open - are we there yet?

[roguishpast]

 WHO: Sigrun and Kaisa, Sigrun and YOU

WHAT: Sigrun gets to Skyhold.
WHEN: Guardian, 9:43 Dragon
WHERE: Around Skyhold
NOTES: If you have an idea for a more specific starter not included here, let me know!

part a - arriving at skyhold (closed to kaisa, continuation of this)

When the outline of a person fades into view on the edges of her vision, Sigrun instinctively grasps the hilt of one of her swords, squinting through the onslaught of snow and trying to determine who or what is bounding towards her. Once the figure gets close enough to be recognizable in spite of the weather, however, her grip goes slack. Is that...? 

“Kaisa--!” Relief rushes through her, which reinvigorates her enough to ignore her numb limbs in favor of doubling her pace. Which really just means she’s wading through the snow slightly faster, but she’s trying, okay. It looks silly and undignified and unabashed, meaning the company in question is the perfect accent to these antics. Being composed is for the boring wardens.

Once both parties have closed the distance, Sigrun smiles wide and breathes hard, resting her hands on her knees. “Yes, well.” Huff. “You know me.” Huff puff. “I never know when to quit.” It takes another minute for her to fully catch her breath. Once she’s confident she has enough air in her lungs to form full sentences, she gives Puppy’s ears a good scratch and leans her weight against him. “I don’t think everything ever stopped being weird. But you can tell me all about it on the way back.” 

The offer for help is wordlessly accepted by Sigrun pulling herself up and onto Puppy’s back. She shoots Kaisa a cheeky grin once she’s settled in, tilting her head as if to say this is what you meant, right? “I think I can manage. As long as I have the help of this noble steed, of course.”

part b - warden camp

Sigrun sits in front of a campfire in the warden camp as if she belongs there. As if she never left. As if this place even existed when she was here last, which it certainly did not. The situation around here has improved in more ways than just the sleeping conditions, near as she can tell, but there’s still so much she doesn’t know. There are things she needs to confront and work out and it makes her head spin to think about any of it. It’s all too complicated. She’s a simple dwarf with simple needs, like stabbing darkspawn with a sword and staring at shiny things and trying to make the world better. How did she wind up here, plagued by thoughts of traitorous wardens and demons and dwarves consumed by red lyrium to the point of returning to the Stone in the most twisted and sacrilegious way possible?

She closes her eyes and wiggles her toes in front of the fire, soaking in the moment and driving her troubled thoughts away to address them at a later date. Not today. She’s not dealing with those today. Today is for warmth and friends and untroubled (less troubled, anyway) sleep. The grim expression on her face eases, the furrow in her brow falls away, and she’s left with silence, save for the crackling of the flames. It's a good time to approach, if you don't mind her lounging in casual wear while her Legionnaire armor (notably not her warden armor) is drying out beside her.

part c - tavern

After the sun has set and Sigrun’s frozen bones have been sufficiently thawed by the warmth of actual, tangible flames and sentimentality alike, she retires to the tavern. She needs a drink. She needs about 100 drinks, if you do the math and divide what she’s been through by the time she’s spent in a tavern lately (which equals none at all), but that would probably kill her. So she starts off with one and makes it last by sipping slowly, coaxing conversation out of those around her with humor and tall tales. It’s not hard to find her in the middle of a bad joke. Or staring into her cup wistfully. It’s been a long day.

Comments

C

[gatheringstorm]

Sigrun has some company in the form of a Vashoth woman who's taking up more than one seat with her long legs. Fortunately, the tavern's not that crowded and the bar area isn't full, so her actions aren't strictly speaking inconsiderate. Qunari take up a lot of space, okay.

Catching the dwarven woman staring into her cup, Korrin smiles. "It won't get drunk just by staring at it, you know. Everyone deserves to unwind a little these days. If money's an issue, I wouldn't worry about it. The beer fairy likes to pay everyone a round now and then."

B

[circleprodigy]

There's the sound of something heavy approaching, though if Sigrun opens her eyes to see, it's just a mabari. Encrusted with snow as though he's been rolling around in it, the war hound's demeanor is more than of a spoiled pet at present. He goes to sniff this new dwarven buddy, wagging his tail and maybe (definitely) hoping that she has a treat on her. Can't she see that he's starving? (No, he isn't.)

Doing her best to catch up to him is a small, pale elven woman in Grey Warden gear. She's tucking away the ball that her canine companion has been fetching, calling out. "Garahel! Mind your manners, and no jumping." If it sounds a bit automatic...well, it is. Inessa's eyebrows raise as she gets a better look at his present company. Dwarven Wardens aren't that uncommon, but those Legion of the Dead tattoos are familiar...and then it strikes her where she's seen those before. Warden-Commander Clarel's meeting in Orlais. Her fellow Warden was one of those not receptive to the Warden-Commander's plan, and that brings out a small smile upon remembering. "Hello, again. I hope my companion isn't being too much of a pest."

C

[conqueredhearts]

While those tales were likely very tall, this man was taller. Yet he just smiled and laughed at what he heard from her, actually appreciating the humor rather than groaning from it. Either he was easily amused or a very good sport. Since both were very likely given his nature...

Anyway, the large man finished off his drink and called for another. Was this his third? Fourth? He was really slamming them down without there seeming to be any consequence for it!

