You'll fight and you'll make it through

[bookish_lioness]

WHO: Hermione and OPEN!
WHAT: Catch-all for the month (let me know if you'd like a particular starter)
WHEN: Wintermarch, going into Guardian if need be
WHERE: Throughout Skyhold
NOTES: Feel free to assume prior minor CR between them, especially if your character would have taken/taught any classes involving magic or Thedosian history/culture. I'm willing to handwave more major previous CR if that would make the thread move along more easily, but we can hash out those details either via PM or on plurk (StarryOblivion).

Archery range

To her credit, Hermione was trying.

Her magic still wasn't coming along as seamlessly as she would hope, and so she'd bitten the bullet and decided that she'd need to learn other ways of defending herself, since she couldn't rightfully stay within the confines of Skyhold forever. Most weapons were too large or heavy for an untrained person of smaller stature, and the ones that weren't would force her to get much closer to an enemy than she would want to, especially if bloodshed was going to be involved. Given all that, archery seemed the best bet. She could stay a safe distance from most of the fighting and also run with her weapon without it tripping her up or throwing off her balance. And besides, she'd used a bow and arrow before.

Once.

For fun.

And she hadn't been very good.

Which explained why she'd raised the bow before the arrow was properly nocked, resulting in the arrow unexpectedly flying loose with an almost comical twang! and a gasp from the startled young witch. She widened her eyes as she instinctively looked around, hoping that no one had seen that, before realizing that she should be more concerned with where the arrow had gone and fervently hoping it hadn't managed to somehow hit someone.

Perhaps she should stay away from weapons for a while?

Training Grounds

She'd made it quite clear to anyone who offered to spar with her that she didn't know the first thing about fighting without any sort of magic, but even so, Hermione wasn't really going to leave anything to chance. She'd been tortured before, and while no physical injury could match what had been done to her, she still wasn't a big fan of pain and was in no hurry to subject herself to any injuries that may require more than a quick visit to the healing tents.

Long hair pulled back into a bun and wearing as much light armor as she could get away with without hindering her movement, Hermione always stood stiffly as she eyed her opponent, looking for weaknesses. She was small and fairly fast, so if she could assess her situation before the match even started, she could try to use that to her advantage and end things as quickly as possible. Still, she was here to learn, and one didn't learn without asking questions, so there was no shortage of those as she awkwardly went through the motions each and every time.

"Is my stance all right? Where should my hands be while I'm defending myself? You're not going to actually hit me hard, are you? I don't fancy a broken nose, and I'm not looking to hurt you. You know I'm only looking to defend myself, don't you? You'll stop if I ask you to, won't you? What should I be doing with my feet?"

On and on it went, and if she couldn't get herself used to any kind of bare-handed combat, Hermione was just going to have to get her hands on her own staff and start practicing a different sort of sparring, assuming that her mage friends wouldn't mind showing her how to use a staff in a less traditional sort of way.

The Baths

While she always did what she could to keep herself clean, Hermione had managed to avoid the baths for an extended period of time. It was easy enough when making water was one of the only spells she could still reliably do, and she'd been forced to get used to limited hygiene during the year she'd spent on the run. But now that she was actually involved in regular physical activity, she couldn't really make do with a quick wash or a mostly-clothed dip in the bath.

Though it always seemed like most of the people she would see down there relished their time in the water, Hermione had never exactly enjoyed communal baths. Still, she did happen to go down there while it was mostly empty, and there was no rule saying she had to be completely nude to get herself clean. She was a grown woman, and if she wanted to sit in a bath with her underwear on, she was surely entitled to it.

Besides, the hot water felt good on her sore muscles (she was getting muscles now; when did that happen?), and so it was easier for her to relax than she might have thought otherwise. So long as no one tried to engage her in conversation while their privates were less-than-private, she could almost enjoy soaking in there for a bit.

Library

The drawback to not having your own small, private, contained bath was that you couldn't read in the tub, and despite her newer hobbies, reading will always be Hermione's first love. While she might not be as much of a fixture in the library as she used to be upon her initial arrival, anyone looking for her could simply hang about the vicinity long enough and she would find her way back there before too long. These days, she mostly read for the various classes she was taking, but she still found the time to read one of the "lighter" books available in Skyhold's library. Sometimes, these books were written with a very marked biased, and whoever might be sitting close enough to the young rifter might be drawn into a heated discussion over said bias. It was all right, though; she usually kept her voice down, given that it was a library.

