faderift | [Open] I can't take the distance

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[Open] I can't take the distance

WHO: Hermione and OPEN
WHAT: Catch-all for the month while Hermione gets used to Kirkwall
WHEN: Throughout Bloomingtide
WHERE: The docks, the Gallows, and exploring Kirkwall
NOTES: Will update with any warnings if necessary. If anyone wants to plan or would like a specific starter, feel free to either PM this journal or hit me up on plurk (

StarryOblivion).

Arrival

While Hermione had never had trouble with boats, she couldn't help feeling nauseated during the entire trip. She was still convinced that she'd left Harry behind in Skyhold, and that she could have done more to find him, and the concern and guilt weighed on her heavily.

By the time she'd disembarked, she was a little unsteady on her feet, and the sight of the Gallows wasn't really helping to foster a cheery disposition. She lingered by the docks for a time, often stopping to stare back across the water towards where they'd come from, but she knew that eventually she'd have to make her way into the Gallows proper.

The Gallows

Though it wasn't as dismal as it had been when she'd been kept a prisoner there in that horrible future world, the Gallows still wasn't the most inviting of places. Hermione didn't consider herself sensitive to that sort of thing, but she could swear she could feel the pain and anguish that lingered, soaked into the walls despite the Inquisition's best efforts to make the place livable. Though she sat in the library more than once and took a few meals in the dining hall and tried to settle into something resembling a day-to-day schedule, she didn't feel wholly comfortable anywhere. It wasn't until now that she realized just how much Skyhold had come to feel like home, and that posed a whole host of other problems in itself.

The city

Though Hermione hated the Gallows, she'd heard enough mixed tales about Kirkwall to be reluctant to travel there. But she knew that staying in the Gallows all day every day wasn't healthy, and so she eventually managed to borrow a set of clothes that wouldn't look too out of place among the locals, and so wouldn't attract any undue attention as she spent a few days familiarizing herself with her new surroundings.

[OOC- For the last option, anyone in her current CR circle is free to venture along with her, and anyone is welcome to encounter her throughout Kirkwall as she tries to get her bearings. She's curious enough that she'll at least pop her head in anywhere that doesn't look clearly dangerous, but feel free to contact me if you want to be sure or want something specific!]

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Not having access to his trunk is part of the reason why he thought it'd be a better place to leave notes, even though a part of him knows that anyone determined enough could pick the lock if they were so inclined. Or - as Hermione's just pointed out - they could simply use their imagination, coming up with whatever they liked.

That isn't what gets Jamie's eyebrows to do their own version of shooting up, arching high enough that they wind up disappearing into his own bangs before her hasty correction gets the corners of his mouth to twitch ever so slightly before he's able to get them under control and reply to her with a relatively straight face.

"Aye, well, that's good to know. I'd not want anyone to think things between us'd be terrible."

It's hard not to notice that blush, however. The fact it's there maybe isn't so surprising, given what they've been talking about - but at the same time, he can't help but find that to be just a little bit appealing. As he moves across the room, he sneaks a glance back her way, the tip of his tongue darting out just enough to moisten his lips before he pretends to focus on retrieving his plaid cloak from a peg that's been set into the wall.

"So, ah...does that mean that you've been giving some thought to those other things, then?"

Hermione likes to think that she's mature and open-minded, and really, compared to some people she knows, she is. But she hasn't exactly had much of an opportunity to actually use some aspects of that maturity and open-mindedness, and that's making this conversation a little more awkward than it has to be. It doesn't help that all the blood rushing to her face is making her feel a bit light-headed; the very last thing she wants to do is lessen Jamie's opinion of her by swaying on her feet or doing anything else to show that she's clutching at her metaphorical pearls.

"Things between us aren't terrible," she answers, hoping to turn "things" into activities they've already done, such as holding hands and occasionally kissing. It's better than any of the other things that couples might otherwise engage in, given that those things had simply been whispered rumors in the halls of Hogwarts rather than anything Hermione's ever given serious thought to doing. There had always been something more important happening in her life, after all.

