faderift | [Open] Birth of a King

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[Open] Birth of a King

WHO: Iskandar and anyone who wants to join him!
WHAT: Iskandar is celebrating his birthday throughout the month. So basically there will be celebrating when he's not working and for whoever wants to join him rather than a big party. Because life is a party!
WHEN: Throughout the month
WHERE: Various places
NOTES: There's probably going to be lots of drinking and definitely lots of partying. Be prepared.

It had taken time to figure things out but he was certain this was the month he would have been born in his own world. The exact timing was iffy but much of that was due to calendars being different in his time compared to modern Earth times. Still, Iskandar wasn't about to let that slow him down. Even without an exact date, he could still celebrate! For the entire month! After all, life itself was cause for celebration in his eyes. So it was with that he set out to essentially party the month away with anyone who joined him...

Tavern

"Come, my friends! Let us drink together! It is the month of my birth and that is cause for celebration!" He laughed as he set down coin he'd earned by doing things for the Inquisition. Selling things from missions had been quite profitable and since he hadn't been buying new equipment and such he'd been able to save his funds. Perfect for times like this really.

So he set down coin on the table he was at with some friends and strangers he'd gathered along the way. The strangers who lived in Kirkwall were a little more wary of him but his friendly nature and the call of free drinks and food was too tempting to resist. The owner certainly appreciated him bringing people together like this and offering payment for it.

At some point, he went to sit next to someone at his table with a grin on his face. "Enjoying yourself?"

Camping

One of the ways to celebrate was simply to go out for a night with someone he was close to just to sleep under the stars with them. He'd brought wine and food with him and it allowed for him to be with that person as well as his cat and dog and horse. (The animals were rather non-negotiable...)

Pouring wine into a cup, he offered it to the one he was with. "Here. Drink. The wine is delicious and it would be a shame to waste it when we have it like this."

Sometimes quiet times were the best ways to celebrate.

Going for a ride

At the stables, Iskandar was putting his saddle on his massive black horse when he saw someone coming in as well. With a grin on his face, he gave a wave to them. Not hard to miss when he was nearly seven feet tall and with flaming red hair. Not to mention enough cheer to fill a room.

"Would you care to go for a ride with me? I thought might be a fine way to spend this day but companionship will only make things that much better."

It didn't matter to him if it was stranger or friend, he loved time spent with others.

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Since Taas had been reassigned to another post, Cyril had mostly avoided the tavern. It made him think of his love and how much he missed him already. He didn't like feeling sad, especially not over missing a person, but celebrating with Iskandar was a good enough reason to move past that lingering loneliness. He still had Sam and everyone else here - he still had Iskandar, even if he wasn't at the place where he could admit the dept of his feelings for the Rifter just yet. The friendship that he could give a name too was something to be treasured all on its own.

He grinned, openly and pleasantly, as Iskandar came to sit next to him. Subconsciously, he leaned into the much larger man. "I am," he admitted. "I might even drink a bit." He usually avoided it because he didn't like being under the influence around other people. "What about you, Alexander? It is your birthday, after all."

"You could just have one glass in my honor." He winked at him but obviously he wasn't going to make the elf drink unless he wanted it. That had to be his choice obviously. Still, that hardly meant he couldn't tease him about it a little bit.

"I am greatly enjoying myself though. Especially since I have people I care about here with me. Like yourself." It was the greatest gift he could asks for really. To be around people. It was what he'd done in life and what he did in death as well. To continue that was the greatest gift he could ask for.

Wrapping an arm around him, he snagged a bit of food then had a bite of it before offering Cyril the rest. "Have you tried this? It's delicious."

Though Korrin has a habit of working as a bouncer to pay her half of the rent, she's fortunate not to be working tonight. So, she's free to imbibe and relax as she pleases. And yet, something's off. Her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes, and her actions seem to require effort rather than coming naturally as they should. When no one seems to be watching, the smile slides off and the hurt in her eyes surfaces, only to be abruptly squashed down the moment someone looks at or speaks to her.

Such as with Iskandar. She raises her tankard in a friendly gesture, smile quickly returning. There's no way she's going to spoil his party, after all. "Hell, yeah I am. What a wonderful way to celebrate, I totally approve. Are you doing this all month? Just how much coin do you have squirreled away?"

Pel has been overworked--an impressive feat, as she normally can't get enough of work. Even now, it's not that she is unhappy, but that she is stretched too thin. Going camping is exactly what she needs right now. All the problems are far away, and she feels more connected with herself when outside the city. The casual racism and stench of rotting garbage don't exist here. She has missed this.

Little Sina is fast asleep in a basket, breathing slow and deep. She should sleep through the night, judging by the timing of her previous nap. It's a relief not to have to worry about that.

