faderift | A bottle of white, a bottle of red

Entry tags:

A bottle of white, a bottle of red

WHO: Open to anyone that wants wine and warmth and a little company.
WHAT: Wine and no whining.
WHEN: After the mage meeting wraps up.
WHERE: Close to the healing tents, specifically the Orlesian section.
NOTES: There will be wine, drinking, unwinding, and nibbles.

The meeting had been stressful for just about everyone involved. Tempers had flared, opinions made known, a few rounds of confetti and arguing before some manner of accord. Whether it would last or however long it might? No one could truly say. In the interest of being quite done with the stress and headaches such debate brought on the Orlesian healing tents clearing out the potions, bandages, and poultices in favor of what cushions and braziers they had on hand for light and for heat. The space was open, warm, and inviting with an odd assortment of tin mugs or clay glasses set around flat side tables propped up with stones to keep them from wobbling and tipping the whole mass onto the ground. There are some dried fruits and hard cheeses, dried meat and hard crusted bread- whatever scraps they could scavenge or spare and a few bottles of wine or brandy. Across the entrance to the tents there was a sign:

Bring a bottle or food to share for entry.

Tacked below was a list of rules:

Everyone is welcome, don't make a fuss
Don't hog the wine
Don't hog the food
Don't fight or argue
If you finish a bottle open a new one, don't recork it for someone else to find
Clean up after yourselves

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"That too. I've seen you around here before." Christine gets straight to the point, moving her attention away from the mug to him. "You are a healer too. I am Christine." The fact that she's a Circle mage from Orlais should be obviously from the robes she wears to her accent, so she doesn't bother with all that. And truthfully, she knows she should stop listing the Circle she was in as her place of origin. It hardly matters anymore.

"Samouel." Well now they both have a name for the face.

He smiles that Christine mentions that he's a healer. He certainly doesn't dress like one, or like other Mages in general, and often or not he doesn't get recognized as one; which is just fine by him. Considering that they work together to a point it isn't surprising she labels him as one though. "And, yes, I am a healer. Specifically a spirit healer in training."

"That's good, and certainly a benefit to the Inquisition. I would like to be a spirit healer too. There is so much more I could do for patients if I had the ability." There's more that a little passion to her voice as she speaks, because this is a subject dear to her, and the alcohol is bringing down her walls.

"Have you considered talking to Lady LeBlanc about that? She's currently teaching me." Well being a spirit healer couldn't quite be taught. LeBlanc helped him in understanding the spirits a bit more but was currently more focused on advancing his skill and focus with all the magics so that he was better prepared.

"Yes, I am planning on doing so once the party has wound down a little." And once she does, she finds Adelaide willing to teach her.

"Do you think we will be needed in the Fallow Mire? The people there sound like they need our help."

He's sure LeBlanc will agree to lessons, in which case he'd have someone else to practice with.

At the question about the Mire Sam rubs the back of his neck, sighing a bit at remembering the news. "I think a number of us will be required to go, both for the villagers and for any groups sent out. Not all of us of course since we still have injured and sick here as well."

"Of course," she replies with a decisive nod. "But I would like to go. It certainly wouldn't be the most comfortable conditions to camp in, but the people need our help, and I am willing if the orders come that healers are to go. What of you? Will you come too?"

"If they let me, I'll be heading out to the Mire as well." Even though he's been keeping busy here at Skyhold he is getting a bit of cabin fever. Getting to travel again would be nice. Even if it was to a possessed corpse filled bog.

"Then we can work together if we both end up going. I would like that." As determined as she is to be an excellent healer who doesn't need backup, she'd be a fool to not compare notes on this plague with the other healers and come up with a plan of attack. Not only will they have to work to keep the plague from spreading to others, but they'll need to figure out a way to cure those already taken ill.

"How do you find Skyhold so far?"

"I would certainly look forward to doing that. I'm sure they're going to need as much help as possible." It wasn't just the plague they needed to worry about, but the possessed corpses as well. Was it the work of a rift or something else? Either way it had to be dealt with.

"Skyhold is..." he takes a drink, allowing himself a moment to consider the question. "It will be better once everything is fixed and we can better accommodate everyone. My sleeping arrangements are decent, but that's not true for everyone. It would help with tensions if people could get out of cold and into a bed."

