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.

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As Adalia stumbles, she reaches for Elros' arm, too focused on not falling to pay too much attention to what he's saying. Something about a problem, and pain, maybe. Her fingers scrabble ineffectually at his sleeve for a moment before she manages a stronger hold, and as soon as she has a real grip on him, Adalia yanks, pulling herself properly upright — and Elros even closer. They're pressed together now, her chest to his torso — gods, he's tall, he's so tall, why would anyone ever be that tall — and for a second, just one second, everything else in Adalia's head becomes white noise.

And then the mistletoe shrieks again — giddily, this time? — and redoubles its efforts to shove Elros' head down, and Adalia's eyes widen as she understands its game. Without thinking, she ducks her head and hides her face against Elros' chest. Not her best idea ever, but at least her lips are out of the way?

"We should kill it," she says, the words muffled by Elros' shirt.

Elros blinks down, momentarily distracted by his sudden armful of Adalia, before his eyes narrow as the mistletoe redoubles its efforts, now pulling on his hair.

"Ow, what do you think I'm trying to do?" He grumbles, trying to untangle it and getting bitten for his efforts. Think you could fry it?"

The idea is so awful that Adalia raises her head so that Elros can see her glare. Otherwise he'd just have to assume it was there, and that would be unacceptable.

"Do you want to die by electrocution? Because that's how you die by electrocution," she says, about to start on a tangent about how difficult it is to hit just one target when it's a. so tiny and b. on top of someone else —

But that's when the mistletoe notices that she's raised her head again, and it reaches to grab a handful — leafful??? — of her hair, pulling her up and Elros down and Bahamut's shiny ass this thing just will not quit. Adalia tries to jerk her head away from the plant, and her hair out of its grip, but all that does is pull sharply on her head, making her whimper in pain. Now she has to stand on her tiptoes so that it isn't pulling painfully on her hair, and it doesn't show any signs of letting up.

"Ow, ow, ow, this plant is an asshole, I'm gonna kill it, I'm gonna kill it so hard, holy shit, I think I know what it wants from us and I'm gonna kill it so fucking dead —"

"Ow ow ow, but it wouldn't have to be a big zap?"

Elros hisses.

"What does it want?"

For a second Adalia doesn't say anything, too embarrassed and still sort of hoping they can get away from the plant without having to give in. She holds her hair to her head and tugs away from the mistletoe, trying to get free without leaving a clump of her hair in the plant's clutches as she does so... But it's no use. The thing won't let go, and she doesn't want to lose a chunk of hair, and there's only one thing to do.

"It wants us to kiss," she mumbles, staring resolutely down at her feet — which are beginning to hurt, as she's forced to stand on tiptoe to be in whatever the mistletoe considers "acceptable range".

Elros pauses.

"I beg your pardon, but did you just say, 'it wants us to kiss'?"

The mistletoe shrieks gleefully at that and tugs them both a whole lot harder.

"Ow!"

"I'm not any more pleased about it than you!" Adalia snaps, cheeks flaming red. It might be better to just lose the hair and run, honestly — or maybe she could just try to zap the mistletoe and if she gets Elros in the process oh fucking well. "It keeps shoving our faces together, right, what else could it want?"

Her legs are becoming very, very sore. This is taking forever, and any move to drop down to her feet from her tiptoes makes the mistletoe pull even harder on her hair.

"For fuck's — if we're not going to get this over with, pick me up! I'm on my tiptoes to reach you because you're part godsdamned giraffe or something and I am a perfectly reasonable height and my legs hurt pick me up."

"Um." Elros says, cheeks pinking.

"I don't... actually mind very much, if you don't?"

He blinks and then automatically moves to pull her up a little. "Er, yes'm... like... this?"

Truthfully, Adalia expected neither of those responses — she was being a brat, yelling to be picked up like that, but in her defense shit's pretty messed up right now, and she was tired of having to stand on her tiptoes. And... The other thing...