Serious thought or not, it isn't as though she has no experience with hormones at all, and she does acknowledge that it's a conversation she and Jamie should have. She just hadn't exactly thought it would happen so soon.

"I-... have wondered what it might be like for couples here, especially when one or both of them might be a rifter. It's a little sad, isn't it? To share a bed with a person, not knowing if they'll still be there when you wake up. But I suppose that's a risk we take in any sort of relationship." It's why, even if Hermione had been the sort to go in for casual dating, she'd just never looked for that sort of thing. The idea of slowly falling in love with someone and then one day finding they've disappeared, or that she'd disappeared and left someone behind, is heartbreaking.

She'd been contemplatively looking down, and now she looks back up at Jamie and manages a small, though embarrassed, smile. "This is the bit where you tell me that wasn't what you meant and that I think too hard about things, isn't it?"

It's true that isn't what he'd meant. Up to this point, the only rifter in any relationship he's been in has been himself, and he doesn't tend to worry when it comes to things that might or might not happen to him. So, for the most part, he hasn't been considering those specific drawbacks that might go hand in hand with dating a rifter. At least, not until recently.

Hermione, on the other hand, has clearly given it a lot more thought that he has. In fact, he'd wager that her notion to have them see each other regularly's come about in part because of those thoughts. But while he definitely doesn't object to an idea that means they'll see more of each other - and maybe even consider other things when the time is right - the last thing he'd intended on doing with his jesting was to wind up making her thoughts turn towards back towards wondering if one day one of them'd wake up and have the other be gone.

There, however, he has an idea that just might work to take her mind off of that. He makes his way back, setting the cloak down on the bed before reaching out to try and take her hand and coax her back towards him, fixing her with an intent gaze at the same time.

"No. Now's the bit where I kiss you. And then I tell you that's not what I meant and that you think too hard about things...if you'll let me, that is."

Considering how few she's had, Hermione tends to take relationships very seriously. She isn't about to get involved with someone she might fancy if she doesn't think anything substantial will come of it, which is why the fact that she's agreed to see where things might go with Jamie is actually something of a big deal. It had taken her and Ron years of beating around the bush before anything had happened between them. Allowing herself to settle into something with Jamie after less than a year is no small feat.

Seeing Jamie move towards her, Hermione tries to smile as she lets him take her hand, though it becomes more genuine at his words. She doesn't think a kiss will necessarily smooth everything over and allay her fears, but she doubts that's necessarily his intention. He likely just wants to kiss her because it feels like the right thing to do. It's straightforward, uncomplicated... and Hermione can certainly use more of that in her life.

"Well, I suppose if there's a proper order to things, I can't say no to a preliminary kiss." She's already leaning towards him, though she waits for him to initiate it; after all, he had said that this is the bit where he kisses her, not the other way around.

Admittedly, it's not as though as he'd complain about any kisses she chooses to initiate. Still, kissing her first does feel like the right thing to do this time around, and since she seems willing to go along with the notion, he doesn't hesitate to close the small gap between them and brush his lips against hers.

Maybe the kiss won't smooth everything over, and maybe it can't ally anyone's fears - but on his end, at least, it's a chance to take a few moments to not worry about the future. And...well, to enjoy getting the chance to kiss Hermione. That's something he's beginning to think he's never going to get tired of doing, even though this time he keeps the kiss relatively short. There is a proper order to things here, after all, although this time around the proper order also comes with one of his lopsided smiles and a bit of reluctance to completely let go, at least for the moment.

"So do you need me to state that other part again, or would you like to see what the rest of the mystery is?"

Even if the kiss doesn't fully smooth things over, Hermione can't deny that she doesn't feel at least a little better by the end of it. It gives her a chance to pretend that everything is the way it should be, and the knowledge that she has someone in Thedas who cares for her and who would notice if she goes missing.

Of course, the fact that she's still thinking about the possibility of going missing proves that not everything is perfectly all right, but given how far she and Jamie are from their proper homes, that much is to be expected. So she's willing to push it to the back of her mind as she so often does, tilting her head at him with a curious expression on her smiling face.

"There's more than just a key? Do tell."