Wildcard!

Choose your own adventure!

Comments

[bookish_lioness]

"Piety and humility are supposed to go hand-in-hand," Hermione brings up. "People have free will, and so we're prone to occasionally making mistakes. I'd count burning a woman at the stake as a mistake, and admitting to and attempting to rectify what happened to Andraste rather than blame the elves or whoever else they're blaming is outright ridiculous."

She falls silent for a few moments, considering what Korrin tells her. "How many phylacteries did you help destroy that day?" she asks quietly. "Did those mages know that they were now technically free?" Of course they hadn't. Even now, during the rebellion, mages aren't exactly free. They're just openly living in hiding, even if such a thing doesn't make proper sense.

[gatheringstorm]

"I want to say...a dozen or so? And we weren't able to contact those mages directly afterward, but I think they figured it out when the Templars weren't hounding their steps anymore. Thedas is a big place; if you're not throwing fireballs around a populated area, you can find a decent place to hide out. Not that they should have to hide, but still."

She stretches, then shrugs as she thinks on the rest of what Hermione said. "It's strange that Archon Hessarian, the guy in charge of Tevinter at the time, was the one who admit his mistake, isn't it? Tevinter was the universal enemy, the reason Andraste burned. And yet, he repented and became the first Tevinter convert. But down south, you'll still have plenty of clergy support the Exalted March on the Dales and decry the Canticle of Shartan, or deny it."

[bookish_lioness]

Hermione's silent for a moment, wondering if anyone has considered attempting to rein in rifters with phylacteries. After all, blood magic is blood magic; whether the person is a mage or a rifter wouldn't matter and would bear the same sort of effects. She doesn't even ask as much, not wanting to risk the wrong sort of person overhearing and inadvertently giving someone ideas.

"I don't understand," Hermione remarks, frowning a little. "If Archon Hessarian repented and also converted, why does the Chantry still have such an awful stigma against Tevinter? Because they worship differently than most Andrastians? Even in my world, there are different religions and differing sects of the same religion, but they can still respect one another. Mostly." A pause, then she mutters, "In public, anyway."

[gatheringstorm]

"That's exactly it, the worshiping differently. Having mages in their clergy does not make the Tevinter version of the Chantry popular with the south. They take that whole 'magic is meant to serve man and not rule over him' thing in a completely different direction. Plus, the south wasn't happy when they made their own Divine, thus splitting up the Chantry's influence. They call him the Black Divine down south, like he's a bogeyman. Hell, even the fact that upper clergy are male-only instead of women is too much, for those of the south. It's all flip-flopped and evereyone's blaspheming according to the other side.

Of course, it's not all about religion. Behind the Chantry facade, it's still about resentment of the Tevinter Imperium for taking over Thedas once before. They don't want to see them become that influential again. So, cue a bunch of Exalted Marches that didn't really solve anything except deepen the schism.

It is what it is, you know? I can't say I support any of it, but it's still better than what Qunari do, forcing people to all agree on the same thing and brainwashing them if they don't."

Korrin shrugs, then raises an eyebrow. "What, no clashes over ideology? No Exalted March equivalents?"

[bookish_lioness]

Hermione listens carefully, her frown deepening the more Korrin speaks. While her world is not perfect, she likes to think that the worst of history is behind her, as the majority of people have learned to recognize bigotry for what it is. Thedas, to her, is a newer world than her own, but that's only because it's new to her. She hasn't yet made that conscious distinction and still assumes that Thedas has the time to grow, rather than entertain the idea that it's set in its ways.

"Oh, of course there are clashes," she remarks softly. "But it's not so divisive. Individual people might agree or disagree with particular ideologies, and we still have wars and hate crimes and other horrible conflicts, but as a whole...." Though she hates that she has to do it, she can't help shrugging with a small, sad sigh. "We can be just as bad, I suppose. But just because that's the status quo doesn't mean that we have to simply accept it."

