faderift | You'll fight and you'll make it through

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You'll fight and you'll make it through

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Well as long as you don't tense up again and practice. Proper form aids you but you will still have to learn aim."

He laughed softly and gave her a gentle pat on the head. "Practice that a couple more times. I am going to find you a bracer for your arm. Perhaps a glove as well for your string hand."

Another pat and he wandered away for a few minutes. What he found proved to be useful and rather elegant as well. He liked how they would be functional for her while also with a beauty to them. In his mind, they suited her greatly for that reason. So when he returned he had a glove as well as a bracer. These he held up triumphantly as he held out his hand for the bow.

"Here. Put these on and I will hold your bow while you do. I can fire an arrow for you to practice aiming for."

She never knew what to make of his genial nature, especially when it came to things that should feel patronizing, such as patting her on the head. He honestly seemed to mean well by it, though, rather than be doing it simply to belittle her, so she didn't feel right commenting on it.

Hermione knew precious little about archery as a sport, having mostly seen it used by fellow Inquisition members in battle. So when he wandered off, she frowned slightly after him, trying to remember if she'd seen archers on the field routinely walk around with bracers and such. But then, half of the Inquisition always seemed to be suited up in armor, so it was hard to tell if someone wore something as an accessory or a necessity. Given the state of Thedas, she could only assume accessories were too much of a luxury for a majority of those in Skyhold.

When Iskandar returned, Hermione had practiced as he requested, though she still couldn't help jumping a bit every time she released the string. She was glad for his return, since despite his quirks he did manage to have something of a soothing effect on her, and she looked at the proffered items curiously.

Handing him her bow, she looked uncertainly at the glove and bracer, needing a moment to catch on to how they're supposed to be worn, as she'd never had anything like them before. "I've seen people practice with these sorts of things, so this might be a silly question," she began as she slipped the glove on, "but are these actually worn in battle? I've never really noticed."

"Perhaps not by all but many would. It is important to protect the parts of you using the weapon, after all. You are also learning and this will help your hand and arm to relax more so you can be more comfortable with this weapon. After all, you tense when you expect pain which could cause you to aim where you do not wish to."

Taking up an arrow, he put it on the bow and aimed, showing her his form as he aimed further down the way. A breath and he released it, sending to fly across the training field until it was stuck into a target. He gave a nod of satisfaction then looked to her again.

"Go on. Put them on. I wore similar things as a boy though I always truly favored the sword."

"So they would be used mostly by those who are predominantly archers," she concluded, deciding that they may help now for practice but that she'd eventually have to learn to do without them. Unless they would help her wield a wand or a staff, they wouldn't be the most practical.

Watching him easily take aim and fire true, Hermione had to resist the urge to mutter show-off. She knew that wasn't the case, but she often became easily flustered if she couldn't catch on to something right away, and so she took a calming breath and lowered her arms to her sides once she had the glove and bracer on.

"I always favored using a Shield Charm to keep my opponents a good distance away," she brought up dryly. "But given that that hasn't been helping me, I'm trying to feel out any alternative talents I may have."

"I think you could have a talent here. It will just take practice and a will to keep up with that practice."

He felt she could have that though so he handed the bow back to her then quickly checked to make sure the equipment was on correctly. Once he was sure that it was secure, he smiled at her and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"Give it another go without an arrow and see how that feels."

It was rare for Hermione to have a talent for anything physical, and she doubted very much that she'd prove to have much of a talent for archery. But then, practice made perfect, and she could at least dedicate some time to practice and see where it took her.

Even so, she gave Iskandar something of an incredulous look before raising the bow and pulling back on the string. She has to adjust a bit so she doesn't end up knocking up against her own chest, but really that's the only uncomfortable bit about it. And that's not liable to change anytime soon.

"It feels fine. I'm assuming they're more of preemptive accessories to prevent calluses and sprains than for the sake of immediately making it easier to shoot."

"I would say that preventing such things would make it easier to shoot actually," he pointed out before going to get her an arrow. Taking a moment, he showed her how to string it properly then settled behind her so that way she could draw it back.

"Do you see where my arrow is? Aim for that and when you are ready breathe in then out and release when your breath is gone."

If nothing else it should help her body to relax more for that exact moment when she let the arrow fly.

Hermione focused intently on her aim and tensed all over again at the prospect of shooting an arrow once more. At least this time, Iskandar was behind her, and so she wouldn't hit him. At least, not without exhibiting some sort of real - and unfortunate - talent.

