[ OPEN ] You'd Think I'd Know Where I'm Going

[universal_charm]

WHO: Jim Kirk & You
WHAT: Late catch-all for late August
WHEN: Roughly August 15 - August 31 (feel free to backdate for timey-wimey necessitiy)
WHERE: Around Skyhold
NOTES: Flirting, charmingness, possible bad language, possible head-butting, possible fights, general shenanigans

After the emotional trek to Asher's home and back, Kirk found that he was rather glad to be back within the walls of Skyhold. It was familiar and comforting and he knew what he could do here to keep his mind off things. To keep his mind off the passing of a friend that could have been, keep his mind off injustices in Orelais, keep his mind off his own situation. Funny, how death brought those things to surface with startling clarity.

He can be found in the early mornings running around Skyhold's perimeter, followed quickly by moving to working on his horsemanship at the barn (which in variably also means that he will spend some quality time around the bog unicorn, which in his mind he has unofficially adopted). More often than not he is also accompanied by a small black and white cat who has something suspiciously like a mustache on its upper lip. Don't tell Anders.

From there things are a bit more difficult when it came to finding ways to fill his time, except on the days when he was teaching lessons in math, science, and hand-to-hand self-defense. That latter of which he can now join in on since he has fully recovered from his previous injuries. It meant that more people were hitting the dirt, but that's how it was supposed to be. You didn't learn if you didn't come out with a bruise or two.

Of course he usually finds his way around to the library, usually in search of another story to read since he's not much of one for the historical texts anymore, biased as they tend to be in his view. Maybe he's napping. What? It's comfortable there. But why just ready about places in the library when he can out and explore in the woods outside Skyhold? Granted, he never goes far, but it's something and for just a bit he can pretend he's Captain Kirk exploring a new and exciting planet again. Let the Rifter have his tiny fantasy. (Invariably, Leonard the Cat tends to join him on this too, complete with fashioned harness and leash to keep him from wandering to far.)

And if all else fails he makes his way to the tavern, where he can easily be convinced to share a drink, sing a song, or maybe turn the tables and convince you to play some chess.

Comments

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Bethany arched one dark eyebrow at him, before her lips twitched up at the corners. She pulled out a few of the volumes, gesturing to the title that stated, 'The History of the Grey Wardens'. "I'm looking into a little modern history reading - or at least what's happened over the last twenty years or so."

[universal_charm]

"Well, that's quite the undertaking," he chuckled, glancing at the books. "I've been... slowly working my way through those types of things myself. There's quite a lot to have missed, I'm finding out. Any particular reason why?" he pressed, picking up one of the books and running his thumb across the pages, yelping softly when it gave him a paper cut and he sucked at his thumb.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Bethany dimpled at him, before flashing the pin on her shoulder, "Let's just say that I'm working on figuring out a few things for myself. Including just what precisely we can do to help in this current crisis."

[universal_charm]

He looked to the pin, but the look on his face clearly said he had no idea of what significance it was supposed to represent.

"Which one? There seem to several going on all at the same time."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Oh! Well, she wasn't used to that sort of baffled look. She tipped her head, curious. "You're not from around here, are you? I'm ... well. I'm a Grey Warden. Do you know nothing about our order, serah?"

Oh, she could hear herself already gearing up for an educational lecture. Poor stranger.

[universal_charm]

"Not very much, no. And I'm a Rifter," he clarified for her, pulling down the bandages around his hand to show the green flash of his shard quickly to her before smoothing the bandages down again.

"But I'm finding that's not an uncommon state for me these days - not knowing, that is."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"That's what I meant -- but I think 'not from around here' sounds nicer. Rifter makes it sound like you're a whole different species." Bethany crooked another warm smile at him.

"All right, tell me what you know of Thedas's history, and I'll tell you our place in it."

[universal_charm]

"Another species might not be entirely wrong," he shrugged, not offended in the least. "I'm actually surprised that there are "humans" here to be honest." He's used to aliens and an understanding that humanity is quite small in the grand scheme.

"Ah, mostly the Chantry formed, worked with the Templars, ruled for a number of years before the Mage Rebellion, and now there's a man named Corypheus who is trying to, as I understand it, more or less destroy the world." He knows it's incredibly simplified, but anything else would take days.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"Well, we're not all just humans. There are qunari and elves and dwarves, after all. Different species, that sort of thing." Bethany sat herself down on the table.

"All right, well, over a thousand years ago ... according to the Chantry tales and we now believe, reality, because Corypheus, Tevinter mages tried to breach the Golden City of the Maker. The Maker turned his back on them, and the Golden City turned back. From those mages, came the first darkspawn -- and from those, came the First Blight, when swarms of darkspawn came out through the Deep Roads, through the dwarven kingdoms, and up to the surface. Destroying, killing .... everything in their sight."

[universal_charm]

"Well, no, I meant that - that is where I am from, humans exist on only one planet. To find humans on another planet, another world, even, is nearly a statistical impossibility," he said, because of course he knew there were more than just humans here, though it would take DNA testing to see how accurate that statement really was.

But better to let it go for now.

He believed probably about 1/4 of that and tried to keep that off his face, but he didn't outright dismiss it so much as he did the notion of the Maker and his Golden City, which bore a heavy resemblance to the Christian faith and their God and his Kingdom of Heaven. If it had actually happened, he was fairly certain that it was more along the lines of actual events becoming twisted into legend and then eventually into a religion. But this wasn't a time to debate that either.