[gatheringstorm]

"Of course not." Korrin grins, glad that Hermione's striving for justice hasn't changed at all. "It's important to understand context, but there's a difference between understanding and apathy. If no one ever did anything different because 'that's the way it's always been', things like the mage rebellion would never have happened, right? That's one of the reasons why I'm here; I think the Inquisition stands a good chance of sparking needed change. Maybe the south will get the bulk of that benefit, but you can be sure that the Inquisition's influence will spread beyond. Even if it doesn't get us everything we want, it's still something. And we can go from there."

[bookish_lioness]

"There are some who think that the mage rebellion and other forms of change are mistakes," Hermione points out, though the bland look on her face proves what she thinks of that much. "I understand that actions speak louder than words, but until people understand that mages, elves, and anyone who isn't a non-magical human all still fall under the category of people and so are worthy of respect and equality, our actions will only go so far. And if books like these are the sorts of things that are being touted as academia or the final word on a matter, then the Inquisition won't manage to change very much in the way of widespread ideology."

[gatheringstorm]

Said opinions of some get an eye-roll from Korrin, who crosses her arms. "Or they'll say that the sentiment was right but the timing was wrong. As though people should just wait politely to receive basic rights. You know those uttering that crap never had to wait to be treated with basic decency. It's easy to be patient when you're at the top, less so at the bottom."

She nods, though, sighing a bit as she glances around at the various tomes, so many of which are hampered by that singular view. "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. We have some authors in the Inquisition, though, not just Varric. Pel, Gwen...and I know there's more, though damned if I can remember their names at the moment. People don't have to like what they say; hell, it's more effective if they don't. The point is that they listen."

She then stares at Hermione for a moment, thoughtful. "You know, I could see you doing well in that. You're passionate, eloquent...and your viewpoint as a rifter is invaluable. It could help you, too, give people beyond Skyhold the chance to see that rifters are people with a lot of the same concerns."

[bookish_lioness]

"There's no such thing as 'bad timing' when it comes to treating people fairly," Hermione points out, trying not to huff. "It should be a given, not something that waits for some mythical proper time."

Hermione isn't overly familiar with any of those names Korrin lists, though she feels as though Varric strikes a chord somehow. Perhaps she'd met him, or perhaps she'd picked up one of his books. It's hard to tell.

Either way, she's a little surprised by Korrin's remark, replying, "If I had any hope that anyone would listen to a rifter, I'd consider it. But those who'd bother reading my writing likely wouldn't be the people who most need to consider my words. That tends to be how it goes; few people read commentary written by people with views much different from their own."

[gatheringstorm]

"You underestimate people's curiosity about things beyond what the Chantry teaches. Sure, there are hardliners who fear the unknown, but everyone wants to know about the people from beyond the Fade. Are they really demons, or are they just people? Rumors have a way of spreading like a bad rash, but if they read what's written in your own words, then those rumors lose power. It's a start, isn't it? A way to fight back against the assholes who spread lies, with the truth."

[bookish_lioness]

"Anyone who has decided that I'm a demon is likely to consider anything I say to be the coaxing lies of such a demon," Hermione replies, though she's not so blithe that she doesn't consider Korrin's words. "It would be a start, yes, but if people can really be so easily swayed by a single book, then it seems as though the bigots have something of a head start on me."

[gatheringstorm]

"Some people haven't decided if you're a demon or not, that's the point. They haven't seen you or talked to you, so they only have others' words to go on. And yeah, some idiots will think you're a demon no matter what, but there are other people who are just confused and want real answers. They're the ones that can be swayed." Korrin can only hope, anyway. For all her griping about the way things are in Thedas, there remains that spark of youthful optimism. If they can save the world, why not change it as well? Or at least make the attempt.

"You're defeating yourself already, with that talk. Yes, they have a long head start, nothing we can do about that. But you have something all those other books don't, a different viewpoint. People may not admit it, but a lot of them get tired of everything being the same ass-patting revisionist bullshit. Something that isn't will definitely get their attention.

...but if you're worried about backlash, consider a pen-name?"

[bookish_lioness]

"I wouldn't hide my opinions behind a pseudonym," she replies immediately. "Besides, I haven't met very many rifters who can do magic, or who would refer to what they can do as magic. If someone really wanted to know who I was, the process of elimination would make that simple.

"And in either case," she adds with a small, rueful chuckle, "I'd need a reputation before I could be all too worried about a backlash. Or, at least, any kind of backlash different from the one I usually face when people see the shard in my hand."