faderift | OPEN ↠ HARING EVENT

OPEN ↠ HARING EVENT

WHO: All
WHAT: WINTER IS HERE
WHEN: Haring 15-Wintermarch 1
WHERE: The Gallows, Kirkwall
NOTES: You can use this post as an event-style mingle log, or just use it as background information for your RP elsewhere!

It's been a chilly month already, but in mid-Haring the temperature suddenly plummets. One day it's merely cold, and the next morning the Inquisition wakes to frost on the inside of the window panes and an icy draft whistling through every crack in the tower's masonry. Downstairs, the pipes that feed the bathing chambers and the kitchens creak in the walls, loud enough to be heard even out in the courtyard, where they run beneath the stones, and around midday, when the sun has failed to raise the temperature above freezing, a blocked pipe finally gives, cracking open to spill water across the central court and send it running down side passages. The whole area floods several inches deep and almost immediately begins to freeze, presenting at first a gigantic, treacherous slush puddle and, after a few hours, a sheet of sheer ice.

Melting a safe path from door to door and laying down sand or wood to keep it from becoming slick again is a simple enough undertaking, but before the entire courtyard can be thawed, someone appears with ice skates—and that’s a better idea, surely, for at least a few days. Anyone who complains about the frivolity can be assured it’s good exercise, not to mention good training for a force that may have to travel or fight on ice in the future.

Temperatures remain cold enough that even some parts of the harbor begin to freeze, first just at the calmest edges of the shoreline, and then the more protected nooks and crannies of the bay, inlets and the spaces between piers and beneath docks. It snows most days--not real storms, just a couple inches here and there--little enough for the window to blow most of it off the icy plain of the courtyard and other wide open, paved spaces, accumulating on branches and in alleyways, and creating growing drifts in corners and against walls.

After a week or so actual chunks of floating ice begin to fill the narrow channels of the harbor, threatening smaller and less-sturdy vessels, and the situation in the poorer parts of the city begins to grow dire. With the Viscount's blessing, Inquisition teams (particularly mages) are called in to help. Some are assigned to the docks, to clear ice that makes landing and unloading treacherous, others to help escort ships into harbor by melting a path ahead. Others are sent into Lowtown to clear ice and snow and to provide warmth and medical attention where needed. At least one mage is sent with each team, and while many neighborhoods are pleasantly surprised and grateful for the quick work fire glyphs make of cold hearths and frozen streets, a few are unable to overcome their distrust, and refuse the teams entry, determined to take care of their own without the help of dangerous outsiders.

In the last week of the year, a true blizzard strikes, snow falling steadily for more than a day, blanketing the city at least three feet deep. Digging out the Gallows will be a group effort, and most non-essential trips outside the base will be cancelled for a few days until travel is less difficult, while those who reside in the city or elsewhere may be encouraged to stay a night or two in the fortress so they might continue to work without traveling through the storm. But on the first day of Wintermarch the First Day feast goes on as planned, with modest but plentiful food and ale served in the Gallows' dining hall for anyone who wishes to celebrate the new year.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ellana's deadication to the task at hand is rather remarkable. Her focus hasn't wavered from him since he started rummaging through his options. He is impressed, and can understand now howshe can be so successful exploring the ruins she loves so much.

He sets asside the green sweater, only to pull out a long thin strip of knit fabric, and then turns to her, eyebrows furrowed in a question.

"How does one wear this? I am unfamiliar with it." He stretches it our to her.

"Really? I'll show you." She gets up and closes the distance between them, taking the scarf and gently winding it around his neck. She does it slowly and loosely, since he's never wore anything like it before.

"There," she says, adjusting the fabric a little. "When the cold hits your face, you can pull the scarf up like this." And she demonstrates, tugging the fabric over his mouth and nose for just a moment before releasing it. "It keeps your neck warm, but your face too. I have one on, see?" She undoes the top buttom of her coat, to show off a scarf that's a little different that the one he wears. It's the kind the Dalish favor (even though she's not really Dalish anymore): A square of fabric folded on the diagonal and tied at the nape of the neck to make a triangle hanging down in the front.

He shivers a little whenever her fingers graze his neck. She is near him again, and all he could think about was how good she felt against him. He swallows hard and pushes that thought from his mind as best as he could.

"If I am to have one, I would prefer one like yours. They seem more practical, and less prone to tangling in trees." He keeps eye contact with her a few seconds, and a blush creeps up his chest, neck, and wiggles his way into his face.

"I admit I'm not very good at pick8ng clothes for myself. I have been in uniform for a very long time. Help me choose something?"

"You can have one of mine. I have plenty." Ellana takes note of the flush and is grateful that -- for once -- she's not the one turning red at something. Seeing has she has such pale skin, her blush is far too hard for her to control, but something about her making him blush gives her quite the boost of confidence.