She's smiling, which is good - and unless he misses his guess, she's curious as well, and that is even better. His smile shifts, turning into more of a grin, and he leans in almost conspiratorially.

"Now, if it was just a key, it'd not be much of mystery, would it? Here, let me just grab these things and we'll go."

'These things', in this case, are the small sack and the cloak, the latter of which he casually slings over his arm in such a way to mask the lumpy shape of the sack. Once he's gotten those settled, though, he offers his arm to Hermione once more, hoping she'll be willing to take it like she had earlier. They've got quite a few alleys to navigate, after all, and he'd not mind the company while he takes her through them - and maybe he'll be able to provide a bit of a distraction along the way, although even if she does follow eventually it's going to be hard to miss that they're heading towards Hightown.

Still, he's willing to try and add in that little bit of mystery for as long as Hermione lets him get away with it. And if she doesn't? Well, then, he supposes eventually he'll have to let on what his plan is. Until she asks, though, he'll do his best to get them both as close to his goal as he can.

Edited 2017-07-01 06:04 (UTC)

Hermione's curiosity is certainly piqued, especially when he picks up the sack and cloak. She'd assumed that he'd removed them from his trunk to simply get them out of the way as he got the spare key, but now she looks at them a bit more closely, or at least as closely as she can before he covers up the former with the latter.

"Curioser and curiouser," she murmurs dryly, though that of course doesn't keep her from willingly taking his arm. If anything, she's just that much more intrigued, though her brain is already distracted with trying to figure out just what is happening. "It's almost as though you knew you were going to run into me."

Which, really, wouldn't exactly be peculiar. They see each other often enough, and they'd just made a pact of sorts to see one another even more often. But if Jamie has something specific in mind that he's meant to do with Hermione for quite some time, she certainly can't be blamed for following along with him blindly as she tries to suss out what it is.

"Now you know that's not true, Hermione," he points out.

If that'd been the case, he'd have been able to properly put something together, rather than grabbing a couple of seemingly random items to bring along. At the same time, however, it's good to be able to think a bit on his feet, even if it's only to try and come up with something that he thinks she might like - and that they can get away with without causing too much trouble for the Inquisition.

Luckily, he's managed to meet a few people here who aren't completely adverse to the notion of rifters, even if there's more people here than not who aren't overly fond of anyone with a shard in their hands. It's to one of them he goes to when they reach the top of the stairs that lead up into Hightown proper, a young guard that he's befriended recently. A few quiet words and a brief nod towards Hermione, and the guard grins and gives Jamie a nudge with his elbow before going to seemingly stand idly in front of one of the smaller pathways that leads around one of the buildings and towards what's clearly a servant's entrance. As for Jamie, he's quick to hurry back towards Hermione and motion with his head towards the pathway, trying to indicate with a couple of brief movements the notion that they should duck down there while they've got the chance to.

"Come on, let's go before one of the other guards comes along and starts asking questions. Don't worry, though, it's not far from here."

The fact that Jamie seems to have a specific idea of how to spend their time at all makes it seem as though he'd known he'd come across her, but she only continues giving him that dry look as she follows along besides him. It's possible that he's simply good at thinking on his feet - most of the men she knows seem to be much better at that than she is herself, which is equal parts refreshing and exasperating.

Still, she's not sure what to make of it when she realizes they're heading into Hightown, especially not when Jamie goes off to privately speak to a guard and sees that reaction from him. Terribly curious as to what Jamie had told him and whether or not she should be mortified, Hermione looks between the pair of them, taking Jamie's arm again when he returns.

"Are we sneaking into someplace we shouldn't be?" she asks in a hushed whisper. There's an almost accusatory tone to her voice, but that doesn't stop her from continuing to follow along with him. After all, she's no stranger to breaking the rules, though she usually at least likes to know why she's doing so.

"Och, no, not at all."

The reply may be quiet - but it comes with a certain ease that only the truth can bring along with it. They weren't going into anything at all, which Hermione should be able to see for herself as he leads them down the space between two buildings and past the doors that are set into the walls without stopping. In fact, he only stops when he comes to another wall, this one featureless save for a few crates that've been stacked against the wall.

