[Open] Training Montage!

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

WHO: Adasse Agassi and YOU
WHAT: Adasse making himself useful, or not.
WHEN: Most of Firstfall
WHERE: The Gallows
NOTES: Warnings for cursing, possible mentions of darker things (will update), and crime.

1. Training Montage - Part One

It starts with Adasse taking Beleth's words to heart - to helping someone else because she helped him. He saw some of the scouts trying to work on trying to sneak, and after swallowing a lot of laughter, he walked them through the basics of keeping out of sight.

From there, he graduated to expanding Ellana's lessons to others - how to pickpocket from an important mark without getting caught. Light fingers in pockets, off belts, how to snip off a purse with a dagger without being noticed. It was all about moving your fingers in the right way, and like Ellana, he had them do finger strengthening exercises.

The final step, lock-picking. He was sitting on the ground, with a half a dozen Scouts around him, showing them what he was doing, step by step. "See - you don't want to tweak it too hard - if you do you snap off the pick and the lock's jammed. Permanent. Locking mechanisms are delicate things."

There's plenty of room for someone to sneak and observe, or at least snark from the background.

Training Montage - Part Deux!

There's something - someone - moving very rapidly over the roofs the gallows. Along the high stone walls, high above the courtyard, over the top of the slopes that lead down to the kitchens, along the edges of the towers and then down to the cobblestones of the Gallows. Adasse, without a shirt, running up the side of staircases, dark eyes intent and sweat beading over his body as he moves as rapidly as he can. Up, down, sideways, leaping off and rolling. A few times - he goes to climb up to a second story window -- but instead of climbing, he holds himself there. Muscles straining, and for the first time, something that had just looked like a colorful blur comes into focus.

A vhenadal tree, done in a rainbow of colors, down his entire back. If one looks closely enough ...

Either way, he's not paying attention to anyone below him. He's focusing on gripping the windowsill, and pulling himself up slowly, then lowering himself down again.


And ...Rest.

Above the Gallows courtyard, if you're just one of those people who happens to look up, you might see a young elf sitting atop one of the walls. He's dressed lightly, and a sack of apples is sitting next to him. A small brown nug is sleeping in his lap, whom he is petting with one hand. The other is holding open a book that he is, by all accounts, reading with complete absorption.

He'll probably hear you if you call out. A few times, at best.

Comments

rest

[serannas]

Ellana may not have been raised to scale the walls of a city and race across rooftops, but Araceli has given her parkour lessons before and she continues to practice whenever she finds herself at liberty. Today she climbs up the wall, knowing that Adasse is up there and knowing that he'll hear her too. She hasn't yet gotten the hang of regulating her breathing as she climbs, and it's not worth using her specialization and casting a silence field in the hopes of catching him off guard for once. Maybe someday she can get him to look surprised.

"Hey," she calls in a slightly winded tone, walking over to him once she's up atop the wall. "I won't stay long if you're reading. I just wanted to practice climbing and saw you were here."

Re: rest

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

Adasse doesn't even look up from his book, stroking Coco's ears as he shifted slightly on his perch to face Ellena. Amusement splashes over his expression as he lifts one finger to flip the page, and drawls over to her.

"Hey yourself. We really need to work on your stamina." He closes the book, pats the spot next to him, along with the sack of apples. "I can take a break from my break. How's the practice going?"

[serannas]

Taking a seat, she checks quickly with a "Yeah?" before taking an apple. "Pretty well. I'm building more strength in my wrists so I can push off a wall and grab hold of it higher up. First time I did it like my teacher, I screamed because I pulled everything in my wrists." She adds a shrug. "But I think your instructions about training my fingers has had a side effect of helping my wrists too."

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

"Yeah." Coco stirs from his lap, looking up at Ellana with wide, curious eyes, before nestling into his lap once again. Adasse rubbed his ears fondly, putting his attention back on Ellana.

"Yeah, and it's really going to help you with holding into place if you need to hang out a window." He offered out a free hand to her. "Here, squeeze these."

[serannas]

Her eyebrows lift, but she doesn't question him. Obviously he knows about hanging outside windows. Ellana is more likely to transform into a bird and flutter around out the window than hide by hanging from it, but that's not something she needs to bring up now. Instead, she firmly takes his hand and squeezes.

"Any better?"

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

He 'hmms' quietly, then nods his head, "Better. Not perfect yet, but better. You're definitely getting there." He cracks a smile at her, "And clearly your parkour is almost up to thieving snuff."

[serannas]

"Yeah?" she asks, eyes lighting up at the compliment. "I've been practicing so hard lately. I'm behind everybody else who's been doing this for years." Because here she is a mage, but a mage who has found the fight coming to her in the back line far too often to want to deal with that anymore.

"I used to just be an Inquisition soldier, but I took too many hits out there, so I've been training to better evade all that stuff, the way rogues do."

