(OPEN) and when the currents circle back again

[ichaer]

WHO: Ciri; open + some closed starters in the comments
WHAT: Ciri finally decides to get her butt to Kirkwall after a month of who knows what and being who knows where.
WHEN: Throughout the beginnings of Bloomingtide.
WHERE: Kirkwall, various
NOTES: Nothing to mention, will update as needed if anything does come up.

— ｇａｌｌｏｗｓ.

It is not cold here in Kirkwall but Ciri cannot stop sniffling throughout the trip across the harbor. She would have appreciated the chance to sit still for a moment after far too much time spent in the saddle following one very long trip across Orlais and back again before the trek through Nevarra, and finally on into the Free Marches. Unfortunately this boat ride across the harbor is anything but smooth and she wonders if she'll be becoming fast friends with the bottom of Kirkwall harbor soon.

Thankfully (or unfortunately?) that is not the case and with a neutral look, she frowns up at the sight of the Gallows and all its... well, she wouldn't call it glory. Huh, weird. She almost misses the cold valley and all its mud now.

"Hey!" She calls out to whomever happens to share this unfortunate space with her after a moment of needed frowning. Ciri possibly even has to turn her head a little more than needed depending on where said person is standing due to the noticeable swelling and dark bruises under both eyes with one verging on closing shut. The barely scabbed over busted lip along with other various bruises and cuts paint a noted story.

"Could you point me to where medical has set up?"

Might as well tend to the important things first.

— ｌｏｗｔｏｗｎ.

A literal month on horseback left little time to spend on any actual walking and even less on training. Despite a few days of rest, Ciri's leg ache and continue to feel like jello if she pushes herself to much. It is, without a doubt, hideously annoying. She also detests being cooped up inside the walls of the Gallows so she gets back across the harbor as soon as she possibly can and gets to work.

Work, of course, means climbing up Lowtown's less than grand build and getting a taste for her freerunning skills once again. She had to be creative in Skyhold but the city here gave her enough obstacles to push herself out of the comfort zone she had fallen into back at the isolated fortress high in the snowy mountains. It is, in all honesty, the most fun she has had in ages but it all ends rather suddenly when a leap between building falls short.

It isn't a long drop by any means but it knocks the air out of her already hurting lungs. It doesn't help she likely barely missed landing atop an unfamiliar (or possibly familiar!) person. A person that she can only look upwards at sheepishly, smiling.

"Uh, hey." Boom, born charmer.

— ｈｉｇｈｔｏｗｎ.

Compared to Lowtown, Hightown is almost a completely different world. The citizens mostly keep their space as she walks, indifferent to the white-haired Warden in her armor and carrying on conversations that don't register much to her ears. Not that she is not curious, this is a new city and new country that she is wholly unfamiliar about despite her travels. Nevertheless, she cannot bring herself to care much about the gossip of latest fashion disasters or who was caught kissing who in the painting room.

She does get distracted in the high class, pricey line of shops and stalls peddling everything under the the great sun. Ciri truly cannot help visiting a few, glancing the wares over and even mulling over a few of them and their details. Maybe you're also glancing over the trinkets, robes, weapons or other wares when suddenly you have a young woman at your side, dressed in shiny Warden armor and wrinkling her nose.

"How many bushels of apples do you think one of those amulets could buy, you think?"

Asking the important questions here...

— ｓｔａｂｌｅｓ.

Perhaps you're here visiting your own mount, caring for the others or just enjoying the day. Whatever the case my be, there is now one black mare invading your personal space. In her mouth, she is carrying a rather large basket of shiny red apples and snorting impatiently toward whomever was unfortunate to be the first person she found. Whatever could she need?

"Kelpie! Kelpie, get back here you terrible apple thief!"

Again, the mare huffs and suddenly moves to trot behind your back as if she can hide as Ciri suddenly rounds the corner. Huffing, clearly out of breath and dusted with dirt and grass as if she had fallen. How strange.

"Don't think you can hide from me!" Just what family fight have you found yourself in?

— ｗｉｌｄｃａｒｄ.

For anything not mentioned above! If you'd like a personalized starter then hit me up through a PM or on plurk at kaldwin

Comments

[ichaer]

And, in turn, Ciri just watches beyond her messy fringe of loose hair. Carefully, she bites into another slice of apple before finally moving to stand and makes her way down the staircase to at least stand at the same level with Avery. There was a lot to say, sure but she ultimately just offers a tired chuckle.

"Good because I don't have a damn clue because tarts were not meant to be made on a campfire."

[thecookery]

"Don't blame the tool for your being lazy," Avery chastises... mostly because she's feeling awkward and isn't sure what else to say. "You could learn it if you put in the effort."

[ichaer]

"I really tried, you know." She says, half pouting because she really did try but much like everything else on that trip... it was just sad. Everything had just been sad.

"But I'd like to learn it from you." Ciri admits, biting into another slice of apple. "If you'd teach me and I could show you something that I know."

[thecookery]

"What?" she asks slowly, suspicious.

[ichaer]

"They got me teaching mounted combat if you think that would interest you, or how properly throw a knife and hit someone."

She says this, absently throwing her own knife up into the air and catching it with a slight twist of her hand.

[thecookery]

Avery watches the knife for a bit, just... really soaking in the tension of all the things not being said right now, you know?

"Well, you're not like to find me outside the kitchens for a long while now, yeah?" she eventually says. Not now that she's been promoted, for some mad reason beyond her understanding. "And I doubt we'll have many horses in there."

[ichaer]

"You make it sound like I won't see you at all."