"Well, let's try this?" She picks up the green sweater he was eyeing earlier and hands it to him. "Try that and I'll sort through the rest for a full outfit." He needs pants, socks, and perhaps a coat, though she has to admit his cloak is very warm and may be sufficient on its own. Then he'll need a couple more sets of clothes if the quartermaster is feeling generous.

"I would... like very much to have something of yours. Thank you."

He throws the green sweater on. It's color reminds him of the leaves of the your sapling trees of Lorien. He pulls down the sweater, very greatful for it's warmth. It fits him well enough. It is long enough to cover his arms and it sits a little past his hips. He does notice it has stretched a little tighter around his chest and upper arms, but it doesn't look likey to tear. To test it he stretches in it a little, before bending over into a small summersault.

"I can move freely in it. Does it pass?" He's never really thought much of his own appearance. But now he very much wanted her to approve of it.

It could also remind him of her green eyes. ~~Just saying.~~

Her lips twitch with a smile as he somersaults, and she nods her approval while he gets back up. "It does, yeah. I think it looks great. Here; these pants should go, and I hope these socks will fit your feet." It's kind of hard to tell when he's wearing boots. To the quartermaster she asks: "How many clothes can he take?"

The man sniffs a little, though whether it's in distaste or from the cold is hard to discern. "I can't have him clearing me out. He can have two each of shirts, sweaters, pants, and socks. If you need smallclothes, I've got those in the pile too."

"Oh yes," she says, feeling her cheeks go pink. "Probably that too." Unless he doesn't wear underwear? And now she's thinking about that and is definitely not looking at Haldir as she sorts through the clothes for some linen shirts.

He takes the sweater off, and tried on the other shirts and knitwear checking for size and also movement. All in all he is happy with them. One of the sweaters, deep blue in color, is larger than the green, and a little longer. He's isn't sure he'd ever want to meet the person it was made for, being as it would be much larger than even he. But, it made the sweater immensely comfortable.

Happy with her choices, Haldir takes the pants she's chosen, and then moves to the laces of his breeches... He then looks up at her.

"Should I remove these too?" he asks far too innocently than he had cause to be in this situation. He pauses, waiting for her answer and then starts toeing off his boots to check and see if the socks fit.

Oh, dear. He doesn't even give her a sly look at that. He's just completely innocent. It's so adorable but at the same time she kind of wants to sit him down and talk him through some things. Since she's left the clan she's been learning of the harshness of the world, but that's been all right with her. To survive, a person needs as much knowledge as possible. It seems like the unchanging beauty of Lothlórien has meant there's a lot he's missed out on.

"To see if they fit? Yes, I think so. We can turn around if you'd like? For privacy?"

Her words hit him like an arrow to the chest and he froze. In his excitement, he hadn't really thought about how little clothes he had on at that moment.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't even think!" In a mad panic, he grabbed the nearest clothing items and started throwing them on himself. "I'm sorry you had to see...that." He screamed at himself as he shuffled backward. "I got excited...and I..." Was it possible to die from embarrassment? Instead, he held the breeches up to himself, and they seemed like they would fit.

"These should be...fine."

Edited (spelling) 2017-12-19 06:44 (UTC)

The quartermaster looks at Haldir like he's insane, before looking at Ellana, eyes pleading at her to do something about his freakout. What is it with rifters and being weird? Thankfully Ellana is much more understanding and forgiving of the elf's behavior, holding up her hands in a calming manner.

"Haldir, please. We all do things without thinking, and we're not uncomfortable." She wisely does not glance over at the quartermaster as she says this. "Just take a breath, okay? I'll fold up these clothes for you if you want to put your armor back on." To the quartermaster, she asks, "Do you have a bag?" and he nods, happy to get away for the moment as he goes back into the supply closet, returning with a cloth bag with a drawstring sewn into the hem. Ellana focuses on putting Haldir's new clothes away, ready to hand them over when he's ready. It gives her a moment to think over how passionately he feels about things, especially his mistakes. It's a bit unfortunate, because he beats himself up far too much. Maybe she could help him with that, and get him to mellow out.

He silently put his armor back on, hardly having to think about the movements because he'd done it so many times. After he breathed a little, he calmed and then went up to the quartermaster.

"Do you have any oiled cloth? One long enough to cover me? I haven't needed one yet, but with the snow I'd like to keep myself dry as I sleep."

"We're all out at the moment, but I've put in the request for more." The man sneaks a quick look at Ellana, to make sure she's near at hand in case the rifter takes exception to that. He is quite strange, after all.

"We can always check back later," she replies with a simple shrug. "Thank you for your help." The quartermaster merely nods and gathers up the excess clothes to store away once more. He'd really like to go back to having peace and quiet, and no one asking things of him. Ellana holds out the bag of Haldir's new clothes to him, drawstring pulled tight.

"Here you go! Now you don't have to go around in your armor all the time. Oh, and here." She takes his cloak off to hand back to him. "Since we're headed back outside."

