faderift | Firstfall Rifter Arrival

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Firstfall Rifter Arrival

WHO: New rifters & their rescuers
WHAT: Weird people fall out of a rift with demons! Again! But this time there are trees.
WHEN: Firstall 8
WHERE: A ruined fortress in the wooded region between Redcliffe and Haven.
NOTES: This log is OPEN to new rifters and to anyone who might have volunteered or been ordered to go retrieve them. Rifters: the log is intentionally backdated to allow you to also jump straight into RPing in Skyhold. It's safe to assume everyone lives.

You were asleep--deeply or fitfully, for the last time or just resting your eyes for a moment-- and then you were not. And wherever you were was not, anymore, replaced by nothing but the sensation of falling, tumbling into endless, bottomless nothing. If this were still a dream, you would wake before you hit the ground. You can't die in a dream, they say. In some worlds.

In this world, you wake with a jolt when you hit earth and stone, dropped from above by a flaring, crystalline green rip in reality that hangs overhead. Beyond it the sky is dark, but the light from the rift is bright enough to illuminate the stone walls around you--a fortress, once, now a ruin, walls crumbling and beginning to surrender to the trees and vines from the surrounding forest. The air is cold enough to sting, but it's yet to snow here, and with the walls and trees sheltering against wind it isn't so bad. At another time, in other circumstances, it might be peaceful.

No chance of that now. The brief period of quiet after you fall is shattered by a hoarse shriek. Three hoarse shrieks. Three tall, spindly creatures with gasping mouths and too many eye sockets advance on you and the people lying around you, and beyond them, six flickering, ghostly wraiths begin to throw bursts of green magic that saps anyone hit of energy and strength. And there's a narrow splinter of light in the same sickly green as whatever brought you here, now glowing out of the palm of your left hand. It aches, a bone-deep pain that gnaws even through all the distractions.

But you're not alone. There's that. You've arrived with company. Scattered around on the ground with you are weapons--maybe one of them is yours--and it won't be long before more people arrive, armed and armored and not at all surprised to see you. Just a little late to get here. (Delayed by highwaymen, you know how it is.)

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Now that was a familiar action, almost painfully so. Waver didn't squawk or flail around like a scruffed kitten as he might have done in his youth either. If anything, he seemed to be perfectly okay with the action, and familiar enough to know how to get comfortable on such a massive horse.

"Okay, I need context for both of those words."

"The rift is the glowing thing in the sky. The shard is the thing causing pain in your hand." Turning toward said glowing thing in the sky, he headed towards it while there was still a clearing before more demons could arrive. The sooner they closed that thing the better. This was what he'd learned on the day that he'd arrived here and it was something he'd hold true to.

"The rest I shall explain later but when we get closer you will feel it. Lift your hand toward the rift and you will feel the energy building. Hold your hand steady until there is a crack in the air that tells us it is closed down."

"Right," Waver nodded. It was a change of pace, being the one to take instruction rather than give. Standing in front of a classroom for years made all of this feel novel, and coming from Rider, well, wasn't this how it was between King and those who served.

Rather than examine the thing on his hand, now aching harder and deeper than had first registered, Waver kept his eyes ahead and slightly up.

"Is there an opportune moment to do so, or should I just go about this now?"

"I will tell you when. Let me slay this last demon first."

Iskandar zeroed in on the distracted demon as it tried to slay an army of men who didn't happen to be there. They weren't doing damage to it either since they were mere illusions but the distraction was enough for him to ride in and claim the head of it. With that he headed for the rift, feeling the ache in his own hand and smiling as he did.

This was exciting, what could he say?

"Get ready...Now! Lift your hand and hold strong!"

Waver tried not to flinch as the next demon came in and was summarily dispatched. The view from where he was offered too good a seat to see it go down, and Waver was not a fan of watching something so gory.

Thank God for fast moving horses, and as instructed, Waver lifted his hand. What it might feel like, what the power surge might do, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that he was trying to imagine the great rift closing and then trying to channel that into reality. He felts his magic circuits trying to help, even if this seemed beyond them and their ability. That combined with the aching throb of the thing on his hand caused him to let out a string of curses, indicating that this was far more painful than first anticipated.

He managed to get out a single, "Let me know when to stop!"

Iskandar sheathed his sword and wrapped an arm around him to help steady the young man. He watched the rift as the stream of light touched the shard but he didn't do anything to help. This was something he felt that this new rifter should experience for himself all the way through. Besides, he seemed perfectly willing so that was something.

There was something of a crack sound in the air as the rift closed up and Iskandar tightened his grip on the man should he find himself shaken by this at all. But he did smile at him all the same.

"You did well, my friend! We should be quite safe now." Well as safe as one could be in a world they were unfamiliar with but still.

"I am Iskandar! It is a pleasure to meet you!"

The second the crack sounded was the second Waver wanted to drop onto the ground and lay there for a while. Rarely was he winded by acts of magecraft, but whatever just happened was even more demanding than summoning Rider all those years ago. Even with Rider's hand on his shoulder, Waver slumps a little, vaguely realizing that his hair looks a mess in addition to everything else.