And admittedly, it is sad a little lighter than her usual tone. Her expression more curious than whatever strange feelings she might otherwise be feeling.

"And who knows when we'll have to fight a giant wolf again."

[thecookery]

"If another does show up, she'll find me in the kitchens as well and just have to bloody wait like everyone else."

She sighs and runs a hand through her hair, trying to look only mildly (rather than completely) out of her depth. "They've put me in charge, you know. Head Cook."

[ichaer]

"I'll be sure to make sure she takes a number and gets in line with the rest of us."

Ciri watches quietly, finishing her last piece of apple before breaking into a very unlike her sort of soft smile. "You deserve it. Maker knows how hard you work your ass off to keep the lot of us fed around here."

[thecookery]

Bad at taking compliments, and embarrassed by Ciri's reaction for other reasons too maybe, Avery falls back on an old standard and responds with, "Aye, well... at least somebody finally said it."

Ah yes, the comforting embrace of mildly bitter sarcasm.

[ichaer]

"More folk should. I can't imagine this place without you around," she murmurs. "It just... it wouldn't be the same. I wouldn't nearly like being here as much."

And then a pause as she brings her hand to her face, fingers tracing her scar with a frown. "... That less dumb in my head."

[thecookery]

This is quickly heading into conversational territory Avery has no idea how to deal with, and all she can manage is a vague hum of acknowledgement while she crosses her arms and looks away awkwardly.

[ichaer]

And Ciri just... sort of chuckles, halfheartedly and verging on exhaustion that the rest of her stance. Maybe running away for a month had been a stupid thing to do in some regards, it had given her a lot of time to think but whether or not that is a good thing has yet to be seen.

"Before I ran off, I told you had another request if you rejected my birthday tart but that it would probably end up in you punching me. I told you I'd save it to ask later." She says, shaking her head. "Do you still want to hear it?"

[thecookery]

Okay, whiplash. Good work. Avery is officially confused again. "Do I want an excuse to punch you?" she asks. "That sure is a question, isn't it?"

Especially right now.

[ichaer]

"Have you seen my face?" She says, gesturing to the bruising and slightly swollen eye. "There's no better time then now. Besides, no offense, you can't do any worse to me than I already got."

It's a good thing she didn't end up in the Anderfels with this death wish.

[thecookery]

"And whose fault is that?"

Thanks for the reminder of why she's not happy with her to being with. This idiot, running off and getting herself nearly killed for who knows what reason this time.

[ichaer]

"Does it really matter?"

In her mind this is nothing. Nothing compared to what could have been if she had given in to urges and rode into the Anderfels.

"I had things that needed said. Otherwise I'd still be sitting here letting it eat at me for another Makers knows how many years." She snorts, rubbing at the cut on her lip. "And given how things are going for the Wardens these days it might not be that long."

[thecookery]

"It matters to me," Avery snaps, then looks away annoyed or embarrassed by her own outburst.

Still, she carries on, "Could you stop talking so light about your dying and all that all the damn time? I get it could happen any day with all what we're doing. Don't mean I want to think about it."

[ichaer]

"And how, in the Maker's name, am I supposed to know that? You don't ever say what your thinking or how your feeling or what bloody maters to you."

With a few steps, Ciri walks and get herself in Avery's line of sight once more. "Do you truly believe I'm not scared of this? This is all I can do for myself so I can sleep at night."

[thecookery]

"I don't know! Yeah? I don't know."

She lets out a frustrated sigh and fumes, "I don't know how to see the things other people do. Or say the things other people do. This is why I don't do... this." She makes a stiff, angry gesture back and forth between them. "Get close to people. Whatever it is you have in there, that thing you're looking for out of me? The one that helps instead of hurts?"

Roughly, she taps at the side of her own head. "I clearly don't have it. So maybe you should be looking elsewhere."

[ichaer]

"And now I matter to you. Do you hate that?"

There is an edge to Ciri's words but mostly she just sounds tired. "I can't tell what you're thinking. I can only read your actions, puzzle out what you might be feeling and I can't even begin to decipher how you think about me especially."

She raises a hand to her face, rubbing at the long scar across her cheek with a huff. "I don't need to look anywhere else."

[thecookery]

"It's not about hating," Avery tries to explain. "It's about knowing this ends poor with me. Always does." She's never gotten close to someone without one or both of them getting hurt and falling out. Or, you know, the other person dying. That's happened once or twice as well.

"But I don't play games. Barely fucking know how. If you want me to know something, you tell me. If you want to know something back, you ask."

[ichaer]

"And you said I made light of my misfortunes," she says chuckling. "Maybe you should be the Grey Warden instead."

Though of all the things in the world this was not something she'd ever wish on Avery or anyone else for that matter. Instead, she just watches the other woman for a moment before offering a small smile.

"Right, then. Just out in the open just like that? Because I want you to know that I have wanted to kiss you since the moment I saw the Wolf throw you across the room." It is said seriously but the grin gives her away and the chuckles don't help. "Right, no joking but it was slightly before then that I realized it. You didn't know shit about fighting but you threw yourself in there without a second thought. I couldn't help thinking you were just... incredible then."

[thecookery]

"Oh," Avery mutters dumbly, after just sort of gaping for a little too long. That was not what she was expecting, and she's having some trouble processing it, but suddenly she's feeling pretty nervous.

All she can manage after that is an equally dumb, "Me? Really?"

[ichaer]

"I tell terrible puns not terrible lies," she murmurs. "Although the vast majority of my puns are great."