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

"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."

Hermione could always appreciate someone who could laugh at himself, if only because she had a difficult time of doing the same. It showed a sort of self-confidence that she just didn't have, and so seeing it in others was heartening, in its own way.

"I wouldn't call it foolish. After all, you just want to make sure that I get good enough not to shoot you next time. That sounds perfectly reasonable to me."

She didn't know if she'd consider it "the nature of her heart" so much as it was simple common sense, but that just showed the differences in their general outlook.

"Actually I didn't consider myself for even a second when I offered to help. I completely forgot until this moment when you mentioned it."

He could be reasonable in certain moments but apparently not in matters such as this. Ah well at least he was willing to confess to that much as well. One step at a time and all that.

While she'd been mostly joking, the fact that Iskandar hadn't actually considered his own safety took her by surprise, and she gave him a look that said as much, as well as all sorts of sterner things.

"I know you're big and strong, Iskandar," she told him dryly, "but that doesn't mean you can't get hurt. What if I'd been using magic instead of arrows, or a wayward shot actually had gotten you somewhere where it would do considerable damage? Please promise you'll be a little more careful in the future."

"Actually I'm rather resistant to magic so that might have been better for me I'd think. Though I do heal faster than the average man since I am a spirit."

His abilities were not what they once were but he knew that he was still far sturdier than most people here. That meant he was far more willing to risk himself first before others. Best to use your strongest tool rather than just breaking a weaker one.

Hermione eyed him skeptically, doing her best to ignore that last bit about him being a spirit. She had a very particular idea of what "spirits" were, according to Thedas, and while she knew better than to outright hate all of them, she couldn't deny that they made her uneasy. Iskandar didn't make her uneasy. Whatever he might be or whatever he might call himself, Hermione didn't think of him as a spirit in the Thedosian sense.

"You might be resistant to magic, but no one is immune to all forms of magic, especially not when there are so many different kinds of it represented here in Skyhold. So again, all the same, just promise to be careful. At least while you're here at the fortress. Getting hurt while on a mission is one thing, but friendly fire before you've even left the Inquisition base is another matter altogether."

"I cannot promise to be careful without it being a lie. Such would not be fair to you and I respect you too much. So instead I will promise to not seek out situations that will bring me harm."

That seemed the fairest way of making a compromise given his own nature. After all, he knew himself well enough to know that he would never be one to be careful even when asked. So to promise he would be meant just breaking his word and he had too much honor for that.

"Besides, I am not eager for injury!" And with that he burst into laughter.

Hermione blinked, trying to follow his logic with that. Usually, if she told someone to be careful, it was something of a moot point; after all, no one walked about in their daily lives with the intention of being careless. But the fact that Iskandar couldn't promise that he'd be careful took her aback a bit, and she frowned a little at his laughter.

"Eager or not, it can happen!" she told him, trying not to sound as though she was scolding him. "A carefully-worded promise is all well and good, but I just want to make sure I don't have to fret over you if I don't see you for a few days." Not that she wouldn't, even with a proper promise, but it would help lessen the steady panic if there ever came a time when she sought him out and couldn't find him.

"Hm? I'm certain you have no need for that. Every time you see me I am the picture of health. Not an injury or new scar to be seen."

It was like he thought that was good enough to reassure her that he was going to be fine. Then again, it wasn't like he'd ever died from an injury before. Yet. He knew he would when he returned to his world but that was another matter entirely.

"Do you really worry so much about me when you do not see me for a few days?"

He clearly didn't understand the idea of there always being a possibility of danger, and while Hermione could see why that attitude might be considered charming, she also found it a bit maddening.

"I worry about anyone if I hadn't seen them in a few days, unless I know they've gone off on a mission or are working on a project. It's easy to assume the worst here, when there's so much danger lurking just right outside of Skyhold. I don't want to think of the worst, especially not when it comes to the people I count among my friends."

"I fear you may worry too much. Dangers lurk everywhere and it is often better to relax so you will be ready to help should something happen. It is why I act as I do. I have concerns for those I love but I spend my time being prepared and rested so that should trouble arise I am ready to conquer it thoroughly."

He wasn't scolding her though, nothing like that. What she was doing was not wrong and he didn't fault her for that. Rather he wanted to offer another take on the matter so she could perhaps see why he reacted to things the way he did. Sometimes things like that could help another to understand him.

The look Hermione gave him was somewhere between perplexed and understanding; while she could see the theoretical logic in what he said, she didn't understand how someone could actually behave that way in practice. It wasn't as though one had much control over what one did or didn't worry about, after all.

But this would be a debate without end, given that she knew enough of Iskandar to hazard a guess that he could be quite stubborn about opposing viewpoints. so she let the bewilderment fade somewhat, shrugging her shoulders a bit. "I never said not to be prepared to solve whatever problems might arise. Just the opposite, really; I asked you to promise to be careful, so that you can be at your readiest no matter what happens. You can't fault me for being worried, not when you yourself claimed to have concerns for your friends as well."

"But of course! Such is opening your heart to another!"

He laughed and then gave a little shrug. The words didn't always have to make sense really. Feelings were what they were. "Simply do not make yourself old before your time. There is much of life to live and there is room to explore and flourish without drowning in the horrors of what might be."

With that he let the subject fade. "How do your hands feels?"

Considering that she'd just come from a war before arriving in Thedas, making herself old before her time was a bit beyond Hermione's deciding. But she didn't say as much, because really, what was the point when Iskandar would likely only tell her that the past was past and that it only served to help her make decisions in her future? It was rather fatherly of him, really, which explained why Hermione could sort of see where he was going with his words, even if it didn't seem to have a proper sense of cohesion.

At his question, she blinked in surprise before looking down at her hands, as though they would tell her the answer. "A little tired, but all right," she replied, flexing her fingers a bit. "I never really considered that my hands would hurt after archery. Of course it makes sense, but it's just one of those things that you never really think about until you're in the moment."

You'll fight and you'll make it through

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