She blinks up at Elros, shocked into silence, and in her surprise she goes slack. Slack enough, even, that she slips out of his arms and back down onto her feet, yanking her hair terribly as the mistletoe starts yelling again.

"Ow, shit, fuck, yes, like that, sorry, you surprised me! Ow ow ow, that definitely took a few strands with it, that hurt —"

The mistletoe, pacified by the initial attempt, redoubles its efforts and Elros leans down to prevent it pulling at Adalia.

"Not the way I would have liked to have our first kiss! But with the lady's permission?"

This is something they'll have to talk about — there was a way he would have liked to have their kiss that wasn't this? meaning he's thought about kissing her before? — but there isn't really time or space or silence enough to have that talk. The mistletoe is yelling, Elros is going to fuck up his back leaning down so far to keep her hair from being pulled, and... well.

Let it never be said that Adalia waits on a man.

She leans up, as high as she can go without getting on her tiptoes, and reaches up to slip her hand around the back of Elros' neck to pull him down the rest of the way. There's only a moment for her to think This is my first fucking kiss, you asshole plant — before she closes the rest of the distance between them and presses her lips to Elros'.

Elros startles a little - he had been intending to stay polite and kiss her cheek, but he's not protesting. He shyly reaches to tug her a bit closer.

As kisses go, it's not terrible — at least Adalia is pretty sure it isn't; having never kissed before she can't be certain. But Elros' arm around her waist is gentle, she feels butterflies in her stomach, and as soon as their lips touch the mistletoe quiets. She can almost pretend this happened because they both wanted it to.

...almost. For a few seconds, anyway. She remembers the reality of the situation and lets herself drop back down to her feet, reaching up for the mistletoe before either it or Elros can react.

"You did this to yourself," she tells the plant, glaring at it as she summons spark to her hand, frying it and setting it on fire.

She almost kissed him back!

It's a poor substitute for true affection, properly consented to by both parties without coercion, but Elros feels his heart skip happily when she permits him to draw her close, although he politely doesn't try and do anything more than kiss her chastely. Maybe, maybe this is something that they should talk about properly later, he hopes.

Privately.

(Her lips are soft, and she smells nice, like a summer storm)

He makes a disappointed noise when she pulls away but he doesn't try to hold her, blinking in surprise as her hand goes up to his hair, and then laughing in understanding as the mistletoe goes up in flames.

"Oh! A good idea. Thank you for saving me. Again!"

This is all A Lot for Adalia to deal with, truth be told. Yelling mistletoe, her first kiss, butterflies in her stomach that won't fucking die, and Elros continues to have the audacity to be tall... It's easier to drop the smoldering mistletoe to the ground and watch it die down there than to look at him, particularly knowing just how red her cheeks are at the moment. Crushes are never really things she's had to deal with before (hard to have crushes on the adults who literally raised you, no matter what daddy issues you may or may not have) but Adalia knows the hallmarks of them and is beginning to cotton on to what the fuck her feelings are doing. She doesn't know what to do about it, so this is just... Going to go into the vault of 'Things To Be Considered At A Later Date'.

"You know me, Elros," she says finally, looking up at him and smirking. "Always ready to defend your maidenly virtue."

She'd feel bad for the joke, if she knew how earnest he was.

He matches her lightness with a grin (later, later - they're neither of them ready yet, probably, jokes are easier)

"My maidenly virtue thanks you." He says grandly. "The crown of Numenor is in your debt! Of course, the crown is also rather broke, but I can afford to offer you a hot drink?"

And maybe, in private...perhaps they can talk.

"Can the crown of Numenor truly exist if there is no Numenor for it to be crown of? One wonders," Adalia muses, tapping her chin thoughtfully. This is all normal. Totally. Very normal. There was no kissing to feel weird about, no butterflies to try to either encourage or squash. Just two pals talking about a kingdom which may or may not exist.

"Regardless, Elros, you don't owe me anything. I won't say no to a hot drink, freezing as it is, but there's no debt."

