In the turning of the seasons, in life and death

[motherfucking_ghost]

WHO: Church, Malcolm, Rachette, YOU
WHAT: Present timeline catch-all
WHEN: Guardian /wiggly hand
WHERE: Up down all around Skyhold
NOTES: Nab me on plurk if you want a specific starter

Church is starting to spend a lot more time in the tavern than he ever did before. Sometimes he's just hanging around, taking some notes. Sometimes he's cleaning up tables with a rag. Sometimes you can actually see him in the back doing what may or may not be actual work. Crazy! He's also spending quite a bit of time around the stables, trying really hard not to look intimidated by the steeds, learning to put on saddles, and you may even see him up on one. This is madness. This is Skyhold.

Rachette does a lot of training, whether it's with her blades, doing her best to cut up a dummy, or doing sick backflips off walls or generally trying to get her parkour on, or at a table with a bunch of scrap fiddling with traps. She's also fond of going out hunting. You can perhaps find her debating with a merchant about the price of turning a rabbit pelt into a pair of gloves or a nice hat. She sometimes hangs nearby classes without trying to look like she's actually sitting in. Learning but not like...being a nerd okay shut up who likes learning not her.

Malcolm hovers around the healer tents more than he ever usually does, either visiting those injured or getting injuries checked up on. He also seems to be making a point of starting to see if there's anything he can do to help despite not being a healer. His training has more to do with keeping the skills he does have sharp, whether through archery (where he has an interesting new bow that hasn't made an appearance yet), or working out, or sparring. He's willing to give advice to people that seek it. And as ever, there's always some point where he can be seen around the kennels or otherwise being with is poodle companion Milady, playing, training, being at least mildly adorable.

Comments

[sistertohermen]

She gives him a side glance look up. "Are you a hunter?" she asks dubiously. He doesn't look like much, but she knows better than to judge by looks alone.

[alankazam]

"I like to know where the traps are," Practicality — if not quite an answer. Such things aren’t always so easily seen, through another pair of eyes. "Saves my toes."

Or paws, as it were. What he's going to hunt totally unarmed, well:

"There should still be some nests worth climbing for." No eggs this time of year, unless you’re going after owls and eagles — never a smart play — but squirrels aplenty. "I’ll trade you some bait for it."

The knowledge, that is.

[sistertohermen]

"You can always hunt in another area where I'm not trapping. Then you don't have to worry about it." It's all just a little bit suspicious, but he doesn't reek of nobility, so that's a plus. Doesn't seem to have anything on him, but if he's just going to dig out squirrels or something, all you need is a knife or even a sturdy pair of gloves.

"Unless you were just waiting for anyone out hunting to go by because you want to double up. Afraid you'll get lost?" She's not necessarily turning down the bait or anything, just...trying to understand this guy.

[alankazam]

"I won't know where you're not trapping, unless I know where you are," He points out, considering how to answer. It's not a matter of evasion, so much as working his own thoughts around into alignment. "I teach some of the wilderness classes. I suppose I'm worried about other people getting lost."

A beat, for dramatic effect before he states the obvious:

"Lost into traps."

[sistertohermen]

All right, the dramatic trap pause makes her spittake laughing. "All right, sure. I'll place my traps, you watch and steer clear of them, we make sure we don't get lost." It's not that she fully trusts his answer, because it comes off kind of strange still, but he's interesting enough to not immediately shrug off. She's talked to a couple weirdos weirder than him. The Inquisition sure takes 'em all.

"So what's a wilderness class like? What's that about?" That's not one she's creeped in on. (Yet.)

[alankazam]

Alan smiles vaguely, just as vaguely pleased with himself.

"They’re for people who haven't been out here before. Getting settled with the basics." They’ve so many city-dwellers swelling the ranks, and even to the experienced, the Frostbacks are a different beast than the lowlands. "Fire. Shelter. Why not to eat snow, all that."

Not that he hasn’t been having to learn some pieces from scratch. Just make a spark isn’t great advice for those who can’t snap one into life.

"We’ll need to start building traps soon." A gesture to hers. "Foraging, too, but I’m trying to put that off until spring."

There’s too much real need in Skyhold right now to comb the hills for practice. These climbs weren't meant to support an army’s appetite.

[sistertohermen]

"You're not supposed to eat snow?!" But but but! "I mean I don't do that now, since Skyhold has water, but my crew would haul snow into a pot and melt to drink. Because snow turns into water."

She still can't really believe it sometimes. The surface is wild!

"I try not to leave traps out too long. I like being able to go out and then bring something back in the same day. Don't want them getting lost or rusted or stolen or dismantled. Might want to make some bigger ones come springtime, too. I've seen druffalo out there, but I know better than to go bother them. I'm sure they'd be good eats, though."

[alankazam]

"You're fine boiling it," He shrugs. "But people think they can just melt it in their mouth. Only makes you thirstier."

"We could use some druffalo," Now there's a thought.. "We could really use them alive. Get a herd in the habit of sticking close, and we could even have butter. Or cheese."

Though Maker knows the nobility love to bring that with them, at least.

"Did your crew come with you?" It doesn't sound like it, but he can't help but ask.

[sistertohermen]

"But it's...it's like rain, which is...water," sounds fake but ok, "but cold enough to freeze. How does sky-water make you thirstier?" Seriously, no wonder most dwarves are warned against the surface. Crazy rules.

"No, most of them died or decided they'd rather rot in cells or take punishments for being thieving little bastards. Most people don't take kindly to Carta. I decided I'd rather live and get to help out in the whole saving the world business." There's a couple moments peace in thought, before: "The Fereldans might go nuts for druffalo cheese. Surely with enough people to poke them, we could get a couple tamed."

[alankazam]

"It's the cold, not the water that does it."

Beyond that, he can't well explain, much as he'd like to. Some things he only knows by the doing. Alan considers a minute, admits,

"I don't see the point of cells." It's not the right thing to say, and he knows it, but he's not sure there is a right thing to say at all. At least this is honest. "The ones here don't seem like they're helping anything."

Just cages for unhappy people. It isn't like the halla in the pen, or the stables for the horses. He doesn't like those either, but the creatures inside them do. How do you learn to love a prison? What has to go wrong inside someone for that?

He doesn't know, and there's happier fare to discuss:

"There'll be babies, come spring. Those would be easier to handle."