the start of something new

[theladyofwinterfell]

WHO: Sansa Stark
WHAT: Sansa learns about the changing of the years in Thedas; Sansa works on her sewing.
WHEN: 1 - 8 Wintermarch
WHERE: around Skyhold
NOTES: A general catch-all for Sansa to start out the new year.

i. the changing of the year.

Sansa has slowly been learning how life in Thedas works since arriving through the rift two moons prior and one of the things she's learned about this month, actually, is that they celebrate the change of the year in Thedas with a holiday called First Day. It's a simple thing to celebrate, really, and somewhat arbitrary but Sansa likes the idea of visiting others throughout Skyhold and drinking with them, breaking bread with them and generally making their acquaintance.

She's been terrible at making acquaintances since coming here, after all, and so First Day and the days after give her a chance to work in the kitchens and make simple little cakes to pass along to others. It's nothing taxing, certainly not for her since she isn't much of a cook, but it is a kindness that she wants to bestow upon those who have made her feel welcome since coming to Thedas and she wants to demonstrate she has an interest in learning how their world and celebrations do work.

ii. slip a stitch into something new.

In the afternoons, Sansa likes to work on needlework. It's become a way to make a bit of coin while she stays in Thedas and she's always loved her embroidery besides so making clothes and mending cloaks has become a way to earn money and pass the time. It reminds her of long, cold days at Winterfell when she'd sit by the fire with her mother and the septa, learning how to make her stitches small and neat, and oftentimes she dreamed of mending things for her lord husband someday. It's a mundane dream but, funnily enough, one afternoon it occurs to her that she's done that very thing and sometimes she smiles to herself or laughs just a bit.

Yes, the shirts are much smaller than she expected of a lord husband and often they are in shades of Lannister red and gold but she doesn't care about that. Here in Thedas nobody cares about Lions or Direwolves or Stags and when she draws her needle in and out of her mending, it's a soothing and calming activity that she doesn't have to worry about. No one cares about the subject of her embroidery now and she's free to do whatever she likes. The freedom is exhilarating.

iii. the frost falls upon the ground.

When the weather is clear enough, Sansa takes the chance to walk around outdoors. It's cold still, even to someone with Northern blood like hers, and the ice is still evident upon the grounds. Sometimes there's ruts from horses or wagons, crusted over with mud and ice and Sansa is careful to keep her skirts clear of them; she still doesn't like to be dirty even if she's much less squeamish about it than she was as a child in Westeros.

When a bit of ice falls from the edge of a roof, she dodges it carefully and when snow slides into the back of her cloak after shifting off the eaves of Skyhold proper, she squeals in surprise but it doesn't drive her indoors. The winter sunlight is weak and thin but she soaks up as much of it as she can and when snowflakes alight on her cheeks, she often pushes back her hood so that they can catch in the shimmering auburn of her hair.

Comments

III

[tallasaking]

Which honestly, might be the most beautiful thing he has seen in this entire place. The snow, catching in her reddish hair, blue eyes bright in the weak sun-light. Tyrion had followed after her to make sure to keep her safe today, but now he found himself ... sigh. Besotted, as always.

He moved towards her through the woods, hands tucked inside of his cloak. "You know, you really shouldn't be leaving on your own."

Re: III

[theladyofwinterfell]

"Is it unsafe here, Tyrion?" Sansa hasn't felt unsafe here in Thedas at all but perhaps Tyrion knows more about the current shift in politics than she does. She keeps herself busy with sewing for the most part and intrigue in only the barest minimum.

"Would you prefer I simply asked before taking my leave? I don't mind."

Re: III

[tallasaking]

"Unsafe? Oh, always. Between the beasts, the Venatori agents, and whoever this Corypheus fellow is... I cannot imagine any place is really 'safe'. If you wish to walk alone, I would ask that you simply bring a large stick with you." He answered wryly, as he hobbled closer.

After a moment of staring at her, he snorted, "Don't be ridiculous. You are my wife, not my prisoner. Just tell me where you are going, so I know where to send the search party." A faint, teasing smirk, as the snow started to get caught in his golden curls.

Re: III

[theladyofwinterfell]

Sansa laughs a bit, the noise startling her somewhat in just how free and unbidden it is and she shakes her head.

"Oh, naturally. I'll find myself a very large stick to carry around in absence of company. But, for the moment, since I do have company, would you like to go for a walk?"

i

[kartereo]

Tea. It was the first thing on Waver's mind whenever he woke up, was about to spend a day reading, or else coming inside from too much time in the cold outdoors. It was also a touchstone of home, and a comfort to know that tea was a constant across multiple universes.

On the first day of the year, the drive for tea came from spending the late morning out on horseback, continuing to get comfortable with riding. He hadn't had the advantage of coming from a time and place where it was a required skill, and Waver also knew that if he put it off until the spring, he'd never learn at all. So he went out every other day, excluding periods of intense rain or snow. First Day's morning was dry though, meaning that when he swept into the kitchen he wasn't dragging any extra water in with him.

