[open] exploration, study, and practice

[kartereo]

WHO: Waver + Open
WHAT: Mucking about
WHEN: Month of Drakonis, contemporary timeline
WHERE: In and around Skyhold
NOTES: None

i. Woods around Skyhold
Months ago, Iskandar had talked to Waver about wanting to build a small place for himself in the area. While Waver had had concerns, like the shards, he also wasn't going to argue with having a little bit more private space. And so with melting snows and the promise of spring that came with longer days, he set out into the forests.

He was methodical as he went, relying on horseback to get to whatever area he wanted to focus on on a given day, and then spending hours on foot making notes on natural clearings, where snow naturally drifted, and where it seemed as if there were heavier animal tracks for the sake of hunting.

Waver didn't enjoy the wind and the cold, but he enjoyed the quiet around him, the challenge before him, and the fact that he was actually working outdoors without wheezing and panting like he might have been a few months ago. For better or for worse, Thedas forced him towards the physical, whereas his life in London had only been academic. Or else it was Iskandar making him do the same.

His work and his thoughts are coupled with keen ears that listen for anyone who might be approaching. Animals, he expects, and hopefully none of them predators.

ii. Library
With Merrill having approved of his general approach of creating course schedules for the Skyhold classrooms, Waver was now tweaking what he had come up with. He wanted to build in a break week at the end of every cycle, both for courses to catch up or for people to take missions, and besides, some complimentary course timings were an issue.

So he sat at a long table in the library, parchment cut into squares in one pile and a drawn up calendar in front of him. As he worked, each class was placed on the calendar, and the squares arranged then rearranged as he tried to find something that would be as close to ideal as possible.

There were mutterings of fuck every so often that snaked down the shelves, coupled with that won't work or else ugh.

But it kept him busy, and he loved the puzzle of it all. And as he worked, there was a pleased smile on his face, one that wouldn't go away even if interrupted.

iii. Training
In asking Iskandar what might be the best weapon for him to learn given that magic might not always be available to him, Waver had been told that knives would be an excellent option. And while most of that learning was done away from prying eyes, there was always the need to practice.

Today, Waver did that in a corner of one of the grounds within the fortress, taking advantage ofa dummy left aside by someone else who forgot to put the thing into proper equipment storage. The daylight was fading, and the area looked as if it would see no traffic.

His movements were faster than they were when he and Iskandar had started out. But with the two little practice knives Waver had, he did nothing but miss mark after mark. The issue he knew was that he was now working with a skinny little dummy, rather than a man who was as big as a house.

He gave it several more attempts before muttering, "Goddamnit."

That one knife also went flying from his hand escaped Waver's notice for a moment. When he realized his left hand had nothing in it, he then immediately let out another swear before starting a search. "Where did that thing go--"

iv. Wildcard
For anything not covered above

Comments

[gatheringstorm]

"Sure. Take care of the elfroot and spindleweed? At least that doesn't smell like a druffalo's fart when packed together." Korrin sets aside some of it for later us, but the rest will get quickly separated to spare Waver and herself, before she gives her hands a good hard scrub. Even with that, she's suspecting the scent will linger in some portion for a while.

"And yeah, it'll be outside. I'm not fucking over the one decent crafting spot in Skyhold. If we were forced to leave this place behind, I'd thrown around stink bombs galore just to spite enemy forces...but let's not burn bridges if we don't need to."

[kartereo]

"We probably need to come up with packaging guidelines to avoid this kind of problem in the future. And then we can yell at anyone who fucks up because we've made policy that's been ignored."

Waver moves towards the elfroot first, leaning down to scoop the box up and move it closer to where it goes on the shelf. His scarf falls with the movement, and he seems to have at least adjusted to the smell.

"Or at least stink them up," he adds cheerfully. "I mean, if there's any way to manipulate the wind via magic you could probably really do some damage to anyone trying to make an advance."

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin still wrinkles her nose regularly, unable to get the worse end of it since she's sorting out the hated ingredients from each other. Looking up, she briefly grins. "There is actually a spell for that; it's called Wind-Weaving. I was learning it in anticipation of sailing with Araceli someday, but it has good applications on the battlefield. Tell you what, you get to throw our monstrous creation if I get to try and direct it with that."

[kartereo]

Waver grinned in response, far too excited at the prospect and also well aware of the fact that if he ever caught his students doing something like this, he'd be giving them hell for years to come.

It was nice not being the one in a position of responsibility.

"That sounds like the best idea I've heard all day. But where do we throw it from?"

[gatheringstorm]

That question prompts a frown in thought as she tries to speed up her task while still efficiently separating what by the love of Andraste should have been separate to begin with.

"The battlements...no, that's too far up, we wouldn't have a good target in sight. I think we'd just have to suck it up and head out past Skyhold's gates. There are plenty of good vantage points nearby, and some of my dummies set up there are still intact. Of course, to properly test this we'd need a living creature. I'd say whatever's local and might harass our supply lines is fair game."