"So where you're from," she says quietly, "people celebrate their birthday for a whole month? Or was it just for you?"

Garahel's the one who picks up on Iskandar's presence first, and he barks happily, streaking forward for some attention. Hi, friend! Inessa, content to follow at her own pace, smiles as she observes them. Iskandar's cheer is infectious, and she can always appreciate how he enjoys the company of her mabari. Catching up, she contemplates the question.

"It's tempting, but I haven't finished sorting--" Garahel interrupts her with a whien and a soulful look. Her lips twitch. "...I'm not going to have a choice about taking a break, am I?"

Waver wasn't surprised with camping, not at all. It was an excuse to explore, to push keeper into Thedas, to see the world. Being out of Skyhold, Waver had forced himself to do the same, kept forcing himself to do the same lest he become lazy and satisfied.

But this was also a matter of birthdays, and now out in the middle of the wilderness, this felt like the right kind of party. Oh, Waver knew there'd be what Flat would probably call a massive rager, but that was for later.

"Hang on with the wine," Waver said, rising to his feet. "I've got something for you."

Kain is heading in to tend to his dracolisk, and definitely has a mind to take her out on a ride. Though he has nothing specific in mind for a destination… so when the cheerful man asks, he can’t help but feel tempted to oblige. Sure, he tends to be more solitary usually, but… it can’t be so bad, right?

“I wouldn’t mind that. I’m still exploring and getting used to the surrounding areas. It’s not so bad, once you get far enough from the city.” Not one for urban areas overall, Kain has been pleased to find plenty to see out there, particularly the mountains.

Fenris is, naturally, much more subdued. He’s been just sitting quietly, observing those in the bar, by all appearances brooding over his drink. When Iskandar takes a seat, he snaps out of his little reverie, giving a small nod.

“In a manner of speaking.” His expression does lighten a little, even if it doesn’t go all the way toward outright friendliness. “Did I hear that right? Are you celebrating your entire birth month? Is this a custom where you’re from?”

He actually found the idea of having a drink in Iskandar's honor to be very alluring. Drinking with men he trusted felt like a way to express that trust. "At least one," he agrees.

He shifted his body so that the arm around him was more comfortable for them both and grinned a bit at the food. He opened his mouth then, angling his head to be a bit of a tease as he waited to see if Iskandar would actually feed him or not. He meant it mostly as a joke, not expecting that his friend would actually do it, but he wouldn't mind if he did.

With that permission given, he poured Cyril a drink then handed it to him. The wine was delicious so he was pleased that the elf was willing to have some of it. Of course right when he was handing it to him, he saw his mouth open. Laughing, he fetched some of what he'd tried in a smaller portion then offered it to him, feeding it to him so he could try it.

Joke or not, obviously he was happy to do this. "What do you think?"

"Ah I won't be throwing things like this the entire month. I have other plans that don't involve so much coin. Still, I have enough for a few of these gatherings." Which was good enough for him. However, he'd noticed that look on her face and he tilted his head to study her expression more as he rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Talk, my friend. Tell me what is on your mind. Something is troubling you."

Because he cared for the little girl so much, he'd been helping to carry her when Pel deemed it a good time. It was clear he loved her as if she were his own child, perhaps more obvious when he used his own birthday to get her several toys and even a new blanket. Because what better way for him to celebrate his own life than to make hers that much better?

"I'd say some cultures may do this but honestly I just felt as if we needed some celebrating to make up for everything that has happened of late. This way we can all find something fun to partake in. Like this trip we share together."

He grinned at her then offered her a cup of wine.

"Sometimes the best way to lift spirits is just to find a reason to celebrate. This came about very conveniently."

Another whine could be heard and it was clear this one was from Achilles Alexander. It seemed he'd joined forces in trying to get her to say yes so that way he could go running with Garahel while the two of them went for a ride. His little butt could hardly contain itself with the way his tail wagged. He wanted them to go so badly!

Iskandar burst out laughing at the antics of the dogs. "Now could you possibly say no to those faces? Look at them."

"You do?"

Well now he was curious. He leaned forward as if that was going to tell him right away what it was. The last time someone had wanted to gift him something he'd ended up with a pair of gold ear cuffs that he wore all the time now. What was it that Waver would come up with?

"What is it, boy?"

"Then together we will go exploring. It would be good to have two pairs of eyes out there, after all. You never know what one might see that the other would miss." He grinned at him and finished saddling up his horse who tossed his head excitedly. Someone was eager to go out for this ride. "Yes, yes, my friend. We are going out with our friends here. Let them have a moment to prepare first."