"Is that when the Grey Wardens came in? To combat this First Blight?"

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"Really? So you don't have ... more than one planet with more than humans?" Now that is interesting. She folded her hands over her lap, tilting her chin up at Jim, curiosity touching her face.

She swung her feet a little bit, before she pressed her lips together thoughtfully. "Yes, we were the first to come up with a way to defeat the leader of the darkspawn army - the archdemon - an Old god raised by the darkspawn, who became corrupted by their influence. We were able to turn the tide after two hundred years of never ending war."

[universal_charm]

He nodded. "Humans originate from Earth. And while other species share traits with humans - Vulcans look like us, but they have more sharply pointed ears and their organs are arranged differently for instance - they aren't human as you and I understand it. Humans have settled on other planets, but they aren't native." He shifted in his chair, folding one leg over the other, resisting the urge to reach for a mug of coffee that was not there. "It's not to say there couldn't be another planet, but the possibility of the same set of evolutionary circumstances taking place to create us happening on another planet is... the statistics place it at near impossible."

Which was one of the things he had found strange about this world - that there were humans, on a planet he did not recognize, and as far as he could tell they were, in fact, as human as the humans of earth. They even used the same word.

"Well, that's good. That's a long time to be at war," he murmured. And here he thought the eighty years of war with the Klingons and the wars on their own planet against the genetically enhanced humans had been quite long. Two hundred seemed near impossible. Was it really war at that point, or just a way of life?

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"So our ... planet is unusual because we have all those races here - and not just the one? Unlike the Vulcans and the other races you have met in your travels?" How curious, and it's clear in the bright gleam of her dark eyes that she is fascinated by all of it.

She sighed softly, before she shook her head, "It wasn't the only Blight - we have had five of them. The Fifth Blight was the shortest, only one year, and that was due to the heroic influences of Jonas Cousland, King of Fereldan, and his group of heroes. You might have met some of them here."

[universal_charm]

"Hmm, no, what's unusual is that you have humans, call yourselves humans, and as far as I can tell are exactly the same as Earth humans," he clarified. "We've come across other planets with multiple, distinct races before like yours. It's the human part that's intriguing."

What had to happen to make it possible? Was it some accident of fate? Was Thedas that little, statistical miracle - or had things simply turned out the same even under different circumstances?

"Oh? And whom might they be?" he asked, because he was not quite so up on such history, nor could he say he had met everyone in the Inquisition, much less could name them or put names to faces.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"Oh! Well that is interesting. Usually we're the boring bits." Bethany's dimples resurfaced once more, before she looked thoughtful. "Perhaps we were one of your colonies, from a long time ago?"

She could easily believe they came from the stars themselves, a long time ago.

"Let's see ... Zevran, Morrigan, Alistair, the golem Shale, Sister Leliana ... Oghren hasn't showed up or you would have heard us all complain about the smell." One corner of her mouth lifted.

[universal_charm]

He shrugged. "Who knows? It might be something like that. And I find humans infinitely interesting, personally," he grinned.

Anything seemed possible here, especially since Kirk wasn't sure what universe, time, or even where in the universe he was. It left many possibilities open.

"I've met Zevran, Leliana, and possibly Alistair, but I can't say for sure on him," he pursed his lips. "I didn't realize that they were quite so important in the history of things."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

She dimpled softly, before she put one hand to her chest and bowing once. "We are pleased to fascinate."

She tipped her chin up at him, before she tapped one finger against her chin.

"One and all... and I've met all of them. One way or another. They helped save our world."

[universal_charm]

"Oh? I hadn't realized they were quite that monumental," he mused, surprised by this news. He knew, on some level, that they had helped with previous events, but as he was still, nearly six months later, sorting a lot of it out, it was easy to see how he wouldn't know either.

He turned his gaze on her, lips quirking in an amused smile.

"Have your eye on one of them or something, do you?" he teased her.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"Oh yes - we tell many a story about the Warden and his faithful companions." Her tone is a little wry, "Even if Jonas Cousland is a little ... well. He's an acquired taste."

A blink, before she laughed heartily, "Absolutely not! I have a paramour, all my own."

[universal_charm]

He joined her in her laugh, enjoying the way if filled the library, though he knew it wasn't precisely good etiquette.

"Ah! My apologies! Though I should have known, to be honest. If you didn't, I would most certainly be aiming for such a position," he teased, pressing a hand to his heart.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

She giggled softly, before she put her head and beamed at him, "You're absolutely delightful, you know. And thank you for the fine compliment."

Swinging her legs a little, she tipped her head at him, "So you really don't know any of the people?"

[universal_charm]

"A few of the ones you mentioned, sure, but only in passing. Not well," he shook his head and motioned to the books surrounding them.

"I've been slowly learning more of Thedas' history, but it's a daunting task to say the least," he let out a mix of huff and sigh, running a hand through his hair.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"Well, if you have any questions on that ... or Thedas's history, let me know. I would be delighted to share what I know. Or at least look it up, to see if I'm right." She gave him a slight smile. "My schooling was rather varied, growing up, and focused mostly on magical theory."

[universal_charm]

"I appreciate the offer," he smiled at her. "Even varied, I would say you know a lot more about everything going on than I do. Sometimes it's hard to keep it all straight in my head - so many threads, weaving together and knotting. It makes it easy to lose something important in it all."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"Well, not everything everything. I know enough for someone who was born here." She gave him a musing look, "But isn't that what the world is all about? An entire tapestry, weaved in and out?"