[kartereo]

"I mean, even testing to see what the result on local plants would be worthwhile," Waver said, starting to pull the elfroot out of the box. He stopped after a moment though, mostly to tug a pair of gloves out of his pocket before getting into the work of restocking. He had had enough lab accidents to last a life time.

"And if any creature is out of hibernation, then woe unto them."

[gatheringstorm]

"Bears, rams, snoufleurs...that's what we're most likely to find. It won't be long before the hibernating ones wake up, but at least feast for now we won't be surrounded by a horde. And sure, we can test it on plants, too. Well, as long as it's not anything we'd use for crafting. We're not that overflowing with supplies."

Korrin doesn't seem to worried about that happening, not so close to Skyhold. It's not as though they're going to make an epic trek over the mountains, just far enough outside so that fellow Inquisition folks won't complain. Satisfied with the sorting, she starts in on packing the deep mushrooms first, since in her opinion it's the smelliest of the two.

[kartereo]

"Smelly bears," Waver says flatly, then gives an over the top shudder. "And so we add to Skyhold's defenses."

The elfroot goes quickly enough, but Waver is meticulous in placement, as well as ensuring that everything is out of the box. Once he is satisfied with that, he moves it aside, and pauses to dust his gloves off.

[gatheringstorm]

"Hey, whatever works, right?" Korrin smirks, perhaps already wondering how many Venatori and Red Templars would be felled by the bears' scent as well as claws. It's a lovely image, one she can only hope comes true one day. Gagging a little as she stores the deep mushroom, Korrin makes sure to seal that tight...except the amount they'll need to test this stink bomb. The same goes for the blood lotus, which she also sets a bit aside.

There's a moment where she starts to go scrub her hands from the dreadful smell, then pauses and shakes her head. "Let's get started, I'm not going to de-gross my hands only to repeat that. I'm thinking two-thirds deep mushroom, one-third blood lotus? Maybe a little rashvine just to kick it up a notch."

[kartereo]

"And the element of surprise always works. Or at least buys time." And then time takes care of the rest. Waver grins at the mental image of armies fleeing from badly scented bears as he moves on to the spindleweed box.

That too goes quickly enough, timed just as Korrin decides against hand washing. Waver gives the combination an honest consideration, then nods in agreement.

"Would it make more sense to leave the rashvine out for an initial round of experimentation? It seems to me that it'd be worth going two-thirds deep mushroom and one-third blood lotus, then reversing the proportions to see if one is better than the other before adding in other material. Establishing a baseline of awful, if you will."

[gatheringstorm]

Korrin nods slowly, sorting out the proportions for each. "Fair enough. Get me the fuses, while I add the binding agent?" First her own suggested proportions, then the reversal. She glances to the rashvine, but that can wait. They have enough to test out, for now.

"Given what it this already smells like unmodified, I think 'awful' doesn't quite cut it. If someone had a sense of smell before this was thrown at them, they aren't going to afterward."

[kartereo]

"Yeah, hang on."

It didn't take Waver long to rush over towards the shelves where the fuses were stored, and he picked out six fuses very carefully. "How many do you want? More than half a dozen?"

The question of reversing the damage did cause Waver to hum thoughtfully, tapping his chin. "We should probably build up counter-acting ones then, in case they go off in our own hands."

[gatheringstorm]

"Half a dozen sounds good enough. If the recipe needs adjusting, we don't want to have too many already made. That's just enough for preliminary testing, I'd think." There, that ought to do it...even if the result first makes her turn her head sharply away, eyes watering a little. Maker, that's strong.

"Hm, a modified healing mist grenade could do it. Spindleweed and...embrium. Crystal grace, for an upgrade."

[kartereo]

"I'll grab six for the healing mist too then," Waver said, already starting to pluck out the next six. Satisfied, he set them aside before going to the spindleweed"

"Refresh my memory, the embrium is where in here? Also, do we have any type of eyewear lying about? It could help out."

[gatheringstorm]

"It's on the lower shelf of the station, to the right. And I'm pretty sure we do, if no one's run off with it. Whatever there is ought to fit you, at least." Korrin never expects anything to fit her in the south, one of the reasons why she's hoping more every day that the Inquisition will have reason to send her to Rivain again. And good, the grenades are just about done. Korrin is doing some last-minute inspecting, not about to encourage bad habits by rushing this.

[kartereo]

"Thank you!"

The embrium comes first, and it is neatly put to the side along with the spindleweed. Satisfied, Waver begins to shuffle around the room for safety goggles.

"Also you really shouldn't be without them either," he continued, leaning down and pawing through some of the lower shelves. "I'd be happy to find a way to modify something, if that's what it takes."