Part II

[writteninblood]

There is, Sorrel feels, such a thing as 'cheating.' Or perhaps the concept is closer to unfairness-- or injustice? Certainly, whatever this is, this thing Adasse is doing, with the vivid lines of ink and muscle and... and... and...

Sorrel fears he's made a sound, a small, shrill, crucial sound from the third-floor window. It's not as if he expected to put his head out and find anything more than a bird, or perhaps someone's stranded cat. Instead he found himself gaping at... at...

This. Whatever this is, with the sweating, and the... Sweet Mother Mythal grant me strength.

"Adasse?" Sorrel tries again, after some moments, trying to convince himself that he really ought not to look. Unfortunately, looking anywhere else provides an unwelcome distraction in the form of a stack of clean, neat vellum, left for deliver on a nearby side-table, "Are you... alright out there?"

Surely, they won't mind Sorrel taking just one or two blank sheets, right?

Re: Part II

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

There is a faint shrill noise above him, and Adasse frowns, thinking it might be a trapped cat or bird. He decides to wait to see if the animal makes the noise again, as he slowly pulls himself up, holds the position, then slowly lowers himself down once more.

Holding on with his fingers, tensing his body to keep himself steady and -

His head lifts, and he blinks up at the face of Sorrel. A grin comes over his face, and he resists the urge to show off by taking one hand off the still to wave, "Hello ... there ... Handsome!"

He pulled himself up, and then let himself down again, because he is still training, and lets himself hang again. "Just ... building ... strength and ... endurance ... " He pulled himself all the way up into the window, gripping the sides so he can look up, the same cheeky smile on his lips, even though he's still out of breath, chest heaving. "Can't be ... a good thief ... if you can't ... hold onto a windowsill ...!"

He eyes Sorrel's window, decides two stories up is just as good, and starts to make the shift to climb to Sorrel's windowsill, and start these pulling-up-to-make-sure-his-grip-is-good-exercises on his window.

Just ... because he might want to talk to Sorrel while he is doing this. He won't be able to look at him, but at least they can have a conversation.

[writteninblood]

"Creators, Adasse how are you-- Adasse!" Logically, it makes sense that he should be able to scale the seemingly-sheer face of the Gallows facade. After all, Adasse didn't get to where he was by falling. And yet, it's still alarming to watch; this isn't a tree or something a normal elf might climb, "What are you doing."

It's very alarming.

Also alarming is the new, much closer view. Oh. No. This is a bad thing to happen to Sorrel right now. He's... no. No no no. Put on a shirt. Spare him. Can't be a good thief if you can't hold onto a windowsill, for the love of--

"Is this normal? Not for you, I mean, but just... I feel as if I'd notice this if it was happening on a weekly basis."

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

Adasse's fingers finally wrapped around the windowsill and he pulls himself up enough so he can grin up at Sorrel. Great Maker, Ancestors, whatever, this was a beautiful man. Every bit inside and out. "I'm training, of course. And now ... talking to you!"

He winked, before he lowered himself down to hanging off the window once more, letting his arms stretch out.

"Nah. None of the other ... scouts train like this ... but they're trained to be scouts. I'm ... trained to be a thief."

[writteninblood]

Sorrel plants a hand over his face at that grin. Training. Of course he is.

"Of... course you are."

He wonders if someone sees him and calls the guard, what will happen. Adasse, they'll kill you if they catch you. Sorrel might kill you just for the stress.

"I'm not complaining," He pauses, feels almost compelled to pause in the rhythm of Adasse's up-and-down, then shakes off the impulse, "I'm really not. But how."

Sorrel hesitates again, then shrugs and slides a few sheets off the top of the stack of new paper, crouches to retrieve a writing implement from the as-yet uncleaned firegrate. A bit of paper they might not miss, but he doubts ink is so easily overlooked.

"...I mean, why," He continues, finding a seat a little closer to the window and therefore Adasse, "Is the Inquisition hiring theives? Or just the one thief. Are we stealing things to save the world, now?"

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

Adasse pulled himself back up again, to arch a teasing eyebrow at Sorrel, "What, your hunters don't go out and shoot a thousand ... arrows to make sure their .... shots make it? They're just .... that good?"

He lowers himself down, and lifts himself back up. Does this a few more times, before he answers Sorrel's question.

"They hired me - and I don't know what they might need me to steal... but it's better to keep sharp than .... lose my edge and lose it when the ... Inquisition needs me most."

He huffs, and lowers himself up and then down again, "Made a promise, Sorrel. Wrote my name on a piece of paper. That means something to me. I don't break promises if I can."

Part Deux

[universal_charm]

Kirk usually avoided coming to the Gallows if he could. Something about the place had always freaked him out, made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, but with it being the center of the Inquisition and his being on a research team, he found himself here more than he liked. Oh well. He had more than a month away from it all, so he supposed it was just making up for lost time.

