[ open ] we are a starry sky

[inuko]

WHO: Shino Inuzuka & open!
WHAT: Later catch-all for the latter half of August.
WHEN: August 15th-31stish!
WHERE: Skyhold & surroundings.
NOTES: Will update as anything comes up! Shino's an emotional idiot, I apologise ahead of time.

Formal training had always sounded like a bore when he'd had the luxury to not need it, relying on his makeshift training and Murasame's strength. Being effectively immortal had made for a certain knowing recklessness that Sosuke had taken him to task for most recently, the last time he'd died then been resurrected. It wasn't so long ago now.

He can almost hear Keno laughing from across the universe, asking what about when you said no, you didn't require any of my training? The effort he'd wanted to avoid before is an effort he makes now in joining in with drills. He did what he could to deal with the frustration and intense urges to sulk off that hit at first, but the importance in focusing on learning the means to defend himself and survive without Murasame meant he kept at it, no matter how often he ended up on the ground, or sending others down in turn. His fighting style relied far more on speed and decisiveness in his strikes than the heavier heft and hack of the broadsword, so adapting to the practice swords on Thedas was a trial.

He was going to have to find some means of getting a wooden sword more to his specifications crafted, leading to his spending time talking with the merchants coming through Skyhold investigating possible avenues forward. Discussing the specifics of a wooden kendo sword was leading to poor sketches on his part, and discussions on the worth behind a weapon that didn't fit the standard for 'proper' warfare against heavier armours.

He retreated to the library to study what he could on creatures and demons and spirits, finding it easier to choose them as a focus when what little he understands about Corypheus indicates he's some sort of tie toward both those and the Blight. Reading by natural light and candle light was enough of a strain when he'd grown used to being spoiled by electricity that toward the late afternoons and early evenings, he could be found trying to work on (hard to recognise) sketches of a wooden kendo sword or inadvertently sleeping off the headache he'd given himself.

In his opinion, one of the few comforts of civilization (albeit a civilized castle and little else outside of its immediate economy) was found down in the lower levels with the hot-spring fed baths and a chance to soak out the aches and pains around whatever company inevitably seemed to be around. "Not quite like home... but better than nothing, I guess." He was too tired and turning into a boneless human being to be able to summon up the energy for the proper sulk that might have felt nice, given the situation.

Evenings were a toss-up of talking with the people who were part of the inquisition, letting his unfeigned ignorance lead him into conversations within the attached encampment around communal firepits, or in the more enclosed environment of the tavern. He was a good listener, and avidly curious; how much was genuine interest or him embracing his fervent need to know was a matter left up to debate. He certainly stayed ready enough with a smile and laugh, or the open eyed, total focal interest that made it seem like he cared very much to hear whatever he was being told.

Understanding what it meant to deal with the shard in his palm was more difficult for not knowing precisely who to ask, or what he should be asking. Murasame had been another presence to fight against and work with; he was capable of speaking, and the pains and thirsts and appetites they each had were a dialog. Uncurling his fingers to examine his open palm, Shino breathed out in an annoyed sigh. "This can start making more sense any time now."

Comments

[gatheringstorm]

"There's that. Ask anyone who's dealt with a desire demon." Or don't because they're dead or possessed or submitted to any number of awful fates. As to the question, she shrugs. "It could, yes. The asshole responsible for all this shit hasn't exactly made himself easy to find. Ever since he destroyed Haven, everything's been done through his forces. The Inquisition's best scouts haven't been able to find him, so I'm not going to hold my breath on that one being resolved any time soon.

...sorry. I know that can't be what you want to hear, but sugarcoating it won't help any."

[inuko]

Despite wrinkling his nose at the mention of desire demons, he refrains from commenting. People are moved by their desires. There's a power and a lure there regardless of better intents. As for the rest? He groans, torn between the urge to give in and pout, and the reality that it's going to change nothing about his situation. "It might make it easier to swallow," he manages at last, lips curling up into a sheepish sort of expression. "Though I think most medicine goes down bitter and you're told it's all the better for you that way."

Finding the asshole responsible and figuring out the means of crossing back to the right world circa the time of his defeat was the ideal scenario: or close. The most ideal wouldn't require getting that close to Corypheus the Disappearing Act at all.

"My name's Shino Inuzuka. Who should I be thanking for being blunt enough to be honest with me?"

[gatheringstorm]

If Korrin's offended by his lack of stoicism, she doesn't show it. Some rifters have adapted surprisingly quick, but she doesn't have anything but sympathy for those who take a bit longer, due to whatever reason. If their positions were reversed, the Vashoth woman couldn't honestly say she'd be coping any better. She takes a swig, then leans over to offer a hand. Her grip is firm but not crushing, using to dealing with the more delicate races.