[gatheringstorm]

Setting aside the finished grenades, Korrin brings the other ingredients closer so she can begin on them. She nods thoughtfully at Waver's suggestion, flashing a smile. "I wouldn't say no, and you'd definitely be compensated. I suppose I can't be a bad example to my students, even outside class."

[kartereo]

"Please, consider it fair payment for letting me hang around and play with chemicals." It was one of the best things about Skyhold, if he was being honest. Finally, his hand found a box of goggles, and he carefully moved what was in front so he could pull the thing out.

"And it isn't as if I have anything better to do with my time either."

[gatheringstorm]

"You've been more responsible than just about anyone else in that class, so I'm glad to have you around as a good example. Not that anyone I've allowed to stay has been that bad, they just tend to take some reminding that grenades have to be created and handled with care." The few who behaved as though grenades were toys didn't last even a full session before she kicked them out, for their own safety and everyone else's.

"How have you settled in, by the way? I've been meaning to ask." She glances over curiously while wiping down her hands so as not to risk cross-contamination. No point in making a cure if it doesn't do the job.

[kartereo]

"The only reason I'm decent at it is because I've been on the other side of this situation before and have had to deal with students doing stupid shit." Although it felt damn nice to hear such praise. "One of them is a walking disaster. Smart as a whip, not an ounce of common sense."

Waver's focus remained on the goggles, picking through pairs to see if any could be modified. He wanted something that could essentially have a belt attached to the back, as well as something that looked fairly new.

"Okayish, I guess. There's been plenty of points where I've missed modern conveniences, but having to learn so much and play catch up has cut down on any real homesickness." He paused, then continued. "Having Iskandar around helps too. I missed him."

[gatheringstorm]

"That sounds like so many Circle mages I've met, the ones who never saw the outside until the war happened. All those brains won't do them any good if they get themselves killed before they can use them." Korrin shakes her head, thinking it a waste. She had common sense drilled into her practically from day one. On the road, everything could be a practical lesson with real, visible, consequences. If she had been separated from that, Korrin imagines she'd be much like the Circle mages who when suddenly freed, needed so much help at first just to navigate life outside.

She grins fondly at mention of Iskandar, measuring and placing the ingredients as she talks. "He's a one-man morale boost, isn't he? I don't think I've seen anyone remain lonely or upset with him around. The good mood is practically contagious. Still trying to name things after himself, I assume?

And what are you missing? I can't promise anything, but we might be able to get some things from Orzammar. They're a pretty inventive bunch, and as long as we're not surface dwarves chances are they'll even speak to us."

[kartereo]

"For some of them I'd agree with that. One of them though," Waver shook his head, remembering everything Flat had gotten into over the years. The boy was a powerhouse, he had managed to destroy an entire floating casino by accident, but the concept of self preservation never entered his mind. "I still can't find the words to articulate what's going on with him most days. I refuse to let him graduate for his own safety though."

A regret most days, truth be told. But it was better to keep an eye on Flat than let him roam wild.

"He is, because that's his M.O. Not that I ever appreciated his morale boost when we first met." Nineteen year old Waver was, in short, a dick.

"I'm trying to think of a way to explain video games, but I'm failing at it. The card games have proven interesting enough though, despite the fact I'm shit at them."

[gatheringstorm]

Mention of video games has her raising an eyebrow, not sure what that means, but card games have her attention of course. "Eh, you'll get the hang of it. Just don't bet anything you're not prepared to lose, until you do. If you want lessons of that sort I'd be happy to help. We always need people for game night, since missions often send people out for a while."

The binding agent is added as she speaks, practiced at talking and working at the same time. Now it's just the fuses that are needed. "You sound like a good teacher yourself, looking out for your students...however frustrating they can be. You do all you can to give them what they need to make it on their own...and hopefully they get it. If they don't, at least you did what you could."

[kartereo]

"Believe me, I've been mostly sticking to games when there's no coin involved, or the bets are almost laughably low." Waver didn't really have a set time that he was around for games anyway. "What I'm used to can be either an independent or group pursuit, but I've mostly done the former."

Waver watches as the binding agent is added, then places the gathered fuses down on the table. "Some of them really make it hard. If it isn't the student I just mentioned, it's family rivalries coming into the classroom, or some other pile of nonsense." But they all did well, he supposed. Every student in Waver's classroom had gone on to high ranks and high regard, which all reflected back on him.

Not that he was always happy about it, but no matter.

[gatheringstorm]

"Family rivalries? Is this like that stupid Game they have in Orlais? Ugh, you have my sympathy. I'd rather claw off my own skin than deal with more politics; the Mage Council is more than enough." Though she's barely paid attention to it, these days. Given that things have been running smoothly, Korrin's really only there when a vote is needed.

As she finishes up with the fuses, the Vashoth woman glances over at him. "A lot of times, we just play to see who will buy the next round or something, nothing that'll break anyone. The idiots who bet their clothes? ...well, they get them back. Eventually."