faderift | 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

"A joke," he tries to emphasize again.

The change of topic is both a bit jarring and greatly appreciated, and Krem's metaphorical hackles settle back down.

"Used to use a sword, standard issue. Wasn't until Bull hired me that I started training with other weapons. Gotta know how to adapt, he said to me. 's why I know hand-to-hand, short blades, swords, mauls, clubs, and staves at least in moderation. We had a job in the Deep Roads, some noble had sent us in, paid handsomely enough to overcome Bull's nervousness about it too. He was looking for some dwarven relic, had reason to believe that if it were handed to the Carta it'd make him rich, save his family from destitution, something like that. Turns out the relic had already been picked up and sold off by smugglers, and the place it was supposed to be was overrun by darkspawn. The mail I use now was picked up off the body of a hurlock Alpha when the fighting was over. We lost a man after he was kicked off a bridge by the thing, but that was the worst of the casualties."

Right, a joke. Even so, Sam puts his hands up in mock surrender that he understands it was a joke.

Still it looks like his next question is better received, and while Krem talks Sam leans forward on his knees to listen better, resting his chin on one of his hands. At hearing that he had gotten the weapon off a Darkspawn was certainly interesting. "Are there any weapons you don't know how to use?"

"Yes, but those, I know how to counter with the ones I do know." Krem smirks faintly. It's a point of pride for him, that prowess with a small arsenal. "If you're not completely set on sticking to just magic you could stand to learn one or two yourself just so you're not caught offguard."

"Are you offering to give me 'personal' lessons?" he says teasingly, returning Krem's smirk with one of his own, raising a brow ever so slightly. "I'm learning hand-to-hand from you and I work the forge. Think I'm very comfortable getting away from using just magic as a way to fight. I would appreciate knowing how to be more versatile."

"Could be. Could also throw you to the other boys. Told you they'd be fine with teaching you."

"That you did." Sam doesn't sound as nearly as excited with having one of the others teach him, but he's no less interested in learning. "What would be the best thing to learn first?"

"Depends on what you want to try. Could go for grappling, teach you what swordplay I still know, maybe see about staves, though if you're using one as a focus I'd suggest talking to Dorian. Good at the practical application of wielding a heavy thing on the end of a stick." He would suggest more, but he doesn't want to overwhelm Sam with a lot of options at once.

That has Sam chuckling. "Maybe it comes as a surprise, but I actually do know how to fight with a staff. And I did talk to Dorian. For a bit, though he didn't show me anything; he kind of was busy with other things at the time."

He does consider the other options though, switching his head to the other hand while he does so. "Grappling sounds like something that would be worth while. As would the sword, or maybe even just a dagger. Much easier to carry around, and would help me counter against any rogues."

"Wasn't suggesting you didn't know how, just that brushing up on it'd be good. Far as blades go, could suggest a shortsword. Good for up-close, not too cumbersome."

"Or you just want an excuse to beat me with a really big stick," Sam teases. He hums lightly at the idea of a shortsword, nodding his head a bit. "Wouldn't be a bad idea."

A bottle of white, a bottle of red

Shhhh <3

Good thing they're stone walls?

Long as they stay intact, at least.

... How rough are you being to knock down a wall?

Well these walls are kind of crumbling already.

That... (///////)

<3

<3

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