With a nod, he takes the cloak, and with a bit of a shake, fastens it about himself again. It has gotten a bit colder, and he sighs a bit thinking of the cold night ahead of him. Being effected by the shifts in temperature was irksome, but at least he had a few warm layers to put on under his cloak now, do his shelf will be a bit more tolerable he supposed.

"Thank you for your help. If I can repay you, please do not heasitate to ask. You have been very kind to me, Ellana. It will not be forgotten."

He extened his arm to her again as they exited thd building.

"I was happy to help," she answers, taking his arm once more as the pair leave the building. Now they're at the scene of that passionate kiss, and she recalls the desperate grasp he held her in, and the way her toes curled in her ice skates.

"Maybe if I need something off a top shelf..." she jokes, glancing up at him with a teasing look.

He looks at her while he rolls his eyes a little and then chuckles softly at her joke.

"It seems to be the only thing anyone here deems me useful for, but I will happily retrieve anything outside your reach. You have but to ask. Although, I would not consider something so simple as repayment for the kindness you've shown me. It is something...I haven't experienced before. I don't think I can express how much it means to me."

"That can't be true. Give it time, and once people get to know you, things won't feel so hard." She smiles encouragingly. "People here can be suspicious, but that's not true of everyone. You'll find friends here. I know it."

It just appears that self-confidence may be an issue for him, and she can commiserate there. Little by little, she's been coming into her own and finding where she fits in the world, but that doesn't mean there aren't bad days too.

He smiled at her, one of his polite ones, and nodded his head. "I hope that is true."

He looked down to where her hand was nestled in the crook of his arm. Hesitantly, he took his other hand, and placed it softly over hers.

"That doesn't diminish what you have done for me. Lady Galadriel placed much of her faith in you, and I find myself doing the same. I am in earnest in saying that if I can be of any assistance, small or large, consider it done. I haven't many I can call friends, but those precious people I hold very dear. I would like to count you among them, if you have no objection."

"I believe you. I know I've been making jokes, but I understand that you're serious. And I promise, I'll let you know." Ellana gives him her best reassuring smile. "Of course. Friends for sure."

Now back on the ice, she takes her time getting readjusted to the feeling of gliding. With him by her side, there's much less chance of her falling now.

"But keep an eye out for more friends you could make. Like I said, some people are really nice and welcoming."

He took his hand off her's with a nod, the polite smile settled into place again. "I will keep that in mind. Thank you."

His goes quite again, retreating a bit into himself, eyes on the ice but looking far away. He is unsure of what to do or say next, so he hopes silence is the best course of action. He has put his foot in his mouth enough today.

Nodding, Ellana focuses on skating back towards the mage tower to get back to her room. The silence isn't uncomfortable, and she doesn't stop to think that he may be silent because he feels awkward. Finally at the base of the stairs, she stops, turning to look at him.

"I had fun today. Thanks for helping me with skating. I probably would have fallen a ton if it wasn't for you."

"At your service." He said a bit bashfully with an awkward half bow. "I am glad you enjoyed yourself and also remained uninjured."

He lets his arm fall down to his side again. "I look forward to our next meeting. I am sure you will have more stories from your adventures by then."

"Adventures around the city," she stresses. "I'll still be around here if you'd like to meet up sometime." Taking a seat on one of the bottom steps, she works to remove the skates to leave them for someone else with her shoe size.

"You know how the crystals work, don't you? I'm only a message away."

He stood as she unlaced the skates, and then peered down at her questioningly at her question.

"Crystals?" he asked while rubbing the back of his neck a little. "I...tend to stay away from shiny baubles if possible. After the silmarils and the rings of power, I hope you don't blame me. What power do these crystals posses?"

"Oh, I see." Setting the skates aside, she pushes herself up, thick socks just managing to keep out the cold clinging to the stone steps.

"They let us talk to each other over any distance." Reaching inside her coat and under her scarf, she pulls out a golden locket on a long chain. Clicking it open reveals a small crystal inside.

"You speak into it, and you can hear the other person's voice come through. The Inquisition issues them to anyone it houses."

He moved closer to her in an effort to examine the crystal. After inspection, he gave a nod and then a sudden realization hit him. He rummaged in one of the pouches he has hidden in his armor, and pulled out a similar one. it was roughly cut, nothing like hers, and it wasn't mounted to anything, rather just a loose stone.

"I did not believe this to be of any wealth when it was given to me, nor was it's purpose explained. My apologies. Would you...teach me how to use this? I find it quite intriguing." He looked up at her, and then at her feet, which were bundled in thick socks, but still very much susceptible to cold.

"It could be at a later date as well. You have already helped me quite a bit. If you are tired, I can leave you be. I will retire to my...lodging...shelf." He didn't really know what to call the place he only used when his body couldn't go on anymore. He did not live there, nor would he call it a home. And really he was in no hurry to return there due to the fact that is was likely covered in snow, and very cold indeed. He grimaced a little at the thought.

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