"If we were going to do that, I'd be asking you again how handy you were with a hair pin. Only way I'm going to be going around opening a locked door is by breaking it down, aye? No, this place gets used by folks all the time. All we've got to do is head up yon crates over there. There's a place up top that'll give you a grand view of the city, and I brought my cloak for us to sit on."

It doesn't explain the bag, not yet, but with luck it's enough information that it'll help mollify her at least somewhat - and the look he gives her is a hopeful one.

"Willing to give it a go, then?"

She gives him something of a suspicious look when he tells her they're not going anywhere they shouldn't be, but despite the suspicion, she still trusts Jamie. After all, if he were expecting her to go somewhere prohibited, he'd insist on the two of them being quiet and scurrying off that much faster. Still, it does make her wonder why the guard had given her that look. Just what sort of place is this, anyway?

"Of course I am; I'll go anywhere with you."

The words leave her mouth before she really has time to think about them, and Hermione can't help looking a little bewildered at the fact that they'd come out at all. While that might be true enough, it makes it sound as though things between them are much more serious than they are... not that she can rightly quantify just how serious things are, of course, but....

Feeling her face warming up, she moves towards the crates he'd pointed out, asking, "Just up here, then?"

He might not be able to quantify how serious things are between them either - or be able to explain what quantify means, for that matter - but the fact remains that hearing those words coming from Hermione sends a small rush through him, leaving behind a faintly giddy feeling in their wake. While he does his best to try and keep the giddiness from showing on his face, there's still the tiniest part of it that shows through in the smile he sends her way when he thinks she's not looking.

Having the crates there does help, though. It makes it easier for him to focus on the matter at hand, and he winds up giving her a more visible nod of acknowledgement even as he gestures towards the crates, fully intending on letting her go first. It's not a difficult climb at all. Far from it, in fact. It's almost as if someone'd stacked the crates in such a way to provide a makeshift staircase, and if Hermione does choose to head up, it's not long at all before she'll be able to reach the top, which is also the roof of the building. This particular building may not be one of the large mansions, but it's had enough decorative stonework added that anyone spending time up here won't be able to be seen from the street below...and with a bit of maneuvering, a good chunk of the city can see be seen as well.

Once Jamie makes his way up the crates himself, he makes his way over to one of those spots and glances around for a moment before shaking the cloak out and setting it down, turning it into an impromptu blanket of sorts before he sits down and glances back over to his shoulder to Hermione.

"Care to come join me, in that case?"

The idea that she would go anywhere with him reminds her quite markedly of the fact that Jamie's future self had told her that, had she spent the previous five years with him, he would have likely asked her to go on the run with him. At the time, Hermione had agreed that she would have done that, because it would have made the most sense for rifters to stay together while fleeing from a common enemy. Now, though... the fact that she really would follow Jamie blindly with no common enemy in sight comes as something of a shock, and one that she doesn't exactly know how to handle.

So she does the only logical thing she can do: she sorts it away in the back of her mind to think about once she has a little more information with which to work. Emotions and relationships aren't like academics and can't be researched and studied at one's leisure, but she'll do what she can to keep things relatable and comfortable in her head.

She has no trouble climbing the crates, and while heights will never be her favorite thing, she'd rather experience them while on something resembling solid ground than while on the back of a dragon. She looks around now, being able to see a bit of the city from where she stands, though when Jamie joins her and picks out a spot, it's clear that he seems to know just where has the best view.

She doesn't hesitate before joining him, sitting close because really, a cloak makes for a rather small blanket (and that will be her excuse should he ask, despite the fact that there's more than enough room on said cloak for both of them). The city is fairly nice if one can just remove themselves from it for a bit, and she wonders how often Jamie's done just that.

"Do you come up here a lot?"

He could ask why, true. But when it comes right down to it, chances are that even if she had decided to sit near the edges of the cloak, he might have well decided to see if she'd let him get away with sitting close anyway. He's never been all that good with personal space as it is, and he likes snuggling up with Hermione enough that he'll take any chance to do so that he can get - something that he'll be more than happy to give as his excuse should she decide to ask instead. He's not about to do so on his end, at least not at the moment.

