[Open] Autumn is a Second Spring

[sunshinethroughgrey]

WHO: Bethany Hawke and You
WHAT: Teaching, knitting, reading, and surprise ... bringing stuff for baking.
WHEN: Last two weeks of September (Kingsway)
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: Warnings for cheekiness?

Knitting

Fall is fast approaching, and with that, the need for warmer clothes is coming to Skyhold. Bethany is always all about doing her part for the refugees, so one might find her out enjoying the early fall sunshine in the gardens, skeens of yarn before her as she knits blankets, sweaters scarves and hats of all sizes and colors. Sometimes, she will have a book in her lap, reading while her needles click away, murmuring under her breath as she reads.

Teaching

When Bethany agreed to help Merrill teach the Rifters about varying aspects of Thedas, she never thought she would find herself teaching so many other people as well. Today's lesson is a simple one - she is teaching the tale of 'Every Grey Warden', quoting it from memory as she looked out on a number of faces - young, old, dirty and clean. Some familiar, some not.

"The Blight had ravaged the land for months; the armies of the great kings amassed for one last stand. As the sun burst through the clouds that boiled and churned in the dark sky, it illuminated a vast seething horde of darkspawn with the Archdemon at its head.

It was then— when courage seemed to fail and all lost to death and despair — that the Grey Wardens came...."

Baking

Ever since that young cook Avery had spoken out about people stealing baking supplies, whenever Bethany wanted into the kitchen, she would bring her own - larger bags than what she needed so she could share with the chefs and of course, continue garnering goodwill. Today, she brought in a basket with eggs, along with a small sack of flour and apples, along with a smaller sack of sugar and some cinnamon sticks.

She peered inside, beaming at the cooks, and chatted them up as she charmed her way into using some of the tins and some of their tools to make fresh apple tarts for the Wardens down below. You could find her there, a smudge of flour on one cheek, telling a rather saucy tale about the time Isabela got them all into a game of Strip Wicked Grace.

"So then - Marian looks over at me and I can tell - I can just tell that's she's got nothing on her besides a very small hand ... and I have this sinking feeling that this might be one of the days she decided not to wear smallclothes..."

Comments

[circleprodigy]

"But could he be trusted? He once thought the ends justified the means; serving the Grey Wardens doesn't necessarily cause such beliefs to fade, as we've seen." Inessa doesn't touch the subject of Cousland for now, focusing on the man who inspires less complicated feelings.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"Oh, absolutely not.. He couldn't be trusted even if we had to threaten to set him on fire to not to betray us." She snorted softly, "For all we know -- he's the one sitting on the damned Anders throne now." She folded her hands together, "Which means - we are going to have to gather an army, all on our own, and trust ourselves to lead it."

[circleprodigy]

"...is that why Warden-Constable Blackwall left? It was so sudden." Not that Inessa is truly blindsided; Wardens go where they must, often with little notice. But she was hoping to get to know the man better, or at least benefit under his leadership.

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"... It might be. He was one of our main recruiters. He might be out there recruiting an army right now. It would explain why he disappeared so suddenly." She said slowly, looking up from her knitting.

[circleprodigy]

Inessa nods slowly, her eyes shadowed. "If we are not subjected to another false Calling, then perhaps it will be enough." That still haunted her, though not as much as some other things. She can't imagine being a raw recruit and subjected to that.

"...I apologize, you did not come to the garden for such grim talk."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

Bethany looked over at her, before she nodded her head slowly, "I don't think we will be. They have outed themselves, and we will have to come up with a new way to fight them."

She chuckled softly, "... Perhaps not, but honestly, such words have to come out."

[circleprodigy]

Watching Garahel take to wiggling on the cool grass, Inessa smiles briefly. "It can be difficult to relax as I'm wondering when the other shoe will drop, so to speak. That we even have as much of a haven as we do here is something, and I'm not ungrateful for it."

[sunshinethroughgrey]

"Well, I think it is important to take a moment to breath. To look around, see the warm colors of the leaves, feel the sunshine on your face." She gave her a gentle nudge. "We're still alive, Inessa. Which means we can find the answers."