OPEN | We're all told to dance but we never pick the tune

[pinprick]

WHO: Nathaniel Howe and YOU
WHAT: Open log
WHEN: Wintermarch and Guardian
WHERE: The Kestrel House & Camp Shady
NOTES: Reading aloud of bad smutty romance novel.

Camp Shady

It's proper winter, which is aggravating the crap out of Nathaniel's rheumatism. On good days, he can practice with weapons. On bad days, he is wrapped up in layers of blankets and writing or drawing with a grimace on his face. Every day he reads reports from Warden scouts, scouring the world for signs of the Architect. Most leads become dead ends.

The Kestrel House

On one truly abysmal day, Nathaniel doesn't get out of bed. Every movement creates agony. He stays in the barracks wing with curtains drawn around the bed he and Anders share, sometimes rolling out to make tea at the fire. He is very pale to anyone who sees him, but makes no sound or complaint.

Closed to Anders

At the end of one of the bad days, Anders arrives back at the Kestrel House to find Nathaniel inside, working on a drawing. He glances up and gestures for him to come closer.

"I've something to show you."

Comments

[pinprick]

He shakes his head. Sugar makes the pain worse, somehow. "I like it plain as well." He sits down carefully, straightening his back and resting it against the wall by the fire. "Are you doing well?"

[circleprodigy]

Nodding, she hands over the cup before pouring one for herself. "I'm managing, just appreciating a quiet moment before Garahel awakens. I plan to exchange these books when I visit Skyhold's library later. If you're restless and in need of reading material, tell me what you like and I can bring something back with me. It's no trouble."

It's been a while since she was bedridden herself, but Inessa remembers how awfully boring it can get when one is well enough to be alert but not enough to leave the bed itself.

[pinprick]

"If you see anything about history or warfare, I wouldn't say no," Nathaniel muses before sipping his tea. What a good kid Inessa is. "Rheumatism, lass. Be careful with your body while you're young or you'll wind up like me."

[circleprodigy]

"I'll see what I can do." It shouldn't be that difficult, though looking for something that isn't bogged down in Chantry bias might be a challenge. Then again, someone did helpfully scrawl some corrective notes in some of the elf-related topics. Cradling her own between her hands, she smiles wryly. "I'll keep that in mind, but I also suspect circumstances will continue to make that an uphill battle."

She finally takes a slow sip, rubbing at Garahel's exposed belly with a foot. "How did you spend it exactly? From what you mean, am I right to assume it's not due to Grey Warden duties?"

[pinprick]

A soft grunt as Nathaniel shifts to a more comfortable position. "My chest was crushed by a Vengeance demon last summer. Specifically, the one that previously possessed Anders. It knew me, and had no fondness for me."

[circleprodigy]

Inessa grows solemn and nods as she recalls the previous summer, a fair portion of which was spent elsewhere before reaching Skyhold. She hadn't met Nathaniel immediately, and this is undoubtedly the reason why. "I remember hearing about that as a relatively recent event, when I first arrived. It reminds me of other such attempts I read about...though many of those resulted in disaster. I'm glad yours ended as well as it did, all things considered."