those little buns taste as good as they smell, I am approving your berth on my ship here and now."

[youwonscience]

She laughs, startled. "Oh God, I can't claim to make these." She is, however, adept at gathering them it looks like, from the number she has piled onto a plate. "You want some? I think they were left over."

...sure. We'll go with that.

"They're great, they taste like peaches."

2

[apostafuckyou]

Cosima had been turned away, but when she came out into the courtyard, Raylan was standing against the wall outside the door, looking like a model. He was chewing and had a small bag in his hand.

"Swiped these while you had their attention," he said around a mouthful, reaching in and handing her a bun. It wasn't the peach kind, but the same pastry. He swallowed, then spoke again. "You look like you're supposed to be in bed," he told her, with an assessing squint. She wasn't looking to be at peak health at the moment. Not that he knew what that should look like for a rifter, he supposed. Maybe they just looked pale and skinny and tired like that normally. (He doubted it.)

[youwonscience]

"Hey, thanks," to the pastry, and then she makes a face to the observation. "You sure know how to sweet-talk a girl," she grumbles before taking a bite of the roll.

After she swallows it, she adds, "For your information, I was let off strict bed-rest three whole days ago. So operation kitchen raid is totally in-bounds." Health-wise, at least. Probably less in bounds in other ways.