"Mmm," she says with a nod of agreement. "I do not enjoy the tents, but it is what it is. I would be completely fine with them if it were not for the insects." She is by no means a shrieker, but when she sees something with multiple legs and antennae coming at her, she does let out a noise of distress as she tries to find something heavy to hit it with.

That gets him chuckling. "Yeah. Nothing like waking up to to a creepy crawley in your bed. Though probably better than a wild animal. Or a bear..." Yeah the Hinterlands had been fun.

"I am very thankful that Skyhold is not a refuge for bears." Christine shakes her head, well knowing how bears wandered the Hinterlands constantly.

"I do hope that the space can be allocated for everyone to be able to sleep indoors. It would be a comfort, especially as we go into winter."

Perhaps taking a drink at that moment had been a bad idea, because Sam finds himself coughing a bit over some tea going the wrong way - some reason that bear comment had gotten him. Smiling as he clears his throat he shakes his head. "Yeah. That w- would.... not be fun if it were..."

After some more coughing and clearing his throat, Sam gives a sigh, looking around the space. "Well quite a number of us are going to the Mire I would suspect. That should give them more room here. Hopefully they'll get work done on rooms while we're gone, too."

Her lips twitch with a smile. She doesn't really consider herself to be funny, so the fact she's gotten a laugh out of him is a triumph. But as a healer, she has to ask, "You are well?"

Once he's regained the ability to speak without coughing, she nods in agreement with what he says.

"That would be wonderful. We could return to beds, or at least cots with a roof over our heads. It would be better than what we will have in the mire."

Now that she brings it up, Sam realizes he hadn't thought much about how things would be in the Mire. He makes a face at that, both sides of his nose wrinkling. "Tents and bedrolls. And probably several pairs of clothes, or at least socks to change into."

"Yes, more clothes is a good idea. I can only suggest we keep a memory of what it is like to be warm and dry with us at all times." Christine has had a taste of the outdoors life since the Circles fell, and she can't say she's impressed. Give her a warm fire, toasty feet, and a place free of insects, please.

"I am curious about the schedule. If we will be rotated out, or if the situation is such that we won't be there long."

"Rotating people would be too much time and resources, and certain jobs might take too long to keep reteaching. If we're going I'm sure we'll be investing in staying there for a while." Christine better get herself ready for the long haul.

"I've never been to a bog myself, but from what I've heard... better not bring anything too nice."

Christine gestures down to herself, where she wears standard Circle mage robes and slippers.

"Things like this are all I have. If the Inquisition will issue mage robes and sturdy boots, I will be sure to wear them. But I have nothing nice to begin with." No fancy combs or ribbons. No silk dresses or purses. She's as he sees her: a rebel mage who is now a refugee. The only luxury she has are a couple of books she has stashed away in her tent, and those are study materials for healing, not light reading.

Yeah those clothes were not going to do well in a bog. The shoes especially. "I'm sure they'll have supplies and clothing for us to gear up for this. Though you might have to go... ask for them." Honestly, Sam had seen the robes as that being Christine's choice and not a fact that she had nothing else.

Though it is all too familiar to hear that she didn't have anything nice after leaving the Circle. "If you need help getting anything let me know."

"I can ask." Her expression turns curious at his offer, however. It sounds like he knows more about all this than she does. "Do you work for the quartermaster?"

That has Sam rubbing the back of his head. "Ah... not exactly?" He's sounds a bit unsure of it himself before giving a shrug. "I work under Master Harritt, who does orders for the quartermaster...? I don't do any of the major orders, but I help with repairs and the sort when I can."

"Truly? You are a healer and a blacksmith's apprentice? How unique." It seems an odd profession to gravitate towards, even just helping with getting the Inquisition in better gear.

"What made you want to do such a thing?" Her voice is still curious, not judging.

With how surprised everyone was every time they found out he was both he supposed 'unique' was a good way to describe him. "My father and his father were blacksmiths. So when I came of age I started learning the trade."

There's a small smile on Sam's face, his eyes going a little distant at a particular memory. "I was... maybe 13 or 14 when I started working at the forge. Started noticing my magical abilities around that time too. If the Blight hadn't happened I'd probably be a full fledged blacksmith who knew magic."

Christine nods in understanding, though not from personally experiencing it. Just from things she's heard and the rest being assumed.

"The Blight changed many things." She feels lucky it didn't spread into Orlais. "It is good that you have this opportunity now to pick back up with your training."

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