Adalia's never had anyone in her debt before, and she certainly isn't about to start accruing such relationships now. Things done in friendship incur no debts, as far as she's concerned, and besides that it's just... It's a really weird idea, to be owed something rather than to owe. Adalia has her own debts she must pay back, she'd rather no one else ever feel indebted to her. It's not a pleasant feeling.

Elros tips his head consideringly, temporarily diverted by the idea.

"Well, technically I could be considered in 'exile' of sorts, I suppose. Alternatively, it could be considered an ambassadorship? Numenor doesn't exist here but it does exist, so... I'd have to ask Maglor, he's the loremaster. If anyone would know the intricacies of how such things should work it would be him."

He grins at her.

"Not the real kind of debt, no. But good friends have debt of another sort, and..." he hesitates, suddenly shy. "I... would think that you are not... adverse to friendship, at least?"

Please say you aren't.

He looks at her pleadingly.

"Well, to be an ambassador, wouldn't you have to be invited here?I think most anyone who could invite you here as an ambassador would rather you'd have stayed in Arda," Adalia says, teasing. She's not trying to make Elros feel bad about his lack of a kingdom anymore, but she's not exactly thinking about not making him feel bad either — she just needs the subject of conversation to be literally anything other than feelings or kissing.

Which is unfortunate when that's what Elros keeps bringing them back to. She ducks her head, tucking her hair behind her ears to give her hands something to do, and shrugs.

"Well, we have known each other longer than a day now. I think a month is time enough to consider someone a friend."

Despite her reluctance to deal with any sort of feelings, she does look up at Elros and give him a shy smile.

"Good point." He agrees, still watching her shyly.

"So exile? Or maybe Tribute? No, tribute would imply I was taken deliberately, wouldn't it? I don't mind being in Exile, it sounds very dramatic."

She looks so shy suddenly, and it's very cute, and he reaches over to touch her hand. Just lightly, so she can pull away, if she wants.

"Oh good. I ... don't want things to be awkward! After the kiss, you know. Which was very nice! I just... "

Just spit it out he can almost hear his brother laugh.

"I do like you." He says in a rush. "You're smart and kind and pretty. But I don't know if you want anything more. We barely know each other enough to say! But I think I wouldn't mind finding out. If you don't mind. As friends!"

Could you be any more awkward he laments to himself and sighs, pulling away to run fingers through his hair.

"And I've just made everything about a hundred times more awkward, haven't I? Sorry."

There is a point Adalia could make about exile also implying a certain amount of purposeful action, but there's no point. The conversation is going to carry on with feelings no matter how she tries to deflect it, so better to get it over with as quickly as possible.

...a rather difficult thing to do when she has been left so utterly speechless, however.

She stares up at Elros, mouth slightly agape, blinking owlishly like a moron, for several seconds before she can bring herself to snap her mouth shut. He likes her? He likes her? That's so... it's incomprehensible, honestly. Adalia is not unaware that she's rather attractive, as far as humanoids go, but she isn't by any means spectacular. She is terrible at dealing with feelings and can be so oblivious it's ridiculous, she makes terrible life choices —

and Elros likes her.

"Um," she says, very eloquently. "I — that is, I'm not sure — I've never —"

Adalia groans and drops her face into her hands. Pull it together, kid.

"That was my first kiss," she admits, the words muffled by her palms, "I've never — been courted. Or done any courting. Or anything like that. I don't know how it works."

Elros would apologise for making her even more uncomfortable if he knew but he's just as embarrassed, shyly fidgeting opposite, watching her a little anxiously.

"Well, I mean... I haven't either...so...you know...I just...well I mean..."

He stutters to a halt and then tries again. "I'm sorry it was such a terrible first kiss. I never wanted things to be so awkward. I just...if you don't mind it, could we maybe...try?"

Edited 2018-01-16 08:51 (UTC)

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OPEN ↠ HARING EVENT

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