Initially he didn't even notice who else was there. Making tea was an automatic process of putting water on to boil, and then spending the time between the water going on and it hitting the right temperature was for getting a mug and the leaves and all the rest. He went through the motions up to getting his tea leaves into a mug, then stopped when he realized that the honey had been moved from where he could have sworn it was usually kept.

He glanced around, then took note of where Sansa was working. "Excuse me, miss?" he said, clearing his throat. "Do you have the honey over there?"

Re: i

[theladyofwinterfell]

Sansa had actually been using the honey in her cakes so when the man calls for it, she nods and passes it to him quickly, not wanting to delay him when he's just come in for a quick cup of tea.

"Yes, I'm sorry. Here it is," she says, offering it to him. "I was using it for my cakes and I hadn't put it back just yet. My apologies."

[kartereo]

Waver took the offered pot of honey with a grateful nod of his head, and paused to measure out exactly how much he wanted for his cup. The answer was probably far too much, but some days called for an alarming amount of sweetener.

"I was wondering what I was starting to smell in here," he said, adding the last of the honey into the tea cup. Waver paused, looking over at Sansa's workspace. That certainly made sense with what he could see of the ingredients he could see. "It is a rather nice scent."

Wordlessly, he offered her the honey pot back. He wasn't going to go any further overboard, especially if she intended to make multiple batches.

[theladyofwinterfell]

"I learned that for the first day of the year, those in Thedas often bring their friends and relatives baked goods to share," Sansa explains.

"I wanted to take part in the tradition myself, so I was baking these to share with as many as I could."

[alankazam]

Everyone’s of service in Skyhold, one way or the other, and the faces rotating through its kitchens are many.

Even so, it’s hard not to notice someone when they’ve been in, out, and in everyone’s hair all afternoon. Alan finally takes a break from — well, whatever it is he’s been doing with the flour — to prop himself against the table directly by Sansa, expression full of benign curiousity.

“Do you have a moment free?"

He's going to need another pair of hands for this to work, and the dishwasher on duty's already turned him down.

[theladyofwinterfell]

"I have a moment," Sansa assures him. She never thought she'd end up working in kitchens and doing mending and fetching things as much as she does in Skyhold but the name Stark doesn't mean here what it means in Westeros. Besides, she likes to help and make herself useful.

"What do you need?"

[alankazam]

"Thank you." He glances down to the cakes, considering, and at once seems to come to a decision: "We can take these too."

And at that, he's off, lingering by the door and beckoning. There's still a floursack tucked beneath his arm, and a narrow staircase ahead.

It leads them up past the Rookery, and towards a little room full of rows of cots. Just before the entrance, Alan draws to the side, presses a finger to his mouth for quiet.

"I need to get up on the rafters," He whispers. "You can distract Ewan,"

There's a muffled sound from the room, the quiet wheeze and murmur of a child's voice.

"He likes stories."

[theladyofwinterfell]

"I think I can manage a few stories," Sansa says. It's not that unusual a request, all told, and she'd gotten plenty of practice with that when she'd been at the Eyrie with Sweetrobin.

"Is there a particular sort he favors?"

iii;

[foxsays]

Fortunately of the three of them, Araceli's nuggalope doesn't mind the cold in Skyhold. Over a year up in the mountains yet both the young woman and the fox at her heels haven't progressed beyond grudging acceptance. Then again, if the nuggalope was in a bad mood, given the size that the thing is, she's sure everyone would be in an awful lot more trouble as she leads it slowly out of the stables with her walking stick still hooked over her arm; the leg might be healed but when it's cold as it is, with the snows and ice so thick on the ground, she'd rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

She's not quite ready to ride him where they are, still leading him with a handful of treats as her breath clouds in front of her, clicking her tongue in encouragement as the fox yawns hugely.

"Come on, easy, easy," she murmurs because he's not used to people, at least not out of the stables, and Araceli's not exactly as imposing as some of the others on the journey to collect them. "Bueno--" The nuggalope halts when he spots Sansa and that brings Araceli to a halt, the hand on him the only thing that stops her feet from skidding out from under her. Letting out a curious sound, the nuggalope tilts his head and the fox skitters back a few steps, tailed tucked tight about him.

"Do not mind him, señorita, he's a little shy."

Re: iii;

[theladyofwinterfell]

"Oh, how beautiful," Sansa says, looking at the fox. He might be shy, yes, but he is still a lovely creature and she longs to take a look at him all the same. She doesn't dare inch any closer, though, and allows him to keep his distance.

"It is a shame he is shy, though. Such a lovely fellow."

[foxsays]

"Usually he's a shameless beggar but The Walrus stepped on his tail the last time I tried this so," she gives as much of a shrug as she dares when she's not quite sure how the nuggalope if the nuggalope will think it's the signal to drag her off somewhere with it. Using the cane, she taps the fox with the end of it inclining her head at Sansa until he trots over, holding up a paw.