Turning back to the other man, he watched him get that dracolisk ready. "You know, I'd been meaning to ask someone. Are those creatures related to dragons at all? They have a remarkable similarity."

"It could be in some places. Mainly I decided that I could use my birthday as a way to help people to celebrate something. It seems we've been needing a little of that recently. So why not take a month to offer various opportunities to do that? It lifts the mood well."

He laughed a bit but it was clear he was telling the truth. He was using his own birthday as a way to boost morale, keep spirits lifted. So far it appeared to be working well enough and tossing enough coin at the owner of this establishment certainly helped to endear him to him as well. Another bonus in his favor if anyone were to ask Iskandar's opinion.

"May I ask what is on your mind over here, my friend? You seem lost in your thoughts."

Inessa joins in with a soft chuckle, as she steps forward to pet poor Achilles Alexander. Garahel barks his approval of this two-pronged attack. "I can't, you know. I'm Fereldan. Mabari devotion is ingrained in us from birth.

I suppose we can spare a little time, enough to wear out Garahel at least. Let me see what mounts are available."

Korrin stares down at her drink, tempted but at the same time not wanting to bring down his mood or that of the party. Perhaps a summary will satisfy him. "Two people very important to me are gone and while they aren't dead, one of them might as well be. I can't say more without endangering people, but...it fucking sucks, and I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to make it right."

Since coming to Kirkwall, Jamie had come to a few realizations, with one of the more recent ones being that despite its size, the city was crowded. Too crowded sometimes, if you asked him - especially if you happened to ask him on a day where he was feeling cooped up and more than a bit grumpy about having to be stuck in a place that he hadn't wanted to go to in the first place.

Today was one of those days, and while he'd initially decided to come to the stables and distract himself a bit by tending to the horses, Iskandar's offer was welcome. More than welcome, actually, and something in him visibly brightened at the suggestion.

"Hey, now there's an idea! Aye, I think the horses could do with a wee bit of exercise...and I'd not mind getting out of here for awhile myself. Have anything you want me to grab before I saddle up?"

The last time he'd talked with Jamie it had been before Hermione had told him about the future version of him confessing to her. At the time he'd told her she should talk to him here in the present to work things out because that was what was fair to him. He wondered how that had all turned out but didn't bring it up in this moment. Instead he just smiled widely at his friend.

"I have some food and drink we can share while we ride. Unless you wish to bring something we should be fine!"

Patting the saddle on his horse, he showed that the bags were full and waiting for them.

He nodded slowly. So that was it. He gave her shoulder a squeeze then rested his hands on his own drink. She had every right to be distracted if those were the thoughts that were haunting her in this moment. "Sometimes that is the hardest part of living. Having to accept that sometimes we have to let things go and hope that a chance will come to us again."

"There, boys. She has agreed. Come here and I shall give you a treat for your efforts so she can find a ride in peace."

He laughed and waved the dogs to come over to his horse where he pulled out a piece of dried meat for each of them. It was easy enough to flip them each a piece so they could chew it down while Inessa got her mount sorted out.

"Thank you, Iskandar!" That was kind of him, and Inessa takes care to choose and ready her mount as efficiently as possible. She doesn't have a set one of her own, so whatever is available is what she chooses. In this case, it's a Fereldan Forder, one of the common horse breeds of the south. Leading it out of the stall, she glances over to the pups with a smile.

"I would offer a ride on Potato, but she has yet to accept anyone who isn't Kain or myself. Griffons are the mabari of mounts, I suppose."

Staring at her drink rather than consuming it won't change anything, of course. Tilting her head back, she takes another swig. If there's no escaping this situation, she'll at least cope with it through less than perfect sobriety. Given that most human drinks barely register, this will actually take some work but she's game for that.

"I...don't know if I can accept it, yet. It's taking everything I have not to rush after, even knowing how dangerous it'd be and that it probably wouldn't solve anything. Araceli would never let me hear the end of it and she'd be right, but...."

“What a laudable cause.” Fenris raises an eyebrow. “Does this mean that they have to buy you presents and drinks by way of celebration for the whole month, or do you build up to that part?”

He jests, in his own way, but he can kind of see why such a thing is needed. He’d never really been the merry-maker of their group, but back when he was among Hawke and the others, certain individuals always saw a need to keep everyone’s spirits up. He thinks he gets it, in a way.

“Hm? I suppose I did get a little lost in thought.” Which is a pretty common occurrence, though he will insist it’s not actually brooding happening. “It’s nothing too monumental, really. I was just thinking over the current state of things at the moment.”

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[Open] Birth of a King

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Tavern

Camping

Going for a ride

Camping because nerds

Going for a ride

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Going for a ride

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