But at the introduction, Waver can only pray his response will get through to Iskandar that he's talking to someone he's known for some time.

"I know, idiot."

He blinked at the young man sitting in front of him on his horse. He knew? Idiot? Iskandar blinked several more times after that as he tried to understand but simply was not coming up with anything. It made no sense to him that this young man should know him at all honestly. Certainly he'd met many before but he was sure he'd remember this face at least.

"I'm afraid you will have to be clearer, my friend. I do not know your face."

"Are you--" Waver choked out, whipping around to look at Rider with a face that suggested red hot anger and deep hurt. His eyebrows furrowed together, and one hand gestured widely as he spoke.

"I spent two weeks running around in your chariot in Fuyuki and you don't recognize me!?"

His eyes widened at the reaction. There was anger there. Hurt as well. Though why there should be either was beyond him. It was not until the man actually explained him who he was with that rather indignant question that it all clicked.

Really though. How was he supposed to recognize him when he seemed a great deal taller and older and with hair so long!

"Boy?"

"It only took you long enough!" Waver snapped, raising both hands to the heavens. "Jeez, you'd think me calling you an idiot would be the give away!"

"I think you underestimate how often I get called an idiot." He laughed then and wrapped an arm around him to pull him close for an embrace. It was the best he could do on the back of this horse but he made it work nicely. "You have grown! Look how long your hair is!"

Waver practically melted against Rider, although if any of that played into his speech, well, it was impossible to tell. If nothing, he was even more snappish.

"And someone else is going to say it so fondly?! Again: idiot!" One free hand gestured widely, before he huffed and looked upward, hoping to be able to look his king in the eye.

"Of course I have. It's been ten years."

Iskandar decided that now was not a good time to tell Waver that many person had and would call him idiot fondly. The young man was huffy enough already without having to add to that. Besides, he wanted to focus on the wonder of getting to see him like this. When he'd been on his last ride, he'd known he would never see him as he was now and it filled his heart with such joy to witness him like this.

"Ten years and you are still light as a feather! Though it does appear you managed to find that foot in height!"

"By some miracle, yes," Waver agreed, letting out a long exhale. This was all too much, between whatever that rift was, Iskandar's presence, and the sheer bone exhaustion of trying to figure out what on earth was even going on. One hand patted Iskandar's gently, before Waver ventured his next question.

"What's going on, anyway?"

"It seems we have been brought through a thing known as a rift. You carry a shard of it in your hand now. For the time being we are stuck here to help with the fights of these people. From what I am aware of, there is no way to return to our world yet."

Turning away from the battlefield that now no longer had enemies, he headed for the camp. The others brought here were being taken care of but Waver was most likely to listen to him at this point which meant that he could just carry him away now.

"There will be food and drink in the camp so you can regain your strength a bit. Tomorrow we will ride for Skyhold."

"Great," Waver breathed out. He wanted to start theorizing, but the whole affair had left him more winded than he expected. Closing his eyes, he tried to get comfortable on Bucephalus' back. Once he was certain that he could last in position, Waver opened his eyes again.

"Is it that obvious that I'm winded?"

"Even without our bond as Master and Servant, I can tell. You are older now but in a number of ways I am seeing you are still the boy that I was familiar with. This is becoming easier to see now that I know it is you." He chuckled good-heartedly then actually patted Waver on the head. As if he were still that boy all these years later.

In his youth, Waver might have swatted at that hand. But here, now, in the moment, Waver can't bring himself to. Beyond exhaustion, the physical contact, the affection from Iskandar has been so sorely missed that he can't dismiss any of it.

"It's because I look like I'm going to fall over, and that doesn't take any bond to see," he snorted, elbowing Iskandar in the chest gently. "You can say I look like shit."

"Well I would be lying then. You certainly look tired but I think you look grand. It is clear that you grew up to be an extremely handsome man."

It was easy to appreciate that beauty too and Iskandar laughed softly. Really though. Shit? No, it would take far more than just being a little tired before this beautiful man could possibly look like that in his eyes.

Waver's face blushed a brilliant red, and he felt the keen desire to slide off of the horse and onto the ground.

"Well!" he managed, before trying to change the topic, which really meant making a few grumping noises before muttering a low, "Thank you."

He threw his head back for a jolly roar of laughter. Even now the man was cute when he was flustered. Yes, there was no doubt at all that this was indeed Waver Velvet grown up.

"Ha! You flush wonderfully. It is cute!"

Cute?! Well that at least earned Iskandar a sharp, sharp elbow into his stomach, riding a horse or no. How did Waver remotely miss this?!

"Really, that's what you're going to focus on right now?!" Waver snapped. "Damnit you haven't changed at all, and that's not a good thing in this situation!"

Elbowing Iskandar was like elbowing a wall between his armor and his...well...him. So he really didn't react beyond laughing a bit and actually ruffling that pretty hair a bit. Well, a lot really.

"Ah but it is cute, boy. Even now that you are older you have a fine face for blushing. I like it!"

"Goddamnit," he managed lifting one hand to hide his face in. Waver had imagined so many versions of their reunion, and failed to account for this particular iteration.

More fool him, this was the most obvious one. "Just--just steer the damn horse!"

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