The question she does ask is a fair one, though, and he lets his attention drift out to the city at large for a few moments, watching the people as they pass below them.

"Aye, well...don't know if I'd say a lot. A few times, maybe. Enough to know it's a good place for a picnic."

His eyes flick back towards hers, and the edges of his lips curve up in a tiny, but still mischievous smile before he stretches an arm out to retrieve the lumpy sack from where he'd set it down a few seconds earlier. This time there's no rummaging, just a few seconds spent to reach in and pull out an apple, which he offers over to her.

"Didn't have time to come up with one of those this time around, but I like to keep a few apples around for the horses." And for him as well, but that goes without saying. "Want one while we see what everyone down there's up to?"

Hermione generally prefers to maintain her personal space whenever possible, though that's mostly around people with whom she's uncomfortable. Jamie certainly doesn't fit under that description, and if they eventually find themselves sitting even closer than they'd started out, well, she's certainly not one to complain. It's been a long time, after all, since she's had anyone from home with which to curl up against, and Jamie's presence is a more than adequate substitution.

At the mention of a picnic, she gives him a sidelong glance before her quizzical expression turns into a proper smile as he holds an apple over to her. Reaching out for it (and possibly using that as her excuse to edge a little closer to him), she remarks, "I hope you're not comparing me to one of the horses, then."

Clearly, she knows he isn't, but she can't help teasing him.

"Thank you," she tells him softly as she absently begins to wipe the apple against her shirt. "I've never really been one for people watching, but I can certainly use time away from books. Especially if the company is decent." It's more than decent, really, considering that there are precious few things outside of pertinent errands that can keep her away from books for too long.

"Och, no. You're much prettier than the horses."

If she can tease him, he can tease her right back - which explains the grin he shoots her at the comment. It's only partly a tease, though, which might explain the way that his smile softens at the end before he clears his throat and rummages through the bag again, using that as cover for the way he angles himself so she can lean against him if she likes. Not surprisingly, there's another apple in there, and he winds up doing much the same as she's done, idly using his shirt to clean off the apple before taking a bite of it.

"And I'll no say as I'm always all that keen to people-watch myself," he admits, after a few moments. "Not unless there's a purpose to it, aye? But you know I'll always be willing to help you have some time away from books. It'll help keep you from getting too lost in them."

She does laugh at first, knowing when she's being teased, though the softness of his smile catches her attention for a moment, allowing her to realize that, at the very least, Jamie does think she's a sight prettier than the horses. That should come as no surprise, really, and shouldn't be sweet at all, but... somehow it is.

Soft smile widening just a bit, she inches a bit closer to him, allowing herself to lean her head against his shoulder. "I don't think I have to worry about getting lost in these particular books," she brings up after carefully chewing and swallowing a small bite of her apple. "It doesn't sound particularly pleasant, given that they're mostly about the Veil and the Fade, and are largely incomprehensible for someone who's self-taught in Thedas' written language. All things considered, much as I love deciphering a good puzzle, I'd feel much better taking the time out to appreciate good company whenever possible."

Such as Jamie, if that isn't entirely clear.

"Aye, likely so," he agrees. He may not be much of a reader, but he knows about those sorts of books. Likely they're full of a lot of far-fetched notions that someone's written down in an attempt to make themselves smart using lot of big words that are supposed to sound fancy but only wind up making it impossible to read. It's just as well that she's not tangled up in them - and even better that she's decided to spend her free time with him.

He likes Hermione's company just as much, if that isn't obvious by now.

When she leans her head against his shoulder, his wraps his free arm around her in a loose embrace. It's not as thought he needs two hands to eat his apple, after all, and he'd much rather have a chance to snuggle up with her, if she's so inclined.

"Could be worse, though. You could be trapped in them. That's no so pleasant, trust me. So if you don't want to people-watch, what do you want to do?"

