faderift | (no subject)

WHO: Fenris and OPEN
WHAT: Catch-all post! Reading, drinking, stalking slavers, shopping unsuccessfully
WHEN: July/Solace
WHERE: Around Kirkwall
NOTES: No warnings

Reading Practice: Library

It’s at least nice and quiet at the library. Though he’s still not exactly the most comfortable in this place, it has that going for it. Fenris paces around uneasily, until he finds a good spot to settle. Once there, he opens the book he has with him, sighing heavily as he gets back to the page where he’d left off.

Slowly, he traces a finger along the page, mouthing each word one by one. It’s a laborious process for someone who’s still getting down the basics. He’d gone over this section together with Bethany, and while it had seemed fine at the time, it’s always a little more challenging on his own. But at least he's made some progress.

He also has a piece of paper and quill and ink with him. Every so often he - just as deliberately- copies down a word he finds interesting, to work on those writing skills as well. Some of it makes sense. Some words are also just outright baffling, not at all how one would assume them to look. So far, the paper reads, in very scribbly handwriting:

foul

mine

drink

sla ug hte r (??)

evade

open

distress

an d ras t a e andraste Andraste (?)

"Who invented this?" he murmurs grumpily. It's as if they wanted to make it as deliberately inconsistent as possible.

Hanged Man

Fenris quietly sips drink after drink, hanging back for a while as people come and go. Finally, he turns to whoever’s near him at the bar, cards in hand.

“Why don’t we have an exchange? I’ll teach you a game I know, if you’ll do likewise for me.”

He’s never thought to find out what sort of card games rifters play, or possibly games from lands here that he knows little about. With a few drinks in him, he’s certainly interested in finding out. It’s a question he’ll have to pose to more people, later, he thinks.

Slaver Hunting: Kirkwall Alley, Night

Taking down slavers is still something Fenris does on the side… he just can’t help it, when he catches wind of something going on, he needs to do something about it. Such as right now. It’s late and dark, as he makes his way quietly from the docks, slowly stalking the one who he’s been keeping track of lately. But as he creeps along, he’s getting the distinct feeling of being followed or watched…

Soon enough, he heads down an alley, turning to confront whoever else is out there. With his blade drawn, he steadily advances on the person.

“What brings you out here?” And why are you interrupting his important business, damn it!

Armor Shopping: Lowtown

The merchants in Lowtown tend to have the best deals, so that’s where Fenris is now, strolling through the area, eyeing what’s for sale. He’s considering picking up something new, potentially, if he can find something that’ll suit his preferences.

“Is it true? Do you really cast a spell that can rip out a man’s heart?”

Oh, no, here it goes. Fenris turns to the merchant who’d spoken and glares. “Do I look like a mage to you?”

The merchant looks uneasy, but soon enough, they’re interrupted by a woman selling flowers. She comes along, and upon seeing Fenris, promptly places a crown of pretty pink flowers on his head, quicker than he can react. The woman giggles. “It suits you! Consider it a token of appreciation. You’re that friend of the Champion’s, aren’t you?”

“And he magicked the heart clean out of the Arishok, I heard it, it’s true,” the merchant chimes in.

“I heard it was the whole Qunari compound that he fought, single-handedly!” another flower girl emerges out of nowhere, and suddenly there’s a pretty yellow and blue flower both being added to his hair.

The last thing he wants is a scene, not here among the merchants. Sigh. He's just going to start backing away, now, ok. It's clear he won't be able to talk sense into any of these people. The pretty flowers in his hair are largely forgotten as he works to step away.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

“Hm… that may work with some of the more complex words in here. I’ve noticed something of a pattern, anyway… there are common words and phrases that are more often used. Simpler words, usually..” But it’s enough to hopefully help with that whole ‘clues’ thing, using those familiar words to get some understanding around the less familair ones. Maybe he can decode this after all… it’s just taking a lot more time and concentration than he’d have realized. “And repetition… that’s a good idea. I’ve been told it was a good idea to go over each section until I feel confident that I fully understand it.”

“And to think they normally start children working on such a thing.” Though maybe that’s the point, they’re young and impressionable, right? So these rules kind of would… sink in, he supposes.

"It is a bit easier when you're a child, admittedly," Kirk said with a sympathetic sound, though he smiled at Fenris with that same encouragement. "But it's never to late to learn, and so long as you make progress, no matter the pace, that's a good thing."

He was quiet a moment, his eyes turned slightly to the side as if he were considering something and then -

"You know, I help run a program teaching the common folk here - reading, writing, math, science. You're more than welcome to join the class, or I don't mind giving you private tutoring lessons," he offered him. "I think you're doing the right thing now - sounding out words, writing them out. But if you ever need extra help, you can come and ask me."

“Well, it’s certainly progress of a sort, even if it’s slow-going.” It’s not as if he can devote the time that he really would like to, what with Inquisition duties often getting in the way. He can at least make the most of what down time there is, though.

He considers that. He’s definitely more of the private sort, very much needing the time and space to himself. It’s been going good with Bethany, but of course, she’s only one person. They just have to meet when the chances arise for that. “I have an exemplary teacher already… but I suppose an extra session every so often couldn’t hurt. In fact, it may help this task become even less overwhelming. When do you normally have time?”

"Evenings, mostly," he said after a moment of thought. "I have a house now, so if you prefer something more private you're welcome to come there and we can use the kitchen table to study on. But you'll have to be okay with cats. Leonard and Nikita are pushy things." He rolled his eyes endearingly at the mention of his cats, spoiled rotten by his own hand.

Fenris nods to that, thinking it over. Somewhere quiet and private would be preferable. He does the majority of his practice alone, as much as possible. But even he needs a change of scenery once in a while.

"I don't mind them. That would be the ideal situation, anyway... and I'm sure I can find some way to repay you. Do you have a favorite type of drink?" Because really, if he's going to invite him over and give him his time, the least he could do is bring over something for him.