Hermione took a deep breath... then another. Then let another go by before she realized that she was technically supposed to have released the arrow two breaths ago. As though realizing she'd missed her stop on a train, she had a moment of panic at not following directions just so and released the arrow without making sure it was aimed properly. It flew towards the target and just off to the left of it, missing it completely.

With a frustrated groan, Hermione lowered the bow and tried not to huff in annoyance with herself. "At least it didn't stop to skewer anyone along the way."

"Not bad! It went the direction of the target!"

He patted her shoulder then went to fetch the arrow so it wouldn't throw her off to be firing at two targets. Returning with it, he handed it back to her. "Try again. That shot did well but the way to improve will be to continue to fire towards that arrow. It will become easier as time passes that way."

At first she thought he was being sarcastic, but then she remembered this was Iskandar. She wasn't sure he could ever be sarcastic.

Looking skeptically at the arrow he returned to her, Hermione tried not to frown as she took it in her hand again, giving him something of a wry glance. "Won't you get bored, standing there and watching me miss shot after shot?" Just because he couldn't be sarcastic didn't mean she couldn't.

"Hm? That seems rather unlike me and would make me a very poor teacher. Do you not need someone to help you learn what the mistakes are so you can improve?" Besides, she was listening to him and she was clearly improving already with what she was doing. It would take time to have it be habit but the least he could do was give her a good foundation to work with.

"I did offer to teach you. Besides, I would say you are better than I when I first took up a bow. I actually shot my instructor! Well, his clothes but the moment was still rather startling!"

The idea of Iskandar having almost shot his instructor was jarring enough that Hermione had to lower the bow as soon as she'd raised it, giving him an incredulous look. "You do realize that I'd nearly hit you, don't you? That's what brought you over here in the first place."

Granted, she hadn't gotten close enough to graze his clothes, but if he'd been walking at a slightly different pace, she would have almost certainly shot him! He couldn't really claim that she was doing better than he had when they'd started off similarly.

"Ah but you nearly did so without a lesson. I had been having lessons for months at the time."

Which clearly made all the difference in his mind. Grinning at her, he gave a nod to the bow. Like he was telling her to go ahead and go for it. Another shot to get used to the bow.

"See? I am well. And now I am teaching you to use the weapon properly."

"I'd still almost shot you!" she insisted with a small pout. Granted, she was a beginner, but that surely didn't excuse her almost hitting him, especially when he hadn't been standing anywhere near the target.

Still pouting, Hermione focused on the target before her, once again lifting the bow once the arrow was properly nocked. At least with Iskandar besides her rather than in front of her, she didn't have to worry too much about him getting in the way. Releasing the arrow, she watched as, while it did hit the target, it just barely managed to sink itself into the very edge of it, which would have done little else but graze an actual opponent, if that. She could already hear Iskandar saying, however, that she was improving, since at least the arrow connected this time.

"That would be a decent blow to an enemy. A graze of that nature would be enough to throw off aim or offer distraction for our allies." He nodded his approval as he went to the arrow to have a better look at it, leaning in close so he could see exactly where it had struck. Right there at the edge of the target. Likely would have been a shoulder for a person depending on height.

Taking the arrow back with him, Iskandar grinned at her with pride as he handed it back. "This time when you are aiming, look down the length of your arrow. If you need to tilt your head some then do so. It will help you to line up your shot."

While Hermione wanted to petulantly insist that it wasn't a bull's eye and so didn't much matter in the long run, Iskandar's encouraging assessment wasn't entirely wrong. All that mattered to her was that she could slow an opponent down long enough for her to be able to fall back on her magic or on whoever she might be fighting alongside. She certainly wasn't aiming to become a killer, and the very notion that she could kill someone like this was vaguely terrifying.

Taking the arrow from his hand again, she couldn't help frowning a little despite his rationale before once again taking aim. "And if it were an enemy, it wouldn't give me the time to line up my shot. But I suppose that's where practice comes in."

She shot again, and this time the arrow fell a little closer to center, but also much lower, due to her overcompensating with how much she was "looking down" the length of her arrow. It may just be practice, but it was still frustrating.

"Which is why archers are kept at a distance and behind cover when in battle. That way they have the support of those around them to ensure they do have that time to line up their shot. But learning to use your environment can come at another time. For the time being I think we should just focus on your aim."