Hermione would have never thought that she'd be one who would rather be tangled up with a boy than a book, and really, she still can't rightfully say as much. But the books in question are particularly headache-inducing, and the boy in question isn't. Especially not when he wraps an arm around her, allowing her to pretty much curl up against him, letting their proximity hide the pleased smile that spreads across her lips.

"Well, we could always talk about your implication that you have experience with being trapped in books," Hermione points out lightly. "Or, if it's really not all that pleasant, we can just enjoy one another's company. But I think we're doing that already; at least, I am."

"Aye, well, it was just the one book, but that was plenty."

More than plenty, if you ask him. It'd been decidedly odd - but then again, the Land of Fiction'd been a decidedly odd place, and he was just as glad that they'd gotten away from there. If they'd not, then he'd not have fallen through the rift, and he'd not have met Hermione, and they'd not be snuggled cuddled up and enjoying each other's company right now. So maybe that made the whole thing worth it in the end, and he angled his head in order to rest his chin on her shoulder.

"Think that all things considered I'd much rather be enjoying your company rather than being back in the Land of Fiction, anyway. Especially since I am enjoying it."

It's amazing, really, just how easy it is for Hermione to be affectionate when she's actually comfortable with someone. It's been so long since that small circle included anyone outside of Harry or Ron that she's almost surprised by the fact that her hand comes up to lightly stroke Jamie's cheek when he settles against her shoulder, though really, it feels fairly natural. So long as she doesn't think about it, that is. Or over-think it, as she has a tendency to do.

"Land of Fiction? That hardly sounds like it can be so terrible, but I'll take your word for it. But then, you're enjoying the company of someone who's been called an 'insufferable know-it-all' more than once, so I don't really know how reliable your judgment can be."

"Oh, never you fear, I'll let you know if you're being too insufferable."

It's said lightly, a hint of the smile that's appeared on his face when Hermione strokes his cheek showing through in his tone. Still, there's a part of him that's knows that chances are that if she's anything like Zoe was at times then it's entirely possible that she's telling the truth - and he hopes that if it does happen, he'll be able to see her point at that time, rather than being somewhat irritated by it, like he occasionally had been when Zoe'd been particularly smug in the past.

Right now, though, he doesn't want to worry about that sort of thing. He'd much rather enjoy this chance he's been given, and he turns his head just enough to allow him to plant a kiss on her shoulder.

"Although you're no completely wrong. Some of the Land of Fiction was nice enough. The people, mostly, like Rapunzel. She was quite understanding about letting me use her hair when I needed to. Other things...aye, well, it was a place where things from books would come to life, you know."

Hermione smiles cheekily at Jamie when he assures her she'll be informed if he can no longer suffer her know-it-all tendencies, nudging him lightly but otherwise not bothered by the joke in the least. She wouldn't have gotten very far in life at all if she couldn't take the occasional ribbing, after all, especially not when her two best friends had been typical teenage boys.

Besides... Jamie is no teenager, and she's reminded of that when her heart uncharacteristically flutters in her chest at the kiss to her shoulder. He's a man, a brave, sweet man with his own brand of charm, and for whatever reason, they've fallen in with one another and she can't be gladder about it.

Even if he does seem to have led a life almost as strange as her own.

"Rapunzel? From the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm? You mean it was a world where fictional characters come to life, or where they were never fictional in the first place?"

The fact that he's somehow managed to fall in with someone who's not only pretty and clever but willing to put up with him is something he's still surprised by on some levels. Still, he's just as glad as Hermione is...if maybe somewhat distracted by tempting thoughts, at the moment. After all, she's right there, quite close to him - and there's the tiniest part of him that is considering kissing her on her shoulder again just to see what happens.

At her questions, however, he makes himself refocus. She's asked, and as tempting as the thought of doing other things is, he should at least try to answer her before he gets completely distracted. He doesn't quite pull away, however, opting instead to shift just enough that he can rest his chin back on her shoulder again while he explains.

"Ah, the first one, mostly, although it wasn't so much that they came to life. More like they were brought to life. But aye, it was that Rapunzel. Gulliver was there too, even if thought there were all those yahoo-things around, and quite a few other folk."

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[Open] I can't take the distance

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