[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

i

[sulena]

The sounds that are made is not of someone approaching. In fact, these sounds are coming from something much closer and noticeably further above of his head. Which is absolutely weird, right? Even weirder is probably the sight of the small elf climbing high above in the tree branches to carefully gather mistletoe (or what seems to be mistletoe) into her arms.

Of course, if that doesn't give Saoirse away then her singing certainly might as she hums an assortment of pleasant melodies.

With plant in hand, she starts to make her way down but pauses in her acrobatic motions once she spies the unfamiliar face along the ground.

"This is the first time I've met anyone this far out from the fortress."

[kartereo]

Waver takes a moment to place where the voice is coming from. He doesn't whip around wildly like a madman, but the fact it takes him a few seconds of baffled about is still comedic.

When he finally does look up, he folds his arms across his chest and tries to project his voice upwards so he can be heard.

"And this is the first time I've met anyone that far up, so I think we're even!"

[sulena]

"Truly? That is quite the shame then since there is much to find up here!"

With another smile, she settles into a crouched stance and drops from the branch. Although she lands with some noted grace, Saoirse is grateful for the snow to further cushion her drop into the ground.

"The view of the surrounding area from up top certainly isn't too bad either."

[kartereo]

"Perhaps many people do not think to look up for others."

It was a logical enough conclusion. Waver watched as Saoirse stuck the landing, and he nods to show that he finds the movement quite impressive. The fact he'd probably break something in attempting the same goes unsaid.

"All the trees in the area must be bare then, if you can get a good view of the surroundings."