[open] prelude to summer

[kartereo]

WHO: Waver Velvet +
WHAT: Kirkwall adventures
WHEN: 15-31 Bloomingtide
WHERE: The Gallows and Lowtown
NOTES: None

i. discarding objects

It was a goddamn relief that those screeching bronze statues have been hauled off and out of the Gallows entirely. Seeing the various parts laying on the ground had been getting more than slightly disturbing, and Waver preferred to not think about the fact that his ears had rung for hours afterwards. They often threatened to do so again if he recalled those adventures for too long.

On the other hand, seeing the murals go didn't have the same reaction of utter relief. The fact that half were being saved suggested that their value was such that all of them ought to be, but the rest of him argued that melting them down would probably result in more money.

The day before removal, Waver went to take one last look at the whole set. Truly, he hadn't really paid much attention to them until it was made clear that they were going away. He didn't hide the fact that he was standing and staring at the whole set, trying to read the artist's intentions in the piece.

"I wonder if anyone's going to draw the contents of the ones being melted down," he murmured to himself. "Or if that's just going to be a part of removal tomorrow."

ii. may flowers

Since he helped clear out the herb garden when he first came with the advance group to the Gallows, Waver wandered by there often. He wasn't a gardener nor would he trust himself with the plants, but it was one of the first places in all of Thedas that he had had a tangible impact on.

Sometimes he'd sit himself down under one of the trees and enjoy the quiet. If he dozed, well, that was obvious. He'd end up sprawled on the ground instead, an inelegant pile of long limbs and his hair probably half underneath him and half being held onto by the rougher patches of bark on the tree itself.

When he wasn't dozing and there was someone coming, he'd pull his extended legs back and curl up a bit more. There was always a soft, "Sorry about that" as well.

iii. shopping
Arriving in the colder months had, for a time, not been a problem for Waver. He had his coat that staved off most chills, and being as close as he was with Iskandar meant he also had a human heat lamp to rely on if things were too bitter. But with spring beginning to change into summer, the need for lighter clothes became all too apparent. His beloved coat was stifling by the mid-afternoon, and the rest of his clothes weren't too far behind.

So Lowtown it was, wandering the streets to investigate fabric sellers and tailors. This, of course, required money, and that wasn't something Waver had much of. In a way, that was a blessing: he wasn't going to attract pickpockets. On the other, it meant examining fabric and then having to walk away.

On more than one occasion, he sighed heavily and said, "Damnit, I wish I had known to pack an entire wardrobe."

iv. wildcard
For other things

Comments

[ichaer]

"Mm. I didn't think Kirkwall had much in the way of those," she says with a glance down to her conversation partner. "Since good news out of Kirkwall is so rare these days."

She hums thoughtfully at his comment concerning building construction but she ultimately gives a tired grin. "Won't be as bad as Skyhold, I'm sure. Free Marches don't get nearly as cold as Ferelden or the Frostbacks. The breeze off the Waking Sea will probably be the worst thing come winter."

[kartereo]

"As I understand it, historically it has also never had good news." There had to be some kind of curse on the place. It was the only conclusion he could draw after doing all his research.

"That seems a cold comfort, I'm afraid," he continues, wrinkling his nose slightly. "But anything would be nice in comparison to this past season."

[ichaer]

"I don't know kicking out the Vints, Quanri and Orlesian has got its own merits. It did well for itself during the Fourth Blight too."

A bit at the high cost of Warden life but there was a lot more of them part then. "At least we've got walls here? I mean, we had walls at Skyhold but I was in a tent in the valley so this is dreamy by comparison."

[kartereo]

"That's," Waver pauses, counting. "Four things. Versus how many things that'd be negative? The ratio is deeply off is all I'm saying."

A tent in the valley causes Waver to wrinkle his nose in distaste. The idea of that for the winter is terrible. "Was there an actual reason for you to be stuck in such a hellishly cold position?"

[ichaer]

"That's four more than a lot of places. We only threw out the Orlesians but you take get some folk in Ferelden to shut up about that."

Until the Blight came along and now a Ferelden was both married to their Queen and the bloody hero of the world. Annoying bastard with his perfect teeth.

"If I had to guess, and this is mostly a guess: it is likely because of Anders. He blew up the Chantry here, set off the big war that threw everything off and destroyed the Circles." She lifts a hand, rubbing the back of her neck.

"He's a Grey Warden though so they... we? We took responsibility for him. We're not actual members of the Inquisition, and they don't trust him so out in the cold for us."

[kartereo]

"I'll take your word on that level of shutting up," Waver says easily. Conversations like this reminded him how much he had to catch up on, how much he still needed to get up to date with rivalries, what places brag about, all of that."

At the explanation of being thrown into the literal cold, Waver's face wrinkles up in a way that telegraphs well that's stupid. But he doesn't voice it.

"Hopefully you've got a modicum of trust now. If only so you're not stuck sleeping outside in the heat come summer."

[ichaer]

And Ciri, in turn, can only chuckles. History was one of the few lessons that she took to well as a child and it continued on into her adult years. Besides it was damn awesome what Kirkwall had managed despite everything.

There is a shrug from Ciri, itching her neck with a hum. "The heat here is probably nicer than the heat in the Anderfels or the Western Approach. Ever been out that way? Awful. You'll find sand for months after coming back."

[kartereo]

"Believe me when I say Kirkwall is pretty much the second place I've visited in Thedas, period," Waver admits. He's not proud of his lack of travels, not at all, but he is trying to get better about it now. Kirkwall's easier to get in and out of than Skyhold.

"But from your description, I'm guessing desert area? Or am I wrong and is it a delightful beach?"

[ichaer]

"What an adventure you're in for then," she says with a grin. "There's a lot of pretty decent places around here, at least. Starkhaven is not bad from what I have head."

She hums in agreement at his guess, sighing. "If only it had been a beach. No, it is a hot fortress in the middle of a hot desert much like the Anderfels itself."

[kartereo]

"An adventure seems like a polite way to say that something will happen, but if it will be good or bad is up to the future to decide." He offered a flash of a grin though, showing that there is no harm done with such a statement. Kirkwall has simply seemed like that kind of place.

"What a miserable sounding place, if you don't mind my saying so."

[ichaer]

"You're not hurting my feelings," she muses. "The Anderfels at least has some decent folk going for it, not including the Wardens but the Western Approach is a shithole of a location."

In the end, Ciri shrugs. "The Free Marches are not a bad place to start, Kirkwall's mess aside but the rest of the Marches are pretty decent."

[kartereo]

"Not hurting feeling or no, I am smart enough to know that being a rifter means I should at least try not to be rude about stuff if I can help it."

He generally did try. Thedas had been hard at first, but then Wver had settled into a groove of knowing what he could and couldn't get away with. The disclaimer and politeness was just a way to hedge bets in case he crossed the asshole line.

"I'd need to probably talk a few other people into heading out, but I'm glad to have a suggestion of a destination."