"Ah did you see how your aim changed as you were looking? Now compensate for that and shift the direction of your arrow slightly."

He smiled brightly, obviously thrilled with her progress so far as he handed her another arrow. "Go on. The best way to learn is to have it become habit."

Hermione didn't much like the idea of needing to be protected in the middle of battle, though she understood what Iskandar meant. People instinctively looked out for their own in the middle of a fight, and if there was a practical reason for it - such as making sure that "their own" could line up a crucial shot correctly - all the better. Hermione herself could point out several times during the Battle of Hogwarts and beyond where she'd stopped what she was doing so she could help the person besides her.

She didn't understand how someone could be so pleased with less than perfect work, but though she gave Iskandar something of a skeptical look as she accepted the next arrow, she didn't say anything. He was only trying to encourage her, and he was doing so without realizing that she was something of a terrible perfectionist.

Following his instructions, she brought her bow up a bit higher than before and tried to aim for where she was looking. This time, the arrow at least got to the outer edge of the center ring. It wasn't quite a bull's eye, no, but it was much better than she'd done just a few tries ago, so she finally allowed herself to smile a little.

"There! Just give me three goes at it and I should be able to take out someone's eye."

"You will have to continue to practice so you can truly take out someone's eye. Though you'd be better for looking at a small point in armor. It is usually easier to spot in motion than the eye of a person."

Iskandar tapped parts of her as he went. The shoulder. The neck. "These places are weak to attacks. The shoulder in particular will be good for stopping someone while being less likely to actually kill them."

Considering Hermione's nature, he figured that was what she needed to hear. To know. She was hardly a pacifist but to kill another person took something in a person that was another matter. One he would prefer she not live a life of. He had no idea if she'd actually killed yet or not but even if she had he'd prefer to help her not to have to do so ever again.

"I feel you will master this nicely though."

"It was only a figure of speech," she muttered softly, grimacing a little at the thought of actually taking out someone's eye. She had no doubt that such things really did happen in battle, and she much preferred not to think of Mad-Eye Moody or even of the Iron Bull or anyone else who now wore a false eye or a patch, but she didn't want to be responsible for it.

Hermione herself didn't know whether or not she'd ever killed someone, since that's just the nature of things when a fight gets to that point. There were certainly many deaths that she blamed herself for, or at least held herself partially responsible for, if she allowed herself to think about them for too long. But she opted not to think about such things, especially not when there were more practical things in life to ponder.

Taking a deep breath to try and relax herself, she looked up at Iskandar and nodded, managing a small smile. "I don't know about master, but if I can use it to keep myself and others alive, I don't mind keeping up with it."

"I do not wish to start you on it this day but perhaps in a little time we should have you practice with moving targets. It could be very beneficial to you for battles. After all, few enemies will simply stand still in a fight."

And he would at least be able to prepare her for what an opponent might do during an attack. The least that he could offer to her of his immense battle knowledge really.

"I think I can find pieces of wood or something to toss for you to aim at when it comes time for that."

Whatever success she'd had in relaxing herself faded away immediately at the mention of moving targets. At first, she'd assumed he'd meant actual animals, but then she realized that no, he wouldn't take her for the sort who could hunt and kill. Would he?

Clearly not, given his clarification, and she let out another long breath. "I'd have to work my way up to that. I can barely succeed at minimizing casualties with a single steady target, never mind if I have to adjust my aim on a regular basis."

"Well of course. To force you into something so advanced so quickly when you are not so comfortable with this yet would be cruel. I want you to be comfortable with the tool you are using before I show you new ways that you can use it. If only to ensure you do not hurt yourself."

She was always going to be his priority in these matters. Far more than anyone else.

"Or hurt random passerby?" she asked, looking up at him with a bit of a wry smile. "Especially lest they try and take your place as my archery instructor?"

After all, it seemed as though Iskandar had taken it upon himself not just to offer a few pointers, but also to help her find her way around archery on a more long-term basis. While she might not consider herself a serious archer and would always prefer defaulting to magic, she couldn't really find any reason to complain about that.

He burst out laughing at that. "It might be interesting if there was someone as foolish as I to have an arrow fired at them then to decide to teach you the skill as a result."

Well at least he was aware of how idiotic that sort of thing was.

"But yes. I would wish you to keep yourself and others safe. That is the nature of your heart."

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