"I like you, my friend! Your stories are wonderful!"

C

[wontforgetyou]

It's not that Jamie doesn't appreciate jokes, because he's as fond of them as the next man. But when it comes to bad jokes or puns, there's times where he simply can't help just groan over them. Today is one of those times - to the point where the groan almost seems to reflect itself in his expression as lowers his tankard and sets it back on the bar's surface.

"Och, that's almost as bad as some of the ones my friend tells. Where on Ear...er, Thedas did you hear that one?"

B

[byblow]

Alistair nearly walks past her, at first. There aren't so many people who live here that he doesn't notice when someone doesn't belong—not Teren, not Nathaniel, not Anders or Velanna or Kaisa or Inessa or Ciri or Kain or Felix, ergo someone else—but he's preoccupied. He sees Sigrun. He thinks oh, there's Sigrun, and why shouldn't she be there? before resuming his very important thoughts about Corypheus.

But then he stops. (Otherwise this would be a very short log.) He pivots, boots loudly grinding the ice under his feet, and gives her a baffled but delighted grin.

"You're back!" he says, exclamation point and all, and spreads his hands palms-up to indicate all of everything. "As you can see, we've saved the word without you and there's nothing really left to do."

That's one of the more outlandish lies he's told recently.

C - Before TTT

[not_the_question]

The Doctor drank more often in this body than the last one. And especially more often since his loss of River. Being here was a lot to take in for him. No River, no TARDIS, no sonic, no technology to speak of, really. About the only thing that was normal was the Tavern.

So he was here, drowning his sorrows as it were. That was when he heard the woman sat next to him crack a bad joke. He could be rather punny when he wanted to be but that was...

"Oh, did you have to? Look, I'm me and I'm even saying that wasn't a good joke."

Seriously, it was an accomplishment.

b;

[arcaneadvisor]

While she isn't one of the more common visitors to the camp (at least walking as a woman), Morrigan still comes and goes now and then. As ever she walks as if she belongs because why shouldn't she, a smallish pack slung over one shoulder with a few things poking out of it that she has to drop off before she heads back up to Skyhold.

A book or two poke out of it, a few vials, other odds and ends that might find some use but she stops by the fire to warm her hands for a moment, glancing at the dwarf then giving her a longer look when she realises that no, she doesn't know this one and that is armour she hadn't thought to see again in her lifetime.

"Do you bring news from the Deep Roads?"

b

[justice_is_blond]

He's headed back to the Warden Camp from working in the healing tents for the day stretching, ready to settle down at the campfire, when he sees her and stops. Anders rubs his eyes and blinks, and it doesn't change that she's really here. For a few moments he just stands there. Meeting people from his past is stressful when he doesn't know if they'd be furious to see him or friendly, but he has to hope Sigrun will be the latter.

Quietly he comes up and takes a breath. "Hello, Sigrun."

the one labeled for meee

[unbrokenoath]

Well, if it helps, most of the boring Wardens are dead, now.

...That probably doesn't help.

"Quitting is for quiters, don't you know." Is the cheerful and incredibly wise reply, as Kaisa does what she can to help Sigrun, checking to make sure Puppy can handle it. Once confirmed that everyone is good to go, Kaisa gives both of them a salute and starts walking, breaking up the snow for them. After a few steps, though, she turns around so she can talk while walking.

"Eh, dumb mutt might as well do something useful." It's said in an affectionate manner, though, with a fond grin at the 'dumb mutt'. "But I mean--Weirder? It's not weirder. We're not all hearing the Calling 24/7, so that's pretty great. Anders showed back up and he's with the Wardens again, which is cool. But...it also got a lot of people pissed at us, and now we're kinda not allowed to live in Skyhold? So that's a thing, too." A stupid thing, her tone implies, nose scrunched up.

"Alistair, you know That Alistair--don't call him that, though, unless you're trying to piss him off--is the current senior Warden, believe it or not. But he doesn't do a lot of bossing around, he lets Nathaniel and Teren do most of it. Probably 'cause they're good at it." And Alistair...isn't. She shrugs, though, in a 'what can you do' kind of way. "But they're both reasonable. No one's tried to sacrifice me for a blood magic ritual yet, so that's a step over Clarel."

B

[in_death_sacrifice]

Warmth sounds good to Kain right about now, as he's just coming in from a long day of training and hunting. He's typically keeping himself overly busy, so when it comes time to rest for a bit... he usually really needs it. So he heads over toward the fire to settle in. He soon enough realizes he's not the only one with this idea.

"Hope you don't mind. I just need a moment to warm up." He glances over... she's not a familiar face. "Have you been around Skyhold long?"

tavern

[lionheartedman]

Most of the people who used to make sure that Cullen took care of himself are gone. Busy. More important things to handle, and he doesn't begrudge anyone that choice. It does mean he's back to eating less. Which is probably not the best thing for him right now. Occasionally he'll leave it long enough that he actually feels hungry, which is a bad place to be.

Now is one of those times, sitting by himself, staring into a bowl of something he doesn't quite remember ordering, trying to make himself want to eat it. When someone comes up to the bar next to him to order a drink, he glances over out of habit. It's a woman he doesn't know, though, and he just nods in what might be a greeting before turning back to his food.