"I'm Korrin Ataash, Vashoth mage of the Valo-Kas company and member of the mage council. If you want to know all about Thedosian nobles and their games, I'm...not your person. Arcane and travel info? I can do that."

[inuko]

He could hold all he cared for nobles and their games in the thimble he didn't have. The politics back home were bothersome enough, and those had more to do with him directly than he liked acknowledging. (The religious politics, anyway.)

He smiles, his own grip firm in return, but with nowhere near her potential strength. In spite of hands with just the beginnings of new callouses, he was used to working with his hands. "Arcane and travel info sounds way more interesting. Politics get so convoluted." He made a small noise of discontent, more childish than anything else. "Though what do you mean when you say arcane?"

There were a slew of terms he didn't recognise (mage, at least, he knows means works with magic), but he could get around to that in time.

... Like five seconds later. "What's a Vashoth mage?"

[gatheringstorm]

"Arcane as in magic and mages or anything to do with them. The Fade, too, though I don't claim to be an expert on that. If I don't know the answer, I probably know someone who does, though." Questions are absolutely fine, and Korrin uses the time to take another sip while waiting for him to finish. "Well, by now I'm sure you've heard anyone with horns referred to as 'qunari'. That's not strictly true, but some of us use it anyway since it gets tiring to correct people constantly. Qunari are those who follow the Qun, this extremely oppressive and fanatical way of life that mostly stems from Par Vollen up north. Tal-Vashoth are those who rebel against it, leaving the Qun. Vashoth, which is what I am, are those born outside it and never had anything to do with it in the first place. Don't worry, there isn't an exam on this later.

As for 'Vashoth mage' maybe I shouldn't have said it that way, since that makes us sound like we have one uniform way of doing things and we...really don't. The only thing most of us have in common is that we aren't part the Circle of Magi, the organization that humans and elves are forced into joining. We're on the fringes, just like we are with the rest of society, so we do our own thing."

[inuko]

Religious politics... he taps his fingers against the table top, piecing it together best as he can. "So Qunari is name for the people of a faith, not necessarily from one country. It's not a race." He thinks that's the word he hears bandied about to describe people of different sorts of species, though he's not certain. He's also openly trying to figure this out, falling on the ignorant side of the line pretty heavily.

He looks up at Korrin, figuring there's really only one important thing in all this. (He is not right.) "SO can you ever just refer to people as being the big, horny ones?"

He means the literal horns... he's an idiot... and he sounds entirely sincere because he's trying in the worst way possible to figure out how to talk about people when there's no one word.

[gatheringstorm]

That gets an amused snort from Korrin. "'Horny ones'? I mean, you can, but I wouldn't recommend it. Most of us have had our fill of 'horny' jokes, so it's not going to win you any favors. And don't call us oxes or ox-men. That's even worse. 'Horned ones' isn't bad, but it's a bit awkward. Honestly, it's easier to just use 'qunari' and then specify as need be.

As for why there isn't one general term for what we are, I've no fucking clue. Maybe there was one, but the Qunari stopped using it. They don't seem to like names, even for their own people. Your job is your name, more or less."

[inuko]

"Oxes?" He drew his head back, examining her horns. He apparently didn't agree with the allusion, but he had his own biased reasoning. "I don't see it. It's more like oni to me," he says, opting not to further state that oni were technically a kind of demon where he was from. With the friends who took on forms with somewhat similar horns, he didn't want to give the wrong kind of impression over what was, to him, simply humanity wearing a different face.

Humanity was going to be a word causing him trouble here enough as it was. "If you suggest qunari, I'll stick with that for now." He's probably going to yell out horned ones at some point. Pray he doesn't end up meeting trolls anytime soon.

"They're really not big fans of having a sense of self, are they?" Much more consuming than the Church he knew, but it sounded as if they operated under very different parameters. Satomi would likely find it far more fascinating than Shino did. He mostly was deciding "not to go visiting with the Qunari" anytime soon.

[gatheringstorm]

"I...don't know what oni are." Korrin's brow furrows, but...nope, so far she hasn't heard that term from a rifter before.

"But no, they aren't. It's really weird to me, too, but my parents grew up in that shit. Then they decided they'd had enough when their friend became a mage. They treat mages even worse than the rest of Thedas, you see, like attack dogs to be chained or something such. So, they took him and left. Best thing they ever did, honestly."