"Araceli Bonaventura, at your service. And that is Lux. I will warn you that he's a thief who won't leave you alone if he thinks you have food, and he has a soft spot for ladies." The last part she confides as if she cannot possibly imagine how he came to pick up such habits.

[theladyofwinterfell]

"Sansa Stark," she says, flashing a bright smile at both Araceli and at Lux. She reaches into her pocket to pull out a cake and offers it on the flat of her palm to the fox.

"Luckily for Lux, I am in possession of a bit of food, though it's freely given and he doesn't have to beg or steal."

ii

[mythalenaste]

It's a cold, snowy day when a petite but unmistakably pregnant elf sits at the fire with Sansa at one of the tables there. She pulls out a book and a pen and begins writing. Every so often, she stops writing to pull some knitting out of a bag and stitch a few rows of what appears to be a woolly winter hat. Then she puts it away to write some more.

After several rounds of this, she glances at Sansa's work.

"What are you making?" she asks, more of the design of the embroidery than of the garment itself.

Re: ii

[theladyofwinterfell]

"Oh, this? I'm mending a bit of a cuff on my husband's shirt," Sansa says, showing the hem of the sleeve she's working on so that the elf can see it. Elves are something that she'd never seen before coming to Thedas and Sansa finds them to be lovely, even if they are unusual to her eyes.

"He seems to tear them even though I spend most of my days keeping them neat. I guess that's the trouble with husbands, isn't it?"

[mythalenaste]

She is adorable.

Pel isn't about to offer up that she has no husband, because that is awkward. She only smiles, charmed by the idealism. The girl seems happy, so she can't make criticism.

"It might be more efficient to teach him to mend his own." That shirt is awfully tiny, for a human man, unless the young wife has an even younger husband. Humans do weird shit.

I

[gatheringstorm]

The chill of winter can certainly be endured, but that doesn't mean Korrin's grown to enjoy it despite this being her second one in the south. Deprived of the warm winds and bright sun of the north, the Vashoth woman has been itching for ways to fight that gloom. The kitchen is definitely one way; after a good training exercise, she has quite the appetite, and if they need her to get something off high shelves or haul stuff around, that's what her great height and muscles are for. Fair trade, right?

So she enters the kitchen with her usual complete lack of stealth, her heavy tread alerting anyone nearby to her presence. The red-haired lady is vaguely familiar -maybe they saw each other in passing?- but not one of the usual kitchen staff, that she's aware. "Those cakes look tasty. Do we have anything good to watch them down with, or should I set about to fixing that? We need something warm to combat all this winter."

Re: I

[theladyofwinterfell]

Sansa has learned since coming to Thedas that up is down and north is warm and south is cold. She's also learned not to be shocked by the different races of the world so the tall woman is of a race she doesn't recognize but she gives her a warm smile anyway.

"No, nothing to wash them down with yet. If you could work on that, I'll work on another batch of these?"

[gatheringstorm]

As one of the dreaded 'qunari', Korrin's more often met with anxious stares or patronizing comments even when people are too polite for slurs. So the friendly welcome has her responding in kind, flashing a warm smile as she nods agreeably.

"Perfect. Hm...I'm not in the mood for tea. Heated cider?" A little too impatient to work on her spiced wine recipe, Korrin nonetheless sets about to retrieving a kettle, cups, cinnamon sticks and said cider. "It's my second winter in the south, so you'd think I'd be used to it by now...but I'm already tired of it. What about you, how're you holding up?"

I

[universal_charm]

"Good afternoon, ladies!" Kirk announced himself to the kitchens as he came in, several bags held on his shoulders. With no missions being run and his classes not being held today, he was making himself useful and earning some coin to boot. There were birthdays to see to, after all.

The ladies working there replied in kind, Kirk clearly if not a welcome sight than a familiar one as he worked as a high-grade courier. Honestly, he liked running errands for the kitchen because he could often sneak a treat as part of his pay.

Putting down his burden, he turned to Sansa and smiled brightly, dusting off his hands. "Oh, you're a new face," he said brightly, leaning over her workspace and taking a whiff. "But a talented one from the smell of things."

Re: I

[theladyofwinterfell]

"I am new, yes. I came...just a few moons ago," Sansa says, giving the new arrival a broad smile. She doesn't know him but he seems friendly enough and she hasn't had any cause to be afraid at all in Thedas. Some of her natural wariness has melted, if only a little.

"My name is Sansa...Sansa Stark. What's yours?"

Re: I

[universal_charm]

Moons, he had figured out, equated to months here. So not terribly new, but new enough to Skyhold. Possibly Thedas, but without seeing her shard, he couldn't say for sure.

"James Tiberius Kirk," he said breezily. "But you can just call me Jim. A pleasure to meet you, Miss Stark." Another breath of whatever she was cooking. "I'm fairly new myself. I haven't even been here a year yet." A smile to put her at ease as he took his leisure against the counter, watching without being in the way.