He's walking along the grounds, crunching through an apple, when he spots Adasse at his training, raising an eyebrow at the other's rather precarious position.

"You know, there are safer ways to get in your pull ups," he called, hand on his hip and crunching sharply through another bite of apple.

Re: Part Deux

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

It was part of the training to not lose your sense of balance or your grip, so Adasse flexed his wrists, breathing in through his nose and out of his mouth. Looking down carefully, he finds his footholds and climbs down the side of the building, exhaling a large breath once he drops down to the ground.

Then he turns, and exhales, "What ... is a pull-up?"

Re: Part Deux

[universal_charm]

Kirk reached up so his arms have been in a similar position to Adasse’s and then mimed pulling himself up and then letting himself go back down again.

“A pull up,” he explained. “It’s an exercise where I’m from - good for training the shoulders, back and biceps.” He patted his own bicep for emphasis, punctuating it all with a crunch of his apple.

“Why were you up there anyways?” he asked curiously.

Re: Part Deux

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

Adasse huffed out a breath, putting his hands on his hips, sweat beading on his bare skin as he considered that. "Well, that ... does make perfect sense. I'm pulling myself up. So pull-up."

Oh, nice bicep Kirk. Adasse took a moment to admire, before he blinked.

"Working on scaling the side of a building. Y'know, just in case I need to get up to a balcony or something, and then, need to dangle on the side for a bit." And now, he gave a cheeky grin.

Re: Part Deux

[universal_charm]

“And why would you need to be doing that?” His eyebrow curled up, though his tone said more to his amusement than judgement.

He wasn’t exactly one to be calling out potentially bad behavior now was he? Considering his own track record. He really was never going to live down the Nibiru incident, among many others probably underlined in angry red in his file back home.

“Other than giving everyone a nice show,” he smirked.

Re: Part Deux

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

"Well, as a thief for the Inquisition, I have to make sure I am in peak shape to steal Venatori secrets." He gave Kirk a warm smile "Amongst other things."

A laugh escaped his lips, and he bowed deep, before straightening once more. "Anything to please my adoring public."

Part Deux

[el_tybs]

Sam did not favor the Gallows which was why he tried to make any business there as quick as possible; today dropping of a list for needed supplies and a request to the kitchen for patients. Even so there seemed to be numerous reasons this month that made his dally. Before it was a piece of "artwork" and now...

There was someone hanging from a window.

The color to the man's back is of course something to note, but Sam is a bit more concerned on exactly what this person is trying to accomplish. "Trying to make up your mind to escape the window or to climb into it?"

Re: Part Deux

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

Adasse blinked at *the sound of the voice behind him, and let go with one -hand so he could turn slightly and look over his shoulder. What he saw made him quirk a wary smile. Human, well fit, looking concerned over what he was doing. Could be interesting, could be trouble.

Could be that he needs to get down first, so he finds his foot holds, and climbs down. Lands in a crouch, still giving the man a wary smile.

"Neither. Trying to build up my arms so I can hang out windows and make my own choice on the matter - out or in - without falling to my death."

[el_tybs]

The show of strength of holding onto the edge with one hand to look back does impress Sam, but his expression doesn't convey that in the least, his expression full of concern considering all of this was happening a full story higher from where he's at. The concern lessens though, clearly less nervous once the man - elf more specifically now that he has a good look at him - is down on the ground.

Hearing about building up arm muscles Sam's eyes immediately shift to look at said arms before roaming back up to the window he had been hanging from. "Aaand the first story window wasn't good enough?"

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

He put his hands on his bared waist, the wary smile turning into a smirk. He tipped his head to the side, tipping his chin up. "I wouldn't have to worry about hanging off the first story window - as it's that close to the ground."

His smirk became cheeky, "Don't tell me a big fellow like you has never needed to climb out of a second floor window."

[el_tybs]

Sam raises a brow at that, his eyes moving down to said first story window. Yes, by all reasons it was closer to the ground, but still up higher then either of their heights. Less life threatening, but a seemingly reasonable way to still get said exercise.

"As a matter of fact, no, I haven't needed to," he says, his own hands coming up to rest on his hips as he continues to consider the height. "Either the windows were further up or not big enough to let anyone escape." Or, you know, on a mission where the point was to advance not escape.

[gottakeeponejumpahead]

"Well, let me tell you, there is nothing like buffering your experience in trying to escape from a fancy house with windows set on the second story -- then letting yourself climb up to the window still and work on pulling yourself up. Always prefer a litte realism in my training, you know? Makes it more practical."

He stepped forward, and offered his hand to shake, "Adasse Agassi - former thief, now Scout slash Agent. And who are you, oh comely one?"